THE DIGITISER FRIDAY LETTERS PAGE

Next week, the entire Digitiser show team will be descending on London for Steve McNeil's interactive Video Game Game Show Show.

Myself, Larry, Paul and Octav1us will be joined on stage by none other than Ashens, who really shouldn't be slumming it with the likes of us. Tickets are almost sold out, but you can check here if you fancy coming along.

It'll be the perfect warm-up for Digitiser Live, which is just over a month away. Don't forget: there'll be a free event, Chunky Fringe, happening all afternoon before the main show. There'll be displays, and panels on classic Digitiser and Mr Biffo's Found Footage - featuring the likes of Mr Hairs and, once again, Ashens. More details can be found here. 

If you weren't fortunate enough to get a ticket to Digitiser Live, drop us an email at digitiser2000@gmail.com as we've had some returns, and so may be able to get you in. If not, we'll add you to a standby list. It is going to be awesome, probably. 

I'm getting really stressed about it!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!!

​If you'd like to appear here, or you've something you'd like me to give some attention to in our occasional Plug Zone, or you've got a picture of a bin you wish to share, please send your filthy emails to this place here: digitiser2000@gmail.com​​​​​​​

GHOSTMAN
Hiya Biff! Mr. RetroLust here.

I'm a big fan of your show and I want to support you with this poster, now I guess that you love Ghouls 'N Ghosts on the Mega Drive just as much as I do and I had to reconstruct this poster for my own game room/man cave, and perhaps you like to print it out as well? I couldn't find the artwork without logo's/box art so I reconstructed it like this, I think it came out pretty nice.

The best quality would be a matt print at around 42 cm height.

Anyhow, hope you can use it.
​
May the force be with you guys!
Steve aka Mr. RetroLust​

That's a real nice poster, Steve. Really great work. Though I'm not entirely sure what you think I'm going to do with it. 

​Press reveal to see my version of the Ghouls 'N Ghosts artwork. 

REVIEW:

SCARLETT LETTER
Are you ready for Xbox Scarlett?

With the recent announcement by Microsoft of the Xbox Scarlett console are you ready to move onto next generation gaming or will you remain on Xbox One for a little while longer? With Microsoft confirming 8k capability do you think we could see 8k gaming on some less resource demanding indie games instead on the Xbox Scarlett?

Also what games announcements would you like to see be made for the Xbox Scarlett, and are there any games from Xbox One or previous Xbox systems that deserve a remaster or an upgraded port? What new games would you like to see be made and released for Xbox Scarlett.

Finally would you like to see 8k video appear in some games to show off its video capabilities from time to time, and also if possible for some games to run above 4k? Would the console being backwards compatible with some Xbox One games over time persuade you to jump ship or would this just be a feature that you would more prefer to be able to use from time to time.
gamertag ( gaz be rotten)

Are you asking me, or the world at large? What's going on, Gaz? Why are you asking these many questions?

Right now, I've absolutely zero interest in the Xbox Scarlett, and I won't have any interest until we know a bit more about the sorts of game experience it's going to be capable of. For me, more power doesn't automatically equate to better games, I can take or leave 8k, and I don't particularly care one way or another about backwards compatibility.

I am interested to see how Halo Infinite turns out, but I'm certainly not going to be rushing out to pre-order the thing. 

BORING
I really liked the coverage on the website about E3 so far, partly because it captures my sense of ennui and plain boredom with the AAA industry currently.

You really hit the nail on the head with Nintendo being the only one to embrace that games could just be colourful and fun, though as a PC owner I can not unfortunately buy any of their games.

​I also thought (to disagree with you) that Watch Dogs: Legion was that colourful effort, though it did seem a bit like an outside-in view of London as you brought up. But yeah, a severe lack of joy at a conference about the most joyous thing: video games. Shame, really...

On the topic: I know you talked about it in your Xbox post, but which indie games really caught your eye? Much like with the Big N's conference, the indie games at the PC Gamer Show and the Xbox conference really were quite something. 12 Minutes, that shark RPG thing, and Way of the Woods were my picks.

