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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Twisted Metal coming to PSN October 30 for $40


Twisted Metal is heading to PSN October 30, as announced in a recentPlayStation blog podcast. The game will also see a drop in price, as it will be available on the service for $40.
Creative Director David Jaffe said the game was "not a dud, not a hit" back inAugust. Jaffe left Twisted Metal developer Eat Sleep Play after the game's launch in March. If $40 still has you feeling uncertain, our review of the game might help you decide where to put your wallet.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2's Saudi Arabia stage changing to remove accidental usage of 'Allah'


You'd think that Tekken Tag Tournament 2's dancer-filled Snoop Dogg stage would be the most controversial arena of the lot, but the game's "Saudi Arabia" stage has created a stir of its own through usage of imagery that may be offensive to Muslims.

The issue stems from the level's floor texture; a pattern of repeating stars that each contain the Arabic script for "Allah." This design element was a complete accident, according to TTT2 producer Katsuhiro Harada. "We didn't know that," Harada tweeted in response to players that informed him of the script's meaning. "We will change stage design data as soon as possible. We couldn't read that."

No further specifics were given vis-a-vis when or how the update will be made available, or what the pattern will be replaced with. Personally, we're hoping for more Snoop.

Check out the touch controls in this Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation trailer



This trailer for Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation shows off some of the game's touch controls, which allow players to pick-pocket and perform chain kills with the swipe of a finger.Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is coming to Vita on October 30.

Snapshot: Anna (PC)


Snapshot Anna
Don't fool yourself about what type of game Anna is. Though screenshots may deceive you into believing the game is a realistic point-and-click set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, Anna is a horror game through and through. Even the developers at Dreampainters pitch Anna as a classic point-and-click adventure, based on the heritage of Val D'Ayas, a small village steeped in ancient folklore. The sawmill? "Oh, that, it's sort of haunted," the developers seem to say, "but don't worry your pretty little head about it."

After playing Anna, I suggest you worry about it. Worry about it a lot.

Zynga's online gambling initiative to launch in the UK next year


Zynga CEO Mark Pincus is making good on his promise to expand the social/mobile developer's grasp into the world of online gambling in the first half of 2013, according to Gamasutra. As expected, the roll-out will take place in Not America -- the United Kingdom, specifically.

Facilitating this expansion is bwin.party Digital Entertainment, an existing online gambling operator that has partnered with Zynga to aid in its transition from fake addictions to the real deal. Zynga's first title in this new space will be a slots simulator based on the Farmville franchise, which may explain why the Zynga Slots team was the only one to survive this week's layoffs at Zynga Austin.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

PSN posts best ever revenue for second quarter in a row


PSN posts best ever revenue for second quarter in a row
Between July and September, PlayStation Network enjoyed its highest revenue ever for a quarter, making it two best ever quarters in a row for Sony's online service. Speaking to GamesIndustry International, a Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesperson said, "Our last quarter was the biggest in terms of transactional sales in PSN's six-year history." Speaking to Joystiq, a SCEA spokeperson expanded upon that statement:

"Transactional sales refer to PlayStation Store sales through the PSN/SEN Wallet. Our last quarter (July - September 2012) was our 'biggest' on a global basis with regard to revenue."

So, PSN is apparently on the up, with Sony claiming 97 percent customer satisfaction for the service along with 93 percent renewal intent. The company says the success of PlayStation Plus is driving PSN sales.

Having been around for over two years, PlayStation Plus membership sales almost doubled this summer following the announcement of the Instant Game Collection. Sony is still keeping quiet about specific subscriber numbers, but it sounds like PS Plus is proving to be a significant addition to the PlayStation arsenal.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted coming to Wii U in 2013


Need for Speed Most Wanted coming to Wii U in 2013
Criterion Studio's fuel-injected, open-world playground in Need for Speed: Most Wanted has joined the likes of Batman: Arkham City and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 as yet another current-gen title that will also make its way to the Wii U.

