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Yes its a long title but it works. Classic code. Nothing but game news here
Major League Gaming announces Xperia Mobile Gaming Arena
If OpenFeint’s lightweight social connections and leaderboards lack the competitive edge your inner hardcore gamer craves, maybe Major League Gaming’s latest mouthful will satiate your demands for satisfaction. The Xperia Mobile Gaming Arena presented by Sony Mobile (we told you it was a mouthful) hopes to give smartphone toting gamers a serious cross-platform battleground, offering iOS and Android users competitive leaderboards and up to $10,000 in prizes. Currently the smartphone gaming platform only supports Gameloft’s Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, but MLG hopes to enlist more competitive titles in the coming months. “The MLG community thrives on competition,” explains Major League Gaming CEO Sundance DiGiovanni, “with our new mobile platform, we are now enabling gamers to engage in competitive play no matter where they are.” Ready to climb that leaderboard? Get your game on at the source link below, or read on for MLG’s official press release.
[Via engadget]
Sonic’s Co-Creator Joins Nintendo
Well this is a line-crossing worth taking note of. Gamasutra reports that Hirokazu Yasuhara, co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, has taken a job at Nintendo.
Because it’s never the wrong time for a Ghostbusters quote: Dogs and cats! Living together! Mass hysteria!
Yasuhara has joined Nintendo’s Software Technology devision, an American-based second-party developer that has worked on a ton of Nintendo franchises, focusing largely on DS and DSiware games. Among others, NST was the studio behind Metroid Prime Hunters and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem.
Next we’ll be hearing that Ronald McDonald is moving in with the Burger King King and they’re going into business together.
[Via kotaku]
According to a Microsoft patent filed in 2007 and approved a couple weeks ago, the next Xbox console may also double up as a digital video recorder.
The patent includes the following description:
A digital video recorder (DVR) application running alongside a television client component allows users to record media content on the gaming console. The DVR application also integrates itself with the console menu.
Once integrated, users can record media content while playing games. Alternatively, users can record content when the gaming console is turned off. The recorded content can include television programming, gaming experience (whether local or online), music, DVDs, and so on. When in the recording state, users can also switch between various other media modes, whether gaming, television, and so on.
[Via GT]
Ubiquitous disc kiosk dispensary Redbox has shared its top game rentals of 2011, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for Xbox 360 commanding the top spot. It’s no surprise that Modern Warfare 3, which earned $775 million at retail in a week, would also find itself again in fifth place with the PS3 version. It was, like, the biggest game launch ever.
Ubisoft has two members of its successful Just Dance franchise on the Redbox list, with Just Dance 3 and Smurfs Dance Party in fifth and seventh spots, respectively.
Surprise summer hit Dead Island rounds out the top three. The game’s rocky launch may have scared off some purchases, but that didn’t stop Deep Silver (and Square Enix) from shipping millions of copies of the game.
This was Redbox’s first “official” year of game rentals, expanding its test market of 5,000 last year to nearly 27,000 kiosks nationwide over the summer. Check out the full top ten after the break.
Renowned game designer Hideo Kojima took the stage Saturday night at the Spike TV Video Game Awards to announce Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, the new incarnation of what was once Metal Gear Solid: Rising.
Revengeance will star a cybernetic version of Metal Gear Solid 2 protagonist Raiden as he slashes his way through enemies. The studio Platinum Games, best known for stylish hack-and-slash action game Bayonetta, is working with Konami to develop Revengeance.
[GT]
NEW YORK — Contrary to earlier reports, Sony told Wired.com Wednesday night that its upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system will not be limited to one online account per device.
Speaking to Wired.com at a press event in Manhattan, Sony associate brand marketing manager Crystal MacKenzie said that PlayStation Network accounts will be connected to the Vita’s proprietary memory cards, not the hardware itself. Though you will have to restore the Vita to its default factory settings in order to change the account on each memory card, you can use multiple cards to access multiple PSN accounts on a single Vita system.
“Your PSN ID is bonded to your memory card and your memory card is bonded to your Vita,” MacKenzie said. “So if you wanted to change different PSN users but use the same memory card, you would need to go factory reset.”
Customers will be able to swap cards to use different PSN IDs on the same system, MacKenzie said. If you have more than one memory card, you can register a different PlayStation Network account on each.
“You can also use them both on the same PSN account as well,” she said.
Earlier this week, a number of gaming websites reported that Sony would support only one PlayStation Network account per Vita system, disappointing many American fans who used alternative accounts to purchase European and Japanese games on Sony’s last handheld system, the PlayStation Portable.
Sony will release PlayStation Vita on February 22 in the U.S. It will retail for $250 (with Wi-Fi) and $300 (with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity).
[Wired]
Soldiers, let’s agree to a quick armistice. Activision Publishing announced on Friday that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which exploded onto store shelves this past Wednesday, has set an all-time sales record with an estimated 6.5 million copies sold in North America and the United Kingdom alone. It also registered more than $400 million in sales. This is the third consecutive day-one launch record for the company, following the releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops ($360 million) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ($310 million). Read on for more.
“Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said. “Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings,” two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.”
