Latest Soapbox
November2017
Soapbox Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Is a Better Game to Watch Than to Play
Liam's feeling conflicted
It’s hard to call Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus my most disappointing game of 2017 when Mass Effect Andromeda released just shy of nine months ago. But, if it wasn’t for that let-down of a space excursion, BJ Blazkowicz’s latest Nazi rampage would be taking that less than coveted prize. However, this...
Soapbox Video Game Delays Are Important
Gabriella urges patience
When your most anticipated game is delayed, it can be a painful pill to swallow. Admittedly, I’ve had my fair share of these instances in the past. An example of this came in 2013, when Sony made the bold decision to delay a game I had been looking forward to playing since its announcement back in 2011: Naughty Dog's...
September2017
Soapbox Open World OCD - How Too Much Content Can Ruin a Game
More than enough
I recently played through the entirety of Dragon Age: Inquisition on PlayStation 4 again. I had never finished all of the expansions, and I had the urge to go back and see how it's held up after three years. When it first launched in 2014, I reviewed it and awarded it a 9/10. It was a high score that, at the time,...
August2017
Soapbox Uncharted: The Lost Legacy's Western Ghats Chapter Is One of the Series' Best
Liam's raving about the open world
The jeep trekking sections of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End made up some of my favourite moments from our 2016 Game of the Year. It was Naughty Dog’s first foray into building an open world environment for a Nathan Drake adventure, and for its initial effort, the developer was incredibly successful. Madagascar...
Soapbox Why PS4's Big 2017 Titles Handle Female Leads the Right Way
Sammy's gabbing on about girl power
I don’t care whether your game stars a lady or a Lombax: I just love good characters. It just so happens that two of my favourite characters in 2017 have been females – and they’ve both been at the beating heart of two of the PlayStation 4’s biggest exclusives. I’m, of course, referring to Aloy from...
Soapbox Pixel Art Is Prolific, and That's Pretty Great
Stephen loves modern gaming's diverse art styles
Video games have been around for a while now. We’ve now reached a position where children who played, and were inspired by, games such as Pac-Man, DOOM, or Super Mario Bros are now making games of their own. Chris Davis, creator of The Escapists, puts it like this: “I also happen to be a big...
Soapbox Why Is Sound So Underappreciated in Games?
Sammy wants you to open your ears
It’s always about the graphics, isn’t it? Video games are, by their very nature, a visual medium – and we tend to judge technical progress by the number of polygons or pixels being displayed on screen. We analyse in deep detail the lighting, the resolution – heck, the rise of Digital Foundry means that even...
Soapbox Hellblade's Permadeath Threat Is What Makes Games Special
Sammy's as worried as you are – and that's the point
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice erases your progress if you let the rot scaling the protagonist’s arm reach her mind. Or does it? I’m not going to get into the specifics of this system because Ninja Theory kindly asked me not to spoil it at all, but it does raise a wider question about games...
July2017
Soapbox PlayStation Plus Price Hike - Is It Justified?
Sam Brooke questions the reasons behind the sudden increase
Two days ago, the PlayStation Plus lineup for August was revealed: Just Cause 3, standalone DLC Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry, and the addictive Downwell were all confirmed to be coming to the PlayStation 4 in what could be one of the best ever Instant Game Collection lineups on the...
Soapbox You Should Give Evo 2017 a Watch This Weekend
Ramsey reckons there's fighting game fun to be had
Watching other people play video games is not something that everyone considers fun. Our very own Sammy Barker scoffs at the idea of gawking at another person's gameplay, and that's totally fine - but you can't really ignore how popular streaming and gaming 'personalities' have become over the last...
June2017
Soapbox Publishers Can't Bloody Win When It Comes to E3
Ramsey's sick of the hypocrites
I write about video games for a living, so I'm used to seeing people overreact on the internet. I've grown accustomed to seeing people spew hilarious hyperbole on a regular basis - hell, I've done it myself - but there's something about E3 that rubs me the wrong way. Namely, the annual Los Angeles event brings out...