"In 2013, Nintendo fans will be able to experience what it means to be Most Wanted amongst their friends on the Wii U," EA told Polygon. The announcement came after the game was spotted in a list of pending European Wii U titles, tucked inside Nintendo's recent financial statement. No further information regarding potential Wii U-exclusive features was available, nor was a more specific release window. Think someone will make a WiiPad steering wheel?

Xbox SmartGlass app now on Android


Xbox SmartGlass now working on Android
That was a long half-day of Surface exclusivity. Xbox SmartGlass, the app that connects your mobile device to your Xbox, is now on Android. So you can use your Android phone or tablet to make people dance for your amusement, track achievements, do avatar stuff, and eventually interact with other Microsoft Studios games and other Xbox stuff.

An iOS version is also expected; the last timeline we heard from Microsoft was2013, though that was supposedly the window for the Android version as well.

Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault begins Nov. 27 for $20


Image
Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault will bare all on PSN November 27 for $19.99. The "fun size" adventure, which is similar in scope to Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, is said to actually have more junk in the trunk than the previous bite-size experiment, according to the PlayStation Blog. It will also be released at retail for the same price.

The Ratchet & Clank Collection, HD updates of the first three PS2 games, launched in late August to celebrate the series' 10th Anniversary, occurring next month. We should also probably note that, in case you never played them, the full-blown Ratchet and Clank PS3 adventures, Tools of Destruction andCrack in Time, are both available at retail for about the same price as this amuse-bouche.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a giant download on Wii U


Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a giant download on Wii U
It's a good thing the Wii U supports external USB hard drives, because downloading Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will eat up half of a Premium's onboard storage, and will be impossible on the stock Basic model.

The downloadable version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will take up 16.7 GB of space, Namco Bandai revealed. It's currently unclear how much of that storage is reserved for Star Fox costumes. The eShop version will also be cheaper in Japan: ¥6,280 ($79) versus ¥6,980 in stores. This differs from the 3DS eShop, where games are priced similarly to their retail versions; Nintendo of America hasn't announced any pricing details for the Wii U eShop.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City cruising onto iOS, Android this fall [update: GTA sales]


Grand Theft Auto Vice City cruising onto iOS, Android this fall
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is marking its 10th anniversary by riding onto iOS and Android this fall, following in the tire tracks of GTA 3. Rockstar also announced that, to celebrate the 2002 game's landmark, the new versions will include unseen assets and artwork. Rockstar didn't reveal a price or release date, but for reference GTA 3 went on sale at $4.99 on both platforms.

Vice City hitting iOS and Android may well mark the coming of the final entry in GTA's PlayStation 2 triad. Not only is it logical, but around this time last yearRockstar said upcoming iOS ports of both Vice City and San Andreas were "very possible." The first has come to pass, so don't be surprised if you're visiting Los Santos on your iPad in a year's time.

Update: As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, GTA 3 is now on sale oniOS and Android, and Chinatown Wars on iOS. Each version's going for 99 cents for a limited time. 

2K Games working on other mobile platforms for Borderlands Legends


Borderlands Legends, the top-down RPG in which you control the first game's four Vault Hunters, may expand to other platforms after it arrives next week. It's coming to the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch in a pair of separately priced apps first.

"We're working on other mobile platforms," a 2K Games representative told Joystiq. 2K China, the developer behind Borderlands Legends and other 2K mobile titles, is currently working on many projects, so the 2K Games rep couldn't give us any kind of timeframe or specific platforms for this endeavor. The list of viable mobile platforms isn't that large, however, so we can probably rule out WebOS.

Waking Mars travels to alien lands of PC, Mac, Linux, Android next month



Waking Mars
, the iOS game that we thought was out of this world, is coming to PC, Mac, Linux and Android on November 6, via the Humble Android Bundle and the Humble store on the game's own website. This version of Waking Marshas been revamped with full voice acting and higher resolution, along with keyboard and mouse support.

Waking Mars follows the trials of Liang, a researcher adventuring deep into an underground cave on Mars, where he must harvest seeds from the variousflora in the hope of finding his lost AI buddy. We called it "one of the most successful 'big' games" to be found on iOS.

Below we have a gallery of the new (dare we say alien?) Waking Mars, along with some shots comparing it to the iOS version.

