Dan Thornton

Gran Turismo Film Trailer Released

3rd May 2023 By Dan Thornton 1 Comment

There have been some great motorsport movies in recent years, and some videogame adaptations which are generally average at best. But you can make up your own mind with the new Gran Turismo film trailer released.

The movie based on the PlayStation racing series will be released in cinemas on August 11th, 2023, and is based on the real story of Jann Mardenborough. The English gamer won the GT Academy competition in 2011, which was set up to provide a route into real motorsport, and Mardenborough went on to compete in GT racing, Le Mans, Formula 3 and more.

Obviously, the story will be dramatised for the big screen. And what makes the Gran Turismo film interesting is that it’s the first big budget production to combine virtual and real world motorsport (we previously featured the more modest release of The Sim Racer at the start of 2023).

You’ve got director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium and Chappie). There’s a cast including Orlando Bloom, David Harbour, Djimon Hounsou and more, alongside Archie Medekwe playing Mardenborough. And an opportunity to see the fun and excitement of gaming put alongside real motorsport action.

The first Gran Turismo film official trailer

Will it be successful at the box office? And while it’s probably not going to be an Oscar contender for the director and cast (maybe for cinematography), will it be a good, enjoyable film that helps legitimise virtual racing, and encourages more people to give it a try? Hopefully it’ll be better than the 2014 Need for Speed film, which wasted the talents of Aaron Paul, Domic Cooper and Michael Keaton.

Virtual Motorsport Film The Sim Racer Released

19th January 2023 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Motor racing movies don’t appeal to everyone, but examples like Rush and Ford vs Ferrari have established a decent audience of hardcore and casual fans. But can the same happen with virtual motorsport film The Sim Racer released to stream via Amazon?

Dramatising the world of online racing makes more sense than you might imagine. The creation of writer and director Brock Drury, the film was birthed from the Covid-19 lockdowns, and arrives not long before the cinema release of the big budget Gran Turismo film from Sony. And while that production might have the star power of director Neil Blomkamp and a cast including Orlando Bloom, The Sim Racer utilises the iRacing platform to capture the track action.

The Sim Racer – official trailer

It might not be a big budget production, with a running time of 1 hour and 7 minutes, and a cast including names known to the sim racing community such as Evan Posocco and Jeff Maconi. But it takes a relatively familiar tale of a racer in financial trouble aiming to solve their problems by winning the biggest event of the season, helped by an aging crew chief, and up against a rival.

And if you’re trying to introduce an audience more familiar with Days of Thunder to a film using virtual racing cars, then it makes sense that the plot is relatively straightforward. With sim racing gaining a huge boost in popularity during the pandemic, and being embraced by most real world championships, teams and manufacturers, plenty of people could be ready to enjoy the story of Like Wallace (Roman Boylen), his crew chief Bootie Burnes (Scott Oakley) and friend Earl (Chris Wolfe), along with rival Shooter Jones (Bradley Harrison).

*Virtual Motorsport Film The Sim Racer Released*

With machinima utitlising game engines for decades now, it’ll be interesting to see whether it inspires more dramas centred around eSports and gaming.

The Sim Racer is available to rent for 30 days from Amazon Prime Video in HD for £4.99 or SD for £3.99. Or you can purchase it for £9.99 in HD, or £8.99 in SD. And if it inspires an interest in sim racing and games, then why not check out our sister site, OnlineRaceDriver?

Dan’s Disposable 2022 – Highlights

20th December 2022 By Dan Thornton 1 Comment

It’s been a strange 12 months as everything apparently returned to normal, but stayed different. The pandemic is over but still as much of a problem as ever, we endured multiple prime ministers, and watched a classic World Cup final at a troubling tournament.

And then Elon Musk bought Twitter.

As I’ve settled into middle-age, I’d assumed life would become a bit more predictable. And I’d be able to settle into the equivalent of a comfortable armchair as work continued, family grew up and I continued writing for fun without the threat of being replaced by AI content farms. Turns out, I might have been quite wrong.

On the plus side, at least I got to enjoy another year of great entertainment in various formats.

