Now I'm picturing Of Mice and Men, where you chase a huge, oversexed mental patient across California with a rifle. You always know you're getting close when you come across a heap of bludgeoned animals!
I'm a little late to the party on the topic of Dante's Inferno. I'd like to see my favorite book, 1984, get the "shitty action game" treatment. Part 3rd person shooter, part stealth action! Guide Victory Gin swilling Outer Party member Winston Smith on his quest to take down Big Brother and save the woman he loves! Avoid viewscreens! Fight the Thought Police! Resist rat torture! It's pretty much Metal Gear Solid but with a story I can follow. This summer, two plus two equals kickass!
I'm a little late to the party on the topic of Dante's Inferno. I'd like to see my favorite book, 1984, get the "shitty action game" treatment. Part 3rd person shooter, part stealth action! Guide Victory Gin swilling Outer Party member Winston Smith on his quest to take down Big Brother and save the woman he loves! Avoid viewscreens! Fight the Thought Police! Resist rat torture! It's pretty much Metal Gear Solid but with a story I can follow. This summer, two plus two equals kickass!
It'd get exactly the same audience as the book.
Like high school students? It was required reading for me.
Aliens Vs Predator developer Rebellion has said it is reviewing the need for its Derby studio as it continues to grow its offices in Oxford and Runcorn.
CEO Jason Kingsley described the process as "painful", and staff in Derby are currently being consulted about their future. GamesIndustry.biz understands that a number of staff have already been made redundant - although the company denies that posts have yet been cut as that consultation continues.
"Growth is sometimes painful, never more so than in the current climate and we have had to take a long hard look at how we operate our studio network," said Kingsley in a statement. "Strategically we have decided to review the need for the Derby facilities, and consultation with staff at Derby is ongoing."
"No-one has been made redundant by Rebellion in more than a decade, and the Derby studio is very much still open while we conduct the review. We are currently undergoing a process of consultancy with our staff to get their ideas, and establish the best possible future for the Derby studio."
The Derby studio, originally the Core Design team responsible for Eidos' Tomb Raider games, was acquired in 2006. The lease for the building is also coming to an end, and Rebellion has said that it intends to make further announcements on the studio in the coming weeks.
Rebellion's Oxford studio is currently working on Aliens vs Predator for publishing partner SEGA.
Call of Duty, FIFA and Nintendo dominate in platform-by-platform listings
With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 being crowned as the best selling game of 2009 in the UK, here’s a closer look at which titles won out on each platform in the last 12 months.
The numbers come courtesy of ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack.
2009 Nintendo Wii Chart
1. Wii Sports Resort
2. Wii Fit
3. Wii Fit Plus
4. Mario Kart Wii
5. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
2009 Nintendo DS Chart
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1. Professor Layton And The Curious Village
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
3. Professor Layton And Pandora's Box
4. Mario Kart DS
5. New Super Mario Bros.
2009 Sony PlayStation 3 Chart
1. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Assassin's Creed II
4. Killzone 2
5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2009 Sony PSP Chart
1. FIFA 10
2. FIFA 09
3. Gran Turismo
4. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
5. LittleBigPlanet
2009 Xbox 360 Chart
1. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Forza Motorsport 3
4. Assassin's Creed II
5. Halo 3: ODST
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been named as the best selling game of 2009 in the UK – despite not hitting the market until mid-November.
The news comes from ELSPA and GfK-ChartTrack’s official 2009 Charts.
Other successes included EA’s FIFA series, with FIFA 10 claiming second place in the listings and FIFA 09 snatching tenth. There was also a strong showing from Nintendo, with Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus claiming third, fourth and fifth respectively.
“The phenomenal success of Modern Warfare 2 was undoubtedly one of the leading entertainment stories of year and firmly established videogames as one of the leading forms of entertainment in the UK,” ELSPA director general Michael Rawlinson stated.
“There is no doubt that 2009 belonged to Activision, but it was a strong year for many software developers and publishers.
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“The rise of family-orientated, multiplayer games in 2009 also demonstrates how videogames have expanded into new genres finding fresh audiences. If nothing else, last year confirmed that we are now a nation of enthusiastic and energetic gamers here in Britain.”
