From episode 1 to 8, I hosted the Console Monster Podcast but due to lack of time and staff participation we all took a breather. Rob Rymond took over the hosting helm for a while and now we have decided to share the hosting responsibilities between us, so on this latest episode I act as host along with Marty Greenwell as guest to discuss the latest Microsoft Xbox 360 console and Sony PlayStation3 news and reviews on the renamed Monster Cast.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 49:38 — 34.1MB)

Imagine my horror when I realised that I received earphones for review! The reason for this is I absolutely hate anything sitting inside my ear, but a man has to do what a man has to do. Hesitantly I inserted each earphone into its corresponding auditory opening and amazingly all my fears of discomfort and pain evaporated.

Next job was to whip out my Apple iPhone 3GS and hear the all important sound quality and so started my love affair with the Creative Aurvana In-Ear2 Earphones.

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If you are like me, no doubt you will have a collection of electronic devices with wires for power, ethernet, speakers, scart, HDMI, component and that’s before I dare to look behind my computer. Quite frankly, the room becomes a sanctuary for wriggly wires looking for a good home and your instinct is to hide your charitable inclinations the best you can. Going through this tedious process of placing cables under carpets, rugs and anything else you can find to mask the mess, will soon have you losing the plot trying to remember what each cable attaches to. A nightmare if you ever have to move your equipment.

In the past you might have used good old sticky tape with ripped off pieces of paper acting as labels, I know I have! It is easy to lose heart as your spiffy new amplifier, with its LCD animating, rows of twinkling lights and sexy dials hides a hideous secret, a secret that reveals itself the next time you pull something out of its prized spot. No not the dust you couldn’t reach, I actually am referring to those hideous ripped paper labels that are now back to haunt you. Time for Stick’nGo labels…

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Before I owned an Apple iPhone 3GS, I would usually place my Sony PSP or Nintendo DS in a bag to take on a long trip. Both the PSP and DS are good companions when you need to pass the time when your heavy consoles and large screen TV refuse to fit in your pocket no matter how hard you may try. This all changed though when I purchased an Apple iPhone 3GS. I am sure many of you will be able to relate to this tale of portable gaming abandonment and it shows how precarious the future is for such dedicated devices that concentrate on this area alone.

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The media loves to carefully select the most brutal and graphic gameplay to try and prove to those who don’t have any interest in gaming that there is a lurking evil ready to pounce from your television screens into your soul, somehow taking over your will to control sensible thoughts and distort right from wrong. Of course this is extreme exaggeration, the usual scaremongering we hear many times on various subjects not just our gaming pursuits. Just like the word ‘crisis’ that appears out of news readers lips for almost every story, gamers like myself become numb to the effects of the constant assassination attempts on our passion for fun and entertainment.

Eventually you just stop reading the so called parents outrage when their child is playing a game that offends them, yet there are still those that stand in line to buy their cherished youngsters titles that are clearly meant for a much older audience. This is not a post to pass judgement or blame, rather an eye opener to those that condemn our interest on the basis of a few media reports that may have never picked up a controller in their life. I can only hope that a lot of the negativity has calmed down due to the influence the Nintendo Wii has achieved in the casual gaming market, but only time will tell.

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