save your tapes

 It's the time of year again where our streaming services tip over our trash cans and let us dig through the aural filth that we have spent the last 12 months neck-deep in.

My own 'wrapped' was esssentially a power-point presentation on how much I streamed Save Your Tears by the Weeknd, and that maybe I should think about listening to something else, (er, NO.)

No doubt that things like this are a compelling snapshot of our digital lives, much like the time-shift or time-hopping apps we have that remind us of our previous (less polished, dumber, fresh-faced) selves that are really just there to prevent our cringe muscles from suffering atrophy; heaven forbid you forget that time something happened and you had an opinion about it that isn't as evergreen as you would have hoped. Delete.

What these digital streaming services can't capture is the growing number of listeners turning back to analogue forms. In recent times, tape collections have grown exponentially thanks to the fact that more and more artists are choosing to release their new music on cassettes; 

Sam Fender, Courtney Barnett, Wolf Alice, The Weeknd, The Strokes, The Cribs,  Oasis, The War On Drugs, to name a few.

futurehog retro blog - my dreamcast is alive!

I salvaged my Sega Dreamcast from under a bed where it has been laying dormant for probably the best part of a decade. Everything was there - the unit, the controllers, the fabled VMU, and a few decent ganes. I thought why not give this console one last outing. To my delight the little white box whirred back to life, as if it was never abandoned for a GameCube.

A few days later, dropping through my letterbox was a vibration pack, a shiny un-openedd VMU (these are cheap and plentiful on ebay), and both iterations of the boxing beat 'em up Ready 2 Rumble series, released on to the Dreamcast in 1999 and 2000.

The only time I ever played this game was in an HMV megastore in Cambridge in 1999. I was 15, and like everyone at the time, easily impressed when it came to 128-bit consoles. I was expecting the game to be horribly dated. But.. holy shit. This game is one metric fuck-tonne of fun. Visually, the second instalment is vastly superior and there is little urge to return to the first game after Round 2. it's not the greatest fighter out there but it also doesn't take itself too seriously. The pro-wrestling style trash talking allows both opponents to engage in minimal contact before ejecting their opponent out of the ring and in to row Z.

Setting the console's clock to 4th July results in an Independance day Easter egg, with the ring draped in stars and stripes. Hilary and Bill Clinton are playable characters in the game, as is Michael Jackson. Yes, you get to beat the shit out of Michael Jackson. How many video games can boast playable characters of a former and future US president. Not bad.

The series has an in depth training system where you can focus on specific areas. strategy is required here as over-training on certain areas will reduce your stats rather than improve them. The fighters have distinct styles, and I was drawn to Afro Thunder. A retired cab driver (at 24). Heaven help you should you come against his younger brother, who will kill you.

Taunt your way up to a combo strike that sends your opponent flying over the top rope and across the arena. Alernatively your combos can be earned by landing punches, and these stats are beamed to your VMU during the rounds.

time line

[hour 1] training. fighting. training.
[hour 2] time to attack the arcade. MJ is going DOWN.
[hour 3] more training. wow, Independence Day Easter egg
better call a doctor!!
more training required.
rumble man!??
[hour 4] still can't beat rumble man
[hour 5] fuck you, Rumble man.

futurehog retro blog - Diddy Kong Racing!

Unlike Mario Kart, bananas are good. They are speed bananas.

An interesting concept when buying pre-owned cartridge games (other than that they actually work) is that you inherit the saved states from the previous owner. I have no idea who these people are or when the save games were written in to the memory. Maybe it was a week, a month, a year, or a couple of decades. Inheriting the successes and failures of a complete stranger that you shared a common interest in, all be it in different centuries. Acquiring second-hand cartridges feels far less of a risk than gambling on old disc-based games that have been scratched to hell. So far I've never had a cartridge in my possession that has failed. For all the flack Nintendo endured over their decision to stick with carts, you have to hand it to them - they were built to last.

