Metal Gear Gear

I've learned all sorts of lessons from Solid Snake. For example, put a giant cardboard box over yourself--in an office, in the middle of a fancy restaurant, it doesn't matter--and nobody will notice you! So it only makes sense that if I buy a $60 Bluetooth headset crafted to look like an aging supersoldier's earpiece, it will work with military precision, right? Wrong. Salespeople tried hawking these bum Bluetooths to people in line for MGS 4. Fortunately, I already knew better. The fine folks at GadgetMadness got one in the mail to test, and according to their reports, the audio is MIA. It works decently when paired with a PlayStation 3 (for special use during the game's single-player campaign and online multiplayer matches), but the second you try pairing the headset with a phone, you'll likely not hear anything except the occasional "!" you'll be yelling because of the lousy sound quality.

I have some good news for you Windows Mobile phone owners, though: I found a collection of MGS sound effects made for plugging into your handset. Trust me, nothing boosts your geek cred like having your phone chirping the incoming-message sound from a game. I will upload the .zip file here soon, but in the meantime, big props go out to the folks on the PPCgeeks.com forums (free registration required to download mgs.zip).

Spore Infects PC World

Earlier this week we had a chance to peek inside Will Wright's newest brainchild, Spore. The game is really a universe-in-a-box that you create (and share with the world). You can follow your creation from primordial tide pools to space exploration and everything in between. Lucy Bradshaw, the game's executive producer, explains how the game and the Spore Creature Creator will work in our latest video interview. Learn more about this mind-blowing new experience!

Medal of Honorable Mention

While everyone else is blowing megabucks this week on the latest Metal Gear Solid, an addictive revamped classic, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, is assaulting the PS3 and Xbox 360--and it'll cost you only $10. What's the deal? You play as one of three characters and blast anything that gets in your way. Upgrade guns, hop into vehicles, destroy, repeat. There isn't much more to it than that. Commandos 3 is a fun throwback to a simpler time of quarter-munching arcades. Heck, I could've financed a dot-com venture with all the quarters I blew on the original game. The only difference this time (besides the stylish 3D graphics, that is) is that you can play with two other squadmates, on the couch or online.

Senior Writer Darren Gladstone geeks out over gadgets, games, and odd uses for humdrum tech. In other words, he's a nerd--and he's okay with that.