pcgamerreturns Reviews

Gerald's Game (2017)

I think I'm never going to watch another TV Movie ever again.

[3/10 · 24 December 2017]

I don't care if this was originally written by Stephen King and how faithful the film really is to the book. The film is garbage. That's how it is. Its script is so dumb and doesn't know what it wants to be. It starts as a drama and then turns into a thriller and adventure.

The husband handcuffs his wife to the bed to have hardcore sex with her. They get in argument and he dies. Now it's up to the woman to survive while she is tied to the bed while the dog eats his husband's corpse on the floor. After this point the movie is full of fillers. Pacing issues, pointless background stories, hilarious hallucinations and boring dialogues are everywhere.

The film has some good moments which prevented me from giving it 1/10 but other than that it's a complete mess. And don't even get me started on dumb ending. As I stated earlier. The film begins as drama then turns into a thriller and adventure. In the end it becomes a horror film.

Turns out she was not hallucinating and Ghoul was real all along. Then once she gets out of the bed, as a narrator she explains ghoul's character for several minutes as it the film was all about ghoul. And in the end it turns out that the ghoul was actually a human with some disease that made him look like a ghoul. What is the point of this film? 3/10.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Best Action Movie Since Terminator 2.

[10/10 · 24 May 2017]

Roughly 3 years ago, I watched John Wick and was so impressed by it that I ended up watching it multiple times. The story was silly but the execution of the movie was so good that I ended up loving it even more than Mad Max: Fury Road. There were still some minor issues with the movie that could be improved like story for example or the final fight.

John Wick: Chapter 2 on other hand is basically original film but many times better. It also fixes the problems the first movie had. If the first one was 8.5 or 9 then this one is easily 10. It's near flawless movie with charisma rarely seen in movies these days. This time the movie features a great story which adds more the lore of John Wick universe without feeling like an afterthought or non- canon.

Everything fits so well with the first movie and lore seems to be natural extension of the first movie. Even action is much better than the first one. Stunts were jaw dropping and gunplay is just stunning to look at. Despite featuring fast paced action, the movie doesn't feature shaky cam, so you can watch the whole thing without any problem (with full clarity).

Characterization has improved as well. First movie had likable characters and this one delivers in that department too. In fact, I'd say characters are even better than the first film. Soundtracks are also just as badass as they always were, and the final fight is also fantastic. Last but not least, the ending is absolutely brilliant.

It made me sad and excited at the same time. It gave me goosebumps while setting the stage for the third movie extremely well. Overall, I think the movie is almost flawless, from beginning to end. It was definitely worth the wait. Go get this film NAOW!!!

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Underrated.

[9/10 · 6 May 2017]

This is my first movie review. I normally review games but never reviewed a movie before. So what changed? The answer is; The hate this movie is receiving for some reason. It compelled me to write a review for it. Let me tell you this movie is brilliant. The visuals look spectacular but this is not just about eye candy. The movie has a lot of substance as well.

Story is great. I won't spoil anything but it revolves around a character named Major, performed by Scarlet Johanson. As usual she delivers just like how she always does, both in acting and action department. Other characters are likable as well, and at no point I felt that some character in the movie didn't serve his or her purpose. All of them were awesome, none of them were annoying or boring.

The movie has great action scenes as well. They are fun to look at. But at the same time, this movie isn't about mindless action only because as I mentioned above, the story is pretty good at the same time. Soundtracks are brilliant and make the movie even better. Clint Mansell, the man behind The Fountain movie was involved and as soon as I read his name during opening moments of the movie, I knew the movie will have great soundtracks. These soundtracks have dark and futuristic feel to them. It reminds me of Deus Ex games.

Overall, the movie is excellent and I'll definitely watch it again, once I have the blue ray version. If you like sci fi movies, don't miss this one. Just keep an open mind about it, especially if you've watched the original. Keep it in mind that this is a different beast. You'll love it.

