Source Code (2011)
I wanted to watch Source Code for a second time before I wrote about it. This is because numerous internet debates have arisen regarding the plausibility of the film’s ending. I find this a somewhat curious stance considering that the story, written by Ben Ripley, deals with temporal travel and multiple timelines. All of which are purely theoretical and not currently subject to singular, definitive interpretations. I would further add that the science of the film is simply a plot device and is not its raison d'être. But that’s movies for you. People love to discuss them and more recently we have seen the rise of “explanation” videos on YouTube. However, the latter is a separate debate and something I may write about in the future. As for Source Code, I enjoyed it even more the second time round, as I had the time to focus on the minor details rather than trying to stay abreast with the main plot, as I did on my first viewing.
I wanted to watch Source Code for a second time before I wrote about it. This is because numerous internet debates have arisen regarding the plausibility of the film’s ending. I find this a somewhat curious stance considering that the story, written by Ben Ripley, deals with temporal travel and multiple timelines. All of which are purely theoretical and not currently subject to singular, definitive interpretations. I would further add that the science of the film is simply a plot device and is not its raison d'être. But that’s movies for you. People love to discuss them and more recently we have seen the rise of “explanation” videos on YouTube. However, the latter is a separate debate and something I may write about in the future. As for Source Code, I enjoyed it even more the second time round, as I had the time to focus on the minor details rather than trying to stay abreast with the main plot, as I did on my first viewing.
Army Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes to find himself on a train, occupying the body of a teacher called Sean Fentress who is commuting to work in Chicago. Stevens is confused and disorientated as the last thing he remembers is being on a mission in Afghanistan. 8 minutes later the train explodes due to a terrorist bomb. He then awakes again to find himself in a dimly lit cockpit. Communicating via a video link, Air Force Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) explains that he is on a covert mission to identify the terrorists that caused the attack before returning him back to the train to relive the 8 minutes again. Stevens is sceptical at first as he has no memory of events prior to the mission. However he surmises that he is being tested and continues to return to the train multiple times in an attempt to gain vital intelligence. As he observes the other passengers he forms a bond with his traveling companion Christina (Michelle Monaghan). Can he change the events that have happened or is he simply creating an alternative reality?
Source Code is an intelligent, well packaged film that manages to provide mainstream entertainment without the need to condescend to its audience. Director Duncan Jones, is cinematically literate and the film has clear nods to Groundhog Day, Rashomon and even Tony Scott's Deja View. He explores themes such as personal identity and the nature of existence, yet does not allow such philosophical musing to slow the action or bore the viewer. As science shatters traditional myths such as linear time, the film challenges our perceptions with some creative ideas. The central performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan, are very strong. The concept of two strangers forming a strong bond under extreme circumstances reminded me of David Niven and Kim Hunter in A Matter Of Life And Death. There is an amusing homage to the cinematic cliché of the "evil scientist", with actor Jeffrey Wright sporting a walking stick. It should also be noted that the Source Code storyline unfolds in a tidy ninety plus minutes and does not suffer from the current Hollywood trend of out staying its welcome.
Christopher Nolan set the bar very high with Inception, proving that films with strong narratives and requiring the audience to think, can be financially successful. Source Code was similarly met with equally strong critical and public approval upon its release. Its narrative is not quite as complex as Nolan’s opus but it does require a degree of reflection by the viewer. Where Source Code compensates for its convoluted science fiction plotline is with its characters and the human drama they share. Captain Stevens isn’t just on a mission to identify a terrorist. He quickly becomes invested in trying to save the passengers on the train. His companion Christina is a very engaging foil and the romantic element of the plot is very much a hark back to the golden age of Hollywood. The film ends in quite a bold fashion with both good and bad events occurring in separate realities. Science fiction films seldom have this emotional depth, making Source Code far more accessible to wider audiences.
Flight of the Living Dead (2007)
Sometimes just the name of a film is sufficient to sell it to you. I originally discovered this zombie crossover movie thanks to film critic Mark Kermode's video blog from the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He reported on how the film festival was also a major marketplace for independent movie makers trying to find international distribution for their products. Flight of the Living Dead was one of the lurid flyers he was given. Writer and director Scott Thomas claimed at the time that despite the obvious plot similarities with Snakes on a Plane, his film was not intended to be a quick cash-in on Samuel L. Jackson’s sleeper hit from 2006. The basic concept and the pre-production phase of Flight of the Living Dead supposedly pre-dates the aforementioned exploitation movie. Considering how long it can take for a small independently funded movie to find a distributor this may well be true.
Sometimes just the name of a film is sufficient to sell it to you. I originally discovered this zombie crossover movie thanks to film critic Mark Kermode's video blog from the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He reported on how the film festival was also a major marketplace for independent movie makers trying to find international distribution for their products. Flight of the Living Dead was one of the lurid flyers he was given. Writer and director Scott Thomas claimed at the time that despite the obvious plot similarities with Snakes on a Plane, his film was not intended to be a quick cash-in on Samuel L. Jackson’s sleeper hit from 2006. The basic concept and the pre-production phase of Flight of the Living Dead supposedly pre-dates the aforementioned exploitation movie. Considering how long it can take for a small independently funded movie to find a distributor this may well be true.
Dr. Bennett (Erick Avari) and his team of scientists are en route to Paris, transporting a cryogenically frozen coffin in the hold of the plane. The flight crew are unsettled not only by the presence of a cadaver but by the fact there's an armed guard securing it. The plane finds itself in the middle of a violent storm, which inevitably leads to the coffin accidentally being opened. It contains a mysterious woman, who doesn't appear to be quite dead. After attacking the guard she soon starts to spread her contagion among the rest of the crew and passengers. The survivors, including a policeman and prisoner as well as a golf pro and his wife, make a desperate last stand against the zombies and try to land a damaged plane. However, the authorities have other ideas and a military option soon becomes apparent.
Director Scott Thomas does not leave a single horror cliché left unturned in what is a surprisingly enjoyable tongue in cheek "B" horror movie. There is a capable cast of TV and genre actors such as David Chisum, Kristen Kerr, Kevin J. O'Connor, Richard Tyson and Raymond J. Barry. Furthermore Thomas has crafted a professional looking production despite the limited budget at his disposal. The make-up FX's are perfectly acceptable and the CGI work is better than what you usually see in such low budget movies. The script is the weakest aspect of the film and could have been tighter and a little more satirical. It struggles at times to decide what direction it wants to take. Overall the cast has a great time despite these shortcomings and I couldn't help but enjoy the film, as it has no pretensions to be anything other than what it is.
Flight of the Living Dead is the very essence of direct-to-video filmmaking and "high concept" movie and that's meant as a compliment. Long time horror fans have a highly attuned grading system when it comes to these sorts of movies. This movie is a cut above your standard cash-in bullshit. It puts a grin on your face with the sheer gall of its title and manages to maintain that goodwill for the remaining ninety minutes. Sometimes these DTV titles have a candour about them that is absent in the bigger budget and often more pretentious cousins. It is not as gory as it could be and the scope of the story pretty much remains within the confines of the title but if you want 90 minutes of zombie mayhem set on a plane then Flight of the Living Dead meets that requirement.
XCOM 2: Blogger Succession Game
Here’s a fun idea. Take a single player game, preferably one that has clearly delineated missions or activities, then play for a designated period of time or until a round or task has been completed. Finally, save the game and pass on the save file to the next player. This is exactly what Naithin over at Time to Loot has done. This the second succession game he’s organised and the first that I’ve participated in. The original was a communal play through Civilisation VI. I passed on that because I am not au fait with this sub-genre of RTS games. However, this time round we’re playing XCOM 2 which is more to my liking. I played The Bureau: XCOM Declassified a few years ago and enjoyed it, so I was happy to give this succession game a try. Furthermore, the group playing are all fellow bloggers who hangout on the Blaugust Discord server, so that adds to the enjoyment. So today, I copied and installed Naithin’s save file and fired up XCOM 2.
“Try and look interested , everyone”
Here’s a fun idea. Take a single player game, preferably one that has clearly delineated missions or activities, then play for a designated period of time or until a round or task has been completed. Finally, save the game and pass on the save file to the next player. This is exactly what Naithin over at Time to Loot has done. This the second succession game he’s organised and the first that I’ve participated in. The original was a communal play through Civilisation VI. I passed on that because I am not au fait with this sub-genre of RTS games. However, this time round we’re playing XCOM 2 which is more to my liking. I played The Bureau: XCOM Declassified a few years ago and enjoyed it, so I was happy to give this succession game a try. Furthermore, the group playing are all fellow bloggers who hangout on the Blaugust Discord server, so that adds to the enjoyment. So today, I copied and installed Naithin’s save file and fired up XCOM 2.
I found the mission “Operation Bone Shriek” waiting for me. Mercifully it was not a time sensitive undertaking. I’m not a fan of timed missions as I find the constant nagging by the NPCs to be annoying. The objective was to secure and protect a transmitter and neutralise all enemy targets because of “reasons”. I didn’t change the existing squad and proceeded with the established line up which consisted of Unwise “UnwiseOwl” Owl, Rakuno “Three” Venmuel, Lizz “Magi” Winterfield and Easha “Silentdeath” Dustfeather. Yes the squad has been named to reflect those playing the game. On arrival in Kansas City, I deployed my squad around the area I surmised the enemy to be. I tried to follow the classic Zulu tactic of “impondo zenkomo” (Buffalo Horns). However it all went tits up quickly when my specialist ran straight into a Sectoid. He panicked after a psionic attack and my strategy rapidly changed from being proactive to reactive.
