The game modes:

DEATHMATCH and TEAM DEATHMATCH
Free-for-all frenzies or team-based skirmishes. Reach the target score first to win! In these modes, bots can be included offline as well as online.

MAP OBJECTIVES
Map Objectives is a game mode exclusive to multiplayer. It is based on having two teams – an attacking team and a defending team. The attackers have to meet set objectives while the defenders try to stop them.

A Map Objectives game is played in steps. At the beginning only some objectives are available, and by accomplishing them, new ones become available until they have all been met and the attackers win. Points are awarded to the attacking team depending on met objectives. The defenders can win by defending efficiently to force the time to run out, since the attackers have to meet objectives to gain extra time. This means that an efficient defense can cut an attack short.

There are two types of objectives games; Espionage and Sabotage:

ESPIONAGE: DATA TERMINALS
In Espionage, the attackers need to download data from four data terminals scattered across the map, and bring them home safely to be uploaded to HQ.

SABOTAGE: CONTROL PANELS
In Sabotage, the attackers need to destroy three clusters of control panels. Each cluster contains three panels and each is destroyed by running up to it and planting a bomb on them. It takes time for the bomb to go off so it is important to guard the panel until it does explode, since defenders otherwise can get there and defuse them.

Strategy tips:

As we have been playing the game like crazy, we have a few insider tips for you, so you can get an upper hand on people while they are busy figuring this out by themselves!

The number one tip that comes to mind is how to aim using the right stick! The best and easiest way to learn to get the bullets to end up where you want them – namely, in the bodies of your enemies – is to have the right stick constantly at a full tilt in the direction you want to aim, and adjust it using a circular motion. Basically you never should release the stick from full tilt while aiming and firing, unless you need that thumb of yours to, e.g., push a button to go to the other side or reload.

The second tip is to get to know each weapon’s strengths and weaknesses – knowing them, you will soon figure out how you can use the environments to your advantage with your weapon against your enemies.

The third tip is that C4 is a really good counter to vehicles because when they’re attached to a vehicle (or soldier J), they kill instantly when detonated.

The fourth tip is to keep track of your jetpack fuel meter since you do have a limited supply that begins to regenerate quickly when you’re back on your feet again. You use it to get to higher grounds as well as in a very useful move called “spinning.” To spin, push the left stick down and slightly left or to the right while pushing the jetpack button, and you will spin away quickly in the chosen direction as long as you still have jetpack fuel left.

The last tip is to actually select your survival bonuses when you receive them during a game. You don’t want to miss out on them – they can give you regenerative health (together with a small max health boost), faster running speed, or quicker jetpacks and the ability to kill people by spinning near them. And you can have all three at the same time, if you manage to earn it.

Finally

We have been playing against the “same-old” players for quite a while now, and we really look forward to be playing the game with and against new players online for greater challenges (the Sony producers are easy meat). We might have the upper hand for a little time until you get the hang of it, but after that we are counting on getting our butts kicked.

If you have any questions about the game, we will try to answer them as best we can on the blog.

We hope to see you online – let the frag-fest begin! The game is available on PSN tomorrow for $9.99, so what are you waiting for?

Rather than spell out the intimate, step-by-step instructions right here, I found that the fine folks at CNET put together a pretty awesome tutorial.

The type of internal 2.5″ drives that work with the PS3 top out at about 250gb. So if you’re looking for more storage and/or don’t wanna bother with opening up your box, 500gb external USB drives are also readily available.

What’s cool about PS3’s DLNA feature is that it’s not limited to your living room. Combine the feature with Remote Play, and you can play back media files using your PSP wherever there’s a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you’re traveling for the holidays and you’re stuck at the airport, DLNA and Remote Play won’t make your delay any shorter, but it can certainly make the time go by faster.

Here’s how it works:

*To use Remote Play for the first time, you must register (or “pair”) the PSP with the PS3 system at home – go to the “Settings” icon on your PS3 XMB, then “Remote Play Settings,” select “Register Device” and follow the instructions
*Go the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot (if you haven’t taken advantage of our promotional offer with T-Mobile, now’s your chance), and connect your PSP to the Internet
*Select “Remote Play” under the “Network” icon on your PSP XMB
*From the list of connections, select the connection for the access point to be used for Remote Play (“Internet” or “Private Network”)
*Enter the PLAYSTATION®Network sign-in ID and password for the account in use on your PS3
*Once you’ve activated Remote Play, you should see your PS3’s XMB on your PSP’s screen
*From here, you can navigate to PLAYSTATION Store, browse as you normally would on PS3, and start the download process…by the time you get home, your PS3 will be ready to go!

There are a number of interesting ways the PSP and PS3 can work together. We’ll look at another one tomorrow.

Tip #1: PlayStation Portable Podcast RSS

If you’re reading the PlayStation.Blog, you’re probably also a frequenter of sites like IGN, Kotaku, Destructoid, PS3Fanboy and others who cater to those of us with an insatiable thirst for gaming news. And if you’re anywhere near as hungry for up to the second info as I am, RSS is your friend. But what about those few, unfortunate minutes of the day when you’re outside of a Wi-Fi hot spot? Enter the PSP’s RSS channel. With this feature (instituted in firmware v2.60), you can easily save podcasts from gaming outlets (or any kind of website, really), and play it back anywhere, Wi-Fi hotspot or not.

Here’s how to get started, using IGN’s Podcast Beyond as an example:

* Point the PSP browser to http://feeds.ign.com/ignfeeds/podcasts/games/ while connected to the internet via Wi-Fi.
* You’ll be asked if you want to add the channel. Select Yes, obviously.
* Then go to RSS under Network
* Press X on IGN games podcasts, and you’ll see a list of all their podcast offerings.
* Select Podcast Beyond (they’re up to episode 26 as of this writing) and you can either play it immediately by pressing X, or hit the triangle button and choose to save. If you’ve got enough space on your Memory Stick Pro Duo, you can then go back and listen at your leisure, regardless of internet accessibility.

Note that podcasts tend to be lengthy, so if you’re a hoarder you may need a multiple gigabyte Stick.

Here are a few other podcasts that you may find to be worth a listen (feel free to share your faves in the comment section):

*PlayStation Nation Podcast
*Insomniac Games’ Full Moon Show
*Sony Online Entertainment Podcast
*PlayStation Fancast

One thing I particularly like about PSP Fanboy (well there’s not just one thing – but one thing pertaining to this conversation) is that they have a mobile-friendly browser that loads very quickly on the PSP: m.pspfanboy.com

For more info on the PSP’s RSS features, head over here. See you tomorrow with another tip, and Merry Christmas Eve!