Almost 3 million copies of Mario Kart 8 sold, but Wii U continues to struggle

Posted on July 30, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Mario Kart 8 is an unqualified hit. Nintendo has announced that the latest entry in the kart-racing franchise has sold more than 2.82 million copies since its release in May. Even more astonishing is the fact that it accounts for 64% of all Wii U game sales in the April-June quarter. To make that number even more ridiculous, remember that Mario Kart 8 was released towards the end of May, so it’s only been available for a little more than a month.

While it’s good news for kart-racing fans everywhere, it’s bad news for everybody else. With Mario Kart 8 sucking up all the attention these past few weeks, every other Wii U game in existence could only account for 1.57 copies sold in the past three months.

Nintendo isn’t faring much better on the hardware front. The Wii U checked off about 510,000 console sales in the April-June quarter, bringing the worldwide total to 6.68 million. That’s not bad, but it’s still well behind the PS4 (and Nintendo’s expectations).

Perhaps a packed Fall, which begins with Hyrule Warriors on September 26, will turn things around.

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The Last of Us Remastered, Rogue Legacy, R&C Collection Vita, more added to PS Store

Posted on July 30, 2014 by John Scalzo

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One of the PS3’s greatest games is now available on the PS4 as Sony has added The Last of Us Remastered to the PlayStation Store in their latest weekly update. The Remastered edition of The Last of Us includes everything that made the original game great as well as both Map Packs (Abandoned Territories and Reclaimed Territories) and the Left Behind single-player expansion.

This week also marks the beginning of the PlayStation Store Play promotion and Cellar Door’s Rogue Legacy is the first game on the docket. Rogue Legacy is a platformer with roguelike elements (which the developer refers to as “rogue-lite”). The game is Cross-Play compatible (PS3, PS4, and Vita) and features a procedurally generated quest with “wicked sweet fart jokes.”

Speaking of the Vita, several new titles are now available for Sony’s handheld, but this week’s big new release is Ratchet & Clank Collection, a portable compilation of the duo’s first three PS2 adventures. If you’d prefer something a little newer, WB Games released Lego Ninjago: Nindroids, based on the brand-new television show, for the Vita yesterday.

You can find more on all of these titles (and a few other new releases) after the break. And for a full breakdown of this week’s new game add-ons, please head over to the PlayStation Blog.

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First trailer for Halo: Nightfall released at Comic-Con 2014

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Nicole Kline

Jameson Locke is an all-new character in the Halo universe, and Halo: Nightfall webseries, which takes place between Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, tells his origin story. Locke is an operative of the Office of Naval Intelligence, which is the toughest military branch the Earth has. He and his team must uncover the truth behind an artifact that can kill humans – and who is trying to use it against them.

Halo: Nightfall will launch this November.

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LittleBigPlanet 3 sacks it to the PS3, PS4 on November 18

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Nicole Kline

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I was curled up in a ball crying by the end of the LittleBigPlanet 3 presentation at this year’s E3. I had thought about the game, but assumed it was really, really far away, or maybe not even being made at all. To be shocked with people playing it on a giant screen practically made me hyperventilate. I had pretty much the same exact reaction when Sony announced on the PlayStation Blog that LBP3 would be released November 18. That’s THIS November.

OMG.

LittleBigPlanet will be released simultaneously for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, and there are tons of pre-order bonuses you can get – Sackboy plushies are just one of them (if you place your order at Target, he’ll be wearing a Target hat). Everyone who orders on PS4 will get a special Dragon Age: Inquisition costume pack. And then there are three other special packs – Mythical Creatures come with GameStop pre-orders, you’ll get Hidden Creatures at Best Buy, and my personal favorite is Amazon’s – the PlayStation Favorites. It includes the traveler from Journey! Oh, infinite squees.

They’re not leaving out the digital-only buyers, either. Those players get a special LittleBigPlanet 3 T-Shirt Pack, which they can start using right away in LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet Vita, and LittleBigPlanet Karting.

I’m so excited I could cry a little. I can’t wait to meet Sackboy’s buddies on November 18th!

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CoD Advanced Warfare special editions keep it simple with DLC bonuses

Posted on July 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

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After including underwater cameras and remote control drones in previous special, Activision is keeping the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare special editions simple. Instead of some big toy that you’ll play with once, the publisher is packing both packages with a ton of downloadable goodies.

