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Brawl Stars
Entertainment and Games
9.0
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Time to Brawl out! Form the tightest team in town and fight 3 versus 3 in real time. Brawl Stars is...
Extreme Asia: The Rise of Cult Cinema from the Far East
Book
How shrewd marketing engineered the East Asian cult film boom in the UK. Japanese horror. South...
Jared Harper (8 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Apex Legends in Video Games
Mar 14, 2019
Apex legends is the first person shooter battle Royale game I've been waiting for. It's not the first, but it's the best in my opinion. Graphics are beautiful and smooth. Movement is quick and fluid with the ability to climb anything and to slide down any slope at a decent speed. Gun fights are always interesting because of each fighters unique but fair abilities. Gun drops are good and most games you have decent loot. Only complaint I have is to buff some of the weaker guns to keep up with the R301 and wingman combo that most people seem to want. Snipers could use some more love especially, as every shot has bullet drop, it would be useful to do more damage since the difficulty of hitting the target is higher than in games without bullet drop. Back to the positives, playing with randoms can be achieved because of the fantastic ping system! No mic? No problem you can communicate just about anything by pinging a location and choosing an option. Storm is rarely deadly, but keeps the fight going at a good rate. However, sometimes when there's a few people left we have a huge circle, and I'd like to see an algorithm that speeds up the circle when there's that few people. Other than a few negatives I LOVE this game and if you haven't played it, you should.
Cet (105 KP) rated Hunt Showdown in Video Games
Feb 10, 2018
Not just run and gun. (3 more)
PVE PVP
Perma death
Repeater rifles
New take on the Battle Royale Genre
Contains spoilers, click to show
Currently in Closed Alpha. Hunt Showdown is a new take on the BR scene. 5 teams of 1 or 2 compete to find and kill an objective. Recruit your hunter you start randomly on a set map set to find 3 clues to your target whilst avoiding, zombie dogs, zombies, other hellish creatures, and of course players. Through skill, safety or strategy perhaps your hunter will live to die another day. If you do fall and have no teammate to revive you, your hunter is permanently lost. Hunter levels, gear, and traits are lost. Account levels and money are kept.
Within the alpha itself there are 2 hunts. A spider and a butcher. Both have their strengths and require you to plan just a tad prior to leaving the safety of the menu. Hunting either in day or night changes the experience ever so slightly. In the end finding and killing the objective lacks tension compared to other horror games. However add in the fact that you have to look over your shoulder or due East because you heard a gunshot... This is where Hunt shines. You must find, kill, collect, and leave with your bounty in order to be fully rewarded. All whilst competing with 4 other teams trying to do the exact same. Sure you could hide in a bush all game but your xp and funds won't benefit from it.
With some TLC and of course taking feedback Hunt Showdown could be a huge hit.
Within the alpha itself there are 2 hunts. A spider and a butcher. Both have their strengths and require you to plan just a tad prior to leaving the safety of the menu. Hunting either in day or night changes the experience ever so slightly. In the end finding and killing the objective lacks tension compared to other horror games. However add in the fact that you have to look over your shoulder or due East because you heard a gunshot... This is where Hunt shines. You must find, kill, collect, and leave with your bounty in order to be fully rewarded. All whilst competing with 4 other teams trying to do the exact same. Sure you could hide in a bush all game but your xp and funds won't benefit from it.
With some TLC and of course taking feedback Hunt Showdown could be a huge hit.
A Bibliophagist (113 KP) rated Red Rising in Books
Jan 26, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2020)
Good characters (3 more)
Good development
Well paced
Fun
YA tropes at times (2 more)
Derivative
Gary Stu
Lord of the Flies revisited
Lord of the Flies, meets Battle Royale, in the future to determine the strongest to lead the ruling class.
I will open with, had the main character been a woman, I completely believe this would be considered a YA book. All the bullet points are there, future society, classes, a lowest class person who is chosen to overthrow higher class. This person is perfect, attractive, intelligent, strong. He assumes the role of a higher class, taking over their life Char Aznable style, so they can enter an "institute" where all the smartest and strongest are placed to... kill each other until the strongest survive.
Every time I tried to describe this book, I got a little embarrassed, I was met with eye-rolls and "wait let me guess...". However, overall I'm a sucker for these violent stories a la Lord of the Flies and a sucker for SciFi so I ate it up and really enjoyed it. Most reviews claim the main character to break the "mary sue" mold, he doesn't, he's super mary sue, likable, but Mary Sue nonetheless. The other characters really drew me in on this one, and his interactions with them, and his feelings toward them even though they were his enemies, I loved every part of that.
