I didnt really grab much at all during December I guess I was just to busy with the whole of Christmas and getting everything ready for that. I grabbed my first few retro purchases on the 3rd of the month when I went into a charity shop and grabbed The Thing for Xbox complete for 50pence, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland for Xbox complete for 50pence and MTV Music Generator 3 for Xbox complete for 50Pence.
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
Sunday, 1 December 2019
November Retro game purchases 2019
On the 1st of November I started my retro puchasing by going in to an indy games store and I grabbed a Metalic pink DS lite with a paw print on it and charger for £15 and I also grabbed Super RC Pro Am cart only for Gameboy for £3 which I dont think was to bad a start to the month
Sunday, 10 November 2019
SNES Review 152: Kirby's Dream Course
I
remember showing my daughter a Kirby animated series when she was
younger and the theme song starting with something on the lines of
Kirby Kirby Kirby he is the star of the show, Kirby Kirby Kirby is
the name you all know, the truth is though as adorable as the little
pink cuddly ball is he has always sort of lived in Mario's shadow.
The thing is though that Kirby is an interesting little character
whose looks and abilities kind of lend him well to various different
kinds of games.
Over
the years the little pink ones roundness has allowed him to stand in
for a pinball in Kirby's Pinball Land, to be a ball in Kirby's Block
Ball. And to tilt and tumble all over the place in the
motion-controlled aptly named Kirby: Tilt 'n' Tumble and, here, in
this game what does Kirby stand in for well he stands in for a golf
ball. You see this is something Kirby has going for him with his
squishy roundness in a Mario Golf game you'd just see Mario knocking
a ball around but here in Kirby's Dream Course you get to see his
royal pinkness being the ball.
If I had to tell someone about this game in a nutshell as quickly as possible then I would basically describe it as being a miniature golf game with a Kirby theme. One of the things which makes this interesting for a SNES game is that it is presented in a three-quarter isometric perspective. The courses are rendered on checker-board style grids and are filled with the standard enemies you would see in Kirby's platformers. I have to admit that I have a certain warmness for sports based titles that throw interesting characters in to the mix, give me a PGA tour golf or a Fifa and I will probably mentally half turn off playing it but throw some interesting characters and crazy powers in a sports title and I will be all over it, my favourite sports titles have been things like the NeoGeo 2020 Baseball with robots in it and Mario Strikers Charged, I guess the less real it is the more on board I can get with it. I guess this is reflected in the fact there a bunch of golf games on the SNES and this is only the second one I have reviewed and heck the first one I reviewed featured a golf playing robot.
If I had to tell someone about this game in a nutshell as quickly as possible then I would basically describe it as being a miniature golf game with a Kirby theme. One of the things which makes this interesting for a SNES game is that it is presented in a three-quarter isometric perspective. The courses are rendered on checker-board style grids and are filled with the standard enemies you would see in Kirby's platformers. I have to admit that I have a certain warmness for sports based titles that throw interesting characters in to the mix, give me a PGA tour golf or a Fifa and I will probably mentally half turn off playing it but throw some interesting characters and crazy powers in a sports title and I will be all over it, my favourite sports titles have been things like the NeoGeo 2020 Baseball with robots in it and Mario Strikers Charged, I guess the less real it is the more on board I can get with it. I guess this is reflected in the fact there a bunch of golf games on the SNES and this is only the second one I have reviewed and heck the first one I reviewed featured a golf playing robot.
OK
so basically you hit poor little Kirby like a golf ball with the aim
being to send him crashing into every single one of the enemies on
the field once you have hit everyone of them bar one then the final
bad guy will basically turn in the hole, get Kirby into the hole and
congratulations thats a level done, but its a golf style game so just
managing it eventually is not good enough nope you will be given a
target number of hits and the idea is to come under par.
OK so at least at first the basics are just like any standard normal golf game choose the direction your going to hit the ball, how much power your going to put into your shot, where abouts your going to hit the ball, will you hit it dead on or will you try to give it a little bit of spin or chip it up. Then you go and absorb powers from Kirby's foes such as a parasol. There are ten abilities all of them are clones of powers from Kirby enemies and they are here to try and help you get around the course and if you really want to do well your going to have to learn how to use each and every one of them. You get the aforementioned parasol which helps you float down to the ground, a high jump which helps you jump a stone power which halts your movement instantly at the press of a button, a wheel which makes you shoot off like a rocket.
OK so at least at first the basics are just like any standard normal golf game choose the direction your going to hit the ball, how much power your going to put into your shot, where abouts your going to hit the ball, will you hit it dead on or will you try to give it a little bit of spin or chip it up. Then you go and absorb powers from Kirby's foes such as a parasol. There are ten abilities all of them are clones of powers from Kirby enemies and they are here to try and help you get around the course and if you really want to do well your going to have to learn how to use each and every one of them. You get the aforementioned parasol which helps you float down to the ground, a high jump which helps you jump a stone power which halts your movement instantly at the press of a button, a wheel which makes you shoot off like a rocket.
I think the game has a great
concept, and Kirby is a great little character and there is a lot to
the game, there are eight different courses to unlock each containing
eight holes there's also a two-player mode which you can either have
someone enjoy with you or suffer through with you depending on your
and there thoughts on the game. In honesty I enjoyed it more in two
player mode probably because my player two swore at it and cursed it
just as much as I did and that made it both a little more fun and a
little more bearable.
If
I did a lets play of this game it would pretty much just be a video
of me complaining and running through all of the cusses and venom
that finds its way to the tip of my tongue. I cant really call this
game a bad game, there are things I like about it but it just drives
me blooming crazy, sure I do have a bit of fun with it but I also
never feel that far away from rage quitting and telling Kirby to take
a hike.
Kirby's
Dream Course is probably one of his least known games, and that's why
I was so surprised to see it taking up a slot on the Classic mini
SNES. I never knew about this game back when I was a young SNES owner
in fact it didn't enter my life until years and years later when
someone gave it me for Christmas knowing I was a game collector so I
have no real nostalgia for it and yet I feel bad taking a dump on
poor old Kirby yet I cant help but score this game with a lowly 5,
its ok, it has good presentation and it applies Kirby's powers well
to the game of golf and it feels like it really really tries and yet
its just not the game for me. If you want to try it well a loose Pal
cart tends to go for £15 and up with boxed copies usually being
around £60 when you see them, if you can play imports you'll
occasionally see a loose Japanese cart for about £5 and to be honest
that's kind of what I would pay for this game, I wanted to enjoy it
more I really did.
Monday, 4 November 2019
Tales from the Crypt Fat Tuesday, the original article
Previously when talking about Tales from the Crypt Fat Tuesday/ Dead Easy I quoted a article from a Tales from the Crypt Magazine special about Demon Knight. I had real issues reading the article as all I had was very poor resolution scans to deal with, now I have sat and really strained my eyes and used software I didnt previously have in order to copy down every single word from this article so that others can read it with ease. Still not enough is known about this film and I seem to be one of only a very small amount of bloggers talking about it, so here it is in an easy to read format with yet one more piece of concept art and a picture of the front cover of the magazine this article was apparently taken from. I have included the authors name at the bottom as I am not in anyway taking credit for the article, I just wanted it up and easy to read and figured this was something I could do for the horror community.
Demonic possession, resurrection, religious icongraphy and other worldly temptation are ambitious concepts to be tackling for the first Tales from the Crypt feature Demon Knight. But with two more movies to go, what do you do for an encore?
''The next one is more psychological than blood, grue and gore'' says A L Katz with a smile. ''As a Matter of fact, today we wrote a scne where a shadow figure squeezes through the skull of an old lady and into her brain. And that's just where the movie begins.''
