Latest Reviews
Mini Review Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (PS5) - A Tighter, More Focused Platform Fighter
Super Smash Bros Brawl 2?
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a follow-up to 2021’s one-to-four-player Nicktoon platform fighter of the same name. This time with a fully-fledged roguelike campaign and a weighty overhaul to the combat, the Nicktoons must rescue their fellow fighters from Vlad Plasmius’ mind control and restore the Nickelodeon...
Review Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn (PS5) - Solid Expansion Treads Very Familiar Territory
Arise again
Right off the bat, the biggest problem with Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn is trying to remember how to actually play Tales of Arise. The (largely fantastic, in our opinion) action RPG launched what feels like an eternity ago back in September 2021, and now, over two years later, we're getting a full-on post-game expansion. But the DLC...
Mini Review Little Goody Two Shoes (PS5) - A Flawed But Unique Spin on the Life Sim
Little red dying hood
The first thing you'll probably notice when booting up Little Goody Two Shoes for the first time is its distinct art style. If you grew up watching 90s anime such as Sailor Moon or the original Pokémon series, the game does an excellent job at lovingly recreating that specific vibe in its presentation, narrative, and overall...
Review Football Manager 2024 Console (PS5) - Lacking Console Edition Is on a Losing Streak
Sacked in the morning
Football Manager is, and always has been, the ultimate virtual footballing experience. It leans into the simulation genre much more than the other top games on the market, such as EA FC or eFootball, as it allows you to control almost every aspect of the club, aside from the players themselves. It is so effective at judging...
Review EA Sports WRC (PS5) - Don't Swerve This Intense, Well-Rounded Rally Racer
Get a Loeb of this
When EA acquired Codemasters a couple of years ago, the UK-based racing specialist came with a couple of extra perks. It already held the licences to produce official games for Formula One, which it had been doing successfully for a good while, as well as World Rally Championship, which had yet to bear fruit. The latter always...
You know my name
Taking place before, during, and just after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the intriguingly titled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name tells us all about what Kazuma Kiryu was up to in that time — and it's fair to say he was busy. But before we dig into the details, it's important to note that in its latter...
Review The Talos Principle 2 (PS5) - An Excellent Philosophical Puzzler
What is a human?
Ever wondered what it's like to be human? Ever wondered what makes us human and a toaster a machine? Ever wondered what makes us more than just biological goop wearing clothes? Neither have we, but The Talos Principle 2 is making us think about some of these philosophical questions with its excellent writing and complex conundrums,...
Review The Invincible (PS5) - Hard Sci-Fi Adventure Tells a Good Story
Operation hopeless
The Invincible is one of those games where the less you know the better — to a degree. A story in the stars that adapts the Stanisław Lem novel of the same name, it plays quite a lot like a sci-fi Firewatch. While your actions don't extend much beyond walking and operating gadgets and machinery, an intriguing plot and many...
Mini Review Ebenezer and the Invisible World (PS4) - Gorgeous Metroidvania Burdened by (Bah Hum)bugs
Nightmare before Christmas
Ebenezer and the Invisible World is a 2D Metroidvania-style platformer based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. You explore London as Ebenezer Scrooge, on a quest to return the industrial capitalist, Casper Malthus, to his good-natured self after a visit from the Ghosts of Christmas appear to have corrupted him. In...
Review Thirsty Suitors (PS5) - An Authentic, Entertaining Tale of Self Discovery
Time to battle some evil exes
In Thirsty Suitors, protagonist Jala has had a bad break-up and moved back to the hometown she left under the shadow of darkness, and back to the people she left high and dry. Realising her allies are few and far between, Jala sets about making amends with her family, while her previous exes show their faces to stir...
Review Star Ocean The Second Story R (PS5) - A Near Perfect Example of a Remake Done Right
Integrity and faithfulness
Many would argue that Star Ocean: The Second Story — originally released for the PS1 all the way back in 1998 — is the pinnacle of the long-running RPG series, and we'd be tempted to agree. In some ways it does feel like it nails the core themes of the franchise, as sci-fi technology clashes with medieval fantasy —...
Review Jusant (PS5) - Tactile Traversal in an Arid, Atmospheric World
Belay the spire
Though wildly different in some ways, Don't Nod's Jusant shares a surprising amount of common ground with Death Stranding. Both games are set within the aftermath of their respective, titular disasters; they're each rather lonely adventures, perhaps even more so in the former's case; and their traversal systems are unusually...
Review RoboCop: Rogue City (PS5) - A Servicable Shooter for Nostalgia Enthusiasts
"Dead or alive, you're coming with me"
RoboCop: Rogue City is an incredibly faithful exploration of the armoured enforcer, a first-person shooter with an RPG foundation underpinning the action. It's a little rough around the edges but manages to tell an original tale in the iconic cyberpunk universe, reminding us why we still love this relic of the...
Mini Review Tennis On-Court (PSVR2) - Solid Gameplay Surrounded by Technical Issues
Double fault
The first thing that happened to us upon launching Tennis On-Court was a hard crash. Even before we saw the main menu, we were on the error report screen. The game would only crash a couple more times, but it was a worrying start. Worse than the crashes is an annoying bug where, if you hit the tennis ball at just the right angle, it'll...
Mini Review Headbangers Rhythm Royale (PS5) - Musical Party Game Is Frustrating and Fun
Let's get this bread
Glee Cheese Studio's Headbangers Rhythm Royale is the latest in a growing roster of battle royale party games. Heavily reminiscent of Fall Guys, the game sees floppy-headed pigeons duke it out in rhythm-based puzzles. Thirty competitors fight to earn the coveted title of master headbanger. You'll be familiar with the format by...
