Hey to all my GameSpot peeps, well today I hit the illustrious level 33 and I am officially a Goombella! Now to you all I ask,..........What the hell is a Goombella? On the gaming side of things I just finished Dead Space, what a great game I didn't find it all that scary but the various weapons and eeriness of the Ishimura made up for it. Now I on a second run through to max out my weapons and show the necromorphs why death would have been a better alternative to attacking me.

I also, just finished Tomb Raider: Underworld I didn't find it as satisfying as Legend, the platforming and puzzles were ok but the story towards the end was really sloppy, I was expecting more.

Still working on Red Dead Redemption, definitely the best game I've bought all year. So I'm taking my time to finish it because I only get one chance to experience the games finer moments for the 1st time. Unfortunately because I lurk at this site and GameFAQs so much I accidentally had a key moment in the game spoiled for me.

I'm think of picking up Transformers: The War for Cybertron this afternoon. I'm hearing tons of great things about it and it looks like a blast to play. Any opinions from the masses? Come on guys you can tell me. Well I guess that's it for now, catch ya'll later.

Keg

Hey everyone,

Now that Sony has finally dropped their console into an affordable range and since no futher price cuts are coming in the foreseeable future, I decided now was as good a time as any to get my 1st PS3. Here are my initial impressions of the system. System hook-up was a breeze, but I was really disappointed that my slim came with the RCA cable instead of a HD composite cable. I was like WTF!! How can you sell an HD system without the HD cable. Not having an HDMI cable I understand and was cool with. Having a new PS3 with an RCA cable I was not cool with. Next connecting to the internet, what can I say the PS3 has built in Wi-Fi nuff said it was awesome it made connecting to the PSN a breeze. Kudos to Sony for that.

Now I have the system plugged in and ready to go. Unfortunately my copy of Resistance: Fall of Man didn't come the same day. So, lets talk about PSN versus XBL. You hear a lot about cost in this arguement. Well let me tell you something I had XBL down after about 15 min of looking around. Sony's XMB/PSN, well....oh to hell with it, IT STINKS, it is not user friendly at all. It has too many options for things. The layout is aweful. There is a lot of negativity regarding who copies who on what. In this case however I would love it if Sony copied a little from Microsoft's playbook.

I wanted to download a demo for Heavenly Sword, but I wanted to do other stuff while it was downloading so I though I could just shut off the PS3 and the demo would download in the background like my 360 does, WRONG to accomplish this you have to go to power off icon in the XMB and tell the PS3 to shut off after download is complete. Not a huge deal, but given how the Xbox handles this, it's an unnecessary step on Sony's part.

Now an hour later I have my demo of Heavenly Sword or so I thought. You see when you download a demo on XBL, once the damn thing is downloaded you can go play it. Same with Sony right? NO, after you download a demo or a game or whatever before you can enjoy it, you have to install it. again WTF???

Now I'm sure I will get used to the differences in the way these two platforms handle, but at this moment the PS3 has a long way to go in terms of ease of use. XBL is definietly far superior to the XMB system that Sony has. These are just my imitial impression after owning a PS3 for one day. Check back for more insights and opinions.

Whats happening people of the wastes (by wastes I mean gamespot) :P

Recently I was promoting enrollment of my friends and folks tracking me to the Fallout Union Nation. Well recent events have forced me to reconsider my involvement with that Union and I have since resigned from it. There was an issue between the leader (I use the term loosely) and some of the founding officers. Needless to say I sided with the officers over the tyrant. Since I am no longer a part of the union and I still like to talk about fallout, what do I do? That's right boys and girls I found another Union for Fallout, actually I found two. The second one will up and running in a couple of days. The first new one is called The Fallout Brotherhood it's a great group of people, some from Fallout Nation and some new. The second is the Fallout Outcasts, it will be up and running by Aug 18th. If you've ever wanted to get in on a union at the ground level this is your chance. Both unions are stocked with great people who love everything Fallout and can't get enough it. For me personally the arrogance and tyrannical nature of the Fallout Nation is too much for me. I prefer a more free flowing exchange of ideas and a leader who makes policy in accordance with the will of the people. Idealistic? maybe but choice is a great thing, I hope I see some of you in the other Unions sometime. Later,

Keg

Normally I completely laugh and disregard stuff like this, but I have been personally affected by a very similar disorder. Singleing out Sony for this is pretty dumb though I play Xbox and it happened to me too.

Feb 24, 2009

We all know that obsessively playing video games can potentially lead to a variety of problems, but can it also be bad for your skin?

Skin specialists in the U.K. think so. The BBC reports that a new condition stemming from excessive gaming has been noted in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Swiss doctors first identified the condition -- dubbed Playstation palmar hidradenitis -- after examining a 12 year-old girl afflicted with painful bumps on the palms of her hands. Thinking it was related to sweating, the docs eventually reached the new diagnosis after being told that she was playing a whole lot of Playstation, which further explains why the condition occurred only on her hands and not her feet. Even more incriminating is the fact that after 10 days away from gaming, her condition disappeared.

