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Reviews28
lmathc's rating
Hellblade 2 is a bit of a strange animal in the sense that it's a very cinematic-heavy game, almost to the point where I would hesitate to call it a fully-fledged video game and instead would argue that it borders closer on interactive cutscene for the majority of its run time. This isn't necessarily a flaw, as the original Hellblade was very cinematic in its presentation as well, but I feel that in case of Hellblade 2, a few decent gameplay mechanics were sacrificed or simplified to amp up the visual experience. As a result, 2 feels looks and sounds amazing but noticeably minimizes player participation compared to its predecessor.
Combat suffers the most in this regard. In the original, the player is often confronted with multiple enemies and is forced to manage space and positioning to keep from getting surrounded and overwhelmed. 2 completely does away with this mechanic, allowing for only one enemy combatant at a time and throws the player through mini in-game cutscenes that stitch together individual fights. Again, this isn't necessarily flawed, but fans of the original will likely feel that a great deal of their agency in combat has been completed eliminated. Not only that, but attack types have also been reduced from three to two different options, further limiting variety in gameplay. As a result, the fights in 2 come off as far more staged and far less engaging.
Thankfully, world exploration remains fantastic in 2, and in many ways feels improved. Optical illusions and clever puzzles litter the gorgeous environments, and more hidden collectibles are scattered throughout the areas. The vast majority of the game spends its time utilizing these mechanics, and it does so very much to its benefit. The music and sound design also contribute immensely to the look and feel of the world, and paired with headphones, make for incredibly realistic and palpable environments.
Ultimately, what Hellblade 2 chooses to build upon, it improves, but it is painfully evident that delivering the cinematic experience of the game took priority over combat mechanics. Fans of the first will probably be satisfied with the sequel, but it sadly feels like a watered-down follow-up rather than a strong successor. Still, I'd recommend a play through.
Combat suffers the most in this regard. In the original, the player is often confronted with multiple enemies and is forced to manage space and positioning to keep from getting surrounded and overwhelmed. 2 completely does away with this mechanic, allowing for only one enemy combatant at a time and throws the player through mini in-game cutscenes that stitch together individual fights. Again, this isn't necessarily flawed, but fans of the original will likely feel that a great deal of their agency in combat has been completed eliminated. Not only that, but attack types have also been reduced from three to two different options, further limiting variety in gameplay. As a result, the fights in 2 come off as far more staged and far less engaging.
Thankfully, world exploration remains fantastic in 2, and in many ways feels improved. Optical illusions and clever puzzles litter the gorgeous environments, and more hidden collectibles are scattered throughout the areas. The vast majority of the game spends its time utilizing these mechanics, and it does so very much to its benefit. The music and sound design also contribute immensely to the look and feel of the world, and paired with headphones, make for incredibly realistic and palpable environments.
Ultimately, what Hellblade 2 chooses to build upon, it improves, but it is painfully evident that delivering the cinematic experience of the game took priority over combat mechanics. Fans of the first will probably be satisfied with the sequel, but it sadly feels like a watered-down follow-up rather than a strong successor. Still, I'd recommend a play through.
Stellar Blade is a blast. For external reasons, it'll likely be one of the most talked-about games of the year, so for the sake of brevity, I'll avoid those obvious points and instead get onto what the game itself has to offer.
The world of Stellar Blade is both beautiful and terrifying. The game strikes a nice balance between gorgeous aesthetics in environment design and brutal (and often bloody) enemies and combat. The two meshed quite well for me though, and this pleasant combination was helped by an absolutely phenomenal soundtrack that adds to the future/post-apocalyptic vibes in every level.
Combat is great. While I wouldn't venture as far to say that Stellar Blade is a soulslike, the difficulty in both random enemy encounters and boss fights is comparable, if not quite to the level of intensity that From Software games generally boast. Nonetheless, I found Stellar Blade to be a compelling and rewarding experience all on its own. The combat is quick and dynamic, and relies heavily on its dodge and parry mechanics, which it utilizes to (mostly) great effect. It functions as a risk/reward system that punishes the player severely for mistiming a dodge or a block, but it opens windows to decimate the enemy as well.
World exploration is mostly excellent, with a scanning system that reveals potential threats and secrets in a wide range. Numerous chests, costumes, and power-ups litter the multiple maps, making exploration and side quest-completing very worthwhile. Platforming is enjoyable, but wonky aerial movements and overly-precise detection zones for ropes and ladders can often contribute to frustrating retries that come off as cheap and unnecessarily difficult. It doesn't break the game, but it definitely detracts from an otherwise great setup.
In terms of the story, Stellar Blade walks a fine line between dark and melodramatic, but never quite ventures into standard levels of cheese found in your average JRPG. The characters are well-written and (mostly) well-acted. I can't say much more without spoiling the story, but suffice it to say that it worked for me, and you'll simply have to experience it for yourself.
In short, Stellar Blade is an incredibly promising start to what I hope will become a long-standing franchise. Its combat is excellent, its story and characters are loveable, and apart from a few mechanical hiccups, the world traversal makes for a very engaging experience. Whether you're a fan of tough, soulslike action games or are just looking for an awesome new game to drop 40+ hours into, definitely give this one a try.
The world of Stellar Blade is both beautiful and terrifying. The game strikes a nice balance between gorgeous aesthetics in environment design and brutal (and often bloody) enemies and combat. The two meshed quite well for me though, and this pleasant combination was helped by an absolutely phenomenal soundtrack that adds to the future/post-apocalyptic vibes in every level.
