Tag: First Impressions
First Impressions Erica Proves That Playlink Can Offer More Than Party Games
Live action point-and-click impresses
The best feeling when you’re a games reporter is heading into a demo feeling like you know exactly what you’re about to see – only for your expectations to be completely shattered. Erica is one such game. Announced as part of Sony’s barnstorming Paris Games Week 2017 press conference this week, it looked...
Hands On Destiny 2's Beta Is Familiar Fun on PS4
Rise up Guardian... Again
Destiny promised us a massive multiplayer experience brimming with mystery, adventure, and friends set upon the backdrop of our solar system. What we got was a drip fed experience limited by glass ceilings, turbulent development, and a backdrop of only a handful of planets that all felt worryingly similar. That's not to say...
First Impressions Bloodying Our Blades in the For Honor PS4 Alpha
No guts, no glory
For Honor is a medieval melee-based action title that's set in a land totally ruined by a natural disaster - its people left to fight for their survival. This is where three warriors come across one pool of water, and although they could share it, a brawl ensues because of pure greed. These initial three fighters go on to form the...
First Impressions PS4 Pro Represents a Sizeable Step Forward
A new Horizon
Looking at Guerrilla's eye-wateringly pretty dinosaur destroying role-playing game Horizon: Zero Dawn on the PlayStation 4 Pro initially reveals the game that you have in your imagination; it's only when the upgraded version is observed back-to-back with its standard PS4 release that the stark contrast comes into alarming focus...
First Impressions Resident Evil 7 on PS4 Aims to Finish What Silent Hills Started
Resi reanimated
It's fitting that Capcom would reveal the seventh instalment of its once great franchise alongside the much anticipated reveal of Hideo Kojima's latest project, because Resident Evil 7 seems to be a full realisation of what Kojima set out to do with Silent Hills. After years of inferior sequels, HD remasters, and some serious...
First Impressions Furi Is a PS4 Indie You Shouldn't Ignore
Hell hath no Furi like a prisoner scorned
It's disappointing, but it's become a dirty word, "indie". Take a cursory glance at the PlayStation Blog or even this very website, and you'll find readers ragging on forays that have been developed on slimmer budgets than a Whopper meal. Curation plays a part in that: there's some real tosh on the...
First Impressions Reflecting on Our Time with Reflections
The mirror reflected
Have you ever really wanted to decide what colours to paint a house and then actually paint? Have you ever had a very strong desire to take the time to fix the plumbing for your kitchen sink in a digital world? Or maybe you just really wanted to go to a local pond and skip stones? All of these things and more can be your reality...
First Impressions RIGS Brings AAA Future Sports to PlayStation VR
Jumping through hoops
Following the colossal success of Rocket League, future sports are back in a big way. RIGS: Mechanized Combat League, the latest from Medievil and Killzone: Mercenary developer Guerrilla Cambridge, is in essence a mech-based deathmatch experience – but with a twist. Unlike other first-person shooters, your objective in this...
First Impressions Flapping Through the First Hours of Rocketbirds 2 for PS4, Vita
Cluck, cluck, goose
Rocketbirds 2: Evolution is set to release on PlayStation 4 and Vita on 26th April, and we've received the chance to test out what the game has to offer so far. Playing through the game's first chapter and a bit of Rescue Mission mode, here are our initial impressions. Taking place after the events of its predecessor, Hardboiled...
First Impressions Battlezone on PlayStation VR Will Blow Your Mind
Tank you very much
Holy moly, virtual reality is truly mind blowing stuff. We were recently invited out to legendary developer Rebellion's headquarters to get some eyes-on time with Battlezone on PlayStation VR – and we've talked about little else since. This is only phase one for the fledging medium's return to the mainstream, and already it's...
First Impressions Sniper Elite 4 on PS4 Seems On Target Yet Again
Murder in the Mediterranean
For many, Rebellion's successful Sniper Elite series is a gaming guilty pleasure. Seasoned soldier Karl Fairburne has been busting balls since the heady days of the PlayStation 2, and now finds himself slinking into battle for a fourth time. Continuing the property's theme of depicting unexpected but engaging World War II...
First Impressions Hitman PS4 Brings the Franchise Back to Its Golden Years
Our thoughts from the beta
It's safe to say that a lot of people were feeling quite nervous about the annoyingly named Hitman. Its episodic release schedule worried many people, and tensions were high after the disappointing Hitman: Absolution – would Square Enix mess up again? After playing the beta for many hours, however, it seems that there's...
