In case you have not logged on to your favorite console yet to see, Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s 5^th (yes, 5^th) VIP Map Pack is now available for download.

If you were hoping that this, the 5^th (again, the 5^th) VIP Map Pack would finally be the one with new maps, consider your hopes mostly destroyed.  VIP Map Pack 5 (5) follows the same formula as VIP Map Pack 1, VIP Map Pack 2, VIP Map Pack 3 and VIP Map Pack 4 where old maps are combined with old game modes to create a… new-ish experience.

Also, as with the first four VIP Map Packs, this one is 100% free—as long as you have the VIP code that came with all new copies of the game.  If you bought the game second-hand, you’ll need to download the VIP code for $15, which will give you access to all of the VIP content.

The yummy bits this time consist of being able to play White Pass in Rush Mode and Nelson Bay in Conquest Mode.

Hey, at least EA and DiCE continue to release free content on a pretty regular basis!

Just in case you haven’t heard enough hype over Gran Turismo 5, Polyphony Digital is once again pumping the loooong overdue game saying that the level of detail and precision is way too good to be considered current-gen.  Kazunori Yamauchi (Polyphony Digital Boss) claims that GT5 will be so awesome it would “… actually [be] more suited to the next generation of machines.”

Mr. Yamauchi’s statement means nothing, of course, because GT5 will be released with the PS3’s current-gen limitations—but it’s good to hear that he’s excited about the game he’s been working on for the last 5-years.  Hell, with GT5’s alleged 1000 realistically rendered car models, true-to-life damage, weather effects and a track editor; we should all probably be that excited!

So, are you?  Let me know.

Maybe it’s just my git ‘r done philosophy, but I’m really eager to get my hands on the NASCAR portion of the game.  That November 2^nd release date has me reaching for my SpeedFreeks already!

MAG was [is] one of those games that you either loved in spite of its shortcomings or hated because, shortcomings or not, it was pure trash.  I’m still not 100% sure which side I’m on.  I love the massive amounts of action taking place on-screen but loathe most of the rest.  Well, no matter.  Enough people out there on PSN still play enough MAG to warrant its first batch of paid DLC.

On June 22, you (apparently) thousands of really quiet MAG fans will be able to download the “Interdiction” expansion pack from the PlayStation Network for $9.99.

From Zipper Interactive:

“But what’s in it,” you say? Well, for starters, we’re introducing a brand new gametype that we’re calling (what else?) “Interdiction.” Built for up to 128 simultaneous players, Interdiction challenges two rival factions to be attackers and seize control of three command posts with the aid of several heavily-armed convoys on three brand new maps (Lake Bayano Spur, Sovot Motorway, and Iron Cree Quarry). To make it even more interesting, we’ve made all three maps completely faction neutral – allowing all sides to play any map whenever they want – in addition to supplying every squad with their own APC vehicle (that’s 16 APCs on the map at once!). To win, players must capture and hold as many objectives as possible to increase their score while concurrently depleting their enemy’s. In short, Interdiction mode = crazy battlefield mayhem.”

Zipper is also including in the Interdiction pack a new “Heavy Improved” armor set and some new medals, ribbons and trophies.

A little over a week has passed since I first played Heavy Rain.  And I really wasn’t planning on doing any kind of review for it. Because, you see, it’s not really a game—in the traditional sense, anyway—and I was afraid many of you pubescent Modern Warfare gamers here wouldn’t really care.  But a few days after finishing the story, I just can’t seem to get it out of my head.  So, I’ve decided to do a small review.  If not only for closure for myself, to spread the word to you “hardcore” gamers about an amazing interactive experience that you really should play.

Spending a whole lot of time talking about the story would be a disservice to you, so I’m not going to talk too much about that here.  But as to not leave you completely in the dark, Heavy Rain’s story is about a father whose son gets kidnapped and the trials and pain he goes through to try to save him.  Think somewhere between the movies “Saw” and “The Fan.”  Just know that Heavy Rain’s narrative is really great, and not just great for a game, great for a movie.  And that’s really what Heavy Rain is—an interactive movie.

