First Celebrity Crushes?

I was talking to my good friend Luke recently, about Sandra Bullock as prompted by my recent post here as I recall, and he commented as he has before about my 'celebrity attractions' as he puts it. I think he finds it strange but nearly everyone has a celebrity crush or two, don't they? My wife predictably likes Pitt and DiCaprio and I've had certain favourites for many years now too.

The way people are these days I'm sure I would be called sexist or worse anyway, but it's not about tits and arse. Well, it's certainly not just about that. Personality and/or talent always come into play as well, for me at least. Anyway, my brief conversation with Luke got me thinking: who were my first celebrity crushes?

My Favourite Films - Part 5

Wowzers, super-busy 'holiday' period, then super-busy work, and topped off by an inconvenient period of illness, I'm amazed I got this series of posts finished at all! But here is the last selection of my favourite films. As you've probably noticed by now if you've been following the series, my taste in films is, as my good friend Luke would say, unique. No doubt many film fans would decry the absence of numerous cinematic masterpieces but the simple answer there is - I either haven't seen them yet (particularly some of the older ones) or I just didn't like them, at least not as much as the films I have included.

For example, some films that always populate 'Best Films of All-Time' lists such as Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Citizen Kane, Blade Runner, Spartacus, Raging Bull, Alien, etc... They're all great films, of course, but in the case of most of them, seeing them once was enough. In my opinion, a really great film is one that you want to watch again straight after seeing it as well as thrilling you the first time you see it. That's why I like the films I've included so much. If I'm ever bored, feeling down, or just want to relax, have a drink, and be entertained for a couple of hours, any of them will do the job admirably and have done countless times before, whether watching alone or with friends. So, for (possibly) the final time, here is my selection:

Contact (1997)

I don't normally take chances on a fledgling technology but I bought a DVD player before anyone else I knew. There were only about ten films available on the format at that time and one of the two I bought with my player was Contact, a decision based purely on the fact that it had seemed slightly science-fictiony. Luckily for me it also turned out to be rather good! The rarely-disappointing Jodie Foster stars as Ellie, fascinated by the stars since an early age as urged by her father, and working for SETI as an adult. She spends most of her time searching for extraterrestrial signals and eventually finds one, although its meaning is of course initially unclear. It might sound a bit boring, especially if you've no interest in science, but it's still a top-quality and nicely-paced film. Ms. Foster is great as usual, conveying her passion for her job (life) superbly, and she's got some great support too. I suspect my appreciation for it is partly down to my own interest in astronomy but so what!

My Favourite Films - Part 4

Hooray, the weekend is here again! Things have pretty chaotic in RKS Land of late, what with Christmas, New Year, and some friends who have been staying with us for the last few weeks. Their company has been splendid but sadly they are leaving this weekend. The upshot of this is more free time to spend bumbling around playing old games and writing stuff about them here! Before normal service is resumed though, there's this list of my favourite films to finish off. Here's the penultimate selection:

Kill Bill (2003-2004)

After an explosive start to his career, Tarantino had already impressed his own unique style of film-making upon the world when Kill Bill arrived and rewrote the rules even quicker! Making a 'roaring rampage of revenge' is hardly an original concept but letting this particular director loose in near enough any genre is likely to yield some interesting results, and so it was here from the moment we met 'The Bride' - on her back, pregnant, beaten... and shot in the head. The assailants are of course unseen and introduced one by one over the course of the film(s) along with some of their respective cronies, all of whom end up on the receiving end of The Bride's Blade of Justice. No, it's not a terribly realistic film but who cares when it's done as stylishly as this? I get the impression this is almost exactly the film QT was inventing in his head as he worked shift after shift in his pre-director career as a video store clerk and the result is a nerdgasm of epic proportions, but it's also an absolute riot!

