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Batman: Arkham Knight stands watch atop the best-selling games list for June 2015

Posted on July 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy went out with a bang last month, and it looks like a lot of fans went along for the ride, as The NPD Group has confirmed Batman: Arkham Knight was the best-selling game for June 2015.

Aside from the problems with the PC version, WB Games had a pretty good month as four of the publisher’s titles placed in the top ten. Newcomer Lego Jurassic World joined Arkham Knight near the top of the list in the #3 spot, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (#4) and Mortal Kombat X (#8) held over from May. NPD’s Liam Callahan told GamesIndustry.biz, “Warner Bros. Interactive is the top corporate publisher so far in 2015, with dollar sales growing 217% versus the first half of 2014.”

But WB Games wasn’t the only company having a nice Summer as Bethesda has a hit on their hands with The Elder Scrolls Online. It was also a good month to be a squid as Nintendo’s Splatoon held strong at #5, and became the only platform exclusive to crack the top ten.

The industry as a whole should be very happy about last month’s sales as consumers spent a lot more than they did last year. Overall sales were up 18%, $869 million versus $734 million, over June 2014. And that includes increases in hardware (+8%), software (+21%), and accessories (+34%).

The complete top ten list of best-selling games for June 2015 can be found after the break. (more…)

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The Elder Scrolls Online’s Imperial City expansion will be available soon

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

Bethesda has announced that the first downloadable expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online will be available next month. The Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial City will be released for the PC on August 31 (a PS4 and Xbox One release will follow on September 15), and it’ll be a free download for all ESO Plus members. Everyone will be able to purchase the add-on through the Crown Store for 2,500 Crowns.

Here’s what players can expect to find in the Imperial City:

Description
The Imperial City, the heart of the Cyrodiilic Empire, has fallen to Daedric Prince Molag Bal and now all three alliances must battle not only against the Daedric forces, but each other. Imperial City, the first DLC game pack for The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited, adds hours of additional gameplay featuring new areas, quests, enemies, and exclusive items for those adventuring on their own, in small groups, or with hundreds of others.

Features

  • New PVE and PVP Content: Featuring six distinct Imperial Districts, battle against the forces of Molag Bal as well as the other Alliances.
  • Additional Dungeons: The extensive Imperial Sewers network offers new PVP and PVE challenges for small groups of adventurers, while White-Gold Tower and Imperial Prison challenge PVE adventurers with Normal and Veteran versions.
  • New Quests, Enemies, and Characters: Whether participating in massive PVP battles in the Imperial Districts, or adventuring in one of the new dungeons, players will be introduced to new quests and enemies, including the Xivkyn.
  • Addition of New Currency, Weapons, and Armor: Fight the forces of Molag Bal to plunder Tel Var Stones, a new form of currency you can use for exclusive Veteran Rank 16 weapons and armor, or search for new Treasure Vaults containing other rare finds.
  • Imperial City-Exclusive Collectibles and Items: Exploring Imperial City or visiting the Crown Store will reward the player with a host of new collectibles including pets, mounts, costumes, and polymorphs!

The first trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online: Imperial City has been embedded above.

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Telltale will release Game of Thrones: Episode 5 on July 21

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

Things aren’t looking good for the Forrester family in this trailer for the fifth episode of Telltale’s Game of Thrones adaptation. Hopefully, things will turn out better once Game of Thrones: A Nest of Vipers is released next week:

In this penultimate episode, the actions of every Forrester are vital to the survival of the house. Rodrik’s alliance with House Glenmore, and his defiance of the Whitehills, has drawn the ire of an even greater threat: Ramsay Snow. Far across the Narrow Sea in Essos, with Meereen now a free city, Asher is close to securing the army he desperately needs to return home, and save his family. In King’s Landing, Mira’s activities at Tommen’s coronation have not escaped the attention of Margaery Tyrell, and Cersei has realized that the handmaiden may prove useful in her political games. Finally, beyond the Wall, Gared’s unlikely allies are reluctant to help in the search for the North Grove… but this far into the frozen wilds, Crows and Free Folk have a common enemy; and Winter is coming.

As usual, Game of Thrones: A Nest of Vipers will be available through a number of digital storefronts. Here’s the release schedule, courtesy of Telltale:

  • Tuesday, July 21: PC/Mac, PS3, PS4
  • Wednesday, July 22: Xbox One, Xbox 360
  • Thursday, July 23: iOS, Android

The final episode of the series, Game of Thrones: The Ice Dragon, will likely be released sometime this Fall.

