The Front Row

That’s what we’re all asking and fundamentally we have gotten somewhat a half-answer here. Ella Purnell is famed for the role she plays in the Fallout TV series. However, Sweetpea is so good that it cannot just be allowed to fly under your radar. If you haven’t found the time to check this one out. Now is the time with the next season just around the corner.

It’s taken us two years to get here. We’re finally going to get some answers to what comes next in all of this. If you like Dexter, you will probably enjoy this. I believe in the face of everything that Rhiannon has been through, she’s certainly going to wrestle with the truth of herself, and ultimately I think this season is going to be about how she handles those certain impulses which have gotten to where we find her at the end of season one.

The tragedy here, is that it ruins the surprise, but the real disappointment really in all of this is that these leaks are not relative to the version of the game that the developers wanted to show you. That will be happening on Netflix tomorrow. Now we can argue all day about Rockstar cashing in on the franchise’s name by selling the ‘look in’ to Netflix. However, I think any publisher who had the kind of franchise on their hands that can do these sorts of numbers. They would probably do the same. It is certainly a brand that will make money throughout its life cycle and that’s going to be taken advantage of to the fullest extent possible.

I think if you’re a GTA fan, we’ve come to accept the business practices of the previous release GTA V. Especially with the online component. I think tomorrow as GTA fans we can all celebrate how far this team has come to deliver the game we all love and expect. Sometimes the excitement is uncharted and it’s completely understandable for a game of this magnitude. To want to be the one to see the game early so it can be put under the microscope and talked about that’s just human nature with this being the biggest event in gaming. Not much can match it.

That GTA reveal tomorrow at 8PM BST, 3 PM ET is going to be a big deal not just for us as fans, but also the team at Rockstar. Essentially we’re going to be seeing the authentic version and latest build of a game that everyone really is excited for when it comes out this November.

If you’re on PS5 and decide to upgrade to PS5 Pro. You have to decide whether putting the cost into older hardware is worth it, or if you’re just happy with running your PS5. Ultimately, older hardware and newer hardware. That entry point in costs is practically the same now.

That means, if you’re not wanting to upgrade for GTA VI. One of the main reasons to upgrade to a PS5 Pro. You will be very happy to continue with what you have.

The situation is very different to past generations. Our old consoles are now practically worth more than we paid for them. But also, another thing that you’re going to want to consider with the PS6. Is the future solely based on digital purchases something that attracts you?

However, if you enjoy the platform, that’s not going to sway too much with your purchasing intention. There are a lot of rumours out there that we’re going to see a £1000 PS6. And to tell you the truth, I think with how Sony is now. They could easily want to charge you for that amount come their next generation launch. Ultimately, if you have money to burn. The PS6 is going to be a premium device and a great upgrade.

That’s not to say that there isn’t going to be longevity with the current PS5 or the PS5 Pro. But when we’re talking about older hardware vs new hardware. You might as well wait to spend that amount of money on the latest hardware. Unless of course, you simply cannot wait to pull the trigger.

I have spoken about how the differences technologically are getting ever smaller in terms of the hardware. But at the same time, if you’re happy within the PlayStation eco-system. You’re going to want the latest and greatest. I also think that unless Sony absolutely looks at being competitive with their hardware.

Something that’s actually really hard to do right now with the way AI chips have taken over and risen costs.

We could see less of an uptake on the PS6 and consoles in general and the vast majority might feel it’s best to stick with what they have. I personally feel that it’s going to be in what games that Sony has at launch and from a marketing point of view it’s going to be essential to get that right. What Microsoft does next in terms of providing an upgrade path with XBOX that is cost effective.

That could ultimately have a major impact in how Sony ultimately tries to get people onboard onto the PS6. If one thing hasn’t changed in gaming. It’s that endeavor to want to get people onto your platform. With what’s been going on lately in the gaming industry.

Essentially, I feel that it could have an impact in some way that provides the opportunity to be competitive between Sony and Microsoft.

If we’re talking about Microsoft’s ambitions to have more gamers than ever on their platform. How do you do that without being competitive? You can say cloud, sure, but at the same time, serious gamers are going to want to have hardware. The option for both is multiple options that provide the opportunity to be competitive in one way or the other. The Game Awards is going to bring us the first look at Project Helix. And you can bet your bottom dollar that Sony will closely monitor the trajectory in which that takes form.

