< September-October 2012    July-August 2012    > June-July 2012
_JAK! ...and Daxter! Never ones to do things in moderation, Tom and Shane set themselves the ludicrous task of charting all five platform adventures to have starred either or both of the intrepid pair. Shane's been allowed a year off from the genre.

PS2 2001 25/8/2012
PSP 2005 29/8/2012
PS2 2003 29/8/2012
PS2 2004 1/9/2012
PSP 2009 2/9/2012 
_SHOOT! Just to prove that all things are relative: Binary Domain may have seemed disappointing, but at least it's not The Sniper 2 which, if it's not the worst game ever made, is in the top one.

_BINARY DOMAIN X360
2012, SEGA, Third-person shoot 'em up 19/8/2012
_THE SNIPER 2 PS2
2002, Midas Interactive, Shoot 'em up 19/8/2012
_BRAINS/BRAWN! Talk about opposites. Limbo is an atmospheric, leisurely platformer with enough puzzles to melt an average-sized brain. Track and Field? Speed, relentless energy and steel fingers, that's all you need. Both games rock.

LIMBO PC
2011, Playdead, 2D Platformer 18/8/2012_
TRACK & FIELD NES
1987, Konami, Sport/Athletics 13/8/2012_
_LANDMARK LEVELS! Tom, Alan and Shane banged their collective heads together on TPE's glorious new feature. Favourite games have been done to death, but what about standout levels? Our first three picks comprise a couple of modern classics and a 16-bit title that's the best thing since electricity itself.

Flashback (1992, SMD)
New Washington
Tom Clare - 5/8/2012
Gears Of War (2006, XBOX)
Act 1: Chapter 8 - China Shop
Shane Battams - 2/8/2012
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (2007, PC)
The buddy, sticky bomb, strider finale
Alan Passingham - 31/7/2012
TALKING CARS, MONOCHROME PLATFORMERS AND OLYMPIC GAMING
PS2 X360 PC 10th August 2012

Find out what The Pixel Empire have been covering lately, and what's in store in the coming week...
RAYMAN ORIGINS X360 10th August 2012
2011, Ubisoft, 2D Platformer

Rayman's first 2D platform outing in more than fifteen years proved a renaissance for the popular protagonist. Shane looks at the game that proved retail 2D platformers still have a place in 21st Century gaming...
ROAD TRIP ADVENTURE PS2 9th August 2012
2003, Play It, Racing/RPG

Racing meets role-playing in this quirky title based on the long-running Choro Q brand of Japanese toy cars. Can originality and charm help it overcome some old-fashioned production values?
KILLZONE 2 PS3 7th August 2012
2009, Sony, FPS

Tom recalls Guerilla Games' powerhouse and one of the best-looking games of its era. Bleak and beautiful, Killzone 2's palpable atmosphere, superb environmental effects and addictive multiplayer made it one to savour for shoot 'em up fans... 
PRINCE OF PERSIA:
THE FORGOTTEN SANDS X360 7th August 2012
2010, Ubi-Soft, Action/Adventure

The Prince is back for more time-bending platform fun. The Forgotten Sands seeks inspiration from the original 3D reboot The Sands of Time, but are its new features enough to distinguish itself from the popular adventure?
'LANDMARK LEVELS' SERIES PS2 PC
1st August 2012

Get the low-down on TPE's new series of features, as we seek to cover some of the best levels, scenarios and set-pieces in gaming history. An awesome trip down memory lane, in other words... 
PILOT DOWN: BEHIND ENEMY LINES PS2
1st August 2012
2005, Oxygen Interactive, Stealth Adventure

There's more than Nazis to worry about in Wide Games' challenging war time stealth adventure. See how well a host of nifty ideas come together in this overlooked successor to Prisoner of War.  
<September-October 2012    July-August 2012    > June-July 2012