Blogspot

Well, I went to the London Gaming Market last weekend, which I have been anticipating since September (shortly after the website launch lol.) which I went for a lot of game hunting. I would finally complete my set of PS2 games I would love to collect for now, which the last games added were Drakengard 2, Gungrave and Tak and the Power of Juju. So I now, I had my sights on the Dreamcast console. For context, this is a console I always wanted to attain since I was kid or my teens. This is because I would hear so much stories about it if I was from researching online, friends and release which come with it. One of them being Soulcalibur, the second entry of the Soul Edge series (Soul Blade for home releases), which is still locked to the console. Before, you say anything dear reader, yes it was re-released on one point......only for the phones and Xbox Live Arcade for some reason. But never on Playstation Network or even Nintendo E-Shop. For some reason, Namco just hated re-releasing the game. Of course, there was emulation but it wasn't the same experience.

Anyway, enough with that tangent. This was the moment, it was finally decided that the time was now to get myself a Dreamcast console. So, as per usual, as it was only one around from a vendor. I helped myself to the console and took it home with me, as shown with the picture below. I was told it worked and everything was fine. There was one issue! Actually there was multiple. One I didn't have CRT which could be easily fixed using Open Source Scan Convertor (OSSC) which I had for years that already hooked up to the TV. Then I realised due to not using it for a hot minute. I needed a SCART Cable because the box doesn't actually support composite video output. In plain English, the AV cables are worthless!

I was going to use the same component cables I used with the Sony Playstation I've connected already. But those cables are only supported for Sony systems. Also, Dreamcast component cables must be unicorns, because they are impossible to find. I was going to use VGA cables (Dreamcast surprisingly supports it), but I heard it causes a lot of visual issues. So I was left with the SCART cables as the best option. But I had to wait a few days to come over from Ebay shipping.

That must be end right, hahahahaha WRONG! The controller I was given didn't work, so I had to get a new one. I was beginning to think I was scammed, but I kept positive because controllers are easy to replace. So I tried again. Everything seemed fine, with the awesome boot screen and started with one of my favourite sonic game, Sonic Adventure as I always wanted to play how it was definitively played back in 1998.

As mentioned before, everything seemed fine, A-OK right?.....right? If the case, it would actually been the end of this post! As Sonic Adventure had really and mean really bad audio issues. At first I thought it was my SCART cable or my OSSC was damaged. So I tried again. I still audio issues which didn't make sense. Then, I gotten to the biggest culprit. I would try out my other games, Viruta Fighter 3tb and Tomb Raider Chronicles. Then it didn't read the discs at all. My worst fears I have been answered. I GOT BLOODY RIPPED OFF! I would complain but I didn't have the details of the person who sold it, and I can see why now! God dammit!

So I had to take it to the CEX Repair Service which I never used before because after research, it was 100% a disk laser issue. At the moment, I was so mad! But pray to the gods out there, it gets fixed. Not to mention, since I have no DIY console fixing skills. I'm just going to leave it in the hands of others. But at least, I don't have to pay if nothing happens to it.

For the time being, there's a lot of focus drawn to Sony Playstation 2 Modding. I already did the same for the PSP about a month or so ago. So at the same event, I got myself FreeMcBoot Card with M4XISO, it which was a way to give my second PS2 a bit more life, and play it region-free which is a good prospect. I might install OPL (Open PS2 Launcher) to play some homebrew at some point. Even if I'm skilled enough do some PS2 homebrew myself as I love this system a lot.

As I forgot to mention last month due to how packed it was literally! I got to watch two movies which I have been anticapting for a long time. One of them being Tron Ares being huge into franchise with the original, legacy and the short lived tv show. As well as, Chainsaw Man: Reze which adapts the Bomb Girl arc from the manga of the same name. I might write a bit about them in the reviews. But honestly I have been so busy these days, it's been a bit difficult to write these things down. Moreover, working on other personal projects taking up my time. It's not a big deal. However, it would be nice to give this site a bit of life when I get the free time again. This is probably it from me, might even be only post for the month.

So I will see everyone then. Also, the site passed 9000 views! (on Neocities). So thank you so much for keeping interest.

November 16th, 2025

Retrofuge

Hello again, it's not really an update, but I wanted to just post what I have been doing for the last week of October. The week has been pretty good and have been on my break at the current moment. In the meantime, I have been working on a few hobbies of mine and aswell as developing new ones. as someone who's always been getting into video games as evidence from playing Ninja Gaiden 4 and Visions of Mana recently. one hobby that always eluded me is actually the art of game development. Although it was one of the bucket list of things I would want to do anyway I decided to dabble in the Godot engine.

