Tag: Retro - Page 15
Review Flight Control HD (PlayStation 3)
Please enjoy this refreshing puzzle game
Flight Control HD is as well-travelled as its hand-drawn flight crew, starting life on the iPhone and iPod Touch before making it across to DSiWare and iPad. Now it's available on PSN in Europe (read our interview with Firemint to discover why it's not coming to North America) and fully compatible with Move...
Review Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (PlayStation 3)
Motion slickness
Let loose in March 2009, Capcom's original release of Resident Evil 5 was received with critical acclaim, but was recognised as having more in common with third-person action games than the survival horror premise of earlier titles in the series. With extra features available in the Gold Edition, gamers have the chance to revisit...
Review Sports Champions (PlayStation 3)
Will it make you want to Move?
When Sony announced it was developing a motion controller for PlayStation 3, it certainly didn't shock anyone to see a collection of motion-controlled sports games to go along with it. While comparisons to Nintendo's Wii Remote and Wii Sports Resort are inevitable, it might be a bit more fair to compare it to the...
Review Top Gun (PlayStation 3)
Touting the involvement of Top Gun's original screenwriter, Jack Epps Jr
, the PlayStation Network toes a line between new and familiar content. The game's not the most cinematic ever created, and as such its plot can be difficult to follow, but it maintains a vibe in-keeping with the source material and defines some exposure for which to fly...
Review Alien Breed: Impact (PlayStation 3)
Alien Breed: Impact is a claustrophobic attempt at revitalising a classic genre
It certainly packs plenty of atmosphere across its five or so hour campaign; but some control quirks, and drawn-out mission design make it hard to stomach in long stretches. Alien Breed is a Team-17 classic. Released on the Amiga in the early-1990's, the game was a...
Review Pinball Heroes: Modnation Racers (PlayStation Portable)
There are some neat tricks in Pinball Heroes' presentation of Modnation Racers, but in all the table is a little flat
Perhaps the neatest part of the Modnation Racers Pinball Heroes table is its nod towards the formers creation aspect. Flipping the ball inside the Mod and Kart caverns changes the background of the table, with different designs...
Review Widget's Odyssey II (PlayStation Minis)
Widget's Odyssey II is a simple little platform game with a decent narrative driving it
Sadly, the game's agonisingly short. What's a couple of quid worth? A pint of beer, perhaps. A ploughman's sandwich. Widget's Odyssey II will last longer than both, but not by much. The game picks up from the last Widget's Odyssey title. The adorably annoying...
Review Pinball Heroes: Fat Princess (PlayStation Portable)
The Fat Princess table in Pinball Heroes depicts the chaos of a stalemate in its source material, but it leads to a busy and complicated experience
One thing Pinball Heroes is good at is providing a pinball experience similar to the source material it's based on. The Fat Princess table carries over virtually every element you'd expect it to. Caught...
Review Pinball Heroes: Wipeout HD Fury (PlayStation Portable)
Pinball Heroes' Wipeout HD table is probably the most accessible of the bunch and it also happens to look fantastic
Wipeout HD is a game that's inherently pretty. Pinball Heroes' Wipeout table therefore, is similarly dreamy. Staying true to the source material, the Wipeout table in Pinball Heroes is all about large blocks of colour. Taking the...
Review Pinball Heroes: MotorStorm (PlayStation Portable)
MotorStorm might be one of the more plain Pinball Heroes' tables, but some great artwork makes up for the limited number of on-screen objects
Many of Pinball Heroes tables opt for complicated, detailed stages with numerous objects from their source material. The MotorStorm table is not like that. There's a truck placed in the mid-section of the...
Clearly inspired by the catalogue of Robert Rodriguez and Streets Of Rage, Shank is a gritty yet childish beat-'em-up romp through 2D plains
The story - which is told through a sequence of flash-backs - is merely justification for the violence; but this is a revenge tale. It's an angry, messy game set to the visual style of a children's cartoon, and...
Review Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (PlayStation 3)
The polarizing rag-tag duo Kane and Lynch return for a notably low-brow outing in Shanghai
Teaming up for a final "smuggling operation", events turn decidedly sour when Kane unwittingly takes out the daughter of a corrupt government official, Shangsi. The plot is littered with some pretty uncomfortable moments, but it primarily takes a...