Much like the TV eries, the movie franchise will also attempt to branch out into different horizons, according to Katz and writing partner Gil Adler. The latter will also be directing the second Crypt feature, whih is tentativelty titled Fat Tuesday and scheduled to go into production in Februrary on a $12 million budget. ''When you think of a Crypt movie, you think ironic, sardonic humour and you also think of a certain amount of scares and gore.. Adler explains. ''And as with the series, there are some nice twists and turns along the way. You think you're being lef one way and we twist it into another direction.''
Based on a script by J.P. Kelly, Fat Tuesday will be set in the Deep South (possibly New Orleans) and concerns a man trying to determine what happened in his past, and how memories of that past will bring back a malevolent entiity if they are ever recalled. ''As this guy get closer to the truth he also gets closer to rleasing this thing from the prison inside of him,'' Katz explains, ''We will be creating a unique Bad guy- one you've never seem before that is compelling and funny. It will scare the shit out of you.''
As with the Crypt shows, Adler and Katz have spent an extensive amount of time rewordking Fat Tuesday into the Crypt style (a title change is expected before the film is released).
''The script that J.P. Kelly wrote was intresting and very compelling but as with all things, we've played with it, thought about it and molded it over, so it has evolved into another life of its own.'' says Katz. ''His original story was very much about a man remembering something from his past and it possibly involved child abuse, which was a little too much to tackle. But the idea of a man remembering something from his past was an intriguing idea. The setting J.P. placed it in was fascinating, and there's even a swamp in there that becomes a character of its own. It's sort of a perverse den where heaven and hell meet and is filled with magic- dark and dangerous magic.''
As for potentialmakeup FX, Todd Masters' shop is currently creating preliminary designs(which will include, among other things, an evil Harlequin), but the artist notes that it won't be as extensive show as Demon Knight proved to be. ''Its more scary in the Haunting sense.'' explains Masters, ''But there is enough stuff in there to keep us going.''
The unique structure of the film franchise has also create an intresting dynamic. When the idea of features was initially being thrown around, the three main executive producers, Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis and Walter Hil, all considered directing one each. As time went on, their involvment resulted in each picking a script and nurturing the project along with another director at the helm. Thus Zemeckis oversaw Demon Knight, Donner will be close to Fat Tuesday and Hill will be involved with an urban horror opus currently entitled Body Count (which producer Joel Silver describes as a modern Frankenstein tale) - though the story for the third movie is still tentative.
''Each of the films could be franchisable in its own right.'' explains Katz. ''It's not altogther impossible. Several characters could be taken into sequels, and I don'tthink it would be all that suprisingif that's what happens. In the end, were trying to create satisfying, fulfilling mythologies, and the probability that at least one movie won't be able to contain them is not exactly a revelation.''
-Anthony C. Ferrante
MORE FEAR ON ''FAT TUESDAY''
Demonic possession, resurrection, religious icongraphy and other worldly temptation are ambitious concepts to be tackling for the first Tales from the Crypt feature Demon Knight. But with two more movies to go, what do you do for an encore?
''The next one is more psychological than blood, grue and gore'' says A L Katz with a smile. ''As a Matter of fact, today we wrote a scne where a shadow figure squeezes through the skull of an old lady and into her brain. And that's just where the movie begins.''
Much like the TV eries, the movie franchise will also attempt to branch out into different horizons, according to Katz and writing partner Gil Adler. The latter will also be directing the second Crypt feature, whih is tentativelty titled Fat Tuesday and scheduled to go into production in Februrary on a $12 million budget. ''When you think of a Crypt movie, you think ironic, sardonic humour and you also think of a certain amount of scares and gore.. Adler explains. ''And as with the series, there are some nice twists and turns along the way. You think you're being lef one way and we twist it into another direction.''
Based on a script by J.P. Kelly, Fat Tuesday will be set in the Deep South (possibly New Orleans) and concerns a man trying to determine what happened in his past, and how memories of that past will bring back a malevolent entiity if they are ever recalled. ''As this guy get closer to the truth he also gets closer to rleasing this thing from the prison inside of him,'' Katz explains, ''We will be creating a unique Bad guy- one you've never seem before that is compelling and funny. It will scare the shit out of you.''
As with the Crypt shows, Adler and Katz have spent an extensive amount of time rewordking Fat Tuesday into the Crypt style (a title change is expected before the film is released).
''The script that J.P. Kelly wrote was intresting and very compelling but as with all things, we've played with it, thought about it and molded it over, so it has evolved into another life of its own.'' says Katz. ''His original story was very much about a man remembering something from his past and it possibly involved child abuse, which was a little too much to tackle. But the idea of a man remembering something from his past was an intriguing idea. The setting J.P. placed it in was fascinating, and there's even a swamp in there that becomes a character of its own. It's sort of a perverse den where heaven and hell meet and is filled with magic- dark and dangerous magic.''
As for potentialmakeup FX, Todd Masters' shop is currently creating preliminary designs(which will include, among other things, an evil Harlequin), but the artist notes that it won't be as extensive show as Demon Knight proved to be. ''Its more scary in the Haunting sense.'' explains Masters, ''But there is enough stuff in there to keep us going.''
The unique structure of the film franchise has also create an intresting dynamic. When the idea of features was initially being thrown around, the three main executive producers, Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis and Walter Hil, all considered directing one each. As time went on, their involvment resulted in each picking a script and nurturing the project along with another director at the helm. Thus Zemeckis oversaw Demon Knight, Donner will be close to Fat Tuesday and Hill will be involved with an urban horror opus currently entitled Body Count (which producer Joel Silver describes as a modern Frankenstein tale) - though the story for the third movie is still tentative.
''Each of the films could be franchisable in its own right.'' explains Katz. ''It's not altogther impossible. Several characters could be taken into sequels, and I don'tthink it would be all that suprisingif that's what happens. In the end, were trying to create satisfying, fulfilling mythologies, and the probability that at least one movie won't be able to contain them is not exactly a revelation.''
-Anthony C. Ferrante
Friday, 1 November 2019
Retro Game purchases October 2019
My purchases for October started on the 1st of the month when I grabbed a few bit, I got Project
Gotham racing, project Gotham racing 2, conflict desert storm 2, medal
of honor rising sun, and dead or alive 3 all for Xbox boxed complete for
£1 each from a charity shop and then I went and got Shrek 2 for GameCube complete for £1
from a different charity shop.
On the 4th of October I travelled to a run down looking charity shop in a town I dont usually visit and I grabbed a few things, I got The incredible for GameCube complete for £1 , Wrestlemania x8 for GameCube complete for £1 and kick off for NES cart only for £1.50 , it seems like a long time since I've got a NES game that cheap.
On the 4th of October I travelled to a run down looking charity shop in a town I dont usually visit and I grabbed a few things, I got The incredible for GameCube complete for £1 , Wrestlemania x8 for GameCube complete for £1 and kick off for NES cart only for £1.50 , it seems like a long time since I've got a NES game that cheap.
On the 5th I went to a retro game fair which was held in a hotel conference
room today, I figured it would be all £100 boxed rares and nothing I'd
feel like paying for and yeah there was some stuff like that but there
was also a few cheap bits to pick through.
On the 12th during a visit to yet another charity shop I got 14 loose PSP games for £9. I got 2 copies of Ben 10 protector of the earth, Lego Indiana Jones, GTA vice city stories , GTA liberty city stories, Miami vice, ghost rider, mercury , crash of the titans, pro evo 5, FIFA 09, star wars clone wars republic heroes, star ward battle front 2 and Colin McRae rally 2005 plus. I also grabbed Animal crossing for the Wii for £2 from this shop.
