Michael Vane
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Articles by Michael Vane
Australia's $2 Billion Scam Epidemic: Investigating the New AI Threats and the National Response
By Michael Vane - News Published: 19 Nov 2025 Readtime: 11 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. How scams are impacting Australians and expert advice to protect yourself and vulnerable family members.
Guest Commentary | A message from a retired general to Vietnam veterans
By Michael Vane Selected excerpts from an April 26 speech by Lt. Gen. (USA retired) Michael Vane to the Hanford, CA, community: Welcome back Vietnam veterans. Thank you for putting your life on the line for our country. Thank you for your personal sacrifice! The war in Vietnam bought time for the other Southeast nations to bolster their economic and political systems leading to the winning of the Cold War and freeing of Eastern Europe.
Best New Video Games Releasing in August 2024
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Best New Video Games Releasing in February 2025
By Michael Vane - Guide Published: 1 Feb 2025 Readtime: 7 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. February sure came around fast! There’s a hefty slate of great-looking games arriving, whether you’re ready or not. I am most definitely not. (I’ll get to you one day, Dragon Age—I promise).
Best New Games – November 2023 - NewsBreak
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Best New Games – November 2023 | Man of Many
So what if your backlog is growing, stretching and swelling to nightmarish proportions? November is here, and this month delivers like your friendly neighbourhood Uber driver! The biggest and arguably most anticipated title of the month is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, as the popular franchise continues to be a gaming juggernaut. Elsewhere, Super Mario RPG gives us the second new Mario game in less than a month.
Best New Games – November 2023 | Flipboard
PlayStation 19 hours ago Must-play PS5 games are on sale ahead of Black Friday — 11 deals I’d buy now Tom's Guide - Rory Mellon • 19h Early Black Friday deals are arriving at several major retailers including Amazon and Best Buy this weekend, and these preview discounts include very … Video Games 7 hours ago Starfield: How To Get The Kepler R Ship DualShockers - Joshua Leeds • 7h The Kepler R Ship is a powerful class C ship players can obtain fairly easy for free in Starfield; here's how to...
Best New Games - October 2023
If you’re looking for a list of the best games coming out in October 2023, welcome to our complete guide. This month is one of the biggest of the year with a number of flagship-level games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. You’ll also find a few fan-favourite Nintendo platformers such as Super Mario Bro. Wonder and Sonic Superstars are sure to bring plenty of nostalgia with them.
Best New Games - October 2023 | Man of Many
Ryan Reynolds 1 day ago Ryan Reynolds Trolls Blake Lively's Bikini Photo in the Best Way Parade Magazine - Sammi Burke • 1d The 'Deadpool' star maintains his reign as king of the trolls. Ryan Reynolds had the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever, and he took it.
Best New Games - September 2023
Strap yourself in for September 2023, another big month on the gaming calendar. You can expect the latest batch of releases to take up your free time and perform a fatality on your bank account. Following years of wait, Starfield finally takes flight for PC and Xbox. It’s a tough pill to swallow for PlayStation owners, but there’s still plenty of action across all platforms. You can unleash your inner sadist in Mortal Kombat 1 or drive in style in the latest entry of The Crew franchise.
Best New Games - August 2023 Original
Another month means another selection of new games from publishers vying for your hard-earned income. Even if your backlog is growing larger than Elon Musk’s ego, it will be difficult to pass up on some of the titles launching throughout August 2023. Best New Games Releasing in August 2023 Elden Ring developer FromSoftware revives its Armored Core franchise, and following a few years in early access, Baldur’s Gate III is ready for its full launch.
43 Places to Buy Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon in Australia
Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. Premium bourbon whiskey Pappy Van Winkle is often regarded as the best of the best. Although the award-winning drop is also incredibly rare and extremely pricey, meaning most of us haven’t experienced it for ourselves.
