Film, Gemm an Album log

Gemms

27t Julie 2022: Myst - Linux (Scummvm)

Whan a first played throu the gemm, a struggled tae git the pynt, bit a forced massel tae keep gaun, an a fun massel appreciatin the gemm mair. A luved the story an the atmosphere the gemm providit! The pre-rendered early 90s 3D is an absolute treat tae leuk at, especially nouadays!


26t Julie 2022: Grim Fandango - Linux (Residualvm)

This gemm teuk us a while, bit a luved ivery maument! It haed a really grippin story, wi chyngin themes an settins oothrou the gemm, an different costumes. Thay really made uise o the than-new 3D technologie! Anerly hing tae git uised tae is it juises keyboard/controller input, as it isnae a pynt an click. It's like Resident Evil, wioot the horror. Defo reccomend, tho!


21st Julie 2022: Flight of the Amazon Queen - Linux (Scummvm)

A injoyed this yin, an went throu it wi the help o Universal Hint System. Wis a guid gemm, bit a guid bit o the screen is taek up bi big buttons fur loads o actions thit ur uised anerly like wanst fur each. It wis unecessary.


19t Julie 2022: Full Throttle - Linux (Scummvm)

Wis oreegionally gaun'ae play the remastered version frae GOG, bit the gemm didnae hiv ony soond in Linux, s' the oreegional wi SCUMMVM it is

Anither Lucasarts gemm. A didnae injoy this yin as much, fur 2 raison. First bein thare wisnae ony hintbuik or hint guide onwab thit a coud fun. A haed tae consult a wawkthrou, an thit sucks some o the fun oot o the gemm.

The seicont wis thit a fun a few plot holes in the gemm, an hings thit didnae mak sense.

Fur exemple, haufwey throu the gemm, someb'dy wis murdered, an a jurnalist teuk a few photies o the murder, she wis taen awa an battered near a wumman ye meant afore, Maureen, thit turns oot tae be the victim's dauchter. She's pairt o a bike gang an aw. She teuk the fillum, an went back tae her gang hideoot. She wis telt Ben, the player chairacter, wis the murderer. Whan Ben mets her, she tries tae torture an kill him. Ben tells her aboot the photies, an she gits thaim developit, provin thit he's innocent.

...how did the murderers no grab the fillum an rip it oot? How did Maureen no hink tae develop the fillum afore? Did she no leuk at the scene o the crime, an the roll o fillum, an hink Hmm, a wunner whit she wis battered fur? Mibbie a sud fun oot whit photies she teuk!, an richt tae fun oot Ben wisnae the murderer?!

Ither nor that, it wis a fun gemm.


17t Julie 2022: Sam & Max Hit the Road - Linux (Scummvm)

A Lucasarts classic! A finally got aroon tae playin throu this wi the help o an offeecial hint buik on internet archive.

A absolutely luved this gemm. Wis fou o personality, lauch oot loud mauments, an juist a fun warld tae explore, wi no bein able tae predict whit comes nixt

100% reccomend this!


16t Julie 2022: Rogue Warrior - PC (Steam)

Ay, that Rogue Warrior. The wan wi awfu reviews an nae purpose tae really exist.

The gemm is clunky, enemies ur daft, an the hale gemm seems tae be set up tae feed an ego o someb'dy thit's ego didnae want or need to be fed. But... a luve it. It's really cheesy. Ye'v a bunch of really cuil haun-tae-haun kill animations, an the main chairacter is aye pittin oot wan liners, swearin a lot, or baith!

Wan problem a coudnae sling a deifie tae is the gemm's legnth. The level coont in single player is juist in the single digits! A saw the gemms endin an thocht "... 'at's it?". Thare urnae ony ither singleplayer modes aither an the multiplayer server is prolly doun, an gin thay urnae wha ither nor massel is gaun'ae be playin this?

A good bad gemm, but wey ower short.


