Category: multiplayer

Firefight Returns for Halo Reach

While last year’s Halo 3: ODST divided a lot of people with its price point and the short length of the campaign, I think that we can mostly agree that Firefight, the four-person co-op survival mode, was pretty freaking awesome. Players would band together against ever increasing waves of Covenant troops, competing for points but using teamwork to stay alive. Since Firefight was so well received, fans have been hoping and wondering if Firefight was going to make a reappearance in Halo: Reach, Bungie’s final (?) foray into the Halo-verse. Well, wonder no more, Spartans! Firefight is back and better than ever. Check out the trailer:

Just watching that trailer makes me salivate a little bit, because the thought of Firefight with Reach’s refined mechanics is a delicious one indeed. Better yet, the mode will feature matchmaking this time around, which was a point of contention when it was excluded from ODST. What do you guys think? Who here got even more excited for Reach, and who’s had their opinions changed?

Multiplayer Map Hall of Fame

You may or may not remember a feature we did some time ago titled the Video Game Level Hall of Fame, where we showcased and discussed some of our favorite single player missions or levels from video games. That got such a huge response, and I have no idea why I never followed up with it. Maybe because I am often too busy snacking on Fail crackers, or something. Who knows?

Anyway, I thought I’d remedy the situation by bringing a Hall of Fame feature back in full force, this time branching over into solo’s sister, multiplayer. Today, we’re taking a look at some of gaming’s best multiplayer maps of all time. Now, as before, this isn’t an end-all list, and it is not in any particular order. There will be several iterations of this feature, all highlighting different entries. Continue reading Multiplayer Map Hall of Fame

Old Games Are Old: This Week on XBL

Call of Duty 4We’ve all seen the phenomenon of people not being able to part with old games. Just take a look at those fine folks that never wanted to give up Halo 2 for some quick and easy proof. But even though we know that people do weird things with their time and their gaming habits, it never ceases to amaze me when I see some new statistic that upends what I thought I knew.

This week’s statistics from XBox Live (taken from Major Nelson’s Blog) are pretty telling when it comes to what people like to play. To me, it’s crazy that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is getting beaten by so many old games. And on top of that, three Call of Duty titles still manage to battle it out in the top 10, this far removed from their release dates. Move on, people!

Anyway, here’s the list. Craziness.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

1. Modern Warfare 2
2. Red Dead Redemption
3. Halo 3
4. Call of Duty: WaW
5. FIFA 10
6. Call of Duty 4
7. Battlefield Bad Co. 2
8. GTA IV
9. Gears of War 2
10. Left 4 Dead 2
11. Halo 3: ODST
12. Forza Motorsport 3
13. UFC Undisputed 2010 Demo
14. NBA 2K10
15. Backbreaker Demo
16. Splinter Cell Conviction
17. NHL 10
18. Borderlands
19. UFC Undisputed 2010
20. Madden NFL 10

Hit the jump for the XBox Live Arcade list. Continue reading Old Games Are Old: This Week on XBL

Earthworm Jim HD Has Co-Op

Um… want?

On June 9, the Earthworm Jim HD remake is coming to XBox Live Arcade, and will follow on the PSN one month later. Gameloft released a brand new trailer for the game today, which included this little tidbit: the game will now include a 4 player co-op mode. For the old school retro lover in me, this is quite the bombshell. I can’t wait to play this.

Anybody else jumping in?

Rumor: Mass Effect Going Multiplayer?

mass effect mmo rumor

Mass Effect 2 is one of the premier games of this year, and indeed, this generation. While the game could stand a bit of a slimming down in some areas (pre-patch mining being a good example), what could BioWare add to future iterations of the series? If you suggested multiplayer, it looks like you’re on the same page as the revered WRPG developers, as they’ve recently posted a few job openings for their Montreal, Quebec studio advertising Multiplayer Programmer positions.

Part of the job will be taking “existing single player experiences and making them multiplayer safe”, and ensuring that “the game engine and game systems work reliably and efficiently in a multiplayer environment.” While the job listing doesn’t state what kind of multiplayer the Mass Effect developers have in mind, it seems pretty clear that the studio is going to be making the jump very soon.

The posting doesn’t out and out say that Mass Effect 3 will be going online, but I wouldn’t rule anything out in that regard. Mass Effect 2’s engine was really, really solid so it could probably handle co-op play. Further speculation could point to a Mass Effect MMO, and, to use a term Eddy once coined, that very thought gives me a mind boner.

So, what do you guys think? Are you on board, and what do you predict will come of this? Is Mass Effect 3 going to have Team Deathmatch, or is this more of a long term goal for the series?

