Epiphany. I’ve always loved the word (like I do all words). It’s got that same kind of unearthly mystique to it, like ethereal or heavenly . . . or cellar door. But now it has taken a literal meaning for me. My job and I recently parted ways and I had to ask myself, why was I still working, anyway? And now I’m not. Permanent vacation. Probably my most favorite set of words ever. Movies, music, books, gaming, guitar, here I come.
For A Few Dollars More on Blu-Ray: Seems like I just watched this . . .last year? I guess I can’t get enough. Watching it as a kid with my stepfather, it was one of the glues that bonded us. This was the film that set Sergio Leone free. His first film A Fistful of Dollars put Clint Eastwood on the map and ingratiated the studios enough to give him a big enough budget to go crazy with this, his second film. And it allowed Clint to be paid $50,000 and Lee Van Cleef, $17,000. That was a lot more money in 1965 than it is today. Being the film was shot without sound because of the language differences, and most of the cast spoke Spanish or Italian, Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef became friends because they were the only two guys on the set who spoke English, so they had no one to speak to except each other.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC: Deus Ex came out in 2000 and I picked it up when they released a Game of the Year Edition. I started it in 2001, got dismayed with the game’s difficulty and stopped playing. I made another attempt, but by this time, the game’s graphics looked like mud and the difficulty both frustrated me enough that I threw in the towel again. One last ditch effort later in 2011, I beat it in 26 hours. And I’m glad I did. It was a remarkable game with a compelling cyberpunk-like environment that haunted me like a ghost and that was probably the real reason I kept circling back to it. Being directly ported over from consoles, Deus Ex: Invisible War didn’t quite affect me the same way, but I completed it in 2014 in 26 hours. Eidos Montreal took over the helm for the third one, Deus Ex Human Revolution. It was such an homage to the original that Warren Spector (who created the first Deus Ex), upon seeing a sneak preview of it said, it had the look and sound of Deus Ex.) High praise coming from the father, himself. This one was fun, but it became a chore as I was going for the Pacifist achievemen which means finishing the game without killing anybody (boss fights don’t count.) And guess what? 57 hours to beat it and I missed the achievement. I must have created a stray explosion somewhere that took a guard out. Oh well. At least I beat it.
Toto IV on CD: Who didn’t own this album when it came out in 1982? Winner of three Grammy Awards, it was the album that turned Toto into a global phenomenon. With two big hits, “Rosanna,” and “Africa” became ubiquitous songs. Contrary to rumors, Steve Porcaro, the keyboardist, was dating actress Rosanna Arquette, but the song is not about her, this, according to Porcaro, himself, who wrote the song. My personal favorite song is “Afraid of Love.” I’m surprised it wasn’t as big of a hit. Listen to it and you’ll see what I mean. This album was recently listed in Headphonesty.com as one of the top 50 albums audiophiles use to show off their systems. If you can find an original 1982 CD or even better, the Japanese 35DP-12 version, you’ll be amazed at how spacious and roomy this sounds on your system. The album was recorded on three analog tape machines to capture every nuance. The proof of its quality sound is in the hearing.
Matadors by Steve Bauman: This guy, Steve Bauman, will always be a gem in my life. As the editor-in-chief of the now defunct (but much loved) Computer Games magazine, he published two of my articles. I will be eternally grateful. This novel by him concerns a guy approaching his 40th birthday, Michael Norton. He creates a Facebook account and hooks up with his college roommate who decides to come and visit him. The thing is, this guy outdid Michael at everything, swooped in on the girls Michael liked, out talked him, and out performed him. And when Michael meets him at the airport, the guy immediately starts the same old antics all over again. I’m halfway through it, great read so far.
Stray on PC:Gifted to me by my beloved sister, this is a game that had a bittersweet effect on me that caught me completely by surprise, and you get to see it all from a cat’s perspective. Here, from my very own review on Steam, I present to you, this charming game. Despite its niggling bugs (I logged in once to find all of my inventory items had vanished – and that cost me an achievement) compelled me like no other game has in a while. I took every fetch quest the game had to offer, all the while racing to an end I knew was going to be paramount. And it was. It was an ending that blindsided me into thinking of people and pets I’ve lost over the years. There’s a part in the game in which I found myself looking at the walled city in which the game occurred from on high in a remotely located control room. The city buildings and tiny cyberpunk apartments where all my misadventures transpired looked small and sad, moreso because of the lives of the strange quirky mechanical beings I impacted there. I suddenly felt evolved into a different person, looking at a past through old pictures and feeling as if that life happened to someone else who lived a hundred years ago. But what got me the most, however, was glancing down at my sleeping cat in my lap, and realizing I would never look at her the same way again.