Thanks for the content so far, loving the channel and the website!

Regards,
A.S.K

There were a bunch of indie games shown in Microsoft's presentation which sped by in such a flash that I would've liked have known more about... But in terms of the ones that have a bit more info floating round, I'm looking forward to Way to the Woods, RPG Time, 12 Minutes, Creature in the Well, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Rustheart... and so many others.

​There's just such artistry and vision on display in the indie sector, and I wish I'd woken up to it sooner.

BRRM BRRM!
Bloody Hell. As a huge Motorsport fan, I obviously have a keen interest in racing games and I was wondering what your favourites are and what Digitiser said about the classics at the time. That is of course if Digitiser looked at any... 

I'm at that weird age where I remember Teletext and Ceefax and using them but I've probably lived my life longer without them. 

I don't know why I included that last bit... Probably some background for some stalker who is creating a profile on me.​
Stuart Richards

Burnout and Metropolis Street Racer are probably the two "serious" racing series I've enjoyed most. And I really loved Daytona USA on the Saturn, way more than the obviously far better-looking Ridge Racer on the PS1. At the time I couldn't understand all the hate; I just felt the handling was more satisfying, and could overlook the janky visuals. Also: Sega Rally. 

TURTS AND FANTS
How do!
​
2020, what a year it will be.  Final Fantasy VII Remake, AND Final Fantasy VIII Remaster.  Wow, Thanks SquareEnix you big barstewards!

Stick a fork in me, I'm done!

Anyone else excited?

Kind Regards,
Jim Leighton (Future World Darts Champion) x​

Not really.

7.TITLE
Speegle or Spoogle?

Much has been occurring in British politics, especially the highly divisive "speegle vs spoogle" on-going drama. 

Is Digitiser prepared for both outcomes? 

Is Turner the worm able to fix all this nonsense? Might he even run for country-ship captaincy?
Geeky Girl   @1waytofindout

I don't really know what to say to that. So, just have a reveal instead:

REVEAL:

E3s ARE GOOD (BAD)
Biffo-oh-oh-oh it’s magic, you know.

Consensus is that the Electronic Entertainment Expo was a dead squid (damp squib) because of the impending next generation of hyperbole (consoles).

But is there even any point of getting a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Two? Are the Sony or Microsoft exclusives good enough to invest in either or both console(s)? I mean we don’t know obviously, they might be…except they aren’t are they? In the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter if you miss them because you’ll be dead soon (especially Biffo who IS an old man and DOES VERY CLEARLY have grey in his admittedly magnificent hair).

What about third party games then? Well they’ll all eventually come to Nintendo consoles, either in some less graffixy fashion (like when you played arcade ports on anything prior to the Dreamcast) or a generation behind if you can wait.

After or during the next generation we’ll all be streaming anyway so we might as well sit out the next lot of Sony and Microsoft consoles. Who’s with me?

I’d say I was 61% serious about this, I haven’t got the time for multiple current formats and the Switch is the easiest to play in small chunks. 

QUESTION!
Graphics keep getting better but when was the last time gameplay got better?

Never believe it’s not so.
Gremobt

Better gameplay is all subjective isn't it? Also, the term "gameplay" doesn't really sum up the breadth and scope of modern games, which feature multiple different types of game mechanics. Also, you wrote a long, difficult, intro to that one question...

GOT TO GO FAST?
I wonder if you could help me. I haven’t played video games for a great number of years and I’m struggling to remember a particular game from my childhood.

I believe the game was for the Sega Megadrive and came out around 1991. The main character was an odd coloured mouse-type creature with what appeared to be a mohican style haircut. 

The main objective appeared to be running incredibly fast, jumping on platforms and fighting a large man in various robotic monstrosities who, in retrospect, appeared to look a lot like the comedy actor Jim Carrey. I remember that there was a level select code where you pressed Up, Down, Left, Right, A+Start on the title screen (a variation of the input existed where you use the letter C in between to open a debug menu in the game).

