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Review: Zack Zero

Karl Koebke — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:23:52 GMT

Usually when a game comes in under the radar it's a bad omen. Zack Zero was so under the radar I didn't even know it existed until after it released. Trailers for the game show off a Ratchet and Clank aesthetic, but with a far less interesting protagonist. So is Zack Zero the poor product its stealthy release seems to hint at, or a pleasant surprise in a slow month of gaming?

That somewhat dull protagonist alluded to is the titular Zack Zero. He kind...

2012 Year on Year Sales and Market Share Update to January 28th

Seb Parker — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:38:00 GMT

Here we see data representing the global sales through to consumers and change in sales performance of the three home consoles over comparable periods for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Also shown is the market share for each of the consoles over the same periods.

"Year to date" sales for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 sales are shown ...

Weekly Sales Analysis, 28 January 2012 - Resident Evil: Revelations

William D'Angelo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:12:20 GMT

Overview

Sales have stabilized for the moment, as the big drop offs after the holiday period appeared to have stopped. Three games debuted in the top 40 this week. Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) is this week’s top debut, with sales of 235,000.

Software milestones this week in the top 40: Mario Kart 7 (3DS) passed the five million mark; and Saints Row: The Third (X360) passed the two million mark.

Hardware sales are up for the PlayStation 3, Wii, 3DS and Vita week on week, while year on year sales are down for every platform. The 3DS is the top selling platform.

Kazuo Hirai: Sony to be in "Serious Trouble" Without Changes

William D'Angelo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:31:27 GMT

In an interview for the Wall Street Journal, Kazuo Hirai talked about what he plans to do once he becomes Sony's next CEO in April. Hirai plans to trim the fat and to change the corporate structure that he blames for holding the company back. Sony is currently struggling with stock sales at a two decade low and its credit rating being downgraded just last month. Also the company is expected to lose $2.9 billion in its current fiscal year.

"I thought turning around the PlayStation business was...

Less than Half of uDraw Tablets were Sold Holiday 2011

William D'Angelo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:41:21 GMT

THQ's uDraw video game tablets, following the success of sales on the Wii, was released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this past holiday. However despite heavy marketing it failed to stir up interest, which resulted in sluggish sales. Less than half of all tablets were sold. THQ sold one million units to stores, many of which remain unsold to consumers. There are also 1.4 million left in warehouses.

"We were confident that uDraw would resonate again this holiday, given last year's robust sell-through," said Brian Farrell, THQ CEO. "Our confidence was misplaced."

The lack of sales, cost $100 million in a reduction of its sales for the holiday period, $80 million of it due to the unsold tablets. The other $20 million is related to poor software sales for the tablet and...

Sega-Sammy Q4 2011 Profits $450m in Apr-Dec 2011

Jacob Mazel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:40:16 GMT

Sega-Sammy's nine month results for April to December 2011 have arrived. The company had revenue of 311.6b Yen ($4.09b) for the period, with profit of 34.3b Yen ($450m). Revenue was flat compared to the same period of 2010, while profit declined by about 7%. Sega-Sammy maintained its forecast from October, when revenue was projected to reach 440b Yen ($5.78b) in the year to March 2012 with profit of 38b Yen ($499m).

Through six months, Sega-Sammy profit was only 3.98b Yen ($56m) - so the company had profit of 30b Yen ($394m) in the December 2011 quarter - largely on the Mario & Sonic + Sonic Generation launches. Revenue was 159b Yen ($2.09b) in the December quarter,...

Square-Enix Profits $65.9m in Apr-Dec 2011

Jacob Mazel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:04:34 GMT

Square-Enix results for the nine months to December 2011 have arrived. The company profited 5.013b Yen, $65.9m, for the period on revenue of 95.738b ($1.258b). During the comparable nine month period in 2010 revenue was 98.183b ($1.290b) with profit only coming to 1.821b Yen ($23.9m).

Square-Enix has maintained its previous fiscal year forecast - 130b Yen ($1.71b) in revenue and a profit of 5b Yen ($65.7m)

Sqaure-Enix's digital entertainment division (mostly video games) had 53.7b in revenue for the 9 month period of 2011, up 6% from 2010. Major hits were Deux Ex: Human Revolution and Final Fantasy XIII-2 although no numbers were provided.

For the final quarter of the year, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Army Corp of Hell, Kingdom Hearts 3D, THEARhythm Final Fantasy are...

