Most Recent: PC

NBA 2K13 slams it home as the bestselling game of October 2012

Posted on November 9, 2012 by John Scalzo

The NPD Group has released their report on the bestselling games of October 2012 and NBA 2K13 has come out on top. The basketball sim’s lack of competition from the now-canceled NBA Live 13 surely pushed it to greater heights and enabled it to hold off other October releases like Resident Evil 6 (#2), Pokemon Black 2 (#3), Dishonored (#4), and Pokemon White 2 (#5).

New releases performed very well in October as Medal of Honor: Warfighter (#8) and Skylanders Giants (#10) also cracked the top ten even though game sales dropped 25% from October 2011. Of course, things like that happen when you’re competing with the one-two punch of Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City.

The full top ten for October 2012 can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm pushed back to early 2013

Posted on November 9, 2012 by John Scalzo

Perhaps its unfair to say that StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm has been delayed, as Blizzard never promised a 2012 release for the highly-anticipated expansion. But it definitely won’t be out before the end of year as Mike Morhaime, the company’s President and CEO, has confirmed that Heart of the Swarm won’t make it into stores until the first half of 2013:

Next on the slate for Blizzard will be Heart of the Swarm, the first expansion to StarCraft II. With six million copies of Wings of Liberty sold to date, we have a large community of players eagerly awaiting the next installment of StarCraft. Beta testing for Heart of the Swarm is well underway, and the development team has been collecting great feedback from the community. Just last week, we made a major content update to the beta in order to test some important community features, which have been well-received by players. These features are designed to improve the social aspect, as well as the overall user experience for StarCraft players. We’re working hard towards a first half 2013 launch for Heart of the Swarm.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick previously confirmed that Blizzard would release “at least two titles in 2012,” and with Diablo III and World of Warcraft: Mists of Panderia already available, there was no room (and no time) for Heart of the Swarm.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Blizzard announces Diablo III expansion after it sells 10 million copies

Posted on November 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Diablo III has stirred up some serious emotions in people since its release back in May. From complaints about the “always-on” DRM requirement to concerns about the end game to a virtual slapfight between the developers and the creator of the first Diablo, the community has seen it all. But that hasn’t stopped people from buying it in droves as Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently revealed the game has sold over 10 million copies:

“Year-to-date, Diablo III is the top-selling game overall based on an estimated digital and retail sales in North America and Europe. Diablo III has already sold an excess of 10 million copies, proving once again that investing in key talent and our top franchise is worth the wait.”

Mike Morhaime, Blizzard’s President, was particuarly pleased with the sales figures. He even went so far as to announced an expansion for the game during the Q&A portion of Activision’s quarterly financial report:

Stephen Ju, Analyst from Credit Suisse AG: “[T]he prior iterations of Diablo seem to have had an expansion pack released about 1 year after the game itself came out. So wondering if you have anything you can share in terms of whether or not you have a similar plan for Diablo III to keep your users engaged.”

Morhaime: “[W]e do have a plan — an expansion planned for Diablo. I don’t have any timeline to talk about. I think that the most important thing for us always comes down to the quality of the expansion and the gameplay, and so that will be a big factor in terms of driving our schedule.”

As with all things Blizzard, the Diablo III expansion will be officially announced when they’re good and ready.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

THQ delays South Park RPG, Company of Heroes 2, Metro: Last Light

Posted on November 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

THQ is still in the middle of a financial crisis. The publisher posted their quarterly financial numbers today and revealed that they lost $20 million in the three month period ending September 30. But, this is an improvement over the $92 million loss they suffered in the same quarter in 2011.

Because of their continued money woes, THQ has delayed a trio of titles that would have launched in early 2013. Company of Heroes 2 and Metro: Last Light, which were both scheduled to launch very early in the year, will now be released in March. South Park: The Stick of Truth will also miss its planned release date, moving from March 5 to “early fiscal 2014,” which means it’ll be released sometime between April 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013.

THQ President Jason Rubin had this to say about South Park’s delay: “I believe South Park’s market opportunity is significant. It is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated titles of calendar 2013. It is also an expansive title, encompassing multiple television seasons’ worth of content. We have been working closely with the co-creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, to make sure all of the game’s content performs to the high standards of the TV show, and this takes time. THQ is committed to giving gamers no less than the rich South Park game they have been waiting for and deserve.”

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,

Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn expansion officially announced

Posted on November 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

Bethesda has announced the next add-on expansion for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, “Dragonborn.” The expansion will be available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 4 for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20). PC and PS3 release dates will be announced at a later time.

The debut trailer above gives us our first taste of Dragonborn and the battle against the Dragon Priest who, like the player character, is a Dragonborn.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

New Releases: Halo 4, LittleBigPlanet Karting, NASCAR Inside Line, More

Posted on November 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

You finished the fight, but now he’s back! The Master Chief returns to the Xbox 360 this week in Halo 4, the first game in the series not developed by Bungie (it was actually created at Microsoft’s 343 Industries).

So who will stand against the mighty Master Chief? Believe it or not, a pair of racing games. Sony is bringing LittleBigPlanet Karting to the PS3 this week and Activision will release the multiplatform NASCAR: Inside Line (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).

Also available this week is a quartet of compilations: Namco Bandai’s Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection (PS3, Xbox 360), the Rockstar Games Collection: Edition 1 (PS3, Xbox 360), BioWare’s Mass Effect Trilogy (PC, Xbox 360), and THQ’s Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package (PS3, Xbox 360).

Hit the jump for even more new releases. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,

Agni’s Philosophy might be a real next-gen game, will reappear next June

Posted on November 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Square Enix debuted Agni’s Philosophy, a technical demo showcasing the power of their next-gen Luminous Engine, at E3 2012. The mini-movie was heavily based on themes found in the Final Fantasy series and was a glorious display of graphical power. Go on, watch it again, I’ll wait.

Ready? Good. Usually, these tech demos from Square Enix don’t amount to anything. Just think back to the HD rendition of Final Fantasy VII‘s introduction they presented at E3 2005. But comments from Julien Merceron, Square Enix’s Worldwide Technology Director, point to a better future for Agni’s Philosophy.

He told French site Final Fantasy Dream: “So, around June of next year, there will indeed be something different around Agni’s Philosophy, which will perhaps be presented on different platforms than those which have been used before. I cannot tell you more, but I can tell you that it will not run on PC only.”

Wow. So, Agni’s Philosophy might be a real game and it’ll make a return appearance next June. It’s possibly in development for more than the PC and on platforms we haven’t seen before. Which means it’s very possible Merceron is referring to the Wii U, PS4/Orbis, and Xbox 720. I’ll say it again, wow.

Or it could be nothing, like all of Square Enix’s other tech demos.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged

Ubisoft is hiring for Watch Dogs team… with a dev diary

Posted on November 1, 2012 by John Scalzo

Watch Dogs was a huge hit at this year’s E3 Expo, and not just because nobody had ever heard of it before its June debut. The open world game showed an intriguing near-future world where your every digital communication is monitored and scrutinized.

But to create a world that big, the combined strength of Ubisoft Montreal and Reflections UK still need a few more people to make it happen. So they’ve put together the developer’s diary you see above to extoll the virtues of working for Ubisoft and to get the world exited about Watch Dogs all over again.

If you’re interested in applying, you should head over to Ubisoft’s official employment site. The rest of us should sit tight and wait for more details of the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game ahead of its possible 2013 release.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged