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Imagine: 1 Million Imagine Sales
It stings a little to report on this, but sometimes, we must bite our lips and bring the bad news, as well as the good: Ubisoft’s Imagine series has passed 1 million in sales. The popular series of titles, targeted at young girls, is most well-known for its DS titles, but it also appears on…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Get To Know Your Mike Fahey
Geek we love? Mike Fahey. Tech site geeksugar has an intimate Q&A with Kotaku Associate Editor Michael Fahey. Perfect for budding Fahey stalkers! The interview’s wall-to-wall fun, tongue planted firmly in cheek — Fahey’s favorite place to plant it. Topics covered include how Fahey got into gaming, why it might not good for gamers to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Square Enix Trying To Buy Tomb Raider
Square Enix have just announced that an agreement has been reached with the board of Eidos, by which Square will purchase the creaky old British publisher for £84 million (USD$120 million). That price represents, according to Square, a premium of 129% over Eidos’ current market value. Meaning that, yes, in other words, they’re paying more…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Square Enix Slashes Financial Forecast
Square Enix has finally released its financials, including a revised forecasts for this financial year — ending March 31, 2009. Sales and income are expected to be down. According to Square Enix, the company’s new net sales forecast is 16.9 percent lower than previously thought. Net income is expected to be down 62.5 percent. What’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Watchmen Brawler Invokes The Spirit Of Capcom
Deadline are working on a Watchmen brawler, but this isn’t it. This game we’re talking about today is an old-fashioned side-scroller, it has old-fashioned sensibilities and, best of all, it’s free. Hosted on the website for the upcoming Watchmen film, the Watchmen arcade game is – despite its “1977” production date – a decidedly 80’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Dragon Quest IX Delayed
It’s official. Square Enix has announced that upcoming DS title Dragon Quest IX has been pushed back. The game was slated for a March 28 release in Japan. The game is now scheduled to hit retailers on July 11. According to Square Enix, the delay is a result of bugs or “flaws,” it seems, still…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
More Japanese Women Read Erotic Game Mag Than Xbox 360 Mag
Men and women in Japan read game magazines in Japan. Here’s some fascinating reader data from Japanese publisher Enterbrain about who reads what. This data was collected by Enterbrain via reader surveys last year. It covers four of its magazines: • Famitsu DS + Wii Female: 41.2 percent Male: 58.8 percent • Famitsu PSP +…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Activision Predict 2009 Console Sales
Step aside, analysts and amateur crystal ball-gazers! Continuing a trend set by Microsoft, Activision have decided to start throwing console guesstimates around, taking a swing this morning at guessing console sales for 2009. So just what does Activision boss Bobby Kotick see when he gazes into his crystal ball? All was revealed as part of…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
You Can Dress As Bionic Commando, But Not Swing Like Him
We previously brought word that Dead Rising: Chop ‘Til You Drop featured two new costumes for the Wii: Bionic Commando and bikini Frank West. Here’s something you should know about the Bionic Commando outfit: The BC outfit, modeled after character Nathan Spencer, does not allow Wii Dead Rising players to grapple. That’s right, it may…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Video Game Marketing Now Crushing Cars For Kicks
Our hats are off (yup, all of them) to Dawn of War II‘s marketing team today. Why? Forget developer diaries. They’re more interested in turning Warhammer 40K into a monster truck rally. We’ve told you before about THQ UK’s plans to build a replica Space Marine Rhino from Warhammer 40K. Well, those plans are done.…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sony Brings iDOLM@STER To Home (And Creeps People Out)
Hey, that’s not to say Namco Bandai’s franchise THE iDOLM@STER isn’t creepy, Home’s version of iDOLM@STER character Haruka Amami is just, well, creepier. To bring everyone up to speed: Namco’s THE iDOLM@STER is a popstar simulator. It was originally an arcade game, but has since appeared on the Xbox 360 and the PSP. As part…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
PC Sales Charts
While EA reckon 1.8 million copies of Left 4 Dead have been sold at retail since launch (on both 360 & PC), we’d love to see the digital download figures instead. Because hot on the heels of new product announcements this week, the game has returned to the #1 spot on Steam’s charts. It’s even…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gears of War Developer on Gears of War Ten Year Plan: Bwah?
Just because Gears of War 2 writer Joshua Ortega says Gears of War is “a ten year plan” and that in-game Lancer weapon is the new lightsaber, does that mean it’s so? Not really, apparently. Epic exec Mark Rein explains: “In this industry you can’t plan games very far in advance. We appreciate the enthusiasm…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
360 Commercial Banned Over Movie Purchase Claims
Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority say 99% of video games ads are responsible. This commercial, however, for the Xbox 360’s video marketplace, is part of the remaining 1%. The ad (which particular ad it is goes unnamed) basically claims you can buy movies. Which you can’t, you can only rent them. A single user complained to…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
Mad Catz Return To Form With Resident Evil 5 Stuff
Last few months, Mad Catz have been doing their best to convince us they’ve turned a corner. Are now putting out quality merchandise, instead of the crap they’re renowned for. And we believed them! So it’s sobering today to see the company’s line of Resident Evil 5 accessories, which amount to six separate pieces of…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
Digging Up New Gardening Mama Screens
Behold the box art and a bountiful harvest of new screens for Majesco’s follow-up to the wildly popular Cooking Mama, Gardening Mama, starring our favorite mush-mouthed mother figure, only this time she’s outside. Mama encourages you to grow plants, decorate your garden, and share your creations with your friends in Gardening Mama, which takes the…
By Mike Fahey Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
Movie Games We Never Got
Thanks to the Warner Bros. Interactive Showcase, I’ve got movie-games on the brain. These days spin-offs, sequels, prequels and tie-ins crop up like pimples whenever a major movie is released. Even movies that came out a while ago are getting the game treatment, like Wanted and Ghostbusters. But what about the major movies that didn’t…
By AJ Glasser Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
PS3 Games, Movies To Be Bundled On Same Disc
Blu-Ray discs are big. Most games not developed by Hideo Kojima only take up a fraction of the disc space. So that space is going to waste! And can be better occupied with movies. Sony’s director of hardware marketing, John Koller, has said that later this year, the way certain PS3 titles – like, say,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
Does Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Fail The Rorschach Test?
Warner Bros. Interactive‘s Watchmen: The End is Nigh is caught in the awkward place between being a comic book game and a movie game. This is most visible in the difference between the story cut scenes and the in-game cut scenes. The former are done in the style of the comic with bright colors and…
By AJ Glasser Published February 11, 2009 - Uncategorized
StarCraft II, Next Gen Battle.net Betas “In The Next Few Months”
While the wait for StarCraft II may already be agonizingly long, the promise of a playable multiplayer beta helps many of us get out of bed every morning. So when will we get it? According to Blizzard COO Paul Sams, the StarCraft II beta is likely just months away. Two months? Ten months? We hope…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2009