Review: NeverDead

Matt Ashbaugh — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:46:00 GMT

Death is more of a minor annoyance for the modern video game character. Taking one too many bullets will usually just take you back five minutes in time. I’ve personally watched Uncharted’s Nathan Drake die a hundred times in a dozen ways and each time he shook it off and told a joke. So, while NeverDead letting you play as an immortal character isn’t too odd, the fact that he can lose his limbs and keep going is.

Um ... little help?

New Releases on Nintendo Downloads Services America (02/02/12)

Gabriel Franco — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:48:07 GMT

Three new games were released today in America: one game for DSiWare, one game for the 3DS Virtual console and one WiiWare game, you can check the full details below:
3DS Download Software

Take Two Profits $14.1m in the December 2011 Quarter

Jacob Mazel — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:53:00 GMT

Take Two had announced at its September earnings briefing that the company expected revenue of $225m-$275m in the December 2011 quarter, with non-GAAP profit of 20-30 cents per share. Both projections were met, as the company reported $236m in revenue and a non-GAAP profit of 27 cents per share - about a $29m in profit. On a GAAP basis, profit was only - $14.1m.

In the December quarter of 2010, Take Two had profited $40.86m on $334.26m in revenue, so revenue and profit both declined compared to 2010. For the nine months to December 2010, Take Two had $954.62m in revenue with a profit of $70.51m, while in the same period of 2011, revenue came to only $677.74m with a...

THQ Loses $55.9m in the Dec 2011 Quarter

Jacob Mazel — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:19:58 GMT

THQ, in light of all the rumors surrounding its troubles, has announced its financial results for the December 2011 quarter. On a GAAP basis, the company lost $55.9m in the quarter, on revenue of $305.4m. THQ had already lost over $130m on a GAAP basis from April to September 2011. On a non-GAAP basis THQ did profit $24m for the quarter on revenue of $404.4m as the non-GAAP figures did not include defered revenue.

THQ says:

- WWE shipments are over 2m to date, up 29% from last year.

- Saints Row shipments are 3.8m, including 3.6m in the December quarter - the game will reach 5-6m eventually and is THQ's biggest owned IP.

- THQ was the...

THQ to Layoff 240 Staff, CEO Salary Cut in Half

William D'Angelo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:46:45 GMT

It appears the rumor about THQ from earlier this week is true. THQ will be laying off 240 staff in order to deal with the company's drop in revenue. Most of the layoffs will take place this March and will be completed by September. CEO, Brian Farrell, has had his salary cut in half. His base pay will be $359,250, compared to $718,500 last year.

This is following the news that THQ is facing a possible stock delisting by NASDAQ. The stock needs to rise to at least $1 per share for at least 10 consecutive days by July. The stock has risen from 65 cents on Monday, up to 74 cents at the time of this...

Konami Profits $73m in Q4 2011, Raises Fiscal Year Forecast

Jacob Mazel — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:06:41 GMT

Konami's financial data for the nine months to December 2011 has arrived. After profiting 11.5b Yen ($151.1m) in the first six months of the fiscal year on 123.1b Yen ($1.617b) in revenue, Konami today revealed that revenue grew to 194.522b Yen ($2.556b) for the first nine months of the year, while profit climbed to 17.046b Yen ($224m). These figures indicate that revenue in the December quarter was about $940m, and profit in the December quarter was almost $73m.

For the full year to March 2012, Konami had previously expected revenue of 258b Yen ($3.39b) with a profit of 18.5b Yen ($243m). Konami now expects revenue to reach 265b Yen ($3.48b)...

Capcom Profits $30.7m in the December 2011 Quarter

Jacob Mazel — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:23:00 GMT

Capcom's latest quarterly results are in, this time for the nine months to December 2011. Previously, Capcom reported that in the six months to September 2011, the company had generated revenue of 29.25b Yen with a profit of 906m Yen. Through nine months, Capcom profit grew to 3.24b Yen ($42.6m) on nine month revenue of 50.27b Yen ($660m). Based on the nine-month data, the company had revenue of 21.02b Yen ($276.2m) and a profit of 2.336b Yen ($30.7m) in the three months to December 2011.

Revenue declined 29% in the first nine months of the fiscal year, with profit down 53%.

Capcom previously...