Dan's Disposable 2022 - Highlights — *Dan’s Disposable 2022 – Highlights of the past 12 months*

Dan’s Disposable 2022: Watching

It’s been a third year of mainly watching new TV series rather than venturing out to see new films at the cinema. Which makes reviews difficult, but I do have recommendations for older movies you might have overlooked, such as the wonderfully odd Dave Made A Maze. Watching people get killed inside a Tardis-like cardboard fort has never been so much fun.

I also introduced my son to various classics, including the wonderful Trollhunter, the original Assault on Precinct 13, and Little Shop of Horrors, which was apparently the most disturbing of them all. And between Amazon, Apple TV and Disney+, I’ve finally managed to catch up on everything from the Star Wars, Marvel and DC franchises.

Meanwhile, there’s been a constant flow of great TV series to binge watch, or eke out over the weeks and months.

I really enjoyed SAS: Rogue Heroes, despite the fact it wasn’t quite the British Band of Brothers I’d wrongly expected. Along with the short episodes of both Cheaters and Stuck. And there’s been plenty of praise elsewhere for Am I Being Unreasonable?

On Amazon, both The Boys and Hacks continued to be brilliant, in very different ways. But as a huge fan of the books of William Gibson, the highlight for me has been The Peripheral. Which has been so good, I’ve completely forgotten to compare it to the novel, and has had me just focused on a great TV series.

Over on Apple TV, I’m awaiting the next and potentially final series of Ted Lasso. Which fills me with happiness, and dread. But in the meantime, there’s been a new series of Mythic Quest, and the utterly wonderful Slow Horses.

It’s not exactly surprising that it’s so good, considering the well-regarded novels that it’s adapted from, or the cast including Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jonathan Pryce. But it’s just executed pretty much perfectly. And the recent introduction of Aimee-Ffion Edwards has also reminded me there’s a one-off Detectorists special airing on Boxing Day, which is one of the few things I’m going to make an effort to watch when it’s actually broadcast.

And while Disney+ has mainly involved Andor and She-Hulk, probably the best and most memorable series I’ve enjoyed has been The Bear. My girlfriend had recommended it to me after seeing positive things online. Which I’d forgotten when I stumbled across it, and promptly binge watched the entire first season without her.

Somehow it has elements of The Sopranos, Kitchen Nightmares, and various great ensemble comedy dramas, and combines it all into something which feels new and original. And Jeremy Allen White is brilliant in the lead role.

Dan’s Disposable 2022: Listening

Looking back at my listening habits, there are a couple of albums from the last 12 months which have dominated the musical soundtrack to my life.

The first is the Ska Punk of In the Wild, from The Interrupters. I needed something to lift me up during a third year of disruption, and I can usually rely on ska, punk and psychobilly for that. So standout singles In the Mirror and Raised By Wolves have been a great way to fire myself up and get things done.

The other has been I Walked with You a Ways from Plains, which is a collaboration betyween Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson.

I also dived more deeply into Boy from Michigan, the 2021 John Grant album, surrendered to the undeniable charm of Wet Leg, and rocked to the likes of Alter Bridge, Soul Glo, Eddie Vedder (as always), and Sometimes Y, the album from Yelawolf and Shooter Jennings.

Over the festive period, it’s a great time to go through the various online lists and recommendations to discover new albums and artists I might have missed, so you may see some extras sneaking in before the deadline of New Years Eve.

One reason why I’ve been spending a little less time listening to new music is that I’ve invested in a few things to rediscover my joy of actually playing it. Alongside seeing my son enjoying playing bass and guitar in a growing number of bands, the big different has been making my guitars more accessible whenever I fancy a quick 20 minute break.

Dan’s Disposable 2022: Playing

Gaming has been the hardest thing for me to keep up with in 2022. My son’s newfound obsession with Warhammer 40K means he’d often rather get out 20-sided dice than jump onto a PC or console, although we were both dragged into some Overwatch 2, which is basically the first game, handicapped with an unfortunate Battlepass and loot system requiring payment if you actually want to earn anything good.