Edit: The posting has since been updated to exclude the mention of Mass Effect, so here’s the original blurb, to clear up any confusion:

We are working on Mass Effect, one of the industry’s most beloved and acclaimed franchises, as we build our way toward becoming a fully self-sufficient BioWare studio. If you want to help us achieve our mission of delivering the best story-driven games in the world, and you dream of being part of a dynamic, talented and focused team, now is the time to get onboard.

Source: Kotaku

Call of Duty: Black Ops Trailer Dishes Gameplay

Well, that was fast. Only a few weeks after the teaser trailer, Activision and Treyarch have dropped another video for Black Ops on us, bestowing us with visions of the upcoming Vietnam-era (and beyond?) shooter. While the trailer is pretty light on story, it does show stoic men with firearms and plenty of explosions, and isn’t that what we want from Call of Duty? Take a look and tell us what you think:

Call of Duty: Black Ops Brings Back Dedicated Servers

black opsLike many of the PC gaming faithful on this very website, I was a bit dissapointed in Infinity Ward’s decision to use a peer-to-peer matchmaking service for their multiplayer. While it was fun for a bit, the amount of glitchers and hackers I would run into during every single match became a bit much. I quit playing that game in January, and I haven’t looked back (mostly because of how awesome Bad Company 2 is).

With a new Call of Duty on the horizon, you would expect developer Treyarch to continue on with IW’s plan of no dedicated servers, right? Fortunetly, Treyarch is thinking for themselves this time around, and studio head Mark Lamia recently went on record with PC Zone (via CVG) saying that he thinks, quote:

…dedicated servers are excellent. I don’t see any reason not to see them unless… well, I just don’t see any reason not to.”

Honestly, I think this is good news for the Call of Duty franchise. When you take out dedicated servers, and with it the ability of admins to moderate the player base, what you get is an unholy mess, where only those with the latest aimbot hack comes out on top. I’m still not digging this new Call of Duty that much, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. What do you guys think? Good news? Enough to get you to purchase yet another CoD?

Source – CVG

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to Add Co-Op

So far, Bad Company 2 is one of my favorite games of the year, and one of my favorite multiplayer experiences in this generation. I haven’t had much of a chance to play the regular campaign all the way through, but one thing is clear: the game needs co-op. I’ve never really understood why it was left out of the game, when it is clearly set up as a squad of four badasses. It seemed to be totally begging for it.

Well, it looks like DICE is going to deliver that wish for myself and many others. At a time specified only as “soon”, they’re going to be adding a new co-operative mode for four players in Bad Company 2. It basically looks like Firefight or horde mode, but with objectives. I’m pumped about this. Who else is?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA8vuVwm-k4[/youtube]

Today’s WTF: EA Introduces an Online Pass for its Sports Titles

leaf graphicOh, EA, you were doing so well. You started trying to publish new games in 2008 with Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge, and you took back your estranged children Vince Zampella and Jason West when they got canned by Activision. You even pledged on-going downloadable content support for your titles with “Project Ten-Dollar”, but now the true nature of this initiative rears its ugly head.

Announced today in what may go down as one of the biggest bone-head moves of all time, EA Sports has dropped the word that all Sports titles will come with an online access card similar to the ones in Bad Company 2 or Mass Effect 2. The major difference is that this card will allow the player to access the multiplayer portion, something that gamers have come to take for granted from their titles. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be the first game to include this pass, and one has to wonder if this practice will begin to make its way into other EA titles. Could Crysis 2 require this? Unthinkable to most gamers, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Additionally, this pass will only be available with new copies, so used game purchases and renters will be out of luck.

In an effort to further underline the questionable motives of this maneuver, GameStop CEO Dan DeMatteo has pledged his support to EA Sport’s new enterprise, stating that GameStope employees will begin pitching X-Box LIVE and PlayStation Network point cards to used game purchasers.

What do you guys think of this? How do you think it will affect the rental industry? Let us know in the comments.

Source: GamePro

How to be a Gaming Jerk

Nothing quite brings out the inner jerk in me like a good rousing game of Halo matchmaking. For the last week, I’ve been enjoying Bungie’s new multiplayer offering in the form of the Halo: Reach Beta. Kicking it up with jetpacks, armor lock, Slayer and the like awakens old habits in me at times, it seems, even though much of the gameplay is new or different. Tonight, while playing, I found myself getting irritated at trash talkers. Soon enough, I was engaging in the famed tea bag maneuver at my opponents’ expense and it was glorious.

The funny thing is, sometimes this translates into other areas of gaming as well. GamesRadar has an awesome article up about 18 Ways to be a Bastard in Games, where they recount how you can be a total jerk in a number of different titles. They cover everything from killing hospital patients in GTA IV to choosing a character to die in Mass Effect simply because you get to have sex with the other. The most shocking thing about the list? I have done 11 out of the 18 things they mentioned, and most of the ones I haven’t done are because I haven’t played the game listed.