I got the following
Columns cart only for game gear for 50p
Wave race cart only for gameboy for £1
Game boy gallery cart only for gameboy £1
Golf cart only for gameboy £1
All star baseball 2001 cart only for gameboy color £1
F-1 world grand Prix cart only for gameboy color £1
Perfect dark cart only (missing battery cover) for gameboy color £1
Super hunchback cart only for gameboy £1
Gundam SD cart only (Japanese) for gameboy £1
Total soccer manager cart only for GBA £1
Nintendo scope 6 cart only for SNES £1
PGA tour 96 cart only for SNES £1
Secret of Man cart only (Japanese) for SNES £1
Donkey Kong Land cart only (half missing label) for gameboy color £1
Kirby super deluxe cart only (Japanese) for SNES £4
Robot Wars EX cart only (Japanese) for SNES £2
Two
disc only copies of Alien Trilogy , a disc only copy of grudge
warriors, and a disc copy of lion and the king £1 for the lot,
A Joytech PS1 essential pack sealed , includes 3rd party 1mb memory card and 3rd party mini analogue controller
and a boxed complete Japanese SNES game that I first believed to be a pinball game for £6 but it turned out to be a blooming pachinko game which somewhat annoyed me. I have since found out its called Hissatsu Pachinko Collection 2
On the 12th during a visit to yet another charity shop I got 14 loose PSP games for £9. I got 2 copies of Ben 10 protector of the earth, Lego Indiana Jones, GTA vice city stories , GTA liberty city stories, Miami vice, ghost rider, mercury , crash of the titans, pro evo 5, FIFA 09, star wars clone wars republic heroes, star ward battle front 2 and Colin McRae rally 2005 plus. I also grabbed Animal crossing for the Wii for £2 from this shop.
Sunday, 20 October 2019
Friday, 18 October 2019
Retro Games Purchases for September 2019
So somehow I managed to miss the fact that September had ended and I didnt do my regular this is what retro stuff I have gotten this month post. I realised this today and despite not having exactly spent much or gotten much I felt I should do a late post to fill this blank in.
I started Septembers retro purchasing on the 8th when I got Alien Storm complete for MegaDrive for £12 , its one of those games I own on compilations and multi carts but its one of my fave games so actually wanted it proper.I had been looking around and thinking about getting it and just figured it was now or never. I also popped into a charity shop and I got God of War (platinum version) for PS2 for £1 and Baldurs Gate for PS2 for £1, and Beyond two souls for PS3 for £1.50.
On the 12th I went in a pawn store and got Field Commander for PSP complete for 50p, and Socom us navy seals fire team bravo for PSP complete for 50p. While I was in there a woman ran in and dumped a big plastic bag and mutters something about wanting it binned and ran out in the bag was a big rough looking Xbox 360 steering wheel there was also a cart copy of Nes open tournament golf, I took the game and the store binned the wheel, I'm pretty happy with this as a freebie.
So all I spent in September on retro games was £16.50 which is not very much at all, I might not have got many things but getting a complete copy of Alien Storm is my purchase of the month but I am also pretty darn stoked about getting a free Nes cart.
Thursday, 17 October 2019
Fat Tuesday we still dont really know much about it
I didnt realise that Fat Tuesday was basically another name for Mardi Gras a Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. In England where I am from it is basically what we would call Shrove Tuesday AKA pancake day. So basically it is the idea of having a last day/night of eating rich, fatty foods before you fast for lent. Funny really then that I never put two and two togther and realised that there was almost a Tales from Crypt movie released which would have been set around the time of pancake day, makes you think doesnt it?
I wrote a series of posts a few years back about the Tales from The Crypt films those released, those not and those films that almost became Tales films, one of these films an unreleased one was going to be called Fat Tuesday, a few things have made me return to write this sort of follow up post. As far as I can tell no real new information has come to light on the film, sure a few more people have made blog posts about it but they all seem to be picking from the same scraps I did, I am also not nieve enough to believe that my post was the first or possessed any more insight than most, but it is this very lack of information which sort of keeps this long dead film alive, the less info there is the more curious people are, they less they know the more they wish they knew.
A source calling himself Unknown30 contacted me in July of 2018 claiming to have more knowledge of this film, I would properly credit the individual but beyond the user name I do not haveany details. According to this individual TALES FROM THE CRYPT PRESENTS FAT
TUESDAY was going for a September 1996 release by Universal. The story
for the film was written by JP Kelly who pitched it to Joel Silver who thought it would
make a great Tales movie. Gilbert Adler and A L Katz both rewrote the
film but they had trouble getting the tone right apparently resulting in three
sloppy drafts in a row. After this Silver wanting a finalized script that worked hired X Files writer Darin
Morgan who was apparently a fan and wanted to work with the show's
writers. Apparently not only did he agree immediately he also turned in a final draft three days
later.
According to this guy it was a damn good script. This is what he had to say about it ''The story was about a psychiatrist
Roger and his son who move to New Orleans after his wife dies find
themselves terrorized by the ghost of Roger's father, a voodoo witch and
a demonic jester. It was a perfect followup to Demon Knight.''
''According to this source Adler and Katz stepped in and refused to make the film angered at the fact that their script was rewritten. To top it off, Universal bought Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis' spec Bordello Of Blood so that the latter wouldn't leave to go and work for DreamWorks. Those two things sealed the fate of Fat Tuesday. It's a damn shame cause Darin's script perfectly captured the EC Comics spirit and was so rich. Darin Morgan is still a criminally underrated writer and FT was in my own personal opinion the best script he wrote. It was the first script I ever read from beginning to end cause it was so good.''
I also wanted to bring this up again as recently a film has come out called Fat Tuesday, I found this out while looking for info on the missing Tales from the crypt film. This Fat Tuesday film was Screened at the Atlanta Film Festival and is written and directed by Louisiana native Jorge Torres-Torres. Apparently it was Filmed on location during the final days of Mardi Gras. The rough story of the film is that a hitchhiker infiltrates a group of friends with the intent of murdering her unsuspecting victims during the event, so in short its nothing like the tales from the crypt film would have been. I havent seen this film although I would like to give it a shot, apparently though people claim that it is slow but that it is gritty and a decent flick, it has been compared to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer which is movie which I personally rate pretty highly.
I guess the truth is I dont relly have much more to say than I did the first time and if you havent read that post then I recommend that you give it a look Tales From the Crypt Fat Tuesday original post . I guess some missing movie legends just remain exactly that forever legends.
''According to this source Adler and Katz stepped in and refused to make the film angered at the fact that their script was rewritten. To top it off, Universal bought Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis' spec Bordello Of Blood so that the latter wouldn't leave to go and work for DreamWorks. Those two things sealed the fate of Fat Tuesday. It's a damn shame cause Darin's script perfectly captured the EC Comics spirit and was so rich. Darin Morgan is still a criminally underrated writer and FT was in my own personal opinion the best script he wrote. It was the first script I ever read from beginning to end cause it was so good.''
I also wanted to bring this up again as recently a film has come out called Fat Tuesday, I found this out while looking for info on the missing Tales from the crypt film. This Fat Tuesday film was Screened at the Atlanta Film Festival and is written and directed by Louisiana native Jorge Torres-Torres. Apparently it was Filmed on location during the final days of Mardi Gras. The rough story of the film is that a hitchhiker infiltrates a group of friends with the intent of murdering her unsuspecting victims during the event, so in short its nothing like the tales from the crypt film would have been. I havent seen this film although I would like to give it a shot, apparently though people claim that it is slow but that it is gritty and a decent flick, it has been compared to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer which is movie which I personally rate pretty highly.
I guess the truth is I dont relly have much more to say than I did the first time and if you havent read that post then I recommend that you give it a look Tales From the Crypt Fat Tuesday original post . I guess some missing movie legends just remain exactly that forever legends.