Why the Godot Engine instead of Unity or Unreal? It's actually an engine have been pretty familiar with. So there's that aspect to. Also I like the intuitive nature of it as well as its open source nature, as of the Unity controversy, a lot of support has been made for the 3D side of the engine which I couldn't pass up. It's list of hobbies which always caught my interest. But, like most hobbies, it was a lot of work. The hobby wasn't my first rodeo either as I did start with some small projects back in the 2010s with some smaller games, made with something called Pygame (if you remember that), which has been lost to time.

I got inspired by a few games and fan projects recently, which one of them was Spyro: Crisis in Chronolia by Bunbaroness which was with Spaghetti Spyro Framework in Unreal. It was a very impressive fan effort which embolden to start my own game development journey. But difference is, I'm starting from square one, a lot of videos recommended to start small and learn from there. However, that method doesn't suit me and rather start with something which I'm fond of. So why not start with simple platformer series, Gex? It's really just a base game to practice my skills and nothing really special. Not to mention, I'm not a good programmer, so better late than ever right. The game development is something that has been on-off hobby. But feel like the practice can be done this time. It's all about consistency and finishing at the end of the day. Who knows, this simple test project might evolve into something better. The reviews and general things with the site won't stop. As I'm only aiming to be hobbyist dev nothing professional, it's just a means of exploring passions at the moment. The work done has been pretty basic using the templates and default settings. I'm dreading the programming aspect hahaha. But, this would be a fun experiment.

That's really it, I hope this journey of learning the ropes of hobbyist game development would be a challenging but fun experience. :D

October 30th, 2025

Retrofuge

Not much of a post. I wanted to write that, Ninja Gaiden 4 which was another game that was anticipating for has finally arrived. The bad news, I learnt as of 16th October 2025; the series creator, Tomonbu Itagaki is no longer with us. It was.....very sudden and shocking to say the least. Seeing how much of an icon he was for the not only the fighting game scene, competing with my favourite series Tekken. But also, the mastermind behind the revolutionary hack-n-slash series, next to Devil May Cry. It's very conflicting for me, as an onlooker to his works, with my first exposure being DOA3 for the OG Xbox and recently getting into the Ninja Gaiden series itself. Koei Temco pretty much lost one of its primary figureheads which put the company on the map. Just as it was making its comeback, Itagaki passes away, it's very huge gut punch, even talking to a friend who was huge fanboy of his work, and seeing the euologies across social media. It's very surreal to see, and wasn't really that old too (aged 58), he really had a lot in him.

Even reading his last message was truly sad, as he really felt like he was letting his fans down by going like this. But, honestly it feels like the oppposite, he did hella lot. But sometimes, life can have his methods of getting in the way. I can't get over he didn't live to see the release of his magum opuses

“The flame of my life is finally about to go out.
If this message has been posted, that means the time has come - I am no longer in this world. (This final post has been entrusted to someone dear to me.)
My life was a constant battle. And I kept on winning.
l also caused a lot of trouble along the way.
I take pride in having fought through it all, following my own convictions.
I have no regrets.
I only feel deep sorrow that I couldn't deliver a new work to all my fans.
That's just how it goes.
So it goes.
Tomonobu Itagaki"

Honestly, think despite not always being into his whole catalog, he was a creative really driven by passion. Moreover, being very unapologetic in his approach to artistry, which is something I admire as appericator of the medium. I do think it would encourage me to live life to the fullest. Whatever passions, you have to just have to commit to them and do as much as you can. You never know when your time can run out. As for the Ninja Gaiden 4, it really makes me wonder to the future of Koei Temco. However, do think it's good time to start appericating this series. That being said, rest in peace you legend. Your influence cannot be understated.

Tomonobu Itagaki
April 1st, 1967 - October 16th, 2025
You were a true videogame rockstar.

October 21st, 2025

Retrofuge

Hello there. Long time, no blogpost. Yes, I have skipped the month of September which wasn't really my intention but here we are. It's kinda been a story and half. As when I made this website initally had a lot of spare time due to my work schedule. But, I had to change jobs and had a lot of many transitional periods/growing pains during that process. That led me to moving away from the website, even missing my at least a monthly post of my blog. But, since it's earlier days, it's not much an issue. But, the good news, it wasn't without some work done. Despite, my constant procransination. A lot happened during the month of September and leading a bit up to October. I would just go over them with the respective images below. I will go from the first thing.

