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300 (2006)
Fairly entertaining at best, but very flawed and hilariously over the top.
So here we have 300, the story of the spartans who held the pass of something or other, male machismo blah, defending Sparta, more blah. Point is, if you've come for story, you should look elsewhere. 300 relies on one thing and one thing only, the brutal (and in some cases, entertaining) action sequences. However, even that is clogged down with slow-mo effects, which quickly become repetitive. Seeing Gerard Butler swinging his sword in an arc in slow motion loses its novelty pretty quickly.
If those were the only problems, I might be giving the film a 7, even an 8. However, there are some aspects of 300 that are flat out silly. To name but a few, Xerxes is given the voice of the anonymous witness protection program, there is a fat thing with swords for hands, and some kind of weird goat-man-thing at another point. You just can't take the film seriously, something that the film clearly wants you to do.
What really annoys me is that some people have actually ranked this alongside the far superior Gladiator (in some ways, doesn't surprise me- 300 does rip off a fair bit from the better film). I was going to give it a 6, but then I remembered that fade-to-black moment with the Mr T character near the beginning of the film. It's moments like this that drag 300 down. Anyone who rates this above 7 is apparently a fan of mindless, generic action sequences that are all style and no substance.
Sinister (2012)
Surprisingly good, one of the best horrors in recent years.
With generic 'horrors' that rely purely on jump scares apparently being churned out year after year, I was becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future of the genre. I saw Sinister not long ago, however, and I have to say I was surprised at how good it was by comparison.
Better than Insidious and The Conjuring, Sinister succeeds at being genuinely scary. Yes it has a few jump scares that feel a little contrived, but it's a film that effectively unnerves you and stays in your head for at least a few days after (I can't think of many modern horrors that I could say the same of). The murder clips were genuinely disturbing, made all the more so by the great uses of cinematography and music. It's properly harrowing stuff that will keep your attention right until the end.
And about the end- not going to spoil anything, but I was as surprised as I was shocked by it. It has its flaws, but as a whole, Sinister succeeds where most of the horrors of the last 10 years have failed. For any fans of the genre, I'd definitely recommend a viewing.
Baiohazâdo 6 (2012)
Not as bad as some say, but proof that Capcom is going downhill.
I'll break this down and try to keep it brief.
Pros: + It looks great, even better than RE5. + Features most of the main characters from the series in a single game. + A large amount of content. + Combat is more fluid than ever. + Leons's campaign is good...
Cons: -...Chris's one is not. Jake's is meh. So that's near enough saying only 1/3 of the game is actually good (should have made Leon's 3 times longer and taken off the other 2). - Waaaaaay too many quick-time events. A lot of the game was broken up because of them. - Far too much action (thanks a lot, Chris). And if you are going to do an action/shooter thing, do it right. The cover system sucked. - Totally throwaway bad guy (at least RE5 had Wesker, but hey, he's dead now).
Bottom line: RE6 is the worst in the series. By trying to appeal to all audiences Capcom have shot themselves in the foot, and totally silenced anyone who still tries to claim the series is survival horror. It's not a bad game, but compared to the others, it's just really disappointing. Capcom should really just think about rethinking the series as a whole, because at the moment it feels like it has nowhere left to go but down.
Biohazard 4 (2005)
Not only the best RE game but the best game on the console.
'Where are the zombies?', ask the die-hard fans. Well the horror's still here folks, but it's come leaps and bounds since the PS1.
I had read a few reviews for RE4, and had expected it to be very good. I was wrong- it was fantastic. Like, on a level that only a few other games had ever reached. Although I want to gush for pages, as always, I'll try to keep it brief.
Pros: + It looks fantastic; arguably the best graphics on the console. + Has a host of memorable characters (Leon, Ada, Krauser, Saddler, Salazar, Louis, etc). + Relentlessly enjoyable, intense gameplay. + A consistently brilliant 20-hour campaign, plus extra game modes and unlockables. + Nice to have an escort who actually obeys you. + Enough inventiveness for 3 games (some of the set pieces are amazing).
Cons: - Not much of a story.
If you haven't played RE4, do it. Otherwise, you're missing out on one of the best games of the last generation. Believe the hype.
Biohazard 5 (2009)
Leon's gone, and so is the horror.
RE4 could still be called a horror game, despite the more action- orientated approach it took with things. With a huge emphasis on partners and teamwork, as well as mostly being set in broad daylight, the same cannot be said about RE5.
Pros: + Graphics are great, with strong lighting effects and nice textures. + Co-op is a lot of fun. + Loads of unlockable content, which often keeps the game feeling fresh (the bow is a nice idea). + Game mechanics are, mostly, solid. + Some nice ideas for new enemies.
Cons: - Sheva is awful, and the rest of the AI isn't much better. - They killed off Wesker, the only real villain the series had. Should have saved him for RE6. - Copies too much from RE4. - All action, no horror.
RE5 is not, all in all, a bad game. In fact, it's actually pretty good. But the fact that it came after the amazing RE4 means that it's going to look pretty shoddy by comparison, especially since it tries to blatantly copy it so much. The game's still worthy buying, but if you're expecting classic Resi gameplay, or a game even in the same league as the previous instalment, then you'll be disappointed.
Biohazard 3: Last Escape (1999)
A strong instalment to the series and one of PS1's best.
I remember being pretty damn impressed when I first got this game (first one I'd actually ever picked up). Having played the others since, I can say that this is equal to RE2 (which is saying something, considering that was great), though Nemesis is the best boss of the original three as far as I'm concerned.
Pros: + Nemesis. One of the most unrelenting, scariest bosses in gaming. + Pretty strong cast of characters. + Genuinely scary, a lot of the time.
Cons: - Same premise as before, in many ways (not the most original game). - Same gameplay as before, too.