Here’s the chart in full. To check out the format-by-format breakdown, click here:
2009 ALL FORMATS CHART
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Wii Sports Resort
4. Wii Fit
5. Wii Fit Plus
6. Assassin's Creed II
7. Mario Kart Wii
8. Mario & Sonic At Olympic Winter Games
9. Call Of Duty: World At War
10. FIFA 09
Ubisoft could turn "Of Mice and Men" into a Petz game.
Just imagine:
Petz: Of Mice and Men Bunniez
Oh no, you pet the mouse too hard. Look at that young lady's hair, why don't you give it a gentle stroke?
Make it a Grand Theft Auto type game, only it takes place on a farm, and you go around killing and petting chicks hair, all in order to get your dream bunny farm.
Top XBox Live Indie Games (Full Versions purchased) for 2009
sales/dls = sell% rating/#ratings (US)
1 I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 160k 4.75*/30172
2 Avatar Drop 117k/433k=27.1% 4* /10181
3 RC-AirSim 74k/450k=16.4% 3.25*/ 2762
4 Headshot 2.75*/ 7781
5 Miner Dig Deep 4.5* / 5454
6 Rumble Massage 3.5* / 804
7 Who Did I Date Last Night 2* / 6225
8 Kodu Game Lab 4.25*/ 3303
9 Avatar Golf 3.75*/ 5130
10 Aquarium HD 24k/172k=14% 2.75*/ 679
11 myFishtank 22k/138k=16% 3.25*/ 1631
12 Head Shot 2 3.75*/ 2446
13 DrumKit 22k/200k=11% 3.25*/ 673
14 A Perfect Massage 3.25*/ 1193
15 The Impossible Game 4.25*/ 2770
16 Inside Lacrosse's CL2010 4.5* / 4031
17 ZP2K9 16k 4.25*/ 2080
18 ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition 14046/92948=15.11% 4.5* / 3713
19 The Drinking Game 2* / 2432
20 Physics Sandbox 3.25*/ 2398
Most of these games are priced at $1, but some are not. For example, ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition did quite impressively since it's $10 thus resulting in one of the highest revenues for any single game of the year.
EDIT: Oh and I expect Heavy Rain to be quite the disappointment in both sales & critical acclaim, given how Indigo Prophecy turned out.
Late-year surge aside, 2009 was a time of slight decline for Nintendo, spurred by a slide in sales for the once-booming Wii. And nobody felt that slide more than the company's former boss Hiroshi Yamauchi.
Yamauchi, who not only ran Nintendo from 1949 to 2002 but is also the company's single biggest shareholder, was not too long ago the richest man in Japan, with a personal fortune estimated at USD$7.8 billion.
Now, though, he's not the richest man in Japan. Poor Yamauchi. Still, don't shed too many tears for the man; despite dropping from first to third to seventh on Forbes' list of Japan's richest people, he still has an estimated worth of USD$3.8 billion.
Half of what he had, yes, but still enough to dry any tears.
Also making Forbes' list with $780 million was Hajime Satomi, boss of pachinko (and video game!) company Sega Sammy, at #32.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
Longstanding independent developer The Code Monkeys has confirmed to Develop that the firm will be making staff cuts at its Yorkshire-based offices.
A rumour posted up on consumer site VG247 suggested that “most – if not all” staff would be let go, yet the group's development director Adrian Hirst told Develop that the redundancies will not be as big as feared, suggesting that only a “small percentage” will be handed their notices.
He added that the group would not be closing down, and has more projects in the pipeline.
“With the recession still going on a lot of businesses are having to cut staff, and we’re just one of them,” he added.
Founded in 1988, The Code Monkeys is one of the oldest independent developers in Britain. The group has a portfolio of nearly 200 published games.
In recent times the group has been utilising digital distribution channels as a test-bed for self-publishing. It has recently begun releasing new IP on Nintendo’s WiiWare and DSiWare platforms, and has also been working on PSP Mini and iPhone games.
Acclaimed title Left 4 Dead 2 becomes playable with a new device from Razer and Sixense
Valve has modified one of its most valuable game properties to make it compatible with a new PC-only motion controller.
The studio’s flagship title Left 4 Dead 2 will soon give consumers the choice to play the game using a new motion-reading controller developed by game peripheral firms Razer and Sixense.
The ‘Sixense Ultra Precise Motion Controller’ (pictured) is a dual-wielded peripheral that reads motion through an electromagnetic field sent out by a transmitter. Both Razer and Sixense say that the device is recognised as the first “true” one-to-one motion sensing and gesture recognition platform for the PC.
