Tag: Retro - Page 11
Review FIFA 12 (PlayStation 3)
The beautiful game
Revamped mechanics enhance the authenticity of FIFA 12 and complement a range of new modes and features. It's a package that brims with care and attention, going the extra mile in almost every facet of its presentation. You only need to spend a few moments with FIFA 12 to understand just how much the developers love the sport it's...
Review WRC 2: FIA World Rally Championship (PlayStation 3)
A functional experience, but never a particularly exciting one; WRC 2 manages to replicate the feel of participating in a real rally with its driving model, but somehow manages to squander all of the excitement through drab presentation and a lack of personality
The thrill of slipping around corners at breakneck speed is hard to beat. But it's best...
Review Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2012 (PlayStation 3)
Mistaken identity
As the temperature starts to take its yearly dip and the vibrant colours of summer fade unto the pastels of the autumn, it can mean only one thing: it's hunting season. The time has finally arrived to polish up your rifle, unpack your camouflage and trek out into the wilderness to land that trophy buck. Coinciding with the opening...
Review Rochard (PlayStation 3)
Rochard is an engaging puzzle platformer consisting of some quality mechanics and concise puzzle design
The game's let down by an overemphasis on combat and cumbersome controls, but an endearing protagonist and charming visual style make up for its shortcomings. Mining engineer John Rochard doesn't have the best luck. Within the opening moments of...
Review SEGA Bass Fishing (PlayStation 3)
Dat bass!
Deriving from the old arcade classic, SEGA Bass Fishing isn’t a fishing simulator but SEGA’s arcade style, user-friendly take on bass fishing. There’s not a whole lot to this game other than trying to catch the biggest fish possible in a certain amount of time. In Arcade mode, the player will be sent to one of a few different...
Review NBA 2K12 (PlayStation 3)
The legend returns
Last year's NBA 2K11 was a sublime tribute to the league's greatest ever player, Michael Jordan, and one of the finest sports games ever created. This year's follow-up NBA 2K12 takes things a step further, bringing in 14 more legendary players and a host of new game modes. Whereas last year's effort was built around the famous...
Review Speedball 2 Evolution (PlayStation Minis)
Speedball 2 Evolution offers an alternative to the increasingly realistic sporting experiences available elsewhere on the various PlayStation platforms, delivering a futuristic competitive game with a complimentary throw-back core
It's just a shame that the actual gameplay itself is so over-complicated and unbalanced, even if it is impossibly...
Not even slight texture streaming issues can deter from RAGE's technical ambition
With stunning textures and a consistent 60 frames-per-second, id's latest release is one of the best looking titles available on the PlayStation 3. But for as good as the game looks, the experience is marred by a number of inconsistencies. An offensive save system and...
Review X-Men Destiny (PlayStation 3)
A bizarrely involving character customisation system makes X-Men Destiny suprisingly playable, even if it never comes close to reaching its full potential
Not every game needs to be a blockbuster. Developer Silicon Knights has taken that advice to heart with the functional but flawed X-Men Destiny. This is a game brimming with ambition, but it lacks...
Review Child of Eden (PlayStation 3)
Virtuosic viruses
Child of Eden's story involves the creation of a human personality, Lumi, for A.I. system Eden, but when it actually comes down to it the narrative is of no consequence. This is not a game that you play to follow a plot – it's a mesmeric feast, a perfect marriage of sound, visuals and movement designed to flood your brain with...
Review Mercury Hg (PlayStation 3)
Mercury Hg is an endearing little puzzle title with an attractive price-point and some striking presentation
The periodic table's never got us particularly excited. We distinctly remember it hanging on the wall in the science lab at school, surrounded by various drawings and exemplary pieces of work designed to make us feel guilty. We'd often try to...
Review Arkedo Series - 002 SWAP! (PlayStation 3)
Swap is an evocative name
The second title in the Arkedo Series — ported to PlayStation Network by Sanuk Games — is a simplistic puzzle title in which you — that's right! — swap blocks in order to create chains of four similarly coloured squares, and ultimately dismantle a growing tower of primary colours. Like the previous title in the...
Review F1 2011 (PlayStation 3)
While it doesn't quite pack the same punch as last year's entry, F1 2011 is still a tense and satisfying racing experience -- if you're willing to put in the hours required to master the game's merciless learning curve
When F1 2010 released on PS3 last year, it was a revelation. Codemasters breathed new life into the creaky racing genre — earning...
