Life & style, Murray Robertson

PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One

We put Sony and Microsoft's next generation consoles head to head and see how they compare

Hardware When it comes to the CPU (central processing unit, essentially the heart of the machine), both consoles resemble a current mid-range PC. They’ve opted for 8-core x86 architecture from PC component manufacturer AMD which means developers will…

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

After EA’s furiously po-faced Medal of Honor: Warfighter, it’s nice to see Activision countering with their annual package of unashamed nonsense. Following on from events in the first game, the sequel jumps around time and space as a team of special…

Far Cry 3 (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Sublime and satisfying shooter set in vast and stunningly-realised island network

The original Far Cry was an ambitious FPS set on a tropical island, populated by an assortment of goons and – controversially – a menagerie of mutants. After developer Crytek split from Ubisoft to work on a new series (Crysis), it seemed like the Far…

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Criterion's solid, engrossing racer combines panache and technical bravado

It’s over a decade since British developer Criterion made their mark with Burnout, a technically solid but otherwise unremarkable racer on PS2. Over the course of four sequels the series increasingly fused combat into the mix as aggressive driving was…

Top five: Scariest video games of all time

Featuring Doom 3, Silent Hill 2, Dead Space and Thief: Deadly Shadows

5. Doom 3 (2004) The original Doom (1993) popularised the first person shooter, now the single most successful game genre, currently dominated by the ever-decreasing Call of Duty series. Developer id went back to Mars a decade later and remade their…

Preview of 2012 - Games

A look at the videogames that'll rule your world this year, including GTA V, Halo 4 and Max Payne 3

First off the biggie: Grand Theft Auto V. We’ve seen the trailer and it looks like we’re back in Los Angeles, sorry Los Santos, for the latest instalment of the world conquering videogame developed by Edinburgh’s own Rockstar North. The shoot outs, car…

Battlefield 3 vs Modern Warfare 3 - review

The two big first person shooters go head-to-head

First out of the blocks is Battlefield 3 PC/PS3/Xbox 360 (EA) ●●●●, sequel to the 2005 tactical FPS. For the first time in the series’ history we have a single player campaign and it’s a turgid affair, plagued by over-scripting and infuriating enemy AI.

August games review round-up

Gran Turismo 5, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 and Bulletstorm reviewed

Gran Turismo 5 ●●●● PS3 (Sony) After five years of protracted development, Gran Turismo 5 features over 1,000 cars and 71 tracks. It’s a petrolhead’s dream, although its claim to be ‘the real driving simulator’ is somewhat undermined by moronic AI…

Bioshock 2

(2K Games) Xbox 360/PS3/PC Set eight years after the events of Bioshock, this standalone sequel improves on its predecessor without escaping its shackles entirely. Here, the player takes charge of the very first Big Daddy, a hulk genetic…