January 2025 wrap-up

In January 2025...

Played: Creaks (2020); Obduction (2017); Scar of the Doll (1998; 2017); The Caribbean Sail (2017); Eric the Unready (1993); Stars Die (2020); Cocoon (2023); various shooters

Got: nought

Favourite: The top 3 is Creaks, Obduction and Eric... but the favourite has to be Obduction. It was a new experience and finally let myself get immersed into a type of mystery I hadn't managed to before. The "ah-ha!" moments are delightful and the pace that you keep cracking them away and progressively unpeeling the gameworld is sublime. By the end it does become unfortunately absurd in its mechanics but, in a way, it too was memorable.

Read: Home Computers: 100 Icons that Defined a Digital Generation; História de Portugal em Datas; Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty; The Dreamcast Encyclopedia.

Got: Dreamcast Encyclopedia, GameCube Anthology, Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty, Alan Partridge: Every Ruddy Word, Teddy Boys by Max Decharné

Favourite: Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty. It had been too long since I had dove into this series and I had a fantastic time, rediscovering it. The fact that it was by reading the scripts instead of by watching it does not change a bit. I love this medium as everything is as memorable in my head than if I had seen it.

Listened to (new): nought

Got: Rose City Band - Sol Y Sombra

Favourite (new): nought

Final thoughts: This month marked the restart of writing after a long hiatus. I seem to have taken to it and managed to put down my thoughts on a few subjects. It was also marked by a few other conscious decisions like buying less games, or not buying anymore from the "Az" book store.
 

So far, so good. I managed to not only replay games I was fond of, but also rediscover a few I had bought before but hadn't really got stuck in them. Books-wise it was a bit more mixed between new and old as I started the month with another big order. I will have to try and be less fanciful. Music-wise things are somewhat muted because I have mosty listened to music when driving. My strange mental block with YouTube is now almost come to one year. I will have to go back into it sooner or later. I must surely have dozens if not hundreds of videos to listen to, and I'm sure a good deal of them will be good. New artists I haven't heard yet, and artists I already know and love with new songs and records.

February is the shortest month of the year. I don't expect drastic changes from January. In part due to the bitter cold of January I have neglected playing the guitar. I could point to this as my goal for this month. To listen to and to play more music.

Stars Die (2020)

Stars Die was an impressive début by Eric Juvi and his team. Mechanically it has lots of things that remind me of a mix between Outer Wilds and Sentient with the obvious fact that this is a necessarily more restrained experience coming from an independent developer. Having played it once before in 2022, and with 5 more endings to go, this was a game that stuck in the memory as one to replay in the future.

Immediately you’re off to a great start, with little information as to why you’re on a boat that’s heading into the strangest island you’ve ever seen. You soon discover this strange island is already a base for some sort of scientific research. How you get out is now your choice (fuel’s out, by the way).

The gimmick here is both the real time clock, as well as a conversation system that attempts to be very skeptical of what NPCs tell you and, for that reason, appears less game-y and more realistic. Being able to second-guess or operate in a way that’s different from video game logic gives you more freedom in how to rationalize your approach to the story even if the end result is more or less the same and sooner or later you are forced to make a decision and suffer its consequences story-wise.

The meat of the game, that warrants multiple playthroughs, are the interactions, motives and schedules of the 4 NPCs and yourself as the main character and, in a way, the island itself. For this reason the characters are complex. Even though you might only have one or two conversations with each, they have their specific reasons and motivations for being on the island, and for wanting or not wanting to leave it. This gives them a lot of depth and, in a way, you end up being able to relate to each and everyone of them. They all have specific schedules that happen at determinate times. You can make use of a radio to know where each character is, or even to set up a meeting somewhere at a certain time, and characters will traverse the island in real time to that destination.

One unfortunate aspect of the game that is needlessly confusing is traversing the world. The island is, of course, quite weird, yet your movement is more akin to a speed racer on a Wipeout track, and you glide away through confusing and quite long tracks (for lack of a better term) as you attempt to reach the designated area you are supposed to get to. Should you fall off a cliff, no problem, you just keep walking on – and feel free to take comically large jumps. This breaks immersion even though you might accept that perhaps reality’s rules do not apply in this place. I can understand this choice as a way to let you freely explore the strange world and to add time and distance between places but, in pratical terms, and because you’ll be replaying the game, you end up feeling like you’re doing laps following the other characters around the map. I feel, for this type of game, it would probably be beneficial to have a different approach to character tracking or perhaps better defined areas, like a text adventure.

A relaxed playthrough, pondering over the story and taking in the lo-fi vistas will hardly take an hour. In the end, most of the gameplay is centered around about 4 or 5 key conversations and travelling between where these happen. Even though the island is mysterious, it’s not overwhelmingly large. The characters themselves may have a lot to say, but they will only talk about matters at hand. There is also a decent amount of secrets, especially considering the scope of this game, that you’ll need to discover to see all endings. The story, perhaps because this game came out in 2020, focus somewhat on doom through life, on the unknown and on paradigm shifts. As you go through each playthrough and explore different options you get the full picture and realize a lot about yourself – and by this I mean not only your character, which is as mysterious as the island, but your own self as a person.

This is perhaps the game’s biggest virtue and the one that made it so interesting. As you peel away the story you discover that people are indeed complex, that perhaps these 5 characters are 5 personality traits, 5 little voices in your head, that all are valid and that are not dogmatic, they second-guess themselves. This perhaps shows, in the end, that we can only solve complex problems and go through crises when we hear everyone out and understand each others’ actions and motivations. Notably, when faced with the same problem, people react differently, whether because they gauge risk differently or because of their own sense of self. Thus, as a message that could only be conveyed through interactive media, it’s become game as art.
What we have on offer here, then, is an intriguing, replayable, experience worth more than its price of admission. An inquest into personality when push comes to shove and, on a more base level, a satisfying exploration of a complex but contained sf story. For these reasons, and unless you need gameplay with more action than introspection, it’s hard not to recommend this one.

Blackadder

Everyone knows Mr Bean, perhaps the most recognizable (almost) silent comedy character post Chaplin's "The Tramp", even if a lot more basic and "grosser." When something gets so popular it becomes part of the cultural fabric it's sometimes easy to dismiss. Mr Bean's original TV series were so much better than any of the movies.

But what is even more surprising is that, having created this iconic silent character, Rowan Atkinson also excelled at one of the wittiest characters in British TV, that of Blackadder. It had been decades since I had last seen the show and I had forgotten some of the details but not the broad strokes. As its four seasons follow four distinct characters in four distinct time periods (each a descendant of the next), what is curious, and a detail I had forgotten, is that their standing within their own universe is different. In the first season, Blackadder is the cowardly second son of Richard IV, and he intends to become king. In season two, he's now a witty and sarcastic Lord councillor to Elizabeth I, and he intends to put down his archrival Lord Melchett as the Queen's favourite. Then in number 3, he's now a butler to the oaf Prince George, future King George IV, and he intends to become rich to escape this ghastly life. Finally, in the last season, he's a captain during WWI, and he intends to survive or escape war.

It's hard to say which is the best as they're so different. The fact that it revolves around historical reenactment and not a character that's set in stone allows for a lot of variety in terms of episodes, which pretty much are all classics (just 6 episodes each season - plus a few specials with characters in different eras).

Often we are doomed to think "oh, if they ever did another season..." but, like many classic shows, there'a certain quality in it being a complete finite piece, even if (almost) everyone's still alive. A product of its time, sure, but also the fact that it was what it was, warts and all, and the episodes that do exist become a lot more special for it.

Eric the Unready (1993)

Eric the Unready

Eric the Unready is a very well developed game, a fact that is betrayed by its sarcastic and comical setting. Having coming out at a time when text adventures were quite passé (came out the same year Myst did), it takes that fact by making it perhaps one of the strongest and most streamlined games of its kind. Apart from the interactive and well-made graphics, the game accepts parser, clickable hotpoints on screen and a drop down menu, as well as a text only mode. Complementing the pictures, the descriptions are plentiful and endearing and there is even a Beyond Zork-like map. I wouldn’t say every joke is a hit, particularly some which are even for 1993 were already past topical, but it is well written, the rhythm well paced and even something that falls flat might still originate a low chuckle.

The setting is that of the bumbling unlikely hero in a time of medieval cloak and dagger along with a lot of humourous anachronisms and magic. Bumbling heroes are, of course, a dime a dozen in adventure games, a staple that has proven time and time again to be a good fit for this medium as the various interactions with the gameworld inevitably result in hilarity. There are of course many classic medieval games, especially King’s Quest and Defender of the Crown and Eric rips into them delightfully. One also imagines there is quite a bit of Spamalot in here as references are not just limited to computer games – later a whole episode on Star Trek and many other topical references that have lost relevance or meaning.

