#2: The Origin of the PCs
#2: The Origin of the PCs
I call you bae, that’s only your title
‘Cause I don’t need no more rivals…
I was away for a few days and it was a break I sorely needed. I did get my ears fixed at last! They weren’t that blocked in the end. I just had a massive ear infection that I was apparently lucky to be able to stand with. I thought I was just being lazy but I was, in fact, massively ill. If that doesn’t sum up the last few years of my life, I don’t know what possibly could.
I also got some great news that will help me to plan for my future. The main thing being that I’ll finally be able to upgrade my PC hardware this summer. I meant to do this in 2020 before…everything happened. There’s some i’s to dot and t’s to cross but we should be underway soon. It’s all very exciting, and also reassuring to know that there is something there for a rainy day. I’ll keep you updated as things progress!
Being away means I missed the Decayed Master version of E3, Summer Games Fest. This is one of the ways I know for certain I’m getting older because I’m actually pretty glad I missed it on the whole. I think there’s more great stuff out there to play than ever, but engaging with industry news and especially the content creator side, there’s definitely an inescapable feeling of circling the drain.
A lot of this, to me, is that many people under the age of 40 have never known a games industry that is noticeably contracting. The “great video game crash of 1983” is at best a curiosity and at worst a meme to these people. They’ve grown up in an age where, due to controversies about violence or lack of productivity and such, they’ve been on the backfoot when it comes to identifying as a video game enjoyer. They feel they’ve been looked down on, whether that’s even true or not. Now that the numbers are down in general, it’s become a thing to lash out at those who they feel are causing the problem. It is, frankly, exhausting and we’re all worse for indulging these temper tantrums. Very few of us have played most of these games so far, and the proof of the pudding, as always, is in the eating. It’s just been a little harder to eat good lately at the big chains, but there’s always new places to sample. (Can you tell I’m hungry while finishing this part?)
Now it’s time for Short Trips, where I talk about what I’ve been vibing with lately:
Doctor Who Season 1 - After a rocky start with the first two episodes, I’m firmly loving Who again for the first time since the latter part of the Capaldi era. Rogue in particular was absolutely brilliant, an instant classic new foil for the Doctor that I hope we see again somehow. My main complaint is a lack of classic villains, but I think this might actually be a strength for the wider audience, as we’ve gotten to see a version of the show run almost purely on new ideas and the charisma of a electrifying new incarnation of the Doctor in Ncuti Gatwa. It’s continuity lite done right, maybe even negative continuity with the introduction of references to long-forgotten elements like the Shalka Doctor. The Beeb has always preached that everything is canon to an extent (now this was to stop parents from having to feel they have to buy every Whoniverse tie-in for their kids but it’s still a noble sentiment) and it’s kinda refreshing in the lore age. You can take the good and leave the bad, what’s important is how the story made you feel, that’s what’s real.
Skybound’s Energon Universe - Over the weekend I read through the trades of the first volumes of Void Rivals and Transformers. Void Rivals is classic Kirkman, lots of sniping between characters, some lampshades being hung, some deep cuts to make you LOL and go WTF in equal measure. It loses a little without the shock value of Jetfire showing up at the end of issue one but it’s still a fun time.
Transformers is easily my comic of the year. Fully deserving of its Eisner nod for Best Continuing Series, this new version of the Robots in Disguise runs purely on vibes, wrestling references and punk rock energy. That’s not to say there’s not deep stuff here, the characterisation of Optimus Prime is the best Prime’s been in decades after a long cross-media period of Flanderisation of his character. Starscream is the most hateable he’s been in a long time, a proper nasty villain. Cruel, spiteful and ultimately a sniveling coward. And of course, we cannot talk about Daniel Warren Johnson’s writing without talking about his incredible art. It leaps off the page, bursting with chaotic energy while also helping to tell the story like only the best of sequential art can. There’s been doom and gloom around Transformers for a little while with the impending cancellation of Earthspark and the vanishing-without-trace of the planned Destiny-like Transformers Reactivate. Between these comics, the very positive (albeit very early) reactions to the upcoming animated movie Transformers One and a refresh for the toyline in 2025, I feel like we’re about to hit an upswing. Now, all we need is a little Energon…and a lot of luck.
Getting back to gaming - Still no major gaming yet, but I managed a few Fortnite games yesterday for the first time since I got sick, and I’ll be starting my playthrough of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on stream this week! It’s been an ordeal getting into a rhythm of streaming again but we take things slow. The gym has taught me patience and to celebrate the small victories, two things I really needed. I have changed a lot, and many tell me I’ve changed for the better even though I often struggle to believe it for myself. The challenge now is getting it across on stream and elsewhere. It’s one I’m glad to be able to take on.
I’ve been SeanShards, and I can do this all day.