Activision also announced that it has donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment, a fund that helps find jobs and training for war veterans. If you’re not already bunker-deep in battle, be sure to check out our full review. Activision’s full press release follows below.
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 Sets All-Time Record for the Biggest Entertainment Launch with More than $400 Million in North America and United Kingdom Sales Alone
More Than 6.5 Million Units Sold in U.S. and U.K. in 24 Hours
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Shattering its own day-one sales records, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced that its highly-anticipated Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 has become the biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.
This marks the third consecutive year that the Call of Duty franchise has set day one launch records across all forms of entertainment, something no other entertainment franchise in any medium has ever accomplished. Last year, in North America and the United Kingdom, Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops™ had estimated day-one sell-through of $360 million and in 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set day-one records with estimated sell through of $310 million, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.
On November 8, 2011, millions of fans attended more than 13,000 midnight openings at retail stores around worldwide. According to Microsoft, after just two days, the number of gamers playing simultaneously on Xbox® Live® set a new peak concurrency record.
“We believe the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. “Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office for “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings,” two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.”
Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing added, “Call of Duty is more than a game. It’s become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere. I would like to thank our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games for making a brilliant game. But most of all, I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you.”
Separately, Activision announced this morning that in support and gratitude for the efforts of American servicemen and women, this Veterans Day it donated $3 million to the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit, public benefit corporation that seeks to provide job placement and training for veterans. This latest donation will be added to the $2 million that Activision has already donated to the Endowment, which has provided more than $1.5 million in grants and scholarships to veterans’ organizations across the country since it was conceived by Bobby Kotick in November of 2009.
[via BGR]
In 2009, the Nintendo DS generated 70% of all portable gaming revenue in the United States, but in the last two years its share has been devoured by Android and iOS. The two mobile operating systems now account for 58% of all portable gaming revenue in the United States according to Flurry, up from 34% in 2010 and 19% in 2009. Nintendo DS fell from a 70% share in 2009 to a 57% share in 2010 and tanked again this year to an estimated 36% share. Sony’s revenue share slid substantially as well. It fell from an 11% share in 2009, to a 9% share in 2010 to a barely visible 6% share this year. Read on for more.
The data was compiled in a recent blog post by Flurry using its own data and data from The NPD Group, and the figures for 2011 include estimates for November and December of this year. “Combined, iOS and Android game revenue delivered $500 million, $800 million and $1.9 billion over 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively,” the report said. “Recently, no industry has been more impacted by digital distribution than video games. Leading the disruption are iOS and Android devices, whose free and inexpensive games, distributed across a massive installed base of powerful and networked tablet and mobile phone form factors, have already disrupted billions of dollars of game revenue.” So, yes, your impulsive iPhone game purchases are slowly killing Mario.
[Via BGR]
Remember the days of Nintendo printing money? Those days are over, apparently. According to Japan’s Nikkei, the Kyoto-based game maker is poised to post huge losses tomorrow.
Profits are supposedly down a staggering ¥100 billion ($1.3 billion), which is twice what Nintendo forecast.
The two major culprits are struggling hardware sales and the stubbornly strong Japanese yen. Nintendo makes 80 percent of its profits from foreign sales, and lost a whopping ¥40 billion yen in foreign exchange. That’s $526 million gone right there—poof.
Many Japanese companies have recently been complaining about the strong Japanese yen, threatening to move production abroad. Nintendo, who does not manufacture hardware in Japan, shows just how painful the strong yen is even for those companies who have already moved their manufacturing offshore.
Yet even with these huge losses, Nintendo still expects to turn a profit of ¥35 billion ($460 million), the lowest in the company’s past 27 years and less than the company lost on the exchange rate.
Nintendo declined to comment on the Nikkei report, and the company will disclose how it’s doing tomorrow.
[via K]
At E3 we announced the new Xbox LIVE dashboard which will deliver intuitive navigation, increased responsiveness and improved engagement with Xbox experiences – all beginning this holiday. Now that our work on the dashboard is almost complete, we are announcing an open call for all Xbox LIVE members to register to participate in a preview program to help us test the system. This is an important program as we continually strive to ensure the reliability of a service that reaches tens of millions globally. We could not do so without the ongoing help of our great community.
Once this program is kicked off, an update will be pushed to your console that will contain select dashboard features, including:
• New design for integrated Kinect and controller navigation
• New Beacons to play online with friends
• Deeper Facebook integration
• New Cloud Storage for Game Saves and Xbox LIVE Profile
Other features and entertainment partner apps may come into view during the program period.
Note: A console in the program is expected to remain fully compatible with standard retail consoles not in the program. (e.g. party chat will function)
For those familiar with previous registrations for our program, we have a new model for registering your consoles this year. The new model is a more automated process that should make it easier for you. We will not ask you to type in your console information upon initial registration; once you are approved to participate in the program, look for details on our portal about how to register your console.
Blender Express Mixes It Up with Free App A Day!
Refreshed and recharged Blender Express app free for 24 hours via promotion
Happy Day Games has announced its newly updated pass-the-time gaming app, Blender Express, is available for FREE now through Free App A Day (freeappaday.com)! Smoothie and Apple fans everywhere can get their hands on the app by visiting freeappaday.com or by checking out the App®Store.