My Favourite Films - Part 3

Well, the festive season is well and truly over now and I'm back at work (not right now of course, that would be inappropriate use of company time!). Accordingly, I was correct, my demeanour has indeed gone downhill this week. Funny that, isn't it?! Oh well, least I've managed to distract myself for a while with another selection of fine film favourites. Behold:

Gladiator (2000)

Despite being a rather hyped, big-name release, I knew little about this film when it was first released. Then, my good friend Luke suggested we go to watch it at the cinema. I was reluctant as I'd already decided I didn't like it. But then I saw it and... crikey, feed me to the lions if it wasn't one of the finest films I'd ever seen! Russell Crowe is of course exceptional as betrayed Roman general, Maximus, but the quality of the rest of the acting is also remarkable. Arguably even more impressive is the sense of spectacle and atmosphere created by Ridley Scott's faultless direction and the rousing soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. Gladiator did more than just win awards and entertain countless millions though - it reinvigorated a long-stagnant genre which made most of the many subsequent offerings possible including the likes of Troy, King Arthur, 300, Kingdom of Heaven, and even Game of Thrones. "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" I certainly am, enormously, every time I watch it... (Top Five Moments here)

My Favourite Films - Part 2

Hello there, I hope you're all enjoying the new year as much as I am so far! This upbeat attitude may have disappeared by next week as I'm still on festive leave from work... for a few more days. Until then, however, I'll continue to spend my free time as I have for the last few days - watching lots of films! Even more than usual in fact, with this series of posts in mind, obviously. To that end, here are my next selections:

Star Wars (1977 - 1983)

Much like the LOTR films in the last post, I tend to regard the Star Wars films collectively as 'old trilogy' and 'new trilogy' and, without getting into another lengthy 'old vs new' debate, it's definitely that of the former I'm including here. And how could anyone around my age not count these films among their favourites? I watched the copies my dad had recorded from the TV probably a hundred times during my youth and never got bored of them. Thinking about it, it's hard to really pinpoint what makes their appeal so enduring; I suppose they just have a perfect blend of spacey action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, and drama, not to mention a hot babe! If I had to pick a favourite of the three, I'd probably go for Return of the Jedi (no, not just because of scantily-clad Leia, although that doesn't hurt), but all three of the original trilogy were and remain tremendously enjoyable no matter how many times I see them.

My Favourite Films - Part 1

I doubt that too many visitors here at Red Parsley have been dropping by since the very start of the blog, but any who have may remember I started it off by posting lists of my very favourite games. However, as much as I may love video games, specifically ones of a 'retroish' nature, they're not the only things I love.

Indeed, I've been an avid fan of films since probably around the same time as I discovered video games - the mid 80's - and this is, initially at least, largely thanks to my dad who's always had a sizeable collection of videos and then DVD's for me to watch at my leisure. I've therefore been planning to make a list of my favourites for some time, and since the 'holiday season' is upon us, now is as good a time as any!

Only because I seem to watch many more films at this time of year than any other though, so I guess I'm in a 'filmy' mood at the moment. Must be the time off work I suppose. Anyway, as with the game lists from all those 500-odd posts ago, the lists are not in a precise order, they're more a general grouping of my faves, but I guess you could call them roughly organised. Here's the first:

The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003)

Call it cheating if you want but I generally count the LOTR films as one looong film, and what a film it is! From the moment it was announced it was said the books couldn't even be filmed. The many Tolkien fans around the world feared the worst, but even the most optimistic of movie-goers surely couldn't have expected anything approaching the film(s) that finally did appear? There are faults, sure - the sense of scale is sometimes a bit lacking for one thing (cough*Rohan*cough), but expectations were shattered nonetheless and we were soon surprised to find approaching eleven hours of the most amazing cinema ever created. The story is well known to most already of course, but the roles were perfectly cast and the sheer effort the production team went to to bring their vision to realisation is truly jaw-dropping. If I was forced to choose between the three 'chapters', I'd probably go for Fellowship as my favourite, but they're all so amazing it's really pointless choosing. In my humble opinion the finest cinematic achievement of all-time.

