Playstation 3's 2.40 firmware coming soon

Announced for this Thursday. The 2.40 adds Trophy support and in-game access of the XMB.

This will be the first step for Sony, and it could be a good one. Can't wait to try it.

Xbox 360 price drop?

There's an article at IGN.com about a supposed Xbox 360 price drop for the premium edition that may or may not happen before this year's E3. The amount is $50, which would bring the premium price down to $299.99.

I'm inclined to think that this will actually happen. Most people who want an Xbox 360 already have one. To keep the system moving, a price drop is necessary to help sway people who are still on the fence about what they want to buy, or just starting to play video games. A $299.99 price point brings the Xbox 360 closer to Nintendo's $249.99. It probably won't put much of a dent in the Wii's sales, but it's a start.

Now if only they could eliminate the red ring of death....

Sony on the other hand, probably can't afford to cut the price of the Playstation 3 again, at least not too soon. I'd expect them to extend the "limited edition" Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle if anything, but I can't say they'd drop the price of the system by another $50. MGS 4 is providing a much needed shot in the arm for SCEA. Now they just need to get their act together and release other exclusives like Playstation HOME to make the PS3 more attractive. All these delays aren't helping.

What costs $80, yet sits and collects dust?

The Limited Edition copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 I bought last week.

I caved in to common sense, buying a game I wasn't 100% interested in due to the insane amounts of positive reviews from the few remaining websites I respect and the friends I trust. Technically, Hideo Kojima hasn't let me down yet. There is just too much good praise for this game for me to skip it. I went all out (Limited Edition) because I liked the extras.

To me, Metal Gear Solid for the PSX was one of the best games on that system, bar none. MGS 2 was still fun even though Raiden was a douche.

Snake Eater interested me, but I could never get into it. Each time I played, I spent too much time listening to the characters speak on the Codec instead of going ahead with the mission. Then something else would come out and I'd play that instead.

Everyone I've talked to told me the game gets better after about an hour, so I've been playing it again($9.99 used at Gamestop). The camera(which I understand was improved in Subsistence) is annoying at times, but if you use everything at your disposal you can deal with it. It's very early in the game, but I like it so far and I'm sure it will indeed get better as everyone has been saying.

So yeah, MGS 4 is sitting there collecting dust. Well, technically not, because I do move it to get to other games in my collection. So the dust never truly settles on it.

I'll get to it when I finish Snake Eater. If HOME comes out before then, I'd be pretty happy.

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Recently I finished Folklore. When I first tried the demo I couldn't get into it. I'm not sure what it was. I ended up getting a copy of the full game months later. After a slow beginning, the game really picks up and ends up being alot of fun.

Celtics won. I'm glad it turned out that way, not because I dislike a certain arrogant Laker and the way he treats his teammates, but because they were clearly the better team. A better team, with players who've been in the league for years and deserved a title to carry into retirement.

Ray Allen. Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce. They've all paid their dues. Kevin and Ray and two of my favorites. I knew Paul was good, but he really carried this team as a leader should.

Boston's role players stepped it up quite alot. Sam Cassell wasn't much of a factor, but Rondo picked up the slack. Powe? No idea who he was until he tore through the Lakers' defenses for 21 points early in the series.

Even when the game was clearly over, the reserves were throwing alley-oops and stealing the ball. It was great. So great that it's inspired me to start practicing again. I'm serious. I'm ready to risk back spasms for the good of......mankind?......or whatever.

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Ninja Gaiden II, murder for masochists

The long awaited sequel to Tomonobu Itagaki's Ninja Gaiden remake, Ninja Gaiden II, hit store shelves this week. Anyone who's played the first game knows that Team Ninja doesn't mind throwing players to the wolves. Do a quick Google® search and you'll find horror stories scattered across the internet from gamers who found the first game too tough for their tastes.

Ninja Gaiden II continues the tradition of not pulling any punches, but if you can handle the sometimes steep learning curve, you'll find yourself playing one of the better action games of this generation.

Everything has been amped up for the second go round. Blood flows, drips and splatters in many different colors. Limbs fly. Heads roll. Any new weapon you pick up won't stay clean for long, no matter how much blood Ryu shakes off.

The combat is fast and furious, and for the most part the camera keeps up, but there are some instances of slowdown. Maneuvering the camera in tight spaces can also be a problem, though you usually won't do much standing still during battles anyway.

Ninja Gaiden II's story makes.....no goddamn sense whatsoever, but you probably won't care. Fans expect action from Team Ninja, and they won't be disappointed.

Aside from new weapons and moves, players can also record and upload clips to Xbox Live for people to download and view.

Those who enjoyed the first game, you have nothing to worry about unless you haven't picked up an Xbox 360 yet. First timers, I honestly recommend playing one of the original games first. If you can't find a copy of Ninja Gaiden Black or don't own a Playstation 3(ruling out Ninja Gaiden Sigma), the original still holds up today. Play that, and if you don't break anything in your house, go and pick up a copy of Ninja Gaiden II.

If Itagaki and Tecmo really do part ways, what do you think will happen with him next? The guy is clearly too talented to just fade away, but he does have somewhat of a bad reputation.

What do you think will happen over the next month?

Introductory post

Thanks for checking out my blog.

I'm an official reviewer for the up and coming video game website FirstPenguin.net. The site is going through some changes right now, so I've set up this temporary home to post my thoughts on new games and things going on in the industry. Please check back soon.