Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
II. Stardock pp.25–36
Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Video Games
Bubumbu
Played the entire game again to mop up all achievements. First time was on my desktop Mac, this time on Steam Deck — if anything, I enjoyed playing it with trackpads more than with a mouse... although my thumb felt surprisingly tired afterwards.
(Also, you'll be pleased to hear that Bond reward turned up in my IOI account today. I've uninstalled Hitman again already, probably forever this time.)
Played the entire game again to mop up all achievements. First time was on my desktop Mac, this time on Steam Deck — if anything, I enjoyed playing it with trackpads more than with a mouse... although my thumb felt surprisingly tired afterwards.
(Also, you'll be pleased to hear that Bond reward turned up in my IOI account today. I've uninstalled Hitman again already, probably forever this time.)
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Video Games
Hitman: World of Assassination
After my disastrous first attempt at this game, I never thought I'd be back; but, long story short, there's a free Bond tie-in level that, if you play it, unlocks a bonus in the forthcoming James Bond game, and I'm told all you have to do is "play it" in the sense of "start it" (as opposed to "complete it") to unlock the bonus — so I did that.
The content isn't in my account yet, but I guess it takes time to sync up — hopefully that's all it is, anyway, because I don't want to have to work out how to actually complete the level or something. I did also give the game a go again... in the sense that I actually finished the tutorial this time, before heading into the relevant content, where I wandered around a bit, realised I had no real idea what I was doing, got into a shootout, and kept firing 'til I got killed, because fuck this.
I hope the Bond game isn't too much like Hitman, because this isn't really my kinda fun.
After my disastrous first attempt at this game, I never thought I'd be back; but, long story short, there's a free Bond tie-in level that, if you play it, unlocks a bonus in the forthcoming James Bond game, and I'm told all you have to do is "play it" in the sense of "start it" (as opposed to "complete it") to unlock the bonus — so I did that.
The content isn't in my account yet, but I guess it takes time to sync up — hopefully that's all it is, anyway, because I don't want to have to work out how to actually complete the level or something. I did also give the game a go again... in the sense that I actually finished the tutorial this time, before heading into the relevant content, where I wandered around a bit, realised I had no real idea what I was doing, got into a shootout, and kept firing 'til I got killed, because fuck this.
I hope the Bond game isn't too much like Hitman, because this isn't really my kinda fun.
Monday, 4 May 2026
Sunday, 3 May 2026
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
4x26 Week 6: Monday
4x27 Week 6: Tuesday
Having caught up, it's back to some old episodes I missed at the time and fortunately downloaded (because they've not been on iPlayer for ages).
Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady
Part 1 (of 2)
Part 2 (of 2)
4x26 Week 6: Monday
4x27 Week 6: Tuesday
Having caught up, it's back to some old episodes I missed at the time and fortunately downloaded (because they've not been on iPlayer for ages).
Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady
Part 1 (of 2)
Part 2 (of 2)
Saturday, 2 May 2026
TV
Leverage: Redemption
1x14 The Great Train Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x99 Champions Week 3: Thursday
9x100 Champions Week 3: Friday [season finale]
Sort of a series finale, too, as this is Osman's last full season as host — it will be Michael Sheen's House of Games soon; but I believe Osman is hosting one final week first.
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
1x14 The Great Train Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x99 Champions Week 3: Thursday
9x100 Champions Week 3: Friday [season finale]
Sort of a series finale, too, as this is Osman's last full season as host — it will be Michael Sheen's House of Games soon; but I believe Osman is hosting one final week first.
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Number of titles in collection: 3,685 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,720 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 524 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,845 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,737 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 490 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Number of titles in collection: 3,685 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,720 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 524 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 8,845 [up 3]
Number of films: 4,737 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 490 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 1 May 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
2x01 Where Were We? [2nd watch]
2x02 The Scorpion and the Toad [2nd watch]
Poker Face
2x06 Sloppy Joseph
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x96 Champions Week 3: Monday
9x97 Champions Week 3: Tuesday
9x98 Champions Week 3: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
2x01 Where Were We? [2nd watch]
2x02 The Scorpion and the Toad [2nd watch]
Poker Face
2x06 Sloppy Joseph
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x96 Champions Week 3: Monday
9x97 Champions Week 3: Tuesday
9x98 Champions Week 3: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 30 April 2026
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x95 Champions Week 2: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
9x95 Champions Week 2: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 29 April 2026
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Fiction
Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
II. Stardock pp.1–6
Stardock is about the same length as Ill Met in Lankhmar, which I did read in one sitting; but it’s not that much shorter than Adept’s Gambit, which I did not. However, like the former and unlike the latter, it does not have chapters, hence page numbers.
II. Stardock pp.1–6
Stardock is about the same length as Ill Met in Lankhmar, which I did read in one sitting; but it’s not that much shorter than Adept’s Gambit, which I did not. However, like the former and unlike the latter, it does not have chapters, hence page numbers.
Monday, 27 April 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x12 The Giant's Belt [2nd half]
Watching one episode a month is not a great way to go about catching up.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Campaign 4, Episode 12
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
4x12 The Giant's Belt [2nd half]
Watching one episode a month is not a great way to go about catching up.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Campaign 4, Episode 12
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Fiction
Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
I. In the Witch's Tent
After a little time off for some other books, it's back to Nehwon for the fourth volume of adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. This is a low-key start — a "short story" so short that it barely qualifies as a story — but next up is one of the longest tales so far.
I. In the Witch's Tent
After a little time off for some other books, it's back to Nehwon for the fourth volume of adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. This is a low-key start — a "short story" so short that it barely qualifies as a story — but next up is one of the longest tales so far.
Sunday, 26 April 2026
Films
A Wednesday (2008)
[#21 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2026 #2
[#21 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
"What Do You Mean You Haven't Seen...?" 2026 #2
Non-Fiction
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Chapters 23–26
Epilogue [the end]
This being a non-fiction / journalistic / historiographic work, there's also an extensive amount of notes and bibliography at the end. Some of it looked quite interesting, but other bits are dry citations, and my Kindle said it was over an hour of reading time — it wasn't that interesting.
Chapters 23–26
Epilogue [the end]
This being a non-fiction / journalistic / historiographic work, there's also an extensive amount of notes and bibliography at the end. Some of it looked quite interesting, but other bits are dry citations, and my Kindle said it was over an hour of reading time — it wasn't that interesting.
Audiobook
Doctor Who: The Code of Flesh
written by Andrew Lane, read by Dan Starkey
I've been meaning to continue these audio-exclusive 8th Doctor adventures ever since I listened to the first two-and-a-half years ago. Yes, I know that's ridiculous; but hey, I got here eventually. Hopefully I won't leave it so long before the next one (there are four in this sequence, so far) because they're quite good.
written by Andrew Lane, read by Dan Starkey
I've been meaning to continue these audio-exclusive 8th Doctor adventures ever since I listened to the first two-and-a-half years ago. Yes, I know that's ridiculous; but hey, I got here eventually. Hopefully I won't leave it so long before the next one (there are four in this sequence, so far) because they're quite good.
Saturday, 25 April 2026
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Nothing new this week — the one title I was expecting got pushed back. Doesn't really matter — I don't get round to watching stuff anyway, do I?
But to stop this being wholly pointless, it's that time of the month: the running time update.
Number of titles in collection: 3,685 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,720 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 523 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,842 [no change]
Number of films: 4,737 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 489 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
617 days, 7 hours, and 25 minutes.
(Up 23 hours and 9 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Nothing new this week — the one title I was expecting got pushed back. Doesn't really matter — I don't get round to watching stuff anyway, do I?
But to stop this being wholly pointless, it's that time of the month: the running time update.
Number of titles in collection: 3,685 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,720 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 523 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,842 [no change]
Number of films: 4,737 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 489 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
617 days, 7 hours, and 25 minutes.