While away I have dabbled into the world of PSP softmodding which started with using ARK-loader with homebrew and so on, it was pretty much a fun process. Not to mention, gave a good reason to dust off the old PSP-1000 again, it was really great and can't wait to do more with it. I would love to some homebrew development one day, if the skills I can attain for it.

The month of September was really packed with major game releases, even from the indie game scene. Yes, I heard about the long awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong. Meanwhile, I was looking forward to the next entry of the Dying Light series, which was my favourite zombie games, which is coming from someone who wasn't really huge into the genre that much. I loved original Dying Light, I was a bit let down by the second game. But playing through Dying Light: The Beast, it was major return to form, and Techland really delivered on nearly every facet of the game. I was really having a blast with this, while I haven't completed it. It really looks like 100% playthrough might become a possiblity, but we have to wait and see. In conjunction with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, it's been my picks for the Autumn.

Another quirk, which I never really mentioned, I am pretty much an collector of videogames and manga. When it comes to videogames. The consoles which I mostly collect for was mostly for the Sony Playstation series of consoles. As not only the consoles which holds a lot of nostalgia for myself. Also, it's the only few series of consoles, I got every single iteration for. That being said, in terms of retro games, I was able to pick up the some classic RPG series, starting with the //.Hack RPG series. This brings me back, especially for the 2000s franchise, which I remember growing up with its anime //.Hack SIGN. I would murmurs about the RPG series over the years, but never got around to it. Since, I had the good Open Source Scan Convertor (OSSC) and classic PS2 hooked up, it was a good time to play them, it did cost an hefty price. Thanks to COVID and the retro videogame market. But I couldn't put it down. So I was willing to take the plunge. I can't wait to through these games, Since there was a lot of praises said about them.

The next game was Alundra for the Sony Playstation, which I found at a local CEX which I got on my way to a meet up on the weekend. But, boy I wasn't expecting to see this game in the wild. Usually for games like these, they mostly at local conventions like, the Retro Videogame Market or Comic Con. But for some reason, I was able to stumble across it. You have no idea how much I wanted this game, it was pretty much an series, I wanted in my collection, yes it was an series, sort of. I did have the Alundra 2 for a long time, which is a good game by the way. However, original Alundra was the one I had my eyes on for a good while. Since childhood/teenhood, but being able to have it in my hands was cathrtic, and there's no need for emulation anymore! Yay! That was great.

As for the website updates, you're in luck as I did make some changes to do, I have finally gotten to the The Archive page got it started for the most part, there was a lot more to add. But, I gotten an idea which direction to take it in. Not to mention, there was finally written reviews available. Yes, that one was struggle, my written communication wasn't the best, I would admit getting a bit of help with my writing, as I always been a verbal communciator, and a lot of things don't really translate well into text.

But as a result, the September quota is kinda done, a lot of the things I wanted to do in September wasn't really much of a waste. I know it's really not an obligation to post as much on the website. But, it's personal project which of mine. Not to mention, gives me something to do. Along with other projects I would love to post about in the future (thinking of updating the projects page). It's really good way to share my thoughts and try do something somewhat creative and productive as a hobby I guess. As for the reviews, they would be for Corn Kidz 64, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Hi-Fi Rush. So please check them out, if you have the time. I would try to develop this reviewing style in the future, and see what things can be done with website, as I feel like there is some plans for it which I can't wait to commit to. Hopefully, the next update wouldn't be too long, if so, there will be some smaller blog posts of any happenings, or thoughts to share. As to be honest, there's never enough to talk about.

It might seem like laziness and procrasination. But, I would love to do big updates at points, than just drip feeding all the time. But, seeing how my website development skills are improving. The process might got a lot more quicker and smoother. Anyway, that's it, I will see you guys later. Hopefully, no more month and half long hiatuses.

October 7, 2025

Retrofuge

Ummmm. That was awkward. Gamescom 2025 just happened and they had thier Opening Games Night, which for the most part, I didn't have much interested in. Modern gaming has always been pretty hit and miss for the me as a whole. I couldn't believe it when it happened. Bubsy is actually back. But the game looks good and by the developer of Demon Tides! I would say I'm really excited for this, I have a history with Bubsy games. I always felt like they had so much potential to be good game series. Now, Bubsy 4D is going to be that game, we are so back guys! If you don't mind me, I would be wishlisting it on Steam and GOG I love 3D platformers too much it's criminal, and seeing one of the most infamous examples get a good shot at it is so catharic. Also, it's coming out on Nintendo Switch 1/2, PS5 and Xbox Series X. It looks so great though, can't wait to play it!