As a result, I’ve still been spending more time in Apex Legends when I need a quick FPS fix (although also not immune to prioritising revenue over a quality game). And while Gran Turismo 7 is obviously the big racing game release of 2022, along with the introduction of the F1 Manager franchise, they’ve not quite grabbed me as much as the release of new cars, tracks and improvements for iRacing, Automobilista 2, Raceroom, or the latest mods for Assetto Corsa.

Instead, I’ve been catching up on titles I didn’t completely finish, such as the Forza Horizon series, buying replacement controllers and headsets (A Turtle Beach Recon controller only lasted from August until November before developing a frustrating stick twitch, and being replaced with an official version bought in a Black Friday deal – along with a couple of older official Xbox controllers, it’ll be stripped for potential repair over Christmas). And enjoying one purchase I can heatily recommend, in the shape of the Razer Ornata V2 keyboard, which has improved both work and gaming.

Christmas is usually a time for me to catch up on gaming, so there’s a good chance I’ll be updating this section before January 1st, or adding titles in preparation for the 2023 round-up. Or finally giving in and building a W40K army, although my plan of saving cash by investing in a BloodBowl set has been undone by how much prices have increased over the last few decades…

Dan’s Highlights 2022: Reading

I’m not sure why I seem to have read less in 2022, but I’ve mainly been catching up on science fiction from the last few years, including the brilliant Agency from William Gibson, Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, and various gaps in my Charles Stross collection.

One classic I recently discovered is Stealing the Wave by Andy Martin. His book about surfing as a journalist (Walking on Water) was a major inspiration on me, and Stealing the Wave is a fascinating look at the 1980s rivalry between two of the biggest names in surfing. As with so many sports stories, the main figures are almost opposites in their approach and outlook, but the water and waves provide a third antagonist.

I also enjoyed The Art of Fairness by David Bodanis, which was an easy and enjoyable read making the point that being nice doesn’t mean you’re going to fail as a leader. And you can succeed in life without becoming a stertypical bully.

Looking forward, and back

Going back through previous round-ups, it’s interesting to see me recommending Overwatch back in 2016, and then mentioning it again 6 years later, or Apex Legends back in 2019. While it seems I’m doing an OK job in keeping up with music and TV, finding the time to discover new games has slipped.

But with a fresh year looming, there’s always the chance to change a few things, and reinvigorate my gaming and reading habits. Along with revisiting what we’re doing with Disposable Media and other projects…

Dan’s Disposable 2021 – Highlights from the year

3rd January 2022 By Dan Thornton 1 Comment

The second full year of the pandemic was a strange one. As other people noted, it felt like 12 months took both a decade to pass, and about five minutes at the same time. In 2020, it felt like entertainment was a vital tool to maintain sanity, but trying to sift through the murky soup of the last 24 months to find the highlights from 2021 has been surprisingly difficult.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy some brilliant things over the past year, but it feels harder to separate out everything from January to December from all came before. But I need to try, so enough preamble.

Dan’s Disposable 2021: Watching

One of the standouts of the start of 2021 for me was Wayne, which originally appeared in 2019 on Youtube Premium, and then resurfaced on Amazon Prime Video at the end of 2020. The teenager, played by Mark McKenna sets out with his new girlfriend to take back the 1979 Pontiac Trans Am stolen from his father before he died. And this leads to a mix of slapstick, violence, dark humour, and weirdness.

And I also caught up with people who already had access to Apple TV, and understood why they’d fallen in love with Ted Lasso. It rivals Parks and Recreation as an incredibly well written comedy, which manages to always leave you feeling positive, after some surprisingly touching and poignant moments.

Writing this has reminded me that I need to finish Dispatches From Elsewhere, which was charmingly different. And more engaging than the American remake of Utopia, which just can’t match the British original. And an honourable mention also goes to What We Do In The Shadows. Initially it was underwhelming compared to the original film, but it’s grown on me over time.

I mentioned All Elite Wrestling as a highlight of 2020 due to the combination of the classic musclebound superheroes enacting good vs evil with some soap opera backstories to follow. But it’s possibly been even better this year, particularly with the addition of notable names including Bryan Danielson, and especially CM Punk. Yes, it’s predetermined, but it’s also a whole heap of fun.