Soapbox Sony Will Bring a Tsunami of PS4 Software to E3 2017
Sammy's spotted a change in PlayStation's tact
If you’ve followed E3 closely in the past, you’ll know there’s a different mood about the PlayStation camp this year. Historically, the Japanese giant drags the show out, using the days and weeks prior to any press conferences to release trailers, announce release dates, and sometimes even reveal...
May2017
Soapbox Why Did Sony Ditch Two of the Best Games of the Year?
Sammy's worried about Sony's portfolio
PlayStation’s enjoying one of the most prolific periods in its history. The start to 2017 has seen the release of several high-profile first-party games, like Gravity Rush 2 and Horizon: Zero Dawn. But being a glass half-empty kinda guy, I feel it could have been even better: what the heck happened with What...
Soapbox Gamers Are Sleeping on Sony's E3, And That's a Good Thing
Sammy's enjoying the silence
Ever since Jack Tretton dropped the mic in 2013, there’s no question that Sony’s been the king of the E3 press conference. You could argue that E3 2014 was a lean year, but it followed that up with the Holy Trifecta of E3 2015, a briefing that few thought would ever be beaten – only for it to be pushed all the way...
Soapbox The Persona Series and Difficulty: Is Easier Always Better?
Charlotte Cutts on Persona 5 and its relative easiness
WARNING: This article contains heavy spoilers for Persona 3/Persona 5 and mild spoilers for Persona 4. On finishing Persona 5 at the weekend, I felt what I always feel at the end of a gruelling 80-hour role-playing game-fest: equal parts sad and relieved. I’d played the game on...
April2017
Soapbox Sony Should Pinch the Nintendo Direct Format
Sammy reckons there's mileage in Nintendo's marketing
I did something I rarely do this week: I watched a Nintendo Direct. To be honest, I have a weird relationship with the Big N's pre-recorded events: I've watched the E3 ones before and I've always felt that, for everything they gain in pacing and structure, they lack the kind of energy that you...
March2017
Soapbox Is PAX EAST 2017 Proof That Annapurna Interactive Is the Next Big Indie Publisher?
Nothing but quality
There are tons of gaming companies that range in size and scope from the big guns like Sony and Bethesda to the smaller groups like Super Giant or Double Fine. But in between all of this is one type of publisher who's been gaining popularity of late: Annapurna Interactive. Annapurna was a film company founded in 2011 that worked...
Soapbox The Worst Thing About PS4 Firmware Update 4.50
Sammy reckons the new Notifications Menu sucks
We can all probably agree that PlayStation 4 firmware update v4.50 is a good update: the external hard drive support is welcome, the custom wallpapers feature is nice to have, and the addition of Boost Mode is great if you're a PS4 Pro owner. But there's one thing about the update that I can't wrap my...
Soapbox Why We Need Horizon: Zero Dawn DLC
Sammy reckons Guerrilla's RPG is ripe for expansion
Well, this is awkward, isn't it? As gaming enthusiasts we collectively rail on companies for Season Passes and day one downloadable content – and rightly so. But if you'll indulge me for just a few minutes, I'm going to be a complete and utter hypocrite, because I kinda want Horizon: Zero Dawn...
February2017
Soapbox Horizon: Zero Dawn Has Me Even More Hyped for Death Stranding
Mads world
Do you remember last year when Metal Gear man Hideo Kojima toured the world with PlayStation 4 architect Mark Cerny searching for an engine to run Death Stranding on? The auteur's voyage spanned America and Europe, stopping at every single one of Sony's first-party studios, including Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, and Media Molecule. But...
Soapbox Photo Mode Is a Big Part of Horizon: Zero Dawn's Fun
Paparazzi
Oh God, that headline's going to read like a red rag to trolls, isn't it? If you're here to derail the comments, then get that snark out of your system and check back for the rest of the article. Horizon: Zero Dawn is an amazing game, but there is a portion of the experience that's not really been mentioned yet: Photo Mode. Let me be...
