Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A slightly late update this week, because (a) I spent so much of yesterday playing Skyrim, (b) it's time for the monthly running time update, but I hadn't collected the running times for most of this month's ~28 additions, and (b) no one but me cares.
Number of titles in collection: 3,629 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 981 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,648 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 478 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 8,722 [up 12]
Number of films: 4,633 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 473 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,188 [up 13]
Number of short films: 1,271 [no change]
Also, it's time for the latest monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
610 days, 15 hours, and 50 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Sunday, 9 November 2025
Saturday, 8 November 2025
Fiction / Non-Fiction / Games
Daggerheart: Core Rulebook
Skipping ahead to a different section today: in my game, we're levelling up for the first time, so I decided I ought to read all about that.
Skipping ahead to a different section today: in my game, we're levelling up for the first time, so I decided I ought to read all about that.
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Decided to play a little bit before bed last night (after midnight, hence logging it today) — ended up staying up 'til the small hours. Then, this afternoon, I popped in just to make a small change... then decided to play a bit... and, suddenly, most of the afternoon was gone and I had to force myself to stop.
Anyway, that added up to over 6 hours of play. And I still feel like I'm only just getting started. I guess the main story takes 26 hours if you actually follow the main story, which I'm not really — but I think that's most of the the game is so beloved: there's so much else to do. Indeed, a lot of advice specfically advises dodging the main story for various reasons, so that's kinda what I'm doing.
Decided to play a little bit before bed last night (after midnight, hence logging it today) — ended up staying up 'til the small hours. Then, this afternoon, I popped in just to make a small change... then decided to play a bit... and, suddenly, most of the afternoon was gone and I had to force myself to stop.
Anyway, that added up to over 6 hours of play. And I still feel like I'm only just getting started. I guess the main story takes 26 hours if you actually follow the main story, which I'm not really — but I think that's most of the the game is so beloved: there's so much else to do. Indeed, a lot of advice specfically advises dodging the main story for various reasons, so that's kinda what I'm doing.
Friday, 7 November 2025
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures
1.2 The Return of the Doctor
That title... was this meant to be the first release and for some reason had to be bumped? And if not, why would you give that title to your second story? Sure, it doesn't matter, but it feels silly to me. Especially as I thought this was an all-round stronger story than the actual first release and therefore might've made a better choice to kick off the range.
1.2 The Return of the Doctor
That title... was this meant to be the first release and for some reason had to be bumped? And if not, why would you give that title to your second story? Sure, it doesn't matter, but it feels silly to me. Especially as I thought this was an all-round stronger story than the actual first release and therefore might've made a better choice to kick off the range.
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Despite everything I said the other day, and only really playing Leaving Lyndow as a precursor to starting Evershade, and also starting Foolish Mortals since then, I once again felt Skyrim calling to me (I have a feeling it might be something to do with reading more of Lankhmar — I'd be gleefully installing a Fafhrd and Grey Mouser game if there was one!) As I already had it installed from when I nearly started it before, I thought, well, why not boot it up? (I mean, other than all the other games I've already started and should be playing).
But also, I thought that maybe I'll just end up noodling around for a little bit, get this urge out of my system, and then come back to it properly another time (because I do want to play it sometime). However, after playing for an hour-and-a-half without even pushing myself (and not being forced to: unlike so many other games I've played recently, this one lets you save whenever you want — hurrah!), it feels like I've barely started, and there's so much already waiting for me (as in, specific things to do, not just the general promise of the whole game) that I kinda want to go back and play more already. Maybe I'm about to follow in the footsteps of people who've sunk 500… 600… 700… 1000+ hours into this game over the last decade-and-a-half.
Despite everything I said the other day, and only really playing Leaving Lyndow as a precursor to starting Evershade, and also starting Foolish Mortals since then, I once again felt Skyrim calling to me (I have a feeling it might be something to do with reading more of Lankhmar — I'd be gleefully installing a Fafhrd and Grey Mouser game if there was one!) As I already had it installed from when I nearly started it before, I thought, well, why not boot it up? (I mean, other than all the other games I've already started and should be playing).
