I hesitate to call Tekken 3D: Prime Edition for the Nintendo 3DS a watered down version of the beloved fighting franchise. I think 'condensed' is a better fit because, on paper, all the most important elements of Tekken are here; strong visuals, a huge roster of varied fighters, and addictively competitive multiplayer. What's missing are all the extras that have slowly become expected parts of recent Tekken titles. As it stands, there's nothing to make this version stand out other than the platform it's on.
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Your fellow woodland critters have taken you for a fool and stolen your precious nuts. Now it’s your mission to get them back. That pretty much sums up what Little Acorns, a new iOS platformer from Chillingo, is all about. Let’s be honest, there are only two questions on your mind right now: should you be going nuts over this game, and how many nut related puns can I fit in this review? Well, let’s see shall we?
The gameplay on offer here is of the nutmost quality - alright alright, I will stop with the cheap puns before you lose the will to live - and I was particularly impressed by the tight controls. I’ve often found...... moreOverview
There is one game in the top 30 to be in its final week before launch, Asura’s Wrath (PS3). The top five games include Mass Effect 3 (X360), Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (X360), Kinect Star Wars (X360), Mass Effect 3 (PS3), and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (X360).
The top three games have 200,000 or more pre-orders, down from four last week, and the top 7 has 100,000 or more pre-orders, down from 12 last week. One game adds 20,000 or more, down from two last week and five add 10,000 or more, down from six last week.
Games in final week before...... more
Look, let’s just cut right to the meat of the Jill sandwich here: Resident Evil Revelations is a game you can sink your teeth into. It layers a delectable amount of graphical polish on top of a beefy, action-packed showpiece for the technology of the 3DS, and tops it all off with just the right amount of aged, B-movie cheese. Toss in a side of unhealthily addictive multiplayer, and you’ve got one heck of a value meal. ... more
The mark of a good real-time strategy game is the feeling of accomplishment you get after overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. That rush that comes from crawling back from almost certain defeat to a last-minute victory. Changing your tactics on the fly and successfully adapting to your opponent’s strategy. The knowledge that, in the end, it was your quick-thinking and mettle that won the day.
Under Siege is not one of those games.
Originally releasing for PSN in 2011, Under Siege was a valiant, yet flawed effort from Portuguese developer Seed Studios. Listening to fan feedback, Seed has brought forth a massive update with Under...... more
Software sales have picked up a bit this week in Japan. Although none of the new games topped 100,000 units in their first week on the market, several new games did top 50,000 units which is a fairly strong result in the absence of one or two very strong sellers. Major 3DS games from late 2011 have also picked up a bit, suggesting a decent hardware lift for the platform this week in Japan as New Love Plus and Thearhythm Final Fantasy both performed adequately for Konami and Square-Enix.
1) Binary Domain (PS3) - 77,000
2) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS) - 64,000
3) New Love Plus (3DS) - 57,000
4) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 28,000
5) Super Mario 3DLand (3DS) - 22,000
6) Monster Hunter Portable 3G (3DS) - 21,000
7) Sengoku Musou 3Z Special...... more
The shoot 'em up genre really hasn't evolved much since Asteroids came out in 1979, and it really doesn't need to. Like the shark or a spider, some designs endure through the ages and require little-to-no changes to adapt to the modern era. Super Stardust Delta is a shining example of why some genres don't really need to evolve to remain fun. There may not be anything revolutionary or groundbreaking here, but everything Super Stardust Delta does, it does very well.
Thanks to Sony's brilliant but subtle...... more
I love the ModNation Racers series; its blend of cart racing infused with the play-create-share mantra introduced by Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet is a great combination for me because I love to share my work with the world, and I've wanted to design my own race tracks since I first played Mariokart in the early 90's. With the promises of ModNation Racers: Road Trip being a console experience on a handheld, I was excited to pick it up. While I can confirm that they've followed through on that promise really well, there are a few minor issues and one glaring flaw that keep this entry in the series from greatness.
