CoD: Black Ops III does a repeat of November as the best-selling game of December 2015 too

Posted on January 15, 2016 by John Scalzo

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While financial folks continue to claim that the Call of Duty franchise is in freefall, the latest game in the series still managed to top the sales charts in December. Call of Duty: Black Ops III, which also topped the list in November, beat out several other strong contenders for the public’s Christmas dollars including Star Wars: Battlefront (#2) and Fallout 4 (#3). There weren’t too many new releases available in December, but one, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (#7), managed to crack the top ten.

However, the the biggest surprise in the NPD Group’s December report might be that Minecraft: Story Mode landed at #9… even though the game disc available in stores only contains the first episode. Interestingly, it placed just behind the original Minecraft, which was firmly locked in at #8.

Even with a dearth of new releases, December 2015 was a good one from a financial perspective, which NPD analyst Liam Callahan shared with GamesIndustry.biz: “December 2015 was the best month on record for PS4 and Xbox One, and the second-best for the Wii U in terms of new physical software unit sales. This also meant that it was the best month of total eighth generation new physical software sales.”

The full top ten list for December 2015 can be found after the break.

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Lego Avengers will get bonus Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man content on PS4/PS3

Posted on January 14, 2016 by John Scalzo

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WB Games and TT Games will release Lego Avengers in less than two weeks, but they’re still packing the game full of extra content for all the true believers out there… but you’ll need to own a PS4 or PS3. PlayStation players who purchase Lego Avengers for the PS4 or PS3 will receive two bonus DLC packs featuring characters and locations from Captain America: Civil War and Ant-Man.

The Captain America: Civil War Character Pack will be available to download on January 26 and it’ll include nine characters from the upcoming film (Captain America, Iron Man [Mark 46], Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Falcon, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Crossbones, and Agent 13). Meanwhile, the Ant-Man Character & Level Pack will contain a brand new level based on the blockbuster film and 11 additional characters (Ant-Man [Scott Lang], Ant-Man [Hank Pym], Ant-Thony [Flying Ant], Cassie Lang, Darren Cross, Scott Lang, Hank Pym, Hope Van Dyne, Luis, The Wasp [Janet Van Dyne], and Yellowjacket) when it’s released sometime this Spring. And don’t worry, every character from both packs will be compatible with the levels in the main game.

Arthur Parsons of TT Games recently dropped by the PlayStation Blog to talk a little bit more about both DLC packs, which will be available as a free download for PS4 and PS3 owners for a limited time. It’s likely that players on other platforms will be able to purchase them at a later date, but we don’t know that for sure right now.

Lego Avengers will also be available on January 26 for the 3DS, PC, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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Nintendo Download: Metroid Zero Mission, Lionel City Builder 3D, Space Hulk, more

Posted on January 14, 2016 by John Scalzo

Wii U owners will get a chance to try one of Samus Aran’s earliest missions in this week’s Nintendo Download. That’s because Metroid: Zero Mission, an enhanced remake of the first Metroid game for the NES, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004, Nintendo added improved graphics and several bonus areas to Zero Mission, as well as animated cinematics to help propel the game’s story forward.

Also available on the Wii U eShop this week is Space Hulk, a digital rendition of Games Workshop’s two-player strategy board game. Players will explore the Warhammer 40,000 universe from a new angle as they take control of a small squad of Space Marine Terminators that’s planning to mount an assault against a group of vicious Genestealers. A single-player mode has also been included.

Finally this week, Lionel City Builder 3D: Rise of the Rails will give 3DS owners the opportunity to create their own model railroad and the entire world around it. Choo choo!

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Daily Scoop: January 14, 2016 – Goat Simulator Payday

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Last night, I was a responsible human being and did homework all night, despite the fact that all I wanted to do was play Fallout 4. But hey, that means most of it is done early, so maybe I’ll get to play some tonight! Here’s hoping!

There’s a new weekly bundle over at Humble, and it’s called the Full Motion Video bundle. Pay what you want for Missing: An Interactive Thriller – Episode One, 7th Guest & 11th Hour Pack, Tex Murphy Complete Pack, and Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure. Pay $5 or more to unlock Roundabout and Her Story.

I don’t even know what’s going on at Steam right now. The Weekend Deal is Goat Simulator Payday, where you can get Goat Simulator DLC for Payday and Payday 2: The Heist. I just can’t stop laughing at this odd couple! Follow that link for lots of great deals on those games. The Daily Deal is Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, which is on sale for $5.99.