Combat is great. While I wouldn't venture as far to say that Stellar Blade is a soulslike, the difficulty in both random enemy encounters and boss fights is comparable, if not quite to the level of intensity that From Software games generally boast. Nonetheless, I found Stellar Blade to be a compelling and rewarding experience all on its own. The combat is quick and dynamic, and relies heavily on its dodge and parry mechanics, which it utilizes to (mostly) great effect. It functions as a risk/reward system that punishes the player severely for mistiming a dodge or a block, but it opens windows to decimate the enemy as well.
World exploration is mostly excellent, with a scanning system that reveals potential threats and secrets in a wide range. Numerous chests, costumes, and power-ups litter the multiple maps, making exploration and side quest-completing very worthwhile. Platforming is enjoyable, but wonky aerial movements and overly-precise detection zones for ropes and ladders can often contribute to frustrating retries that come off as cheap and unnecessarily difficult. It doesn't break the game, but it definitely detracts from an otherwise great setup.
In terms of the story, Stellar Blade walks a fine line between dark and melodramatic, but never quite ventures into standard levels of cheese found in your average JRPG. The characters are well-written and (mostly) well-acted. I can't say much more without spoiling the story, but suffice it to say that it worked for me, and you'll simply have to experience it for yourself.
In short, Stellar Blade is an incredibly promising start to what I hope will become a long-standing franchise. Its combat is excellent, its story and characters are loveable, and apart from a few mechanical hiccups, the world traversal makes for a very engaging experience. Whether you're a fan of tough, soulslike action games or are just looking for an awesome new game to drop 40+ hours into, definitely give this one a try.
The relatively-low reviews this movie has gotten display a depressing reality in the world of modern cinema: people love dumb blockbusters and fail to recognize the masterful details that separate sludge from the genuinely great stuff like The Killer. Mostly, I blame the likes of the modern MCU and movies like Godzilla x Kong, but these are only symptoms of the real issue, being that the average audience likes colorful explosions, which is why a soulless, brainless movie like The Force Awakens can still be pushing an 8/10 audience score while The Killer sits below a 7. After watching this movie, I was stunned to see the mediocre ratings it had received. Had I seen the same film? Was I missing something?
After some decent investigation, I found that a common sentiment among the average ratings went something like this: "It was mechanically impressive but slow" or "nothing happens in the movie for a half hour". I always despise hearing these kinds of arguments because the conversation always boils down to "I was bored." Cool. I wasn't. End of conversation.
The Killer is a masterfully told story through the perspective of a meticulous hitman, and the "slow" moments are great examples of the excellent writing in this film. While assassin-style movies are often romanticized in Hollywood, this one pulls no punches in displaying the monotonous reality that this type of career would likely entail. Great detail and emphasis are given to illustrate the point that roughly 85-90% of contracted assassin work would consist of waiting nervously in silence. These scenes are thoroughly engaging, not in small part due to Michael Fassbender's narration which gives the audience ample view into his obsessive and hyper-cautious lifestyle. Not much action ensues during these scenes, but this brutal realism is played up to punctuate when something even mildly consequential does happen. In other words, the slow scenes work perfectly to make the action scenes hit that much harder.
The rest of the movie follows the hitman in a similarly-meticulous series of scenes that never rely on coincidence or luck to move the plot along. Each story beat allows the protagonist to remain perfectly in-character as a man who has made a living by being incredibly paranoid and preparing with intense attention to detail. It was very refreshing to watch a film in which the main character is an expert in his (admittedly horrific) craft, and at no point did I feel I had to suspend my disbelief because he made a stupid or out-of-character decision in order to create drama.
Ultimately, The Killer is a masterful film. It's deliberate, well-written, well-paced, and engaging from start to finish. It isn't one for the masses (as much as I would like it to be) only because the masses have been trained to lose interest after 15 seconds without a quip or a pop-culture reference. If, however, you are one of the fortunate few that are capable of paying attention for longer than this, I highly recommend this film. It is easily one of the best I've seen in years, and I can only hope that others eventually come to understand this as well.
After some decent investigation, I found that a common sentiment among the average ratings went something like this: "It was mechanically impressive but slow" or "nothing happens in the movie for a half hour". I always despise hearing these kinds of arguments because the conversation always boils down to "I was bored." Cool. I wasn't. End of conversation.
The Killer is a masterfully told story through the perspective of a meticulous hitman, and the "slow" moments are great examples of the excellent writing in this film. While assassin-style movies are often romanticized in Hollywood, this one pulls no punches in displaying the monotonous reality that this type of career would likely entail. Great detail and emphasis are given to illustrate the point that roughly 85-90% of contracted assassin work would consist of waiting nervously in silence. These scenes are thoroughly engaging, not in small part due to Michael Fassbender's narration which gives the audience ample view into his obsessive and hyper-cautious lifestyle. Not much action ensues during these scenes, but this brutal realism is played up to punctuate when something even mildly consequential does happen. In other words, the slow scenes work perfectly to make the action scenes hit that much harder.
The rest of the movie follows the hitman in a similarly-meticulous series of scenes that never rely on coincidence or luck to move the plot along. Each story beat allows the protagonist to remain perfectly in-character as a man who has made a living by being incredibly paranoid and preparing with intense attention to detail. It was very refreshing to watch a film in which the main character is an expert in his (admittedly horrific) craft, and at no point did I feel I had to suspend my disbelief because he made a stupid or out-of-character decision in order to create drama.
Ultimately, The Killer is a masterful film. It's deliberate, well-written, well-paced, and engaging from start to finish. It isn't one for the masses (as much as I would like it to be) only because the masses have been trained to lose interest after 15 seconds without a quip or a pop-culture reference. If, however, you are one of the fortunate few that are capable of paying attention for longer than this, I highly recommend this film. It is easily one of the best I've seen in years, and I can only hope that others eventually come to understand this as well.