The Police Ghost in the Machine on CD: Another inclusion in Headphonesty.com’s “Top 50 Albums Audiophiles Use To Show Off Their Systems.” I was a young lad living in Japan when this album was flying high in the early 80s. When I heard the first song on the radio, I bought the cassette. The distant echoey sound of the album’s first two songs, “Everything She Does is Magic,” and “Spirits in the Material World” was the perfect soundtrack for my late night jaunts through the rainy streets of the Japanese ginza. It’s funny how people change because I’ve given the CD version of this album a few spins lately, and the appeal isn’t there like it was in my early 20s. Still, this is an important album. Saby Reyes-Kulkarni writing for Paste magazine observed that "There are albums that envelope you in an ambience so unlike anything else you’ve ever heard that listening to them is like taking a trip to another world.” He was onto something with this one, and if you haven’t listened to it in a while, give it a listen on a nice audio system. It will make you smile.
Assetto Corsa Competizione on PC: You’ve seen me playing this before, and I always come back to it. I think it’s the best racing game on PC right now, but there is a catch. You have to be a fan of GT style racing. I’ve raced all of these tracks in different iterations in different games for over 30 years now, Silverstone, Imola, Monza, Spa, they’re all here in beautiful resolution. There are other great racing sims, but this one is the reason you see my racing wheel in about every picture I take for my Mix project. I love the Lamborghini Hurrican. It’s not noted for being the fastest car in the sim, but it sure is a steady one.
Steelseries Arena 7 2.1 Speakers: I had a set of Logitech Z5300 5.1 surround speakers I used since the early aughts. They were still working when I gave them to a friend of mine, but with this new PC, I had no way to plug them in (different interface.) So, I was in the market for a new set. I did the research and found these. Given they are a downstep to a 2.1 configuration, they sound amazing. They have RGB that becomes interactive with whatever game you are playing . . . say you’re playing a simcade with police chases, your back wall gets flooded with red and blue blinking lights. It’s more immersive than you think. Unfortunately, most of my games run in HD now (thanks to Windows 11) which nullifies the effect. I don’t mind. They sound so good, it makes it worth having them for the sound quality alone.
Buffalo 66 on Blu Ray: Welcome to a very bleak romantic (dark) comedy. This film starred Vincent Gallo (who also wrote and directed it), and a bevy of big stars including Christina Ricci, Mickey Rourke, Anjelica Huston, and Rosanna Arquette. The movie takes place in wintry Buffalo, NY, and involves Billy Brown, who has just been released from prison after a five year stretch. He kidnaps a young dancer and coerces her into posing as his wife to impress his parents who have no idea he was in prison. Despite its almost too-gradual buildup, I really liked the film. The cold Buffalo, NY setting reminded me of my own late 70s Indiana winter evenings when I was in school. Vincent Gallo, who I was not familiar with, and his loud red snazzy boots, made me think of Joaquin Phoenix. And Christina Ricci plays a great role as the abducted girl who falls in love with Gallo’s character. Mickey Rourke is his usual suave self as the syndicate connected bad guy who threatens Gallo’s character into doing the right thing . . . or else. Vincent Gallo was difficult to work with and disparaged the people who worked with and for him. He claimed Christina Ricci was a puppet who did everything she was told to. And she vowed never to work with him again. Years later he criticized her for her weight while doing the film. Ricci referred to him as a “crazy lunatic man.” Ah, the things we do for love.
Resident Evil 2 on PC: This is a remake of the 1998 Resident Evil 2, a survival horror third person shooter game. It IS a remake, but not an entire redux of the original. It’s more like a reimagining of the original gameplay and story for modern audiences. Taking place in Raccoon City, the player can either play as local policeman, Leon Kennedy or college student, Claire Redfield as they hold back a zombie invasion. Typical of these kinds of games, ammunition is scarce, and zombies require headshots to really keep them down. I really like the dreadful creepy visual style and the game’s backdrops. I did not like the boss character, Tyrant, who is introduced midway into the game and is impossible to kill. During the game’s final scene, I had to cheat to beat the game because of him. Not cool.