First Impressions Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Is an Addictive Monster Raising RPG
Gotta hatch 'em all
We've spent around five hours with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth on PlayStation 4, and we're tempted to say that we're already addicted. Admittedly, the game's first hour or so is a bit humdrum as you're shown the ropes of cyberspace and introduced to several main characters, but it wasn't long before we were hatching digimon eggs,...
First Impressions The Division Shows Promise on PS4, But There Are Worries
Our thoughts after five hours with the beta
Every time that we have something good to say about Tom Clancy's The Division, there's a 'but' at the end of the statement. Maybe we're just miserable gits, or perhaps we're just wary of Ubisoft's ability to con us into thinking something's really good when deep down, it's actually pretty unremarkable...
First Impressions Is Arslan: The Warriors of Legend Princely on PS4?
King me
We've had our eye on Arslan: The Warriors of Legend for quite some time, and that's mostly because Omega Force – the developer behind almost every Warriors-esque game under the sun – has a solid track record when it comes to merging already existing properties with its trademark hack and slash action. The likes of Dynasty Warriors:...
First Impressions Taking Cover in Uncharted 4's Multiplayer Beta on PS4
Irresistible relic?
Few things in life derive more pleasure than the following: sex, chocolate, matching with other players in the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer beta on the PlayStation 4. Despite being a rather cynical promotional ploy, Naughty Dog's server stress test is living up to its namesake, as you'll spend more time staring at...
First Impressions Need for Speed Fails to Hit First Gear on PS4
Sick
When you're forced to recycle old subtitles, you know that it's time that your brand got a reboot. EA Games' long running Need for Speed series has been securing podium finishes for almost as long as we can remember, but despite there being a movie in the interim, the publisher resisted the temptation to churn out a 2014 sequel to PlayStation 4...
First Impressions Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Continues to Grow with a Sequel on PS4
Green hill zone
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 focuses on expanding the original title, which was already such a great success. For those living under a rock, Garden Warfare is a third-person shooter where the plants and zombies from the popular mobile game go head-to-head in order to defend their homelands from each other. We gave the first...
First Impressions Forcing Our Way to the Front Line in Star Wars Battlefront on PS4
Everything is proceeding as foreseen
Fans of sci-fi video games have been waiting for a new Star Wars Battlefront ever since the outstanding previous instalment in the series, Battlefront 2, was released all the way back in 2005. For loyal followers of the franchise this previous title feels like it deployed "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far...
First Impressions Just Cause 3 Grapples for Glory on PS4
Scorpio strikes again
The sequel to popular open world action title Just Cause 2, creatively named Just Cause 3, brings Rico Rodriguez – codenamed Scorpio – to an entirely new fictional setting: the Mediterranean archipelago of Medici. The new map is the exact same size as the previous instalment's gigantic world, clocking in at a massive 400...
First Impressions Shadow of the Beast Is Bloody Brilliant on PS4
Stepping out of the shadows
One of the quieter demo stations that we saw this year at EGX was for the reboot of eighties gaming classic, Shadow of the Beast. Now, this wasn't much of a surprise, especially since its announcement a couple of years ago at Gamescom was met with a resounding "huh, never heard of it" from anyone under the age of...
First Impressions Dragon Quest Heroes PS4 Is a Monster Masher That Shows a Lot of Promise
It's looking goo-d
Square Enix has been somewhat adamant in proving that Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below isn't just another Warriors game. Developed by Omega Force - the Japanese studio behind just about every musou title in existence - this hack and slasher definitely bares similarities to Koei Tecmo's franchises and...
First Impressions Breaching the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Beta on PS4
Breaking down barriers
Here at Push Square we've been checking out the closed beta for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege on the PlayStation 4 – and boy has this game been kept under a rock since its first announcement at E3 last year. There's been a distinct lack of interest in the title since its reveal, but it finally appears to have found its feet...
First Impressions Ratchet & Clank PS4 Is a Pixar Movie Brought to Life
Lookin' nuts
Remember when Sony famously said that the PlayStation 2 would be capable of powering Toy Story-esque visuals in realtime? We've been waiting a long time for it to deliver on that statement. But with Ratchet & Clank on the PlayStation 4, developer Insomniac Games may have finally succeeded, as this is one of the most visually...
First Impressions How Well Does Assassin's Creed Syndicate Run on PS4?
London's not quite burning
After Assassin's Creed Unity launched in shameful condition on the PlayStation 4 last year, there's been much discussion over how 2015's follow up, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, will run on Sony's home console. After the beating that Unity took, you'd assume that Ubisoft would do its best to ensure that Syndicate performs...