Ted Lasso Official Trailer

Film highlights are trickier. I though Shadow in the Cloud was underrated by critics and audiences alike, as it hovered between war story, horror and feminism. And films like Boss Level and The Kitchen were good entertainment if not enduring classics. I did finally catch Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse, which probably has to be my highlight, as it surpassed any expectations I had for an animated superhero film.

Dan’s Disposable 2021: Listening

I find it difficult to listen to podcasts while I work, so I haven’t consumed as many as I’d have liked. I do try to keep up with Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford, and You’re Dead to Me. And my girlfriend introduced me to Imagined Life to see if I could guess the subjects of each episode before they were revealed. Plus I’ve been enjoyed listening to Screenshot with Mark Kermode and Ellen E Jones, and The Hackers, both on Radio 4. Although as I’ve got older, I’ve found myself doing the washing up whilst listening to the Archers more and more.

Musically, I’ve found myself enjoying the reassurance of familiar classics, whether it’s Max Richter, Pearl Jam, Waxahatchee or the Screaming Females. I’ve got a whole host of listening to try and catch up on, but I did enjoy Wolf Alice “Blue Weekend”, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis “Carnage”, Chvrches “Screen Violence”, The Dead Deads “Tell Your Girlfriend It’s Alright”, The Anchoress “Art of Losing”, and digging into the back catalogue of various artists.

The Dead Deads ft. Corey Taylor – “Murder Ballad II”

But the highlight for me was being given a CD player, which means I can finally dive back into the hundreds (possibly thousands) of recordings that have been sat on shelves since my last one died. That’s the real cause of my current new music backlog, but it’s one I can live with.

Dan’s Disposable 2021: Playing

Global lockdowns gave a big boost to the gaming industry, despite the challenges of remote development. And while I hate to repeat my highlights from 2020, some of the titles which seem to have sped up the pace and quality of their content releases as a result include iRacing and Automobilista 2. For example, the Mercedes F1 team worked with iRacing to simulate their current F1 car, while Rieza Studios tackled the highlights of a decade of U.S Indycar and CART racing in one DLC pack.

James Vowles of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Interview

A big part of it has been my increasing involvement in league racing and running Team ORD in various series on iRacing, which has brought back some of the sense of community that faded when previous groups dispersed into work, marriage and family life. One of the challenges of multiplayer gaming as you get older is finding people to play with, especially if you work mainly from home. But for those who want some less serious motorsport, Forza Horizon 5 and Hot Wheels Unleashed both stood out as fun and enjoyable ways to just have a good time without worrying about suspension settings or tyre pressures.

Away from racing, I had a brief play with Halo: Infinite. And while I can understand why people enjoy it (and it did trigger a nice bit of nostalgia), it just didn’t draw me away from Apex Legends, which is still the best battle royale shooter around. More accessible and fun than CoD Warzone, a better weight and feel to weapons than Halo: Infinite, and just more satisfying to play.

I’ve still spent far too much time trying to ignore the toxicity while I improve at Rocket League, relax with Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, and avoid sinking too much time into various Total War games and Football Manager 2021 (although now I’ve managed to get Maidstone United into the Championship, it feels like I can’t stop now). And to get away from the PC, a copy of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla arrived at Christmas to let me finally raid Peterborough in the way I’ve always dreamed.

Dan’s Highlights 2021: Reading

One of my few successes in 2020 was massively upping my reading away from a digital screen. And a disapointment for 2021 was letting that slip badly throughout the year for various reasons.

I really enjoyed Chilling Effect and Prime Deceptions by Valerie Valdes, which are the kind of easy, accessible and funny science fiction which you sometimes need for an escape from reality. As much as I love hard and serious scifi, sometimes I just want a laugh involving psychic cats and comedy.

And on a more serious note, I also found Ask Iwata really interesting, as it collected a selection of columns by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata which I hadn’t seen before. Along with The Innovation Stack by Jim McKelvey, who was a glassblowing artist and former computer scientist. He became a cofounder of Square with Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, and it’s genuinely one of the most humorous business books I’ve read, whilst still having useful insights.

Plans for 2022:

The immediate habits I need to reintroduce are spending more time listening to new music, and reading more books. I know studies show that as you get older, you tend to end up preferring the songs from your teenage years, but I as much as I love Britpop and gurnge, there are amazing new bands and artists appearing all the time.

