The Excavation of Hob's Barrow- Videogames As Art

I recently completed The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, a folk horror point and click adventure game. The story follows you as Thomasina, a barrow digger, who carries out an excavation in Bewlay, a quintessential British folk horror village set in the moors, where the English locals don't like outsiders. As she excavates, Thomasina discovers the eldritch horror that lurk beneath the village that rendered her father, who had excavated the same site 25 years earlier, catatonic.

The sense of creeping dread is wonderful as you know Thomasina is not okay as she recalls her story in flashback, but can you save her? I won't spoil it but this is one of finest games I've played in many a year purely based on the story, however the pixel art, sound design and voice acting are also excellent.

Check out screenshots from my playthrough, below.

Gravity Falls Soundtrack- Vinyl Review

Gravity Falls was a phenomenal animated series. Over 39 episodes, i grew to love a town that felt like it was just a stones throw from Twin Peaks and a hop skip and a jump from the island in Lost. In this land oddities including rainbow vomiting gnomes, mermen and ghosts roamed free. With a narrative similar to The X-Files in structure in that there is an overarching story, as well as Kolchak’s 'monster of the week' episodes, the many questions and mysteries came to a stunning and satisfying conclusion.

There are very few series that are as well conceived, written and executed as Gravity Falls was. When an animated series leaves you thinking about parallel dimensions, alternate universes and man's place in the cosmos then you know there's something special. Beyond all that, the soundtrack for the series was phenomenal. I loved the music as it added so much to the series so when the vinyl soundtrack came up I bought it on pre-order. I had to wait a while to get it, due to Covid slowdown, but when it arrived I was ecstatic.

The package is handsomely homed in Ghostshrimp's superflat art style which houses red vinyls. It also has hidden cyphers which adds to the prestige of the whole piece.

So what of the tracks themselves? Well, there's a lot over 2 LPs. The track list is:

A Side
Gravity Falls Main Title Theme
Let's Rewind
Gobblewonker Chase
Pig Is Soos
Book Discovery - Gideon's Theme
Wax Battle
Boyz Crazy Medley
Let's Do This
Is It Bottomless - Triangulum Entagulum
ybmaL A stnaW ohW
Fight Fighters - Battle Suite
Blanchin

B Side
Finally I Have Them All
Gideon's Song
It's All Let Up To This
Working Girls
Gnome Chase
Gideon Rises - End Credits
Who's That Girl
Fiddleford Hadron Magucket
Stan Wrong Song
A Very Tricky Triangle

C Side
A World of Enchantment or Whatever - I Came Up With A Plan
The Two Kids Who Ruined My Life
Everything Changes Today
TIME BATTLE!!!
Blackened Skies
Don't Let Them Escape
I Wanna Be Exes
I Need That Machine To Stay On
Yeah Dude Friends - Your Fighting Only Makes Us Look More Rad
Takin' Over 2 Nite

D Side
Mabel It's Bill
Goat and a Pig
Weirdmageddon Pt. 1 - Suite
Giggle Creek
Bill Tricked Me
My Heart Is Made of Rainbows
I'm a Flippin' Corduroy
Saying Goodbye to Gravity Falls
Weirdmageddon Pt. 4 - End Credits
Grvatiy lFals ehTme (s'lliB deppohC dna dewercS ximeR)
We'll Meet Again

I've listened to the album a few times and have some thoughts on some of the tracks:
Intro- A wonderfully start to the album and with a spoopy sound mixed with a poppy vibe.

Let's do this (score)- Wonky electro cheese that sounds like wonderful chiptuney games music. It's just over half a minute but it's great!

Is It Bottomless - Triangulum Entangulum- This captures the essence of the show, starting off quite layed back with gentle strumming then gets all shimmery horror-like. It then gets into John Carpenter/ Stranger Things heavy driving synth with a discordant wailing sound. Very unsettling in the best possible sense.

Fight Fighters - Battle Score- This is like a loving mega mix to fighting game music of old starting with an 8-bit chip tune to Street Fighter-ish 16bit music, then boombastic Mortal Kombat music (the one where toy feel the need to shout out the name of the game really loudly) then to full on Yuzo Koshiro Streets of Rage love-in. It's epic in every sense of the word!

Blanchin'- One of the standout tracks from the series. It's so memorable for its happy rap styling.

Finally I Have Them All- a dramatic Hans Zimmer-esque score where the driving rhythm carries the melody forward to a crescendo.

It's All Led Up To This- A dramatic theme with a chugging strings sound that is dramatic and powerful. Beautiful.

Fiddleford Hadron McGucket- This is a beautiful twinkly track full of yearning and sadness. A light arpeggio plays over a wending synth sound, adding a winsome nostalgia to the piece.

Don't Let Them Escape- This tune slaps HARD! It sounds like an 80s hair-metal track in places as it is frenetic and chaotic.

Yeah Dude Friends - This is a cheerful whimsical piece that is only 30 seconds or so long but is emotive.

Takin' Over 2 Nite- A great ensemble song from the three main characters and full of joy.

Weirdmageddon Part 1 (suite)- This is a trippy prog-rock track which consists of about 4 pieces which move from spooky to energetic to cautious. Its a great track.

Saying Goodbye to Gravity Falls- This is a beautifully written piano piece which is full of sadness and feels full of memories.

The album is gorgeous and was well worth the wait. Obviously, it isn't the compete soundtrack of the entire series but what is here is gold. I love how they created 'suites' to connect themed tracks together. I do miss the absence of Disco Girl as that was one of my favourite tracks from the series but I'm not going to be too upset as this album is a magnificent gift that I don't think anyone was really expecting after so many years of the series ending.

Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West- Videogames As Art

When Horizon Zero Dawn came out 6 years ago, I enjoyed the stunningly realised open-world and the robot dinosaur antagonists. The story was intriguing and I found the moment to moment gameplay enthralling. However, unfortunately for the game, it coincided with the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which took the wind out of its sails - pun intended. The constant chuntering of Aloy alongside her martyr complex made her a frustrating character to warm to, especially when she built up friendships after years of being shunned yet discarded these connections to go on her solo missions.

Luckily, this time the developers have given Aloy's colleagues time to shine and the cadre of friends really helps the game. It's warming to see Aloy grow as a character and the story develops well as a result. Also, Aloy is now able to hack and fly robot pterodactyl equivalents- and that’s always going to be amazing!
Unluckily, Forbidden West coincided with the biggest game release of last year, the juggernaut that was Elden Ring. I've only just got around to completing Forbidden West after Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok and was suffering open-world fatigue, but thankfully at around 30 hours, the game doesn’t overstay its welcome.

I enjoyed my time and will eagerly pick up the set-up third game but hope, for the sake of the developers, that it doesn't get overshadowed again as it is a gorgeous game that is well worth your time.

Here are some screenshots from my playthrough:

Kolchak: The Night Stalker- Cult TV Review

I bought the Kolchak: The Night Stalker DVD collection a few years ago, but it had been sat in my pile of shame collecting dust. Earlier this month, I decided to finally bite the bullet and watch it during my annual January videogame detox.

I didn't know anything about the series but had heard it mentioned often when The X Files was at its peak. Apparently, Kolchak was an inspiration for Chris Carter when writing the adventures of Mulder and Scully, so if it was good enough for him it was good enough for me.

The 20 episode TV series followed Carl Kolchak (excellently played by Darren McGavin) investigating supernatural phenomena in his home city of Chicago. Each week he would have an investigation, facing off against mummies, vampires, werewolves and the like, whilst his likeable but ball-busting editor Tony Vincenzo (played by Simon Oakland) would be on his back about some more mundane mainstream story.

Typically, at the beginning of each tale we'd see Kolchak at his typewriter wistfully retelling the adventure he'd just had. Then, we'd go through the whole story as Kolchak slowly pieced together the puzzle to find out who the 'monster of the week' was. It's an effective story-telling device that offers a snapshot of a bygone age with its fashion, technology and concerns about the future. There are a few issues here and there with stereotyping, especially of the exotic 'other' like Hindus, Native Americans and Haitians, but it's not as problematic as many shows from that period, in fact the show stands up pretty well as Kolchak tried to understand these differences. It's not always subtle but I've definitely seen a lot worse from this era.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

I watched all the episodes and my favourite 3 episodes were:

The Ripper- A serial killer in Chicago, who preys on women, has the same MO as Jack the Ripper, but it couldn't be him... it's been almost a hundred years, right?

Bad Medicine- When a man dressed as a Native American sorceror kills older ladies of distinction for their gems, Kolchak is on the case to see that the crime spree stops. Richard Kiel appears in an early career role and is suitably brooding as an 8ft transmitting giant who morphs into animals. Even though it is quite insensitive now, it is a great episode with lots of tension and mystery.

The Knightly Murders- When a museum showcasing medieval armour is under threat of being turned into a nightclub, the reanimated black armour of a cursed knight murders some of the Chicago folk involved in the museums closure. A crossbow, mace and lance are the murder weapons of choice but can Kolchak get to the bottom of it?

The show is highly entertaining and extremely watchable, even now. There is a gentle humour that goes with Kolchak being thrown out of places he shouldn't be and people not believing his wild sounding stories. McGavin has the confidence and charming personality to befriend some people whilst getting under the skin of others, much like Columbo. His dogged pursuit for the truth is endearing as he portrays Kolchak with warmth and good humour, rather than just a newshungry reporter.

LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review

LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

LINK- Children of the Dogstar: Cult TV Series Review

LINK- How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Mike Schur- Book Review

LINK- The Good Place and Philosophy- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ LINK: Elden Ring- Videogames As Art

Return to Oz- Cult Film Review

I've have fond yet horrific memories of Return to Oz, which I watched in my early teen years. Like many films from the 80s (such as The NeverEnding Story, The Dark Crystal, The Secret of NIMH and Labyrinth) the film didn't patronise the youthful target audience; the film was a darker, more macabre children's film than had often been portrayed on the screen.

The story is quite interesting as we see Dorothy six months after the tornado took her house to Oz. Her aunt and uncle don’t believe her when she recalls her adventures and so seek advice from a clinic. After nearly undergoing electric-shock therapy, Dorothy escapes with a mysterious girl in the middle of a stormy night and finds herself back in a much-changed Oz; the yellow brick road and the Emerald City are in ruins and the land is under the control of the Nome King. With her new friends, Tiktok, Jack Pumpkinhead and The Gump, she sets off to rescue the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion. Along the way she faces the Wheelers (a rolling band of Mad Max-style costumed henchmen) and the horrifying Princess Mombi, who collects and wears the heads of the maidens of the land.

Back when this was released in 1985, I'm guessing people were clutching their pearls as they were used to the happy, singalong, technicolor Wizard of Oz movie which had turned into a bona-fide classic. I think in this day and age, where children are used to films such as Coraline, Monster House and Frankenweenie, something like Return to Oz would find a much more appreciative audience. The fact that this film was from the House of Mouse must have been additionally surprising, but people often forget that before the Disneyfication of fairy stories, the original source material was often much darker. Just think about the core themes behind Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty; they are all horrific tales which support the status quo and the subservient role of women. Something like Return to Oz, where Dorothy fights against the patriarchy, must have been shocking in the macho 80s but Frank L. Baum’s stories are creepy as heck and, remembering them from my youth, quite trippy in places.