Blender Express is a tasty treat for the brain and the palate where players are challenged to catch the correct tasty fruit in their blenders to create a delicious smoothie, continuously being challenged through each savory stage. After conquering a level, players will be rewarded with a real smoothie recipe to enjoy on your own! Blender Express’ latest feature “submit recipe” allows users to click to submit their very own smoothie recipe, where Happy Day Games will then take selected recipes and build new levels based around them to be released in future updates, and of course giving credit to the smoothie master who created it.
Featuring over 100 levels, gorgeous settings such as Hawaii, Mexico, the French Riviera and more, players will enjoy hours of addicting gameplay and fun and entertaining game modes that will leave them begging for more. You won’t want to put this app down!
For more information about Blender Express or to review the app, please contact Rhonda Goodson at Reverb Communications (rhonda@reverbinc.com).
A new era in television begins this holiday where your entertainment becomes instantly searchable, easily discoverable and enjoyable in extraordinary new ways from a single device — Xbox 360. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced plans to roll out the next generation of TV entertainment on Xbox LIVE, the online entertainment service for Xbox 360. Nearly 40 world-leading TV and entertainment providers, including Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS and Syfy in the U.S.; BBC in the U.K., Telefónica in Spain; Rogers On Demand in Canada; Televisa in Mexico; ZDF in Germany; and MediaSet in Italy, will begin rolling out entertainment services to the console this holiday, in more than 20 countries.
“Today’s announcement is a major step toward realizing our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Combining the world’s leading TV and entertainment providers with the power of Kinect for Xbox 360* and the intelligence of Bing voice search will make TV and entertainment more personal, social and effortless.”
“We are continually evolving the television experience to bring Xfinity TV subscribers more personalized ways to search, find and watch the content they love,” said Sam Schwartz, president of Comcast Converged Products. “Our recently launched next-generation Xfinity TV platform is enabling us to bring Xfinity On Demand to a gaming console for the first time, and Kinect’s voice and gesture controls will offer our customers an innovative way to discover and enjoy Xfinity On Demand’s huge library of top shows and movies.”
GamesAnalytics Launches Full Support for iOS and Android Developers
For its Predict™ & Engage™ Active Analytics Platform
San Francisco, USA / London, UK – October 3, 2011
Leading analytics firm GamesAnalytics, today announced full support for iOS and Android game publishers using its Predict™ and Engage™ analytics platform.
Adding to its current support for Facebook, PC download and browser based games, GamesAnalytics cross-platform analytics solution now enables mobile game publishers to track and manage the millions of data events that occur in mobile games, identifying key metrics and tracking patterns of player behavior. In addition, GamesAnalytics’ advanced analytics technology allows mobile publishers to predict future player behavior and send tailored in-game marketing messages to individual players. In this way, mobile publishers can optimize the game play experience based on each user’s individual playing style, thereby increasing player satisfaction, retention, virality and revenue.
Chris Wright, GamesAnalytics CEO said:
“Our proprietary predictive analytics technology gives mobile games companies the ability to understand complex player data and automatically deliver highly effective, specific in-game marketing messages tailored to individual players. This gives our clients a competitive advantage and allows them to optimize revenue and retention in their mobile games.”
Features include:
- Complete end-to-end analytics platform for iOS and Android mobile and tablet publishers
- Track and manage millions of mobile data events using GA’s Collect™ technology and Measure™ dashboards. Analyze key indicators such as virality, retention, average revenue per user
- Predict player behavior and segment users into groups displaying similar patterns using GA’s proprietary Predict™ technology
- Send individually tailored and immediate in-game messages to players identified as displaying similar characteristics using GA’s Engage™ technology
- Increase revenue, player satisfaction, retention and virality for each individual mobile game player.
GamesAnalytics will be exhibiting in booth #104 at the Game Developers Conference in Austin, Texas, October 11 – 12, 2011. For more information, visit www.gamesanalytics.com
About GamesAnalytics
GamesAnalytics is a leading data mining and monetization company serving the online and mobile games industry. The company maximizes game revenue with state-of-the-art analytics and individually targeted in-game marketing. Its products, coupled with a deep knowledge and passion for the games industry increase the number of paying players, ARPU and player retention.
GamesAnalytics was founded in 2010 by veterans of the videogame and data mining industries to bring the sophisticated analytics and monetization tools of the financial sector to the games industry. GamesAnalytics unlocks the true value of player data.
Blood, brutality and baleful beaks! The official preview trailer for the cinematic platform adventure game Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is here! Watch in awe as Hardboiled Chicken, the original Coq of War, attempts to desecrate the immoral penguin regime that has taken over Albatropilis with propaganda and evil intentions.
Rocketbirds Hardboiled Chicken is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB, so don’t download the trailer unless you’re prepared to see blood, gore and intense violence.
