I finished "Graveyard Clay (Cre Na Cille)" by Mairtin O Cadhain, which was simply extraordinary. I've never read anything quite like it. A real hidden gem. I also read "Waiting For Godot" by Samuel Beckett, which is wonderful, and thought provoking. Am now starting "The Lives Of The Necromancers" by William Godwin.

Turrican (Evercade) - Made it up to the big fish. Nowhere near as good as the C64 version of that fight!!! 😆

I have the Evercade Nexus and the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack on pre-order, so that should hopefully feature next week!

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

@Teksette Ah! But Rygar is also pretty tough, as I remember it. I remember getting nowhere with that one in the arcades!

Has a peculiar kind of ambience, Section Z... something about it feels very different to other shooters, in relation to the atmosphere. Great game!

Side Arms is a classic! I have also just had "Quartet" drift into my mind. I'm not sure if that received any decent conversions...

@asdfghjklz I'm not sure if this will count for you, but there is an updated version coming to the Evercade at the end of this month...

These articles are really great. I am looking forward to all of the swearing and cursing next week... 😆

@Teksette Wow... you beat Rastan? I never could get past level 2 on that. 😆 That was on the C64. Anything involving ropes was an absolute nightmare in that version!

Also... I loved Section Z in the arcades... I shoved many a 10p into that one! 😊

I finished "The Monk" by Matthew Lewis. Absolutely incredible. Beautifully written, tense, and really quite unsettling. Fans of Gothic Horror should check it out. I am now reading Graveyard Clay (Cre Na Cille) by Mairtin O Cadhain, which is simply extraordinary so far.

No games at all this week, and still no inclination to play, either.

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

@PushMyGran86 Yeah, it was on the Amiga. I seem to remember that they were different games, though? There was an action game, and an adventure game, I think. The game that scared me the most was Gribbly's Day Out on the C64. The main enemy, Seon, terrified me... 😆

@PushMyGran86 The first thing that came to my mind was actually Clive Barker's Nightbreed on the C64! 😆

@Warioware @PushMyGran86 I remember "Clive Barker's Jericho". I had it on the 360... don't think that I got very far, though.

@Mana_Knight Apparently, from what I understand, it is multi-player only. ☹️

@kid_keo Am so glad to hear that your family is getting better. Soup and love heal many maladies! 😊

I have dropped the Malleus for now, due to translation issues, the nature of which I cannot abide. Need a better translation. Will hold "The Divine Comedy" back until I am on annual leave, as it demands focus. I read "A Tomb With A View" by Peter Ross, a fascinating tour of UK graveyards, and am now reading "The Monk" by Matthew Lewis.

Turrican (Evercade) - Can reach the second world now. Am looking forward to the fight with the big fish! Loved that on the C64. 😊 But am still only playing during commutes.

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

@Znake These are just "snippets" from the actual full reviews. If you click on the links, where the scores are, you'll be taken to the full review.

@Markiemania95 God can't can't explain. 😆

@Teksette Thank you for this, Teksette! Yes, you're right that interests ebb and flow. I probably should have eased back on the gaming a little earlier, as I could kind of feel it coming. Maybe something will catch my eye soon. The chance to legally play the original Manic Miner may entice me soon! But I won't rush it if I don't feel like it just yet. Let's see. 😊

@kid_keo Aw, thank you! That is very kind of you! I will try this for a while.. see how long the gaming burnout lasts for. 😊

p,s. Barley soup is the best! 😊 Am wishing your loved ones well.

Thanks again to those of you who replied to me last week. I will carry on for a while, and see how it goes. 😊

I am currently reading The Malleus Maleficarum (hard going!), and will probably alternate it with The Divine Comedy (I have read Inferno before, but not Purgatorio or Paradiso, and I have long wished to rectify that).

Clover Pit - I only played it once, but made it to the credits. The ending suggests that there is significantly more to do...

Turrican (Evercade) - I wish they had included the incredible C64 versions, but oh well! 😆

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

I'm not sure if I can forgive the NA cover for stating "The vast journey lies ahead", so I went for Japan! 😆

@Tyranexx Cheers! I'm having a quick dabble with Clover Pit now and then, so I could include that too. But nothing else is tempting me at all (even though I have FF7 Rebirth, Oblivion, and Elden Ring all lined up!) Hopefully the burnout will pass.

Dracula is a good read! 😊

@JohnnyMind @Mana_Knight @kid_keo Thanks for the kind words, guys. It's just that I don't wish to be inconsiderate or annoying. We all know how annoying it can be when a person is constantly (and wilfully!) off topic. You are right, Johnny, that I would be mentioning a game, at least, albeit an Evercade title. 😊 And I will be a bit closer to being back on topic when the Banjo Kazooie revisions release on Evercade soon! 😆 I will have a think.