Adults nowadays know that children can handle being a little scared and aren't as fragile as they seem, in fact, many like being a little frightened and boy does this film have these moments:
- Dorothy being tied down to a gurney to receive electric shock therapy,
- The creepy wheelers with their 80s Mad Max style fashion, just with less leather,
- Princess Mombi chasing Dorothy whilst all her heads come alive,
- The Nome King appearing from out of the cliff face.

As well as these practical special effects, which give the film the same timeless quality as Jim Henson's The Storyteller or The Green Knight, and you have a film that really has stood the test of time extremely well.
Whatever the reason the film flopped, I don't care- I love it and think it deserves a reappraisal.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase- Cult Film Review

I knew of the works of author Joan Aitkin initially through her books with illustrator Jan Piekowski, such as A Necklace of Raindrops. The Lotte Reiniger-style silhouette artwork is indelibly imprinted in my mind as my local library had a small recessed reading area with these art pieces displayed on large boards all around. It created a magical space that I loved and has remained with me over these 35 or so years.

I'd also known of Wolves of Willoughby Chase as I had seen it in my youth, probably on a wet Sunday afternoon as it does feel like a cozy family matinee movie. On a nostalgia kick, but also on a family film option scout, I thought I'd revisit the film to see if it would be a good one to show my own children.

The film is dark fantasy, kind of... As it is very much Victoria/ Edwardian England with workhouse, orphanages and stagecoaches but through the lens of an alternate timeline with King James III ruling.

On the Willoughby estate, the Lord and Lady of the Manor decide to travel for a while. In their stead they leave their daughter Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia with a new governess, Ms. Slighcarp. However, once the parents leave Ms. Slighcarp starts to show her dark side by being a cruel woman with a penchant for forgery. She plans to sink the ship the Lord and Lady are travelling on and gain access to the Willoughby fortune. What follows are escapades through the gothic secret tunnels of the daily home and adventures in a Victorian laundry workhouse.

The whole thing has a whiff of a made-for-TV movie but that's not a knock on it as it is effectively produced and is dramatic. Stephanie Beacham is beautiful yet imperiously cruel and scary in this film. She escalates things near the finale and the sight of her in the steam punk styles ice sledge is great. It's suitably daft yet dramatic, adding much needed drama to a quite melodramatic film. The two children in the main roles (Aleks Darowska and Emily Hudson) are pretty solid all-in-all but won't win any prizes for their acting in this role, however the other adults are quite broad too.

The film is cheesy yet sweet and, whilst there is no real peril for our heroines, a young lad does get squished in the laundry rollers. It doesn't reach the heights of later gothic Victorian set kids films like The Secret Garden or A Little Princess, which were in the early to mid 90s, but for an early 80s film, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is quite effective.

The Very Pulse of the Machine (Love, Death and Robots)- Episode Review

A while back I did a review of Love, Death and Robots Season 1 and, whilst I appreciated an animated anthology series, I felt it was a bit too edge-lordy for its own good. Much like manga and *sigh* 'Japananimation' in the early 90s here in the UK, what we were getting was the extreme, gratuitous violence and sex stuff. Now, there's nothing wrong with that but I don't think many would disagree that Doomed Megalopolis, Wicked City or Urotsokidoji were the best examples that the medium had to offer at the time. We were getting them as they sold and found a cult niche here in the West after interest in Akira. However, it took a while for the great stuff to get here; Bubblegum Crisis, Dragon Ball, Nadia: Secret of Blue Water or any of the Ghibli films (except the bastardised Nausicaa- Warriors of the Wind) .

And so, after three seasons I think Love, Death and Robots has finally produced a masterpiece short film which deserves recognition. 'The Very Pulse of the Machine' is a gorgeously animated film in the style of Moebius from animation studio Polygon Pictures. The story is based on a short from Michael Swanwick and looks at the journey of a lone astronaut, Martha, stranded on the moon of Io, trying to find her way out whilst her oxygen slowly depletes. It is a psychological piece as we have Martha, superbly voiced by Mackenzie Davis, having a conversation with an invisible entity, or it could delusions caused by a mixture of hypoxia and morphine.

It's a very existential piece, not just because of the isolation of the astronaut, but because the individual is in conversation with something greater than herself. I found that very interesting as the dialogue was very philosophical and profound in places. I won't spoil it but the film evokes memories of 2001: Space Odyssey and the Star Child; death is not the end but a new part of the journey and that's a beautiful thought. The crescendo of the soundtrack at the denouement is spectacular and still sends shivers down my spine when I hear it.

For me, 'The Very Pulse of the Machine' is the high watermark for Love, Death and Robots. I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here.

God of War: Ragnarok- Videogames As Art

I’ve been with the God of War series since it smashed it's way into our hearts on the Playstation 2 and continued with the trilogy and the handheld games. It was good and edge-lordy but since then it has gone through a kind of soft reboot with 2018s God of War. That game put you in the shoes of angry dad Kratos who was trying to connect with his tween son whilst trying to hide his murderous past. I found this whole ‘middle-aged angry dad looking after a kid’ trope was an amazing one for Kratos as it developed his character but was concerned with the linearity of the story of the sequel after playing Elden Ring. However, I needn’t have worried as GOW: Ragnarok was a compelling game with an engaging story, great voice acting and solid graphics. Okay, it didn’t blow me away like its 2018 incarnation had but it was a wonderful narratively driven game and well worth the 30 hour playtime.

