This past season of The Tester had the most dramatic cast yet. Tensions were high throughout the entire season, largely in part to one “big” personality among the cast. So what’s to happen when the cast of The Tester: Season 2 gets back together for a reunion special?

The Tester: Season 2 finished with an over-the-top exciting finale, but truth be told, the real excitement was in the heated exchanges between cast members during the season. Next week, fan-favorites from The Tester: Season 2 cast will get back together for a very special reunion episode. Everything seems like a normal, happy reunion of friends — that is until Big Fazeek crashes the party.

To hold you over until next week when The Tester: Season 2 Reunion Special is made available to download on the PlayStation Network, we’ve got a promo clip, which you can check out below:

© Anthony Severino for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us

The Tester: Season 2 has now come to a dramatic close and the winner will take a position as a quality assurance tester at Sony Computer Entertainment of America. But what exactly does this mean for the big winner?

To find out what’s next for Gaymer, whose real name is Matthew Brown, we spoke with Gaymer himself, along with his new boss and Sr. release manager, Brent Gocke, and last season’s winner Cyrus aka Will Powers to get an idea of where this opportunity might take the winner of The Tester: Season 2.

Click on the images below to view each interview:

______

Next Page: Interview with Matthew Brown (Gaymer)

© Anthony Severino for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2011. | Permalink | No comments | Add to del.icio.us

Another Monday is upon us, but the most exciting news of the day has to be the latest episode of Cross Game Chat…brought to you by the letter Z. This week sees the full team back together again as Paulmichael has returned from his exile to Middle Earth for not knowing of the awesomeness that is Back to the Future.

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This week the guys talk about new details surrounding Uncharted 3, discuss the state of the Netflix Union on the PS3, and give their unbiased thoughts on if the Kane and Lynch series has a place in modern gaming. A heated debate erupts on the PlayStation Phone with everyone having a different point of view, Allen and Cameron literally snap over some horrendous Ghostbusters news, and the team shares their “Winners and Losers” from titles released last month…with some surprising results. Somehow a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference gets worked in, the guys discuss Net Neutrality, and the “Geek Movie to Watch” stars, of all people, Sam Rockwell. In what has to be the most tender moment ever captured on a podcast, Josh shares with us what he has had to resort to since he has no new games to play–I suggest you have tissues handy.

Also this week, another Tester: Season 2 episode down and another cast member has been sent packing. As always we’ll be speaking with the latest member voted off the show. This week’s guest is:

Tripplethreat talks about being the girl Kratos, energy drinks, cosplay, and of course, her time on The Tester: Season 2. To see more of Tripplethreat, check her our at her Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/anschwem

So give us a listen and as always, if you have any concerns or would like your question read on the podcast, email us at crossgamechat@playstationlifestyle.net.

© repdetect2 for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Hola to everyone out there on the internet, it is about that time again to enjoy the silky smooth sounds of Cross Game Chat, the official podcast of PlayStation LifeStyle. Like a hockey team switching out players to find the best line combination, the podcast sees yet another substitution of participants but as always, the show must go on.

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This week sees the return of Corey to the hosting duties in place of Paulmichael. PMC was punished a week of air time due to his obvious lack of movie knowledge but he will return next episode. Corey is joined by regulars Cameron, Josh, and Allen as the crew go over upcoming new releases, have a great debate about Mark Wahlberg playing Nathan Drake, and a solid feature about Gran Turismo 5 and the media backlash surrounding the game. Josh also displays his lack of pop culture knowledge with an epic fail concerning a G.I. Joe reference, something Allen decides to address in his obsessions. Our regular interview with the latest contestant to be kicked of The Tester Season 2 continues as this week we talk games and everything in between with 8-bit Mickey.

This week’s guest from The Tester: Season 2:

To hear more from 8-Bit Mickey be sure to check out TheGameHeroes.com.

So give us a listen and as always, if you have any concerns or would like your question read on the podcast, email us at crossgamechat@playstationlifestyle.net.

© Cameron Teague for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us

It’s Monday and this is yet another brand new episode of Cross Game Chat. For those who haven’t paid attention yet, this podcast is the only place that PS3 owners can get Cross Game Chat. This is the place where babies learn to walk for the first time and Star Trek owners finally see the light and switch to Star Wars.

