Stephen Farrelly

Managing Editor

Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms (particularly street and tattoo culture), and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial and Media Pty Ltd, this site's owner and publisher. When not dispensing words, he's also dispensing boutique beers as a taproom fixture at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville, NSW...

Articles by: Stephen Farrelly

Tech & Gear

The Xbox ROG Ally and Ally X are Rocking Aussie Retailers this October

Come October, a new purpose-crafted handheld hits the market. Have we seen this story before, or is this the new norm -- gaming on-the-fly with PC-to-console-to-handheld parity the closest it's...

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Tech & Gear

Nintendo Switch 2 Revealed in (Almost) Full

The cat is officially out of the bag, or the rabbit out from under Mario's cap. Either way, Nintendo has given us our first look at Switch 2 thanks to...

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Tech & Gear

Popular Turtle Beach Headset, Stealth 700, Has its Third Gen Release

With a fairly big price tag, the Stealth 700 Turtle Beach wireless multiplatform gaming headset makes landfall in Australia in its 3rd-phase form (hey, that sounds just like us!), but...
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Tech & Gear

New Xbox Series X|S Consoles Now Available

Jumping ahead of the release of both the PlayStation 5 Pro and the freshly-announced Steam Deck here in Australia, Microsoft has dropped its three new Xbox Series X|S consoles, all...
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Tech & Gear

Steam Deck Finally Adds Australia to its List of Retail Locations

Valve's Steam Deck is finally coming to Aussie shores without the dodgy workarounds current Australian owners have had to go through. And this news comes from the house that Gabe...
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Tech & Gear

Meet the GuliKit KK3 PRO and GuliKit KK3 MAX Controllers, Launching in Australia this Month

Two very affordable and very adaptive and customisable controllers hit store shelves mid-October and represent game-changing options, with but a single flaw... they're not for every device :(
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Tech & Gear

Let Thrall of World of Warcraft Help you Navigate with the Waze Navigation and Live App

Ever wondered what it would be like to have Thrall as a backseat driver while you try to navigate the many, many roads of Azeroth?
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Tech & Gear

Philips' Evnia QD OLED Slated to Hit Aussie Stores Late October

Launching with a whopping 240Hz capability in SuperWide, Philips' Evnia QD OLED is a new gaming monitor hitting Aussies shores late October and is definitely worth taking a look at...
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Tech & Gear

PlayStation Unveils the Astro Bot Limited Edition DualSense Controller, and it Rules

An all-new Astro Bot-inspired controller is poised to launch alongside the game this coming September. But you might want to get in fast as these will be in limited supply...
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Tech & Gear

But Where do the Fingers Go? This Deadpool-Inspired Controller is all about the Cheek!

Get a load of this gluteus maximus-centric controller design by the 'famous' controller designer, Wade Wilson, of Deadpool fame. Yeah, he doesn't really care about us spilling deets on his...
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Tech & Gear

Full Throttle - MOZA's Flight Sim Peripherals Set to Take Flight

Ever wanted to feel like a real pilot? Now you can with these ultra-high-end items from MOZA -- a peripheral company made up of enegineers with an eye for precision,...
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Tech & Gear

Check Out this Thrustmaster ESWAP X2 Controller Inspiired by Elden Ring

Jonesing to add to your Eldern Ring collection, in particular around the release of Shadow of the Erdtree? Well, Thrustmaster might just have a controller designed specifically for you, and...
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Gaming

This Disney Art-Inspired Horror Game Looks Terrifyingly Amazing

Ever wondered what a more twisted spin on a Disney classic might look like? (And no, we're not talking about some of the ones you can find on that SomethingHub...

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Gaming

As Far as Announcements go, this Crafting-Specific DLC was up there at Gamescom

Who wants to be the next Forged in Fire Champion, Medieval Bohemia Edition? Yeah, you know you do. Click on through to learn just how you can make that a...

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Gaming

Denshattack! is the Extreme Sports Train Game You Didn't Know You Needed

You know what action sports games need? Rideable trains that grind and do fliptricks and fight evil corporations and mechs. Yeah, that's definitely what they need...

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Gaming

New Trailer and Launch Details for SUDA 51 and SWERY's Hotel Barcelona

New details on Hotel Barcelona including release date and collaborative efforts are inside. Is this bound to be SUDA 51's best work? Is SWERY the missing piece to his magnum...

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Gaming

Long Gone Might Have Been One of the Best Gamescom Trailers at ONL

Fancy working out which house had the most to hide or be proud of in a once thriving community before a zombie apocalypse took hold? Yeah, we do too. Long...

