Customer Reviews

Beowulf: The Game

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I don't understand why there aren't more reviews of this game. It's strange how the cost went from $60 to $20 recently. I loved the movie, it was extremely entertaining. I got this game for $20 and I've gotta tell you, It's a STEAL. The gameplay, graphics, music, and story are all great. I recommend that everyone treat themselves with this one.

First of all, for $20 this game is a great deal. It is a lot of fun and the graphics and gameplay are pretty well put together. I would reccomend it for any gamer that likes the action/adventure genre. It doesn't have the in-depth world of Oblivion or another RPG, but is definatly a lot of fun to play.

I really wanted to like Beowulf, and I knew going into it that is would be a cheap God of War clone, and I'm fine with that. God of War is a fun game, and even though Beowulf is ripping it off, who cares, just as long as this game is fun too. And it is, most of the time. Beowulf is a mindless Hack N' Slash game that's ultra bloody and violent, how can you go wrong there? They do throw in two interesting ideas with the Carnal meter and Heroic meter. When you go Carnal, your health depletes, but you can just rip enemies to shreds, unfortunately, you can also kill your own soldiers while in this mode. In Heroic mode, you boost the attack and defense of yourself and your army. So yeah, really no need for Carnal mode. There are some cons to this game, the graphics are lacking, which is not a big deal for me, the controls can be off at times and a bit unresponsive, and there are some areas of the game which are just downright frustrating. Believe me, I let the expletives fly! But I picked the game up at Gamestop for $8 and I don't regret it, it's good fun, and just as long as you're not expecting brilliance, you'll probably enjoy it. Good, but not at all great.

This is a very strong game and has very few weaknesses. Its an absolute steal at only $20. The game has good legnth a very good storey and is great after long hours of playing games like oblivion where you have to focus. You just run in and hack enemies to death with your inhuman abilities. The game runs around 6-8 hours. That may not seem long but you will find yourself playing sections again after beating it the first time. Its feels great tearing enemies arms off etc.

The epic poem of Beowulf is once again recreated, but this time in the form of a video game for the Xbox 360. Beowulf has a hack n'slash gameplay similar to the Dynasty Warrior series. You lead a small group of Thane soldiers, while fighting creatures in the kingdom of, Herot. The game follows the movie it is based on somewhat loosely. There are creatures you kill and places to explore not seen in the movie. Fighting new creatures and going to new places in not all it is cracked up to be.

The biggest misgiving about Beowulf is its shoddy controls and bad camera system which fights against you through out the game. In certain levels Beowulf controls fine but other times he moves sluggishly and the button pressing on your controller are not always responsive; just adding to the frustration. As you play Beowulf, the "mighty" monster slayer, you will punch, throw, stab and smash enemies either with your barehands or with shields and swords. Weapons are easy to find as you venture through the levels. Other times you can steal your enemy's weapon by pressing a button sequence on your controller.

And this brings me to another giant flaw within the game, the constant button mashing is tiresome and boring. Your soldiers help you fight off some of the enemies but they expect you to do most of the work. With button delay responses and constant pounding, your hands will ache really fast. There are also several sequences that force you to use the button rythm match game (press x, then y, then a etc...). If you are not good at those rythm type games, you will have a very tough time in this one. You will die a lot and realise that Beowulf is not mighty at all, but more of a wimp.

Pros:
+excellent music
+excellent sound effects
+bloody and brutal

Cons:
-last generation graphics
-cheap animations
-terrible controls
-terrible camera
-boring levels
-mindless button mashing
-my hands still hurt
-the movie is better
-beowulf is wimpy in the game
-special powers are crappy
-PS2's GOD of War still rules!

Honestly this game was super disappointing to me. It felt monotonous after about 15 minutes. It doesn't bring much more to the table after that. I only kept playing the game for the achievements, sadly.

Visual:
The visuals in the game aren't bad, in some places looking very good -- conversely in others looking very bad. The locations you fight in are varied and each have their own look. Models are decently detailed while textures seem to run on a decent TV.
3/5 stars.

Game Play:
This is where the game really falls apart. The game play is simple button mashing with a few block, roll, etc. buttons added for no reason. You can easily take on the hardest difficulty without ever blocking. Enemies are dumb and always do about the same thing no matter the play through so learning their patterns is simple and required. The player will have a lot of quick-timers evens through the game to open doors, command troops (which die always -- don't expect to keep them around), etc. While there is a level of persistence which you can buy upgrades for your hero in both the "good" and "evil" trees of skills, there's only a few of them that actually matter. The game even has spears strewn around the game areas that will instagib just about anything, which constantly respawn -- so just throw throw throw. The redeeming fact is this game is a REALLY easy 1000 gamer score on the 360, making the journey just worth it enough to finish.
1/5 Stars.

Audio:
The games music is decent enough and a large number of scores come from the movie this game is based on. While sound effects and decent at most and monsters mostly sound like 12 year-olds gargling into a microphone. The game does have 5.1 output in Dolby digital but does not use the channels at all, I recall only a single cinematic having any back channel output at all. Short of the music, this game really falls apart in the audio department as well.
2/5 Stars

Overall:
This game will only be fun to the most easily amused gamers and it does not bring anything exciting to the table after about 15 minutes of game play. The easy gamer score make the game bearable for a play-through but it's barely a reward. I give this game...
2 out of 5 stars.

this reminds me of the old Lord of the Rings PS2 Games. theres pletty of action, characters and fun upgrades. the story is also a must play and it is the first game EVER to be based on a poem. the film is revolutionary on its own and the game only complements the legend.

I went in expecting a $20 game, and that is exactly what I got. If you just need a filler while waiting on the next blockbuster game to drop, pick up this one. You won't brag to your buddies that you got it (or they will laugh), but it isn't absolutely horrible.

This is a great buy for tweny dollars, but not more than that. The game is a bit ridiculous, like most movie games and makes little sense at various moments throughout the story. There is a lot of button mashing; however, the graphics make up for it.

do yourself a favor and rent this game before you decide to spend your hard earned cash on it.