Though the main story revolves around the aforementioned father, you also get to play as a great cast of supporting characters like an FBI agent, a Private Investigator and a pretty lady who shows her boobies a few times.  As the mystery unfolds, the characters’ stories eventually intertwine to reveal the kidnapper/serial killer dubbed the Origami Killer.

The gameplay aspects of Heavy Rain are pretty simple.  As you explore your surroundings you will be prompted to press certain buttons to make your character interact with people or items in the environment.  It may be as simple as hitting a face button or it could be a timed series of acrobatic stick movements and button presses that test your fingers’ dexterity.  If you’ve played video games in the past five-years you are probably familiar with the QTE—well, it’s a lot of that.

Now, that may not sound very awesome, but somehow the quick time events feel strangely fresh here.  The tension-inducing exercises take a symbiotic coordination of eye and hand that really add to the suspense of the game.

Further adding to the suspense is the fact that your actions in the game effect the overall story in a much greater way than you’re used to.  If you make the wrong decision at crucial moments during the game or miss certain quick time events, things can go south quickly.  Maybe you won’t find your son alive or maybe you won’t find him at all.  Make a big enough mistake and you’ll just die—for good.

Quantic Dream and Sony have built a high budget action game with Heavy Rain.  The art direction rivals anything Hollywood has to offer.  Your mood is stirred by a great soundtrack and the above average voice acting carries the story for the duration.  And did I mention boobies?

Overall, Heavy Rain is an amazing interactive experience that you owe it to yourself to play.  It is a rare game; one that can be enjoyed by both the person who holds the controller and couch-lurkers like girlfriends and roommates.  If you have a PlayStation, go out and buy the game immediately.  If you don’t have a PlayStation, get one!  Show your support for fresh game ideas like Heavy Rain and we’ll all be rewarded with more great games like it in the future.  Believe me, Microsoft and the creators of Natal are playing Heavy Rain right now just dreaming about the possibilities.

You might not know this, but much like Punxsutawney Phil does for weather, John Madden does for football.  That’s right!  Earlier this week, Madden came out of his hole and saw his shadow, predicting a long overdue diet and a tough loss for the Indianapolis Colts.

Well, it’s actually Madden’s game that is used for the Super Bowl predicting—but the results are the same.

Every year for Super Bowl, EA cranks up the latest Madden NFL game and lets the computer figure out who’s going to win the big game.  The simulation is run each year in hopes to satisfy our curious minds and, more importantly for EA, sell a few more copies of the game before football is forgotten for 6-months.

 The computer simulation is usually pretty accurate too.  In five out of the past 6 years Madden has gotten the winner right.  The only recent championship game it failed to predict was Super Bowl XLII where the Giants beat the Pats—but who could have predicted that one?

This year the simulation predicted that the New Orleans Saints would be the victor by the very close margin of 35 - 31. Drew Brees turned out to be the MVP with 299 yards and three touchdowns; while Reggie Bush found the end zone twice with a rushing touchdown and a punt returned for a TD.  Peyton Manning had a solid performance with 322 yards and three touchdowns but came up just short of the championship ring.

Before you call your bookie, though, you should know that the Madden Simulation does not take into account certain intangibles like player hot-streaks, nerves and experience or Dwight Freeney's bad ankle.

Whatever the outcome is of the actual Super Bowl, the results of the simulation predict a good, high-scoring game that all of us should enjoy.  So, like my old tee ball coach used to say (he also used to hit on my mom and make sure I was wearing my jockstrap by “knocking”), “no matter who wins the game, we’re all winners!”

It’s no doubt that by now, if you own a PS3, you’ve downloaded the MAG open beta and run it through its paces a bit.  And by this point you’ve probably made the decision if you are going to buy it or not when it comes out on January 26^th.   And chances are, if you played the game for less than an hour-or-two, you’ve decided to not purchase the game and have gone back to playing MW2.