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Gaming

Papa Needs a Headshot is a Weird Western Steampunk Mashup Not to be Missed

Fancy some Force powers in a Weird Western made up of Steampunk technology and aesthetics? How about scary monsters, lots of cool physics and environments tailor-made for exploitation? What about...

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Gaming

Amidst Continued Scrutiny Over Subnautica 2, Unknown Worlds has Just Updated the OG and Below Zero

Forget about Subnautica 2; nothing to see here... wait, what's this -- fresh updates for the OG AND Below Zero? Hold our Filtered Water!

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Gaming

Metal Eden is Sci Fi Anime Come-to-Life as a First-Person Shooter - Release Date Deets

Ever wondered what a mecha anime might look and play like as a first-person shooter? You have!? You mean, we're NOT the only ones??!! Sweet, well, have a looksee at...

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Gaming

Red Band-ish Trailer for Dying Light: The Beast is why we Love Techland

If you're at all squeamish, then we actually recommend you don't clickthrough here, despite our entire livelihood being dictated by clicks. That's how brutal this new content highlight from Techland...

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Gaming

Back to the Dawn Review

Hard to recommend prison to anyone, right? Except in this instance this prison sim-slash-RPG is a little bit special. Mature, cute, dark, hopeful... so many things. Play Back to the...

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Gaming

I Hate This Place - You'll Love it! (New Gameplay Trailer all but Guarantees it)

Don't make a sound on this farmland, but find all the things to survive and conquer its summoned and warped grotesque. Quite the challenge! Thankfully, the tropes of 80s horror...

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Gaming

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Review

Our definitive take on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, in equal parts as modern gamers, old-school gamers and skaters. Has this entry captured the same magic as 1...

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Gaming

Pinhead Hair-Raiser as Hellraiser: Revival Revealed

Ever fancied playing around with that puzzle box yourself, you hedonisti... oh, sorry, master. Umm, so anyway, there's this game coming out and I think *maybe* you might wanna have...

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Gaming

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Set to Gain Third-Person View and New Game+ Update

Enjoy an all new way to explore Pandora, as well as the chance to revisit the game's story decked out with all of your original gear and progression, but in...

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Gaming

A Link to the Past Meets Eldritch Red Dead Redemption in "Tombwater"

Tombwater is an action-RPG presented in old-school top-down 2D fashion with The Legend of Zelda, Dark Souls and any Weird Western as its main sources of inspiration. But it's also...

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Gaming

Subnautica 2 - Drowned Before it Began? Early Access Delayed Till 2026, Ex-Head Speaks Up

A lot has happened in the past fortnight for Subnautica 2 and the Unknown Worlds team. How things look moving forward is now anyone's guess...

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Gaming

DREDGE Developer Announces Production on a Brand New IP, Opens New Studio

What an exciting development to see more indies taking control of their own creative endeavours and expanding without the need to be propped by big business...

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Gaming

Left 4 Dead Meets Dying Light Meets The Running Man

A new "zombie extraction" experience potentially awaits in The Midnight Walkers, which has a new CG hype trailer for your perusal. If everything promised in this finds its way into...

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Gaming

Hand-Crafted Horror Awaits in Cronos: The New Dawn - New Combat Trailer Teases... A Lot, Physical Release Also Confirmed

Fancy a deep-dive into a dive into a past with mutated monsters you need to diver right on in and combat, to depths you don't fully yet understand or comprehend?

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Gaming

Borderlands 4's Story Trailer Teases at What we've Wanted Most from the Series All Along

A brand new trailer for Borderlands 4 has given us a glimpse into its new world and its potentially deeper and darker story than all before it!

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Gaming

"The World Needs to Feel Like a World and Less Like a Diorama Made for a Player" New Subnautica 2 Dev Blog Goes Deep on World-Building

From Unreal hax to the detail of rocks to Natural Selection, this Unknown Worlds Subnautica 2 dev vlog has it all! And boy, we can't wait for the final product!

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Gaming

Rootbound is Everything we Love about the World of Indie Game Development

A stunning pixel art action-adventure title that clearly wears some of its influence on its pixeled-sleeves. We're a little bit all-in on this one, for tone, art and pacing alone...

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Gaming

Waterparks, Turtles and an Elusive Skating Celebrity are Just Part of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Fresh deets on new additions to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 beyond the updated base games, including new parks, new skaters and much more. Click on through to...

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Gaming

Mundfish Powerhouse - A New Creative Stable Launching with a Bang

With a highly anticipated sequel, a unique MMORPGFPS and a survival horror threatening to change the genre forever, Mundfish Powerhouse is a publishing arm to keep an eye on. Have...

