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The recently launched PS3 Trophy System provides a selection of Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum ornamentswhich are designed to add additional re-play value to your favourite titles whilst simultaneously providing Sony with a reply to the much loved Xbox 'Achievements'.

The Trophy system was announced as part of the 2.40 firmware update and works by awarding the avid gamer trophies for completing various tasks within a certain title (i.e. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and the upcoming Burnout Paradise). These tasks are set at the developer's discretion and successful completion will contribute to your overall standing in the game which ultimately determining your skill level.

The Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies can be obtained during the actual gameplay whilst the hallowed Platinum trophy can only be earned if you have collectedeveryother trophy in the game.

You'll find the Trophy collection icon beneath the Game icon on the PlayStation 3 toolbar, the display features your present haul plus such details as the date you achieved the award and what you had to do to get hold of it; your friends and fellow gamers can see what you've been up to achievement-wise when they click on your name and hopefully turn green with envy in the process!

The PS3 Trophy system is all about bragging rights, a valuable currency in PlayStation land, and an impressive collection of these virtual accolades will allow you to show off on PSN or maybe inspire you to upload a triumphant video onto YouTube.

The system also provides an additional incentive to replay a game, something to aim for above and beyond reaching the games conclusion, plus with 'Home' all set for launch any gamer worth their salt will want their Home trophy cabinet to be full of awards.

At present PS3 Trophies haven't quite caught the imagination of the PS3 gaming community (although there is a dedicated website ps3trophies.org), this could be due to the fact that game developers have been a little slow to react to the feature with some big releases not even bothering to include trophies at all, however more recently the mood seems to be that Trophies will become a mandatory part of future PS3 titles.

Christopher Edwards is a thirty-something individual who is into his PS3 in a BIG way. He likes to think of himself as something of a 'guru' when it comes to the PS3 and has set up a site about it - http://www.PS3StockOnline.com

http://www.PS3StockOnline.com is a hub of PS3 information with News, Games and Accessories. The site also has a PS3 Stock Tracker for the UK and US which allows you to see who has stock available and compare bundle prices at a glance.

AP - The nation's stores are pulling all-nighters and deepening discounts in the final hours before Christmas, trying to draw in all the shoppers they can as they face dismal sales in what will likely end up as the worst holiday season in decades.

The long awaited sequel to counter-strike, counter-strike source has finally hit the market. This multi-player only game is simple and consists of a Terrorists force and a Counter-Terrorists force. Their are two types of game objectives and game maps. Their are bomb maps in which the Terrorists are trying to bomb a target, and their are hostage maps in which the Counter-Terrorists are trying to save hostages.

This game is similar to the original, but is using a whole new, impressive engine. This engine allows for realistic gravity, life like graphics, and objects spread around the maps that act as they would in the real world. However, because of this new graphics engine, you will need a good processor and solid video card to see the full effects. This new graphics engine also includes something called HDR lighting. High dynamic range imaging (HDR) is a set of techniques that allow a far greater dynamic range of exposures (i.e a large difference between light and dark areas) than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDR is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to the deepest shadows.

Counter-Strike Source uses familiar weapons and maps. The weapons are made to resemble weapons from real life like the glock, the m4a1, the ak47, and the awp. All of the same maps such as de_dust2, cs_office, cs_italy, de_nuke, and de_inferno can be played. However, these maps are all new and improved and the detail and graphics on these maps is impressive compared to the older versions of the maps.

Overall, I give this game a 9/10 and would say that this game lives up to precedent set forth by the original counter-strike.

Find strategy for counter strike at counter-strike

AP - If you're looking for an extra bargain before the holidays, you may only have to ask.