Reviews by MaxL

The Riddler has returned to terrorise Gotham City, but his gruesome puzzles merely foreshadow an even greater crisis. With the arrival of a ruthless federal agent and the return of a still nascent Joker, Batman must navigate uneasy alliances while Bruce Wayne undertakes a perilous series of deceptions.

I loved Telltale's first Batman game because it made it very clear that it was doing things its own way, taking some huge risks with established continuity – and they paid off, because the story was legitimately well told. This sequel continues that trend, boasting more clever surprises for hardcore fans, especially a unique interpretation of Harley Quinn.

The choices mainly revolve around maintaining healthy relationships while undercover in a gang of criminals. Personally, I tried my best not to antagonise anyone – not even Amanda Waller, who was directly threatening Batman. I was looking for an opportunity to double-cross her later.

However, the main thing I took from this game was the final episode. Normally, Telltale games offer only minimal differences in choice scenarios because, realistically, there's only so much you can programme. But here, depending on the ending of episode four, the Joker can either become a vigilante or a villain, resulting in two entirely different episodes except for the last two or three scenes. To tell you the truth, I'm stunned.

In conclusion, I thought this game was every bit as good as the first one. Better? I don't know if I'd go that far just yet.

My rating: 90%

Thrown back into the dangerous underworld he'd tried to leave behind, Nathan Drake must decide what he's willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.

First of all, Naughty Dog games always have absolutely stellar graphics. The attention to detail is mind-blowing.

The main strength of the Uncharted series is still going strong: I never get tired of these characters. Even though, as always, by biggest investment was in Nate and Elena's romance, the heart of the story this time truly is the relationship between the two brothers. The villains are just as fascinating; their scenes together are excellent.

I just adore the dialogue writing in these games. I love how snappy, clearly meticulous and yet so very natural-sounding it is.

This one also introduces several new gameplay mechanics, most notably the grappling hook. But the big one for me was the inclusion of stealth sections, of which I always took advantage whenever possible because that's my preferred playing style.

As usual, however, the game's main shortcoming is the overabundance of gunfights, which were an eternal source of frustration for me. Several times, the game had me tearing at my hair, thinking, "I am so sick of people shooting at me!"

To sum up, this is a fine conclusion to a solid series. How does it compare to the others? I'd say all four games are pretty much equal, but my personal favourite is still Uncharted 3. (And no, I haven't played The Lost Legacy.)

My rating: 80%

Max Klein's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash.

This is a fascinating look at PTSD and how you're never the same again after a near-death experience. It makes Max fascinating to watch throughout because you know his mental state has been affected, so you're always wondering how he's going to react in a given situation. The general idea is that he feels invincible, so he's constantly tempting fate.

My favourite aspect was Carla's storyline, which provides an interesting contrast of how differently the tragedy affected someone else and how she deals with it.

Sometimes it drags, and Max's logic is occasionally hard to follow, but it all builds up to a great ending.

My rating: 75%

In an alternate universe, very different versions of DC's Trinity (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman), who operate outside of the law, are framed for the murders of prominent scientists and the government decides to take them out.

This is a fantastic original story by Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, featuring alternate, darker versions of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. It's a murder mystery where our three leads are the prime suspects, and at first our only reason to root for them is the knowledge that they're innocent. As the film progresses, though, we get to know them better, and they do start to show their true colours.

Plus, I legitimately did not see the ending coming. In the case of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (which I watched not long before this), I'd be lying if I said I didn't suspect it, but here I never would have guessed.

I love this movie. This is right up in my top three DC animated favourites, along with Wonder Woman and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

My rating: 90%

A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.

Despite its intriguing sci-fi premise and some excellent moments (like the bear scene), overall it's kind of dry and it comes off as a bit pretentious: it's clearly trying to make us think, but not about subjects that I'm particularly interested in pondering.

While the good elements – the overall creativity and the superficially exciting scenes – were strong enough that I quite enjoyed it overall, there are two things severely holding it back for me: the characters are boring as hell, and the CGI looks like it's straight out of a video game. Now, to be fair, in the case of the latter, that might have been a budget issue, but it still ruins the illusion.

I prefer writer/director Alex Garland's previous effort, Ex Machina, by far.

My rating: 65%

In an alternative Victorian Age Gotham City, Batman begins his war on crime while he investigates a new series of murders by Jack the Ripper.

I haven't read the comic, but from what I understand, this was the story that pioneered the notion of the Elseworlds tale: taking familiar characters and putting them in an entirely different scenario.

As a film on its own, this is another good addition to the DC animated movies roster. It delivers everything you'd expect of a Victorian-era Batman versus Jack the Ripper: a legitimately good mystery, plus one of my favourite takes on Selina Kyle ever.

My rating: 80%

When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.

As it's a creature feature, I didn't expect much. What I got was a mixed bag. Some elements were surprisingly brilliant, like the relationship between the daughter and the camp counsellor, and the plan to distract the guard – which, in a sense, was ahead of its time. But there were also moments that were just plain unbearable, like the actual execution of said plan.

Plus, this movie came out in the wake of Jaws and the influence is undeniable, but the movie itself makes it clear that it's aware of this, even throwing in a Jaws arcade game at the beginning.

My rating: 45%

I won't bother reviewing the sequel, by the way, because there's honestly not much to say. The first movie at least has its moments, but the sequel flat-out sucks. The acting is awful, everything looks cheap, and you'd never guess that James Cameron would go on to become one of the greatest directors of all time.