So even though it was incredibly derivative, and very much the fixings of a YA, I devoured it, and immediately bought and read the second, I almost read all three in one week, but took a break on the third to read something else.
I will open with, had the main character been a woman, I completely believe this would be considered a YA book. All the bullet points are there, future society, classes, a lowest class person who is chosen to overthrow higher class. This person is perfect, attractive, intelligent, strong. He assumes the role of a higher class, taking over their life Char Aznable style, so they can enter an "institute" where all the smartest and strongest are placed to... kill each other until the strongest survive.
Every time I tried to describe this book, I got a little embarrassed, I was met with eye-rolls and "wait let me guess...". However, overall I'm a sucker for these violent stories a la Lord of the Flies and a sucker for SciFi so I ate it up and really enjoyed it. Most reviews claim the main character to break the "mary sue" mold, he doesn't, he's super mary sue, likable, but Mary Sue nonetheless. The other characters really drew me in on this one, and his interactions with them, and his feelings toward them even though they were his enemies, I loved every part of that.
So even though it was incredibly derivative, and very much the fixings of a YA, I devoured it, and immediately bought and read the second, I almost read all three in one week, but took a break on the third to read something else.
Lords Mobile
Games
10.0
Rate It
App
Want to clash with 60 million global players? Dive into LORDS MOBILE, the real-time-strategy mobile...
Lord of the Flies: With an Introduction by Stephen King
Stephen King and William Golding
8.0
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Book
Since it was first published in 1954, William Golding's classic debut novel has remained a stark...
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Hunt (2020) in Movies
Oct 13, 2020
In short, The Hunt is an action heavy, Battle Royale inspired semi-horror that attempts to satire political leanings, conspiracy theorists, keyboard warriors, and the rich elite.
The main issue I had was that all of the satire is very on the nose, possibly a purposeful choice? Either way, it gives the impression that The Hunt thinks it's cleverer than it actually is. This is constantly present within the unbalanced dialogue. Some of it is genuinely funny, some of it comes across as try hard, attempting to cram in as many messages as possible resulting in none of these commentaries being particularly clear cut.
Then again, it's not a film to be taken seriously and this could actually be a non-point - hard to tell!
It would be a an altogether worse movie if it wasn't for lead actress Betty Gilpin. Her character Crystal is the picture perfect no bullshit, badass final girl, and her performance elevates The Hunt as a whole.
I could be wrong, but it also seems like she did her own stunts, which is particularly badass considering the ridiculous fight scene near the films end. Same can be said for the always reliable Hilary Swank. Pretty sure the two of them were just going at it, and it's easily the films best scene.
The whole film is actually a more gory experience than I expected, and is pretty effective, even if a lot of it is obvious CGI.
The Hunt is a loud and obnoxious experience that is frequently muddied by it's own smugness, but the stand out performance from Gilpin, and some genuinely great set pieces ensure that it's an entertaining action-horror that's worth a watch.
The main issue I had was that all of the satire is very on the nose, possibly a purposeful choice? Either way, it gives the impression that The Hunt thinks it's cleverer than it actually is. This is constantly present within the unbalanced dialogue. Some of it is genuinely funny, some of it comes across as try hard, attempting to cram in as many messages as possible resulting in none of these commentaries being particularly clear cut.
Then again, it's not a film to be taken seriously and this could actually be a non-point - hard to tell!
It would be a an altogether worse movie if it wasn't for lead actress Betty Gilpin. Her character Crystal is the picture perfect no bullshit, badass final girl, and her performance elevates The Hunt as a whole.
I could be wrong, but it also seems like she did her own stunts, which is particularly badass considering the ridiculous fight scene near the films end. Same can be said for the always reliable Hilary Swank. Pretty sure the two of them were just going at it, and it's easily the films best scene.
The whole film is actually a more gory experience than I expected, and is pretty effective, even if a lot of it is obvious CGI.
The Hunt is a loud and obnoxious experience that is frequently muddied by it's own smugness, but the stand out performance from Gilpin, and some genuinely great set pieces ensure that it's an entertaining action-horror that's worth a watch.
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated the PC version of Battlefield V in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The latest chapter in the long-running Battlefield series has arrived with the release of Battlefield V. The game looks to follow up the success of Battlefield 1 with a World War 2 based game that puts players directly into the action with large and highly-detailed maps.
The solo portion of the game has players battle in some diverse locales and focuses on situations form history where the participants were not well known and did not receive much glory or attention for their deeds.
After the introduction, players have the following options as described by E.A.
The stories were very enjoyable and thought provoking though I did get a few bugs while playing like a cut-scene lock up and some clipping issues where enemy characters were lodged in walls. Thankfully issues like this were few and I was able to complete the missions as they were engrossing and kept me riveted throughout.
