video game history

If you’ve ever looked at the Pioneer LaserActive (CLD-A100) and thought, “Surely someone’s emulated that beast by now,” you weren’t alone. But until recently, the answer was a surprising no. Despite its wild hybrid of LaserDisc movies, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and PC-Engine games, and CD-ROM add-ons, the LaserActive remained one of the last major vintage consoles left out in the cold of the emulation world.

That is—until now.

After 16 years of effort, setbacks, and sheer stubbornness, the LaserActive is finally playable via emulation, thanks to the tireless work of developer: Nemesis, a long-time figure in the retro scene—and yes, he’s proudly Australian.

What Made the LaserActive So Weird (and Wonderful)?

Released in 1993, the LaserActive was a Frankenstein’s monster of media formats. It could play LaserDiscs (yes, those dinner-plate-sized video discs), Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges, CD-ROMs and even Mega LD games —if you had the right expansion module (called a PAC). It was expensive, niche, and undeniably cool in that “only in the ’90s” kind of way.

But its complexity made it a nightmare for emulation. Unlike most consoles, the LaserActive wasn’t just one system—it was several, stitched together with proprietary hardware and obscure formats. That meant emulating it wasn’t just about dumping ROMs; it was about decoding a whole multimedia ecosystem.

Enter Nemesis: The Aussie Who Wouldn’t Quit

Nemesis, known in the emulation world for his earlier work on Exodus, a cycle-accurate Mega Drive emulator, began his LaserActive journey back in 2009. What started as a curiosity turned into a full-blown mission: to bring the Mega-LD experience to modern systems.

Over the years, he reverse-engineered hardware, tackled the quirks of LaserDisc data, and even helped pioneer a new file format (.mmi) to preserve the analogue video, audio, and digital content in one playable package. His work culminated in the latest version of the Ares emulator, which now supports LaserActive’s Sega PAC games.

Why It Matters

For retro gaming fans, this isn’t just about playing Triad Stone or Pyramid Patrol on your PC. It’s about preservation. The LaserActive was a bold experiment in multimedia gaming, and now, for the first time, it’s accessible to everyone—not just collectors with deep pockets and working LaserDisc players.

It also marks a symbolic milestone: one of the last major consoles of the pre-2000s era has finally been emulated. That’s a huge win for game history, digital preservation, and anyone who ever dreamed of playing LaserDisc Karaoke without shelling out a small fortune.

What’s Next?

With the LaserActive finally joining the emulation club, the retro community can turn its attention to even more obscure oddities. But for now, let’s raise a glass (or a controller) to Nemesis—the Aussie dev who brought a forgotten console back to life.

Strap in, load up, and check those corners—Bitmap Books’ “Hurt Me Plenty: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 2003–2010” is a pixel-perfect deep dive into one of gaming’s most explosive and transformative eras. If you’ve ever reloaded a shotgun with a flick of the mouse, cowered in a duct waiting for your shields to recharge, or yelled “headshot!” at your screen in triumph, this book is your new bible.

Following the much-lauded I’m Too Young to Die, which chronicled the rise of the FPS genre from 1992 to 2002, Hurt Me Plenty picks up the story right where your LAN cable left off—covering the genre’s maturing years. From the raw adrenaline of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to the haunting chill of Cryostasis, this 464-page beast charts the golden (and sometimes glitchy) era when shooters burst through the mainstream and embedded themselves in gaming’s DNA.

First things first: the book is gorgeous. Bitmap Books has once again gone all-in on production values. The hardback tome uses high-grade paper, vivid Pantone inks, and a cover by artist Ian Pestridge that absolutely slaps. It’s the kind of book you leave out on your coffee table just to start conversations—and then suddenly lose three hours to reading.

But it’s not just about good looks. The content is deep, lovingly detailed, and gleefully geeky. With nearly 220 games featured—from juggernauts like Half-Life 2, DOOM 3, Halo 2, and BioShock, to cult classics (The Ball, Zeno Clash) and beautiful disasters (Kwari, anyone?)—this is a love letter to the FPS in all its chaotic glory. Each entry is packed with sharp commentary, development tidbits, and screenshots that hit you right in the nostalgia gland.

There’s also a real reverence here for the evolution of the genre. Hurt Me Plenty doesn’t just list games; it contextualizes them. It examines the industry’s shift from World War II fatigue to modern warfare spectacle. It digs into the rise of multiplayer-only titles, the impact of digital distribution, and even FPS oddities that never made it past the alpha stage. You’ll find yourself thinking, “Oh yeah! I remember that game!”—or better yet, “How did I miss this?”

Interviews with legends like Ken Levine (BioShock), Minh Le (Counter-Strike), and Tim Willits (DOOM 3) offer rare behind-the-scenes insight that elevates this from mere catalogue to oral history. Harvey Smith’s foreword sets the tone with thoughtful reflections on design, agency, and the enduring power of the first-person perspective.

If there’s a flaw here, it’s simply that you’ll wish there were even more. You’ll be tempted to fire up a dozen Steam wishlists and blow your weekend revisiting forgotten gems like Breakdown, NecroVision, or Urban Chaos: Riot Response.

Whether you were bunny-hopping through Quake Live, creeping through the nuclear shadows of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., or modding your way through Garry’s Mod, this book hits you with wave after wave of “oh wow” moments. It’s part time capsule, part celebration, and 100% essential reading for anyone who ever peered down the barrel of an AK-47 in search of pixels and glory.

Final verdict: Hurt Me Plenty is a masterfully crafted tribute to the games that shaped a generation—and to the players who lived, fragged, and respawned through them. Buy it, read it, and then boot up an old favourite and relive the magic.

Score: 10/10 — One shot, one thrill.

Where to buy and how much?