This post is very image heavy. You mobile users have been warned!!

Why hello there!! This is CelicaCrazed and I'm (PlayStation) Home for the weekend. School's been tough as of late, so I came home to relax and see the family. Also, laundry! Another benefit of coming home is that I am once again reunited with my PlayStation 3. It's tough being away from it during the weeks I'm at school but it makes me appreciate the time I spend with it more.

Since Friday Night Fights consisted of games I didn't own (Uncharted 2, Borderlands) or games I suck at (Marvel vs Capcom 2), I decided to spend some time in PlayStation Home. This will be a visual journal of my adventures in Home and the changes taking place throughout. THIS is what I resort to when Killzone 2 is taken out of the rotation!!

First of all, that guy up there is me. Well not really me since it doesn't look too much like me. I have a darker, less stylized hair, softer eyes and maybe a year or two younger. Yeah, the ladies dig me. Or that's what I like to think. Anyways, I got tired of editing myself and this will be me from now on. Deal with it. Hey Sony, maybe the PS Eye could help out here with some face mapping technology?? Huh, Microsoft hasn't done it yet?? Really?? Okay fine then....


My Pad



THIS IS MY HOUSE!! Alright it's actually an apartment but let's not get too specific here. As you can tell, I care too much about something that no one well likely ever see. But at least I'm comfortable in my surroundings, right?



My living room. Well it's not much of a "room", more like a living space. I only use it when I have guests over. Uh yeah, so never.



This is a planter I "found" while I vacationing on the planet Helghan. There was a lot of yelling and dying going on so I just helped myself to whatever was lying around. Man was my back hurting afterwards from dragging that thing to and fro. Just don't tell my doctor that's what caused the pain! Oh and did you know that there is no porn on that godforsaken-planet? No wonder they are so pissed off. But the food! Oh God the food!! So excellent!! Never tasted a rat so good before!!



In NHL 09, I took my Toronto Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup finals and won! This here is the glorious Cup in all its glory!! I must say it looks a lot bigger on TV when I used to dream about dancing on the big stage. I'm trying to repeat my championship run in NHL 10, but the lack of time is making this difficult. And don't even think about pointing out that I could be playing that instead of spending time in here!! I know!! Ok!? Oh and behind the Cup is a photo of Warhawk <3



Do you like my throne?? It may be pink but it helps make my manliness stand out. You see the contrast, right?? I cut out a hole in the middle to use it as a temporary toilet. It seems as if the designers forgot to install one in here. The bucket underneath catches everything. Well mostly everything >_>. When it is filled to the brim I throw it over the edge of the balcony. Hilarity ensues.



This little guy in the picture is my sackboy!! Cute lil' fella he is!! He's gone on some amazing LittleBigAdventures that one can only dream about. He's created an adventure too but it's stuck in limbo as the finishing touches have drained him of his energy. Someday soon he hopes to finish it though!! The other lil' guy on the counter here is my mini Mr. Destructoid! Sony is clearly a fan of this fine website. It is awesome. I think it looks like I'm praying to it in the photo. Would it appease my robot-overlord if I was!? Alright I will then!! *bows*



This monstrosity is my Noby Noby Boy. It rapes my mind and forces me to make it bigger. The freak of nature gives me nightmares. I deleted it off my PS3, mostly because it makes me cry at night but mostly because I needed the space. Mostly. Damn 40GB hard-drive!! Not sure if you know this but Noby Noby Girl finally made it to Mars. That is one fine ass I would not hesitate to tap, let me tell you that!! Wait, wut?? Oh and can someone explain to me what the point of the game is?? Still ain't got a clue....



Alright, I'm getting a little thirsty. You guys want anything?? I'm going with the green drank. Funny story how I got this. I was out over by the....oh wait, nevermind. It's actually a terrible story so I won't bore you with it.



