Adam Beck's Reviews
Rise of the Tomb Raider – Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch is a short piece that properly reflects its price point.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is a four-year-old game wrapped in slightly better visuals.
We really wanted XCOM 2 to be something amazing, but unfortunately it falls short.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is an unbalanced experience.
Quantum Break has an identity crisis going on for itself, not knowing if it wants to be a TV show, action game or puzzle platformer.
After ten long years of development, Final Fantasy XV ends up being more style than substance.
No Going Back is the perfect title for the fifth episode of The Walking Dead Season 2 as it captures the emotional scenarios Clementine has had to overcome. At the same time, it's difficult to see how the series will move forward, especially with the determinative conclusions that contains multiple outcomes.
From Software is able to create an eerie tower to climb down, but at the same time, doesn't really deliver on anything that we haven't seen before. The formula has changed slightly, giving players a little more freedom in what they want to do, but at the same time, pacing in how bosses are introduced could have been structured better and more varied.
You can't go wrong with Xtreme Legends if you have a deep love for the Dynasty Warriors franchise. That being said, not enough has changed to justify an upgrade from the vanilla version on PS3, .
Trials Fusion is basically what we've come to expect from the series, just with a shinier new coat of paint. It's still the incredibly addictive racer that we've come to love, but unfortunately it has a few screws loose.
If Infamous: Second Son didn't do anything for you, First Light won't either. While maneuvering through the city is greater than anything Sucker Punch has done before, and Fetch's family story helps expand her character, it's weighed down by its own lack of change.
Samurai Warriors 4 is the best entry into the franchise, and is the one most mechanically sound Warriors title available, but there are still some drawbacks. Even with the diverse cast, the level-specific combo system is something that may turn people off at first as it requires a grind of thirty minutes for each character before the experience gets any better.
If you're still playing Dead or Alive 5 after three years on the market and have the desire to continue on a new set of consoles, then the price of admission shouldn't mean much to you. Even then, it's difficult to recommend only because of how little Team Ninja has added to the overall experience.
It's always scary to try new things, but what Capcom has done with Penal Colony helps relieve some of the concern fans may have had going in. While it's not the most innovative Resident Evil to hit the market, the new episodic format is a breath of fresh air, especially with Capcom following through with the weekly schedule.
There are certain elements to Contemplation that have been improved from the first episode, namely the more open environments and the new enemy types, but there are still apparent flaws to the story and combat scenarios. Claire's campaign once again trails behind Barry's, including a more direct conflict structure with no real puzzle solving elements to be found.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is majestic, marvelous and magnificent. It’s an experience that’s like no other that will have you immersed for every second of play. Unfortunately, there are certain elements that hold it back from greatness. For starters, retreading already-explored areas for side quests and materials is a pain. Getting from point A to point B is a hassle that requires a great deal of time or coin because of the lack of a competent traversal system. On top of that, this could have immensely benefited from cooperative play. It already has multiplayer functions, so it’s disappointing we only got asynchronous gameplay, especially considering a pawn’s AI can be lacking outside of combat and their mouths do not stop moving. With that said, combat is highly engaging, the structure of the open world encourages exploration like nothing else and lack of hand holding is the best choice Capcom could have made. Dragon’s Dogma 2 has all the right to be the Elden Ring of 2024, but unfortunately, it’s held back by technical limitations and bizarre design choices. Despite this, there’s still so much brilliance to be found.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a big step in the right direction that’s unfortunately held back by graphical anomalies and open world tropes. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride that’s heavily back loaded. It'll pull on your heart strings and make you invested in each character more than ever before. It helps that all the memorable moments from the original are not only retained, but strengthened thanks to the graphical prowess of the PlayStation 5. Combat also remains highly engaging, with slight modifications that only enhance the experience further. Unfortunately, Rebirth is also marred with baffling design choices that stifle its greatness. It's filled with mini-games that thankfully are mostly in side quests, as their controls and function leave much to desire. At the very least they will keep you interested as it never gets stale. On top of that, while most of the graphics will have you impressed, low resolution textures and geometry are spliced in the most confusing of ways, only pulling you out of the immersion. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has its share of issues that prevent it from greatness, but whether you’re a dire hard fan or relatively new to the saga, this remains an RPG for the ages.
Starfield is a momentous RPG, even if it doesn't quite deliver in all its areas.
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection remains true to its original releases while adding a couple of appreciated additions to clean up some of its timewasters.
Persona 3 Portable was a gem when it came to the PlayStation Portable nearly thirteen years ago, but it was very much meant for the hardware of its time.