Madden NFL 24 Review - Unnecessary Roughness

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: Tiburon
Rating: Everyone

Madden NFL 24 from EA Tiburon expands on the rebuilt fundamentals from last year, creating a football simulation that takes a solid next step toward authenticity. However, new poorly implemented features and an interface showing its age are enough of a drag to make this latest iteration feel like a step back for a series badly in need of forward progress.

The on-the-field gameplay is more realistic than ever. The physics-based player interactions are noticeably improved, with ball carriers pushing against piles for extra yards, aggressive fights for footballs in the air, and an excellent variety of tackles. I was particularly impressed with the times defenders would scoop up runners and drive them aggressively onto the turf.

Rebuilt player models have much more variety, better replicating the various shapes and sizes of real players. CPU-controlled defensive backs do more swatting of footballs and are far less inclined to make blind interceptions, alleviating a common gripe from last year's entry, though runners still bounce off of defenders too much, and noticeably improved blocking logic (especially on tosses and rollouts) has the offensive balance tilted a bit too far towards run-first teams.

 

Franchise mode has seen some of the biggest changes, particularly in player management. The ability to include more than three players per team in a trade is excellent, as is adding draft picks more than a year in the future. Restructuring certain contracts to free up cap space adds an authentic and useful roster construction tool.

Less successful is the implementation of the new minigames. Every offseason and weekly training involves a series of drills to play and earn bonus XP or upgrade points for players. Some of the games are fun, most are mediocre, and a few, like the DB battles, are painful. You can skip them, but you’ll leave a lot of potential XP on the field.  There’s also a glaring absence of a drill for offensive linemen.  Even if you want to focus on developing your rookie offensive tackle, for instance, there is no added bonus to be had.

The general mix of play modes is slightly reshuffled. Superstar mode replaces Face of the Franchise, removing the threadbare storyline to focus on pure gameplay. The Yard is now called Superstar KO, and, as a neon-infused take on three-on-three football, is a fun diversion but grows tired quickly.

Madden Ultimate Team remains largely unchanged, but it also highlights one of Madden’s biggest issues. Ending a game in MUT and opening a pack to unlock a player involves pages of aggravating load times. Madden looks slick and modern but has the responsiveness of an ancient laptop with too many tabs open, which is a problem given how much of the game takes place in menus, regardless of mode.

Madden 24 adds crossplay and cross-progression for the first time, and it’s well implemented. There’s a simple toggle to enable it for players on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Crossplay isn’t available in Franchise mode, but playing head-to-head online was seamless, and the increased player pool should make for faster matchmaking. I was able to quickly find a friend on Xbox via my PS5 with a simple search of their EA username and easily play some games.

The improvements to the fundamental gameplay in Madden 24 continue to pay dividends with some of the most authentic football the series has ever seen. But, like an ill-timed penalty, the dreadfully slow menus and funneling toward tedious minigames wipe out any forward progress and move the series backward overall.

Score: 6.75

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Blasphemous 2 Review - Absolution

Reviewed on: Switch
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC
Publisher: Team17
Developer: The Game Kitchen
Rating: Mature

Steeped in religious themes, the narrative of Blasphemous 2 tells of a land unable to overcome the curse placed on it by a higher power, regardless of how repentant its people are. Playing Blasphemous 2, I sometimes felt the same, as I wondered how I could possibly overcome the challenge before me. But like the denizens of The City of the Blessed Name, I persevered. And though the curses being thrown around my house each time I died were of a different variety than those cast in Blasphemous 2’s story, I loved nearly every minute of this challenging Metroidvania journey.

Stepping back into the boots of The Penitent One, the game picks up shortly after the events of the DLC from the first game, but knowledge of that story isn’t necessary to enjoy Blasphemous 2. The lore of Blasphemous runs deep, and you can engage with it as much or as little as you want through item text dumps and cutscenes. However, the bulk of my enjoyment came from exploring the ever-expanding, nonlinear map.

 

Moving from region to region never ceased to surprise me in all the best ways. Discovering a new NPC who can provide much-needed upgrades to my kit or stumbling upon powerful spells to add to my arsenal were always welcomed, but nothing tops the feeling of figuring out where to go next. Slowly expanding the maze-like map through thoughtful exploration and new traversal abilities became a meditative practice, only interrupted by areas I couldn’t reach with my current moves or by the hordes of grotesque monsters that populate most rooms.

New horrors await in each region, and learning their attack patterns is essential for success. These foes pack a punch, and when they gang up on you or trap you in a corner, it will likely lead to death. Thankfully, Blasphemous 2 gives you smooth and responsive combat to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Learning how to slash through enemy types that once troubled you never ceases to satisfy. You can unlock and rotate through three main weapons, each with its own skill tree and traversal abilities, ensuring you have a playstyle that suits you. When combined with various upgrades, spells, and equipable stat boosts, I was happy with the level of customization, even though there’s no proper gear system.

The white-knuckled calculus of whether to counter, dodge, or mount my own offensive in hopes of stunning was common throughout my journey. Though I sometimes dreaded what awaited me in a subsequent room, I always relished the opportunity to show my skills. At times, the difficulty curve feels steeper than it should – a few battle arena rooms tested my patience as much as my skills – and the later checkpoints are a little sparse given how challenging the final sequences are, but it made my eventual victory all the sweeter.