Despite the game being long and with many locales, unlike Zork or Adventure type games where you can freely roam around the map and have a few puzzles to solve at the same time, here you’re usually presented with a setpiece at a time. Think of it somewhat like an episode, as almost everything is self-contained, apart from some items. This makes the game a lot more focused and less frustrating. The absurdist setting might presuppose equally absurd puzzle solutions but it is not (always) so, at least at first. For the most part puzzles make sense and are not absurdly challenging. The story strings you along and what you need to do is clear and how to do it as well. The streamlined gameplay makes interacting with the gameworld a breeze. Even while I preferred to use the parser it accepted complex sentences and “understood” most of what was thrown at it. Nonetheless, perhaps due to the comical and magical setting, some puzzles do take some imagination to fathom and are occasionally groan-worthy in their solutions (in particular pun-based solutions). Some episodes, then, are quite harder or easier than others, and not in a continuous way. Apart from the very last one, which was more frustrating than hard, the second to last is quite accessible, though two of the middle ones were quite difficult to get through.

In all, a fun game to play, with many mechanics implemented to reduce frustation, a simple story that is most enjoyable as small episodes and varied gameplay. A note as well for GOG version (presumably Steam’s as well), which includes not only the scan of the original manual but an original hint book as well with both vague and specific hints. In all, a very complete package that, while making fun of its history, is at the same time one of the most accomplished and entertaining commercial text adventures I’ve enjoyed.

The Caribbean Sail (2017)

 

The Caribbean Sail is a rogue-like that is a bit different. You play a Captain who takes possession of his first ship and crew. There are two skeleton stories, one more grounded in reality, the other more on the realm of fantasy, both involving pirates. 

One of the main aspects of the game has to be its presentation. Retro-looking, with strong white on black features and great use of colour, it strikes a note between DOS and late Apple II games. It’s clearly inspired on some classics. Obviously Uncharted Waters and Sid Meier’s Pirates, but also The Oregon Trail.

You are then tasked to explore the few ports of the world, taking merchandise and attacking or being attacked, at the same time trying to keep alive at sea over hunger, disease, mutiny or just plain cruel luck.

For its retro presentation the game is surprisingly deep, with a few subsystems like fishing, keel sounding, ship upgrading, character upgrading, a reputation system, a “Mexican” standoff, among others. By themselves the systems are simple, but as they interplay, things get interesting. As in any rogue, luck and random events has a lot to do with the challenge. How you deal with them and how well you've developed your game will play a lot into success. 

Unfortunately it also commits the usual sin of rogue-like game design. Playing more is as rewarding as playing better. This means that the longer you play the less challenging it gets as you progressively unlock better ships and character backstories which have better skills or deeper starting funds. Thus, there is no scaling of the challenge, as what was unfathomable at first becomes trivial later. There is a long list of upgrades but, in the end, they do not impact gameplay significantly. The challenge then ends up falling on luck, as a bad spell can have devastating consequences - in the standard mode death will erase your save (keeping of course everything you’ve unlocked for subsequent runs).

You can take it not for more than what it is. Sooner or later you’ll realise you’re just playing with chance algorithms, random events get repetitive and upgrading for the sake of upgrading will feel like ultimately a waste of time. 
Yet, on the other hand, the game is perfect for what it is. The setting is fresh and the presentation inviting. This is a small, ambitious game that provides quite a bit of play within and, as you explore the world and deal with tough, split-second decisions to try and brave through just those few more nautical miles and into harbour, there is that spur to keep your save going, try for one more run from Belém to Shanghai if your ship will take it.

Scar of the Doll (1998; 2017)

 Late last year I played three remarkable old style Japanese adventures, on the trot: Retro Mystery Club volumes 1 (The Ise-Shima Case) and 2 (The Beppu Case) and The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case The Okhotsk Disappearance (~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~) [posted in the 2024 retrospective]. What made them remarkable? Perhaps first, as someone who lived through the lean years of Japanese imports, the fact that these games are even coming out is amazing, let alone Okhotsk being remade 40 years after release. The other is how fresh they seem. Japanese-style adventures came up late. Earlier home microcomputers notoriously had difficulty in allowing the various “alphabets” used in the Japanese language. This made difficult the use of parsers. Not much later, the domination of the Famicom at home instituted a menu-based interface. This makes these games less of a chancer in terms of trying to guess what the parser will recognize but does tend to make them very straightforward. Thus what came to be called visual or sound novels were born. Still, the average visual or sound novel is either an erotic embarrassment or a teenage cutesy drama. So the freshness is how mature these games look and feel. The themes are grim and hard, and the tone is serious. A far cry from the usual light-hearted stuff.

Scar of the Doll was a small and unexpected indie/doujin hit when it came out in 1998. Its developer is sparsely credited, mainly known for the PS3 exclusive Folklore, which was critically claimed but flopped commercially. At this time there are two versions on Steam. A 2017 version that translated into English but kept almost everything the same, including music and art-style and a 2023 remake version that, unfortunately, redraws the original art to a generic modern anime-like (and costs over twice as much). I have only played the 2017 version.

Gameplay is very limited. It’s all menu-based which offers you some options to move between areas or decide whom to talk to. The challenge relies on making the right choices. A “wrong” choice invariably ends in a game over. Thus, it’s somewhat a game of attrition to constantly replay scenes until you figure out the right choice to move on. This makes it sound like an incredibly dull task but there are a few design options that ease this pain. The first is a small but useful hint at the end of each game over that tells you what you did wrong or didn’t do right. The other is the fact that you can save quite often, so a replay can only be a case of replaying one scene, and not the whole game from the start. The game over situation adds the necessary amount of tension to proceedings, in addition to the thriller-type storyline, and gives this the description of a game, rather than just a book, which you read passively. The game world is quite small in terms of locations but, as any interactive fiction player knows, this is a plus, as it makes the story and exploration more focused. The art-style is sparse but, for me, quite charming. It does look somewhat antiquated, and I have to assume it felt so already when it came out in 1998.

Finally, a game like this lives and dies by its story. Without spoiling it, this starts as a missing person investigation and later introduces some science fiction undertones but still grounded on the present day, planet Earth. By this I mean that thematically it explores the ethics of scientific advancement. Do not expect laser guns or spaceships or anything of that sort. The action is mostly set in a university lab and most of the characters are in that periphery. Being a short story (point to point, not taking in the need to replay scenes), characters are somewhat well developed.

Is this game worth it? Yes. I don’t think there’s anything quite like this, in an official English language version out there. At $4/€4/£3.40 full price for three hours of your time even if it’s too alien an experience for action gamers or someone who is just not into this, I’m sure no one will feel cheated out of their money either. At discount it’s an absolute steal, even if you treat it like an interactive book rather than a game. There just isn’t anything quite like this.

On a historical note this is quite a remarkable game for being a hit for computers in Japan in 1998. Remember this was the year when Metal Gear Solid came out for the PlayStation (another Japanese game that explored similar themes, although in a more militaristic way), inaugurating the modern cinematic game on consoles – right on the other end of the spectrum of Scar of the Doll.

The Complete Scripts...

I’ve enjoyed reading TV series scripts for a long time. At a time when seeing the episodes on demand was not an option I avidly devoured Monty Python’s Just the Words. Later, I enjoyed in my small collection the complete Royle Family, the season 1 of Green Wing and Karl Pilkington’s shows with Ricky and Steven for the radio. These have been great especially to relive the shows. Over the past few months, another series I enjoy very much, Inside Number 9, has been coming out with their scripts, three seasons a volume. As a rare case of longevity for a British comedy show, the fact is I had only watched the show up to season 6. My cable provider stopped handling BBC Prime and I was left without a legal, simple, way to watch it. Thus the last volume of the book of scripts, season 7 to 9 proved a revelation. I was able to enjoy episodes I was not familiar with in a way I did not think previously would have been possible. Images started forming in my mind just like I was watching a show. I had a lot of fun with it and I would consider pretty much an equivalent to watching the show. It’s true you may miss something with the cinematography, but the mind’s eye, as well as the keen writing puts it in a different league. You may lose something but there’s something to gain that can’t just be shown on screen.

This revelation enthused me to pursue more book scripts. I got the Fawlty Towers one (quite familiar with the show) and now the complete Black Adder and the complete Alan Partridge (only sporadically familiar with either). It has to be said, while both Rowan Atkinson and Steve Coogan are great actors, they’re great writers too, and they were also abetted by other great writers like Richard Curtis, John Lloyd, Ben Elton, (for Black Adder) Peter Baynham, Armando Ianucci and Patrick Marber (for Alan Partridge).

I have to recommend these sort of books as a great way to relive favourite episodes or discover unknown ones. They all seem to also have a bit of “flavour” text or commentary that makes them that little bit more worthwhile (over just watching the show). In a time of increasing digitalization and lack of ownership or artistic media this has been, to me, an affordable way of enjoying my favourites, in a way that is also collectable.

