Alena Episodes: Hebridean Scooby Gang / Buffy-verse

Buffy Season 4 Retrospective

February 21, 2026February 20, 2026 by admin

Buffy Season 4 Review: A Bold but Divisive Turning Point Buffy Season 4 marks one of the most dramatic transitions in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After the emotional intensity of the high school years, the series shifts into college life, forcing both characters and viewers into unfamiliar territory. This era explores identity, independence, and the … Read more

Buffy Season 3 – Class of ’99 Ready to Slay

January 18, 2026January 16, 2026 by admin

Buffy Season 3 Retrospective A buffy season 3 retrospective shows the point where Buffy the Vampire Slayer stopped being a cult hit and became a fully realised long-form drama. Season 3 deepens the show’s emotional stakes, introduces lasting consequences, and challenges the idea that power automatically leads to heroism. Following the groundwork laid in our … Read more

Slaying Season 1 – Buffy Retrospective

October 23, 2025October 17, 2025 by admin

Iconic Moments, The Master’s Reign, and Why Season 1 Still Slays

LATEST EPISODE

OH!CAST | Exploring Geek Culture, Fandom and Pop Culture

Brought to you from the wild, wonderful Outer Hebrides, OH!CAST is a geek culture podcast where the Atlantic winds meet the winds of change in fandom, gaming, and all things nerdy.Tune in for insights, laughs, and plenty of “oh!” moments.

In this episode of OH!CAST, the hosts welcome veteran game artist Simon Butler, whose career spans more than four decades and hundreds of games—from the earliest 8-bit era to modern indie development. (Content advisory: this episode contains strong language and frank discussion throughout.)

Simon shares the remarkable story of how he accidentally fell into the games industry in the early 1980s, back when the role of a “game artist” barely existed and developers were inventing the craft as they went along. From drawing sprites on graph paper to pushing pixels across multiple platforms, he recounts what it was really like working during the formative years of the industry.

The conversation explores Simon’s time with studios such as Ocean Software, the realities of developing movie tie-ins, and the chaotic creativity of early game development. He talks about working on titles connected to classic franchises, contributing graphics to Worms, and the infamous Highlander adaptation—while offering candid reflections on what worked, what didn’t, and why some games became legends for the wrong reasons.

Along the way, Simon shares stories about tight deadlines, overnight crunch sessions, and the culture of the 8-bit development scene—plus his unfiltered thoughts on retro nostalgia, the AAA industry, and why indie developers today are closer to the original spirit of game creation.

It’s a funny, honest, and occasionally brutal look behind the curtain at how classic games were really made—and how the myth of the “golden age” compares to the reality.