PlayStation turns 30!

This blog began 20 years ago and I've reviewed PlayStation hardware across generations. So it's only right I share my memories on the 30th anniversary of the game-changing console.

I wouldn't own Sony's upstart console with a copy of Tomb Raider until 1996. However, I first played a friend's Japanese import PlayStation and then a university housemate's for a daily dose of Destruction Derby, Ridge Racer and WipEout when I should have been writing my third-year dissertation.

Without the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), there would be no PlayStation.

Sony's 32-bit console began life as an aborted SNES CD-ROM add-on in 1988. However, Nintendo shunned Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and partnered with Philips in 1991. The rest is gaming history.

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Sony brings back the original PlayStation boot screen with the PS5 anniversary update! No matter which generation of PlayStation you grew up on, that old-school PS1 boot screen just hits differently! I will turn my PS5 on and off throughout the holidays to remember what it felt like to play Tomb Raider for the first time!

What are your PlayStation memories? Let me know in the comments below.

Hasbro Toyland on Amazon

Hasbro, in collaboration with Amazon, invites families to a wonderful, FREE holiday pop-up event in New York City, for a merry afternoon bursting with toys, games, and activities.

Taking place December 6-8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the High Line at Chelsea Market Passage – located between 15th and 16th street – this immersive experience will showcase the best of Hasbro Toyland. The enchanted pop-up brings Hasbro’s iconic brands to life, offering a fun-filled destination for families to celebrate the season together.

At Hasbro’s Holiday Pop-Up Event, parents and kids can look forward to the following FREE activities:

Hasbro Product Showcase: Explore and play with a variety of toys from Hasbro brands, including BABY ALIVE, BEYBLADE, FURBY, HASBRO GAMING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PEPPA PIG, POTATO HEAD, and PLAY-DOH, plus premier collaboration brands including Star Wars™ and Marvel. All battery-operated toys will be powered by Duracell for countless hours of play!

Photo Opps with Santa and Hasbro Characters: Capture lasting memories with Santa and Hasbro characters, including Peppa Pig, Izzy Moonbow, Sunny Starscout, and Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. Complimentary photo frames will be provided (while supplies last).

Letter to Santa Station: Send letters to the North Pole first class! Use your best penmanship to share wishes and hopes with Santa at his special mailbox.

Giveaways & Snacks: Grab a tote bag filled with holiday goodies including a $25 Paramount+ gift card, Duracell batteries with Power Boost ingredients, picture frame, stickers and other delightful gifts. Get cozy with delicious cookies and hot cocoa!

Shop Hasbro Toyland (affiliate link).

Get an early look at Skeleton Crew

Lucasfilm has released an official clip from Skeleton Crew on Disney+. The upcoming Star Wars live-action spin-off series is set after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.



Join Jod (Jude Law), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and SM-33 (Nick Frost) on a rollicking journey among the stars.

Individual episodic directors are Jon Watts, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung. The season was written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, with two episodes by Myung Joh Wesner. The series is executive produced by Christopher Ford, Jon Watts, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson, along with co-executive producers Chris Buongiorno, Karen Gilchrist, Carrie Beck and producers Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki.

Skeleton Crew starts streaming with a two-episode series premiere in the UK on 3rd December on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+? Do you think there will be cameos from fan-favourite Star Wars characters? Let me know in the comments below.

Skeleton Crew lands early on Disney+

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew arrives a day early on Disney+, and fans can watch the two-episode premiere on the big screen in selected theatres.

The Star Wars live-action spin-off series starring Jude Law, created by Spider-Man Homecoming director Jon Watts and writer Christopher Ford, who also serve as the showrunners, follows along as the kids get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy and have to find their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies along the way.



“If we’re talking about ’80s movies, I feel like every single one of them is somehow the inspiration,” Watts says of the ’80s vibe in Skeleton Crew. “We were so immersed in that world that you can’t help it. We’re never consciously referencing any of that stuff. It just is part of our DNA.”

Among myriad pop culture influences, Skeleton Crew draws inspiration from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, Gremlins and Explorers.

“We didn’t go into this trying to write an AI prompt of combining cool things,” Ford says. “We just were trying to write a good story, and these are the things that have been drummed into our imaginations.”

Join Jod (Jude Law), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and SM-33 (Nick Frost) on a rollicking journey among the stars.

Individual episodic directors are Jon Watts, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung. The season was written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, with two episodes by Myung Joh Wesner. The series is executive produced by Christopher Ford, Jon Watts, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson, along with co-executive producers Chris Buongiorno, Karen Gilchrist, Carrie Beck and producers Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki.

The series has all the trappings of a Marvel Star Wars adventure and I'm here for it with a pack of Reese's Pieces during the holiday season.

Skeleton Crew starts streaming with a two-episode series premiere in the UK on 3rd December on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

LEGO Black Friday is coming!

LEGO Black Friday is coming! Preview the special offers and deals from popular brands including Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, and Harry Potter starting on 29th November.

Now is the perfect time to make a list of Christmas gift ideas or add to your wish list. LEGO Insiders members receive special offers including a LEGO Creator Winter Holiday Train gift with purchase while stocks last, and it's free to join!

Discover LEGO Star Wars on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Which LEGO sets are you getting on Black Friday? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who classic The War Games in colour

Oh, my giddy aunt! The BBC announced a new colourised version of The War Games on Doctor Who Day!

