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- Review count59
- Helpfulness votes46
- First reviewSeptember 24, 2018
- Last reviewApril 22, 2022
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.7
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![Uncut Gems [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2019]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7258c0f8-a2ed-49e3-8976-da7e1c8f43ff.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
mysticism, money and momentum
on March 21, 2020
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Uncut Gems is an incredible film that hits the gas pedal, and doesn’t stop clutching through the gears until everything hits maximum speed. Adam Sandler is the fuel that ignites the plot ablaze with his twitch, yet smart as nails, character - and one that he pulls off with just as much pinpoint accuracy as it is reckless and off the rails. Sandler plays a high-stakes gambler and a diamond dealer in the high-roller district - mixing and blitzing conversation with the likes of Kevin Garnett and The Weeknd. At the same time the character is constantly juggling a family, a mistress and a crime syndicate that wants the money they’re owed. The Safdie Brothers return, after the equally kinetic Good Times, with another hypnotic and and dazzling display of filmmaking at its most raw. The film is full of anxiety and energy, like a pressure cooker ready to explode. It’s like a high-rise drop straight to the ground, never stopping until the final second - and oh how beautiful the summation is. Highly recommended film for almost any viewer, but especially those that love some high-octane and intelligent crime thrillers.
Length of ownership: 10
Mobile Submission: true
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The genre-defining masterpiece Resident Evil 2 returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up for a deeper narrative experience. Using Capcom~s proprietary RE Engine, Resident Evil 2 offers a fresh take on the classic survival horror saga with breathtakingly realistic visuals, heart-poundingly immersive audio, a new over-the-shoulder camera, and modernized controls on top of gameplay modes from the original game.
Customer Rating
5
RE:2 - Electric Boogaloo
on March 5, 2020
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Never has a return to an old game felt so fresh and revitalized. Resident Evil 2 is a warm welcome home, back into the throes of old-school survival horror, but with a facelift that actually provides youth to the experience. From the opening moments, RE:2 looks and feels great. Like a whole new game. This blend of old and new is extremely successful throughout both character’s campaigns, each playthrough being brief enough to warrant wanting to do the next, and neither are too repetitive, even when exploring the same areas. Puzzles and map design are back to basics, which actually provide replayability, and the game is updated with a slew of new twists and turns that will keep old and new players on their toes with terror. This is truly a blueprint for how old games should be remade for the new generation of gaming. And it’s truly worth every bit of time and money - for both, players and the publisher.
Length of ownership: 24
Mobile Submission: true
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Complete the Journey of the Dragon of Kamurocho! The Yakuza Remastered Collection is far from a typical console generation port. In addition to graphical and performance upgrades (720p
Customer Rating
5
Generations of crime...
on March 5, 2020
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
I don’t think I’ll be the only one that’s saying “Finally” when it comes to this collection. For many generations, the Yakuza franchise has had a weak existence amongst the western gaming audience - but that’s not to say it didn’t have its dedicated following of fans. Fans that have never fully experienced the series as intended. Dreams began coming true with Yakuza 0 and the Kiwami releases of Yakuza 1 and 2. Now after being on I’ve for a few years, fans are finally treated to the rest of the series that fills in to the most recent Yakuza 6. Granted, this set of games (3-5) didn’t get the full ground-up Kiwami rebuild, they are remastered and updated enough to feel good to play. I’m sure certain players will be left wanting the tighter controls of new-gen games, but those willing to take a step back will still find enjoyment. Especially in the story department. These games are restored to their original form, no censored scenes, so it’s really immersive to experience the entire plots as intended - and they are incredibly written stories. Now if we could just pull over a western release of Yakuza 7...
Length of ownership: 23
Mobile Submission: true
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![Parasite [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray] [2019]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/304b2327-370a-41e7-956a-951dd4939472.png)
Customer Rating
5
The Classic Parasite
on February 7, 2020
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Joon-ho films have been hitting the high notes since his debut, and Parasite is a true culmination of his many talents. Somehow overlooked by the Hollywood system, the director finally gets the praise he deserves with this film. It’s got tones of a classic horror-thriller, though there’s very little elements of horror on the surface - the film instead comes off like a taut family drama with some thrills to add a bit of twist. All while something discomforting is boiling beneath, only to reach a releasing point that hits hard and effectively. The story is largely humorous, the dark kind, and endearing, as each character is perfectly cast and acted. Throughout the entire runtime, the film never feels lazy, nor does it bore or drag. Like most of Joon-ho’s films, he knows how to maintain a tight pacing, keeping the viewer fully immersed and involved. Highly recommended to any film fan, from any walk of life - this is the kind of movie meant to entertain, as well as it’ll stand for a long time as a great piece of cinema and art. Absolutely beautiful.
Length of ownership: 9
Mobile Submission: true
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Customer Rating
5
A brand of chaos we needed...
on January 29, 2020
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
It’s hard to start out a review for Joker without simply stating how incredibly beautiful the film is, as well as it was a story that was absolutely necessary of being told - even if the film were to strip away all the Joker make-up and facade. This project is less about the Joker as a character for the comic books, if a character at all. What Phillips and Phoenix seemed to want to highlight more than anything is the human character, one that is mentally broken in a way that he many never be able to comeback. But we watch and wish the best for him no matter what, even if we do know where the climax is heading. And all of this behavior is brought on by some relevant issues based around healthcare, and more so those with mental issues. How much ignorance and damage can a person’s brain be put through before they break? It’s that fear and excitement that drives a man down so far that when he stands, his new name is Joker, and he’s completely ready to burn the world down with this state of mental metamorphosis. While the film might be a bit brutal from some, every bit of the story is trying relay matters that are much bigger than anything a film could solve. Where the film is heavy, Phillips and Phoenix are there to ensure their comedic sensibilities forward in the best way. Just making for an overall fantastic film, one I think is far more important than credit given, but there’s a great support system who also understand what the film is about, and they support it in all its proper way.
Length of ownership: 21
Mobile Submission: true
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![Once Upon a Time In...Hollywood - 4K Blu-Ray [Standard] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/70c07d43-4cee-4989-86d1-cfdcb4910a1b.jpg)
The 9th film from Quentin Tarantino is a seriocomic mix of fact and fiction set in 1969 Los Angeles. As the sun prepares to set on Hollywood's Golden Age, fading TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) attempts to revive his career, and he and longtime stunt double and pal Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) find themselves crossing paths with actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and several members of the Manson Family. With Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, and Kurt Russell. 161 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack English. Two-disc set.
Customer Rating
5
A fairy tale Hollywood for the better.
on January 29, 2020
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Eight films and an entire lifetime - that’s how long it felt Tarantino has been building up to this magnificent piece of meta movie-making. But here we are, film number 9, and wow, what a gargantuan experience it is. While it may a little too late when posting a review for the physical release, it’s still worth mentioning that this was a film to see on the big screen - just to truly view it in all its gargantuas glory. From the moment the first frame hits, the viewer is introduced to a by-gone era of not Hollywood, but for the television medium as well. And that’s place in time that we find our 2 protagonists feeling nostalgia for. However, just like the times, these 2 gentlemen keep on trucking’ towards their next bit of survival in the city of dreams. From film set-to commercial set-to Hullabaloo-to home in the hills on Cielo - right next door to Polanski and his pregnant wife Sharon - to be exact. And boy, is it an exciting notion to live next to the young up and comers. As Rick (Leo) goes to work on set, drunk and bumbling lines, Cliff (Brad), Rick’s best friend and infamous stunt double, is reduced to helping around the house with oddball chores Rick needs done. Or, while Rick is throwing bits of dialogue in the form of a conversation with a young female actor that’s too human for Rick’s own good - Cliff is cruising the streets of L.A., making eyes towards a young hippie lookin’ to hitch a ride back to Spahn Ranch. Which brings up one of the greatest red herrings to ever be out to work, all in the form of Charles Manson and his family. A piece I’ll leave spoiler free entirely, as well as anything else going forward, as what I’ve already stated feels adequate enough to grasp the grounds we’re walking on. And more importantly, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is more than just its story, it’s also a sum of its world and atmosphere. Living the past through this film is a very easy thing to do, with the sets being authentic and fully built in all its grandiose size, the roar of the real life classic cars, and the bumping soundtrack that immerses one so deep that they can practically smell the old world Los Angeles. And by the end Tarantino gives the audience a full-bore immersion into the end of far too many good things, which is subverted into a story that will add a sense of wonder, if not an ending that shows Tarantino at his most comedic, restrained and explosive. All at the same time.
Length of ownership: 49
Mobile Submission: true
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Take the Force with you in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for the PlayStation 4. Lightsaber skills acquired through Jedi training prepare you for combat against Imperial forces, and the company of a droid, pilot and former Jedi Knight provides an exciting adventure. Explore a vast galaxy of diverse environments with the action-adventure gameplay of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Customer Rating
5
Heroes of the Fallen Order
on December 17, 2019
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
While the mechanics of the game were quite rough when I started, some patches have fixed a lot of initial issues, so I don’t feel it’s fair to let those hiccups reflect my final score. If they were more consistent, or left unfixed, I’d feel much differently.
