Edward's January 2024 Mix

 

 

I’ve been a PC gamer since 1990. I’ve watched different iterations of consoles evolve through the ages, but they were never a temptation to me. I was always more attracted to my pc and learning how to put it through its own evolution. I started buying better PCs as I could afford them until I learned enough about them to upgrade and eventually build my own. But rather than build or upgrade, I’d rather just play the games. And oh boy, the games through the years. I keep a document detailing every game I’ve played and whether or not I’ve beaten them. My best years have seen twenty plus games conquered. My worst years (which were fairly recent) saw me beating one game. Everything comes with a price and those decades of gaming are becoming costly. At my age, I have far more years behind me than I do ahead of me, and that’s where I have to start budgeting. My Steam library is overfilled with games. I won’t live to play through them all, but I’m wondering if it’s time to try. But where do I draw the line? I tend to play games on their more difficult settings; it’s just the way I roll. How far deep do I go before I decide I’m not going to complete a game, uninstall it, and try another one? It’s an answer I’m probably always going to wrestle with.

 

Railroad Corporation on Steam: I love railroad strategy sims. I guess that’s the simple term for them, massive economic systems in which you are required to move freight using railroads (usually 19^th-20^th century timeframes) and buy and sell stocks, and compete with robber barons. Sid Meier’s Railroad Tycoon was the first one I ever bought way back in 1990. I’ve played many more since then and I’m disappointed that there aren’t any out there that live up to Sid Meier’s venerable series. Railroad Corporation is close, however. At first it served as the inspiration for this month’s header. I got into a scenario in which the difficulty spiked harder than fruit punch on prom night. I ended up rage quitting and uninstalling. A day later after I had cooled off, I reinstalled it, got through that dastardly scenario and it’s been smooth sailing since. I’m just about finished with the main storyline campaign and it makes me long for Sid’s old games, but Railroad Corporation 2 recently released. That’s a good consolation prize.

 

 

 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak: I’ve mentioned it before, when I was 8 years old my mother and my aunt took me to see a movie with them. The movie, which won 5 Academy Awards in 1965 and directed by the venerable David Lean, was called Doctor Zhivago. Had my mom known better, she wouldn’t have taken me. It was too heavy of a film. The opening has little Zhivago attending his mother’s graveside service. She’s young and beautiful, even in death, lying in her casket. As the eulogy is spoken, a windowed lid is quickly and delicately hammered down onto the coffin. His mother is lowered into the earth, and we see her face fade from view as shovels of dirt rain down upon it. And poor Zhivago stands there, sadly stoic, holding a bouquet of flowers. That scene traumatized 8 year old me. And now, over five decades later I finally read the novel. I’ve read many Pulitzer Prize novels in my life. This is the first novel I’ve read that garnered the Nobel Prize. It was a long and sad Russian novel (aren’t they all?) but admittedly, it was an absolutely beautiful story. I don’t have a bucket list, but this book is bucket list worthy.

Filter The Very Best Things on Amazon Music: I first heard Filter back in Austin in probably 1997. They had an interesting sound, the few songs I heard. They were one of those bands I would hear, but then quietly forget about. One of their songs (“Nice Shot”) popped up on my car radio and I hadn’t even realized they were the band that played the song. I spun through their greatest hits on Amazon Music, and was surprised at all of their songs I’d heard but didn’t know was them. I ended up putting this one on auto repeat a few times. They formed in the middle of the grunge era, but are often considered post-grunge, which, their sound truly is: hard rock with an overdose of drum machine. Believe me, it sounds much better than it looks on paper.

Blood of Elves (The Witcher 1) by Andrzej Sapkowski: This is actually the first book in the Witcher series because it’s the first novel, whereas, the actual first book was a collection of short stories. But man, what a novel this one is! It basically encompasses the second series of the famed Netflix episodic series. Despite its translation from Polish, it translates just as well from the TV screen to the skull cinema. Sapkowski has a way for sure. If you like medieval fantasy complete with its swashbuckling antics and political intrigue but A Song of Fire and Ice is a bit much, then you should definitely check this series out. I’ve already read this one before, but it’s that good I’m rereading it. I don’t do that often.