“The horror…”
To cut a long story short (insert Spandau Ballet gag here) I tried to place my sniper on a building top and the grandier inside the same structure to provide suppressing fire, while the specialist and ranger flanked the ADVENT reinforcements. Like so many plans, it was great on paper until reality decided to ruin everything. I guess it's either a game mechanic or due to the fact that the squad hasn’t that many skills at this stage but damn, they do seem to miss a lot of close range shots. Mind you so do the bad guys and I guess that is what saved my bacon. That and the judicious use of fragmentation grenades. Sadly, my specialist took cover behind a truck which caught alight during a firefight. Tragically, he was unable to withdraw in time and was killed in the resulting explosion. However, this marked a turning point in the proceeding as the squad, motivated by his untimely demise, proceeded to mop up all remaining enemies and secure the target.
“Man down”
With the mission over, the squad returned to base and I promoted those who had distinguished themselves in combat. Lizz “Magi” Winterfield and Easha “Silentdeath” Dustfeather both received promotions and new skills. Lizz “Magi” Winterfield also gained a laser sight weapon upgrade. Not that they’ll be using it any time soon as they were gravely wounded in the mission and need 8 days to recover. But such is war, so everyone then went to the bar to drink to the memory of their fallen comrade, Unwise “UnwiseOwl” Owl. I ensured that there was a fitting epitaph left under their memorial. I then started some research and undertook a scan which yielded some new recruits. A new mission then popped, so having completed my turn, I saved the game and breathed a sigh of relief. My first mission wasn’t a complete disaster but I was kind of disappointed that a squad member had died. I hope they didn’t have any library books that needed to be returned.
“Lest we forget”
I find that whenever I volunteer to participate in a group undertaking, at some point I always consider “have I done the right thing”? I had a key for XCOM 2 from some iffy bundle I bought from the online version of “a bloke in a pub”, so I was initially concerned that I may not be able to install the game. That proved not to be the case, although I only have the base version of the game and there were some minor issues surrounding that. My next worry was that I didn’t want to embarrass myself with a truly heinous play through. Naithin uploaded his session to YouTube. I could have done the same but decided not to. Never voluntarily give people a stick which they can then beat you with. However, my doubts proved irrelevant and really enjoyed this succession game. I shall be interested to see how everyone else fairs. Hopefully they’ll have as much fun as I did. Rumours that there’s a pool as to whose namesake dies next are totally unfounded.
Fandom or Obsession?
In my youth, I took my fandom very seriously. I would brook no criticism of the various objects of my affection. I would robustly defend them in lengthy forum comments, filled with the sort of detail and lack of self awareness that only an ardent fan can bring to bear. Nowadays, it’s a different story altogether (insert Airplane gag here). I still enjoy Thunderbirds, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings but I do not consider them unassailable, sacred cows. If other’s scorn them, that is their prerogative. Age not only brings you more keys and things that require charging, it also grants the realisation that it doesn’t matter what others think. Furthermore, reboots, reimaginings and revivals cannot harm your memories or “ruin your childhood”. Has Gus Van Sant’s ill conceived 1998 remake of Psycho harmed in any way Hitchcock’s classic original. Any answer other than “no” is at the least spurious and at worst naval gazing bullshit, served on a platter of hyperbole and attention seeking.
In my youth, I took my fandom very seriously. I would brook no criticism of the various objects of my affection. I would robustly defend them in lengthy forum comments, filled with the sort of detail and lack of self awareness that only an ardent fan can bring to bear. Nowadays, it’s a different story altogether (insert Airplane gag here). I still enjoy Thunderbirds, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings but I do not consider them unassailable, sacred cows. If other’s scorn them, that is their prerogative. Age not only brings you more keys and things that require charging, it also grants the realisation that it doesn’t matter what others think. Furthermore, reboots, reimaginings and revivals cannot harm your memories or “ruin your childhood”. Has Gus Van Sant’s ill conceived 1998 remake of Psycho harmed in any way Hitchcock’s classic original. Any answer other than “no” is at the least spurious and at worst naval gazing bullshit, served on a platter of hyperbole and attention seeking.
For me fandom is a benign activity which I share with others via this blog or twitter and occasionally takes me to the BFI Southbank in London, where I spend several hours enjoying the company of like minded individuals. However, and this is a big “however”, there appear to be an ever growing group of fans at the extreme end of the spectrum. Fandom turned up to 11 to use a Spinal Tap analogy. When these folk latch onto something that they like they go all in. The thing that they love preoccupies them constantly and they analyse and dissect every conceivable aspect of that which they love. It is easy and possibly a little condescending to invoke an analogy of the conspiracy theorist that has a “wall” with all their data on it but there is a grain of truth in the imagery. YouTube is filled with videos where fans discuss the most extravagant theories and hypothesise about meaning, subtext and future developments of the things they like.
Films and especially television shows are naturally a focal point for fandom. They also provide the perfect environment for the über fan. Now if folk wish to dedicate themselves to such levels of devotion, so be it. Sadly, this position is often just one step away from crossing the line and becoming the toxic, fundamentalist fandom we’ve all seen in recent years. Consider the associated gatekeeping, zealotry and non-inclusional bullshit that has emerged around the Star Wars franchise in recent years. Not every über fan is guilty of such behaviour but if you draw a venn diagram you’ll find that many toxic fans are those who have become wedded to their “cause”. But if we set aside for a moment the matter of toxic fandom and simply concentrate on borderline obsessive fandom, it seems to come at a rather big price. Because there is a fundamental flaw inherent in investing really heavily in a TV show, book or film. You may well have placed it upon a pedestal for your personal adulation but you have no control over it and are ultimately dependent upon its creator to determine its course of direction.
All of which brings me on to Line of Duty, known jokingly by those “without a dog in the fight” as Lionel Duty, courtesy of UK comedian Gary Delaney. For those who may not know, Line of Duty is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio. It has run for six seasons and has gained enormous popularity due to its densely plotted storyline and robust performances by its cast of character actors. Audience figures have grown from 3.8 million viewers to 12.85 million over the last nine years. The latest season has turned analysis of the show into a national pastime, which has then been splashed across most of the national tabloids, throwing further fuel onto the fire. Naturally Line of Duty has its devoted über fans and they have devoted a lot of time and energy into hypothesising about the season conclusion. Last night, the final episode was broadcast and the relevant storylines neatly tied up. And within minutes the internet was filled with the bitter tears of fundamentalist fans who were “disappointed”, like the children of Thulsa Doom at the end of Conan the Barbarian.
Which one is Lionel?
It is not my intention to mock, judge or indulge in schadenfreude. Okay it is just a little bit. But I think there is one observation worth making about this situation. It was both predictable and inevitable. Lionel Duty fans are pissed at Jed Mercurio because he ultimately wrote what was in his own head, rather than what was in theirs. Damn these authors with their creative control over their intellectual property. I think when fans go all in and stray from affection into obsession, then they ultimately separate themselves from the source of their fandom. The continuous analysis, discussion and conjecture becomes more important than the source material. Sadly, fans disappointed with the conclusion of Line of Duty have made the same mistake as gamers who have pre-ordered games only to find them underwhelming upon release. Both groups filled the gaps in their knowledge with their own aspirations, only for reality to teach them otherwise. My advice is to temper your fandom and not to lose sight of its context. Because it would appear that über fans are perpetually dissatisfied and this entire scenario will happen again when the next “big thing” arrives.
LOTRO: EG7 Community Update
Last December EG7 announced that it had purchased Daybreak Game Company and its portfolio. It subsequently became apparent that DGC was not just the publisher for Standing Stone Games but in fact their owner. Something that many players had suspected for a while. After an investor briefing was published, it became clear that EG7 were not just another corporate body out to asset strip and make a fast buck but were in fact genuinely interested in growing and improving the games that they now owned. For players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, a wave of cautious optimism spread throughout the community. Hints at a graphical overhaul for the game and a potential console conversion were well received. Further news and specific details have been eagerly anticipated.
Last December EG7 announced that it had purchased Daybreak Game Company and its portfolio. It subsequently became apparent that DGC was not just the publisher for Standing Stone Games but in fact their owner. Something that many players had suspected for a while. After an investor briefing was published, it became clear that EG7 were not just another corporate body out to asset strip and make a fast buck but were in fact genuinely interested in growing and improving the games that they now owned. For players of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, a wave of cautious optimism spread throughout the community. Hints at a graphical overhaul for the game and a potential console conversion were well received. Further news and specific details have been eagerly anticipated.
Yesterday, EG7 published a press release as well as a YouTube video, in which CEO Robin Flodin discusses what the company has been doing for the last 4 month in relation to its current portfolio of games. The written statement is somewhat broad in its scope and conciliatory in its tone. Robin Flodin uses a lot of management speak. That is not necessarily a bad thing. We all use the terminology of the industry that we work in. However, it is far from vague and does indicate how EG7 see their role and what their future remit is. “Many of these games, while successful and continually supported, have had their unique challenges. Many of these challenges are long standing and important, but due to their scope or other situations, haven’t been feasible to address. All of us want this to change”. He then further states “I want to assure you that this effort is a priority for me, EG7, and Daybreak. We have been listening to the community feedback and to all of your questions and concerns. This is an ongoing effort and as we make progress, the goal is to develop specific plans to create an even better game experience for all of our players”.
The video is a little more specific and proves illuminating as to the company’s policy and approach. Here Robin Flodin makes some direct comments about the company's intent. “We’re trying to make these companies better. We’re trying to help them improve in areas where we think we can create value”. He admits where they feel DGC has gone wrong which is a candid and unexpected statement of fact. He references mistakes made with the handling of H1Z1 and Planetside 2 and it would appear that the code for H1Z1 is currently being audited to see what can be done with it. Possibilities range from revamping the game and rolling it back to the iteration players liked best or to repurpose the code into another title. This is an interesting development because it shows that EG7 are not just going to arbitrarily dismiss and close games that they own. It would appear that they have a far more long term business mindset than DGC.
So what does this mean for LOTRO? Well both these statements, although not specific to the game, do inspire a degree of hope. It seems to me that EG7 see themselves as troubleshooters and facilitators who wish to invest, encourage and empower the various companies that develop their portfolio of games. The idea seems to be to foster improvement and growth, based on consumer feedback. If we are to take such policies at face value, the I think the most practical thing to do is to give EG7 a year and see if there are any noticeable changes. With regard to LOTRO let us see if they can encourage Standing Stone Games to be more innovative. I don't expect to see any major change in content design immediately but it is not unreasonable to expect a wider discussion about future development and an improvement in community relations from SSG.