Best New Games Coming in July 2023
I don’t think storms hurtling dinosaurs into the future was what Dr Ian Malcolm meant when he said, “Life finds a way”. Yet that’s what you can expect if picking up Capcom’s new multiplayer shooter Exoprimal. With or without the prehistoric creatures, July is shaping up to be another stellar month of gaming goodness.
Best New Games Coming in June 2023
June is all about the numbers: Diablo 4; F1 23; Street Fighter 6; Final Fantasy 16. Add them all up, and what do you get? 49. But also a ton of hotly anticipated video games. Okay, so not every game is a sequel or annual release. This month, you can also see Crash Bandicoot get competitive. Xenomorphs slaughtered. Theme parks defy gravity, and the entire cosmos is rolled into a ball. Too cryptic? Just scroll down. Cricket 24 is also slated for release.
35 Best Graphic Novels and Adult Comics | Man of Many
Read More Following his escape from Nazi occultists, Hellboy becomes an agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He’s a well-meaning half-demon with an oversized right hand and drinking problem. And when strangeness threatens to engulf the world, this strange man will come to save it. Hellboy debuted in 1993 and is still going strong today.
20 Best Video Games of 2020
With 37 thousand airports, 2 million cities, 1.5 billion buildings, plus real mountains, roads, trees, rivers and more, Microsoft Flight Simulator provides that much needed hit of escapism that currently can’t be achieved elsewhere. Real-time atmospheric simulation and live weather are the icing on the cake. We hadn’t expected a simulator to become one of the best video games of 2020, but here we are.
Best New Games Coming in May 2023
This May, everything is awesome! At least on the gaming front. Overall, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag so far this year, and while we’re finding ourselves spending more time than expected on our Nintendo Switch, it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon with the best new game releases for May coming in with a host of new platformers. This month, we’re keen to check out the new LEGO racing adventure – hence the “everything is awesome” line above.
Best New Games Coming in April 2023
With new Star Wars, Minecraft, Dead Island and AFL games, April 2023 is shaping up to be another stellar month of new releases. I don’t know about you, but I’m still catching up on titles from March 2023, plus a few from earlier in the year. If I’m being honest, that list extends back to 2022, 2021 and beyond for a backlog that spans PC and console generations. We won’t let a lack of self-control get in the way of some hotly anticipated releases.
Best New Games Coming in March 2023
This year is firing on all cylinders, and the momentum continues with the best new games coming in March 2023. Like most months, March is a mix of fresh ideas and remakes to satisfy new and old-school gamers alike. We’re keen to go hands-on with Resident Evil 4, a remake of an all-time great. There’s a new soulslike from the creators of Nioh. EA Sports drops a PGA title without Woods or McIlroy on the cover, and the WWE returns with a heavy dose of John Cena. That’s just a taste of what’s on offer.
Best New Games Coming in February 2023
Can you believe it’s February already? This month snuck up on us like a snake in the grass! With 2023 travelling quickly, it’s time to dive deep into this month’s big gaming releases, of which there are many. Arguably the most significant arrival is the PlayStation VR2, which costs more than the PS5 console (also required for its use). Still, we’re enthusiastic about getting our hands (and heads) into one quick-smart.
Best New Games Coming in January 2023
We’re back for a new year with a selection of games launching throughout the 31-day period better known as January 2023. This month is stacked with new releases. It’s a safe bet to say that some publishers decided to avoid the competition around the holiday period and are looking to capitalise on the gift cards you may have received for Xmas. This month, we’re keen to check out the remake of a horror classic, a new fantasy-themed open-world adventure, a few remasters and re-releases.
15 Best Games of 2022 | Man of Many
To arrive at this list of products, the Man of Many team went through hours and rigorous testing, implementation and analysis before culling it down to the very best. Over the last 12 months, we’ve worked on curated products that push boundaries and pioneer new fronts, across the automotive, fashion, lifestyle and technology verticals. Sure, we love getting the latest piece of kit in our hands, but being able to point out the benefits and shortfalls objectively is at the heart of what we do.