I especially liked the Nordlys mission where I was able to don Skis and made my way around the frozen landscapes to complete my mission.
The missions were a mix of stealth, surviving waves of enemies, and capturing objectives which is what you would expect for a game of this type. The game does allow players to have a more diverse approach to completing missions as you can use vehicles and other objects found in the game to be creative. I was able to “borrow” a plane in Under No Flag to strafe the enemy locales. When my piloting skills were not up to snuff and I crashed in a lake; I redid the mission from a direct assault approach and things went much better for me.
The game uses a regenerative health system so should you take too much damage, simply take cover until you heal up and battle on. There is also an option to heal from time to time when battling online. Players will be able to pick up new weapons and ammunition off fallen enemies as well as at various points throughout the game.
Visually the game is very appealing from the open desert to the raging blizzard in the campaigns; there is plenty of eye candy to enjoy along with the action.
The online modes were very enjoyable as there were a variety of modes for players to enjoy.
The multiplay was good and what impressed me was how fair the hit detection was. You did not have to empty an entire clip into an enemy to take them down nor did glancing shots also produce a fatal result. The maps were large and highly detailed which allowed players to try a mixture of gameplay styles to best suit their needs.
It should be noted that additional content for the game will be coming as the menus made mention of solo missions and other features that were listed as “coming soon” and we know that the Battle Royale mode for the game is not due until 2019 as an example.
It should also be noted that I did not see the Female fighter with the prosthetic arm that was featured in the announcement trailers for the game and caused division amongst fans upon the reveal for the game. If she was edited out, planned for a later date, or simply included for demonstration purposes remains to be seen. What is clear is that although fans may expect more content and be disappointed in having to wait for parts of the game to release at a later date, the game is enjoyable for fans of the series and after my experiences with the Beta; even better than expected. I look forward to seeing what the game will look like in the future once the coming updates and patches are applied, but for now; Battlefield V is a solid WW2 game with solid visuals and sound and is a worthy entry into the series.
http://sknr.net/2018/11/12/battlefield-v/
The solo portion of the game has players battle in some diverse locales and focuses on situations form history where the participants were not well known and did not receive much glory or attention for their deeds.
After the introduction, players have the following options as described by E.A.
The stories were very enjoyable and thought provoking though I did get a few bugs while playing like a cut-scene lock up and some clipping issues where enemy characters were lodged in walls. Thankfully issues like this were few and I was able to complete the missions as they were engrossing and kept me riveted throughout.
I especially liked the Nordlys mission where I was able to don Skis and made my way around the frozen landscapes to complete my mission.
The missions were a mix of stealth, surviving waves of enemies, and capturing objectives which is what you would expect for a game of this type. The game does allow players to have a more diverse approach to completing missions as you can use vehicles and other objects found in the game to be creative. I was able to “borrow” a plane in Under No Flag to strafe the enemy locales. When my piloting skills were not up to snuff and I crashed in a lake; I redid the mission from a direct assault approach and things went much better for me.
The game uses a regenerative health system so should you take too much damage, simply take cover until you heal up and battle on. There is also an option to heal from time to time when battling online. Players will be able to pick up new weapons and ammunition off fallen enemies as well as at various points throughout the game.
Visually the game is very appealing from the open desert to the raging blizzard in the campaigns; there is plenty of eye candy to enjoy along with the action.
The online modes were very enjoyable as there were a variety of modes for players to enjoy.
The multiplay was good and what impressed me was how fair the hit detection was. You did not have to empty an entire clip into an enemy to take them down nor did glancing shots also produce a fatal result. The maps were large and highly detailed which allowed players to try a mixture of gameplay styles to best suit their needs.
It should be noted that additional content for the game will be coming as the menus made mention of solo missions and other features that were listed as “coming soon” and we know that the Battle Royale mode for the game is not due until 2019 as an example.
It should also be noted that I did not see the Female fighter with the prosthetic arm that was featured in the announcement trailers for the game and caused division amongst fans upon the reveal for the game. If she was edited out, planned for a later date, or simply included for demonstration purposes remains to be seen. What is clear is that although fans may expect more content and be disappointed in having to wait for parts of the game to release at a later date, the game is enjoyable for fans of the series and after my experiences with the Beta; even better than expected. I look forward to seeing what the game will look like in the future once the coming updates and patches are applied, but for now; Battlefield V is a solid WW2 game with solid visuals and sound and is a worthy entry into the series.
http://sknr.net/2018/11/12/battlefield-v/
Dawn Rising
Games
App
Magical 2.5D Classical PC Element Masterpiece of the Year The journey of the magical MMORPG begins ~...