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (2015 Video Game)

Unpredictable Story (9.5/10)

[9/10 · 2 December 2015]

Story: Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void starts with the war between Protoss and the Zerg. Protoss gather around their Homeworld of Aiur, to retake it from the Zerg. While they are fighting each other, Amon forces arrive and start to slay everyone. One world falls after another, and no one seems to be capable of stopping them. The Protoss are also forced to retreat, and leave the system to fight another day.

Legacy of the Void's story is a lot more darker and unpredictable than the first two games in the trilogy.. You can expect a lot of twists and turns in the game, especially towards first half of the game and during epilogue. The game features likable characters. From main character Artanis to supporting cast and favorites from older games, all have great personalities. Another thing that I liked about the story is that, almost every character gets the time to shine, both in story and gameplay. Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void is satisfying end to Starcraft saga. Everything is answered and nothing is left open for sequels. This is THE END of the saga that started over 17 years ago.

Design: Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void is the longest game in the trilogy. It took me over 20 hours to finish the campaign. As expect there is a lot of variety in 25 missions of the game. The game really makes you feel like in charge of an advance race or Space Samurais. The number of Protoss is smaller than the Terrans and the Zerg but they are a lot more harder to take down, and they have superior technology and fighting skills.

The game also features Co-op mode this time around, which is designed to encourage new comers to play the game online against others. Upto 2 players can play the game together. You can ask your friend to manage resources, while you command the army against your opponents. It's very useful for teaching new comers how to play when used properly.

Some new units in the game also require more micromanagement than the others. Some of the previous units have also been re-balanced to force people to manage them individually. This re-balancing changes the way, the game is played compared to previous iterations. Now instead of making a large army to launch an attack on opponent's base, the game encourages players to send some of the units early for hit and run tactics. So, action happens a lot faster than before, especially in multiplayer.

Gameplay: Formula is the same, that you expect from a traditional RTS. You gather resources, build your base, create an army and attack your enemy. The game offers number of primary and secondary objectives in each mission. Completing these side missions reward you by giving you extra reinforcements during the mission or by giving you Solarites, crystals used to power different abilities of Protoss flagship, Spear of Adun.

Spear of Adun can have up-to 4 Active abilities during gameplay and 2 Passive abilities. You can use them to help your units during mission. And since, there are only limited number of Solarites in the game, sometimes you will have to make few compromises to choose that one ability that you want to activate. It's a very clever way of giving you control of great technology, while not making the game too easy.

Spear of Adun also act like your command center, where you choose your next mission, talk to other characters and upgrade your units. There are three versions of these units. You unlock these versions as you go through the story. Each version has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you can choose the version that suits your play style.

There are also some missions, where you don't build your base or army. In these missions you take control of Heroes, and use their special abilities at the right time to defeat enemies. Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void is a well balanced game. Protoss warriors have great technology but the game still offers plenty of challenge, and rewards creativity.

Presentation: On Ultra settings the game looks great. Character models are highly detailed and well animated. The voice acting is also top notch. Important scenes in the game are backed by great performances and orchestral soundtrack. Sound effects are also top of the line, as expected. The game is a lot more cinematic than the first two games.

There are way more cutscenes than previous games in the series. Some cutscenes are real-time, while others are pre-rendered. Both of these real-time and pre-rendered cutscenes look great. You visit number of different locations in the Starcraft universe, and all of them look unique and different from one another.

Verdict: Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void is a must own for everyone. It is a satisfying conclusion to an epic saga. Even if there is Starcraft 3 someday, I highly doubt we'll see these characters return in that game, and that's the saddest part. It's like being with a friend for a long time and then seeing him/her go away, never to return. It's beautiful and sad at the same time.

Score: 9.5/10

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013 Video Game)

Another Masterpiece from Blizzard

[9/10 · 25 August 2015]

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is first expansion for Starcraft 2. Base game was masterfully executed, and this one improves upon that when possible, making it even better in some areas.

