Submit a news tip



Wii U

Activision’s Skylanders franchise just keeps on rolling. Yet another sales milestone was announced today – Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants have collectively accumulated over $1 billion in retail sales worldwide. The feat was accomplished in 15 months.

Both Skylanders titles outsold the likes of Beyblades, Star Wars and Transformers toys in the US and Europe last year. Over 100 million Skylanders toys have been sold through January 2013.

Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, commented on the news:

“The Skylanders franchise became the first kids’ videogame IP to cross the $1 billion mark in just 15 months, and I think we are still just starting to realize its potential. We knew that the simple, but magical idea, of bringing your toys to life in a video game could change both the video game and the toy industries, and more importantly, change the way kids play. And this fall, we’re looking forward to delivering to fans our latest break-through innovation, Skylanders SWAP Force, which lets kids customize their own characters, bringing toys to life to a whole new level.”

Source: Activision PR


Wedbush and EEDAR have provided predictions for the January 2013 NPD report. The actual data will be made available on Thursday.

Predictions from both groups can be found below.

Wedbush / EEDAR December hardware sales estimates (change year-on-year):

360 – 180,000 (-33%) / 260,000 (-4%)
3DS – 160,000 (-7%) / 120,000 (-30%)
PS3 – 145,000 (-24%) / 120,000 (-37%)
Wii U – 125,000 (n/a) / 110,000 (n/a)
DS – 60,000 (-21%) / 31,000 (-59%)
Wii – 52,200 (-66%) / 39,000 (-74%)
Vita – 45,000 (n/a) / 35,000 (n/a)
PSP – 7,500 (-63%) / (n/a)
PS2 – 300 (-96%) / (n/a)
Total – 775,000 (-13%) / 715,000 (-20%)

Everybody’s favorite analyst Michael Patcher had this to say about Wii U sales:

“Nintendo must improve sell-through of its Wii U if it hopes to maintain significant market share in the next generation. The console received a tepid response from consumers, for a variety of reasons: first, we think that the console was misunderstood by many as a peripheral for the Wii; second, the price point for the Wii U is relatively high, and the launch was into a weak economy; and third, firstparty software support was thin, and third-party software was not sufficiently differentiated to convince many that they needed a Wii U as a replacement for their Xbox 360 or PS3. If the Wii U is to thrive, we think that Nintendo must market it more effectively, must speed up the pace of first-party development, and must convince third parties that they must support the Wii U or they will lose market share.”

Source


LEGO City: Undercover is just a little more than a month away. Nintendo is starting to provide the press with more hands-on time, including the game’s different “acts”.

The latest Undercover details, posted below, cover a few bits of general information as well as “Act 2”.

– Game world is basically an amalgamation of all major United States cities
– Famous landmarks, bridges and locales are very much inspired by places from San Francisco and New York
– Areas include Brooklyn Bridge and Alcatraz Island-inspired locations
– One disguise gives you access to a grappling gun of sorts
– Can use it to shoot hooks in short bursts
– Can wall-jump, wall-run, and vault
– These are all done by pressing the same button in context-sensitive situations
– Anything clearly made of LEGO bricks can be smashed
– Super Bricks contribute to building other things, such as pads capable of summoning vehicles for Chase, elsewhere
– Act 2 sees players infiltrating a criminal organization by committing crimes
– Use the police audio scanner to find criminals
– Control the scanner with the GamePad directly
– Move the tablet around the world and see a wireframe version of LEGO City
– This lets you detect nearby conversations
– Lock onto a signal and listen to assess whether you need to hear more
– You’ll eventually join a manic, bi-polar mobster named Chan
– Need to distract guards by finding the necessary items to start a nearby party, stealing an expensive car and eventually escorting a VIP to a nearby event
– Some of this included the Lego franchise’s patented ‘break it and build it’ gameplay
– Variety in tasks
– This area apparently counts for roughly one percent of the game
– Vast array of collectibles and secrets
– Game has a quick travel system through LEGO City’s subways

Source


Over the next few weeks, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios will allow fans to vote on Injustice: Gods Among Us characters that would come out on top in a particular fight. Winners will be decided on Friday and new matchups will go live the following Monday. Characters that are victorious will be featured in new gameplay videos.

This week’s matchups are The Flash vs. Shazam and Joker vs. Lex Luthor. You can vote here.


Codemasters senior producer Clive Moody is a fan of what Nintendo is doing with the Wii U. Moody went as far as to say that he believes “it is the future.” He seems to be particularly big on the GamePad, since it is comparable to what Apple is doing with iPads, Microsoft’s Surface, and other technologies.