 

Obduction (2016)

 Myst (1993) is a classic and at this time still one of the most historically relevant computer games. Its impact on the industry is absolutely relevant as the killer app that cemented CD-ROM and Windows as standards, while in terms of game design it delivered the final blow that relegated text adventures to the realm of the dedicated indie set. Despite this it ended up taking the mantle of the thinking man’s game, especially considering that 1993 saw the release of another of computer game’s milestones: DOOM. Myst sold the computer, but after getting utterly confused after the first few areas, everyone put it back in the box and booted up a pirated floppy of DOOM. I personally didn’t grow up on Myst although I recall trying realMyst and I’ve played a quite few of its clones over the years. Of these, the ones I most fondly remember are The Neverhood (1996) which for years was a true favourite, The Last Express (1997) which is another favourite although played much later, Ring (1998), Return to Mysterious Island (2004) and certainly a few other, mainly European early XXI century ones, whose names now escape me. I would consider The Return of the Obra Dinn, a top favourite, something else entirely that happens to share some of the same game mechanics.

Much like text adventures, Myst and its clones usually provide their most memorable moments right at the beginning, where the average player will progress to. Progress was usually slow, puzzles doted with hard to grasp logic which were usually incoherent with the logic set of the game world ("why would an alien race hide a teleport device behind a checkers puzzle?").

I had tried Obduction once before but hadn’t given it a proper go as I invariably got distracted with something else. The Riven remake that came out this year caught my eye and I thought now was the time to get into this. As for first impressions it’s hard to believe this game is going to be 9 years old this year because it looks incredible. The game was co-developed as a VR game and some measure of this is palpable in the way you interact with the world. I don’t have a VR set but I can say that this would be a game that I would really like to see in VR and the fact that it was made with VR in mind in no way detracts from playing it without VR. Movement is either free-flowing or scene by scene as in the old games – I opted to play free-flowing.

There are a couple of design choices that are worth addressing in a positive light. One is the use of FMV. You know in FMV you rarely get outstanding acting but it adds to the quirk of the game and it looks fine in the otherwise photorealistic environments, much more so than animated polygons would. Since these scenes are quite few it does add to the charm and nostalgia. Another point is the complete lack of an inventory. What this means is that every puzzle will be solvable by what is there: buttons, doors, pulleys, teleporters, you name it. This lack of objects also means there is no map, which as the gameworld gathers complexity may or may not become a problem. This is a bit of a nod as well to the old. It’s almost mandatory to take notes (digital or otherwise) to beat the game.

As far as the important first impressions go it is rightly impressive how perfectly the challenges are laid. Right from the start you see doors you can’t open yet, rivers that are yet uncrossable and machines you can’t operate. But, little by little, the challenges keep coming and you start taking down, one by one, all the barriers put in front of you. What is immediately surprising is that right up until the end, while challenging there is none of the abstract “puzzling for the sake of being puzzling” designs here. Everything makes sense and as long as you’re thorough, a good observant and make notes everything is surmountable. This is a delight as you make progress relatively quickly and being stuck is usually just a case of perhaps something which was forgotten, overlooked or un-noted. Above all, everything makes sense.

The gameworld is the ultimate puzzle, the one every small puzzle contributes to. Apart from making it technically so satisfying to uncover and beautiful to see, the fact is that there is also artistic merit in the way it is designed, unifying western and s-f sensibilities with a touch of the steampunk added in. The lack of a map forces you to build a mental map of the long-game puzzle which happens to be the game world itself. Unfortunately, the last quarter or fifth of the game, without spoiling anything hopefully, becomes quite a lot more convoluted and inane and, quite frankly, just laborious and artificially annoying puzzles surface (what I mean by this: for instance having to physically travel between far away locations to move different pieces on the same puzzle).
While movement is relatively zippy thanks to the WASD+Shift controls, the fact is by end-game you’re moving all over the map because certain areas are only accessible through other specific areas. Some sort of instant travel would have made it rather less painful although, in a way, contrary to its heritage.

Also unlike most other games of the same type the story is especially captivating. While later on it gets understandably convoluted, there is an intrigue here as you peel back the layers and start to understand what is really going on. The fact that this is done all by exploring the game world made it a lot more endearing. In a game with few characters and where everything, to some extent, has already happened, I have to consider this fact quite worthy of merit.

What to make of Obduction then? For me this was the most technically enjoyable first-person, Myst-like adventure I’ve played. Of course, The Neverhood and The Last Express are gems just by being what they are, although its technical issues stopped them from living up to the expectations they set. On the other hand Obduction actually moves the now dilapidated genre forward. It’s interesting that it came out in the same year as The Witness, which was far more celebrated then. Still, I would consider this one the better game, even if conceptually not as refreshing. Its real inventiveness lies in the way Cyan presents the gameworld. It’s a closed structure that you’re gradually uncovering in a flawless rhythm. It’s a shame that that rhythm comes to a syncopated, irregular and sweaty ending. Running out of steam? A nod to their heritage and the fans from back then? The result of being a Kickstarter-funded game?
All things considered, and in a way, I would argue that these sort of games, much like their polar opposites arcade games, aren’t as much meant to be beaten but to be enjoyed, within your own limits, for as long as possible. In that sense, the way it sets a perfect pacing of the puzzles and opening up the gameworld like a flower at the start is done in a way which I hadn’t really experienced before. Its last leg is perhaps thought of as a punishing boss – something cruel and laborious where only masochists will persevere.

Although I suspect the Myst and Riven remakes, adapted as they are for modern sensibilities will not change their core content and should still be filled with puzzling inanity. However, I have certainly renewed my interest in Firmament (2023), which seems to have gone under the radar. While Obduction's last impressions weren’t as enchanting as the first, I have no doubt I will want to replay this, to soak in its atmosphere and relive the enjoyment of reconnecting all of this wonderful game world again.

2024 - IV

As we're finally wrapping up 2024, and having started going into books last time around, we'll continue with the rest of the books I went into. I'll add that I have read more than the ones here, but these are the ones I wish to highlight. In 2025 I'll hopefully detail everyone I read or re-read.

 

In completely unexpected fashion (pun intended) Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion was certainly one of my books of 2024. Essential insight into every piece of male dress, from head to toe, as well as historical information. This was a subject that was beforehand interesting to me and it was fascinating to read at length and in such an informative way about it. It also deals with the apparent paradox of permanent fashion - that is, the fashion that never goes out of fashion. Shoes, trousers, shirts and jackets, accessories. A veritable reference book like no other.

Retro Watches: The Modern Collector's Guide highlights dated curiosities from the 1970s. If you have any love for jump-digital or driving watches it is a must-read. You won't find many timeless classics from the big swiss or japanese makers... Which is good as you might be able to add to your collection rather on the cheap. As in all books of this sort you might be left wondering why some of these were included instead of others you might find more fitting. But, in all, a worthwhile read, aided by great photography in decent size - easy to see and appreciate the fine details.

Moving on, I'll point out that I've finished the scripts of series 7 to 9 of Inside No. 9. These spurred me to get The Complete Fawlty Towers as well... and others I have already gone into 2025. This will be a subject of a future post. One way or another I'll state that this is a wonderful way to experience these shows. I love them, be it with shows I'm familiar or not so familiar with.

Regarding sport, the Charting the Territories came out with one more volume, the 1971-1973 Jim Crockett / Mid-Atlantic Almanac. As with previous volumes it's an exhaustive look at every show and every match, filled with feud descriptions, newspaper clippings, biographies and overall view of the territories. As it was, this one didn't have terribly interesting subject matter but, all the same, it's always impressive.  The Crucible's Greatest Matches: Forty Years of Snooker's World Championship in Sheffield was also quite a read. Having never previously read a book about this sport before, I was enlightened with lots of old and recent detail, taking us from the pre-Davis and Hendry era, to class of 1992 and beyond. Without much to read on the subject that isn't autobiographical this one's great, centring on a venue, not a player, especially a venue that may not last for much longer.

In terms of comic books, I have continued my fascination with the style of Kazuo Umezz, going through My Name is Shingo and Cat-Eyed Boy, as well as the conclusion of Taiyou Matsumoto's Tokyo These Days. In a universe of minor works by either of these artits, perhaps the former is the best, although it ends quite abruptly. Shingo and Cat-Eyed Boy, while interesting, show perhaps, too much of its origins as periodicals, without the constant inventiveness of the monolithic Drifting Classroom. Still nice to read and have.

Writing Systems: A Linguistic Approach (Blackwell Textbooks in Linguistics) is structured like a course: at the end of every chapter there are review exercises. The material is quite ample, pretty much going over every writing system in the world, current or otherwise. As the book itself is not overtly long, some systems are only gone over lightly. With this in mind, it is quite ample for amateur learners yet stimulating enough for more advanced learners to then further their studies with other tomes, dedicated to the writing systems they are more interested in. In my opinion, it was worth it alone for the initial chapter on the asian systems. Sumerian and Latin, I think I've seen more complete chapters elsewhere, but as a whole it is a fine, complete, book, which will spur the reader on to more concrete and specific compendiums.