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Episode XIII is one for the substitutes out there, as Corey fills in for Paulmichael and our British (not European) correspondent Sebastian takes the place of Allen. Cameron and Josh round out this foursome. For those out there who might be worrying about PMC and Allen, well don’t, you will see them back next episode. In this episode we check out the best news, upcoming game releases, and a feature talking about our review process. Like last week we also feature an interview with the latest person to be dismissed from The Tester Season 2. So come join us and share your thoughts down below in the lovely comments section.

This week’s The Tester Season 2 guest is:

© Cameron Teague for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Although the famed Tuesday PlayStation Global Update has not gone up yet, reality show fans can get their TV gaming fix RIGHT NOW. Available right now on the PlayStation Store, PS3 and PSP owners can begin downloading their weekly fix of Sony Computer Entertainment America’s competition for the next video game tester.

PlayStation 3 and PSP owners can access the video section on the PlayStation Store, navigate to the TV Shows subsection, and find the latest additions of The Tester Season 2 inside of the “TV New Arrivals” icon. As seen in the screenshot above, the The Tester 2: Episode 1: Season Premiere is already live. This time around, because The Tester is downloadable on the PSN video store, only activated PS3′s and PSP’s will be able to successfully download the episodes.

This method of distribution for the second season was probably adopted to better suit the “Download and Win” contest going on, where users are entered to win a variety of prizes by simply downloading the latest episodes from The Tester to enter. In the meantime, get to downloading the season premiere or, if you simply can’t wait, check it out in theater 6 in the virtual PlayStation Home Theater.

© Kishen Patel for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us

At E3, Sony announced a followup season to their hit PSN show The Tester. This time, it will be up to the fans for the voting. Voting is now open!

Despite criticism, Sony’s breakout reality show The Tester ended up being a big success. It was so successful that a second season was announced. This time with a bigger budget, Sony has vastly improved the casting process. To enter, all you have to do is sign up online and create a profile. The casting process will be similar to last year, however the secret process takes place, but with one crucial difference. One spot on the show has been set aside for the fan favorite.

That’s right. One lucky entrant who gets the most number of votes in a series of elimination rounds will be awarded with their own spot on the show. Even to vote however, you still must sign up and create at the very least a Voter profile. You can vote from your profile once every 24 hours. Make sure that your favorite contestant gets on the show!

© Corey Schwanz for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Since its launch alongside the PlayStation 3 back in November, 2006, the PlayStation Network has blossomed into a thriving platform for games and gamers, as well as a profitable business venture for Sony and their publishing partners. Over the years, the service has evolved in many ways. There’s now integration with Facebook, Trophy support, and the newly released PlayStation Plus, which brings a subscription-based premium service to the platform. Sony has also had success in delivering original video content with Pulse, Qore and The Tester.

The Tester was Sony’s stab at PlayStation meets reality TV, only available to download digitally via the PlayStation Network. It was so well received that Sony is currently casting for The Tester Season 2. Apparently, The Tester may have sparked some interest in the PlayStation Network, by some “big hitters in the Hollywood space”.

It seems as though Tinseltown has some “fun things cooking” for the PS3 and the PlayStation Network. In a recent interview with Sony’s Senior Director of PlayStation Network, Susan Panico, she reveals Sony’s long-term content strategy:

There is nothing I can announce, but original programming is a really important part of our long-term strategy. We need to create content you can’t get anywhere else. We started with Pulse and Qore, that are much more informational, but still entertaining. Then we moved into Tester. It totally makes sense for us to keep widening that content strategy for things that still appeal to a 90% male demographic in that 18 to 35 age range. There are some stuff in the pipe, but that is all I can say. I think there’s a lot of programming opportunities from some pretty big hitters in the Hollywood space, that want to take advantage of the PlayStation 3 platform and the PlayStation Network. There are some fun things cooking.

Panico continues:

We’re just trying to provide that total comprehensive entertainment experience in one place. And we’ve been doing a good job of keeping that momentum up.

