#now you can see the glo up in my art style over the years

[mackycheese]

made some swag for a little rp i did with my friend @utdr

[romancandlemagazine]

An Interview with Wig Worland

If you walked into a WHSmiths during the 1990s, then chances are that you will have seen the high-calibre work of Wig Worland.

As a photographer at seminal skateboard magazines like R.A.D. and Sidewalk, his sharp eye helped capture a relatable world of British skating, a million miles away from sun-drenched California schoolyards.

First question - when did you start taking photos? Was there something that set you off with it?

I started in school when one of the better teachers realised I wasn't going anywhere academically and lent me her camera. I don't think there was anything else I could have done to be honest. I started to assist photographers straight out of school.

How did you end up doing skate photography? What was the camera set-up back then?  

I grew up near an adventure playground. One day in the early ‘80s a quarter pipe with 'Skatopia' written on it appeared there. We would ride our BMX bikes on it. A few weeks later a guy called Wurzel appeared - he literally dropped over the fence.

All of us, including Wurzel, rode bikes for a bit but as the world transformed around us we all got into skateboarding. One of my best friends at the time was London street skating legend Phil Chapman. He let me take pictures of him and I got better at it.

It’s funny how when you're young it just doesn't occur to you that those are the formative years, even though that’s what every older person is saying to you at the time.

My first camera was a Canon FTB with a 24mm lens - I couldn't afford a fisheye lens. I then wasted more time and energy on a 17mm lens. It was really terrible, but I did get my first picture published in RAD using it.

What was that?

A guy called Doc with a chuck on handrail at the bus station in Milton Keynes in an article in R.A.D. in 1990. In the same article came my second and third published picture. It was such a pivotal moment in my life but just like buses, three came along at once.  

Do you remember the first photo you took where you thought, “I’m getting quite good at this”?

Not any single shot, but I think when I got to shoot Manzoori or Channer or Wainwright, I was beginning to shoot people who were making great pictures all the time. The trips back and forth to the lab became less fuelled with anxiety and worry about what I was doing.

So something must have been going right, maybe I knew enough about the dark art of shooting on slide film that I could relax into it. A bit anyway.

The late 80s and early 90s are quite a while ago now. What are some things people forgot about that time?

There was no Instagram! There wasn't anywhere other than the monthly magazines (and of course books) to get any information about anything. It really is odd to say it now because we are all so used to finding anything out that we want to know immediately.

My sister has a theory that technology is making us all more stupid. We simply don't have to retain any information anymore. To get from place to place you don't even need a sense of direction, just flick on 'Waze' or whatever and it tells you where to go.    

How weird was it to be a skater or a rider in the late 80s? Obviously now skating is going through another 'cool wave', but how much stick did you get back then for it?  

We got so much hassle from everybody at the time. It’s ridiculous when you think about how 'cool' it all is now. We didn’t care at all though. We knew what we were doing was way more important than simply school or fashion or T.V. or whatever else our other friends or peers were into. We were involved in making something happen.  

R.A.D. was split fairly evenly between skating and riding. Was there much of a divide at the time? And what were your opinions on the other avenues of raditude?

I'll fully admit it; I went from BMX to skateboard. I was probably a little too young to catch the first wave of skateboarding in the UK. I was six or seven and my mum wouldn't let me have a board, though my best mate at the time had much older brothers so I can claim to have ridden a Logan Earth Ski in the 70s.

By the time BMX hit I was a little more in control of my life. I saved up my lunch money for an entire year so I could buy a Kuwahara ET. My friends and I had so much fun knocking about on those bikes in the 80s — it was amazing. Before I knew it I'd given up BMX 'racing’ and was getting more serious about BMX 'freestyle' (which really is an oxymoron when you stop to think about it).

Within a year or two I had switched to a GT Performer and I was entering freestyle 'contests' and wearing ever more dodgy clothing. Obviously we didn't know it at the time but they really were the formative years of my life.

A good friend from that time, Lee Reynolds moved to California and went on to become a very successful freestyle pro rider with Haro. Back then we all hung out at Mons ramp like one big happy family, and that’s where I started to meet more people.

As BMX started to die, I just moved my attention to skateboarding. There was just so much to get into. You can do way more stuff with a skateboard than a bike! Sorry to the entire BMX community.  

What were you looking at for inspiration back then? Even your early photos had a definite style.

I was looking at BMX Action and BMX Plus from America that would appear periodically in the newsagents near my school. Then Freestylin' and Transworld, and Thrasher when I could find it. Back then Thrasher wasn't quite so appealing — it was half a music magazine with really cheap paper, and was scrappy compared to glossier titles of the day. It’s amazing how Thrasher has outlasted them all.  

I loved Spike and Windy, and, obviously J Grant Britain, but I also really love TLB's pictures. He really was an amazing complete photographer - properly trained and much better than me. Now I have had a chance to see the stuff in the RAD archive, I can't begin to say how amazing it is. It might not have looked all that good in the mag but that was because of the awful print quality. When the book comes out you’ll see what I mean.

R.A.D. faded into the shortly-lived Phat in the early 90s. How did Sidewalk come about?

Andy Horsely and I were doing a magazine called The System during the last days of TLB R.A.D. When R.A.D. was sold to yet another publisher that was out of town, Tim didn’t want to leave London. He thought it was a dead end. By a series of strange occurrences Andy Horsely and I managed to get ourselves in the door at R.A.D. There’s a bit more to this story, but the full version will be in the book hopefully.  

Whereas early skate magazines had their fair share of day-glo high-top fashions and boned-out, high-zoot grabs, Sidewalk had a much more British look. Was this intentional? Or was this just a reflection of the times?

It was absolutely intentional. We wanted it to look like a British skate magazine, and perhaps naively, we wanted it to feature all British people, in Britain. The US skate magazine culture was, and still is, so dominant, but we wanted to showcase the UK.

At the time the world was beginning to see Rowley, Penny and Wainwright but we knew there was so much more. Making an all-British magazine was way more difficult than any of us imagined and I'm not sure how sustainable that idea was (and still is). We tried our very best given the resources we had.

Was there things you wouldn't photograph - maybe dodgy outfits or questionable moves?

We had an unspoken ban on the Benihana at Sidewalk. Ha! I wonder if anyone else would admit to that. Everything else was totally fine. We even put Dan Cates in the mag with all his craziness for heaven’s sake!  

The mid-90s seemed like the real glory days of magazines. They were thick, they came out once a month, they had all sorts of mad stuff in them… and they could all be bought from WHSmiths for a few quid. Why do you reckon there were so many good mags around at this time?

It was really the only way to communicate before the internet really took a grip. Nowadays, you put your tricks up on Instagram and let the world judge you. Back then, we shot the photo, we took it to the lab, and then it was sent off to be printed in cyan, magenta, yellow and black on paper.  

After a lot of fuss and bother, the magazine hit the shelves and the rest of the world could see the moments that I had had all to myself. It really was an incredible moment. I'm not sure I'd go back to it though! It was pretty insular and created some difficult politics. It's probably a bit more democratic now. If you don't like what somebody is doing, you 'unfollow' them and that's that.  

What was a typical day like back in the early Sidewalk days? Was there a typical day?

Probably wake up late and head to the office via the lab, to pick up the film from the previous day. Maybe pet the dog when I got there for a bit. Horse would invariably arrive later than me and we'd get lunch. After looking through some pictures on the light table I'd head out to shoot skaters in various parts of the country.

One day I'd be in Hull, the next in Birmingham and the next in London. It was a pretty insane schedule to be honest.

I’ve said this before in other interviews but I’ll say it again, I hated driving up and down the motorway system in the UK, but I loved the people I met along the way. I really don’t think there was anyone that I didn’t like — it was incredible. A good example of this is driving to Hull, which is a really long way from anywhere. But when I got there, there was Eggy and Banksy and Scott. Amazing people.  

This might be a bit of a camera tech guy question… but imagine I’m stood at the top of that flatbank hip at Radlands and a young Tom Penny is cruising towards me… how do I capture the action? Should I pan? Is my flash mounted on the top of my camera… or on a cable… or on a stand? What film should I use?

If you're at a comp it's best that your flash is mounted on your camera, because if you’re trying to be clever like I was in the 90s trying to use an off-camera flash on a lead (Windy Osborn/Spike Jonze style) you're going to miss a lot of shots. Yes, always pan with the subject if you can, it's just better and I'd use whatever film you can afford. It’s really expensive and you only have 36 to 39 shots depending on how clever, or stupid, your camera is.

If it’s not contest day then spend a little longer on your lighting. But not so long that you forget to shoot the scene, the look of the place and the informal portraits of the skaters. You’ll regret that later on if you don’t shoot that stuff. Ahem…

Sidewalk did a very good job of making some fairly drab looking spots pretty good. That photo of a lad named Cookie gapping from a Carpet Right car park in the rain comes to mind… something like that could easily look pretty depressing in lesser hands. What were your tricks for making these fairly everyday places look decent?

Bring your own sun — a portable flash. Oh, and a little jiggery pokery with the slide film we were using as well. Also, know what you’re doing, and how the film is going to react to the light. Photography is all about various kinds of lies to create the shot you want.

I’m glad you remembered that Cookie shot because it is pretty special. He was such an amazing, positive person. Never mind my photograph, but how did a person stay positive when you had such terrible conditions to skate in! It’s not exactly California.

Pretty much sums up how we should all approach life, the Cookie story...

I don’t know if I’m looking into this too much, but a lot of the Sidewalk stuff celebrated British culture rather than disguise it. I’m not sure where I’m going with this question, but do you think it’s important that people embrace their situation, rather than endlessly dream of California?  

My entire life’s philosophy is to draw out what you can from the place where you are, rather than dreaming that somewhere else has the answer. This ridiculous dreaming is the reason that the air is so polluted these days with people crossing the world on long haul flights to wherever and with people driving from perfectly fine A, to almost certainly nearly the same B.

Of course all this is fine for me to say, I don’t have a car but I live in London where there is a brilliantly sophisticated Public transport system. I grew up in Milton Keynes so it wasn’t a shock to get to California and see the state they’re in, but I truly believe the car has ruined a lot. Not least for our children who can no longer play in the streets primarily because of the number of vehicles on the road. Rant over.  

Haha fair enough. What were some of the hassles of making a magazine back then? Any camera mishaps or blatant errors come to mind?  

Radio slaves were terrible but they still are. That’s the nature of radio waves in a very wet country. There was some dodgy kit but you could usually spot it pretty quickly and pass it on. I did have all my cameras stolen from the boot of my car once which did feel like the end of the world at the time. Grant  Brittain  very  kindly  sent  me  one  of  his  old ��cameras  and  a  fish  eye  to  start  me  off  again  and  Pete  Hellicar  rang  round  all  the  big  names  in  the  industry  in  the  UK  asking  for  donations  to  get  me  started  again. Really  kind,  amazing  people.  

The problems were always with the printers or repro people. Handing over your precious photographs and layouts to people who aren’t as invested in the project shall we say. Having said that, there weren’t that many problems, only ever issues that the editor or I would notice.  