Alien on Blu Ray: My grandson, who is now playing the excellent game, Alien Isolation, was intrigued enough he wanted to watch this with me. I’ve seen it numerous times now, but it seems, like when I rewatch any favorite movie, I discover something new. This viewing was no different. This time, it was the dialogue. This was a tightly written script in which every verse of diction lent such credibility to each actor. It almost makes me think the casting was so perfect I couldn’t imagine anybody else playing the roles these actors performed. And then of course, there’s everything else that makes this such an amazing horror/SF movie: the story, the sets, the Nostromo, and the xenomorph itself.

The Hard Way (Jack Reacher #10) by Lee Child: Edward Lane is a wealthy ex-special forces guy who hires his former mercenary compatriots to find his kidnapped wife. Jack Reacher, sitting at an outside bistro, sipping his coffee just happens to be in the right place at the right time to watch the ransom money pickup. Lane hires him to join his colleagues and track down his missing wife. And so, begins what I believe is Lee Child's best Reacher book I've read thus far. The last half of the book, occurring in rural England was so vividly described it became the novel's main character. And having read it I feel as I've been to England. The only thing that surpasses that aspect of the book is, indeed, the final twist of the book. I was blindsided.

Rainbow Six: Siege on PC: When this game released in 2016 I played it until my eyes bled . . . well, almost. I did play it until my eyes burned like fire, and I still couldn’t quit. I played with a paper towel crammed into the space between my eyeball and my eyeglasses, the other eye glued to the screen. I ended up writing a review on Steam that pushed near two hundred likes. Deeply seated in slow burn psychological strategies and not the 15 year old twitch reflexes of a Call of Duty player, this is a game that even my old man reflexes can keep up with, but the sad truth is, I still suck at it, unfortunately. It’s still a good time, however, especially with my friend Dalton Gallaher that got me back into it. I’m glad he has a bit more talent at taking out the bad guys than I do. It makes for a decent victory now and then.

The Curse of the Werewolf on Blu Ray: My favorite horror movie when I was a kid, and often cited by film historians as the best werewolf movie ever made, this was one of Hammer Film’s greater achievements. And it was Oliver Reed’s debut role, which I noticed this time around was something that I would have paid more attention had I been older when I first watched it. But, his acting in this movie is excellent! No wonder he went on to become such a renowned actor. He plays the titular werewolf, struggling with the suppression of the evil beast that comes out of him, and he is truly heartbroken at the burden he must bear. He portrays it so well that I got emotional at the film’s end. How often does one cry at a horror movie? This movie is part of a Hammer Blu Ray collection I picked up. It’s remastered so well and the transfer is remarkable enough I’d say skip the DVD version and go straight for this one. 

 

 

Platoon on 4K Blu Ray:  I’m losing track of how many times I’ve seen this movie, which happens to be my favorite Vietnam war movie amongst a plethora of really good ones. It shares the same authenticity as Brian De Palma’s venerable Casualties of War. This was my first time to watch it on 4K Blu Ray, and I have to admit some of it was almost a bit oversaturated. But the olive drab greenery that abounded in the film and the grass green foliage sparkled in this version. The characters in the film, and especially Charlie Sheen’s performance and his background narrative (which he recites as passages in letters to his grandmother) make this a keeper.

Gunner, Heat, PC! on PC: Microprose released M1 Tank Platoon in 1989 and it’s often hailed as the best PC tank sim of all time. And then I discovered this one thanks to my friends, Tommy Stevens and Ed Humes. The game is still early access, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, but one thing that puts this one in the winner’s circle is how often it’s updated. Despite its lack of an actual playable campaign, the developers are constantly dropping patches. The game is quite reminiscent of Microprose’s superb game, but with modern graphics. And it’s certainly no drop in the bucket. The AI is smart enough to give you a bloody nose or a kick in the crotch if you get overconfident or don’t play smartly. 