(Up 23 hours and 9 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 24 April 2026
Video Games
Bubumbu
Having finished the first two Monument Valleys, it's on to some of the other puzzle games in my backlog. This is a very short one (about half-an-hour), but it's got cute art and the puzzle mechanics are fun. It's high quality so worth even the short playtime, but it would be even better if there was even more of it. Nonetheless, I didn't get all the secrets on my playthrough (navigating around the maps is a bit tricky, and once you complete the main objectives you're locked out of the bonus ones without a replay), but as it's so short I'm tempted to go back through and find them all.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Having finished the first two Monument Valleys, it's on to some of the other puzzle games in my backlog. This is a very short one (about half-an-hour), but it's got cute art and the puzzle mechanics are fun. It's high quality so worth even the short playtime, but it would be even better if there was even more of it. Nonetheless, I didn't get all the secrets on my playthrough (navigating around the maps is a bit tricky, and once you complete the main objectives you're locked out of the bonus ones without a replay), but as it's so short I'm tempted to go back through and find them all.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Thursday, 23 April 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
I didn't reach a particularly significant milestone today or anything (I've played 208½ hours; didn't visit any new towns, or complete any major quests; etc). But, for various reasons, I decided to log the third in my occasional and slightly random series of "how are things going?" screenshots (the first was at 73 hours, the second at 151 hours).
Despite being only 57½ hours on from 151 hours, my Quests Completed has more than doubled in that time. I guess I went through a period of focusing on quests more, before tailing off again. I'm intending to get back on that soon. Somewhat interestingly, though, my Side Quests Completed has gone from 4, to 8, to 12 — if you didn't know better, it would look like that was the stat dictating these updates.
One additional thing I thought to do this round is create a graph to show my progress over time, because that's the kind of thing I think is fun. I've picked a few select stats to include, and it looks like this:
Skyrim tracks loads of other stats for you — locations discovered, people killed, spells learned, ingredients harvested, locks picked, and about 90 more (including, somewhat infamously, "bunnies slaughtered") — but, sadly, I haven't been screenshotting them all along, and the game itself doesn't offer any history or graphs or anything (more's the pity). It feels a bit late in the day to begin tracking it all... but I took screenshots of everything this time, just in case I want to. And if I ever do a second run,* you bet I'll be screenshotting from the start!
* There are plenty of "forever players", who start the game over and over again, trying all sorts of different things, for thousands of hours overall. It's one of the reasons the game has endured for so long. But I can't imagine that'll be me — I've got literally hundreds of other games I want to play, including multiple other hundreds-of-hours-long RPGs, so I'm not likely to do Skyrim over again when I've got those other adventures to experience. Doesn't mean I won't come back to it one day though, especially as there's definitely stuff I won't do in this playthrough (you can only join one side in the Civil War, for example; and I'm pretty sure at least one quest is already bugged to unplayability for this run; and, to be honest, I've got so much left to do, there's still a chance I'll want a change before I finish it all).
I didn't reach a particularly significant milestone today or anything (I've played 208½ hours; didn't visit any new towns, or complete any major quests; etc). But, for various reasons, I decided to log the third in my occasional and slightly random series of "how are things going?" screenshots (the first was at 73 hours, the second at 151 hours).
Despite being only 57½ hours on from 151 hours, my Quests Completed has more than doubled in that time. I guess I went through a period of focusing on quests more, before tailing off again. I'm intending to get back on that soon. Somewhat interestingly, though, my Side Quests Completed has gone from 4, to 8, to 12 — if you didn't know better, it would look like that was the stat dictating these updates.
One additional thing I thought to do this round is create a graph to show my progress over time, because that's the kind of thing I think is fun. I've picked a few select stats to include, and it looks like this:
Skyrim tracks loads of other stats for you — locations discovered, people killed, spells learned, ingredients harvested, locks picked, and about 90 more (including, somewhat infamously, "bunnies slaughtered") — but, sadly, I haven't been screenshotting them all along, and the game itself doesn't offer any history or graphs or anything (more's the pity). It feels a bit late in the day to begin tracking it all... but I took screenshots of everything this time, just in case I want to. And if I ever do a second run,* you bet I'll be screenshotting from the start!
* There are plenty of "forever players", who start the game over and over again, trying all sorts of different things, for thousands of hours overall. It's one of the reasons the game has endured for so long. But I can't imagine that'll be me — I've got literally hundreds of other games I want to play, including multiple other hundreds-of-hours-long RPGs, so I'm not likely to do Skyrim over again when I've got those other adventures to experience. Doesn't mean I won't come back to it one day though, especially as there's definitely stuff I won't do in this playthrough (you can only join one side in the Civil War, for example; and I'm pretty sure at least one quest is already bugged to unplayability for this run; and, to be honest, I've got so much left to do, there's still a chance I'll want a change before I finish it all).
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Last time I said I should definitely concentrate on quests more than crafting going forward. So today, I... spent an hour-and-a-half mostly building my third house, and moving materials around to do said building, and other such tasks (and one very minor quest along the way). Oops. But hey, at least this is the last house, so once it's built I won't feel the need to do it again (because I won't be able to) — hurrah! Although, all my houses (eight owned, ten not — yet) still need a lot of decorating...
Monument Valley II
The Lost Forest
Whereas Monument Valley I's expansion was like a whole extra game, more-or-less doubling its length, the sequel's is just a single level.
There's now a third game, but as it only came to PC less than a year ago (following a period of Netflix mobile exclusivity), it's still a bit overpriced for my liking (assuming it's of a comparable complexity and length to the first two). I'll get it someday.
Last time I said I should definitely concentrate on quests more than crafting going forward. So today, I... spent an hour-and-a-half mostly building my third house, and moving materials around to do said building, and other such tasks (and one very minor quest along the way). Oops. But hey, at least this is the last house, so once it's built I won't feel the need to do it again (because I won't be able to) — hurrah! Although, all my houses (eight owned, ten not — yet) still need a lot of decorating...
Monument Valley II
The Lost Forest
Whereas Monument Valley I's expansion was like a whole extra game, more-or-less doubling its length, the sequel's is just a single level.
There's now a third game, but as it only came to PC less than a year ago (following a period of Netflix mobile exclusivity), it's still a bit overpriced for my liking (assuming it's of a comparable complexity and length to the first two). I'll get it someday.
Tuesday, 21 April 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x12 The Giant's Belt [2nd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
4x12 The Giant's Belt [2nd hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Video Games
Monument Valley II
Finished the main game. It's probably better than the first game's original levels, because it's a bit longer and has more variety; but that was greatly improved by its expansion, so it's much for muchness overall. That's not a criticism — these are both fun puzzle games.
Finished the main game. It's probably better than the first game's original levels, because it's a bit longer and has more variety; but that was greatly improved by its expansion, so it's much for muchness overall. That's not a criticism — these are both fun puzzle games.
Monday, 20 April 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x12 The Giant's Belt [1st hour]
Dear God, I am so far behind — this episode is from January. It was a lot easier to watch tonnes of CR when I also hadn't got back into gaming and reading and was just ditching film watching for it. Ah well, I persevere, because whenever I do make time for it, I still enjoy it.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
4x12 The Giant's Belt [1st hour]
Dear God, I am so far behind — this episode is from January. It was a lot easier to watch tonnes of CR when I also hadn't got back into gaming and reading and was just ditching film watching for it. Ah well, I persevere, because whenever I do make time for it, I still enjoy it.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Sunday, 19 April 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
After another few days off, back to Skyrim! It's not that I've got bored of it or something, it's just about finding time while also doing other things. And, y'know, I have played over 205 hours of it — I'm getting a little bit of an itch to play other stuff as well (not instead). Still tonnes to do though, and I completed a lengthy-ish quest today which felt rewarding and reminds me that there's still a lot of fun to be had... though maybe I should now focus more on those kinds of storylines instead of the tonnes of random exploring and crafting I've been doing for so long.
Monument Valley II
Stuffed
Can't remember where I got this from (in a bundle of some kind, I guess). Played the tutorial and had a brief go at the main game. Didn't care for it. Well, that's another one off the "to try" list, at least!