I’d say skate photography fits under the documentary category, but how far would you go to get a better photo? I know moving the occasional rucksack out of shot is fairly commonplace, but I’ve heard stories of photographers carrying around brighter clothes for people to wear so they stand out more.

There are a few skaters who would bring their own brighter clothes for the shoot. Have a look through my shots and see if you can guess who they are for a fun game. I think this is brilliant.

I don't think that skateboard photography is documentary at all. It’s a collaboration between the skateboarder and the photographer to produce the best image they possibly can.

What about the days when nothing happened? Surely there must have been a few afternoons when no one was feeling it, or did the fact you had a big camera bag egg people on a bit? It rains a lot in Britain, I'm sure you've noticed. On those days, if you were lucky, we'd sit about in the local Skateshop. If we were less lucky we'd get caught at the local indoor skate park and wait for the rain to stop. I remember thinking then that I would never get that time back, now of course if I had that time back I would do just the same thing. Amazing days. I'm sure people did feel motivated by having a magazine photographer in town to shoot pictures of them yes, but that just makes me wonder what it's like now? You can literally shoot a picture whenever you like and upload it anywhere.

Do you think these advances in technology have improved skate photography or not?

I would have killed for a digital camera back when I was shooting skateboarding every day. I’d not only have been able to see what I had in terms of stills, but shooting sequences would have had a lot less pressure involved as well. A couple of people have said that seeing the used rolls of bails lining up on the stairs or pavement beside me gave them extra incentive to land the trick, but it made for some pretty heated sessions.

The Chris Oliver kickflip off a bus stop into bank with another drop springs to mind. Fair play to the ginger genius though, he bloody landed it, and he can say he did it on film as well. So, so sick.

Did you enjoy doing sequence shots or was it just a case of documenting the new tech?

I wasn't really interested in shooting sequences to be honest, I always thought that was the job of the video camera. In some ways I wish I stuck with that attitude and concentrated on the style of the skater rather than the high tech that they could put down. I think that would have made for a more interesting back catalogue.  

This is maybe another fairly camera-orientated question, but I’m interested, so the casual readers will have to suffer… you were maybe one of the first skate photographers to push the studio-lighting style out into the real world. What led to this development?

Ollie Barton thinks I was the first to do the studio on the street thing. I guess other people had tried using flash slaves off camera before, but I made it my own. I was the first out there with portable studio flash which had more spread of light than the dedicated flashes made by camera manufactures. I'm sure I was responsible for keeping the Lumedyne brand going for a while. Lumedyne really are the most terrible looking lights that have ever come to market, made from bits bought from Maplin or Radio Shack, but they worked quite well and everybody had them in the early 2000s.

Did setting up multiple flashes in ropey areas ever become a problem?

It's funny you know, I never felt odd about setting up lighting anywhere. If you’re prepared to pop a light out on a dodgy estate then you’re serious about getting something done. I think most people whoever they are respect that, some are even interested in it.

There were a few hairy moments — like a car taking out a light in downtown Stockport while shooting late at night. But the light was in the middle of the street, so that one was on me. Nobody ever picked one up and legged it. Not once, but as I said they don't look expensive so maybe that was enough.  

Maybe a bit of an obvious question, but do you have a favourite photograph you’ve taken? And are there any photos which you wish you took?

As I rather flippantly alluded to earlier, I don’t feel I shot anywhere near enough incidental stuff. I was too interested in making the lighting right to capture the trick perfectly. If I could go back I’d have a point and shoot with me at all times and I’d use it constantly.  

I don’t have a favourite photograph. There are just too many, of so many amazing friends and brilliant talented people. I couldn’t pick one above all others.    

Today it’s easier than ever to take a photograph. Is this good or bad? Has the advent of phone-based camera gadgetry devalued the art (or at least the science) of photography?

No, it hasn't devalued it. Because more people have cameras, more people are interested in photography. If you want to lug around a huge old school view camera to shoot pictures then there are sub-genres of sub-cultures that can more easily facilitate that stuff nowadays. Of course more people think they can do it, but it's still the case that only some people do it well.  

Have you got any wise-words you’d like to add?

No, just enjoy life as best you can. We’re not all going to be famous or millionaires, so don’t believe anyone when they tell you to follow your dreams — real life might conspire to not let you get there. Life just happens to most people.

[orbemnews]

Not Your Pre-Pandemic Las Vegas A decade ago, after a rained-out Thanksgiving desert camping trip with our five kids, my wife, Kristin, and I headed to the nearest available lodging, the now-shuttered Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Watching our brood eat their Thanksgiving meal as cigarette smoke and slot-machine clamor wafted over their cheeseburgers, Kristin and I locked eyes with an unspoken message: We ar­­e the world’s worst parents. We have avoided Las Vegas with the kids since then, but an aborted drive to slushy Aspen this April with three of our heirs caused us to pause in Vegas. At the time, the city was just awakening from its Covid slumber, with mandatory masks and limited capacity in most indoor spaces, traffic so light that cars were drag-racing down the normally packed Strip, and a lingering, troubling question over the whole place: Will this reopening really be safe? But extraordinary things have been happening during this slumber, and while we were only going to spend one night there, we had so much fun that we ended up staying four. At first we spent most of our time in the relative safety of the outdoors, but then we started to relax along with the rest of the city, drowning our hands beneath the ubiquitous liquid sanitizer dispensers, masking up and heading indoors. I knew things had shifted in Sin City when, while maneuvering the minivan through some seemingly dicey neighborhood between Downtown and the Strip, I noted on the back alley wall of a hair salon a striking mural depicting the cult outsider artist Henry Darger’s seven Vivian Girl warriors in their trademark yellow dresses. What were the Vivian Girls doing here? Farther along, Vegas’s ghost-town adult stores, shuttered warehouses and other buildings were also sporting increasingly elaborate murals: a blood-squirting horned lizard spanning half a city block; a dog with an impressively slobbering tongue piloting an open cockpit plane; a colorful phoenix and dragon rising like fireworks from an empty parking lot — all producing collective surprised “Wows!” from inside our minivan. Las Vegas, it seems, is emerging from the Covid crisis as a place of spectacle and creativity, especially outside the air-conditioned gambling ghettos of the Strip. Over the next four days we did a lot of walking, crawling, flying and even railroading, all of it away from the casinos. We explored the Arts District, an area that has gone into hyper drive — so much so that we waited 30 minutes to get into my once “secret” Colombian breakfast joint, Makers & Finders — and wandered along Spring Mountain Road, the hub of the city’s Chinatown, rapidly expanding westward. In the midcentury mecca of East Fremont Street, a $350 million investment by the tech titan Tony Hsieh, who died last year, has produced a boulevard of fantastical art installations, restored buildings and a sculptural playground surrounded by stacked shipping containers converted to boutiques and cafes, all guarded by a giant, fire-spewing, steel praying mantis. “Vegas is going through a cultural renaissance,” a former member of the city’s Arts Commission, Brian “Paco” Alvarez, told me in a recent telephone interview. “A lot of the local culture that comes out of a city with two million unusually creative people didn’t stop during the pandemic.” A mysterious, windowless building The most striking newcomer is Area15, which opened in February in a mysterious, airport-hanger-size, windowless building two miles west of the Strip. Imagine an urban Burning Man mall (indeed, many of the sculptures and installations came from the annual arts festival held in northern Nevada), with some dozen tenants providing everything from virtual reality trips to nonvirtual ax throwing, accompanied by Day-Glo color schemes, electronic music, giant interactive art installations and guests flying overhead on seats attached to ceiling rails. Face masks are currently only mandatory in Area15 for self-identified unvaccinated people, though some of the attractions within still require face masks for everyone. Everywhere, we encountered the constant presence of cleaning attendants spraying and wiping surfaces. On the second floor of Area15’s art riot I met an old acquaintance from New York, Chris Wink, one of the co-founders of the joyously weird Blue Man Group, who was bringing his creative magic to Area15 in the form of a “Psychedelic Art House Meets Carnival Funhouse” called Wink World (adult tickets start at $18). Wink World is centered around six rooms with infinity mirror boxes reflecting Slinkys, plasma balls, fan spinners, Hoberman Spheres and ribbons dancing to an ethereal soundtrack of electronic music, rhythmic chanting and heavy breathing. “I worked on these installations for six years in my living room in New York,” Mr. Wink told me. “I was trying to evoke psychedelic experiences without medicine.” My unmedicated children were transfixed, as if these familiar toys frolicking into eternity were totems to their own personal nirvanas. I’ve never seen them stand so still in front of an art exhibit. Lava-filled caves and artificial lawns Omega Mart (adult admissions start at $45, face mask and temperature check mandatory), the biggest attraction in the complex, lines one side of the complex’s atrium and seemed — at first — to provide a banal respite from Area15’s sensory overload. Along the sale aisles I found Nut Free Salted Peanuts, Gut Monkey Ginger Ale and cans of Camels Implied Chicken Sop. My kids, good campers, immediately ducked into a small demonstration tent erected in the back of the store. They never came out again. A hidden entry brought them through the wall and into a world of artificial lawns, lava-filled caves, drab offices, a desert canyon, locker rooms, a secret bar and other divergent spaces often linked by hidden entrances. “Pull every knob and open every closet you see, Dad,” my daughter, Vivian, breathlessly advised as she whizzed by me for the fourth time in this 52,000-square-foot maze. Created by the renowned Santa Fe artist collective Meow Wolf (the name derived from pulling two random words from a hat during their first meeting), Omega Mart is an amalgamation of some 325 artists’ creations tied together by disparate overlapping story lines which one can follow — or not. For a short time, I tracked the story of the takeover of Omega Mart’s corporate headquarters by a hilariously manipulative New Agey daughter, and then got sidelined into the tale of a teen herbalist leading a rebellion to something else. I have no idea what I experienced other than that Brian Eno composed the music to one of the installations. None of my kids could explain what they experienced either, other than something mind-expanding. If it wasn’t for dinner, we might still be in there. Feasting in Chinatown Dinner! The choices are dizzying and there are now 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in the city. We weren’t going to any of them. Leaving Area15, even the distant lights of the Strip seemed relatively calming. But we were driving the opposite direction, to Chinatown. A decade ago, Chinatown was mainly a small enclave of restaurants and shops behind an ornate red gate overlooking a strip mall called Chinatown Plaza, catering to Vegas’s growing wave of Asian immigrants. Chinatown has now expanded to the far reaches of Spring Mountain Road, a desert Hong Kong of neon signs in Mandarin, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean, advertising restaurants, coffee houses, foot-massage salons and lots of stuff I couldn’t read. Our goal was an unlikely corner of a strip mall, where hides, in the Jones family’s collective opinion, the best Japanese restaurant in North America, Raku. Step behind an understated white backlit sign and you enter an aged wood interior of an intimate restaurant that you might find off a Kyoto alley. We slid into the family-style tables behind the main dining room and commenced to feast. There’s a $100 tasting menu if you are feeling adult, but my tribe ordered cream-like tofu with dried fish, foie gras skewers and a dozen other items. Chinatown became our go-to-spot for snacks and boba tea between adventures. A favorite spot became Pho 90, a low-key Vietnamese cafe with outstanding noodle dishes and exquisitely layered banh mi sandwiches for picnics in the wild. Beyond the city Las Vegas’s expanding grid abruptly surrenders to the desert, which might be the most overlooked part of Vegas family vacations. Red Rock Canyon, 17 miles west of the Strip, is like walking into a Road Runner cartoon with a Technicolor ballet of clashing tectonic formations. We grabbed our admittedly reluctant brood on a 2.4-mile, round-trip hike on the Keystone Thrust Trail through a series of gullies until we emerged above epic white limestone cliffs jutting through the ocher-colored mountains. Here we had our Vietnamese picnic overlooking the monolithic casinos in the distance. Our last night’s excursion into nature didn’t take any persuasion: Half an hour’s drive south to Boulder City, a company called Rail Explorers has set up rail bike tours on the abandoned tracks leading to the Hoover Dam construction site. We booked a sunset tour (from $85 to $150 for a tandem quad bike). After some quick instruction, we, along with three dozen other visitors, climbed into an 800-pound, four-person Korean-made bike rig and, giving the group ahead of us a three-minute head start for some space, started peddling. Our route was along four miles of desert track gently sloping into a narrowing canyon pass. As we effortlessly peddled at 10 miles per hour, we noticed that the spikes holding down the railroad ties were often crooked or missing. “I bet these were all driven in by hand,” my teenage son, Cody, a history buff, noted. In the enveloping dusk, we glimpsed shadows moving along the sagebrush: bighorn sheep, goats and other critters emerging for their nocturnal wanderings. But the most surreal sight was at the end of the ride, where a giant backlit sign for a truck stop casino appeared over a desert butte — Vegas was beckoning us back, but now we welcomed the summons. Here we were, peddling into the sunset, feeling more athletic, cool and (gasp!) enlightened than when we first rolled into Vegas four days ago. Oh what good parents we were! “The moniker of ‘Sin City’ is totally wrong,” Mr. Alvarez told me, “if you know where to look.” Source link Orbem News #Las #prepandemic #Vegas

