GamesBeat's Reviews
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy is an amazing conclusion to the beloved puzzle series. Its variety and clever storytelling make it the most interesting and well-executed installment of the franchise, and it’s nice to see that after six games, Level-5 can keep surprising players with intriguing, surprisingly moving plots and hundreds of clever puzzles. I’m sorry to see the main series end, but if it must, this is exactly how to do it.
I wanted to love Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare with the same zeal I have for the original series, but this shooter variation lacks a lot of imagination. The action gameplay generally feels forced, and the bits of strategy that do exist are minute in comparison.
Despite my disappointment with Thief's setting and story, I did enjoy my time with it. Sneaking about, pickpocketing guards, picking locks, and finding new ways to infiltrate a building are as satisfying as ever, and the game looks and sounds great (despite some janky audio mixing). As a longtime fan of the series, I want to believe a spot exists for Garrett in the current stealth-action genre he helped create. And if one doesn't? Well, he'll probably just wind up stealing one anyway.
One Piece: Romance Dawn is easy to summarize: It just isn’t any fun. I have no doubt that it could have been fun. As an outsider to the series, I was excited to see what it was all about. I had grand ideas of exploring the seas, fighting rival pirates, and experiencing a great story. All of those elements are here (kind of), but it’s surprising how lame they become thanks to terrible design. Ultimately, this game isn’t worth the time of anyone but the most devoted and patient fans of the series. The 3DS has several RPGs that are far more entertaining.
I didn't feel like I was experiencing a madman's vision when playing the 2014 Strider. It was more like a tempered salute. Yeah, I ran into the aforementioned mecha gorilla again. That was OK. And the final boss was kind of cooky, I guess.
Tropical Freeze does little to justify the Wii U's existence, but it's still mostly a fun, challenging platformer. Fans will certainly enjoy this difficult, beautiful romp through Donkey Kong's islands, but it will frustrate less-enthusiastic players.
I had a lot of fun playing Strike Vector. It's a good game held back by frustrating glitches and a lack of polish. Ragequit developed it in only 16 months, and it released less than a month after going into beta. The developer's accomplishment in six months is impressive, but after so much hard work, it didn't take the time to finish the job. The result is a game that looks and acts like it's still in beta or perhaps a Steam Early Access title. Hopefully, Ragequit can fix its bugs and expand its player base before it fizzles out, because at its best, Strike Vector is something every fan of chaotic shooters should experience.
When it works, Loadout hooks you in with its deep weapon-crafting system and frantic battles where everyone is trying out their own crazy creations. And to its credit, Edge of Reality has shown incredible resilience in responding to the server problems so quickly. But Loadout isn't worth playing until it solves them.
Octodad is a great example of a game that conveys a message through gameplay. In conjunction with its story, characters, and setting, the controls offer an empathetic look into the life of an extreme outsider trying to fit in and trying to do right by his family.
Bravely Default’s decision to transform turns into a currency adds a layer of complexity to classic JRPG combat, and the flexible job system gives you tons of room for customization. Honestly, if you’re a fan of the genre, then there’s little here not to like.
Might & Magic X: Legacy certainly did remind me of fun times I had in the past with earlier entries in the series. I even had fun for several hours. But once the nostalgia wore off, it served as a stark indication that many of these design choices should have been left in the past with its predecessors. What good is a fully 3D world when you can't touch or interact with hardly anything? What sense does it make that you can't run away from an encounter in which you're clearly outmatched (or even move once you're in melee rage, for that matter)?
You'll find a lot to like in Broken Age. It has a beautiful world populated by a colorful cast of characters and an alluring mystery that doesn't unfold in the way you expect it to. This is Double Fine Productions at its finest, and it's on track to finish strong with Act 2.
All That Remains is short, roughly two hours long. Yet Telltale Games has done a good job in setting up future episodes by asking tantalizing questions about its plot and cast. Its decision to make Clementine the hero is a brilliant, depowering move that increases the tension from last season while still giving us a familiar, sympathetic face to root for. Although the supporting cast are currently mostly blank slates, the conflicts and relationships established in this episode promise bigger things to come. I'm eager to see where the story goes from here.
Peggle 2 is a delightful game. The basic gameplay is still satisfying, the world is more colorful and alive than ever, and the music will cause your ears to explode with joy. Outside of the framerate issues, PopCap nailed the presentation.
Tearaway packs charm and ingenuity into every pixelated pulp. You’ll bounce along to its perky soundtrack, fall in love with the way its ocean waves — as rolls of white paper — break on the shores, and smile when you see just how personal the ending is.
Need For Speed: Rivals' main theme is about blurring the stringent lines between two things we consider to be opposites. Challenging the traditional definitions of two opposing ideals and showing that they are not just more similar than you think — but require each other to exist. It's all very yin-and-yang, and the theme is implemented in every aspect with varying degrees of success. The mixing of single-player and multiplayer gameplay is the most obvious and calculated element to take on the theme, and is the one thing that really excited me throughout my time with Rivals. It is a fantastic idea that company spokespersons on convention stages have been promising would change the way we game in this next generation.
When I finished playing this game, I felt like I wanted more. That's the mark of a good game. I also felt like I had played something fresh. If there were 20 games about Rome, this one might not stand out as the most outstanding. But it's good, and there aren't enough tales with a historical background that wind up being big budget video games. I'm glad that Crytek stayed the course on its seven-year journey and finally finished Ryse.
Forza 5 is a fine way to spend a console launch. I'm not all that into cars, but I found an exceptionally built game that is welcoming to rookies.
I love Super Mario 3D World. As a single-player experience, it's on the same level as either Galaxy game or the memories I have of playing Super Mario 64 for the first time. In many ways, it's a more refined game than any other 3D Mario.
Killer Instinct is a budget-priced title that looks better than most next-generation projects we've seen so far. Once the rest of the add-ons are actually finished, this could even be one of the best titles in fighting games.