Having a disorder named after their primary gaming brand is certainly a bummer for Sony, but the company might find comfort in longtime rival Nintendo, who have had to contend with various reports of gamers developing tendonitis -- renamed "Wiiitis" -- from overuse of their flagship Wii console.

Shortcut To Injury?

Similar in a sense to tennis elbow, Wiiitis first made waves back in 2007 when a Boston physician found himself suffering from a severely sore shoulder the morning after a rigorous match of Wii Sports. Apparently, he wasn't the only one. In December of 2008, British doctors actually issued a warning after noting a serious rise on the number of hospital patients complaining of the condition.

But while Wiiitis is bound to strike more gamers, "Playstation Palm" is just as fascinating to physicians.

"This is an interesting discovery and one that the researchers are keen to share with other dermatologists, should they be confronted with similar, unexplained symptoms in a patient," said Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists.

To their credit, Sony showed restraint in their response.

"As with any leisure pursuit there are possible consequences of not following common sense, health advice and guidelines, as can be found within our instruction manuals, " said a spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe. "We do not wish to belittle this research and will study the findings with interest. This is the first time we have ever heard of a complaint of this nature."

Hi everyone,

After what seems like forever I finally was able to get a Wii. Now I know its been out for awhile and a lot of you guys have one. Heres my question, what in your opinion would be a great first game to get for my Wii. I want something that makes good use of the motion sensitivity of the wii controler. Right now I am looking at The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess & Metroid Prime: Coruption. They both look really good but let me hear what you guys think.What would be your first Wii game and why would you pick that one first. Thanks for all your input.

Later,

Keg

An article I read on Yahoo's frontpage.

Think you paid too much for your Playstation 3? Don't expect any sympathy from Sony.

In the company's fiscal 2008 annual report, Sony revealed that they've now lost roughly $3.3 billion (that's billion with a B) on the Playstation 3 since its launch. That breaks down to $2.16 billion in 2007, followed by a notably smaller but equally daunting $1.16 billion loss in 2008.

The reason? Pricing the console below its production cost. That's right - that hefty $599 you paid for the PS3 back when it first launched was significantly cheaper than the cost of producing it in the first place, and while the retail price has come down some, the losses keep piling up.

Investors have reason to sweat. In a statement, Sony claimed "the large-scale investment required during the development and introductory period of a new gaming platform may not be fully recovered." They went on to note that they've invested a great deal of money into R&D for the console, a sum they might not be able to recoup if the PS3 "fails to achieve such favorable market penetration."

Sony fanboys should take heart, however. Losing money on hardware is relatively common in the video game biz, as companies routinely lower prices to sell more units and thus stimulate software sales. Sony's game division saw a 26% sales spike last quarter, a trend they expect will continue on the strength of strong exclusives like the recently released Metal Gear Solid 4 and the upcoming sequel Resistance 2.

But will it be enough?

Now that the excitement of GTA IV has come and gone what is the next title you are really looking forward to getting your hands on? What is about that game that is causing you to crave it?

I am awaiting Ninja Gaiden II, the game is looks like another stunning piece of gaming glee. The demo I've seen just make the game look simply fantasic, I can't wait to get my hands on it.

This mornning I logged into Gamespot and and was treated to a new looking front page of sorts. Everything from Rock Band coming to the PSP to some game called Monkey King being in the number one spot. Then I saw it, a new tag that read "Microsoft Comments on rumor and speculation" I clicked on it and WHAM!! April Fool's Good Job GS you got me! Now to all my friends out there did GS get any of you? If so where did you click before you found out you were had? :D

Ok, heres the happy haps, I just got a new PSP. I'm not really a big Sony fan right now but I am a huge God of War fan, it's quite possibly one of the best franchises ever imo. Now I have to admit, I kinda impulse bought this thing. I worried I may not have much to do with the PSP once God of War is done. What are some other good titles for this thing. I'm really eyeballing the Castlevania game next. Theres just something about knowing the Belmont clan is on the move that just calls me in to battle. What all can you really do with this little gizmo. It looks like an aweful lot but it looks a little daunting, I don't find Sony's user interfaces as intuitive as Microsoft's. Anything useful you can tell me about the PSP would be great. Yeah I know I could spend a lot of time reading it but that's why I have you guys. LOL seriously though :)

Hello all in the GameSpot community. I am going to go through all my contacts and clear out people I've been tracking who are not tracking me. I think the concept of tracking people works when its mutual, and I would rather read the blogs of people who are mutually interested in me as well. So if we're already friends, then friends we shall remain. If I'm just tracking you and the courtesy isn't being returned I will post you a message about it and then we'll either become mutually tracked or I'll remove you from the list of people I watch. Coolio?

Keg