Hit the jump to see some great t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Bayonetta 2 gets a price cut on February 19 but Bayonetta 1 will be removed from the box

Posted on January 14, 2016 by John Scalzo

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If you’re a Wii U owner, you know that it’s been difficult to find a retail copy of Bayonetta 2 during the last 12 months. But Nintendo is about to make your search a bit easier as the consolemaker will re-release the game in stores this February at a discount ($29.99)… but without the previously bundled bonus disc that contained the original Bayonetta:

As you can see, Bayonetta 2 is getting a budget-priced re-release on February 19 to get gamers ready for the character’s upcoming appearance in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Wii U. While it doesn’t look like the original Bayonetta is in line to receive a retail release, it’s currently available to download through the Wii U eShop for $29.99.

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Capcom Vancouver will use Unreal Engine 4 for multiple upcoming projects

Posted on January 14, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Capcom’s Vancouver studio, and the team behind three of the four games in the Dead Rising series, has announced they’ve got multiple unannounced projects currently in development. But rather than continue to use their in-house Forge Engine, all of these projects will employ Epic’s Unreal Engine 4.

“We have some ambitious visions for where we want to take our next games and while our previous proprietary engine served the needs for the projects at the time, shifting to Unreal Engine 4 delivers the right tools for our future direction,” said Joe Nickolls the Studio Director at Capcom Game Studio Vancouver. “Not only will we be developing on a powerful and versatile platform, we’ll also work closely with the team at Epic to maximize the capabilities of the latest and greatest technology. Using this industry leading engine also allows us to quickly integrate new talent onto our projects so that we can focus on pioneering new world class entertainment.”

No further details about these games were announced, but the developer did say they have several open positions on their team and that interested potential employees should visit CapcomVancouver.com to apply.

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Xbox Store Today: Gone Home, The Banner Saga, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India, more

Posted on January 13, 2016 by John Scalzo

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The Xbox Games Store is now home to a quintet of new titles that are sure to please players of all tastes.

First up is the Xbox One launch of Gone Home, Fulbright’s “genre-defining story exploration game.” After arriving home to an empty house, players will be able to explore the dark corners and repressed memories of Gone Home from the comfort of their couch. Also available this week is The Banner Saga, a Viking-themed RPG from Stoic. The hand-painted backgrounds of The Banner Saga have made it a favorite among fans of indie games, and now Xbox One owners can experience the same thing, yes, from the comfort of their couch. A third indie title, Rebel Galaxy, has also been released for the Xbox One this week. Developed by Double Damage, players will become space pirates in Rebel Galaxy and do battle with other “outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe” if they hope to survive.

Sliding away from the indie scene for a moment, this week also marks the launch of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India for the Xbox One. The second side-scrolling spinoff to the Assassin’s Creed franchise will transport the action to India in the 19th century as players will be tasked with reclaiming an artifact that is very important to the Assassins and saving your lover.

Finally this week, Hyperdrive Massacre is a colorful car combat game where players will hop in their “Space Cadillac” to do battle with all the other space cowboys, gangsters of love, and guys named Maurice… Wah-Wah…

More information on all of these titles can be found after the break.

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Nominees for the 2016 DICE Awards have been announced with Rise of the Tomb Raider and The Witcher 3 leading the way

Posted on January 13, 2016 by John Scalzo

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The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced the nominees for the 2016 DICE Awards.

Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider and CD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lead all other games with eight nominations apiece, including “Game of the Year.” They’ll be competing for the AIAS’s highest honor against three other games: Bloodborne, Fallout 4, and Ori and the Blind Forest. All told, 53 different titles received at least one nomination.

“Looking at the nominees for the 19th Annual DICE Awards, I am especially impressed by the broad range of titles catering to gamers’ increasingly sophisticated and diverse tastes,” said Martin Rae, the President of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. “It is always gratifying to watch our industry and its many artists and craftsmen grow and continue to challenge and thrill audiences.”

In addition to this year’s awards show, Satoru Iwata will be honored with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award and Hideo Kojima will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.

The ceremony for the 2016 DICE Awards will take place on Thursday, February 16, during this year’s DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit. The full list of nominees can be found after the break.

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