My Criss Angel furniture set. I had to do a horrible thing to get this. Ugh! I had to go to the theatre and watch an episode of Mindfreaks! Actually, I just had to pop my head in the room that was playing the episode but just showing my face there was a big enough embarrassment!! Then again, I'm writing an entire blog about PlayStation Home so how much self-respect do I really have?? Ahahaha!!



This is me sitting at my table of six. You know, for when I throw dinner parties. Since I don't throw parties, especially those of the dinner variety, I usually just...wait a fucking second!! Sony, where is my kitchen?? So I don't have a bathroom or a kitchen!? This is bullshit!! Die in a fire some more!!



This is the view from my balcony. I am living the life! See that boat way out there? The big one? Yeah, someone rich owns that. Mine?? Oh no, I don't own a boat. I think I may have water-wings somewhere in the closet though.....why did I tell people I have water-wings?? T_T



Can you tell that I'm relaxed?? Oh man, am I relaxed!!

And yes, the ladies fall for it every time ^_^



This is me working my buttgroov....dammit SantanaClaus!! You interrupted my photo! Probably on purpose too I bet O_O haha!! As I was saying, I'm sitting in General Vasari's throne. That's right!! THE General Vasari!! Another thing I "found" while on Helghan. As the Trailer Park Boys show us, stealing office furniture is one of the easiest things to do:



Now that I've shown you guys around my place, I'm going to slip into something a little more "comfortable"....



WHAT!? DESTRUCTOID REPRESENT BITCHES!!

While it may be rough and basic, the robot helmet lets people know that I am part of the Dtoid Army. That means I'm serious business. So what do I do when the vast majority of the Destructoid community refuses to waste their time in Home with me?? Well I...



create my own Dtoid Army of Doom!!



"We're from Destructoid and we're here to fuck shit up!"



Ok last one haha! Obligatory "robot dance amongst the robots" photo :P

Alright so that's enough of my crib. How about we go explore the world of Home for a bit?? Hey come back here! It'll be quick and painless, I swear.


The Mall



This is the mall. It is the place you go to customize your online persona and get items for your spaces. While the good items all cost money, there is always a ton of free stuff to collect if you don't mind hunting around for them. The selection that they have is pretty large now and there is a look that will suit the tastes of everyone. You can also purchase new spaces, furniture and items.

Let's go see what they have in Threads.



CHARITY MOTHERFUCKERS!! I ended up buying the EA Sports jersey in support of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The entire $2 purchase goes to the Brees Dream Foundation so this is money well spent. Along with Folding@Home, the PlayStation 3 really is fighting cancer!!



A photo of me just getting another view of the mall. As per usual, the chess area is crowded with people. Don't know what they actually do when they're not playing chess though. They're just like those high school kids at your local mall. The big black screen on the wall behind them is playing a video, Pulse with Christina Lee. I must say that Sony is getting smarter with which video they play inside of Home. I'll talk about that more in the theatre section though. Also, it looks as if a pimp just bought a new pad!!



I decided to pose in front of the waterfall and show off my new jersey. I think this picture looks pretty epic.

Ok so how about I jump to another space?? If you want to see more of the mall, you'll have to log in and see it for yourself. You can spend hours, alright more like an hour, just looking through all the shops. Some free items are only there for a limited time so you have to search every few weeks if you want new stuff.


Central Plaza



Since I skipped over the Central Plaza on the way to the mall, let's take a stroll and see what's going on. As you can see, it's a lot more vibrant than right after it released. Like in the mall, all those black boxes are videos and advertisements. Not sure if that's due to the photo capturing method or just licensing issues. Everything involves licensing issues these days so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason. While people may not like ads constantly being projected at them, in these situations advertisements feel right and actually makes the place feel more alive and real. Wow, I'm really starting to sound like a PR person. Where's my cheque, Sony??



This kiosk allows you to get free promotional items. Or at least they are free for now. There was a demo for Capcom's Lost Planet 2 (also available on the PSN Store), a replica PSPgo for your space as well as a PSPgo that you can carry around in your hands. The picture shows me using my new handheld machine. This may be the closest I actually get to owning the thing which makes me sad. They don't actually do anything other than be eye-candy. But if you think this PSPgo looks sweet then get a load of this!!