21st Juin 2022: Sonic Shuffle - Dreamcast

Wis a fun wee gemm (Say that whan it asks fur triple feegures nouadays...), nice graphics, braw soond design. Gemmplay is kind o slaw, e'en compared tae Mario Party Gemms. The AI tends tae cheat on the board. The wey the gemm wirks is insteid o a dice like in Mario Party, ye ur gien a haun o caird fae 1 - 6 an whit yin ye chyse determines hou mony spaces ye kin muive. Ye kin chore ither player's cairds an aw, bit ye cannae see whit thay hiv. The AI seem tae hauf the time, thay steal the caird thit haes exackly hou mony spaces thay need tae git tae a "precioustone" (equivalent o Stars). Minigames ur fine, as ur the AI in thaim. Thay'r fun e'en

Guid gemm, but thare is nae wey in hell it's wirth £100+! Nae gemm is!


16t Juin 2022: Hydro Thunder - Dreamcast

A brilliant arcade port, tho as ye micht expect, the later levels war really haurd, an it didnae help thit the pause menu didnae hiv a restairt option.


15t Juin 2022: Chu Chu Rocket - Dreamcast

A finally got aroond tae feenishin aff this gemm. Am no a puzzle person, but this wis guid. Some puzzles war haurd tae sort, an some o the stage challenges war solid an needit ninja-like reaction time!


15t Juin 2022: Looney Tunes: Space Race - Dreamcast

A'v been clearin oot ma Dreamcast backlog, an dug up this gemm. A didnae play a lot whan a first got it, but a played it throu stairt tae the end.

A luve this gemm! The graphics leuk amazing! The environments ur vivid an heichly detailed, wi loads o hings gaun on tae leuk it as ye'r racin, tho it's capped at 30FPS. Soond effects an vyces ur on pynt wi the programme it's based aff o. Muisic is furgettable, tho.

The gemm itsel is a lot o fun, tho it haes it's problems. Whan ye stray ower faur awa frae the track, the gemm juist fraps ye an resets ye ontae the track, regardless o yer speed an heicht, an that gies opponents the oppurtunity tae owertak ye. It's really annoyin! Ither nor that, a really injoyed it!


Mey 2022: Driver 2 - PS1

Technical-wise, it's a briliant gemm, an wan thit defo pushit the limits o the PS1!

Design-wise, tho, is anither story. The missions ur solid, an no in a guid wey! They feel like thay hivnae been play-testit at aw, an gin thay war, the developes juist chucked the feedback! Aàv nivver played throu a gemm this frustratin!

Fillums

29t Julie 2022: I, Robot - VHS (Pan and Scan; Inglis)

Wan o ma favourites! Despite the P&S, it wis a hugely injoyable fillum!


24t Julie 2022: The Mummy - DVD (Anamorphic Widescreen; Inglis)

Watchit this at a mate's hoose. Haed seen The Scorpion King afore, an wantit tae see the film that wis a spin aff o. A luved it, the action wis ower the tap an haed some funny mauments an aw!


5t Julie 2022: Independence Day - Laserdisc (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

This film is a guilty pleasure o mines. Thare ur loads o problems wi it, but a luve it, an ivery time a watch it, am glued tae it!


1st Julie 2022: Johnny Mnemonic - VHS (Open Matte; Inglis)

A luved this fillum! It's the maist 90s hing a'v iver seen! Loads o cheesy one-liners an classic practical effeck ficht scenes on the side. Got some nice ugle early 3D an aw. Defo reccomend!


29t Juin 2022: Spiderman 3 - UMD Video (Widescreen; Inglis)

A wis awa tae haliday in Loch Lomond, an juist haed ma PSP tae keep me entertained, an haed Spiderman 3 tae watch.

It's the maist unneratit fillum in the trilogy. A watch it an still feel the wey a mind feelin whan a first watchit it in the picturs! A dinnae watch this after, but seein hou guid it is whan a dae, a hink a'll keep it that wey. No cause a dinnae like it, cause a luve it!


22nt Juin 2022: Jurassic Park - VHS (Open Matte; Inglis)

Watchit this juist tae check gin it wis an Open Matte lowsin. It wis. A classic film, whit kin a say?


20t Juin 2022: 007 License to Kill - VHS (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

The last o Dalton lang 2 fillum career as Bond. No as guid as Living Daylights, bit wis still guid!


15t Juin 2022: 007 The Living Daylights - VHS (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

A got the Dalton fillums on Widescreen VHS. Wis a guid watch. Wis glued tae it an haed tae force massel tae pause tae g' tae the toilet an sic.