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Gaming

Kvark Review

Kvark is a boomer shooter with a massive adventure ahead for its player. Its homages are on-point and its world is quite something to behold, but it's not without its...

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Gaming

Under a Full Moon - ILL Set to Unveil its Hairy Survival Horror 'Weres' at Summer Game Fest

ILL is an upcoming survival horror title we've had our eyes on since it was essentially a mere tech demo. Now, with a finish line in sight and a press...

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Gaming

Revenge of the Savage Planet Review

Sequel to the forever fun Journey to the Savage Planet, Revenge of the Savage Planet is an action-adventure game peppered with base-building, survival, puzzle-solving, platforming and more. All presented across...

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Gaming

Stranded Downunder - Death Stranding 2 Set to Feature a Highly Detailed Australia

New details have emerged around Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the most important (for us) being that a large portion of it is set in Australia. Alongside this, we...

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Gaming

South of Midnight Review

Our in-depth South of Midnight review. A game with a fantastic setting and a wonderful aesthetic built off the mythology of the "Deep South", but a game that also doesn't...

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Gaming

Subnautica 2's Early Access 'Road Map' Revealed Via Dev Vlog

If you're like us and champing at the bit to learn more about the currents driving development of Subnautica 2, you might want to click on through and hear what...

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Gaming

Next Stop: Lovecraft Country - RailGods of Hysterra Coming to Early Access in May

Fancy a ride aboard a living god as a train you need to feed humans to? Want to expel "The Great Old Ones" from your hood and become like gods...

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Gaming

New Cronos: The New Dawn Gameplay Trailer Reveals a Monstrously Merging World

All new gameplay footage of Bloober Team's upcoming original survival horror title, Cronos: The New Dawn, has us champing at the bit for more from this new IP. A lot...

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Gaming

Hands-On with Den of Wolves - Wolf’s Rain or Wolves Reign?

In addition to our in-depth interview with 10 Chambers, we also had hands-on time with Den of Wolves for a single heist which we needed a couple of runs at,...

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Gaming

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is Early Access-Bound 'Soon'

Long seen as an alternative to Nintendo's Fire Emblem series and a handful of Square Enix joints, Heroes of Might and Magic also has an ardent fan base and plenty...

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Gaming

10 Chambers Developer Interview - Inside the Ulf's Den

We got a chance to get down and heisty with 10 Chambers' very own Ulf Andersson -- mastermind behind the upcoming Den of Wolves. Inside we jack his brain for...

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Gaming

South of Midnight is a Brilliant Setting, but the Game Needs More Work

South of Midnight is a traditional game with a kind of untraditional setting, at least in videogame form. The deep south gets a good run as a stomping ground here,...

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Gaming

GTAV Console Enhancements Finally Coming to PC Via a Free Update

While console players have enjoyed a heady list of enhancements to their GTAV experience, PC players have had to wait patiently for the desktop version to be suped up. That's...

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Gaming

What a Seemingly ‘Stylish’ CG Trailer Actually Tells us About Saros

Returnal developer, Housemarque, has revealed an all-new IP coming in 2026 and we've poured through its debut CG trailer for information. We might be onto a lot, or completely off...

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Gaming

WoW Devs' MMO PvP Fantasy Romp, Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, Hits Early Access

Dare to fight monsters, loot the world and survive against other, hungrier players in this "Extraction" MMO PvP fantasy romp from ex-World of Warcraft devs. Legacy: Steel & Sorcery might...

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Gaming

Cosminers is a Mining Survival Sim with a Nighttime Twist

Another potential gem in the survival base-builder sim camp, Cosminers looks to borrow from some of the best, unapologetically, and ahem build upon them. Not set for release until early...

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Gaming

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Review

An absolutely massive and involved game awaits with Warhorse's Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Set in 1403 Bohemia, this medieval tale features no witches or mages, no magic or dragons, but...

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Gaming

Lend a Tentacle, Would Ya - Railgods of Hysterra is Lovecraftian at its Weirdest

Another entry in the deep annals of the "Lovecraftian" genre, Railgods of Hysterra might just have enough of a unique hook to stand out above all, or it could entirely...

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Gaming

Den of Wolves - Information, Extortion and Extraction... to the Highest Bidder

Den of Wolves is from the creators of GTFO and Payday but looks to be far more in-depth and meaningful in its approach to heists and the reasons behind them....

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Pop Culture

Eyes of Wakanda is Dropping on Disney+ this Week - Do You Like Assassin's Creed?

Arriving earlier than originally announced, Eyes of Wakanda will stream on Disney+ as four episodes spanning Wakandan warriors and their secret missions across the globe. There's also something very familiar...

