Review - inFamous: Second Son (PS4)

Expectations were high for Sucker Punch's newest installment in the inFamous franchise when it launched earlier this year. Indeed, many people (myself included) were claiming it to be the first game on the PS4 that would give consumers a 'true' reason to buy the system. However, after the recent announcement that PS4 has maintained its position as the best selling console for nine consecutive months and that over ten million units have been sold to consumers, it has become clear that Sony's newest console has needed little help from first party software.

Review - The Last of Us: Factions (PS3/PS4)

You may be wondering why this article even exists considering my review of The Last of Us on PS3 was published only recently. It comes down to that I felt discussing the multiplayer mode (titled 'Factions') in the same post would detract from what I established in my review - solely as a single player experience, The Last of Us is a masterpiece. A multiplayer component just isn't necessary! Although excellent, most people playing will be doing so for the campaign rather than Factions. This is understandable, not least due to the fact that Factions was only revealed two weeks before the initial launch of the game on PS3, but also because the prestige associated with the name 'Naughty Dog' is due to accomplishments in single player. After only entering the field recently, their history with multiplayer has certainly been patchy and undoubtedly brief. This meant that the awareness of and excitement for the multiplayer mode was low before release.
 

Review - The Last of Us (PS3)

Naughty Dog, the Sony-owned studio behind games such as Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted has created yet another masterpiece. This time with a game that tells the dark, harrowing story of a man and a young girl crossing the post-apocalyptic United States. This is not a masterpiece, however, that should merely be compared to other ‘good’ games, but instead one that should be considered as a turning point in gaming history, along the likes of Pac-Man and Super Mario 64. However, those games are exceptional, in part, due to the jump in technology they represent (2D gaming, and then 3D gaming, respectively). The Last of Us is a game that, as well as having incredible graphical fidelity, represents a level of both storytelling and player immersion (together with superb gameplay) that has never been reached before. This game is that good, that significantly better than the vast majority of games on the market.  The Last of Us is not only cemented in place as PlayStation 3’s single best experience, but is further evidence that Naughty Dog is the best developer in gaming.

Review - GoldenEye 007 (Wii)

The Wii isn't exactly known for its first-person-shooters, but GoldenEye 007 is an exception. It is a game that carries the legacy of the 1997 Nintendo 64 classic, and therefore expectations are high. Eurocom, a studio that has had a long history with the James Bond franchise, had the task of updating this game for a new generation of gamers and hardware. However, due to first person shooters progressing rapidly in the decade-or-so since the original version was released, the game has been completely reimaged to bring it up to modern expectations. This includes a complete overhaul of basic aspects of the game such as the control scheme and the route you are able to take in stages, but also significant changes to the graphics and gameplay, along with the complete rewriting of the script. Has this meant that from all the changes, the memories that many will be longing to revisit have been tampered with unnecessarily?

Review - Aura-Aura Climber (DSi)

Aura-Aura Climber was designed as a ‘pick up and play’ action arcade game - something that you'll always have available to play on your DSi or 3DS handheld - and it fills it's role beautifully. The aim of Aura-Aura Climber is to help a fallen star, Aura-Aura, climb back up into space by using the many grapple points dotted about the game. In the process of doing this you encounter a vast amount of obstacles such as electrified walls and deadly purple blobs that roam about the ten stages of the game.