January2017
Soapbox Japan Studio Is Currently One of Sony's Best
East becomes beast
Historically when people have talked about Sony's strong first-party network, Japan Studio has been right at the bottom of the list. One of the platform holder's oldest developers, the division is probably best known for the likes of Ape Escape and Legend of Dragoon, as well as Fumito Ueda's output. But during the PlayStation 3...
December2016
Soapbox Street Fighter V Is the Best Worst PS4 Game of 2016
Sammy's losing faith in Capcom's fighter
I love Street Fighter V, but it doesn't love me. That's a bit of a cliché, I suppose – but I'm struggling to dream up a better sentence that best describes my relationship with Capcom's brawler. Here is a game that's both breathtakingly brilliant and mindbogglingly awful all at the same time; the Japanese...
Soapbox Why Hitman Is the Funniest Game of 2016
A hands-off approach means excellent comedy, says Sam Brooke
The Hitman series has always taken pride in being a bit odd. The wacky settings of Blood Money, for instance, range from a party based on heaven and hell to a hillbilly wedding where everybody has a gun. However, Hitman 2016 is easily one of the funniest games of this year - mainly because...
Soapbox Overcooked at Christmas Is a Recipe for Success
Stephen thinks you’ll find familial festive fun in this culinary cracker
There's a very select group of games that qualify for the Christmas party treatment. Putting aside board games, which cause as many squabbles as they do genuine merriment, video games have been steadily increasing in relevance for family gatherings. After somewhat of a lull,...
Soapbox December PlayStation Plus May Be Disappointing, But You Should Still Play Stories
Ramsey reckons the action RPG is worth a shot
So, a lot of people aren't happy with December's PlayStation Plus line up, which is fair enough - you can't win 'em all. However, I think it's reasonable to say that many subscribers are quick to completely disregard titles that they don't actually know anything about. This isn't me calling people stupid...
November2016
Soapbox How The Last of Us Proves That Resolution Isn't Everything
Jacob Hull likes PS4 Pro, but loves soul
Being one of the first games to support the PlayStation 4 Pro at launch – and including a native 4K setting with HDR, I might add – I started playing through The Last of Us Remastered to get a feel for the new tech. I'd intended just to have a quick look and see what HDR gaming looked like, but it didn't...
Soapbox Gaming's Greatest Fireworks Display Still Resides Inside the PS2
Sky lights
Republished on Sunday, 6th November 2016: We're bringing this article back from the archives to celebrate Bonfire weekend. The original text follows. Originally published on Wednesday, 5th November 2014: It's currently Bonfire Night here in the UK, a bizarre annual event in which wooden figures are burnt at the stake in order acknowledge...
Soapbox Skyrim Still Has Plenty to Offer Five Years On
Jacob Hull still loves Tamriel's Northern realm
Along with many, I'm of the opinion that CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the best – if not the best – open world role-playing game ever made. I mean, we gave it a rare 10/10 here on Push Square, after all. It improved the open world template in so many ways that make the genre...
October2016
Soapbox Summer Lesson Provides a Peek into the Future
Awkward but essential
I can't stop thinking about Summer Lesson. And before you start, this isn't a situation where I've had to go to bed wearing boxing gloves – I just mean that it's kind of amazing. While there isn't much "gameplay" to speak of here, it's clear that Bandai Namco has invested the bulk of its development budget into creating a...
September2016
Soapbox I Played PlayStation VR for Over an Hour and Didn't Chunder
Sammy's not seasick
Until this week, my time with PlayStation VR had been very limited. The longest I'd probably spent strapped in to the headset in one session was maybe 15 minutes, so I hadn't really had an opportunity to test how it feels to play virtual reality in extended sittings. Luckily, I was invited up to Rebellion on Wednesday, where I...
Soapbox Uncharted 4's Higher Difficulties Kill the Joy of Combat
Joey Thurmond's sick of sitting behind cover
I'm on chapter 20 of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, having just escaped explosive deathtraps with a good companion by my side. We're ready to take on the bad guys that have taken another friend hostage, and I happen to see him attempting to escape from my vantage point. I'm overlooking a vast cove run dry...