Review Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter (PlayStation Minis)
Those who persevere with Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter will be rewarded with a satisfying experience, but the methodical pacing and lack of variety will not be to everyone's liking
Originally released for the PC in the last 1990's, Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter cashed in on the burgeoning hunting genre that was exploding at the time. Opting to meander...
Review Fly Fu (PlayStation Minis)
There's a bizarre and creepy charm to Fly Fu's presentation, but repetitive gameplay takes much of the sheen off the game's novelty
Fly Fu is weird. Invictus' side-scrolling brawler uses a combination of doodles and dead flies to make up its graphical style. It's certainly makes for a unique look, and it works better than you might think. Being...
Review PixelJunk Racers: 2nd Lap (PlayStation 3)
By focusing on the underlying competitive nature of PixelJunk Racers, 2nd Lap is worthy add-on that will bring newcomers and veterans alike back to the PixelJunk franchise's roots
Being an early PlayStation Network release, and the first in the PixelJunk franchise, a large proportion of the PlayStation 3's user-base are unlikely to have experienced...
Review Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (PlayStation 3)
Boy meets girl
Boy falls in love with girl. So far, so cliche? Not quite — see, there's a twist to Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers' burgeoning relationship; Scott must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to go on a date with her. Thus ensues the perfect set-up for a seven-stage beat 'em up game moulded around classics such as Final...
Review Earthworm Jim HD (PlayStation 3)
Essentially a re-release of the Mega Drive (/Genesis) version of Earthworm Jim with pretty visuals and a few bells and whistles; Earthworm Jim HD is extremely faithful to its original 16-bit counter-part
Sadly, the original game wasn't brilliant even in its day. The platforming and level design remain second-fiddle, with the game's focus being on...
Review Arcade Darts (PlayStation Minis)
Arcade Darts lacks the tactile response of arrow-throwing that's become a standard on touch screen platforms; but it works with the hardware it's got
You end up with an intuitive arcade sports title with plenty of replay value, even if the learning curve is a bit steep at first. Darts games are hard to make. If you give the player a cursor, they can...
Review Young Thor (PlayStation Minis)
Young Thor's another PlayStation Mini that transcends the quality of its peers
The game's relatively short, and the controls can be fiddly and unresponsive — but the action's rewarding enough to warrant the asking price more than twice over. Playing as Thor, the God of Thunder, you're tasked with the rescue mission of three Norn maidens who have...
Review DeathSpank (PlayStation 3)
Loosely tied together by a plot about as thin as its titular heroes' thong, DeathSpank is a hack-and-slash title written by legendary industry comic, Ron Gilbert
DeathSpank spreads its plot pretty thin, sending you on a lengthy quest in order to recover a mysterious object known as The Artifact. What ensues is a series of fetch quests in which you...
Review Star Hammer Tactics (PlayStation Minis)
Star Hammer Tactics does its best Advance Wars impression with mixed results
The gameplay is solid, but the lack of variety and a downright depressing visual style detract from the overarching experience. Clearly inspired by Nintendo's own flag-ship strategy title, Advance Wars, Star Hammer Tactics is a simple turn-based title for the PlayStation...
Review 5-In-1 Arcade Hits (PlayStation Minis)
5-In-1 Arcade Hits stretches the definition of "arcade hits", but offers enough content to make it an enjoyable way to pass the time
5-In-1 Arcade Hits is not a compilation of Time Crisis, Crazy Taxi, WrestleMania, House Of The Dead 2 and OutRun. Sadly not. It's more a classic games compilation — meh, whatever, semantics. We could get caught up...
Review Everybody's Tennis (PlayStation Portable)
If you've ever wished for an old-school RPG where the battle system's replaced by smashes and strawberries and cream, then Everybody's Tennis will be a dream come true
This is a fun (and surprisingly deep) sports game dressed in an uber-cutesy Japanese exterior. The Everybody's (or Hot Shots if you're an American type) franchise has always been...
Review Singularity (PlayStation 3)
As Captain Renko, a modern-day military operative, you're sent by the US to investigate an unusual Russian Cold War-era research island known as Katorga-12
It's clear bad stuff is going down there, because after a pretty brutal helicopter crash, you find yourself warped from the ruined propaganda-laden halls of the island in the present day, to the...
Review Naughty Bear (PlayStation 3)
Naughty Bear's probably the best PlayStation anti-hero since the God Of War himself, Kratos
The mis-understood plushy just wants to be everybody's friend. But he's constantly ignored by the other bears of Paradise Island, who'd rather laugh at him than invite him to groovy birthday bashes. Naturally, this all results in the scorned super-ted turning...