Sony Ships 6.5m PS3s in Q4 11', To Lose $2.9b in FY, Lowers PS3 FCST

Jacob Mazel — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:43:00 GMT

Results for Sony's October-December 2011 business have arrived. Sony had announced at its half year financial briefing that the company had lost 42.5b Yen ($558m) from April to September 2011 on revenues of 3.06T Yen ($40.2b) . Through December 2011, Sony announced that nine-month revenues came to 4.89T Yen ($64.25b) with a loss of 201.5b Yen ($2.65b). Quarterly losses were 159b Yen ($2.038b), on revenue of 1.82T Yen ($23.370b) - revenue was down 17% year over year. Sony's most recent expectation for the year to March 2012 was for 6.5T Yen ($85.4b) in revenue with a 90b Yen ($1.18b) loss. With the...

New Releases on Nintendo Downloads Services Europe (02/02/12)

Gabriel Franco — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:34:18 GMT

Four new games were released today in Europe: two new games for DSiWare, one game for the 3DS Virtual console and one WiiWare game, you can check the full details below:
3DS Download Software

3D Classics: Kid Icarus (Nintendo, €6/£5.40)

Game Description: Join angelic warrior Pit as this iconic Nintendo action-platformer returns, with remastered 3D visuals in 3D Classics Kid Icarus™. Pit must save goddess Palutena from evil Medusa to defend Angel Land. Using his trusty bow and...

EA Loses $205m in the December 2011 Quarter

Jacob Mazel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:45:57 GMT

EA's financial results for the three months to December 2011 have just arrived. On revenues of $1.061b on a GAAP basis, the company lost $205m in the December 2011 quarter. For the 12 months to December 2011, EA revenue came to $3.865b (up nearly $400m from 2010), with a loss of $173m on a GAAP basis (down from a $397m loss). On a non-GAAP basis, which calculates totals with fewer expenses, EA profited $334m on revenue of $1.651b for the quarter. Yearly profit on the non-GAAP basis came to $311m on $4.204b in revenue.

Compared to last year, revenue in Q4 grew by only $8m, but losses decreased from $322m in Q4 2010...

Media Create: Armored Core, Resident Evil and 3DS Top the Charts

Gabriel Franco — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:41:00 GMT

Armored Core V topped the Media Create's weekly software sales chart, the PS3 version sold 164,000 units in the first spot while the 360 version was at the 6th spot with 24,719 units. Resident Evil: Revelations debuted with 147,000 units in the second place. Tales of Innocence R for PS Vita, the remake of a DS Tales game, was in the third position after selling 54,853 units in its first week. In the hardware side, the 3DS continued its reign, the Nintendo portable sold 84,789 units and beat all the other consoles combined. PlayStation Vita saw a slight boost, the system made it back above PSP into third place with 18,942 units sold.

Here's the full software...

Shinji Hirano the New President for Konami Europe

William D'Angelo — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:56:03 GMT

Konami has announced a new European president. Former US president, Shinji Hirano, has replaced Kunio Neo. There is no word what Neo's new role with the company is yet, or if he remains part of the company. Hirano will be working from Konami's Frankfurt headquarters and will work closely with the London, Paris and Madrid offices. He will oversee the business strategy for the company's gaming division as well as its trading card division.

"I am proud and delighted to have been given this challenge," Shinji Hirano stated. "I am keen to support the diversity the European territories offer, and looking to ways our business can best support the different tastes and opportunities they possess. Konami is a publisher with an enviable line-up of titles, and we will be making strides to...

Kazuo Hirai Named the New Sony President and CEO

William D'Angelo — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:55:00 GMT

Sony has announced that Kazuo Hirai will be taking over the role as President and CEO of the company on April 1, 2012. The current president Howard Stringer will become the chairman of the board of directors in June. The current chairman, Yotaro Kobayashi, will retire from his role.

"Kaz is a globally focused executive for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformation is second nature," said Stringer. "I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead."

"As challenging as times are for Sony now, were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more...

Sony to Sell Digital Vita Games for Less than at Retail in the US

William D'Angelo — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:16:07 GMT

Sony has confirmed that PlayStation Vita customers in the United States will be getting a discount when they buy games digitally through the PlayStation Network. Sony is already doing this in Japan, however there is no news whether or not they will be using the same strategy in other parts of the world.

Sony has not announced any official pricing at this time, however a user at the NeoGAF was able to get Vita pricing from Best Buy. Which suggests that download codes for PlayStation Vita titles would be 10 percent less than the physical copies.