Fallen Order is an incredibly fun and beautiful adventure into the Star Wars universe. The story is very much cannon to the series, spinning off the Episode 1-3 trilogy, in which the Jedi are outlawed by Order 66. Our protagonist, Kal, a former patowan and survivor of the Order, is living life on the low. When we take control, Kal hasn’t used any of his force powers in years, and even stutters like a novice when containing them. An incident causes our hero to have to use his powers, only to draw the newly formed Empire and Vader’s Sisters right to him. And what follows is a proper Star Wars story that not only fulfills the grandiose set pieces, but also the heart of the characters involved. Save for a few existing cameos, this story presents us with an all new cast. And Kal is a Jedi hero I’d love to see in the films. This whole story would actually work as a great film, it’s incredibly cinematic.
Gameplay is a collective greatest hits, taking elements from almost every great game of the last two generations, and melding it all into a cohesive and fluid experience. The saber fights and world exploration are very much influenced by the more difficult SoulsBorne Series by From Software, mainly their latest release Sekiro. While still challenging, the entire combat system is made to be a lot easier and accessible - which felt appropriate for a Star Wars game. Traversing the planets operates in the same vein, with Meditation points spread around each planet, offering XP leveling when meditating, and health refills that will cause enemies to respawn in the surrounding area. The foot-by-foot traversal resembles platforming games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider, the game even has its own version Tombs, as well as it has some flavor of games like Mario in there too. The player moves through the levels back and forth, like a Metroid game, using Meditation points to eithe explore for upgrades, or to mainline story points. The amount of exploration is ultimately up to the player, as the game allows you to go back to planets freely.
Lightsabers are by far the most customizable they’ve ever been, and while mostly aesthetic, there is an upgrade to a double-sided lightsaber. There are also visual customizations for your starship and your droid, who is not only incredibly helpful, but also a great companion. The crew quarters have some charm, but ultimately end up being a shallow version of Mass Effect’s crew quarters. You can even add other members, but never was I able to actually see or speak to any of them but 1. But it serves more of a purpose than necessary, so it’s quite a cool addition in the end.
Overall, the game can be difficult, but there are multiple difficulty choices to help. The gameplay is incredibly fun, blending saber fights with force powers gives a good amount of choices to experiment with. Traversal can also be challenging, but the landscape is full of puzzles and alternate routes to explore, and sometimes exploit. Boss battles are present in difficulty too, as they should be. And there plenty of action set pieces to savor a Star Wars fans saliva glands. I really hope to see more Star Wars games like this one, especially from EA, as it really shows where the series can go, and what it could offer in the video game medium.
Length of ownership: 32
Mobile Submission: true
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Sam Bridges must brave a world transformed by the Death Stranding. Carrying the remnants of our future in his hands, he embarks on a journey to reunite the shattered world.
Customer Rating
5
Walk Hard: The Video Game
on November 24, 2019
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Yes, you will walk hard, so hard. But never has walking felt so meaningful. I’ve spent many hours walking across a lot of different video games, and for a variety of reasons. In a lot of those worlds, I just wanted to explore, and often with others. Maybe this particular game wasn’t what I had in mind, but it’s ultimately a culmination of many aspects I love and wanted in a game. While I do agree that the whole package comes off very shallow at first - a visual feast of a story that drops the player into a delivery simulator - it unfolds into a curious and strange experience. The lonely walking is contextualized with a simple motivation, and an incredibly emotional story - then grown into an arc of meetings between other players through building and connecting across the world. Like ghosts in your isolated world, real people are an entity that can truly be felt. A constant symbiotic weave. Which is countered by the in-game threat of BT’s (ghost-like entities that occupy that world), encounters that can be tense and sometimes terrifying, and always a threat to the mission at hand. Mobility throughout the world is aided by quite a few tools, including vehicles, robots and mechanical limbs. Eventually making certain traversing rather simple and relaxing, which means a lot in the face of trekking some harsh terrain on foot. The walking itself is akin to a survival simulator more than a delivery device. Knowing about certain packages can help the story, but in all reality it’s the challenge of the environment that provides the risk/reward satisfaction of playing the game, making deliveries - as well as the delicate balance of inventory too. The venture comes with a lot of characters that provide a deep story - one of the best I’ve ever experienced. The entire experience truly comes full circle. Story and gameplay, the experience of playing through all the scenarios, traversing across such a vast environment - while many may not find this game suitable for everyone, I truly find it worthy of at least attempting the experience.