Review Max and the Magic Marker: Gold Edition (PlayStation 3)
Pencil it in
Occupied with a pad of paper and a stack of crayons, Max is minding his own business, making a colourful mess as only a child can. That is, until an unexpected letter drops onto the door mat addressed to him. Curious, Max tears open the envelope to find a brand new marker pen, and it doesn’t take him long to get creative with this...
Review Dance! It's Your Stage (PlayStation 3)
Step up or step off
PlayStation Move has seen six dancing games in its first year on sale, but none have hit the heights in the same way as Harmonix's Dance Central on Kinect, with Sony's SingStar Dance and Konami's DanceDanceRevolution the closest we've come to boogie bliss. The latest publisher to step up and try its luck is PQube with Dance! It's...
Review Champion Jockey (PlayStation 3)
Stable
While some of the world's biggest sports are absent from PlayStation Move — we're looking at you, FIFA and Madden NFL — the controller has proved an enticing prospect for developers keen to bring, shall we say, less widely-embraced sports to the masses. After PDC World Championship Darts: Pro Tour and WSC Real 11, Tecmo Koei has taken the...
Review Renegade Ops (PlayStation 3)
Renegade Ops is a bombastic and knowingly stupid co-operative shooter with some outstanding production values
Explosions are exciting things. They incite the most childish inhibitions in any man, harking back to those playground days spent pretending to be soldiers and watching Transformers cartoons (the originals, of course) on television. Renegade...
Review The Impossible Game (PlayStation Minis)
The Impossible Game is designed around one key principle: stress
This is one of the most tense, frustrating, devious and, bafflingly, moreish PlayStation Minis we've played to date. The concept is simple: jump over hazards to complete the level. How hard can it possibly be? The clue's in the name. Controlling a straight-forward orange square you...
Review SkyDrift (PlayStation 3)
SkyDrift is a polished aerial racer with a thoughtful risk/reward sub-mechanic
The game could benefit from a touch more content, but what's included is enough to channel a hearty does of nostalgia from a variety of late 90's arcade racers. The more we played SkyDrift, the more we came to the conclusion that its like Hyrdo Thunder in the sky. Hydro...
Review LittleBigPlanet 2 (PlayStation 3)
Move your Sackthing!
Sackboys and Sackgirls, lend us your ears! Craft World is in trouble! The Negativatron (basically an evil vacuum cleaner) is sucking up all the fun and dreams out of Craft World! It’s up to you to take control of your little Sackperson and save the planet from the Negativatron with help from your allies "The...
Review Resistance 3 (PlayStation 3)
How far would you go to save your family?
It’s been four long years since the dramatic events of Resistance 2 came to a close, and the war is over. Chimeran terraformers hover in the skies, transforming Earth into an icy wasteland reminiscent of the alien invaders' home world. Like enslaved prisoners, the few remaining survivors have taken refuge...
Review The Baconing (PlayStation 3)
The Baconing certainly represents value for money, but it lacks imagination in places
The tweaks to the combat make it a much more challenging affair, detracting from the franchise's strengths. But fans of the previous DeathSpank games will at least enjoy the game's writing and dialogue which, while not for everyone, is top-notch as usual. If...
Review 4 Elements HD (PlayStation 3)
Fire, Earth, Wind, Water and Heart
The first moments you spend with 4 Elements HD may have you thinking that the game is a little on the easy side, maybe even a bit simplistic. After you learn the basics of the tutorial and plow through some intro levels, you may even start to believe that you are really good at the game. Both of these assumptions...
Review Dead Island (PlayStation 3)
Holiday of the dead
Developer Techland is beginning to make a name for itself as a progressive, forward-thinking studio with some lofty ideas but not enough resources to realise them. Dead Island does not buck the developer's burgeoning trend. Part Borderlands, part Fallout, part Diablo, Dead Island is an inventive first person survival horror with...
Review Hysteria Project 2 (PlayStation Minis)
In many ways Hysteria Project 2 is a step-backwards
In trying to flesh out the ideas established in its predecessor, BulkyPix has crafted a game with more ambition and less polish, resulting in a frustrating mess of trial-and-error puzzles. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. It's an idiom we couldn't stop thinking during our...
