Buy 2 get 1 free (Valid in store or online 11/25/09 – 11/29/09)

Buy any two used games or accessories and get the third for free.

Pre-Owned Console Deals (Valid in store or online 11/27/09 – 12/3/09)

GBA SP – $29.99

Original Nintendo DS – $49.99

DS Lite – $59.99

Original PSP – $79.99

Original PlayStation 2 – $39.99

PS2 Slim – $49.99

And other assorted bargains HERE.

Considering that we’re all trying to do our best to make ends meet, a used game or system is a great way to get more for your gaming dollar. One tip: GameStop online does not guarantee an original case or instruction manual for pre-owned games. However, if you go to your local stores, you can verify on-the-spot if the game appears to be “gift worthy.”

Also, GameStop is not the only option for purchasing used games or systems. Most areas have local mom-n-pop shops that offer similar merchandise. Many feel that their money is better served supporting locally-owned stores as opposed to national chains.

Check your local listings for vendors in your own neighborhood and good luck from the Frugal Gamer!

Though fellow PSP/PS3 owners in Japan have enjoyed this application for months now, it was released yesterday via the PlayStation store for the U.S. This is a utility that allows a PSP owner who has a PS3 to use the console as a bridge to other PS3/PSP owners. This then allows such gamers to play any AdHoc PSP title through the internet with others. In essence, it converts any old AdHoc title into an infrastructure networked game in the privacy of your own home.

The video above demonstrates the utility in action. For more information, point your browser to Sony’s U.S. PlayStation Blog.

This weekend I was browsing the Web as part of my ongoing quest to learn EVERYTHING and I stumbled across Etsy.com. This is a site where a number of different people/companies offer their handmade creations. I must admit, there is a reporter from Moses Lake, Washington who calls her creative endeavor Digital Soaps and makes some very interesting (wait for it…) soap. If you need some form of incentive to get your kid off the console and into the tub, or if your spouse would get a kick out of such a novelty, I have to say that these are pretty neat. Click below to see even more of these creations!

Click on the Pictures to take you to the appropriate page if you’re interested.

Keep it clean…for Mario’s sake!

Wanna bet that the cat is a big Metal Gear Solid fan?

Stackable soap, how do I love thee…let me count the lines.

No Halo in the tub!

“Bustin’ makes me feel good…” and clean!

Fun in the tub? Wii!!!

And finally, for the comprehensive evolution of gaming cleanliness…

The next title in the PlayStation’s “Play, Create, Share” line is a title called ModNation Racers. This intriguing game is essentially a classic “kart racer” like the Mario Kart titles, Crash Team Racing, or Chocobo Racing. What MNR brings to the table is the ability to customize your racer, tweak your car, and (most significantly) create your own tracks! The demonstration provided at E3 this year showed the developer creating a simple track from scratch including mountains, a lake, foliage, and even determining the position of the sun to establish the time of day–all in less than 5 minutes! The interface was impressive, intuitive, and fun. And best of all, you can add sheep. (One can never under estimate the comic value of incorporating sheep into a game!)

I’ve included the trailer below for those of you who may be interested. Knowing what fun I’ve had with my son playing Mario Kart Double Dash (see article HERE) and Little Big Planet (see article HERE), this seems like the best of both worlds!

One of the most recognized racing franchises is FINALLY going to appear on the PSP this October 1st. Why I find this significant is that Gran Turismo for the PSP was supposed to be a launch title. This is one of, if not the most, delayed titles ever to actually get a release on the system for which it was announced. Yea, “Racing onto PSPs.” For more information about this release, hit the Sony site HERE.

Also of note, the October 1st release date is also the launch for the new PSP Go which is seen in the above picture and in the trailer below. So, I guess that Sony can still call it a “launch” title for the PSP…just not the original incarnation of the platform. Having said that, the PSP Go is compatible with the current PSP hardware. Besides the cosmetic differences, it does not have a UMD drive and it uses solid state memory to store downloadable games.

For those of you who may be wondering, yes – Gran Turismo will be playable on both the current hardware and the new Go. Now take a look at the cool trailer below and share a comment below stating how it’s about time!

Have you ever wondered any of the following…

Why did the American titles jump from Final Fantasy III to Final Fantasy VII?
How can there be more than one Final Fantasy?
What is a Chocobo?