Hopefully we’ll find out what these “fun things” Sony has in store for the PlayStation Network and us gamers, soon.

[Source]

© Anthony Severino for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Many of you PS3 owners out there may be familiar with Doc (Samuel) from the PlayStation Network reality series The Tester, but what you may not be familiar with is what this man does on a day-to-day basis when he’s not gaming. Just what exactly what does he do? Well, he saves lives… literally.

From the get-go, many people knew what Sam’s profession was outside of gaming; he was a former Marine, now paramedic and fireman. Kevin Furuichi, executive producer for the PSN even stated the following:

He’s actually a paramedic and fireman, but is so passionate about the industry that he put it on the line for this unknown show. Some folks are turned off by his larger-than-life personality, but the man’s got a heart of gold.

A heart of gold is certainly an understatement as Sam rolled a routine call late Monday night into Tuesday morning. A man was having a heart attack as Sam and his crew arrived, but here’s the thing, this wasn’t just any man, but loyal PSN and PlayStation Home member SpeedRacer1955. Speed is part of a club in PlayStation Home called the Nameless Ones, several members of which know Sam, but never expected the following response in their thread on the PlayStation Home forums:

Some of you know me as Doc from The Tester, Well I work on a Paramedic Ambulance here in Yakima, WA. This has got to be the oddest thing BUT I rolled the call that came out to Speed’s house. My partner and I did what we do and got him to the hospital. I will leave the intense stuff out but the long and short is I just got back from the hospital. Speed is no longer intubated, is talking and in good spirits. We talked about BFBC2 and The Tester. He is looking well and is eager to return to gaming with his friends. I thought you all would like an update and HIPPE was the one who guided me to the link here. If any thing we saved a tester fan, lol.

Needless to say, this turned out to be anything but a routine call, as Sam ended up saving the life of not only a dedicated gamer, PSN user and fan of the very show Sam was cast on, but a friend to any and all who cross paths with him. To have become PlayStation’s next game tester would have been awesome, but I’d place this quite a few notches above that, as this man is essentially a miracle worker on a daily basis and nothing short of a hero, as is all those who take up this profession.

Our immense gratitude goes out to Sam and our thoughts and prayers go out to Speed who is recovering up in Washington. Gamers saving gamers… awesome.

On a side note, look out for more from Doc as he’s now working here at PlayStation LifeStyle. Stay tuned.

© Mike Hartnett for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us

The Tester is the exclusive PS3 reality show, where contestants are challenged to see who has what it takes to be the next great game tester. It all starts with 11 contestants and only 1 is chosen the victor. Each week the contestants are exposed to various gaming challenges to prove they have what it takes. Recently some official numbers were revealed about the popularity of the show, more after the jump.

The Tester was a solid success. Susan Panico, senior director for the PlayStation Network has confirmed that downloads for the show has reached nearly 2 million and is still climbing.  That sort of viewership is substantial and likely has garnered notice from some Sony big wigs.

Some of you may know me better by my “tester” name of Naucious. While my efforts were valiant in the end, fell just short of the Grand Prize. Now I have made my way to this vibrant PlayStation community, PlayStation LifeStyle. Thank you guys and gals for welcoming me with open arms. I look forward to providing everyone with great gaming news.

Stay tuned with PlayStation LifeStyle for all the latest updates about The Tester.

© Naucious for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Just under one week ago, gaming’s first genuine “reality show”, The Tester on PlayStation Network, concluded after eight suspenseful weeks. The show grew instantaneous popularity with gamers as it was centered around gaming themes and gave the winner a coveted position as a QA tester as well as a $5000 signing bonus. Fighting adversity and quickly becoming a fan favorite, Cyrus won the final challenge in an adrenaline-pumping fashion. Below, Cyrus not only reveals interesting details, but gives us insight into what he’s all about. Enjoy!

Before we dive into The Tester, tell us a little about yourself, Will.

23 year old male originally from Los Angeles.  I moved out east after an earthquake destroyed my house in ’94.  Then I ended up going to college in Chapel Hill, NC (UNC) to study Japanese / Asian Studies (graduated in ’08).