After another few days off, back to Skyrim! It's not that I've got bored of it or something, it's just about finding time while also doing other things. And, y'know, I have played over 205 hours of it — I'm getting a little bit of an itch to play other stuff as well (not instead). Still tonnes to do though, and I completed a lengthy-ish quest today which felt rewarding and reminds me that there's still a lot of fun to be had... though maybe I should now focus more on those kinds of storylines instead of the tonnes of random exploring and crafting I've been doing for so long.
Monument Valley II
Stuffed
Can't remember where I got this from (in a bundle of some kind, I guess). Played the tutorial and had a brief go at the main game. Didn't care for it. Well, that's another one off the "to try" list, at least!
Saturday, 18 April 2026
Video Games
You Suck at Parking
After over a week, this had settled enough in my memory that I felt like it was worth another go. I lasted about 5 minutes. It feels like it could be fun, but the controls are unintuitive and that makes it suck. Uninstalled.
After over a week, this had settled enough in my memory that I felt like it was worth another go. I lasted about 5 minutes. It feels like it could be fun, but the controls are unintuitive and that makes it suck. Uninstalled.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Five new releases this week, all of them genre fare but from boutique labels. The highlight is John Woo's The Killer in 4K from Arrow, although Tsui Hark's remake of The One Armed Swordsman, The Blade, is very exciting too.
Number of titles in collection: 3,685 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,720 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 523 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,842 [up 7]
Number of films: 4,737 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 489 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Five new releases this week, all of them genre fare but from boutique labels. The highlight is John Woo's The Killer in 4K from Arrow, although Tsui Hark's remake of The One Armed Swordsman, The Blade, is very exciting too.
Number of titles in collection: 3,685 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,720 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 523 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,842 [up 7]
Number of films: 4,737 [up 5]
Number of additional cuts: 489 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 17 April 2026
Video Games
Balatro
It's been over 6 months since I last played this game that's supposedly soooo addictive and soooo unputdownable and soooo amazing. I always feel I should play it more because of that reputation, but I never quite got it. It came up somewhere today and I thought, "maybe it's time to try again".
First chunk of time was spent trying to remember how the hell it all works. And then... yeah, it's still fine, I guess. Feels like there's too much going on, too much to work out, and it takes too long* for it to just be fun. Still don't get it.
* people talk about the addictiveness of "just one more run", but even one go through takes over half-an-hour for me?! That's not "play multiple runs", that's "hope I have time for one" territory.
Monument Valley II
It's been over 6 months since I last played this game that's supposedly soooo addictive and soooo unputdownable and soooo amazing. I always feel I should play it more because of that reputation, but I never quite got it. It came up somewhere today and I thought, "maybe it's time to try again".
First chunk of time was spent trying to remember how the hell it all works. And then... yeah, it's still fine, I guess. Feels like there's too much going on, too much to work out, and it takes too long* for it to just be fun. Still don't get it.
* people talk about the addictiveness of "just one more run", but even one go through takes over half-an-hour for me?! That's not "play multiple runs", that's "hope I have time for one" territory.
Monument Valley II
Videos
007 First Light Title Sequence
Watched some of the BAFTA Game Awards this evening, mainly to see the premiere of this — the title sequence for the forthcoming James Bond game. I wasn't sure about the song at first, but it plays really nicely with the titles, which I think they've done an excellent job on. Excited for the game... though not sure when I'll actually get to play it as I doubt it'll run on my Steam Deck.
Beyond the Light
Episode 4 Music
And to go with the above, they released the fourth instalment of their behind-the-scenes dev diary, looking at music and sound.
Watched some of the BAFTA Game Awards this evening, mainly to see the premiere of this — the title sequence for the forthcoming James Bond game. I wasn't sure about the song at first, but it plays really nicely with the titles, which I think they've done an excellent job on. Excited for the game... though not sure when I'll actually get to play it as I doubt it'll run on my Steam Deck.
Beyond the Light
Episode 4 Music
And to go with the above, they released the fourth instalment of their behind-the-scenes dev diary, looking at music and sound.
Thursday, 16 April 2026
Films
3-D Rarities (2015)
Part 2: Hollywood Enters the Third Dimension
[#17 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
Concluding yesterday's programme. This half contains a mix of shorts and trailers for 3D features, as well as the only 3D newsreel.
Part 2: Hollywood Enters the Third Dimension
[#17 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
Concluding yesterday's programme. This half contains a mix of shorts and trailers for 3D features, as well as the only 3D newsreel.
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Films
3-D Rarities (2015)
Part 1: The Dawn of Stereoscopic Cinematography
[#17 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
A programme of tests, shorts, and the like from the early days of 3D film. I only watched the first half because of my usual poor time management. Part 2 tomorrow, hopefully.
Part 1: The Dawn of Stereoscopic Cinematography
[#17 in The 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2026]
A programme of tests, shorts, and the like from the early days of 3D film. I only watched the first half because of my usual poor time management. Part 2 tomorrow, hopefully.
Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Monument Valley II
Casually chipping away at this one short level at a time — I may have played it on three occasions, but my total playtime is still under half-an-hour.
Monument Valley II
Casually chipping away at this one short level at a time — I may have played it on three occasions, but my total playtime is still under half-an-hour.
Monday, 13 April 2026
Fiction
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Chapters 23–25 [the end]
There's also an epilogue exclusive to a collector's edition, although fans have shared it online. I always assume bonuses like that are going to be inconsequential little something-and-nothings to persuade completist fans to buy a new copy, but this one is actually substantial — longer than most (possibly all) chapters in the book proper, and with some significant events that cast everything in a different light. I have to wonder: is it Hoover's preferred ending? Or one of those 'my publisher made me do it' kinda extras that wouldn't be in a 'preferred text' edition?
Chapters 23–25 [the end]
There's also an epilogue exclusive to a collector's edition, although fans have shared it online. I always assume bonuses like that are going to be inconsequential little something-and-nothings to persuade completist fans to buy a new copy, but this one is actually substantial — longer than most (possibly all) chapters in the book proper, and with some significant events that cast everything in a different light. I have to wonder: is it Hoover's preferred ending? Or one of those 'my publisher made me do it' kinda extras that wouldn't be in a 'preferred text' edition?
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Celebrated (I guess) my return to Skyrim by visiting my seventh city, Morthal, and acquiring a nearby house. It's only a minor one, so not a whole lot to do there, but it's another milestone.
Monument Valley II
Celebrated (I guess) my return to Skyrim by visiting my seventh city, Morthal, and acquiring a nearby house. It's only a minor one, so not a whole lot to do there, but it's another milestone.
Monument Valley II
Sunday, 12 April 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Unbelievably, it's been two whole weeks since I played Skyrim. Any regular readers* would be forgiven for thinking I'd accidentally given up on it, knowing my MO. Well, I guess if I left it too long I might've, as that is the kind of thing that typically happens to me. But no: hitting 200 hours gave me a little bit of decision paralysis about what to do next in-game, then real life got in the way and left me without much time, and once I'm out of a habit...! Of course, the only fix was just get back in the saddle. I didn't play too much today, but I progressed enough to feel like I was getting back into the swing of it. Onwards to 300 hours!
* don't worry, I know I don't actually have any readers except future-me.
Unbelievably, it's been two whole weeks since I played Skyrim. Any regular readers* would be forgiven for thinking I'd accidentally given up on it, knowing my MO. Well, I guess if I left it too long I might've, as that is the kind of thing that typically happens to me. But no: hitting 200 hours gave me a little bit of decision paralysis about what to do next in-game, then real life got in the way and left me without much time, and once I'm out of a habit...! Of course, the only fix was just get back in the saddle. I didn't play too much today, but I progressed enough to feel like I was getting back into the swing of it. Onwards to 300 hours!
* don't worry, I know I don't actually have any readers except future-me.
Saturday, 11 April 2026
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Not everything I mentioned last week has arrived (the lingering effects of the Easter double Bank Holiday, I guess), but there was still this...
Number of titles in collection: 3,680 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,715 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 521 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,834 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,732 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Not everything I mentioned last week has arrived (the lingering effects of the Easter double Bank Holiday, I guess), but there was still this...