Wolverine, looks just like what that world would entail in the scope of any game world that was to be created. Their focus on gore, their focus on smaller hub sections that focuses on getting the most out of what you can do with your own Wolverine. That was always going to fit the identity of what Insomniac wanted to bring to the table.

In that sense, they’ve achieved exactly what they wanted to. It’s just a shame that right now the claws are out for anything that PlayStation puts out. I completely get it, we’re all mad, but why does a great developer have to suffer immense backlash for their parent company’s decisions at a time when they’re just trying to create a great experience for someone to love out there in tough times for everyone?

When I heard the Insomniac team were taking this to a point where they’re struggling in themselves. I just find that horrific to be honest and not something I can just accept without talking about. Insomniac is a great studio and they did great things back in the day with XBOX as well. They’re highly capable and we need to continue to support studios such as this one. Especially since they’re still providing a physical release. Albeit, it could be one of the very last ones, but it’s out of the hands of the developers and all they can do right now is make sure that you enjoy a great Wolverine experience.

Despite not being able to play the game, I wish Insomniac a successful launch and I hope you all get your physical copies if that’s the medium you wish to show that you support. It’s important we do so in a positive way and one that’s constructive that has people’s wellbeing in mind.

With all that being said, Wolverine is coming soon and here’s a trailer.

As fans of the genre we are being really spoiled for choice here. But to put it quite simply, none of these are an offer that you can simply refuse. They’re each good and vastly different from each other with compelling stories and characters that will not only have you on the edge of your seat but if you haven’t connected with this genre before. You might find that one of them is actually quite a compelling watch for you.

Furthermore, I learnt recently that Tom Hardy nearly quit Mobland. However, that situation quickly cleared up and in the third season we get to see him as ‘The Fixer’ in season 3. That’s great news because without that character, I do not think Mobland would have gotten very far going into subsequent seasons, despite the stellar castings all around. They all do a fantastic job in portraying their characters respectively and keeping casts together is always a great thing for the fans.

Check out these upcoming shows and their respective trailers for what’s to come.

Carrick came into Manchester United in a more modern time. Most of the time Alex Ferguson would laud him as one of our most important midfielders and without question knew the capabilities of what Carrick could achieve as a player. If we look at attributes and character.

Carrick isn’t just the nice guy in that dressing room that’s suddenly become boss. In fact, a lot of ex-players have come out and stated that as calm as Carrick’s demeanor is he will not settle for timewasters and he will assess the situation from a point of where the club is today.

Listening to him recently talking about Marcus Rashford. I see that depth to him completely. I mean, whatever we think as fans about the reemergence of someone that made mistakes last time out. I think actually, you couldn’t have a better manager in Carrick in there right now who can handle that and the expectations he will have if he does return.

Now it’s a whole other conversation to ask if Marcus Rashford deserves that return or if the club itself has rewritten its history on allowing players to have a second run at being the player we know they are capable of being. It all comes down to how you manage that. On reflection, I think Carrick has worked with Rashford as a player and as a manager now.

If he can get the ‘right’ Marcus Rashford in form and firing. It becomes a story of how a player can redeem themselves and answer the most important questions where there are concerns. Essentially, this has to be handled impeccably. It could turn out to be an absolute behemoth return and set the club right or essentially be the biggest mistake that dressing room has had in there in a while.

It’s about attitude, and it’s about looking at it from a position of seeing if the maturity and understanding of what went wrong before and how that can be made right going forward is there.

If we frame it as a reason for the mentality to be there, we can come back, go to the corner of the pitch, and point to our heads and celebrate. It certainly could have the potential to be that. But also, it can have the potential to come back to us in a big way no matter what side of the debate you sit on.

There’s no wrong answer here. Whatever happens, there’s a player in Marcus Rashford that has a lot to prove. If and when his return comes, and I hope it works out in the best way for us. What is absolutely true though is that second chances weren’t in the fabric of who we were before, but it has to be fundamentally understood that this is an entirely different era, and aura to what we know.

And this is ultimately going to be the biggest challenge of keeping that dressing room together that there’s been in awhile.

That’s the task set to Micheal Carrick and we have to get behind any decisions he sees even if from our perspectives we look at it asking the question, why? It’s those sort of questions that will be answered in time and which will define whether it was the right or wrong decision. And of course, we all hope it’s the former.

It’s certainly not all bad, many people are enjoying the conveniences of Xbox Game Pass. It gives consumers a great deal, and offers the opportunity for developers to get people playing their games. If Microsoft continues to subsidize it. As always, it’s a risk, but sometimes where there is risk, there comes reward.

