GamesBeat's Reviews
Any gamer who’s a fan of puzzle games, brain teasers or adventure games will enjoy Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, especially if they’re not afraid to pull out a notebook and get writing while playing. It’s a fantastic story wrapped in a solid foundation of gameplay, and what few drawbacks there are don’t take away from the experience in any way that matters. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a game that’ll challenge and reward you equally, and it’s one of the best overall experiences I’ve had in 2024 so far.
Anniversary Edition cements Braid as a seminal gaming moment. And while the new commentary offers a lot of insight, this package is much more than a museum piece. Braid is still one of the best puzzle platformers you can ever play.
Rebirth doesn’t have any compromises. Or at least they’re so tiny that I didn’t notice or care. And even if I did have small gripes, an all-time great soundtrack easily washes any minor sins away.
Tekken 8 makes me angry at myself. I know that I’ve missed out on an amazing franchise. But at least I feel like I’m getting into the series at a strong point. Tekken 8 is a robust package that features some of the most satisfying digital fisticuffs I’ve ever seen.
Graphically, it may not be the most impressive game that came out in 2023, and the colors can sometimes sear the eyes. But that’s the extent of my complaints so far (I haven’t yet finished the game). I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far of Asgard’s Wrath 2 and it’ll take a lot for VR games in 2024 to top it.
The Prince of Persia series has lived a few lives. It started as a 2D cinematic platformer before evolving into movement-based 3D action games. Now, Ubisoft Montpellier has found a new direction for the franchise that could serve as the blueprint for the series going forward.
Lake has always been a good spokesman for the game. He talked about Remedy’s “dream game” a while back and said, “Where we are now is fiction becoming reality.” It’s kind of a cliche that you expect to hear from the lips of Alan Wake, but it’s a good description for what goes through you head as you play this outstanding game that messes with your mind but still leaves it in a better place than most horror games do. Call it a masterpiece or a work of art. Both apply. I rate the game as five stars out of five.
To me, the multiplayer experience we got is a Call of Duty game worthy the franchise’s 20 year anniversary.
Overall, it’s a delightful, charming adventure game that does one thing very, very well — and that’s worth just as much, if not more to me than a game that tries to do everything with middling results.
Overall, it balanced out and the rest of the campaign was well done. As I mentioned, most players really care more about multiplayer than the single-player campaign. For me, I’ve always liked how the single-player story motivates you to play the multiplayer. And so it really does matter to me. I don’t know if my objections here mean that I don’t like the game overall. I feel like I’m a superfan who nitpicks endlessly while still pouring a lot of time into playing Call of Duty every year.
It’s hard to see a world where I wouldn’t recommend Spider-Man 2, at least to the series’ fans. If you enjoyed the first game, you’ll almost certainly enjoy this one. The sequel would have to have a lot more flaws and shortcomings than it does to squander the goodwill of its predecessor. The story is enjoyable, with every actor bringing their A-game, and everything is so beautifully animated the sight of New York will make you weep.
More than anything else, I’m curious to see where the Bethesda audience takes Starfield. Each game from the company has its own dedicated community and I want to see what Starfield’s community will look like in a few months’ or years’ time.
No, it’s no Dark Souls with mechs, but Armored Core VI carves out its own identity.
However, if you’re more used to modern farming sims and want one that will give you more to do on a daily basis, AWL might be too simplistic for you. There’s just not a lot happening in Forgotten Valley. Regardless of your preference, the in-game marriage being pushed within the very first chapter felt way too rushed and forced. If you were hoping to have fun, interesting characters to spend your in-game life with, you’ll again likely be disappointed.
This game doesn’t take itself seriously enough at the end to capture the gravitas of something like Casablanca. But it’s reasonably good at being entertaining with all of the constraints it deals with like a small team and being timely.
Those miniscule grips aside, this is a masterful fighting game experience that excels in all the ways you want it to. It’s another standout from Capcom, which has entered something of a new golden era thanks to its revitalization of Resident Evil and the broadening global appeal of Monster Hunter. Street Fighter 6 is further proof that Capcom is on top of the gaming world these days.
I wish I could say that Dead Island 2 came out a big winner after such a long development cycle. But it’s not Game of the Year material. It’s not even what I would call a great zombie game — there are many that do story or even gameplay better. But Dead Island 2 is solid. It is competent, and it is fun. If you want some uncomplicated zombie-slaying antics in a beautiful setting, Dead Island 2 will scratch that itch. But I don’t expect anyone to still be talking about it this time next year.
There is a chance that fans of the original won’t take to this altered version well, and some of the elements in the above section do keep it from being a perfect experience. Even leaving aside the fact that it’s a remake, it’s still a solid game overall, and it’ll give joy for new players who experience this refreshed and renewed Resident Evil 4.
The main issue I have with OT2 is in its similarities to its predecessor. It’s a fun and excellent example of the genre, but doesn’t really stretch beyond it. I suppose there are worse sins a game can commit than just not feeling much different from its great predecessor. Still, if Octopath Traveler wasn’t your thing, Octopath Traveler II likely won’t be, either.
As I noted in an earlier preview, whether I was fighting against humans or the computer AI, I never got the sense that war was too easy and my opponent was too easy to be. And so there was always a cost to fighting, and that’s the way it should be.