January 2010 Archives
Electronic Arts gloated today that it has shipped over two million copies of its game Mass Effect 2, that shipped to stores earlier this week. Electronic Arts' gloating ran mostly to the tune of "We've sold a lot of copies," and "The game's gotten good review scores."
Microsoft reported the results of its fiscal second quarter ended December 31:
Continue reading Microsoft Reports Higher Game Revenues Thanks to Fewer Staff.
Sony has released a variety of downloadable games for the PlayStation 3 and PSP through the PlayStation Store.
Continue reading More Games Reach the PlayStation Store.
Nintendo briefly reported certain financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended December 31, 2009. The company saw its operating profit during the quarter fall 23% from the comparable quarter the previous year to ¥192.3 billion (around $2.1 billion). While lower than last year's results, Nintendo beat investor's expectations, which were tempered by lower margins on the Wii console and lower sales of Wii consoles.
Southpeak has shipped the physical version of Blood Bowl for the Xbox 360 and PC to stores in North America. The game was previously available as a download for the PC. Based on the classic board game, Blood Bowl has a variety of races from high-fantasy games competing at a football-like sport.
Ndoors has officially launched its online game WonderKing. As with other free-to-play persistent online games, the official launch of this side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game means that players can purchase items in the game's cash shop.
Red 5 Studios, a California-based studio working on massively multiplayer online games, confirmed that it laid off some of the company's staff as part of a restructuring.
Ubisoft's game No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle for the Wii is now in stores. As in the original No More Heroes, the game has players striving to reach the top of an assassin leaderboard in a televised bloodsport.
This week's downloadable game for Xbox Live Arcade is KrissX, a puzzle game in which players move letters around to complete words. Developed by Regolith Games, KrissX can be downloaded for 800 points ($10).
Southpeak's game Fast Food Panic is now in stores for the Wii. The game previously shipped for the DS. It has players cooking multiple meals at once while also cleaning up and calculating checks.
Imagine: Party Planner for the DS, from publisher Ubisoft, is now in stores for the DS. The game, aimed at girls, has players arranging the dream party for clients with large budgets.
Hotel Giant 2, from SouthPeak Games, is now available in stores. This hotel management simulation has players running 26 hotels in famous cities through the world.
According to a report on the U.S. Department of Defense site (recounting an ONR Pentagon Web Radio webcast), the Office of Naval Research has concluded that video game players may be an effective tool in the war against terrorism:
Continue reading Office Of Naval Research Notes That Gaming Improves "Fluid Intelligence".
Sony Online Entertainment has launched a game update for its massively multiplayer online game Star Wars Galaxies called "Galactic Civil War: Forces Under Siege." The update sees the galaxy divided between Imperial and Rebel forces, with players defending or assaulting cities to improve their faction's standing. The game adds new offensive and defensive structures along with profession-based quests.
Konami's game Shadow of Destiny is now available for the PSP. The game has players helping a young man named Eike as he travels through time to solve his own murder.
Capcom's game Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars for the Wii is available in North America. This fighting game pits famous Capcom characters against characters from Tatsunoko Productions' animated properties.
Electronic Arts has shipped Mass Effect 2, BioWare's latest epic role-playing game and sequel to Mass Effect, to stores in North America. The game is available for the Xbox 360 and PC and extends Commander Shepard's efforts to save the universe.
Sony's game MAG for the PlayStation 3 has shipped to stores. The game supports multiplayer battles with up to 256 players on a single battlefield.
Casual Game publisher MumboJumbo has been awarded $4.6 million in damages from PopCap Games for an alleged breach of contract by PopCap:
Continue reading MumboJumbo Successfully Sues PopCap.
With the arrival of another Monday, Nintendo has released another seven downloadable games for either the Wii or DSi:
Continue reading Nintendo Releases More Downloadable Games.
Pirates of the Burning Sea, developed by Flying Lab Software and published under Sony Online Entertainment's Platform Publishing label, is now two years old. The game launched two years ago, and will celebrate tomorrow with a variety of in-game events including battles against the developers.
Strategy First, together with developer GolemLabs, has released The InLaws as a download for the PC (from Strategy First). The game has players competing against in-game in-laws to win the influence of related family members.
It's Thursday, so Sony is (once again) releasing a slate of downloadable games for the PlayStation 3 and PSP:
Continue reading More Downloadable Games Reach the PlayStation 3 and PSP.
As followers of Take-Two Interactive may know, Carl Icahn has been busily acquiring the company's publicly traded stock, and now holds over 11% of Take-Two's shares. As a result, Strauss Zelnick and the folks who originally seized control of Take-Two have been forced to bargain away control over certain slots on the Board of Directors:
Continue reading Icahn Names Three Board Positions at Take-Two.
Harmonix, part of MTV Games, is continuing its quest to make Rock Band the method by which you get new music. Harmonix has launched the "Rock Band Network" beta, allowing musicians to introduce new tracks for Rock Band that (if approved) will be sold in the Rock Band store.
