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Man of Many’s Staff Favourites is back to brighten up your weekend, as we celebrate the products, services, entertainment, and experiences that have caught our eye over the week.
We get to try so much of the cool, novel, and curious on a daily basis, but these encounters don’t always result in full write-ups or reviews. So we collect them here in the hope you’ll find something new and exciting to give your week a lift.
This week, we bid a fond farewell to our intern, Ervin, get a sneak preview of a fun new PS5 game, bring back a classic collectible, and take a look at a favourite new water bottle.
Before we get into this week’s favourites, check out the latest episode of Daddies below. This week, we chat to radio presenter Matty Acton, who became a grandad at the ripe old age of 37.
1. Farewell, Man of Many
Ervin Chio – Intern
My time with Man of Many is coming to a close. It’s been short and sweet but I couldn’t have imagined spending my first 6 weeks in Sydney with such amazingly talented people. Moving across the world for this opportunity has been eye-opening and amazing in every way.
I’ve learned so many skills, met some amazing people and done stuff my younger self could only dream of.
I want to give a big thank you to Rob Stott and Jackson Langford for taking me under their wings and letting me be a part of the editorial team. I was terrified of even drafting an article, let alone knowing those drafts became published articles. You showed me that I can trust my voice. For that, I want to say a big thank you for believing in me and thinking I had interesting things to say and pointing me in the right direction.
There’s so many more people I want to thank like Jordan Yankov for being so himself and reminding me how photography and shooting can be so much fun, and Hannah Maher for being a warm person and being my first friend in the office and I think, in Sydney and the rest of the team for making me feel welcomed.
For now, it’s a new adventure, new people and new experiences. I told you Sydney, just you wait.
2. Marvel’s Wolverine
Jackson Langford – Digital Editor
ICYMI, I spoke to two of the major figures behind Marvel’s Wolverine a few weeks ago. That chat left me feeling invigorated to play the game, so when the team at Sony sent me a review code, I was pumped.
While I was having plenty of fun slashing, clawing and tearing my way through foes on Marvel’s Wolverine, my algorithm was filled with the same few accounts clip-farming incredibly minor problems they had with the game, and making it seem like it was unplayable because of it. Video games are an artform, and everyone will have a different interpretation. But once we start focusing on minutiae just so we can hate, as opposed to focusing on how the game as a whole makes us feel, we may as well pack the entire medium up and call it a day.
Whatever happened to FUN? That’s exactly what Marvel’s Wolverine is to me. It allowed me to play as one of Marvel’s most iconic characters in an incredibly brutal manner (there’s lots and lots of blood) with fight sequences that weren’t walks in the park, but didn’t leave me throwing controllers across the room. But, I also didn’t think the stakes were low despite the high-fun factor, largely because of Liam McIntyre’s incredible acting work, fleshing out a character we all think we already know so well.
Marvel’s Wolverine is a story full of rage, regret, grief and violence. But it balances that out well by just being so damn fun to play. It’s not going to be a game that consumes every part of you with its technical marvel or sprawling open world, but it’s one you’re going to enjoy playing, and maybe even remind yourself why you fell in love with video games in the first place.
Favourite Article: Men Aren’t Reading Fiction. Here’s Why It’s Costing Them
3. Pokémon Fever
Scott Purcell – Co-Founder
Grown adults were lined up outside Kmart before sunrise this week, and for once it wasn’t for a new iPhone. The Pokémon Trading Card Game’s 30th Celebration collection dropped on Wednesday, the first time the TCG has launched worldwide on the same day, and the whole country seems to have lost its mind a little. EB Games ran midnight openings at 30 stores, Nine reported around 100 people already waiting outside one Kmart at 5:20am, and at Good Games in Castle Hill the Poster Collection and booster boxes sold out in minutes before the store limited whatever was left to one per customer. It’s not just us either, with the BBC reporting fans in the UK camping outside a toy shop from 7pm the night before.
I haven’t even got my hands on a box yet (and I’m not proud of how many store stock pages I’ve refreshed), but I’m so keen. The one I’m after is the Elite Trainer Box.
The funny part is that the whole thing has dragged me back into Pokémon GO. I hadn’t properly opened the app since 2016, when everyone was walking into poles, and now I’m doing extra laps of the block after dinner like it’s day one again. It’s really having a moment, and it has a bit of an NFT kinda vibe to it. Resellers are flipping boxes for well over retail, EB Games copped a backlash for doubling pre-order prices to scare off scalpers, and a Japanese lawyer told the ABC the card market is looking “bubble-like”. Whether it pops or not, I’m in it for the nostalgia rather than the resale value.
If you fancy a crack, don’t panic buy at scalper prices. The Booster Bundles and Mini Tins land on 2 October, with the Ultra-Premium Collections following in November, so there’s plenty more stock on the way.
Favourite Article of the Week: Apple iPhone 18 Pro Review: First Impressions, 5 Days in Hand
Favourite Video of the Week: The Porsche 550 Spyder is back, at 80% scale.
4. Owala Water Bottle
Hannah Maher – Sales & Partnerships Coordinator
I’m not usually someone who gets emotionally attached to a water bottle, but unfortunately the Owala has done it.
I genuinely think I drink about twice as much water since getting mine, which feels slightly ridiculous to admit. There’s just something about drinking from it that is weirdly satisfying. The lid has a two-in-one setup, so you can use the straw when you just want an easy little sip, or drink straight from the opening when you’re actually thirsty and want to properly skull some water.
It also keeps your water really cold, which I feel like should be the bare minimum for a water bottle, but apparently isn’t. And the colours are elite. I’m sorry, but if I’m carrying something around all day, it needs to look good sitting on my desk, in my gym bag or in the cup holder of my car. I have standards.
But honestly, it’s all the tiny details that got me. The satisfying click when you open it. The fact that the straw folds away so it’s not just sitting there collecting every disgusting thing imaginable. You can close it without touching the mouthpiece, which sounds completely insignificant until you use it and then wonder why every other water bottle makes you do things the hard way.
I think the Owala is one of those if you know, you know products. It’s not revolutionary – it’s literally a water bottle but somehow it’s just better.
Favourite Article: Cult Chinatown Cream Puff Store Emperor’s Garden Shuts Down With $845K Tax Bill
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