My Favourite Games - Part 10

And so... we finally reach the end of My Favourite Games. As expected there's lots of games I'm fond of that I couldn't find space for, and I'm sure as Red Parsley wears on there will be many more to consider, and even replace some of the games already here. Nearly all these games come from my younger days and I enjoyed them all in their prime and continue to enjoy them now, but since the purpose of this blog it to help me discover older games I haven't previously played, some new lists will undoubtedly follow. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading my lists as much as I have enjoyed writing them. After a few R3Play-related posts here we'll be back to business as usual. Feedback is always welcome, so feel free to email me or message me on Facebook :)

Wiz 'n' Liz - MegaDrive (1993)

Also released on the Amiga, this frantic platformer is not very well known for some reason, despite receiving decent reviews in its day. That never stopped me from playing it to death on my MD though, and I still do! This is also a good example of how games don't need to be remotely violent to be great fun - aside from a few bosses there's not a single enemy in the whole game! The object is to rescue all the rabbits that were stolen from the amusingly-named planet of Pum. Collecting rabbits releases letters and fruits which can be used to spell out and then mix magic spells, and they release various other items too. There is a huge variety of magic spells, each of which has a different effect - some give you bonuses, some are mini-games, others are just for fun. With fantastic graphics and music, this fast-paced platformer is a criminally under-played gem (which also offers simultaneous two-player action) and I can't stop playing it!

My Favourite Games - Part 9

It looks like the R3Play report will have to wait a day or two, the pictures are a pain in the arse to upload and my opportunities to do so are limited. There's really not a great deal to see anyway, unless you were there and want to see if you can spot yourself! So in the meantime... continuing with My Favourite Games, here's the penultimate list:

Blast Corps - Nintendo 64 (1997)

This was Rare's first game for the N64 and what a start! It would also end up being the first in a long, amazingly successful run for the company on that console which many said rivalled that of Nintendo themselves, and with titles like this on offer it's hard to argue. The premise was simple - a truck with leaking nuclear missiles has been set on a straight path to a safe detonation area. Your job is to demolish everything in its way. Yes, it sounded awesome and happily it played awesome too! Featuring eight unique vehicles custom-built for the express purpose of destroying stuff including three robotic suits, there can't be anyone who didn't enjoy the mayhem offered by this game, and the stages were punctuated by time trial stages which featured yet more vehicles and usually involved a race of some sort. Amazingly playable, superb fun, and a thoroughly unique and brilliant soundtrack too!

My Favourite Games - Part 8

Well, I finally got back from R3Play yesterday evening and what a fantastic event it was! An upcoming post will reveal its wonders including a good few photos, but for now here's the next five games I've bestowed with the honour of appearing in the list of My Favourite Games!

Saturn Bomberman - Saturn (1997)

The Bomberman series is unquestionably one of my favourite series' of all-time and it's almost unanimous that this Saturn-exclusive version is the best. Unlike many who view the Bomberman games exclusively as multi-player games, I personally really enjoy the single player modes on most of them too. The simple pleasure of trapping enemies and blowing them up, gradually powering-up our White Bomber hero, and progressing through the stages is one that I enjoy a lot, and the stages in this release are the most inventive and feature-laden yet. However, no one can question the frenetic fun of a multi-player Bomberman session and this is another area in which SB excels - it's possible to have up to ten players simultaneously battling away here and it's among the most fun that can be had in any game!

My Favourite Games - Part 7

Blimey, it feels like going back to the early days of Red Parsley posting these lists again! Still, I guess I could do with a few easy posts since I'm gearing up for R3Play at the moment (leaving in a few hours - eeek!). Anyone in England, particularly the north-west, could do a lot worse than to check out this giant retro gaming geek-fest! I'll be there along with my good buddy Luke, and I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of Retro Gamer Forumites and Facebook friends there too. It should be an event of special magnificence! Look out for an R3Play-related post here at Red Parsley in the days thereafter. Anyway, on to business... here are the next five of my favourite games!

Fighters Megamix - Saturn (1997)

Rarely have I looked forward to a release like I did this one! Unlike many gamers, I never really warmed to the Virtua Fighter style of combat, but it had its good points, and I did like Fighting Vipers a lot, so imagine my excitement at receiving news of this! The extensive roster of combatants includes all of those from both VF2 and FV and let you fight in the style of either game, and also included a dozen or so secret unlockable characters and multiple play modes, so for its day it was a beat 'em up with a lot of longevity. Despite being fond of Candy (for the obvious reasons), I usually fought as Raxel - who wouldn't enjoy smashing people through walls with a Flying V guitar?! Until Soul Calibur came along, this was the most feature-laden fighting game I'd played and it's still immensely enjoyable.

