Purchased a PS3 at launch? Then you own Resistance: FOM (a.k.a. The game that carried the PS3 during the barren spring months). Lucky for owners, it was a pretty damn good game, and had a rock solid online multiplayer as well. Now, in 2008, Insomniac looks to bring us its latest installment in the Resistance franchise.

Gamestop’s favorite magazine, Gameinformer, brings exclusive details on Insomniac’s Resistance 2. Hold onto your butts:

• Nathan Hale’s campaign continues against the Chimera (hopefully with a good ending this time).
• A separate co-op campaign that can be played either 2 players offline, or 8 players online. (Basically a second campaign? Nice.)
• Online multiplayer featuring up to 60 players online (with totally kick ass, lag free even-if-you’re-in-Italy-and-playing-with-people-back-home-4000-miles-away-in-the-USA dedicated servers).
• Newly implemented class system (heavy, special ops, medic) in online play.
• Partially randomized geometry in certain level spots (We’ll see how this works out. Has the potential to be either great or horrible.)
• Stat tracking on MyResistance.net (I’m assuming what Bungie does.).

Are you excited yet? Well, if you liked the original Resistance, and still play it online from time to time, you should be. 60 players online at the same time? That is insane. The maps must be gigantic. Is that a record for a console game? I think so. And are they basically including 2 different campaigns, one single player focused and the other for up to 8 people at the same time? Potentially awesome, just hope that they don’t feel like the GRAW co-op missions (tacked on and mildly fun).

Wow, all these great features, I wonder what Sony will charge us monthly to play this game online, since they’re giving us dedicated servers? (Psst, here’s a hint: nothing.)

Insomniac might be my new favorite developer.

Short recap: Rock Band and Guitar Hero don’t play nice, don’t let you use each other’s guitars on their game. They’ve had well over a month now, and no solution. And what’s worse is that Rock Band guitars aren’t available separately. Enter third party peripherals, created by Nyko.

Announced at CES, this 3rd party guitar will support both games (via a very inelegant switch), let you rock out wirelessly for 80 hours on 3 AA batteries, and will include all the features included in the Rock Band guitar (effects, tilt for star power, hopefully not terrible buttons).

Great, so a solution is on the way, right? If Activision and Harmonix don’t ever resolve this problem, then at least we have an alternative. The problem is that this 3rd party band-aid won’t be available until March. It’s January now. Rock Band came out in November. This is ridiculous. Hope you’re willing to wait a couple more months to play this with friends.

I’m happy I got the 360 version. Activision, Harmonix…you really messed this thing up.

Recently the Xbox 360 released Metal Slug 3 on Live Arcade, charging 800 points (10 bucks). If you’ve already picked it up, love it and want more, or have held off picking it up because of its high price point, then this is something that might interest you.

For 40 dollars (roughly 3600 MS points after taxes) you can get a collection featuring 7 Metal Slug games including Metal Slug 3. This collection, available for the PS2, PSP and Wii, is the perfect alternative/addition to Microsoft’s offering.

If the Wii version interests you, keep in mind that you’ll need to have a Gamecube controller handy. The game, oddly enough, doesn’t support the classic controller, and using the included wiimote configuration is guaranteed to drive you insane.

If PSP is your choice, then keep in mind you’ll be facing a couple mind-numbingly long load times (sometimes a full minute). The PS2 version has some load times as well, but not near as long (6-8 seconds). Still, if you’re willing to sacrifice online multiplayer and achievements, want to use a functional d-pad, and want a hard copy of the game which will never disappear when/if your 360 breaks/breaks again, then this is a route you might want to take. For the price of 4 Metal Slug games, you can get all 7.

Well, you might be able to. It looks like Sony might be announcing Skype support for the PSP at CES 2008, in Las Vegas next week.

If true, I can’t help but ask…how will this work? Via bluetooth headset? Because simple texting would be quite a chore using the PSP’s predictive text.

If true, I can’t see myself using this much. In an age where everyone carries cell phones, having to find a wi-fi spot in order to access Skype seems like too much of a chore. Sony, please, where are our friend invites, where is Home, where are our trophy rooms? We’re grateful you keep adding features, but please get to the ones we’re asking for.

An interesting addition nonetheless.

Todays Gamers Video Update is a video review so here you go, PlatformNation.com’s official video review of Unreal Tournament 3 for the PS3.

MSRP 59.99

Pluses
+ Fun fast pace FPS
+ You can use EITHER keyboard and mouse OR the sixaxis controller
+ Supports vibration
+ Allows user created mode (free downloads)

Minuses
- Like most ps3 games, not everyone has voice chat
- No clan support

http://www.unrealtournament3.com

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With a new year comes a fresh start, and a chance to make change. Since I’m practically perfect, this is a list of things I’d like to see others change in ‘08 (in no particular order):

1. No more Xbox 360 failures. 2007 was a terrible year for me, and having to call MS support 6 times was beyond ridiculous. No one should be fearing red lights every time they turn their console on. The 360 had an excellent gaming line up this year, but was seriously marred to the tune of 1 billion “oh shit we screwed up and made a guaranteed to break console” dollars. I don’t care if you call it falcon, eagle, hawk…find what the problem is and FIX IT, and make sure it stays fixed.

