Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 18
  2. Negative: 6 out of 18
  1. 70
    Beowulf: The Game had an opportunity to be a standout movie licensed game. Unfortunately the glitching just made it looks sloppy and in need of work. I enjoyed a lot of the fighting elements they introduced here, and the development team deserves a pat on the back for that.
  2. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in diversity and brutality. This is one bloody game. [Jan 2008, p.58]
  3. Bloody and ballsy, but lacks the wit and charm of "God of War" or even "Conan." [Christmas 2007, p.62]
  4. 61
    Dumb, violent and pretty dull, this is an old-fashioned back 'n'-slash, with a few odd additions, but not one worth shoulding about. [Issue#161, p.84]
  5. 60
    If you liked what you saw at the theater and need a way to blow off a few hours then it's a perfect weekend rental. But it doesn't live up to the epic nature the classic poem and it certainly isn't going to make you forget about God of War III either.
  6. In this day and age, it shouldn't come as a surprise that a game based on a movie fares poorly, but for a character who has survived since 700AD, he deserves better treatment than this.
  7. You can blast through the game on the lower difficulty in less than day. You will notice the title says: Beowulf: The Game. That's to distinguish it from the ancient manuscript. I tend to think of it as a disclaimer, or quite possibly a warning.
  8. It's just run-of-the-mill game design. Bar the occasionally impressive combat, Beowulf doesn't have enough to make it stand out.
  9. Only marginally more enjoyable than trying to read the original poem. [Jan 2008, p.104]
  10. Even a merry band of adventurous thanes can't save this quest from ruin.
  11. 50
    Our sights weren't set especially high for Beowulf, so at least it didn't disappoint. Even with the support of the upcoming feature film (which supposedly donated art assets), it still manages to oscillate between looking positively stunning to heinously ugly.
  12. While Beowulf doesn't completely shed the stigma that licensed games are by definition mediocre, it does an admirable job of trying to leap beyond your typical hack-and-slash fare. [Jan 2008, p.80]
  13. Beowulf does very little right and fails to capture the stylish action and mysticism of the film. The cut-scenes and sound are often way off, there's a great deal of choppiness when the game tries to shift between non-interactive and interactive play, and the inconsistency of the sound is unsettling.
  14. Thanks to its ability to maul the movie that it supposedly follows, Beowulf is a poor substitute for the film and an even more frustrating experience on the console, given its clumsy fight mechanics, uninspired enemies and the repetitive button-mashing.
  15. An unavoidably bad game with shoddy design and a lame, thankless combat system. [Christmas 2007, p.68]
  16. Destined to line bargain bin bottoms. It has its hacking and slashing moments, but like so many movie-licensed titles, it reeks of a truncated production schedule and a too-heavy reliance on a story intended for another medium.
  17. 40
    Ubisoft Shanghai and Tiwak did a magnificent job of butchering the reimagining of a classic tale and providing plenty of disposable, derivative gameplay to go along with it.
  18. The real problem with the game is that it's too light on everything. Too light on action. Too light on excitement. Too light on story. And too light on gameplay. There's no need to be subtle in a great hack-n-slash game since you need something to make the game worth playing. But you won't even find mindless action here, only a brain-dead game.
User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. HOTorNOT!
    2
    Not hot, any title where the button mashing mini-games are so tiresome you want to give up, can't be that good. The graphics are great, but one has to wonder did the testers even play this game for more then 10 Mins? I Found no enjoyment in this game. The missions or "Quests" are broken up into such small segments that you don't feel like you are playing anything epic. I was really disappointed that I bought this game, and I only paied 19.95 for it. Full Review »
  2. HenryL.
    10
    Satisfying run and gun with out the gun game! You run around and use your sword and bare hands on all kinds of enemies ranging from alien-looking cave-dweller beasts to wolfs with wolverine claws. Very exciting fight scenes, and a good story to back it! 10/10. Full Review »
  3. NeganM.
    9
    One of the greatest things about this game is the intrigue. i never read the epic poem so when you start off having to defend your kingdom, the story plows you right through this 'beat 'em up' game where you're just non-stop slaughtering enemies everywhere you go. two thumbs up! Full Review »