That's right!! They have a freakin' giant-sized PSPgo that just floats in the air!! Not only does it open and close but it is also playing trailers and Pulse for PSP games on the screen. This cross-promotion is really making me hate my lack of money.



I then took my new PSPgo over to the dance area to get my groove on. After realizing that there was not a single female there, I quickly ran away. It's usually pretty crowded though. You're able to request songs on that screen but it is always artists I've never heard of. Not really my type of music either. Also I find the area to be way too loud for my tender ears. I don't have titanium eardrums like the kids today with their iPods and their Zunes and their....and their MP3-compatible cellphones! Back in muh day, cellphones were fer talkin' and the occasional text message if the crops were doin' good that month! And everywhere was a dead zone!!



You may be wondering why I included this photo of me staring at a black screen but there is very important information being displayed here!! This is a schedule of the themed game-launches from inside of Home. It is the equivalent to Destructoid's Friday Night Fights, just every night. Games include Warhawk <3, Resistance 2 co-op, Far Cry 2, Street Fighter 4 and that's all I can remember. I've never actually participated in one of these but if you guys are bored you should check it out. Go represent Dtoid and clean up! This board is located right beside the dance area.



I don't know what this mecha thing is but it is awesome!! It may be from Lost Planet 2 because it has the same kind of design and feel that I got from the demo. That co-op demo I must say is really fun. Definitely caught me off guard. It looks like the perfect purchase for that summertime lull. And yes, I did try to get into it but I couldn't. Sad panda indeed. It's not like I would have rampaged through Home if I was able to take control of it. Alright, maybe I wouldn't have done it for too long but I swear I would have refueled and rearmed it once I was done!! You know my word is legit, meng!!



Look! It's everyone's favourite Home minigame, Saucer Pop!! Little known fact, I am awesome at this game. I haven't tried this updated version with the leaderboards yet but there is not a doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be sitting at the top after I played. Enjoy your moment in the spotlight, Mr. I-don't-have-a-life!!



Confirmed: Dtoiders get all the women!! It's actually amazing how many people are impressed with the helmet and come up to me asking about it. Except for this one person who said it was to hide my ugly face and then ran away. But in all fairness, I did call her a giant tomato and laughed at her. True story. This is by far my favourite photo taken, hence why it is now my blog header. I couldn't stop laughing with how well timed it was. It's almost as if God wanted this photo to be captured. And people say it's always the guys hounding the girls. HA! It's actually guys pretending to be girls trying to trap other guys haha! But seriously, there are actually a lot of women on Home. A lot of traps too though >_>



Inside this building is where the bowling alley and arcade is. I can't remember the name of the space but it is terrible. That is why I'm giving it the double, yes the double, thumbs down. Everything is always full and I can never play anything. Ok to be fair I haven't been in there in a while. It's likely been updated but I'll save that discovery for another day.



This is the front of the mall. Nothing too fancy, just some advertisements and nothing really else. Just throwing it in here so you guys have more stuff to look at.



Hey I live somewhere in there!! I don't know exactly where but that's not important. Entering that building will take you back to your home space.



As you can tell, this is the movie theatre. All those black spaces mean that this building is plastered with advertisements and videos. It's actually quite impressive and a sight to behold. The ticker displays some useful information too. I can't remember what exactly was being displayed, my gut instinct tells me videos being played inside the theater, but it could be anything for all I know.

Alright, I've had enough fun in the sun and could use a bit of air-conditioned goodness. Let's go see what's being played inside the theater.


Movie Theatre



I find the movie theatre to be one of the most interesting and useful spaces in Home. Set up like an actual theatre, different rooms play different movies. They include PS3 game trailers, PSP game trailers, PSN game trailers, movie trailers, videos from the PlayStation Blog (very cool!), Home-specific informational videos and various promotional videos. Right now they still have an awesome music video for Shakira. Why is it awesome? Well you have to log in and see for yourself! Uh yeah, this is more directed to the guys reading this.