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Overview
Sales have dropped slightly from last week, but are down a good amount year on year. Four games debuted in the top 40 this week. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC is this week’s top debut with combined sales of 569,000.
There are no software milestones this week in the top 40.
Hardware sales are relatively flat for the DS, 3DS, PSP and Xbox 360, while the PlayStation 3 and Wii are down slightly. The 3DS is the top selling platform as it passed the 16 million mark. There are no other hardware milestones.
Worldwide...... more
A few years ago, I could have begun this review with a tirade about how platformers are a dying genre, but that is no longer even close to true. Indeed, thanks to the increasing prevalence of digital distribution, 2D platformers are perhaps more popular now than they have been since the days of the Super Nintendo. In such a saturated genre, a game has to do something to stand out, and unfortunately, Scarygirl does not.The titular character is more peculiar than actually scary, so don’t worry, you’re not going to be playing a platformer in the style of Silent Hill. The game’s introduction shows Scarygirl, an abandoned child, being adopted by a highly intelligent octopus (seriously) and dressed with clothes...... more
As the gaming generations pass and gimmicks such as motion control and touch screens become a system's selling point, rather than just another feature, every new piece of hardware requires its own launch software to show off its capabilities. The PlayStation Vita has a slew of fantastic features such as a set of touch pads, a camera, a microphone, and a motion sensing gyroscope, so there's lots to show off early in the console's life cycle. Little Deviants demonstrates each one of these features via a series of fun, bite-sized mini-games, and for the most part it does a great job!
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Some of our braver writers have recently joined Twitter....... more
Ubisoft has revealed their third quarter sales, ending December 30, were up 8.8 percent to €652 million ($857 million). The increase in sales are due to the strong sales of Assassin's Creed: Revelations and the Just Dance franchise. Just Dance 3 shipped seven million units, while the franchise on a whole shipped 13 million units during the quarter. Assassin's Creed: Revelations shipments reached seven million.
For the nine months of sales ending December 31, Ubisoft reached a total of €900 million ($1,183 million), up €39 million for the same period a year ago. Ubisoft expects sales to reach between €1.05 billion and €1.08 by the end of its fiscal year.
"Our unique positioning as a creator of brands for both...... more
Double Fine have been putting out some great games recently; their focus on small games have allowed more room for experimentation and originality than would otherwise be viable. The epitome of this strategy is undoubtedly Double Fine Happy Action Theater, a downloadable Kinect title that is brimming with experimentation, but not much else.... more
Here is the weekly PlayStation Store update:
PlayStation Plus PS3 Full Games: Far Cry 2 (V-Day Special One Week Offer) PSN Games: Battle Fantasia Fatal Inertia Hamsterball Inferno Pool Mahjong Tales Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars Full Game Trials: Grand...... moreA couple of months ago we received a review copy Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games for the Wii. So you can understand the feelings of déjà-vu I had when I recently received yet another copy of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, only this time for the Nintendo 3DS. But does this portable edition of the former rivals’ quest for gold hold up, or does it fall flat a few inches from the finish line?
Let me start off by pointing out the 3DS version is a...... more
Japanese retailers already have 500,000 copies of the PlayStation 3 exclusive One Piece Pirate Musou ordered, said Namco Bandai's vice president Shin Unozawa. The game is a mash up of the One Piece and Dynasty Warriors franchises. The game is set to release on March 1.
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's president hiroshi Kawano, also spoke about the Gold Edition hardware bundle (pictured below). The design is the first time Sony has used a pressing process, instead of having the design painted onto the console.
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John Koller, Sony Computer Entertainment America's hardware marketing director, spoke with the New York Times about the company's new handhelds, the PlayStation Vita and what they have planned for its launch on February 22 in the USA. The PlayStation Vita is set to allow its users "to feel engaged and still feel like they’re playing on a console," said Koller.