With your site, The Power Review, and other channels, you have voiced your opinion on gaming matters for some time now. Now that you are an employee of Sony, will you still continue to post reviews and news? Or is that stage of your career finished?

No, I don’t think this chapter is finished for me.  I have actually had quite a few people approach me recently with interest to write for my site.  I have always considered my site a side project and a ‘labor of love’ for whenever I had something on my mind and needed an outlet to express it through.

How long have you wanted to work in the video game industry? Did you ever consider becoming a journalist?

I have wanted to work in the gaming industry ever since I graduated college two years ago.  I have briefly considered looking into gaming journalist (full-time), but there are a couple of barriers with my lack of journalist degree.  However, if there was ever an offer in the future from a company looking to hire me to write for them, I would not be opposed to considering it.

When you first found out about The Tester, what were you feelings about it? Did you instantly want to apply? What was your thought process?

I frequent the PS Blog daily, so I saw the audition request immediately when it was posted.  Originally I hesitated to apply simply because I didn’t think that I would ever find my way through the thousands of people the inevitably would apply to such an opportunity.  Little did I know that this was going to be my lucky break.

One of the primary complaints of the show was that there was very little “down-time”, only competitions and eliminations. Certainly, a lot must have went down that didn’t make it into the final cut. What was your favorite moment that was edited down or not shown at all?

Well, especially in the beginning when there were 11 contestants, yet the episodes were only 22 minutes long, it makes sense that they can’t really highlight individuals for that long.  I think more towards the end of the season the problem was remedied.  One thing that was taken completely out of the show was the fact that there was an air hockey table in the loft.  We had EPIC duels in air hockey, and you could imagine with as competitive as everyone in that house was, these battles were just as heated as if we had been holding controllers.

At least from watching the show, it seemed like all of the competitors got along just fine. Was there any bad blood between anyone?

Of course there was tension between competitors during the competition, but isn’t that the nature of the beast when we’re all fighting for the same position?  In the end, since we didn’t have to vote each other off, it made it so that they were a lot less bad blood.  Now that the season is over, I’d like to say that I get along with everyone that was on cast.

Judging by the premise of the show, it seemed like the challenges would be geared towards actual game playing. However, it was discovered early-on that the challenges would focus more on the general skills–such as teamwork, communication and stress management–associated with being a game tester. What was your favorite challenge? Least favorite?

Well, I think that was an incorrect assumption on everyone’s part (media, contestants, and audience) that the challenges were going to be about gaming.  In the end, I think that these challenges that were featured on the show were more entertaining, but more so a better indicator of general skills that are going to be important for any employee to have.  Because of course, wasn’t the whole competition just a drawn out job interview?

Most favorite – Buzz! Because I got to showcase my strengths.

Least favorite – Football challenge.  It was also the hardest because of coordinating movement between three people.

The Tester was unique because instead of following the general “reality show” format where the contestants vote each other off, you were put in front of a group of judges, some of which would be your potential boss, and then were eliminated. Did you feel at any one time during the show the wrong person was sent home?

Sure, of course I felt that there were times that the wrong person was sent home, but there was only one time that I felt as if it was unjustified.  I would have liked the judges to have asked Big D questions as well, since they gave Star the opportunity to answer additional questions before the panel.

© Kyle for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Like it or not, “The Tester” season 1 was a hit. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of mixed feeling towards the show but that’s not stopping Sony from planning a follow-up to the PSN exclusive reality series. Rumor has it they’re already in the process of casting a second season.

Some of you may know me as Naucious from season 1. So far I have not seen any post or blogs from Sony referencing this, but I have talked to some of the producers and staff and they do not confirm or deny anything at all (what else is new?). What makes it more relevant is the fact that I’m getting emails from fans and supporters alike saying that they will be attending auditions for the second season. While they certainly could be full of hog wash, they’re giving reference to people helped produce the premier season of the PSN exclusive reality series.

Bottom line, I’m going to label this as a myth until I dig further into the matter. It will be very interesting to see who will be partaking on the next season because I’m tired of being haunted by the Penny Arcade cartoon comic that was ripped on me. You can see the image down below….

