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New Homefront Trailer Shows Americans Fighting Back

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:25:53 +0000

THQ’s new trailer for their futuristic shooter shows the American resistance fighting back. Homefront tells the tale of Korean occupation of the US in the not too distant future.

Americans aren’t the type to take an occupation lying down. U-S-A!

Homefront becomes available March 15th.

Watch the clip below.

25th Anniversary Super Mario All-Stars Wii Limited Edition Confirmed For North America

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:02:53 +0000

Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition for Wii has, at long last, been confirmed to be coming to North America thanks to the latest issue of Iwata Asks

Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition contains all the original games contained in the Super NES classic: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (part 2 in Japan), Super Mario Bros. 2, and the ever popular Super Mario Bros. 3.

Also included will be a video history of Super Mario and a soundtrack CD with a mix of Super Mario songs from the original to Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Unfortunately further details were not disclosed. The Red Wii Mario All-Stars bundle will be available on November 8th so hopefully this standalone release is coming soon.

Enjoy the Super Mario All-Stars 25th anniversary trailer:

Zombrex Edition of Dead Rising 2 Unveiled for North American Consumption

David Oxford — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:01:12 +0000

If you’ve been a gamer for long enough, then you’re probably familiar with the sentiment that “Japan gets all the good stuff.” Games released nowhere else, cool merchandise, soundtracks, pre-order bonuses that you only wish GameStop would hand out…

Well, for Dead Rising 2, North America is where it’s at.

Seen above is the PlayStation 3 version of the “Zombrex Edition” of Dead Rising 2, but for all intents and purposes, the two $79.99 editions of the game are virtually identical. And it will be available exclusively in North America on September 28th.

Included within the Zombrex Edition are the following:

Exclusive Two-Disc Steelbook case includes:
Dead Rising 2 game disc
Blu-Ray Disc (PS3) / High-Definition game disc (Xbox 360) featuring a High-Definition 24 minute “Making of” featurette
Complete box contents include:
Steelbook case (described above)
Zombrex “Syringe” pen
Zombrex “Prescription” notepad (25 pages)
Zombrex “Safety” card
Zombrex “Prospectus” Sales Brochure (16 pages).
Dead Rising 2 Hardback Artbook (48 pages)

In addition, the PlayStation 3 version will include a voucher for an X-Menu Bar Dynamic Theme, while the Xbox 360 version’s “Making of” disc will have the 83 minute “Zombrex Dead Rising Sun” motion picture.

Those of you who own a PlayStation 3 (or who simply want the stand-alone edition) and are upset by that last part, fear not; Zombrex Dead Rising Sun will be available in for free on Xbox LIVE and at www.deadrisingsun.com.

The head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production, Keiji Inafune (who created the Dead Rising franchise, among others), made his directorial debut with this film, and Xbox LIVE members will get the first crack at it on August 4th, as it is split into different episodes and released over the following schedule:

DATE EPISODES LOCATION
August 4 1,2,3 Xbox Live
August 11 1,2,3 deadrisingsun.com
August 11 4,5 Xbox Live
August 18 4,5 deadrisingsun.com
August 18 6,7 Xbox Live
August 25 6,7 deadrisingsun.com
August 25 8 Xbox Live
September 1 8 deadrisingsun.com

As you can see, the website will get the same episodes a week after Xbox LIVE debuts them. In addition, some episodes will feature interviews with Inafune as he sheds some light on his experience in making the film.

For some screens taken from the shooting of the movie, click here.

Source: Capcom Unity

Four British Videogame Characters You Can Wail On For the 4th of July

Dylan Duarte — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 02:47:00 +0000

On July 4th, 1776, the United States Declaration of Independence was ratified and America slipped through the tea-stained fingers of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Well over 200 years later, the British are still an ever-present threat, and it is up to us, the gamers, to keep them at bay. Here are four British videogame characters that you can patriotically pound into submission to celebrate our independence.

Cammy – Street Fighter Series

Don’t let her breasts, lack of sufficient clothing, and cute pigtails get your guard down – this blonde bombshell is British MI6 and has the special forces training to prove it. Some of you might be hesitant to attack a woman, and I can admire that, but it’s a weakness you can’t afford to have when our freedom is at stake.

