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Tag Archives: Beta Testing

Here’s How You Can Get Into the PlayStation Home Beta

August 10, 2008 – 12:00 pm

PS3 Home Screen

Many people have been patiently waiting to get into the PlayStation Home Beta. Some haven’t been so patient. Sony knows you want your hands on it and is going to expand the closed Beta with a bunch of new people. If you download the new PlayStation Home Theme on the PlayStation Store, you’ll be entered.

By downloading the theme, users are submitting an application to join the PlayStation Home Beta test community. We will be using a variety of criteria including activity on the PLAYSTATION Network to determine eligibility for the Beta community. Existing beta testers have automatically qualified to be part of the expanded beta.

Not everyone who downloads the theme is getting in, but this is a way to play around with the new PS3 feature before it goes public. Good stuff.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , | Comments (3)

Capcom Patching SSFIITHDR Beta

July 23, 2008 – 9:00 am

SF2 HD Remix Screen

That’s right folks. Those of you who’s 360’s are crashing from the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta are in luck. Even though Capcom said they wouldn’t be, a patch is in the works.

No word on what they’re fixing, but they’re fixing it. We tried to get in touch with Capcom, but have yet to hear back. Stay tuned.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta Impressions

July 7, 2008 – 10:00 am

SF2 HD Remix Screen

I spent a good deal of time the past week with the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta. I’m not typing that again, so I’ll call it SSFIITHDR Beta from now on. That’s just as hard to type. We’ll figure something out.

If you’re in your late 20’s to early 30’s, you grew up with Street Fighter II (and it’s various iterations) in the arcades. I spent countless hours and thousands of quarters perfecting my fighting regimen. And trust me when I say I was damn good back then. When Street Fighter II was announced for the Xbox Live Arcade, I got all antsy in the pantsy. Sadly, the game didn’t turn out to be the faithful recreation we had all hoped, mainly because of the controls with the difficult Xbox 360 D-pad. I was a bit skeptical at first when I heard Capcom would be turning the game into an HD Remix, mainly because of said controls. After spending a week with the game, I’m happy to report they did it right. The controls feel very solid using the left analog stick. Takes you back to rocking the joystick on the arcade machines of days past. You can customize the button layout to your liking, which is a huge plus since we’re not working with 6 face buttons (I miss you, Sega Genesis 6-button controller).

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By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , , | Comments (3)

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Beta Launched, Broken

June 25, 2008 – 7:00 pm

SF2 HD Remix Screen

The SSFIITHDR Beta launched today on the Xbox 360 and some people are pissed off. Buy some people, I mean pretty much everyone playing the game. The Beta is locking up hardcore to the point where you have to power down your 360. Yikes. Worst part? Capcom has no plans to fix it.

“We will not be patching the beta… resubmissions would cost a fortune and not go live for weeks even if we had (MS would have to reapprove every submission). This isn’t like the PC where a developer can make changes daily (for good or ill). All feedback and bugs will be factored into the final code.”

So if you bought Wolf of the Battlefield for no reason other than to get into the Street Fighter Beta, you got screwed. Hard. With no lube. I haven’t attempted the play the Beta yet, but I’m not expecting much given the major problems being reported.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Home Coming in 2008, But Only as a Beta

June 4, 2008 – 4:00 pm

PlayStation Home Screen

Looks like Sony is going to take a similar approach as Gmail with the release of Home. It’s still on track for release in 2008, but only as an open beta. Wired had this to say:

While talking to senior director of PlayStation Network Susan Panico yesterday about Sony’s new online PS3 magazine Qore, we got very briefly onto the subject of Home. Saying that the software is still due for release at the end of the year, Panico noted that the “rollout will be similar to Gmail,” describing what will launch this year as an “open, working beta.”

Home is starting to feel like Duke Nuken Forever. So much talk, so much hype. Hopefully there aren’t any more delays and everyone can get their hands on with the PS3’s big networking hit as soon as possible.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , | Comments (3)

Metal Gear Online Beta is Over

May 12, 2008 – 7:00 pm

Metal Gear Online

Well people, the Beta period for Metal Gear Online is over. After all the debacle with signing up, most people stopped playing with GTA was released. There were definitely a few bugs, but overall it was a fun experience.

