Michael Beckwith

Michael Beckwith

Author Verified
64
Avg Score

Game industry critic and reviewer

Latest Reviews

It’s certainly a better alternative to the mobile game that inspired it, but what few new ideas Octopath Traveler 0 has do little to give it its own identity and paint a worrying picture for the series’ future.

Dispatch

Dispatch

October 27, 2025
Unscored

Criticisms about the illusion of choice and dialogue aside, Dispatch is off to a decently strong start. Even if my decisions really don’t matter in the long run, I’m still interested to see where Robert’s journey takes him and try out more dispatch jobs. Hopefully, there’ll be more interesting plot diversions and consequences resulting from my decisions, but those can be made up for if the overall plot, like a superhero arriving to save the day, sticks the landing.

Dispatch

Dispatch

October 27, 2025
Unscored

Criticisms about the illusion of choice and dialogue aside, Dispatch is off to a decently strong start. Even if my decisions really don’t matter in the long run, I’m still interested to see where Robert’s journey takes him and try out more dispatch jobs. Hopefully, there’ll be more interesting plot diversions and consequences resulting from my decisions, but those can be made up for if the overall plot, like a superhero arriving to save the day, sticks the landing.

Dispatch

Dispatch

October 27, 2025
Unscored

Criticisms about the illusion of choice and dialogue aside, Dispatch is off to a decently strong start. Even if my decisions really don’t matter in the long run, I’m still interested to see where Robert’s journey takes him and try out more dispatch jobs. Hopefully, there’ll be more interesting plot diversions and consequences resulting from my decisions, but those can be made up for if the overall plot, like a superhero arriving to save the day, sticks the landing.

It’s not quite the same calibre as Mario Kart World, but those disappointed by Nintendo’s racer will find Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds an ideal alternative, thanks to its heart-pumping action and unique ideas that make it more than just a carbon copy.

While I don’t think The Eternal Die makes for a great starting point for the world of Lost in Random, it’s a more than worthy successor to the first game and a great introduction to roguelikes as a whole. I probably would have preferred a sequel be closer in style to the first game and expand further on the worldbuilding (The Eternal Die’s four floors are ultimately only aesthetically distinct from each other), but I quickly came round to what The Eternal Die offers from a gameplay stan...

Worlds of Aria

Worlds of Aria

December 4, 2024
Unscored

With the right group of people, Worlds of Aria could make for a very enjoyable co-op experience. However, I feel most players’ entertainment would come from each other’s company and the natural thrill of rolling dice rather than the game’s contents. It can be worth playing through once since the whole adventure isn’t super long (Ludogram estimates an average 11-hour runtime), but I can’t imagine many coming back to it a second time.

The overall package doesn’t quite match up to any of the Danganronpa titles, but Rain Code’s storytelling and characters make up for its minor shortcomings.

A welcome novelty and throwback for long-time Yakuza fans, that offers everything they love about the series, although it’s held back by a rather underwhelming plot and too much fan service.

It’s full of charm and unfiltered imagination, but RPG Time’s presentation and vibes bely a rather bare-bones and overly simplistic role-playing game that struggles to hold your attention.