And Valve has given the PC-exclusive device a ringing endorsement by claiming that it surpasses the current motion control offering on consoles.
“With this controller, Razer and Sixense have created the most immersive way to play our games," said Chet Faliszek, team lead on Valve's recent best-seller Left 4 Dead 2.
“For us and for our customers, this release represents motion-enabled gaming that's more integrated and visceral than any platform has so far achieved,” he added.
The tech was first unveiled to the public at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show is Las Vegas, and was built as part of a multi-year technology partnership between Razar and Sixense.
Both firms say the device can track motion across all six axes, accurately positioning the controller within a millimetre-thin margin of error.
“The magnetic motion sensor technology combines precision and speed with the freedom of other motion sensing technologies to fill the gap between consoles and PC in terms of human interface devices,” said Razer president Robert Krakoff.
I welcome our motion sensing overlords. Stay still and they might not kill us.
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
Naw, we all know that Disney would jump all over that.
Then we could truly get Mushroom Kingdom Hearts!
Activision can't buy EA and Nintendo. The two properties would climb on top of the Magic Kingdom like the avatars of ancient forgotten gods and lay waste to the realm in a cataclysmic fury.
**FINAL plug for NPD predictions, numbers land in ~38 hours. Details here. So far estimates from DMK, plufim, Brainiac, lowly and myself. Though Brainiac you left off the 'Total SW $' prediction.**
Hey. HEY! I put in my prediction last week, looks like you missed it.
[360 Modern Warfare 2] 950k
[PS3 Modern Warfare 2] 650k
[WII New Super Mario Bros. Wii] 1950k
[WII Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers] 15k
[Total SW $ in millions] $2350
When the NPD Group releases its U.S. console retail sale numbers for December 2009 this Thursday, the game industry will know exactly how it did in a challenging holiday season amid widespread speculation on the health of the market.
Even with all signs positive -- likely hardware sales increases, new revenue streams and good performance for key titles -- most analysts agree the industry's likely to show December down over the previous year on tough comparisons.
"With the close of the holiday shopping period, our channel checks indicated generally stable video game hardware and software sales through the end of December — still reflecting the challenging consumer environment, but with signs of life primarily at the high and low ends of the product spectrum," says Lazard's Colin Sebastian, who predicts December down 5-10 percent year over year.
Says Wedbush's Michael Pachter, specifying: "We estimate sell-through of 3,200,000 Wii hardware units (up 49 percent from last year), 1,350,000 Xbox 360 units (down 6 percent from last year), and 1,400,000 PS3 consoles (up 93 percent year-over-year)."
He also notes: "Nintendo has already reported that over 3,000,000 Wii and 2,200,000 DS were sold in December, and our estimates reflect modestly higher sales for each console."
It won't likely turn out to have been as weak a holiday as analysts had feared based on November's results. "After the November NPD report, we had been of the view that December sales could be down low-to-mid teens," says Cowen Group's Doug Creutz.
The analyst adds: "We believe that sales trends improved somewhat in December, driven in part by extremely strong console hardware sales."
Nintendo and Sony have already announced that sales for the Wii and PS3 were up roughly 40 percent and 150 percent year over year, respectively, Creutz points out, adding that many retailers have run their own in-store promotions -- like Wal-Mart's aggressive discounting on Wii.
Isn't tomorrow NPDay?
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
**FINAL plug for NPD predictions, numbers land in ~38 hours. Details here. So far estimates from DMK, plufim, Brainiac, lowly and myself. Though Brainiac you left off the 'Total SW $' prediction.**
[Total SW $ in millions] $2400
Add that to my predictions so I have it all there.
Be kind, it's my first shot at NPD predictions. :P
I'd also peg Disney as a potential suitor of EA... they're one of the few corporations that are big enough to ingest a company that big, not to mention they're one of the few that care about vidja games. They're also still desperate to do something, anything to appeal to boys, as their purchase of Marvel shows.
And what, is Gran Turismo 5 being made by one guy who just comes in on Wednesdays or something? You'd think as big a game as it is Sony would throw a lot more manpower at it.
So what's the bigger story going to be, you think? PS3 gaining momentum, or Nintendo "finally" "losing" all of its "momentum" because it's no longer showing ridiculous 300% growth?