August2016
Soapbox Why Sony Needs to Change Its Refund Policy
Sam Brooke makes a case for more lenient refunds
Sony's refund policy is as follows: "You can cancel a digital content purchase within 14 days of the date of transaction, provided that you have not started downloading or streaming it. Digital content that you have started downloading, streaming are not eligible for a refund unless the content is...
Soapbox No Man's Sky on PS4 Is the Biggest Disappointment of 2016
And yes, Sammy Barker's played Street Fighter V
Good grief, I'm like James Bond in Skyfall's highlands scene right now, clumsily securing Push Square Towers from inevitable impending attacks. There's always been a little bit of crazy in this industry, but Hello Games' hotly anticipated space sim has garnered such a staunch fanbase that it's becoming...
Soapbox You Shouldn't Feel Bad for Liking Destiny
Rise of Iron looks to continue the love-hate relationship
With Rise of Iron details flooding the news yesterday, it made me stop and think about Destiny as a whole. We've all been there, I know, but I came to the conclusion that there's nothing wrong with being excited for the upcoming expansion – there's actually nothing wrong with liking...
July2016
Soapbox Destiny's Grimoire Cards Are Pretty Awesome
A glimpse at what could have been
Destiny is famous for a lot of things, but a strong and structured storyline is most definitely not one of them. In fact, it's more renowned for telling you that it doesn't have time for a plot. I'm here to tell you that Destiny actually possesses potentially one of the deepest and most well thought out universes...
June2016
Soapbox Let's Be Honest, E3 2016 Was Disappointing
Sammy's not feeling all that stoked
In the cold, hard light of day – with more than four hours sleep under my belt – I've come to a bold, brave conclusion: E3 2016 was a bit disappointing, wasn't it? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the spectacle of Sony's conference and the banter that accompanied the bad ones – but it's hardly been a vintage...
May2016
Soapbox Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered's Infinite Warfare Exclusivity Is a Disaster
Joey Thurmond believes Activision can avoid paying a big price
Video game corporations are prone to making asinine decisions across the board. Ubisoft is no stranger to misrepresenting titles like Assassin's Creed Unity, Watch Dogs, and I Am Alive, which respectively ended up with an unforgivable amount of glitches, vastly downgraded visuals, and...
Soapbox Why Hitman Proves More Games Should Release Episodically
Sam Brooke makes a case for experimental releases
It's safe to say that plenty of gamers aren't fans of episodic releases. Apart from Telltale Games – and even then it took until The Walking Dead to get people on board – developers always seem to get a hard time whenever they opt for a less conventional release system. Sure, you could say that...
April2016
Soapbox Sony Needs to Set the Record Straight on PS4K Soon
Silent fright
I think, after reading in detail the reams of information that leaked regarding PlayStation 4K yesterday, that Sony is doing right by existing PS4 owners – but it's clear that not everyone agrees. Those of you that know me in person will know that I have a mild obsession with NeoGAF, spending incalculable hours trawling through the...
Soapbox Street Fighter V Gets a Lot of Hate, But It Succeeds Superbly as a Tournament Game
Ramsey reckons Capcom's latest is a joy to watch
I stayed up until 07:00AM this morning watching the last eight of a Street Fighter V tournament. When I told editor Sammy Barker about my shenanigans, he looked at me like I was a complete lunatic [I believe I said I'd rather eat my own fecal matter than engage in such an activity - Ed] – but I...
Soapbox Why I Don't Think PS4K Is Okay
Sony has 99 problems but 4K ain't one, says Sam Brooke
When rumours for the PlayStation 4K first appeared, I was pretty sure that it wasn't true. "Surely," my younger, unwise mind of a couple of weeks ago said. "Sony wouldn't shoot themselves in the foot by attempting to divide its fanbase." But, alas, here we are, with all signs pointing to a more...
