For the eccentric fanboy, the always reliable GameVideos has a direct comparison between the two versions of the new Grand Theft Auto. The difference? Good luck finding any. Once could say the PS3 colors are slightly richer, but that could just as easily be the means of recording. There are also a few frame rate hitches during the driving sequences on the PS3, but it’s so minor, you may not even notice.

So, does this finally settle the debate between which hardware is more powerful? You have one of the most complex, involving games ever made, and both systems have running nearly flawless. Fanboys, seriously, please stop. Make everyone happier.

Both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of this insanely hot title are experiencing some issues. Some people have been experiencing freezing during the extended opening cinematic. Kotaku called a rep from Rockstar who claimed only 60 GB PS3s. They also confirmed the Xbox 360 version is experiencing the same issues, though which models are no mentioned.

On the other hand, Joystiq claims they cannot confirm Xbox 360 issues. They were told to erase the install and save data and start over from scratch. The site is also reporting on sever problems with the PS3 edition. Can someone say overload?

From personal experience on a 360 Elite about two hours in, everything has been running smoothly. Not even a hiccup has been noted. At the very least, the glitch seems to be happening before player get hours into the game and are forced to start over.

To go along with the 20th anniversary celebration, EA Sports Madden series will feature a first: a retiree on the cover. Brett Favre retired after last season, and is certainly worthy of the cover. It’s not his first game cover, but the first time he’s graced Madden.

Other new additions thanks to this GameTap interview include online leagues, play tracking which provides feedback on the players style, and a new training center with a holographic style. The leagues are one of those “it’s about freakin’ time” additions, featuring 32-player capability, one for each team in the NFL. Maybe the exclusivity will finally pay off.

Xbox Live etiquette, in a perfect world, would be common sense. However, it’s inevitable that at some point, you’re going to run into someone who decided to pay $50 a year simply to ruin your day. These people come in a variety of categories, and not all commit the same offenses.

To see the full list of potential offenses, see the list. To see those who failed to follow the rules, keep reading.

Gamertag: youlnevergethis
Game: Halo 3 Team Deathmatch
Awards: That’s Gay Guy, Walk Away

Seemingly dissatisfied with the game, this player decided to continually remark about how gay the game was. A lot. Actually, constantly. A few minutes in, he apparently had enough and dropped himself out of the game leaving teammates stranded in The Pit already down by six points.

Gamertag: GetYourHelmetOn
Game: Halo 3 Team Deathmatch
Awards: Outside Conversator, You’re a ***** Guy

Beyond carrying on a separate conversation with a friend about what they were going to do after the match, Helmet broke a cardinal rule: being a racist idiot. As an opponent cleanly jumped a grenade throw, Helmet blurted out “He sure did jump high. He must be black.” That right there? That lands you on the list.

Gamertag: U TWEEKING JO
Game: Halo 3 Team Doubles
Awards: Losing Trash Talker

Sigh. Look buddy, you lost and it wasn’t close. However, launching into a non-stop tirade using nothing but a four letter word that rhymes with “suck” doesn’t help your cause. Actually, it makes you look like someone who doesn’t take loss well and lands you here on this oh so funny list for all to see.

It’s scary to think that anything could match up to Halo 3’s marketing push. You could pre-order Halo at 7-11. How much bigger can you get?

According to Microsoft, not much, but they can match it. The push for the Xbox 360 version of the game will be backed by a massive ad campaign. Why is Microsoft doing this? Simple. They spent $50 million dollars to secure exclusive content for the game. They need to make that number back somehow.

It’s certainly a rarity, if not a first, for a company to get behind a third party, non-exclusive title. Can you imagine Sony hyping up, say, Kane and Lynch like this? The content for Rockstar’s behemoth had better be spectacular for all the money Microsoft is putting behind it. If not, this could be another financial blunder along the lines of buying Rare or the now infamous three red lights debacle.

Cheap? Poor? Just didn’t feel like spending $10 on three maps?

Bungie has an answer. The Heroic Map Pack is officially a free download. The maps included the Foundry, and open level which let creative people show off their skills in the Forge. It’s also a decent team doubles/slayer map as well. The others are rarely seen outside of Big Team Battles, including the vehicle loaded Rats Nest included. These are not required downloads, but at some point (like with Halo 2), they will be needed to play certain game types. Might as well get it out of the way now.