Check out our impressions of how it all went down here. I’m hoping more game modes get added for the final release next month. Differentiating yourself from the competition is what’s needed in the online shooter market.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Impressions - Metal Gear Online Beta (PS3)

April 29, 2008 – 10:00 am

Metal Gear Online

I don’t want to call this a review because, well, it’s a beta test. To give it a score just wouldn’t be fare. So I’m just going to tell you all what I think about the Metal Gear Online Beta.

After all the shenanigans with the Konami ID signups were ironed out and the play period was delayed, we were finally able to get our hands on with Metal Gear Online. The Beta shipped with two maps, Blood Bath and Groznyj Grad, while a third, Midtown Maelstrom, was recently added to the game. To go with these maps, you have five game types to choose from: Death Match, Team Death Match, Base Mission, Sneaking Mission, and Capture Mission.

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By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , | Comments (3)

Metal Gear Online Gets New Content

April 28, 2008 – 10:00 am

Metal Gear Online

Folks over in Europe can jump for joy as the Metal Gear Online Beta got a new map and gameplay mode today. If you’re anywhere else in the world, you get nothing. No word on when this update will spread to North America and Asia, but we’ll keep you posted when we hear back from Konami.

The new map, Midtown Maelstrom, is a medium size level in a war-torn town. The new gameplay mode, Sneaking Mission, has one player acting as Solid Snake with all of his equipment and goodies. You go around trying to collect dog tags without being caught and killed, all the while the teams go around killing each other. If you get more than 10 players in the match, one of the players becomes the little rolly Metal Gear Mk II to help Snake collect the dog tags.

The new mode seems pretty damn cool and I can’t wait to try it out in the US. Check back for our impressions of the Metal Gear Online Beta later today.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , | Comments (1)

Konami ID Issues with Metal Gear Online Beta

April 20, 2008 – 9:00 pm

Metal Gear Online

You’ve undoubtedly heard about the server issues with the Konami ID website for the Metal Gear Online Beta. Basically, you need to sign up to use the Konami tracking system for stats and collecting other data for the beta test. Problem is, the servers have been getting so hammered, the site has been up and down, making it difficult to register or login.

It took me the better part of 4 days trying to setup an account before I was finally able to get through. Even after the servers came back up, I got error messages trying to do anything on the site.

This has me very concerned about how the beta will actually work. If you can’t log in to the Konami servers to setup or connect to your account, how are you supposed to play online? The whole Komani ID debacle is just as bad as friend codes and shouldn’t even be used. If it has to be, they need to make sure those servers are up and lightning fast, which they aren’t. Once Monday comes around and everyone tries to log on and play the Beta, I’m sure it’s going to bring their servers down even further. We’ll keep you posted, but it doesn’t look good.

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

Metal Gear Online Details Revealed

April 16, 2008 – 12:00 pm

Metal Gear Online

Over at PlayStation.Blog, a whole heap of details about the upcoming Metal Gear Online Beta were let out of the bag. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to download the beta game if you have a special code from preordering MGS4. The Beta will be playable from April 21st through May 5th.

You’ll need two Konami IDs to participate. Yeah, almost like friend codes. Pretty annoying. I thought we had one PSN name for a reason. Anyway, you’ll be able to customize your character with all kinds of attire and facial differences. Once you make your character pretty, you can pick four skills to specialize in, all of which can be upgraded through play in the game.

Close Quarter Combat (CQC), knife fighting, quickness, alertness, heavy weaponry mastery, demolition, and sniper mastery are just some of the skills you can specialize in.

Konami dropped a huge list of weapons and such that you’ll be able to use as well as detailing the two maps, Blood Bath and Groznyj Grad, that will be available in the Beta. The best part about the maps? Huge man catapults to shoot you across the map. You won’t have to run or sneak your way when you can fly. Good stuff. Can’t wait until next week to start playing.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

By Matt Banks | Posted in Loot Ninja | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (1)