Sunday, 1 September 2019
This Months (September 2019) Games with Gold and my oppinion on them.
So what are we getting this month games wise for our gold subscription and what do I think of the choice of games. Well to kick this month of Xbox One owners will start of by getting Hitman: The Complete First Season.
If you have been living under a rock for an absolute age Hitman is exactly what it sounds like its a game in which you do the job of a Hitman. You take on the role of Agent 47 a sinster sort of John Luc Picard looking bolded headed chap who happens to be a world class assasin who can shoot, stab and piano wire his way through pretty much the whole world. In this game you will find yourself travelling to new places such as Sapienza, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Colorado and Hokkaido, meeting new and intresting people and killing them in a whole host of ways. If you enjoy planning and then following things through and trying to get a glorius high score while commiting a little murder then your sure to enjoy this game a lot, if your more of a dual gun weilding death machine with the pateince of a 3 year old then this game will most likly frustrate the ever living crap out of you. With the wealth of content on offer here I think its a pretty darn good thing to get.
The Xbox 360 offering for the start of the month (also playable on Xbox one) is Earth Defense Force 2025. A game in which you can very very much leave your brains at the door and just focus on dealing out all the death you can with your trigger finger. The game has tonnes of weapons and four different character classes its a decent little blaster my only complaint is that this is the third game in the series and the previous two were only recently given away so id have prefered something a little diffrent. Still I think this and Hitman are very diffrent and having the two of them togther provides a good counter balance.
From the 16th we have We Were Here. I have never played this game so I am tottally clueless about it and guess I will have to learn what its like when I download it, still as its usually only £5 I cant help but think we have been kind of low balled here. Apparently in this game you team up with a friend or a stranger online and the idea is to escape an abandoned castle. It is supposed to be a puzzler which finds you and one other player trapped alone in different parts of a mysterious castle with only your walkie-talkie and voice to help you.The game is supposed to be very team work heavy but im not that much of an online player to be honest so I think id sooner have had another game but im sure this will make someone out there happy.
Also from the 16th we have Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I think every man and his dog knows what Tekken is. I own Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on my Wii U and really really enjoyed it but heck, its an awesome game so I ma very much looking forward to being able to play it on my Xbox One, what more can I say about it? Its Tekken its flipping amazing. For me this game is the gem of the month and I think if you dont have xbox live and you dont own this game then seeing as you keep any Xbox 360 games you claim it would be worth buying a months worth just to play this bad boy.
What more can I say but KEEP ON GAMING.
If you have been living under a rock for an absolute age Hitman is exactly what it sounds like its a game in which you do the job of a Hitman. You take on the role of Agent 47 a sinster sort of John Luc Picard looking bolded headed chap who happens to be a world class assasin who can shoot, stab and piano wire his way through pretty much the whole world. In this game you will find yourself travelling to new places such as Sapienza, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Colorado and Hokkaido, meeting new and intresting people and killing them in a whole host of ways. If you enjoy planning and then following things through and trying to get a glorius high score while commiting a little murder then your sure to enjoy this game a lot, if your more of a dual gun weilding death machine with the pateince of a 3 year old then this game will most likly frustrate the ever living crap out of you. With the wealth of content on offer here I think its a pretty darn good thing to get.
The Xbox 360 offering for the start of the month (also playable on Xbox one) is Earth Defense Force 2025. A game in which you can very very much leave your brains at the door and just focus on dealing out all the death you can with your trigger finger. The game has tonnes of weapons and four different character classes its a decent little blaster my only complaint is that this is the third game in the series and the previous two were only recently given away so id have prefered something a little diffrent. Still I think this and Hitman are very diffrent and having the two of them togther provides a good counter balance.
From the 16th we have We Were Here. I have never played this game so I am tottally clueless about it and guess I will have to learn what its like when I download it, still as its usually only £5 I cant help but think we have been kind of low balled here. Apparently in this game you team up with a friend or a stranger online and the idea is to escape an abandoned castle. It is supposed to be a puzzler which finds you and one other player trapped alone in different parts of a mysterious castle with only your walkie-talkie and voice to help you.The game is supposed to be very team work heavy but im not that much of an online player to be honest so I think id sooner have had another game but im sure this will make someone out there happy.
Also from the 16th we have Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I think every man and his dog knows what Tekken is. I own Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on my Wii U and really really enjoyed it but heck, its an awesome game so I ma very much looking forward to being able to play it on my Xbox One, what more can I say about it? Its Tekken its flipping amazing. For me this game is the gem of the month and I think if you dont have xbox live and you dont own this game then seeing as you keep any Xbox 360 games you claim it would be worth buying a months worth just to play this bad boy.
What more can I say but KEEP ON GAMING.
Saturday, 31 August 2019
August 2019 Retro purchases
So last month I only spent £18 on retro games which I said pretty much an all time low for me. I know I have spent more this month but I wouldnt exactly call it a bountiful month.
My retro purchasing started on the 3rd when I went round a bunch of charity shops, I grabbed Red steel 2 complete for the Wii for £1.50 and I got a white and pink original DS without charger for £10 from, my original DS has a broken hinge so I guess this is its replacement even though if I play a DS game im far more likly to play it on my current 2DS.
My retro purchasing started on the 3rd when I went round a bunch of charity shops, I grabbed Red steel 2 complete for the Wii for £1.50 and I got a white and pink original DS without charger for £10 from, my original DS has a broken hinge so I guess this is its replacement even though if I play a DS game im far more likly to play it on my current 2DS.
Friday, 30 August 2019
Friday, 2 August 2019
My Retro Game Purchases for July 2019
So neither my blogging or my YouTubing have got off the ground yet again nor have I been taking photos of things either so once
again there are going to be no pictures and in total honesty its not been that thrilling a month purchase wise. I am proberbly going to go a little more in to the real life stories of how I found the stuff I found mostly because people seem to find it strange that I actually find old games that are not like a bizzilion pounds but mostly because I just think that it will make this a more intresting read.
On July the 2nd I went in to a charty shop not to far from my house and I Paid £8 in total for a bunch of complete PS1 games. These games were Toca world touring cars, Toca 2, driver, driver 2 , smackdown, tomb raider the last revelation, die hard trilogy, syphon filter , syphon filter 2, and syphon filter 3 (platinum version). I had actually seen these games in this shop about a week ago but they were £4.99 each which I thought was a lot more than I wanted to pay especially for the Toca games. This day when I went in though I was buying some cheap dvd's to watch and the manager who knows im into old games mentioned that he thought the person who had put out the PS1 stuff had put it a bit high and it wasnt shifting, I said if it was less id have brought them already, next thing I know he tells me to bring them up and he would figure out a price he wanted for them and £8 was what he first said and I thought it was such a low amount he was asking for that it would be distastful to haggle any further.
Around the 6th I visited a small indy game shop and in a glass cabinet I noticed three 3rd party Dreamcast memory cards for £1 each one is a joytech 1mb, ones a joytech 4mb and the others an unnamed 4mb one. I figured this was a cheap asking price and so snapped them all up.
I didnt grab anything else then until the 25th, when I went in a charity shop near to my girlfriends house where there was a bunch of dirty looking copies of Fifa and stuff for one pound each but amongst them I saw a sealed copy of Tokyo Road Race for the PS2 for £1, not the most intresting retro purchase but one of not that many this month.
