Electronic Arts Game Reviews
Review Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PS5) - The Best BioWare Game Since Mass Effect 3
Let them Rook
It's been close to ten whole years since Dragon Age: Inquisition, if you can believe it — and it's fair to say that developer BioWare has endured a difficult decade. The studio effectively tanked its once industry-leading reputation with Mass Effect: Andromeda and ANTHEM — two titles that fell so far short of past standards that...
Future imperfect
Despite launching just three years later and on the same hardware as TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect looks like a title from a completely different console generation. This is both a good and a bad thing. Visually, things are substantially better, with far cleaner textures, more complex environments, and so on...
Review Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (PS5) - Fantastic Sequel Is Bigger and Better in Every Way
Cal shot first
No matter how good or bad its mainline movie entries have been as of late, the Star Wars series is one of few franchises so uniquely positioned in the public consciousness that it's probably never going away again. But while The Rise of Skywalker has some hardcore fans begging for a break, it's the likes of Andor that prove quality...
Review Battlefield 2042 (PS5) - Maybe One for the Future
Nostalgia trick
Republished on Wednesday, 1st March, 2023: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of March 2023's PS Plus line up. The original text follows. The games industry stops for no one, and just one week after Call of Duty: Vanguard was put out by Activision, Battlefield 2042 is here to try and eat its...
Review Wild Hearts (PS5) - A Fast-Paced, Thrilling Alternative to Monster Hunter
Domo arigato Mr. Kemono
Let's get the boring paperwork out of the way quickly. Yes, Wild Hearts is a lot like Monster Hunter: World. The similarities are plain to see, both structurally and conceptually. However, far from being a Monster Hunter clone, thanks to mostly fantastic creature design and splendid, fast-paced combat with an emphasis on ad...
Review Dead Space (PS5) - Faithful Remake Brings Back a Classic
USG Ishi-phwoara
Remakes can be somewhat of a touchy subject nowadays. While many are welcomed with open arms, others can have their very existence called into question. There isn't too much of a middle ground between the two extremes, so EA must have been elated to see Dead Space fans jumping for joy when it announced the 2008 survival horror...
Mini Review Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS5) - A Marginal Upgrade on Backwards Compatibility
At least it’s a free upgrade
Republished on Wednesday, 28th December, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2023's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. The latest in a long line of free next-gen upgrades, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order plays things pretty straight. The native PS5...
Review Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4) - One of the Best Star Wars Games Ever
I find your lack of faith disturbing
Republished on Wednesday, 28th December, 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2023's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. It's been almost impossible to avoid Star Wars for the past five years. Ever since its welcome return to the big screen with...
NHeaven
Republished on Wednesday 30th November 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. One of gaming's most beloved trilogies is back, and quite frankly, it's better than ever. If you loved the intergalactic adventures of Commander Shepard...
Review Need for Speed Heat - The Best NFS for Years, But That's Not Saying Much
Paradise lost
Republished on Wednesday 31st August 2022: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of September's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Need for Speed Heat brings the franchise back from the brink of disaster, but it's only brought it back to being good again. The series has been on...
Review GRID Legends (PS5) - A Solid Racer with a Lacklustre Narrative
Not quite legendary
GRID Legends finds itself in a bit of a tough spot. Launching a racing game in close proximity to any competition can be a bit dicey, but Codemaster’s latest entry in the GRID series is releasing just a mere week ahead of Polyphony’s much-anticipated Gran Turismo 7. Considering the near nine-year gap since the last properly...
Tussled sprouts
Republished on Wednesday 28th July 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of August's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Plants vs. Zombies has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a tower defence game. After developer PopCap was acquired by EA, the studio...
Review Star Wars: Squadrons - This Might Not Be the Game You're Looking For
Squad goals
Republished on Wednesday 26th May 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Star Wars: Squadrons probably isn't the next title from a galaxy far, far away that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order fans were looking for. It may not even be the...
Review Battlefield V (PS4) - Multiplayer Mayhem Excuses Shallow Launch
V for victory
Republished on Wednesday 28th April, 2021: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of May 2021's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Battlefield V's road to release hasn’t exactly been smooth, nor typical of an EA product. After a delay for further adjustments to gameplay and the setback...
Review It Takes Two (PS5) - An Insanely Inventive Co-Op Adventure
Life is a rollercoaster
Like its predecessor, It Takes Two is only playable in local or online co-op. In keeping with this theme of working together, associate editor Stephen Tailby enlisted the help of his girlfriend, Rachel, for this review. You'll hear from both of them below as they go over their thoughts on this shared experience, laid out in a...