March2016
Soapbox Why I Trust Sony to Do the Right Thing with PS4.5
Sammy Barker's a believer – for now
Veterans of this website will know that it's rarely been as positive as it is now. Sony, in the pre-PlayStation 4 era, had a tendency to take one step forward and two steps back. Think about it: for every The Last of Us there was a Starhawk; for every forward-thinking initiative like PlayStation Plus there was...
Soapbox Evolution Studios Had Miserable Luck But Will Be Greatly Missed
Sammy Barker says goodbye to a dev with real identity
There are certain studios that get under your skin, irrespective of output. With the greatest of respect to all of the talented people at production powerhouses like Ubisoft Montreal and EA Canada, said developers don't really exude the kind of identifiable culture that's prevalent at Media...
Soapbox Scale Is PlayStation VR's True Game Changer
Sammy says bigger is always better
"Shut up about virtual reality already, Sammy," you're probably all screaming at your screens. Sorry, I have been a bit pushy, haven't I? But in my defence, I keep writing about PlayStation VR because I'm genuinely excited about it. No one's paying me to talk about it. I haven't been instructed by my bosses to...
Soapbox Why Action Henk and Broforce Have Me Hooked
Sam Brooke is enamoured with March's PS4 indie arrivals
I admit it – I have a big soft spot for indie games. Call me weird, but I can't get enough of these low-budget beauties because they're forced to innovate using the limited resources that they have and can create genius new mechanics, or simply refine existing systems to perfection. Anyway,...
Soapbox Why Do We Treat Gaming Like a Chore?
Work, work, work
I've got to finish it otherwise I'll never clear my backlog. Recognise that? In this instance, 'it' doesn't refer to an important project or a piece of school work – but a game instead. Some of you won't have uttered a sentence like that, but I'd wager that there'll be more of you that have than haven't. The fact is that many of...
February2016
Soapbox Street Fighter V's PS4 Launch Has Been a Bummer
And it could have been so easily avoided
God, I love Street Fighter V. I'm about as good at it as I am guitar – which is to say that I know the major chords, but you can stick your pentatonic scales up your arse – but, like performing a very average rendition of Wonderwall, I'm thoroughly enjoying exploring the basics of Capcom's latest. Cammy's...
Soapbox Final Fantasy XV Finally Looks Like a Real Game
And Ramsey's reasonably excited again
Wow, did you see that new Final Fantasy XV gameplay? If you didn't, I suggest that you go ahead and give it a watch through here, otherwise this particular soapbox won't hold much weight. Doesn't look too shabby, does it? Even editor Sammy Barker seems reasonably impressed by it, and we all know that he usually...
January2016
Soapbox The Witness on PS4 Is a Special Kind of Brilliant
Seeing things differently
There are puzzle games, and then there is The Witness. As those of you that have spoken to me over the past few days will know, I wasn't convinced that Jonathan Blow's long-awaited magnum opus was going to be for me. I hated predecessor Braid with a passion, for starters – but all of this chatter about mind-numbing...
Soapbox Why I Don't Hate The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Anymore
Bitchin' witchin'
I stopped playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on 6th June, swore off it for life, told colleague Robert Ramsey that he'd Made_A_Huge_Mistake.gif awarding it a 10/10, and spent the following six months ridiculing everyone for liking a game in which following a floating foetus is widely regarded as its best bit. I was wrong. Y'see,...
Soapbox Fallout 4's Biggest Improvement Is Stealth
Michael acknowledges the Commonwealth’s underappreciated undercover
Note: There are minor Fallout 4 story spoilers in this article. Fallout 4 does a lot of things wrong. The dialogue system is a mess, the perk tree feels dumbed down, and the lack of choices throughout the game is disheartening. You've probably heard those complaints a thousand...
December2015
Soapbox Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Should Be Among 2015's Greatest Games
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein: The New Order went under the radar when it hit shelves in mid-2014. The advertising portrayed it as a reboot that appeared over-the-top and generic. You shoot Nazis, and I've done that countless times already. What creativity could MachineGames jam into this rusty chamber of a tired premise that would...
