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I'm Oli. I'm a software engineer based in the south-east UK where I've lived all my life.
When I'm not working I'm usually playing or writing about computer games. I'm most fond of retro gaming over anything modern, and my favourite systems are the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 which I own a growing physical collection for.
I enjoy photography and birding, two hobbies I picked up back in 2024. I'm not particularly great at either but I try and post some photos of birds here on the odd occasion I snap a keeper (assuming my cat Poncho hasn't got there first).
Finally, my wife and I are the proud parents of our daughter who was born in May 2026 and for whom I want to be the best role model possible.
Currently Playing
Platform: PlayStation
Released: 2000
Developer / Publisher: Capcom
I've never played this JRPG series and don't know much about it. However, I was quickly drawn-in by the excellent painterly sprite work.
I'm only a short way in so far and there are things I like and don't like. The camera system seems obtrusive to the point it's annoying to navigate towns. It's similar to the 360 degrees from Xenogears but not executed as nicely despite being released 2 years later.
The characters seem fun and somewhat unique to me. I'm particularly enjoying Ershin, the stout robot with oddly blunt dialogue.
We'll see how we go but if I enjoy and finish this entry I may go back to play the earlier entries. I've heard III is also a solid JRPG.
Platform: PlayStation Portable
Released: 2008
Developer / Publisher: Capcom
I'm a long-time fan of the Monster Hunter series since being introduced to it with Monster Hunter Tri back on the Nintendo Wii. I never owned a PSP and had therefore never played Freedom Unite before I purchased a console recently.
I'm really enjoying this entry despite the clunkiness compared to the modern games. There's a certain charm to old-school Monster Hunter.