Cammy first appeared in Super Street Fighter II and has been a fan favorite ever since, even winning Capcom’s official “Which Character do fans most want in SFIV?” poll with almost as many votes as everyone else combined. She’s a popular character, no question, which is all the more reason to stop her before it gets out of hand. Bonus points for beating her with American-as-apple-pie Guile.

Wolf O’ Donnell – Star Fox Series

Wolf O’Donnell, sometimes referred to as Lord O’Donnell, is the archenemy of Fox McCloud. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he’s not even human, but a wolf. This is wolf is a Redcoat if I’ve ever seen one, only more feral. Turn your back on him and he’ll go straight for your tea and crumpets. He’s also capable of flying aircraft, so be careful of that.

He’s the leader of Star Wolf, who Andross hired to take down the Star Fox team. Naturally, he and his team of misfits fail, and him and Fox have been dancing the dance ever since. He most recently appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, alongside his nemesis. So fire your Nintendo Wii up and teach this old dog a new trick, the trick of playing dead – permanently (because he’s real dead).

Narcis Prince – Super Punch-Out

Where better to display your jingoism than in the ring? In Super Punch Out, if you make it to the special circuit, the first opponent you’ll square off against is the British narcissist and Ivy Leaguer Narcis Prince. He’s a decent boxer but he’s too in love with his face – so if you smash it, he’ll proceed to lose his shit like a football hooligan.

And who better to go all bald eagle on his ass than Little Mac, who comes straight from the Bronx, New York? Super Punch-Out is available on the Wii’s virtual console. So grab your controller, lace up, and knock that limey shit back across the pond.

The Great Mighty Poo – Conker’s Bad Fur Day

And to top off our list, I bring you The Great Mighty Poo, an enemy boss from Conker’s Bad Fur Day for Nintendo 64 (and remade as Conker Live & Reloaded for Xbox). He is, literally, a great big British pile of shit. And he sings! And throws poo balls, which are really just fragments of his disgusting body.

Now I’m not sure what nationality Conker is, it’s a little tricky to tell with squirrels. But, considering how much violence he obsessively dishes out, I think you can made a strong case that he’s a God-fearin’, fast food-eatin’, red-white-and-blue American.

So go forth my fellow freedom fighters and remind those posh sumbitches that America will not be messed with. I know some of you like the PS3, and others are glued to the Xbox 360. And some of you are lifelong Nintendo fans and swear by the Wii. But we can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.

Perhaps its fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution — but from annihilation. We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist.

And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:

“We will not go quietly into the night!

We will not vanish without a fight!

We’re going to live on!

We’re going to survive!”

Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

July 4th Weekend iPhone Game Sales Roundup

Sam Naylor — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:37:19 +0000

This weekend America will be celebrating their independence from the mighty grip of the British Empire, and the iPhone App Store is doing so by way of slashing the prices of a good number of games.

TouchArcade were good enough to compile the list of games that are on sale. These include the Gameloft games I posted about on Wednesday. The full list is below, and it includes some pretty good deals on a number of games. Driver, Katamari, Time Crisis, Tetris, FIFA 10 and Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies I and II are all on sale. Snap them up while you can- if you’re not too out of pocket from the Steam Sale.