 

 

 

Edward's December 2023 Monthly Mix

 

 

 I bragged about being a “super dodger,” one of the fortunate few who have never been stricken with a coronavirus. Oddly, on a Friday this month while at work I started feeling badly. When fever hit, I bailed from work and went to my local walk-in clinic. I tested positive for Covid 19, What?? I thought I was exempt. In my week long quarantine I experienced a strange phenomenon. My first three days I could not sleep. I wasn’t tired and I wasn’t sleepy. I simply had no need for speed. It was like acquiring some strange superpower. Anyway, I’ve had worse bouts of flu. Another big negative this month. My email address (at the ISP level) got cracked. There’s nothing quite like logging into your email (and sites which require you to use your email address for access) and find yourself suddenly locked out. I spent all day Christmas and the day after changing access credentials and communicating to these sites, convincing them I was who I was saying it was. There haa to be some heinous people in this world to hack someone’s account on Christmas Day. This is going to be a Christmas to remember. Still, I made it another year; there really is a lot to be grateful for.

Nemo’s War by Victory Point games: It had been a while since I’ve played this beloved game. Setting out on the table with its glorious ancient looking maritime map/chart with its myriad tokens and cards, this game makes you look smart to passersby. And when they see you playing it alone, it makes you look like a geek. It IS a solo game after all. In all honesty, I’ve probably said it before, but this is the best board game I’ve ever played in over five decades of gaming. I have yet to win it. Out of thirty gaming sessions I’ve only earned a mediocre score once. Yes, the game is that difficult.   

Dark Mountain  by Richard Laymon:  There amongst the Dean Koontzes and the Stephen Kings and the John Sauls (and my personal favorite, Robert McCammons) there’s another writer named Richard Laymon who was every bit as prolific, and unbeknownst to me. I stumbled across one of his books in my pile of unreads and started it. I was quickly consumed. “If you’ve missed Laymon, you’ve missed a treat.” – Stephen King. There you have it, right from the man, himself. Mr. Laymon is a good writer for sure. I enjoyed every bit of this horror story about a group of campers terrorized by a madman and his equally as deranged mother.  

Hell Let Loose on PC: I’ve written about this one in the recent past. This is as gritty, muddy and bloody as PC warfare gets. I love being a tiny cog in a massive multiplayer effort. I love the difficult guns, the overwhelming audio plinks and snaps of passing and near hit bullets, and the high stakes of even one of those bullets hitting me. Hell Let Loose captures the essence of that in spades. Your kills aren’t even reported until after the match (which can last an easy hour or longer.) The game is still in early access, but it’s updated constantly. The developers love their baby, and it shows. This one is a keeper.  

 Lancer: My friend, Ross Downhour, from work recently got me involved in this online game, reminiscent of a tabletop D&D adventure. Except this one has spaceships, and giant mechs, and pretty anime looking female starship captains. I’ve only experienced one gaming session so far, but it was blast, and the love and attention Ross has put into creating this little world for the players is amazing. Ross thinks I talk like Tom Cruise, and I suppose we do have a similar tone of voice, but he inspired me to create a character named Pete Mitchell, callsign: “Maverick.” I’m anxious to see where Ross’s mad dungeonmaster skills take us.