I finished "The Expedition Of Cyrus" by Xenophon (fascinating), and "Rudin" by Turgenev (simply amazing), and am about to start either "Resurrection" by Tolstoy, or "Faust" by Goethe. Am playing Turrican on the Evercade during commutes.

I have been feeling really burnt out on gaming. I was initially thinking that it would pass quickly, but I now think that it could take longer. I will stop posting here until I am back into gaming, as I have no wish to bore people with posts which are mainly about reading. Who wants to read updates about that? 😆

So... until we next meet, and as always... please take great care of yourselves out there, everyone. ❤️

@Microslop Obvious sarcasm, I would say. "It's not 3,200! It's maybe more like 3,190! It's fine!" is how the previous report can read.

@Serpenterror Oh, yeah, good point. They would be more work, wouldn't they? Well, in that case, I would also be happy with the standard Gold and Silver! 😆

@UNROLLME Yeah, it is strange! There's no way to explain it at all! If only there was some reason, like Johnny being asleep or something!

I would love to see HeartGold and SoulSilver next. That would seem to be the logical next step, and they're much loved.

The Japan cover is completely unhinged... bizarre, meaningless, and ugly. I love it!!! 😆 How on Earth did it get approved by anyone? It's right up there with the banjo-guy... bravo!!!

@Jhena Yep, that is definitely on my list! I was thinking of starting with Resurrection first, for some reason.

@AussieMcBucket Wow, thank you for this, that was really insightful.

I guess that humans have always felt inspired by stories of people facing adversity, and overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. Funnily enough, I'm currently reading "The Expedition Of Cyrus" by Xenophon, which maybe would also match the criteria? 1,000 Greek soldiers find themselves stranded deep in enemy territory after a failed campaign, and need to retreat over incredibly hostile territory to reach the sea.

Paradise Lost I found a bit challenging and, to be honest, maybe I didn't really understand what Milton was going for... I think that the subtext of that one went over my head a little? I'm an agnostic, so maybe that caused me some extra confusion. Of course, please just let me make it clear that I wouldn't perceive Satan as a hero!!! But the way that the poem is framed... probably confused me more than it should have!!! 😆

I have read The Canterbury Tales, it's great fun. You're spot on in saying that it feels contemporary. Maybe some of that is because it revolves around "normal people" rather than Gods and gifted heroes, which maybe makes it easier to relate to.

I'm not very well read overall... I've just read a lot of epic poetry. You would find me sorely lacking in other areas! 😆

@AussieMcBucket Hey there! I read the Andrew George translation of Gilgamesh, published by Penguin Classics. The edition included five Gilgamesh poems, from the Sumerian, which were also excellent. Even the introduction was great, and George included details on the actual translation process, which was fascinating.

The Hero's Journey... I guess you could include Paradise Lost in that? Kind of! It's interesting, as Satan is both the protagonist and the antagonist! The poem is a fascinating take on the rebel angels.

The Divine Comedy is also amazing, with Dante being a kind of hero, albeit one who faints a lot. 😆

I have read Beowulf... very strange and beguiling. I was always intrigued by Grendel, so thank you for the recommendation! They have it on Amazon... I will include it in my next book order.

As you can see, I do like my epic poems! I'm eyeing up Pan Tadeusz next. I've read Homer, so please let me know if you've read any other "epic poems"... the older, the better!

@Joe11 Hey Joe! Where you going with that book in your hand? 😆

Yes, I must read more Turgenev. Maybe Rudin or Smoke next.

To add to your great list of Russian literature video game adaptations... Oblomov. A point and click adventure where Oblomov refuses to do anything you ask. 😆

Still focused on reading. I read Fathers And Sons by Turgenev (I love the 19th century Russians!), and also The Epic Of Gilgamesh (absolutely adored it!).

Clover Pit - Yep... this really comes to life once more charms are unlocked. The opening hours really hide away the intrigues of the game a bit too much, I think. I would still prefer more agency, and I doubt that I will play it for as long as Balatro, but I am still really enjoying it for now.

H.E.R.O. (Evercade) - Hmmm. I wanted to complete the game without using save states, but the final levels are so hard. But I still want to complete it as if it were still the 80's!!! 😆 So I will continue re-starting from the first level.