[vacationsoup]

New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/whats-on-in-bristol-top-tips-may-2019/

What's on in Bristol - Top tips - May 2019

What’s on in Bristol - We have a jammed packed May ahead of us.  Here are some of my personal favorites.

Fun things to do Bristol

BADMINTON HORSE TRIALS – 1st May – 5th May 2019

  Staged within the beautiful grounds of the Badminton Estate in South Gloucestershire this top-level equestrian sports Weekend kicks off on Wednesday 1st May, where visitors can browse over 500 trade stands in the vast shopping village.  Exhibitors cover all shopping tastes, from Animal & Pet Feed, Art, Books, Toys and Country clothing to all equestrian needs and even Garden Equipment & Machinery.  You can also explore the grounds and stroll along the cross country course.  See the Site Plan for Tradestands and Food & Bars.

Thursday and Friday continue with Dressage, Saturday is Cross Country day, famous for its size and level of difficulty and Sunday sees the end of the competition with Showjumping.  See the full timetable.

The annual event attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world.  It offers a great family day out, where children and dogs are welcome.  The weather this year is set to be great, making this amazing weekend something to really look forward to.

Live TV coverage of every day of the Horse Trials will be available around the world via Badminton Livestream. You can also watch the highlights on BBC On demand.

For visitors who will be purchasing tickets at the gate please follow appropriate AA Signage from Stroud, Cirencester, Chippenham or the M4  J15, J17 and J18.  Your satnav system will not take into account the traffic management that will be in place during this event.  For more information visit their WEBSITE

      More fun things to do Bristol

North Somerset Show – 6th May 2019

            The North Somerset Agricultural Show is on the first Bank Holiday Monday in May at Bathing Ponds Fields in Wraxall.  This popular event attracts over 20,000 people and showcases local agriculture, food and farming as well as country crafts and pursuits.  Show stoppers are tractor pulling, livestock showing and horse show jumping.

The show is run by The North Somerset Agricultural Society and was formed out of the North Somerset Ploughing Society in 1840 by a small group of farmers.  Its sole purpose was to further agricultural development by communicating agricultural issues and providing a showpiece to the general public.

Traditionally, the North Somerset Show takes place in May and since the early 1900′s it was held at Ashton Court near Bristol.  In 2002 the Society purchased a 130 acre site in Wraxall near Bristol.  This year is its 160th show.

What to expect – Inside and outside trade stands, with all your country needs including crafts, art, photography, clothing, pet supplies, food halls.  Arena displays including sheep shearing, falconry, dog agility, pony games, motor bike displays.  Vintage Tractor Parade, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Archery, Air Rifle Shooting, Blacksmith Competitions and so much more.

Watch the skillful showing of all farm animals and once the competitions have finished, get up close and see all the different breeds that have been in the competitions.

    HOW TO GET THERE http://www.nsas.org.uk/north-somerset-show/getting-here/ Useful information and Ticket Prices

    Foodie Festival Durham Down – 10th – 12th May 2019

      The UK’s biggest food festival returns to Durham Downs with top chefs and MasterChef winners cooking live, try sweet treats with Bake Off winners and top bakers, sample new wines, champagnes and cocktails, eat delicious street food from around the world, taste new flavours, meet artisan producers, have fun all day with chilli eating competitions and food challenges and live music.

What to expect – Luxury VIP Tent, Street Food, Vintage Cider Tent, Live Music Stage, Healthy Living Show, Cakes and Desserts Theatre, Chefs Theatre, Kids Cookery Theatre, Restaurant Tens and more.

Address – Durdham Downs, Stoke Road, Bristol BS9 1FG - Ticket info

  Children under 12 and dogs are free entry.  Opening times:  Friday 12pm – 9pm, Saturday 11am – 9pm, Sunday 11am – 6pm

    FREE THINGS TO DO BRISTOL

 South Glos Food and Drink FREE Festival – 17th – 19th May 2019

  Returning to the Lawns at Bristol and Bath Science Park in Emersons Green for it’s second year, the festival provides a whole weekend celebrating our two favourite things, food and drink, together with music from local artists.

What to Expect – So many stalls, something for everyone

Food Stalls – Fuffle from Fudgeheaven, the Jerk Yard, in Tents Catering, Thomas Cookie Co, Jethros Marinades and Sauces, Free Range Pies, Flapjackery, Glastonbury Cheese, The Parsons Nose, Rad Burger, Chockshop, Signore Twister, Chanbury’s Woodfired, Dutch Cheeseman, Cohens Sausages, and many more.

Drinks – Hullabaloos Lemonade, Hay Wines Ice Cold Slush, Gillow Cider, English Spirit, Edinburgh Gin, ABK Beer, Cohens Coffee, Cusan Welsh Cream Liqueur, Eccentric Gin, Bubblebird Horsebox Bar, Pulpt, the list goes on and on.

Music – Rock Choir, The Bad Dads, Limited Edition, Richard Friend, The African Sambistas

Read about last year’s festival HERE  

Address - The Lawns of Bristol and Bath Science Park, Dirac Crescent, Emersons Green, Bristol BS16 7FR – Visit the WEBSITE https://southglosfoodfest.co.uk/

Open from 10am – 4pm - Free Entry and Free Parking

      Love Saves the Day – 25th – 26th May 2019

    Love Saves the Day returns to Eastville Park for the 8th time and promises to be even bigger and better than ever.  This year will see several brand new areas showcasing a diverse range of genres and music styles on some of the most ambitious stages builds to date.

The festival started from humble beginnings as a one-day event and has now expanded into an eclectic weekend festival.  New stages have been added showcasing a diverse range of genres and music styles as Love Saves the Day continues with its aims to combine the best of Bristol’s thriving underground scene with pioneering artists across the globe in one buzzing, open space.

The emphasis is on great music but a following from all of the creativity and live entertainment that occurs throughout the festival, expect the spectacular.  Over 300 acts performing across 12 stages, Love Saves the Day’s music line-up is second to none, but the festival has much more to offer, roller skating, ball pits, face painting/ jewelling,  circus acts, fairground rides, displays and food and drink stalls.  Love Saves the Day just keeps getting bigger and better every year.

    See this year's LINEUP

Address – Eastville Park, Muller Road, Bristol BS5 6XA - Opening Times – Saturday 11am – 11pm, Sunday 12pm – 11pm

Ticket and Information

  Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy the content – contact me for further information or visit our Website www.buryhillfarmbristol.com

You may also be interested in the following – Great things to do in Bristol

[lottieandlouise]

how to make it in the beauty industry by lou teasdale

From the death of the make-up artist and the rise of the beauty influencer, to cultural appropriation, contouring and boys who love make-up, Lou Teasdale offers some sage advice for all those looking to break into one of the biggest industries in the world.

A post shared by Lou Teasdale (@louteasdale) on Mar 22, 2017 at 3:05am PDT

Lou Teasedale is the make-up artist with the enviable task of keeping the 1D boys looking beautiful. Starting work in the industry 15 years ago, Lou has become one of glammest and most in demand make-up artists working today. She reflects on a changing industry and offers some tips to help guide you through it…

Everyone always asks me how to break into the make-up industry, what steps I took and what advice I can give. Well, how I did it is useless to all of you now because so much has changed. The old school beauty path vs. the new school beauty path isn't the same, but hopefully I can still help. I started my career 15 years ago, when YouTube was just for watching music videos, and the now editors of British Vogue were writing the first fashion blogs on Myspace. There were no beauty tutorials, and contouring was only taught as theatre make-up.

I went to London College of Fashion and studied Fashion Styling and Make-up before going on to work as an assistant. The beginning of most make-up artists' careers consist of over-priced courses, maybe some time as a counter girl for minimum wage, assisting on shoots that you'll get no money for and living in crappy flats in the city desperately hoping to get a break. But from working as an assistant, I managed to join the X Factor glam team, and from there got taken on by One Direction when they signed a record deal.

Fast-forward to 2017 and with Instagram, YouTube and vlogging it's a brand new industry! This generation of make-up artists are self-taught and self-employed, all from their bedrooms. They are more accurately described as "beauty influencers", and they are walking advertisements for both their skills and the products they are using. Selfie culture has introduced a multitude of faces that can move product. The digitalisation of the beauty industry demands that companies use influencers to create brand awareness and sell their products for them. Social media now dominates how we use and understand beauty and lifestyle. Not only that, beauty influencers have the ability to make serious money through sponsored ad posts. Much like when I started, and had to take assisting jobs for free, in the beginning of your beauty influencer career you need to tag loads of products and use tons of hashtags to get your content noticed. Once your profile begins to get traction, brands begin approaching you. Now, they have truly embraced the idea that girls trust their social media feeds more then they trust celebrity-endorsed adverts.

So the question is, in 2017, how do I become a beauty influencer? Here are some tips and tricks to be social media savvy. 

A post shared by Lou Teasdale (@louteasdale) on Mar 20, 2017 at 1:15pm PDT

Content, content, content... We used to have to go "testing". Shooting in our free time, for nothing. And then the only people who saw those shoots were the people we dragged our portfolios around IRL. Long. How hard is it to be constantly curating some easy beauty content for your followers to consume? Your Instagram, YouTube, vlogs, etc. need to be constantly spitting out vids and cool images. And that's easy compared with how we did it. The more, the better. If anyone tells you less is more, check their followers and I bet they have none. Contour your content and keep a consistent aesthetically pleasing theme on your social media pages. Even down to cleaning your tools, no one wants to see a filthy beauty blender on YouTube.

No trolling... Social media is your beauty community. I use it to meet other make-up artists or assistants on shoots and to keep in touch with everyone... but then it's easy to be super nice to real life people. These days you need to be sending love and emojis back and forth on each others tutorials. Be interactive, follow and support each other. 

A post shared by Lou Teasdale (@louteasdale) on Apr 7, 2017 at 8:38am PDT

Basic bitch problems... Social media has demanded that the industry check themselves before every photo shoot, catwalk or selfie. Ten years ago when images of white girls in cornrows or wearing bindis simply graced the pages of Vogue, the reader was silenced and we, the makers of the content, could produce whatever we wanted. By definition, cultural appropriation is the use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture. And the internet is reminding us stealing from other cultures is just not cool. Culture isn't a fashion statement or a beauty moment for us to use as we please. Make sure your content is not offending anyone please!

Brush up on boyfriend make-up...

Boys have been wearing make-up long before David Bowie transformed into Ziggy Stardust, or KISS ever took to the stage, but it seems recently make-up is finally on the way to becoming totally genderless to society. Images online of guys rocking a smokey eye or a bright pink lip better than you has made make-up on boys the new normal. This is not to be confused with the idea that boys wearing make-up is a hot new trend, it's just refreshing to see the internet and the beauty world breaking another barrier between the genders through exposure. Make-up as an art form should never be left just for girls or famous rockstars, and I truly believe it is because of social media that it is becoming more socially and culturally accepted to see make-up on boys. Finally. So don't be afraid to give your feed some gender-bending glam.

Your next IG selfie make-up how to… Prep and clean your face. Mix in a drop of liquid illuminator with your foundation for dat glo. Apply foundation evenly with a wet beauty blender -- wet it loads then ring it out, these are NOT meant to be used dry! With a darker foundation stick, sharply contour your cheekbones, temples, nose and chin with prominent lines. Blend. Contour those cheekbones one more time. With concealer and setting powder, pack that lighter, brighter colour under your eyes. Also, apply lighter colour under cheekbones and middle of the forehead and down the bridge of the nose. Blend. Liquid highlighter and powder highlighter on tops of cheekbones and tip of your nose. Bit more highlighter. Bit of bronzer. With a good pomade, shape and fill your brows. Now eyes (we've only just started you know). Take a warm, rich red / copper colour and apply all over the lid and buff into the crease. Sweep the red under your waterline as well. Take a true gold pigment and dab the pigment onto the centre of the eyelid, making it the focus point of your eye. Grab some falsies and glue them on for that dramatic lash game, Cheryl Cole's are actually surprisingly good. Finish off with mascara on both your falsies and lower lashes. Use a light-brown liner and liquid lipstick to finish the look.

A post shared by Lou Teasdale (@louteasdale) on Nov 24, 2016 at 8:59am PST

Your next Raya date make-up (no make-up make-up) how to… Prep and clean your face. Cover up any spots (don't panic and pop the big one that grew over night) with concealer. Hold tissue to your bleeding spot because you popped it. Take an elixir and mix it in with your foundation. Apply foundation evenly with a wet beauty blender. Conceal under eyes. Lightly contour your cheekbones with a darker powder or bronzer. Lightly apply highlighter to cheekbones and cupids bow. Fill in eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil. In the crease, blend in a nude taupe colour to define your eyes. Apply a couple layers of mascara. Carefully apply red lip liner, fill in with a matte liquid red lip.

Your next festival look where you won't culturally appropriate how to…. Prep and clean your face (make sure it's water in that bottle, not vodka). Apply a tinted SPF moisturiser all over your face. Lightly fill in brows with a pencil. Grab a red eyeshadow (or red lipstick) with lots of pigment and apply all over the lid and crease and under waterline. Apply an iridescent glitter highlighter generously all over your cheekbones. Apply a couple layers of mascara… red mascara is even better. Put your hair in space buns.

[entergamingxp]

Eurogamer readers’ top 50 games of 2019 • Eurogamer.net

2019 is nearly done, and to put a ribbon on it all we present to you the Eurogamer reader’s top 50 games of the year. Thank you all for your contributions, and for proving once again you’ve all got better taste in gaming than us. Although I’m not quite sure about your take on Fallen Order… Enjoy!

50. Wreckfest

What we said: “A simple no-frills game that’s more Destruction Derby than Flatout, evoking a different era for the racing genre with its no-nonsense approach. Unassuming it may be, but it’s also absolutely wonderful, a knockabout racer that sticks to what Bugbear does best; this is all about cars lunching one another in a variety of events that are tuned towards maximum carnage, and as ever there’s a cathartic joy to be found in seeing fields of pre-loved machinery crumble at your fingertips.”

“Best racing game in years,” writes merf. “More fun than Forza and Gran Turismo and makes every everything Codemasters turn out look pish. Looks amazing, handles like a dream, excellent AI opponents, great post release support, a tuning system that makes sense and a physics system that feels like it needed next generation power to make possible.” Which is all well and good, but they go on to diss Fast & Furious and I’M NOT HAVING THAT.

“One of the best racers of the generation,” says kalel-ofkrypton, “and reminiscent of the favoured racers of previous gens.”

49. Greedfall

What we said: “GreedFall has more than its fair share of faults, and its curious mix of the sweet and the sour is far from a roleplaying revelation. But the elements that matter have been imbued with such love and care – so much so that I quickly forgave this ambitious RPG its shortcomings.”

“Spiders best yet,” says jbumi in what may be damnation with faint praise. “I was thrilled that I was able to get the ending I was aiming for.” “

nicfaz keeps it nice and simple, meanwhile. “Need more like this pls.”

48. Rage 2

What we said: “In its desperation to be edgy and in-your-face, this sequel sometimes falls just as flat as its predecessor, the copious neon pink daubings incapable of concealing its bland, repetitive wasteland and elevate this open-world shooter above its siblings of a similar ilk. But in its quieter moments – usually away from the Goon Squad scrum – you might find glimmers of surprisingly sophisticated storytelling, perhaps hidden in the lines of a datapad, or conveyed by a nameless NPC.”

“The guns are amazing,” says robozot, which says all that needs to be said really.

formulaic had more to say, though: “For the gunplay and the vibrant neon painted world this might be my game of the year, but it got tiring driving round a desert world that largely didn’t live up to the set pieces and enclosed areas within it.”

“A wholly enjoyable slice of post apocalyptic shooty mayhem in a Day-Glo world,” says FortySixerUK. “Hyper violent and fun.” And what more could you really ask for?

47. Sayonara Wild Hearts

What we said: “Sayonara Wild Hearts is such a simple thing but also such a complex thing, such a heartfelt thing. And so dense! Its exuberance is precision, its chaos is sheer choreography. It can reference Panzer Dragoon, Jet Set Radio, Dyad and Thumper while remaining entirely coherent, entirely itself.”

“Sayonara Wild Hearts is 2019’s best pop album game,” writes Dogatella_Verpoochie, and I entirely agree. “It’s a blast to play and listen to.”

46. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (PC)

A belated PC release, topped off with the addition of Reach late in the year which Digital Foundry got stuck into: “it really needs to be better – the legacy of Halo, the quality of Reach itself and the potential from a remaster practically demands it. Preserving games for the future – especially on PC – means replicating them as they were in all the places where it matters, while improving them at the same time based on the scalability of today’s hardware and beyond. Perhaps this may sound overly harsh in some respects, but this is the Halo remaster that will persist for years or even decades to come – and while the foundation is solid overall, there are clearly issues here that need attention.”

“A return to the glory days of gaming when you and your mates actually had time to waste,” says GuiltySpark.

“I hadn’t played a Halo since Reach way back when, so I was curious to see if I would still love them as much as I did,” says Spiderland. “And I did! Particularly Reach, which for one reason or another, I had forgotten everthing about. I feel Reach was the product of a team who had really honed their craft, which makes me ponder all the more as to what Bungie’s Halo 4 would have been like.”

45. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the Necrodancer

What we said: “Cadence is better than great. It’s an authentic banger, frankly – a Zelda game to be savoured. It’s surprising and strange and funny and sad and thrilling. And when it’s over, the game that lives on in your memory really feels like Zelda.”

“Remaking Link’s Awakening was a great success for Nintendo but in the same year Zelda got its greatest spinoff yet,” says wez_316. The original Necrodancer was fun but tough. Cadence was fun but easy. For me that suits rhythm gameplay a lot more as it can be hard to stay in that zone. Now make me an easier Metroid themed adaption of Enter The Gungeon and take my money.”

44. Life is Strange 2

What we said: ” I was left feeling the loss of these two characters as people I had spent the past year checking in on and helping to guide. Like Sean, I felt, I had done all I could to help Daniel – and the brothers’ story finished in a place which felt truthful to them and the story path I took. It was beautiful while it lasted.”

A popular follow-up, though most of you kept to yourself precisely why it got your vote. Dalek5000 had this, though – “The most compelling new game I’ve played this year.”

43. Divinity Original Sin 2 (Switch)

What we said: “Divinity Original Sin 2 on Switch is another ‘impossible port’ made real, thanks to a lot of careful design choices. Flawed as it is, I’m glad this exists, and it’s uncontested as a handheld take on the game. Add in the online save sharing and it’s a very big deal for fans of the desktop experience..”

“I have not played the Switch version…” says vaskis. You cheat! “I played it on my Mac, but it is such an extensive and well polished gem of a CRPG, that it really deserves to be awarded some more awards.”

“I have this on Xbox also but I found it easier to get into on the Switch,” says nee5on, who at least played on the right format. “Second time playing has been so much fun as I now have a feeling for what I’m supposed to be doing. Starting to find the complexity thrilling and liberating. It is a genre of game I’ve always thought I would enjoy if I could get past the learning curve and having been playing games since the early 80s – I feel like I’m finally there.”

42. Yoshi’s Crafted World

What we said: “Yoshi’s Crafted World is a fine achievement. It’s a scrolling platformer with an abundance of style and imagination, and a pleasingly laid-back adventure with an ocean of depth to explore. It is, first and foremost, a work born of mastery and a keen attention to detail. This is a game of impeccable, readily appreciable craft.”

“Is Yoshi about to become the new Kirby in the best way possible?” asks simplymod. “Fair enough, Yoshi’s appearances as the main character are quite a few games shy of what Kirby can offer, but Crafted World is true to the Yoshi Feeling (twentysomething years after Super Mario World 2), brings a new art style to the table, relies on what works but is brave enough to try something new.”

41. Return of the Obra Dinn (Console)

The second appearance in as many years on our list as Obra Dinn came to console, but this is surely a treasure worth returning to: “It is a joy to poke around as the game slowly opens up new spaces. It is a pleasure – and a very harmonious pleasure – to come to an understanding of how different parts of the ship slot together, where people sleep, where they work, where they gather for a game of cards. That powdery white line that draws this bleak world is surprisingly adept at giving a sense of the material reality of the ship – razor sharp on the rarely-used stairs you use to climb aboard, breaking into radar-like speckles when ghosting an outline of waves into life. As your clues mount up and the images in the book become less and less fuzzy, so the world comes into focus. You are not just exploring a place, you are slowly getting a sense for it. What an astonishing game. What an incredible piece of work.”