So if I’m right and that’s your story, I have written this mini-review on the beta just for you in hopes that you’ll give MAG a little more time—because if you haven’t put in a good bit of time getting to know the game, you haven’t really uncovered many of the things that make MAG so addictive.  Sure, once the full game comes out later this month my little review will probably mean squat, but it should at least give you an idea of what to expect with the full release.

Let’s first start out by addressing the pink elephant in the room:  MAG’s graphics don’t look to be on par with a certain shooter that came out a few months ago.  Frankly, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 makes MAG look like a PS2 game.  But once you consider the amount of action going on and the ridiculous number of players on the screen at once, you see that the subpar graphics are justified.  If MW2 had as many players as MAG does playing in one game at the same time, you could bet your noobtube you’d have complete network failure.

Zipper Interactive has really raised the bar in terms of player-count on consoles.  Gears Of War 2 maxes out at a mere 10 players.  Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 allows only 18.  Battlefield: Bad Company has room for 24.  Killzone 2 boasts 32 players.  MAG lets 256 (TWO-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FRIGGIN-SIX) players shoot at each other at the same time and runs near-flawlessly while doing it.

Impressed?  You should be.

MAG’s not running perfectly quite yet, though—occasionally servers would go down and drop me from games (usually when I was doing really well, which was maddening).  And sometimes it took a while to get in to a game, but only a few times did I experience lag during play—and it was always very minor.  Of course, these things are to be expected with such an ambitious player-count; and that’s why the beta is public, after all.  By the time MAG hits shelves, most of these issues should be fixed.

Now lets look at the actual gameplay of MAG.  Playing with 256 players is as hectic as it sounds.  In the two game types available in the beta, Sabotage and Domination, your main goal is to either attack or defend control points across the game’s large maps.  Sabotage is like “Domination-Lite”—as you only have three structures to attack or defend and only 64 players playing at once.  Think of it as training for the enormous Domination, which Zipper probably figured was too big to jump right in to and start playing.  Domination, as stated before, is seriously huge.  It has the same basic premise as Sabotage but adds manned-turrets, bombing-runs, UAV’s, advanced squad-perks and a vehicle-or-two that you can control.

Some of the advanced features (like airstrikes and squad-perks) require you to be a Squad Leader, Platoon Leader or Officer in Charge.  Becoming one of these leader-types takes quite a bit of leveling up but gives you abilities that can change the tide-of-war in a second for you and your comrades.

The whole thing sort of plays like a mash-up of Battlefield: Bad Company, Modern Warfare and SOCOM.  And at this point MAG may not be as good as any of those—but it definitely deserves a good portion of your time.  Zipper has crafted a game that finally makes you feel like you’re a small piece in a really large war—which is probably how you would feel in an actual war.  Trust me, MAG will inspire developers to think bigger, and that’s good for all of us.  Can you imagine playing Call OF Duty: Modern Warfare 6 with 500 players?  I can, and it’s all thanks to MAG—the father of Massive Action Games.

The weird, wacky, Second Life-ish PlayStation Home has made its way in to 10 million homes, announced Sony earlier today.  This coincides with the 1-year anniversary of the launch of the Home open beta.

Recently, a few new themed spaces have popped up, increasing the amount of cool, free stuff to mess around with.  One such space is the new Sodium Hub that lets “Homies” play an interesting  tank-shooter type game, squish robotic scorpions by way of boot and serve fake bar patrons even faker drinks.

I know, it doesn’t sound that great now, but as PlayStation Home establishes itself as a viable platform and attracts more developers, it will become the premier online forum.  Home is the best way for devs to promote their products and create fun, interactive marketing campaigns that are only possible on PlayStation.

PlayStation Home growing and adding more content is something that you’ll be hearing a lot more about in the near future.  It offers-up a unique experience that’s on the cutting-edge right now and is only going to get better.  So if you aren’t one of the 10 million users who use Home, you should think about getting with the program soon.