RipTen Videogame Blog » 2009

Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 Announced

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:51:53 +0000

I’m a fan of card games, I’m a fan of digital games, so when Wizards of the Coast released Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers back in 2009 I of course snapped it up and devoured every little morsel of gameplay that it offered. In fact, I was the first person in Australia to complete the 200 original points of gamerscore – but I digress!

Wizards of the Coast earlier announced the development of Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012, and it’s set to include new cards, decks, puzzles and Planeswalkers. Greg Leeds, the president of WotC commented on the announcement saying;

“We are thrilled with the success of Magic: The Gathering and the tremendous growth of our player community worldwide, smart, strategic and competitive gamers love to get together to battle and have fun using their intellectual strengths.”

It seems the original title did extremely well financially, too;

“With more than 12 million players and fans in more than 70 countries and 500,000 units of Duels of the Planeswalkers sold on XBLA, Magic is experiencing record growth and delivering players a truly integrated gaming experience across both digital and real world.”

I for one am definitely not surprised by the impressive sales and reception to what I believe is one of the best games on both the Xbox LIVE Arcade and Steam digital platforms. Look out for more details close to the unannounced release date.

Source: [G4TV]

NPD 2010 – Year End Console Sales Totals Detailed

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:22:43 +0000

The 2010 December NPD sales figures have been released, enabling a 2010 year end sales total. It looks as if the Wii can claim victory, passing the Xbox 360 by less than 300,000 units.

Xbox 360 sales grew in by a whopping 42% making it the only console to increase in sales. Wii sales were down 27% marking a sizable decline.

The PS3 sales in comparison, stayed about the same – slightly dropping in sales by less than 1%. Heart breaking as it is, PS3 missed 2009 numbers by less than 1000 units.

Here are the numbers:

Hardware:
WII – 7.07 million
360 – 6.76 million
PS3 – 4.33 million

Source

Rumour: New GTA in 2009? [Updated: No.]

Sam Naylor — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:44:05 +0000

PSU have posted up an intriguing rumour concerning Rockstar’s blockbuster GTA franchise. The site claims that the latest issue of Game Informer features news that a new full retail game, in a similar style to ‘GTA: San Andreas’ and the like (new game, but not full sequel), will release by the end of 2009. Choice quote from the magazine:

“We’re not talking about new DLC or a collection of previously available DLC, we’re talking about a full retail game. We expect this title to follow the suit of previous GTAs and use a subtitle such as GTA: San Andreas, etc. Tokyo might be a possible setting for the game, but details are non-existent at this time.”

Tokyo certainly sounds like a jolly good choice if you ask me. I’m sure Sean will agree with me on that. Just remember this is ~~total fact~~ completely a rumour at this point.

[Update]: Kotaku have recieved word from Rockstar that there’s “no truth” in this rumour. Never mind, eh?

Activision Announces… Well, Pretty Much Everything

Demi Adejuyigbe — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:01:38 +0000

As if you didn’t have enough games backtracked to carry you into the New Year, today, at an event hosted by Massive Inc., Activision announced a shitload of new games, though they’re mostly sequels to old titles. Hit the jump for the full details.

As expected, Activision announced yet another game for the Guitar Hero franchise. Whoo. If you haven’t been keeping track, that’s the 9th announced Guitar Hero game from Activision. I mean, jeez, Harmonix only made three in the two years they had the series, and as of Q1 2010 (that’s two and a half years in Activision’s hands) the game will have twelve sequels & spin-offs. The franchise is going to die faster than [some 80's rap star]‘s career. Thank you, I’ll be here all night.

Surprisngly, Activision also announced a new Tony Hawk game — one that won’t use the controller and will probably use the rumored skateboard peripheral, along with a new Call of Duty game planned as a sequel to Modern Warfare. The last of Activision’s announcements included a new Bond game, probably based off of the 23rd Bond film in 2010, and an original racing game from Bizarre Creations, which they’ve described as ‘Mario Kart meets Forza.” If it allows me to shoot a blue shell from a Maserati, I’m all for it.

Source: MTV Multiplayer

Nissan Debuts All-New 2009 370Z in Need For Speed Undercover

Rangebar Merani — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:35:01 +0000

For the first time ever, an auto manufacturer has partnered with a videogame company for the world premiere debut of a car.

That’s right! Eight weeks before the car actually hits dealerships, gamers will be able to get behind the wheel of the all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe exclusively in EA’s Need for Speed Undercover, releasing next month.

Black Box, developers of Need for Speed Undercover, have been working diligently with Nissan to accurately replicate the look and feel for the new Nissan 370Z, which will officially be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19, hitting dealerships in early 2009.

“For the past 15 years, Need for Speed has helped define contemporary automotive culture by bridging the gap between gamers and the world’s hottest cars. As such, we are very excited to partner with one of the automotive powerhouses today to exclusively reveal the all-new Nissan ZÒ,” said Keith Munro, Vice President of Marketing at Electronic Arts. “Need for Speed is about style, fast-paced action and power; this is definitely a car made for Need for Speed fans. Come November, they’ll be able to test drive the all-new 370Z in the game before the car is released on the market.”

The 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe is the first full redesign of the Nissan Z since its reintroduction in 2003 and builds on the strengths and performance of its predecessor.

“Our relationship with EA has been instrumental in bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience,” says Christian Meunier, Vice President, Nissan Marketing. “By launching the all-new 2009 Nissan ZÒ first through Need for Speed Undercover, we also gain the spirit and energy that EA gamers experience so strongly. Together with EA, we have truly integrated the all-new 370Z in the overall game experience in a meaningful, multi-layered and profound way.”

Need for Speed Undercover will take players back to the franchise’s golden days as it re-introduces the insane cop chases and high-speed action it was known for. The all-new Heroic Driving Engine elevates the action as players will go through the dramatic story line through “Hollywood-style live-action in-game movies.”

Need for Speed Undercover will be available for all major game consoles, along with the PC, on November 18 in North America and in Europe on the 21st.