American PlayStation Store Update (01/31/12)

Gabriel Franco — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:02:25 GMT

Here is the weekly PlayStation Store update:
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Shigeru Miyamoto Looking for the Next Big Hit

William D'Angelo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:39:51 GMT

Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario and Zelda lead developer, spoke during a question and answer session with investors, following Nintendo's quarterly financial report last week. Miyamoto talked about his shifting role in the company, that is co-workers are more than capable to continue work on new Mario and Zelda games.

"The ideal situation is one in which I do not need to give any direction," said Miyamoto. "My giving directions may hold back my subordinates’ independent and voluntary growth. Of course, I do not let everyone go totally unchecked. I...

Top 100 USA Pre Orders

Seb Parker — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:20:49 GMT

The Top 100 USA Pre Orders list consists of all retail games released from late 2009 onwards in the USA.

THQ in Even More Trouble, May be Delisted from Nasdaq in July

William D'Angelo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:39:10 GMT

Following the rumor yesterday that THQ was closing down in Japan office and laying off 14 employees in its Australian office, THQ is in even more trouble. THQ stock on the Nasdaq stock exchange has fallen below the minimum and it may be delisted in July. Nasdaq told THQ it has 180 days to raise its stock above the minimum or else it will be delisted.

THQ stock is currently listed at 65 cents a share, already down 5 cents since the opening bell this morning. THQ has until July 23 to maintain a share price of $1 or higher per share for at least 10 consecutive days. THQ stock peaked at $6.11 on February 2, 2011, almost one year ago.

Microsoft: No New Hardware at E3 2012

William D'Angelo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:05:06 GMT

Cedrick Delmas, the marketing director for Microsoft France, during an interview with Lepoint.Fr and translated by VG247, was asked about the next generation Xbox, better known as the Xbox 720 by the media. He said that the company will have no new hardware in 2012, that an E3 announcement is too early.

"We’re in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories," said Delmas. "I am not convinced things will happen this year. Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don’t see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still...

Sony Expects to be the "Last to Announce" a Next Generation Console

William D'Angelo — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:17:50 GMT

Philippe Cardon, the boss of Sony France, told Lepoint.fr, and translated by Eurogamer, expects Sony not to rush into the next generation home console race.

"It's true that there are a lot of rumors, but I can't tell you anything," said Cardon. "The Wii is under time pressure because it's in decline. As far as we're concerned, we're under a lot less pressure. We were the last to release the PS3, we will probably be the last to announce something."

Cardon also commented on the poor performance of the PlayStation Vita in Japan. "The sales that followed might seem disappointing, but they're not. We must put things in...

Rumor: THQ Closing Japan Office, Australian Office Layoffs

William D'Angelo — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:38:20 GMT

An anonymous source has told Kotaku that THQ is in the process of closing its Japan office, as well as laying off 14 staff in its Australian Office. However THQ's five internal studios have not been affected by this.

THQ had already closed two of its Australian studios in 2011. 200 employees had lost their job, but were able to apply for open positions in THQ's other studios.

This should only be taken as a grain of salt, until it is confirmed by THQ, since this wouldn't be the first rumor about THQ to be debunked. A past rumor stated that the entire company was being prepared to be put on sale, but was quickly shot down by THQ.

USA Preorders Chart, 28 January 2012 - Final Fantasy XIII-2

William D'Angelo — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:56:22 GMT

Overview

There are two games in the top 30 to be in its final week before launch, Final Fantasy XIII-2 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and SoulCalibur V for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The top five games include Mass Effect 3 (X360), Diablo III (PC), Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3), Kinect Star Wars (X360), and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (X360).

The top five games have 200,000 or more pre-orders, the same as last week, and the top 14 has 100,000 or more pre-orders, up from 12 last week. Four games add 20,000 or more, down from four last week and eight add 10,000 or more, the same as last week.

Video Game Releases From January 29 to February 4

Gabriel Franco — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:46:02 GMT

Final Fantasy XIII-2, SoulCalibur V and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection are this week's recommendations. Are you getting a new game this week? Get your games from one of the VGChartz Amazon Stores below.

America Canada UK Germany France

The Japan Preview: 1/29/12 Edition (Armored Core 5, RE: Revelations)

Jacob Mazel — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:01:20 GMT

Software sales increased substantially this week on the release of two fairly big, but frontloaded games - Armored Core 5 for PS3 and X360, and Resident Evil: Revelations for 3DS. Tales of Innocence: R for Vita also charted in the preliminary data, although it will do little more than provide a tiny bump this week given how low the opening for the game was. The lift should be similar to the first Resident Evil bump for 3DS in June 2011, which pushed 3DS to 27,000 from 23,000 on a 60,000 opening.