My Favourite Games - Part 6

Now that Red Parsley has reached 100 posts (hooray!), I figured a good way to start the second set of hundred posts would be the same way as I started the first hundred - by detailing my favourite games! For those who haven't been visiting here for that long, my first five Red Parsley posts each listed five of my all-time favourite games. With the first twenty-five games, I didn't really cover a particularly broad range of systems - a reflection on the machines I grew up with I suppose - and the next twenty-five beginning with this post do little to diversify things. However, considering how many new games and systems writing this blog is gradually exposing me to, I'll finish off my Top 50 over the next few days, then make a whole new Top 50 in the future. I'm sure that list will be far more varied, but for now here are the next five of my old favourites:

Gran Turismo - PlayStation (1998)

There's been a few landmark driving games over the years but I can't remember any that had the impact that Gran Turismo had. Much of the adulation it received initially was earned by the near photo-realistic quality of its action replays, although this always confused me - sure they look good, but it's the game that counts, isn't it? Luckily, this aspect of the game was also ground-breaking in many ways. Featuring masses of real cars, numerous testing circuit-based courses, extensive car customisation options, and lots and lots of competitions, this was a driving game fan's dream come true, and is still the series others aspire to. Many prefer one of the various sequels but this original is the one I always return to, mainly because I've never been too good at 'simulation' driving games but this game lets you keep boosting the power of your car until you're more powerful than your rivals (the sequels brought in BHP limits for races)! My trusty Honda Prelude destroys all!

My Favourite Games - Part 5

It's been a pretty busy last week or so here in RKS Land, so sorry for no posts for a while. I have decided in the intervening days that I should expand my Top 30 Favourite Games to a Top 50. I've simply thought of too many great games that would have to be left out of a Top 30! So, as the five games I'm posting here bring the total so far to 25, I think I'll take a break from the favourite game list for a while and try to establish some of my other planned types of posts. So, tomorrow (hopefully!), will be the first of my silly Top Five lists! In the meantime, here's the next five of my Favourite Games...

Gradius - PC Engine (1991)

Or Nemesis, to use its correct UK title, but I always preferred the Japanese name. Regardless of what you call it, no one can deny the effect it has had on the genre it helped to define. Some say it was the first shoot 'em up to feature power-ups; others claim it was the first to feature end-of-level-bosses. It certainly had unique and creative stages for such an early game. The PC Engine version is my favourite and is almost arcade-perfect. In fact, it even has a whole extra level and an awesome remixed soundtrack! For a while, the Speccy version was the only one that I'd played, and, based on that version, I steered clear of others. However, when I got it for free with my PC Engine, I figured I'd give it another try, and I'm pleased I did! Whilst very tough going, and suffering from a bit of slow-down when things get busy, it's a supremely playable shooter and features lovely crisp graphics, great music, and enough variety and hectic shooting action to keep any fan happy for a good while!

My Favourite Games - Part 4

Wow, these things take longer to write than I thought they would. And to think I was going to post all thirty in one go for my first post! I'm glad I decided to write just five a day (yes I know it hasn't been every day!), hope you're enjoying them (if anyone's even reading this!)...

Galaga '88 - PC Engine (1987)

I've always preferred this series of shooters to other games of the type such as Space Invaders. There are countless versions of Galaxians/Galaga/Gaplus, but few could argue that this PC Engine update isn't the best. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say this is the Engine game I've spent most time playing ever! The fact that my good friend, Luke, gave me the HuCard for free certainly didn't help matters - it's addictive as hell! The graphics are hardly pushing the Engine hardware to its limits, but they are very appealing nonetheless. The sprites are well-defined and colourful, and there are now nice backgrounds too. The Challenging Stages from the original Galaga return here, beginning with an announcement of "That's Galactic Dancin'", and accompanied by some nice music! Anyway, nice presentation aside, it's Galaga, you know what you're getting. Simple, addictive fun. Right up my street!