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken is a cinematic platform adventure game offering full solo and co-op campaigns with stereoscopic 3D support. Take on the role of Hardboiled Chicken and set out on a mission to assassinate the totalitarian penguin leader. Destroy enemies with a slew of weapons and illuminate the secrets to his past while uncovering the real enemies of Albatropolis. Master fowl play in the co-op campaign as a pair of Budgie commandos on a mission to save the general’s daughter. Many lives will be destroyed, countless penguins will die!
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken will launch exclusively on the PlayStation®Network this October. ‘Like’ our Facebook page for a chance to win the game before it’s released http://www.facebook.com/Rocketbirds.Hardboiled.Chicken.
Railsimulator.com Ltd., the market leading train simulation innovator, have signed an agreement with Amtrak which allows them to produce officially-licensed Amtrak content in their simulators, notably their new title RailWorks3: Train Simulator 2012. The company already has agreements with BNSF, Union Pacific, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern and many more key companies.
“The partnership with Amtrak adds passenger service to our already robust coverage of North American railroads,” said Paul Jackson CEO of Railsimulator.com. “As Amtrak celebrates its 40th anniversary, record numbers of people are rediscovering train travel, and our simulator makes it simple to get started in the hobby.”
Railsimulator.com released the Northeast Corridor route in late August as an add-on to RailWorks 2, allowing passengers to take the controls of an Amtrak train themselves. Further Amtrak releases include the P42DC Genesis locomotive and the high-speed Acela Express service, so everyone will be able to build and operate their own virtual Amtrak fleet.
Train Simulator 2012 will be available from Steam and leading gaming retailers from September 23, 2011. RailWorks 2 was awarded 2010 Simulation Game of the Year by the Game Industry News and is easily the most realistic rail simulator on the market. Its sequel, RailWorks3: Train Simulator 2012 enables enthusiasts to expand their virtual railroad in any way they wish. The core kit includes realistic locomotives, routes and landscaping tools, plus consumers continue to receive new features and improvements for free! Beyond the basic kit, users can choose from a wide variety of add-ons and expansions to build the railroad of their dreams.
Gears of War 3 is not a game that warrants the purchase of an Xbox360. In this day and age you should already have one. That said it is one of the main features to use the Xbox 360 for more than just Netflix & ESPN. Gears of War 3 takes off where it last left off. It is a in your face violent and bloody good time. The conclusion to a very well made series.
You are Marcus Fenix and your goal is the same as it always is; to end the Locust sum that you have been fighting since Emergence Day. As if the Locust were not bad enough, now you are fighting Lambent. They are the worst. They go after human and Locust. That does not mean that the Locust are going to help you. What it means is that you are going to have to load up on some more ammo to kill everything that isn’t human.
Taking cover, aim, fire and repeat is what this game is all about. It has not changed since day one so don’t expect it to change in this final round. That is not a bad thing this game works very well. They are the one that started it off. Mass Effect took to a new level as well as adding a role-playing feel. Gears of War 3 on the other hand is not having any of that RPG stuff. It’s Michael Bay action scene after scene. Chainsaw enemies, lots of fire fights and just pure over-the-top violence.
The Horde mode returns again in this version of the game. You can do it all by yourself or team up with up someone over Xbox Live. If you do go solo the game’s AI does will back you up. If you for some reason never played Gears of War 3; stop go play it and come back to this review. Still here ok fine. I will explain Horde mode. In a nutshell you need to survive 50 waves of enemies. Each wave gets harder. So pretty much it’s like a tower defense game in a shooters body. Beast mode is Horde mode only in reverse. Instead of humans you play as the Locust or the Lambent.
Gears of War 3 is one of the best looking games on the Xbox360. It pushes what this old system can do right to the max. The Uncharted series still has nothing to worry about but Xbox 360 does give it a run for its money. As far as your game play executions go. It should not be different then they were for Gears of War 2. The cover system is unmatched by anything out there with the Mass Effect series coming a close 2nd. That means nothing has changed under the hood and it should not. This is a great game and you should pick it up. Is this Medal of Honor or In Call of Duty but it is the best shooter for now.
EA Sports finally announced that subscription service we heard about months ago. Called “Season Ticket,” the service will cost you $24.99 a year, and will get you the following benefits for EA Sports titles, per the announcement: full access to EA SPORTS games three days before launch, a 20% discount on downloadable game content, free premium web content and “membership recognition.”
As we said before, the early access to games will come in the form of a full downloadable version of said games. As it says, you get to play these downloadable version for three days before launch, but at launch you’ll have to go buy the game if you want to keep playing, but all your data will carry over, of course.
This doesn’t seem like that special a deal, but $24.99 for a year isn’t exactly a premium price. Might be worth it.
The Season Ticket launches today, meaning you can get it now from the Playstation Network and Xbox Live. But I’d suggest waiting until three days before Madden 12 hits to get your sub, just because.
[via GT]
Electronic Arts Buys Maker of Bejeweled and Plants Vs. Zombies
“EA and PopCap are a compelling combination,” said EA CEO John Riccitiello. “PopCap’s great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA’s momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business. EA’s global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly expand their business to more digital devices, more countries, and more channels.”
“We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great digital games,” said David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. “By working with EA, we’ll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience.”