On July the 2nd I went in to a charty shop not to far from my house and I Paid £8 in total for a bunch of complete PS1 games. These games were Toca world touring cars, Toca 2, driver, driver 2 , smackdown, tomb raider the last revelation, die hard trilogy, syphon filter , syphon filter 2, and syphon filter 3 (platinum version). I had actually seen these games in this shop about a week ago but they were £4.99 each which I thought was a lot more than I wanted to pay especially for the Toca games. This day when I went in though I was buying some cheap dvd's to watch and the manager who knows im into old games mentioned that he thought the person who had put out the PS1 stuff had put it a bit high and it wasnt shifting, I said if it was less id have brought them already, next thing I know he tells me to bring them up and he would figure out a price he wanted for them and £8 was what he first said and I thought it was such a low amount he was asking for that it would be distastful to haggle any further.
Around the 6th I visited a small indy game shop and in a glass cabinet I noticed three 3rd party Dreamcast memory cards for £1 each one is a joytech 1mb, ones a joytech 4mb and the others an unnamed 4mb one. I figured this was a cheap asking price and so snapped them all up.
I didnt grab anything else then until the 25th, when I went in a charity shop near to my girlfriends house where there was a bunch of dirty looking copies of Fifa and stuff for one pound each but amongst them I saw a sealed copy of Tokyo Road Race for the PS2 for £1, not the most intresting retro purchase but one of not that many this month.
Tuesday, 2 July 2019
My Retro game purchases for June 2019
So I started my retro purchaes on the 3rd of the month when I grabbed a few cheap games, I got GTA 3 for ps2 complete for 50p ,
ratchet and clank for ps2 complete for 50p and syphon filter omega
strain for ps2 complete for 50p
Friday, 7 June 2019
My Retro Purchases in May 2019
Ok this post is both a little bit late and a little bit short, but to be honest I didn't really buy all that much last month anyways here goes. So last months retro purchases started on the 7th when I got a slim ps2 all wires 2 official pads, a memory card and 4 games goldeneye rogue agent, the lord of the rings the return of the king, star wars battlefront 2 and kingdom hearts (all of them boxed but with kingdom hearts missing its manual) for 10quid.
I didn't get anything else until the 14th when I went to a local Indy game shop and got a loose n64 pilot wings cart for £5 and then the network disc for the ps2 with case and manual for £5. I have had the ps2 network/hardrive adaptor for years but never had the disc, I ended up using a macboot memory card to use it, not sure ill start using it the proper way but its nice to have the option, and to have the adaptor with the proper stuff that would have come with it originally.
I also got a wii for £7.50 with all its wires and 2 nunchucks but no remote, but it did come with wii sports in a paper case and then 4 games all boxed with instructions wii play, the bigs, tna impact and tiger woods pga tour 09 (the last ones still sealed).
On the 29th I went in a charity shop and I got I got Wii sports resort for £1.50 and it also had a Wii sports disc in it behind the manual. Its kind of funny getting two wii sport discs in the space of one month I guess, its not like its something I set out to do though. This was my final purchase of the month.
All in all it was a very no frills month, I don't think I did particularly brilliantly with anything but I think the £24 pounds I spent went a fairly long way. I really seem to investing less time in the retro hunting recently but trust me I still adore my old games and even if I never purchased another single game then id still have more than enough to play till the end of time
I didn't get anything else until the 14th when I went to a local Indy game shop and got a loose n64 pilot wings cart for £5 and then the network disc for the ps2 with case and manual for £5. I have had the ps2 network/hardrive adaptor for years but never had the disc, I ended up using a macboot memory card to use it, not sure ill start using it the proper way but its nice to have the option, and to have the adaptor with the proper stuff that would have come with it originally.
I also got a wii for £7.50 with all its wires and 2 nunchucks but no remote, but it did come with wii sports in a paper case and then 4 games all boxed with instructions wii play, the bigs, tna impact and tiger woods pga tour 09 (the last ones still sealed).
On the 29th I went in a charity shop and I got I got Wii sports resort for £1.50 and it also had a Wii sports disc in it behind the manual. Its kind of funny getting two wii sport discs in the space of one month I guess, its not like its something I set out to do though. This was my final purchase of the month.
All in all it was a very no frills month, I don't think I did particularly brilliantly with anything but I think the £24 pounds I spent went a fairly long way. I really seem to investing less time in the retro hunting recently but trust me I still adore my old games and even if I never purchased another single game then id still have more than enough to play till the end of time
Wednesday, 5 June 2019
Madeline McCann: Funding granted for another year
So unless you have been living under a rock for the past decade then I am sure that you will have heard of Madeleine McCann the little girl who disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007 while on holiday with her parents (while left in the apartment alone while they visited a nearby tapas establishment).
I am not going to go into the minute details if your interested in knowing more I would strongly recommend you check out the decent netflix multi part documentary.
I remember the case well as I was working in a bar at the time and we regularly had the news on the telly, not only that but pretty much every customer who came through the door had an opinion.
Since then the story has never really gone away and even as my life has changed I have followed it. I spent a few years working with children and the topic would often be raised, with plenty of parents giving there own opinions of the whole affair. I think its just become one of those news stories which will never be forgotten.
In honesty though the truth is for all of the interest and all of the investigations we don't really know anymore now than we did back then and yet more than £11m has been spent on the Met Police inquiry alone which is officially known as Operation Grange, since it began back in 2011. Despite this the UK Home Office has said that it intends to continue funding this operation indicating that from now until march 2020 it will be getting a similar level of funding as it was granted for 2019, when the inquiry was given £300,000.
Now stop for just a minute and try to name 5 other children who have gone missing since Madeline.... I would imagine that right now most people would have either have drawn a complete blank or at best named one or two children.
So whats happened regarding Madeline in the last 6 years? Well Four people were identified as suspects in 2013 but no further action was taken after they were interviewed by both Portuguese officers and the Met Police and on the 10th anniversary of her dissaperance in 2017 detectives said that they were still pursuing a "critical line of inquiry" which from the lack of anything else being said you'd have to assume this line ran cold.
I think the harsh truth is that unfortunately children go missing all of the time and most are not fortunate enough to get 5% of the cash spent on them that Madeline has had spent on her. I think its time to let her go, now I'm sure someone will tell me that's not fair on her parents but is it really fair how much has been spent on her while other cases have practically been ignored?
Tuesday, 30 April 2019
My Retro Purchases in April 2019
So neither my blogging or my YouTubing have got off the ground again this month and I havent been taking photos of things either so once again there are going to be no pictures sorry about that I know its duller reading through lists like this without something to look at so I appologise hopefully by next month I will have at least sorted out a few pitures to make things a little more intresting.
My first retro purhases of the month happend on the 14th a complete Japanese copy of MRC racing for the N64 arrived that I had paid 2pounds for with free postage from ebay and from a small indy games store I got a complete copy of Sonic 2 for megadrive for 3pounds. The funny thing is a few days later a second complete copy of MRC arrived and when I messaged them about the error the seller just told me to keep it.
On the 21st I went on a carboot and got a whole bunch of things which I will go on to list below
For 1quid I got a small ds case with a loose mystery stories ds cart in it and 4 loose psp games been 10 alien force, ridge racer 2, after burner black falcon and monster Hunter portable 2g.
I got a loose Gameboy cart of sensible soccer European championship for 2quid
WWF Attitude loose cart for N64 for 1quid
For 5quid I got a TwoDS (a day piracy type cart that can do gba and D's games) with a 8gig sd card in it, a 512mb psp memory card, nhl96 for megadrive boxed no manual and a whole bunch of Mac os installation discs which might help with an old project I never finished.
For 2quid I got a loco roco demo disc for psp in it's packaging.
Bomberman fantasy race for ps1 boxed but missing manual for 50pence
Bubble Bobble revolution complete for ds for 1quid
Fable complete for the Xbox for a quid
and Duel masters for ps2 complete for 50pence
On the 27th I went in Game and they'd marked the two retron HD Nes consoles they had in stock down from 59.99 to 19.99 each so I purchased both of them figured I'd use one of them to play my NES carts from now on and not risk the actual console, surprised to find there are things I prefer about the cadet pad you get with it over the original NES pad. Overall I am very happy with these I wasnt sure with them being new wether to list them here or not but deided that as I consider them part of my retro stuff then why not.