My trusty N64 still works flawlessly after all this time. Many years of active use followed by many years spent in a cupboard, aided by the absence of moving parts, it's a reliable relic these days. Post-SNES, Nintendo have always opted for weird. The GameCube, Wii, Wii U; all just a little bit strange when held up to the light against their Sony and Microsoft rivals. The NX I am sure will be no different. Confuse your Playstations and your X-boxes but you always know when you're playing a Nintendo. You can find several Rare games on X-Box Live, however DKR is unfortunately not one of them.

I went the wrong way.

Two items arrived in the post. Diddy Kong Racing and WWF: No Mercy. Having played neither of these during the glory days of the N64, the sudden urge to play these games stems from no particular place at all other than a little too much spare time in the evenings now my young daughter has indulged in the fine art of sleeping.

The first thing you realise when trying to play retro games on a modern television is that they don't quite look as good as they should. But nostalgia is not to blame here. Even up to 2005, video games were designed with CRT televisions in mind, and this can result in less-than-perfect results and can ruin the retro experience for some. With the aid of a scart connection and a bit of fiddling with the display settings, I am getting over it.

Visual issues aside, Diddy Kong Racing plays like a dream. Drifting like a motherfucker, this game feels very much like Mario Kart with slightly furrier protagonists. It does not venture far from the DNA of Mario Kart, and it never tries to pretend. DK racing focuses on a single player campaign, unlocking tracks as you find more and more swag to get you through the doors in to new worlds. The game even boasts the debut of much-loved Banjo, minus Kazooie. This was the first time we saw him in Nintendo land, pre-dating his own outing in his full debut Banjo-Kazooie.

The planned sequel, Donkey Kong Racing, was in development for the GameCube but never materialised, although the trailer can be found on YouTube. It looks fantastic, and had it not been for Microsoft purchasing Rare this gem of a game would have had the sequel it deserved.

high hopes

This week I have been using a Pentax SLR camera that my dad purchased in the United States in 1980, five years before I was born. This camera captured the moments of his life and early years of my parents marriage, and also young pictures of myself and my brothers. I am interested to see how my photos will come out when they are developed and if I have at all managed to make proper use of the all-manual set-up.

With my wife now pregnant, here I am capturing the early years of my own marriage with the very same equipment. I only hope our kid is as cute as I was...

Whatever happens, it'll find it's way on to a roll of film...and maybe an iPhone just in case...

death sandwich..if you eat it wrong, you DIE

This morning on radio 1, Grimmy played Killing In the Name Of by Rage Against The Machine. It sounded like the latest single by some young, talented, and angry band. But the song is 22 years old, and there's probably even more to be angry about in today's world than there was back then. I hope a 13 year old kid heard that song, and that it blew their mind. One child saved right there.

the war on drugs

'Lost In The Dream' is the sort of album that appeals to someone coming out of a long winter. Like a lot of people, long nights and short days affect my mood a lot. It's called the shit-weather blues. I'm sure doctors have a more fancy name for it. I should really be immune to this from living in England for 28 years - it must be the Californian blood in me, yearning for warm breezes and sun bleached hair. Back to the music - this album is what you would play to a grumpy bear slowly waking from months of hybernation.


I am that grumpy bear. This is my honey. Will you be my forever friend?

2013

Favourite album of 2013?

(Jason) Newsted - Heavy Metal Music

No irony in the title. The sound is much closer to the Megadeth side of life than Metallica; like the former, it is clear this band is a one-man show. It's clear to me also that if this is how Jason Newsted will be making music from now on, there's going to be a good stream of very decent metal coming from his direction.

Metallica have never been the same band without him. Often marginalised by the rest of the band, still he had the luxury of quitting rather than being fired. He took with him a lot that has never been replaced. That's not to criticise Rob Trujillo at all, who has now been a part of Metallica for over a decade.
Jason makes playing bass with a pick look damn good. Many people (mostly bass players) may sneer at attacking the strings with a bit of plastic, but just watch any of his bass solos mid-way through any 'tallica show and he owns it every time.