EG7 doesn't strike me as corporate pirates. They seem to want to improve the titles they own and keep both customers and their investors happy. However, their position is very much one of enabling and supporting the existing developers. This approach is fine if the only previous problems a developer has experienced were a lack of funding and confidence from their owners. What concerns me with regard to encouraging and enabling SSG, is that they don’t strike me as being the most imaginative thinkers at senior level and appear to be somewhat entrenched in their views. Therefore there is still potential that they may steer LOTRO off a cliff if left unchecked. Perhaps what SSG requires is an injection of fresh talent and for LOTRO to be put in the hands of those who have a more aspirational view of its future potential. As ever, only time will tell but it is pleasant to have some hope in the interim.
A Month in Gaming
I usually write this recurring post at the beginning of each month, reflecting upon my gaming activities over the previous thirty odd days. I refrained from writing an instalment at the beginning of April as I really didn’t feel I had much to say. However, now that a further month has elapsed, I believe sufficient has happened for me to continue. I do worry that these posts get repetitive and simply writing “ I played MMO A or B” is not sufficiently engaging. Luckily, I do feel that I have more to say this time round as I’ve broadened my gaming horizons recently and feel that I’ve done more, compared to other months. So let me begin with my return to console gaming. Something I haven’t done since 1999 when I purchased a Sega Dreamcast. After some procrastination, I’ve finally bought a Nintendo Switch and it has proven quite a hit not only with me but my grandchildren.
I usually write this recurring post at the beginning of each month, reflecting upon my gaming activities over the previous thirty odd days. I refrained from writing an instalment at the beginning of April as I really didn’t feel I had much to say. However, now that a further month has elapsed, I believe sufficient has happened for me to continue. I do worry that these posts get repetitive and simply writing “ I played MMO A or B” is not sufficiently engaging. Luckily, I do feel that I have more to say this time round as I’ve broadened my gaming horizons recently and feel that I’ve done more, compared to other months. So let me begin with my return to console gaming. Something I haven’t done since 1999 when I purchased a Sega Dreamcast. After some procrastination, I’ve finally bought a Nintendo Switch and it has proven quite a hit not only with me but my grandchildren.
At present, I have three games for the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Yono And The Celestial Elephants and Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection. Essentially, any Mario based game is a joy to play and Mario Kart is an exemplar for the Nintendo brand’s virtues. It offers both fun and a challenge but it’s warm friendly graphics and inherent charm mollify the competitive elements that come with such a driving game. Yono is a A Legend of Zelda-esque adventure/puzzle game starring an elephant. Despite its child friendly aesthetic and design, there is a degree of depth to the gameplay. Due to it’s linear world design and narrative, it lends itself to short bursts of gameplay. Assassin’s Creed offers a different type of challenge, mainly because it requires mastering an action RPG using a controller, rather than keyboard and mouse. This is a very good port and I must admit I am impressed that the Switch can handle an open world environment so well.
I returned briefly to Call of Duty: Warzone recently, mainly to see the new map of Verdansk. When the game launched in early 2020 the story associated with Warzone was linked to events tied to the 2019 soft reboot of Modern Warfare. But because CoD is a yearly franchise, a new iteration was released in September and story elements began being integrated into Warzone. The only problem being that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is set in 1984 thus requiring the most tortuous and convoluted plot devices to square the ongoing narrative circle. From my perspective, bringing weapons from an older period into a game set in the present was problematic to say the least, causing balance issues. Furthermore the inclusion of Black Ops content brought zombies into the game. Hence Warzone is now a sprawling mess of differing types of gameplay. A recent nuclear blast has “conveniently” destroyed the contemporary iteration of Verdansk and replaced it with a version of the zone from 1984. Simply put I just don’t like the cumulative changes that have come to the game, so once again I’m taking a break from it.
Sadly, I have spent precious little time playing The Lord of the Rings Online, returning briefly to check out the latest content update which proved to be very disappointing. I do worry that this game is just treading water with regard to its growth and that developer’s Standing Stone Games are limited in the scope of their vision. The anniversary festival is currently live in the game but it really isn’t doing anything new. Yes, the various events can be fun if you are playing them for the first time but the various trinkets and baubles that you can obtain are purely cosmetic. If you are not enamoured with collectibles there is a substantial amount of content currently available that is of no interest or use to you. Furthermore, at present I own all the content available in LOTRO. Hence if there’s very little reason for me to subscribe to the game. I find it odd that SSG don’t seem to be offering any broader incentives to become a VIP.
Star Trek Online, which has some similarities to LOTRO with regard to its age and the fact that it’s based on a popular intellectual property, seems to perpetually have events and goals for players to pursue. I created a new Klingon alt in late January due to the then recruitment event. By the end of March I had brought the character to level cap and had gotten as far as level 5 with all reputation factions. I also bought a Legendary D7 ship and have spent time trying to equip it with the best gear that I can. One of the best aspects of STO is that there’s always something to do. Since January the game has had the Klingon Recruitment event with the storyline revamped, it’s celebrated First Contact Day and there have been two Red Alert events which are great for earning reputation marks. The game is currently running a revised version of the Delta Recruitment event, so if you’re thinking of playing STO, I’d urge you to roll a new character before May 13th. I now have three new alts making a total of nine altogether. Most unusual for me.
There are a few other games I’ve been intermittently playing over the last two months. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is something I regularly return to and is fun in small doses. As I’ve mentioned before, I keep The Elder Scrolls Online up to date as I will more than likely return to the game once the next expansion launches. As for immediate gaming goals I have none of any significance at present. Naturally I’ll continue with STO and keep a weather eye on LOTRO. I want to come to grips with Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection and finally complete a game from this franchise (I’ve started Black Flag). The convenience of the Switch is a big selling point and I seem to evenly spend my time (at least for the meantime) using it as a handheld device as well as docked to the TV. It certainly has reinvigorated my attitude towards gaming which had become increasingly indifferent of late. I hope that this positive outlook continues over May and beyond.
Wye and Chilham
It has been eight month since Mrs P and I have enjoyed a day trip, due to the various travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic. However, now that some of the rules in the UK have started to be relaxed, we decided to plan a modest excursion out into the Kent countryside. Although some pubs and restaurants are now open for business, albeit outside only, we decided not to make a reservation anywhere as the weather was still somewhat cold and there was the possibility of rain. So we packed our picnic rucksack with a range of comestibles that were suitable for consumption inside the car and headed out towards Ashford, along the M20. I’ve been reliably informed that once you reach a certain age, it is extremely important to include the details of the route you took in any travel related anecdote. Far be it for me to fly in the face of tradition.
It has been eight month since Mrs P and I have enjoyed a day trip, due to the various travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic. However, now that some of the rules in the UK have started to be relaxed, we decided to plan a modest excursion out into the Kent countryside. Although some pubs and restaurants are now open for business, albeit outside only, we decided not to make a reservation anywhere as the weather was still somewhat cold and there was the possibility of rain. So we packed our picnic rucksack with a range of comestibles that were suitable for consumption inside the car and headed out towards Ashford, along the M20. I’ve been reliably informed that once you reach a certain age, it is extremely important to include the details of the route you took in any travel related anecdote. Far be it for me to fly in the face of tradition.
Our first stop was the village of Wye, which is 12 miles south of Canterbury and located in the Kent Downs. It is part of an area officially designated to be of outstanding natural beauty and is part of a wider nature reserve. The village's name derives from the Old English “Wēoh” meaning idol or shrine and it is thought that the area was a place of worship by the pre-Christian Angles. Wye became an important ancient trade and travel hub due to the ford across the River Great Stour connecting the paths along the North Downs. The Romans built a road between Canterbury and Hastings using the gap through the high chalk hills. By medieval times the community became a major market for regional commerce. Mrs P and I walked around the village, taking in the sights, then went to the visitor car park by the entrance of the North Downs walk. Due to the cold weather, we refrained from going too far along the path and had lunch in the car.
We then moved on to the village of Chilham a few miles further along the Great Stour River. Built on the summit of several hills there is a quaint market square featuring several period (and no doubt listed) buildings, dating back as far as 1742. At western side of the square stands Chilham Castle and to the east, the 15th-century parish church dedicated to St Mary. It is alleged that former Archbishop Thomas Becket was buried in the churchyard. The Pilgrims Way passes through Chilham on the way to Canterbury and there are still many historical references stemming from that religious tradition. At present several of the buildings in the village are undergoing renovation. However, the gardens of the castle are now open again on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sadly, the weather took a turn for the worst after we visited Chilham, so we decided to return home.
Even this slightly curtailed excursion was a welcome break with our usual routine. Both villages were picturesque and very interesting. The church architecture was particularly impressive. Wye and Chilham further benefited from good facilities for tourists, such as free parking (a rare commodity) and public toilets. Both are steeped in history and are exceedingly well preserved and maintained by their respective communities. The North Downs walk is especially good, providing excellent views across the Kent countryside. However, it is a very hilly area and both villages we visited proved to be quite taxing walks, especially for Mrs P who has a heart condition. However, after being housebound for more than half a year, today’s excursion was a great day out and a pleasant change of scene. We’re already planning our next excursion in May.
Personal Health
Let’s not beat about the bush. 2020 proved detrimental to a lot of people’s physical and mental health. Myself included. I sustained an injury to my left arm roundabout May last year when I inadvertently lifted something excessively heavy while using the vacuum cleaner. The net result has been a tendon injury that has persisted for nearly twelve months. Its unpleasant longevity stems from the fact that long-term rest is required for the injury to heal and my lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to “not using an arm for 4 to 6 months. Hence this painful problem has dragged on far too long. Naturally, being in pain continuously takes a toll on one’s mental health. So I’ve not been in my usual focused state of mind. Hence my writing output has taken a nosedive, which then further feeds my dour outlook. Mercifully, the arm is finally on the mend. I’ve figured out a routine that allows me to function and fulfil my obligations, while resting the limb sufficiently to heal. Now it is time to focus and address two other health issues that have emerged over the last year.
