Injustice: Gods Among Us is the best-selling game of April 2013

Posted on May 17, 2013 by John Scalzo

injustice-boxartAccording to The NPD Group’s accounting of the best-selling games from April 2013, NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice: Gods Among Us delivered a superhero-sized punch to the competition last month. The Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U fighter zoomed into the top spot, ahead of another April release, Deep Silver’s Dead Island: Riptide. Other new releases were mostly shut out of the top ten, but Defiance, an MMO shooter based on the Syfy show of the same name, managed to make it to the fifth spot.

Bioshock Infinite continues to sell strong, rounding out the top three, and a pair of 3DS-exclusive games scared up spots in the top ten: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (#6) and Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (#9).

The full top ten list for April 2013 can be found right here:

1. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U)
2. Dead Island: Riptide (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
3. Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
5. Defiance (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
6. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
7. NBA 2K13 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
8. Skylanders Giants (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)
9. Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins (3DS)
10. MLB 13: The Show (PS3, Vita)

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

Watch this new CoD: Black Ops II “Mob of the Dead” trailer, DLC available today on PC, PS3

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

As promised, Call of Duty: Black Ops II‘s Uprising Map Pack is now available for the PC and PS3. The pack has been priced at $14.99, but owners of the DLC Season Pass can get it for free. The Uprising Map Pack includes a cinematic new Zombies scenario, “Mob of the Dead,” as well as four new multiplayer maps:

  • “Magma” is a modern Japanese village with volcanic eruptions carving multiple paths throughout the town.
  • “Encore” takes place in the aftermath of a deserted London music festival and leaves numerous opportunities for run-and-gun, close quarters combat.
  • “Vertigo” is a futuristic high rise in India housing a high-tech lab featuring dizzying vistas and multi-tiered pathways.
  • “Studio” is a Hollywood movie back lot with a variety of cinematic themes that range from Sci-Fi to the Old West. It’s also a contemporary remake of “Firing Range,” a fan-favorite multiplayer map from Call of Duty: Black Ops.

You can check out a brand new and never-before-seen “Mob of the Dead” trailer above.

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Scribblenauts Unmasked officially announced

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

WB Games and developer 5th Cell are moving forward with that DC Comics/Scribblenauts crossover. Officially announced yesterday, Scribblenauts Unmasked is in development for the 3DS, PC, and Wii U.

The debut trailer embedded above is definitely the best way to get your first taste of Scribblenauts Unmasked. Maxwell has teamed up with DC’s greatest heroes, including multiple iterations of Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and many others (including “Super Doomsday,” a heroic take on Superman’s greatest foe) to battle villains like The Joker, Lex Luthor and the real Doomsday.

“Fans of both DC Comics and Scribblenauts can really let their imaginations run wild with the Super Hero Creator in Scribblenauts Unmasked,” said Jeremiah Slaczka, CEO and Creative Director of 5th Cell. “Players will be challenged to craft new and never-before-seen characters such as Wonder Joker or Bane Lantern and use them to solve puzzles or share them with friends.”

Scribblenauts Unmasked will be available this Fall.

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Nintendo Download: Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 2, Starship Damrey, more

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

mario-saluteNintendo has pushed a rather hefty update onto the eShop this week, but it mostly consists of games you’ve played before.

Leading the way are this week’s Wii U Virtual Console releases: Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. If you act fast, you can also get two of the three on the cheap. Super Metroid is on sale for $0.30 for a limited time and Super Mario Bros. 2 is half off if you also buy Super Mario World.

The 3DS Virtual Console received a pair of new games today as well. Handheld gamers can now download the Mega Man V, originally released on the NES, or Harvest Moon, which was originally released on the Game Boy Color. A new game even made it onto the Wii’s Virtual Console, SNK’s The King of Fighters ’99.

If you’re looking for new titles, the 3DS eShop received two big ones today: The Starship Damrey, an action-adventure from Level-5’s “Guild02” collection, and Swords & Soldiers 3D, a 3DS update to the popular strategy game. Other new games available today include Bowling Bonanza 3D (3DS eShop), Dress To Play: Magic Bubbles! (3DS eShop), and California Super Sports (DSiWare).