Number of titles in collection: 3,680 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,715 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 521 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,834 [up 9]
Number of films: 4,732 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 10 April 2026
Video Games
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
Can't really say I "played" this, but I certainly left it running in the background for an hour-and-a-half and collected (and named) a bunch more ducks.
Can't really say I "played" this, but I certainly left it running in the background for an hour-and-a-half and collected (and named) a bunch more ducks.
Thursday, 9 April 2026
Fiction
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Chapters 1–3
Not usually my kind of thing, but something inspired me to buy this... only I can't remember what because it was so long ago now. Quite possibly that it's supposed to have an incredible twist — according to its own blurb, at least. It's largely Romance-y so far (even if the very first thing to happen is someone being brutally killed by a car!), so we'll see.
Chapters 1–3
Not usually my kind of thing, but something inspired me to buy this... only I can't remember what because it was so long ago now. Quite possibly that it's supposed to have an incredible twist — according to its own blurb, at least. It's largely Romance-y so far (even if the very first thing to happen is someone being brutally killed by a car!), so we'll see.
Video Games
Inertial Drift
As I said, I may have finished 'story mode' (with one character, anyway — I wonder how different the others are...), but there's still a load of options and unlockables. If I had one criticism, it's that the game could be a bit more guided about what I could/should do next.
Monument Valley II
New 'story' (it barely qualifies as such, but sure, technically there's something), same gameplay... which is fine, because the first one was hardly an epic that exhausted the concept.
You Suck at Parking
Got this in a mystery bundle — I never would've chosen to buy, but thought I'd give it a go. Played for 16 minutes and had kind of had enough. Maybe I'll get an itch to try it again. Maybe I never, ever will.
As I said, I may have finished 'story mode' (with one character, anyway — I wonder how different the others are...), but there's still a load of options and unlockables. If I had one criticism, it's that the game could be a bit more guided about what I could/should do next.
Monument Valley II
New 'story' (it barely qualifies as such, but sure, technically there's something), same gameplay... which is fine, because the first one was hardly an epic that exhausted the concept.
You Suck at Parking
Got this in a mystery bundle — I never would've chosen to buy, but thought I'd give it a go. Played for 16 minutes and had kind of had enough. Maybe I'll get an itch to try it again. Maybe I never, ever will.
Wednesday, 8 April 2026
TV
Leverage: Redemption
1x13 The Hurricane Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x92 Champions Week 2: Tuesday
9x93 Champions Week 2: Wednesday
9x94 Champions Week 2: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
1x13 The Hurricane Job
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x92 Champions Week 2: Tuesday
9x93 Champions Week 2: Wednesday
9x94 Champions Week 2: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Videos
Beyond the Light
Episode 1 Gameplay
Episode 2 Cast & Characters
Episode 3 Story
Quite looking forward to the new James Bond game, so finally caught up with this series of behind-the-scenes promo videos. Not sure if the game will run on my Steam Deck so don't know when I'll actually play it, but someday...!
Episode 1 Gameplay
Episode 2 Cast & Characters
Episode 3 Story
Quite looking forward to the new James Bond game, so finally caught up with this series of behind-the-scenes promo videos. Not sure if the game will run on my Steam Deck so don't know when I'll actually play it, but someday...!
Tuesday, 7 April 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
1x22 Come On [season finale; 2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x90 Champions Week 1: Friday
9x91 Champions Week 2: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x18 The Good, The Bad, and The Oscar [season finale]
1x22 Come On [season finale; 2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x90 Champions Week 1: Friday
9x91 Champions Week 2: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x18 The Good, The Bad, and The Oscar [season finale]
Monday, 6 April 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
1x21 Milk [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x87 Champions Week 1: Tuesday
9x88 Champions Week 1: Wednesday
9x89 Champions Week 1: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x16 The Return
7x17 Mutiny and the Bounty
1x21 Milk [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x87 Champions Week 1: Tuesday
9x88 Champions Week 1: Wednesday
9x89 Champions Week 1: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x16 The Return
7x17 Mutiny and the Bounty
Sunday, 5 April 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
1x20 Best Prom Ever [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x84 Redemption Week 2: Thursday
9x85 Redemption Week 2: Friday
9x86 Champions Week 1: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x14 Mad About Murder
7x15 A Deadly Secret
1x20 Best Prom Ever [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x84 Redemption Week 2: Thursday
9x85 Redemption Week 2: Friday
9x86 Champions Week 1: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x14 Mad About Murder
7x15 A Deadly Secret
Tabletop Games
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick-Taking Game
Really should get round to buying the Two Towers game they released...
Really should get round to buying the Two Towers game they released...
this week on 100Films.co.uk
For the first time this year (well, unless you count December 2025's posts being in January), both parts of a 100Films.co.uk monthly review have arrived in the same week!
As always, it begins with a general overview of the month...
...and concludes with my "failures"...
More next Sunday? Stranger things happen at sea...
As always, it begins with a general overview of the month...
...and concludes with my "failures"...
More next Sunday? Stranger things happen at sea...
Saturday, 4 April 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
1x19 Mary the Paralegal [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x80 Redemption Week 1: Friday
9x81 Redemption Week 2: Monday
9x82 Redemption Week 2: Tuesday
9x83 Redemption Week 2: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x12 April Fools
7x13 Three Billboards
1x19 Mary the Paralegal [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x80 Redemption Week 1: Friday
9x81 Redemption Week 2: Monday
9x82 Redemption Week 2: Tuesday
9x83 Redemption Week 2: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x12 April Fools
7x13 Three Billboards
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I expected a bunch of preorders to turn up today, but I guess yesterday's Bank Holiday has delayed them. Next week, then — along with the preorders for the week after, I'd hope. It won't be anything like a record-breaker, but it could be my biggest week since... um, a couple of weeks ago.
Number of titles in collection: 3,676 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,711 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 518 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,825 [up 1]
Number of films: 4,726 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I expected a bunch of preorders to turn up today, but I guess yesterday's Bank Holiday has delayed them. Next week, then — along with the preorders for the week after, I'd hope. It won't be anything like a record-breaker, but it could be my biggest week since... um, a couple of weeks ago.
Number of titles in collection: 3,676 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 965 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,711 [up 1]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 518 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 8,825 [up 1]
Number of films: 4,726 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 3 April 2026
TV
How I Met Your Mother
1x17 Life Among the Gorillas [2nd watch]
1x18 Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x77 Redemption Week 1: Tuesday
9x78 Redemption Week 1: Wednesday
9x79 Redemption Week 1: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x10 Chaos Agent
7x11 Speed
1x17 Life Among the Gorillas [2nd watch]
1x18 Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM [2nd watch]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x77 Redemption Week 1: Tuesday
9x78 Redemption Week 1: Wednesday
9x79 Redemption Week 1: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x10 Chaos Agent
7x11 Speed
Thursday, 2 April 2026
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x76 Redemption Week 1: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
9x76 Redemption Week 1: Monday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Fiction
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle
Part 2, Chapters 6–8 [the end]
Well, I enjoyed that a good deal more than its reputation would suggest. It's still probably the lesser of the four novels, and so short that it barely warrants calling that; and the Sherlock Holmes-starring first part is really an aggrandised short story, which could have been considerably brisker if it didn't repeat iself so often; and the second half is very pulpy, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. So, perhaps it borders on "guilty pleasure" territory, but hey, at least I enjoyed it.
Part 2, Chapters 6–8 [the end]
Well, I enjoyed that a good deal more than its reputation would suggest. It's still probably the lesser of the four novels, and so short that it barely warrants calling that; and the Sherlock Holmes-starring first part is really an aggrandised short story, which could have been considerably brisker if it didn't repeat iself so often; and the second half is very pulpy, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. So, perhaps it borders on "guilty pleasure" territory, but hey, at least I enjoyed it.
Wednesday, 1 April 2026
Tuesday, 31 March 2026
Monday, 30 March 2026
Video Games
Inertial Drift
Completed 'story mode' in just over 2 hours. There's a lot of other content, though — in some respects, the story just feels like an extended tutorial.
Completed 'story mode' in just over 2 hours. There's a lot of other content, though — in some respects, the story just feels like an extended tutorial.