Let’s not beat about the bush. 2020 proved detrimental to a lot of people’s physical and mental health. Myself included. I sustained an injury to my left arm roundabout May last year when I inadvertently lifted something excessively heavy while using the vacuum cleaner. The net result has been a tendon injury that has persisted for nearly twelve months. Its unpleasant longevity stems from the fact that long-term rest is required for the injury to heal and my lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to “not using an arm for 4 to 6 months. Hence this painful problem has dragged on far too long. Naturally, being in pain continuously takes a toll on one’s mental health. So I’ve not been in my usual focused state of mind. Hence my writing output has taken a nosedive, which then further feeds my dour outlook. Mercifully, the arm is finally on the mend. I’ve figured out a routine that allows me to function and fulfil my obligations, while resting the limb sufficiently to heal. Now it is time to focus and address two other health issues that have emerged over the last year.
I had COVID-19 in April 2020. I was ill for two weeks and then the most immediate symptoms stopped. However, I have not returned to what I would consider a state of normal health since then. For a year now I have felt lethargic (even after 10 hours sleep), been subject to joint pains and muscle cramps, as well as finding it harder to concentrate and remain focused. I’ve lost most of my sense of smell and have had sinus and chest related issues, all of which seem to be indicative of mild infection. However, subsequent tests have found nothing of this nature. To try and distill these things into a single phrase is hard but ultimately I’ve felt “perpetually exhausted” for the last 12 months. I wake up each morning feeling exactly like I usually feel after having an extremely busy day. Fortunately, my local Doctor's Surgery is very good and I’ve had a positive response from my GP. To cut a long story short, after a few tests, I have been formally diagnosed with Post COVDID Syndrome or “Long COVID” as it’s more commonly known in the press. Unfortunately, this is an illness that is still somewhat nebulous and furthermore, difficult to treat. But at least it’s now on my health records.
The second health issue is more common and yet despite being straightforward to address, has a major stumbling block. Yes, we’re talking about being overweight and the inherent difficulties associated with weight loss. I have treated all three of the UK lockdowns as a continuous bank holiday and have eaten and drank accordingly. I am currently about 191lbs and I need to get back to about 168 and then stay there. I am physically uncomfortable due to the extra weight I am carrying around and it is obviously contributing to my ongoing sense of lethargy. So radical action is required. Therefore, I am going to give up all alcohol for a month and cut my food intake by 50%. Furthermore all money that would be spent on indulgence food is going to be saved and used for something more practical. Simply put I don’t like what I see in the mirror. So game on. Let’s see if the weight comes off as easy as it goes on.
Finally, I was listening to an audiobook today and I was confronted with a few thoughts from the writer Alan Moore. He referenced how creativity can stem from boredom. I must admit I have become indillent over the last few months with regard to my writing. This has led to me becoming somewhat indifferent to blogging. However, this comment really struck a chord with me and I immediately returned to my desk and started writing. It would appear that he is right because I feel far more disposed towards writing at the present and have managed to write several posts so far today. So I think I am going to try and increase my writing schedule, because not writing has had a negative effect upon my demeanour. As is so often in life, the solution to many of our problems is in our own hands and just requires us to focus our will upon them. So I’m going to set some clear goals and work toward them. Hopefully this will restore both my body and mind to a better state of equilibrium.
Twitch: The Gift that Keeps on Giving but Not Necessarily in a Good Way
Upon mature and sober reflection it is clear that I am not part of the core demographics associated with Twitch and the culture of live streaming. That is not to say that I don’t “understand it” in that tedious old person idiom, You know that cultural construct where people from one generation just arbitrarily decide to not get and deliberately be at odds with something the young folk do. Nope, I get the whole streaming thing. That’s it’s about communities, engaging and entertaining your audience in a way they find fun and accessible. Twitch can be many things to many people. So I do get it, okay. I just don’t especially care for it. That’s just me and my personal taste, shaped by my age and cultural baggage. I prefer longform content and intellectual rigour. Twitch is more weighted towards fun and the superficial. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things but I find people trying to be excessively upbeat, striving to be humorous (when so many of us patently aren’t) and “right on” to be a little wearing at times.
Upon mature and sober reflection it is clear that I am not part of the core demographics associated with Twitch and the culture of live streaming. That is not to say that I don’t “understand it” in that tedious old person idiom, You know that cultural construct where people from one generation just arbitrarily decide to not get and deliberately be at odds with something the young folk do. Nope, I get the whole streaming thing. That’s it’s about communities, engaging and entertaining your audience in a way they find fun and accessible. Twitch can be many things to many people. So I do get it, okay. I just don’t especially care for it. That’s just me and my personal taste, shaped by my age and cultural baggage. I prefer longform content and intellectual rigour. Twitch is more weighted towards fun and the superficial. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things but I find people trying to be excessively upbeat, striving to be humorous (when so many of us patently aren’t) and “right on” to be a little wearing at times.
Like any sort of social media platform, Twitch has grown and evolved overtime. Therein lies part of the problem. A percentage of early adopters see it purely as a core gaming medium and don’t care for its varied and more social contemporary uses. And like any public forum, be it physical or virtual where human beings congregate and interact, the wider socio economic and political complexities of western culture bleed through and impinge upon events and behaviour. If you add the financial benefits of being a successful streamer and influencer, along with the ego issues associated with any kind of performance art, there’s plenty of scope for people to assume positions of self appointed gatekeepers and for any debate to turn into a shit storm. It is also worth pointing out that certain spaces that start out as being male dominated often become more accessible over time. This often leads to conflict with one group feeling, rightly or wrongly, that they’ve been thrown out of their own party.
He doesn’t like her or something like that
So with this in mind, I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that Twitch is the regular source of controversies. If you cast your mind back to 2015 you may recollect "concerns" about the sartorial choices made by some female streamers. In fact one “popular streamer”, Sky Williams (remember that asshole), decided to post a video expressing his “thoughts” on the matter. I'm sure you can figure out what happened next. As ever there was a succinct distillation over at Kotaku. Then in 2019 Twitch started cracking down on what they labelled as “sexually suggestive” apparel, after streamer Quqco wore a Chun-Li cosplay outfit, which led to her being suspended for three days. The latest instalment in this tedious, episodic saga is “Hot Tub streaming”. Yes, that is a thing and as you can probably surmise, it has proven a boon for some streamers (have a guess which ones) and has antagonised others (again tax your brain and see if you can figure out who).
I wonder how many of the participants in any of these debacles have stopped for a moment, taken a step back and considered how it looks to the wider world? Precious few I would hazard a guess. Furthermore, the net result of this dispute is that more and more reasonable and level headed gamers withdraw from engaging with the wider community. This is particularly relevant for female gamers. I consider the marginalisation of any group to be an act of folly. However, when you look at this issue that has persisted on Twitch over the years, it comes down to two main reasons. Those who wish to maintain the status quo that serves their needs. Namely old school, male core games who see the platform as “their bat and ball”. And then there’s the perennial “problem” of women entering an alleged shared space and using it successfully, much to the chagrin of the self appointed gatekeepers.
Sleep streaming is also a thing
I find all arguments regarding how a female streamer should dress and the subsequent impact that it has upon the medium, as spurious. Too many are based on subjective moral and ethical viewpoints. Therefore, there are no absolute truths to be found here and such nuanced subjects shouldn’t be presented as a binary argument. Often the ultimate arbiter is the law often. As for Twitch, it has specific guidelines regarding dress standards and as long as streamers stay within those then the matter is effectively closed. Hence "slut shaming" or labeling people "Twitch frauds" are just tiresome strawman arguments. You only have to read some of the comments on the Kotaku articles, linked above, to see opinions shaped by cultural, religious and political agendas. Many seem to have more than a whiff of moral superiority and that misplaced mindset that mistakes a strongly held personal conviction as a universal truth.
The fact that there is serious money to be had from live streaming also muddies the waters and makes things far more contentious. Is this really about an ethical issue or the fact that someone has figured out a marketing schtick that is supposedly more effective than another? It's curious how advocates of an unfettered free market suddenly adopt a far more protectionist approach when they suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of a dividing line. There is an element to this debate that is remarkably similar to the political smack talk or corporate rivalry. What's more it's rather insulting to your audience to try and dress up your business concerns as moral outrage. I'd respect some people a lot more if they simply said this is about making money and that they feel their line of revenue is under threat co’s someone else out thought them.
“Hello, I’m an academic” (Noam Chomsky to be exact)
It has been postulated by many academics that this is the century of "self" and that western culture has effectively given up on wider socio-political ideologies. Rather than work cohesively as a collective for our mutual benefit, we simply apply our consumerist outlook to all situations. We equate our personal expenditure as means of gaining individual representation. Everything is viewed and analysed through the prism of how it affects us personally, rather than as a group. This manifests itself in all aspects of our life, including gaming. Couple this with a decline in critical thinking and the ability to effectively debate and you end up with something like the current bunfight over “Hot Tub streaming”. Thus, by our own hands we fashion the very walls that divide our community. Furthermore, we fail to learn the lessons from the previous debacle. What was that quote again about why we can't have nice things?
LOTRO: The Further Adventures of Bilbo Baggins
I was hoping that 2021 would be a good year for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online. New owners, along with hints at a revised community relations policy and a recent roadmap for future content have all been positively received by the game’s stoic community. Furthermore, the recent demise of the LOTR based MMO by Amazon Game Studios has eliminated any immediate competition. Sadly, two things have occurred recently indicating that developer’s Standing Stone Games are still tone deaf to the player feedback and lacking in any tangible long term vision for the game. The first was a statement made by Executive Producer, Rob “Severlin” Ciccolini, regarding Legendary Items in the game and the subject of grind. The second was the new “Further Adventures” quest arcs, as described in February’s Executive Producer’s Letter, which uses the “missions” system that was added to the game in Update 28.
