New Inkpen Site Launches!

Hi everyone, just a quick post to let you know that I've finally finished my new design website (yes, that's why I've been a little neglectful of my blog lately). Head on over to www.inkpen-design.com and let me know what you think!

Why Don't You Own: R-Type Final?

There are few certainties in life; death, taxes, continual FIFA updates and the unceasing plunge of the videogame industry into the murky waters of pop culture, homogenisation and inevitable mediocrity. Unfortunately, it's this very plunge that will affect the future of games such as R-Type: Final so badly. If, indeed, it hasn't already.

The Perfect 10 Car Garage...

Let's face it, we've all done the 'Dream Garage' thing. You know, "if money was no object, what cars would you buy for your dream garage?" Well, as some of you may know, I'm something of a car fan/junkie/enthusiast/nut/bore/whatever. A dyed in the wool petrolhead. So my list runs to, literally, dozens of cars. But I got thinking, which ones would I choose if I only had room for 10 cars from automotive history? There'd be no point getting anything truly old and rare, because with limited garage space I want to be able to regularly drive everything in there (so no old Bentleys or Mercs, sadly). Same for 4x4s as I never venture off-road (sorry Land Rover fans). Have a read of the conclusions I came to, and let me know what you'd choose in your 10 car garage. I reckon it's an interesting view into someone's personality...

Movie Marathon Reviews

First of all, apologies for my lack of, well, being here for the last few weeks. Life got hectic, work got even more hectic and I simply had no time for blogging. Anyway, I'm here now.

So, this weekend saw Mrs Jim and myself undertake something of a movie marathon as we strove to catch up on the rather large pile of films we've not had chance to watch lately. Were they any good? Did I overdose on popcorn? How quickly did I lose all feeling in my legs? Blast through these super-short reviews to find out!

Review: Tangled

Love them or hate them, there's no denying that, of late, Disney's animated movies (not counting Pixar's output, naturally) have been lacking sparkle in both an artistic and commercial sense.

The relative success of The Frog Princess went some way to redressing the balance; however,  Disney was falling a long way behind Pixar and even Dreamworks in the "movies kids love to watch a few million times in a row" stakes. Thankfully, for those of us that have been wanting the House of Mouse to up its game a little, Tangled (aka 'Rapunzel') can be met with an expansive sigh of relief.

Cannon Fodder Returns!

Yes, you heard it here first, folks. The Amiga classic Cannon Fodder is making a return, thanks to the good folks at Codemasters and GFI! Imagine my surprise when the press release landed in my inbox this morning. Of all the classic Amiga IPs that could be resurrected, this is one of my favourites (someone crack on with Turrican and The Chaos Engine and life will be gravy).

For the uninitiated, you take control of a small band of soldiers and direct them through jungle, desert and arctic campaigns, struggling to keep them alive and progress them through the ranks.