So what about you guys? What are your favorite ways to be a jerk in games? How many things on the list have you done? Go!

GamesRadar

Defend the House is Back With Halo: Reach Betabusters

Well, we did warn you about the incoming slew of Reach related posts, but I think we can be forgiven for putting up the newest video by Defend the House, the dedicated group behind Halo 3 Mythbusters and Modern Warfare 2 Mythbusters. This time around they’ve turned their sights on the Halo Reach Beta, exposing a few things about the gameplay in the Beta that you might not have known about. Have a watch.

Pretty neat, don’t you think? Did you guys find out anything useful that you can apply to your gameplay? What do you think of the Beta so far? And where are my friend requests?

Halo: Reach Beta Role Call

Halo Reach BetaI’m going to go ahead and apologize to you non-Haloites in advance. Over the next few weeks, we will no doubt have quite a few Halo: Reach stories up and running, since the beta is kicking in full effect tomorrow. While I am no doubt excited, I am trying to quell my Halo fanboy-ism so that I don’t annoy you all to death with it. But patience and forgiveness will be required, brothers.

What’s crazy is I remember playing the Halo 3 beta years ago, and how excited I was to play it then. I booted up my 360 to start the beta downloading first thing in the morning… and then my 360 red ringed on me. Maybe one of the worst things to happen to me in my adult life. It was horrible. Then my bud Daniel let me borrow his 360 for the beta… only I had left the Crackdown disc in the red ringed 360 which got shipped to MS. It was not a very good month for me.

Anyway, I wanted to take this opportunity to post and figure out which of you guys would be joining me and fellow GS writer Mitch in the ensuing 3 week Halo: Reach Beta madness. Post your gamertags here and feel free to send us invites (Pwnocchio and Lubeius). Let me know you’re from GS when you do so!

I’ve got my ODST disc waiting. Super pumped.

Today’s WTF: 14 People Still Playing Halo 2

Halo 2 XBLThis is one for the history books, folks. On April 15, Microsoft said bon voyage to the old XBox Live, sending it away into that soft, tranquil night. Or on a boat in a waterfall, like Boromir’s arrow-riddled corpse in Lord of the Rings (spoiler alert). Anyway, they said bye to the old XBL, discontinuing support for original XBox games, including Halo 2.

However, there are some refusing to let this die. You see, there are 14 diligent fans that are continuing to play Halo 2, leaving their consoles up and running, connected to the old XBL. That’s right. 14 people in the entire world, and they say they are not stopping any time soon. There are actually several livestreams broadcasting a few of these last games, flickers of a game that won’t go quietly into that good night.

Here are the gamertags:
Agent Windex
APACHE N4SIR
sherlok 1
SieferSword
Rob2D
Detenn
z0mbie stench
Lord Odysseus11
xxMAKDADYxx
H2o Shoagie
xxBooker Dxx
DirtyCajun
AForeignObject
HiredN00bs

While I think the idea of playing a game that old for that long is ridiculous, you have to admire these guys’ commitment to this game. So what do you guys think? Worthy of salute, or mockery? Go!

Source- Bungie Forums

Everybody’s Played Halo: Reach But Us

Halo ReachI seriously can’t tell you guys how much I’m anxiously awaiting the beta for Halo: Reach, hitting on May 3rd. When that glorious day rolls around, I’ll be a zombie, doing nothing but thinking, eating, and sleeping in a way that is pleasing to the Master Chief. I would consider it no great secret that something about Halo multiplayer hits a special sweet spot for my competitive gaming tastes, and I can’t wait to jump back into it. Honestly, it’s almost like Christmas for me.

Complete fanboy antics aside, an embargo finally lifted on the preview that lots of major gaming sites got to experience with the game. As a result, everybody and their mom that got to play Halo: Reach is finally able to write about it, shedding some light on the details about the game’s multiplayer and how it is going to feel in our nerdy clammy hands.

I think the most interesting write-up I read about the beta would be from Kotaku, who gave a great run down of some of the multiplayer features. The things I’ve read both excite and concern me. Right now, the pros are: class-based weapon and equipment load-outs, fall damage, no dual wielding. Cons: jetpacks for everyone that chooses the loadout and the new armor lock ability, which seems to combine trip mines, EMPs, and bubble shields into one.

Anyway, if you’re even mildly interested in the Reach beta, I’d highly recommend checking out some of the previews of the multiplayer that are dropping all over the net. So, how do you guys feel about Halo: Reach? Excited or meh? Go!

Source- Kotaku

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Trailer Tears It Up

If there are two demographics that are always open to crossovers, it’s comic book nerds and video game geeks. Honestly, growing up, if I saw that Batman and Spider-Man were appearing in the same book, I would pick that junk up post-haste. Same thing with video games. Super Smash Bros Brawl is probably one of my favorite party-fighters of all time simply because it allows you to play as either Sonic or Solid Snake.

