I must see my wireless setup page more than any other website I frequent.

I can almost mark the exact day on my calendar; the occasion, however, is always changing. An ambiguous event haunts me every time I dare turn on my game consoles. On good days, running at about ten to twelve day sprees, I can kick back and enjoy my favorite past time. Then, roughly two to three times a month if I’m lucky, I get these fantastic messages sent to me, and they aren’t secret admirer love letters either. Here’s what I get: “You have been disconnected from Xbox Live”, “You have a moderate to strict NAT”, “This IP Address has already been taken”, and lastly, I’ll see “Signing into PlayStation Network” load for minutes on end.

You guessed it, I get continuous router problems.

Of course, a few of you will quickly comment that this is just a me problem. However, if that was the case, why are there countless forums on this kind of topic? Just Google keywords like “NAT types”, “Xbox 360/PS3 Online Problems”, “DNS Errors”, etc., and see how many people the world over have the same kind of problems I have. I still wonder why online gaming, or online connection at all for that matter is still such a hassle in this day and age.
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One of the best things about Call of Duty multiplayer is the killstreak rewards. Getting a set number of kills and being rewarded with greatness such as an attack helicopter, a predator missile, an AC-130 airship, and even a nuke can bring such an amazing amount of fun and excitement to an essentially saturated genre. The latest installment in the Call of Duty series, Black Ops, has just had a leak on a few of it’s killstreaks recently. Oh, and guess what…

…dogs are back!

Call of Duty: Black Ops Killstreak Bonuses

• 3 Kills – Spy Plane
• 3 Kills – RC-XD (RC bomb)
• 4 Kills – Counter Spy Plane
• 4 Kills – SAM Turret
• 5 Kills – Care Package
• 5 Kills – Napalm Strike
• 6 Kills – Sentry Gun
• 6 Kills – Mortar Team
• 7 Kills – Attack Helicopter
• 7 Kills – Valkyrie Rockets
• 8 Kills – Blackbird
• 8 Kills – “Rolling Thunder”
• 9 Kills – Chopper Gunner
• 11 Kills – Attack Dogs
• 11 Kills – Gunship

Don’t lie, a napalm strike sounds pretty f’n cool, don’t ya think? And remember, this isn’t the complete list of things, just a little taster if you will. Let’s hope Treyarch confirms some more stuff in the near future. Sound off below and let us know which killstreak interests you the most.

Source via Joystiq

In their 3rd Quarter Financial Results, 2K Games officially announced that L.A. Noire has been delayed until the first half of 2011.

While the delay comes as no surprise, given the game’s absence from the major game shows this year as well as the rumors of the delay from a couple of weeks ago, it is still a bit of a bummer. The game looks quite interesting and now it will add to the glut of high quality games coming in the first half of 2011.

L.A. Noire is a detective story set in the 1940’s and when the game does finally come out, it will be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Source

Be honest with yourself. Its every gamer’s secret fantasy to dismember their so-called ‘friends’ with cordless power tools. Okay maybe not, but that’s not really the point; the point is that we’ve heard some rumors today for the previously announced Dead Space 2 multiplayer. GamerNode reports that in addition to a deathmatch-style mode, where players will control both Necromorphs (\m/) and soldiers, there will be other multiplayer modes announced later.

Additionally, (and most shockingly) pre-ordering through GameStop will net you an exclusive in-game rivet gun but, on the uptick, pre-ordering anywhere will get you Dead Space: Ignition, the motion-comic prequel detailing events leading up to Dead Space 2. So, hit the comments; who’s picking up Dead Space 2? Who can’t wait to eat their friend’s brains as a Necromorph? Who else thinks those Necro-baby-zombie-things are pretty much the scariest thing imaginable?

via Joystiq

PlayStation Plus subscribers will be the first to check out the demo of God of War: Ghost of Sparta for the PSP next week, September 7, when it hits the PlayStation Store. Of course, this is noted as an early access demo, so regular PSN members should have access to it a little later on.

However, if hacking and slashing isn’t your thing, take to the skies…or land via jeep or tank, in the multiplayer-only title Warhawk, when a full game trial becomes available. If you don’t recall, Warhawk was one of the first great PS3 multiplayer titles, and from word of mouth there is still a strong community, so definitely check this one out.

Obviously these aren’t the only things coming to PlayStation Plus subscribers next week, so check the official list below and see what else is comin’ at ya. Afterward, let us know in the comment section whether or not you will be checking out the Ghost of Sparta demo or one of the other goodies available to you.
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Ready to prove you are the absolute  best of the best in Call of Duty? Think you’re up to snuff with the big boys? Treyarch wants you to prove you’re more than talk with Call of Duty: Black Ops and it’s new Wager matches. Use the currency you earn in Black Ops and put it on the line against other players aiming to make you broke-think you can handle the pressure?

There are four wager matches to choose from, all Free-For-All of course, and all are really creative and intriguing. One match, called One in the Chamber, has you spawn with a pistol, one bullet, and three lives; if you kill an enemy you can take their bullet, however, if you miss you are then defenseless. There’s also a gametype called Sticks and Stones, where a tomahawk throw to the back will make you instantly bankrupt!

You can check out a video explaining all four gametypes here, and then head down to the comment bunker and tell us what you think of Black Ops‘ multiplayer. Is it shaping up nicely, or is it more of the same?

Grab a hammer and nail the headphones to your ears, its time for Force Feedback! This is the show where we turn the spotlight over to you the mighty Axehead army. This week, we’re talking about the Xbox Live price increase, the rumors Brad Pitt will be playing John Marston, used games, BioWare and much more.

Prepare yourself for Force Feedback!
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Valve’s Gabe Newell has promised at least three “big surprises” in the next 12 months, according to the latest issue of PC Gamer.

Knowing Valve, Newell could have pulled the number “three” out of thin air–maybe it was the number of doughnuts he had for breakfast that morning. Either way, Valve wants to prepare us for a shocking year.

“I can guarantee you people are going to be surprised at stuff we do. That isn’t going to stop any time soon. I’m just laughing because… people will be shocked again,” Newell said. “We have three pretty big surprises in the next 12 months at least.”

So what could the three–at least–surprises from Valve be? My bet is on Half-Life 3, a full-length TF2 movie and a hat DLC pack for Left 4 Dead 2. What do you guys think Valve is cooking up? Make your wishlist in the comments!

Fittingly, Batman: Arkham City likes a little mystery behind its release – Rocksteady confirmed to UK magazine PSM3 the sequel will feature some sort of multiplayer capability, but didn’t reveal any specifics about what that might mean.

“Multiplayer is a certainty, but no details on this yet,” a PSM3 article previewing the game teased in its September issue.

Multiplayer in Arkham City could range from a versus mode to a whole co-op campaign, most likely with Catwoman clawing at your side, as there has been no sign of any boy wonders in the game.

In another mysterious move, twenty new (freakin’ awesome) screenshots from Arkham City have surfaced online, traced back to an anonymous Flickr account. While their authenticity is as yet unconfirmed, the pictures look too legit to be fanmade and Harley Quinn’s outfit matches her official reveal on the cover of OPM UK.

Check out the screens then discuss what you want to see in a Batman: Arkham City multiplayer mode below!

via Joystiq

Microsoft confirmed Kinect’s voice recognition system will support only four languages at launch: US English, UK English, Mexican Spanish and Japanese.

Qu’est-ce que l’enfer?

Mainland Europe, Australia, Canada and all other Kinected countries will have to wait at least until Spring 2011 for their specific voice recognition region to be activated. Until then, regions will be locked out of the voice system entirely, meaning even if a main-lander knows how to speak one of the four supported languages, Kinect no podrá hacerlo.

Lidia Pitzalis of Microsoft España explained to Eurogamer.es the decision to block languages by region is to ensure users don’t have any “frustrating experiences” with foreign accents. As a West Coast resident, I think Louisianans have foreign accents, but Microsoft seems confident Kinect will have no trouble recognizing anything in the States or across the UK.

What do our foreign commenters think about the exclusion of so many languages at Kinect’s launch? Do you think this will this affect Kinect sales in the excluded regions? ¡Nos diga aquí!