Below are screenshots of my playthrough.

It's the End of the Year As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)- Reflections on an Interesting Year.

It's that time of year where many of us reflect on the passing of time. Successes and failures; we look back at the goals and targets we set ourselves this time last year and see if we have accomplished what we wanted to do, become what we wanted to become etc.

My resolution from last year was to meet and understand people better. This might make me sound socially awkward but, to be honest, after lockdown and the isolation that entailed, I have found that I’m a lot less confident than I used to be. That might be to do with my age too as I’m now middle aged.

On an analogue level, I continued to play in the local weekday football league, where I would participate in weekly games with my fellow dads and lads. We started a team during lockdown about a year and a bit ago and it's been great to build relationships with these guys as I find that it's become more difficult to build friendships as I've got older. It could be that my older friends, the ones I've known since school/college etc, have kept me safe in a walled garden of my own making; stepping away can be a challenge when you are comfortable. It's been strange as I've had to take pause and slow down in conversation and open up a little more as these newer friends don't know me that well and nor I them. We have no shared history, so it's like building the structures of friendship one brick at a time.

Also, I read a lot biographies and autobiographies over the past 12 months… and I mean a lot! Yes, these were often of celebrities who wanted to show their best self and were not your typical lay person but it has been interesting to see how candid they were and actually critical of their own actions or inactions. I read the autobiographies of Oliver Stone, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Tegan and Sara, Mel B, Louis Theroux, Reggie Fils-Aime, Simon Reeve, and Seth Rogan as well as the biographies of Peter Falk (Columbo), William Blake and Robin Williams. As well as this I listened to a lot of audiobooks on people including the excellent Dermot O’Leary podcast People, Just People and the perennial favourite Desert Island Discs. I learned a lot from these and, even though many of these people lived vastly different lives to mine, I found many shared the same worries, concerns and dreams as I and, I assume, many other people have.

Finally, I also got into philosophy, specifically Moral Philosophy. I studied Anthropology at university but have always had an interest in the human condition, the reason why we are here and all the other light fluffy stuff that makes me such a great conversationalist at parties. However, the idea of reading thousands of years of philosophy and ethics is daunting so, as well as reading some books recently by Ernest Becker, Rumi and Noam Chomsky to get myself caught up, I read a couple of books by Mike Schur (creator of The Good Place, The Office (US version), Parks and Rec and so much more.) What I gained was a distillation of thousands of years of moral philosophy and ethics in a couple of handy tomes. My main takeaway was of T. M. Scanlon's Contractualism which posits that we should act upon rules that others could not reasonably refuse i.e. create and follow reasonable rules that are built on interpersonal relationships. This is a good way to think about society as, generally, people need people need people.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of the Selfish Gene theory alongside Hobbesian philosophy, makes many of us believe that the world is a dark and horrible place where only the strongest can survive: It’s dog eat dog out there. We can sometimes form a poor view of our fellow man which create the Mean World Syndrome that is often supported by the rolling 24 hour news coverage of terrible acts committed by apparenty terrible people. Even though we are currently living in one of the most peaceful times, where poverty has dropped substantially and the average life expectancy has increased, we think the world is going to ‘hell in a handcart.’ However, that is patently not true.

So, I know I'm rambling somewhat but I suppose my central message is of peace, growth and transcendence. I believe that people must come together as there is an intersectionality where the betterment of the state of the world is for the benefit of everyone and not just the few. Another person can change your life without remaining a permanent part of it. In fact, people can leave an imprint or act as a catalyst for (re)discovering something about ourselves. I've started a process of deep reflection and self-examination. The Greek philosopher Socrates said, ‘Know Thyself’ and an essential part of knowing yourself must be to recognise the limits of your own wisdom and understanding- knowing what you do genuinely know and knowing what you have yet to learn. Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, Gen Z or however people choose to classify themselves (or are labelled)- we can make the world a better place by coming from a place of understanding and learning from each other.

Anyways, that’s my two cents worth… have a grand new year one and all!

LINK- How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Mike Schur- Book Review

LINK- The Good Place and Philosophy- Book Review

LINK- Utopia for Realists- Book Review

LINK- Humankind: A Hopeful History- Book Review

LINK- The Future Starts Here: An Optimistic Guide to What Comes Next- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’

LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth- Graphic Novel Review

Comics are amazing as they can open our minds to a whole world of imagination. There are many comics and graphic novels which are based on real life and tell us about the human condition and humanity and It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thoroughgood is one such book.

It's an introspective, relatable and very truthful graphic novel about depression. I haven't felt depressed for many years but this comic did send me back into my memories of my difficult mid to late teens where I questioned everything and wasn't sure of my place in the world. Looking back that was more existential and a feeling of ennui than clinical depression but nonetheless, it felt monumentally overwhelming at the time. Thoroughgood describes her depression as something biological and chemical; 'I am not my depression. But sometimes it's comforting to believe that's all that I am' and 'Even on beautiful days like this one-it feels impossible to imagine a future where I don't kill myself.' When her depression hits it hits hard and the lockdown during the pandemic heightened her sense of isolation.

Through its varied art styles, including collage, manga, super deformed as well as videogame style like pixel art, we get to connect to her moods and feelings. Thoroughgood is effective at being self-deprecating but also brutally and harshly critical of herself and her process.

I enjoyed the graphic novel and, even though some parts were heartbreaking, I liked the honesty and earnestness of her writing.