PopCap games has more than 150 million games installed and played worldwide on everything from Google and Facebook to the iPhone and Android. The purchase gives Electronic Arts a chance to dive deeper into digital platforms, something that made up about 80 percent of PopCap’s revenue last calendar year.
Popular PopCap games include Plants Vs. Zombies, Bejeweled , Peggle and Zuma.
What does this mean for Peggle World of Warcraft Edition? When can we expect Battlefield Bookworm? These questions and more will (hopefully) be answered during an EA investor’s call this evening.
[K]
PopCap Games To Be Acquired For $1 Billion+
Huge news in the gaming world: PopCap Games, the company behind such hits as Plants vs Zombies and Bejeweled, is in the process of being acquired — and we’re hearing from multiple sources that the price is over $1 billion.
The question now is who the buyer is. The obvious possibility is Zynga, which has made a string of game-related acquisitions over the last year. But we’re hearing they’re out. Our sources say that Zynga did indeed kick the tires hard on a potential acquisition, but it looks like the company couldn’t get comfortable with the price PopCap was asking for.
Popcap’s revenues are in the range of $100-150 million, we hear — and a price of over $1 billion would have put the deal at a possible 10x multiple, which may have been too rich for Zynga’s blood. So who else could it be?
We’ve heard that it might be videogaming powerhouse Electronic Arts, though the acquisition would be a very large one for the company (EA’s market cap is $7.49 billion). That said, it wouldn’t be EA’s first big bet on a hot gaming startup: they acquired Playfish in 2009 for up to $400 million after earnouts.
Another possibility would be a company in Asia that’s looking to break into the stateside gaming market, similar to the idea behind DeNA’s $300 million+ acquisition of ngmoco last October. One candidate is massive Chinese company Tencent, which has a market cap of $383.41 billion (and some games of their own). But there are other possibilities that would fit that profile as well — we’ll keep digging.
PopCap was previously rumored to be exploring a possible IPO later this year. The company raised $22.5 millionin October 2009.
[Via GR]
SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN TO INTRODUCE
PLAYSTATION®3 BUNDLE PACK FEATURING TALES OF XILIA®
Available from September 8th for a Limited Offer at a Recommended Retail
Price of 37,980 Yen (including tax)
Tokyo, 28 May, 2011– Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ), a division of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) responsible for business operation in Japan, today announced that a “PlayStation®3 TALES OF XILLIA® X Edition” bundle pack will be available on September 8, 2011. The bundle pack will include the PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system with 160GB HDD and the TALES OF XILLIA® software title for PS3 and will be a limited time offer at a recommended retail price of 37,980 yen (including tax).
TALES OF XILLIA® is the latest installment of the blockbuster “TALES OF” franchise which has sold over more than 13 million units worldwide. The software was created to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the series and will make its debut in stores on September 8, 2011. First time ever for the series, the story features double main characters designed by two highly renowned character designers, Mutsumi Inomata and Kosuke Fujishima. Any users, new to the series as well as those longtime fans, will without doubt enjoy the great, emotional story line as well as exciting battle system.
The PS3 system included in the bundle comes in Charcoal Black color with a special design depicting the world of TALES OF XILLIA® with Jude and Mira, the story’s main characters, printed in metallic type red and gold color. The PS3 logo engraved on the surface of the system is also in special metallic type red color to coordinate with the design. The metallic colors make an attractive contrast with PS3’s Charcoal black, offering premium feel to the overall look.
With the “PlayStation®3 TALES OF XILLIA® X Edition” bundle pack, SCEJ continues to expand the PS3 platform and creates new boundaries for computer entertainment.
Product Outline
| Product name | “PlayStation®3 TALES OF XILLIA® X Edition” Bundle Pack |
| Product code | CEJH-10018 |
| Release date | Thursday, September 8, 2011 |
| Recommended Retail Price | 37,980 yen (including tax) |
| Included | PlayStation®3 x 1 ※ TALES OF XILLIA® X Edition original model ※ Charcoal Black ※ Hard Disk Drive capacity 160GB TALES OF XILLIA software for PS3 DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller x1 Power cord x 1 AV cable x 1USB cable x 1 |
About the Software
| Product name | TALES OF XILLIA® |
| Genre | RPG |
| Release date | Thursday, September 8, 2011 |
| Recommended Retail Price | 8,379 yen (including tax) |
| CERO rating | To be rated |
| Publisher | NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. |
| Copyright | © KOSUKE FUJISHIMA © MUTSUMI INOMATA © 2011 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. |
| Official Home Page | http://tox.namco-ch.net/ |
OnLive is just giving away their systems.
Nintendo Unveils New Wii Package at $149.99, Launches ‘Nintendo Selects’ $19.99 Wii Games
Having Fun with Family and Friends Just Became More Affordable than Ever With New Suggested Retail Pricing
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Wii™ system to $149.99 and including a Mario™ game with the Wii hardware. Starting May 15, the newly priced Wii system will come in either black or white with the Mario Kart™ Wii game and a matching colored Wii Wheel™ accessory, replacing the previously included Wii Sports™ and Wii Sports Resort™ games.
