It was a day like no other – the winds of trouble blew into my office like a bad dream, and itâd take one hell of a pinch to wake me. The case was double dutch all the way down; pages and pages of total nonsense. Our first informant, Sam, re-briefed us on one hell of a bad memory from â93 – the disastrous alliance of the Philips and Nintendo families. Then, the vigilante David turned the tables – promising us they could finally bring down the Hollywood Noire syndicate with one unassuming link. Could these two crazies have a point? Would it be worth risking it all in the pursuit of justice? Whatâs that old saying – âwhere thereâs smokeââŚ?
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Games discussed: Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, the Philips CD-i (and the early development of the Sony PlayStation), Animation Magic, Link: The Faces of Evil & Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Hotel Mario, L.A. Noire, James Noirâs Hollywood Crimes 3D
Brief mentions: Jusant, Mad Dog McCree, Letâs Make a Soccer Team, Football Manager, Action Max (VHS-based games console), Sony Imagesoft, Mighty No. 9, The Getaway, Duke Nukem Forever
Music used:
- International Superstar Soccer 2000 – Menu 3 (“Okay Fellas”)
- Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore – Norrin Swamp
- Hotel Mario – Reading a Letter
- Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore – Faramore Town
- L.A. Noire – Main Theme; A New Beginning (pts. 1, 2 & 3)
- James Noirâs Hollywood Crimes 3D – Crossing Tracks
- Sonic Unleashed – Skyscraper Scamper Night
Further reading:
- CD-i Magazine (UK) issue 2 (1993), issue 15 (1996): https://archive.org/details/CD-i_Magazine_Issue_02_1993_Haymarket_Publishing_GB_a, https://archive.org/details/cdi-uk-15/
- Translated fan interview with Denis Charnov, one of the Zelda animators (2021): https://www.reddit.com/r/truezelda/comments/ymwfxc/interview_with_denis_charnov_one_of_the_animators/
- Retro Gamer issue 27 (2006) [The Making of âZelda: Wand of Gamelonâ & âLink: The Faces of Evilâ by John Szczepaniak]
- âLink Gets a Job at Gwonam’s Restaurant So He Can Earn Enough Money to Buy a Playstation 3â, WalrusGuy (2009): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN-Zomwu2Gc