Life is Strange: True Colours- Videogames As Art

About 7 years ago, the first of five episodes of Life Is Strange was released onto an unsuspecting world. The creators, Dontnod, had previously produced an okay but unremarkable game called Remember Me- it was pretty forgettable-so the episodic tale of an introverted photography student with the power to rewind time did not garner much excitement. However, it ended up being one of the most talked about games of the year, garnering strong reviews and approval from the video games community at large. Since then we have had the prequel Before the Storm, and a whole new storyline with new characters in Life is Strange 2.

What appeals with these games is the mumblecore movie like vibe; authentic sounding dialogue delivered well with only a occasional clunky pieces of dialogue. The games are usually shot with an eye for cinematography, a great central mystery that pulls you in and likeable or relatable characters.

I played the latest entry, True Colours and loved getting to know Alex Chen and see the effect her empathic powers had on her. There were the usual moments of wonder, surprise and tenderness that will stay with you long after the game is over but it's the characters portrayed with depth and personality that are the real triumph here- I like the portrayal of strong women in videogames who don't need rescuing.

The game was a great palette cleanser from the open world fatigue I've suffered from after playing Elden Ring and Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West for over 200 hours.

Love and Let Die: The Beatles, James Bond, and the British Psyche - Book Review

John Higgs is an exciting and enthusiastic cultural historian and author who I first came across whilst reading the KLF biography, The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds. After enjoying that book immensely, I bought, read and thoroughly enjoyed Higgs' other books, 'The Future Starts Here: An Optimists Guide to What Comes Next' and also ‘Blake vs. The World.’ I think a lot of the reasons as to why I like Higgs is  due to the way he brings difficult concepts to life by providing clear examples using very simple terms and understandable layman's terms.

I think Higgs is pretty much spot on with his analyses in his works as you can see it happening in the world. The fact that he provides context and a humanist approach to his subject matters make his work non-judgemental and approachable. He is skilled in  finding intriguing connections between seemingly unrelated subjects and the concepts of 'reality tunnels' and the theory of a 'circumambient story,' where we as people, create a cohesive story based on what we curate from our experiences and understanding, is one that you can see happening everywhere. His insight is one of the reasons why I look forward to his books and pre-order them; you're guaranteed a thrilling journey.

With 'Love and Let Die: The Beatles, James Bond, and the British Psyche' Higgs takes us on a journey about the lives, loves and legacy of both The Beatles and James Bond. Now, they don't seem to have much in common at all, apart from the extraordinary coincidence that The Beatles’ first single 'Love Me Do' was released on the same day as the first James Bond film 'Dr. No' on Friday 5th October 1962... well, that and 60 years after release the legacy of both is still strong. However, by looking at it through the lens of their contrasting world views, Thanatos and Eros (the Freudian Death and Love Drive) we see how both were battling it out for the soul of post-war England for what it means to be 'English' and 'Masculine' in what we would now consider a culture war.

Now usually with Higgs I can see where he is going, even if I don't fully understand it but with this I wasn't so sure initially; The Beatles were all peace and love whilst Bond was the epitome of a cold hard killer, right? So, why compare these two cultural touchstones. Well, over the course of a few hundred pages we find that actually they had a lot of overlap and coincidences that made them opposites in some ways yet inextricably linked:

- Christopher Lee was related to Ian Fleming and appeared as Scaramanga in 'The Man With the Golden Gun' as well as McCartney's band Wings cover.
- Paul McCartney revived his flagging career with his Bond song 'Live and Let Die'.
- Ringo Starr married ‘The Spy Who Loved Me's Bond Girl Barbara Bach, and so much more.I suppose with them being so closely linked in time and space, some overlap was inevitable but the connections Higgs finds are fascinating.

The last few chapters of the book look at the real world and how Bond and The Beatles have both become the 'norm' with Bond representing death and The Beatles representing peace and love.

The chapter 'A Golden Thread of Purpose' is wonderfully Higgs in that he looks at how the 2012 opening ceremony of the Olympics by Danny Boyle and Frank Cottrell Boyce, used William Blake's idea of Albion to show Britain as a parochial and wonderful place, including placing God at the centre of the world but also at the periphery filled with different characters (including Albion) which have entered into our national mythology and identity. These British characteristics have deeper and hidden meanings which have been misinterpreted or misunderstood by many over the years and Boyles opening ceremony seemed like a threat to the established order. Higgs compares this with the closing ceremony which seemed to support the Norman Continuity Empire, where the Royal Family and their supporting Lords and Ladies staked their claims to the land, and separated the people from their plots forever.

The next chapter, 'What is the New Evil in the World?' is fascinating as it looks at real-world Bond-like plots like Putin's annexation of Crimea, the bots and trolls from North Korea and Russia turning the West against each other through planned culture wars and the social media shit posting. It does seem like Bond was ahead of the curve with its presience.

'Love and Let Die: The Beatles, James Bond, and the British Psyche' is a fascinating book and well worth a read. You may not always agree with Higgs connections and points but I guarantee that his 'reality tunnels' and theory of the British 'circumambient story' will stay with you long after you put the book down; it's an interesting journey well worth a look.

LINK- The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds- Book Review

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’

LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Mario Odyssey- Video Games As Art

LINK- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice- Video Games As Art

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi

Elden Ring- Videogames As Art

I've been playing videogames for a looong time (click here for my article on this) but Elden Ring has been a game changer for me. When I wasn't playing it, I was thinking about it. When I wasn't thinking about it, I was reading about it. When I wasn't reading about it, I was watching video essays on YouTube about it. The thing took over my gaming life and most of my nights for most of this year- my wife even complained when I entered the bedroom past midnight most nights due to the game. It's my most played game ever with over 155 hours clocked.

