Ever since watching the latest MW3 trailer, "Redemption", I've been getting myself far too excited about this Hooded Soldier that shows up on the trailer. So much so that I decided to test out some new video editing software I recently download and make a trailer in his honor.

I am also planning on getting lots of good use out of the MW3 Theater Mode to make some clips of cool, awesome, hilarious, interesting, and otherwise noteworthy events that happen while I play, so if you guys like this trailer, keep and eye out for later when I'll be posting more MW3 clips.

Check it out and let me know what you guys think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmiQJEUHm9I

Okay I usually don't post to my blog too often and usually its to share content I've made for users like photos from games or themes, but with the latest PSN Blog Post (url below)and after reading some of the comments both there and on this site's PS3 forums, I have some (drunk) words to say.

First off, to all of you hypocrites who first just wanted an approximate date and now are going nuts because they said within a week and won't hit that date, please take a step back and realize that this is why no company in their right mind gives dates for releases anymore. Customers are greedy, obnoxious, spoiled brats who do not understand the half of what is going on behind the scenes.

Second, to everyone complaining about the level of communication from Sony. I see a lot of "every post is the same" and that's true if all you care about is knowing when PSN is back online which is perfectly reasonable. However, you need to stop being so selfish and realize that others want comminication about where they are in that process. If you're actually trying to say that the latest blog post linked below says nothing new, then you obviously skimmed it to see if PSN was up and stopped there, because knowing that more extensive testing of the system including a third party is necessary is definitely something new and anyone trying to argue otherwise is just plain wrong.

Third, I'd like to address any comments about Sony being "incompetent" or "garbage." I'll tell you what, you do some research into the process of ensuring that millions of user's data is correct and more securely protected than the previous system and then talk to me about how "incompetent" Sony is. This is not a simple process; I have done it (on a smaller scale than this mind you).

Fourth, I agree that the argument "don't complain, it's free" is bogus. However, I hope people realize that it's in Sony's best interest to get PSN up and running as quickly as possible. Not for you selfish douches, but from their own financial standpoint. To suggest that they aren't working as hard as they can is just straight up asinine.

The last point I want to mention here before I call it a night and prepare for all the flaming comments from people who disagree with what I've written here is that people really need to understand that with a given amount of effort, any online system can be hacked and thinking otherwise is extremely naive. I won't try to argue that Sony didn't paint a target on their back with the whole Other OS thing (which if it was a security hole, should have been deemed as such from the beginning), but this situation could have happened to anyone. And judging by the business practices of other companies, I'd be willing to bet they would have handled this situation far more poorly than Sony has.

Ok time to toss the flame coat on, because I'm sure I'll be getting flamed for this, but it was time to state my opinion on the whole matter. If you issues/questions/support/disagree with that I've written here, I'd love to discuss this back and forth with you guys. For those of you who know me, I tend to check this at least once a day. Drop me a comment or a PM and let's discuss. Part of the reason I wrote this was to get it off my chest, but the other reason is to discuss the situation with other gamers.

DISCLAIMER: Any immature responses will be treated as such. DBD (Don't Be a Douche)

GS wouldn't let me link, search "Service Restoration Update" on the PS Blog to find the post I've mentioned.

Wow, I really never post here apparently. haha

Anyway, I got a pleasant surprise today in my inbox in the form of a Beta Code for the SOCOM 4 private beta (the beta comes to PS+ next week, Killzone 3 the following week, and everyone the week after that). However, I figured some of you might be impatient like I can be so feel free to ask any questions you want in the comments and I'll try to get them answered for you.

So I have recently decided with all these people already choosing their factor for MAG that I would go ahead and make some themes. I have finished all three factions .Click on the pictures below to download their respective theme.

Valor 1 (HD Only)

Valor 2

Raven

SVER

Well after a long and rocky 8 hours of gameplay road, I have finally gotten my first SOCOM trophy (Purple Heart - 50 Kill Assists). Now I know this seems like a run of the mill task for most shooters out there today, but with SOCOM this one is slightly different. Because most battles are so quick, you rarely get an opportunity for an assist. Most of the time, its a kill instead. The other factor that makes the trophies in SOCOM so difficult to reach is that they are all in no-respawn rooms. 1000 kills in COD4 was a cake-walk compared to 1000 in SOCOM.

Anyways, I just finally got that trophy and felt proud enough to share that info with you all.

Thanks for reading as always,

The_Rick_14

So I've decided to remake some of my favorite vehicles in Midnight Club. Below is a screen shot of in-game, then the actual vehicle. Tell me what you think if you'd like.

So apparently when I create a theme its news. haha

Here is a download link to the theme and a preview picture if anyone is interested. LINK

Here's the link to the article. LINK

Finally picked up Guitar Hero 3 last Sunday. Here are my thoughts.

First of all, let's start with the controller. Specifically the dongle. I don't mind it. It isn't all that big. Now to the controller itself. The detachable neck and faceplates both come off and go together easily. With the neck able to be removed, my guitar fits in my cabinet now when I'm not playing so it's not sitting on the floor which is also good. All of my other views on the guitar can be found in my previous blog. They have not changed.

On to the game itself. At first, there were problems. The controller synced up great but due to playing on a HD tv, the sound running through a receiver, and a wireless guitar, there was a lag issue that needed to be taken care of. For anyone who's having problems, the developers have said that 31ms is the usual delay from the wireless guitar so setting your lag to that will help. Mine has been best at 35ms but that's besides the point. lol

This is easily the most challenging setlist of all the Guitar Heros to this point. The past 3 I've beaten with little trouble on expert in a few days. I am currently on the last teir and having difficulty with One by Metallica and Raining Blood by Slayer. Not to mention that I've played Through Fire and Flame in practice mode on expert and there are only three words that describe this song..."OH MY GOD!" lol No matter what difficulty you play on, I recommend you play it on expert in practice mode at least once and try your best. If nothing else, you should get a good chuckle out of it.