Naturally, I’m a huge fan of Capcom’s crossover fighter series featuring the mighty Marvel heroes. Even though I routinely get my butt handed to me whenever I try to play it, I just can’t deny that having Ryu on the same team as Wolverine is incredibly awesome.

What do you guys think of the trailer? Very stylish, and there’s plenty of tantalizing silhouettes for us to puzzle over. I think I see Deadpool in one of the backgrounds. Anyways, what do you guys think? Excited for this game to drop next Spring? What combatants do you want to see slug it out?

Are Single Player Games Going the Way of the Dodo?

Splinter Cell Conviction Co-OpYou all know that I love me some co-op. In fact, more often than not, I’d rather play co-op over some kind of versus multiplayer. To me, there’s nothing quite like jumping into a game with your friends, and playing alongside them while you chat about how things are going or how much better you are at everything. Not that I do that… often.

Anyway, I’m one of the biggest proponents of co-op appearing in most games, but it doesn’t mean I want there to be a death to single player as we know it. In a recent interview, Patrick Redding, the multiplayer director of Splinter Cell: Conviction, had some interesting things to say about playing games solo.

I see this co-op as fitting within a trend or a tendency that I think is emerging – actually it emerged a long time ago, but I think it’s just moved into the mainstream – which is that before, co-op was a relatively hardcore gaming paradigm for people… They don’t want it to be a solitary experience, they want to be able either to sit on the couch with their girlfriend and play, or be on Xbox Live with their best friends and play, and feel that something is unfolding according to some design intention, and they’re getting a chance to experience that but it doesn’t have to be that alone.

While I’m not saying this spells doom for single player gaming, it’s a telling perspective from someone inside the industry. No doubt this is why we see single player games getting multiplayer add-ons, or why Splinter Cell: Conviction only has a 5 hour solo campaign. Don’t get me wrong, I am dying to play the co-op, but it did surprise me to hear that the solo was so light.

So what do you guys think? Do you agree that nobody wants a solitary experience any longer? Personally, I see a place for both, and I don’t see why they have to be mutually exclusive. Tell us your thoughts.

Source- Videogamesdaily

Gears of War 3 Trailer Drops on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

We all knew it was coming, but somehow the promise of a trailer for Gears of War 3 made us forget that the surprise had been spoiled last week. Cliff “Dude Huge” Bleszinski himself made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and he brought with him the first trailer for Gears of War 3, entitled “Ashes to Ashes”. Take a gander:

Very, very cool, and definitely in the vein of Epic’s previous trailers, all of which have paired the traditional shooty-shooty vibe of Gears with some somber strains of music. There’s a few things that attentive fans may spot in the trailer, such as a female Gear, and the first signs of the new enemy for Gears 3, the Lambent. What did you guys think of the trailer? Should we start the hype train? Anyone else get a sort of “Pompeii” feeling from all the ashen bodies in the video?

Modern Warfare 2 Fan Video is Too Good Not to Share

I already know what you’re saying: “Two Modern Warfare 2 videos in a row, Mitch? WTF, you crazy Canuck!” Well, slow your roll, dude, because this film is a little different than your average bear. Freddie Wong, the man behind the Bike Hero video and the real life Portal Gun is back, but this time he’s dishing up some MW2-flavored action. Filmed for the budget price of $209.42, this fan film pays a wonderful tribute to Modern Warfare 2. Take a look:

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Despite having a production cost of two hundred dollars, Freddie Wong and his crew did pretty well. What do you guys think of the video?

Today’s WTF: From Zero to Nuke in 30 Seconds

I’m sure that, by this point, most of us have ventured into Modern Warfare 2’s online arena and have seen some crazy shenanigans go down. From the Javelin glitch and speed skating to ridiculously accurate knife tosses, Infinity Ward’s leviathan continues to provide quality entertainment at other people’s expense. Just take a look at the following video where some lucky dude grabs a early multi-kill and proceeds to dominate everyone:

Too wild, eh? What do you guys think? Is this legit, or is the user engaged in some shady activity?

Modern Warfare 2 DLC Trailer is Stimulating

As we are all well aware, Infinity Ward is still giving us a map pack for their immensely popular online shooter on March 30 despite their current trouble with parent company Activision. Featuring five maps, two of them remakes of the popular Call of Duty 4 maps, Crash and Overgrown, this add-on will cost an astounding fifteen dollars. Take a look at the newly released trailer for the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package:

How do you guys feel about this? I’ve moved on to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and I don’t think I’ll go back to Modern Warfare 2. The game was really addictive for a while, but the land-slide of bugs and glitches killed my enthusiasm. Who here is still playing this game, and are you going to pick up this up?