On the 29th I went to the charity shop my daughter used to work at and one of the managers stopped me and said they had something to offer me, it was 3 boxed complete NES games for 2pound each. I brought them and I am very happy with them they are Mission Impossible, Isolated Warrior and Gauntlet 2. Awesome day especially as I can play them on my new retron HD.
I would call this a pretty darn good month I spent £64.98 which I dont think is a bad amount at all ,its not the most or least I have spent but I think for what I spent I got some pretty good stuff and the Retron HD consoles will help me to more easily enjoy the old Nintendo games I own this may atually make them my favourate purhases of the month although I am very very happy with the 3 boxed NES games.
My first retro purhases of the month happend on the 14th a complete Japanese copy of MRC racing for the N64 arrived that I had paid 2pounds for with free postage from ebay and from a small indy games store I got a complete copy of Sonic 2 for megadrive for 3pounds. The funny thing is a few days later a second complete copy of MRC arrived and when I messaged them about the error the seller just told me to keep it.
On the 21st I went on a carboot and got a whole bunch of things which I will go on to list below
For 1quid I got a small ds case with a loose mystery stories ds cart in it and 4 loose psp games been 10 alien force, ridge racer 2, after burner black falcon and monster Hunter portable 2g.
I got a loose Gameboy cart of sensible soccer European championship for 2quid
WWF Attitude loose cart for N64 for 1quid
For 5quid I got a TwoDS (a day piracy type cart that can do gba and D's games) with a 8gig sd card in it, a 512mb psp memory card, nhl96 for megadrive boxed no manual and a whole bunch of Mac os installation discs which might help with an old project I never finished.
For 2quid I got a loco roco demo disc for psp in it's packaging.
Bomberman fantasy race for ps1 boxed but missing manual for 50pence
Bubble Bobble revolution complete for ds for 1quid
Fable complete for the Xbox for a quid
and Duel masters for ps2 complete for 50pence
On the 27th I went in Game and they'd marked the two retron HD Nes consoles they had in stock down from 59.99 to 19.99 each so I purchased both of them figured I'd use one of them to play my NES carts from now on and not risk the actual console, surprised to find there are things I prefer about the cadet pad you get with it over the original NES pad. Overall I am very happy with these I wasnt sure with them being new wether to list them here or not but deided that as I consider them part of my retro stuff then why not.
On the 29th I went to the charity shop my daughter used to work at and one of the managers stopped me and said they had something to offer me, it was 3 boxed complete NES games for 2pound each. I brought them and I am very happy with them they are Mission Impossible, Isolated Warrior and Gauntlet 2. Awesome day especially as I can play them on my new retron HD.
I would call this a pretty darn good month I spent £64.98 which I dont think is a bad amount at all ,its not the most or least I have spent but I think for what I spent I got some pretty good stuff and the Retron HD consoles will help me to more easily enjoy the old Nintendo games I own this may atually make them my favourate purhases of the month although I am very very happy with the 3 boxed NES games.
Sunday, 31 March 2019
My Retro Purchases in March 2019
So its been another really slow month for buying retro games, I have purchased very little but I am not too worried about this, I am a little more worried that my blogging and YouTubing seems to have pretty much stopped but again not to worried, I dont think im coming to the end of my blogging days I just think this is a bit of a holiday period for me. Once again there are going to be no pictures because to cut to the chase I just didnt want to take the time to photo the stuff.
I didnt grab my first game until March the 18th when I grabbed Toejam and Earl for the megadrive boxed but no manual today 10quid from an Indy game store which seemed like a pretty good price at the time and upon further research I am really really happy I grabbed it because im darn sure that if I didnt I would have lived to regret it.
The next and last time I purchased retro games was on the 20th of March when I again visited a local Indy shop where I spent 15pounds and got 3 loose N64 carts wwf warzone, turok 2 and chopper attack and then got side pocket (American version) complete for the megadrive.
I didnt grab my first game until March the 18th when I grabbed Toejam and Earl for the megadrive boxed but no manual today 10quid from an Indy game store which seemed like a pretty good price at the time and upon further research I am really really happy I grabbed it because im darn sure that if I didnt I would have lived to regret it.
The next and last time I purchased retro games was on the 20th of March when I again visited a local Indy shop where I spent 15pounds and got 3 loose N64 carts wwf warzone, turok 2 and chopper attack and then got side pocket (American version) complete for the megadrive.
Thursday, 28 February 2019
My Retro Purchases in Febuary 2019
Well this month has been an incredibly slow month for retro game purchases. It hasnt been a total waste though, in fact I think I would argue that its a successful month because I didnt get much but I am happy with what I did get. I havent sorted out any pictures again this month, so I hope this doesnt dissapoint anyone too much.
My first purchases were on the 7th which in my oppinion was a pretty good day for the old retro gaming. I went in a charity shop like 5 minutes from my house on the way home from work and I got Windsurfers Paradise for the original Playstation sealed for 95pence, Ronin Blade for the original Playstation sealed for 95pence, Shadowman for the original Playstation sealed for 95pence, Who wants to be a Millionaire for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Harry Potter and the philosophers stone for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Freestyle Scooter for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Crash Bandicoot (Platinum version) for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Syphon Filter 2 (Platinum Version)for the original playstation complete for 50pence, and Crash Team Racing disc and manaul in empty case for 50pence. It was a really crazy amount of stuff picked up in one go for a really low price and it really made me happy.
My first purchases were on the 7th which in my oppinion was a pretty good day for the old retro gaming. I went in a charity shop like 5 minutes from my house on the way home from work and I got Windsurfers Paradise for the original Playstation sealed for 95pence, Ronin Blade for the original Playstation sealed for 95pence, Shadowman for the original Playstation sealed for 95pence, Who wants to be a Millionaire for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Harry Potter and the philosophers stone for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Freestyle Scooter for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Crash Bandicoot (Platinum version) for the original playstation complete for 50pence, Syphon Filter 2 (Platinum Version)for the original playstation complete for 50pence, and Crash Team Racing disc and manaul in empty case for 50pence. It was a really crazy amount of stuff picked up in one go for a really low price and it really made me happy.
Monday, 18 February 2019
How to use Microsoft game pass to save money and my opinion on Crackdown 4 and Forza Horrizon 4
So thanks to Microsofts gamepass which I am not sure if I would recomend at £7.99 a month of not but would very heartly recomend you try with the various try for £1 a month or £2 for two months deals they have been offering, I have managed to try a few things CrackDown 3 being one of them so I thought I would give a quick opinion on what I have tried. Starting with Crackdown 3 I think that it is important to say that so far I have only put a few hours in to it but from what I have played I have found it to be very enjoyable, it wont set the world on fire, in total honesty despite being prettier nothing much is that diffrent between this and the first game in the series but then again why try to fix what is not broken. If you enjoy open world games and like driving and shooting and taking down bad guys then you could certainly do a lot worse, I am not sure that it is really worth its full Recomended Retail Price though, in this case I actually feel that within a month of GamePass just playing it here and there that you would most likly have been able to see everything in the game you want to see and will have probably grown tired of it. So in this case I would strongly recomend that you grab game pass on offer if possible and play the heck out of the game grab some agility orbs, do some crazy stunts in the various cars but hold the majority of your cash back in order to buy something with a bit more to it than this.
