[Matt@Sim_Moves]

CRASH FM Podcast #29 in LIVE VIDEO Tomorrow

We're always trying to step things up at criteriongames.com, so tomorrow, for the very first time, we're broadcasting Podcast#29 in LIVE VIDEO at 1500 BST.

We'll be answering your questions and hosting a live game on PlayStation 3.

So, if you want to check it out - here's the link to our Live Podcast page - we'll be on the air at 1500BST!

The audio version of the podcast will also be available via the usual links.

Freeburn Game Mode Preview

We had a great session today with the new Freeburn Challenges – Marked Man, Road Rage and Stunt Run. These are all part of the Cagney update.

If you missed our announcement of these modes, hit this link to check out the original blog entry.

We're constantly play-testing these modes and making changes to improve them. We shot some footage as we played, so you could check out the highlights, so here's your first chance to take a look and let us know what you think.

Like we've said here before, we're transforming the experience you can have in Paradise City, and these modes (the first of many) really open the game up to extended play.


Marked Man

This gives you a clear indication of how easy it is to set these modes up in the game. You just push right on the D-Pad, pick them from the Easy Drive menu and you're off.

The footage shows how everyone just cruises the city while a Marked Man is selected. Once the selection's made, all the action starts – in this case you're seeing the action from the perspective of the Marked Man.

It shows IainA making a break for the relative safety of a hiding position round the back of Angus Wharf. He's constantly checking his rear-view camera to see how close his rivals are and he does a pretty good job of evading them, before finally missing a simple jump and getting schooled by christina!



Road Rage

Here, you can see players selecting which team they'll be on through the Easy Drive. As with any game there's lots of debate over teams, so we'll just skip straight to the action.

We're going to track to the action from IainA's screen again. He's picked to be on the red team – these guys are trying to eliminate all the blue team players, before they can get through a set of checkpoints. While IainA can see all the checkpoints, the blue team can only see one checkpoint ahead. In this sequence, you can see IainA picking off a blue team player right on the checkpoint, getting taken down by team-mate britney, eliminating christina and finally the end of the game.



You can also clearly see headline events like players reaching checkpoints called out on-screen and the player display showing the blue team's distance from to the next checkpoint.

Stunt Run

We're in-car with GarryC as he pursues kylie down the South Bay Expressway. You'll see him land a classy first jump, before stacking it, as everyone crowds into the jumps area.



Everyone's scores update in real-time on the display, so you can see Fish1 top the scores with 2 million plus. What you don't quite see in this sequence is Fish1 getting taken down right at the end after accumulating all his score in a single combo and dropping down to last place.

We'll record another session with these modes soon, and look forward to bringing you some news on Freeburn Challenges tomorrow.