Soapbox Why Mad Max Is a Hugely Overlooked Game
Sam Brooke on a world gone mad
Mad Max didn't really make any Game of the Year lists, yet I feel that it's been hugely overlooked, and that it has plenty to offer. The game, on paper, should've just been another boring Ubisoft open-worlder: camps to infiltrate, viewpoints to climb up to and survey, skill trees, upgrades, and all the usual stuff...
Soapbox Why I Love Strategy Guides
A game's best friend
Republished on Tuesday, 29th December 2015: We're bringing this article back from the archives as we look back at some of Push Square's features from 2015. The original text follows. Originally published on Monday, 3rd August 2015: Sometimes I think that strategy guides are a little bit misunderstood. I understand that spoilers...
Soapbox Why Everybody's Gone to the Rapture Is 2015's Scariest Game
Hauntin' Yaughton
I'll let you into a little secret: I voted for P.T. in Push Square's internal Game of the Year poll last December. I wasn't alone – the survival horror sampler scraped enough votes to secure our Silver Trophy. The placement spurned outrage: how could a glorified demo possibly factor into our Best of 2014 list? But even today,...
Soapbox Why PlayStation VR Has Me Cautiously Optimistic
Sammy Barker's starting to get stoked for the impending revolution
It's almost make or break time for PlayStation VR, the ambitious PlayStation 4 peripheral that promises to make us a part of virtual worlds. Sony's said that the potentially expensive accessory will launch in the first half of 2016, which means that it's less than six months away at...
Soapbox Why the PS4's Share Button Is the Greatest Innovation of This Generation
Antisocial editor Sammy Barker gets social
I've returned to the familiar hearth of the PlayStation 3 to review Yakuza 5 which released this week. Reacquainting myself with the last-gen format always proves a wake-up call each and every time that I go back to it: the Trophy syncing system, the patching process, the slow downloads – I'm not sure how...
November2015
Soapbox Why Mass Effect 2 on PlayStation Plus Deserves Your Attention
Sheparding the flock
In case you don't know, Mass Effect 2 is currently available to download though PlayStation Plus [But not for much longer – Ed]. The second title in BioWare's sci-fi trilogy, it remains one of my favourite ever games – and I'm here to tell you why I think everyone should at least give it a go. It's not that Mass Effect 2 is...
Soapbox Why Fallout 4 Has One of PS4's Best Open Worlds
Kell Andersen reckons Bethesda's Boston is spot on
"You see that nondescript object way over there in the distance?" a game developer in an ill-fitting outfit says as they wave their hands in the vague direction of a comically oversized projection screen splattered with images of their latest open world adventure. "You can walk all the way over...
Soapbox Call of Duty: Black Ops III's Campaign Is Among the Worst in the Franchise
Cy-bored
I have played nearly every Call of Duty campaign since Finest Hour in 2005. I've endured the trenches of World War II in gritty missions with Call of Duty 2 and World at War. I've stopped a traitor from deceiving the world in Modern Warfare 2, prevented a biochemical out
Soapbox Why the Industry Is Getting Greedy (And How to Stop It)
Sam Brooke hashes out his views on gaming greed
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Rainbow Six: Siege. Street Fighter V. Payday 2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Destiny. Rise of the Tomb Raider. Assassin's Creed Syndicate. All of these games are full-pric
October2015
Soapbox PlayStation VR Made Me Scream Like a Little Girl
Hell's kitchen
Republished on Saturday, 31st October 2015: We're bringing this article back from the archives to celebrate Hallowe'en today. The original text follows. Originally published on Friday, 25th September 2015: PlayStation VR is a real product. I should know – I had one of the potentially expensive peripherals strapped to my bonce for a...
Soapbox Why Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 Is So Refreshing
Less is more
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is a compilation of old games, but playing through it for review recently felt like a breath of fresh air. That's because I feel like we're currently gripped by open world fever, where practically every major release has a sandbox element of some kind. I'm not opposed to this type of gameplay style...