15 Best Games of 2022
Needless to say, 2022 was a messy year for the games industry. Frequent delays, social media outbursts from voice actors and an abundance of leaks—including GTA 6, all suggest the year will go down in history for all the wrong reasons. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Some top games launched in 2022. The type that we’ll be talking about for years to come. There were breakthroughs in open-world design, accessibility, performance and fan service.
Corowa Distilling Co. Was Founded On a Dollar and a Dream
Located on the banks of the Murray River in southern NSW, Corowa is a town best know for being a tourist trap for wine lovers. However, one of the most interesting stories to come out of the region in recent years, at least to our whisky-loving readers, is the tale of the historical real estate sold for a ridiculously low price and what the new owners did with that property. Related: These are our favourite Australian whiskey brands, where will Corowa land?
Best New Games Coming in December 2022
Between beach days and family bonding, the holidays are also great for locking in some dedicated screen time. And the best new games launching in December 2022 ensure that the year goes out with a bang! Sadly, they’re launching too late for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales but early enough to drop a hint on your family, friend or significant other. We’re talking specifically about Need for Speed Unbound, The Callisto Protocol and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, which all drop on December 2.
Best New Games Coming in November 2022
The selection of new games for November 2022 comprise some serious bangers. But what they do not include is Skull and Bones. Instead, Ubisoft delayed its long overdue pirate adventure once more for what hopefully rounds out the huge list of 2022 game delays. What isn’t delayed, at least at the time of writing, is the new God of War, new Pokemon, new Call of Duty Warzone, new Sonic and a killer-looking horror western from the Shadow Warrior devs called Evil West.
Best New Games Coming in October 2022
October 2022 is a massive month for new game releases! Hopefully the anticipation for the likes of Gotham Knights, Modern Warfare II and Scorn can overshadow recent game leaks, which do nothing but give undue attention to hackers. In case you missed the news, loads of GTA VI footage flooded the internet, all of which was unfinished, unpolished and not the way you want to see this hotly anticipated title.
Best New Games Coming in September 2022
Avast, ye slippery scoundrels! There be no need to plunder the darkest depths. Not when we can grant you riches! Sadly not dollars or doubloons, but indeed the next best thing. We are, of course, referring to a rundown of the best games coming in September 2022. So what’s with the colourful language? September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and the release date for the swashbuckling adventure-comedy Return to Monkey Island. Coincidence?
Best New Games Coming in August 2022
When it comes to the latest games, it’s often a case of what’s old is new again. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that some of the best new games of the month are reboots, remasters and rereleases. We’re talking specifically about the new Saints Row, which looks all sorts of ridiculous fun, a remaster of the acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man and a collection of retro Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games for old-school gamers and those looking to catch up on some classics.
Best New Games Coming in July 2022
Everything is going swimmingly, and then someone like me comes along and points out that we’re already in the second half of 2022! So, where does the time go? It will be tough for the best new games in July 2022 to outdo the previous month, as June hosted multiple gaming showcases and saw the new PS Plus subscription launch to compete with Game Pass.
Best New Games Coming in June 2022
We’re only reaching the midpoint of 2022, and dozens of imminent releases have been delayed to later in the year or into the next. The latest games to suffer delays include the hotly anticipated Starfield and open-world zombie game The Day Before. Both now arrive at some point in 2023. Setting an early release date makes sense for managing workflow and the expectations of audiences and stakeholders.
SteelSeries Aerox 9 Review: Safe From Snacks and Sweat
We know what you’re thinking: how does one use the Aerox 9 without filling it with crumbs? Short of giving up snacks, there’s no way to avoid food working into the wireless gaming mouse’s honeycomb shell. The same applies to dust, sweat and condensation from countless energy drinks or beers if you’re inclined. The good news is that SteelSeries compensated for this when designing the new range of ultra-lightweight gaming mice.
