infrastructure
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Ratchet & Clank online beta test
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is one of the few titles from Sony that will future Infrastructure multiplayer in the future. Gamer Advisory Panel members just received an e-mail inviting them to a beta test, with registrations limited to the first 2000 entrants. (We're not allowed to link to the application form, sorry!) With a beta test happening in the coming weeks, Ratchet & Clank is probably pretty far along in development. The game's supposedly going to come out in March, but wouldn't it be awesome if it came out just a little bit earlier?If any of our readers are GAP members and partake in the beta test, shoot us a comment. We'll try to make you famous.
Konami code hidden in upcoming online chess game
Online Chess Kingdoms is going to be unlike any chess game before it. For example, it's one of the only chess games I can think of that has a story mode. As Konami producer Jason Ray wrote in a recent interview with IGN, "There is no reason to have a story mode, but the game is far more interesting with it." Jason's right: chess doesn't need a story. Heck, it doesn't even need a GOOD story. Almost anything will beat staring at the Chessmaster's menacing face.Besides a story mode, there are other things that should make this game appear on your radar. Firstly, it'll support Infrastructure multiplayer, so you can lay down the chess smackdown to people around the world (strangely, it doesn't feature Ad-Hoc multiplayer). Secondly, the game allows you to use the infamous Konami code. What will the code unlock? Wer'e not sure yet, but hopefully, it'll be good as the cheat from DDR Ultramix.
Medal of Honor hype on IGN
IGN has a huge blow-out on the upcoming PSP Medal of Honor Heroes. They have one written-by-a-marketing-team write-up that features profiles of the in-game characters: Generic McAmerican, Jimmy Paterson, William Holt and John Baker. Snore... The other is an interview with the game's producer, Peter Choi. It very similar to a previous interview, but it's great to know that he understands some of the things PSP fans are looking for from a game: 32 player online (Infrastructure) multiplayer. I can't stress enough how awesome that sounds. "The game is also optimized to have very short load times, which is hugely important for gamers on-the-go." (Yes!) "User Hosted Server feature along with official EA Nation Server games, are both fully customizable and have very detailed leaderboards and stat tracking." (Yes!) If all that hype wasn't enough for you, then you might want to check out the newest trailer for the game. It looks a lot like the previous videos, but with even sharper, prettier graphics.
Multiplayer footage from MGS: Portable Ops
GameTrailers has just posted a beautiful montage of scenes from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops' multiplayer mode. As expected, the graphics look sharp, and it appears the game will feature an abundance of gameplay modes and features. But, the video does show off some clunky gameplay; will controlling Snake via analog nub be as effective as I'm hoping it'll be? Portable Ops looks to hit our PSPs in December.
Medal of Honor video overload
Gamespot has gone absolutely bonkers with video coverage of the upcoming PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor Heroes. There is impressive gameplay footage of multiplayer battles (which will support up to 32 players!), and a video interview. The Gamespot preview is absolutely glowing for the game, which gets me pretty excited: "Heroes is shaping up to be as fully featured a Medal of Honor game as you could want on the PSP, with visuals that come close to the PlayStation 2 installments in the series."
Vegas comes to PSP
The Xbox 360 Fanboys have been having a lot of fun talking about their beloved Rainbow Six: Vegas ever since E3 this year. Well, it looks like we join in on the party. While the game certainly won't look as graphically marvelous as the Xbox 360 version, the portable version seems to be filled with features that'll (hopefully) make it worthwhile. The PSP version will get its own parallel story, and will feature single and multiplayer (Infrastructure!) gameplay. The PSP version will also have a "Terrorist Hunt" mode which is a Duck Hunt modification mode where players start at different points in a single player map and kill terrorists one-by-one.The game will stealthily launch on the system in November. Crazy, huh?[Via IGN]
New Bounty Hounds screens revealed, ships Sept. 12
IGN has just posted nearly 40 new screens of Namco's upcoming Bounty Hounds. The screens show some nice levels and more mouth-watering battles that we've come to expect from this game.From these screens, Bounty Hounds is shaping up to the best-looking PSP game to date, with maybe the exception of Killzone. And with the recent news of infrastructure multi-player support, this game just keeps getting better and better.What makes this all even better is the game comes out in a few days come Sept. 12, and you can bet I'll be there picking up my copy first thing in the morning.(Via IGN)
Killzone to feature Infrastructure multiplayer, but not at launch
Killzone: Liberation is one of the most anticipated games for the PSP. The shooter will feature six-player Ad-Hoc multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Assault and Capture the Flag. Not bad. But more exciting is the potential for Infrastructure, which will be made as a downloadble upgrade a few weeks after the game's release on Halloween. In addition to multiplayer, two more maps will be released at that time and a new single player chapter, with four new missions. I'm assuming that it'll be good and free as the downloadable content in Wipeout: Pure. Even more exciting is knowing that downloads will be available throughout the year 2007 as well. Sweet! [Via Worth Playing]
New Coded Arms Contagion footage and details
Coded Arms Contagion didn't really impress former PSP Fanboy blogger Adam, and looking at new footage posted a few hours ago by Gamespot, it doesn't really seem like the game's shaping up too well. Although the original Coded Arms' randomly generated maps are no more, the controls still look awkward and sluggish, and the graphics and animations don't look too good, especially in light of Konami's other PSP gems. The controls are customizable, and the game will feature 20 hours of story-driven single player gameplay and 8-player online infrastructure multiplayer... but I can't really get too excited for this game. Why not check out some of the footage, and judge for yourself? (Hopefully, the game will shape up a lot more: according to IGN, the game's only 30% complete.)Watch - Interview with producerWatch - Gameplay footage
Cash Money Chaos video interview
Gamespot has a new video interview with Cash Money Chaos' lead designer. While the video doesn't offer any new info on the game, it does provide plenty of in-game footage of the game's bloody carnage. The designer compares it to Smash TV and Robotron, but with a crazy alien 70s game show feel. Keep this one on your radar: it'll be a mere $30 when it launches in Q1 2007, and it'll feature 8-player online infrastructure play with stat-tracking.