I didn't know how much I needed this experience. I've become used to more linear experiences in the past decade or so but From Software’s masterpiece demanded focus and attention. The scope of the game is sublime and the map(s) opens up very early on. Gone are the parochial way finding icons splodged on the map, removing any hint of a surprise (I'm looking at you Ubisoft) to a more natural, diegetic method of discovery and wonder. Okay, I don't pretend to understand all the nuance if the narrative but man, this is one of the best games ever made and it’s been a heck of a ride getting to the end. Below are screenshots of my playthrough.

The Artful Escape- Videogames As Art

I've often said that videogames can be the most amazing form of media as they can be as varied as movies and novels but they also have the added benefit of player agency.

Too often, the headline games are about shooting and killing, or worse, matching three fruits/ gems/ numbers! However, every now and again a game comes along that refreshes the palette and offers you look at the medium through a different lens and that's what The Artful Escape does. It's a story of a young musician living in the shadow of his dead famous Uncle who wants to express himself musically but feels he can't. By going through a trippy journey across alien backgrounds and worlds, many of which could have been lifted from the prog rock album covers from the 70s, he finds the strength to be true to himself.

It's a short journey, lasting about 3 hours, but boy is it a spectacle. The visual flair on show is phenomenal whilst the music matches the epic-ness of the game. If you haven't, please do check out The Artful Escape as it's a pretty unforgettable journey. Okay, all you do is press right and occasionally jump but not everything need to be a frame-reading, ball-buster of a game.

Gamesmaster: The Oral History- Book Review

Gamesmaster turns 30 this year and, to mark this occasion, a new book has been released about the making and evolution of the show.

The book is well made and has good paper stock, giving it a premium feel.

For the uninitiated, Gamesmaster was a challenges based show where gamers would compete with each other and challenges to earn the coveted 'Golden Joystick'. I watched the show religiously as a kid as it was the only gaming show available and was typically zeitgeisty. The show was very 'extreme' 90s, with all the positives and negatives of that era including lads, ladettes, booze, innuendo and casual sexism. Now, a lot of the stuff wouldn't fly today but it was of its time and so, reading about it whilst watching the show on YouTube has been a fascinating look back at this moment in time.

The book covers the heady highs, cratering lows and the redemptive arc of the show and main host, Dominik Diamond. The fact that they were able to get all the core people involved, including the Producers, Executives as well as Diamond, Dexter Fletcher and Dave Perry is amazing as there were quite a few egos on the show that caused friction but also gave the show its anarchic dangerous feel.

I also enjoyed reading about the process of deciding what theme each season would be, often a tiny budget meant the economy of design led to the set designer doing magic with very little. The Atlantis set for season 6 was the real standout and Dominik agrees in this book too.

The inclusion of photos, production sketches and other material really brings the stories to life and the anecdotes are amazing. The hedonism of the main players, young men who found success early and didn't always know how to cope with the attention and money, shows the pitfalls of fame and Dominik is very honest about his chemical demons.

The whole book was a fascinating read, but there were several sections in the book that really struck me, such as how much Dominik hated the red coat in season 2 and how it led to his decision to leave. Also, when he was brought back in season 4 after ailing ratings in season 3 when Dexter Fletcher took over, how he doubled his pay after they killed his character off at the start of season 3. I was fascinated to learn about season 7, which was commissioned after the memo saying the show was over was never read or sent. They had a grand send off in season 6 and had then scattered to the wind, only to be reunited once again for one last blowout.

It's a redemptive story of a plucky underdog of a show that could, a host who came from very little, found success unexpectedly then worked extremely hard to make the show better and, towards the end, all parties decided to have more fun and be less serious about it all.

I loved the book and consumed it within a few days. As a fan of Gamesmaster, it was insightful and often hilarious. The honesty and candidness of all involved makes this a fascinating and essential read.

The Transportive Nature of Objects (and the Power of Mini Consoles).

I recently purchased the NES Mini and the Megadrive Mini as these consoles were a hugely formative part of my life, being the consoles I played the most between the ages of 10 to 16.

I've been into gaming for nearly all my life and, whilst in my younger years I sold my collection to buy the upgraded consoles and games, ever since the N64, PS2 and GameCube era, I've kept my favourites games. About 10 years ago, I dabbled in the retro game collecting scene, buying much of the older games I had liked in my youth for the Mega Drive, Master System and Gameboy, as these were the systems I most associated with my youth. Needless to say, I built up a pretty solid collection of games which I've kept and loved but I've had no desire to be a hardcore collector and have every game on a console system or have a complete set of anything; I just collect the things I love and have a curator's approach.

However, a lot of the systems I've got have no way of being played on modern tellies without buying expensive wires, hardware mods or by purchasing increasingly rare, bulky and pricey CRT sets. This is part of the reason why mini consoles were initially so appealing; an easy way to play the games you loved on modern screens at a reasonable price. As gaming becomes more ephemeral it's nice to have something physical where you can revisit things without fear of it being taken off a digital storefront or being removed due to licensing issues. I managed to get the SNES Mini on release at cost price which, looking back, was incredibly lucky.

However, during the pandemic, many retro games and mini consoles were unobtainable at a reasonable price. Mini consoles in particular were often being resold or scalped at more than 4 times their retail price. During one of the early lockdowns, the Megadrive Mini was being resold at around £200 or so, way more than its £59 RRP.