Man, remember back in 2007 when Nintendo consoles and software accounted for over 90% of the year's sales? I guess they set a high bar for themselves. Anyone still have that pie graph lying around, out of curiosity? I loved that pie graph.
Nintendo and Sony have already announced that sales for the Wii and PS3 were up roughly 40 percent and 150 percent year over year, respectively, Creutz points out, adding that many retailers have run their own in-store promotions -- like Wal-Mart's aggressive discounting on Wii.
Well, if Nintendo and Sony aren't lying about the percent YoY, we can expect Wii at ~3m and PS3 at ~1.8m for December.
Speaking on the Nintendo Weekly show (via Youtube), President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime stated the company will be taking its time with the upcoming Zelda title for Wii, and that it won't see a release until its perfect.
"Right now, it's still in development. But the key message that Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma is telling us is that it really has to be perfect when it launches," he said. "That really is what the Zelda fan is expecting."
"So for all of those Zelda fans out there right now, I would say enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and know that the Zelda title for Wii is going to come out when it's perfect," he said.
Fils-Aime's comment doesn't exactly mesh with an earlier report saying the new title would ship in 2010.
Last week, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was quoted by Asahi Shimbun Daily in Japan as saying the next Zelda for Wii will ship before the end of this year. Nintendo Japan has yet to officially make an announcement on its release date, however.
Nintendo and Sony have already announced that sales for the Wii and PS3 were up roughly 40 percent and 150 percent year over year, respectively, Creutz points out, adding that many retailers have run their own in-store promotions -- like Wal-Mart's aggressive discounting on Wii.
Well, if Nintendo and Sony aren't lying about the percent YoY, we can expect Wii at ~3m and PS3 at ~1.8m for December.
Well Nintendo basically came out and said they beat 3M which is where the 40% for them comes from. Sony released some data that included Black Friday so I think 1.8M would be a bit high for the PS3.
Best America: That graph showed that Nintendo dominated the growth in the industry. Putting that data into a pie chart like that was pretty pointless.
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(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
Speaking on the Nintendo Weekly show (via Youtube), President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime stated the company will be taking its time with the upcoming Zelda title for Wii, and that it won't see a release until its perfect.
"Right now, it's still in development. But the key message that Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma is telling us is that it really has to be perfect when it launches," he said. "That really is what the Zelda fan is expecting."
"So for all of those Zelda fans out there right now, I would say enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and know that the Zelda title for Wii is going to come out when it's perfect," he said.
Fils-Aime's comment doesn't exactly mesh with an earlier report saying the new title would ship in 2010.
Last week, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was quoted by Asahi Shimbun Daily in Japan as saying the next Zelda for Wii will ship before the end of this year. Nintendo Japan has yet to officially make an announcement on its release date, however.
Reggie's so hardcore he's willing to contradict his boss.
Honestly, with no real trailer or details just yet I figured Zelda in 2010 might be a bit of a stretch. But, we'll see.
I wouldn't jumpt the assumption gun just yet, Cloud. While I'm with you that getting Zelda out in 2010 doesn't seem likely, Reggie didn't necessarily say it wouldn't, he just said it'll release when it's perfect by Nintendo's standard....which is what holds true in all their big games.
Since it seems Mario and Metroid are both due out before the holidays, Nintendo will make sure they have a big name game for Christmas, so they may throw a bunch of extra manpower on the game to make sure Zelda is that game.
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It'd get exactly the same audience as the book.
Like high school students? It was required reading for me.
Books are cheap enough to justify it as a collector's item
You know what's going to be the final boss when you get down to the 9th circle?
Teenagers who's minds are like totally blown maaan (and don't recognise Shooting an Elephant is his greatest work of all time).
Are you kidding me, I would be on the demon pig's side the whole time.
Down with the humans! :x
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Take as much from the animals as possible while pretending to still be communist?
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
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Just imagine:
Petz: Of Mice and Men Bunniez
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Look at it!
It's begging to be a game
Oh no, you pet the mouse too hard. Look at that young lady's hair, why don't you give it a gentle stroke?