Indo-European Cognate Dictionary, on the other hand, is in essence a collection of wiktionary entries, compiled and curated by a linguistics doctoral student. By all accounts this is presented as an amateurish endeavour, driven by an academical zeal. It would be easy to dismiss were it not that the actual compilation and curation makes it a worthwhile feature that is otherwise unavailable online (wiktionary or otherwise). The content itself is indeed quite interesting even if some of the more obscure branches of the indo-european tree are lightly treaded, due to their unfamiliarity to the author. In all, a worthwhile contribution that will be of interest to amateur, academical and professional researchers.

As for The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China, the less said about it the better. Pseudo-scientific, it illustrates the author's whimsical theories based on absolutely nothing. While I try to stay optimistic regarding these posts, this is perhaps the one I most regret as wasted time and money. It offers no redeeming features unless you're into historical fantasy (and I'm not).

Finally, before heading into music proper, we're going into books about music.

Seems like rock & roll played a lot into it. We'll start with three biographies: Little Richard: Send Me Some Lovin', Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll and Chuck Berry: An American Life. What is amazing about Little Richard is how much of an icon he was for having been for so little time in the bright lights. It's indeed a fascinating story of someone who certainly had some issues dealing with music and fame. Likewise Sam Phillips seemed like everything he touched was gold for a very brief period of time. Notably the book focus on this period but gives us some more insight into what happened before and after. While this part, for obvious reasons, is more sparse, the fact is it's still very little touched upon and offers genuine insight into the man, giving us context to that very specific period of time that had such an impact on XX century music. As for Chuck Berry what was amazing was his longevity. It's incredible to think he was already in his 30s in the 1950s, and was still playing live once a week as recent as 2013. Perhaps like no other contemporary he was revolutionary in his approach, even with the cruellest of personalities (something in common with many other musicians).

Moving on, The Birth, Death, and Rebirth of Rock & Roll: 1954 - 1964 is an incredibly extensive month by month look into this period, from Rocket 88 to Beatlemania. The fact it uses the tiniest of font sizes and wall to wall writing make it a nightmare to get through. Even still while amateurly written, there is indeed a lot of heart in the writing and that is commendable - as well as the many hours of research. Shaken, Rattled & Rolled: A History of Rockabilly and Rock 'n' Roll is quite similar, this time taking more of a view into general history and social issues that melded this music between blacks and rural whites. On the other hand Ducktails, Drive-ins, and Broken Hearts: An Unsweetened Look at '50s Music focus more on the one hit wonders and now unknown heroes of the era. Fascinating insight and research into a forgotten era. JERRY LEE LEWIS - BREATHLESS!: EVERY SONG FROM EVERY SESSION, 1952-2022 is a curious title in the way that it's a complete appreciation of every song recorded by The Killer like only an inveterate fan could. As Jerry Lee famously didn't write a lot of tunes himself, but nailed the definitive version of many songs wrote by others, this is an interesting look at his entire catalogue. Certainly the type of book I could digest from a lot of other musicians. Finally, The Teddy Boy Wars: The Youth Cult that Shocked Britain is an interesting book into this forgotten british trend, similar yet different to the rockabilly americans but with somewhat similar post-war origins and one that ended up melding together, perhaps controversially for the original teds, somewhat in the 1980s as a revival fashion. As for Surfin' Guitars: Instrumental Surf Bands of the Sixties it's a fascinating insight into the most obscure original groups of this genre, loaded with pictures and even "where are they now" sections. An essential deep dive that's filled with fascination.

Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life Of Bill Monroe, Father Of Bluegrass was one of my favourite books of the year, perhaps because the man himself is fascinating. I had previously read On the Bus, which had a lot of anecdotes of an older Bill in the 1970s and 1980s. This book has it all, from boyhood to death and, for that, it's a veritable bible for bluegrass fans as every tenet of his personality is confronted with episodes in his life in great detail. Truly a story filled with every sort of human emotion and, in all, with a great love for music, be it folk music or otherwise. As for Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity and In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music they're interesting insights into different facets of country music. The latter one is extremely interesting, as its very well written and goes into, essentially, different articles of different "big topics" in country music. It is perhaps one of the essential books on the subject in my opinion, just because it's so well written. The type of book that, even though subject matter might not be terribly interesting (Gram Parsons?...) the writing style is enthralling and it's a fine read. The former is somewhat more derivative although its premise is original, namely, the difficulty in reconciling the height of country music authenticity, with the Carters, Jimmy Rodgers and Hank Williams, and its fabricated commercialization of rural, down-home pop millionaires. Valid points and well argued throughout.

There was also another revelation in the Bach Works for Guitar: In Standard Notation and Tablature, especially Lute Works and the Cello Suites. They have become my daily practice partners. Through these books I finally could, as a frustrated cellist, play the finest works in the cello and lute repertoires on guitar. Certainly many other authors have translated these works previously. This collection however has several advantages as the translations are faithful to the cello's phrasing (avoiding "guitar-isms" added by Andrés Segovia and others), is absolutely error-free, and is written in a good, standard size dimension, in both notation and tablature. As the only minus I would say that, since it is a paperback glued spine and not a ring or spiral bound book you'll have to use the usual contrived mechanisms to hold it in one's music stand. Otherwise I can't praise it enough. It has given me immense pleasure to play these pieces and I am quite frankly thankful for having had the opportunity to get them.

 

I have gone deep into Bandcamp as my source of music in 2024. For reasons I can't reasonably explain I've stopped using YouTube. I quite enjoyed using YouTube as a way to discover new music, as well as the fact that visual representations were also interesting ways for artists to express themselves. Also, there's a lot of live music recordings that are sometimes different than recorded album tracks. At this time, having not tuned in since, I think March 2024, I'm afraid I may have hundreds of unlistened tracks and videos to see. Of course, the longer time passes, the worst it will get. Something to get into this year, I hope.

Thus I'm going to go just into the new music I have experienced in 2024, rather than all the music. Of these, perhaps the more surprising one was In Green We Dream by Parlor Greens, a new "superband" that's very much in the same vein of The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio and, more crucially, Booker T and the MGs. Some good tracks here but, fundamentally, I think this type of music gets to shine more live. Some tracks are notoriously cut short, fading in and out, depriving us of deeper cuts and longer solos. In such a well defined style, this delivers, without actually sounding revolutionary (which it isn't).

Mahal by Glass Beams suffers, perhaps, from the same fate. Essentially a continuation of their previous work, it doesn't add anything terribly new but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It's more of the same, which is what we want. In a way, there's nothing quite like it yet something is also lost by not being able to visually see them play as their stage outfits are definitely part of the show.

This Ain't the Way You Go Out by Lucy Rose had a couple of tracks I was fascinated with which led me to get the record. Unfortunately I got it on a CD and I don't have an easy way to listen to it any more, having only listened to it a couple of times. A shame. Continuing on, both Keeper of the Shepherd by Hannah Frances and Living Thing by Anna Tivel are superb. These are two hard working and original singer songwriters with great hooks. I'm partial to Tivel, which is more experienced and has quite a few records already but regarding these two Frances may have the best singles. Definitely highlights and have kept me company for hours. What else is there to say about Adrianne Lenker? Bright Future is another gem from this genius. Her spine tingling sensibility is fascinating. To hear her is to hear a master crafter doing what they do best. I feel ashamed comparing my writing to this. I'd put it right along the rest of her solo discography. 

To finish, Chorus by Mildlife started the year with a bang. Their records are always short on songs, which are quite long. This one is on the same level as Automatic with very catchy tunes. While fundamentally different its perhaps the sort of music I can dig like I dug LCD Soundsystem's 45:33. One of those! Then the two bluegrass albums of the year. Less traditionally, Love Your Mind by Twisted Pine was one I, at first, didn't like much but, the more I've heard it, the more I do. It's got it all, I think, and it has the hooks well married to their superb mastery of their instruments. A great record. Then City Of Glass by AJ Lee & Blue Summit is a very mature album in a more traditional setting. Molly Tuttle makes an appearance too and AJ Lee's voice sounds divine. The songs range from emotional to fun: perhaps the greatest condensation of the thrill of bluegrass music.

Well, this is it.

2024 is done!

2025, onwards, ho!

2024 - III

Finally, 2024 was the year of adventure games, albeit with a difference, meaning mainly text-based adventure games. Adventure and Zork are very similar and present the fundamental tenets of the treasure hunt side of the genre. What is instantly liberating about text adventures is the fact that not having to illustrate or animate actions allows for a lot more variety and imagination. What was indeed surprising was how even though no visuals were produced, I still recall quite vividly many of actions within, perhaps more so than in visual games. This is, of course, not a strange effect if you've ever read a book! But still we tend to take some of these things for granted. Being only text-based also allows for a lot more variety in themes. Even so, like in most other games, fantasy and science fiction are inescapable. Even still, despite being some of the earliest text adventures, they were already fairly well developed, with capable parsers, large inventories and well designed, intriguing puzzles. 