Length of ownership: 15
Mobile Submission: true
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The Outer Worlds is an award-winning single-player first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division. Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter various factions, all vying for power, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable.
Customer Rating
4
Great Pulpy Space Adventure!
on November 8, 2019
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Aside from being the Fallout-killer gamers have needed, the game also blends in flavors of Mass Effect and Bioshock - the outcome being a product that is incredibly immersive, but also somewhat shallow in some areas. My first and major gripe is an easy swipe at low hanging fruit: the load times, sweet Zeus are they long. At first I was glad they had some great art to stare at during the load screens, but by the end I wanted to never see them again. Minor gripe aside, what really cuts into the greatness at hand is basically one that can be blamed on something like budget, and that is the game becomes rather redundant certain areas: guns, even though they can be upgraded on multiple way, they do start to become junk-fodder for the inventory menu. And speaking of inventory, I had a TON of it on a normal mode play through - I only used most of the consumable out of curiosity after not having touched them for almost the entire game. The same goes for ammo, armor and weapon upgrades - I hope Supernova mode remedies the general feeling of being overpowered. And lastly, as big as the game feels, and as much player decision is involved, at some point the veil starts to thin and show where the pathways converge. It is worth mentioning that the skill points can definitely change a persons game style and experience. Just don’t expect to be pulling of any no-killing stealth runs, as no matter what you’ll either be shooting or slicing down enemies to progress.
Now onto some of the positives. From the get-go, no matter what console, the game looks beautiful. Graphics in detail, such as characters, can be somewhat tamed down from the usual AAA push, but it doesn’t detract attention in any way. Movement is fluid and feels much better than the jank that came with Fallout games - don’t get it wrong, there is still some jank, but not the annoying sort. Dialogue options are fun to play with, and are well worth exploring with almost all characters, most definitely the companions. Some companion stories give a bit more strings to latch onto, but all are still great. Exploring the multiple planets offers a variety of settings, each of them with their own personality and atmosphere. Overall, everything carries a great symbiosis between all of it’s gameplay/story systems. Side missions can be fetch-questish at times, but ultimately most are immersive and fun to take on.
As a whole, the game has very little flaws, and where they do exist it’s mostly a matter of the game being a new IP with limitations - fortunately the creators are legendary enough to know where/how to apply the proper amount of experience into the size of game they had in mind. With Obsidian being acquired by MS, I can definitely see this becoming a franchise with bigger and more fruitful ideas, and the small flaws practically erased. The story was in vein with these sort of games, and while this one could’ve had a little more of everything, it succeeds in doing what it set out to do, if not better. I absolutely enjoyed this one, and think it’s fit for all sorts of players to take on, but it’s also clear that fans of Fallout (especially New Vegas) will dig what The Outer Worlds has to offer. I truly hope to see another entry that’s able to expand upon the ideas that are presented in this original.
Length of ownership: 13
Mobile Submission: true
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![Midsommar [Blu-ray/DVD] [2019]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/d4971dbf-10d4-4a29-b6df-17a92a9654d6.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
Tea and flowers...
on October 18, 2019
Posted by: Stevethedirector
Verified Purchase:Yes
Too easily compared to The Wicker Man, Midsommar is a beautiful and unique film that does more to pay homage than it tries to copy - in fact, it could be easily seen as a film that plays with occult tropes that haven’t been touched since the likes of The Wicker Man. So many films that take on occult genres are very much more in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby, night time scenarios. Midsommar shows us the terrors that happen in the daylight. This film is filled with environment and colors, thrusting it’s love-lost characters into a strange and surreal trip, filled with hypnotic visuals and all. Essentially a break-up film at heart, the first half of the film builds its tension with the attempt to familiarize one’s self in an unknown setting, all while pulling the main characters further and further away from each other, leaving a sort of communication gap. This breakdown crumbles alongside everything else happening around them, and as they travel further into the rabbit hole, the further they unravel the truth of the Midsommar traditions.
Ari Aster is a masterful filmmaker, taking us on yet another meaningful and terrifying adventure through every day life experiences. If you’re a fan of his first film Hereditary, this one definitely carries the torch.
Ari Aster is a masterful filmmaker, taking us on yet another meaningful and terrifying adventure through every day life experiences. If you’re a fan of his first film Hereditary, this one definitely carries the torch.
Length of ownership: 13
Mobile Submission: true
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