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

That's quite a delay at this point. Maybe they'll try to improve the actual game, as well as optimising it for Switch. But I fear that this feels like a potential cancellation could be on the cards. ☹️

Cor blimey... full marks! I did love the Gamecube. Had to guess on the LOTR one, though, to be honest... 😆

I dread to think what the file size will be for this... probably at least 80GB, going by other versions? If it runs at a higher resolution, it could be over 100. Storage space is such a worry with the Switch 2, considering the still high price of the SD Express cards. Well... let's wait and see how big this one is.

EDIT: Oh! Thanks, @Lucami for the info! 78... still quite a whack!

Am still focused on reading, but...

Hang on. I wasn't going to talk about books too much here, but let me just say that "The Sorrows Of Young Werther" by Goethe holds some amazing insights into depression and mental illness. As an endogenous depressive myself, I was really struck by how accurate and true it was.

Right. Games! 😊

Clover Pit - Am enjoying this. Very much RNG driven, but there are still decisions to be made and strategies to be developed between rounds. A lot depends on getting good charms and phone call boons, as your hands are virtually tied during the actual rounds, but I am finding it engaging.

Dice A Million - Thought I would add another "quick play" game. Fun, but with some bizarre bugs at launch (like the screen suddenly becoming too dark to see anything!), but there has been a recent patch, so let us see if that helps.

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves.

I'm not sure about this remake now. I felt that the characters had a plastic, wet look to them, and I was more excited before the trailer, to be honest. It's going to sound stupid to say, but it doesn't look as vibrant or "fairytale-like" as the original. The environments appear somewhat dour, somehow. Something has rubbed me up the wrong way, as I sure seem to be in the minority! Maybe I am just out of sorts today... I will watch it again tomorrow.

@Mana_Knight That was a lovely read!

The main problem that I had with Frankenstein is that the book is loaded with descriptions, but few actual events... not much happens! And the actual creation of the monster being covered in only one or two pages threw me quite a bit!

The book you read sounds interesting, although I don't tend to read many modern "real-life" books. Maybe I should!

I finished The Possessed (absolutely fantastic! I love Witold Gombrowicz). Will start "The Sorrows Of Young Werther" by Goethe next. 😊

@Mana_Knight Hi there! The last book I read was Frankenstein by Shelley (was a bit disappointed!), and am now reading The Possessed by Gombrowicz (fantastic so far!). How about you?

I have mainly been focusing on books, but I've still had a quick play here and there.

Clover Pit - I wanted something good for a "quick round", like Balatro, so I took a chance on this. I quite like it so far. Not as much agency during the actual action as Balatro (you're just pulling the handle), but more to think about in between rounds, and there are usually several things to keep an eye on, and strategise over. I like it so far. Like Balatro, it will probably improve once more charms (Joker equivalents) are unlocked.

H.E.R.O. (Evercade) - Well... I can get up to level 17 without dying (sometimes!), and then... the final levels are really hard. We will see! This one is knocking on the door of my all time top ten.

I found Oblivion in an Argos (was sold out in several places for a while)... but will continue reading for now. 😊

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

@Stephenr2190 Resident Elvis is the next game in the series. Leon ain't nothing but a hound dog in that one.

You know... I'm still holding out hope of seeing the Killer7 remaster. I guess it's too late now, but I would love to see that.

Capcom... don't make me say it again. (IYKYK).

I love the inventiveness of the Japan cover! That's so cool! The other cover is iconic, but it's hard to ignore the Japan design, so my vote goes to that.

@JohnnyMind Just wanted to say... I think it's really cool how you referred to those characters as Latin rather than English. Now there goes a man with a deeper knowledge of language... 😊

Orange is my favourite colour... but I have such a strong association between Wario and yellow that I had to go for that one!

@Jhena Wow, sounds like they did a bit of a number on the game with that add-on! I'm glad you have your saves back, though, in case you do ever need them!

@Jhena Gosh, that would be harsh, if an add-on deleted your saves! I had a quick look via Google, and they should still exist in another folder, and maybe you just need to move them somewhere else?

Am taking a bit of a break from gaming to read some books. Am feeling a little burnt-out on gaming. But I am still playing my Evercade when commuting, so...

H.E.R.O. - Level 17! Blimey. Getting somewhere again, now, after being stuck on level 14 for an age... 😆

Have a lovely weekend, guys, and please take great care of yourselves out there.

Wow... not a single mention of bugs or crashes? From what I understand, other versions are rife with problems. Did Bethesda really solve the issues for this version, whilst abandoning the others? I am so tempted just to jump for this, but am still worried. Hmmmm. What to do...

@Inc 🎶 🎵 "You had something to hide... should have hidden it, shouldn't you?" 🎵🎶

@Maxz I have a caliginous veil! Can't see a darn thing when I put it on...