EPOS H3PRO Hybrid Review: Better in Green and Gold
You don’t need a degree in marketing to understand the importance of brand awareness. It’s typically a good thing if customers recognise your product without having to hammer home the name. But here, the recognition led to some initial confusion. This was our first experience with an EPOS headset, and it gave off serious Sennheiser vibes. The design raised some questions as it closely resembles the Sennheiser GSP 670, which we once described as the ‘Beyoncé of gaming headsets’.
Top Video Games and Release Dates for May 2022
For years, gamers have debated whether it’s worth pre-ordering upcoming games. Generally, I’d say no. It’s the consoles and accessories that sell out. Not the games. And yet, Sniper Elite 5 makes a strong case for dropping some dollars before its release date. Each new entry in this bloodthirsty franchise includes a bonus pre-order only mission where you get to assassinate Hitler by optionally sniping him in the testicles.
Espresso Display V2 Review: World's Thinnest Portable Monitor
Anyone who spends time in an office environment knows the simple pleasures of working with multiple displays. And yet, it’s not until you’re forced to work from home or on the road that it becomes apparent just how beneficial the second screen really is. Even the best laptops can’t compete with a complete desktop setup, but we can’t all transform dining tables into long-term workstations. That’s where Espresso comes in.
Top Video Games and Release Dates for April 2022
A new month means a schedule of new game releases to swoon over. Sure, you’re probably concerned about the cost of fuel, groceries or living in general. But how do you unwind if not by blasting zombies, kaiju or LEGO Stormtroopers into pieces? This month lacks the AAA releases of March and February, but there are still plenty of fantastic games, including some awesome indies.
What is Atari VCS, and Would You Pay $800 for One?
Before Xbox, PlayStation and even in the days before Nintendo, your parents were likely chasing high scores on an Asteroids arcade cabinet or competing in lengthy Pong rallies. Atari was a big deal during the 70s and 80s but these days, the brand primarily relies on nostalgia to make bank. And that’s where the VCS aims to change things.
Ghostwire: Tokyo is a Supernatural Spin on Japan's Craziest City
A young Japanese man is possessed by the spirit of a dead detective, and together they investigate supernatural occurrences throughout the city. It sounds like the setup to a short-lived Adult Swim animation, yet it’s the very real premise of the latest PS5 console gaming exclusive Ghostwire: Tokyo. Albeit simplified for the sake of a snappy intro.
13 Must-Have Survival Items for Emergency Prepping
Australia is prone to bushfires, flooding and it’s not uncommon for storms to cause a blackout. These life-threatening situations can arise at a moment’s notice, which is why you need to be prepared. A well-stocked survival kit can help protect you and the family through these worse case scenarios until help is found or the conditions subside. We’re not saying you should go full-blown doomsday prepper. Just keep these 13 items on hand to help you through emergencies. Here’s what you need: 1.
Can't Buy Your Dream Car? Gran Turismo 7 is the Next Best Thing
2022 marks the 25th anniversary of PlayStation’s Gran Turismo franchise, and what better way to celebrate this incredible milestone than with a brand new game? Gran Turismo 7 features over 400 hundred iconic vehicles from throughout history with more classics than contemporaries and recreates them all with astonishing attention to detail. You’re then provided with a virtual playground to race, tinker, customise and photograph these gorgeous rides with intricate, yet accessible tools.
10 Camping Hacks to MacGyver Your Way Through Nature
There’s nothing quite like an escape into the great outdoors. But there’s always an essential item left unpacked. So before you shoulder the blame for leaving the headlamp, the fire starters or the insect repellent on the kitchen counter, set things right by putting these camping hacks to good use. It always pays to be prepared, and the below items can get you through nature in a pinch. 1. Pack a Trusty Headlamp Taking a torch into nature is a no-brainer.
