Archive for December 11th, 2008
Filed under: RTS, Empire: Total War
It’s been a game we have been waiting to play for a long time and it looks like the wait just got longer…but not by much. Publisher Sega has sent over word that the historical RTS title Empire: Total War, developed by The Creative Assembly, has been pushed back from its planned February 2, 2009 release.
However the delay isn’t a huge one. Sega now says the game will ship to store in “early March” so that’s only a month’s difference, give or take a few days. The title is the first in the series that deals with the “New World” of the Americas in the 18th century and features both land and, for the first time in a Total War game, naval battles.
Slight delay for Empire: Total War originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
Despite all the talk of recessions and global economic crises (crisises?), the video game industry once again seems unfazed. According to the NPD Group, North American industry sales totaled $2.91 billion for November, approximately 10% higher than the same month last year. Of that, $1.45b came from software while hardware took in $1.21b and accessories $255.4 million. As you can see below, the big winners of the month were the Wii (average to 68K sold per day!) followed by the DS (avg. 52K daily). For the fourth month in a row, the Xbox 360 has outsold the PlayStation 3 for the fourth month in row, and doubled sales of Sony’s console for (after a cursory search) the eighth month in the two-year battle.
On the software side of thing, Gears of War 2 must be very pleased with itself, with Marcus Fenix and the gang selling 1.56 million units – that’s four times as many copies as Nathan Hale’s Resistance 2 – securing the top spot for November. But not so fast, Delta Squad! Factoring in both “next-gen” platforms, Call of Duty: World at War sold an incredible 2 million units, with the Xbox 360 release commanding an impressive 70% of those numbers. Check full software sales numbers after the break.
- Wii: 2.04m  1.237m (154%)
- DS: 1.57m 1.079m (220%)
- Xbox 360: 836K 465K (125%)
- PSP: 421K 228K (118%)
- PS3: 378K 188K (99%)
- PS2: 206K 70K (51%)
Continue reading November NPD: Wii breaks 2m, Gears 2 breaks 1.5m … what recession?
November NPD: Wii breaks 2m, Gears 2 breaks 1.5m … what recession? originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
We’ve always drooled after the top end of the Ultimate Ears headphone line, and it looks like we’ve got a new lust-magnet — the company just introduced the Triple.Fi 10vi in-ear buds with an iPhone and Blackberry-compatible mic / button. The triple-driver ‘phones are said to have the same essential guts as UE’s far more expensive custom monitors, and they’ll kick out frequencies as low as 10Hz and top out at 17kHz. Yes, we want them. No, we can’t justify spending $420 on them. Yes, we’re totally thinking about it anyway.
[Via iPodNN]
Filed under: Portable Audio
Ultimate Ears intros Triple.Fi 10vi headphones with built-in mic originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Peripherals
We don’t want to leave the Wii out of our Holidaze Schwagalong, so Wii-lovers, this is your chance to get in on the action. What says Holidaze and the Wii more than a snap-on plastic lightsaber attachment? Nothing that we can think of. You’ll also get to cram your Wii-mote into a handgun attachment and use a semi-clone of the Xbox-360 controller to put your games through their paces.
The Glow Saber Duo Pack and T-Wireless Precision Pack not enough for you? Fine. We’re tossing in three Wii titles for you to huddle your family around over the next couple of weeks Included is a copy of Death Jr.: Root of Evil, Wacky Races: Crash and Dash, and Family Party: 30 Great Games. It’s more Wii-action that you can shake a saber at, and it’s yours if you enter our Joyswag contest below and let us know how you’d weaponize your Wii.
To enter the giveaway:
- Leave a comment telling us how you’d weaponize your Wii.