If so, then I have an article for you. Check out IGN Presents the History of Final Fantasy. Spanning from the roots of the franchise on the Famicom through development for the current PS3 titles, this retrospective offers some good background to those who may not be as familiar with the rise of the console-based RPG in American culture. It’s a great read and a good chance to gain some insight to the genre. And it explains where they got the name!

For years writers have found ways to leverage interesting characters, stories, and experiences through sequels, spin-offs, and ongoing storylines. Another strategy to increase profitability of  lucrative franchises is to place them into another media all together (i.e., successful books made into films, television series yielding books, and films spawning games). But with the advancement of gaming technology we are witnessing a new way to make money without creating all new titles.

The current platforms all have the ability to download content and many developers are taking advantage of this to create supplemental levels, characters and features to enhance games that have already proven successful. Rather than attempt to re-create “the magic” in a sequel, many have chosen to extend the experience for those who are still interested. The beauty of this approach is that it can offer enhanced value for an already owned title which a player knows he or she likes.

An example from the last year that has offered such enhancements is Soul Calibur IV. Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 versions offer downloadable content through their online services (Xbox Live and The PlayStation Network respectively). These upgrade packs enable further customization of characters within the game. For an example of such modifications, see the trailer below.

Though customization of characters in a fighting game can be a treat, it doesn’t really approach the level of enhancement provided by a furthering of the story. The 2008 release of Prince of Persia offers additional narrative gameplay. In order to provide an enhanced experience to those who enjoyed the title, Ubisoft offered a download called “Epilogue” that gives the player a chance to enjoy more challenges and provides further closure to the story. For an idea of what is offered, view the trailer below.

Never willing to be an “also ran” in the video game industry, Rockstar Games produced one of the most striking game enhancements available within the last year – the Xbox 360 exclusive side story for GTA IV entitled The Lost and Damned. Though a little more expensive than other supplemental downloads available, this is an entire playable side story that adds at least another 10 hours of scripted gameplay to this title. View the trailer below for an idea of what this adds to the experience. (Keep in mind that this is very much a mature title and though it is an impressive and involved story, it is not intended for those under 17 years of age.)

But perhaps my favorite examples of developer-provided downloadable game enhancements are for Burnout Paradise. This title is over two years old and Criterion Games is still creating new content to keep this game fresh and fun. These upgrades include the Bikes Pack (which was free!), the Legendary Cars Pack, and the Cops and Robbers Pack. But one of the most impressive upgrades just came out earlier this month and it’s called Big Surf Island. This pack includes not only new vehicles, but an entire new island to explore! For an idea of what is included in this pack, watch the trailer below.

Granted, there are some who believe that all downloadable content should be free. in fact, there are many downloads that incur no charge. However, if developers are going to continue to invest their resources to enhance their customers’ gaming experience, it should only follow that they recover their costs. We as gamers and game-playing families can decide what options are worth our hard-earned dollars and what aren’t.

As a game-playing parent, I appreciate the option of spending only a fraction of what a new game costs to get added value for some of my favorite titles. And in the case of Burnout Paradise, you can currently find it new for $19.99 and the Big Surf Island is only $12.99 on top of that. Together, that’s just a little more than half of the original price of the game two years ago. Criterion Games is well aware of the current bargain price of their title and by providing continued support, many who originally purchased the game are rediscovering it while others are just seeing it for the first time and recognizing the continued enhancements to the gaming experience.

Consider it all food for thought from a frugal gamer. Enjoy!

Chris emailed me a link that put me into a feeding frenzy on the web. For those of you who don’t know, I take great joy in playing games that demonstrate how interactive media can provide a unique narrative form. Whether it be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Sam & Max Hit the Road, Beyond Good and Evil, or (one of my all-time-favorites) Ico.

For those of you who know what Ico is and have enjoyed Shadow of the Colossus, this information is golden. Check out the details from PlayStationLifestyle.net HERE. For those who don’t know what these games are, feel free to follow the Wikipedia links that I have provided. But please understand that the beauty of these games is not to be captured in still images or descriptions. Team Ico creates living breathing worlds where you want to discover what lies around each corner. Their use of soundscapes and music envelops the player within the environment. Simply put, their experiences are truly immersive.

If your curiosity hasn’t been piqued, take a look at the following video…

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Both of the original titles from Team Ico have an ESRB T rating. Though there is a fairytale quality to these experiences, they provide some moral questions and have environments and situations which I believe could be a bit haunting for the younger ones in the household. See what you think before you present it to your family. Although I believe that like many of the good books or wonderful films I’ve enjoyed over the years, the experience of playing these titles has made my life richer and I heartily recommend them to all. As for the latest in the series, I’m downright giddy!