Continue reading Harmonix Prepared to Make Money off Your Music.
This week, Microsoft has added two games to Xbox Live Arcade. Now, Xbox 360 owners can download Death by Cube and Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment:
Continue reading Two More Games Reach Xbox Live Arcade.
PopCap's game Bejeweled Twist is now available in stores for the DS. This puzzle game has DS owners twisting clusters of gems to line up sets of three similar gems.
Konami's game Silent Hill: Shattered Memories has shipped for the PlayStation 2 and PSP. The game is a re-imagining of the original Silent Hill, with the addition of new nightmare sequences and a new soundtrack. The game shipped last month for the Wii.
Linden Lab, the company behind the virtual world Second Life has hired Bob Komin as the company's Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Linden Lab, Komin worked as the CFO for a solar energy start-up firm called Solexel.
Capcom's game Dark Void has shipped to stores. The game is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, and was developed by Airtight Games. The game has players trapped in "The Void," working with a group of human "Survivors" who seek to save the Earth from becoming a casualty in an ongoing battle.
Nintendo's game Glory of Heracles for the DS is now in stores in North America. This role-playing game, previously released in Japan, has player exploring Greek mythology when washed up on the shores of Crete as an amnesiac.
Nearly a year ago, Hellgate: London closed down through much of the world. Since then, rumors have regularly surfaced that HanbitSoft (who held the rights to the game in certain Asian territories) would resurrect the game. Today, HanbitSoft announced that it has acquired the rights to run the game in North America, Europe and Japan from Namco Bandai Games. HanbitSoft plans to relaunch the game in these territories sometime this year.
Nintendo has released yet more downloadable games for the Wii and DSi this week:
Continue reading Nintendo Releases More Downloadable Games for the Wii and DSi.
It's a quiet week for the PlayStation Store, but two new downloads are available for the PSP:
Continue reading More Downloadable PSP Games Released.
Publisher Majesco reported its financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and full financial year ended October 31, 2009:
Continue reading Majesco Reports Large Quarterly and Annual Loss.
Japanese game publisher GCrest is opening an office in San Francisco, California, to expand its North American presence. The office should open next month and will focus (as does GCrest abroad) on casual online games.
Publisher: TurbineDeveloper: Turbine
Platform: PC
Reviewed on PC
Windows System Requirements: Pentium 4 1.6 GHz or AMD equivalent, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9 compatible video card with 64 MB RAM, 3 GB HD space, internet connection, Windows XP or more recent operating system
I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons Online since June 30, 2007. More precisely, I've been paying for it since then. Turbine has taken DDO "free-to-play," or as they term it – "Gold." That's not to say you can't still pay. You can, and I do still pay the $15 per month subscription fee.
DDO's free to play feature certainly seems to be gold. Since its implementation on September 9th, 2009 a great many new and returning players have joined the Turbine servers for their chance to slay evil humanoids, beholders, mind-flayers and other creatures from the Dungeon & Dragons canon. But what has changed about the game?
Continue reading Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited Review.
A new study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex demonstrates that the size of certain structures in the brain are strongly linked to performance in video games:
Continue reading Size of Certain Brain Structures Predicts Game Performance.
Activision Blizzard wanted to gloat that it's game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (developed by Infinity Ward) has brought in more than $1 billion in sales since the game launched in November. The company also noted that the game sold around $550 million worldwide in its first five days on store shelves.
Nintendo confirmed today that it has reached an agreement with Netflix to support streaming Netflix content through the Wii for Wii owners with both a broadband internet connection and a Netflix subscription. Netflix streaming should be available on the Wii console in the first half of this year, and will require a disc that will be free for Netflix subscribers.
This week's downloadable game for Xbox Live Arcade is Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter from Majesco. The game can be downloaded for 1,200 points ($15), allowing Xbox 360 owners to once again experience Croteam's classic first-person shooter complete with screaming headless Kamikazes.
The Sims 2: Fun With Pets Collection from Electronic Arts is now available in stores. This PC compilation includes a variety of expansion content for The Sims 2, including The Sims 2: Pets expansion, The Sims 2: H&M Family Fun Stuff Pack, The Sims 2: Mansion expansion and the Garden Stuff Pack. Keep in mind that this expansion content, while inexpensive, is for The Sims 2 and not the The Sims 3 that was released last year.
Sega's game Sands of Destruction for the DS has shipped to stores in North America. Developed by ImageEpoc, this is a role-playing game in which players battle against the corrupt beastmen that dominate humanity.
Konami's game Walk It Out for the Wii is now in stores in North America. Compatible with the Wii Balance Board, this title encourages players to walk to music, unlocking bonus mini-games.
Sega's game Vancouver 2010: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games is now in stores for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game simulates 14 events from the Olympic Winter Games, and supports both split-screen play and online competition.
