Smaley’s Save Point

23/03/2026

Quite proud of this one. I love the Anno series, and Anno 1800 is one of the best. Anno 117: Pax Romana is building on the strong game mechanics introduced in 1800. I’ve just purchased it for PS5, and that will be my next conquest to complete and trophy hunt.

I know I’ll get asked: why play a city builder/simulation on PS5 instead of PC? Well, I have Anno 1800 on PC with every single DLC, and wow that’s something special. With all those DLCs, it would never run properly on PS5. The console edition keeps it to the base game, which I actually like. That said, once you start building large islands, the PS5 does slow down—it eats up a lot of RAM. It would probably run better on a PS5 Pro.

Completing the final two trophies was a struggle one for finishing on Expert mode, and another on maximum difficulty.

So, has anyone here played the Anno series? Who’s planning to dive into Anno 117: Pax Romana?

09/02/2026

The PS3 I sent for repair can’t be saved. I’m really gutted about that, given its significance and backwards compatibility. But fair play to the company for getting in touch and giving me a full refund.

Anyway! Not long now — I’ve started prepping for Wednesday and Thursday night’s retro games night. Hope you can all make it.

01/02/2026

Remember the R4 cards for the Nintendo DS? These little cartridges were a game-changer back in the day. They let you mod your DS, run homebrew apps, and load game backups straight from a microSD card—no bulky cases, just your whole library in your pocket.

For tinkerers and retro fans, R4 cards opened the door to customization, emulators, fan-made tools, and way more freedom than the stock DS ever allowed. 🔧🎮

Very easy to set up and I am going to replace the battery and shell for this DS to make it look a little more modern and capable for today’s age.

I installed TwilightPlus UI on this R4 card and is very slick.

30/01/2026

A Hidden Gem Found 💎

I have come across one of the most desirable PS3s on the market — the PS3 CECH03! Unfortunately, it currently has the YLOD (Yellow Light of Death). I’m not confident repairing it myself, so I’ll be taking it to Stoke-based console specialist Retro Six for a proper fix. 🛠️🎮

Why is the CECH03 special? Here’s the lowdown… 👇

⭐ Key features of the CECHC03

This is actually one of the more desirable PS3 models because it has extra hardware features that later versions removed:
• 60 GB hard drive
• Partial PlayStation 2 backward compatibility
• Plays most PS2 games using software emulation (not 100% compatibility, but quite good)
• Full PlayStation 1 compatibility
• 4 USB ports (later models only had 2)
• Memory card readers
• CompactFlash
• SD Card
• Memory Stick
• Supports SACD audio discs
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in
• Glossy “fat” design (first generation PS3 style)

🎮 What it does (in general)

It can:
• Play PS3 games
• Play many PS2 and all PS1 games
• Play Blu-ray movies and DVDs
• Store games/media on the internal drive
• Connect to PlayStation Network for downloads and online play
• Play music, movies, and photos from USB or disc

⚠️ Things to know about this model

Early fat PS3s like this:
• Run hotter than later models
• Are more prone to hardware failure over time (especially if never cleaned or serviced)
• Are somewhat collectible now because of backward compatibility

27/01/2026

I really recommend a visit to the Arcade Club! I got a few snaps but didn’t do it justice, I could have took a million photos and it wouldn’t have just done it justice! Any gamers must go!
Ex

23/01/2026

Tomorrow I’m taking my nephews to Europe’s largest retro gaming arcade in Bury, called The Arcade Club.

👉 https://www.arcadeclub.co.uk

I’ve never been! I’ve heard so many people say it’s brilliant — can any followers describe their experiences or visits if you’ve been?

Slightly excited!

Arcade Club is Europe’s largest free play video and pinball arcade. More than 1000 well maintained classic arcade machines in our ever expanding library. Three exciting locations: Bury in Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool, all with modern and classic games to explore. Once inside all games are free ...

19/01/2026

Before mobile gaming… there was the PSP 🔥

I recently had a fabulous PSP come my way, in absolutely top condition 😍. I’ve come across some bad ones in the past, but I don’t think I’ll ever come across one as good as this.

I purchased a 128GB memory card 💾 and got to work on jailbreaking it. Quite possibly the easiest device I’ve ever done — it took less than 10 minutes ⏱️👏.

I installed some classic games to try it out, including Tekken 5 🥊 and GTA: Vice City Stories 🚓. After that, I installed a series of emulators from other consoles, and naturally, I went for a GBA emulator and loaded up Pokémon 🐉⚡.

A handheld console that was very underrated.

15/01/2026

The Game I Have Always Wanted 😍

Well, it has finally arrived — the game I have wanted most ever since I was a child. It wasn’t cheap! £89.99 to buy, and they are hard to come by! 💸

I have seen videos of the game on YouTube showing how Sonic has to move through different times — the past, present, and future — to turn bad levels into good ones. ⏳✨

If someone were to ask me which game I value the most, I’d probably say this one now! 😄 It’s a close call, though, because I have some brilliant games on other consoles that I hold in very high regard in my rankings. 🎮🔥

14/01/2026

Views on Vinyl Wraps for Consoles

I was always skeptical about vinyl wraps on gaming consoles, but I do believe they serve a good purpose. They help protect consoles from the wear and tear of everyday life and can also add a bit of identity and character—especially if you go for colourful, artistic designs 🎨.

I had these Xbox Ones wrapped because of the wear and tear they had sustained, and to make them look tidier overall ✨🧼

Would you use them?

I’m thinking of getting the PS4s covered as well, since I have dedicated consoles for the Final Fantasy franchise and Rockstar Games. It would also make it much easier to identify which console to pick up 🤣🎯

13/01/2026

Probably the best documentary about a game and the formation of its music. Michael Jackson has always been a top artist to me, he music was incredible and when you play Sonic 3 you can hear some of the influences he had on it and his music team. If you got a spare 25 minutes give it a watch.

10 years and 7 months ago, James Hansen, better known as "Qjimbo", posted a video hypothesizing that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop himself, had a hand in ...