But also, I thought that maybe I'll just end up noodling around for a little bit, get this urge out of my system, and then come back to it properly another time (because I do want to play it sometime). However, after playing for an hour-and-a-half without even pushing myself (and not being forced to: unlike so many other games I've played recently, this one lets you save whenever you want — hurrah!), it feels like I've barely started, and there's so much already waiting for me (as in, specific things to do, not just the general promise of the whole game) that I kinda want to go back and play more already. Maybe I'm about to follow in the footsteps of people who've sunk 500… 600… 700… 1000+ hours into this game over the last decade-and-a-half.
Thursday, 6 November 2025
Video Games
Rogue Trooper Redux
Now I've started it, I may as well continue it... though that also goes for all those other games I'm partway through. But this one's only supposed to be 6 or 7 hours long, so it seems like I may as well polish it off... though it has 13 missions and I've clocked up almost 3 hours on the first three, so maybe it's going to taking me a little longer.
Now I've started it, I may as well continue it... though that also goes for all those other games I'm partway through. But this one's only supposed to be 6 or 7 hours long, so it seems like I may as well polish it off... though it has 13 missions and I've clocked up almost 3 hours on the first three, so maybe it's going to taking me a little longer.
Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Fiction / Non-Fiction / Games
Daggerheart: Core Rulebook
It's kind of interesting to be reading through this when I've already been actively playing the game for a few weeks, because I sort of know it all (or, at least, the important bits), but am also sort of still learning stuff. At least I'm definitely gaining knowledge about parts of the game I don't personally use right now (e.g. other classes, ancestries, and communities).
It's kind of interesting to be reading through this when I've already been actively playing the game for a few weeks, because I sort of know it all (or, at least, the important bits), but am also sort of still learning stuff. At least I'm definitely gaining knowledge about parts of the game I don't personally use right now (e.g. other classes, ancestries, and communities).
Video Games
Foolish Mortals
The point-and-click game I mentioned yesterday. I really did intend to finish Gray Matter first, but then I got so hyped up for this in the past 24 hours (and I had already been massively looking forward to it, as I said) that I couldn't help but dive straight in. And if you want to do the same (which you should), you can buy it on Steam or GOG.
Rogue Trooper Redux
Even after everything I wrote yesterday about games I should be playing, I still went and started this and sunk 90 minutes into it. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago because I've been enjoying the strips in 2000 AD, and the same thing today prompted me to actually fire it up. Reviews of it were mixed, but they seemed to focus on a lack of difficulty and, well, that's fine by me. I'm not expecting great things, and enjoying it enough so far. The only real issue is it's not been optimised for controllers, so every onscreen prompt is like "press ? for action". Which button do they mean? Press 'em all 'til you find out!
The point-and-click game I mentioned yesterday. I really did intend to finish Gray Matter first, but then I got so hyped up for this in the past 24 hours (and I had already been massively looking forward to it, as I said) that I couldn't help but dive straight in. And if you want to do the same (which you should), you can buy it on Steam or GOG.
Rogue Trooper Redux
Even after everything I wrote yesterday about games I should be playing, I still went and started this and sunk 90 minutes into it. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago because I've been enjoying the strips in 2000 AD, and the same thing today prompted me to actually fire it up. Reviews of it were mixed, but they seemed to focus on a lack of difficulty and, well, that's fine by me. I'm not expecting great things, and enjoying it enough so far. The only real issue is it's not been optimised for controllers, so every onscreen prompt is like "press ? for action". Which button do they mean? Press 'em all 'til you find out!
