2021 - Different year, same old sh... enanigans.

Lasting approximately 58 months, 2020 has finally ended and here we are in the "sunlit uplands of 2021". Well, we're in 2021, though I feel "sunlit uplands" is complete bollocks, much like it sounds when any politician utters that phrase. Still, a new year and this blog continues. No grandiose waffle here, just the same random selection of reviews, opinion pieces and typo-filled bollocks you come to know and, for some of you, read. So what does 2021 hold for fans of the TIT?

Starting with video games and I might eventually get round to adding some console game reviews that are not a good fit for Retrovideogamer.co.uk - so Xbox 360,  Playstation 2 and the Evercade. For earlier systems, I'll still be posting regular reviews on that site and may actually veer away from the 3DO, a lovely little system that doesn't half have some distinctly average and crap games. 

There will be some more gaming related book reviews, certainly two more in the next month or so. I also hope to receive a trickle of books supported via Kickstarter: Legends of 16-bit Game Development, Sierra Collector's Quest, Dreamcast: Year Two and From Vultures to Vampires. Touch wood, I have not had a bad experience using Kickstarter as of yet and the signs are positive for each of the above projects. I'll also be slowly adding to my collection of titles from Bitmap Books as funds permit and I'll be posting about these as and when they are purchased.

I'll be posting some thoughts on Microsoft's Games Pass service as well as another, non-gaming digital subscription service in the near future, and, when it is released, a review of the Intellivision Amico, a new games console due for launch in April 2021. It'll never trouble the three main manufacturers but I like the idea behind it and the focus on social gaming in the living room. As noted above, the Evercade will be an on-going subject with two new cartridges (#15 Jaleco Collection 1 and #16 Piko Interactive 2) already pre-ordered. The three remaining announced carts (#17 Indie Heroes Collection 1, #18 Worms Collection 1 and #19 Codemasters Collection 1) will be ordered as and when they can be.

Alternative computing was a fun topic throughout 2020 and there will be more on computing, namely RISC OS, Linux, Amiga OS and Mac OS as the year progresses - though I shall refrain from commenting any more on the Cloverleaf Project, as I feel that subject has run its course. I'll continue to post about the niche magazines that I have subscribed to: Archive for RISC OS and Amiga Attack for the Amiga. I also hope to get back into using the Classic Amiga OS, probably via emulation, though if funds permit, I would really like an FPGA-based system which would be a cool option. 

There will be more "Was That Film Really That Bad???" sprinkled throughout the year, as there turned out  to be far more candidates for this feature than I realised at first. And besides, there are some cheesy classics still to be ripped apart  commented upon.

Wargaming was pretty much a forgotten topic in 2020, with my last post even mentioning wargaming being a report on the York show all the way back in February. Since there is no sign of shows being even considered until the second half of 2021, it looks to be a quiet year on that front again. I might get some painting done to my silver mountain but that's not a statement of intent. Neither is the intent set in stone for the model kit making I started when the lockdown first hit way back when. Some day, we merry band of TWATS will re-unite for a pub based game and no doubt you will hear about it on here or on Andy's blog, Glorious Little Soldiers.

My good lady and I have enjoyed the SnackSurprise boxes that we signed up to in 2020 and, with the selections coming across rather nicely at the back end of the year, this is something we are continuing into the new year. Expect the usual monthly cadence for these.

That about covers the main topics, but that doesn't mean there won't be the odd random topic here and there, just to mix things up a little. Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy writing them.

The State of the Blog (and what a state it is too...)

Since we are now into the second half of 2019, I thought it appropriate to provide an update on what's going on with this blog as well as other projects I am involved with.

At the beginning of the year, I set myself a target of three to four posts per month, obviously depending upon having something to write about. Whilst the cadence of posts hasn't been entirely predictable, I've hit that three per month target in every month except May, so I'm pretty happy with that. There have, however, been a couple of other things that have taken up time which has, to a degree, slowed down my posting here.

First up is Then There Were Two, a podcast featuring myself and Eddie Carter of Attention Please, Across the Pond (search Facebook for AttentionPlease1976 for both of those shows), All The Time I Was Listening To My Own Wall Of Sound (link here) and Bearded Gentlemen Music (link here) infamy. You can hear the first two episodes here and more will be incoming. We're also on iTunes if you're so inclined (search in podcasts to Then There Were Two. It's the one with the two dodgy fellers on it...) and there is a Facebook page to be found by searching for TTW2NE. The format for these is pretty simple. Around an hour in length, opinion based and containing ramblings of two middle aged bearded gents, Then There Were Two will basically be a talking shop on various topics, one topic per episode. Four have already been recorded and they will be released on a monthly basis. Another recording session is due next week and as each one is released, there'll be an update on the Facebook page.

Spot the podcast - it's the one with the parental advisory.

In addition to TTWT, there is also Retrovideogamer.co.uk. I was asked to provide some retro game reviews a couple of months back and have so far posted four, with more in the works. It's a fun thing to do and not only does it allow me to replay games from yesteryear but it also allows me to develop my reviewing skills as well. My reviews are posted under the name Oystoa77 and if you have any requests for old videogames, have a look at the platforms supported and let me know via this blog or my Twitter handle @andrew_oyston and I'll see what I can do.

Of course, with the podcast and RVG, that has eaten into my spare time a lot but with a bit of careful planning, this shouldn't affect the TIT much and, as I noted above, as long as I have something to write about then I'll be putting it on here. This will include expanding into the other hobbies and interests I have as well as some more in-depth pieces that I can't cover elsewhere but also the occasional op-ed as well. Let's see what the rest of 2019 brings, shall we?