With the release of Bastion in 2011, Supergiant games burst onto the gaming landscape. Bastion was critically acclaimed and was on several Game of the Year lists as well. Transistor is Supergiant's latest game, which has been three years in the making - and it was well worth the wait.
Wolfenstein The New Order is a surprising showcase of powerful, alternate history storytelling. This latest entry in the revered shooter series, which is credited by many for creating the genre, still contains the “classic” gunplay intact, for better or worse, while having its exceptional presentation at the center of attention. Developer MachineGames, which is made up of past Starbreeze Studios members well ...
When playing Child of Light, I felt a bit melancholic. Ubisoft Montreal’s own unique take on the RPG genre elicits a sense of somberness throughout its, roughly, 10-hour adventure. Though it doesn’t sport a complex or even original story, the way it is told is Child of Light’s best strength. By using the UbiArt engine that was created for Rayman Origins several years ago, Ubisoft Montreal is able to perfectly ...
If there was one complaint about Ground Zeroes, it was its size. Despite the fact that you could easily spend tens of hours exploring that little base off the coast of Cuba, it was quite samey and, ultimately, failed to hold all but the most dedicated of Metal Gear fans to its 100% completion.
Final Fantasy XIV was surprisingly announced in 2009, was released in 2010 to terrible reviews and was closed in 2012. There aren't many AAA titles that get to be classed as unmitigated disasters, but the latest Final Fantasy MMO fit the bill. Not content with writing it off, Square Enix began repairing things that fans had disliked, and in 2013 released Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn onto PlayStation 3 and ...
When playing inFamous Second Son, I received a deluge of visual satisfaction. Sucker Punch’s third attempt at its superhero series is a great showcase of PlayStation 4’s technical prowess. Particle effects galore, a breathtakingly gorgeous open-world, and great facial animations make Second Son the best looking PS4 game by a mile. But for all of Sucker Punch’s technical advancements, the game’s storytelling ...
Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes has all the makings of a very good game. An interesting beginning that has you waiting for answers, gameplay that goes beyond what you expect and offers depth and choice, all with the kind of production value that big budget movies wish they could approach - that's Ground Zeroes, a checklist of what all interactive entertainment should strive to achieve. There's only one major ...
Thief, developed by Eidos Montreal, is a reboot of the beloved 90s first-person stealth series of the same name. Penned by Ken Levine, who would go on to create Bioshock, and forged by the now defunct Looking Glass Studios, 1999’s Thief: The Dark Project was the birth of the first-person stealth genre. It successfully introduced several innovative mechanics, like the clever use of light and sound as an integral ...
Infinity Ward have fixed a lot of the issues that plagued Ghosts at launch, but there's one thing they can't fix: the size and shape of the original multiplayer maps. They're too big, with too much going on. In trying to combat camping (by creating a "always open" feel wherever you go), they've made it ten times worse. That's why it's fantastic news that Onslaught - the new DLC pack, available on Sony platforms ...
The game nobody ever thought would be made: LEGO Marvel brings together almost every single noteworthy Marvel hero and places them into a world of blocks and building. Combining the likes of Spider-man and Captain America with the bright, colourful humour of the LEGO franchise was a genius move, and it hits almost all the right buttons.
Tomb Raider Definitive Edition fails to offer any sort of substantial additions or changes from the original 2013 release. But its lack of deviation is slightly marred by the better looking next-gen versions of the game. Tomb Raider is still the same thrilling experience jam-packed with satisfying gameplay, fantastical set-pieces, gorgeous visuals, and a likeable main character. It is undoubtedly flawed, most ...
Knack perhaps got more attention that almost all the other PlayStation 4 launch titles put together. It was directed by PS4 lead architect Mark Cerny and is Sony's big non-shooter push for the launch window. Although there have been many things said about Knack - that it's "kiddy," too simple - it definitely has its good points. It's just a shame you'll see most of them in the first ten minutes.
Yearly franchises rarely manage to surprise, but this year Assassin's Creed did just that. The franchise that originally had you climbing up rectangular buildings in the Middle East has now taken to the waves, adding ships, exploration and naval combat aplenty. It wasn't a change that happened over night, but Black Flag shows how far the franchise has come, and, as our view at the top our pirate ship attests, it ...
The annual release of sport games for EA continues with the latest entry in the commercially successful Fifa franchise, Fifa 14. The sports title, developed by EA Canada, continues the series’ habit of providing solid, and addicting virtual soccer experiences that offer the closest thing to actually attending, or participating in a real live match. The franchise has ensconced itself pretty comfortably as the ...
Survival games don't generally tend to be about survival. They tend to be about avoiding pitfalls and dangerous enemies. That's largely because, let's face it, actual survival - the drinking pee, eating rats, building shelter sort of survival - just isn't fun in a video game. Except it is. Don't Starve proves that, done right, simply making it through a week on your own can be incredibly rewarding, and addictive.
Killzone is one of Sony's staple franchises, partly because of how fantastic they always look. The gameplay is always hit and miss, you'll either love it or hate it. The heavier weaponry, the harder-to-kill enemies - this isn't Call of Duty or Battlefield, and it never tries to be. Killzone: Shadow Fall is the latest in the series and one of the lead launch games on PlayStation 4. Can it hold the next generation ...
There was a time, not so long ago, where the very height of video gaming was going from one side of a set of platforms to the other. There were variations on that, but they effectively tested your timing and muscle memory more than anything else. Putty Squad is from that era of games, and it feels like it. If you want one of your first next-gen experiences to be something ignored for almost two decades, look no ...
The biggest mistake people made concerning the Call of Duty franchise this year was in presuming that it would be "next-gen." Call of Duty is one of the biggest entertainment IPs in the world, they're not going to do anything that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 can't handle. That's not to say that the PlayStation 4 version of Call of Duty: Ghosts isn't worth playing, or even upgrading to. You just have to expect ...
From the press start screen, the first time you load Contrast, you'll instantly be taken to a place, a time, an atmosphere. The noir-esque art style and jazz era cabaret sparks a feeling that this game does so well throughout. It's odd, stylized, innocent, just like the characters you'll meet. In Contrast, the developers have created something that'll surprise and entertain. It's only when the music stops and ...
There are people claiming that the PlayStation 4 launch was weak. Those people haven't played Resogun. With its fast pace, easy-to-pick-up gameplay, beautiful graphics and fantastic soundtrack, it's the surprise hit of the early part of this generation. While it might not alone convince anybody that it's worth investing in a brand new console, it'll definitely keep you busy for the time being.
The PlayStation 3's launch was full of potential, but in the end fell short of instant love. Sony had underestimated the importance of social and online features and so had paled in comparison to Xbox 360 in that regard, and the cost and available games did nothing to help the situation. Sony hasn't made the same mistake twice. The PlayStation 4 is the perfect console for today, with room to grow as the industry does.