For some reason, the theatre was infested with zombies. They were trying to show off their new-found parts that they collected throughout Home but instead kept asking me about my helmet and where they could get one. Further proof that everyone wants to be a part of Dtoid. What? Hey it's my logic, my conclusions! If you guys want one, it's 25 cents (I don't remember how much for the whole robot costume) and you can find it in the mall. It's in Threads II, just go up the stairs and it should be on the left. Nope, on the right! I just rechecked in the photos.



A fancy design on the floor of the concourse area. The screen in the upper left was playing trailers for some PSN games. It could have been either Pixeljunk Shooter or ModNation Racers. Either or, it was awesome.



"Yo guys, wut u sayin'. I'm ballin' tonight." Don't I look like one of those kids at the cinemas these days?? I thought so. I laughed, I cried, I hated myself a little more.



This is one end of the theatre with all the different rooms. Every once in awhile they have promotions were you get free items for watching videos. I already mentioned the Criss Angel furniture set that I got for watching Mindfreaks but you can also get clothing sometimes. I got some funky looking glasses for watching something I can remember. You could get a free shirt for watching the reality tv show "America's Top Soldier". I'm not really sure what the name of the show was actually called but I didn't end up sitting through it. It was a few months ago though.



This is the other end of the theatre. I guess it's a little pointless showing all of this since you can't see what is being displayed on the signs but I assure you it is all different. There are kiosks at both ends where you can download promotional clothing from movies. They have stuff from Zombieland and Angels & Demons for example. Some of it is free while others are not. I tend to download anything and everything that is free. I'll show you inside of one of the rooms, one of which was playing the preview for a South Park Halloween episode.



Look!! Another black screen! I really wish that video images would be captured when taking a photo. Or at least replace the blank screen with a Home logo. Just anything to give my eyes something to look at. And for some reason sitting down will deactivate the camera. Weird stuff indeed. As you can see, this room is empty. The only another person his is some awesome guy who also donated to charity. Normally these rooms have a fair number of people in them. The room playing videos from the PlayStation Blog are usually packed. Of course most of them are dancing around their bubble machines. Home users are so weird.



A nice feature is the ability to enlarge the video so it fits the entire screen. You can do this with most screens and posters. What you are looking at is the trailer for Land of the Lost, specifically Will Ferrell's giant mug. You're just going to have to take my word for it. Or since you're using your imagination to imagine what is on screen anyways, just think that they are showing porn. A porno starring Will Ferrell.


Final Words



Alright so I think that is enough for now. What originally started off as me just wasting time in Home has turned into something I can blog about. Yes there will be more of these posts. I have 5 more spaces captured but felt that they deserve more space than I can give them here. Just think, you can see how Home is evolving without ever having to log on. It's a win-win situation! Of course the point of this blog is to do the opposite and see if anything in Home will interest you. Re-installing stuff is a hassle.

Home has been a bit of an enigma for Sony. What they intended to release turned out to be something that was uninteresting and not something their fans wanted. It took itself too seriously. Slowly though it is turning into a respectable product. Universal game launching is a good start but it still needs that much coveted "party system" to take full advantage of it. The styles seen in Home have changed from trying to be super-realistic to off-the-walls-crazy. Alright, it may not be the traditional "Japanese-crazy" yet but it is heading down that road. It is something that needed to happen. Video games are meant to be an escape from the real world, not a poor imitation of it. The biggest and best change may be the direction Home is taking. It was primarily intended to be a networking system, a virtual Facebook or Myspace. Focusing more on gaming has made Home more appealing to the average gamer. As you will see in my next post, game spaces are now doing a better job of bringing in like minded gamers and selling them on their product. It is becoming an extension of the game itself. There are still tons of things that need to change before Home becomes a destination for most everyday gamers but the groundwork is laid and it is heading in the right direction.

After another weekend gone, it's back to the grind of the real world.