Company of Heroes 2 on Steam: Seems this game is always sneaking in a month’s mix one way or the other. I can’t help it. The game is maddeningly addictive. My friend, Vic Berwick, and I are stuck on the same mission. Playing as the marauding German Wehrmacht, we have to storm through Russian bases near Stalingrad and control them. Fortunately, we have a monstrous King Tiger tank to aid us. Unfortunately, the game is rigged. It sends horde after horde of defenders after you. I started on the highest difficulty, and then lowered it to medium. I STILL couldn’t beat the mission, and so to my chagrin I dumbed it down to the easiest level where I could finally beat it. Vic is steadfast about completing it on medium difficulty. I wish him the best. I couldn’t do it.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea on DVD: This movie made James Mason my favorite actor because he WAS Captain Nemo. The movie and Mason’s role role has made me fantasize about being one of the crewmen aboard the extraordinary Nemo. And despite the campiness in the movie, Disney achieved victory with this one. It is my second favorite movie of all time. I watch it every few years, and of course this viewing was inspired by my playing of Nemo’s War, but this time I watched it with my youngest grandson. I daresay, I believe I turned him into a fan. The DVD version is by far better than the old VHS, but I’d really like to pick this movie up on Blu Ray. I wish it wasn’t so dastardly expensive. (And I’ve read that it doesn’t have nearly the special features the Special Edition DVD has. Oh joy.

For the King on PC: Looking like a cutesy game comprised of Fisher Price figures stolen from a Fuzzy Pumper Barbershop, this game is much more than meets the eye. It comes off as a simple RPG, but boy was I wrong. As I played it, I felt almost hoodwinked with how easy it was so lose hours to it but ultimately realize the game defeated me. Don’t get me wrong, I like difficult games (yes, I beat Dark Souls) but the deaths in this game felt contrived and unfair. It’s sad, because I really wanted to finish this game.

Resident Evil 2 on PC:  I always felt I was missing out not playing this series. My friends over the years always talked about it being such a great series. I didn’t play on console, however, so in truth, I did miss out. And then I stumbled across a collection of the series on Humble Bundle and picked it up on the cheap. I started with Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil HD, both of which were remastered versions. I didn’t get far. I bailed on them both, unable to finish them because the controls were simply to wonky. So, I peeked at some YouTube videos to catch up on the storyline (which is more convoluted than film clippings of Twin Peaks left on the cutting room floor. And then I began Resident Evil 2 (which is the real origin of the game) and made some progress. This was my first exposure to the art museum converted to the Racoon City Police Department. With its creepy corridors and eerie rooms, this is one of the scariest in-game worlds I’ve seen in all my years of gaming. This is game design done correctly. Halfway through, however, I streamed it for a couple of buddies and seeing me with all my ammo spent and surrounded by the city’s infected denizens, they convinced me to start over. I struggled, wondering if I were even going to be able to finish the game. Once I escaped the Raccoon City Police Department, and made my way past the alligator in the sewers, I realized I was going to be able to finish it after all. I’m about 15 hours into it, and I’m told considering the point I’m at in the game I have about two hours left.

Legend on Blu Ray: This film left an impression on me. It’s not the highly stylized visuals or the age old good versus evil story Ridley Scott embraced after reading fairy tales, including Brothers Grimm stuff and being inspired by old Walt Disney animated films. It was the music score for the film and the odd behind the scenes shenanigans concerning it. Jerry Goldsmith, who all Americans know and love as one of our greatest film composers, was commissioned to do the score. Ridley Scott was pressured to find someone who could make a soundtrack which would appeal to a younger audience. The German ambient group, Tangerine Dream, was employed to re-do the soundtrack. I personally liked the Tangerine Dream version better. “The Unicorns” will always be one of my favorite hauntingly beautiful pieces of music in any film I’ve ever watched. Bryan Ferry sand, “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” over the end credits, accompanied by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) on guitar. The funny thing is, Ferry’s song was originally cut from Roxy Music’s epic Avalon. (Talk about a last minute rescue!) Getting back to the film itself, Ridley Scott originally approached Walt Disney Studios about producing the film. Disney declined, claiming the film was too dark. Johhny Depp, Jim Carrey and Robert Downey Jr., were considered for the roles of Jack. Ultimately Tom Cruise was picked. In Cruise fashion, he does all of his diving and swimming stunts in water that harbored alligators. Bombing at the box office, the movie has long since become considered a cult classic. In 2021 a 2 disc limited edition set was released through Disney Studios, who now owns the rights. Go figure.

