< July-August    June-July 2012    > May-June 2012
UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES PS3
26th July 2012
2009, Sony, Action/Adventure

Nathan Drake's back: bigger, faster, better... And this time with multiplayer. Alan looks at one of the PS3's most dynamic exclusives to discover what makes Uncharted 2 such a blockbuster...
TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER HD X360
26th July 2012
2012, Activision, Sport/Skateboarding

It's been thirteen years since the original Pro Skater put skateboarding video games on the map. Robomodo's HD redux realises a belated return to roots for the franchise, but does vintage levels and old-skool mechanics still offer enough in the current market?  
COLUMNS SMS 26th July 2012
1990, SEGA, Puzzle

Tom goes point-scoring crazy for that most stylish and sophisticated of line 'em up puzzle pursuits, Columns. A word of warning though: don't play with the dice. It will end in tears, or your brain melting.
CONKER: LIVE & RELOADED XBOX 26th July 2012
2005, Microsoft, 3D Platformer

Whilst The Pixel Empire has a renowned love of foul-mouthed alcoholic game characters, few are as cute as the furry walking-obscenity that is Conker. Shane looks at whether Rare's part-remake of the N64 classic Bad Fur Day still shocks for all the right reasons...
SPACE MARINE X360 23rd July 2012
2011, THQ, Third-person Action

Warhammer hits the HD generation with THQ and Relic's hi-octane action game. Shane examines whether a fun multiplayer setup can do enough to save it from the anonymity that so many similar titles succumb to in this most crowded of genres... 
RAINBOW SIX: LONE WOLF PSone 20th July 2012
2002, Ubi-Soft, FPS

The Pixel Empire drags up a game that time (and it seems all who were involved with its development) tried to forget. Read about Rainbow Six's ultra short-lived PSone exclusive here...
TURRICAN AMI 18th July 2012
1990, Rainbow Arts, 2D shoot 'em up

Manfred Trenz's pioneering fusion of platforming and shoot 'em up action rocketed gaming into the nineties, whilst making a strong statement for computer formats in their struggle with the emerging 16-bit consoles of the time. We review the superb Amiga version of Turrican...
WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES: ORIGINS 
PSP 17th July 2012
2011, Sony, RPG

Reflecting the popularity of group multiplayer and portable formats in Japan, Sony's RPG series White Knight Chronicles got itself a prequel outing on the PSP, which was somewhat surprisingly localised in 2011. We look at the struggles faced in delivering a no-frills level-grinder in such a saturated market... READ THE REVIEW HERE
THE 3RD BIRTHDAY PSP 15th July 2012
2011, Square Enix, Third-person shoot 'em up

After eleven years of waiting, a change of genre, a change of name and a shift from home console to portable, Parasite Eve and Aya Brea finally returned to the limelight in 2011. A blockbuster, high-production action game, would The 3rd Birthday's gutsy new ideas ensure PSP gamers an all-guns-blazing send off late in the format's life?... READ THE REVIEW HERE
FEATURE: CHARMSTONES, ELIXIRS AND THE POWER OF NOSTALGIA: REVISITING MONSTER WORLD TWENTY YEARS ON
SMD 13th July 2012

Twenty years ago, Wonder Boy In Monster World landed in Europe. Tom Clare revisits a childhood favourite, and examines the pull of nostalgia and whether Shion's quest still has it two decades on. READ THE FEATURE HERE
PRO PINBALL: THE WEB PSone 10th July 2012
1996, Empire Interactive, Pinball Simulation

Before iPhones, XBL and the PSN ensured that pinball sims would never again be worth more than a fiver, there was a renowned series of retail games based on the activity. That's right. On a disc, with their own box. Those were the days, and this was PP's ace debut. READ THE REVIEW HERE
THE SABOTEUR PS3 7th July 2012
2009, EA, Sandbox

Paris is occupied by the Nazis. Its only hope: a vaguely inebriated Irish mechanic who loves explosions nearly as much as he loves the ladies. We remember Pandemic Studios' distinctive final venture. READ THE REVIEW HERE
BLOOD BOWL PSP 7th July 2012
2009, Focus Home Interactive, Sport/Strategy

Take a brutal mix of sports action and strategy, and then adapt it to play on a portable. We look at why the PSP version of table-top strategy game Blood Bowl is less appealing than it sounds... READ THE REVIEW HERE
HALF-LIFE PC 26th June 2012
1998, Sierra Entertainment, FPS

Gordon Freeman's about to have a very bad day. The Pixel Empire look back at one of the greatest shoot 'em ups of the twentieth century, and examine why Valve's intelligent blaster was such a game-changer... READ THE REVIEW HERE
TOMORROW NEVER DIES PSone 26th June 2012
1999, EA, Third-person shoot 'em up

"No Mr. Bond, I expect you to walk straight!" Black Ops struggle with the PlayStation hardware in this meek rendition of an action-packed Bond film. READ THE REVIEW HERE
TOP GEAR SNES 21st June 2012
1992, Kemco, Racing

What came first - cars that drove around tracks, or tracks that drove around cars? The Pixel Empire vows not to tackle such silly questions and instead examines this classy racer. Jeremy Clarkson not included. READ THE REVIEW HERE
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