Assassin's Creed 3 is Ubisoft's most pre-ordered game ever


Assassin's Creed 3 hasn't yet arrived, but Ubisoft already claims its trip through the American Revolutionary has garnered the highest number of pre-orders for the company so far. We don't know any hard numbers at this point, save for the fact that AC3 has over double the pre-orders of last year's Assassin's Creed: Revelations, with a few days to go before launch at the end of the month.

GameStop is predictably thrilled: Company president Tony Bartel is practically climbing trees with excitement in the press release below. Ubisoft also says theAssassin's Creed series has sold over 40 million games worldwide, and it expects the official number 3 to add to that total significantly. Wherever the series is going, it certainly isn't down.

Valhalla Knights 3 set for January launch in Japan


Valhalla Knights 3 hits Japan January 2013
Valhalla Knights 3 will hit Japan on January 31 for the Vita. It will have monsters (surprise!) that drop loot, and features ad hoc connectivity, allowing for local-yet-separate multiplayer. First-print copies include a code for the Butterfly of the Night Takeout Pack, which includes an extra character in the Entertainment District.

Valhalla Knights 3 is a continuation of the Valhalla Knights RPG franchise, first launched in Japan in 2006 and North America in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable. Valhalla Knights 2, which hit North American PSPs in 2008, featured six-member party battles. Valhalla Knights 3 brings 7-on-7 battles, and offers a scintillating look at that universe's Red Light district.

There's no word yet on a western release for Valhalla Knights 3.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Japan's Metal Gear Rising premium edition trades lamps for toys


Japan's Metal Gear Rising premium package is pretty amazing
It may not include a lamp, but Japan's Metal Gear Rising Revengeance"Premium Package" is pretty appealing. The ¥9,980 Premium Package comes with a special steelbook, a soundtrack, an artbook by art director Yoji Shinkawa, and a fun little figure of an enemy that can break into two pieces and stick together magnetically, so you can make it appear to be cut up as if by a sword.

The ¥12,980 Premium Package Konamistyle version throws in a Raiden figurine. You can stick his sword to his little foot! Both ship (in Japan only) on February 21.

Spencer: Halo 4 is Microsoft's most expensive game


Halo 4 is Microsoft's most expensive game ever
Halo 4 is the most expensive game Microsoft has ever made, Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer tells Polygon. It is "absolutely" the most money Microsoft has ever spent developing a game, he says. "Nothing's even close."

Estimates for development costs of Halo 3 average out at $60 million, and that was including a massive marketing budget of about $30 million. Halo 3: ODSTended up bringing in more than $170 million in its first 24 hours on the market. Overall, Halo is a $3 billion franchise, Spencer says.

Minecraft overtakes Modern Warfare 3 for most played on Xbox Live


If you've yet to truly grasp the power of Minecraft, let this just sink in: Minecraft is now more popular than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox Live. According to the latest Xbox Live activity report from Major NelsonMinecraftwas the most popular game on the service for the week of October 15.

That puts it above Modern Warfare 3, which now sits at number 2. It also makes it more popular than several other huge names, including FIFA 13Black OpsHalo: Reach and Battlefield 3. The only other Arcade game to even break the top twenty is the recently launched Happy Wars, Xbox Live Arcade's first free-to-play game.

If you took a break from Minecraft to read this post, feel free to return to chopping down trees, building roller coasters or whatever you were doing.

Dragon Quest X Wii U confirmed for Spring 2013 in Japan


Dragon Quest X Wii U confirmed for Spring 2013 in Japan
Dragon Quest X will be released in Japan for Wii U in Spring 2013, Square Enix announced today. Last month DQX producer Yosuke Saito told attendees at the Tokyo Game Show that next Spring was the aim, but the release window was confirmed today during a Nintendo Direct for Japan.

An open beta is scheduled for February 2013. Saito also confirmed Square Enix is working on making Wii characters compatible with the Wii U version.

The MMO arrived on Wii back in August, selling over 400,000 units in its first week. A Western release for either verson remains unconfirmed, so don't start pencilling away the greater part of 2013 just yet.