- You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
- Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day
- This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Thursday, December 18th. We’ll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one Glow Saber Duo Pack (ARV $34.99), one T-Wireless Precision Pack (ARV: $29.99), one copy of Death Jr.: Root of Evil for the Wii (ARV: $39.99), one copy of Wacky Races: Crash and Dash for the Wii (ARV: $39.99), and one copy of Family Party: 30 Great Games (ARV: $19.99)
- For a list of complete rules, click here
Is the end of 2008 approaching already? In honor of another year of gaming gone by, Joystiq is hosting five straight days of Joyswag giveaways. Check back every day for new prizes, new chances to win, and the possibility of keeping more money in your own pocket. Joyswag Holidaze: Wii Glow Saber Duo & Precision Pack + three games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Biz, MMO, World of Warcraft
Normally the NPD Group‘s monthly list of November game sales is dominated by consoles. However one PC game managed to out sell all but one (maybe two, it’s not clear yet) of the top selling console game last month. It’s not a surprise; Blizzard’s MMO expansion pack World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sold over1.4 million copies in November, according to NPD (how much over is not yet known).
VentureBeat reports that number beat out nearly every console game on the top 10 best seller list. Epic Games’ Xbox 360 shooter Gears of War 2 took the number one spot with 1.6 million copies sold and the Xbox 360 port of Call of Duty: World at War was number two with 1.41 million copies sold. Again Wrath of the Lich King could have outsold the WWII shooter but we don’t have more precise numbers yet.
Wrath of the Lich King beats most console titles in November US sales originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Culture, Business
Ubisoft may be gnashing its teeth at the one that got away, but the French publisher will likely be thankful for any extra padding in its account following the much publicized Woolworths collapse. GI.biz reports that the UK retail chain’s recent demise, along with its distribution business EUK, could end up costing Ubi €1.5 million, or something in the neighborhood of $2 million.
Woolworths’ going under is likely to be the subject of water cooler talk at other publishers as well, with UK tabloid The Sun suggesting earlier this week that both Microsoft and Nintendo could end up losing the millions of pounds currently owed to them by EUK. Truly the game industry is not insulated from the effects of the world’s ongoing financial hardship. It’s just unfortunate that in this global crisis, there is no Elika around to pull publishers back up to safety.
Ubi could lose $2m from Woolworths collapse originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Downloads, Action, RPG, Trailers, Dragon Age: Origins
This trailer for Dragon Age: Origins hints at the power of the Grey Wardens, an elite group with the sole purpose of doing whatever it takes to bring the Blight to an end. The main character that players assume is a Grey Warden.
“The Grey Wardens are an ancient order of elite and feared warriors whose sole purpose in life is to end the Blight that has brought a curse upon the land. The darkspawn and tainted creatures threaten to destroy centuries of peace. Horrific battlegrounds between monsters and men have turned once picturesque lands into graveyards. The Grey Wardens have a heavy burden to bear and their numbers have dwindled. Any sacrifice must be made if it leads to victory. They are the last hope for the future of Ferelden.”
Download HD Dragon Age: Origins Grey Wardens Trailer (319 MB)
Check out all Dragon Age: Origins downloads
Dragon Age: Origins trailer reveals the power of Grey Wardens originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360
 click to embiggen the holiday cheerRare sent us over this Christmas card wishing the staff a happy holidays. Unlike last time, there’s no Killer Instinct hint to be found. What gives, Rare? No Glacius The Snowkiller? Oh, wait, what’s this …
Continue reading Rare’s Christmas card lacking Killer Instinct … or is it?
Rare’s Christmas card lacking Killer Instinct … or is it? originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Etc.
According to the Colonial arm of Top Gear’s website, the U.S. version of everyone’s favorite motoring show has been passed up by NBC. The report doesn’t go into any detail about why the Peacock people said, “Thanks. But no thanks” to the show, but the BBC is supposedly actively pursuing a cable network to air the series. We’re tapping our sources inside Top Gear, NBC and the assorted media to get the full story, so stay tuned.
UPDATE: According to one of our sources, NBC didn’t “pass” on the program so much as it decided to sit on Top Gear as it hashed out its future. The BBC was able to get the program “back” so it could bring it to another channel. We’ll see…
[Source: Top Gear]
NBC passes on Top Gear USA, show going to cable originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
|
Subscribe to RSS