I was hoping that 2021 would be a good year for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online. New owners, along with hints at a revised community relations policy and a recent roadmap for future content have all been positively received by the game’s stoic community. Furthermore, the recent demise of the LOTR based MMO by Amazon Game Studios has eliminated any immediate competition. Sadly, two things have occurred recently indicating that developer’s Standing Stone Games are still tone deaf to the player feedback and lacking in any tangible long term vision for the game. The first was a statement made by Executive Producer, Rob “Severlin” Ciccolini, regarding Legendary Items in the game and the subject of grind. The second was the new “Further Adventures” quest arcs, as described in February’s Executive Producer’s Letter, which uses the “missions” system that was added to the game in Update 28.
According to Mr. Ciccolini you cannot remove Legendary Items from LOTRO for the following reasons. “We want players to have things to do while they are leveling. I know that some players are ‘Oh, this is too grindy and sometimes we overdo it,’ but ‘grindy’ doesn’t scare me as much as ‘I don’t have enough to do.’ ‘I don’t have enough to do’ is worse because players want to play the game but they don’t really have goals to pursue. [If the LI system is removed], a couple things happen: One, players become much more reliant on weapon drops and if they don’t get the weapon drop they want, their DPS will lag […], and two, a weapon drop is one-and-done; we want to make sure that when [players] get a weapon they can then develop it”. (This quote was taken from Q&A with Severlin live stream on Friday April 16th)
There’s a lot to unpack in that statement and none of it is good. LOTRO players can be very innovative with regards to finding things to do in the game. Levelling alts, crafting, role playing, completing deeds, trading on the auction house, furnishing their homes, min-maxing, exploring the world, enjoying the festivals and hanging out with friends are but a few I can think of. So claiming that without grind there would be no “goals to pursue” is spurious to say the least or alternatively a statement of unparalleled ignorance of one’s own game. However, even if we accept this statement, offering grind instead or real content is hardly laudable. Plus as fellow blogger Wilhelm Arcturus said in comments left on the YouTube Q&A video, if SSG pursue a course of action justified by this erroneous supposition, it simply proves that they’re “committed to bad game design”.
Frankly, I often get the impression that SSG simply does not understand what attracts people to the MMO genre per se. They seem to see their own games as far more of a live service rather than an example of a massively multiplayer online game, in the classic sense. I also feel that the major decision makers over at SSG are somewhat behind the curve with regards to modern developments and changes in the MMO genre and are possibly very entrenched in their ways. Their attitude toward community relations certainly seems archaic. It may also be a case that the ebb and flow of staff over the years has left them with serious skills gaps. All the new content that is added to the game has a tendency to be very formulaic and simply variations on existing themes. I don’t think that the staff actually know how to create certain content anymore and integrate it into the game.
Which sadly leads me to “The Further Adventures of Bilbo Baggins”. This is the first of a series of self-contained, episodic story arcs that use the “missions” system. Launched yesterday and currently available free using the redeem code SAVEBILBO, this new content is simply underwhelming and lacklustre. It is entirely built upon existing game assets and offers nothing new other than the very simple narrative. Each instalment requires the player to port to an instanced section of the existing game world and kill a few waves of standard mobs. It is not especially difficult or fun to be honest. It’s all somewhat disappointing and mundane. I find it most concerning that SSG intends to charge for this content after the promotional period ends and have more material of this kind in development. Overall this is a very inauspicious content update and does not bode well for the remainder of the year. Let us hope that the imminent 14th anniversary celebrations are more creative.
LOTRO: A Golden Opportunity
Back in Summer 2019, Amazon Game Studios announced it was co-developing a new free-to-play MMO set in Middle-earth, along with Athlon Games. The latter was at the time a subsidiary of Chinese publisher Leyou Technologies. However, in December 2020, Tencent bought Leyou Technologies which led to a series of contract renegotiations and reviews of ongoing projects. According to Bloomberg these negotiations did not go well and as a result, the new MMO has been cancelled. A spokesperson for Amazon recently stated that “we have been unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time. We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we won't be bringing this game to customers”. Hence, Amazon will not have a complimentary game for their upcoming $1bn Lord of the Rings television series. At this point, possibly the only people who are happy with this outcome are Standing Stone Games, the developers of The Lord of the Rings Online.
Back in Summer 2019, Amazon Game Studios announced it was co-developing a new free-to-play MMO set in Middle-earth, along with Athlon Games. The latter was at the time a subsidiary of Chinese publisher Leyou Technologies. However, in December 2020, Tencent bought Leyou Technologies which led to a series of contract renegotiations and reviews of ongoing projects. According to Bloomberg these negotiations did not go well and as a result, the new MMO has been cancelled. A spokesperson for Amazon recently stated that “we have been unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time. We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we won't be bringing this game to customers”. Hence, Amazon will not have a complimentary game for their upcoming $1bn Lord of the Rings television series. At this point, possibly the only people who are happy with this outcome are Standing Stone Games, the developers of The Lord of the Rings Online.
LOTRO still exists today, 14 years after its launch, for several reasons but a major factor is that it is the only Tolkien based MMO in existence at present. Players endure the game’s numerous rough edges and age because of their dedication as fans and the simple fact that there's nowhere else to go. I, as well as many other LOTRO players, were curious to see what sort of game Amazon Game Studios could produce. If it had provided certain key elements of game play, along with a good artistic interpretation of Middle-earth, then I would have definitely considered playing it. But that is no longer an option. LOTRO remains the only MMO of its kind for the present and as a result I’m sure the current player base will remain loyal. However, I don’t think that SSG should be too complacent. The current situation is a bit like living in a small town which only has one mall to hang out at and one night club to go to. No matter how poor or inadequate they are, they'll get a degree of patronage purely by default. Hardly an edifying business model.
If you’re familiar with my gaming history, you’ll know I enjoy LOTRO but I clearly recognise it is far from perfect. It's age is one reason as the game was conceived and designed to serve the needs of the MMO genre of 2007. Over the years it has been revised and augmented. It has reached a point in its life cycle where it has an established player base and sufficient revenue to continue producing content. However, possibly due to staff changes and a reticence to tinker with fundamental aspects of the game, we have reached a point where nothing radically new is being added to LOTRO. To invoke a food based analogy, if the MMO genre is comparable to the fast food industry, then LOTRO is a sandwich shop. Its sandwiches are different to its competitors but beyond that, all it can offer its customers are different fillings. If you want a tea cake, forget it.
With the immediate competition out of the picture for the present and new owners EG7 genuinely interested in developing and supporting LOTRO, SSG appear to have a golden opportunity to refine and improve LOTRO. By developing some of the features that have been put on hold over the years and removing those that have proven unpopular, arcane and unwieldy, much could be done to increase the game’s longevity. Furthermore, a renaissance in their communication strategy could be instrumental in rebuilding community bridges and getting the player base onboard with a long term plan. Yet my past experiences with LOTRO leads me to believe that such an opportunity is likely to be squandered. I have seen no evidence thus far that SSG have a plan and even if they do, their continuing Johnny Tightlips routine is counterproductive. If Amazon’s new MMO hadn’t been cancelled, I wonder if things would be any different?
Classic Movie Themes: An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a genre milestone and one of the few horror films that successfully manages to balance humour and suspense without mitigating the overall tone of the story. 40 years on from its theatrical release it still holds up well with its bitter sweet love story, tragic themes and ground breaking transformation effects by Rick Baker. Director John Landis never really bettered this concise and effective genre outing. It hits the mark in virtually every part of the production. However, there is one aspect of the film that does suffer as a result of the director’s personal choices. Whether it is to the detriment of the overall film is debatable. The point in question is the film’s soundtrack and the director’s focus upon the song Blue Moon by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
An American Werewolf in London is a genre milestone and one of the few horror films that successfully manages to balance humour and suspense without mitigating the overall tone of the story. 40 years on from its theatrical release it still holds up well with its bitter sweet love story, tragic themes and ground breaking transformation effects by Rick Baker. Director John Landis never really bettered this concise and effective genre outing. It hits the mark in virtually every part of the production. However, there is one aspect of the film that does suffer as a result of the director’s personal choices. Whether it is to the detriment of the overall film is debatable. The point in question is the film’s soundtrack and the director’s focus upon the song Blue Moon by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
Hollywood veteran, Elmer Bernstein, was commissioned by Landis to write the score for An American Werewolf in London. But Landis had already decided to use a selection of songs to play during key scenes. All of which referenced the moon in some fashion, thus ironically highlighting the significance of the lunar cycle in lycanthropy. Hence the film starts with Blue Moon by Bobby Vinton playing over the opening credits. Moondance by Van Morrison is used during a love. Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival accompanies a scene where the lead actor David Naughton anxiously paces round Nurse Price’s flat. Then perhaps the most notable use of a song is during the iconic werewolf transformation scene, which features Blue Moon by Sam Cooke. Finally, the end credits roll to a doo-wop version of Blue Moon by The Marcels.
The use of these songs is appropriate and more to the point works within the context of the film. I certainly understand why John Landis chose to juxtapose the shocking imagery of the werewolf transformation sequence with the sweat and wholesome tones of Sam Cooke. However, it does raise the question why employ such a canny and talented composer as Elmer Bernstein if you’re not really going to use their work. Because Bernstein did indeed compose a cue specifically for the werewolf scene, despite being told by Landis that it wouldn’t be required. He apparently produced a lot more material for the film that wasn’t used but did so as a safety net in case Landis could not secure the licenses for the songs he intended to use. You can find a detailed account of the story behind this decision over at Hollywood and All That, which makes for interesting reading if you’re a movie trivia aficionado.