All in all, I am very pleased with GH3 and glad I purchased it.

Only played 2 songs (The Metal and Rock You Like a Hurricane) at a 360 kiosk at Gamestop but that was enough for me to formulate some opinions. lol

First things first. The new guitar. Keep in mind that I'm used to the PS2's guitar at moment so these are nothing that I won't get used to. The body of the guitar is significantly thicker than the PS2s guitar which moves the strum bar a little bit further away from your body which I wasn't a huge fan of. But that is something I'll adjust to. What I did like was that the strum bar is somewhat shorter and therefore doesn't require as far of a push. This may seem insignificant...until you hit those parts where alternate strumming is necessary. It made it far easier than what I was used to with GH2 to get up and back down on tempo.

The neck felt similar in length and size compared to the PS2 guitar which I was happy about and the end of the neck didn't get in your way like the 360 Xplorer. However, the buttons have now been somewhat flattened. Yes they have the same rounded bottom design of the PS2 guitar, but the buttons are almost concave which leads to some slight slipping problems compared to the easy to feel convex buttons of the PS2 guitar. Again, I'm being picky and this is nothing I won't grow accustomed to after a few of the early songs.

Ok on to gameplay. It's the guitar hero we all know and love. Hammer-on's were responsive like GH2s and gave you that same split-second of leeway to make them actually possible but not too easy that we know from GH2. After all gameplay is what makes Guitar Hero well Guitar Hero, and it definitely delivers.

Long story short, come Sunday (hopefully) I'll be rocking out on my PS3 and if you are a Guitar Hero fan, I suggest you do the same!

Thanks for reading and happy gaming.

The_Rick_14

Seriously there's been a huge overflow of these topics recently and each one's reasons are funnier and funnier as far as I'm concerned.

"Sony needs to get more exclusives."

Actually Sony is averaging an exclusive a month (not counting PSN original games). That's a pretty good number if you ask me.

"HD-DVD is better than Blu-Ray."

Honestly at this point, who cares? DVDs are still the best way to go since DVD players cheaper than both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players will upscale them and unless you're a technology nut (like me) you won't notice a difference.

"LAIR and Heavenly Sword flopped and Warhawk did too."

If you go by reviews you could say that, but LAIR still sold a bunch of copies, Warhawk was sold out all over the place, and Heavenly Sword will sell a bunch of copies as well.

I could go on and on. The PS3 is not "failing". They aren't going to stop making games for it or take it off the market. When you look back it's running the same gauntlet the PS2 ran through with the same exact complaints. Too expensive, unfamiliar hardware, new media type, etc.

Sorry 'bout that...just had to get that out of my system. lol

So I just tried to play my first online game in NCAA 08 and all I have to say is never again will I even attempt it. Half of my button presses didn't register, all my movements were delayed. It's impossible to play football like that. The only thing I think you could possibly do is run the option, which I'm sure is why my opponent was West Virginia. It was the single worst online experience to date.

/rant

So recently I've been playing Rainbow 6: Vegas a little bit too much and always use my urban camo loadout which inspired my new banner.

Let me know what you guys think of it or if you have any suggestions to make it better.

Holy crap! I finally completed the Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo on Very Hard. Such an adrenaline rush right now! lol

Ranks and Scores Currently:
Ryu
Difficulty | Rank | Karma |
Normal | 539 | 464,210 |
Hard | 342 | 326,983 |
Very Hard | 326 | 248,001 |
Master | ??? | ??????? |

Rachel Mission

Rank - 1919

Karma - 1,086,597

Hey all,

So, I recently created what I call the Home Suggestion Union. My hope with the union is that suggestions can be brought up and discussed and hopefully passed on to Sony by the beta testers. All of us will have great ideas on how to make Home absolutely incredible, so all of our ideas should get a chance, and I think this might be the best way.

Click Here to Join 

Please swing on by, join up, and offer your thoughts.

More so, if you're a beta tester please join up and check out the ideas and pass them along to Sony when and if they ask you for suggestions.

Thanks guys and gals.

So, I needed something to keep me going until Ubisoft finally releases Rainbow Six: Vegas, so I went out and picked up BLACK for $13 used at EB Games (they're good for some things I suppose ).

I have to say, BLACK has a lot of lil perks that FPSs even now are missing that add to the gameplay.

The one of the main things are the amount of kick of the gun as it varies by gun and whether or not you are in aiming mode. Too many shooters let you just lock into a guy and hold down a trigger, but in BLACK you'll empty a clip over a dudes head while he's pumping bullets into you. Makes you focus on the timing of your rounds. Most guns also have three fire modes, fully automatic, burst, and single shot. Again, a great little touch.

The other thing that I think comes close to rivaling Gears active reloading is the blur effect while reloading in BLACK. You can't reload while looking at everything in front of you so why should you be able to in the game? BLACK takes care of this by switching the focus only to the gun while reloading and making the rest of the screen blurry. Once, again small touch that effects gameplay in a big way.

They also led the way with the destructable environment idea. For example I was just in a level where I was moving through a graveyard with snipers in the churches. If I sat behind a gravestone for too long, they would just blow it away with one shot. In the same level I was able to fire rockets into doorways only to see a gigantic hole open up. I did this a few times and the hole was different each time depending on the angle I shot the rocket in. There was even one time where I actually needed to use my gun to shoot through a wall just to continue.

Anyways, I was just playing it and figured I'd hop on here and share and see if any of you agree that a BLACK 2 with online would be sweet.