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Pop Culture

Official Predator: Badlands Trailer Destroys All, Killer of Killers Gains Cheeky Epilogue

The only hope from here is that we weren't just shown only the best bits of the movie in that single trailer, because if that's even a small portion of...

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Pop Culture

WWE or the Amazing Race - How The Running Man can Distance itself from the OG, (W)rightfully

Edgar Wright's adaptation of Stephen King's book and the Arnie classic, The Running Man, has some big shoes to fill. We explore what, and just how, it can focus on...

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Pop Culture

Before S4 Even Airs, Invincible S5 Has Been Greenlit

Season Four now shapes as a defining watch given the teams involved have been greenlit for a fifth. Adult animation for a serious win here, and just a basic reminder...

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Pop Culture

Wednesday Island Explained, New Trailer Wows with Patented Kookiness

Wednesday Season 2's newest trailer is all doom, gloom and awesome as we close in on Part 1's August release date. Plus, new details on the mysterious "Wednesday Island" promotion...

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Pop Culture

With S1 Part 2 Set to Drop, Here's why Sakamoto Days Should be Inspiring Action Writers, Artists and Directors

Exploring the insane world of a retired hitman and highlighting why this manga and anime gem is in the same conversations as some of the action realm's finest...

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Pop Culture

Netflix Teases a Wednesday (as in the Show) Event Happening in Just Under 2 Weeks in Sydney

What, and where, could this be? We've thrown an educated guess out there but the truth is, it's anyone's guess at this point in time. Click through to see what...

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Pop Culture

Alien: Earth's Official Trailer is "Special"

Customs be damned, Paul Reiser. The xenomorph got to earth anyway, so you gave up quite a lot for your own failure. But, we guess, your efforts weren't forever unrewarded....

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Pop Culture

King of the Hill Season 14 Coming in August

King of the Hill returns to televisions via Disney+ in a full new season taking place a number of years after the series originally ended. A grown up Bobby Hill...

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Pop Culture

Delicious in Dungeon’s Enduring Legacy Shouldn’t be its Monster Menu

We explore the impact of Delicious in Dungeon from Studio Trigger beyond its pull of cooking dungeon-set monsters from a D&D-like universe by taking a closer look at the rules...

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Pop Culture

First Look - Predator: Badlands

More Predator as we finally get a squiz at Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands -- the next major instalment in the long-running and more miss than hit sci-fi franchise, but we...

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Pop Culture

Reduced Prices on Our Unit E.A.Tee: Hungry Protector Shirts - Get them Now!

Come take a squiz at our merch and count your pennies, because we've lowered the price on our first run which we still have some in stock and would love...

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Pop Culture

Predator: Killer of Killers Might be the Predator(s) We've Always Wanted

In a twist we all wanted but never expected, Prey director, Dan Trachtenberg, and other Disney and 20th Century Studios higher-ups secretly put together an animated feature for the Predator...

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Pop Culture

Do the Game is a Serious Docu-Reality Series About Videogame Development

"Do The Game" is a candid and at times very raw docu-reality series Den of Wolves creators, 10 Chambers, decided would be a great thing to do. To track the...

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Pop Culture

Netflix Relocates the Robots this March to The Electric State

Rebellious robots in a retro-future road movie featuring an all-star cast and what looks to be some pretty awesome visuals and art direction has us fairly interested in what The...

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Pop Culture

Arcane Bonus Features Magic - Or, How to Link the Cogs of Animated Progress

While Season Two wows viewers on Netflix, relive Season One in a way you currently can't via the streaming platform through Blu-ray. This release takes the series' visuals and audio...
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Pop Culture

Jentry Chau vs the Underworld's New Official Trailer Looks... Fire! (Sorry Not Sorry)

A new animated series featuring Chinese mythology and folklore as well as the supernatural, with an all-star cast, is coming to Netflix next month. And it looks fire!
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Pop Culture

Sony's Concord Decision will Haunt the Masses, and it, through Prime Video's Secret Level

Awkward... Well, certainly to a degree. Secret Level gets a new sizzle video, but reminds us, maybe too soon, of the shut down of Concord and its developer, Firewalk Studios.
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Pop Culture

Marvel Animation's What If...? Season 3 Trailer Drops, Promises Big Moments and Closure

Marvel Animation has released the first official trailer for Season Three of What If...? for Disney+, which the platform and creators are promising is the final season, at least with...
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Pop Culture

Marvel Drops 2 New MCU Trailers, Leagues Apart in Tone

Marvel Studio released two new trailers for upcoming MCU projects dropping in the early part of 2025, and both are very, very different in tone and identity, yet both look...
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Pop Culture

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 40th Anniversary Exhibition Melbourne-Bound

If you grew up in the late 80s or early 90s, there's a huge chance you were, in some way shape or form, impacted by a quartet of mutated turtles...
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Pop Culture

Are We Set to See Deadpool & Wolverine Streaming on Disney+ this October? UPDATED ANSWER: No!