Review Transformers: War For Cybertron (PlayStation 3)
Transformers: War For Cybertron is set years before the events of the original cartoon series, commonly referred to as Generation One
Fans of the franchise will know that it's at the start of said series where the Transformers take their fight away from their native land of Cybertron to the energy-ridden plains of Earth. War For Cybertron, as the...
Review Sam & Max Episode 302: The Tomb Of Sammun-Mak (PlayStation 3)
Sam & Max: The Tomb Of Sammun-Mak is a clever follow-up to the sometimes formulaic events of the Episode One
The clever story-telling mechanics and challenging puzzles make this episode a solid entry in the season. While the escapades of evil space gorilla Skunka'pe made for a solid return for crime-fighting duo Sam & Max, The Tomb Of...
Review Vibes (PlayStation Minis)
Vibes is a competent rythmn game with a great visual style and a pretty varied track-listing
It's unlikely to hold your attention for longer than five minutes at a time, but afterall, this is what PlayStation Minis were designed for. Our favourite thing about Vibes is likely to be everyone else's least favourite: the tracklisting. This isn't a...
Review Sam & Max Episode 301: The Penal Zone (PlayStation 3)
Ultimately, it's clever story-telling and interesting puzzles that are going to make you want to check out Sam & Max's third season debut, The Penal Zone, even if the episode does overstay its welcome
Providing a story more mind-boggling than the sheer fact that Telltale are able to churn out these adventure games at such an alarming rate, Sam...
Review Tehra Dark Warrior (PlayStation Minis)
Tehra Dark Warrior does its best God Of War impression to admirable effect
It's not the instant classic you'd expect from an outing with Kratos himself, but the mechanics and ambition are enough to make it a viable distraction from all the Greek God murdering. The moment you see a needless dragon roaring upon a fortress wall, you realise Tehra Dark...
Review Joe Danger (PlayStation 3)
Formed by four legendary Guildford developers, Joe Danger is the fruit of new studio up-start Hello Games
Based around the concept that jumping off ramps is fun (it is!), Joe Danger is a combination of influences. Clearly inspired by Nintendo's overlooked Excite Bike franchise, Joe Danger's a 2D motorcycle side-scroller, in which your objective is...
Review Green Day: Rock Band (PlayStation 3)
There's perhaps no game quite as subjective as Green Day: Rock Band
In all honesty, your purchasing intent should depend on one factor only: how much do you like Green Day? As a reviewer, it doesn't really get easier than this. Green Day: Rock Band is a package so firmly routed in subjectivity, that it's impossible for us to educate you as to...
Review UFC Undisputed 2010 (PlayStation 3)
The sequel to last-year's surprise hit, UFC Undisputed 2010 tunes all that was in the 2009 version and turns it up to eleven
Naturally the roster has been beefed up, with now over one-hundred fighters to choose from. The gameplay's also been tweaked, with defensive sways now added to heighten the countering strategy during gameplay. It's the career...
Blur is the sum of a combination of games
At its very core it is Project Gotham Racing: take to the circuit with semi-sim, semi-arcade car handling and earn "fans" (as opposed to kudos) by racing creatively. But there's much more to Blur than its PGR inspired core. The power-up racing concept is very much a Mario Kart staple, though here...
Review Split/Second: Velocity (PlayStation 3)
Split/Second's a game which puts its best foot forward first
The first few races you'll experience are among some of the most exciting moments in video games. The premise is simple - you're part of a mad futuristic game-show, in which competitors race around an ever-changing track rigged to the teeth with explosives. Ambitious driving will reward...
Review Coconut Dodge (PlayStation Minis)
Like its name, Coconut Dodge is simplistic as it gets: dodge the coconuts, collect the treasure
The key to its success, therefore, is its bold simplicity — after all, this is what Minis were made for, right? We have the utmost respect for Coconut Dodge's developers, FuturLab. Their website notes a torrid tale in which the recognised Flash studio...
Review Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PlayStation 3)
Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands takes the PoP franchise back to its Playstation 2 heyday
Set some time after the events of the infamous Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time (and sometime before the not-so infamous Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within), this is a return to the franchise's glory. And when we say "return" we mean return. The...