Also on May 15, Nintendo launches the new Nintendo® Selects collection of Wii games, a set of popular games that millions of people have already experienced, at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The four must-own games in this collection are The Legend of Zelda™: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing™: City Folk, Mario™ Super Sluggers and Wii Sports, which is available for the first time as a separate software purchase. Parents and video game fans can now easily expand their library of fun, family-friendly Wii games.
“From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people.”
With Mario Kart Wii now included with the Wii hardware, players will be able to enjoy fun go-kart racing with Mario and all his Mushroom Kingdom pals right out of the box. The Wii Remote™ Plus controller, Nunchuk™ controller and Wii Wheel included in the package will all match the hardware, meaning they will be either black or white. The new black Wii Wheel will also be available separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com.
LucasArts Licenses Unreal Engine 3 In Multi-Year Deal
Late last week Epic Games announced that it had struck a multi-year, studio-wide licensing agreement with LucasArts for its Unreal Engine 3. The agreement covers multiple projects to be developed by LucasArts using the engine for multiple platforms.
Unreal Engine 3 is the game engine that Epic Games developed and was designed to run on Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and most recently iOS. It certainly opens up the possibility of LucasArts expanding their development of iOS games, which currently only consists of The Secret of Monkey Island given the simplification of porting games is made with Unreal Engine 3 across platforms.
In their announcement, Epic Vice President Mark Rein said, “LucasArts is now primed to capitalize on Unreal Engine 3’s ability to scale across platforms, from mobile, through PC and console all the way up to the next generation of games.” Earlier this year Gameloft revealed that they had licensed the Unreal Engine for four iOS games following the success of Epic Citadel and Infinity Blade – demonstration games made by Epic Games that showed the power of the game engine on iOS.
[Via TA]
Hulu Plus for Xbox 360 launching Friday
Looks like the weekend’s going to start a bit early. Hulu’s subscription-based Hulu Plus service will launch for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 on Friday, and here’s the best part: it’s free for Xbox Live (Gold and Silver) users until May 6th. After that you’ll have to drop $7.99 per month to kick back and watch your favorite shows from ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC, MTV, and others. Hulu’s even adding Kinect support, which means you’ll be able to play, pause, fast forward, or rewind whatever you’re watching with your voice or with a gesture. Hit the jump for the full release.
Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE Delivers Controller-free TV Shows and Movies; Jack Link’s Sponsors Free Access for all Xbox 360 Owners
With an ever-growing entertainment experience at the center of the home, Xbox 360 will soon offer thousands more HD TV shows and movies via Hulu Plus. The Hulu Plus subscription service will launch on Xbox 360 this Friday, April 29, instantly delivering current season hit TV shows from ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC, MTV, and more, plus classic movies anytime to U.S. Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Hulu Plus subscribers.
“We’re proud deliver the best in entertainment content like no other device in the living room,” said Pete Thompson, General Manager, Xbox LIVE. “Hulu Plus is an important addition to support our continued effort to expand entertainment on Xbox LIVE. And by adding the magic of Kinect, we’re truly transforming the way people enjoy their favorite entertainment.”
A Hulu Plus subscription currently offers hit TV shows and classic movies anytime in HD, including current season episodes of top shows like “Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and many others. Catch up on complete back seasons of series including “Lost,” or explore hundreds of acclaimed movies from The Criterion Collection. All for just $7.99 a month with limited advertising.
With Kinect for Xbox 360, you can easily control your Hulu Plus entertainment from your couch using your voice as the remote control. Play, pause, fast forward and rewind any video content you are watching using gesture or voice commands, as well as select movies and TV shows recommended for you by Hulu through the Kinect Hub.
Jack Link’s and Xbox “Unlock” Hulu Plus to All Xbox LIVE Members
Launch is just the beginning, too. To celebrate the debut of Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is unlocking Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE from April 29 – May 6. Through this sponsorship, all Xbox LIVE members (Free or Gold) will be able to enjoy Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE, no Hulu Plus subscription or Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for an entire week. Jack Link’s and Xbox LIVE are also partnering to host an accompanying sweepstakes where users who download the Hulu Plus application can win everything from a vacation for two to a Beaches® Resort to an Xbox 360 GB Console with Kinect. For full details, click www.xbox.com/HuluPlusLaunch
With Xbox LIVE, take your Xbox 360 online and enjoy an expanding catalogue of entertainment from a range of partners, networks and studios around the world, and interact with a growing community of 30 million active members. With the community spending more than one billion hours a month online enjoying entertainment, Xbox 360 is the only place to experience controller-free entertainment with tens of thousands of movies and TV shows in HD streaming, thousands of live and on-demand sports, and millions of songs – all on the biggest screen in your home shared with the people you care about most wherever they are.
Netflix for Xbox 360 updated with Kinect support
The next time you hit the Netflix app on your Xbox 360 the update we heard about at CES will be waiting, bringing Kinect owners the ability to flick through their videos (like ESPN3 and Zune have since the peripheral launched) without digging a controller out of the couch cushions. After the 43Mb update downloads waving ones hand for the camera or saying Xbox will pull up the new menu seen above, which auto sorts selections for browsing by voice or gesture based on what it thinks you may want to watch next. Selecting “browse all” brings you right back to the standard menu and is probably the method most will want to stick with, however being able to pause the movie quickly during playback by simply saying Xbox, Pause (or FF, rewind, skip scene, etc.) is quite convenient. Not near your Xbox? Check out a brief video of it in action after the break.