© Naucious for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Well friends, there is hope. The reality show veterans at 51 Minds Entertainment, responsible for smash shows like Flavor of Love and The Surreal Life, have teamed up with SCEA to bring a reality series to the PlayStation Network.

Making good on their promise to deliver an original, video game-focused competitive reality series, SCEA will be premiering the first of eight PSN exclusive episodes on February 18th. In a little over a fortnight, gamers will be able to download The Tester free of charge straight from the PS Store or enjoy it online with complete strangers your closest friends in the PlayStation Home Theater. As for all the partying and hooking-up found in countless other reality tv shows? Yeah, you probably won’t find too much of that here, but what you will find are celebrity judges and pun-filled one-liners like “It’s game over.” Hit up the trailer down below for a full rundown of what to expect when a diverse group of eleven battle it out for a chance to become an official PlayStation game tester.

© West_Coast_G for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Last September, Sony announced a casting call for a new PSN-exclusive reality series called The Tester. The series challenges eager games to fight for a chance to have the ultimate dream job, a game “tester”.

Now Sony has revealed new information about the PSN reality show and the host and judging panel has also been discovered.

Sony has just revealed the lucky cast members of the upcoming show produced by 51 Minds or Surreal Life and Rock of Love fame. 11 contestants will battle it out for a spot working for Sony as a game tester.

Along with the cast reveal, The Tester official site has been updated, revealing the host and guest panelists. Stand out game celebrity judges include David Jaffe and God of War III director John Hight. David Jaffe reveals his breaking into the industry by being a tester 15 years ago with the below quote, which ultimate led him to a career developing top games such as Twisted Metal and God of War.

“I started as a Tester 15 years ago with Sony. And testing is still one of the best ways to break into the industry. I’m looking forward to seeing which cast member rises to the top.”

Along with the aforementioned guest panelists, Sony plans to bring in “special guest” panelists along with many more SCEA game producers. The host for the new show will be model, Meredith Molinari.

Look for The Tester on the PSN in the coming months.

© Anthony Severino for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Sony has just announced a “casting call” for the first ever PSN reality series dubbed ‘The Tester‘, where gamers participate in challenges for a job at SCEA.  The Tester, which will be exclusive to the PS3, will have gamers fighting for a chance to become a PlayStation Quality Assurance Tester. This is your chance to live your life-long dream of getting to play video games for a living.

Check out the video and full press release below…

PLAYSTATION®NETWORK LOOKING FOR GAMERS TO PARTICIPATE IN NEW COMPETITIVE REALITY PROGRAM

SCEA to Award Job at PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced an open casting call for “The Tester,” a new competitive reality series created for PlayStation®Network, which will become available exclusively for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™). The program will follow a group of gamers as they face off in a series of elimination challenges designed to test their mental prowess, dexterity, and video game knowledge and compete to win a gamer’s ultimate dream job – an official PlayStation game tester. Open casting for the series begins today.

To enter, gamers must complete the online form and submit a short video at us. www.us.PlayStation.com/psn/thetester explaining why they have what it takes to be a part of the PlayStation family. Selected contestants will then compete over the course of eight episodes, going head-to-head in a series of game-themed challenges designed to test the will and grit of even the most dedicated gamer. The winner will earn a contract position as a tester at PlayStation’s Quality Assurance department in San Diego, CA, where he or she will get hands on time with the most highly anticipated games in the industry.

Leveraging its unequalled studio relationships, PlayStation Network has partnered with reality programming veterans, 51 Minds Entertainment to produce “The Tester.” Widely credited for inventing the celebreality genre of reality programming, 51 Minds Entertainment’s previous credits include many iconic, pop culture hits such as “The Surreal Life,” “Flavor of Love” and “Rock of Love.”

The latest in a series of original programs designed exclusively for PlayStation Network, “The Tester” will debut this winter. Each episode of “The Tester” will be available in high-definition and distributed digitally through the PlayStation®Store. Episodes can be purchased individually or all eight at once through a season pass.

For more information on “The Tester” and how to participate please visit www.us.PlayStation.com/psn/thetester. Additional details can be found on the PlayStation Blog http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/09/03/open-casting-call-for-the-tester/.

© Anthony Severino for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2009. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us