There has never been a comprehensive or in fact any kind of release of Elmer Bernstein’s score for An American Werewolf in London. Soundtrack albums associated with the film tend to focus on the songs. There is a disco album by Meco called Impressions of An American Werewolf in London, which is best not talked about. However, one of the unused cues for the film surfaced in 2005. Composer and arranger Nic Raine specialises in re-recording classic film soundtracks in conjunction with the Prague Philharmonic. The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection features a track called “Metamorphosis”. It is a five minute piece with two distinct phases. It has subsequently been determined that part of this is indeed the cue that Bernstein wrote for the werewolf transformation. Furthermore, attentive listeners have determined that elements of this track were used in Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which was also directed by John Landis and credits Elmer Bernstein for scary music.
At present, there are only bootleg scores for An American Werewolf in London or YouTube videos featuring music extracted directly from DVD or Blu-ray releases of the film. One such track circulating under the title “An American Werewolf in London suite”, features just under 4 minutes of material from Bernstein’s soundtrack. I have included it here because, despite its brevity, it includes the beautiful central motif played on piano.
As a bonus, we also have Nic Raine’s re-recording of the lost “Metamorphosis” cue. Perhaps one day a comprehensive reconstruction of the entire score will be undertaken. Until then enjoy these two tracks.
Nintendo Switch: The Console That Keeps Charging You For Extras
Last September I considered buying a Nintendo Switch but decided to defer doing so. This was mainly because, despite having a unique back catalogue of games, I didn't feel at the time there was a single “must have” title. However since then, I have been subject to increased lobbying from my Granddaughters. They’re going to be six in June and are now at an age where instead of just watching others play games, they want to actively participate. Plus they have encountered console gaming at their Uncle’s house. At present, the only child friendly game I have on the PC is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. This means playing in the office, which doesn’t easily facilitate one adult and two, fidgety children. So I finally capitulated and bought a Nintendo Switch yesterday. It arrived today.
Last September I considered buying a Nintendo Switch but decided to defer doing so. This was mainly because, despite having a unique back catalogue of games, I didn't feel at the time there was a single “must have” title. However since then, I have been subject to increased lobbying from my Granddaughters. They’re going to be six in June and are now at an age where instead of just watching others play games, they want to actively participate. Plus they have encountered console gaming at their Uncle’s house. At present, the only child friendly game I have on the PC is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. This means playing in the office, which doesn’t easily facilitate one adult and two, fidgety children. So I finally capitulated and bought a Nintendo Switch yesterday. It arrived today.
Setting the Switch is easy, as is creating an online account with Nintendo. Connecting it to the TV in the lounge was also straightforward and simple. I wish I could say the same about adding a new name to the TV’s list of source inputs but that is a matter I need to take up with Samsung and not Nintendo’s problem. Let it suffice to say that within an hour of unboxing my shiny new Switch I was good to go. Accept that I actually wasn’t. I had just one controller and no games. So I subsequently bought a code for Mario Kart 8 along with an additional wireless controller, so that sofa based, two player gaming could be indulged. Now I was impressed how quickly it took to download and install the game after inputting the code. But I wasn’t blown away by the amount of storage the Switch has. So I then had to buy a 256 GB Micro SD card. Oh let’s not forget if you want to save your games via the cloud and do social stuff, you need Nintendo Switch Online, which is a subscription service.
Nintendo products and the brand itself occupy a unique niche within the video games industry and gaming culture. They do what they do extremely well and as a result have a strong fan and consumer base. I say this to demonstrate that I’m not anti Nintendo per se. But damn, don’t they like charging you for every little thing conceivable? I’m pretty certain that when I bought my first SNES back in the early nineties, at least it came with two controllers. You could also buy the console bundled with a game or two. I am fully aware that you can do that now with the Switch but not with any significant discount. All bundles I’ve seen appear to be at the same price as buying the items individually. Also, there doesn’t seem to be the culture of discounting older titles. Switch games on physical media are expensive and their digital equivalents even more so.
I am not a wealthy man, nor am I hard up. But I do find it somewhat annoying when companies pursue this “sell everything separately” approach. The Nintendo Switch cost £280. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a further £50. A 256 GB Micro SD card a further £33. A second wireless controller (non-Nintendo) added a further £34 to the bill. Oh and let’s not forget £7 for 3 months access to Nintendo Switch Online. A total of £404 to finally be in a position for two players to adequately enjoy gaming together. I worry for those non-tech savvy people who decided to buy a Switch for a child only to find that their original budget is not going to cut it. It would be nice if Nintendo did a comprehensive starter pack with some sort of discount. However, upon mature reflection that is not really likely, is it? But setting these gripes aside, I am glad I finally bought a Switch. Mario Kart is still a sublime and near perfect title. And I’m also looking forward to playing games on a handheld device. I just don’t see my Switch expenditure being as profligate as my spending on PC gaming.
Star Trek Online: Delta Recruitment Event
Consider any MMORPG that has been around for a few years or more and you'll often find a game that is weighted towards the endgame and the players at level cap. New content often overlooks or even excludes players just starting out or those at intermediate levels. Furthermore, players that have drifted away from a game are often faced with the dilemma of returning to a character that they have forgotten how to play. The most practical solution to this is to simply create a new alt and start from scratch. However for a lot of players this is not a particularly inviting option. Repeating old content can be dull and singularly unrewarding. And for the new player, starting out and trying to catch up with the rest of the community or their friends who are at level cap, can frequently feel like an uphill struggle. It can be very frustrating when friends, colleagues and guild mates are playing the latest missions and you’re still mixing it down in the starter zones.
Consider any MMORPG that has been around for a few years or more and you'll often find a game that is weighted towards the endgame and the players at level cap. New content often overlooks or even excludes players just starting out or those at intermediate levels. Furthermore, players that have drifted away from a game are often faced with the dilemma of returning to a character that they have forgotten how to play. The most practical solution to this is to simply create a new alt and start from scratch. However for a lot of players this is not a particularly inviting option. Repeating old content can be dull and singularly unrewarding. And for the new player, starting out and trying to catch up with the rest of the community or their friends who are at level cap, can frequently feel like an uphill struggle. It can be very frustrating when friends, colleagues and guild mates are playing the latest missions and you’re still mixing it down in the starter zones.
Cryptic have come up with an interesting solution to this conundrum with their Delta Recruitment event for Star Trek Online. This is the third time they have run this incentive scheme. The Delta Recruitment event is a promotion by which players creating new 2409 Starfleet, Klingon Defense Force or Romulan Republic characters and replaying through existing content are offered a variety of rewards and bonuses. These include enhanced XP, a bespoke Delta Recruit Trait and the ability to earn additional Dilithium Ore with each NPC defeated. There are also account wide benefits to be had. Each time a Delta Recruit completes a particular task an Account-Wide Reward is unlocked, which is claimable once by every other character on that account. There are many other positive benefits associated with the event, which can be found on the Arc Games website. The Delta Recruitment event runs from April 15th on PC and May 13th. Any character created during the Event will remain a Delta Recruit indefinitely, allowing players to progress through objectives at their own pace.
Star Trek Online has come a long way over the past eleven years and the game has been continuously streamlined and refined. The story missions are very well conceived and certainly capture the essence of all the various Trek shows. It is also one of the few MMORPG with an equitable business model. Hence,The Delta Recruitment presents a perfect opportunity to start playing Star Trek Online or to return to the game if you’ve played in the past. This isn't just a case of offering a few superfluous baubles and trinkets. It is a comprehensive scheme to engage with players and offer them an enhanced experience as they journey to level cap. Furthermore, the influx of new players makes playing socially and grouping very accessible. There are plenty of friendly Fleets (guilds) that are happy to welcome new players. Alternatively, you may wish to create one of your own and establish a starbase and other resources with your friends.
The Star Trek franchise is booming at present, with further seasons of Picard and Discovery on the way and Strange New Worlds currently in development. I have always had a soft spot for Star Trek Online, not only because of my love of the IP but because of the way it continuously reinvents itself and refines its game systems. Cryptic make blunders from time to time as many games developers do but they seem to have a genuine philosophy of self improvement. Plus so many MMORPGs are set in a generic sword and sorcery environment. Star Trek Online is founded upon an IP that has a track record of providing good quality, intelligent and challenging narratives. Not many games have such a distinguished pedigree. Therefore if you are considering returning to STO or playing for the first time, now is a great time to do so. The Delta Recruitment event runs from April 15th until May 13th.
Death Race (2008)
I must admit that I did not have particularly high hopes for Paul W S Anderson's remake of the 1975 Roger Corman produced cult classic. Anderson’s work varies greatly. Event Horizon and Soldier are solid genre films but I still have not fully come to terms with Alien vs. Predator. Jason Statham is also a name that divides the public, with solid material such as The Transporter and unfathomable tosh like Revolver. But despite these considerations, Death Race is in fact quite a surprise and does not follow the path that so many remakes do. It takes the basic themes and concept associated with the original and tries to do something different with them. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel nor is it a genre milestone. But it does offer a different spin on things, have some engaging action scenes and provide some dumb but enjoyable entertainment. When combined with snacks and some beer this is a passable way to kill 111 minutes.
I must admit that I did not have particularly high hopes for Paul W S Anderson's remake of the 1975 Roger Corman produced cult classic. Anderson’s work varies greatly. Event Horizon and Soldier are solid genre films but I still have not fully come to terms with Alien vs. Predator. Jason Statham is also a name that divides the public, with solid material such as The Transporter and unfathomable tosh like Revolver. But despite these considerations, Death Race is in fact quite a surprise and does not follow the path that so many remakes do. It takes the basic themes and concept associated with the original and tries to do something different with them. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel nor is it a genre milestone. But it does offer a different spin on things, have some engaging action scenes and provide some dumb but enjoyable entertainment. When combined with snacks and some beer this is a passable way to kill 111 minutes.