A tip came in about EA getting a hit with a lawsuit for unfair practices when it comes to the Madden games. I was very surprised. Not that it was filed but that it was not 2K Sports. They were at one point very strong competition for EA Sports with their 2K Football series. Some would say they had a better and lower cost to buy product then EA. That rivalry was cut short when EA paid for an exclusive license to the NFL & NFLPA. I love Madden and I’m one of those that get it every year. I need my football fix but it was nice to at least have a choice. I harp on Madden because that is what I play but the suit is because the whole football market is under license by EA. They have exclusive licenses for the NFL, NCAA and even AFL. There is more information at EA Sports Litigation. Let’s see if this goes anywhere.
Here is the Lawsuit:
GEOFFREY PECOVER and ANDREW OWENS v. ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal. – Oakland Div.)
Case No. 08-cv-02820 CW
If You Purchased Certain Electronic Arts Brand Football Video Games
Between January 1, 2005 to the Present
You May Be a Class Member.
Membership as a class member in the Electronic Arts Litigation is the result of a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Oakland Division (Case No. 08-cv-02820 CW).
What Is This Class Action About?
The class action lawsuit alleges violations of California’s antitrust and consumer protection laws in connection with the sale of certain football video games. Plaintiffs, purchasers of Electronic Arts’ football video games, claim that Defendant Electronic Arts entered into a series of exclusive licenses with the National Football League (NFL), National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA), National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and Arena Football League (AFL), which Plaintiffs claim foreclosed competition in an alleged football video game market. Plaintiffs allege that this series of exclusive licenses caused customers who purchased certain football video games to be overcharged.
Defendant Electronic Arts has denied any liability and all allegations of misconduct. The Court has not decided whether the Defendants did anything wrong, and this Notice is not an expression of any opinion by the Court about the merits of any of the claims or defenses asserted by any party to this litigation.
Who Are Class Members?
The Class includes all persons who, during the period January 1, 2005 to the present, purchased the Madden NFL, NCAA Football, or Arena Football League brand video games published by Electronic Arts with a release date of January 1, 2005 to the present. Excluded from the class are purchasers of software for mobile devices, persons purchasing directly from Electronic Arts, persons purchasing used copies of the relevant football video games, and Electronic Arts’ employees, officers, directors, legal representatives, and wholly or partly owned subsidiaries or affiliated companies.
What Should I Do? (Getting Further Information)
If you believe that you may be a class member (see above “Who Are Class Members”), you should get more detailed information about the class action and its potential effect on you and your rights. Further information can be obtained by going to the following website: www.easportslitigation.com. Additional information about the lawsuit may be obtained from Plaintiffs’ Counsel website at www.hbsslaw.com, or by calling Plaintiffs’ Counsel at 1-206-623-7292.
To Remain a Class Member
If you are a class member and you do nothing, you will be bound by the court’s rulings in the lawsuit, including any final Settlement or Judgment.
To Exclude Yourself from the Class
(Deadline to Request Exclusion: June 25, 2011)
If you are a class member and you want to exclude yourself from the class and keep your right to sue Defendant, you must take further action before June 25, 2011. By that date, you must request exclusion in writing to this address:
Electronic Arts Litigation Exclusion
P.O. Box 8090
San Rafael CA 94912-8090
Or submit a request for exclusion electronically at the following website: www.easportslitigation.com
For further information about excluding yourself from the class go to the following website:
www.easportslitigation.com
Please do not telephone or address inquiries to the Court.
April 6, 2011. By Order of the U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal. – Oakland Div.).
Serena Williams’ sexy video game ad ‘unauthorized’ That is one way to sell a game. Good job 2K sports. Now only if you would get the NFL back.
Nintendo shows off 3DS with new ad.
If you’re looking for your perfect Xbox gamer tag, you’ll have a few more options to choose from soon. Microsoft is releasing previously taken, now unused gamertags for new players to take/swap for. Instead of having to be LTStarbuck92381049 or LEW10AUNTSARBUKC, you might actually be able to get her name.
Don’t worry: They’re only using dead accounts so those of you who haven’t paid for a Gold membership for a while don’t have to worry. The revived names are coming from cancelled, inactive or banned users. You’ll have to pay 800MS Points, or about $10, to switch your gamertag, or it’s free if you’re creating a new account. (1600 MS points is $19.99 on Amazon.) Microsoft is rolling out the old, new names daily so head over to Xbox Live, scroll over your gamercard, press A, select “Change Gamertag” and see if your name of choice is available.
[via Techland]
Smithsonian Museum will have a video game gallery next year, wants you to vote on what’s in it
About the Exhibition
Video games use images, actions, and player participation to tell stories and engage their audiences. In the same way as film, animation, and performance, they can be considered a compelling and influential form of narrative art.