Sunday, 29 March 2026
TV
Peaky Blinders
6x06 Lock and Key [series finale]
Hmm. This does feel like a series finale... but also, there are quite a few things left unresolved, so it's no surprise they've always said there'd be a movie continuation. I had somehow garnered the impression that the series per se had ended and the movie was a kind of additional story and/or epilogue, but from this it feels like it would be necessary to actually end things. Well, I guess I'll see when I watch it.
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
6x06 Lock and Key [series finale]
Hmm. This does feel like a series finale... but also, there are quite a few things left unresolved, so it's no surprise they've always said there'd be a movie continuation. I had somehow garnered the impression that the series per se had ended and the movie was a kind of additional story and/or epilogue, but from this it feels like it would be necessary to actually end things. Well, I guess I'll see when I watch it.
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
Fiction
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle
Part 1, Chapters 1–5
There are 60 canonical Sherlock Holmes stories (56 short stories and four novels) and I've read 44 of them, including three of the novels. So what better way to mark reaching 75% — or, to put it another way, arriving at the final quarter — than by reading that fourth novel.
(Not that it's really an occasion that needs "marking". But that's probably for the best, considering this novel is widely regarded as one of the weaker adventures. Either way, it comes next in publication order (more or less), considering I last finished Return; although I've jumped around plenty in the past (I've already read four stories from the remaining two books), so that's immaterial as well.)
Part 1, Chapters 1–5
There are 60 canonical Sherlock Holmes stories (56 short stories and four novels) and I've read 44 of them, including three of the novels. So what better way to mark reaching 75% — or, to put it another way, arriving at the final quarter — than by reading that fourth novel.
(Not that it's really an occasion that needs "marking". But that's probably for the best, considering this novel is widely regarded as one of the weaker adventures. Either way, it comes next in publication order (more or less), considering I last finished Return; although I've jumped around plenty in the past (I've already read four stories from the remaining two books), so that's immaterial as well.)
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
I crossed the 200-hour mark today. And to think the fact it would take at least 27 hours once gave me pause, and I could scarcely conceive of spending 130+ hours finishing it. And yet I’m still nowhere near done — here’s a little “state of the game”…
I have:
• visited 4 major cities and 2 minor cities
• cleared 5 Civil War forts
• bought 2 ‘vanilla’ player houses
• bought 2 plots of land and fully built houses on them
• acquired 2 Creation Club houses
• joined the Companions.
I have not:
• visited 1 major city and 3 minor cities
• visited the island of Solstheim
• cleared 4 Civil War forts
• bought 3 ‘vanilla’ player houses
• bought the 3rd plot of land
• acquired 8 Creation Club houses
• progressed the main quest beyond the very beginning (there are no dragons flying around my Skyrim)
• become a werewolf
• joined the Imperials, nor the Stormcloaks
• joined the Thieves Guild
• joined the College of Winterhold
• joined the Dark Brotherhood
• joined the Dawnguard nor become a vampire.
Obviously a whole bunch of very specific stuff could be added to both of those lists, but that’s an overview — the point being: I have done quite a lot, but there’s still so much to do. I wonder where I’ll be at 300 hours? Because, based on what I haven’t done, it’s hard to imagine I won’t hit that mark — at least.
Great game.
I crossed the 200-hour mark today. And to think the fact it would take at least 27 hours once gave me pause, and I could scarcely conceive of spending 130+ hours finishing it. And yet I’m still nowhere near done — here’s a little “state of the game”…
I have:
• visited 4 major cities and 2 minor cities
• cleared 5 Civil War forts
• bought 2 ‘vanilla’ player houses
• bought 2 plots of land and fully built houses on them
• acquired 2 Creation Club houses
• joined the Companions.
I have not:
• visited 1 major city and 3 minor cities
• visited the island of Solstheim
• cleared 4 Civil War forts
• bought 3 ‘vanilla’ player houses
• bought the 3rd plot of land
• acquired 8 Creation Club houses
• progressed the main quest beyond the very beginning (there are no dragons flying around my Skyrim)
• become a werewolf
• joined the Imperials, nor the Stormcloaks
• joined the Thieves Guild
• joined the College of Winterhold
• joined the Dark Brotherhood
• joined the Dawnguard nor become a vampire.
Obviously a whole bunch of very specific stuff could be added to both of those lists, but that’s an overview — the point being: I have done quite a lot, but there’s still so much to do. I wonder where I’ll be at 300 hours? Because, based on what I haven’t done, it’s hard to imagine I won’t hit that mark — at least.
Great game.
Saturday, 28 March 2026
Fiction
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
13 The Adventure of the Second Stain [the end]
Considering I only opened this up as an interim measure between novels, it feels like an achievement to finish off another volume — and a very good story to end on, too... although I might just read some more Holmes next.
13 The Adventure of the Second Stain [the end]
Considering I only opened this up as an interim measure between novels, it feels like an achievement to finish off another volume — and a very good story to end on, too... although I might just read some more Holmes next.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
The headliner this week, as far as I'm concerned, is John Woo's Hard Boiled on 4K UHD from Arrow. There was a time when Woo's movies from that time were among a whole bunch of classics that seemed like they might never get released again due to rights reasons. I even caved and bought some bootlegs a while ago, just to get them in HD (I do still have DVDs knocking around). It's wonderful that we now get proper restorations in full UHD.
Number of titles in collection: 3,675 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 965 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,710 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 518 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,824 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,724 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [up 2]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
Also, it's time for the latest monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
616 days, 8 hours, and 16 minutes.
(Up 13 hours and 30 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
The headliner this week, as far as I'm concerned, is John Woo's Hard Boiled on 4K UHD from Arrow. There was a time when Woo's movies from that time were among a whole bunch of classics that seemed like they might never get released again due to rights reasons. I even caved and bought some bootlegs a while ago, just to get them in HD (I do still have DVDs knocking around). It's wonderful that we now get proper restorations in full UHD.
Number of titles in collection: 3,675 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 965 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,710 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 518 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 8,824 [up 6]
Number of films: 4,724 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,134 [up 2]
Number of short films: 1,293 [no change]
Also, it's time for the latest monthly running time update...
Total running time of collection (approx.):
616 days, 8 hours, and 16 minutes.
(Up 13 hours and 30 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 27 March 2026
Thursday, 26 March 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Weird not to have played this since Sunday! It was because I hadn't decided what I wanted to focus on next, and I didn't want to run around doing much of nothing just for the sake of playing it. I still haven't exactly decided, but I progressed some quests and did a bit of skill levelling with specific goals — in fact, I got my first skill maxed out to 100! — so at least I feel I achieved something today. And somehow, that made over two hours of my time just disappear!
Monument Valley
Ida's Dream
One final multi-part level, originally created for charity. It's been good to play things like this and Upstairs in between bouts of Skyrim. I have dozens of other similarly-short games in my massive backlog (not to mention a bunch of games I'd already started and should go back to!), so I think I'll try to play some more of them here and there, rather than leaving them until I complete Skyrim (because goodness knows when that will be!)
Weird not to have played this since Sunday! It was because I hadn't decided what I wanted to focus on next, and I didn't want to run around doing much of nothing just for the sake of playing it. I still haven't exactly decided, but I progressed some quests and did a bit of skill levelling with specific goals — in fact, I got my first skill maxed out to 100! — so at least I feel I achieved something today. And somehow, that made over two hours of my time just disappear!
Monument Valley
Ida's Dream
One final multi-part level, originally created for charity. It's been good to play things like this and Upstairs in between bouts of Skyrim. I have dozens of other similarly-short games in my massive backlog (not to mention a bunch of games I'd already started and should go back to!), so I think I'll try to play some more of them here and there, rather than leaving them until I complete Skyrim (because goodness knows when that will be!)
Wednesday, 25 March 2026
TV
Critical Role Cooldown
Campaign 4, Episode 11
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Tale Gate
Discussing Up To C4E11
Critical Role's new talkshow, which airs an episode live after each arc concludes. Except I'm so far behind I have to catchup recorded, obv. I watched the longer version, exclusive to Beacon, which has an extra segment titled 'The Night Cap' where they answer questions from subscribers.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or the longer version on Beacon.]