The surge in retro gaming sales was unprecedented and retro games, consoles and mini consoles of retro systems broke records in terms of sales during Covid. I think it's fair to say that when things go bad people like to remember better times and often it's the sepia tones of childhood and the past that appeals. I know that allure as I bought the Numskulls 1/4 mini Bubble Bobble arcade machine purely for the feelings of nostalgia and affection for my childhood days with this game. Despite that though, I couldn't justify buying these mini consoles at the hugely marked up prices so I bided my time and waited.

Back in the day, this would have bothered me. I'd always been there on release days, but I was not going to pay a premium to some chancer of a scalper for the privilege of owning these systems. The main reasons I wanted and got these mini consoles was to revisit some old classics with my daughters and experience some games I didn't get to play back in the day. I could wait for a more reasonable price before buying these systems.

So, after selling some old games that I had no way of playing as well as some I no longer wanted in my collection, I got both the NES Mini and Megadrive Mini for pretty much cost price. At CEX, I used my newly minted credit note and even had a couple of quid credit to spare. I just bought the consoles without the £10 extra for the boxes, I wasn't into collecting these for collecting sake but rather it was the easiest way to play these games.

Previously, I was playing some of the games on my Retron 5 clone system with original controllers (which I've reviewed here) but it was such a faff, so I thought I'd go for the easiest and cheapest (illegal emulation excepted, of course) option. I had these games on emulation of course but it just wasn't the same for me as there is a transportive nature to objects, they can open a door into the past- taking us to another place or time. As I held the NES Mini in my hands, I had flashbacks of my friends birthday party where I'd eaten so much and played Mario Bros. for so long that I went home that evening and promptly threw up-best day ever! I've talked about how Nintendo has been a constant in my life prior and how it became a formative part of my youth.
When I held the Megadrive Mini I remembered seeing Sonic playing at the local Comet and being amazed at the graphics and the speed when I had a play at the kiosk. I also remember part exchanging my Master System, tonnes of games and cash to get the Megadrive and Sonic game at the local comic/ book/ videogame/ manga and anime shop... Yup, I was a silly kid and was fleeced by the trader at the shop but there ya go. You live and learn right?

It's funny the memories you have on to when you hold something sentimental close to you. However, there is also a danger in revisiting old games; discovering that the games you held dear are rather bad but, due to a kind of Stockholm Syndrome brought about by only being able to buy games every couple of months, you got used to it and convinced yourself you loved it. I've recently played the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES game again for the first time in about 30 years and the poor level layout, unfair enemy placement, slow gameplay and lack of save points really grated on me now but back in the day I thought it was merely me being a crap player. I'm sure we've all got stories of revisiting something and finding it not like we remember, however, I hope to play my way through the games on these systems and writing my opinions on these, as well as sharing some screenshots of my playthrough.

LINK: Japan- My Journey to the East

LINK- My One True Gaming Constant in Life- Nintendo

LINK- On, and On and Conston (Or, ‘How We Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism in GB’)

LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’

LINK: Let’s All Create a ‘New Normal’.

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review

LINK- Tom’s Midnight Garden: Cult TV Review

Devon Comic Con and Gaming Festival- Review

A couple of weekends ago, my daughter and I attended out first Devon Comic Con. Now, this wasn't our first rodeo as regards Comic Cons; my daughter has attended two Tonbridge Comic Cons whilst I attended a few in London, but neither of us has attended one in quite a while.

My daughter was very excited as it was the first Comic Con she was attending where she would be wearing a costume and possibly recognise some of the shows and media represented.

We left on a sunny Sunday morning and had a short 20 minute drive to the Westpoint Centre in Exeter. When we got there, the parking assistants guided our vehicles to allocated spaces, it was all extremely smooth.

We then headed down to the centre and saw lots of stalls selling all manner of geeky goods at a fair price including anime, manga, video games, clothing, bags and Marvel and DC comics. There were a few celebrities doing signings and photos including Sylvester McCoy, Hattie Hayridge (Holly from Red Dwarf) and a few from some other shows which I don't watch.

There were lots of people dressed up, representing various fandoms and the atmosphere overall was great. Loads of adults and children took the opportunity to let their inner geek out. My 7 year old daughter loved the appreciative comments from people about her Ms. Marvel costume and we had a few conversations with random people talking about the show, comics and Partition. I've always said that representation matters and it was heartening to meet people and chat about our respective cosplays. I also wore my Ms. Marvel t-shirt and red shemagh scarf so my daughter and I looked like a team.

Dotted around the hall were lots of items and photo opportunity pieces of memorabilia which you could snap away at. My daughter and I met the Daleks and a Warhammer robot thingy and we saw a replica of the Batmobile and the Stranger Things set.

I've attended quite a few Cons but this was my first Exeter Comic Con. I like how it was well organised with stalls separated well so you could walk around without fear of a bottleneck. The cafe was reasonably priced whilst the food market outside was calm and had lots of seating.

All in all, this was a great Con and, whilst not as expansive or impressive as its London counterpart, it was a worthwhile experinece and highly recommended for its inclusivity and family-friendly atmosphere.

Jean Michel Jarre Oxymore- Album Review

Jean Michel Jarre is going a bit more experimental in his old age and for some that's great; an electronic maestro flexing his skills to push boundaries. However, for others it's a fear that he's gone up his own backside for the sake of 'art' and is a bit more generic in this Sound Cloud age.

His last few albums have been interesting with revisits to old themes (Oxygene 3 and Equinoxe Infinity), collaborations (Electronica 1 and 2), his dalliance back into his musique concrète roots (Amazonia) and his embracing of VR with his 'live' VR show (Welcome to the Other Side: Live at Notre Dame).