First up is the Atlas Pro Edition, which is priced at $79.99. In addition to the game, it’ll include the following digital items:

  • “Atlas Gorge” Bonus Multiplayer Map – “Atlas Gorge” re-envisions the fan-favorite Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare map, “Pipeline,” re-imagined for the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare exoskeleton abilities. The Atlas Corporation has commandeered the world’s largest power source, the Three Gorges Dam in central China, creating a gripping setting for a multiplayer battle. Combatants will navigate the shadows and control a map-based turret scorestreak that overlooks the dam and helps to keep enemies at bay, all while leveraging new abilities and tactics enabled by exoskeleton technology, such as vertical combat, new sightlines, and strategic vantage points.
  • Atlas Digital Content Pack: Weapons – The Bal-27 AE Assault Rifle and the Atlas 45 AE Pistol. Trick out your loadout with these two sleek weapons fitted with an Atlas Corporation theme to match your other custom content.
  • Atlas Digital Content Pack: Atlas Exoskeleton – Strike fear into competition with your PMC-issued, white, red & black custom Atlas exoskeleton, and ensure opponents remember who took them out.
  • Atlas Digital Content Pack: Atlas Helmet – A state-of-the-art custom Atlas helmet.
  • Atlas Digital Content Pack: Atlas Player Card – Leave your mark on any killcam with an Atlas player card, featuring both a custom Atlas calling card and custom Atlas emblem.
  • Atlas Digital Content Pack: Bonus Supply Drops – Supply Drops are part of the revolutionary changes in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare that Sledgehammer Games is bringing to Call of Duty multiplayer. You’ll be well-prepared for battle as soon as you boot up with five bonus supply drops, which unlock a variety of game-changing, in-game content from player customization gear to weapons.
  • Single Player Exoskeleton Upgrade Token – Over the course of Campaign mode, players unlock exoskeleton perks and abilities that help tackle various obstacles and challenges. This token provides an extra upgrade for your exoskeleton, so you’re already at an advantage when jumping into the Campaign.
  • Official Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Soundtrack – Digital copy of the in-game score, featuring main title & themes by legendary composer, Harry Gregson-Williams as well as original music by Audiomachine.

The Atlas Pro Edition will also include a Welcome to Atlas: Advanced Soldier Manual which features “original concept artwork” from the game as well as “historical and tactical information that will bolster every soldier’s potential for success in the field.” Finally, it all comes packed in a collectible SteelBook case. If you upgrade to the Atlas Limited Edition (which is priced at $119.99), you’ll receive all that plus the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Season Pass.

The Atlas Pro Edition, the Atlas Limited Edition, and the standard edition of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will all launch on November 4 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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EA Access offers subscription service for EA games on Xbox One

Posted on July 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

electronicartslogoYou’re already signed up for Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus. Now, get ready to open up your wallet for EA Access.

EA Access is a subscription service that will offer access to some of Electronic Art’s previously released titles as digital downloads. Currently, the service is exclusive to the Xbox One and will be available for $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

So what do you get for your money? First and foremost, you get access to “The Vault,” a revolving selection of EA titles that can be downloaded from Xbox Live. During this Summer’s EA Access beta period, The Vault will contain Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, and Peggle 2. According to the fine print, EA Access subscribers will lose all access to their EA Access games if the subscription lapses and once a game is removed from The Vault, it is no longer playable by EA Access subscribers.

In addition to titles in The Vault, EA Access members will be able to download demo versions of upcoming EA titles five days before the general public. These “Play First” titles include Madden NFL 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA Live 15, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. Finally, subscribers will receive 10% off all EA digital content in the Xbox Live Games Store. That includes all full game downloads and add-on content.

If you’re interested in signing up for EA Access, head over to EA.com/eaaccess now.

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Daily Scoop: July 29, 2014 – Grumpy Cat

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Nicole Kline

As I may have mentioned here before, some friends and I get together on Mondays to watch the Bachelor series. Last night, on the season finale, the producers brought out Grumpy Cat to mock the main character’s hilarious frown face. I totally lost it! And I actually think Grumpy Cat should have a game made about her. Someone needs to get on that!

So what games are on sale today? I’m glad you asked. At the Humble Store, there’s plenty of great stuff on sale. You can get Kingdom Rush for $2.49, Murdered: Soul Suspect for $14.99, and Three Fourths Home for $2.99, among others. Over at Steam, the Midweek Madness deal is Age of Empires II HD for $4.99, and the Daily Deal is The Fall for $4.99. Scoop ’em up!

Some great shirts today:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare “Story” trailer needs more Spacey

Posted on July 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

This “Campaign Story” trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare lays out all the little details the fuel the game’s narrative… There’s a terrible terrorist attack. A private military contractor named Atlas leads the rebuilding effort and wins government contracts all over the world. And then Kevin Spacey goes mad with power. But I was promised a madder Spacey. A Spacey that chews the digital scenery with reckless abandon. Maybe even Keyser Soze in space!

But we don’t get any of that. There’s very little Spacey in this trailer. I have to admit, I feel a little like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park. Tapping the screen and hoping a Spaceysaurus jumps out and has a nice lunch with his lawyer.

Still, the trailer is pretty impressive. There’s jet packs and mech-suited soldiers and walking tanks and a surveillance bug that is literally a tiny flying bug with a camera mounted to its face. And the trailer ends with a promise that the “Multiplayer Reveal” will be available on August 11. That’s nice to know.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will launch (with more Spacey) on November 4 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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