GuliKit KK3 Max Review

Handheld controllers these days seem to be a dime a dozen, with most offering the basics to replace a general controller and do little else.

While the GuliKit KK3 Max suffers because it's designed for PCs and portables and not consoles, that doesn't mean it's not a serious competitor in its field.

With the design resembling that of a Xbox controller, the Max is mainly designed with PC gaming in mind, but works equally as well with a Nintendo Switch, which is what it was used for for the purposes of this review.

Lightweight and sleek in design, the controller is exceptionally easy to pair to a machine of choice. A simple depression of the pairing button and selection of settings on your device of choice and a few seconds later you're away.

The fact it comes with a USB cable to link in to your device also helps matters, especially on charging. With around 25 hours of battery if the LEDS on the joysticks are turned off though, charging is less of an issue and can sustain some heavy gaming periods when required.

It may suffer from the lack of a headphone jack meaning you have to set up another piece of kit, but really that doesn't actually matter when it comes to using the controller for games. With haptic feedback and no drift on the joysticks, as well as quick latency times, the controller itself makes for smooth gaming, ensuring that playing is more on your mind than what the actual piece of kit is doing.

It's an important distinction and perhaps a major credit to the controller's manufacture just how quickly you forget that you're using a third party device and how easily your mind adjusts to the buttons that you've always had the ability to use.

Customisable paddles, extra buttons and the chance to change things around mean there's a degree of versatility in this controller, but when it comes down to it, it simply offers smooth gameplay, something which can't be discounted in use.

Whilst the lack of use with a console is perhaps the GuliKit KK3 Max's biggest downfall and while some of the battery life lacks a little when compared to its competitors, it has to be said that mostly this controller's quick ease of setup, its avoidance of dead zones on the joysticks and its lightweight portability means that it really is one that represents value for its price. 

Heretic: Movie Review

Cast: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Director: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

Hugh Grant laps up the screen as a villain in this mind-game of a movie that is essentially a three-hander set in a house.

When Mormon Sisters Barnes and Paxton (Yellowjackets Thatcher and East respectively) turn up at the house of Mr Reed (Grant), a man who's asked for them to visit to discuss conversion to the church, they find themselves welcomed with open arms by their seemingly benevolent host.

However, as the discussions progress, things turn uncomfortable and soon the pair are in a fight for their lives.

Dripping with menace and plenty of verbal discussions about the nature of faith, the control of churches and the uncertainties that plague us all, Heretic makes good fist of its growing atmosphere of unease.

Grant relishes his chance to play bad throughout - but behind the menace, there's an actor leaning into the raffish rogueish charms of a Brit villain. From every facial tic to quirky piece of dialogue and reaction, Grant's pitch-perfect delivery ensures the film hits a note early on that sets the tone. (Watch Monopoly sales soar...)

But while Grant is great, he's matched by both East and Thatcher. While Thatcher has a more twitchy edge, with internal conflicts clearly bubbling away, it's East, an apparently naive Sister, whose arc is a more fulsome and intriguing one. Initially innocent but running the emotional gamut of a journey, her performance is one of the standouts in a trio of highly impressive deliveries.

With claustrophobic close ups that leave audiences feeling they're trapped with the characters and within the walls, there's much tension etched throughout - even if the ultimate reveals feel unable to match the high standard of what's gone before.

A cinematic essay on the nature of faith mixed with a psychological bent, Heretic delivers an enjoyably twisty journey of unease - and is well worth trapping yourself within for the ride.