I have also been playing Forza Horrizon 4 on Gamepass now this is a game that I do think has enough content and is good enough to buy but I figured that I would just keep playing it on gamepass until the cheap gamepass offers went away, at which point I will proberbly buy Horrizon 4 but I imagine by then it should be a darn site cheaper to grab a second hand copy from some video game shop or pawn store. I guess what I am trying to get at is the fact that if GamePass is cheap grab it and play as much stuff as you can because you will likly save yourself a tonne of cash either by finishing games and removing the need to buy them or at the very least tredding water for awile until the price of the games you want becomes lower.
I keep meaning to try Sea of Theieves but there is just so little time and so many games, I have also used GamePass to try a whole bunch of indy games and to even download Knights of the Old Republic a game I very much loved back on the original Xbox, sure I own this game, I have it somewere in my house but if its there and I can play it for awile at least and put off having to find the disc then why not.
If there is anything I believe in the world of video games its that you should try to get as much bang for your buck as you can, and I think with a little bit of tactical spending then GamePass can be your friend.
I have also been playing Forza Horrizon 4 on Gamepass now this is a game that I do think has enough content and is good enough to buy but I figured that I would just keep playing it on gamepass until the cheap gamepass offers went away, at which point I will proberbly buy Horrizon 4 but I imagine by then it should be a darn site cheaper to grab a second hand copy from some video game shop or pawn store. I guess what I am trying to get at is the fact that if GamePass is cheap grab it and play as much stuff as you can because you will likly save yourself a tonne of cash either by finishing games and removing the need to buy them or at the very least tredding water for awile until the price of the games you want becomes lower.
I keep meaning to try Sea of Theieves but there is just so little time and so many games, I have also used GamePass to try a whole bunch of indy games and to even download Knights of the Old Republic a game I very much loved back on the original Xbox, sure I own this game, I have it somewere in my house but if its there and I can play it for awile at least and put off having to find the disc then why not.
If there is anything I believe in the world of video games its that you should try to get as much bang for your buck as you can, and I think with a little bit of tactical spending then GamePass can be your friend.
Thursday, 31 January 2019
My Retro Purchases in January 2019
OK there wont be any pictures on this post and it probably wont be the best edited post, it also could be the last post for a little bit as my Laptop has broken, so consider this post a possible bye bye for now.
OK so I try to make good decisions when it comes to retro purchasing and I try not to take that big a risk with things but this month I think I have kind of been a little more reckless and not made as good decisions in some cases.
My Retro purchasing didnt start until the 7th of the month when I Spent £19 on a box of stuff and as I was buying it I kind of knew that it arguably was not worth it. So what did I get in the box well I got a PS One with a genuine power supply and TV lead but no joypad, A none functioning PS2 , 2 official ps2 memory cards, two ps2 TV leads, a brand new ethernet cable and a generic dual analog usb pc pad. They were completly honest that the PS2 didnt even turn on and thats exactly what I wanted at that moment in time, I was less looking for something retro and more looking for a project to occupy me and give me a puzzle to work out to be honest. The big problem was that the puzzle took me like 15 minutes to sort out , basically it was all down to loose connections and it was a quick fix. Once I sorted it out and turned it on Ifound out that it had the little bonus of having a really good condition disc copy of Burnout Revenge inside it. I had thought that if the PS1 didn't work then I would remove its cd drive and transplant it into a chipped PS1 I own which has a really iffy CD lens which semi works semi doesnt, in the end though the PS1 worked perfectly even playing a really really scratched disc I put in it effortlessly so I didn't feel I should take anything out of it or mess with it.
OK so I try to make good decisions when it comes to retro purchasing and I try not to take that big a risk with things but this month I think I have kind of been a little more reckless and not made as good decisions in some cases.
My Retro purchasing didnt start until the 7th of the month when I Spent £19 on a box of stuff and as I was buying it I kind of knew that it arguably was not worth it. So what did I get in the box well I got a PS One with a genuine power supply and TV lead but no joypad, A none functioning PS2 , 2 official ps2 memory cards, two ps2 TV leads, a brand new ethernet cable and a generic dual analog usb pc pad. They were completly honest that the PS2 didnt even turn on and thats exactly what I wanted at that moment in time, I was less looking for something retro and more looking for a project to occupy me and give me a puzzle to work out to be honest. The big problem was that the puzzle took me like 15 minutes to sort out , basically it was all down to loose connections and it was a quick fix. Once I sorted it out and turned it on Ifound out that it had the little bonus of having a really good condition disc copy of Burnout Revenge inside it. I had thought that if the PS1 didn't work then I would remove its cd drive and transplant it into a chipped PS1 I own which has a really iffy CD lens which semi works semi doesnt, in the end though the PS1 worked perfectly even playing a really really scratched disc I put in it effortlessly so I didn't feel I should take anything out of it or mess with it.
Saturday, 26 January 2019
Why You should read Go Set a Watcman
So over the last week I have read the book Go Set a Watchman which for those who dont know is a novel written by Harper Lee which was published in 2015. Harper Lee's first book To Kill a Mocking Bird is considerd an american classic and is something which has been taught for its literary merits in various countries over the years, not only was it conciderd a stone cold classic it was also turned in to a very well considerd movie. With to Kill a Mocking Birds central character Atticus Finch sort of going on to be considerd as a role model with almost perfect morals in an in perfect world.
Go Set a Watchman was initially promoted and sold by its publisher as a sequel To Kill a Mocking Bird but it is now more widely accepted as being a sort of first draft of the famous novel. There was some degree of outcry after people had read the book as it basically showed you diffrent characters from the original book in a diffrent light, I however think that this book works as a perfect sequel and I would strongly recomend that people read it, in fact I would go on to strongly recomend that certain people read it in particular and read it now.
At first I didnt get why the book had the title that it has, sure it sort of has the same sort of words and rhythem to it when said aloud as To Kill a Mocking Bird but the reason it has its title is that the title is taken from the bible Isaiah 21:6: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.". OK I will be heading into slight spoiler territory from here so if you just want my oppinion on the book then it is an absolute master piece go and read it. For those of you who dont mind a sprinkle of spoileridge and want to know a little more read on. Well you know how I said that Atticus Finch was a sort of morally perfect man? Well this is the view his daughter Jean Louise Finch AKA Scout has of him as well both in To Kill a Mocking Bird and initially in this book, he is the ''Watchman'' in the town of Maycomb, watching over all that happens and trying to keep jusitce and truth on top.
This book is for me at least about what happens when you realise that somone you looked up to, someone who you saw as a moral beacon does or says something which seriously makes you question your view of them. In this particular instance it deals with a young adult woman who learns that her Father does not quiet stand up to the high moral pedastool that she has placed him on. She learns that there are things she does not agree with him on, and things she thinks she knows better about than he does. I think the book serves as a moral lesson that at some point you need to stand on your own two feet, and think for yourself even if this means you have to disagree with people you love and look up to, you cant be a real adult until you step out stand in the sun and say this is what I think and this is whar I believe to be true instead of always looking to somone else you consider more intelgent or more moral to lead the way for you. You need to learn to voice your own oppinions but do it in a respectable way. For me this book was a well written story which held an even deeper lesson and I think it should be read by anyone who is trying to become a fully fledged indivudal. If I worked for a college or universtiy in an English department id slap this book on a sylabus so fast because I think its something young people need to read, because even at my age I know its had an effect on me and I can only dream the effect this would have had if I had read it during a crucial turning point in my younger days, real literature should do more than tell a story it should move you right in the core of you heart and soul.