THQ's game Daniel X: The Ultimate Power for the DS is now in stores in North America. Based on the James Patterson Daniel X books, the game has players striving to save humanity as Daniel himself.
Xseed Games has shipped The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces for the Wii to stores in North America. Developed by Project Aces, this air combat game has players joining the Sky Crawlers and using the Nintendo Remote and Nunchuck as flight controls.
In 2007, Take-Two Interactive renamed its studio Irrational Games "2K Boston." Now, Irrational has reclaimed its name, and launched a new Irrational community site.
Digi Ronin Games has released its game Mary Kay Andrews: The Fixer Upper for the PC and Mac through major download portals. This hidden-object-style adventure game is based on the novel The Fixer Upper and provides around 20 scenes from the book.
Casual game publisher Oberon Media has hired Pat Barry as the company's Chief Financial Officer. Barry previously worked at Bluefly and will serve as CFO based in New York.
Got Game Entertainment has shipped Twin Sector for the PC to stores today. The game is a physics-based action game set in a post-apocalyptic future where the player must save the rest of humanity, currently slumbering in cryogenic sleep.
Electronic Arts' Game Army of Two: The 40th Day is now in stores in North America. The game is now available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP. Sequel to the original Army of Two, this is another co-operative shooter in which a two-man private military team face (almost) insurmountable odds.
Retailer GameStop announced certain financial plans for 2010 concerning how the company plans to spend cash from operations:
Continue reading GameStop Reveals How It Will Spend Cash in 2010.
Electronic Arts was forced to reduce its financial guidance for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, thanks to problematic December performance:
Continue reading EA Lowers Fiscal Year Expectations.
Another Monday has arrived, and (as is their wont) Nintendo has released more downloadable games for the Wii and DSi to celebrate Monday's arrival:
Continue reading More Downloadable Games Reach the DSi and Wii.
Publisher: Kalypso MediaDeveloper: Haemimont Games
Platforms: PC and Xbox 360
Reviewed on PC
Windows System Requirements: 2.4 GHz Single-Core Processor, 1 GB RAM, DirectX 9C compatible video card with 256 MB VRAM, 5 GB HD space, Windows XP or more recent operating system
Can your (possibly) trustworthy second-in-command, Penultimo, help you lead a Caribbean nation to prosperity? If not, can you at least siphon a great pile of cash into your Swiss bank account before being deposed? Gain the love of your people and keep your post thanks to free democratic elections, or use the military and secret police to ensure your continued rule. The choice is yours, but the people are fickle and the rebels are plentiful. Your reign over Tropico will not be an easy one.
Continue reading Tropico 3 Review.
Retailer GameStop has promoted Michael Mauler to the Executive Vice President of GameStop International, making him in charge of GameStop's locations outside North America. Mauler joined the company when GameStop acquired Electronics Boutique, and recently served as GameStop's Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and International Support.
Sony has released several new downloadable games through the PlayStation Store, including Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond for the PlayStation Store and several games for the PSP.
Continue reading New Downloadable Games Added to the PlayStation Store.
Funcom has appointed Miguel Caron as the Chief Executive of Funcom Games Canada, Funcom's Canadian subsidiary. Prior to joining Funcom, Caron has led several non-gaming businesses.
SouthPeak Games, together with Nobilis Games, has shipped Fast Food Panic for the DS to stores in North America. The Wii version of the game should reach stores on January 19. This time-management game has players cooking multiple meals at once while also cleaning up and calculating checks.
Retailer GameStop reported that it's sales for the nine-week holiday period ended January 2, 2010 were $2.86 billion, similar to last year's number. New software sales grew 4% and used sales grew 10%, but new hardware sales fell 8%. Due to the holiday results, GameStop is lowering its financial guidance for the fourth quarter.
This week's release for Xbox Live Arcade is Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond, downloadable for 1,200 points ($15). Developed by Vicious Cycle, the game is a platformer in which players shoot their way through the enemies of a falsely nostalgic videogame hero.
Ubisoft's game My Fitness Coach 2: Exercise and Nutrition for the Wii is now in stores. This My Fitness Coach title includes exercises and recipes that match exercise plans.
Dreamer: Zoo Keeper from Dreamcatcher Games (part of JoWooD) is now in stores. This DS game has players taking care of a variety of baby zoo animals.
Sega's game Bayonetta is now in stores in the U.S. Available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this third-person action game features a sexy witch with guns in her heels battling angels with magic and firepower.
CDV Software Entertainment's game Divinity II - Ego Draconis is now in stores for the Xbox 360 and PC. This sequel to Divine Divinity, developed by Larian Studios, is an RPG of epic scope that revisits the world of Rivellon.
THQ's game Darksiders has shipped to stores worldwide. The game is now available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Developed by THQ's Vigil Games, Darksiders has players taking on the role of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, battling in a devastated world.
Nintendo has released another group of downloadable games for the Wii and DSi:
Continue reading Wii and DSi Get More Downloadable Games.