Although I've dipped my toes in quite a few, as I had discoverer's fever, I would still like to delve deeper into some over this year. Nonetheless I would like to highlight three more. Savannah and Infidel because of their fantastic setting. Infidel sets you in the desert as the leader of a doomed expedition. Although it includes a fairly brutal survival mechanic, it exhudes a fantastic ambience from its setting, the severity of the desert and jungle, the alienness of it all - some concepts which were fairly lauded in later games like they'd just been invented when after all, here was a much earlier game doing it already. Savannah, on the other hand, has a metaphysical realism setting in an otherwise normal beach in Savannah, Georgia, where things start going just a bit special. Honestly this reads like a great understated sf novel and the mechanics are superb. Finally, a huge surprise and an instant favourite: The Gostak. Heaven's Vault is one of my favourite games and I really appreciated Chants of Sennaar too. These games went deep into a favourite subject of mine which is language and linguistics. The Gostak, on the other hand goes even further into it, presenting itself in a completely alien language that you must decode starting from the known linguistic anecdote of the phrase "The Gostak distims the doshes" - we don't know what "gostak", "distims" or "dosh" means. But we instantly know that the gostak is someone or something that distims the doshes, that doshes are plural, and that they can be distimmed by the gostak or by gostaks. From this, an entire universe is built in a game I'm incredibly sad my father didn't try. I'm sure he would have loved to solve it...

Of later games I would highlight the MacVenture series, in particular Déjà Vu, and also Eric the Unready. Both are at a strange paradox between text adventures and graphical adventures. Underneath, the skeleton of the game is still that of a text adventure, with quite a few text descriptions and possible interactions. At the same time there are a lot of visual helpers like things you can see that might not be described and, generally, more visual interactivity. The settings themselves are fresh, with Déjà Vu putting you in the shoes of an amnesiac gumshoe and Eric, a comical medieval romp. I went into Eric deeper already in this year of 2025 so look forward to a proper review in a few weeks. I'd also like to put in a word for The Crimson Diamond, which came out in 2024 and is also similar, although more akin to King's Quest or, specifically, The Colonel's Bequest. Meaning you play in 3rd person with arrow keys but you also have a parser. It's not a type of gameplay I can get comfortable with but I completely laud the fact games like these are made in 2024. Fantastic.

The long named The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case The Okhotsk Disappearance ~Memories in Ice, Tearful Figurine~  is a remake of an old Yuji Horii (creator of Dragon Quest) adventure, the one he did after Portopia (which is generally acknowledged as the first adventure game made in Japan), but still before Dragon Quest. This remake overhauls the graphical presentation to high definition and it looks quite crisp. It does not use a parser but the menu-based interface of the Famicom. The game itself can be described as a mystery. Unlike other games of the era, there is really no way to lose - just be persistent and thorough and investigate all possibilities. Therefore, I'd classify it closer to interactive fiction - there's no practical risk or drama inherent to gameplay (not least until almost the very end). What is its strongest merit though? The story and the themes. It's fun without being juvenile, which is something you can seldom say of modern japanese visual novels and it handles mature themes quite beautifully and seriously. As a precursor and inspiration to Snatcher, it's quite a revelation.  Absolutely amazing and unthinkable that I would get to play this in English and in remastered form, 40 years after debuting on the PC-88. That, and the fact that they don't make games like these anymore makes it priceless. It was certainly one of the highlights of the year for me. Earlier I had also gone into Retro Mystery Club Vol. 1 (Ise-Shima Case) and Vol. 2 (Beppu Case) - I played them one after the other. They are similar in design but somewhat different in execution to Okhotsk. While the latter do play more to retro sensibilities, with 8 bit pixel art, Okhotsk is indeed a full remake, with new art. I don't usually enjoy japanese style text games because there's usually too much faff. I get sore fingers just skipping dialogue. Here, fortunately, there's more than enough interactivity and the silliness is quite toned down. I really enjoyed them.

Finally, a more traditional and less thought provoking game was Shiro and the Coal Town. A sequel to the earlier Shiro game, it keeps the lovely pre-rendered hand drawn background graphics of the Boku no Natsuyasumi series that, unfortunately, Natsu-Mon abandoned (more on that later). What it provides is the usual collect-a-thon, high spirits, calming romp through a lovely japanese rural setting, this time without the pressure of making most of your holidays and keeping with the science fiction setting of the earlier Shiro game or, indeed, Attack of the Friday Monsters. Some of the minigames were misses and, as the years go by, it's become somewhat apparent that, while this series entertains, it's not as special as the Boku games were. Still, we take what we can get and, despite everything, was a nice way to finish off my year.

Finally, as we're almost finished covering games, I'd like to highlight the few I played which do not fit in broader genres. A melting pot of tat and, to finish, the disappointments (or perhaps we won't finish with that).

 I'll start with two modest games, which are takes on older games: Balatro and Buckshot Roulette. Balatro was, of course, one of the most celebrated titles of the year. Poker, is of course, a very popular game. The fact that it managed to alter its known rules with a slew of modifiers made it quite addicting. Certainly one to keep playing and replaying indefinitely. Roguelites do tend to to wither out but it was still a fresh new take, even presentation-wise, on an old classic. Buckshot Roulette is a bit darker, of course, but still quite interesting. Unapologetically violent, it's filled with tension and apart from just luck employs some strategy. While less replayable, it is howevera more artistic game, perhaps a criticism of violence in videogames, per se. This seems like a good segue for Counter Strike 2... I alert that I never play multiplayer. Even when playing multiplayer games I only play with bots. I was never into Counter Strike but, as a game (a set of rules and mechanics), even though violent, I admit it is enthusing to play. The game modes are quite fun, especially Hostage, and so are the maps. The gameplay experience is diverse enough between various classes to be interesting. If I'm ever in need of unloading violence, this seems like one of the best choices for mindless destruction. Likewise, another game I've played endlessly is the ever addicting Magic: The Gathering Arena. Also always against bots, it is quite amazing how much content, mainly in pre-made decks this free game offers. Certainly one of the ultimate time wasters, as every game is different. When you get sick of your deck, there are dozens more to try. Certainly couldn't get more "gamey" than that.

To finish, three off the wall titles. [Echostasis] is really not much comparable to anything else and the other games by the same developer are also precious gems. Basically you have to dive into a sort of matrix world where your connection is time-limited. To progress you have to keep unlocking new areas that will allow you to cut corners until the finish line. I'd prefer to not spoil much more as it's really best experienced than explained. I was somewhat burned out on violence so it was somewhat disappointing to have to shoot enemies in first person in what is basically a first person puzzle game. When I'm feeling differently, I would like to go deeper into it. New Star GP was a pleasant surprise. Racing games are perhaps some of the most replayable, non-violent games. It's always exciting to deliver perfect runs, shaving off seconds or microseconds off of your best lap times. In the end it had some problems where most other racers have problems, which is scaling difficulty. As you're always racing the same sort of F1-type cars, it does get quite repetitive, even with the special challenges attached. At the same time, by the end it felt like you were constantly running against troubles. Nonetheless and being quite a handsome and simply designed game, it's worthy of merit. To finish, a non-game Japanese Rail Sim: Hakone Town of Natural Beauty and Hot Springs. Having played previous titles of the same lineage I always have a lot of time for these. Basically DVD player games, you control the speed of a video recording of a train line. The "game" part of it has to do with controlling the times of arrival at stations, as well as respecting speed limits, whistles, etc. While the setting is beautiful I admit to having preferred the previous journey to Kyoto. The lack of urban sites made it look a bit too repetitive and void of human life. Also disappointing is the absence of being able to do the entire line in one go, instead of station by station. Still, there's nothing quite like it and, even though video is not 4K, running it in a large screen is still a delight.

As for disappointments, I don't wish to dwell too much. If they were disappointments it was because my expectations were high so, perhaps, the fault was mine. As I mentioned the Shiro game earlier, I'll start with Natsu-Mon. Essentially a Boku no Natsuyasumi game in a 3D world, immediately there is a sense of something wrong. Boku games, while having some polygons in mainline series, never allowed for full 3D or a behind the camera viewpoint. What is wrong here? It became less of an unique adventure and more like any other action platformer. Worst of all were the large tracks of scenery with uninspired and repetitive landscape polygons. What once was filled with absurdly enticing hand drawn illustrations that took you back to your childhood books, now it's become a bland and derivative setting. Another I had high expectations for was Nabirikamura. Having been a big fan of their earlier works (Yonesawara and Masagoro) here as well it seems they have tried to do too much. The beauty of the earlier games was how contained they were: a bathhouse, a hospital. Now there's a whole village, too many gameplay systems - it's all too complicated and there is no sense of dread because you have wide open spaces. Finally, the output of Chilla's Art. They put out some of the most amazing small horror games I've tried. Yet in 2024 by all accounts they've burned themselves out, and quite understandably so. While before they were coming out with a game every 2 months or so it seemed, they only managed two in a year: one a re-release of an earlier game and the other a derivation of the runaway hit Platform 8. By the looks of their recent 2025 title, it seems they should look for different sources of inspiration or get into something else. They look well done. As last words, and after some time has passed, I will give these a second chance.