Campaign 4, Episode 11
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Tale Gate
Discussing Up To C4E11
Critical Role's new talkshow, which airs an episode live after each arc concludes. Except I'm so far behind I have to catchup recorded, obv. I watched the longer version, exclusive to Beacon, which has an extra segment titled 'The Night Cap' where they answer questions from subscribers.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube or the longer version on Beacon.]
Fiction
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
9 The Adventure of the Three Students
10 The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
I can't quite decide which novel to read next (do I immediately continue Redwall? Return to Lankhmar? A long-belated continuation of The Once and Future King? Or something else entirely), hence why recently I'm using the meantime to take in some unread Sherlock Holmes stories. No bad thing.
9 The Adventure of the Three Students
10 The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
I can't quite decide which novel to read next (do I immediately continue Redwall? Return to Lankhmar? A long-belated continuation of The Once and Future King? Or something else entirely), hence why recently I'm using the meantime to take in some unread Sherlock Holmes stories. No bad thing.
Tuesday, 24 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x11 Make Merry [2nd half]
And finishing with the Soldiers, wrapping up the session that began last episode, and their first arc along with it.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
4x11 Make Merry [2nd half]
And finishing with the Soldiers, wrapping up the session that began last episode, and their first arc along with it.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Fiction
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
8 The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
Another particularly well-known one, I think. Certainly, though I've never read it, I've seen it adapted (faithfully or in part) often enough that I knew the solution just from the title.
8 The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
Another particularly well-known one, I think. Certainly, though I've never read it, I've seen it adapted (faithfully or in part) often enough that I knew the solution just from the title.
Video Games
Inertial Drift
Another hour-ish and I feel like I'm racing (hoho) through Story Mode. But that's fine — I don't think the game's over when the 'story' is over; it's far from the only mode on offer. Indeed, I suspect it's deliberately designed to introduce you to all the different tracks, race modes, etc, so afterwards you can just play around learning how different cars control across various combos of tracks and modes.
Another hour-ish and I feel like I'm racing (hoho) through Story Mode. But that's fine — I don't think the game's over when the 'story' is over; it's far from the only mode on offer. Indeed, I suspect it's deliberately designed to introduce you to all the different tracks, race modes, etc, so afterwards you can just play around learning how different cars control across various combos of tracks and modes.
Monday, 23 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x11 Make Merry [1st half]
Continuing the episode with an extended sequence with the Schemers (who won't start their first dedicated arc until episode 19).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Peaky Blinders
6x04 Sapphire
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
4x11 Make Merry [1st half]
Continuing the episode with an extended sequence with the Schemers (who won't start their first dedicated arc until episode 19).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Peaky Blinders
6x04 Sapphire
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
Video Games
Inertial Drift
Today, starting a racing game I actually own. This one looked fun but I was slightly wary of the control scheme (it uses both sticks for navigation, one for steering and one to control your drifting), but I took to it pretty naturally. I mean, sure, I kept hitting barriers and stuff, but I do that plenty in regular racing games. I only played for half-an-hour, not because it was bad but because it's not open world, so you don't get that time-burning exploration/discovery gameplay. I enjoyed it a lot though, so definitely intending to stick with it.
Today, starting a racing game I actually own. This one looked fun but I was slightly wary of the control scheme (it uses both sticks for navigation, one for steering and one to control your drifting), but I took to it pretty naturally. I mean, sure, I kept hitting barriers and stuff, but I do that plenty in regular racing games. I only played for half-an-hour, not because it was bad but because it's not open world, so you don't get that time-burning exploration/discovery gameplay. I enjoyed it a lot though, so definitely intending to stick with it.
Sunday, 22 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x11 Make Merry [cold open]
All three tables this episode! First up, a short sequence with the Seekers (before their first full arc starts next episode).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Peaky Blinders
6x03 Gold
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
4x11 Make Merry [cold open]
All three tables this episode! First up, a short sequence with the Seekers (before their first full arc starts next episode).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Peaky Blinders
6x03 Gold
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
Fiction
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Book Three, Chapters 9–15 [the end]
Really enjoyed this. Which is good, because I've already got the next five thanks to buying a bundle.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
3 The Adventure of the Dancing Men
Quite a well-known and well-regarded Holmes story, but I thought that, aside from the memorable ingenuity of the eponymous cipher, it was quite a middling one.
Book Three, Chapters 9–15 [the end]
Really enjoyed this. Which is good, because I've already got the next five thanks to buying a bundle.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
3 The Adventure of the Dancing Men
Quite a well-known and well-regarded Holmes story, but I thought that, aside from the memorable ingenuity of the eponymous cipher, it was quite a middling one.
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
I've once again got myself into a cycle of doing stuff like buying homes, decorating homes, moving belongings around, etc — spent another two hours on it today, not doing much of anything else. Time to go do some actual quests or something, methinks!
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Why play one of the 600+ games I’ve bought for my Steam Deck or 3DS when I could have a go at a random racing game on Amazon Luna? (Well, I do pay for Luna (as part of Prime) and bought the Luna controller but barely use it since I got my Deck, so maybe it’s not that ridiculous. But I did buy two new racing games on Steam recently, so why not start them instead?! Next time I fancy racing, I guess I will.)
Upstairs
Speedran the entire game again to get the two achievements I missed first time through.
I've once again got myself into a cycle of doing stuff like buying homes, decorating homes, moving belongings around, etc — spent another two hours on it today, not doing much of anything else. Time to go do some actual quests or something, methinks!
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Why play one of the 600+ games I’ve bought for my Steam Deck or 3DS when I could have a go at a random racing game on Amazon Luna? (Well, I do pay for Luna (as part of Prime) and bought the Luna controller but barely use it since I got my Deck, so maybe it’s not that ridiculous. But I did buy two new racing games on Steam recently, so why not start them instead?! Next time I fancy racing, I guess I will.)
Upstairs
Speedran the entire game again to get the two achievements I missed first time through.
Saturday, 21 March 2026
Video Games
Upstairs
Short (I completed it in 1¾ hours, and I look at everything and explore every dialogue tree; though somehow I didn't collect two achievements, so there must be options I missed) point-and-click adventure game that was just released by an independent dev. It's a lot of fun, with good puzzles (logical but you don't feel like everything's just handed to you) and a number of gags that made me laugh. Technically the story is horror, and rather dark at that, but the pixel art and humorous tone nonetheless make it feel close to the style of classic LucasArts games... though they'd surely never have done anything this bloody. Definitely worth a look on Steam or Itch.io if it seems your kind of thing.
Short (I completed it in 1¾ hours, and I look at everything and explore every dialogue tree; though somehow I didn't collect two achievements, so there must be options I missed) point-and-click adventure game that was just released by an independent dev. It's a lot of fun, with good puzzles (logical but you don't feel like everything's just handed to you) and a number of gags that made me laugh. Technically the story is horror, and rather dark at that, but the pixel art and humorous tone nonetheless make it feel close to the style of classic LucasArts games... though they'd surely never have done anything this bloody. Definitely worth a look on Steam or Itch.io if it seems your kind of thing.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Six new additions this week, and all nice straightforward ones that just make numbers go up.
Number of titles in collection: 3,673 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 966 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,707 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 515 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,818 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,720 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,132 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [up 9]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Six new additions this week, and all nice straightforward ones that just make numbers go up.
Number of titles in collection: 3,673 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 966 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,707 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 515 [up 2]
Number of discs in collection: 8,818 [up 8]
Number of films: 4,720 [up 6]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 10,132 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,293 [up 9]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 March 2026
Fiction
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Book Three, Chapters 1–3
Had a couple of days' interruption and all told it's taken me over a week to get back into it, having been progressing pretty consistently before (I read it on 8 of the 9 days before said interruption). Kinda ridiculous that my ability to read books is so dependent on habit and momentum, but there it is. Actually, I think I'm the same with TV and games and probably everything else. Not sure what that might say about me...