Monday, 7 January 2019
Thursday, 3 January 2019
RIP Mean Gene Okerlund
It was just the other night that I was watching a DVD of Survivor Series, in this DVD Hulk Hogan lost the belt to the UnderTaker. Awile after this Mean Gene Okerlund went down in to the catacombs to interview thr new Champion the UnderTaker. Throught the whole DVD I was pretty much sat going to my daughter oh this is The Mountie, this is the Beserker and going on to give her mini histories of each individual including things such as how long there careers went on, what there highlights were. Then like the very next day I was reading through stuff on the internet and I was very sad to learn that good old 'Mean' Gene Okerlund had passed away.
WWE posted the news of Okerlund's death on their official website but no cause of death has been given as yet, Mean Gene was 76. The man had a career within the wrestling industry which spanned over five decades, I dont think I would be wrong in saying that within the wrestling industry Mean Gene was one of the finest ever interviewers and presenters. Yes the wrestlers have always done a great job in providing entertainment but people like Mene Gene were always there to add a layer of polish and professionalism to procedings, if it wasnt for Mene Gene then the WWF/WWE would not have been as enjoyable as it was for kids like me, if it hadnt been for the work of those around the ring in none wrestling roles such as Mene Gene, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby the Brain and various others then we all proberbly would have been a lot quicker to realise that what we were essentially watching was a bunch of oily men performing pantomime slap fighting. Mean Gene made not only mine but so many other peoples childhoods just that little bit more magical.
Mean Gene was Born Eugene Arthur Okerlund on the 19th of December in 1942 in Sisseton, South Dakota. Originally he started out as a radio broadcast journalist before becoming an interviewer forthe AWA (American Wrestling Association). When Vince McMahon began purchsaing the territories in the mid-'80s, he ended up being Okerlunds new employer. As an announcer Mean Gene would turn out to be one of McMahon's most valuable employees. Mean Gene would stay with the WWF for nine years as their top interviewer, and was also the host of various WWF shows. In a world full of cartoon wrestlers Okerlund was the perfect touch of class brought to procedings, and his presence would be much appreciated on shows such as Prime Time Wrestling and he would appear in some capacity at pretty much every major PPV, he even sang the national anthem at the first WrestleMania. Stupidly WCW failed to offer Okerlund a new contract and so he was snapped up by the WCW in 1993, something which I think really helped lend the WCW as a company a real sense of legitimacy.
Okerlund would return to WWE at WrestleMania X-Seven for the 'Gimmick Battle Royal' following the WWE's purchase of WCW, he was given a contract from there on and would sparodically appear, in 2006, he was very rightly inducted into the WWE's Hall of Fame.
Rest in Peace Mr Okerlund you will be very much missed
WWE posted the news of Okerlund's death on their official website but no cause of death has been given as yet, Mean Gene was 76. The man had a career within the wrestling industry which spanned over five decades, I dont think I would be wrong in saying that within the wrestling industry Mean Gene was one of the finest ever interviewers and presenters. Yes the wrestlers have always done a great job in providing entertainment but people like Mene Gene were always there to add a layer of polish and professionalism to procedings, if it wasnt for Mene Gene then the WWF/WWE would not have been as enjoyable as it was for kids like me, if it hadnt been for the work of those around the ring in none wrestling roles such as Mene Gene, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby the Brain and various others then we all proberbly would have been a lot quicker to realise that what we were essentially watching was a bunch of oily men performing pantomime slap fighting. Mean Gene made not only mine but so many other peoples childhoods just that little bit more magical.
Mean Gene was Born Eugene Arthur Okerlund on the 19th of December in 1942 in Sisseton, South Dakota. Originally he started out as a radio broadcast journalist before becoming an interviewer forthe AWA (American Wrestling Association). When Vince McMahon began purchsaing the territories in the mid-'80s, he ended up being Okerlunds new employer. As an announcer Mean Gene would turn out to be one of McMahon's most valuable employees. Mean Gene would stay with the WWF for nine years as their top interviewer, and was also the host of various WWF shows. In a world full of cartoon wrestlers Okerlund was the perfect touch of class brought to procedings, and his presence would be much appreciated on shows such as Prime Time Wrestling and he would appear in some capacity at pretty much every major PPV, he even sang the national anthem at the first WrestleMania. Stupidly WCW failed to offer Okerlund a new contract and so he was snapped up by the WCW in 1993, something which I think really helped lend the WCW as a company a real sense of legitimacy.
Okerlund would return to WWE at WrestleMania X-Seven for the 'Gimmick Battle Royal' following the WWE's purchase of WCW, he was given a contract from there on and would sparodically appear, in 2006, he was very rightly inducted into the WWE's Hall of Fame.
Rest in Peace Mr Okerlund you will be very much missed
Wednesday, 2 January 2019
My Review of The Evil Dead and how I first experianced it
So yesterday I posted a link to my YouTube video on the film White Zombie, so I am back today talking once again about Zombies but a diffrent kind of Zombie and a diffrent kind of film. Anyways back when I was a
kid in the United Kingdom there were quiet a few films that were
banned. These were called the Video nasties and were
films which were criticised for their violent content by the press,
social commentators and various religious organisations.
Following a moral campaign led by Mary
Whitehouse and the National
Viewers' and Listeners' Association films began to be prosecuted
under the Obscene Publications Act of 1959. A list of 72 films was
released films that the police would cease from video rental shops
and which it would essentially be illegal to sell or rent. The Evil
Dead didnt stay on the list long but when it was released it had
content cut out of it, infact you couldnt get the whole film complete
free of cuts until the year 2000. The DPP72 is something I have talked about many times before in the past on both this blog and on my previous blog before the site which hosted it closed down, I guess this is because censorship is something that I have always been quiet passionate about but it wasnt until now that I decided that I wanted to make a YouTube Video on one of the DPP72 films. The reason I wanted to make a video about The Evil Dead is because I felt like I had something slightly novel to say about the film and about my experiance originally watching it, you know that with the internet and YouTube there are so many users that pretty much every single film, song and book in existance must have been talked about a million diffrent times, by a whole bunch of diffrent people and because of this sometimes you feel like why should I talk about it? What do I have to offer on the subject that no one else does, and this is why I often feel happier talking about what a game or film means to me, about how I came upon it and how it affected my life instead of just reviewing it because after all anyone can review an item but not everyone will have experianced it in the same way.
Ok so if you have watched my YouTube video
then you will have noticed that the footage I am talking over in it is all
over the place, for a start the picture is of an incredably low
quality but beyond that it jumps from color to black and white, the
picture suddenly brakes into moments of static , there are foreign
sub titles on the screen at points, well there is a reason for this
and that is because the first time I saw the Evil Dead it was on a
VHS cassette which had all of these issues a poor quality picture ,
foreign subtitles the whole shebang so I figured that I would mess
with this footage to try and recreate for you the sort of feeling I
had while originally wathing this film. Sure it wont be exactly what I watched as a youngster but I have tried to recreate the experiance at least in a short form to try and give people an idea of what watching this film back in that point of time would have been like for me.
The film was brought to my house one night by a
childhood friend of mine who had borrowed it from his Sister.. It was
a pirate VHS tape with the name of the film written on it in pen and
it felt sort of both special and naughty to be wathing it , hey I was
only like 14 at the time and the shoddy quality gave the film a sort
of even more scary vibe it felt like this little bit of ghoulish
horror which had been dug up from somewere and passed from hand to
hand, it was scratchy and rough around the edges and somehow this
actually added to the whole experience. You would think all of the
issues put me off but no actually they kind of drew me into the film
and made watching it feel like an event.
At the time I appreciated the film on one level but on watching it again and again I have noticed more things about it for one I think the film is full of fantastic camera work, the evil in the film is given this amazing sense of presence via the movement of the camera. I could talk about this film all day but I would rather people watch my Video after all I put a lot of work into it, so consider this me saying pretty please.... Oh and by the way have a happy New Year.
Tuesday, 1 January 2019
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