2. Give a final date, and release HOME. The more they delay it the more expectations will increase, and if this continues Home is guaranteed to disappoint. The PS3 needs an all encompassing online layout, which is simple to use and functional. Sony is so close to delivering Xbox Live quality online (surpassing it in some ways), yet a year later the key features are still missing. Get Home out, fix the problems, and let’s all be happy.

Extra credit: Redesign the PSN store. It needs an upgrade…just don’t make it as convoluted as Xbox Marketplace.

3. A quick end to this writer’s strike! As someone who watches quite a bit of TV (sadly), I’m not looking forward to what this spring will bring. There are plenty of garbage reality shows already, the networks don’t need more. Give the writers what they deserve, which literally amounts to pennies on every DVD sold. Want to know what television would be like without writers? Watch season two of Heroes (zing!). I want more episodes of House, Pushing Daisies, Friday Night Lights, Heroes (it can’t get much worse, right?)…

4. Lower the prices of high definition movies. Blu-Ray and HDDVD movies are overpriced. The Simpson’s Movie costs 35 bucks at Best Buy? Are you out of your f’ing mind?! Who in their right mind would pay that kind of cash? The price needs to get lower, much lower than the current 25-35 dollars being charged, if either of these two formats hopes of going mainstream. Speaking of formats…

5. End this goddamn format war already. I’ve currently signed up with the blu-ray camp (for many logical reasons), have invested quite a few dollars on blu-ray movies…but would be willing to repurchase every single disk on HDDVD if the format war ended tomorrow. There is nothing more infuriating than seeing Batman Begins or Battlestar Galactica on HDDVD, wanting to buy it, but can’t. Since when are movies “exclusive”? End the feud, throw one of these two out, and let’s move on. (For the record, blu-ray has movie “exclusives” as well, but I don’t complain about not being able to buy those.)

6. Stop bitching about “major” gaming sites being biased. There is nothing more infantile than running to message boards, creating pointless threads about IGN, 1Up, or Gamespot giving good/bad scores because they’re wearing money hats. Especially threads that start “I just went to…and saw that they gave this game a…”. Here’s some info: These sites make money off traffic. If you really want to “stick it to the man” then don’t go. And do me the favor of not bitching.

There are plenty of sites out there that give different gaming coverage. Find one that you like, and stick with it. Going to a major site is nothing to be ashamed of. The people that work at the IGNs and 1Ups are people, not dissimilar from myself, that really like games and covering games. The only difference is that they’ve decided to devote their lives, and incomes, to it. Find a reviewer/site you feel you can trust and stick with it. (Hopefully you’ll pay attention to the PN sites as well.)

Extra credit: If I had a nickel for every site that claimed to be “unbiased”, or be the only source for “truth”, or not controlled by “the man” then I’d be pretty filthy rich. Words are cheap, prove your worth with actions.

7. If you’re going to post on the internet, get a dictionary (or at least correct the words that are automatically underlined by your computer). How about we just kill all internet/gaming lingo as well. Teh, powned, n00b, and w00t are not words that should proudly be said/typed. Unless you’re a 40 year old virgin still living in your parent’s basement. Then by all means, pown teh n00bs. It’s probably all you have left.

Extra credit: Adding 420, 69, xxx, 187 to your gamertag is tired and old. If you live in the ghetto, go ahead, throw it on. But if you’re a (usually) white, middle to high income resident, live in the suburbs, then throwing those in is just sad. Unless you’re 40 and live with your parents. Dawg. (Add that word to the removal list.)

8. Check out PSHRadio’s show from time to time. Who would I be if I didn’t self promote?

Hope 2008 is a good one.

Hopefully you’ve finished all your shopping, are now sitting at home enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate, and enjoying time with your friends and family. That’s what the holidays are for.

PSHRadio wishes you a happy holiday, hopes you get everything you asked for, and have a great time spending a day or two away from the office.

See you next year.

Our first last of the year show! Join Chia and Thrill as they try and sell more copies of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Chia finally gets his hands on UT3 and makes Thrill green with envy. We want to rock, but GH3 and Rock Band would rather make war, not love. Plus a very very cool, very unexpected surprise is hidden in the latest PS3 update. See you in 2008.

• Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune…Buy it!
• UT3, the PS3’s latest shooter.
• GH3/Rock Band Squabbles
• PS1 remote play on your PSP awesomeness.

Right click and get the show!

 

 Show Eight: Save This On Your PS3 And Listen On Your PSP [58:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sorry, lots of text and no pics.

As someone who’s had 6 red rings in one year, I’ve earned the right to be angry at the Xbox 360. I love the games, the online service, and the experience it brings…but can’t stand the console. Calling it one of the worst designed pieces of tech is being too nice. It is straight up trash.