To perhaps put to rest the issue of games, I'll finish with addressing some of the many books about games I've gone into last year. I mentioned earlier that I had had rediscovered text adventures. Much of that impetus was due to the absolutely wonderful 50 Years of Text Games: From Oregon Trail to AI Dungeon, aided by its short addendum Further Explorations: 50 Years of Text Games. Having read quite a few books on games, I have to consider this one the finest. Very well written, very well researched, almost scientific in matter. Its first few chapters on the dawn of the computer age is absolutely fascinating. It suffers later one with some choices that seem to have been taken more for their ethical controversies than for their merits as games. This, I think, will mar the book and lose its appeal as what seemed ethically relevant to include in 2024, will not be so in 2034. 

In the same genre, I have also gone through a myriad of paperbacks by the same author, a A Guide to ZX Spectrum Adventure Games - 1982-1985, 1986-1987 and 1988-1990, and later A Guide to ZX Spectrum Games - 1982-1984, 1985-1986 and 1987-1988 (more to come presumably!). These are somewhat different, as they intend to give short page and a half reviews of all ZX Spectrum adventure games (and games in general in the other volumes). While more amateur in scope, there's a lot of heart in it here. They're entertaning reads and highlight just how different in themes and mechanics games were back then - there was no putting everything into very specific genre boxes like today. By a different author, Twilight Inventory also goes into text adventure games, this time from 1980s to 1990s but also very much ZX Spectrum ones and, by the same author, also Game Development: The Rock and Roll Years: A life in pixels, an enlightening biography of just how crap it was to work in the industry in Britain - making crap games and working yourself to death. On that subject...

The Untold History of (Japanese) Game Developers (all four books volumes). It's quite a ride. These were initially kickstarted with the purpose of shipping the author to Japan to interview mostly obscure Japanese developers (though there are some quite well-known ones as well), in a context of the ephemeral nature of video games and the fact that some had passed away and all are, inevitably, ageing. The first 3 volumes deal with this and are massive, over A4 sized, over 400pages, small font size and almost wall-to-wall text. This leads to a first criticism which is the need for editing. While, as said before, there is a valid purpose to these, the content is composed of literal interview transcripts. Due to this, there's a lot of stuff like incidental comments, repeated comments over various interviews, etc that should have been cut and streamlined. There is also practically no digest or summary. Everything is just as it is and there's no rationalization of what these developers share, as part of the greater scheme of things. Thus, it reads like a real-time documentary on someone going to Japan to interview these people rather than a book with beginning, development, conclusions. In all, there's a lot of content in these, and interesting or even important content, but most of it is in a raw state. Mind, there aren't many books available that deal with the subject.

50 Years of Text Adventures frequently cited the Digital Antiquarian blog (which is indeed, pretty much a book in blog form, published continuously for almost 15 years now). By its author, The Future Was Here: The Commodore Amiga is a very interesting deep dive into this venerable computer, which found a niche in Europe, the demoscene and music and art creation in general. Great stuff.

As we're going into platform studies, then I'll adress some more. My favourite was All Hail the Vectrex: Ultimate Collector's Review Guide. A now practically forgotten machine, completely impossible to remake, it was indeed a gem from a different time and this book its dearest love letter. Before SNK brought arcades home, this was quite a machine from the future and the book is filled with love, respect and adoration while also being very humourous and an all-around entertaning read. By the same author Ultra Massive Sega Genesis Guide: Ultra Massive Volume 4 is also very fun. Not as exhaustive but filled on highs and lows in the author's unimitable yet endearing style, it is one of the greatest reads on a already much discussed machine. The Complete Sega 32X Guide is quite interesting as this add-on is so unloved. Maybe the only book 100% dedicated to it, it gives a fascinating insight into its history and games. There is indeed something from everyone... To finish, Space Battle: The Mattel Intellivision and the First Console War is one more in the series of books the author has penned regarding various 1970s and 1980s machines and its authoratively the best on this subject. I couldn't ask for more.

HG101 and Bitmap have by now developed an impressive library. Starting with the latter I delved into the history of on-foot shooters, scrolling beat-'em-ups and the N64. I must say that, while glorious, luxurious volumes, their books often are too fanatical or derivative and not informative enough, filling pages with illustrations but very little juice or insight. The on-foot shooters one, in particular, was very disappointing. Perhaps because it's not a genre I appreciate too much but, even still, the impression I was left with was that the subject didn't warrant a book, let a alone a book of this type. As for HG101 there were many. Favourites were Arcade Cult Classics, the guides to Shoot-Em-Ups, the guide to Shin Megami Tensei and the guide to the Famicom Disk System. The company or series ones were often more hit and miss and left me thinking as well that they should not have bothered putting out a book for them (or perhaps, only as part of a larger volume). As one of the foremost entities on game writing, it's still quite a laudable effort to document so much.

This year also saw the much awaited sequel to Supercade, now from 1985-2001. Perhaps because of the wait and for how seminal the original had been, or perhaps because much of its subject matter has already been done to death elsewhere, this felt a bit flat. Visual presentation is still spot on but there was indeed not much new to say. Strangely, the focus was now not on arcades. Nice to have, all the same and still looking forward to the continuation of this story.

We'll finish with three different books. From Coin-Ops to Table-Tops: The Essential Electronic Games book is the sort of book I enjoy a lot. Completely forgotten space wasters, lovingly preserved. Unfortunately not as deep or interesting as the earlier Electronikplastik, all the same it is a nice collection that suffers perhaps from a lack of insight, while beautifully photographed. Generation Decks: The Unofficial History of Gaming Phenomenon Magic: The Gathering is a fascinating insight into a very popular phenomenon, especially its origins and growing pains as a competitive card game. A Collector's History of Magic The Gathering: Volume 1 goes deeper into the various changes and alterations in the earlier sets. Despite its popularity there's very little documentation available on what is a fascinating success story that mirrors game development very well. It took me back 20 years as I too experienced its growth and development, the various myths in playing, collecting, rule changes and forgotten gems and information. Essential for fans.

Whew! That's everything regarding games in 2024 all done. Still the rest of the books, as well as music to come. Hang tight, we'll get there eventually!...

2024 - II

 2024 also the year of shooting games appreciation:

 

Two notable games actually came out that year. One is Devil Blade Reboot was a completely unexpected surprise. A remake of an obscure 30 year old doujin game it came revived with great presentation. A vertical shmup with straightforward controls (just wide and narrow shot) and very interesting set pieces. Many difficulty modes are provided and the thrill of pushing up the ranks is the meat of the game. Also included is the original piece, which was at it happens already very neatly done. The other is Utopia Must Fall, still an Early Access game. This one is also a revivalist, somewhat of a mix between Missile Command and Akka Arrh. Very addictive to play and it plays very well indeed, mouse only, allowing for super smooth controls (have not tried it with a trackball).

But it wasn't just new games as I delved deep into old favourites and rediscovered some new ones that had been on the waiting list for a while. Ray'z Arcade Chronology is one that I had been postponing for a long time. A wonderful, M2 certified arcade conversion of Rayforce, Raystorm and Raycrisis, along with their HD versions, it has to be the definitive version of this series. The trick with this one is the multilayer battlefield, allowing you to hit above and below, like Xevious, with all the modern conveniences of M2 emulation. My favourite was Rayforce. There's something to simple and so satisfying about it. Taito were true masters of the game, a mastery that while alive in name, is now gone.

Another venerable series is Raiden and the game, specifically Raiden IV x Mikado remix. Comparing it to Rayforce, it is similar but, to my taste, not as good. This series has long lived aboard its impressive lightning effects but other key areas like enemy and stage design are not as inspired. There is the rush of power but it didn't leave a memorable impression like the best shmups. The ones you relive in your mind, again and again.

Guardian Force - Saturn Tribute is one that is a bit different. Here, we have a remake not of the arcade board but of the Saturn release. Nothing inherently bad about it. Instead of the usual spaceship we have a sort of turbocharged tank. This, of course, affects gameplay as you can move turrets in various directions. Stage design is very offbeat. In all, strange, different but enjoyable! As someone who is quite jaded of guns, I would have preferred a less militaristic model, but what's here still feels very fresh.

Finally, this was also the year of Toaplan. Where to start? Perhaps with the generalities as I played many, but not all (if I'm not forgetting some): Slap Fight, Hellfire, Out Zone, Fixeight, Batsugun, Vimana, Grind Stormer, Truxton and Truxton II. They share the same blood. Even the most different out of them, Out Zone and Slap Fight, have something that ties them together. Some are as old school as having checkpoints, to which your booted when you (inevitably) die, while others allow continuing on the spot. The reeditions are lovely with incredible CRT recreations and an amazing atmosphere. I'll go into the ones I most enjoyed. The Truxtons are indeed something else. So nihilistic, reeking of adrenaline they're deservedly two of the most advanced specimens of the evolutionary scale of arcade games. It's all juice! The setting might not be to everyone's taste but as usually happens in these games, it's all an excuse for perfect gameplay: evading and striking, avoiding death and erasing everything you can. This taps into our prime instincts as few others do. I would also highlight Batsugun. Playing the Saturn version, this one's more advanced but also more forgiving than the Truxtons. Yet the setting is just right on. Here you can rightly see the primordials of danmaku, right down to visual cues and smattering of bonuses. So enthusing to play and one of the best examples of marrying style and substance in these games. It's definitely one of the best. Finally, I'd highlight Slap Fight which, surprisingly ended up being my favourite. What makes it so endearing? It's one of their earliest titles but it's a jump above even earlier gems of the genre, like Xevious, 1942 or Terra Cresta. The way it is so simple, with a Gradius type powerup bar, along with devilish enemy placement makes it much more strategic in trying to survive. Somewhat like a fast chess game where you are forced to make split second decisions as you look at the entire board and weigh whether to go for that powerup that will allow you to get the wings, or play it safe and take out that turret top left, who is going to fire at you in about 4 seconds. Marvelous!