August 20th, 2025

Retrofuge

Welp, that's all she wrote folks. This week has been tumtulous to say the least, especially considering the amounts of censorship happening across the board. Spanning from the Online Safety Act, KOSA, Austriala internet censorship, Mastercard and Visa pulling from Steam and Itch.io. So many events have been occurring so quickly, it feels like everyday there's new wave of censorship. Also, as of the 13th August, Youtube would be rolling out ID verification for their viewing their content, under the guise of 'protecting children from harmful content'. But, what makes it jarring they already made Youtube kids and have so many restrictions, which they barely moderate. Now, they have want you have send over your ID to 'verify' your age. The interesting part is, they are going to use AI to 'estimate' based on your viewing habits.

Might I say, with this all this censorship happening, this is has been the most hamfisted way to control others and eliminating free speech, I'm pretty baffled but not as shocked at the same time. How all this really just comes down to bad parenting and lack of moderating browsing habits. It never made sense why this slippery slope of NSFW content and protecting children, is used as means to advocate for censorship. Not to mention, how a lot of people are willing to hand over personal information to browse sites, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of anonymity. I feel like I'm going through facebook syndrome. So many people are so comfortable giving off personal information, so they can do the most basic things. No one likes having a sense of privacy anymore and it's digusting, how many people don't respect their rights. Of course, there has been pushback as shown by fellow internet netizens and some of big tech. But for most part, a lot of individuals are just bending the knee. I know the internet was bad and all. But this is just pathetic to how apathetic the whole world is becoming. This nonsense wouldn't have been happened a decade or so ago, when SOPA and PIPA was nearly rolled out.

But I guess the difference is now, these laws were rolled out behind the public's back with no fanfare. I can see why our governments would do this. But what I'm surprised by is how many people genuinely support this. At this point, why do these inidviduals try to play the anonymous game or even hid behind usernames, if they can't respect their own privacy. The amount of worship, people have for corporations is beyond scary. Considering the fact, a lot of them just care about their bottom line so much, they don't even hide their deciet anymore. The internet is truly dying at this point. At least the surface web as we know it, Web 2.0 was declining for a while. But not like this, it's very clear social media is no longer a place for freedom of expression, and it feels like every day the walls close in more and more.

A lot of this is genuinely exhausting to deal with, to the point even leaving social media for hosting personal websites are for the best. It's so bad, I've seen one video about someone making their own internet protocol to combat the censorsed internet, and now it's being taken down by thier own hosting provider. Not to mention, hearing people criticising the new Youtube update getting forcily buried under the youtube's algothrim. It's truly a mess at the moment. The internet I truly grew up with is dying. If it wasn't for the social media aspects corroding our minds. The mass censorship was truly the nail in the coffin. Yes, not everything is as black and white. But this is too extreme and everyone suffers in the end. But knowing the current state of online affairs, this might become another change, normal people will adapt to, which I hope not. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Wikipedia was getting censored by the UK government, they tried to sue and lost!

At this point, where does this end. Where's the line drawn? The internet was pretty much as free as you can get. Why should it get controlled now, and there's so much invasive AI models, tracking us anyway. This feels very Orewellian's to me. At least we have the indie web as our last safe haven. At this point, going back to basics might be the best option.

Honestly, I'm glad I somewhat made the decision to move off that side of the internet to my own corner. That said, I would probably post more fun things in the future. If there's any time to express yourself, I would encourage joining the indie web. Now, if you don't mind me, I got Battle Royale and some game reviews to work on. :)

August 15th, 2025

Retrofuge

Alright, this is my first post blogpost on this site. All I can say, Yay!, it's finally done, after a few weeks on refreshing myself on learning HTML and CSS, I got at least the V1.0 or, probably v0.5 rather of the website done. I would say, I have been pretty rusty with this skillset as it's been a long time, since I worked on any site on this scale. I'm so used to committing to site builders, I forgot how to build things from the groundup, while it's not the best looking in terms of presentation, I'm pretty sure, I would learn a lot of this as I'm going along. As it's far from finished a lot of more pages I could add. Even down to simple tidbits such as a visitor counter, a jukebox and other miscellanous things which make things more interesting.
However, in it's current state I'm more than satifised and probably got more in the pipeline to go through, it might take a bit of time, since I have been working on this endlessly for 2 weeks now, and I just wanted to come out with something more functional than pretty. I would like to welcome any newcomers to the site, which would get updated with more things over time. I'm pretty excited to go forward and hope you enjoy your stay.

August 11th, 2025

Retrofuge