And my reading has tragically slipped over the last 12 months, so it’s time to rectify that. Hopefully it will also include more new comics, as the only graphic novels I’ve been buying have been to finish existing collections of past work. So it’s time to discover something new to get me hooked once more.

But the main thing will be organising some regular writing for Disposable Media, as the best laid plans have been hampered by various things, from global pandemics to family illness. So this year, I’m intending to start a couple of regular columns to get things going again. Until then, stay safe and have a great 2022.

New EPOS H6PRO Series Headsets Unveiled

5th October 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for some new headphones, then the new EPOS H6PRO Series headsets might be worth considering. And they should work well for gaming, as they’ll be the official kit for the various EPOS Esports teams, including Cloud9, MAD Lions, Toronto Ultra, Aston Martin Cognizant Esports, Toronto Defiant, Sprout and LDLC OL.

Available in your choice of Open or Closed designs, the wired acoustic headsets are available now for the PC, Mac, PS4 and PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and come in Sebring Black, Racing Green or Ghost White.

*The new EPOS H6PRO Series Headsets have been unveiled*

Obviously the Closed version will block out distractions more, while the Open option means you can hear your own voice without the need for additional monitoring.

They’ve got a lightweight design, which comes in around 20% less than the previous GSP 500 and 600 headsets, and feature a slimmer headband with memory foam of different densities, a 2-axis hinge structure, and replaceable earpads.

The new EPOS H6PRO look particularly good in the Racing Green and Gold option

One interesting aspect is that the H6PRO speaker system aims to offer likelike sound across the full audible frequency spectrum to minimise fatigure by avoiding tricks like boosting the bass, which then masks midrange sounds like footsteps and over environmental cues. Plus it means your brain should have an easier time coping with game and team chat for longer periods.

Another neat trick is that the new EPOS H6PRO Series headsets feature a detachable microphone, which also has ‘lift-to-mute’ built in, which makes it slightly less likely your team-mates or streaming audience will hear something they shouldn’t.

*Expect to see the EPOS H6PRO Series used by their supported eSports teams*

There’s also a volume wheel located on the right ear cup for quick and easy adjustment in the middle of a game. The headsets are supplied with cables for both 4-pole jacks (consoles and phones) or a pair of 3-pole jacks.

The new EPOS H6PRO Series headsets are available in Sebring Black, Racing Green and Ghost White, and both the Open and Closed versions have a suggested price of £149.

New Trust GXT 323 Carus Headsets Launched

13th April 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

If you’re looking for some affordable gaming audio solutions, then you might want to check out the new Trust GXT 323 Carus headsets. Priced at just £34.99, there are three models to choose from with the GXT 323 for the PC, the GXT 323W for the PS5 and the GXT 323X for Xbox Series X.

*New Trust GXT 323 Carus Headsets Launched*

The Trust Carus GXT 323 is also compatible with the PS4, Switch and Switch Lite, Xbox One and Mac. And all of the headsets feature big 50mm drivers for the sound. You also get an omnidirectional microphone with 150 Hz – 16000 Hz frequency response to chat with other games or in online meetings.

*The Trust Carus GXT 323 in black, the GXT 323W for PS5 in white and GXT 323X for Xbox Series X in green*

As you might expect, you can change your volume and mute your mic, via the controls on the ear cup. The ear pads are made from mesh material to help keep you cooler, and the headband is ajustable to fit most craniums comfortably.

Without trying them ourselves yet, the new Trust GXT 323 Carus headsets seem pretty reasonable for the price. The 50mm drivers should do a decent job of transmitting in-game audio into your ears. The design looks OK to fit with the aesthetics of a modern console or gaming rig. We’d probably choose the white PS5 version as the best colourscheme.

And that’s about it. As an affordable option they’ll work well for occasional or younger gamers, and also provide a handy solution or backup if you need something that’ll do the job for a reasonable price. Trust have been producing products for a while to cover the cost-conscious part of the gaming market, so it’s a familar brand.

You can buy all three options on Amazon, with the Trust GXT 323W Carus for PS5 here, the Truxt GXT 323X for Xbox Series X here, and the GXT 323 here. And Argos will also be stocking them shortly.