13t Juin 2022: Sonic The Hedgehog - VHS* (Anamorphic Widescreen; Inglis)

Am kind o cheatin here. Turns oot wir telly provider, Sky, haes gien us the Sonic fillum fur free an a 10 meenit preview o the seicont yin. Naiturally, a pit thaim bait on VHS an watchit thaim. A haed tae hiv the intrusive play screen, an haed tae deal with daein anamorphic insteid o daein Letterboxed. (Thit a uisusally dae fur tae be compatible wi 4:3 tellies)

The fillum was a fun watch, tho kin be really cringy wi it's pop-culture references thit ur awready stairtin tae date. Sonic did a Fortnite dance an aw... twist! A wis able tae dub oot wan o thaim.

A luve Jim Carrey's Robotnik. No juist cause it's Carrey. The chairacter he played wis based aff o his gemm's counterpairt. An egotistical man thit is aye shawin aff his intelligence, bit Carrey pullt it aff in a wey thit isnae annoying or forgetfu. A micht e'en g' as faur as tae say he haes duin fur Dr. Robotnik whit J.K. Simmons haes duin fur James Jonah Jameson in Spiderman! Taen whit wis thare, but really defined it an made it his ain!

The fillum haes a guid plot and setup, an a luve the chaiaracter development. Whan Sonic wis offered a High Five frae Tom, a coud feel his excitement at actual hivin a freend, suhin he wis wantin aw oothrou the fillum!

In the end, a hink it's a guid film. A hink it needs to sort oot some hings, dial the references wey doun, an we'll hiv suhin brilliant!

Like a said, the same provider gied us an exclusive 8 meenit preview o the seicont fillum an aw. The preview a thocht wis excellent, Wisnae shawn a lot, but it seems the references hae bin dialed doun, an it juist feels like a sel-contained tongue-in-cheeck flick, like the Schumachar's Batman or Raimi's Spiderman. A actual hiv naething bad tae say aboot whit a saw! A howp the rest o the fillum is as guid as that!

A hivnae been able tae see it in the picturs cause a'v been spendin aw ma money on feenishin aff ma gemm, but a'll defo try an git the Blu-Ray an see whit it's like!


12t Juin 2022: Spiderman 2 - VHS (Open Matte; Inglis)

A decidit tae rewatch this for 2 raison.

  1. A juist feenisht 1, an wis plannin tae watch 3
  2. A wantit tae digitise it for personal uise, an tae shaw aff tae mates hou guid the fillum luiks on tape!

The fillum is prolly the best luikin VHS tape I've ever seen. It maks sense. It was pit oot in 2005, makkin it wan o the last tapes tae be pit oot, thay got better masterin bi that pynt, an better technology haed tae mean better transfers tae aulder yins an aw.

The fillum is a classic, no much tae say thare.

Tho Parker's scream wis Pan an Scan. A wantit tae see it uncroppit!

11t Juin 2022: Billy Elliot - DVD (Anamorphic Widescreen; Northumbrian?)

Anither fillum a watchit wi a mate. This wis an interestin fillum. It's set in Durham, an thare thay tawk a dialect o Northumbrian, thit's a subjeck thit fascinates me. The fillum uises a muckle Northumbrian vocab an aw. A'v a freend frae Durham, an a'd say based aff him, the wey thay tawk wis accurate.

The fillum in general is a feel guid fillum, an wan aboot acceptance o fowk wi divergant hobbies an the LGBTQ+ commuinity.


11t Juin 2022: Airplane - Streaming (Widescreen; Inglis)

A wis at a mate's hoose, an we watched a coople o fillums on Netflix. Airplane bein the first. It wis a really funny fillum! A luved it!


10t Juin 2022: Anastasia - VHS (Pan and Scan; Inglis)

A Disney classic, wan no made bi Disney. Fowk seem tae mynd this as bein fae Disney, but is actual fae Fox. It wis aboot as corny an cringy as maist classic Disney films, but it haed a guid plot, an a coople o the sangs ur awricht.


9t Juin 2022: Highlander - VHS (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

It was a guid film, but no as mazin as a mynd.