Like a crack addict, or in this case achievement whore, no matter how bad it treats me I keep coming back. I wish I didn’t have to, I wish that there were other, less abusive alternatives, but against my better judgment I always come crawling back, hoping that my 360 will change. It doesn’t.

It’s no secret that the 360 over heats, and that this causes a 4-6 week vacation from gaming. And since Microsoft isn’t capable of finding an acceptable solution to their problem (I’ve had my 360 return, only to brick again), I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands.

With the help of some insane tech head friends of mine, who basically did all the work while I supervised (I’m the last person you’d want messing with a screwdriver, much less an open and exposed naked 360), we ran some temperature tests to see how best to tackle this issue.

Please note: I’m sure that these are not 100% official MS approved measurements, but we did the best we could to get untainted results.

For our little test we used four separate Xbox 360s. We let them run for an hour, in a completely open space, each running a copy of PGR 4, and then measured the GPU’s temperature using a multimeter, which should have given us precise readings. Why the GPU? Because that is what over heats and causes the RROD. And is also why the new Falcon boards, with smaller and more efficient CPUs, may end up dieing in droves. I digress.

In these tests we ran one 360 as is out of the box, one with the cover removed (lying horizontal, all the goods exposed), one closed and with two internal after market fans (the “Whisper Fan” and the “XCM Add-On“), one exposed with the same fans. How did we get the internal temps of the closed 360s? The cover was snapped on, not screwed, which allowed us to quickly remove it and take the temp before precious heat was lost.

Xbox 360 setup and GPU temp after one hour:

• Stock 360, no added fans: 80 C
• Open 360, no added fans: 70 C
• Stock 360, whisper fan + xcm add-on: 54 C
• Open 360, whisper fan + xcm add-on: 44 C

We were surprised that after only one hour (and who only plays one hour?) the temperature was so high. Add dust, enclosed entertainment sets, and prolonged use to this and suddenly all those red rings make sense. Horrible design confirmed. The additional fans were quite successful in lowering the internal GPU temp, meaning less/no more red rings. It should be noted that the fans, despite being advertised as “whisper quiet”, are anything but. Thought that the 360 was loud before? Try adding more fans to it.

So what’s the point of this very long write up? If you’re tired, like me, of MS support spending more time with your 360 than you, then tossing in a fan or two might be a good idea. That is, if you know what you’re doing, since cracking that thing open voids the 3 year warranty.

I feel like I wrote a science report.

It’s no secret that I love Warhawk , despite the fact that it’s gone through quite a few growing pains. Yesterday the first batch of downloadable content was released, Omega Dawn. I quickly swooped in and picked it up.

Coming in at essentially eight dollars ($7.99), the new pack will give you:

• A new map called “Omega Factory”, and its 6 different layouts.
• A new aircraft called the KT-424 Combat Dropship.
• 5 new layouts for maps from the original game, taking advantage of the new aircraft.

Getting into a game that took advantage of this content was initially rough. It’s no secret that exclusive content splinters the user base, so finding a full game with 31 others willing to shell out 8 bucks took me longer than I would have liked. Hopefully this is only a temporary problem, and with time more will pick it up, but one worth mentioning nonetheless.

If you’ve played Warhawk then you know it takes time to learn every nuance of a map, as they’re quite large. This new Omega Factory is no different. It’s a very dark (night time), industrial area, who’s rocky surfaces are lined with giant pipelines. Two giant towers, only accessible by air, overlook the battlefield, giving the map a very vertical feel. I’m not going to pretend to know the map perfectly, but it seems to be equally balanced between air and ground combat zones. The new airship fits right at home here.

Speaking of, the new KT-424 ship is a very welcome addition to Warhawk. Similar to the Elephant in Halo 3, if it could fly, the KT is a huge beast to be feared. The pilot takes the helm while up to 6 others hop on board, each manning a different missile turret or gun. The KT can either navigate the map, offering support and carrying tanks/jeeps to soldiers in need, or can position itself in hover mode, allowing the pilot to man the rapid fire guns. While heavily armored and extremely deadly, the dropship is slower and less maneuverable than the warhawks, becoming an instant target.

The simple addition of this new vehicle, and it’s inclusion in all 6 maps, adds quite a bit of strategic play to this online game. A team that communicates well, and coordinates strikes will easily dominate. So get a headset. The fact that not everyone has one, and isn’t willing to talk, can be incredibly frustrating. There is nothing more pathetic than someone taking off in the new KT, alone, and being mercilessly shot down.

At $7.99, and offering 1/5 of the content in the original game, the Omega Dawn expansion is perfect for those that love Warhawk, but probably not enough to bring back those that have moved on. Since its release the PS3 has since received COD4, TF2, and UT3, other excellent online shooters, so this content might be too little too late. If you still play Warhawk, you’ll spend hours on the new map, learning the different layouts, and flying the new ship, making this a great deal.

I hope more people purchase and play this expansion. Hopefully we’ll get more.