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Video Games
Leaving Lyndow
I'm already actively trying to play through Metroid: Zero Mission, with doses of Pullblox on the side; I started Indiana Jones and the Great Circle anyway because now it's on the free-with-Prime tier of Amazon's Luna and I'd been so excited to play it*; also thanks to Luna's recent refresh, there's now a bunch of other games available to me that I've really wanted to play and/or have heard are great, like Dave the Diver, Hogwarts Legacy, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Dishonored 2; I should definitely go back to Forza Horizon 4, Pilotwings Resort, Doom, and Balatro; I recently bought Dispatch at full price** on release day because I'd been looking forward to it and initial reactions suggest it's as good as hoped, so I definitely want to find time for that; a point-and-click adventure I've been very excited for ever since I backed it on Kickstarter three years ago*** is finally out tomorrow, and I wanted to finish Gray Matter before then so I could dive straight in (obviously not going to happen now); and I actually drafted this post to highlight the ridiculousness of the fact I decided to have a crack at Skyrim for the first time ever — a game with an average minimum completion time of almost 30 hours, but for which the median playtime is over 100...
But, instead, I bought Leaving Lyndow for 67p this evening and immediately played that. Huh?
Okay, a bit more context. I was recently looking into open world games, because for whatever reason I've had a hankering to play one (hence Skyrim), and learnt about a game called Eastshade that sounded like it might be perfect: you play an artist, there's no combat, you just explore and complete side quests and stuff like that; and it's supposed to be beautiful. Sounds right up my street! So I wishlisted it; then, yesterday, it went on sale on Steam, so I instantly bought it. I was also aware it had a prequel, Leaving Lyndow. Various games seem to have "prequels" or "prologues" nowadays, and from what I can tell they're just a glorified demo — the opening chunk of the game, available for free. I'm sure there's some algorithm-related reason why it's better to list them that way. Anyway, I ignored Lyndow on the assumption it was the same, but then something today (I've already forgotten what) led me to discover it was actually a separate-but-connected game. Well, that settled it: I had to play that first, really. Well, maybe I didn't have to, but when it's only 67p in the same sale and reportedly takes about 45 minutes, it seemed rude not to.
It actually took me an hour, because I'm me and so explored quite thoroughly. It's definitely a gentle and relaxing game, as advertised, but also with a bit of an emotional storyline about a young person leaving home for the first time. It's not long enough to really get into that and thus it doesn't hit home as much as a fully-developed narrative could, but it's serviceable.
It also looks fairly beautiful. It's made for wandering around and appreciating what you see, so it needs to look pleasant, really. There were a few bugs (a character fully clipped through a tree at one point), and it's got that thing where it looks amazing in screenshots / when you're stood still, but when you start moving around all the ways those things are achieved immediately become obvious — but then, in my (limited) experience, this is still a thing with most games. And, in fairness, it's also almost nine years old and was made by indie developers; so while it does lack graphical polish in minor areas that I suspect would lead graphics-obsessed AAA-game players to think it looked rubbish, to me — who's been out of this kind of gaming for a very long time and hasn't exactly dived in to the current high-end of graphical amazingness (yet) — it still looked pretty special. Eastshade proper was released two years later, so I hold out hope it had even greater polish, but even if it's at the same level, it has the potential to live up to its reputation for beauty.
* I nearly subscribed to Xbox Game Pass just to play this, so getting to have a go at it on a service I'm already subscribed to is awesome. (I say "have a go" because, knowing Luna, it'll get locked away behind Premium long before I get a chance to finish it (see: Dungeons of Hinterberg and Control).
** Well, I did get the 10% first-week discount; but that was the "full price" at the time, so…
*** It does not feel like it's been three whole years. Wow. That's ages to have been waiting. I mean, it's not uncommon for Kickstarters to end up taking a stupidly long time to fulfil — when I back them, I always take a "it will be here when it's here" attitude, because expecting them on time and sitting waiting for that is a recipe for madness — but I never would've guessed it had been so long.