 

 

 

Edward's November 2023 Mix

 

 Settling into the new job despite the occasional curve ball, it’s a move I’m glad I made. I especially love the hours. I don’t know why, but it just feels like I have more time off. I guess in a sense I do. (No more 12-14 hour days.) I’ve been engaged in more extra curricular activities. I joined a pretty active board game group. And I’m sojourning to a neighboring town for Friday night Magic gaming sessions. I’m still trying to nail down Rush’s “Closer to the Heart” on my guitar. The solo is quickly becoming my favorite solo to play. 

 

Undaunted by Osprey games: I’ve talked about it before, but this game is a brilliant mix of cards and dice and beautifully art rendered tiles that form battlefield maps. Using squad level tactics, players try to run each other out of cards (or render their deck hands useless by clogging them up with unusable “fog of war” cards. Of course, it’s a two player game, but I have few friends interested in it so I play it alone, which is entirely possible. It’s a great game to brew up some hot chocolate with and play a battle or two.  

 

Euro Truck Sim 2 on PC:  It’s amazing how a game that emulates the mundane tasks of hauling freight from one European city to another can be so hypnotic. But it is. The cities and the highways are varied enough not to mention the changing times of day and night, that the game holds a certain fascination for me quite unlike any other. An update just remodeled some of the cities and added a dynamic moon. Little things, yes, but they just serve to make the game that much more dazzling. You need a wheel/paddle/shifter set to do it justice, but if you make the plunge for that type of hardware, it will be worth it. 

 

Magic: The Gathering: After a many year’s hiatus of this great collectible card game, a buddy at work named Ross, got me interested in the latest iteration. So far, I’ve spent far too much moolah to make a formidable deck, and at this point, I’m not doing so well with it. This new Commander style might just be the death knell for my interest in the game. I tend to be masochistic when it comes to gaming. (I’ll play on the hardest levels of difficulty.) But I think this game is making me a glutton for punishment. Maybe time to call it quits. 

 

Red Dead Redemption on Steam: I’m always late to the party when it comes to PC gaming. I just have always been one to avoid virtually all hype (there have been exceptions, albeit rare ones.) So, when I finally did delve into Rockstar’s venerable western, I found it oddly overwhelming. There was just too much to do, although I spotted many moments of brilliance within the game. I gave it another go this month, and did manage to finish 25% of the story, and that’s after having uncovered only a small portion of the map. I keep hearing it’s a game that eventually gets its clutches into you and turns into a blazing race to get to the finish. I’m waiting. 

 

Aliens Fireteam Elite on Steam: Me and my buddy Vicster have been making some progress in this game. A special thank you goes out to our mutual friend, Loxlo, who pretty much carries us through these overtly over the top difficult missions. I’ve said it here before, it’s basically Left 4 Dead set in an Alien environment. It’s not AAA game, but it’s solid enough to ensure a great time, especially with friends. Hopefully, by the time you read this, Loxlo, will have carried us through to the end.

Terminator Resistance on Steam: Vicster convinced me to pick this one up after I watched him stream it on Discord. It’s was a plunge I’m glad I took. Developed by Teyon Studios, this is a game sent out as a love letter to Terminator fans. You’ll get no ray tracing or DLSS here; this is a game created by a small studio. But they acquired the license and did a hella good job with it. One Steam reviewer said it best: “This is the third Terminator movie the fans should have got.” The game is entirely authentic and makes you feel like you are the last bastion of salvation for humanity.

Moby Everything is Wrong on CD: This is Moby’s third studio album release. I bought it simply because it has the song, “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters.” It was the strangely fitting beautiful ending dirge to the great Deniro/Pacino movie, Heat. But to my surprise I discovered another truly great song on the album called “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die.”  This is one of those albums I missed out on, and now wonder who I could have.