Soapbox Why I'm Worried About Star Wars Battlefront on PS4
Star bores
There's always one, isn't there? Star Wars Battlefront is undoubtedly going to be the biggest PlayStation 4 game of the year – Sony's recently reduced bundle will see to that – but having bunkered down with several hours of the beta, I'm yet to be convinced that it's going to be any good. I already had this opinion at EGX 2015, but...
September2015
Soapbox From Pretender to Major Player - Remembering PlayStation's Rise from the Frontlines
Former CVG editor Paul Davies shares his memories of Sony's 32-bit legend
As we all know, the PlayStation is 20 years old this week – at least in Europe. Rather than make this a study in retrospect of what truly happened from that glorious month of September 1995 onwards, I've been asked to plunder my own brain for thoughts on the impact made by...
Soapbox PSone Has Just as Much to Offer Today as It Did 20 Years Ago
Stephen Tailby thinks Sony's first system has stood the test of time
The name PlayStation is now synonymous with video games, with a legacy extending back to the mid-90s. At that time, Sony introduced us to a polygonal playground where, finally, 3D games could be fully realised. Ever since, PlayStation has remained at the cutting edge of console...
Soapbox Metal Gear Solid V Has the Best Sandbox Mission Design I've Seen in a Game
Bossing it
I've finally had a chance to really sink my teeth into Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain this weekend, and I've already came to one pretty dramatic conclusion: it has the best open mission design that I've experienced in a game. A pretty bold statement, I'm sure you'll agree, but it's one that I'm quite confident in - and not just...
July2015
Soapbox Why PS4's Indie Influx Isn't as Bad as You Think
Sam Brooke reckons you should embrace this imaginitive space
The new Instant Game Collection for PlayStation Plus has been revealed, and once again it contains many indie games. But many people in the PlayStation Nation (are we still called that? I hope not) are a little miffed about the selection – after all, PlayStation 4 players have to pod out...
Soapbox Why Rocket League Is Perfect for Me
Ryan Oehrli has re-discovered his love of local multiplayer
I've never been athletic. I was born with hilariously bad eyesight, my coordination is far below average, and, to be frank, I just don't like sports. As a kid, whenever my Dad would drag me out to the back yard to play catch with him, I would protest, because I knew that I wouldn't catch...
Soapbox Here's Why I Will Be Playing Journey on PS4
With hopes of starting over
Republished on Tuesday, 21st July 2015: We're bringing this soapbox back from the archives to celebrate Journey's release on the PS4 this week. The original text follows. Originally published on Thursday, 14th August 2014: I understand where Polygon scribe Colin Campbell is coming from when he says that he won't be...
Soapbox I Decided to Show My Family Uncharted 4's Incredible Gameplay Demo
Quality time
You've all seen the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End E3 2015 gameplay demo by now - or at least, I hope that you have. When I was sat here with editor Sammy Barker, watching Sony's press conference live at 3AM, our already tired brains had been battered by the wealth of megatons that the Japanese company had casually paraded out on stage as...
June2015
Soapbox Was E3 2015 Just a Dream?
Sammy Barker reflects on the greatest of all time
I'm half expecting to stir from my slumber any minute, clammy after a restless night filled with vivid dreams. That can't have been E3 2015, can it – a show in which the impossible became possible all within the span of an hour? I've been covering this event for a good six years now, and I know,...
Soapbox Why So Many E3 2015 Announcements Are Being Spoiled
Sammy Barker likes surprises, but reckons early reveals make sense
I never tentatively tore the corners of my Christmas presents in order to get a sneaky first look inside. I had friends who claimed to know the contents of all of the gifts nestling beneath their fake fir trees, but I always preferred to wait. In fact, as I got older I tended to...
May2015
Soapbox The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Physical Package Puts All Other Games to Shame
Above and beyond
I'm not overly thrilled at the fact that my age is beginning to increase against my will, but I am thankful that I'm old enough to appreciate physical media. It scares me somewhat that the kids growing up today may never know what it means to flick through the lyrics in a record sleeve or sniff the manual inside a brand new game...