1) Armored Core 5 (PS3) - 195,000

2) Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) - 160,000

3) Tales of Innocence: R (Vita) - 51,000

4) Armored Core 5 (X360) - 35,000

5) Monster Hunter Portable 3G (3DS) - 26,000

6) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 21,000

7) Super...

Review: Amy

Daniel Share-Strom — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:11:00 GMT

Now, this one is a crying shame. I wanted to love Amy. I really did. With most of its contemporaries in the horror genre moving away from fear towards simply throwing a hundred guys wielding sharp objects at you, the concept of a game where you have to sneak around and hide from monsters to survive seemed like a welcome change of pace. You play as a woman, named Lana, who is trying to lead an Autistic girl (Amy) through a wasteland full of infected monstrosities that want to kill you both. As someone who also deals with the disorder, the fact that it centres on protecting a young Autistic person struck a unique chord with me....

Weekly Sales Analysis, 21 January 2012 - Sales Continue to Slide

William D'Angelo — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:40:20 GMT

Overview

Sales have dropped across the board week on week, while Xbox 360 software sales is the platform to not drop year on year. One game debuted in the top 40 this week, Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (3DS), which debuted at number 36 with sales of 31,000.

Software milestones this week in the top 40: Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC) passed the two million mark; and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3) passed the three million mark.

Hardware sales are down across the board week on week and year on year. The 3DS is the top selling platform. The PlayStation 3 passes the 61 million mark and the PSP passes...

New Releases on Nintendo Downloads Services America (26/01/12)

Gabriel Franco — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:48:00 GMT

Four new games and a 3DS demo were released today in America: two new games for DSiWare, one game for the 3DS eShop and one WiiWare game. Also Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games free demo is now available to download from the Nintendo eShop
3DS Download Software

Highlights from Iwata's Investors Briefing, Plenty of Sales Data

Jacob Mazel — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:36:00 GMT

Nintendo's President Satoru Iwata has presented quite a bit of information about 3DS, Wii, DS, and the upcoming Wii U in his latest investor briefing.

Iwata notes that although 3DS accelerated very quickly globally after its price cut, the cut came too late to meet Nintendo's 16m projection even with Mario Land 3D, Mario Kart 7, and Monster Hunter 3G performing well late in the year. Part of the issue was that the holiday lifts started later in the US and Europe than in previous years.

3DS is set to have the best launch year ever in Japan due to the effectiveness of the price cut and the major games...

Nintendo Has 18 1m+ Published Titles Between Apr-Dec 2011

Jacob Mazel — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:15:00 GMT

Nintendo has just released its supplementary earnings sheet which contains Nintendo's million-shipping games and release dates for upcoming titles. Despite the massive loss expected for the year, Nintendo is still selling enormous amounts of software. Three 3DS games, five DS games, and 10 Wii games published by Nintendo have topped 1m units globally in the nine months to December 2011.

Wii Game Apr - Dec / Dec 11' LTD

Mario Kart Wii...

Preview: Resident Evil: Revelations

Alex St-Amour — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:29:00 GMT

Slowly but surely Nintendo is embracing an online future. A future where gamers have access to all types of content just by logging onto one of Nintendo’s online capable devices, straight from the comfort of their Mario branded bean bag chair. The latest step in this direction is the launch of a new service on the Nintendo e-Shop, downloadable demos of full retail games for the 3DS. To celebrate the launch of this new service Nintendo and Capcom have teamed up to bring...

Nintendo Profits in Q4 2011, Expects to Lose Over $800m in FY 3/2012

Jacob Mazel — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:07:00 GMT

Nintendo's financial report for the nine months to December 2011 has arrived. Based on the nine month data we can also pull out quarterly figures for the three months to December 2011.

During April to September 2011, Nintendo previously announced that its total revenues came to 215.74b Yen ($2.77b) at current exchange rates, with a loss of 70.27b Yen ($903m) for the half year. Through nine months, Nintendo has driven the loss down susbtantially, to 48.35b Yen ($621m lost) - which indicates a profit of about $282m for the quarter. Revenue through nine months also jumped to 556.17b Yen ($7.15b), indicating revenue of $4.38b in the December 2011 quarter.

Last quarter, Nintendo projected revenue in the year to...