First Impressions Reflecting on Mirror’s Edge Catalyst PS4
Smooth round the edges
Mirror's Edge Catalyst is a reimagined story set before the events of the first title and has built upon the free running and combat system of the original to bring a totally fresh and more fluid experience. With upgraded visuals that look stunning on the next generation consoles and are especially sharp on the PlayStation 4,...
First Impressions Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Is PS4 Gold
Greatness from not-so small beginnings
You didn't think that Sony was going to treat its flagship franchise poorly, did you? A lot's been said and written about the PlayStation 4's exclusive lineup this Christmas, but Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is no slouch. The remastered compilation of Naughty Dog's iconic adventuring trilogy looks and...
First Impressions Destiny: The Taken King PS4 Marks a Clear Improvement
Taking us back
Year two of Destiny is well and truly under way with the release of The Taken King – the shooter's largest piece of downloadable content to date. We still struggle to call The Dark Below and House of Wolves 'expansions', but there's no denying that this newest add-on fits the bill. You'd expect this, of course, from an expensive...
First Impressions Is Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain on PS4 the Best Entry Yet?
Tactical espionage excellence
It's night in Afghanistan, as the soldier known as Big Boss surveys a Russian outpost from afar. Soldiers, searchlights, and machine gun emplacements pepper the settlement, making his mission to rescue a prisoner held there even more difficult. The question is: what approach should the legendary soldier take? Should he...
First Impressions Bashing Our Brainnns Against PS4's Zombie Vikings
Thor you should know a little more about this title
Arriving digitally next week is hack-'n'-slash adventure Zombie Vikings – unsurprisingly a game about undead vikings slicing their way through numerous enemies in a side-scrolling quest. We were lucky enough to play a short preview build prior to release to see how this comical adventure is...
First Impressions Call of Duty: Black Ops III Embraces the Past As It Focuses on the Future
Lean, mean, cybernetic machine
With Call of Duty being the most successful multiplayer shooter franchise in video game history, you would think that betas would've been the norm by now. Instead, each instalment has had infamous issues. Annoying perks such as Juggernaut in Modern Warfare, overpowered weapons like the FAMAS and AK74u in Black Ops,...
First Impressions Eyes-On with PS4's Virtual Reality Headset Project Morpheus
An early look at exclusives London Heist and RIGS
We've known about Project Morpheus – the PlayStation 4's proprietary virtual reality headset – for what feels like an eternity now, so we're definitely reaching that point where it's time for Sony to stop talking about the possibilities for the peripheral, and start proving why it's so important...
First Impressions Trading Blows in the Street Fighter V PS4 Beta
Execution, revolution, evolution
Street Fighter IV had a good run. Released in Japanese arcades in 2008 and home consoles in 2009, Capcom's flagship fighter received four paid iterations over six years, ended with a character roster of 44, and the Street Fighter finals of EVO 2015 were watched by very nearly a quarter of a million fans. This may...
First Impressions Our First 50 Hours With The Elder Scrolls Online on PS4
Taming Tamriel
That's right, we've played The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited for just a little over 50 hours now, so we thought that it was about time to get some impressions published. Being a massively multiplayer online game, it's safe to say that there's an absolute ton of things to see and do in ZeniMax Online Studios' huge adventure -...
First Impressions Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 Sure Is Fighting Fit
Alright on the Knight
Holy awkward release date, Batman – you contrary cowl connoisseur. There's probably a metaphor that Warner Bros was trying to convey to the games media when it dated Batman: Arkham Knight just days after E3 2015 – like, y'know how Bruce Wayne has to keep fighting to ensure that Gotham City's safe... Yeah, the public...
First Impressions How Much of an Improvement Is Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae 2.0?
Bromance evolved
We live in strange times when a demo can get a hefty patch, but it's well worth downloading Episode Duscae's several gigabytes 2.0 update. In our first, pre-patch look at this early glimpse of Final Fantasy XV, we noted that it's clear that the game has huge potential: the open map is quite absorbing, the title's sense of style and...
First Impressions How Does Pokémon Maker Game Freak's PS4 Debut Fare?
We take Tembo the Badass Elephant for a ride
Side-scrollers are dime a dozen in this current digital age. The old-school genre may have fallen out of favour following the PSone's introduction of new-fangled polygons, but the vibrant indie development scene has ensured that 2D platformers are fashionable again – even if they tend to rival Early...
First Impressions Just How Bad Is Ultra Street Fighter IV on PS4?