Mini Review Rocket Arena - Competent Shooter May Be Fun for Free
Quake live
Republished on Wednesday 25th November, 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December 2020's PS Plus lineup. The original text follows. Electronic Arts put out a new PlayStation 4 game earlier this week and there's a pretty good chance you never even knew it existed. Rocket Arena is a 3v3...
Review Need for Speed Payback - A Fine Racer Bogged Down By Microtransactions
Pay up
Republished on Wednesday 30th September 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. We’re not sure about The Fast and the Furious, but Need for Speed Payback sure will make you furious fast. Ghost Games has spent two years tuning up...
Review Star Wars Battlefront 2 - Disappointing Campaign Is Bested By Entertaining Multiplayer
Iden Versi-oh no
Republished on Monday 28th May 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Star Wars Battlefront 2 has had quite the journey to release, hasn’t it? From the promise of more and better content at its E3 showing to the whole
Review DiRT Rally 2.0 - The Lean Mean Rally Sim Makes a Triumphant Return
The long and winding road
Republished on Tuesday 24th March 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the leak of April's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Codemasters' DiRT franchise, which has roots in its historic Colin McRae series, has gone through a few changes. It's swerved between flashy,...
Review The Sims 4 - A Decent Port of the Ever Popular Life Simulator
Better simulate than never
Republished on Wednesday 29th January 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of February's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. You begin The Sims 4 by creating a Sim - an avatar of a person, perhaps based on yourself only thinner, more popular, and with cooler...
Review Titanfall 2 - One of PS4's Most Inventive First Person Shooters
Mech heaven
Republished on Wednesday 27th November 2019: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of December's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows. Sometimes a game will come along and blow away any expectations you held for it. DOOM is a prime example from earlier in the year, with a sublime...
Review Sea of Solitude - Gorgeous Graphics, Generic Gameplay
Message in a bottle
The EA Originals program has been going strong these past couple of years. As its most high profile release, A Way Out was a fairly major success thanks to its unique take on co-operative gameplay, while smaller titles such as Fe and Unravel have helped to somewhat diversify EA’s portfolio beyond sports titles and Battlefield...
Review ANTHEM - Fun Combat Can't Save This Unfinished, Terribly Structured Looter Shooter
Bungle in the jungle
ANTHEM feels like a beta. Despite featuring a full story campaign, the game as a whole feels stunted and unfinished. It feels tired, incohesive, and troubled. We can only assume that something went horribly wrong during its development, because it has all the hallmarks of a project that was gutted before being reworked and badly...
Review FIFA 19 - Well Drilled... Unlike Jose Mourinho's Man Utd Team
Good touch for a big lad
Spend just a few minutes with FIFA 19 and you'll wonder if EA has just re-released FIFA 18 with Champions League licensing. At first it can feel very familiar – more so than usual – but give it a couple of hours and you'll start picking up on all the little things, all the subtle improvements that EA Sports has carefully...
Basketbawl
When it comes to sport simulation video games, it’s clear that EA Sports is king. It has the crown in just about every major sport, and this was the case for many years with its NBA Live series. Live was the standard bearer for close to 15 years, but during the jump from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 3, it began to lose its grip,...
It takes two
In keeping with A Way Out's theme of co-operation, this review has been written by Senior Staff Writer Stephen Tailby and Reviewer Alex Stinton, and sees them discussing their joint experience. What follows is their thoughts on the game, presented in a conversational manner. Enjoy. Stephen: So, A Way Out, then. It's Josef Fares'...
Review Burnout Paradise Remastered (PS4)
Paradise
It’s not so much the destination but the journey that makes Burnout Paradise Remastered sing like Avril Lavigne in her punk princess pomp. Glittering yellow gates beg to be smashed; crimson coloured billboards linger precariously at the end of ramps, begging to be kissed by your bonnet. And all this while you’re en route to the...
Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals
Fe is the latest project from the Swedish studio Zoink! Games, and is a wide departure from its previous work. Swapping out quirky, comical adventure games like Stick it to the Man for something more straight faced, the developer's experiment is a decent effort, but unfortunately falls short of greatness...
Review Mass Effect: Andromeda (PS4)
In space, no one can hear you meme
About half an hour into our Mass Effect: Andromeda playthrough, squadmate and cocky Londoner Liam snapped into a t-pose – arms in the air as if he was being crucified – and refused to come out of it until we reloaded our game. We had heard that BioWare's latest was buggy, but we couldn't have imagined just how...
Over the top
As one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, World War I had a massive impact on the twentieth century. Not only did both sides suffer an absolutely horrific number of casualties, but the geo-political upheaval it caused planted seeds of division that would resonate throughout the century to come. With the "bad guys" of the...