Review Alan Wake 2 (PS5) - A Nightmare We Never Want to Wake Up From
A Remedy for success
Sitting down to write this review makes us feel a little like Alan Wake himself, tapping away at his typewriter in the Writer’s Room. We’re not quite sure where the page will take us, even though we have so much swirling around in our mind. That’s the effect of Alan Wake 2; a rip-roaring horror experience from Remedy...
Mini Review Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (PS5) - A Hilarious, Hopping Mad Trilogy
The Adventure of the Solitary Scooterist
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery comprises three of the silliest, most charming detective adventures you could hope to play. As the titular amphibian investigator, you'll receive calls from the Supervisor about a haunted island, an invisible wizard, and a bunch of missing cowboy hats. After you grab your...
Review NHL 24 (PS5) - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Haven't we done this?
When it comes to reviewing sports titles, it can often feel like being trapped in a time loop. Much like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, you may find yourself feeling as if you’re playing the same thing over and over each time you pick up a game. This sensation of déjà vu is very much present when it comes to EA Vancouver’s...
Mini Review Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue (PS5) - Slow-Burn Visual Novel Gets Going... Eventually
All filler, very little killer
The beginning of Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue feels very much like a Danganronpa-style death game. 11 strangers get abducted and sent to an abandoned tropical island resort where they’re forced to stay for six months. It’s all part of some twisted reality TV show where the abductees will be given €500,000 at...
Review Ghostrunner 2 (PS5) - Slash-Happy PS5 Sequel Is a Bit Choppy
A Ghostbummer?
Ghostrunner 2 is a perplexing experience. Its predecessor, which was released at the tail end of 2020, provided us with a fast-paced, stylish, cyber-ninja-themed action platformer that managed to rival other games attempting a similar thing. However, with the sequel, developer One More Level has designed an entry that seemingly...
Review Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection (PS5) - Three Classics in One Messy Bundle
A thrill, in some ways
After an era of pachinko machines and sports clubs, Konami is back. Well, its old games are back. The Japanese company is on a mission to regain the fans it lost after abandoning the hardcore gaming space, and turning nostalgia into dollars was always going to be the first thing it did. A more expansive remake of Metal Gear...
Mini Review Wizard with a Gun (PS5) - This Co-Op Survival Adventure Is Worth a Shot
Machine gun Merlin
Wizard with a Gun is a one-or-two-player, twin-stick shooter, survival game from Galvanic Games and Devolver Digital. You play as a time-travelling wizard who's been tasked with preventing the Collapse, a cataclysmic event that split the world into pieces scattered throughout time. By exploring various procedurally generated...
Mini Review CRYMACHINA (PS5) - Interesting Worldbuilding Can’t Save This Dull Action RPG
It’s the end of the world as we know it
The end of humanity has finally happened; partly due to disease but mostly due to war over a scarcity of resources. In one of the last acts of a dying species they created a vast structure in space, known as Eden. Outfitted with eight self-evolving artificial lifeforms known as Deux Ex Machinas, the hope was...
Review EA Sports FC 24 (PS5) - Rebranded and Refined But Not Revolutionary
New era
The high-profile split between EA Sports and football’s governing body FIFA has resulted in a dramatic rebrand of one of gaming’s biggest franchises – but not an enormous amount has changed on the pitch. That’s not to say nothing is different in this refined soccer sim, however, which is ostensibly FIFA 24 in all but name. So,...
Mini Review Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (PS5) - Murder Mystery Kills It
Fresh like a Daisy
A timeless classic, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is one of the best-loved and most famous murder mysteries of all time. Originally released in 1934, the story has been refreshed and updated for this 2023 release — think Poirot with Internet access. The acclaimed detective finds himself aboard the Orient Express...
Mini Review The 7th Guest VR (PSVR2) - Bugs Besmirch This Entertaining VR Remake
Stauf's toying with you
The 7th Guest VR is a virtual reality reimagining of 1993's puzzle title of the same name. Mysterious recluse and toy maker, Henry Stauf, has invited six guests to his gothic, puzzle-filled mansion for a party, offering a large sum of prize money. Taking on the role of an unidentified guest, you'll be exploring Stauf's...
Mini Review Hellboy Web of Wyrd (PS5) - Visually Striking, But Fails to Inspire as a Brawler
Don't mess with him, he's been drinking with skeletons
The tumultuous multimedia journey of Anung Un Rama continues with Hellboy Web of Wyrd — a roguelike brawler that might help wash away the taste of the abysmal 2019 cinematic reboot. Developer Upstream Arcade has attempted to transpose the visual style and narrative spirit of Hellboy from the...
Mini Review Lil Gator Game (PS5) - A Heartfelt Adventure That's Fun for All Ages
Don't stop believing
Lil Gator Game is a feel-good indie that'll take just a few hours of your time to get through. You play as the titular little gator, on a quest to convince your older sister to close her laptop and enjoy some fantastical playtime — just like in the good old days. It's not exactly subtle, but the game's all about growing up,...
Review Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) - A Familiar But Fantastic Superhero Sequel
Heal the world
With Marvel's Spider-Man, Insomniac Games knocked it out of the park on its first try. While structurally it's a fairly standard open world action adventure, it's elevated by a great cast of characters, a solid story, and some of the best traversal in the business. It ticked all the boxes, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a...
Review Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (PS5) - A Fast and Furiously Fantastic Follow-Up
Magnificent modifications
We remember as kids setting up our Hot Wheels Octoblast and Shark Park race tracks every weekend, launching cars round them at high speeds while avoiding the giant creatures. It always brought such joy to our young selves back in the day, and so it's great to see that Milestone has captured the essence of that nostalgia and...