Make it a Grand Theft Auto type game, only it takes place on a farm, and you go around killing and petting chicks hair, all in order to get your dream bunny farm.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
sales/dls = sell% rating/#ratings (US)
1 I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 160k 4.75*/30172
2 Avatar Drop 117k/433k=27.1% 4* /10181
3 RC-AirSim 74k/450k=16.4% 3.25*/ 2762
4 Headshot 2.75*/ 7781
5 Miner Dig Deep 4.5* / 5454
6 Rumble Massage 3.5* / 804
7 Who Did I Date Last Night 2* / 6225
8 Kodu Game Lab 4.25*/ 3303
9 Avatar Golf 3.75*/ 5130
10 Aquarium HD 24k/172k=14% 2.75*/ 679
11 myFishtank 22k/138k=16% 3.25*/ 1631
12 Head Shot 2 3.75*/ 2446
13 DrumKit 22k/200k=11% 3.25*/ 673
14 A Perfect Massage 3.25*/ 1193
15 The Impossible Game 4.25*/ 2770
16 Inside Lacrosse's CL2010 4.5* / 4031
17 ZP2K9 16k 4.25*/ 2080
18 ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition 14046/92948=15.11% 4.5* / 3713
19 The Drinking Game 2* / 2432
20 Physics Sandbox 3.25*/ 2398
Most of these games are priced at $1, but some are not. For example, ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition did quite impressively since it's $10 thus resulting in one of the highest revenues for any single game of the year.
EDIT: Oh and I expect Heavy Rain to be quite the disappointment in both sales & critical acclaim, given how Indigo Prophecy turned out.
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Then we could truly get Mushroom Kingdom Hearts!
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
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http://www.develop-online.net/news/33644/Code-Monkeys-confirms-studio-layoffs
http://www.develop-online.net/news/33643/Valve-endorses-PC-motion-controller I welcome our motion sensing overlords. Stay still and they might not kill us.
Activision can't buy EA and Nintendo. The two properties would climb on top of the Magic Kingdom like the avatars of ancient forgotten gods and lay waste to the realm in a cataclysmic fury.
Gran Turismo 5 has been...*GASP*...delayed in Japan for an unspecified future date.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/13/gran-turismo-5-delayed-in-japan-new-date-unknown/
So the March release date isn't happening...I wonder if this will effect the summer US release.
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Guess that kills a bunch of the momentum Sony was hoping they'd have in Japan.
Hey. HEY! I put in my prediction last week, looks like you missed it.
[360] 1200k
[NDS] 3050k
[PS2] 220k
[PS3] 1050k
[PSP] 400k
[WII] 3005k
[360 Modern Warfare 2] 950k
[PS3 Modern Warfare 2] 650k
[WII New Super Mario Bros. Wii] 1950k
[WII Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers] 15k
[Total SW $ in millions] $2350
[Total SW $ in millions] $2400
Add that to my predictions so I have it all there.
Be kind, it's my first shot at NPD predictions. :P
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
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I'd also peg Disney as a potential suitor of EA... they're one of the few corporations that are big enough to ingest a company that big, not to mention they're one of the few that care about vidja games. They're also still desperate to do something, anything to appeal to boys, as their purchase of Marvel shows.
And what, is Gran Turismo 5 being made by one guy who just comes in on Wednesdays or something? You'd think as big a game as it is Sony would throw a lot more manpower at it.
Man, remember back in 2007 when Nintendo consoles and software accounted for over 90% of the year's sales? I guess they set a high bar for themselves. Anyone still have that pie graph lying around, out of curiosity? I loved that pie graph.
Well, if Nintendo and Sony aren't lying about the percent YoY, we can expect Wii at ~3m and PS3 at ~1.8m for December.
http://wii.ign.com/articles/106/1060447p1.html
Reggie's so hardcore he's willing to contradict his boss.
Honestly, with no real trailer or details just yet I figured Zelda in 2010 might be a bit of a stretch. But, we'll see.
Well Nintendo basically came out and said they beat 3M which is where the 40% for them comes from. Sony released some data that included Black Friday so I think 1.8M would be a bit high for the PS3.
Best America: That graph showed that Nintendo dominated the growth in the industry. Putting that data into a pie chart like that was pretty pointless.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
I wouldn't jumpt the assumption gun just yet, Cloud. While I'm with you that getting Zelda out in 2010 doesn't seem likely, Reggie didn't necessarily say it wouldn't, he just said it'll release when it's perfect by Nintendo's standard....which is what holds true in all their big games.
Since it seems Mario and Metroid are both due out before the holidays, Nintendo will make sure they have a big name game for Christmas, so they may throw a bunch of extra manpower on the game to make sure Zelda is that game.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
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