The following article is (like much of my writing) pure editorial. Consider the points that I am raising in the context of your own beliefs and use what makes sense to you. Please understand that some of the following subject matter is potentially disturbing. However, we need to be informed in order to make the right decisions on behalf of our children.

Let me start by saying that one can define PROTECT as, “to keep from being harmed.” One way to keep our children from harm is to empower them. Another is to keep an eye on them and intervene when necessary. At certain ages, we need to let the kids fall and scrape their knees. They’ll cry, but they’ll learn. Being a parent requires that we maintain the balance between isolating our children from certain experiences while allowing them to be exposed to others. To clarify, I do not believe that we should lock our children away from the world. Instead we need to gauge their maturity and introduce certain experiences and concepts when we think that they are ready.

Having said that, I’ve had a couple of wake-up calls so far this year. One was when I first heard about sexting. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, read more HERE. The fact that this is becoming popular in middle schools concerns me as a parent. I got the second wake-up call last month when I read THIS ARTICLE about a 24-year-old male from Kentucky who was using his PlayStation Network account to get an 11-year-old girl to send him nude pictures of herself. Though I was horrified at the thought, I should have expected it.

The game console is not the villain here. The child-predator is. A tool can be used for something other than its intended purpose. I have a dozen or so knives in our kitchen that we use for cutting vegetables, cheese, meat, etc. Does that mean I blame the manufacturer of my Ginsu knife if some psycho comes into my home and comes after me with it? No. At least that’s not where I would put the blame. Up to that point, the tool served its intended purpose.

As technology advances it provides us different opportunities. Many of the most popular and pervasive technologies facilitate communication. In the 80s when Cell phones were too big to carry in your pocket, we never thought of taking pictures or video with them and sending those to people. The most “adult” content for the Atari 2600 of my childhood was so pixelated that calling it “graphic” would be gross misrepresentation. But our children have a different world.

When I was a young teen we had a friend who’s father had a few “magazines” that we would use to pique our curiosity. Today, the curious teen can query Google with a few choice words and see things that we never dreamed of in our youth (and some things that I would prefer never to think of again). An enterprising youth could take those images and/or videos and convert them fairly easily to formats compatible with iPods, cell phones, and PSPs in order to take that content on the go and share it with his or her friends.

As frightening as this is, it isn’t as personal as sexting. It’s one thing to have content from some nameless stranger (who, in many cases, understood that his/her image would be shared with the world). It is something completely different to have images or videos of yourself or someone you know.

Think about it for a second…the teen years can be frightening and high school breeds emotional vulnerability in an almost cult-like cloistered environment. I know that when I was dating then (sooooooo many years ago) that I trusted my girlfriends with very personal information. I can think of a couple of break-ups that weren’t mutually instigated and in at least one of those, things took place that were motivated by the compulsion to hurt the other out of revenge or contempt. Telling secrets is one thing. That plays upon the open wound of emotional vulnerability previously mentioned. But if this same need to inflict pain could be fulfilled with a different weapon – like certain digital photographs or video clips – well, this would be a much more damaging experience.

You see, if someone told their entire class that their ex still sleeps with a teddy bear, it would lead to endless torment for that individual. But that damage would be very much localized. Nobody would care outside of those people who knew the person in question. Even by the time said person made it to college, it would be old news. But if an ex distributed potentially suggestive pictures, those could end up in the hands of strangers and on computer monitors all over the world. Those could be of interest to individuals who wouldn’t give two shakes about the teen with stuffed animals. What’s worse, imagine a recent college graduate walking into a job interview and having someone recognize him/her from pictures that had been circulated previously. This redefines emotional vulnerability. For those of you who think that I might be paranoid, point your browser to THIS ARTICLE on MSNBC.

Let me wrap up before I have our blog’s word-count starts flashing red. (Somewhere in the distance I can hear Chris and Jackie discussing orange juice-drinking Irish dancers or something.) The fact is that there will always be dangers from which we must protect our children. Some of the mistakes that they can make these days can have long-term impact. As parents, we need to know what the pitfalls are and help our sons and daughters to navigate them effectively. Though I have no magic bullet for any of us, awareness helps. I don’t believe that, “knowing is half the battle.” But I believe that staying informed is the first step to being able to address these issues effectively.

I wish you all the best…for the sake of our children.