New Releases on Nintendo Downloads Services Europe (26/01/12)

Gabriel Franco — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:09:10 GMT

Four new games were released today in Europe: two new games for DSiWare, one game for the 3DS Virtual console and one WiiWare game.
3DS Virtual Console

Balloon Kid (Game Boy, Nintendo, £2.70/€3)

Game Description: Take to the skies on a trip through a land filled with danger, with nothing but balloons to keep you afloat. When her brother is swept away on the wind, Alice must save him by floating through eight perilous stages. Navigate your way through enemies and obstacles, collect...

Media Create: 3DS and Mario Kart 7 Still on Top

Gabriel Franco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:10:00 GMT

Four Nintendo 3DS games were in the top five spots in Media Create's Software sales charts, Mario Kart 7 continued at the first spot, Rhythm Thief on 3DS was the top newcomer for the week with 31,598 units sold at the second spot, in third and fourth spot respectively were Monster Hunter 3G and Super Mario 3D Land. Onechanabra Z Kagura on Xbox 360 sold 22,013 units, placing fifth for the week. Also debuting in the top 10 were Heroes Phantasia and RPG

Rumor: Next Xbox to Use Blu-Ray, Upgraded Kinect

William D'Angelo — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:38:40 GMT

According to sources speaking with Kotaku, Microsoft will not be using DVD as its disc format for its next generation console, but instead will be using Blu-Ray. That isn't even the biggest surprise if true. Microsoft intends to use some sort of technology to prevent the use of used games. However no other information was given to how Microsoft intends to achieve this.

Another source who is familiar with Microsoft's plan for the next Xbox said that an upgraded version of its popular hands free device, Kinect, will be used. It is expected to "contain an on-board processor, a feature originally intended for the first Kinect. That processor would...

American PlayStation Store Update (01/24/12)

Gabriel Franco — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:07:12 GMT

Here is the weekly PlayStation Store update:
PlayStation Plus

Full Game Trials: Mortal Kombat Full Game Trial

Avatars and Themes: Assassin’s Creed Revelations Dynamic Theme
Hitman: Absolution – Crossed Hands Dynamic Theme

Beta: Starhawk Beta Central Website Access

Discounts: Capcom Super Pack- 75%...

Review: Haunt

Kasper M. Andersen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:17:00 GMT

NanaOn-Sha is a development studio that doesn't put itself in the spotlight very often. It's a studio best known for creating PaRappa the Rapper, but otherwise hasn't made many noticeable games. So when NanaOn-Sha come along and create Haunt, a Kinect game at the top of the roster, it's easy to be taken by surprise.

So what is Haunt? The setting is familiar and, at first glance, looks like just another haunted house attraction. But the haunted mansion of Benjamin Muldoon is a place of charm and wonder that offers fun for all ages, even if you've seen every haunted house imaginable. This is a game about fun first and foremost, not horror; only younger children will find it scary. The story begins with Benjamin himself trying to enlist your help. After an experiment...

GameStop to Close Northern Ireland Stores

William D'Angelo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:47:44 GMT

GameStop will be shutting down three of its stores this week in Northern Ireland. This is part of the companies plan to focus more on selling serving consumers through its website. GameStop's republic of Ireland stores currently remain unaffected by this change.

Michael Finucane, GameStops Groups' commercial director in the UK and Ireland said, "the recent store closures in Northern Ireland are part of our plan, announced six months ago, to exit the UK market from a brick and mortar perspective. We started this process last year closing our Birmingham, Stockport and Belfast locations."

"The stores in the Republic of Ireland are not affected at this time," Finucane added. Correspondingly, we have experienced tremendous sales...

Sega's New UK Studio Working on PlayStation Vita Exclusive

William D'Angelo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:42:44 GMT

Sega's new UK studio which was announced June of 2011 has been named "Hardlight." Which was revealed through a job listing for a programmer for the studio. The studio is based out of West Midlands and is the third Sega studio located in the UK. The studio was originally formed from employees that headed up the Sega Racing Studio before it was shutdown.

Hardlight is working on a "unique action adventure developed exclusively for PS Vita." It is due to release late this year.

The job listing also stated that the SEGA R&D and the Solihull studio will be working together to "stay at the cutting edge of developments in technology, middleware and game experiences." They focus will be on "high quality and innovative experiences for both current and future platforms."

Report: Microsoft Phasing Out its Microsoft Points System on Xbox Live

William D'Angelo — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:05:15 GMT

According to a source speaking with Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft is planning to phase out its Microsoft Points system by the end of 2012. Microsoft using its points system as a virtual currency. It is currently being used on Xbox Live, Windows Phone and the Zune marketplace.