Book Three, Chapters 1–3
Had a couple of days' interruption and all told it's taken me over a week to get back into it, having been progressing pretty consistently before (I read it on 8 of the 9 days before said interruption). Kinda ridiculous that my ability to read books is so dependent on habit and momentum, but there it is. Actually, I think I'm the same with TV and games and probably everything else. Not sure what that might say about me...
Thursday, 19 March 2026
TV
Peaky Blinders
6x01 Black Day
So, I only got round to series 5 because series 6 was imminent and now, four years later, I'm only getting round to series 6 because the followup movie is imminent (well, it's already in cinemas, but it's on Netflix from tomorrow). What will make me watch the movie?! Hopefully that it's a new release and so counts towards my 100 Films Challenge (I had kind of intended to watch series 6 this week and finish with the movie at the weekend. Obviously, that didn't happen). For now, though, I shall focus fully on the final season — which, as it happens, picks up four years after the last series. Neat.
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
6x01 Black Day
So, I only got round to series 5 because series 6 was imminent and now, four years later, I'm only getting round to series 6 because the followup movie is imminent (well, it's already in cinemas, but it's on Netflix from tomorrow). What will make me watch the movie?! Hopefully that it's a new release and so counts towards my 100 Films Challenge (I had kind of intended to watch series 6 this week and finish with the movie at the weekend. Obviously, that didn't happen). For now, though, I shall focus fully on the final season — which, as it happens, picks up four years after the last series. Neat.
[Watch the whole series (again) on iPlayer or Netflix.]
Video Games
Monument Valley
Forgotten Shores
Stopped parcelling it out and just finished the last four levels. While the base game was neat, it got repetitive. After that experience, I expected Forgotten Shores to just add more levels — but no, it does clever stuff with the mechanics, becoming more surprising and often more challenging in the process. In other words, it finally delivered what I'd hoped for from the original game. Hurrah!
Forgotten Shores
Stopped parcelling it out and just finished the last four levels. While the base game was neat, it got repetitive. After that experience, I expected Forgotten Shores to just add more levels — but no, it does clever stuff with the mechanics, becoming more surprising and often more challenging in the process. In other words, it finally delivered what I'd hoped for from the original game. Hurrah!
Wednesday, 18 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
Leveling Up The Soldier Table | Lvl 3 to Lvl 4
I missed that this video was released before episode 10 (I assumed it was after episode 11, when the Soldiers table wrapped up their arc). Well, I can't go back in time and watch it at the appropriate point, so here will have to do.
[Watch it free on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon.]
Leveling Up The Soldier Table | Lvl 3 to Lvl 4
I missed that this video was released before episode 10 (I assumed it was after episode 11, when the Soldiers table wrapped up their arc). Well, I can't go back in time and watch it at the appropriate point, so here will have to do.
[Watch it free on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon.]
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
I acquired my second plot of land to build a house yesterday, and today set about building and decorating it... and did just that (which also includes pinging around the map to pick up and buy supplies — it takes a lot of raw materials to build these places) for an hour and three-quarters!
I've avoided games like Stardew Valley because I didn't see the appeal of farming and crafting and all that in a game, but look at me in Skyrim! Though it's less that I enjoy it, more that I want the end result. It does feel kinda like a waste of time to have spent one long play session on it. Same when I finish construction or buy a vacant house and then have to think about filling it with 'trophies' (i.e. weapons and armour I've looted/crafted that look good). If there was a way you could dump stuff in a location and auto-decorate, I'd definitely prefer that.
I acquired my second plot of land to build a house yesterday, and today set about building and decorating it... and did just that (which also includes pinging around the map to pick up and buy supplies — it takes a lot of raw materials to build these places) for an hour and three-quarters!
I've avoided games like Stardew Valley because I didn't see the appeal of farming and crafting and all that in a game, but look at me in Skyrim! Though it's less that I enjoy it, more that I want the end result. It does feel kinda like a waste of time to have spent one long play session on it. Same when I finish construction or buy a vacant house and then have to think about filling it with 'trophies' (i.e. weapons and armour I've looted/crafted that look good). If there was a way you could dump stuff in a location and auto-decorate, I'd definitely prefer that.
Articles
Crimson Desert review: The Forza Horizon of action RPGs
by Mollie Taylor (from PC Gamer)
Even though I'm 'back into' gaming now, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to new releases — I've got a couple of decades of stuff to catch up on, and a 600-game backlog (and several hundred more wishlisted) because of it — but there's so much hype around this one, I had to at least get some idea of whether it's going to live up to expectations or not.
Based on this, I think the jury's out — and might be for some time: the game's so huge and packed with variety, it's going to be a while before people see enough of it to form final opinions, I think. Which is fine by me — if it's good, maybe I'll buy it on sale in three or four or five years.
by Mollie Taylor (from PC Gamer)
Even though I'm 'back into' gaming now, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to new releases — I've got a couple of decades of stuff to catch up on, and a 600-game backlog (and several hundred more wishlisted) because of it — but there's so much hype around this one, I had to at least get some idea of whether it's going to live up to expectations or not.
Based on this, I think the jury's out — and might be for some time: the game's so huge and packed with variety, it's going to be a while before people see enough of it to form final opinions, I think. Which is fine by me — if it's good, maybe I'll buy it on sale in three or four or five years.
Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Video Games
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
I didn't exactly intend to take a week and a day off from Skyrim, but life got in the way. It was probably good to have a bit of a pause, though. That said, I almost didn't even load it because I still wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do; but then I made some decisions, did a quest (one that I found particularly enjoyable, to boot), and made some good progress. The hour-and-a-half I played for flew by! Well, when doesn't it?
My backlog of 600+ games thinks I should find more time to play other stuff as well, though.
I didn't exactly intend to take a week and a day off from Skyrim, but life got in the way. It was probably good to have a bit of a pause, though. That said, I almost didn't even load it because I still wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do; but then I made some decisions, did a quest (one that I found particularly enjoyable, to boot), and made some good progress. The hour-and-a-half I played for flew by! Well, when doesn't it?
My backlog of 600+ games thinks I should find more time to play other stuff as well, though.
Monday, 16 March 2026
TV
The 98th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars... the remainder of them, anyway. It was an above-average (but maybe not exceptional) ceremony this year. Some of the gags and skits landed; others really didn't. Winners felt well-deserved, although there were no big surprises. Same with the speeches, which were generally good but I don't know if many really stood out. In terms of truly memorable moments, perhaps the first female Best Cinematography winner, and the tribute to Rob Reiner.
[Watch a selection of Oscars-related programmes and films on ITVX.]
Black Doves
1x05 The Cost of It All
1x06 In the Bleak Midwinter [season finale]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x74 Week 15: Thursday
9x75 Week 15: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x08 Wildfire
7x09 The Kiss
aka the Oscars... the remainder of them, anyway. It was an above-average (but maybe not exceptional) ceremony this year. Some of the gags and skits landed; others really didn't. Winners felt well-deserved, although there were no big surprises. Same with the speeches, which were generally good but I don't know if many really stood out. In terms of truly memorable moments, perhaps the first female Best Cinematography winner, and the tribute to Rob Reiner.
[Watch a selection of Oscars-related programmes and films on ITVX.]
Black Doves
1x05 The Cost of It All
1x06 In the Bleak Midwinter [season finale]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x74 Week 15: Thursday
9x75 Week 15: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
The Rookie
7x08 Wildfire
7x09 The Kiss
Sunday, 15 March 2026
TV
The 98th Annual Academy Awards
aka the Oscars... well, the build-up and the start of them, because the ceremony will continue well into the early hours of tomorrow UK-time.
[Watch a selection of Oscars-related programmes and films on ITVX.]
Black Doves
1x04 Go Bang Time
aka the Oscars... well, the build-up and the start of them, because the ceremony will continue well into the early hours of tomorrow UK-time.
[Watch a selection of Oscars-related programmes and films on ITVX.]
