Weekly Report: Activity Overload!
We have so many activities happening in the community this week!
Activities
Be My Off-Topic Valentine
If you are good at writing lyrics and enjoy posting in the Off-Topic forum, check out the lyrics contest for a chance at the Song Writing emblem and GameSpot profile points! The activity ends on February 10 at 10 a.m. PT.
Valentine E-Card Workshop
If you have been trying for the workshop e-card emblem, which will be revealed later this week, be sure to submit your e-card by February 10 at 10 a.m. PT.
GSAU BioShock 2 Game Night
GameSpot Australia has plans for a BioShock 2 game night on Wednesday, February 10, from 7 p.m. AEST on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.
GSAU BioShock 2 Giveaway
If you reside in Australia, GameSpot AU and 2K Games are hosting a creative-writing contest with some nifty BioShock goodies. The giveaway ends on February 26.
GSAU Heavy Rain Backstage Passes
PlayStation plans to showcase Heavy Rain in Sydney on Thursday, February 25. Twenty lucky GameSpot AU winners and their friends will be treated to a screening where they will learn more about the game from Heavy Rain developer David Cage and will view previously unseen and exclusive Heavy Rain content created especially for GameSpot AU readers. The competition ends on February 25.
Halothon to Benefit Charity
You might recall the HotSpot offering help to the Child’s Play charity over the years, and you now have another opportunity to help if you are a Halo fan. Jrabbit99 has recommended a Halothon event that will begin on February 9. Drop by his blog for details.
Member Spotlight
This week's member spotlight goes to fabz_95 for his blog revealing the history of the System Wars Magazine [old magazine issues]. After taking a seasonal break, the System Wars Magazine has made a return!
Featured User Videos
- System Wars News December 09 uploaded by Willy105
- Top 10 Final Fantasy IV songs created by HollywoodRPG
User Reviews
- Mass Effect 2 (X360) 3KindgomsRandy
- Serious Sam: The First Encounter (PC) Azghouls
- Chime (X360) PAJ89
- Bayonetta (X360) AK_the_Twilight
- Geometry Wars: Galaxies (DS) c_rake
- Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (GameCube) loopy_101
Staff Fingerprints
- David Good (site producer) shares his overwhelming thoughts about Mass Effect 2.
- Sarju Shah (hardware editor) posted a response in the PC Hardware Discussion forum about VGA and HDMI output with graphics cards.
- Sophia Tong (previews editor) is in catch-up mode with older pictures as she reveals a variety of Tokyo Game Show 2009 pictures.
- Chris_Watters (reviews editor) discusses some N64 games that might have been considered underrated.
- Marco Martinez (files producer) spotlights an indie game.
- Tom Mc Shea (reviews editor) hopped in the System Wars forum to back up his latest review score for Dante’s Inferno.
- Stanley Lin (site producer) gives some tips about how often we’ll be handing out C&C 4 beta keys.
Blog Bunker
- 24k_Solid_Gold believes parents need to be more informed about the game industry.
- david_lck has a list of games that need an HD makeover.
- jazzfan4 has a list of bargain games.
- Crimsader has done some extensive research on the history and future of gaming.
- chandu83 talks about being a PC gamer on a budget.
- VXLbeast shares his favorite free online games.
- dark_being posted some Mass Effect 2 game-ending spoilers.
- LJS9502_basic would like to begin recognizing unsung Off-Topic forum heroes.
- Sandpiper121PP has a fourth edition of her Saturday updates.
- Bobzfamily has a list of PlayStation classics that he would like to see on PSN.
Emblems
- The Hotspot homework emblem was granted to hank_101.
- The Firestarter emblem was granted to the following System Wars Magazine contributors: LegendofNerd, 789shadow, Brianfox1, darkspineslayer. fabz_95, k_smoove, Thunderdrone, AdobeArtist, angelkimne, Animal-Mother, blizzvalve, Ibacai, IronBass, jg4xchamp, psn8214, Skittles_McGee, Stevo_the_gamer, The_Game21x, and Wasdie.
Tip of the Week
This week’s tip is about writing game reviews. Kevin VanOrd wrote a thorough blog about what to consider when you are writing game reviews and editorials. While he does claim that you should take what he says lightly, take it seriously because a lot of his points can also be applied to forum posting and other written communications. Here’s a sneak peek at the points he covers.
-- Know the rules of grammar and punctuation.
-- Read a lot.
-- Don't stick to a precise format.
-- Avoid cliches.
-- Remember that it's about the game.
-- Think critically.
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