Microsoft will simply base all transactions on each region's currency and will use real money for Windows Phone. Customers with Microsoft Points balances will have them converted to their local currency when the switch occurs. The change gets rid of the confusion between the dollar to Microsoft Point conversion as well as eliminating the need for customers to buy more...

Microsoft to Speed up XBLA Update Process due to Minecraft

William D'Angelo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:07:37 GMT

Microsoft is planning to speed up the process for game patches on the Xbox Live Arcade release of MineCraft claims Paddy Burns, the chief technology officer at 4J Studios. It would be the first game to feature constant updates. The studio is porting the hit indie PC game to the Xbox Live Arcade which was first announced at E3 2011.

"Microsoft knows that to do a similar thing that's on PC where they constantly update it, that's a very difficult thing to do on Xbox because you have to go through the full tests," Burns told EDGE. "But they are quite keen to move towards that - they do see it as the future, so I think we might be the first to do constant updates."

However, Burns...

USA Preorders Chart, 21 January 2012 - Preorders Pick Up

William D'Angelo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:54:05 GMT

Overview

There are no games in the top 30 to be in its final week before launch. The top five games include Mass Effect 3 (X360), Diablo III (PC), Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3), Kinect Star Wars (X360), and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (X360).

The top five games have 200,000 or more pre-orders, up from four last week, and the top 12 has 100,000 or more pre-orders, up from nine last week. Five games add 20,000 or more, up from three last week and eight add 10,000 or more, up from four last week.

Games in final week before launch

There are no games in the top 30 to be...

Review: Sonic CD

Joseph Trotter — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:11:00 GMT

These days, there's not much you can get for £3.29; a CD in Fopp, maybe, a Subway sandwich at a push, or 0.3 seconds with a high-class prostitute (at £35,000 per hour; I do my research). As such, the fact that Sonic CD weighs in at 400 MS points is a selling point in itself, but also a warning. Surely something so cheap must come with some cut-back, something to keep it below the usual 800 points? Thankfully, that is not the case. Sonic CD is a labour of love, an exceptionally fine port of an under-appreciated game, and one that sets new standards in the field of updating classic games.

Video Game Releases From January 22 to January 28

Gabriel Franco — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:49:48 GMT

Tales of Innocence R, Resident Evil: Revelations and Armored Core V are this week's recommendations. Are you getting a new game this week? Get your games from one of the VGChartz Amazon Stores below.

America Canada UK Germany France

The Japan Preview: 1/22/12 Edition (SW Slows Further, 3DS Leads)

Jacob Mazel — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:06:00 GMT

Holiday seasonality is just about over now in Japan. Software dropped off quite a bit once again in lieu of that reality, and hardware should continue to decline until the next wave of big games or price cuts arrives. Nothing in the immediate future will reverse the continuing fall off from holiday highs though. Even so, 2012 is off to a much better start than 2011 in Japan.

1) Monster Hunter Portable 3G (3DS) - 34,000

2) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 32,000

3) Super Mario 3DLand (3DS) - 25,000

4) Rhythm Kaitou R: Koutei Napoleon no Isan (3DS) - 20,000

5) Inazuma Eleven Go Shine / Dark (3DS) - 16,000

6) Onechanbara Z: Kagura (X360...not a typo) - 13,000

9) Labyrinth no Kanata (3DS) - 12,000

9) Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Masou...

Weekly Sales Analysis, 14 January 2012 - Sales Down Across the Board

William D'Angelo — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:19:52 GMT

Overview

Hardware and software sales drop across the board for a third week and are also down year on year. One game debuted in the top 40 this week, Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masou Kishin II - Revelation of Evil God (PSP), which debuted at number eight with sales of 81,000.

Software milestones this week in the top 40: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360) passes the 13 million mark in only 10 weeks; The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3) reaches three million; FIFA Soccer 12 (PS3) passes the five million mark; and Kinect Sports (X360) reaches the four million mark.

Hardware sales are down across the board...

Resident Evil 6 Confirmed, First Trailer Released

Gabriel Franco — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:34:00 GMT

Resident Evil 6 is officially coming this November, bringing all the zombies you love plus the series two most popular male leads together for the first time. The game is in development for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (No Wii U at the moment) and is scheduled for release on November 20, 2012 in the home consoles with a Windows PC version to follow.

Here is the First Trailer:

Microsoft Ships Record 8.2m X360's in Dec Q, EDD Profits $528m

Seb Parker — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:42:00 GMT

Microsoft have released their earnings release for FYQ2 2012, the all important holiday quater.

X360 shipments reached 8.2m, a record Q for the now 6 year old machine, up 1.9m units over the same quater last year. Providing we don't see substantial drops over the next 2 quaters, this should be the X360's best fiscal year overall. Total install base now stands at 65.8m. For the Calendar year, the X360 shipped just under 15m units.

Microsoft also reiterated Kinect has shipped over 18m units, and Xbox live is at 40 million active accounts (Gold and Silver). Kinect had reached 10.4m units through March 2011 according to Microsoft, and 8m at the...

New Releases on Nintendo Downloads Services America (19/01/12)

Gabriel Franco — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:49:33 GMT

Four new games and a 3DS demo were released today in America: two new games for DSiWare, one game for the 3DS Virtual console and one WiiWare game. Also starting today the Resident Evil: Revelations free demo is now available to download from the Nintendo eShop.
3DS Demo

Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom,...

New Releases on Nintendo Downloads Services Europe (19/01/12)

Gabriel Franco — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:59:04 GMT

Two new games for DSiWare, and Prince of Persia for both Wii and 3DS Virtual console were released today in Europe, also starting today free demos of two Nintendo 3DS games are available to download from the Nintendo eShop: Resident Evil: Revelations and Cooking Mama 4. You can check the full details below:
Wii Virtual Console

Prince of Persia (Super NES, Ubisoft, 800pts)

Traverse sprawling levels, dodge deadly traps, spikes and guillotines and clash swords with palace guards before facing the evil Grand Vizier and rescuing...

Review: Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights

Alex St-Amour — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:28:00 GMT

A mystery that needs solving, puzzles with hidden solutions, challenges and secrets that hide behind every corner. These are the tasks that lie before our intrepid investigator and his trusty and eager assistant as they explore a classical European city. This, in short, is the world of Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights, Konami’s new puzzle-adventure title for the Nintendo 3DS. Now, before you say ‘Hey this is just another May’s Mystery Professor Layton rip off’, let me tell you that there's much more to Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights than a clone of Nintendo’s brain teasing series…

…Lautrec is a doctor and Layton is a professor, they’re...

Media Create: Super Robot Taisen and 3DS on Top, PS Vita Below 20k

Gabriel Franco — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:35:02 GMT

Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Shinki II debuted at top with 81,896 units sold in last week's Media Create's software charts. Tecmo Koei's Fatal Frame offshoot Spirit Camera debuted at the 7th spot with 16,351 units while Namco Bandai's Ace Combat 3D debuted at the 9th position with 12,819 units sold.

In the hardware side the Nintendo 3DS was still on top even after seeing a post holiday drop, the 3DS fell over 50% and sold 100,668 units last week. PlayStation Vita sold 18,361, down from last week's 42,915 units.

Here's the full software chart, with life to date sales in parentheses.

[PSP] 01. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin II (Namco Bandai, 01/12): 81,996 <-

Analyst: Handheld Market to Rebound in 2012 due to 3DS and Vita

William D'Angelo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:56:06 GMT

Analyst firm International Data Corporation (IDC) believes that 2012 will be a huge year for the handhelds, due to the next generation handheld race between the 3DS and Vita.

"Given the 3DS price drop in mid-2011 and in light of respectable initial demand for Vita in Japan this past December, it appears that 2012 is shaping up to be a rebound year for dedicated handhelds," said Lewis Ward, IDC's research manager for gaming.

"An interesting piece of this story is what's happening demographically," adds Ward. "The penetration rate of paying gamers is much higher in the child and teen segment for dedicated handhelds than it is for cell phone or media tablet gamers. As long as dedicated handheld OEMs and physical format portable game developers/publishers can hold...

Ubisoft Shuts Down Vancouver Studio

William D'Angelo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:21:22 GMT

Ubisoft has announced that it has shut down its Vancouver studio. Its main focus was on sports titles such as Pure Futbol for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, Academy of Champions: Soccer (Wii) and Motionsports Adrenaline for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The studio was bought out by Ubisoft in 2009 and was first formed in 2006 called Action Pants.

"Ubisoft confirms that we have made the difficult decision to close its studio in Vancouver," a Ubisoft spokesperson told Game Informer. "Unfortunately, we haven’t found the right formula for success for the talented team there. We thank our Vancouver team for their hard work and the projects that they have delivered."

However, Ubisoft has given the opportunity for employees to work...