The marketing campaign for the handhelds launch in the USA will be Sony's biggest ever for a platform. Sony is set to spend $50 million which is "the largest platform launch in terms of marketing investment we’ve ever had," said Koller. The campaign theme "Never Stop Playing" will be...... more
Overview
There are three games in the top 30 to be in its final week before launch, Twisted Metal (PS3), UFC Undisputed 3 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and SSX also for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The top five games include Mass Effect 3 (X360), Diablo III (PC), Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (X360), Kinect Star Wars (X360), and Twisted Metal (PS3).
The top four games have 200,000 or more pre-orders, the same as last week, and the top 12 has 100,000 or more pre-orders, down from 13 last week. Two games add 20,000 or more, the same as last week and six add 10,000 or more, up from six last...... more
Rhythm Heaven Fever, Binary Domain, Grand Slam Tennis 2 and Twisted Metal are this week's recommendations. Are you getting a new game this week? Get your games from one of the VGChartz Amazon Stores below.
Software sales in Japan remained slow this week. Not a single game topped 50,000 units. Console software in particular was exceptionally low. It looks like once again no games for Wii or PS3 substantially topped 10,000 units for the week - a rare feat in prior years that has already happened in 2012 once, and should reoccur depressingly often throughout 2012.
1) Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki (PSP) - 40,000
3) Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS) - 32,000
3) Gravity Daze (Vita) - 32,000
4) Super Mario 3DLand (3DS) - 23,000
5) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 19,000
6) Monster Hunter Portable 3G (3DS) - 15,000
7) Armored Core 5 (PS3) - 10,000
9) Photokano (PSP) - 9,000
9) Ragnarok Odyssey (Vita) - 9,000
12)...... more
I was really starting to wonder when or if Malicious would ever make it here to the West. It's been more than a year since the Japanese PSN release and smaller games such as this are never a sure thing for localization. Thankfully it's finally here in the form of a surprise release on the European PSN (or SEN I guess it's called now). A combination of Devil May Cry battle system with Shadow of the Colossus enemy sensibilities, and a Megaman-like character progression. Can it live up to such lofty comparisons? ... more
Back in the PS2 era, there was a lot of hype surrounding the new Naughty Dog franchise. The developer had made a name for itself with the very successful Crash Bandicoot series and gamers everywhere were buzzing with excitement over what they could do on a more powerful console. Then in December of 2001 they revealed their “demolition duo” in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. By 2004 they had finished the trilogy and evolved into the studio that would eventually give us the amazing Uncharted franchise. Now PS3 owners can play through all three games in Jak and Daxter Collection, but should they?
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Overview
Handheld sales have dropped across the board, while the release of two key games, Final Fantasy XIII-2 (which has has been available in Japan for two months) and SoulCalibur V, has helped increase software sales of the HD twins. Three games debuted in the top 40 this week. SoulCalibur V for the PlayStation and Xbox 360 is this week’s top debut, with combined sales of 386,000.
Software milestones this week in the top 40: Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) has passed the one million mark.
Hardware sales are flat for the Xbox 360 and down for every other platform week on week and year on year sales are down...... more
Namco-Bandai's results for the December 2011 quarter have arrived and they are quite good. The company had revenue of 323.4b Yen for the quarter ($4.25b) with a sizable 16.30b Yen profit ($214m). In the prior December quarter, Namco-Bandai earned 288.0b Yen ($3.78b) with 3.67b Yen in profit ($48.2m), so the increase in profit was over four fold on a 12% increase in revenue - a pretty impressive upward swing in profit margins as the company continues to restructure from losses in a previous fiscal year.
Previously the company expected full year revenue of 420b Yen ($5.51b) with...... more
NPD has tallied US video game revenue for January 2012. The US video game industry continues to decline rather rapidly as the hardware market approaches full saturation with the current machines. Software is also declining rather rapidly, as many users pick up new games only with new hardware. Hardware and software revenue both fell nearly 40% from last January, and enormously from December - although the December to January drop is fairly typical.
The total figure for January 2012 is below January 2004, which does not bode well for the rest of the year.
Based on revenue declines, and Microsoft's press-release ('X360 sold 270,000...... more