Have you had a chance to try Syphon Filter: Combat Ops yet? This multiplayer game is available exclusively through the PLAYSTATION Store and gives players more than just the standard deathmatch options. You'll be able to create your own missions and share them with other PSN members. Cool, huh?

Join PSP Fanboy and members of the Sony Bend development team for an exclusive multiplayer session this Thursday at 3PM PST. Space will be limited, so if you plan on joining us, please leave a comment below.

Hope you have friends with PSPs. Now, you and all your friends can join in on Ad-Hoc Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops multiplayer ... for free! This downloadable demo is multiplayer only, so make sure you grab your friends and get ready to play.

1. Download the demo zip file.
2. Extract the contents of the zip file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy ULED90040 folder into the GAME directory.

Check out our new demos site:
demos.pspfanboy.com

Most airlines don't allow you to use wireless devices on airplanes. In Japan however, gamers have been able to multiplay to their heart's content while in flight. That's changing now though. Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport has decided to ban wireless gaming from all flights. The reason for the move is because apparently wireless devices can interfere with the airplane's instruments. Maybe this move was done because a small Japanese child controlled a plane with his stylus. That or it's just precautionary (but I do like the touch screen pilot idea).

[Via Wired]

It's been a long time coming, but internet tunneling for PSP seems to finally be in full-swing. With Xlink Kai, and a compatible Wi-Fi adapter, you'll be able to play Ad-Hoc games, like Monster Hunter, online. Watch Impress was able to squeeze in 2500 people into a Monster Hunter Portable 2nd game room. All that's needed is: an Xlink Kai account (which is currently free) and a compatible Wi-Fi adapter, such as the PCI Gamering XII, which includes the appropriate drivers.

When booting up a game in Ad-Hoc mode, it will make other Xlink Kai users appear as if they're in the same room as you. With Xlink, so many of the PSP multiplayer games that fans have been collecting won't feel so lonely anymore.

[Thanks, Steve! Via gearfuse]

At least if the US version is to have the same features as the Japanese one . Square Enix has told IGN that the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War will have two player battles with a red team vs a blue team so that there is no confusion as to who you should injure mid-combat. Also you will have a limited number of turns to be victorious, thus preventing a tactics wimp from just running during an entire battle. I can't see them cutting this feature in the US given the popularity of multiplayer in the US, but I suppose we'll have to wait for confirmation to be sure.

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.

Publishers have been slow to embrace Infrastructure multiplayer on the PSP. However, recent releases like Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Medal of Honor: Heroes have opened up the portable to truly exciting online worlds. Atari's upcoming Test Drive Unlimited will attempt to bring the console's massive open internet world over to the portable. IGN's Developer Diary (please take with a giant grain of salt) explains the team's ambitions: "You can race around the entire island in a single session without seeing a loading screen... Once you go online you'll be seeing other PSP players immediately in free-ride, no need to set up complicated sessions or looking for servers, we look after that for you."

If the development team can deliver on such an incredible premise, Test Drive Unlimited may be worth a look. The game will hit PSP in February.

An enthusiastic reader, Pal, sent us a great tip about the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics for PSP. Not only will the game come with new cutscenes and new job classes, the game will also feature ad-hoc multiplayer. Many Tactics fans have been waiting patiently for a way to the game with others, and it appears that the PSP version will deliver. If Square-Enix considered Infrastructure multiplayer, I'd imagine that our pal might simply implode.

Finally, if you weren't convinced of Crisis Core's awesomeness, read IGN's latest preview:
"From a strictly gameplay standpoint, Crisis Core seems solid, with a fast pace and the potential for a good mix of action and menu-based battle systems ... Crisis Core looks better than most PS2 games out there. During cinematic scenes, the character models are detailed and fully animated. Battles contain screens with double digit enemies, and giant bosses. All that, and full voice, without any pauses for loading! ... Personally, I think all the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" products released so far have been second rate. But Crisis Core looks so good that it could turn things around on its own."

The fine folks at IGN have interviewed Ryan Payton, Associate Producer at Kojima Productions, to kick off their week-long hype-fest on the soon-to-be-released Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Just in case you weren't excited enough for this project, Mr. Payton reveals a few nice tidbits that will surely please any PSP owner.

• "Single and multiplayer modes are totally integrated, thus prolonging the life of the campaign mode. Online is accessible from the campaign mode for good reason -- players bring one of their 1P Sneaking Units to the online arena."
• "We have a number of Wi-Fi-enabled modes. First off is Game Sharing, allowing you to play MPO multiplayer with friends who don't own a copy of MPO." (Yes!!!)
• "The official soundtrack is coming to Japan. It's a forty-four track, beast of a soundtrack. Norihiko Hibino, best known for his composition of the Snake Eater theme, is back with some really cool tracks for MPO."

Oh, and two more things:

IGN: Are there plans to port Portable Ops to the PS2, in the event that the game receives poor sales on the PSP?
Ryan: Absolutely not.

IGN: Will there be sequels if this proves to be the PSP's killer app?
Ryan: Absolutely. If the response to MPO is as good as we're expecting, you can look forward to new chapters in the Big Boss legacy on PSP. We still have many stories to tell about the early years of Metal Gear Solid -- I hope we can continue to do that on PSP.

::jaw drops::

The official Vice City Strories website has been updated with tons of new info about the game's ambitious multiplayer. We stole the details, and made like a bandit. Here are our spoils:

• Empire Takedown
  Your team will try to obtain a cache of explosives hidden in the middle of the map. Once you discover the bomb, your team will try to destroy your opponent's team's base. They will, obviously, be trying to do the same to you.
• VIP RIP
  The VIP is protected by bodyguards and must grab five briefcases scattered throughout the city. Play as the VIP, or try to kill him before he succeeds.
• Might of the Hunter
  It's a race to get to the helicopter. Once a player commands the mechanized the terror, it's his duty to try and mow down as many opponents as possible. Everyone will try to blow the copter up, or snipe the pilot.
• Tanks for the Memories
  It's similar to Might of the Hunter, only with a tank. The player driving the tank must try to reach the target time. All other players can damage the tank, and whoever deals the most damage to the vehicle gets to drive it next.
• Vice City Survivor
  This is the classic deathmatch mode, available in single and team modes.
• Protection Racket
  Destroy your opponents' limosines, while protecting your own.
• Taken for a Ride
  Steal your opponents' car, and drive back to your own base. It's like Capture the Flag: whoever holds possession of both cars wins.
• The Hitlist
  If you're the marked man, everyone's out to get you. Try to survive as long as you can. Whoever survives the longest as the marked man wins.
• Street Rage
  The ultimate race, spanning air, land and sea.
• Grand Theft Auto
  The titular multiplayer game. Players must steal certain cars and deliver them to shipping crates. Players that take the most cars, in the best condition, win.

Whoa... that was a lot of multiplayer. I loved Liberty City Stories' multiplayer modes, and it looks like Vice City Stories will up the ante quite considerably, featuring 4 more modes than the previous handheld game. The more you hear about the game, the more you want it, huh? Don't fret, though: it comes out in just a few more days.

[Thanks, ZENegade!]

A month ago, we showed you the graphical improvements of the upcoming Fireteam Bravo 2 over the original. The two games share many maps, but Fireteam Bravo 2 expectedly adds a slew of new multiplayer maps to the mix. The game features twelve maps in total, and IGN has secured screenshots and details about every single one of them. Getaway and Siege (pictured above) are my favorites, as they appear to provide the most dramatic backdrop for killing.

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.

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.

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.