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First Shenmue III trailer revealed as Kickstarter campaign enters its final days

Posted on July 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

The Kickstarter campaign for Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue III is nearing its end. With less than 36 hours remaining, the project has already racked up more than $5.1 million in pledges. Right now, it trails only Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on the list of most-funded video games. To celebrate these milestones, Suzuki and his team at Ys Net have released a short scene from the game:

Ryo and Shenhua arrive at the Lake of the Lantern Bugs after their long journey. Entranced, they watch the gentle flight of the lantern bugs upon the mirage-like oasis.

Shenmue III still has a long way to go, but this is certainly a start. If all goes according to plan, it’ll be released for the PC and PS4 in late 2017.

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GoW3 Remastered, Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Rory McIlroy PGA, more added to PS Store

Posted on July 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

It’s a big day for the PlayStation Store as some of this Summer’s biggest releases are now available to download on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and the PSP (yes, really).

Let’s start with the PS4 first as its now home to a remastered version Kratos’s final assault on the Pantheon of Gods (God of War III Remastered), the first PGA Tour game not to star Tiger Woods in more than a decade (Rory McIlroy PGA Tour), a moody first-person mystery (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), and a surprise remake of a pair of PS3-era open world games from Activision (Prototype: Biohazard Bundle).

On the PS3, Godzilla will roar to life on the video game stage and do battle with other kaiju in Bandai Namco’s latest adaptation of the radioactive beast. The game is also available on the PS4.

Meanwhile, the Vita welcomes Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess, an updated and enhanced version of Deception IV: Blood Ties. Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is also available for the PS4 and PS3.

Finally, the PSP comes back to life with Angus Hates Aliens, a tactical shooter starring a redneck shooting aliens. Angus Hates Aliens is also playable on the Vita.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And as always, a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

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Here’s the video game deals for Amazon Prime Day 2015

Posted on July 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

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UPDATE (8:15 PM): We’re in the final stretch of Amazon’s Prime Day 2015 festivities and another PS4 bundle is available to purchase. More deals will surely go live before midnight, but here’s what Prime members can pick up at a steep discount right now…

UPDATE (7:10 PM): Prime Day 2015 is beginning to wind down (and some people aren’t entirely happy about what’s been offered), but Amazon is still posting new deals…

UPDATE (3:55 PM): Are you in the market for a 3DS? If you act fast, you can grab one as part of Amazon’s latest update to the Prime Day 2015 page. There’s a few other new deals of note too…

Previous Prime Day deals, many still available by joining a waitlist, can be found after the break. (more…)

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Konami removes Hideo Kojima’s name from the cover of Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain

Posted on July 14, 2015 by John Scalzo

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As the secret war between Konami and Hideo Kojima continues to rage, the publisher has taken another public shot at the developer with the release of the final cover design of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. In an attempt to distance Kojima from the title, Konami has officially removed the developer’s name from the game’s packaging. This includes an above-the-title text credit (“A Hideo Kojima Game”) and the Kojima Productions logo. A previous version of the Phantom Pain cover included both. The original cover and the updated version can both be found after the break.

Though Kojima publicly states he is “100% involved” with The Phantom Pain’s development, this redesign of the game’s cover is more proof of the strained relationship between the developer and the publisher. It could even be said that the removal of Kojima’s name is a personal attack on the developer as he’s been given a text credit on the cover of every Metal Gear Solid game since 2001’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 1. Two weeks later, the game will also be released for the PC. While still unconfirmed, Kojima is expected to leave Konami after the completion of The Phantom Pain.

Last year, Kojima announced an intent to resurrect the Silent Hill franchise in collaboration with director Guillermo Del Toro and actor Norman Reedus. That game, Silent Hills, was canceled by Konami back in April. (more…)

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Deep Silver confirms Yager is no longer developing Dead Island 2

Posted on July 14, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Earlier this year, Deep Silver delayed Dead Island 2 after they said that development on the game wasn’t meeting up with their expectations. Today, the publisher issued a short statement confirming that Yager will no longer be the developer behind Dead Island 2:

With Dead Island 2, Deep Silver has always been dedicated to delivering the sequel that Dead Island fans deserve. After careful consideration, today we announce the decision to part ways with development partner Yager.

Development on Dead Island 2 will continue, and Deep Silver plans to announce further details about the game “at a later stage.” It’s unknown if this developer shuffle will further push back the game’s release date (currently penciled in for 2016), but it will likely be a while before we get the chance to play Dead Island 2.

The original Dead Island and its sequel, Dead Island: Riptide, were developed by Techland. After Deep Silver and Techland parted ways, the Polish developer teamed up with WB Games to release Dying Light, another first-person zombie game, earlier this year.

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