“The lack of hand holding made this a challenge,” writes Lucidmatt, lucidly, “but the pay off was exceptional.”

“Never got to play it on PC, but it was worth the wait,” says disintegration7. “Totally unique gameplay and artistic style, plus a giant squid!!!” Er, spoilers mate..

40. Blood and Truth

What we said: “It all adds up to a game that is surprisingly charming. Certainly more charming than anything the actual High Ritchieverse has ever mustered. There is a sense of silliness to Blood & Truth that loves the idiotic family drama at the center of the story, that understands that VR is at times a very clumsy business so you’re going to accidentally shoot the person you’re meant to be talking to or shoot yourself in the groin while you’re trying to put your gun away.”

“Runner up for best VR of the year,” says dbvapor. “Sorry, but Ace Combat 7’s VR mode is just that good. Excellent game though, and I look forward to the next one! Reload!”

“This is the sort of polished ‘big game’ I had been waiting for from PSVR,” adds Stepharneo.

39. Kingdom Hearts 3

What we said: “Here’s the thing. Kingdom Hearts should be right up my street: I love Disney, I have a reasonable tolerance for the idiosyncrasies of your typical JRPG, and I enjoyed the second game and Birth By Sleep. I fell hard for the weaponised nostalgia of The Force Awakens and Mary Poppins Returns. So this should really be an open goal. And yet, Yoko Shimomura’s impeccable score notwithstanding (those yearning oboes of the Twilight Town theme always set me off), I remained dry-eyed throughout.”

“A game stuck in development hell that actually turned out quite well,” writes XanderXAJ. “Amazing animation that somehow often matches that of extremely-high budget CG animation — and in real time, too! It also has an amazing soundtrack – and one I had the pleasure of experiencing live at a World of Tres concert earlier this year.”

“It’s one of two games from this year I’ve really bothered to give a go,” says Solegor. “Not because there are terrible games this year, but because I’m still clearing my backlog. While KH3 is far from perfect, it’s still gorgeous to look at and at least it tries to tie up the convoluted storylines from the previous games.”

“Honestly,” says agrippA1, “the wait was worth it just for the Big Hero 6 world.”

38. The Witcher 3 (Switch)

What we said: “Overall, Saber and CDPR hit an impressive bar of quality here. Clearly, performance can vary, but on balance it holds 30ps more often than I expected. The Witcher 3 Complete Edition pruned back everything it can to be playable, while still somehow retaining a lot of its best visual features. Graphical points like reflections, light shafts, water physics, and even a high NPC count are incredible to see on a handheld. This is close to perfection.”

“Unfortunately, despite big releases such as Gears 5, Pokemon Sword, Jedi Fallen Order and many more, nothing truly gripped me this year,” says Dalek5000. “I’ve found myself yet again immersed into the world of The Witcher 3, despite the graphical downgrade. Commuting has never been so fun!”

“I don’t even own a Switch but this is the game of the year every year it is released,” says Rodimus Prime. Heretic! And honestly, treat yourself to one. They’re rather good.

37. The Division 2

What we said: “From start to finish, The Division 2 pulls in these bits of American history with unwavering earnesty and yet manages to say absolutely nothing. Worse, it goes out of its way to say nothing. The result is that the only real message The Division 2 manages to impart is that guns will keep you safe. Despite the advertising campaign this is not a game about saving the soul of America, it’s a game about the good guys with guns taking what they want from the bad guys with guns. A shame, because if you can look past the vacuity and the slapdash politicisation of The Division 2, there’s a great game to be enjoyed here – even if you’ll never quite escape the sense that it’s a thunderingly dumb one.”

“If I didn’t have a friend, probably not,” admits groovychainsaw. “But with a buddy this is some of the best coop shooting you can get. A superb engine, great graphics and great moment to moment shooting. Expanded well to give you plenty to do after the end, unlike many of its rivals.”

“Awesome experience with an end game that kept giving,” adds Big-Swiss.

“It’s not only one of the best Ubisoft games of the past few years but successfully built on the foundations of the first game,” says gabortoth. “Bigger, better in every way, it’s an excellent looter-shooter-RPG that seemingly never ends. Outstanding gunplay, cover system and RPG elements make this one of the best experiences for me in 2019.”

“Flawed, unfinished, and absolutely fantastic,” says atropos as they strike a more cautious note. “It’s a shame The Division 2 didn’t just build on what the original The Division had become after many, many updates (thoroughly excellent), but this was still the most time I spent in an MMO this year.”

36. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

To our eternal shame, we weren’t able to play enough of Iceborne to provide a review, though we did enjoy what we saw: “Iceborne, with its stubborn challenges, can feel like it’s pitched more towards those expert players, but the joy of Monster Hunter – now, as ever – is how it embraces all playstyles, whether you’re thrashing about with dual blades or keeping a watching brief with a bowgun. Or, whether you’re veteran who wants to solo some of the biggest, baddest monsters, or a scrub like myself who’s happy to wade in the shallows and simply enjoy the spectacle. Iceborne does a decent job of catering to both, and there’s enough there to satisfy all corners of Monster Hunter World’s 13 million strong audience. So, don’t be put off by Iceborne – in truth, there’s never been a better time to get into Monster Hunter.”

“Every time I think that the series has peaked and can’t get any better, Ryuji Tsujimoto and his merry crew manage to tweak and improve the formula,” says XanderXAJ. “350 more hours in this expansion pack so far are testament to how well-honed the mechanics are — and how hooked I am. Capcom have had one hell of a year.”

“Monster Hunter has evolved into a free flowing beast of a game,” says Mechakabukizero. “I still love the older games in the series but l find it tough to go back after the greatness which is Monster Hunter World.”

“Improves upon the base game in so many ways,” says Aporca. “It adds a wealth of new content which is both a challenge and a joy to play. The one game I keep coming back to.”

35. Dragon Quest Builders 2

What we said: “The series’ sense of adventure, of pushing forward into new lands to make new discoveries and to unearth the warmth and character that’s always been at the series’ heart, is re-emphasised. It’s a wonderful thing, really, and the most fun I’ve had with a Dragon Quest game in years..”

“Being a jaded old fart whose gaming pedigree dates back to the early Vic20 days, I was delighted to find this recaptured some of the wonder and magic I felt with new worlds as a kid,” says Matnee. “That’s something to be cherished these days.” Ain’t that the truth.

“Everything I love about Minecraft, with none of the crippling, overwhelming, anxiety,” adds logicub. “This game is what defined my other choices, I spent so much time building up my Isle of Awakening that I haven’t played half as many games this year as I normally would.”

34. Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers

What we said: Well, not enough really as Final Fantasy 14’s a title we’ve struggled to cover properly. Sorry!

Thankfully you lot know your stuff. Like Gamblix here: “I have played Final Fantasy XIV since the late days of A Realm Reborn and seeing this game from strength to strength is so heartwarming, considering the games awful 1.0 launch. Shadowbringers is without a doubt, one of the best MMO expansions EVER and one of the best JRPG stories in modern video games. Anyone who has a remote interest in Final Fantasy should play this. It is near perfection in storytelling.” God, we really should play it, shouldn’t we?

33. Dirt Rally 2.0

What we said: “Dirt Rally 2.0 is part of the new Codemasters – the one that brought us the equally brilliant F1 2018 – that indulges its passion for motorsport. It’s deep, involving and crafted with love, and you can’t help but love it back in turn. The original Dirt Rally made a convincing claim at being the best off-road sim to date. I think its sequel can lay claim to being one of the best driving experiences available right now.”

“Well… it’s an improved Dirt Rally,” says DrStrangelove, keeping things to the point. “How much more praise do you need?”

“The best, better,” says hypobla5t. “Compulsive genius.”

32. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

What we said: “Ace Combat 7 is the real deal with a perfect blend of new and classic ideas packed into a cohesive, highly replayable package. There aren’t many games quite like this being released today so whether you’re a returning fan that has missed the classic series or a newcomer looking for something a little different, it’s an absolute must-play.”

“Ace Combat 7 is such a pure game,” says mickjohnson. “It’s action, it’s mayhem, it’s a crazy storyline, with fantastic music, and it’s beautifully delivered in a way that seems elusive to other developers. Add in some brief (but excellent) PSVR support and you’ve got my #1 game of this year.”

“Tragically underrated,” says AgrippA1. “It’s exactly what you would expect from an Ace Combat game and the VR bit was excellent.”

31. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

What we said: Nothing. Look, we got the hint – we might have written enough already over the past few years about Destiny.

“The amount of time I’ve put into Destiny 2 since picking it back up in August doesn’t let me choose anything else, honestly,” says SnikrepJ. “It’s spectacular if you enjoy the whole shared world looter shooter MMORPG – not without its flaws, but what is these days?”

30. Super Mario Maker 2

What we said: “Years ago I read the only writing advice that I suspect anybody really needs. Type something, it ran, because then you have something to change. William Goldman said that, I think, and he would have been very at home with Mario Maker. Everyone would be at home here, I suspect. Like the first game, this is a warm bubble bath to settle into, or an afternoon on the sofa with the Sunday papers and nothing else in the diary. Has it changed? Not too much. But it is wonderfully soothing to have it back.”

“It is Mario Bros on the Nintendo Switch and you can design and share your own levels!” says Beatleben. “What else can you say?”

“The game I’ve played more than any other this year,” says EvilAspirin. “Endless Mario levels. What’s not to love?” Exactly!

29. Dragon Quest 11 S

What we said: “Is this the best Dragon Quest? Some people believe so, and I can understand why – it’s where the character, charm and colour that make this series so beloved are at their most vivid. Personally I’m not so sure, and even after the improvements made for this edition I wish Dragon Quest 11 could find a little more space for its players, though there’s no denying the eloquence of its craft, or the vastness of its scope. In terms of scale and spectacle, this is as grand an adventure you’ll find on the Nintendo Switch this side of Breath of the Wild.”

“I almost stuck it out until the final boss (before I got distracted by other games; I will return), and that is more than I can say for 99% of JRPGs…” That’s the Romeric verdict.

“Unbelievably conventional but undeniably beautifully polished. Video game comfort food – like eating a buttery hot cross bun on a gloomy, wet, winter’s evening.” Captain_T_Dawg paints a nice picture there.

28. Pokmon Sword and Shield

What we said: “Sword and Shield’s Wild Area is desperately flat. There will undoubtedly be a moment of shivers, if you’re a long-term fan, when you first see Pokmon roaming the world and you finally get to gaze around that space yourself. But that moment will wear off when you realise you’ve already seen it all. And it’ll fade from memory entirely when you inevitably hop back on the rails from which you have just at last broken free. What is intended as a great, Breath of the Wild step forward quickly turns to two giant leaps back, and with these games that sad irony is everywhere. Pokmon Sword and Shield project a sense of scale and ambition far beyond any previous ones in the series, but to take it back to those gargantuan new Dynamax forms, the size is merely a shadow. A shallow projection, in place of the real thing.”

