I competed against various members of SCEA, High Impact Games, and other members of the press today in Rachet & Clank: Size Matters' Infrastructure multiplayer mode. Having become comfortable with the controls in single-player certainly helped the experience quite a bit, as I was raking up the kills, quickly becoming number one in the leaderboard (that position was unfortunately lost over time). The online interface is easy enough, and seems unchanged from the multiplayer beta that I participated in months ago. However, there were a few glitches in the process: some games were simply impossible to join, unless it was through the game's Quick Game option. Also, typing messages in the chat room is quite a troublesome burden, simply because of the game's reliance on the PSP's default on-screen keyboard. I found it quite easy to accidentally disconnect from a room while chatting, so I opted out altogether.

The actual online gameplay was smooth, and surprisingly responsive. There wasn't any noticeable lag, and the graphics were on par with the impressive single-player graphics. The weapons are varied, as they are in the story mode, and can be upgraded through secret power-ups scattered throughout the level. However, the variety in weapons reveals that the game might not be too well-balanced, as certain weapons easily outclass others. One game ended in quite a bit of frustration, due to a camping sniper. While these kind of problems are common with online multiplayer games, it was surprising, and somewhat distressing to see.

Also, each game is limited to four players. After an hour of play time, I have to admit that this simply isn't enough to enjoy the multiplayer potential. Levels seem slightly too large for only four players, especially in objective-based modes, where you will only have one partner. Personally, I found the objectives of Iron Lombax mode to be unclear. It would've been helpful to have more guidance to the next objective, a la Unreal Tournament.

Ratchet & Clank's online multiplayer is not going to redefine online gaming. However, it is still an impressive effort, especially for a portable system. It's nice to see the developers include such a solid, but imperfect, experience ... and have it playable worldwide via Infrastructure. You'll be able to log-in and fight when the game ships next week. Expect a complete PSP Fanboy review soon. And don't forget to read past the cut to see all the multiplayer modes available in the game.

If you live near Alameda, CA, you may want to check out GamePro's Medal of Honor: Heroes tournament. You don't need to have a copy of this well-reviewed PSP-exclusive WWII FPS, but you do need to bring your system. All participants will get a free copy of the game and a t-shirt, making this event totally worth your time. If you're able to survive the 32-player multiplayer matches, and make it to the end of the tournament, you'll find yourself winning a subscription to GamePro (boo!), Shure E2-cn earphones (yay!), and more. If you're interested, head over to the registration page.

A few steps away from Sega's booth at DigitalLife was Konami's. I got a chance to talk to Matt Knoles, product manager for Konami, and play a few rounds of multiplayer from the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Although Matt couldn't reveal anything new to you guys, the ability to go hands-on with the game was exciting. Four PSPs engaged in the battle, and I got into the control scheme very quickly. It was relatively simple to move around, lock on and start firing away. It was a great deal of fun, but I worry that the multiplayer may be a bit too shallow. The gameplay was fun, easy to pick up, and graphically very impressive, but at the same time, it felt unrefined. It wasn't hard to find yourself fighting with the camera, and entering first-person view seemed to give you a distinct disadvantage in the game.

I previously questioned whether or not controlling the game using the PSP's analog nub would be effective. The answer is: yes. But, I think it will work much better in Portable Ops' crucial single player story mode, where the pace should be slower, and the game should be... well, stealthier. A slower pace will certainly make the controls much more forgiving. However, the production values of the multiplayer game are so amazing, that I believe that the game should be quite amazing when it comes out in December.


The PSP met the Blue Screen of Death for this unfortunate player.

Those jerks at IGN think they're all fancy, being allowed to play the upcoming PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor's massive 32-player Infrastructure multiplayer mode. Here's what they had to say:

"It actually runs well with the maximum number of people playing. EA hosted a 32 player deathmatch event for members of the press recently to prove just that. The process of signing in and getting started is simple and relatively pain free."

Unfair. I wanted to be part of their party too! Well, it looks like us gamers have a lot to look forward to. According to IGN, the game featured a respectable framerate and very little lag, even with 30+ players in the match. The server did fail once during the test, so hopefully, EA will be able to work out all the kinks before the game ships in less than two weeks.

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.

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.

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]

The retro games keep on coming back. IGN has an exclusive where they reveal the very first details and screenshots of Codemasters' upcoming game Cannon Fodder, a remake of the classic Commidore Amiga game. But unlike most of the other retro games that we've seen, this goes the extra mile and is a real remake: with new graphics and gameplay, updated for the current generation. You and a team of soldiers will fight it out on-foot and in vehicles, while being able to call air strikes and radar sweeps. The game will offer four player deathmatch and co-op modes.