Story: The Story of this expansion unfolds two major plots. One of the plots involves Kerrigan's fight against Mengsk, and the other plot is about the Zerg. Mengsk's story is pretty straight forward but the entire game is not just about him. The game is also centered around the Zerg race. We didn't know much about them before. Here we learn more about them, which is second big plot in the game and it is way more interesting than the other one. Zerg feel less like dirty insects in this game and more like Dinosaurs. Overall, Story is quite enjoyable and features great characters too (old and new) but it's not as charming as WOL however.

Design: Now that's the part where this game really shines. While story may not be as good as Wings of Liberty, Design is hugely improved over the base game. HOTS takes mission variety to the next level. In one mission, you'll find yourself in the middle of a boss battle with handful of units, few moments later in the next mission, you'll be destroying Terran buildings with your army, while avoiding nuclear explosions and so on. There are 27 missions in the game (20 main and 7 evolution missions) that take you to different parts of the galaxy.

There are a lot of beautiful environments here. My favorite missions take place on Planet Zerus. Those missions are easily the best missions I've played since The Suicide Mission in Mass Effect 2. The game is over 12 hours long and you are given a choice to complete the game in any order you want. Matchmaking for Multiplayer is also improved along with Skirmishes, level editor and tutorials.

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm introduces 7 new units and User Interface is redesigned. New UI for menus look much better. Gameplay UI now encourages players to use shortcuts. Controls are even more improved. They are responsive and path finding is close to perfect. One thing that disappointed me a little bit was, every single fully acted cutscene in the game is pre rendered. WOL mostly had real time cutscenes but it's understandable. Some of the stuff shown in these pre rendered cutscenes must not have been possible to render in real time.

Just like WOL, after every mission you come back to your Base and there you can click on different characters or environments to interact with them. Clicking on a character, triggers real time conversation, which gives you more information about the story and the character. You can also replay missions or re-watch cutscenes by clicking on archives.

Gameplay: Just like traditional RTS, you'll be building Command Center (Hive Cluster for Zerg) to gather resources. You create Drones through Hive to collect resources for you (Minerals and Vespene gas). These resources allow you to create different buildings around your command center which allows you to create different types of units. Keep in mind that, you can only create Zerg buildings on creep. Every time when you create a structure at the end of a creep, it generates more creep. There are some units that can be moved around and used to create more Zerg friendly surface, like 'Spawn Creep Tumor'. Some Structures in the base allow you to upgrade your units. Keep in mind that you'll have to upgrade them in every mission and you can upgrade them up to level 3. There are also some upgrades that remain permanent.

There are 7 special units in the game, each have 3 different abilities (Pick one anytime before mission). By playing main missions in the game, you also unlock evolution mission for each of these units. In these evolution missions, you test two different types of each unit. Both of these types have their own abilities (apart from the ones mentioned above), you can test these abilities during the evolution mission and at the end of the mission, you are given a choice to pick one (permanent evolution).

In Heart of the Swarm, in most missions, Kerrigan herself is there among her troops to fight enemies and she makes a lot of difference, due to her abilities. Players can unlock new set of Kerrigan's abilities by leveling up. You level up by completing quests in the game. Kerrigan's abilities aren't permanent and can be changed anytime. You can select her abilities while visiting the Kerrigan's chamber inside Leviathan. Leviathan, also allows selection of different missions and you can select any mission you want to complete first. Gameplay wise, Heart of the Swarm is a lot more fast paced than Wings of Liberty. It takes less time to create massive army and launch a devastating attack on your enemies. It's Excellent.

Presentation: HOTS looks stunning. The game's visuals are upgraded over WOL and it also features new graphics option called "Extreme". The art of the game is even better than the base game. Physics, Particle effects, Animations, Weather effects, Foliage, World detail and so on, everything looks stunning. And as usual, production values are through the roof.

Great Voice Acting brings characters to life. Soundtracks in the game are beautiful and sound effects are great as well. And as mentioned above, all the cutscenes in the game are pre rendered. Intro and Outro of the game are really jaw dropping. Long Story short: Top Notch Presentation.

Verdict: Almost every other feature apart from the story is better here than the base game. Heart of the Swarm is another Masterpiece from Blizzard.