9t Juin 2022: The Jungle Book - Laserdisc (Open Matte; Inglis)

Sadly, hiv haed ma first Laserdisc experience. A wis leukin forrit tae watchin this. It was a big bairnheid fillum o mines. Maist o the film looks an plays fine, but thare is wan scene, wi the military elephants, whaur the disc pure stuttert, an e'en stappit an went back! The player soondit like it was really strugglin tae play it, an a haed tae stap the disc an replay it tae skip scenes! The seicont side an disc war baith maistly wioot problems, tho the seicont disc haed pure distortit digital audio, bit clean analogue. Weird gien thit it's uisually the ither wey aboot wi bad discs.

A haed a leuk at the disc itsel, an noticit thit pairt o side A (the opposite side o the label), wis scratched up. A heard LD haes nae error correction, an the release a hiv isnae ken tae hiv Laser Rot, s' it's aither the scratches or a case o "laser lock" (whaur suhin gang inbetween the layers durin production. A manufacturin defeck, basically). Whitiver the case wis, it really pit a damper on the experience an am no shuir a'll be watchin this version again. Micht stick tae VHS nixt time...


7t Juin 2022: Braveheart - Laserdisc (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

As a Scots fully awaur o wir current poleetical seetiation, this wis a haurd watch, bit it was brilliant! Disc wis fairly dirty, an saw some artifactin as an ootcome.


5t Juin 2022: Die Hard - Laserdisc (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

A classic, an is just as brilliant on LD! Anely hing wirth o comment, ither nor the blurry masters frae the time, is thit the 2nt o 3 sides is CAV, whaur the ithers are CLV. Seems like an odd chyce tae me. Uisually the last side is CAV an the rest CLV.


2nt Juin 2022: Spiderman - VHS (Open Matte; Inglis)

This wis anither film a got frae the mercat. The lid wis snappit an near aff, s' a grabbed a doner tape a didnae want, an did a swap job. It daesnae spring back intae place, but that disnae seem tae effect playback

A brilliant film, an a brilliant VHS transfer! It's Open Matte, an luiks surprisingly clear fur a tape!


1st Juin 2022: Aristocats - Laserdisc (Open Matte; Inglis)

This is the anely Laserdisc a hiv at the time o writin thit is 4:3, but thankfu-like, it isnae Pan & Scan. It's actual Open Matte. A haed nae ideae thit Open Matte animations existit, but here we ur.

The fillum is a classic, coorse! Am no a fan o maist "classic" Disney fillums, bit Aristocats isnae amang thaim. A luve the film!

The anely hing a didnae like ur the geese, fuck thaim, thair Inglis tuins an thay'r uppityness!


31st Mey 2022: Romeo + Juliet - Laserdisc (Letterboxed Widescreen; Inglis)

Fur the uniniatit. This is a 1996 flick starrin Leonardo Dicaprio based on the Shakespeare play "Romeo & Juliet" in a modern settin. Whit attractit me tae it wis thit thay kept the oreegional dialogue bit wi a modern settin, an did it in a wey thit it's really ower the tap!

It's haurd tae unnerstaun whit thay'r on aboot, bit wis still a fun watch!


30t Mey 2022: The Matrix Reloaded - VHS (Pan & Scan; Inglis)

A got a wheen o films on VHS frae a mercat last week, amang thaim wis The Matrix Reloaded. Sadly, the film is 4:3 Pan & Scan, an thare isnae a widescreen version available. Cannae say am surprised, it bein a late release fur the format.

Still a braw film, a hink! The sequels ur underatit!

Albums

30t Julie 2022: Public Enemy - What you gonna do when the grid goes down? - Vinyl

A new Public Enemy album. Fae 2020. It's a guid listen, tho ma copy seems tae hiv bits whaur the bass fades awa an it soond tinny nou an again... nae idea whit that's aboot.


10t Julie 2022: Deftones - _Ohms - Casstte

A finally fun this casette again. Ma brither gied me this fur Christenmas wan time, an hivnae been able tae fun it syne a got ma deck. A fun it, an gied it a listen.




... it's awricht, a guess.


3rd Juin 2022: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut - CD

Nae joke, ma favourite musical fillum. A haed tae git the soondtrack, an tho some sangs urnae on it (maist the yins in pairts), it'sa solid soondtrack, wi some really guid bonus tracks inspired bi the offeecial yins!


28t Mey 2022: The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope - Cassette

Got this fur a buck frae a charity shop. Cannae complain. It's a solid punk album.