Hidden & Dangerous 2
Hidden & Dangerous 2 was released in 2003, one of many WWII based tactical shooters that were a popular genre at the time. It was an indirect sequel to Hidden & Dangerous from 1999, which had met with moderate success. The game was developed by the Czech company Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers and Take-Two Interactive. Hidden & Dangerous 2 featured single player campaigns set around Europe and North Africa, as well as the option for online multiplay hosted via player created servers.
Dirty Harry - The Video Game
"Dirty Harry" Callahan first appeared in a video game in 1990 on the NES. Developed by Grey Matter Inc and published by Mindscape the game titled “Dirty Harry” was a simple side scroller, featuring arbitrary platforms, shooting and fist fight mechanics. Apart from its basic vigilante cop narrative and some digitised soundbites from the films, there was very little to link it to the source material. Overall this was hardly a fitting debut for the character that has defined Clint Eastwood’s career and spawned five motion pictures. Beyond a brief appearance on a themed pin ball machine in 1995, Harry Callahan has remained conspicuously absent from the video games genre.
Air Warrior
It was about mid 1996 when I first got internet access. At the time the UK market had a multitude of small ISPs but it took the likes of AOL and CompuServe to make the worldwide web truly accessible to the general public. Like many others I had an AOL account mainly because it was easy to configure and use. There was no complexity to setting up the service and so it wasn’t long before I was monopolising the telephone line and running up epic phone bills. The early days of the internet were an exciting time. This was the age of modems, the Netscape vs Internet Explorer browser war and IRC flame wars. It had a hint of living on the frontier about it.
Working in IT
Working in IT is an extremely broad job description that encompasses multiple subsets and disciplines. Each specific field has its own skills and academic hierarchies. You may well be an experienced Network Administrator but that doesn’t make you equally as knowledgeable with regard to Database Development and vice versa. Saying that you work in IT is pretty much the same as saying that you work in healthcare. You could be working in procurement or be a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. However none of this is of any concern to those who work outside of IT. If you get collared by someone at a social event and tell them you work in IT, it’s only a matter of time before you get asked “I’m thinking of buying a new laptop, which one is best?” or something similar. I always tell them that Purple ones have the most RAM.
Overfamiliarity with a Genre
I have watched a lot of movies over the years; more so than the average viewer. Being a fan I seek out new and obscure content on a daily basis. A day seldom goes by without me watching a movie or at the least a TV show. As I am not a causal viewer, a movie gets my undivided attention. I focus on dialogue, composition, editing and also try to take in the subtle background detail that can often yield some extra level of enjoyment. As a result of my passion, I can often remember minute detail and recollect specifics, long after viewing. I guess this is the nature of fandom. If you like something, you retain it.
The World at War (1973)
The seventies were a Golden Age for cerebral documentaries with such outstanding examples as The Ascent of Man, Cosmos and Life on Earth. Such shows were content driven, relying heavily upon the quality of the script along with the charisma and gravitas of the presenter. Jacob Bronowski, Carl Sagan and David Attenborough were exemplars of this. Jeremy Isaac’s The World at War is another archetype of quality documentary film making from this decade.
Subtitles
My hearing is fairly robust for a man of my age. I also pride myself on my ability to concentrate. Yet despite the benefits of both those attributes, I still often find myself struggling to keep up with the dialogue and plot of many a game, TV show or movie. It’s something that is not unique to me and seems to be part of a growing phenomenon. Take last year’s science fiction blockbuster Interstellar. Amongst the critical praise there was a lot of grumbling over the mixing of ambient sound effects and the movies score drowning out dialogue. Similar complaints have been levelled at a lot of contemporary TV shows.
The Manitou (1978)
After the commercial success of The Exorcist in 1973, the low budget independent horror films of Hammer and American International fell into decline. The major Hollywood studios started financing more expensive genre movies. Twentieth Century Fox scored a box office hit with The Omen in 1976 proving once again that the supernatural was financially viable. Subsequently several independent film financiers realized that they would have to invest in bigger budget projects if they wished to compete. William Girdler’s 1978 adaptation of the bestselling horror novel, The Manitou, was one such example of this.
Gaming and Lore
Lore: A body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth. Synonyms: mythology, myths, legends, stories, traditions, folklore, culture, beliefs, sayings, superstitions, fantasy, oral tradition.
Certain genres of games love to steep themselves in faux lore. Then there are titles based upon existing intellectual properties that have a wealth of material to draw upon. Either way it would seem that such content is very popular among gamers. Perhaps it has something to do with how an in-depth sense of history can bring a virtual world to life. Or maybe it’s more about being human and our compulsion to share stories. Regardless of the armchair psychology, the bottom line is lore can be a major selling point for a game.
Legend (2015)
Legend is an extremely lavish biopic. Despite being about a pair of notorious British villains it has both the look and feel of an American gangster epic. There is no real attempt to depict either the period or the locations accurately nor is the story of the Kray twins themselves factually correct. As ever with American productions of this nature both the era and the subject matter are viewed through a miasma of sentimentality and faux nostalgia. The Krays are portrayed as folk heroes rather than the petty thugs that they were. However if you are prepared to overlook these deliberate biases then Legend is can still be an entertaining movie.