Finally, just three more highlights. This year I went deeper into the Metal Slug series, in particular the first, X (2), 3 and 4. It's no surprise that the first and X are the most memorable. These games are, for me, tough to grade. The experience as an arcade game is fantastic, its thousands of fans aren't wrong. But as in any other run 'n' gun, shooting fatigue sets in. And there are things which are gruesome just for the sake of being gruesome. Senseless violence is senseless. While fun in the context of a videogame I found it less appealing the more I played. Top Hunter, which I also got into it, happened to suffer from the same effect, although also, technically, a brilliant and inventive piece. I missed In The Hunt quite a bit. With depersonalized submarines, planes, machines, it's never as gruesome. When all else fails Truxton! Moose Life! This late Jeff Minter gem has been a constant companion. It's hard to explain but it fills the niche like few others can and I think I now enjoy it more than Tempest 3000. A truly wonderful game that can be played and replayed. The Solitaire of shooters!

Moving one, I'd like to address some retro re-releases from various genres I came up to. Perhaps starting Llamasoft the Jeff Minter Story is more than appropriate. Part documentary part collection, it's laudable that so much effort was put into rereleasing such a wealth of earlier games by Jeff Minter, still one of the most original developers out there. While certainly interesting from a documental standpoint, I could not stand to delve deep into much of the collection. They are truly of a different time, for different machines. The Castlevania Dominus Collection also feels like a weird one. Not having played them when they came out I remember how adored they were. Perhaps concessions were made for being handheld games, as well as the popularity of the series. I have never been an inveterate fun and I could not find enjoyment here. Nonetheless there is a wealth of excellent handheld games that should be rereleased for computers and that is praiseworthy by itself.

The aptly named Sunsoft is Back is one of those completely unexpected releases. Three now obscure early Sunsoft games, including an adventure game, all translated in English. There is a treasure trove of decades of unreleased Japanese games. I hope there are many more to come. A company that has been doing its fair share regarding this aspect is Mindware, which have re-released and remade all of these previously lost Japanese computer games: Space Mouse 2, Alien Field, Hover Attack, Denshi Life 2, Heiankyo Alien. My favourite was far and away Heiankyo. A mix of Pac-man and Dig Dug (Mappy?) it's quite addictive and at the same time original. Space Mouse 2 as well is incredibly fun and well made as you race for high scores like a top down Flicky meets Druaga (if you can imagine it). Denshi Life is a very simple one but very endearing. This one almost deserved Tetsuya Mizoguchi gave it a remake like only he can. Colourful and trippy it soon puts you in the zone. The others are, to my sensibilities, more hit and miss but, as before, I have nothing but praise for the companies putting out these games in 2024.

Moving on, two more Japanese games with slightly more produced reissues, namely Pocky & Rocky Reshrined and Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle. I would say the first is a note for note recreation not of how the original looks but how we imagined in ours minds that it looked. It looks fantastic and it's also very well animated. The only problem is the crushing difficulty which will stop much progress. As a re-release there are unfortunately not enough emulation options that would help less patient players (like me) move on quicker. But perhaps it would lose its appeal otherwise. JaJamaru on the other hand is immediately endearing as it assumes some rogue-like features, allowing for many upgrades and unlocks, the more you play. Gameplay as well is rightly addictive, some of the best single screen action games. Perhaps as before with Metal Slug there is action fatigue because it's so relentless. But in small bursts it's a delight and despite its action, there's still strategy to be had. Fantastic presentation.

Finally, switching gears away from Japan and action, I'd like to finish with Star Command. This is almost a one of a kind game although you can see traces of other early space-based role playing games in it and, perhaps, maybe later games like Star Control also took something from it. What is endearing about it? These games were from a different age, when genre conventions were not so set in stone. There is a sense of anything being possible, with a lot of different systems present, from flying all over the galaxy, fighting, trading, managing your crew. As simple as it is, there is an instilled sense of camaraderie in your crew, much like the best dungeon crawlers. No one is expendable!...

Until next time we continue to go over 2024, finishing up the games so we can move on to music and books.

2024 - I

  2024 was, for a variety of personal reasons, a very unpleasant year. Not wishing to dwell on those, let's instead focus on its cultural and person highlights. I'll also touch on some cultural lowlights but will skip the personal ones.

2024 was the year of RPGs. Spurred on by the discovery of the Eiyuden series heralded by the Suikoden creators, I dove headfirst into long series of other RPG, mostly JRPG and dungeon crawlers. 

First things first, I'd like to start with Dragon Quest XI, which was my favourite. Not being a huge fan of the series, I had enjoyed Dragon Quest VIII quite a bit on the PS2. After tons of side-series, as well as handheld (IX) and online (X) exclusives, XI was the fitting successor to DQVIII. That I finally began playing it 20 years after DQVIII is a funny coincidence. What's the merit of this series? Its fundamental relevance in the genre has made all tenets very well established. Certainly, it doesn't feel like a massive leap forward from the previous games yet there's a comforting familiarity in the never ending quest across a fantasy land. This helped visually by the works of the late Akira Toriyama and HD visuals - certainly it has never looked this good. The familiarity of the series also harkens back to simpler mechanics when the current context is more attuned to the action-JRPG. Here, while a certain degree of action is allowed, I tended to play strickly turn-based. The only innovation being a "pepped-up" state, both random or induced by potions that increases critical hits. Thus everything is as its always been, pleasant, linear and reassuring. These characteristics obviously can be pointed as downsides yet, I'd say if you're looking for innovation, look elsewhere as there are numerous other series that keep reinventing the wheel - we'll address some later on. The one downside I'd put forward is the artificial ending. I won't bother with reserving spoilers on a 7 year old game but the final battle spurs a travel back in time to replay the adventure - a sort of NG+ without being given the option. My option was to stop playing as over 40 hours of play was more than enough for what I was looking for.

In all, a great one from Enix, and I hope, being that these games are so well spaced apart, we can keep enjoying these once a decade like a warm cup of tea in a cold winter's night.

Moving on, I'd like to adress both Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which are the crowdfunded successors of the Suikoden creators, who have indeed stepped away from Konami, as many other have. Rising has a natural charm due to its sparser presentation and odd design. Sideview action is played with a constant team of three, in a way that is satisfying but also stimulating to keep unlocking new areas, and improving your arsenal, while completing sidequests. Some of the sidequests are less than inspired. The saving grace happens to be that the game is not so long that it nauseates. Being tightly contained, its shortcomings are only briefly apparent. It's a nice diversion and quite a unique game in its right. Hundred Heroes, on the other hand, is a more classical 2D RPG. As per its Suikoden heritage there is an incredible amount of recruitable characters. More surprising is how unique they are, as well as how stimulating to use they are, particularly in combination. Combat is one of the highlights of the game, employing a timed turn-based with different terrain tiers. This mean that, along with the limit to the number of characters you can have in your party, there's a lot of play in deciding the best formation. Story is adequate but otherwise not entirely captivating. As a reimagining of a classical RPG it is, however, much more interesting and straightforward than most.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the current latest iteration of the famous series. Continuing the reinvention started in the previous episode, Infinite Wealth now also takes place in part in Hawaii. The foreign location opens new horizons for the series although not always in a 100% positive way. While the story is convoluted like few others, the fact that it packs a lot and with endearing protagonists makes it quite a ride. As usual, sidequests and minigames are plentiful, although after so many games in the series there's always the thought that perhaps previous episodes had a better, if smaller, selection. The crown of the gameplay has to go to the battle system which is, bar none, the most satisfying turn-based system I have found. This results especially from the positioning and combinations between characters, as well as the janken-type spell system, which enables building very enthusing combos, putting together strategy and reflexes at once. Despite everything, after playing it so much and for so long I have to admit I feel burned out on the series. One can only take so much!..

The rest: Nayuta Boundless Trails is an incredibly charming game that feels like a game from 20 years ago, in a good way. There is something about how it looks and plays that seems from another time, perhaps an heritage of being a PSP game, originally. Scarlet Nexus, on the other hand, looks very different. Not exactly very modern but there's a feel of being slightly offbeat. Critically, it reminded me of what if Digital Devil Saga was an action RPG? The Diofield Chronicle is, mechanically, a weird one indeed. You can sense a yearn to innovate. It's almost like set piece by set piece with a fresh battle system that sometimes tries so much to be different that it works against it. I still thought it was great to play but it's only for battle afficionados.

