January 2020

So here we are. 2020. It feels like an age since I last posted and to be honest, I’ve not had much time to sit down in front of a keyboard outside of work. So, to get me started in the new year, I thought an update on what to expect in the forthcoming twelve months would provide suitable motivation.

Wargaming first and as always, there will be shows to attend. This year, these will be Vapnartak (York) in February, Salute (London) in April, First and Second Partizan’s (Newark) in May and October respectively, Claymore (Edinburgh) in August and possibly Border Reiver (Gateshead) in September. That last one will probably be the most interesting to attend as last year’s show was hobbled by another, larger show on the same weekend. It would be nice to see a better turn out this year, if only to keep a local show going. As for the others, all of them are good shows, with a wide variety of traders as well as demo and participation games. No doubt money will be spent throughout the year at each show and it’s always interesting to see what kit appears on the tables as well as catch up with some familiar faces.

On a gaming level, there will be the usual semi-regular meet ups of the TWATS. I may also get the boat load of Cruel Seas plastics (see what I did there) assembled and painted but let’s not get too excited just yet. Many a promise has been made in the past about actually getting stuff on the table. I also want to get my hand in on some plastic kit construction so I may end up putting some very sorry looking Airfix kit pics on the blog at some point. 

Videogames next and 2020 promises the release of new hardware from both Sony and Microsoft. This should be something to look forward to and, to a degree, I am, but that feeling is tempered by a growing lack of time to actually play videogames. I will probably buy the next-gen X-Box (it’s been a format of choice since the first X-Box and Halo: Combat Evolved), but will probably give the PS5 a miss until I get a proper idea of whether there are any format exclusives that might warrant a purchase. Alas, unlike the PS4, there is no Uncharted game on the horizon. In the meantime, the X-Box One and Nintendo Switch are getting some attention, more the latter than the former as it really is a handy portable system to have. Without even mentioning new games though, I'll probably spend most of this year trying to clear the backlog of titles that has built up over the past few months. 

Computing next, and I plan to dabble more in using Risc OS as an alternative to Windows. The aim this year is to shift more of my regular computing needs to the former platform and see what works and what doesn't. There are, admittedly, issues and limitations that I will discuss as time passes but I like Risc OS. I like the way it works and I love the drag and drop simplicity, as well as that menu button. I’ll expand on this later but it is going to be an intellectual exercise as well as a practical one. Even though Risc OS is a niche operating system, there is still a very active community and a sense of purpose, something akin to that of the still extant Amiga OS format. Plus there are some great games (and serious software titles) that are unique to the RiscOS world that really shouldn't be missed.

Retrovideogamer.co.uk remains a nice little side project for me and one that I will continue to provide retro reviews for as long as they’ll have me. After concentrating on the 3DO for a while, I’ll be shifting to other formats for a bit but will return to that under-appreciated 32-bit machine as well. Have a gander here if retro video games is of interest. If you have any titles that you want me to look at, you can leave a comment here or get in touch via Twitter here. There will be some retro stuff also appearing on this blog as well, content that I don't think will fit into RVG's remit.

Another side project is “Then There Were Two”, an irreverent podcast starring myself and Mr Eddie Carter of Attention Please infamy. With six episodes out now, we’re getting pretty good at the monthly release cadence and 2020 should see another twelve or so episodes hit iTunes (search for eddieap under Comedy) and PodBean. There is also a Facebook page here. I might even get to promoting the damn thing as well…

Then there is this blog. Lacking attention recently, I am thinking that the (frankly daft) plan of three posts per month was too much to keep up with, especially towards the end of the year. I’ll still be posting as and when, about hobbies, interests, games, films, TV shows, books and other ephemera, but without the self-imposed pressure to put stuff out regularly.

As for down time, well, when not doing any of the above, this year should bring some good TV shows (Star Trek Picard, new seasons of The Boys, The Umbrella Academy, Titans, Star Trek Discovery to name a few). Over the past month, my good lady and I have managed to catch up with the excellent second season of Lost in Space (here’s hoping for a third), the brilliant The Witcher (due back in 2021) and, in my humble opinion, the best sci-fi show out there at the moment, The Expanse, season 4. A fifth season is filming now and I am very excited for where the story will go for this one.

And that’s it, a quick summary of the year to come. If you have any comments or suggestions, I welcome them and if you’re on Twitter, you can follow and contact me here.

And by the way, by my counting, this was my 100th post. Huzzah!!!