Check out our technology section for more headsets and gaming peripherals, including the Trust GXT 488 Forze headsets launched in April last year.

ARK/8 Destiny Europa Collection Celebrates Beyond Light

9th April 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Videogame clothing and merchandise has changed a lot over recent years, and that’s highlighted as the new ARK/8 Destiny Europa Collection celebrates Beyond Light, the latest expansion for Destiny 2. Clothing companies are increasingly offering high end tie-ins to your favourite games, and the new range from ARK/8 fits into that with t-shirts from €45, Sweatshirts from €82, and jackets at €190.

ARK/8 launched in 2020 in Brussels to launch premium and limited collections based around retro-futuristic cyber-culture, gaming, and fashion. “With over a decade of experience from Level Up Wear, our first venture into merchandising, ARK/8 offers another vision for the collaboration between the fashion and gaming worlds,” said Dimitri van Eetvelde, ARK/8’s Creative Director and co-founder. “In just one year, we have already collaborated with some of the most recognisable names in the video game industry and are delighted to collaborate with Bungie on this product.

*The new ARK/8 Destiny Europa Collection Celebrates Beyond Light, the latest expansion for Destiny 2*

This means everything from face masks and socks, to ski goggles and a puffer jacket, all inspired by Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter.

The ARK/8 Destiny Europa Puffer Jacket, for example, costs €190, and features Oeko-Tex certified fabric, with a durable nylon shell and padding from 100% recycled polyester, seat-belt grade straps, a heavy duty engraved buckle, vegan fur trim, and a translucent bade on the left sleve.

Whereas the similarly priced Kata Jacket blends the wing-shape of the Katinginu jackets worn by samurai with a modern bomber jacket, if you want to stant out a little more at the local pub or LAN tournament.

*The Ark/8 Destiny Europa Puffer and Kata Jackets*

Obviously more traditional gaming clothes are included with t-shirts and hoodies.

ARK/8 Destiny Europa Collection Celebrates Beyond Light — *Oversize tech t-shirts and hoodies also appear in the ARK/8 Destiny Europa collection*

And then there are the socks, bads and more. The Crossbody Bag and Industrial Backpack are probably subtle enough to use as general luggage as well as travelling to tournaments or conventions.

And along with the fashion essentials, there’s also the modern necessicity of a facemask. Which is a fairly stylish option at €20.

Personally I’m not young or stylish enough to pull off the Kata jacket, but it’s always good to see videogame clothing and merchandise eveolving beyond cheap printed t-shirts. Especially as gamers have become increasingly diverse in age, gender and more, it’s good to have choices beyond a cheap and guady shirt to show your appreciation of a particularly game. And potentially have something to talk to new people about in a pub or business meeting, instead of pretending to have an interest in golf or football.

You can find the whole range on the ARK/8 website, along with other game collections for Resident Evil, Overwatch, Mass Effect, Borderlands 3 and Dark Souls.

Hot Wheels Unleashed Arriving In September 2021

26th February 2021 By Dan Thornton 2 Comments

I’m quite excited about the new Hot Wheels Unleashed arriving in September 2021. It combines my love of cars, videogames and models in one place, and the fact it’s being developed by Milestone, who specialise in racing games, means I’m hopeful it could be fun to play.

It’s planned as an arcade racing collaboration between the developers and toy makers Mattel, and will be released across the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. It’s the first Hot Wheels game to cover all home consoles for several years, as most previous examples have been on handhelds and mobile, with a few exceptions.

As you might expect, Hot Wheels Unleashed will let you drive various die cast cars of different rarity and attributes around tracks created from the iconic orange plastic pieces. And you’ll be able to drift, boost and crash in both online multiplayer and split screen modes.

What potentially makes it more interesting is that Hot Wheels Unleashed will include a Track Editor to let you customise and share circuits with other players. And they’re all located in everyday surroundings

Hopefully we’ll get a combination of Micro Machines, Trackmania and the Forza Horizon 3: Hot Wheels expansion. Which would be a triumph for Milestone, considering Hot Wheels games have been released to a mixed reception ever since the first example appeared back in 1984 for the Commodore 64.