Review Anarchy: Rush Hour (PlayStation 3)
Anarchy: Rush Hour tries hard to be the sum of one too many popular arcade racers, and as such loses a chunk of its own identity
But hidden beneath the game's meandering plot of stolen girlfriends and souped up supercars is a decent, if unoriginal, racing experience. And at £5/$8 a pop, it's hard to really deny the value in Gaijin Entertainment's...
Review Lost Planet 2 (PlayStation 3)
Capcom should be kicking themselves right now
Lost Planet 2 is a very good game, held back by some rudimentary and bizarre design choices. The game's essentially a four-player co-op shooter, in which you play as a series of factions in the varied and artistically interesting world of EDN-III. The game's narrative is revealed through the eyes of...
Review Iron Man 2: The Video Game (PlayStation 3)
Released just in time to coincide with the big budget summer movie of the same name, Iron Man 2 sees protagonist Tony Stark don his steel suit once more
This time he's alongside his companion War Machine, for a fight that picks up almost directly after the events of the original Iron Man. The story's fairly well told during missions and cut-scenes,...
Review Stellar Attack (PlayStation Minis)
Stellar Attack is the latest in a growing line of Minis to get its controls wrong
Which is a shame, because the actual gameplay's a clever puzzle based twist on classic arcade shooters. And the soundtrack's bangin'. Shall we deal with the bad first? There's a lot we like about Stellar Attack but there's one crippling problem that has hindered...
Review Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Wild West (PlayStation 3)
It's certainly a competent online third-person shooter, and the Western twist is strong enough to give the game some personality
Sadly, Lead & Gold: Gangs Of The Wild West lacks the staying power that it'll need to maintain a fan-base post Red Dead Redemption. Wild west games lie fondly in our hearts. This is a statement from the same...
Review Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess (PlayStation Minis)
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess defines the Playstation Minis service in a way that no release before it has managed
The underlying gameplay is simplistic enough to fit the micro-game service's ethos, while the production values feel whole-heartedly Playstation. An important release. The build-up to Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess...
Review 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa (PlayStation 3)
The improvements to the actual gameplay may only be subtle, but improvements to the way information is presented and some good online implementation make 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa the best football game on the market
Until FIFA 11 comes out anyway. The stop-gap summer cash-in with a heart - for years people have questioned the relevance of...
Review After Burner Climax (PlayStation 3)
It's After Burner
Originally released in the arcades in 2006, After Burner Climax is the sequel (sort of) to the classic After Burner games of old. In simple - you fly an awesomely kitted out plane through interchanging zones blasting bad guys with rockets. The loose terrorist plot serves only as a means of justification as you fly ridiculously fast...
Review Freekscape: Escape From Hell (PlayStation Minis)
Freekscape: Escape From Hell is never particularly astounding, but the platforming action is solid and varied enough to keep you interested throughout the game's duration
Hell's not a nice place. Not even if you're a demon. Take little Freek - a friendly little demon who hates the company in Hell. He wants to chill with the nice dude's in Heaven...
Review Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City (PlayStation 3)
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is the combination of last year's XBOX 360 "exclusive" downloadable content campaigns finally available on the Playstation 3
The episodes, The Lost & Damned and The Ballad Of Gay Tony, both offer complete campaigns from some of Grand Theft Auto IV's "blink and you'll miss them" cameo...
Review Hysteria Project (PlayStation Minis)
As an interactive experience, Hysteria Project is an interesting experiment
There's not really any gameplay worthy of discussion, so the product demands an open-mind. But with a price-tag no more expensive than a bottle of Dr. Pepper, those seeking something a little "different" might welcome the punt. Hysteria Project is a unique nod to...
Review Final Fight: Double Impact (PlayStation 3)
Final Fight: Double Impact's a loving re-release of the definitive late-80's arcade brawler Final Fight - with lesser known Magic Sword thrown in for good measure
Double Impact ups the nostalgia to eleven, bringing the shady streets of Metro City to the HD generation complete with grimy scan lines and the bulge of glass. This is classic arcade...
Review Age of Hammer Wars (PlayStation Minis)
There's a definite charm to Hammer Wars' industrious Verne-esque presentation, but any hint of satisfaction is killed dead by the game's innovative but heavily flawed control mechanics
Still, developers iSquared should be acknowledged for their attempt. After several minutes with British developer iSquared's Hammer Wars, there's yet another strong...