Originally aired in 1969, The War Games marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton). It follows the cosmic hobo and his companions, Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie (Frazer Hines), as the TARDIS materialises on a battlefield in World War I.



Russell T Davies series showrunner, says: “From the day I arrived back on Doctor Who, this was the plan. To colourise old stories and bring them back to life. And on Doctor Who Day itself, it’s great to announce this, celebrating the show’s wonderful heritage with an all-time-classic. It looks so vivid and new - and for fans of black-and-white, the story in its original form will stay on BBC iPlayer, so everyone wins! I actually watched this transmit in 1969, at 6 years old, terrified of the Roman soldiers, fascinated by villains with glinting spectacles, and in awe of the Doctor’s brand new origin. Now fans old and new can enjoy it all over again."

I remember reading Malcolm Hulke's Target novelisation of The War Games in the summer of 1985 and playing Beach Head II on my Commodore 64. The War Games quickly became one of my favourite classic serials and I'm intrigued to see an updated 90-minute omnibus edition for the TikTok generation.

In addition to updated special effects, music and sound, The War Games will also feature the Second Doctor's never-before-seen regeneration into the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), alongside recovered footage not seen since the original broadcast.

The War Games is the second time that a classic Doctor Who story has been colourised, following The Daleks in 2023, which was updated to commemorate the franchise's 60th anniversary.

Doctor Who: The War Games will be on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer on 23rd December.

Are you looking forward to seeing The War Games in colour? Which classic serials would you like to see colourised in the future? Let me know in the comments below.

Skeleton Crew: Galactic Adventures

Lucasfilm has released a behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which is coming soon to Disney+.



The Star Wars live-action spin-off series starring Jude Law, created by Spider-Man Homecoming director Jon Watts and writer Christopher Ford, who also serve as the showrunners, follows along as the kids get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy and have to find their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies along the way.

Skeleton Crew starts streaming with a two-episode series premiere in the UK on 4th December on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+? What did you think of the behind-the-scenes footage? Let me know in the comments below.

Mother Earth is expecting in Alien: Earth

The Alien franchise has witnessed a rebirth with Alien: Romulus on the big screen and Alien: Earth is coming to Hulu on Disney+ in the summer of 2025.

FX has released a new teaser trailer for Noah Hawley's (Fargo) live-action spin-off series, Alien: Earth, set two years before Alien.



Read the official synopsis:

“When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat. As members of the crash recovery crew search for survivors among the wreckage, they encounter mysterious predatory life forms more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. With this new threat unlocked, the search crew must fight for survival, and what they choose to do with this discovery could change planet Earth as they know it.”

The cast for Alien: Earth includes Sydney Chandler (Don't Worry Darling), Alex Lawther (Andor), Samuel Blenkin (The Sandman), Kit Young (Shadow and Bone), Essie Davis (Assassin's Creed), Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) and Timothy Olyphant (The Mandalorian).

Alien: Earth premieres only on Hulu and Disney+ in 2025.

Are you looking forward to Alien: Earth? Let me know in the comments below.

Captain Kirk returns for Generations' 30th anniversary

30 years ago, Star Trek: Generations passed the big screen baton from The Original Series to The Next Generation! As much as I prefer Star Trek: First Contact, it was fun seeing iconic captains, Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard (Patrick Stewart), on screen together battling Soran (Malcolm McDowell)!

To celebrate Captain Kirk's swansong, the Roddenberry Archive and their technology partner OTOY (in co-operation with Paramount) have released 765874: Unification.



765874: Unification was directed by award-winning Spanish filmmaker Carlos Baena, from a story by Jules Urbach and features original music by Academy award-winning Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino. Production design was provided by Star Trek: Picard production designer David Blass.

The VFX-heavy short film is available as an immersive experience for Apple Vision Pro.

What did you think of 765874: Unification? Let me know in the comments below.

Unboxing Star Wars The Ghost HasLab

The wait is almost over. The Star Wars The Vintage Collection The Ghost HasLab will land under the Christmas trees of backers this holiday. Hasbro Pulse shared an unboxing video by product design manager Chris Reiff.



Read the official synopsis:

"For all the dedicated STAR WARS collectors and backers of this incredible HasLab project, this is the unboxing you’ve been waiting for! Join Chris, product design manager, as he takes you through the final production sample of STAR WARS The Vintage Collection The Ghost. In this video, you’ll see everything included with this massive ship—over 28 inches by 34 inches and standing 13 inches tall—the largest STAR WARS ship since Jabba’s Sail Barge.

Chris walks through the detailed assembly process, revealing all the exciting features, like the opening front ramp, removable landing gear, multiple interior panels, and the docking bay for the Phantom II. He also showcases the exclusive STAR WARS Rebels cardback figures—Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios.

This is a must-watch for any collector who backed this project and is excited to see what’s coming their way soon this December!"

I mentioned to Steve Evans, design director for fan product for Marvel and Star Wars, how it evoked the magic of unwrapping Star Wars toys on Christmas morning. Evans and his Star Wars team at Hasbro wanted to recapture that nostalgic feeling of unboxing an AT-AT or the Millennium Falcon. They've achieved that goal with aplomb.

Did you back the Star Wars The Vintage Collection The Ghost HasLab? What future Star Wars HasLabs would you like to see? Let me know in the comments below.