Pandemic by Z-man games: Another great board game not particularly favored by my friends, so I play it alone. But that’s okay. The game is setup for solo play. Definitely one of my favorite gateway games. When you’re ready to move away from Monopoly and Sorry! I’d suggest you pick this one up. Racing to squelch four worldwide viruses in a race against time.  

 

 

 

Edward's October 2023 Mix

 

 

 Halloween this year, wasn’t. Tuesday on a night with snow flurries. No soaped windows. I’m taking candy to work. Trunk or treat being a thing now? Yeah, give it three years: no more trick or treaters. It was the best times I had as a kid. It’s a shame all good things have to end. I got to visit the Energizer Bunny this month. My defibrillator was replaced since the old one’s battery died. I should be good for another seven years. The scar is already gone. I still can’t help but think this is happening to someone else.

Mr. Kitty “After Dark” on YouTube: Mesmerized. There is no other way to describe how I felt after listening to this. Walking in a huge museum with skylight ceilings, each footstep being a click reverberating throughout the building. This is the sound of that. Listening to this inspired me to listen to more, and admittedly it was good, nothing matched this.

Resident Evil on PC:  I’d had this game in my library for years. I figured it was time to play it. No time wasted truth be told. Controls were too clunky. I give it a hard pass. Don’t bother. My friend, Garret Thrasher, told me to start with Resident Evil 2 because it’s set up for modern mechanics. I’ll have to give it a shot.

The Adams Family at Depauw University: I hate colleges. To me they are an indoctrination center for young people destined to become socialists, so much for a place for higher learning. Still, the familia went out to our local university production of “The Adams Family” which was a trickle down from a Broadway production. I was impressed! The sets alone were high dollar flotsam (being that our local university has money thrown at it.) The actors participating were adequate enough that I felt compelled enough to read their backgrounds. Backgrounds included vocal training to Friday night Dungeon & Dragon campaigns. My kind of people.

Energizer Bunny: My defibrillator lasted seven years. Considering it’s doing 85% of my heart function, this is pretty amazing. Well, all good things have to come to an end, so the cliché says. Imagine being sleepy, warm blankets being placed over you, nurses leaning over you, feeding you poppy seeds and feeling as if you died in bliss. This is why I don’t necessarily dislike hospitals.

Counter Strike 2 on Steam: This is a game that’s been out since 1997. It never appealed to me. I was too busy playing Fallout and Rainbow 6. But I guess it’s a thing. My aforementioned friend, Garrett Thrasher begged me to try it, so I did. Boy howdy! I love it, though I suck at it. It’s a simple first person shooter that will make you feel like you have learning disabilities. But stay the course, you’ll get it.

System Shock on PC: I had the original box version of this back in 1993. I tried to play it, but it was too wonky. I abandoned it; I don't think I lasted 20 minutes. And now, Steam released a version distributed by Nightdive Studios, a company who takes old games and remasters them (Kudos to them.) I’m on the second level of the game, and I have to say, it’s a time robber. I wish I had stayed the course when it first came out. I used to drive by Origin (the original game designer of the game) once a week. I actually applied there once for a job. Playing this game now takes me home.

They Live! on Blu Ray: My good friend, Gene Clifford, loaned me the Collector’s Edition Blu Ray of this movie. The presentation had director John Carpenter and the main actor, Rody Piper, commenting. I had never seen the movie before. It was definitely a 1980’s cheese movie, especially moreso after Carpenter admitted he hated President Ronald Reagan and his “Reaganomics” which is surprising that ‘Reaganomics” is what made him a Hollywood Richie Rich. Still, the transfer is beautiful. This is a movie that made Rody Piper an actor. Interesting little trivia: The opening scene in which a train passes through cost Carpenter $12,000.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted on PC: I’m a hardcore PC racer, but I do like me some casual Xbox controller shenanigans from time to time. This game was that. Unfortunately, the remake was a redux of the 2005 edition which harbored the cheesy FMV actors and instilled its own compellation to play the game. This game was anemic at best. There were 10 racers to beat. Period. Beat each of the ten racers, crash their cars, take the cars, and use them to beat the next racer in succession. It took me 30 hours to beat. I almost didn’t beat it, however, because one racer took me 43 attempts to beat. Me being the non-quitter that I am, finally beat the game.