Shoryuken handle the truth?
The hotly anticipated PlayStation 4 port of Ultra Street Fighter IV has been chastised by the fighting game community ever since its release earlier in the week. This has resulted in the release being pulled from both the Capcom Pro Tour and Evo 2015 –
First Impressions The Witcher 3 May Be One of the Best Games on PS4
Itchin' for a witchin'
It's as simple as the headline makes it seem: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is something special. Although we're not quite ready to forge our final opinion on the game, we've put together this relatively quick impressions piece for you, and hopefully, it'll give you a decent idea of what to expect from CD Projekt Red's open world...
First Impressions How Does The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Look and Run on PS4?
Plus, our final thoughts
After absolutely hammering The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited PlayStation 4 beta virtually all weekend, we're actually a bit sad to see it go. Our jaunt back into Tamriel has been an enjoyable one, despite the fact that it never truly wowed us. Perhaps this is another case of keeping expectations relatively low, and...
First Impressions How Brutal Is The Elder Scrolls Online's Combat in Its PS4 Beta?
Plus, we take a look at character progression
Combat in The Elder Scrolls series has never been brilliant, despite the fact that it's been integral to each title's design. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion introduced a more action-based system, while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim built upon that formula, keeping the basics in place, while refining the...
First Impressions Letting the Team Down in Rocket League on PS4
Crash and grab
Like a Jose Mourinho managed football team in its second season, you get the feeling that this is Rocket League's time to shine. The sequel to the obnoxiously named Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, this RC car-cross-soccer experience is a shining example of a simple concept done well – it's just outstanding fun...
First Impressions Exploring Bleakrock Isle in The Elder Scrolls Online PS4 Beta
We examine exploration, environments, and quests
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim fans would feel right at home on Bleakrock Isle, a relatively small and snowy island that we've been busy traipsing across during our first day of taking part in The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited beta on the PlayStation 4. It's not just the white stuff that's on...
First Impressions Scratching Our Heads Through Soul Axiom on PS4
Axiom verge
What do you get when you mix Tron with BioShock Infinite and Antichamber – and sprinkle a helping of Indiana Jones on top? The answer is, er, Soul Axiom. At least, that's the vibe that we got during a hands-on session with an early build of the game. The follow-up title from Master Reboot developer Wales Interactive, this is shaping up...
First Impressions Taking One on the Chin in Mortal Kombat X on PS4
You make me larrrf, Kitana
Mortal Kombat X is genuinely funny. You can bombard us with Johnny Cage-esque green orbs in the comments all you like, but there's no way that developer NetherRealm built this game with a straight face. And that's a good thing. The amount of tomfoolery on display at times is outrageous – and it's bettered only by the...
First Impressions PlayStation Home Has Already Arrived on PS4, and It's Called Atom Universe
Home alone
Sometimes the best surprises in life are the ones that you don't expect – but we'd give pause before describing Atom Universe as a pleasant shock. Suspiciously dropped onto the European PlayStation Store today with virtually zero fanfare, this is the next-gen social hovel that you've been yearning for ever since PlayStation Home...
First Impressions Final Fantasy XV Has Massive Potential
Don't screw this up
To be totally honest, we're still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that we've actually played something related to Final Fantasy XV. If you've been keeping up with the game's development, all the way back since it was announced almost ten years ago, then we imagine that you'll feel the same. Episode Duscae, the...
First Impressions Bringing the Beat Back with Amplitude on PS4
Music to our ears
We'll forever remember the original Amplitude on the PlayStation 2 for one major reason: it forced us to listen to Slipknot, Papa Roach, and pseudo-religious group P.O.D. While they may not be the happiest memories, however, Harmonix's mix of WipEout and bad licensed music does still hold a special place in this author's heart, to...
First Impressions Is Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Rotten or Ripe on PS4?
Claire's accessories
Resident Evil: Revelations faced a tough test when we reviewed it on the PlayStation 3 a couple of years ago. At the time of its release in May 2013, this author had already played a meaty chunk of The Last of Us, and Jill Valentine's oceanic romp failed to really live up. In hindsight, it was perhaps a little unfair to expect...
First Impressions Enlisting in The Tomorrow Children, PS4's Great Social Experiment
Off to work we go
The Tomorrow Children is the type of title that you’d only ever find on PlayStation. We’re not referring to the fact that Sony’s footing the bill of this Q-Games developed curiosity – or the vaguely disingenuous PR sound bites that tend to filter out of first-party outfits from time-to-time – but the mere notion that this...