I'm already actively trying to play through Metroid: Zero Mission, with doses of Pullblox on the side; I started Indiana Jones and the Great Circle anyway because now it's on the free-with-Prime tier of Amazon's Luna and I'd been so excited to play it*; also thanks to Luna's recent refresh, there's now a bunch of other games available to me that I've really wanted to play and/or have heard are great, like Dave the Diver, Hogwarts Legacy, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and Dishonored 2; I should definitely go back to Forza Horizon 4, Pilotwings Resort, Doom, and Balatro; I recently bought Dispatch at full price** on release day because I'd been looking forward to it and initial reactions suggest it's as good as hoped, so I definitely want to find time for that; a point-and-click adventure I've been very excited for ever since I backed it on Kickstarter three years ago*** is finally out tomorrow, and I wanted to finish Gray Matter before then so I could dive straight in (obviously not going to happen now); and I actually drafted this post to highlight the ridiculousness of the fact I decided to have a crack at Skyrim for the first time ever — a game with an average minimum completion time of almost 30 hours, but for which the median playtime is over 100...
But, instead, I bought Leaving Lyndow for 67p this evening and immediately played that. Huh?
Okay, a bit more context. I was recently looking into open world games, because for whatever reason I've had a hankering to play one (hence Skyrim), and learnt about a game called Eastshade that sounded like it might be perfect: you play an artist, there's no combat, you just explore and complete side quests and stuff like that; and it's supposed to be beautiful. Sounds right up my street! So I wishlisted it; then, yesterday, it went on sale on Steam, so I instantly bought it. I was also aware it had a prequel, Leaving Lyndow. Various games seem to have "prequels" or "prologues" nowadays, and from what I can tell they're just a glorified demo — the opening chunk of the game, available for free. I'm sure there's some algorithm-related reason why it's better to list them that way. Anyway, I ignored Lyndow on the assumption it was the same, but then something today (I've already forgotten what) led me to discover it was actually a separate-but-connected game. Well, that settled it: I had to play that first, really. Well, maybe I didn't have to, but when it's only 67p in the same sale and reportedly takes about 45 minutes, it seemed rude not to.
It actually took me an hour, because I'm me and so explored quite thoroughly. It's definitely a gentle and relaxing game, as advertised, but also with a bit of an emotional storyline about a young person leaving home for the first time. It's not long enough to really get into that and thus it doesn't hit home as much as a fully-developed narrative could, but it's serviceable.
It also looks fairly beautiful. It's made for wandering around and appreciating what you see, so it needs to look pleasant, really. There were a few bugs (a character fully clipped through a tree at one point), and it's got that thing where it looks amazing in screenshots / when you're stood still, but when you start moving around all the ways those things are achieved immediately become obvious — but then, in my (limited) experience, this is still a thing with most games. And, in fairness, it's also almost nine years old and was made by indie developers; so while it does lack graphical polish in minor areas that I suspect would lead graphics-obsessed AAA-game players to think it looked rubbish, to me — who's been out of this kind of gaming for a very long time and hasn't exactly dived in to the current high-end of graphical amazingness (yet) — it still looked pretty special. Eastshade proper was released two years later, so I hold out hope it had even greater polish, but even if it's at the same level, it has the potential to live up to its reputation for beauty.
* I nearly subscribed to Xbox Game Pass just to play this, so getting to have a go at it on a service I'm already subscribed to is awesome. (I say "have a go" because, knowing Luna, it'll get locked away behind Premium long before I get a chance to finish it (see: Dungeons of Hinterberg and Control).
** Well, I did get the 10% first-week discount; but that was the "full price" at the time, so…
*** It does not feel like it's been three whole years. Wow. That's ages to have been waiting. I mean, it's not uncommon for Kickstarters to end up taking a stupidly long time to fulfil — when I back them, I always take a "it will be here when it's here" attitude, because expecting them on time and sitting waiting for that is a recipe for madness — but I never would've guessed it had been so long.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)