Bobfoc

I've played through KOTOR more than any other game except maybe Metal Gear Solid. I don't think I'd recommend it to new players, but it's a nice, familiar experience for me.

Wales are in Australia's World Cup group, so we'll be seeing another Gatland vs. Jones match soon enough.

Forest are five points clear of the relegation zone. I doubt many saw that happening a short while ago.

I got around three hours in and got bored. I wasn't finding the gameplay interesting either.

I don't know if this would be annoying or funny.

This is a fascinating example of the cultural differences between the USA and most other countries.

It isn't carried into the play, but Rowling said that she was all for a black Hermione on Twitter. Now, I don't think she said that out of malice, but it also reframes that subplot in a worrying manner as you've got several people telling a black character to stop whinging about slavery. Regardless, the eventual "resolution" of the house elves' plight is that Harry realises that it's important to treat them with kindness and respect, but there's no follow-through on the idea that slavery is an inherently awful concept. Being a violent and bullying slave owner, like the Malfoys, is bad, but giving your slaves compliments and kind words now and then is fine. This is an important distinction to make. The idea that everyone who plays the game is a transphobe is overly simplistic because a huge number of people aren't aware of the people Rowling has allied herself with over the last couple of years. I would encourage people not to buy the game, just as I do with Ubisoft games, but I'm not trying to equate ten million sales with ten million committed transphobes.

There is a subplot in the books in which Hermione wants to free the house elves and the other characters tell her she's being ridiculous because they love being slaves. Now, I've probably missed your sarcasm, but I'll add the point that making Hermione black for the stage play makes that particular part of the story even more troubling.

Another concerning thing about the game is that the plot appears to centre around crushing a goblin rebellion. Given that goblins are an underclass in the Harry Potter universe at best, and antisemitic caricatures at worst, it's rather off-putting.

I'm hoping for a Forest/Southampton final, as unlikely as that is.

I'm really baffled as to how they've handled that game. As you said, everyone would have been happy with something that expanded on the pirate gameplay from Black Flag, but they've turned it into a Sea of Thieves knockoff. They're not likely to entice many people away from a game that's had several years to churn out new content and gather a sizeable community.

I'm really not looking forward to the release of Hogwarts Legacy. I've seen so many people online saying that they're proudly pre-ordering it to "trigger the SJWs". I've no doubt that it will sell well. It's top of the Steam sales chart a full month before its release, and Harry Potter obviously has a massive fanbase. What concerns me is that its inevitable commercial success will be used as a "Gotcha" by the usual suspects to support the claim that anti-trans activists are right.

The rumours were true. An Xbox showcase will happen on 25th January to show more footage of games coming out in the first half of the year. A major absentee from the showcase will be Starfield. That will be getting its own dedicated show at a later date.

Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the Australian Open. She has a good reason, given that she's pregnant.

That jumped out at me as well. We're always hearing about how many times certain mobile games have been downloaded. Presumably, it's because the mobile market is dominated by free-to-play games that aren't "bought", but make ridiculous money on in-app purchases.

Frontier share prices have dropped 40%, with the studio blaming it on disappointing F1 Manager 2022 sales. It makes me wonder if they're going to pull the plug on the series now.

I definitely think that PC game sales have influenced that figure significantly. I imagine the rise of subscription services, such as Game Pass and Playstation Plus, has been a contributing factor as well. The inevitable all-digital future concerns me a little, primarily in terms of game prices. I saw Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart in ASDA for £15, whereas the Playstation Store typically sells it for £70. Really, for the amount you'd save on a digital PS5, you'd inevitably end up spending a lot more on the games themselves.

Now could be a good time. They've just merged the games together, so if you buy Hitman 3, you now get all the levels from the first two games as well. They apparently run well on Steam Deck.

For me, his most memorable performance was when he scored that hat-trick against Inter at the San Siro. He was a one-man army that night.

It seems that international management is a less appealing career move than it used to be. Generally, the very best managers aren't prepared to leave a well paid club position to risk their reputations in a field that hinges on a small number of key matches. I'm sure the Portuguese FA approached the likes of Mourinho, Ferreira, Fonseca and Conceicao before settling on Martinez.

Alcaraz will miss the Australian Open through injury. It looks as though Raducanu might too.

Apparently, some Man United fans were aiming homophobic chants at Frank Lampard.

I remember all the hype when he joined Chelsea in 1996. It seemed incredible that two members of Juventus' Champions League-winning starting lineup were going to join the Premier League teams that had just finished 11th and 12th respectively.

Three Houses is a very tough act to follow for me. I'd be happy enough with a fun strategy game, but having characters I care about is what makes Fire Emblem really tick.

I only listened to the Southampton v Forest match, but Southampton just didn't sound as though they were offering anything. They have a great set-piece taker, but little attacking threat beyond that. That they were outplayed by a Forest side that, while gradually improving, still has the worst away record and worst defensive record, is a big warning sign.