My PSN ID is Riverdogs14. Be sure to include a note in your request letting me know you want to play some MAG, or whatever it is you want to play. Tune in to Saturday's Today On The Spot intro to heaer Shaun and I talking MAG, including super double secret clan information!

It is a weird noise, but now I have a Pavlovian response to it. "That noise means I hit that guy!" Except instead of drooling, I kind of smile and do a little evil chuckle.

Working on it, my man! I've been playing full days of MAG all week for the review. I'm enjoying it so far (the little squishy sound that bullets make when they hit an enemy is particularly satisfying) and I'm progressing up the ranks in an effort to earn command abilities. The review proper will hit early next week, but you can check out the reviews blog (Under Review) later today for my early impressions and some gameplay clips.

Anyone else playing?

Take a look at the Dark Void Zero gamespace, up by the box art. There you'll see our nifty new label "Downloadable Game." If it's got that label and it's a DS game, then it's DSiware!

You'll also see this on downloadable content, like The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, the DLC for Borderlands.

I've been on both end of the spectrum with regards to lending. I've lent friends games and they have returned them in great condition, having enjoyed them a lot. It's a great feeling to be able to share something fun with a friend. On the other hand, I've lent DVD sets to friends who have then lent them to other friends and never seen the DVDs again. It's a crappy feeling when a friend disrespects you like that.

If you feel like your friend is taking advantage of you, that creates an imbalance that can hurt your friendship. If your friend has the means to buy games like you do, then I think your idea about you both buying games and swapping is a good one. Not so great for online multiplayer, but certainly more equitable than just you buying them all the time.

If your friend can't reciprocate like that, then maybe you should put a limit on how many games you lend him, perhaps just one at a time while he's borrowing his cousin's system. Or, if you've got a new game that he wants to play, invite him over instead and take turns playing.

Either way, it seems like you should probably change the dynamic you've got going somehow, or you may end up resenting him.

I think touchyourtoes has it right. About the question and the answer, that is. The second one (Army of Two: The 40th Day) is a better game, and a really fun one at that. Though you can get the first one pretty cheap these days, I heartily recommend the second. Plus, if you have any interest in playing online (competitive or cooperative), you'll have a better chance of finding other people to play with if you get The 40th Day.

Comet Crash is a stellar tower defense game that is pretty cheap, I think. You build structures to defend against enemy onslaughts, as per the genre, but in doing so, you create the route that enemy units have to take. Mapping the longest, deadliest route is a lot of fun. On top of that, you actually have to create units of your own to navigate your enemy's tower defenses and destroy their base to win. I had never really been intrigued by tower defense games before, but this one blew me away and I was obsessed with it for a month or two. So awesome.

If you want something more action-oriented, the similarly-named-but-not-at-all-related Gravity Crash is also a good time. It's got an old-school vibe, great flying physics, and a fun level creation tool.

Check this page for a list of more PSN games with links to reviews.

uhhh.... probably the explodey bullet magnum in resistance 2.Sandallman

Oh hell yes. That thing was awesome! But I think the first FPS gun I ever loved was the shotgun in Marathon. So satisfying, plus you could dual wield!

I think I Persuaded rather than Intimidated the Reverend Mother, but I had put skill points into Coercion so Persuade was an option more often for me. You might not have had that option.

I recently sat next to my mom as she went through the tutorial and first few levels of Scribblenauts. She could keep up pretty well, but there were a few parts when she got hung up and confused. Of course, it was easy for me to see what she was missing, and I tried to point it out to her without that geez-mom-it's-so-obvious tone in my voice, but it was surprisingly hard.

Why is that? I know that she doesn't play games and that obviously I'm going to understand them in a way she doesn't, but I still felt impatient with her. The knowledge gap is kind of weird. I mean, my mom's a smart lady, so I expect her to pick things up quickly. I guess the problem is that video games are such a niche skill. When learning about other new things, she can usually relate them somehow to other things she's learned and other life experiences. But video games have such specific internal logic that there are fewer touchpoints in her knowledge base that she can draw from, and therefore it's more confusing.

I have trouble keeping that in mind when I introduce games to non-gamers (though I'm a freakin' pro at explaining Rock Band by now). You gotta be patient, and for me, I have to remember to be way more patient than I think I need to be. Otherwise I get a little snippy, the noobs get frustrated, and no one is happy.

Best moment our Scribblenauts session: She was trying to gather some items for a gardener, and ended up conjuring an axe. She had it equipped, then tapped Maxwell by accident, which caused him do drop it... right on to the gardener's head.

"Why did I just fail the level?"

"Because you axe-murdered the gardener, mom."

I think those casting ideas are pretty spot on, my friend. Good calls!