My Favourite Games - Part 3

Hello, I'm back a day late! I was too tired to post anything yesterday, I had a nice looong sleep for the first time in a while instead! And that means I've just worked, slept, and worked again since last posting, so I don't have anything interesting to say! So, to resume with my favourite games:

Thunder Force 3 - Mega Drive (1990)

Back in my Sega fanboy days, I used to love it when a game like this came along. It would give me more ammunition to use against those who would seek to besmirch the good Sega name, and would almost always overshadow similar efforts on other machines (at least until the SNES came along!). I can fondly recall many arguments with my Amiga fanboy friend at college. Try as he might, he could never convince me that Project X was a patch on this game! I didn't have to argue hard either. Featuring lush graphics, an awesome rocking soundtrack, kick-ass weaponry, big bosses, and eight varied levels (including the awesome lava stage, pictured), there's not really much more a shoot 'em up fan could ask for here. Many people prefer the fourth game in the series, but it's the third title all the way for me. Perhaps my fondness for this game comes from the fact that I rule at it, but there can be no doubting its quality. After all, how many other shooters are so good they have an arcade version made after they come out?

My Favourite Games - Part 2

Well, much of today has been spent in the fruitless pursuit of an obscure Japanese game and an emulator to run it on. I'm starting to think it's impossible to find the combination of desired game rom and the relevant emulator, despite the help of couple of good chaps from Retro Gamer forum. Anyone know how to emulate the Sharp X-1, or the NEC PC-98, or goodness know which other previously unknown 25-year old Japanese computers?! Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure something out!

And so, to continue with the fairly unremarkable list of my favourite games, numbers 6 -10... Behold!

Super Mario World - SNES (1992)

Proclaimed by many to be the greatest platform game of all-time, who am I to argue? After spending all of the preceding generation as a Sega fan-boy, I really didn't want to like this game, but I finally relented and got myself a SNES along with this game, and I was soon converted! Despite looking far less flashy than a certain blue hedgehog's debut on the rival Mega Drive, this game soon proved to me that looks aren't everything! I can still remember the first time I completed it, I was so proud of myself but my parents didn't even care about my achievement! Consisting of a sprawling 96 levels (many of which are secret), I felt justified in being proud of myself too! Despite its size, it never failed to consistently introduce new and creative features either, not least of which was Yoshi, now almost as famous as Mario himself, but the game was just so enjoyable to play through, and has so many nice touches. Has it ever been bettered? Not in my opinion...

My Favourite Games - Part 1

Welcome!
Hello, and welcome to my long-planned blog! I'm RetroKingSimon (or RKS to my friends). I've been meaning to get around to this for over a year now, and I've been meaning to make a replacement for the website I used to have with my good friend, Luke, for even longer. This blog is the start, and will eventually lead to my full website, and I hope to keep the two running side-by-side.

Some of my many interests include retro videogames, movies, and anime, but I have been complacent in the pursuit of these interests for quite some time now, especially since I've been married. This blog is my attempt to make amends, and will offer the opportunity/excuse to sample some of the best, and no doubt worst, these subjects have to offer, including some that I've been meaning to try for many years, and will also allow me to re-evaluate some old favourites that should perhaps be better consigned to fondly-recalled memories.

In addition, I have a curious fondness for making random, and often nonsensical 'Top Five' lists, often with the help of Luke. These will also form part of my tomfoolery here, and are just for fun. Any of you that read these musings, I encourage you to make comments or let me know what you think, good or bad, but trolls and other hateful rapscallions can direct your bilge elsewhere. :)

Anyway, to mark my first post here, I thought it might be prudent to list my favourite games. There are 30 here, though I like many more of course, and with the exception of the first one, they are in no particular order. I will post five a day for the next 6 days...

Star Control 2 - 3DO (1994)

My favourite videogame of all-time? Without question! Not many sci-fi TV shows or films even have a story as engrossing as this game! It's an epic space adventure game where, controlling a large, but weak starship, you must wander the galaxy searching for artefacts, forging alliances with or fighting against the many alien races, gathering resources, and building a fleet with which to take on the evil Ur-Quan Heirachy who have enslaved Earth and several other worlds. Featuring hectic real-time battles, hours of speech, and countless things to do, it's a sci-fi game that has everything. You even get to score with a green-skinned alien girly for goodness sake! The best thing of all about this game is that you can download a conversion of the 3DO game for nothing and play it on any modern PC. Get it here (the game has had a name change though, it's now called Ur-Quan Masters).