The Cost to Fun Ratio
In January I bought a Codemasters gaming bundle for the sum of £2.79 which contained ten titles. One of them was the action RPG Rise of the Argonauts, initially released in 2008. The game’s setting in the world of Greek mythology was its main appeal. A little research showed that the game had a distinctly average score and offered nothing new. I completed the entire story over the period of a week in about sixteen hours or so. It was broadly entertaining, although nothing special, apart from not being in the usual fantasy setting. The word “adequate” springs to mind.
Once Upon Atari (2003)
Once Upon Atari is a documentary exploring the meteoric success of the Atari company during the seventies and eighties. It consists mainly of interviews with many original Atari 2600 game development staff. Made by Howard Scott Warshaw, a programmer and author of titles such as Yar’s Revenge, Indiana Jones and the infamous E.T. the documentary provides a fascinating insight into day-to-day life at what was one of the most iconic companies of its era. The work environment as described by those who laboured there is the polar opposite of the way many businesses are structured today. This was the age of the game auteur, where successful coders were indulged.
Lifeforce (1985)
It’s funny how the very name of certain films will get a noticeable response. Especially when talking to fans of genre movies and connoisseurs of the obscure and cult. If you mention Lifeforce to a film buffs of a certain age you’ll more than likely get one of following three reactions.
• Oh that’s the one where that woman wanders around naked all the time.
• Didn't that star Peter Firth? (Usually said with a degree of incredulity)
• That was one seriously fucked up movie.
Gamers and Self-deprecation
Wisdom does not automatically accompany age. I know people who are just as dumb as they were twenty five years ago. Age does however offer a new perspective and an opportunity to reflect upon change. It’s down to the individual whether they choose to do this or not. I happily admit that I have shed a great deal of my nobler ideals over the years. I'm no longer passionate about many of the things I was in youth. I also tend not to get angry or irritated by things any more. Getting mad is not good for your health and seldom solves anything. Also why hand someone the ability to push your buttons on a plate. For me age has brought equilibrium and a degree of contentment because I don’t give a shit about lots of things any more.
Star Wars and Me
The seventies were a very curious time, especially in the UK. The post war world with its sensibilities, culture and etiquette was slowly slipping away. Sadly the future had not quite lived up to its scientific and cultural potential. Political, industrial and economic turmoil were rife. Even as a child I was aware that all was not right with the world. Then Star Wars was released and very quickly became a cultural phenomenon. I embraced it like many others and took it to my heart. It offered not only spectacle but a boundless galaxy filled with stories and possibilities, which captivated a child’s imagination. It had not only a strong sense of morality but a wider philosophical subtext. It provided a modern mythology just as George Lucas intended. Its optimism was in some ways an antidote to the prevailing cynicism of the times.
Cult Movie Soundtracks
There is a common consensus that a cult movie doesn’t necessarily have to be a good one. Badly written scripts, low budgets and curious casting are just some of the things that can contribute to making a film a cult classic. Many movies of this idiom have showcased talent that subsequently went on to better things. Sometimes films that are hailed as complete turkeys or financial disasters upon release are retrospectively deemed of merit. Often it is films soundtrack that can be its one saving grace. Take for example Ennio Morricone’s prodigious body of work. He is considered by many to be one of the finest (if not the finest) film composer alive. Yet some of his best work has been for incredibly poor, flawed or indifferent films. Consider Hundra, Treasure of the Four Crowns or Orca for example.
My Work and Gaming Environment
I know a good bandwagon to jump on when I see one, so I’m also going to write about my personal work space. Joking aside I don’t consider this sort of post to be just filler. As a self-employed person my desk and PC set up has a major impact upon how I make my living. I spend a significant part of my week based at my desk, so it’s essential to me that it is an organised, efficient and healthy work space. As I use the same set up for recreational purposes, it is doubly important that this is an agreeable environment.
Re-evaluating my Relationship with Twitter
I enjoy Twitter. I consider it to be an amusing diversion. It provides an opportunity to interact with friends that I’ve made all over the world. I find that swapping banter and trading quips with my twitter chums, often raises the spirits after a day filled with first world problems.
I recently went through my Twitter settings and “unfollowed” a lot of accounts. This included celebrities that only Tweet occasionally when they had a tour or a book to promote. Politicians and social commentators whose views and principles I find tiring. I even ditched a few fellow bloggers who have a tendency to whine or moan about their lot in life. You could argue that I’ve created an echo chamber and that I’m living in an online bubble. You may well be right. Humans often do the opposite of what they claim to believe. It’s like our default setting is one of cognitive dissonance.
Brainstorm (1983)
Director Douglas Trumbull’s background in the special effects industry has given him a unique perspective on film making. It is said that he made Silent Running with its humane and environmental message as a direct response to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he saw as stark, cold and clinical. Brainstorm again takes a technological story and adds a very human angle. The production was delayed by the death of lead actress Natalie Wood and the studio was somewhat at a loss as how to sell this film once it was completed. Everyone else at the time was still making space operas and this cerebral piece of cinema was very much ahead of its time.
The Challenge of Writing Daily
Writing content for your blog or website on a daily basis can be very challenging and quite daunting. That’s why I’m very impressed with those who have stayed the course of this year’s Blaugust writing event and fully understand why others opted to stand down. For some posting a blog post everyday simply cannot be sustained due to time restrictions. Real life can be very demanding. For those who have managed to sustain writing throughout August, it will be interesting to learn their thoughts on the event and whether they choose to continue to post every day.