And it’s just in what way you fully take advantage of that with your core messaging as a brand. The way Asha has focused on the consumer. Bringing them into the front and centre of the brand again. It’s showing the brand in a different and more positive light. In that sense, you’re making sufficient gains in the gaming community and regaining trust.

The XBOX’s identity has always been there. They’ve not sugarcoated what they are. They see digital as a big performer on their platform. In that sense, they have to act on that, but also the takeaway here is that they’re listening now to your feedback. That’s a very different tone to what was presented to us all those years ago when they got it so wrong.

Of course, they’re a trillion dollar company. I don’t kid myself that they’re always going to make the ‘business’ decisions ‘where it makes sense’ to them and profits are always going to come first.

However, the brand under Asha has taken a significant step forward, in my opinion, and if they’re going to take their next step into a more positive era with Project Helix. Then they’re going to need all the fans onboard with the directions they’re going. That means being upfront about the platform and where it’s going.

Of course, the platform has made mistakes and there has been some heartache with how that’s had to happen to try and bring the brand back into the green on the balance sheets. I do think though, that these studios becoming independent and being able to continue was handled well. That’s the difference that we’re seeing because a lot of the studios at XBOX Game Studios haven’t been in the years gone by.

As fans, we’ve had to read on Pure Xbox just how bad it’s been. XBOX were ridiculed at one point for not having enough games. Now they turn to their tried and tested in Halo, Gears and the Elder Scrolls to define them again, and ultimately have a lot more in their arsenal to redefine them.

The third-party investments that they have in Gamepass continue to be there, but I think there’s a realisation that there could be tweaks in the future to the identity of it. That’s a fine balance though, because you do not want to upset that momentum that you have. A momentum that is heading into the next generation that you’re going to need. Especially when we could see the first sighting of Project Helix at The Game Awards this year.

Just how serious they are about listening to consumers is something that’s going to be all but revealed soon. XBOX were the founders of this digital future. How they go about providing more consumer protections on their platform and building on the foundations of what Steam does so well with purchases is ultimately going to tell us a lot.

It also wouldn’t surprise me if we see them edge towards preservation and we get some leeway of options with discs again. If that happens though, it could just be for the previous generations of consoles. Especially when Sony is pushing the future of digital very hard as the current market leader and will have a massive say in the push for how developers utilise how they sell games to you and in what way.

That means essentially that if you were to buy a PS6. You do so on the premise of supporting a future where you will have no control and like it.

Depending on what XBOX decides to do and in what way they implement future support in how you can buy your games, it could mean that at least some of our history is protected, at least for the retro gamers. It really means that the horses we back next generation could define the continued support for our much beloved physical media.

Because it’s looking more and more like an own goal by Sony as of late. Sure, the digital trajectory is going nowhere. That digital-only era will come eventually, but as long as Nintendo themselves hold out and keep improving within their own eco-system, the vast majority of gamers are going to see that as a good practice – even if their store is still seen as draconian right now.

One that because of how Nintendo’s business works anyway, and how their games have always essentially been cartridges and are selling physically. It’s just something that they’re not going to easily drop while the demands from their Japanese fans are there. If that carries on into Europe and the rest of the world.

If the news that Sony has brought upon consumers is trickled down into actual consumer recognition that physical is still important. That will be enough for Nintendo to continue to support the practice. Especially since their business works in a very different way to say Sony or XBOX and they will want to meet consumer demand.

I see game preservation as something that Nintendo will want to preserve as long as consumers are wholeheartedly willing to keep among the trends that dictate the offset of digital. That’s not to say Nintendo will not fully follow suit at some point. But at this point, I think Nintendo acknowledges the level of frustration among Sony fans.

I also believe they’ll want to take as much advantage of this as possible. We’ve seen with the likes of their extra third-party support of late. What the Nintendo Switch 2 is capable of. They’re even getting into exclusive territory with The Duskbloods. That tells me they’re positioning themselves as a real alternative if the fans give them the opportunity.

I think essentially, it’s how Nintendo modernises their Nintendo Network and feature-set going into a future where that’s going to be needed more than ever for that platform. If XBOX somehow drops the ball on what the consumers want to see and do not rewrite the script on demand for some kind of digital ownership. We could be back where we all started with Nintendo, in the sense, that nostalgia is a powerful recipe, which only the Italian brothers can cook up. And who would’ve thought that, all these years later? Especially after 30 years, that this could be the case on-the-back of a super strong Sony brand that’s been dominating for a while now.