Logicub – is that a Pokmon? – says: “Pokemon games are not made purely for the long-term fans. They’re made for everybody. If you can just remember that, then this is a thoroughly enjoyable romp through a Britain that’s better than the real one right now.”

Lukazor – is that a Pokmon? – says: “I hadn’t played a main line Pokemon game in years so I was extremely excited to play Sword/Shield and they didn’t disappoint! Extremely addictive, the new Pokemon are great and the wild area is a great addition. Loved every minute of the main story and now on the hunt to complete the Pokedex.”

27. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

What we said: “It took more time to get here than we’d originally expected, granted, but Igarashi sure did deliver in the end.

“I backed this and, despite choosing the Switch version, had a good time with it,” says HKT3030.

“A joy to play,” agrees Navi. “Unapologetically a modern update to Castlevania, full of all the lovely little touches you’d expect from a well crafted 2D game.”

26. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC)

Developer: Rockstar

Mods!

What we said: I bet we said something about horses and hats and I bet we ended by saying, “Saddle up, pardner!” That would be just like us.

“Eeeeeee ha.,” says Karmazyn. I hear you. Pardner.

“A magnificently lush, varied and gritty open world,” says Subquest. “A compelling story and highly enjoyable gameplay. Graphically an astonishing technical achievement. Rockstar’s finest hour.” Steady on (pardner). You do know these guys also made a Table Tennis game right?

25. Shenmue 3

What we said: “And all these years later, it makes for an entry that, as unlikely as it is, is more finessed and fully-featured than the first two games. A more astute critic might point out that the performances are uneven, the character models sometimes look wayward, you’re kind of limited as to what you can do and nothing of note really happens. That’s not me, I’m afraid. Yes, Shenmue 3 can look and play like a Dreamcast game. But it looks and plays like a Dreamcast game that’s as off-kilter, maddening, magical and majestic as the Shenmue and its sequel, both all-time classics. I think there’s good reason to rejoice in that.”

“18 years of waiting came to an end. Shenmue 3 is everything the fans could have ever expected, and probably very close to Yu Suzuki’s original vision for the game.” Ta, Hansliengnell1!

24. A Plague Tale: Innocence

What we said: “The great shock of Plague Tale is that on some level, it’s a Gears of War game. The more obvious comparison is The Last of Us, another poignant, apocalyptic escapade in which an older character guides a more innocent soul whose blood is touched by destiny, but in practice, and for all the absence of chainsaws, it’s often Epic’s game that comes to mind. It’s there in the tanky handling, with characters swivelling ponderously as though secretly many times their own size. It’s there in the sense of a historical backdrop (the Sera of Gears is a pastiche of familiar architectural traditions) being softly consumed by the supernatural: the darkness alive with eyeshine, the twisted, bony black rot the rats leave behind them, the alchemical motifs that gradually become the plot’s crucible. But above all, it’s a question of framing. As in Gears, you spend most chapters wending your way towards some distant landmark, a brooding structure such as a windmill that is teed up for you with a context-sensitive look command, then tugged into and out of view by the intervening geography. It lends each stage of Amicia and Hugo’s journey a powerful inexorability, for all the trail-and-error process of bamboozling soldiers – as though you were being drawn through its world by gravity towards a procession of massive objects. It’s worth giving into the pull. Just don’t forget to look for the flowers.”

“Very underrated title this year,” says Europsnfan70. “Absolutely beautiful and features one of the best stories this year. More people need to be playing this one.”

“Atmospheric, dark wonders,” says King_Of_Shovels.

23. Baba is You

What we said: “Baba is You is a game about how sentences work that is also, inevitably, a game about how thinking works too. How could it not be, really?”

Pjotroos here: “Can’t remember the last time any game made me feel this stupid. The core concept is spectacular. Some early puzzles made me laugh out loud in joy, once the solution clicked. But the amount of creative thinking it requires to deal with the later levels is genuinely intimidating. I’ve lost the count of times when I was sure I was thinking outside the box, only to realise I merely got myself stuck in a slightly larger box for another half hour, once the solution finally, finally clicked in. I haven’t finished it. I doubt I ever will. But I still have to respect the raw creativity on display.”

22. Metro Exodus

What we said: “We need more experiences like Metro Exodus that know how to resist empty bloodshed and kindle such closeness, finding the warmth in the wasteland.”

“Incredibly immersive and beautiful,” said Ivanbasov, one of only a few comments on Metro Exodus. Instead, I’ll tell you that lots of people who liked this also liked Slay the Spire.

21. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

What we said: “There’s a tinge of disappointment here with Modern Warfare at launch. I’m playing it in the hope that what is soon to come will pull all the right levers in all the right directions, turning this good Call of Duty into a great one. And there’s plenty waiting in the wings: Modern Warfare’s battle pass, which Activision has said will come in free and premium forms, will hopefully fuel progression in a post-prestige world. More, better-fitting multiplayer maps are essential (Infinity Ward pulled the night vision MP maps shortly after the game launched and at the time of publication, they have yet to return). And then there’s the inevitable battle royale. Undoubtedly, there’s an exciting potential to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Until that potential is realised, though, Modern Warfare remains a shooter that is at odds with itself. When it’s good, it’s great. When it’s bad it’s frustrating. Everything in between is, well, Call of Duty.”

Lots of people voted for COD, but almost nobody wrote anything about it. Here’s Phinor, who is always reliable! “A good soundtrack can lift a four star movie up to five stars and the same principle applies to games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare did that by adding much needed oomph to gun sounds. Add the best new multiplayer game mode since forever with 2vs2 Gunfight and you have the tightest Call of Duty package since, well, Modern Warfare (the original).”

20. Days Gone

What we said: “I wasn’t expecting Days Gone to add anything new to the genre, but both in terms of its systems and its story it’s uninspired, which is driven home by the fact that it’s endlessly, needlessly long. I’m begging you, haven’t we done this enough?”

“Better than expected,” says HungaryGrowler.

“Beautiful open world game with a compelling story and characters you actually care for. Genuine heart-racing moments when freakers pour down upon your position,” says Mustabuster.

19. Borderlands 3

What we said: “You’ll likely have seen – or even experienced for yourself by now – that Borderlands 3 is everything Vault Hunters loved about its predecessors. It’s hard to imagine how, technical issues aside, existing fans could not find more to love about this latest iteration, but that could also be said for fans who didn’t like its predecessors. But whether you believe it’s giving the fans what they want or a dazzling lack of ambition – evolution or revolution, in other words – Borderlands may be polarising, but it’s back nonetheless: bigger, better, and more unapologetic than ever.”

“Whilst the new protagonists couldn’t hold a torch to Handsome Jack (very few can in any game), it was a joy to play and felt continually rewarding,” says Bigworv.

“Loot and shoot. Humour.” That’s the Clockworkzombie verdict.

18. Devil May Cry 5

What we said: “Is it the measure of the action titles that come out of that other studio in Osaka? At times it feels a little too retrograde to be the best in class, but I’m certain it’s the best Devil May Cry there’s been yet – which is still quite the claim to be able to make. This is a more vintage type of action, though that ends up serving Devil May Cry 5 incredibly well. Style like this never really goes out of fashion, after all.”

Navi has nailed this: “Dante has a silly beard, Nero’s arm now explodes and V reads poetry while demons fight each other. What’s not to love!” When I read that I can’t help but imagine it as the starting crawl for a Star Wars movie.

17. Slay the Spire

What we said: “In the end, I’m an optimist, so I went with the donut.”

OllyJ is taking us on a journey: “So, in 2019 I’ve discovered board games. From Splendor to Cosmic Encounter, I’ve been blown away by the feel of playing a board game. I’d never have played a game like this otherwise, and I’m so glad I did because my Switch has basically turned into a Slay the Spire machine. That’s now its only function, a 250 console that plays what is essentially a card game. I’m cool with that.”

Jaz666: “Meant that I enjoyed my 19hr holiday flight. Almost as much as my holiday…”

16. Astral Chain

What we said: “There’s more – there is so, so much more – to the point where Astral Chain can be dizzying in its depths. Combat boasts so many moving parts that it’s easy to become flustered, so it’s almost a relief to find it supports an easy ‘Unchained’ mode whereby much is automated. Is it sacrilege to play a Platinum game that way? Maybe, but I welcome the option to unlock Astral Chain’s spectacle to all, and it helps remove some of the frictions that might have scared some players off the studio’s previous work.”

Break it down Quizmos: “PlatinumGames at its finest once again proving they are hard to beat when it comes to fast paced action with a unique twist!” Testify!

“All hail Lappy!” says FanBoysSuck.

15. Gears 5

What we said: “Will Gears 5 rekindle Gears of War’s glory days on Xbox 360? I doubt it. But The Coalition has finally stamped its personality on the series, even if it’s taken a few missteps along the way. Gears 5’s campaign reminded me just how much I love a good Gears of War campaign. I’m not trying too hard. Gears isn’t trying too hard. We’re holding hands, safe in the collective knowledge we’re in this together, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride.”

“Again, didn’t play it (still need to get through Gears 4), but I’ve played through two of the originals in the franchise, and this game is optimized well enough I very much look forward to hitting it on PC.” BudTheCyborg, I’m not sure you really get the whole concept here.

14. Tetris 99

What we said: “It’s a phenomenal thing, pretty much justifying the cost of a Nintendo Online subscription in one fell swoop, and I dare think of the number of hours I’m going to end up putting in over the course of the year.”

“Counting the DLC as part of the overall, this is the perfect update to Tetris. The increasing tension throughout the multiplayer and the euphoria of a win (or top 10 finish for less good players like me) just add to the game’s just one more go draw.” That was Reverandglass and they’re right, aren’t they?

13. Untitled Goose Game

What we said: “Untitled Goose Game started as a joke in House House’s Slack channel, and it’s astounding how much mileage they’ve found in the gag. This is slapstick – the ultimate form of humour – and it’s slapstick of the highest order. There’s something quite classical about how its slapstick expresses itself, and how beautifully engineered it is, that makes Untitled Goose Game really stand out – if Goat Simulator is an old Farrelly Bros. film, then Untitled Goose Game is as refined and stylish as a Jacques Tati standard. It’s a perfectly formed little troublemaker.”

“Quirky, fun, endlessly meme-able. I pick UGG more for the impact it had on this year than for the game itself. We need more games like this and less loot box, microtransaction, bleed you dry games please.” Reverandglass there with a bit of a sermon.

“Fun concept,” says Watershed.

12. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

What we said: “I first played Link’s Awakening in black and white, more than 20 years ago, but it coloured my hopes for every Zelda since. Some frame-rate issues on the overworld at launch aside – more an annoyance than anything else – this version surpasses the hopes I had for another visit to its world. Koholint Island deserves nothing less, and while Link must journey to leave its shores, this remake will always be a place which preserves the island for others to follow.”

“Perfectly remade, this time I finally finished it unlike when I was a kid, and the music is sublime” says Foxxlet.

“Just wonderful in every possible way,” says The_jinks.