These gauntlets were never more challenging than in the many boss encounters. From a heavily armored knight with projectile slashes to a shape-shifting behemoth that casts various elemental spells, the stiff and diverse challenges you face in boss battles are the ultimate test of your mastery to that point. The knowledge that I was entering a boss arena rarely failed to create a knot in my stomach as I worried about the coming fury, but in retrospect, they stick out as my most memorable moments.

At several points in my lengthy journey through the Gothic delight that is Blasphemous 2, I worried the monstrous foe in front of me would spell an end to my journey. But without these frequent frustrations, the triumphs wouldn’t be as great. Blasphemous 2 takes inspiration from those that came before it, but by intertwining a gorgeous art style, enticing exploration, and rewarding combat, it rises above the horde of Castlevania-inspired action titles.

Score: 8.75

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Baldur's Gate 3 Review – A True Soul Stirrer

Reviewed on: PC
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Larian Studios
Developer: Larian Studios
Rating: Mature

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a surprisingly human tale. That may sound strange to say about a game with space lizards and brain worms at its center, but behind the hags and psychic tadpoles, Baldur’s Gate 3 is about a group of very broken people trying to find their way in life and maybe save the world. Or turn it into a smoldering heap of agony and misery. It depends on how you feel that day. Whether you choose peace or something less savory, Baldur’s Gate 3’s intricate writing and impressive emphasis on experimentation make it one of the most unforgettable games in the genre.

Baldur’s Gate 3 transfers the complexity of Dungeons & Dragons to top-down RPG form, without losing any of the depth. It streamlines dice throws and ability checks so only the important decisions require your attention, leaving you free to focus on exploring the world and choosing your next move in turn-based battles. While you don’t have a dungeon master to keep things unpredictable, you do have a staggering number of choices whose consequences reverberate through the game and an impressive level of depth and freedom on the battlefield.

Your story begins with a mix of deceptive simplicity and a brilliant framework for adventure. After having Mind Flayer tadpoles implanted in your brain, you and your companions – assuming you find said companions and don’t kill them – seek a cure before tentacles and other Ilithid accouterments start replacing your flesh and bones.

 

The quest for a cure dips into the tired fantasy trope of an Evil Entity who wants to destroy the world, but it defies expectations when you think you have a grasp on the situation. Even when some plot beats are predictable, it never feels stale thanks to how cleverly it intertwines with the much more beautiful and devastating stories of your companions and others you meet. The character writing is consistently superb and makes for one of the most immersive settings in the genre.

After a few hours, you find yourself in a tangled mess of other people’s problems and prejudices, wondering what fresh hell waits around the next corner. Baldur’s Gate 3 excels at the unexpected, at putting you in surprising situations and making you think – or bash or psychic blast – your way out of them.

You walk down the road, and you may run into demons masking as holy soldiers or get tangled up in the pain-loving sisterhood of a cult if the exploding hyenas don’t get you first. It’s the kind of unromanticized nightmare experience you’d expect if someone dropped you in a fantasy land full of strife and said, “good luck, have fun.” Despite the fantasy trappings, it feels more grounded and realistic even at its most deranged – and it gets pretty deranged.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has a strong sense of the ludicrous and is eager to not take itself seriously at times. For example, at the end of an early quest that involves a hag and a distraught widow, you can let the widow lead her zombie husband away to find a cure for him one day or turn him into your lifelong servant. It’s a laughably grotesque situation, and that blend of dark humor with the capacity for doing good, evil, or something in between is why most of Baldur’s Gate 3’s quests stick with you for a long time.

That and the fact that you meet the results of your actions at some point, usually in Baldur’s Gate 3’s eponymous city. A thread of continuity in the game’s events gives greater meaning to your actions and adds a layer of richness to the world and everyone in it.

Well, almost everyone. Devils may get the chance to prove they aren’t so bad, but goblins, Drow, and a few other villain types remain two-dimensional in their lust for evil. Every fantasy has its irredeemable bad guy or group. However, the lack of deeper reflection stands out in a game where complexity defines every person and problem, and it perpetuates some of the more controversial facets of Dungeons and Dragons’ racial determinism.

 

Whether they’re maligned or malignant, dealing with your foes in Baldur’s Gate 3 is never dull. Battle is a mix of ingenious design and frustrating density. It takes the core of the tabletop experience and automates most of it, so your attack and saving throws happen unseen for a seamless experience – if you’re an encyclopedia of D&D knowledge. The first act throws out dozens of systems without an explainer, so if you’re unfamiliar with the iconic tabletop game, it might be an uphill struggle.

On the bright side, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you an overwhelming number of skills and approaches to handle every situation. Maybe you want to soften a mighty foe with a little acid spray, build a high-ground advantage with a bench and some garbage, or shove a boss in a hole during their big speech. There’s so much freedom that you can improvise a solution in any situation and feel clever for it, even if it takes a while and reloading save files to get there.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is unforgettable and one of the best experiences I’ve had in games. I may have just finished my lengthy first playthrough, but I’m already eager to delve further and push the boundaries of what’s possible in this exceptional world that Larian created.

Score: 9.5

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