zombie remake gamelife phase

in

Seem to have entered into a "zombie remake" phase of my gaming life – most of which I never played in their original forms: the amazing, limb-slicing DEAD SPACE remake was first, and now I've moved on to RESIDENT EVIL 2 (never played any of the original games when they came out) and DEAD RISING DELUXE REMASTER (which I attempted to play when it first came out). To swap between the atmospheric dread, low ammo, low health, and puzzles of RE2 and the pure mall-ratting insanity and narrative inanity of DR has proven a valuable balm for evening brain capacity needs. And when that fails, there's always POWERWASH SIMULATOR, that digital earthly delight to which, according to the Playstation app, I've given more than 61 hours of my life and will happily give many many more.

SILVERVIEW

in

Finished the final John le Carré novel written by David this morning, first written by Nick buried, somewhere, on the to-read stack. While it read as a coda to a 60+-year career and never reached the heights of his greatest – THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY, and THE CONSTANT GARDENER – it wasn't lacking in the character-driven pleasure of even the most middling le Carré efforts and was an enjoyable interlude between longer reads.

That said, one passage in particular packed a punch, a goodbye – not just from a character, but from a literary voice to his reader (or to his son, carrying on his tradition?):

"I am in the past now, Julian. I can do no harm. I wish you to know that, if occasion arises, you are free to discuss me. There are people we must never betray, whatever the cost. I do not belong in that category. I have no claim on you. I loved your father. Now give me your hand. So. When we return to the car park I shall say only a formal farewell to you."