Jord Runci

Hysteria! is a thriller/horror set in a small American town in the 80s, that centres around the mysterious death of a teenager, and the spreading panic of its rumoured connection to a high-school metal band and their cult following of satanists. It's a nod to 80s slashers as well as coming-of-age high school drama, so I went into it expecting to be bombarded by the long list of clichés embedded in both genres. Instead, I thought the characters were so well cast, and the dialogue well written, that I was able to buy into the narrative without feeling like everything was overtly cheesy. Any annoyances I had in that regard stem from the fact that the teenagers (and their decision-making) can be frustrating as hell. But then again, they're teenagers. The power of religious and social prejudices over a community form a large driving force behind the narrative, but overall, Hysteria! is a really well-balanced cocktail of murder-mystery and paranormal horror. The show unravels its secrets gradually, so that we get an understanding of what's happening well before the protagonists (rather than during a tell-all final episode twist), but not before we're left to guess who will take what drastic measures to benefit their own agendas. For those fans of all things 80s, and its heavy music scenes in particular, you're also bound to get a jolt of excitement from the soundtrack, which comprises a host of artists like Iron Maiden, Kiss, Mötley Crüe and Alice Cooper. Hysteria! showcases the power of suggestion during the satanic panic of the 80s, and exposes us to the warring forces that strive to either bring a community together, or tear it apart. In any case, it's nice to see the high school jocks, freaks and nerds all coming together, even if that is only briefly, while hailing satan around a candle-lit pentagram.

One of the worst and most over-hyped movies I've had the displeasure of viewing in a long time. The plot is severely disjointed and the majority of characters are wholly underdeveloped. The film's visuals should have been its saving grace, but they're a bit too reminiscent of Star Wars' prequel trilogy (in the worst way possible). The only silver lining is that if you take a shot for every time the screen time is unnecessarily dragged out by a slow motion action shot, you'll be blind before getting far enough into the movie that you regret having started it in the first place.

Having dedicated 60+ hours to exploring every corner of this game, I can comfortably say that Jedi Survivor has largely delivered on my expectations as a huge fan of its predecessor. 4.5/5 5 hours into, I was surprised to find so many people canning it for reasons that I don't think are fair - most 1 star reviews were referencing the download speed and graphic performance - but is the former not just an internet problem? It's a big download, but so many games are these days. Playing on the Series S, I haven't really had any noticeable performance issues. Even Fallen Order was occasionally laggy around water or smoke when I played it on the XB1, but this has been a much smoother experience, and any performance issues certainly aren't worse than any other game I've played. Visually, Jedi Survivor is stunning. Much like FO, the attention to detail on every surface of the game is second to none, and a huge part of the reason I was willing to spend so much time playing it. Every planet has a very distinct feel, making it easier than ever to be completely immersed in the Star Wars universe. The gameplay isn't vastly different to the first game, aside from some expansion in the way of new combat skills and perks. The carry-over of abilities which Cal picked up in the first game is a much appreciated dev decision, ensuring movement doesn't feel slow in comparison to the later stages of FO. Map traversal is much faster, thanks to the ability to fast travel between meditation points; however, interplanetary travel still requires as much patience as the first game (particularly if you are aiming for 100% completion). There is also a bit more to do outside of the main story, but I was happy to find that many of the more subtle optional quests are completed naturally as you progress. It's not a huge addition (as with some of the larger open world games, where side quests become a chore), but enough to make the whole thing feel bigger than FO. The only problem I really had with much of the game (which, if I'm honest, could just come down to a lack of skill) was the sheer difficulty of so many moments in combat. I played both Survivor and FO on Jedi Master difficulty, and while Survivor felt generally similar, I had to lower the difficulty setting way more than I'd care to admit. Whether it's due to a bunch of enemies attacking all at once, or a boss fight that just goes on forever, at that point a game is too frustrating for me to enjoy it. If you're not there for the challenge, the story is one I'm certain any Star Wars fan would enjoy. It's a bit predictable at times, but perfectly complements the level design and skill progression. I think I preferred the darker layer of intrigue created in the first game; however, Survivor still has plenty to offer. I felt the story's ending was a little underwhelming, but it works well enough to wrap up the character development achieved over two games. I basically upgraded my console just to play this game, which I purchased a few days after release (at full price), and in the end I think it has been worth every cent. So if there's one thing to take away from my experience with Jedi Survivor, it would be to ignore what anyone else says and give it a go.

Loved the first game and enjoyed the second instalment (although it didn't captivate me quite as much as the first), but this one fell short of both. Worth noting that I completed 100% of it, so it couldn't have been too bad, but I could only justify doing that because I was already close enough to the achievement. Gameplay in general hasn't changed much, although movement felt more rigid and can be buggy from time to time, and there might have been more combat than previous games. I found a few of the puzzles to be frustrating, but poorly written and generally pointless side quests were the real nuisance. The few villages where these quest-givers dwell, though, are well designed and teeming with life, which becomes a welcome break from solitude in the jungle. Visually, the game is really nicely designed, which was to be expected after the first two games. The biggest let-down for me was the story. It starts off really promising, prompting Lara and the rest of us to take a proper look at her actions and question the consequences. After not too long, you start to wonder whether, after all this time, she might really just be an a**hole. But while her character can be a bit self-absorbed and often off-putting, the real villain is the way that the story seems to gradually fizzle out to nothing. There were moments I found interesting, but they didn't last long...

Proximity is good, and then it's really not. The cinematography throughout is nice to look at, while accompanied by a generally complementary synthwave soundtrack. The acting also isn't terrible, with a well-cast lead role and about-average supports. The script, however, is another story altogether. A wealth of poor dialogue choices leaves much to be desired - lines such as "It is imperative that we track them, but more importantly, we need to follow them"; or (my personal favourite) explaining that a ring that spells the word 'love'... stands for... 'love'. Occasionally, we're also gifted plot points which present as blatantly offensive, seemingly implying that viewers have no capacity to think on their own. For one example, our heroes really don't need to escape through the secret exit of their underground prison in the middle of the jungle, while questioning their whereabouts, to find stray livestock pulling a cart with the words 'Costa Rica' boldly printed on the side. Don't get me wrong - we need to know these kind of things - but I'm sure there are a hundred better ways to reveal or even allude to this information. If you like movies about aliens or secret government organisations and are happy to forgive the limitations of a smaller budget, then it may be worth the watch... but probably not.