Now, to further pull money from people, the Legendary map pack is due soon in April, bringing three more maps for the same price. Likewise, these will also become free down the road.

By now, Halo 3 videos are a dime a dozen. We’ve all seen ‘em before, and most are admittedly pretty lame. However, I spotted this one on Kotaku and couldn’t resist posting it here. So, check out the glory that is the mystery Warthog betrayal.

Let us hope that every multiplayer game from now till the end of time includes the playback feature.

Xbox 360 owners will be enjoying a new $10 map pack for the superb Call of Duty 4 on April 3rd. PlayStation 3 owners? Not so much.

The four new maps won’t be available until the end of the month on April 24th. Nothing specific was mentioned as a reason for this delay on Fourzerotwo’s blog, a community manager for Infinity Ward. If you think that’s bad, just imagine being a PC user waiting for the maps. They’re getting them, well, no seems to know. They’re working out the “logistics” of that download.

Seriously, it’s PC content. It doesn’t need certification from another company. Shouldn’t that be the easiest of the three to get out into the public?

Fans eagerly waiting for Battlefield: Bad Company have some small relief coming their way. A beta is soon to come, at least if you own a 360. PS3 owners get the short end of the stick.

If you’re an IGN member or your pre-ordered your copy because for some reason you’ll think they’ll be in short supply, you’re entered. If you’re part of the latter group, you had to be one of the first 5,000 pre-orders. If you’re an IGN member, you already have a spot if you register at this link.

The test run will last for 30 days, from March 25th to April 25th. Two maps and a single mode of play will make up this beta period. That’s not a bad time span of play for $5. Even if you’re not interested in buying it, pre-ordering to get the key and then retuning the pre-order would always work, not that we condone that type of thing.

Those of us (okay, all of us) frothing at the mouth to see the classic Super Street Fighter II remade in HD will get their wish sooner than expected… partially.

When Commando 3 launches on the Live Arcade later this year, you can buy your way into a beta. Ken and Ryu will be the only selectable characters, and the full beta will last eight weeks. Oh, and PS3 owners lose out. This is a 360 exclusive. New screen shots for SSFII HD have surfaced on Kotaku as well.

If you have no idea what Commando 3 is, here’s a history lesson. No relation to the Ah-nold movie of the same name, Commando started life as a vertical scrolling shooter in 1985, distributed by Data East. It launched countless knock-offs like Ikari Warriors. The NES port came a year later.

The sequel is known as Mercs. It’s early ’90s awesomeness made for great arcade gaming before landing on the Genesis is a solid port. Mercs still holds up to this day as one of the better Rambo/one man army action titles.

16 player chaos. Racing. Earing in-game money during online play for single player. Lots of carnage.

Yes, GTA IV is looking like a fun time online. The only downer is the lack of co-op in the single player missions like Crackdown. Small touches as reported on by GameTap including varying volume levels of opponents voices depending on how far away they are. The multi-player maps are not confined or restricted. Rockstar is letting players race the entire map if they choose, with or without weapons.

Multi-player is unlocked within a matter of minutes, and after that, you can play all you want without having to unlock anything else. You can completely ignore the single player if you want. Options are extensive, and you can even set up handicap matches if you want, along with adjusting the number of fodder… err, people present on the streets. GameTap’s preview is on the Xbox 360 version, though the PS3 should offer all of the same options.

So, you have a buddy who lives in the UK. You live in the US. Both of you plunk down the proper currency to indulge in EA’s Army of Two. Both of you agree on a long night of co-op play, since the game is built upon the mechanic.

Sorry to say, that’s not going to work.

It turns out the PS3 version suffers from the same issue, but regardless, this is a first on the Xbox Live service. EA’s response was that this was implemented to reduce server loads.

If you remember a while back, it’s things like this that made the eventual deal to get EA on board with Xbox Live a shaky proposition. Previously, they shut down a staggering amount of servers for older titles, something that is not an issue with any other developer due to the set up of Xbox Live.

For a paid service, it’s unacceptable. With the PS3 being free, developers could do anything they want and no one could complain. Microsoft should be implementing better quality control in these situations, though knowing the online history between the two companies, there’s probably nothing they could do.