The first five years of the PlayStation were something of a wild west for game design. Video games had made a huge jump when the console was released in 1994, allowing for innovation and creative choices to flourish.
Titles such as Tekken, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Resident Evil, Spyro and Tomb Raider were all advancing the medium in their respective genres, giving gamers a new and exciting experience that could only be imagined up until that point.
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But between the pillars of the console, some games did things weird enough to be noticed and appreciated. Weird in the sense that they were just too goofy, eccentric or bizarre.
One such title is MediEvil, a hack-and-slash fantasy game developed by SCE Studio Cambridge and released in October 1998. The game follows the slain knight Sir Daniel Fortesque after he is resurrected by an evil wizard named Zarok.
Fortesque was the first soldier to be killed on the battlefield in the war against the evil horde of Zarok, being shot in the eye and dying immediately. Despite his failure, he is hailed a hero and buried in his battle armour, which he wears after being resurrected as a skeleton.
The game received a remaster in 2019, but what’s it like playing the original game today?
Joyfully macabre
Its description and story might evoke images of scary ghouls and a gruesome reanimated body, but it is nothing like that. Presented in a family-friendly tone, the game is quite whimsical and very witty with its comedy.
At every stage, Fortesque receives guidance and quips from faces on the walls that don’t hold back in both embarrassing and encouraging our hero. His ambition is to redeem himself and his failure on the field of battle, but no one seems to treat his death as badly as he does.
The best thing about Fortesque as a protagonist is his earnestness and eagerness. As players push through every level, giving him a skill boost and getting him closer to his goal, there’s genuine excitement and satisfaction felt for the knight.
Nostalgic but archaic
MediEvil came out during a time in which whimsical gothic television shows and films were all the rage. Fans tuned in to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed, enjoyed films like Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus and listened to music by the Cranberries and Stevie Nicks.
The game fits right in with this aesthetic, with stages set in graveyards while being attacked by enemies ranging from zombies to little gnomes. Accented with haunting orchestral music befitting the setting but keeping things light and never serious.
And while playing the game is a fun experience even today, the controls do take some time to get used to. With every stage, it becomes clearer why a remaster was necessary for modern gaming standards.
The remaster does do a good job of reinvigorating the experience but does lose some of the deep nostalgic effect the original provides.
Verdict
It’s hard to describe how magnificent some of these games seemed when played first in the late 1990s. They will always deliver a memorable experience that modern gaming is always trying to do for new generations.
MediEvil is not a huge title but has become a cult favourite over the years, with many recalling playing it on release and enjoying it thoroughly. I had forgotten about it until it arrived on the PlayStation 5’s classic games library last month.
But starting it up, I started to remember that I did indeed play it way back when even remembering the circumstances and the day that happened. Not many games can do that, and MediEvil had to be special enough to be memorable and it was.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
WTL%20SCHEDULE
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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