We have a fresh update on that original and hopeful idea of when we *might* have been enjoying Deadpool & Wolverine from the comfort of home or on our device...
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Pop Culture

Squid Game 2 Teaser Trailer Drops, New Images Released

Check out the official teaser trailer for Squid Game season 2, hot off the Netflix presses. Returning cast and characters, new fodder but the same sense of greed are what's...

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Pop Culture

A Titled Book About an Untitled Goose Game - Our Interview with Author James O'Connor

Fancy a deep-dive into the development journey of one of Australia's most beloved locally-created games? Untitled Goose Game through Boss Fight Books was penned by Aussie games journalist and wordsmith...
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Pop Culture

"The Monkey" Red-Band Trailer is Stephen King Come to Life at its Best

Deadlier than a monkey paw, Stephen King's musical toy monkey from his 1980 short story "The Monkey" is a death-dealing wind-up curse just waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting...
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Pop Culture

We Wed Thee, Followers of the Lamb - Check out this PAX Aus Special Moment

The best weddings are the ones where immediate stories manifest because of the 'out there' nature of them, or because those doing it put themselves wholly out there! Two such...
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Pop Culture

Alien: Isolation is Set to Scare the Pants off you Again with its 10th Anniversary Soundtrack Release

In celebration of 10 years hiding in lockers, under tables and challenging yourself to peek into air ducts in Alien: Isolation, 1am8bit has put together an analogue physical release duo...
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Pop Culture

Local Aussie Distributor, Sugoi Co, Lands Blu-Ray Release Duties for Arcane Season 1

Local and independent distributor of many, many cool things, Sugoi Co, will be distributing the Arcane Season One Blu-Ray versions (there's more than one) here in Australia and New Zealand!
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Pop Culture

The Stuff of Nightmares - This Nosferatu Zodd Figure from Berserk is Amazing

Arguably one of the best baddies in the Berserk world, Nosferatu Zodd, is getting his own S.H. Figuarts release, and it looks incredible!
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Pop Culture

Kris Kristofferson Passes Away at Age 88

Another stalwart of screen and music has sadly passed, but leaves behind an outstanding body of work across numerous industries, genres and formats.
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Pop Culture

Vale, James Earl Jones - 1931 - 2024

James Earl Jones of... well, soooooo much fame throughout cinema and popular culture has sadly passed away. His legacy, however, will forever live on through so many iconic moments across...
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Pop Culture

Some People Just Want to Watch the World Burn - Arcane S2 Trailer Live

Netflix has finally unveiled Arcane Season 2 and it looks perfect. More drama, more rebellion, more conflict... more EVERYTHING. Check it!
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Pop Culture

Anthology of Interest - A Star Wars Tale(s)

New Star Wars titles create a lot of discourse, and oft for confusing reasons, at least to us. So we've got a bit of an idea on how best to...
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Pop Culture

Absolutely All In - DC's New Universe Unveiled in (Almost) Full

The DC comic book universe is set to expand with an all-new spin on traditional characters, and we've got some details on one of the biggest departures of all --...
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Pop Culture

Games Ripe for Adaptation in TV and Film Ep 1: Hades, Metroid and Metro 2033

Most hardcore gamers have, at some time or another, wanted to see their favourite franchise(s) make it to TV or film land. The query, then, is what would work and...
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Pop Culture

Web Browser Opera GX Teams with The Boys and Vought for a Unique User Experience

Teaming up with Prime Video for The Boys, Opera GX "the browser for gamers" offers up a Vought-themed user experience and is free to download now. There's even a special...
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Pop Culture

New Alien: Romulus Trailer Harkens Back to Ridley Scott's Original

A very creepy new trailer for Alien: Romulus has been released and what we're seeing looks so close to the original, it could even be seen as a bit of...
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Pop Culture

Sci-Fi Epic, Megalopolis, from Francis Ford Coppola Finally Lands Distribution Deal

A new sci-fi opus that might prove to be more art than actual science-fiction, in the traditional sense, will definitely make its way to cinema now that the legendary director...
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Pop Culture

Superman and Batman Comics Fetch More than Four Times their Auction Price in the UK

A pair of rare DC comics featuring two of the world's most recognised characters recently went for a pretty penny at auction in the UK, with one Australian buyer flying...
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