Review Arkedo Series - 001 JUMP! (PlayStation 3)
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best
The Arkedo Series — originally developed for Microsoft's Indie Games channel by Arkedo Games, and ported to the PS3 by Sanuk Games — epitomises that straight-forward premise. The first in a series of back-to-basics gameplay ideas, Jump is an old-school puzzle platformer with a pleasingly retro visual...
Review Revoltin' Youth (PlayStation Minis)
Open Emotion may have shed its trademark hand-painted visuals for Revoltin' Youth, but the developer has still managed to concoct a refreshing style that's complimented by some great audio work and solid level design
The game can feel tedious in places, but its still another solid entry in the Irish studio's growing catalogue of quality PlayStation...
Review Crazy Machines Elements (PlayStation 3)
Isn't it nice when things just work? It's a slogan that will live with a generation, as Honda took inspiration from Rube Goldberg for one of the most fascinating marketing campaigns of all time
Crazy Machines Elements may as well have been named The Honda Commercial: The Game, but we doubt developer Fakt Software could get the license. Citing the...
Review Ducati Challenge (PlayStation Minis)
Ducati Challenge is easily the best racing game available for the PlayStation Minis platform
The game's impressive visual presentation is complimented by its accessible handling model and rich variety of content. The PlayStation Minis platform has played host to some fantastic two-dimensional games, but it's been less successful with more ambitious...
Review Fighting Fantasy: Talisman Of Death (PlayStation Minis)
Fans of the fiction will lap up Fighting Fantasy: Talisman Of Death, but though finely executed, it's also a niche proposition
In an era when video games such as The Elder Scrolls seemed as mythical as their subject matter, Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's series of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks took geek culture by storm. Promising worlds filled...
Review Cubixx HD (PlayStation 3)
A competent upgrade of an already stellar PlayStation Mini, Cubixx HD might be rooted in the same core principles as its predecessor but it is still essential for fans of intense, action-heavy puzzle titles
In the hazy days of 2010, we described Laughing Jackal's debut PlayStation Mini, Cubixx, as a "surprisingly brilliant reworking of 80's...
Review Galaga Legions DX (PlayStation 3)
Galaga Legions DX struggles to emerge from the shadows of its spiritual predecessor Pac-Man Championship Edition DX but it is still a similarly eye-watering re-imagining of an old arcade favourite
Its hard not to be excited about the successor to Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Namco Bandais futuristic rethink of the classic pill-popping...
Review Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension (PlayStation 3)
Summer lackluster
Many licensed video games that release in the summer are based on big budget blockbusters complete with over-the-top action sequences, fully voiced dialogue and epic set pieces that strive to blur the line between movie and game. Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension is not such a game. Based on a made-for-TV Disney movie of...
Review Monochrome Racing (PlayStation Minis)
Despite having an interesting visual style and some neat ideas, poor execution leaves Monochrome Racing feeling completely unrefined
The games careless upgrade system and abhorrent AI leads to a flat, unsatisfying experience thats not even worth the budget asking price. Monochrome Racing is built around a delightful concept. The idea of four...
Review UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System (PlayStation 3)
Strapping
The PlayStation Move fitness game race got off to a slow start with just one title in the first six months, but it's just received its most high-profile title yet in the form of UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System from THQ. Is this muscular title enough to steal the crown from budget alternative My Fitness Coach: Club?...
Review OMG-Z (PlayStation Minis)
Great pacing and a satisfying hook make OMG-Z difficult to put down
Some games are more fun when the odds are stacked heavily in your favour. Initial impressions will dupe you into thinking Laughing Jackal's latest PlayStation Mini is a puzzle game, but once you start to earn money and upgrade your equipment it becomes a much more chaotic...
Review Section 8: Prejudice (PlayStation 3)
Section 8: Prejudice is potentially one of the most dense multiplayer experiences available on the PlayStation 3, which is staggering considering its budget price-point
If you're able to ignore the bland art direction and cliche sci-fi setting, there's a lot to get out of this downloadable first-person shooter. Over the past three-or-four years...
Review National Geographic Challenge! (PlayStation 3)
Around the world and back again
Imagine the possibilities of combining PlayStation Move and National Geographic magazine, exploring the rich expanses of the world with the super-accurate motion controller in your hand and so much more. The potential seems limitless, doesn't it? What a shame, then, that National Geographic Challenge! is a quiz game...