 

Edward's September 2023 Mix

 

 

Whole lotta shakin’ going on this month. I got a promotion. And I moved to dayshift. Yay! My work hours decreased, which is a wonderful thing. I honestly forgot how intoxicating sunshine felt. I have eschewed my vampire coffin for seeing my shadow walking with me and birdsong. It makes me wonder why I didn’t do this long before. I have so much more time for myself now. Man, how I have missed it!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman:  I’m still waist deep in this great little Gaiman tome. I have fallen behind in my reading, but each time I immerse myself in this story, I have to ask myself why I took so long to get back into it. I keep encountering these wonderful written nuggets that make reread passages over and again. It truly is like panning for gold. Neil Gaiman makes me sad in a way because I know as long as I live, I will never be able to put pen to paper and exude magic quite like he does.

Reacher Season One on DVD: I’ve been watching this series with my stepfather. As you know, I’m a fan of the books, so the Jack Reacher in my mind is different than any recent rendition of him in any other media that’s popped up in the past few years. Tom Cruise plays a good character, but he’s not the Reacher I see in my mind’s eye. Alan Ritchson, in the series spawned by Amazon Prime, and the one I watched this month is much too young and “pretty” to be the Jack Reacher I know of. Or so I thought. This guy totally grew on me. I think he may change my own Reacher book paradigm. This series is compelling and is wholly accurate to the first book, yes, that’s right. The first season is based solely on the first book of a series that expands to well over twenty books. Season 2 has already been slated to release in December. I can’t wait! I don’t often binge watch anything, but this has been an enjoyable exception.

Baldur’s Gate on PC: Still chugging away at it. I’m in the middle of Chapter 3 (of 5 chapters?). This old school game renewed is every bit as enticing as anything I’ve played in recent years, despite its yesteryear graphics. I’ve probably said it before but it’s like popping open a great fantasy novel and diving into it, becoming more than printed words on paper, more like an immersive experience – a waking dream. My ranger – beastmaster character is at level 4 now, not too far away from level 5. He is more than the sum of his parts simply due to the party members that accompany him. Each with compelling stories of their own and enough magnetism to make you reload each time one of them dies. The thought of watching them die and not being able to continue the game without them is unthinkable. 

 

                                             

 

Railroad Corporation on PC: I recently tried to get through Railroad Empire which I purchased on Steam some time ago and couldn’t do it. I really wanted to like the game with its cartoony-like graphics. It was a cross between Sid Meier’s Railroad Tycoon 3 and Sid Meier’s Railroads! But I couldn’t finish the scenarios. I even watched YouTube vids and tried to mimic them. They were just too difficult. I ended up uninstalling the game. Railroad Corporation seems to be scratching that railroad simulation itch I get from time to time. It’s more of an economic sim than an actual railroad operation sim. There is no train switching or complex track laying involved. (Definitely a welcome reprieve from Railroad Empire.) In this, you don’t own the railroad. You actually work directly for a robber baron, lining his pockets thereby lining your own. It’s a wonderful time sink that’s been utterly fun without being frustrating. (So far.)

 

 

Nothing But Thieves: Dead Club City on Amazon Music: This band popped up on my Sirius XM, and I’ve not been able to stop listening since. A group of five members including 3 guitar players colored me interested from the get go. They are compared to Queens of the Stone Age, but I liken them more to one of my favorite bands, The Killers. I would suggest you listen to “Overcome,” and I’ll defy you not to fall in love with the sound.