Black Doves
1x04 Go Bang Time
Saturday, 14 March 2026
TV
Black Doves
1x01 To Love Then
1x02 A Little Black Dove
1x03 The Coming Night
How I Met Your Mother
1x16 Cupcake [2nd watch]
Poker Face
2x05 Hometown Hero
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x71 Week 15: Monday
9x72 Week 15: Tuesday
9x73 Week 15: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
1x01 To Love Then
1x02 A Little Black Dove
1x03 The Coming Night
How I Met Your Mother
1x16 Cupcake [2nd watch]
Poker Face
2x05 Hometown Hero
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x71 Week 15: Monday
9x72 Week 15: Tuesday
9x73 Week 15: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Most of the stuff from Rarewaves I mentioned last week turned up this week (though only towards the end). It included a couple of DVD-to-BD upgrades and a couple of BD-to-4K upgrades, which would have slightly masked the total of new acquisitions anyway... but then the Doctor Who Season 21 Blu-ray turned up and threw the whole thing for a loop.
I've mentioned before that The Collection (as the classic Doctor Who Blu-ray range is called) had passed a tipping point in terms of upgrading DVDs. Early titles didn't necessarily replace all DVDs they 'should' have, due to moved special features or stories being in cross-era box sets. But as the range pushes well into its second half, more and more of those are finally being ticked off too. In the end, this single set replaces six previous ones, including two of those chunky mutli-era box sets. Plus, I noticed one story that had been upgraded by a previous season but I'd not removed.
All in all, despite having added 8 titles to my collection this week, the numbers go like this...
Number of titles in collection: 3,667 [down 2]
Of which DVDs: 966 [down 8]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,701 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 513 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 8,810 [down 1]
Number of films: 4,714 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,132 [down 31]
Number of short films: 1,284 [up 2]
A rare week where every stat changes, too!
See you for something more normal next week, faithful reader.
Most of the stuff from Rarewaves I mentioned last week turned up this week (though only towards the end). It included a couple of DVD-to-BD upgrades and a couple of BD-to-4K upgrades, which would have slightly masked the total of new acquisitions anyway... but then the Doctor Who Season 21 Blu-ray turned up and threw the whole thing for a loop.
I've mentioned before that The Collection (as the classic Doctor Who Blu-ray range is called) had passed a tipping point in terms of upgrading DVDs. Early titles didn't necessarily replace all DVDs they 'should' have, due to moved special features or stories being in cross-era box sets. But as the range pushes well into its second half, more and more of those are finally being ticked off too. In the end, this single set replaces six previous ones, including two of those chunky mutli-era box sets. Plus, I noticed one story that had been upgraded by a previous season but I'd not removed.
All in all, despite having added 8 titles to my collection this week, the numbers go like this...
Number of titles in collection: 3,667 [down 2]
Of which DVDs: 966 [down 8]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,701 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 513 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 8,810 [down 1]
Number of films: 4,714 [up 2]
Number of additional cuts: 487 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 10,132 [down 31]
Number of short films: 1,284 [up 2]
A rare week where every stat changes, too!
See you for something more normal next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 13 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x10 Blood for Blood [remainder]
I mean, I say "remainder" — this session was split in two across this episode and the next (I don't think it was officially confirmed that it was one session, but it seems pretty clear based on edited inserts for the break and ending, and the fact there was no Cooldown for this episode).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x68 Week 14: Wednesday
9x69 Week 14: Thursday
9x70 Week 14: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
4x10 Blood for Blood [remainder]
I mean, I say "remainder" — this session was split in two across this episode and the next (I don't think it was officially confirmed that it was one session, but it seems pretty clear based on edited inserts for the break and ending, and the fact there was no Cooldown for this episode).
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
9x68 Week 14: Wednesday
9x69 Week 14: Thursday
9x70 Week 14: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday, 12 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x10 Blood for Blood [1st hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
4x10 Blood for Blood [1st hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Video Games
Monument Valley
Forgotten Shores
This expansion introduces so many new ideas, mechanics, and variations, it really delivers what I wanted the base game to evolve into. Thank goodness it was bundled with the version Epic gave away, because I doubt I would've bothered to buy it on the strength of just the original levels.
Forgotten Shores
This expansion introduces so many new ideas, mechanics, and variations, it really delivers what I wanted the base game to evolve into. Thank goodness it was bundled with the version Epic gave away, because I doubt I would've bothered to buy it on the strength of just the original levels.
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x09 To the Hounds! [4th hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Campaign 4, Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
4x09 To the Hounds! [4th hour]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Critical Role Cooldown
Campaign 4, Episode 9
[Watch it (again) on Beacon.]
Monday, 9 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x09 To the Hounds! [2nd & 3rd hours]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
4x09 To the Hounds! [2nd & 3rd hours]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Video Games
DOOM Eternal
So, I was checking out GeForce NOW on my Steam Deck when I was surprised to see I supposedly owned this game. It's via Xbox for PC and, after some investigating, turns out I must have redeemed it when it was free from Prime Gaming in October 2024 and then completely forgotten about it. Anyway, I was there to see how well GFN worked, so this seemed as good a game to try as any because I was curious if it would even run (because I didn't remember owning it, I thought it must be some mistake — I did my investigating after that, obv).
After sitting through GFN's ads and navigating the confusing menus once in the game, I started the tutorial... and got bored with it before that was even over. I want to run around and shoot stuff in a DOOM game, not have to learn various systems for jumping and climbing and how to kill enemies in super special ways to replenish health and blah blah blah blah blah.
GFN tells me I lasted 12 minutes. I doubt I'll be back.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Popped on to just do a couple of quick things... of course, I ended up playing for 45 minutes (short by my standards), but I did achieve what I set out to do and witnessed a rare event and semi-randomly had a crack at an encounter I've failed two or three times at lower levels, and this time beat it. Hurrah!
So, I was checking out GeForce NOW on my Steam Deck when I was surprised to see I supposedly owned this game. It's via Xbox for PC and, after some investigating, turns out I must have redeemed it when it was free from Prime Gaming in October 2024 and then completely forgotten about it. Anyway, I was there to see how well GFN worked, so this seemed as good a game to try as any because I was curious if it would even run (because I didn't remember owning it, I thought it must be some mistake — I did my investigating after that, obv).
After sitting through GFN's ads and navigating the confusing menus once in the game, I started the tutorial... and got bored with it before that was even over. I want to run around and shoot stuff in a DOOM game, not have to learn various systems for jumping and climbing and how to kill enemies in super special ways to replenish health and blah blah blah blah blah.
GFN tells me I lasted 12 minutes. I doubt I'll be back.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Popped on to just do a couple of quick things... of course, I ended up playing for 45 minutes (short by my standards), but I did achieve what I set out to do and witnessed a rare event and semi-randomly had a crack at an encounter I've failed two or three times at lower levels, and this time beat it. Hurrah!
Sunday, 8 March 2026
TV
Critical Role
4x09 To the Hounds! [1st hour]
Having not watched any Critical Role since mid-December (January was my first CR-free month since February 2024) due to personal time constraints, I'm now terribly behind (the most recent episode is 17, which means I have 32½ hours of viewing to catch up — even before you count Cooldown and the first episode of their new periodic talk show, Tale Gate, which together add another 4 hours and change). Even worse than that was the memory challenge to get my bearings on what was going on. Thankfully they still do recaps at the start of the episode proper, but the cold open was borderline baffling!
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or for subscribers on Beacon or Twitch.]
Video Games
Monument Valley
Forgotten Shores
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
This is a strange... game? It's not really a game. I feel like I'm missing something. Possibly "the joke". Though, from what I can tell from a quick bit of interneting, there really is nothing to it. Except naming the different ducks. That's kinda fun, coming up with good names.
Forgotten Shores
Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
This is a strange... game? It's not really a game. I feel like I'm missing something. Possibly "the joke". Though, from what I can tell from a quick bit of interneting, there really is nothing to it. Except naming the different ducks. That's kinda fun, coming up with good names.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
With the start of the month falling in the middle of last weekend, my regular monthly posts on 100Films.co.uk have been split in two (again). But hey, at least that means I'm currently doing two of these 'weekly' posts each month!
Anyway, this week's one and only post was my 'failures' from February...
More next Sunday? Anything's possible.
Anyway, this week's one and only post was my 'failures' from February...
More next Sunday? Anything's possible.
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