I remember there was a sequel around a year later starting an orange cat-type creature with two tails.

I’m at a loss as Googling as revealed nothing useful.

Could you or your valiant readers help?
Lee​

Press reveal to see what it was. 

REVEAL:

POT POLL
How are you? I am fine. I was interested to learn that you own an Instant Pot. REAL interested. 

I also own an Instant Pot and while I use it a lot I have found there to be very little that's "Instant" about it. I mean, it exists in my kitchen and to that extent it's an instant pot, but in use it takes about 10 minutes to get up to pressure and that's before you've even cooked anything. After cooking there is a further 20 mins while the pot 'relieves itself' of its pressure (assuming of course you don't perform a premature guff-off as I inevitably do). Hardly instant now, is it?

None of this changes the fact that I love my Instant Pot, even if the silicon ring smells. I mainly use it to boil beef bones until all the collagen and minerals leach out of them into the surrounding liquid. Then I drink it! 

I'm quite a lonely man, but I'm well-nourished and maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria.

Thanks, and much love
Terry B. Fingersome​

I've yet to use the Instant Pot - I mainly stick to the air fryer (which EVERYONE needs). But my wife loves it. Surely the versatility of the Instant Pot, and the way it locks in flavours, affords it a degree of leniency when it comes to the accuracy of its name? Cook a whole chicken or a ham in there. Just do it. It's the best. 

NOTHING FOR A PAIR
Hey, man.
That Bruce Forsyth impression you do.
Sublime!
Hugs,
HdE

Guh-guh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-g-g-g-g-g-g-guh-good game. 

SCI-FI
What’s that episode of Babylon 5 where Tom Paris does the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs?

Ta,
Paul​ Dunning

Shut-up, Paul.

13.TITLE
Dear Hugo. E3 has passed us (except for those E3 twitter livestreams), Nintendo had a close chance at winning it (don't @ me), but Microsoft just edged it.

​I know I saw that you thought Nintendo won it, but Microsoft not only had a star appearance unlike Nintendo, they also had more announcements that interested me (I didn't care about Zelda), so, just punch me in your response and make me cry for the Gates, won't ya? 
From the BV Reviewer ​

All these things are in the eye of the beholder, ultimately. But that doesn't change the fact that you are wrong, and I'm right. 

50 Qs OF WHYTE
​371) As with all art forms, games are subjective and there isn't such a thing as a 'best' game. Because of this, I prefer to think about what my favourite games are when discussing them with others.

​This made me think of a different element, that is what games have had the biggest impact on me, if not necessarily being my favourites. The 5 games that have had the greatest effect on me, in several ways, are Wipeout 2097, The Witcher 3, Bayonetta, Blue Max and Sensible World of Soccer. What would you choose?

372) If we were in the Oxford Union and the motion was that 'This house believes that Peter Molyneux is the greatest European games designer,' would you argue for or against?

373) Does the modern computer game press concentrate too much on negative elements of games and their surrounding culture?

374) Do you think that computer game development is harder to increase diversity quickly than in than film or music production, because a very specific set of skills, usually via a formal education, are required?

​I'm not suggesting that it's more difficult to make games than play the guitar, but if you are a great singer, for example, you can sing.

​It strikes me that the specificity of the skills required to get into games design make the barrier to entry higher than other art forms. I might be talking nonsense but this makes me think that to get to where most people would like us to be in terms of diversity (of all kinds), games might require more intervention than e.g. film or music. 

375) What is an example of an otherwise-great game ruined by a bad mechanic?
John Whyte

371) A friend of mine - indeed, it was former Digitiser chips & teats monkey Mr Udders, thinks it IS possible to objectively name the best something  He has an infuriating theory about how you choose, say, the best album of all time. He basically says the only way to do this definitively is to pick the album with the most sales. So, by his reckoning, the greatest album all time is the 38 million-selling Greatest Hits 1971 - 1975 by the Eagles. 