Can cable keep up without big infrastructure expenditures?
The unsettling tension between cable, satellite, and now FTTH providers is growing ever tighter, and the delivery of HD channels, on-demand content, and internet services through aging coax pipelines is leaving little room for expansion. While some analysts are suggesting that cable companies should be prepared to spend big bucks in order to maintain their current service levels -- especially considering the seemingly imminent additions of HD content and higher-high-speed internet services -- they may not have to bust out that checkbook so soon. It's no secret that Verizon alone has spent $20 billion in fiber optic deployment in order to get FiOS services to various parts of the country, and cable providers can't exactly afford to sit around and get leapfrogged. Reportedly among the various suggestions (that don't involve just throwing down for a larger infrastructure) is one that focuses on changing the way channels are delivered entirely, requiring no expansion whatsoever. The (relatively) antiquated analog stations aren't doing cable companies any favors, and as they begin to (presumably) phase out in favor of the leaner, meaner digital flavor, the lines can start to breathe a bit easier. But probably more important than the switch to digital is, well, switched digital -- in a switched system, only the channel that's currently being viewed is sent out (much like current IPTV installments), thus freeing up loads of bandwidth. Apparently this efficient design allows for "hundreds of stations" to be available at any given time, while giving providers one less reason to crack open the piggy bank for fear of clogged pipes. It's fairly obvious that cable companies still have a firm, albeit loosening, grip on the television market, and until this newfangled FTTH thing can reach a few more folks (or Google breaks out a dark-fiber solution of its own), it's cable or bust for most of us.[Via Ars Technica]
Cash Money Chaos' insanely bloody debut
You play an Elvis-imposter in SOE's newly announced game Cash Money Chaos. And like the original Elvis, you are captured by aliens, and are forced to participate in a "twisted 70s game show." No, you're not going to be playing The Price is Right. You'll have to fight through dozens of enemies, killing everything in your sight. This "uber fast" shooter appears to play a bit like Robotron, if it suddenly turned into Robocop instead: making people's bodies explode in buckets of blood. The game will come with more than 50 levels, and include online infrastructure play for up to 8 players.If you're interested in some really brutal cartoon violence, and want to kill ninjas, hillbillies, clowns, pirates, and aliens, then you'll have to wait a while: Cash Money Chaos is coming "early 2007." Check out the official website to score some art and screenshots.[Thanks, steve!]
Medal of Honor Q&A confirms online play
Yesterday, we rushed to show you the first ever video footage from the newly announced PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor: Heroes. As some intelligent people on the internet pointed out, 32 player multiplayer wouldn't be possible over ad-hoc... and they were right. Peter Choi, producer at EA, was grilled by Gamespot about the new game and here are a few of the juicier questions: GS: How did you approach the multiplayer modes in the game? Will they offer both ad hoc and infrastructure connectivity? PC: Multiplayer is one of the most exciting features of Heroes. We have 32-player infrastructure support with continuous joining so players can simply pick a server and jump in anytime. There are 15 different maps and six different multiplayer game modes, which are mostly team based. We also have a new innovation on the PSP that allows players to download a user-hosted server to their own PCs and run their own dedicated servers. Both user-hosted servers and EA Nation server games are fully customizable, and we have very detailed leaderboards and stat-tracking. Players can also play all these multiplayer game modes and maps with up to eight of their friends in a local ad hoc multiplayer game.
Medal of Honor: Heroes with 32 player (online) multiplayer
Gamespot's On the Spot recently showcased an exclusive preview of Medal of Honor: Heroes, an upcoming PSP game which Peter Dille accidentally revealed during an interview a few weeks ago. Thankfully, the power of YouTube has given those of us that missed the show a chance to rewatch this amazing trailer. There will be "all new adventures" across "12 new European battlefields." Even more excitingly, there will be 32 player multiplayer, and as -Xenofreak- from the IGN Boards has pointed out, the PSP is capable of only 16-player Ad-Hoc. What does that seem to suggest? Yes, it looks like there might be 32 player ONLINE multiplayer! The game is set to hit in Fall, so the wait won't be too hard.
DHS looking to satellites, mesh networks for emergency communications
Seeking to avoid the communication breakdowns that occurred as a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the Department of Homeland Security is developing an emergency network that would let officials email one another even in the absence of a cellular infrastructure. The DHS' Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is analogous to the Pentagon's DARPA, is looking at a number of options to keep the data flowing following an emergency, including widespread deployment of mobile mesh networking technology or re-purposing some of the government's legacy satellites to handle terrestrial communications. This latter option is particularly attractive because some sats could offer transfer rates in excess of 100Mbps, and in fact a trial program is scheduled for this summer that will employ modified BlackBerries and Treos to send secure, satellite-based email between Homeland Security officials and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.[Via Smart Mobs]
Moto to buy Siemens Communications?
We're not entirely sure how many more businesses Siemens has to churn through (by our count -- quite a few), but according to a report in German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Siemens may be looking to unload Siemens Communications, furthering an exit from the telecommunications industry after last year's sale of their handset business to BenQ. According to Frankfurter's sources, talks maybe ongoing with at least one prospective buyer of S-Com, Motorola; another German publication, Manager Magazin, reported in February that Siemens spoke with Nokia on the same topic. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for Siemens to drop their Communications division (which handles their money-making wireless infrastructure, and money-losing landline biz, among other things), but we'll have to keep an eye on this one.[Via GigaOM]