Moody stated:

“It works brilliantly, having played it. I think it is the future. I mean, you’ve got to look at what’s happening in the world of mobile, you’ve got iPads, Surface just came out from Microsoft. I think you’re going to see a lot more of that cross-over.”

Source


This month’s GamesTM review scores are as follows:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – 9
Dead Space 3 – 8
Aliens: Colonial Marines – 4
The Cave – 6
Persona 4 Golden – 9
Scribblenauts Unlimited – 6
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time – 8
Fractured Soul – 6
Crimson Shroud – 8
Knytt Underground – 5
Miasmata – 7
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge – 6
Tokyo Crash Mobs – 5

Thanks to joclo for the tip.


Individual formats

LWTWTitleFormatLabelPublisher
1DEAD SPACE 3XB360EA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
2DEAD SPACE 3PS3EA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
23CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS IIXB360ACTIVISIONACTIVISION BLIZZARD
44FAR CRY 3XB360UBISOFTUBISOFT
35FIFA 13XB360EA SPORTSELECTRONIC ARTS
16NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCHPS3NAMCO BANDAI GAMESNAMCO BANDAI GAMES
57FIFA 13PS3EA SPORTSELECTRONIC ARTS
68CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS IIPS3ACTIVISIONACTIVISION BLIZZARD
79JUST DANCE 4WIIUBISOFTUBISOFT
1110HALO 4XB360MICROSOFTMICROSOFT
1011FAR CRY 3PS3UBISOFTUBISOFT
1212FORZA HORIZONXB360MICROSOFTMICROSOFT
1413THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIMXB360BETHESDA SOFTWORKSBETHESDA SOFTWORKS
914FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013PCSEGASEGA
815HITMAN: HD TRILOGYXB360SQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
1816FORZA MOTORSPORT 4XB360MICROSOFTMICROSOFT
1717HITMAN ABSOLUTIONXB360SQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
1518HITMAN: HD TRILOGYPS3SQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
2119GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITIONPS3SONY COMPUTER ENT.SONY COMPUTER ENT.
1320ASSASSIN’S CREED IIIXB360UBISOFTUBISOFT
2021NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTEDPS3EA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
2322NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTEDXB360EA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
2223HITMAN ABSOLUTIONPS3SQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
24DEAD SPACE 3PCEA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
25SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED3DSSEGASEGA
1626ASSASSIN’S CREED IIIPS3UBISOFTUBISOFT
27MADDEN NFL 13XB360EA SPORTSELECTRONIC ARTS
2828GRAND THEFT AUTO IVXB360XBOX 360 CLASSICSTAKE 2
3029UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION GOTYPS3SONY COMPUTER ENT.SONY COMPUTER ENT.
2730NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 23DSNINTENDONINTENDO
3631SKYLANDERS GIANTSWIISKYLANDERSACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3232BORDERLANDS 2XB3602K GAMESTAKE 2
3733DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITIONXB360DEEP SILVERKOCH MEDIA
2534PAPER MARIO STICKER STAR3DSNINTENDONINTENDO
2935MARIO KART 73DSNINTENDONINTENDO
1936ABBA: YOU CAN DANCEWIIUBISOFTUBISOFT
37GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITYXB360ROCKSTARTAKE 2
3138DISHONOREDXB360BETHESDA SOFTWORKSBETHESDA SOFTWORKS
39MARIO & SONIC LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMESWIISEGASEGA
4040MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTERXB360EA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS

All formats

LWTWTitleDeveloperLabelPublisher
1DEAD SPACE 3VISCERAL GAMESEA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
22FIFA 13EA CANADAEA SPORTSELECTRONIC ARTS
33CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS IITREYARCHACTIVISIONACTIVISION BLIZZARD
44FAR CRY 3UBISOFT (MONTREAL)UBISOFTUBISOFT
55HITMAN: HD TRILOGYIO INTERACTIVESQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
16NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCHLEVEL 5NAMCO BANDAI GAMESNAMCO BANDAI GAMES
77NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTEDCRITERION GAMESEA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
88JUST DANCE 4UBISOFT (FRANCE)UBISOFTUBISOFT
99HITMAN ABSOLUTIONIO INTERACTIVESQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
1810SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMEDSUMO DIGITALSEGASEGA
1011THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIMBETHESDABETHESDA SOFTWORKSBETHESDA SOFTWORKS
612ASSASSIN’S CREED IIIUBISOFT (MONTREAL)UBISOFTUBISOFT
1313HALO 4343 INDUSTRIESMICROSOFTMICROSOFT
1414FORZA HORIZONPLAYGROUND GAMESMICROSOFTMICROSOFT
1515SKYLANDERS GIANTSTOYS FOR BOBSKYLANDERSACTIVISION BLIZZARD
1216FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013SPORTS INTERACTIVESEGASEGA
1717LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGSTRAVELLER’S TALESWARNER BROS. INTERACTIVEWARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
1618LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROESTRAVELLER’S TALESWARNER BROS. INTERACTIVEWARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
19MADDEN NFL 13EA TIBURONEA SPORTSELECTRONIC ARTS
2120FORZA MOTORSPORT 4TURN 10 STUDIOSMICROSOFTMICROSOFT
2621GRAND THEFT AUTO IVROCKSTAR NORTHXBOX 360 CLASSICSTAKE 2
2222BORDERLANDS 2GEARBOX SOFTWARE2K GAMESTAKE 2
2923MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTERDANGER CLOSEEA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
2524GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITIONPOLYPHONY DIGITALSONY COMPUTER ENT.SONY COMPUTER ENT.
1125DMCNINJA THEORYCAPCOMCAPCOM
2326DISHONOREDARKANE STUDIOSBETHESDA SOFTWORKSBETHESDA SOFTWORKS
2827DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITIONTECHLANDDEEP SILVERKOCH MEDIA
1928WWE ’13YUKE’STHQTHQ
2729ANGRY BIRDS TRILOGYROVIOACTIVISIONACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3030GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITYROCKSTAR NORTHROCKSTARTAKE 2
2031SLEEPING DOGSUNITED FRONT GAMESSQUARE ENIXSQUARE ENIX EUROPE
3332MARIO & SONIC LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMESSEGASEGASEGA
3833UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION GOTYNAUGHTY DOGSONY COMPUTER ENT.SONY COMPUTER ENT.
3534NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2NINTENDONINTENDONINTENDO
3635PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2013KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENTKONAMIKONAMI
36DISNEY EPIC MICKEY 2: THE POWER OF TWOBLITZ GAMESDISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOSDISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
3937LEGO HARRY POTTER: YEARS 5-7TRAVELLER’S TALESWARNER BROS. INTERACTIVEWARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
3438XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWNFIRAXIS2K GAMESTAKE 2
39BATTLEFIELD 3DIGITAL ILLUSIONSEA GAMESELECTRONIC ARTS
3140PAPER MARIO STICKER STARINTELLIGENT SYSTEMSNINTENDONINTENDO

Source 1, Source 2


Activision has confirmed that it won’t be releasing the Wii U version of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct in Australia.

A statement sent out by the publisher explains the decision:

“As with every game release, publishers decide which platforms to release based on customer demand. Unfortunately it wasn’t there for the Wii U sku on The Walking Dead.”

This isn’t the first Activision game that Australia will be missing out on. 007 Legends also never made it to the continent.

Source


Frozenbyte has consistently made note of its positive experience with the Wii U and Nintendo. The studio has also expressed interest in supporting the console further.

So it should come as no surprise that Splot, Frozenbyte’s next game, could land on the Wii U eShop. Although it’s only slated for PC, Mac, Linux, and iOS, it could head to Nintendo’s console as well.

Frozenbyte recently spoke about the possibility of Splot for Wii U, and briefly teased its next “big” project:

“…we may bring future games to Wii U as well, we have enjoyed working on it. Our next game Splot might be a good choice (there are some technology related things we need to solve first, so it won’t happen instantly). Our next ‘big’ game will be a 2014 release so there’s a lot of time until that, and we don’t yet know which platforms we’ll release it on (it could be PC-only)… we’ll see.”

Source


Tiger Woods PGA Tour used to be a big deal on Nintendo platforms. During the Wii’s brightest years, EA put out a fantastic experience that rivaled its PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 counterparts.

EA ditched Tiger Woods PGA Tour for Wii starting with 13’s release, which was understandable given the platform’s position at the time. But now the Wii U is here, and as far as we know, the console won’t be getting in on the golf action.

When asked about Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 for Wii U and the series’ future on the system, an EA representative said:

“We’re currently focused on delivering a great Tiger Woods PGA TOUR experience for our fans on the Xbox 360 and PS3, where we have a great opportunity to connect fans to the real world of golf and each other. We don’t have any further platform announcements at this time.”

Source



Manage Cookie Settings