Finally, it was crucially the year of Dungeon Crawlers. This is a genre I had seldom gone into. I'm being broad in my definition as I'm including not only the hardcore first-person on a grid types, but also the 3rd person free roaming ones that take place in dungeons.

Perhaps to start, three that are tied thematically: Persona 4 Golden, SMT III: Nocturne and Soul Hackers 2. Three flavours of the same source. At a time when Atlus and Persona have seemingly surpassed Squenix and Final Fantasy as the most popular RPG company and series, I could see its appeal. Even though characters are chibi, the representation of Japan is endearing and the battle mechanics rock-solid - a must in these types of games. Unfortunately it lacks the depth and gloom of the core Shin Megami Tensei games. Nocturne was a game I didn't manage to get into on PS2 when it came out. It is still somewhat rough around the edges, at a time when the series were starting to branch out into quite distinct little things. To me, Digital Devil Saga still holds a special place. Soul Hackers 2, though, almost came through. To me, it has about as much as style as any other game of the series. The gameplay as well is incredibly fun. Unfortunately it becomes somewhat plodding, perhaps unaided by a cast that while competent, does not leave much of a mark.

Perhaps three more in succession, not as tied together but that somehow go well together: Operation Babel, Dark Rose Valkyrie, Undernauts Labyrinth of Yomi. Babel is perhaps the most forgettable of the three, while also the most traditional. Gameplay does not innovate much beyond what you would expect from a japanese dungeon crawler. The characters and story are just a disappointment, adding nothing that I can really go for these days. Battle mechanics are solid and that's enough, barely. Dark Rose Valkyrie I enjoyed a lot more. Battle mechanics are more traditional RPG but gameplay is, similar to SMT games, all about crawling dungeons. The story and characters were actually more interesting and with a lot more personality. It adds a bit of intrigue with adventure/sound novel type interactions in between the action. Finally, Undernauts is another old school offering. There's a lot of style and also a lot of unforgiving pain. While the preentation is undoubtedly very stylish, I would say it's the same problem as with Babel: too many characters and very outlandish. When everyone looks outlandish, no one looks outlandish. One for the hardcore battle experts I'd say.

Jumping on to the west, Vaporum and Star Crawlers. Vaporum is a wonderful game. Technically excellent, marrying hardcore battle gameplay with puzzle solving and an incredible sense of atmosphere. It's laudable that western developers are still putting out games like these. It fills a small niche but it fills it completely. I couldn't find a fault within. This is one to replay this year. Star Crawlers is also a good effort, slightly below in terms of my satisfaction. The science fiction setting is a bit more generic and the gameplay a bit looser. It's still an endearing play but one that, to me, made me struggle to keep motivated to keep at it.

Finally, I will highlight two independent gems. Dungeon Antiqua actually came out late in 2024. It's a 2D dungeon crawler, seen from a top down perspective and where battle gameplay is more akin to the early Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. What is lovely about it is not only how much of a love letter it is to the classics, but how tight everything is. It just works. It would take top marks were it not for Dragon Ruins! This one, while perhaps a much more modest game, was the one that completely captivated me. We all know how annoying trying to run an Apple II game on a modern computer is. Forget about playing the old classics like The Black Onyx or Temple of Apshai. So having the same basic experience, in a tight, simple package that is not a huge pain or commitment in this day and age (perhaps a bit like Demon Lord Reincarnation is, great and much deeper as it is) was a revelation. This is a throwback to a simpler time. Four go in, a maze, many monsters, a dragon at the end... but it doesn't end, it loops! Come back to the village to heal and upgrade and this is the condensed Dungeons & Dragons experience that has enthranced millions. Perhaps the XXIst century, martial equivalent to solitaire, it's the great time waster as your heroes become more powerful and the maze, its treasures and ist monster unveil themselves before you. Truly one my most enjoyed pieces of last year.

Until next time when I'll continue with the recap of 2024.

Creaks (2020)

I have completed my replay of Creaks. Creaks, along with Return of the Obra Dinn and Heaven's Vault is a sort of personal trinity. Foolishly I had waited for them to be discounted before getting them. They inspired great joy and somewhat renewed my interest in games at a time which was personally vexing during the argybargy of work during the pandemic. Nonetheless of the 3, perhaps suffering too much by comparison, it was the one that came out as distinctly third best.

All three had, of course, lineages of the most high orders. While I was an admirer of Papers Please it was, to me, very much a modest indie game - something that was more of an art piece with a message than a full-fledged game. So Obra Dinn blew that one up. I was also a huge fan of 80 Days, although it was somewhat tainted as a mobile game (I always played it on computer) and Heaven's Vault was also sufficiently different to become something else entirely.
Creaks, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky at first time. On the one hand it is a direct continuation of the gameplay of the Samorost series, Machinarium and Botanicula. And, for that reason, in 2020, it didn't seem as fresh. Competent, fine and interesting, but it didn't grab me as much. I actually preferred the much more modest Pilgrims, which had a pretty original gameplay. As I commented elsewhere, I think a problem resides in the setting and characters - it's just not fantastical enough. The main character is a bland blond boy and the other characters are mostly anthropomorphisized animals - just not weird and quaint enough comparing with Amanita Design's previous games.

Playing it in 2025 not everything is the same, as I'm now having the opportunity to play it in a 27inch 4K monitor. I think because its worlds and settings are so memorable, I tend to forget that the older games are not as slick as this. Creaks looks beautiful. There are no polygons, it's all handdrawn of the highest quality. The music, while not as strangely endearing as Flöex's previous works, fits and, rather fittingly considering the title, a lot of extra work is present in incidental sound effects that add a lot to gameplay.

Gameplay has dropped the mouse and grasped the keyboard or controller. I played it with keyboard - it's just WASD, Space and Control so perfectly playable with one hand - an advantage in these winter days if I can keep one hand warm in my cardigan's pocket. As I was playing it I hadn't realised how much of an hommage it was to games like Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia and Another World/Out of This World - the main character specifically has the same everyman appeal, someone who lives in the real world and is somehow magically transported to a fantasy world.

Another point that highlights this heritage from Another World lies in the storytelling which uses absolutely no words. In this way, using anthropormophized characters serves a purpose - there are facial expressions and limbs for perceptible non-verbal communication. This is set to great effect within its Czech animation heritage. All the gibberish playwords, the central european aesthetics - for outside observers perhaps a mix of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen played by a hopeless Jonathan Harker.

The gameplay of this sort of game lives and dies by its puzzles. As best as I could argue I don't find faults with them. Having to have some dexterity they're still very approachable and, above all, satisfying to crack. Mechanics are added progressively in a coherent way to its world setting. Some require quite a few moving parts but it's all rather cleverly done as you manipulate levers, enemies and weight switches in "A ha!" moments.
A word as well for a lot of hidden rooms and minigames within. These don't operate as well (although they're presented as mechanical games, so gameplay roughness might be part of its design) but there's a lot of play in the chase to see and do everything.

Thus as I neared the end it started to become apparent. This was Amanita's greatest game yet. Not a revolution from their previous efforts, but perfecting the formula. It delivers in every aspect and, while the setting may indeed not be as instantly appealing for its oddity and aesthetics, it is at the same time much more of a love letter to their european roots, be it in fairytale or game, and I argue that it is the best game of its kind yet made.

Home Computers

Home Computers: 100 Icons that Defined a Digital Generation, by Alex Wiltshire.
This could be categorized as a coffee-table book, although it has generous information about each of the machines (about 3 to 5 paragraphs for each, in small type).
The machines are all professionally photographed from the archive of The Centre for Computing History, in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

It highlights machines from the Altair up to the iMac, including quite obscure ones like the Intertec Superbrain, the Olympia People and the Canon V-20 as well as the 8-bit trinity and beyond.
As its centered on a museum archive, the collection is somewhat slanted as exemplified by the curiosity in its selection of japanese computers. The aforementioned Canon is present, as well as a few Sharp (but no X1 or X68000) and the Sord M5 - yet no NEC or Fujitsu.
Another point is that the text uses no references, or only references within the book (referencing another computer in a different page for instance). So some of the facts on offer have to be taken with a grain of salt. This I also find curious as the author is a games journalist and the museum, having a purpose of documenting history. I would have expected some referenced knowledge to back up some of the articles' quotes.
Apart from these two points it's a wonderful book to browse, the photography is very high quality, the book dimensions are generous for this sort of project and it helps paint a picture of the madcap 1980s in terms of personal computers. A true gold rush with companies forming left right and centre to put out weird incompatible machines with no software as a hot item.
Although it's not too centered on games, there is some context regarding games (most of these computers' main purpose was indeed as games machines).
I have to recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in computer history. Other books have gone much deeper into specific computers (wonderful books available on the Apple II and C64, for instance), but none that take on 100 at a time, with something interesting to say about all of them and great pictures to boot.