Posts By Mat Growcott

Often called the very best of the HD re-releases, the Metal Gear Solid collection is a must-buy for fans of the series, for fans of the stealth genre and for anybody that enjoys storytelling and excellent gameplay within gaming. Showcasing two of the very best games of the PS2 era (and, arguably, of all time), as well as a PSP classic that's well worth playing, there's an awful lot of value in a single box. Add to that some of the hardest, most time consuming ...

The original Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii ran at a smooth 60FPS, an impressive feat considering the hardware and just how good that game looked. The 3DS port, coming next month, is instead locked at 30FPS. This isn't a good thing, but considering that the graphics still look great and that there's plenty happening on screen at any given time, it's hard to complain too much.

While the PS3 Director’s Cut for Deadly Premonition is once again splitting critics, one thing is certain: the improvements hardly make a double-dip worth it. In fact, improvements may be a slight over-exaggeration, as users have found that certain parts of the game are worse than in the original 360 release. Although players are happy with improvements to the controls – especially on foot – it would seem the graphical improvements are largely ...

There seems to be quite a comment dislike of touch screen gaming. Whether it's justified or not, or how experienced those that repeat the tired old complaints are with the input method, I'm not sure, but even the most die hard detractors must realize their are exceptions to the anti-touch rule. Draw Slasher might be one of those exceptions, for while it's not perfect, it manages to entertain and challenge without ever feeling uncomfortable or annoying.

Warner Brothers have today announced the next expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. Helm’s Deep will let players take an important role in the famous battle alongside the likes of Théoden, while also expanding the virtual world of Middle-Earth to the west of Rohan. If that’s not enough, you’ll also be able to continue to level your character for a further 10 levels, right up to 95. Along with the new locations, new missions, new role in The ...

This is a strange one. Guilty Gear for the Vita came out in the US yesterday, and despite mention on its PlayStation page of online play, as well as reference to it in the original trailer, the game actually relies on Ad Hoc mode to handle its multiplayer. Why the developers put out a trailer implying otherwise, and why Sony are advertising it as online-capable is unclear, but if you were planning to buy based on the idea of playing…

Fez may have been an above average game with a great idea behind it, but the biggest name behind the game, Phil Fish, sure as hell knows how to separate himself from his fanbase. After early reports that the game itself runs incredibly badly on PC (it renders at 720p and has Xbox 360 controller images regardless of how you’re playing the game), and talk of the Steam release being boycotted thanks to Fish’s poor customer relations, the fact that…

More than once, the second hand video games market has been called worse than piracy. Like piracy, the actual creator of the game gets absolutely nothing from your playing their title, but unlike if you'd just downloaded the game for free, you're actively giving your money to somebody else, and the difference in cost that that makes is often either very small (a matter of £2-3, especially at launch) or available specifically because the developer isn't getting ...

Deadly Premonition was something of a mixed bag when it was first released on Xbox 360 in 2010. While much of what made it a game - the graphics and controls specifically - suffered from a severe ability to underwhelm, the story and depth of the characters in the world were pretty much unlike anything else available. Like Twin Peaks with a touch of The X-Files, it managed to make you invest in the people of Greenvale regardless of the roughness of the gameplay ...

There aren't a great many titles on the Vita that feel specific to that platform. Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a decent game that manages to shrink the Uncharted world into a portable package, but those with access to the PS3 trilogy would likely prefer to play those. Gravity Rush is not only exclusive to Vita, but it's entire gameplay structure feels custom made for the device, from the beautiful graphics to the unique gameplay.