Death Race is not an exact retread of the original movie. It bears more similarities to Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Running Man but avoids any attempt at social commentary. The plot is very matter of fact and established very quickly. In the near future, the US has suffered a complete economic collapse. Unemployment and poverty stalk the land, like two giant stalking things (to quote Blackadder). Ex-professional driver Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is framed for his wife’s murder and ends up in the proverbial big house. Evil Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen) who makes a profit from the prison system by staging a brutal set of fatal demolition derby’s, blackmails Jensen into driving under the guise of punters favourite, “Frankenstein”. The deal is that he’ll earn his freedom if he co-operates. He is aided in his endeavours by institutionalized mechanic “Coach” (Ian McShane) and his navigator Case (Natalie Martinez).
Death Race is actually an honest action movie, avoiding the usual pitfalls of being too OTT or having delusions of grandeur. The script is tight and serviceable, not straying from the accepted formula. There are no major surprises but it is not predictable to the point of tedium. The visual feel and production design are solid and the stunt driving and FXs work are good. There are several affectionate homage to well known road and action movies. The violence is strong but not gloating or gratuitous. For a genre piece, the actors and performances are above average. It’s nice to see Joan Allen indulge in action movie smacktalk. “Okay cocksucker. Fuck with me and we’ll see who shit’s on the sidewalk!” The soundtrack is also very appropriate for the subject matter, with a good selection of songs and metal riffs.
Director Anderson meets audience expectations with Death Race. Don’t get me wrong, this film is still a somewhat niche market product. Fans of costume dramas and character studies will still struggle to define the film's philosophical subtext. But for those wanting a fix of old school action with a squared jawed hero, you can’t go far wrong with Death Race. The film was sufficiently successful to spawn three direct-to-video sequels. Death Race 2 (2010), Death Race 3: Inferno (2013) and Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018). However, Jason Statham didn’t see fit to return so is conspicuously absent from them. He is replaced by Luke Goss in the first two follow ups and then Zach McGowan in the last. The budgets and quality decline exponentially as the franchise progresses, as is often the case with these sorts sequels. So I can’t recommend them to anyone but the most ardent genre aficionado.
Nothing Further to Say?
Today, I was going to write a post about the controversy surrounding the video game Six Days in Fallujah. I read up on the relevant background material and then started making bullet points regarding my own personal opinion. While doing so I had a sense of deja vu, so I started looking back through previous posts I’ve written on comparable subjects. And my suspicions were confirmed. The basic points I wished to raise, I had previously explored in a post about “the trivialisation of World War II”. So I decided to abandon the planned post about Highwire Games new FPS, because I wasn’t really offering anything new to the debate, as far as I was concerned. Subsequent reflection upon this matter has led me to the inevitable conclusion that once you regularly write about certain subjects for a decade or so, you eventually reach a point where you don’t have a lot further to say because you’ve probably said it already. Well, I think that’s where I’m at.
This image has no “bearing” on the post
Today, I was going to write a post about the controversy surrounding the video game Six Days in Fallujah. I read up on the relevant background material and then started making bullet points regarding my own personal opinion. While doing so I had a sense of deja vu, so I started looking back through previous posts I’ve written on comparable subjects. And my suspicions were confirmed. The basic points I wished to raise, I had previously explored in a post about “the trivialisation of World War II”. So I decided to abandon the planned post about Highwire Games new FPS, because I wasn’t really offering anything new to the debate, as far as I was concerned. Subsequent reflection upon this matter has led me to the inevitable conclusion that once you regularly write about certain subjects for a decade or so, you eventually reach a point where you don’t have a lot further to say because you’ve probably said it already. Well, I think that’s where I’m at.
I am fully aware that not all of those who read Contains Moderate Peril and au fait with my previous posts. In fact, my website statistics show that a lot of readers are passing traffic that found the site due to a Google search. Hence it would be arrogant to assume that readers by default are familiar with my positions on various subjects and talking points. However, a percentage of my readership have followed my work for a while, in the same way that I have followed theirs. They leave comments both here and on social media. And I wonder if they’ve noticed my penchant for repetition? I do find that my film reviews often follow a pattern. I frequently complain about weak screenplays, underdeveloped stories and characters. It does make me think, do I need to broaden my thoughts or have I effectively reached a point of “nothing further to say” on certain subjects?
Zippy is a popular character from the UK children’s TV show Rainbow
I wrote recently about the cyclical nature of the video games industry and despite certain technical advances, many of the problems from gaming twenty years ago are still with us today. I am beginning to think that this is the same for many other aspects of day to day life. Be it pop culture or politics. The pace of technological change shows no sign of slowing down but many traditional problems, usually those associated with human behaviour, remain conspicuously unchanged. Hence I still find myself referencing recurring issues such as corporate shenanigans, bandwagon jumping, consumer culture and that perennial favourite of confusing fandom with some sort of ownership. And once you become aware that you are repeating yourself, it does become a bit tiresome both for writer and reader. I don’t mind having a particular style but I don’t want to end up a one trick pony, so to speak.
I like Sparks
So what can we conclude from this post which now seems like some written form of self therapy? Well I think I may have to just give some subjects a rest for a while. I am thankful that I made a choice back in 2008 to diversify my blog so that it covered more than just one game. I will still write about video games but I think I shall be far more particular from now on so I don’t just end up sounding like the old guy who sits, alone at the bar, banging on about the same old stuff. I think it’s also time to think outside the box and ensure that my film reviews are less formulaic. I shall also write more about real life stuff. For example, I had a hankering recently to write about property TV shows. I even have a post still sitting in the “drafts” folder about beds and the importance of a good night sleep. So don’t be surprised if some “weird shit” turns up in the next month or so. Oh, by the way. Does anyone else feel like this and that they’ve pretty much said their piece on a given subject over the years?
Same Meat, Different Gravy
Seeing Raph Koster back in the gaming news headlines has proven a timely reminder that no matter how things change, they remain the same. The video games industry has moved on in many ways with regard to technology and now enjoys mainstream appeal. However there are also areas where virtually no progress has been made. Hence Mr Koster’s protestations that the MMO genre has not yet reached its full potential. I started blogging about MMOs and other games around 15 years ago. I have an archive of my previous posts and spent some time recently looking at material I wrote back in 2007 and 2008. The subjects ranged from bad game launches, broken mechanics, staff redundancies, questionable business models, poor community relations and that perennial favourite, toxic communities. Many of which were written from the perspective of someone who was very invested in the genre and who had a degree of optimism for the future. Silly me to quote Paul Chuckle.
This is in fact Yorkshire Pudding with gravy, rather than meat but the analogy still stands…
Seeing Raph Koster back in the gaming news headlines has proven a timely reminder that no matter how things change, they remain the same. The video games industry has moved on in many ways with regard to technology and now enjoys mainstream appeal. However there are also areas where virtually no progress has been made. Hence Mr Koster’s protestations that the MMO genre has not yet reached its full potential. I started blogging about MMOs and other games around 15 years ago. I have an archive of my previous posts and spent some time recently looking at material I wrote back in 2007 and 2008. The subjects ranged from bad game launches, broken mechanics, staff redundancies, questionable business models, poor community relations and that perennial favourite, toxic communities. Many of which were written from the perspective of someone who was very invested in the genre and who had a degree of optimism for the future. Silly me to quote Paul Chuckle.
If you peruse any of the major video game news websites today, you’ll find that there’s still plenty of issues with bad game launches, broken mechanics, staff redundancies, questionable business models, poor community relations and asshole gamers. In fact the growth of social media has in some ways magnified these problems, bringing them to a wider audience’s attention, therefore intensifying any argument that may stem from them. The bottom line is its 2021 and nothing much appears to have changed. Magic Legends has had a broken soft launch. Outriders has had server issues. Dare I mention Cyberpunk 2077? Warzone continuously has to patch content that the previous patch has broken. Activision-Blizzard just made 190 staff redundant while their CEO got a $200 million bonus. Standing Stone Games have to be put in a virtual half nelson to talk to their customers. And just like a rat, you’re never more than six feet away from a douchebag gamer.
“Boo”…
So why haven’t some things changed? Why are the usual suspects still pulling the same old shit? Why haven’t we reached the gaming “promised land”? Well there are numerous contributory factors that have led to the current outcome but perhaps the two biggest of these are the way capitalism functions and how consumers respond to this. Contrary to what some may believe, capitalism isn’t about giving consumers what they want but maintaining a financial status quo. The video game industry’s raison d'être is to make money for the shareholders and executive staff. The creation of a video game that is fit for purpose is a secondary consideration. And a large percentage of consumers continuously enable the worst practises of the big publishers. Buying into damaging business practises such as pre-order culture, early access, soft launches, road maps and live services. Like Joseph de Maistre’s quote about getting the government we deserve, the same can be said about triple A games.
“Yay” etc.
Logically, it is not all doom and gloom. There are smaller game developers who have business relationships with less predatory publishers and between them good quality games are produced and sold. But not everyone has exposure to such products and companies. All too often it’s the wealthiest companies that have the biggest reach and thus dominate the market, despite selling flawed, broken and incomplete products. I may no longer be buying such games but I’m just one person. Sales data in the public domain shows that lots of other people are. Therefore, despite a growing degree of consumer pushback, I don’t think a critical mass is anywhere near being yet reached, which is why I don’t expect an industry wide sea change anytime soon. Hence I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find Mr. Koster is still evangelising the same ideas and concepts, a decade from now and that the MMO genre still hasn’t met its full potential. The only thing I am certain about is that Bobby Kotick will still be raking it in.
The Happening (2008)
I revisited M Night Shyamalan's The Happening recently to try and determine whether he is indeed suffering from Orson Welles syndrome. IE that he has made all his best work at the beginning of his career. Because he’s never quite recaptured the critical or artistic success of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. I was one of the few that actually liked The Lady in The water but I could see why viewers would assume that he had become a victim of his own style and technique with that particular movie. Casting yourself as an author whose work will reshape society and change the course of history is at the very least, a little egotistical and at worst an act of immense hubris. Then in recent years we have had The Last Airbender and After Earth, both of which have performed poorly. However I thought I'd give The Happening another chance as it remains the directors only R rated movie to date.
