Halo 3 ODST: Three New Maps Revealed, Includes Remake Of Halo 2's Midship

HALO 3: ODST: Bungie unveils three multiplayer maps from the forthcoming next installment in their flagship FPS franchise.

Feast your eyes on ODST's Heretic map, an overhauled version of Halo 2's favorite Midship.

Bungie reveals three brand new multiplayer maps for Halo 3: ODST, the standalone expansion to 2007's Halo 3 on Xbox 360. The new Halo 3: ODST maps include Heretic (a remake of Halo 2's beloved Midship map), Citadel, and Longshore. Here are the official descriptions for each of the new maps.

• Heretic: returns players to familiar ground as the Halo 2 arena "Midship" makes its long-rumored debut in Halo 3. The stark interior of the Pious Inquisitor might appear austere on first glance, but Heretic's symmetrical spaces require players to execute complex strategies in order to outplay their opponents.
  
• Citadel: may be a long abandoned Forerunner stronghold, but its small, symmetrical confines are far from secure. Two opposing bases offer little safety for players looking for solace. Instead, Citadel forces small squads to stay in constant communication, keep their heads on a swivel, and be prepared to adjust combat tactics in close quarters.
  
• Longshore: lacks the commercial ships that once made it a lucrative port for Old Mombasa, but it still bustles with activity. Designed for large scale combat and well suited for smaller affairs, Longshore's multitude of industrial buildings, elevated walks, and open inlets conspire to create a complex battleground tailored for multiple combat scenarios.

Read the original article on Bungie.net.

THE VERDICT by Sports LegendsWho's excited for more Halo besides me? ODST is looking far better than merely an expansion of Halo 3... they should have just dropped the "3" in the title.

Nintendo's Controversial 'Demo Play' To Grace DS As Well

Nintendo's "Demo Play" will be making its way to their portable systems in the near future.

DS games are set to get the 'Demo Play' help feature.

Back in June, Miyamoto confirmed that "Demo Play," the new controversial "help feature" for gaming would make its way to the New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The reaction was definitely mixed, but it appears the "help feature" won't stand alone on Nintendo's big consoles however, as today in a blurb on Japan's Nikkei, it was revealed that 'Demo Play" will be featured in portable games in the future.

Nikkei referred to "Demo Play" as a "skip functionality" or "skip feature," but most notably it mentioned that the feature is designed for "high-speed action games." This presumably means that you won't have your Brain Age puzzles solved for you (though some of us could definitely use it. I'm tired of you shaking your head at me Dr. Kawashima! You hear me? Cilantro you jerk!...sorry), but you may have some help with say, some future Mario DS titles.

Expect New Super Mario Bros. Wii and "Demo Play" to arrive sometime around this holiday season.

Source: (via Joystiq)

RUMOR: PSP2 Planned To Be As Powerful As Xbox, Uses Quad Core GPU

The Sony rumor train continues, with an all new installment entitled: PSP2: Quad core GPU boogaloo.

The PSP could finally get a true successor in the near future, if rumors of a PSP2 prove correct.

Another day, another rumor for Sony and crew. Looks like this time, the rumors take a surprise turn in revealing tech specs for an upcoming PSP2 (No, not the PSPgo, but a true successor to the PSP). While this seems a bit shady as Sony just spent a great deal of time and effort promoting the PSPgo, it doesn't seem wholly implausible that Sony would already be investing in newer technology for their hand held console.

According to Eurogamer's Spanish outpost (Via Digital Foundry), a newer version of Imagination Technologies owerVR SGX543MP chip - codenamed Hydra - will form the foundation of the PSP2, which in its improved state would be a quad core chip. Apparently, the performance would then be able to match that of Microsoft's original Xbox.

It is also claimed that the new chip would be able to run Open GL 2.0, DirectX 10 and will double as both a graphics unit and CPU, allowing Sony to keep costs and power consumption to a minimum.

Again, this is all just speculation as Sony was quick to comment, "we do not comment on rumor and speculation," but, all the same, there could be some truth in the matter.

And no, there was no mention of a second analogue stick.

Read full details on the SGX543MP multi-processor here on Imgtec.com.

Source: (via Kotaku)