Jagged Alliance 2 on PC: I had to restart this incredibly difficult and set it on Easy this time. I loved the original, and as I’ve probably mentioned it on here before, I played all the way through (and I’m the only person I know of who ever has beat it.) And, with that said, I can’t recommend the first game to anybody. The graphics are just too old and muddy. Not surprising since I played it in 1997. Jagged Alliance 2, isn’t much better from a graphic standpoint, but Jagged Alliance 3 released earlier this year and it’s getting stellar reviews. Since I played the first one, I just have to beat the second one before I can move onto the third. Go me, the eternal purist. 

 

 

The Black Phone on Amazon Prime: This is probably the most interesting horror movie I’ve seen all year. It’s more a psychological slow burn than an in-your-face jump scare horror movie, but the main star of the movie is the setting and the attention to detail used to convey that setting. Taking place in 1978, I found very few (if any) anachronisms. The clothes, the cars, hairstyles, and what I notice most of all, the way the people talked. Scott Derrikson and C. Scott Cargill (writers and director) nailed the time period. And I didn’t realize this was based on a short story by Joe Hill. (I personally think he’s the better writer than his father.) Ethan Hawke’s creepy mask wearing villain resembles Lon Chaney from his vintage London After Midnight character. He pulled the role off so well I kept finding myself disbelieving it was actually Ethan Hawke beneath the mask and makeup.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edward's August 2023 Mix

 

So August is over already? Wow! Where has this year run off to so quickly? It’s gone by so fast I’ve hardly been able to come up for air. I didn’t even get a chance to do anything this month, well, I accomplished a few things, despite the mandatory work Saturdays and the long hours. (I did get a promotion this month, yay!)  I parted ways with my beloved Doctor Seuss mobile, my cherished Vespa. But it’s gone to a good home where it will have the chance to be more adored than I was having time for. I apologize for the brevity of this month’s mix, it’s short, but oh so sweet.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman:  Shadow, a man being released from prison after a 3 year separation from his wife, is just told his wife was killed in an automobile accident the night prior. He’s handed his personal effects and a flight ticket his wife purchased for him days earlier, from a guard who says, “This is like one of those bad news/good news jokes, isn’t it? Your wife died, but you’re getting out of prison.” And then the guard laughs as if it’s genuinely funny. On the flight home Shadow meets a mysterious man who knows everything about him and explains that Shadow is going to work for him now. And so, begins Shadow’s bizarre path to freedom. Opening this book and diving in is like belly flopping into a pristine Beverly Hills swimming pool and finding I’m actually in the murky lagoon featured in The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Like everything I’ve read by Gaiman before, this is fun.

Live Aid (1985) on DVD: Mucho thanks to my guitar mentor, Michael Stevens for providing this miniature time machine compacted onto 4 DVDs. This concert is a who’s who of anybody who was somebody musical in the 1980s. Each artist does one or two songs, so never boring. The blue skies in the background, and all of the hair, and the screaming fans, this takes me back to my own 1985. I had just been discharged from the Navy which must be what getting out of prison is like. Hard to believe this was almost 40 years ago.

Baldur’s Gate on PC: Many moons ago, I dabbled with Dungeons & Dragons in the Navy. And then in 2002 my cousin, Justin Rexroad, loaned me his discs of Bioware’s venerable Baldur’s Gate (1998). I didn’t get into it back then. But now, with the hoopla surrounding Baldur’s Gate 3, I couldn’t resist revisiting the original game. (I’m always the purist!) A company called Beamdog took the game and tweaked it for modern systems (remastered graphics, widescreen support). And boy howdy, does it shine! I’m already in Chapter 3, yet I’m still level 2. This game doesn’t hold your hand, you have to work for each level, but my Beast Master Ranger, Edward Doogooder, is staying the course. Neverwinter Nights (2002) is the only deep RPG I’ve ever beaten. I think this one is going to be next.