The Last of Us avoids Super Bowl

HBO has announced The Last of Us episode 5 will be aired this Friday to avoid clashing with the Super Bowl on Sunday.

UK-based fans (myself included) won't have to wait. It will be available on demand from Saturday morning ahead of Monday's premiere on Sky Atlantic.

The live-action adaptation of the award-winning PlayStation video game is taking the world by storm. The show, which co-stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsay (Game of Thrones) in the lead roles, has been renewed for a second season.

"I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey," executive producer Neil Druckmann said in an official statement.

"Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!"

Executive producer Craig Mazin added: "I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey.

"The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in."

Are you watching The Last of Us? Let me know in the comments below.

Marvel fans PlayStation Showcase winners

Aside from PlayStation 5 (PS5) timed exclusive Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, Marvel announcements from PlayStation Studios' Insomniac Games piqued my interest during PlayStation Showcase 2021.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine were teased exclusively for PS5.



"We’re so thrilled to continue the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in their most epic single-player adventure yet, coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023," writes Insomniac Games' head of franchise strategy and studio relations Ryan Schneider on the PlayStation Blog.

Schneider goes on to add that Tony Todd (of Candyman fame) will be voicing the alien symbiote Venom and confirmed that both Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter will be reprising their roles of Peter Parker and Miles Morales respectively.



These PS5 exclusives are some way off. But there'll be plenty of time to buy Sony's elusive consoles between now and 2023.

Are you looking forward to Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Wolverine from Insomniac Games? Let me know in the comments below.

PS5 limited launch stock this Thursday

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) launches with platform exclusives Demon's Souls, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure outside the US this Thursday.

UK retailers including GAME and John Lewis have promised more stock of Sony's next-gen console will be available on launch day.

Amazon has sent out an email informing customers there will be limited stock on 19th November from 12:00PM. So, avoid scalpers and bookmark Amazon.co.uk (affiliate link).

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Jim Ryan believes, perhaps unsurprisingly, the price of PS5 titles is fair as the brand appears to pivot towards a premium market more associated with tech titan Apple. £70 for a video game is expensive during a global pandemic and the worst economic recession in decades. It's all about optics.

Day-one ownership is never without risk. Both Xbox Series X and S and PS5 console owners are reporting crashes, data corruption and system breaking bugs. However, these are most likely isolated incidents and above all have fun.

Friends are posting that they're receiving PS5 video games and accessories ahead of the console's launch. Have you and what video games will you be playing first? Let me know in the comments below.

Halo Infinite delayed until 2021

Microsoft has confirmed the Xbox Series X will be released this November. However, Halo Infinite will no longer be a launch title and this could be damaging when the PlayStation 5 (PS5) is launching with an exclusive edition of Marvel's Avengers (including Spider-Man in 2021) and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales this holiday season.

Given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, delaying Halo Infinite is a wise decision irrespective of how poor the response was from the gaming community during Xbox Games Showcase. That said, please keep everyone's favourite bald brute as an Easter egg. Personally, I'm more than happy with my Xbox One X and Game Pass, and will be playing Cyberpunk 2077 on Microsoft's mid-gen machine later this year.

Literally, as the UK enters its worst recession in decades, there's no incentive to buy an Xbox Series X at launch and the PS5 has that sleek alien form factor advantage that appeals to my sci-fi fandom too. Make Mine Marvel, Make Mine PlayStation.

Are you planning on getting an Xbox Series X at launch or has Halo Infinite's delay changed your mind? Let me know in the comments below.

Aloy and Spider-Man showstoppers on PS5

Sony's delayed PlayStation 5 (PS5) future of gaming event delivered and then some on Thursday.



Whilst the Xbox Series X third-party showcase slipped into controversy, PlayStation dropped Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales without warning and it's coming to PS5 this holiday season from the newly-formed PlayStation Studios in conjunction with Marvel Studios.

Sony's VP head of European Business, Simon Rutter told The Telegraph: "I guess you could call it an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game.

"There's a substantial Miles Morales component—which is the expansion element—but also within the game as well there's been major enhancements to the game and the game engine, obviously deploying some of the major PlayStation 5 technology and features."

Rutter continued: "I think what is very interesting for everyone to see is how familiar games might be to some degree changed through the workings of PlayStation 5."



Sackboy made a surprise return and Horizon Forbidden West is a direct sequel to the award-winning Horizon Zero Dawn with the continuing adventures of Aloy in a gorgeous post-apocalyptic world. Incidentally, I bought Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition in the Days of Play sale, but will save it for PS5.



The event culminated in the reveal of the PS5 itself. There'll be two SKUs. One with a 4K UHD Blu-ray disc drive (oddly omitted from the PS4 Pro) and a digital-only model. I'm going all digital (as I have on Xbox One X), but need an optical drive for those shiny silver platters I still own. The PS5 is a sleek slice of anime-inspired tech and can be stored vertically or horizontally. Yay!



Given the impact of current world events, the PS5 will most likely be in short supply this holiday season and the anticipated high price point maybe a barrier for consumers wanting to upgrade from PS4 in the short to medium term.

Your move Microsoft...