“Like many other team members who worked on the game, I’ve been playing with Hot Wheels since I was a child, and today I’m still a hungry Hot Wheels fan and collector,” said Michele Caletti, Executive Producer, Milestone. “This is the reason why we’re all so committed in delivering the purest and most authentic Hot Wheels gameplay experience ever in a videogame. We owe it to the Hot Wheels community and to our inner children.”

Hot Wheels Unleashed could be a great arcade racer when it's released in September 2021 — *Hot Wheels Unleashed could be a great arcade racer when it’s released in September 2021*

If you’re already excited about the idea of racing Hot Wheels cars virtually, rather than cluttering up the living room with die cast toys and acres of plastic, then you can pre-order the Hot Wheels Unleashed: Day One Edition from Game, which includes the Hot Wheels Sportscars pack: Track Manga and GT Scorcher.

Levi’s X Pokemon Collection Launches in February

4th February 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the legendary franchise created by Satoshi Taijiri, the Levi’s X Pokemon collection launches in February 2021 with a range of clothing inspired by the 1990s and original animated series.

The Levi's X Pokemon Collection Launches in February, 2021 — The Levi’s X Pokemon Collection Launches in February, 2021

I’ll have to admit to never really embracing Pokemon to the same extent as many of my friends and family. But I do remember the 1990s pretty well, and I can appreciate the crossover. It includes a range of Levi’s denim jackets and shorts, t-shirts, hoodies and accessories including hats and socks.

And it’s nice to see the second highest selling videogame franchise of all time (behind Mario) get celebrated given that it’s spawned an anime TV series, films, a trading card game, books, comics, music and a theme park. Otherwise we might have forgotten all about the series known as Pocket Monsters in Japan.

The Levi's Pokemon All Garden Print Jacket — *The Levi’s Pokemon All Garden Print Jacket*

And it’s certainly eye catching, if you match the All Garden jacket and matching trousers.

“In its 25th anniversary year, the Pokémon brand is celebrating its enduring legacy in pop culture with fans around the world. Our friends at Levi’s® have developed a collection featuring icons of the franchise that blends the spirit of the era when Pokémon first launched with the style sensibilities of today in a way only Levi’s could. This has been a tremendously fun collaboration with Levi’s® to look back at Pokémon’s origins and offer fans who grew up with the brand and today’s trendsetters a way to infuse cute and clever Pokémon nostalgia into their style.” — Amy Sachtleben, Director of Licensing at The Pokémon Company International.

The Dance Party tee and Happy Pikachu crew tops…

As you might expect, Pickachu plays a prominent part in the range. Along with a red and white trucker hat similar to that worn by Ash Ketchum. But you could also pick the Levi’s Misty Short and Tank to replicate her outfit in the series.

The Levi's Misty shorts, tank and even Pokemon socks... — The Levi’s Misty shorts, tank and even Pokemon socks…

The range of accessories includes a floral Pokemon gym bag, a Poke Ball cross body bag, the essential Pikachu knit beanie, and loads of nice detailing including on the back patches, red tabs and buttons.

Levi's X Pokemon Collection — Something Pokemon for every occasion…

And that’s about it really. As much as you may have seen Pickachu over the last 25 years, he does look quite cute sleeping on top of the Levi’s logo…

The Levi’s X Pokemon Collection will go on sale from 15th Feburary 2021 via Levi.com, the Levi’s App, in Levi’s stores and in ‘select wholesalers’.

Rocket League Update and Super Bowl LV Celebration

2nd February 2021 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

There’s quite a lot happening in the world of car soccer with both a Rocket League update and Super Bowl LV Celebration appearing now.

We’ll deal with the Super Bowl first, as it’s going to be confusing enough explaining car soccer should be car football for non-U.S fans. But now there’s a new Gridiron event running from February 2nd until the 8th, which is car football as the Americans understand it.

So that’s clear now?

*Both a Rocket League update and Super Bowl LV Celebration have arrived, including a limited time Gridiron game mode.*

The new Gridiron limited time mode takes place on an NFL field with 4 vs 4 teams. And the standard ball becomes an American football which will stick to your car in a similar way to Spike Rush. When any player touches the ball, they become the ball carrier, with it stuck to their roof, and can single jump.