I revisited M Night Shyamalan's The Happening recently to try and determine whether he is indeed suffering from Orson Welles syndrome. IE that he has made all his best work at the beginning of his career. Because he’s never quite recaptured the critical or artistic success of The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. I was one of the few that actually liked The Lady in The water but I could see why viewers would assume that he had become a victim of his own style and technique with that particular movie. Casting yourself as an author whose work will reshape society and change the course of history is at the very least, a little egotistical and at worst an act of immense hubris. Then in recent years we have had The Last Airbender and After Earth, both of which have performed poorly. However I thought I'd give The Happening another chance as it remains the directors only R rated movie to date.
Elliot (Mark Wahlberg) and Alma Moore (Zooey Deschanel) are a married couple caught up in a mass panic spreading across the East Coast of the US. A wave of inexplicable suicides has started among the general public. They flee from New York with work colleague Julian (John Leguizamo) and his young daughter Jess, only to find that the disaster is spreading further West across the country and becoming more accurate in targeting humans. What was initially assumed to be an act of bio-terrorism turns out to have a far more esoteric answer. Writer and director M Night Shyamalan focuses on the perennial theme of how humans deal with extreme situations and threats to their own mortality. There are also some interesting ideas about the environment and nature being a living entity that responds when the balance is drastically altered. The topical matter of the ongoing decline of the honey bee is also a facet of the plot.
Sadly, while the initial premise is intriguing, its execution adds further weight to the argument that Shyamalan should defer to more accomplished screenwriters capable of developing his ideas more effectively. Despite a reliable cast of character actors, the dialogue is obvious and at times crass, leaving all concerned with little to do except emote sincerely. There is also an air of sanctimony about the screenplay that rather spoils the interesting premise. Once the ecological plot twist is revealed the narrative takes a somewhat didactic tone. The central characters are also somewhat weak and not especially likeable. A rift in the main protagonist's relationship turns out to be only minor. It would have been far more challenging if one was actually an adulterer, thus making their redemption harder to achieve. A greater sense of societal panic is also absent. The film needs clearer examples of social disorder and breakdown to reinforce the magnitude of events
Yet despite these criticisms, there are some sequences that show a great deal of creative flare. There's a shocking scene when construction workers start to hurl themselves from the roof of the building they're working on. A tracking shot following a Police officer's handgun as it is used in subsequent suicides, is also impressively realised. Once again, composer James Newton Howard embellishes Shyamalan's work with an exceptionally clever and subtle score. The two seem to have a very good creative relationship. Upon its initial release, the distributors made much of the film’s rating. Perhaps they saw this as it's only virtue. There is more violence compared to his other work. Given the subject matter this is understandable. Overall The Happening is a missed opportunity. Again I feel that Mr. Shyamalan's work would benefit from an additional writer to strengthen his weaknesses and curb his excesses. Sadly several movies on from The Happening and the same mistakes keep getting made.
24 Hours Without a Smartphone
I left my phone behind while visiting family this week. However, I was told not to worry as someone would drop it off to me. However, I wasn’t told that the person doing this good deed had to work their night shift first. So I had to wait 24 hours. C’est la vie. It was my mistake. In the meantime I had to adjust to life without a phone. Or to be more accurate, adapt to life without a smartphone. So I dug around in my cupboards and found an old handset that used to belong to my Father’s. It's a Maxi-Key model which is designed for the requirements of senior citizens who aren’t good with technology. It has large keys and 8-Bit style ringtones that sound like they come from some insane Super Nintendo game. It is functional so far as I can make and receive text messages and phone calls. However it has none of the internet functionality of my Samsung S10 5G and as a result I have become starkly aware of how much I've grown accustomed to the trappings of the modern smartphone.
I left my phone behind while visiting family this week. However, I was told not to worry as someone would drop it off to me. However, I wasn’t told that the person doing this good deed had to work their night shift first. So I had to wait 24 hours. C’est la vie. It was my mistake. In the meantime I had to adjust to life without a phone. Or to be more accurate, adapt to life without a smartphone. So I dug around in my cupboards and found an old handset that used to belong to my Father’s. It's a Maxi-Key model which is designed for the requirements of senior citizens who aren’t good with technology. It has large keys and 8-Bit style ringtones that sound like they come from some insane Super Nintendo game. It is functional so far as I can make and receive text messages and phone calls. However it has none of the internet functionality of my Samsung S10 5G and as a result I have become starkly aware of how much I've grown accustomed to the trappings of the modern smartphone.
So I found myself in a curious situation where I felt effectively "disconnected" from things. Although it never reached a point where it is anything other than an inconvenience, I am surprised at just how much I missed my smartphone. It really does highlight how we as a society have become dependent on such technology, not only as a practical tool but also as a source of entertainment and possibly a psychological support. I felt very much out of the loop during this 24 hour period and would fret about whether I was missing out on something, although exactly what they may be, I had no idea. When out, I felt the same way I do when I travel without a watch. Which is to say not fully dressed. I have found this entire affair more perplexing because of my age. This malady that I experienced is something I would usually associate with people half my age. I have certainly had to re-appraise my prejudices regarding youth and technology.
A smartphone offers both practical benefits and amusing diversions. Personal preferences determine exactly what apps you install but I’m sure I’m not unique in my phone usage. I often plan my travels via my phone, using rail timetables and Google maps to ensure an optimal journey. I also use my handset for online banking and ad-hoc purchases. It has also helped me find a decent restaurant when visiting places I am not familiar with. Pre-pandemic I would flash a QR code instead of a ticket at a member of staff to get into a movie theatre. On one occasion an intensive search allowed me to track down the premier purveyor of cheese in the South of England. Smartphones have also afforded me a means to waste my time in the most inane and the pointless fashion. I have been guilty in the past of the heinous crime of using one at the dinner table and whilst conversing with someone and not giving the said person my undivided attention. However, this particular outrage is now verboten in the Peril household.
Ultimately this situation (which was relatively short) has afforded me a unique opportunity to reflect upon my smartphone usage. I have taken a day to ponder upon the impact that technology has on social dynamics and human interaction. And having done so, I concluded that I am very glad to have my smartphone back. Have you tried talking to real people? They're absolutely awful! What with their tabloid opinions and garrulous inanities. No I don’t have a hot take on Meghan Markle nor do I give a shit about whether you have a holiday this year. Furthermore I am still peeved by the fact that I had to buy a SIM adaptor kit so that my nano SIM card could fit into my retro handset. The bastards charged me £4 for three pathetic pieces of plastic and a pin. No wonder these companies are rich! And there is absolutely no truth to the rumours that I was especially upset because I couldn’t easily watch videos of Fu Bao the Panda at Everland in South Korea.
Soft Launches
I thought Magic Legends was being beta tested when it appeared on my Arc launcher along with PWE’s other games. Silly me. Apparently, I was mistaken and Magic Legends is being soft launched. Because the game is selling stuff already. To date we have an unoptimized game suffering major performance issues and lag, with the added bonus of an egregious monetisation. People aren’t happy. There are all the technical issues associated with beta testing along with the early introduction of a predatory business model. Bravo. The idea of a soft launch is to maintain a relatively low profile, compared to a traditional hard “the game is totally ready” launch. That way you can tinker with your game client in a reactive fashion and introduce new features, ensuring that you keep your current customers onboard. However, if you do it wrong, you can piss off not only your existing customer base but cause a stink that prejudices future punters.
I thought Magic Legends was being beta tested when it appeared on my Arc launcher along with PWE’s other games. Silly me. Apparently, I was mistaken and Magic Legends is being soft launched. Because the game is selling stuff already. To date we have an unoptimized game suffering major performance issues and lag, with the added bonus of an egregious monetisation. People aren’t happy. There are all the technical issues associated with beta testing along with the early introduction of a predatory business model. Bravo. The idea of a soft launch is to maintain a relatively low profile, compared to a traditional hard “the game is totally ready” launch. That way you can tinker with your game client in a reactive fashion and introduce new features, ensuring that you keep your current customers onboard. However, if you do it wrong, you can piss off not only your existing customer base but cause a stink that prejudices future punters.
There is reason and logic behind soft launches. If you search via Google you’ll find numerous articles about the subject extolling the virtues of this business practice. If implemented correctly, it can yield the following results:
Determine which market you’d like to target on full launch.
Pick the most suitable location for your soft launch accordingly.
Optimize your games online presence.
Measure your success in acquiring new users.
Find out at what point you’ve successfully retained a new user.
Calculate the “Life Time Value” of users.
Evaluate your monetisation model.
Determine how your users like to share your game with others.
Fix any bugs that users report.
However, if you undertake all of these with the subtlety of a blow to the head with a Teflon frying pan, you’ll more than likely fail. Because as you can see, a soft launch is a practise designed primarily to benefit the vendor of the product, rather than the customer. And customers, especially gamers like to be made to feel special (IE told a load of old bollocks). If they realise they’re just a rat in a maze, then they tend to take it personally. Which is why I prefer the old school practise of alpha and beta testing, followed by the launch of a completed product that is good to go. Sadly, that is something we seldom see in the video games genre these days. The industry has become aware that they can get away with things, despite the pushback and opprobrium that comes with pre-orders, soft launches and day one patches.
All too often the lifecycle of a game is as follows. A hyperbolic announcement followed by an excess of hype throughout the development. Early access that is a hot mess followed by a cheeky soft launch of a flawed and incomplete product. The first six months is filled with player hostility until multiple patches eventually lead to a viable release. All sane players opt for the “game of the year edition”. Overall, it’s a very unsatisfactory system. Yet despite all the cogent arguments raised against it, such practises continue to prevail and are indulged because a percentage of gamers are overwhelmed by the hype tsunami and a “take my money now” mindset. Hence it will be interesting to see whether Magic Legends has “pissed on its chips” to coin a British colloquialism, or whether six month from now, all will be forgiven or forgotten. I have a feeling it will be the latter, which is greater news for business but bad news for consumers.