Top Video Games and Release Dates for March 2022
It feels like I say this every month, but March 2022 is another huge month for new releases. This month packs motorsport, some hectic gunplay, looting, and supernatural threats aplenty! We’re talking specifically about games including the driving sim Gran Turismo 7, horror western Weird West, shooters Ghostwire: Tokyo and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, plus Kirby, the pink puffball makes a comeback on the Nintendo Switch.
Horizon Forbidden West Review: a Must-Play PS Exclusive
Quite a bit has transpired these past five years, so you’d be forgiven for not immediately making sense of Horizon Forbidden West. This highly-anticipated sequel assumes you recall key plot points and supporting characters from the 2017 best selling PlayStation exclusive. There’s a brief refresher at the start, but it doesn’t go far enough to remind you of who’s who. So, I hope you know the importance of GAIA, HADES, Elisabet and Varl, among others. Or else, the first few hours could be a real slog.
Don’t Overlook this Creepy PlayStation 5 Console Exclusive
With the impending launch of Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7, it’s easy to forget that another AAA PlayStation 5 exclusive is mere weeks away. Ghostwire: Tokyo, is a creepy action game where a mysterious event sees 99 per cent of the city’s population vanish, replacing them with paranormal activity inspired by Japanese folklore. You play as Akito, a young man who fuses with the lost spirit of a rugged detective to fight through the apparitions and return Tokyo to its former state.
Top Video Games and Release Dates for February 2022
It’s time we talk about the new games launching in February and express disbelief that we’re already into the second month of 2022. So how are those new year’s resolutions going? Moving on, Feb is a huge month as many delayed titles finally see the light of day. We’re talking Dying Light 2, Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring and Crossfire X, all of which had release dates pushed back. We can finally get our hands on these hotly anticipated games within the next few weeks.
Rainbow Six Extraction is a Thrilling if Not Uneven Spin-Off
When author Tom Clancy sold his naming rights to Ubisoft, he couldn’t have anticipated it appearing on a game about an alien infestation. And yet, that’s precisely the premise of Rainbow Six Extraction. The latest entry in this long-running military series retains the familiar tactical, team-based gameplay but replaces terrorists and online opponents with an otherworldly threat.
ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3 Review: A Small 2-in-1 with Grand Ambitions
Tablets are great for socialising and entertainment, but sometimes you just can’t beat the feel and function of a physical keyboard. That’s where the ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3 comes in useful. This compact, user-friendly 2-in-1 is not so much of a laptop replacement but a tablet with a detachable keyboard for those who occasionally need to do some serious typing. Chromebooks are mainly targeted at young students, which makes sense.
BMW's Backseat Theatre Screen Makes Drive-Ins Obsolete
You’ll have second thoughts about visiting the drive-in if you upgrade the Beamer with a personal ultra-wide theatre screen. Described as the “in-car entertainment system of the future,” the BMW Threatre Screen is a 31-inch panoramic display with 8K resolution that descends from the roofline to give the backseat occupants a private cinema lounge. The theatre screen features 5G connectivity with a built-in Amazon Fire for streaming.
Lenovo's Dual Screen ThinkBook is Not for Everyone
Let’s start by agreeing that the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 is a very cool concept. It’s a 17.3-inch laptop with a second 8-inch touch display for artists and graphic designers to get creative on the go. The problem is in its positioning. The second display is on the righthand side, and I’m left-handed. I have to accept that this technology is not for me. I must also accept that I’m the minority and that up to 90 per cent of the population could make good use of this new technology.
Samsung's Odyssey Ark Display Makes an Unexpected 90-Degree Turn
Forget everything you know about monitors. Samsung is changing the game with its outlandish Odyssey Ark, a 55-inch curved display that rotates 90 degrees into portrait orientation for multitasking and Zoom calls, among other uses. Revealed at CES 2022, Samsung Odyssey Ark features a Quantum Dot Mini LED display with 4K resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio and a sharp curve.
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