11. Apex Legends

What Martin said: “There’s opportunism here too, of course, but Apex Legends feels like something else; laser-sighted, deeply considered and incredibly smart, it’s the kind of thing you’d imagine Nintendo might come up with if ever they set their minds to a battle royale. The real test will come in where Respawn can take Apex Legends, and how it evolves as a live service – something that publisher EA has struggled with in the past with its first-person shooters. But after a few hours with this impeccably crafted battle royale, the one overriding feeling I’m left with is keen anticipation to see where Apex Legends heads next.”

“300+ hours in and I’m still utterly addicted,” says Jonny5Alive7. “The game lengths are perfect to hook you in and the regular content updates keep it varied.”

10. Luigi’s Mansion 3

What we said: “Part of me still yearns for those dusty carpets of the first Luigi’s Mansion – the near pitch black corridors, the fumbling around in the dark. This third entry, by contrast, feels more like Luigi has left the haunted house and gained free reign around the neighbouring theme park. But what a theme park. It’s left me excited to see where the series goes next.”

“This year’s best Third Person Sucker!” says EpcotMan, minting a genre that I’m not sure we’ll be allowing. “An intricately detailed fun house that reminds you of how many playful ideas Nintendo can cram into a game. Inventive, surprising and surprisingly funny. “

“Suck it,” says Clockworkzombie.

9. Disco Elysium

What we said: “One character and one story may contain multitudes, but Disco Elysium has pushed that idea to extremes, making me a flippant macho and above all a weirdo who stands for nothing. Once the novelty wears off, I feel like I’m playing a game that insistently wants to prove to me how smart it is, and that, above anything, is just really tiring.”

KDR_11k says: “The term CRPG doesn’t really describe what Disco Elysium is. It’s a game about talking and investigating. And it does talking really, really well. ” What else? “I’ve saved the world countless times in many different games over the years, but very few of these will I remember as fondly as singing karaoke in the Whirling in Rags bar in Disco Elysium.” says Nafter.

8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

What we said: “The annoying thing is, for the first ten hours or so, I absolutely adored Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”

“EA should’ve made this game five years ago. It’s definitely one of the top ten best Star Wars games ever made,” says Mickjohnson. EA should have mailed it to the Marx Brothers! “Rough around the edges, but the mix of Sekiro and Uncharted with a Star Wars hat on was right up my street. The Sonic the Hedgehog bits can fuck right off though.��� That’s HONKHONK. He’s swearing now because he doesn’t see the point in keeping you away from this stuff anymore.

“Was surprised by how good it was,” says UltimateKGB.

7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

What we said: “This isn’t the game to bring together fans of the old-spec Fire Emblem and those drawn in by the appeal of the new. There’s a clear divide right through the centre of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and its masterstroke is in bridging the two, the bonds you build away from the battlefield giving each blow taken on it that much more impact. It’s a deeply emotional tactical game, one in which you end up invested in each unit. In that way, it’s true to what’s always made Fire Emblem so special – it’s just that Three Houses expresses itself on a different scale, and a different style. Fire Emblem: Three Houses really is a game of two halves, but they come together to make one incredible whole.”

“Never has a game that disrespected my free time so much, been allowed to take up so much of my time in a bid to get all the endings.” says Gintoki.

“Dating sim and tactical RPG with three distinct factions to choose from. Love it,” says Humey26.

JackdawBlack agrees. “The best TRPG dating sim, not that we have many.”

6. Outer Wilds

What we said: “There’s a twofold joy to Outer Wilds – the thrill of discovery itself, as you slowly decipher the variables that swirl around each not-so-distant world, and of seeing that thrill reflected in a phrase scribbled centuries ago by some castaway alien boffin. It gives the game that feeling of displaced community, of mutual striving across the extinction barrier, you might otherwise associate with the Vigil scene in Mass Effect or feats of translation in the recent, excellent Heaven’s Vault. Moreover, the game’s pint-sized solar system is full of models of itself, from the star lifecycle models you’ll find in your home planet’s observatory, to the holographic sandtray projections and swivelling, Stone Henge-scale orreries left behind by the Nomai. It’s a setting mesmerised by its own intricacies, and it wants you to share in that delight. Whatever their differences on the subject of the apocalypse, I like to think that both Eisinga and Alta would have enjoyed it.”

Revfosco nails it: “I just loved the sense of freedom coupled with a slight sense of panic. Incredibly clever game too – one of those ones that makes you in awe of the writers/developers.”

There is nothing more to say about this one. A classic!

5. The Outer Worlds

What we said: “I don’t hate The Outer Worlds. Rather, what I hate about it is that it’s sufficiently unhateful that you can spend 30 hours playing it without noticing. It’s solidly-made enough that you keep hanging around in the hope of something more, like a layer of catchy percussion that never quite escalates into a song. I guess to sum things up, I would like two features to be added to the game. One is a powerful suction cannon with infinite extra-dimensional storage, so I can just gather all the loot in one fell swoop. The other is the option to hand off dialogue decisions to one of my companions, because I have no strong feelings either way, comrades. Let me do clean-up in the background, hosing down the level’s crevices with one earbud in, following the conversation absent-mindedly. According to my own character’s backstory as a janitor, that’s exactly the part I was born to play.”

Deadman316 is savage: @What a Bethesda game should be like. The choice directions are limitless, the worlds are varied in colour and activity, and the characters and quests are fun, funny and multidimensional. It’s a mini full-fat RPG we’ve been waiting for.”

“Decent shooting, decent RPG, decent story. Ticks the boxes.” That’s Lonebadger. I saw a lone badger one evening this summer coming home late. I thought it was a fox with a back problem at first, but no: a badger.

4. Control

What we said: “In other words, while it invokes the dark things that lie beneath, Control’s actually a peerless argument for the beauty of the surface. It revels in the peculiarly warm gloss of polished concrete, the simple and undeniable thrill of combat backed up with enthusiastic physics and animation, and the visual buzz of UI that has a stark, minimalist beauty to it. Without any shade of a slight, I would call Control a sort of coffee-table book in terms of its sheer visual flair – but for how dazzling it looks in motion as you wrench individual blocks from a stacked trolley, sending them thudding through the air, as you fling rockets back at the people who fired them at you, amber sparks glinting as they pass in and out of focus and then die away for good.”

Fore-warning: RaphaelR is right! “This game has everything: great style, mood, story, characters, and gameplay. And also the best sequence in a video game this year.” It says a lot that I know what bit they’re talking about.

“One of the most interesting games I’ve played in a long time,” says Switch024. @A fantastic setting that’s brilliantly realised and combat that’s always great fun.” Man, Control was GOOD.

3. Death Stranding

What we said: “As the credits roll on Death Stranding, heavy with unearned pathos, the impression you’re left with is of a self-congratulatory monument to the ego of a creator who is high on his own supply. Has Kojima always been this full of it? Maybe. But then you return to the game proper, select a humble delivery order, lace up your boots and plan another reckoning with those unforgettable, haunted moors. And you realise that this game has got under your skin in a way few do.”

Eugen-fet: “I’ve been waiting for a good Spider-Man game for years. This one delivers.” Ha ha ha! That was from last year’s list. I left it in because it included the word “delivers”. I’m great, me.

“A bonkers masterpiece,” says Monkman76. “Not for everyone but certainly my cup of tea,” says Emeritus. A lot of you said this sort of thing.

2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

What we said: “I have no real insight to offer on the symbolism of wolves in Japanese culture and myth, but I think Sekiro may be a different beast. He’s more of a cockroach, getting in everywhere and all but impossible to expunge – the kind of wondrous, abhorrent creature that will be first to the top of the rubble pile as and when civilisation comes crashing down.”

“Great game. Great pacing. Great fighting system” says Ed-exley, who’s not bad at pacing either.

xRiska, we feel your pain: “Finished the whole game before finally learning how to play it on the last boss. 10/10 would bash my head against a wall again.”

EvilAspirin can take this one home: “A game that starts off feeling tough as nails, but becomes actually pretty easy once the parry system clicks. Playing the Samurai and perfectly deflecting multiple blows in epic fights is incredibly satisfying.”

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake

What we said: “It toes the line between schlocky and scary that the older Resident Evil games managed so well, and does so in perhaps one of the most atmospheric settings ever to grace a survival horror game. It’s good to be back in the RPD.”

“New ‘n’ shiny meets nostalgia to create one of the finest, most atmospheric games to date,” says TheDarkSide. “As soon as I played this all those months ago, it screamed GOTY from every pixel. THIS is how remakes should be done… Hell, this is how games should be done, full stop! Absolutely superb.”

Shotformeat agrees: “It’s a proper game and plays like the era its from in a way that holds up amazingly, but all dressed up in a chunky and satisfying fashion and looks and feels amazing to play. They really don’t make them like this anymore, except when they remake them with this level of care and attention to detail. My favourite game of the year. “

Let’s leave it with El Lawsonoso: “I had zero interest in horror or the Resident Evil franchise until I saw RE2 Remake. The design, the atmosphere, the escape room-style puzzles and the sense of panic when Lickers or Mr X are about are all top notch. Admittedly, the Police Station is a far more interesting environment than the later game, but for this non-horror fan (who probably won’t touch RE3 Remake, because it seems like it’s one big chase sequence that’ll give me anxiety) this is a true GOTY. I think that speaks volumes.”

Wonderful stuff! All done! Happy new year everyone! May it bring you all the very best!

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/eurogamer-readers-top-50-games-of-2019-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eurogamer-readers-top-50-games-of-2019-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