The Settlers, $4.99 → 99¢
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X., $4.99 → 99¢
Rayman 2: The Great Escape, $4.99 → 99¢
Driver, $4.99 → 99¢
The Oregon Trail, $4.99 → 99¢
Brain Challenge HD (iPad), $4.99 → 99¢
Hero of Sparta HD (iPad), $4.99 → 99¢
ACE COMBAT Xi Skies of Incursion, $4.99 → $2.99
Alpine Racer, $1.99 → 99¢
Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima, $4.99 → $1.99
Dig Dug REMIX, $2.99 → 99¢
Galaga REMIX, $2.99 → 99¢
Garters & Ghouls, $1.99 → 99¢
GATOR PANIC, $1.99 → 99¢
i Love Katamari, $4.99 → $2.99
Inspector Gadget, $2.99 → 99¢
Isaac Newton’s Gravity, $2.99 → $1.99
Lt. Fly Rise of the Arachnids, $1.99 → 99¢
Mr. Driller, $1.99 → 99¢
Ms. PAC-MAN, $4.99 → 99¢
PAC-MAN, $4.99 → 99¢
PAC-MAN for iPad (iPad), $4.99 → 99¢
PAC-MAN Championship Edition, $2.99 → 99¢
PAC-Match Party, $1.99 → 99¢
PAC-Match Party HD (iPad), $1.99 → 99¢
Pole Position: Remix, $2.99 → 99¢
Pool Pro Online 3, $4.99 → 99¢
Pool Pro Online 3 for iPad (iPad), $1.99 → 99¢
Star Trigon, $1.99 → 99¢
Tamagotchi: ‘Round the World, $4.99 → $1.99
Time Crisis Strike, $4.99 → 99¢
Tinseltown Dreams: The 50′s, $2.99 → 99¢
1000: Find ‘Em All!, $2.99 → 99¢
Beat It!, $1.99 → 99¢
Bonsai Blast, $2.99 → 99¢
Brain Genius Deluxe, $1.99 → 99¢
Build-a-lot, $2.99 → 99¢
Cooking Star, $1.99 → 99¢
Mini Golf Wacky Worlds, $2.99 → 99¢
Space Monkey, $1.99 → 99¢
Stranded: Mysteries of Time, $2.99 → 99¢
TRANSFORMERS G1: AWAKENING, $2.99 → 99¢
World Series of Poker Hold’em Legend, $2.99 → 99¢
Skate It, $4.99 → $1.99
Scrabble, $4.99 → $1.99
Tetris, $4.99 → $2.99
Connect 4, $2.99 → $1.99
Battleship, $2.99 → 99¢
FIFA 10, $6.99 → $2.99
Mass Effect Galaxy, $1.99 → 99¢
Boggle, $1.99 → 99¢
I Dig It HD (iPad), $9.99 → $6.99
Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies, $9.99 → $7.99
Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies II, $9.99 → $7.99
Highborn, $2.99 → 99¢
Fantastic Contraption, $4.99 → $3.99
Moxie 2, $1.99 → 99¢
Big Buck Hunter Pro, 99¢ → Free
ZombieSmash, $1.99 → 99¢

Americans Love Their Videogames

Dylan Duarte — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:40:17 +0000

The 2009 Today’s Gamers Internation Survey tells us something that a lot of us could of guessed: most Americans love playing videogames more than anything else.

According to the survey, 83% of the US citizens polled claimed that playing videogames was their number one past time, over watching the tube and surfing the net.

Europeans play less games, but not by much, as 72% admitted their gaming tendencies.

I just want to burst into the national anthem right now, but I’ll probably just play some videogames.

Is The PS3 Really Selling That Well? Update

Patrick Steen — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:42:13 +0000

We have seen reports from Japan and Europe showing that Playstation 3 sales are up, even thrashing the Wii in Japan three weeks running. Yesterday saw Sony boast a 300% sales increase in America since the beginning of November. But are things really that rosy for the Japanese giant?

Most signs point to a Playstation 3 recovery after a price cut and a solid advertisement campaign. Moreover, the all important quality titles are starting to hit, from Ratchet and Clank to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Even Assassin’s Creed ads only sport the Playstation 3 logo, showing Sony has got something right at last.

Yet there are other signs to suggest that perhaps this increase in sales is not as large as we and Sony think it is. We know Sony is very good at getting enough stock to retailers, but Playstation 3′s are in abundance after Black Friday. That needn’t be of too much significance though, since the hard to find Wii is severely understocked, and Sony can take advantage of the hungry buyers who can’t get hold of Nintendo’s offering.

Nevertheless, a 300% increase in the US may not be that much if both the Wii and the Xbox360 saw similar gains during the holidays. Here in the original article I looked at Amazon charts for the location of each of the consoles on the bestsellers list.

However, after listening to all your comments, which I truly appreciate, the relevance of looking at Amazon charts is put into question. The original article puts the charts into context and suggests the significant drop that has seen the PS3 at that position for well over a week, is perhaps a sign that the sales for the console are not as high when compared to its competitors.

Update: 11/28/07

Instead, lets now look at some more numbers to perhaps support my original scepticism. There’s no doubt that the PS3 is selling better than it used to, if not much better. Therefore, if we take a cross section of recent PS3 sales we can have a better understanding of things. We can use recent Famitsu numbers and predictions from VGChartz (the accuracy of VGChartz is known to be up to 15% out of more official numbers from NPD, so they too must be taken with a pinch of salt).