I've tried pointing out to him that it's all subjective, and that there may be records you've never heard that might become your favourite of all time, and that sales are also down to marketing, and momentum, etc. etc. But he's adamant that this is the best and only true indicator of something's quality; how well it sells. 

Which is ridiculous.

Anyway. The five games that have had the biggest impact on me? You mean in terms of them, say, being significant moments? Combat on the Atari 2600, Discs of Tron, Dragon's Lair, Castle Master, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. Probably.

372) I'd probably argue against it. I don't know who I'd offer up as a defence, but while Molyneux has created many classics - and it's a shame that negative publicity has overshadowed it all - so much of his visibility is due to his ability to generate headlines.

373) Maybe. I'm not sure, because I read very little modern games journalism. Digi, certainly, used to love giving something a kicking back in the day; it's much easy to be nasty than nice... But I do think that the games press has been complicit in stirring up mob outrage at times. Certainly, the backlash against Peter Molyneux was amplified by the press joining in, in a way which felt - to me - utterly gratuitous. 

374) It's not just games. I see it in TV too. There's often a well-intentioned drive to put diverse creative teams on a project, but ultimately everything needs to meet deadlines. It's why TV shows will default back to established people with the necessary experience (the vast majority of whom, in TV, are white, straight, middle class, men). It takes time to build up that experience; it took me years before I was ready. 

I'm not an expert. I don't have any real informed suggestions as to how you get more people from minority groups interested in games development (or writing for TV, say). But I do think it's important that we do, otherwise everything just becomes homogenised.

I would say that is far more of a barrier than having a certain set of formal skills; it's ensuring that door is open, and that the avenues are there for people to gain experience. Qualifications will always be secondary to experience. 

​375) Right now... it's any game with overlong, over-difficult, boss battles. I'm done with those guys!

+++ PLUG ZONE +++ PLUG XONE +++ PLUG ZONE ++++

S.L.Perrin writes:

"I was wondering if you would mind my hijacking your fine letters page to do a spot of self-promotion?
See, I done gone and written one of them there book things covering the history of British gaming. I wanted to make a hardback, glossy paged tome with loads of pictures and all that gubbins, but alas that proved a little tricky to get off the ground. So I've released a paperback version in hope of raising some awareness (and money) so I can eventually make that hardback, glossy paged tome in the near future.

"Here's a blurb about the book...

"81681 words, 141 pages, (almost) 40 years of gaming history, 15 game studios, 12 months of research,  1 book. 

"MICROBRITS: A Tapestry Of The British Gaming Industry is a book looking at the history of the British gaming through the very companies who shaped it. Beginning with Imagine Software in 1982, covering almost four decades of British gaming and ending with Rockstar North in 2019. Imagine, Ocean, Psygnosis, U.S. Gold, Ultimate Play The Game, Rare, The Bitmap Brothers, Gremlin Graphics, Sensible Software, Team 17, DMA Design and Rockstar North are all covered, looking at each company from the start to the very end, the people behind it and some of the games they produced. 

"The book is designed so you can just jump in a read about any of the studios you wish to. But if you read it cover to cover, then an interesting tapestry of British gaming is revealed as many of these companies all cross paths in one way or another.

"You can play a good game of six degrees of separation with this book. Yarns of interesting partnerships, back-stabbing buy outs,  bitter rivalries, surprising interweaving tales and plenty of fascinating tit-bits along the way. MICROBRITS: A Tapestry Of The British Gaming Industry is a journey through almost four decades of British gaming and how some of the biggest names in the industry, some still working today began… as well as some pretty spectacular failures. 

"But that’s not all. As when you’re done reading this fascinating story of how the British gaming industry was born, there’s a nice bonus at the end. A special three part look at the most important British game designer ever. An in-depth look at the entire career of a certain Peter Douglas Molyneux. I take you through a journey beginning with Peter as a baked bean salesman to his co-founding Bullfrog Productions, via Lionhead Studios and ending with 22Cans." 

MICROBRITS: A Tapestry Of The British Gaming Industry is available to buy from Amazon.
Paperback version available now.

Kindle edition available to pre-order for a 15/6 release.