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Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Dan Watkins of GloFX, a brand that sells party eyewear and flow props.Some stats:Product: Party eyewear and flow props.Revenue/mo: $400,000Started: February 2012Location: Tallahassee, FlFounders: 1Employees: 25Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?Hello! My name is Dan Watkins, and I am the founder and CEO of GloFX. Our brand develops innovative eyewear and LED flow props, ranging from glasses with kaleidoscope lenses to fiber optic flow toys. If it augments your vision or you can dance with it at a music festival, odds are we make it or are looking into making it.We are the #1 global leader in dimensional eyewear, and have sold millions of pairs since inception.We started marketing primarily within the ever-growing EDM music festival demographic, and years later, our top sales still come from this category. We love being part of the EDM and festival culture and are fortunate to be able to grow with this community.Although we focus a lot of our time and marketing toward these festival-goers, it’s exciting to say that we’ve expanded our brand into other markets as well, such as arts and science museums, educational institutions, and EDM subculture fashion. We have also been working to spread the word about our own line of batteries, a product that has done extremely well since its release.On top of selling the standard products we provide on our website, our wholesale team has done a tremendous job handling bulk custom orders. We’ve seen substantial success in utilizing this area for experiential marketing campaigns. One of our most popular orders is Custom Paper Diffraction Glasses where businesses can choose what their glasses will look like as well as have their logo on the frames.In 2018, GloFX was named #1,650 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America, and pictured below is a portion of our Executive Team from when we won 1st in class at the Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Award in 2017.imageTo learn more about GloFX, here is a link to our About page.What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?Although I never set out to start my own business, I think I’ve always been an entrepreneur by nature. At one point when I was working 40 hours a week with a different employer, I realized that all my hard work was paying off for someone else’s idea of success.GloFX was originally a side project I started in my garage when I wasn’t at work, and I was just selling basic glow products to local clubs. I was putting the money I earned back into the business, and before I knew it, I was making 80% of my income by only putting 20% of my time into its creation. And that’s saying a lot when you also have a 40-hour week job!After the garage, we moved into a small office building. I first rented two small offices, each about 10x15 square feet. We were packed in! Within about a year, we expanded into over a dozen of these small offices. We had a small operation inside each of them. All-in, we were still under 2,000 square feet. Pics below!imageAssembling orbits!^imageOffice 3 was package holding. This was a cool order we did of 50,000 pairs of glasses for iCitizen.^imageWriting the code for our first website ^imageThis was the “Main office” where I worked, sharing a desk with our graphics guy.The business really took off as soon as I discovered diffraction grating film. This eventually turned into GloFX Diffraction Glasses, a key factor in developing our line of dimensional eyewear. I started GloFX with $400 in capital, and within 30 months, I watched that $400 snowball into $1,000,000.A few years later, we moved into our second facility, which was half office and half warehouse. It was right around 4,000sq ft, which was HUGE for us at the time.imageimageIn 2017, we moved into our current location, which is roughly 15,000 square feet. The new production warehouse is more than twice the size of our previous location. We anticipate outgrowing this facility again soon.imageTake us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.Creating a product is not a walk in the park. One of our most substantial and earliest launches was the Lux Series, and for around two years we were pinching pennies to get enough money to start the production process. The Lux Series was specifically a Glove and Orbit launch. An Orbit is a spinning disk on a string with LED lights. When spun, the LEDs create mesmerizing patterns and trails. Gloving is a popular hobby in which people use the lights on the end of their gloves to create glowing patterns as they move their fingertips. Both very different, but the flowing aspect remains the same between the two forms.And then when we thought we had enough money (over six-figures worth of investments) we still went $20k over budget and spent over a year editing and tweaking the prototypes to create the perfect products.imageWe start with product development. This includes figuring out concepts and ideas, researching marketing strategies, prototyping, sourcing, and manufacturing.Then, we moved to funneling. That’s when we started analyzing marketing data, researching SEO, creating prices, making website pages for all the products to be accessible, and finally starting to think about styling, themes, colors, and logos.Below are images of the Lux Orbit during the prototyping phase.imageimageOnce we got all the logistics in place, marketing came in full swing to push our products as much as they could.This meant social media, promotion at events, paid advertising, wholesale outreach, ad campaigns, and guerilla marketing. At the time, our team was pretty small, so it was all hands on deck for marketing. Even our product engineer helped with marketing at times. Some of our biggest marketing successes came from Google Adwords back then when it was at its prime. These days we focus more on social media and display ads. Below is a shot of one of our marketing meetings just before launch of the series. We were in our second location at that time.imageWhen the product launch finally came along, we already had enough excitement surrounding the Lux Series that we didn’t see a lull in sales when the series dropped.During this process, we quickly learned a lot about the required safety precautions attached to lithium batteries and even hired a law firm to do patent research on our glove lights. Of course, the process wasn’t as simple as a few paragraphs, and what could have gone wrong did. But we never lost sight of the goal, and on the other end, we came out with one of the largest scale product developments GloFX ever tackled.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?One of the biggest factors keeping customers coming back is constantly focusing on “what’s next”. It’s easy to say, “This is working. Let’s keep doing exactly that,” but that’s not how you grow. You always have to take chances because who knows? One of your craziest ideas might also be one of the best.For example, for one of our earliest versions of the Space Whip, one of our most popular flowing toys, we released Sparkle Fibers as an option to compliment our regular Nano End Glo Fibers. They didn’t do as well as we thought they were going to do, so years later, when our team decided to bring Sparkle Fibers back, it was a big leap.However, we knew the flowing and whipping community had grown substantially since this first Sparkle Fiber release. When the Space Whip Remix officially came out, everyone went crazy for the “new” Sparkle Fibers. It was what we were looking for in our first release and more! You just have to flow with market, follow your gut, and not be afraid of failure. If we hadn’t made that jump again, our sales this quarter would look much different.We also focus on multi-tiered marketing. For us, this looks like heavily using buyer-intent keywords for search engine optimization, remarketing to high-value customers, and utilizing our reseller network. Over the years, we’ve shipped wholesale orders to thousands of resellers, and right now, we have over 300 approved resellers worldwide.When we were starting out, we wanted to get ourselves face-to-face with our demographic. To do this, we did (and still do) have onsite event activations all across the USA. Most recently, we were the official Dimensional Eyewear and LED Flow Arts Sponsor of Electric Forest 2019.It was exciting to be able to send an awesome team into the field to interact with the Flow Arts community as well as possible consumers.imageHow are you doing today and what does the future look like?Right now, we’re doing great. We just released our Space Whip Remix Series to the public, and this is our biggest product launch to date! Before the Remix came out, we were all focused on getting this product into the hands of our customers. Now that that’s released, we have time to spend on updating the website, refining our shipping processes, and more.imageAmazon Prime Day was an amazing turnout for us and so was Electric Forest. We just got Afterpay officially installed into glofx.com to allow buyers to pay in smaller installments, and we’ve already seen positive feedback with both sales and happy customers.Moving forward, we’ve got some big projects sitting with the product development team, and our marketing team is helping out the creative and wholesale departments with media and outreach.Overall, we have slow months and fast months depending on festival season and holidays, but there is always something to be done. And we’re always looking up and up to see how we can improve the company together.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?The first thing I would say is to hire slow, and fire fast.When in the hiring process, you need to really make sure the employee you’re choosing is a right fit for the company. Are they going to excel at what they do and take tasks upon themselves to complete? Also, are they going to fit into the culture of your company?Make sure you’ve covered all your bases because the last thing you want to do is lay someone off. Employee turnover can be one of the most expensive and detrimental issues that a business faces. So if the time comes and you realize this person you hired wasn’t what you thought they would be, lay them off now rather than later. The sooner you realize this and pull the bandage off, the sooner you can get someone new in who will work much better.Some more common things that I’ve heard over the years but I still had to learn myself are trial and error. You can’t assume you’re going to get everything right on the first try. That’s an almost delusional idea. Accept that you are going to fail at some things when you are an entrepreneur. Once you can be comfortable with that idea, the quicker and more confidently you will bounce back, and the bounce back is always the most important step.Also, watch out for tariffs and taxes! Nexus will almost always occur faster than you think, including globally. Don’t let your company suffer from an oversight like this.What platform/tools do you use for your business?With a growing company, we are always searching for what programs and platforms work best for us. For our website, we have found that Wordpress has done wonders. We have WooCommerce installed and numerous plug-ins to make things easier. WooCommerce helps us out with website organization such as order tracking, managing coupons, product page editing, creating sales and discounts, and more.We use a variety of other tools, technology, and integrations to maintain efficiency with day-to-day operations. GloFX is a “systems and automations” focused company, and we’re always looking for the most cutting edge technology.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?I’m actually not big into books or podcasts, but I will say that I have an intense appreciation for Google. If you have a question or want to learn more on a particular topic, Google is just a few clicks away. I’ve read some great articles over the years like this.I would have to say that some of my best resources have been from peer influencers, observing my most prominent competitors and companies in different industries, and attending conferences and seminars. If you are presented with an opportunity to go to an informational conference or seminar, definitely take the offer. They are chalk full of information that is meant to help you in ways they feel should be expressed face-to-face. Some of my biggest leaps of knowledge came from these resources.My last, biggest influence would be my dad. He was a salesman for 20 years and engineer by trade, which happened to line up with my two top interests.Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?The advice I always give are these four things:Stay laser-focused. When you’re not seeing immediate turnaround, it’s easy to give up or think that maybe you should focus your time and efforts on something else. But if you’re hoping around from idea to idea, strategy to strategy, you’re never going to see the results of your hard work. Don’t feel defeated when something doesn’t work. Use that as fuel for the next attempt.Make sure you’re producing quality products. I know it’s hard to find quality without having to fork out a lot of money, but investing in quality over quantity is the most important. Customer feedback could, in the long run, make or break your sales. Steer away from products that have a tendency to fall apart as soon as the reach the customer, even if it’s better on your wallet.Create strong business systems. As mentioned before, GloFX has many platforms and systems we rely on daily to organize our workload and maintain a steady balance of future goals and daily tasks. Never underestimate the power of a well-oiled machine and what it can accomplish.And lastly, you must find and train great employees to operate those systems. Having happy, capable workers will make the previous 3 steps a piece of cake. When everyone is clear with what they have to do and what is expected of them, that is when you have a functional company.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?As a company with under 30 employees and big ambitions, we are always on the hunt for talented new teammates! You can find open positions on our GloFX Careers Page.Where can we go to learn more?Website: https://glofx.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glofx/If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!Liked this text interview? Check out the full interview with photos, tools, books, and other data.For more interviews, check out r/starter_story - I post new stories there daily.Interested in sharing your own story? Send me a PM

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beauty queens of the dollar store 2016 I am convinced that everything I like Has got to be the most expensive item in the store And i try to fight it I shove my consumerist thoughts underneath my mattress Suffocate them with my pillow But even there, they find a way to get into my brain I have dreams of robbing Sephora Stuffing eyeshadow palettes and highlighters in my purse I am calm and collected Swiftly swiping this shit Getting closer and closer I practically vogue my way out the door And then… I wake up I mourn over the glo I could’ve had I cry for the fashion week looks that can never be I throw a temper tantrum over the realness that I’ll never see And then I remember just who the fuck I be I remember wuela’s sweet perfume How her scent would dance around my oil slicked head and remind me That I was la princesa de la casa she’d pull me by my greñas, snatch me by my edges, and wrap multicolored moños with the bubbles on them the bubbles smacking my skull when Abuelas fingers were too weak I remember being 5 years old, and trying to make lipgloss out of Vaseline and kool aid lipsmackers was one of the best things ever created I was intrigued by the fact that I could taste Dr Pepper on my moisturized lips I remember straightening my hair every day in catholic school to be like the white girls And then nursing my edges back to health when I realized that shit was wack using dollar store eyeshadow Using mamis hand me down makeup to make fierce looks in grade school I remember my diy phase of making lipstick using crayons Vaseline to make glitter stick to my eyelids tryna be like my thottiest cousin and use 4 clumps of mousse to make my hair crunchy things are different now My methods for beauty have changed I aspire to be the bougiest bitch on the block To purchase things that I glow without I forget how these companies try to make us forget how black and brown girls have been queens of the dollar store long before runway fashion started jacking our style   I see how they take from us from the original models The mothers, the students, the babies Tell us that our jewelry is too noisy ghetto loud sell the same shit at urban outfitters The art of laying one’s edges is only appreciated when it’s on a kardashian They make fun of us for slicking back our ponytails with gel And then I see “the wet look” in fashion week Ridicule black girls with colorful crochets See latinas with La Virgen on our necklaces and turn it into novelty Tell us that bright colors don’t look good with dark skin They see us using dollar store eyeshadows for highlighter And They fear the fact that we shine so bright using so little they’re scared Oppress our beauty secrets repackage them with high fashion price points And make us feel like that we need it Lil mama, if you can afford it go ahead and glow They make it so easy for us to forget That we’ve been doing this shit for years Baby, when you see that price tag Remember that they will never be as magical as you They they will never shine as bright as you you are the realness they’ll never achieve