With his latest album he leans into the latter two genres, mixing his musique concrète roots with VR. The concept here is of a binaural VR album where the music surrounds you. I've experienced synesthesia through the Bjork exhibition and through playing videogames like Tetris Effect and Rez Infinite and I have to say, the effect is electrifying. I don't have access to the Oxymore VR experience so I'm just listening to the binaural album with my Sennheiser PX200 headphones.... Hardly the optimal experience, I'm sure, but it's all I have so I'll judge the album on this, the lesser experience.

Oxymore was a much-hyped collaborative work with musique concrète pioneer Pierre Henry, but before the work to come to fruition Henry died. Luckily, Henry's wife provided Jarre with the music stems and so the album is more Jarre's work with a little Henry thrown in. Now, I'm not familiar with Henry's work so have to context for what the project would have sounded like if it had been completed fully but nonetheless, it's a fascinating listen.

It's a soundscape which is often abstract and difficult to pin down. The album works as a whole piece and I don't imagine listening to one track independently. It is very much a tapestry of sounds to immerse yourself in. It can be a challenging listen in that there are very few standout pieces but the whole is quite engaging and interesting. I can imagine listening to it after a hard day at work, just letting the crunchy beats and Jarre signature arpeggios wend their way around me. Standout tracks include Animal Genesis, an 80s synthy piece that sounds very Stranger Things, Zeitgeist, a track that has the most hummable melody in pretty much the whole album, Brutalism, a catchy, upbeat synthy piece, and Epica, a fitting finale for the whole album which uses elements seen throughout to end on a pop-filled high.

Jarre is a pioneer and, rather than leaning into his greatest hits, I love seeing his evolution as an artist. That said, that doesn't mean I've enjoyed all his recent works but that's what good artists do; they stretch themselves and try new things. It may not work out but it's better than being generic and boring, eh? Personally, I'd admire his range and willingness to try something new or different.

Oxymore is an interesting album and well worth a listen but is by no means classic essential Jarre. For a similar style I'd recommend Jon Hopkins who has a more melodious and crunchy beat to his work or, if you're feeling nostalgic, Burial is pretty awesome too.

LINK- Amazonia Album Review

LINK- Equinoxe Infinity Album Review

LINK- Planet Jarre Celebrates 50 Years of Jarre

LINK- Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene 3 Album Review

LINK- Jean Michel Jarre Electronica Vol. 2 Album Review

Ghostwire: Tokyo- Videogames As Art

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a stunning survival-action horror game, which doesn’t lean too much into the gore or scares. The game follows a man who is possessed by a spirit after a Rapture-like event wipes out the population of Tokyo. Instead, yokai and malevolent spirits roam the land and impede your mission to rescue your ill sister who is taken by an evil man in a mask looking to break the walls between the human and spirit world. The game is okay but the fighting does get samey and drags on after while but the animations and rain effects are incredibly beautiful. I finished the game at about 8 hours so it doesn’t overstay its welcome but it does feel like a typical Tango Studios game, great ideas that don’t fulfill their potential.

Anyways, enjoy the screenshots of my playthrough!

Dear Ambivalence: The Mustachioed One, The Witches And The Suspended Body- Book Review

The title is a lot, but when the writer is Deadly Premonition creator Hidetaka ‘Swery’ Suehiro what did you expect? The distinctively quirky auteur has produced some intriguingly singular videogames include Deadly Premonition, D4, The MISSING, and The Good Life. His reputation for building interesting worlds filled with quirky characters with a somewhat irregular tone is known. As a pop culture and cult TV and film fan, his references hit hard and fast and so we get influences by David Lynch, The Cat People and a lot of general Americana.

This novel is not a slight undertaking, coming in at an impressive 484 pages. The blurb is peak Swery and pulls you in:

"When the naked, hairless, brutalized corpse of a young girl is discovered in the British countryside, everyone finds themselves asking the same question: Who did this, and why...?
Normally, this quiet idyllic town's policemen spend the bulk of their time chasing around lost sheep.
But then, one day, they found her... Elizabeth Cole. 17 years old, female... Hanging upside down from the town's symbolic elm tree... Dripping with morning dew, shaved completely hairless, missing every last one of her organs.
Witch hunts... Magic wands... Milk lorries... Nuts and coffee.
Neverending rumors... Inescapable sins.
Emily, a detective who was recently demoted from her post in London, teams up with a small moustachioed gentleman named Poco in order to bring the truth to light."

On day of English language release, I bought the book and have been reading it as my October Halloween read. I can say that it is a very Swery book; the fact that the narrator is a cat took some getting used to but it works as a literary device.

It is a gripping and idiosyncratic journey with very heavy nods to Twin Peaks; a cop-with-a-chequered-past Detective Emily constantly grazing on nuts is much like FBI Agent Dale Cooper constantly commenting on coffee and cherry pie, acerbic pathologist Francis Mackenzie recalling snarky FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield and the mixed up secret life of the victim, Elizabeth, is much like the tragic secret life of Laura Palmer. Added to all this is the fascinating lore of the area referring to a haunting tragic history of an English village. It's all very well done but this is obviously an outsiders view of England as there are turns of phrase or details that don't quite sound right; it's a facsimile of England but it doesn't really matter as the central premise is so interesting.

Overall, I found the story to be interesting and engaging enough that I read it within a couple of days. It’s not as eloquent as the works of Sandor Mirai, nor is it as stylised as Haruki Murakami or as mind-bendingly humanist as David Mitchell’s work but it is typical Swery and for those who like his work, this is just fine!