While not part of today’s update, this week’s Nintendo Download also includes Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and Resident Evil Revelations, two Wii U ports that will added to the Wii U eShop on Tuesday, 21.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii, Wii U | Tagged

Polyphony Digital likely working on PS4 version of Gran Turismo 6

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

granturismo6-logoFor everyone disappointed that Gran Turismo 6 isn’t coming to the PS4, cheer up, it probably will eventually.

Speaking to IGN, Polyphony Digital President Kazunori Yamauchi said, “We actually do have a PlayStation 4 version in mind, but for this holiday season, we thought it would be best for users to release on PS3 for now.”

However, a PS4 version of the game is is likely a little ways down the road as Yamauchi also said, “I thought the best scenario would be to have the game come out, then to have new scenarios, new DLC and other updates. Once the players have thoroughly played out the system, if the PlayStation 4 version came out naturally, as part of that process, I think that would be the best scenario.”

So GT6 this Fall… then new scenarios… then other DLC… then we all have to get sick of GT6… and then finally we’ll get a chance to buy it all over again on the PS4.

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Batman: Arkham Origins teaser promises full trailer on May 20

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

This Batman: Arkham Origins teaser trailer is 41 seconds long. If you’re pressed for time, allow me to summarize it for you…

0:00-0:10: The first ten seconds are devoted to Warner Bros. and DC Comics logos.
0:10-0:21: The next 11 seconds includes snippets of a battle between Batman and the villainous Deathstroke.
0:21-0:29: The Batman: Arkham Origins logo fades in and fades out for eight seconds.
0:29-0:35: This is followed by a six second shot of the game’s October 25 release date and logos for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS, Vita, and PC platforms.
0:35-0:41: The final six seconds are given to a message promoting the release of the game’s full trailer on Monday, May 20.

I didn’t want to watch a real Batman: Arkham Origins trailer today anyway.

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Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures chomps on Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS this Fall

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

Pac-Man will star in a brand new animated series, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, this Summer on Disney XD. But everyone’s favorite little yellow circle will also be spending 2013 starring in his first third-person platforming game since 2005’s Pac-Man World 3. The game, which is also titled Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, will be available for the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC this Fall. A side-scrolling version of the game is in development for the 3DS.

The game revolves around the vibrant universe of Pac-World, where Pac-Worlders lived in peace until the mischievous Netherworld ghosts, led by their wicked leader Betrayus, escaped from their ghoulish domain to forcibly take control of Pac-World. Pac-World’s only hope lies in the last surviving yellow Pac-Worlder, our hero with a voracious appetite.

Not only will Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures feature an entirely revamped Pac-Man universe, but it will also hearken back to Pac-Man’s origins with classic elements such as Ghost encounters. The Ghost-chomping mechanics return from the original Pac-Man but with exciting powered up variations in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, creating an innovative yet familiar gameplay experience.

Be sure to watch to the end of the trailer, which shows that maybe Pac-Man shouldn’t have a time limit for his ghost-eating Power Pellets.

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

DICE opens LA office to work on Star Wars game

Posted on May 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

dice-logo

Thanks to an agreement between Disney and EA, DICE is hard at work on a new Star Wars, but not at their Swedish headquarters. Instead, the Battlefield developer has opened a new studio in Los Angeles, DICE LA, and plans to hire 60 employees to fill out a team that was “seeded with employees from EA’s global studios, including a number of core staff from the Medal of Honor team.”

But Karl-Magnus Troedsson, the General Manager of DICE, has another reason for wanting to move to Southern California. “There is an extreme talent pool over that we want a part of,” he said. “It’s no secret that our main competitor is there.” Troedsson is obviously referring to Activision, which is headquartered just outside of Los Angeles in Santa Monica. Infinity Ward and Treyarch, the two main Call of Duty teams, also reside in Los Angeles county.

Obviously, it’s much too early to speculate on what form the DICE-developed Star Wars will take. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that plucking employees from the Medal of Honor team and DICE’s previous development history point to a Star Wars shooter.

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