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Namco Bandai’s Best-Selling Games Are…
Namco Bandai today released their Q1 2010 earnings report. And buried amidst the boring money stuff (net sales are down 15.8%) is something a little more interesting: game sales data. Listed were the publisher’s top five-selling games for the quarter ending June 30, 2009 (as in, only those sold during that three-month period, not lifetime…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Guy Mods Consoles, Could Do 10 Years In Prison
There are some people who modify their own consoles so they can play imported games. That’s fine. There are others, however, who do so for reasons of piracy and commercial gain. Those people are not fine. 27 year-old Matthew Crippen, who is a student at California State University, sounds like he might (might!) be one…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Over 3 Million DSi Units Sold in Japan
As of August 2, Nintendo has sold 3,062,920 DSi units domestically in Japan. The DSi went on sale in Japan last fall on November 1, 2008 for ¥18,900. The total number of DS units sold in Japan is 27 million. DSi hardware sales have been powered by the July release of DS title Dragon Quest.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sony Ramping Up PS3 Production For…Something
According to Taiwan’s DigiTimes, Sony have recently “placed significant orders for key Sony PS3 components” from local manufacturers, waaaaay above the quantities they normally source. Interesting. They say it’s enough parts to produce one million PS3 consoles in the third quarter of 2009, which is apparently twice as many as were manufactured last quarter. DigiTimes’…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
What Games Did Japan Buy In July?
July may be over, but it’s not forgotten. It lives on as the month that follows June, and at the same time the month that precedes August. July. Say it with me, July. The number crunchers at Famitsu publisher Enterbrain have crunched some numbers. Those numbers make up Japanese sales data for the month of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sony Scraps WipeOut HD Loading Ad
The people have spoken. Spoken angrily. And Sony have listened, removing the worst of the in-game advertising from WipeOut HD only 24 hours after it was first officially announced. “The ad has been removed from WipEout HD”, a Sony rep told Eurogamer, “and we are investigating the situation to ensure that any in-game advertising does…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Hitman Actor Returning For Hitman 2?
The Hitman movie sequel is still very much in the early stages. Twentieth Century Fox has scribe Kyle Ward (Uncharted movie script, Kane & Lynch script) attached to the Hitman 2 script. But is actor Timothy Olyphant, who played lead Agent 47 in the first film, returning to reprise his role? “It’s not on my…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
LittleBigPlanet Does The Time Warp
Media Molecule, we fully endorse this continued move away from game characters and national holidays towards making LBP content a little more unique. A little more interesting. Case in point: this "history kit". It combines “objects, decorations, music, sounds, materials and 140 (zomg!) stickers” from a number of historical styles/civilizations, including Roman, Egyptian, Arabic, Oriental,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Company Renames Rape Game Category
As the fallout from the Rapelay controversy continues, one Japanese erotic game distributor has, for better or worse, figured out a work around. PC download site BGameBox has posted a notification that the categories “ryoujoku” (rape) and “choukyou” (sexual training) have been removed from the site as of July 31. A separate email newsletter informs…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Handmade SFIV Sticks Don’t Skimp On The Heavy Stuff
Mekishiko916 likes Street Fighter, and is handy with circuits and a soldering iron. Combining those two, he’s come up with these amazing hand-made arcade sticks that aren’t just heavy-duty, they’re wireless as well. Being a patriot, he eschews Japanese components in favour of American HAPP parts (though you can ask for Seimetsu/Sanwa parts if you’re…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Tornado Outbreak Trailer Twists My Expectations
I’ve been fascinated with tornadoes since I saw this video when I was a kid. But rather than go out and almost get killed myself trying to recreate those guys’ experience, I’d rather play a game about tornadoes. Sadly, I’m not sure Tornado Outbreak can sate my sick interest. Because rather than playing as the…
By AJ Glasser Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Poor Old Leipzig Ain’t What It Used To Be
Last year, Leipzig was host to Europe’s premier games industry expo, which attracted over 200,000 people. This year? Leipzig’s Games Convention Online could only attract 43,000 punters. Why the decline? Well, it’s all in the name. Last year’s Leipzig Games Convention was a showcase for all things gaming, from consoles to handhelds to the PC.…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Persona 4, Explained In Pictures
Persona has one of the most unique core mechanics in all of gaming. But the series’ finer points may be lost on newcomers, or those ignorant of its enduring appeal. For those people, then, there is this comic. Artist and Persona fan Hiimdaisy has penned this amazing, loooooong comic that does a great job of…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
This Is Vegas Publishers: This Is Not Cancelled
When you don’t hear about a game for months, you start to presume the worst. Like, that it’s been cancelled. We haven’t heard about This is Vegas for months, so has it been cancelled? Surprisingly, no, it has not. Despite being caught up in the implosion of Midway (the game’s former developer/publisher) and its own…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Pirate Bay Co-Founder Jumps Ship
Another man overboard. Joining former Grokster exec Wayne Rosso, Pirate Bay’s Peter Sunde is abandoning the BitTorrent site he co-founded. “I have decided to not be the spokes person for The Pirate Bay anymore,” Sunde blogged this Monday. “The reasons are many but most importantly it takes too much of my time. I want to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Two More Added To PS3 Greatest Hits Line
Times are tough, and money is tight. Who has $50-60 to spend on new games? Not as many people as there used to be, that’s for sure. Now $30, that’s more like it. Which brings us to the two latest titles in Sony’s Greatest Hits range for the PS3, Saints Row 2 and WWE Smackdown…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Resident Evil 5’s Sheva Has Cheeky Pin-Up Calender
Voice and motion capture actress Karen Dyer doesn’t lend her voice to her online Sheva cosplay calendar. She lends other assets. Guns, for instance. The character of Sheva, however, was based on Australian model/TV actor Michelle Van Der Water. Sheva Calender [Official Site via Gaming Bits via Capcom]
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
Team Fortress 2 Gets New Closed Beta For Better Testing
I’m a casual TF2 player. So the recent “random drop” system of awarding rare items was great for me! For high-end players, though, it wasn’t so great, and they got upset. If only Valve had seen that coming! In the future, hopefully they will, with the creation of a new “closed beta” for the game.…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 4, 2009 - Uncategorized
80GB PLAYSTATION 3 To Be Discontinued In Japan
The 20GB, 40GB and 60GB versions of the PS3 have been discontinued. According to this, it looks like the 80GB PLAYSTATION 3 is next. This notice is apparently from retailer 7-Eleven (7-Eleven sells video games in Japan) and states that pre-orders for the Black, White and Silver 80GB PS3 will cease on Sunday, August 9…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 4, 2009