The Art of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. The exhibition will feature some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early developers such as David Crane and Warren Robinett to contemporary designers like Kellee Santiago and David Jaffe. It also will explore the many influences on game designers, and the pervasive presence video games have in the broader popular culture, with new relationships to video art, film and television, educational practices, and professional skill training. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, is the curator of the exhibition.
New technologies have allowed designers to create increasingly interactive and sophisticated game environments while staying grounded in traditional game types. The exhibition will feature eighty games through still images and video footage. Five games will be available for visitors to play for a few minutes, to gain some feel for the interactivity—Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and World of Warcraft. In addition, the galleries will include video interviews with developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, and historic game consoles. Visitors will be able to connect with the content of the show across generations, from those who remember the classics such as Pitfall! to those playing contemporary games like Flower.
The first piece of concept art for Telltale’s game version of The Walking Dead.
Image courtesy Telltale Games
If there’s one thing the videogame industry desperately lacks, it’s zombies. That’s why Telltale Games is launching an episodic game series based on critically acclaimed comic franchise The Walking Dead.
IGN has a few brief details on the adaptation, which Telltale says will be a multi-year, multi-platform and multi-title. Just like AMC’s recent TV adaptation of The Walking Dead, which aired last fall, Telltale’s games will focus on a group of people trying to survive the aftermath of a devastating zombie apocalypse.
Telltale is best known for episodic adventure games like Tales of Monkey Island and Sam & Max. Though the company wouldn’t confirm any genres, platforms or other specific information for The Walking Dead, we can expect to see the first game in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Telltale will also release a series based on comic franchise Fables, which consists of a series of interpretive stories based on characters from various fairy tales.
[via Gamelife]
Social Gaming Network Raptr Raises $15 Million; Hits 6 Million Users
Online gaming startup Raptr has raised $15 million in new funding, according to a blog post on the company’s site. This round was led by DAG Ventures with Tenaya Capital and Accel Partners participating. In total, Raptr has raised $27 million.
Raptr’s mission is simple: to make it easy to play games with your friends. Essentially, Raptr is a social networking platform for gamers to track games and share achievements. Users can also share their stats, rankings, achievements, and characters with friends. And they can automatically broadcast their gaming activity to their friends on Raptr and other social sites including Facebook and Twitter.
The network also supports games on PC, Xbox, and PS3; and allows you to see your friends while they are playing games on a number of consoles. You can then chat and browse the web in-game.
And the startup, which had north of one million members last July, has grown to over 6 million members in less than a year.
Of course, Raptr is an independent social gaming network and faces competition from companies like Zynga and Playdom which are mostly centralized within Facebook.
Killzone 3 contains over an hour of cutscenes
The “3″ in “Killzone 3″ might as well stand for the quantity of cinematics in Guerilla’s latest shooter — three times the amount employed by Killzone 2. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) said in its bestowing of an “18″ (mature) rating on the game that its cutscenes total 70 minutes. Its predecesor, by comparison, contained 25 minutes worth of story sequences, according to the BBFC.
Let’s see: We know that characters voiced by Malcolm McDowell and Ray Winstone will be chewing up the scenery for a good chunk of that hour and 10 minutes; the rest will therefore be composed of shouting space
F.E.A.R. 3 Release Pushed to May
Go ahead and cross F.E.A.R. 3 off your springtime play list — Warner Bros. has delayed it again, this time back to May. At least it’s still in 2011, though.
The news was broken on a F.E.A.R. 3 forum post, which says the reason is so that Day 1 can make the best game possible. It also promises the delay will be worth it. Hope so.
We got to see some screens from the game at PAX 2010, and it does look pretty creepy. If it takes a little extra time to F.E.A.R. 3 as scary as it should be, I say go ahead, Day 1. We’ll wait.
Last year, @K Sports had a promotion for Major League Baseball 2K10 in which the first person to throw a perfect game — and film it — would get a million bucks. It happened on release day. I guess the gimmick sold a bunch of copies of the game for 2K, because they’re bringing it back in 2k11.
There are a few changes to the contest, however. First, while the game will be out on March 8, the contest won’t begin until April 1, which is MLB’s Opening Day (why would you play video game baseball on Opening Day?). Second, the age requirement has been lowered from 18 to 13. 2K’s Christ Snyder said they made the change because last year Roy Halladay who was 13, was all pumped about getting the prize, and he apparently even had a perfect game through seven innings on the game’s release day.
So that’s that. Time to start preparing a training regimen and planning that whole weekend. Go ahead and ask off from work on 4/1 (a Friday), which you should probably do anyway since it’s Opening Day, man. Know that if you pull it off this year, everyone will hate you forever.
I’m Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite free DLC on the PlayStation Network.” When you start the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2, you’ll be able to start off looking sharp — as sharp as someone who pre-ordered the original versions of the game from GameStop, in fact.The Terminus armor (which increases running speed and shields, and augments ammo capacity) and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon (which creates tiny black holes), offered with Xbox 360 and PC pre-orders of ME2, will be distributed to PS3 Mass Effect 2 players for free via PSN through February 23.
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