Christopher Searle

Delighting in the Reimagined Dragon Quest VII - DarkRula Media Moving on from the Erdrick trilogy, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined delivers a great experience for the main series, and a great jumping on point for a first timer.

The remade Erdrick trilogy has been great to play through, but I find myself enjoying Dragon Quest VII Reimagined a lot more. The story structure, battle flow, and design of all elements makes this a great experience and one I can easily recommend. A great start for first-time players of the series.

Yesterday I was out at the Yorkshire Card Show: NEC Takeover. And what a surprise, buying everything but a card. Happy with all that I did get, with that CTR coaster getting me on Nitro-Fueled for the first time in ages to relive some memories.

God damn. The madman actually did it. The butcher of Sapienza has another title to his name.

Indeed. We can see about that soon.

Where would you enjoy going? Not sure a dress would be great for a canalside walk.

Just seen that Armorsaurs has been picked up by the BBC for distribution in the UK. So much for it appearing on Disney+ here. Still, not a long wait for it, with it coming on 18/February. Just have to hope iPlayer actually wants to work for me.

An hour with Dragon Quest VII Reimagined and I feel I'm liking it more than 1-3. The more dynamic battles, the great friendship between its leads, and the seeking of adventures and wading through the mysteries of the lost islands helping with that. A lot.

For three weeks of work, this has the beginnings of a great racer. Here's to it seeing a lot more development and becoming a success.

Indeed. Yes, I had an hour on it the day I bought it. Quite a fun one.

From what I've seen around, the better of the two versions. Though the DS version is still certainly fun.

Last week I found this at the retro store in Blackheath Market. I was tempted, but decided not to. Well, the temptation returned and I've got it. Time to get it into my 3DS and see just what this Power Rangers game holds. It most definitely is morphin time.

And Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake is now complete. Again via easy mode and invincibilty for the final boss. I never had such issues with the final boss of the third game. It felt so much fairer than both 1 and 2. Attacks dealing 200+ damage on all party members being one such unfairness.

And I will absolutely take full advantage of that. Plate piled high as a mountain, with it all covered in onion gravy. Super.

I saw Power Rangers Super Legends on the DS for £3 at the Blackheath Market today, and damn was I tempted to get it.

Grand Worlds Revealed At The 2026 Developer Direct - DarkRula Media The latest Developer Direct of Xbox revealed some grand worlds for players to explore across the year. This is my look at the games of the event.

Xbox have shown a deep dive into four games with the latest Developer Direct, with some grand worlds for players to explore. Here, I talk of all four games shown off in the showcase. Naturally, it should be no surprise which game had me most hyped.

Okay, Janix, rather than Coruscant. Which makes it better, being a planet not seen before. Ten episodes from 6/April to 4/May in a highly serialised story. It's going to be a great one to see.

YouTube video by Star Wars Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord | Official Teaser Trailer | Streaming April 6 on Disney+

Hell yes! This is looking to be a great one. Coruscant intrigue, lightsaber action, and just so. Much. Maul. And what a bonus that it premieres in Star Wars Month. One more article during that event month. It's looking a good month.

Can't ever do a proper headshot crop. Typical social media.
You look lovely with both fits.

So... don't count on any Ubisoft games being released any time soon. Well, except the annual Just Dance.

I've done that on GTA V!

Just... don't ask how much damage I caused doing it...

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An Enjoyable Roam Around Go Kart Island - DarkRula Media The first game I'm offering thoughts on this year, Go Kart Island is a delightful one. Plenty of humour in its interactions being just one reason.

First seeing this during its release on Steam last year, it is now also available on Steam. So, in giving Go Kart Island a drive, I fell in love with the variety and humour it offers. It's an easy recommended one, with my experiences showing why.

Adventures in a Mario Kart World - DarkRula Media When the open world of Mario Kart World was first revealed, I hoped for a grand adventure across it. This article reveals one such adventure.

It's a new year, and a time for hoping for new things. And one of the things I hope for is new additions to #MarioKartWorld. And one wish that I hope for is an adventure mode to provide a new way to explore this open world. So take a read of my latest concept article.

I've not really followed the Truck Driver franchise since finding out Soedesco were working on a second game. And now I find out there's a third that has already been released! Well, I think it's time to dive back into the franchise. Soon.

April for DarkRula Media is Star Wars Month, and with photography now being a part of the label, I want to feature some great Star Wars cosplay as part of the month! If you want to be part of the month, contact me and we can discuss the details.

#starwarscosplay #ukphotographer

If the date here is true, I'm one out of two on release month guesses for the games showing up at the Developer Direct. As a reminder, I've said Forza in May. Fable in April. And I'm adding one for Beast of Reincarnation, which I suspect will be February.

And so the LEGO Pokémon sets are revealed, ready for release on Pokémon Day. Damn do they look great. And fortunately Eevee - the one I couldn't resist - is the cheapest. I would absolutely love the other two if I had the room for them.

All these barely above 0C temps can get lost, honestly. Yes, it's fun to see snow on the ground, but I can't be dealing with sudden breathing constrictions every time I want to go outside. And sometimes even when inside.

The Fun World of Playtime Stats - DarkRula Media One of the things I've always found interesting is tracking playtime. In 2025, I started doing so by month. Here, I talk in brief of the results.

Tracking playtime is something I enjoy doing. I don't place too much importance on it, but it is nice to see the trends that develop. The games I get invested in across a year. So for 2025, I went a bit deeper. Using Exophase and a spreadsheet to track by month. Now, I'm revealing highlights here.

And so Dragon Quest I HD-2D Remake is complete. A good time, for sure. Though only having one party member to use for the entire story does make things more difficult than it feels it needs to be. Especially coming up against the final few bosses. Thank you Dracky Mode + Invincibilty.