Review Fast Draw Showdown (PlayStation 3)
Shooting blanks
Ported from the 1994 light gun arcade machine, Fast Draw Showdown makes its debut on the PSN. The setting takes place in the old Western times when arguments often started with booze and ended with lead, and all you need to do is draw your gun from its holster faster than your opponent. Using often corny and scripted video clips...
Review Call of Juarez: The Cartel (PlayStation 3)
There are some great ideas in Call Of Juarez: The Cartel, but misdirection and sloppy execution let the package down
While the game's emphasis on mindless action can be thrilling at times, a slew of technical mishaps lessen the appeal of the title's more bombastic moments. Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood was one of our favourite games of 2009...
Review Captain America: Super Soldier (PlayStation 3)
Captain America: Super Soldier might not bring many new ideas to the table, but it is an enjoyable third-person action game with an enjoyable emphasis exploration and satisfying combat
SEGA's clearly spent a lot of time playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Given the quality of SEGA's most recent Marvel movie...
Review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (PlayStation 3)
Could it be magic?
Last year EA made the horrendous mistake of bringing Kinect support to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, ignoring PlayStation Move entirely. The result was a predictably sloppy affair – but with the sequel's Move support, surely there's still chance of redemption. Well, no, there isn't. Purge any thoughts of...
Review Cars 2: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Cars 2: The Video Game is not the most ambitious of releases, but it achieves much of what it sets out to do
The game's kart-racing fundamentals are fluid and enjoyable, especially when experienced in multiplayer. With an expansive and likable roster of characters, Cars 2: The Video Game is a decent alternative to Mario Kart, though the game's...
Review One Epic Game (PlayStation Minis)
One Epic Game is a well presented, addictive autorunner that manages to present a surprisingly humorous slant on the current state of the video game industry
Autorunners are all the rage. Popularised by the iOS, the genre can be best identified by having a protagonist that runs from left-to-right at a perpetually increasing speed. In order to...
Review Let's Dance with Mel B (PlayStation 3)
Stop right now, thank you very much
While Dance Central on Kinect nailed the dance genre with its first step, many developers are still struggling to turn PlayStation Move into a fruitful dancing experience. Konami's venerable DanceDanceRevolution series had a first go, and Sony's own SingStar Dance had some things going for it, but there's still...
Review Me Monstar: Hear Me Roar (PlayStation Minis)
Me Monstar: Hear Me Roar can be a bit too dense for its own good, but its unique premise and lavish visual style make up for any initial gameplay complications
The premise of Cohort Studios' Me Monstar: Hear Me Roar is not too dissimilar to Pac-Man. In this arcade score-driven PlayStation Mini, your primary goal is to advance your character through...
Review Alien Zombie Mega Death (PlayStation 3)
A simple but addictive arcade shooter, Alien Zombie Megadeath is the perfect antidote to what's medically referred to as "lazy weekend syndrome"
Alien Zombie Megadeath is the latest in a growing list of popular PlayStation Minis to get a full high-definition upgrade. Pom-Pom's obnoxiously titled two-dimensional arcade shooter released last year as...
Review Heracles: Chariot Racing (PlayStation Minis)
Who doesn't enjoy a good kart racing game? As we browsed through the PlayStation Store's roster of PlayStation Minis looking for something to occupy us during the summer drought, Heracles: Chariot Racing stuck out like glowing beacon of brilliance
"A Mario Kart clone featuring characters and stages from Greek mythology?" we exclaimed...
Review Puzzle Dimension (PlayStation 3)
Puzzle Dimension is a devilishly moreish brain-bender with a fantastic sense of style
Puzzle games and balls go together like pineapple and cheese. There's something immensely satisfying about rolling spherical objects through non-descript floating environments. That premise is at the heart of Puzzle Dimension — a bare-bones brain-melting puzzler...
Review Air Conflicts: Secret Wars (PlayStation 3)
Fly by night
Move has helped gamers conquer the wastelands of Helghan, don the famous green jacket and even solve a murder or two, but it's about to achieve its biggest accolade yet: you can now use it to win World War II. Air Conflicts: Secret Wars puts you behind the controls of 16 planes from the first and second World War, with optional...