But double jumping will drop the ball, and dodging will make you pass. If you cross the line marked on the Arena wall you’ll fumble.

Points are scored by entering the opponents goal (7 points), or passing it in (3 points). And all own goals are worth 3 points.

You’ll also be able to complete three Event Challenges to unlock the Gridiron Guru player title, NFL Wheels and 20,000 XP. Plus the NFL Fan Pack will return to the Rocket League Item Shop.

*The latest Rocket League update includes Fennec decals for all 18 Esports teams in the Esports shop*

If that’s not enough, there’s also the latest Rocket league update which has added new Fennec decals for all 18 teams featured in the Esports shop. It also includes a new ‘Effect Intensity’ in the settings options to adjust the visuals for the Neon Fields arena. Which is great news for any players who have found it difficult to get past the graphical effects, as you can now disable pulsing, flashing lights, moving FX, or the brightness and intensity.

Rocket League Update V1.92 Patch Notes:

NEW CONTENT

NFL

The NFL Super Bowl LV Celebration starts February 2 at 8 a.m. PST / 4 p.m. UTC. The event includes:
- The new Gridiron LTM will be available as a Casual Playlist
- New Challenges will be available this week. Completing Challenges will unlock new NFL-themed items and XP bonuses
- The NFL Fan Pack will return to the Item Shop February 2 through February 8

Esports Shop

A new Fennec Decal is now available to purchase for all 18 teams in the Esports Shop

CHANGES AND UPDATES

Effect Intensity

Based on community feedback, an ‘Effect Intensity’ drop-down has been added to Settings > Video
Default: All Arena effects operate normally
Low:
- Flashing lights and pulsing effects are disabled
- Moving effects, lights, and background visuals are reduced or disabled
- Background light brightness/intensity reduced (where appropriate)
- Music visualization is disabled
Effect Intensity settings only apply to the ‘Neon Fields’ Arena

Rocket Pass

Pro Tiers: Starting with v1.91, Pro Tiers purchase eligibility will depend on a player’s Rocket Pass Tier at the time of purchase
- Players at Tiers 1-40 can purchase any Tier bundle
- Players at Tiers 41-58 can purchase up to 12 Tiers
- Players at Tiers 59-64 can purchase up to 6 Tiers
- Players at Tiers 65-69 can purchase one Tier at a time
- Players at Tiers 70 or above can still unlock Pro Tiers via progression
Rocket Pass Premium: Players on the free Rocket Pass track at Tier 59 or higher will be able to purchase Rocket Pass Premium, but will not be able to purchase the Premium + 12 Tiers bundle
In both cases, ineligible players who try to purchase a Premium or Tier Bundle will see an error message.

BUG FIXES

Fixed a display error with the Free Challenges not being counted properly
Tournament Rewards earned on different platforms can now be traded in together
[Nintendo Switch] Item Shop menu correctly displays the Featured Tab when first selected
[PlayStation, Xbox] Fixed several crash/freeze scenarios involving linked accounts and/or splitscreen Exhibition Matches
Fixed an exploit allowing players to trade single Credits
[PC] Event banners on the Main Menu will now open the Challenges Menu as intended
Fixed appearance of DigiGlobe and HoloData Goal Explosions in Hoops
The MVP’s Player Anthem will play even if the other team leaves or forfeits
[Nintendo Switch] Fixed a bug with track resets in music playlists
Bringing up a music playlist with a keyboard no longer skips the current song
Fixed a bug with Player 2 Quick Chat in splitscreen

Dan’s Disposable 2022: Watching

Dan’s Disposable 2022: Listening

Dan’s Disposable 2022: Playing

Dan’s Highlights 2022: Reading

Looking forward, and back

Dan’s Disposable 2021: Watching

Dan’s Disposable 2021: Listening

Dan’s Disposable 2021: Playing

Dan’s Highlights 2021: Reading

Plans for 2022:

Rocket League Update V1.92 Patch Notes:

NEW CONTENT

CHANGES AND UPDATES

BUG FIXES

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