Looking at the worldwide numbers from the week ending November 18th, in Japan the PS3 sold a whopping 53,000 units, compared to the Wii at 36,000 and the Xbox360 at a dismal 6,000. In Europe, the Wii leads with 132,000 units, followed by the PS3 at 84,000 and the Xbox360 at 58,000 units sold. In the United States, the PS3 is last at 95,000 units, followed by the Xbox360 at 163,000 and the Wii at 254,000.

Totting up these numbers we get an approximate world total of 422,000 for the Wii, 232,000 for the PS3, and 227,000 for the Xbox360. So here it can be seen that although the Playstation 3 leads in two major sections of world sales, it comes in almost equal with the Xbox360. This of course is impressive, considering the past numbers the PS3 was doing, but in comparison to increases from competing consoles, the PS3 is selling well but not that well.

Where does Sony’s reported 300% sales increase come from? Without official numbers it is difficult to hazard a guess, but once again looking at the estimates from VGChartz we can perhaps see. Sony said there was a 300% increase since the 2nd of November. Well on the week ending the 3rd November, VGChartz lists the PS3 as selling 55,000 in the US. Comparing to their forecast of this weeks sales (week ending 25th November), a staggering 174,000 PS3′s were sold. You can now see an approximate three fold increase. Sony could have made their increase sound even more impressive by using sales numbers from the week ending 20th October, where the PS3 sold only 28,000 meaning they could have reported an insane 600% increase in sales!

However, although this increase is impressive for the previously lagging console, looking at US numbers for the other consoles in the week ending 25th November, the Xbox360 has an increase to 254,000 and the Wii an increase to over 350,000 as reported by Nintendo themselves. In conclusion, the Playstation3 is certainly making a come back, but when compared to the increases made by other consoles in this Holiday period, it’s not selling as magnificently as we may have thought after Sony’s press release.

NB: The above picture can either be interpreted as the Playstation3 defenders in the guise of Darth Vader, as I in the green cower in front of you. Or Darth Vader could be seen as the Playstation 3 itself showing its dominance in recent sales, with the man in green being the Xbox360, and the storm troopers behind representing the huge numbers of the Wii.

Is The PS3 Really Selling That Well?

Patrick Steen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:59:57 +0000

Nevertheless, a 300% increase in the US may not be that much if both the Wii and the Xbox360 saw similar gains during the holidays. Just a little look at Amazon.com’s best sellers list we can find the Xbox360 at Number 12, the Wii at Number 24 and the Playstation 3 all the way down at place 44.

The Playstation 3′s price cut and new 40GB model also saw big gains in the United Kingdom, with the console being in the top 10 of Amazon.co.uk’s best sellers list week after week. However, looking at this list now, sees the Wii at an impressive Number 5, the Xbox360 at a respectable 19, the Playstation 2 at a surprising Number 29 and the Playstation 3 at the shocking Number 71.

Looking at Amazon charts of course does not necessarily reflect on the reality of things, but it can hint at an underlying trend. Take it all with a pinch of salt, but the Playstation 3 has rarely been at those extreme lows on Amazon. It could of course be a sign that people are out shopping for Christmas, rather than shopping online, but then you’d expect that to be the same for competing consoles.

So what are we asking here? Of course more evidence is needed. But is the increase in Playstation 3 sales really that impressive if the competing consoles have also increased in sales. Furthermore, could the increase be a short lived side effect after the price cut? Online sales suggest this, but more official numbers for each of the three consoles will be needed to discover the real story.

To lighten the mood, there is a second-hand Playstation 3 on sale at Amazon.co.uk for only £200! The catch can be seen in this comment: “Has been kicked a few times!!! Don’t think it’s working anymore.” Haha, O.K.

How is the Playstation 3 really doing?

Update: 11/28/07
Lets look at some more numbers to perhaps support this scepticism. There’s no doubt that the PS3 is selling better than it used to, if not much better. Therefore, if we take a cross section of recent PS3 sales we can have a better understanding of things. We can use recent Famitsu numbers and predictions from VGChartz (the accuracy of VGChartz is known to be up to 15% out of more official numbers from NPD, so they too must be taken with a pinch of salt).