Archive for November, 2006:
PSP Sales Up 280 Percent (Says Sony)
Because of the massive PlayStation 3 shortages, sales of PS2 and PSP units are rising, according to Sony’s David Karraker. He said that the top five retailers have been reporting of PS2 sales increase of 115% over the Thanksgiving period, while PSP sales were up a whopping 280% during the same period. On the software side, PS2 game sales rose 120% while PSP game sales were up 168%. Regarding the PS3, no sales figures were released by Sony, although Karraker added that all PS3 units are sold out (big surprise) and that more are on the way (even bigger surprise).
Via GamesIndustry
Gamer Achieves 100,000 Point Gamerscore
It may have taken over a year, but it has finally happened, a gamer named “StripClubDj” has achieved over a 100,000 point gamerscore on the Xbox 360. How do you achieve a 100,000+ gamerscore? Simple, play lots and lots of games, 144 of them to be exact.
“StripClubDj” has completed the entire list of achievements in over 100 games and has played at least 144 games, including different region versions of the same game and Xbox Live Arcade games.
There have been complaints that “StripClubDj” is not actually a singular person, and is instead a group of people working towards the highest gamerscore. However, these accusations are currently unproven.
You can view “StripClubDj’s” gamercard here
Read (Gamespot)
Use Keyboad And Mouse On Your Xbox 360
If you (like many) found the use of controllers for FPS games on consoles, you will be able to hook up a keyboard and mouse to you Xbox 360 and start fragging. The XCM XFPS 360 makes it possible to connect a USB or PS/2 keyboard and mouse on your Xbox 360, as well as a PS2 DualShock controller, if you prefer those. Only downside is that this is probably not an authorized peripheral by Microsoft, and it will probably be banned for giving an unfair advantage to those with a keyboard and mouse.
Via TeamXbox
eBay Release Next-Gen Console Stats
Many people camped out this November for a chance to snag a PS3 or Wii only to sell on eBay for a large profit. Today, eBay has released the official stats of just how many consoles were sold during launch week.
According to eBay, 14,675 PlayStation 3 consoles were sold between November 17th and November 24th, with the average price of a new PS3 being $1,186.39. Keep in mind that number does not include pre-order sales. If those are taken into account, a total of 28,233 PS3s were sold, with the average price of $1,369.90 apiece.
The Wii also had a strong showing on eBay, with 26,708 systems sold during the week of November 19-24th. The average price for the Wii was $412.53.
Read (Gamasutra)
Three New Virtual Console Games
Hudson and Sega have announced today the release of three more virtual console games for Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console platform. The games are Super Star Soldier, a vertical shooter, Ecco the Dolphin, and Golden Axe, all previous SEGA Genesis games.
Nintendo has promised new Virtual Console games every week, totaling 30 games by the end of this year. No games have yet been announced for 2007.
Read (1UP)
PS3 Victim Has No Regret
A man, who waited 36 hours to get his PlayStation 3 and was shot twice after numerous beatings, has said that he would do it all again. The man was shot in his right arm as well as the chest and was still determined not to give up his money to two armed, teenage assailants. The man had also paid some friends $75 to wait with him to buy consoles, so he could later sell them on at a profit.
They approached two kids first, and they got 75 cents out of them, and I was the third person they came to. And I wasn’t giving it up for anything,
11,500 Final Fantasy Accounts Terminated
Sqaure Enix have terminated 11,500 Final Fantasy 11 accounts for the following three reasons:
- Use of third party tools that allow character movement.
- Use of certain tools that circumvent game mechanics.
- Real time money trading.
As a result 45 billion Gill (the in-game currency) has been removed from circulation. This serves as a warning from Square Enix that third party tools mess up the balance of the game. In early 2006 over 700 players were banned and 300 billion Gils were removed from the game.
Read (Videogamesblogger)
Zelda Timeline Explained
GameTrailers.com has created a video that explains the timeline of the Legend of Zelda series with great detail, and helps clear up some confusion about the story and order of events. There are two different timelines that Zelda has – both lines forming exactly after The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Please note that Nintendo didn’t create this video, or the idea. The creators of the series have said in the past that the timeline has been disputed over because of poor translation protocols. Zelda developer, Eiji Aonuma, has said that he will try his best to patch the series’ storyline as time goes on.
Video after the jump More »
Red Steel 2 Rumour
Ubisoft recently released the disappointing Wii shooter Red Steel, and despite the bad reviews, it appears that plans for a second could be well under way. On the French Ubisoft website details have been posted for a job relating to the next version of the game. Interestingly enough, Ubisoft seem to have taken the rights to the name “Fighting Steel”.
“Game Designer Senior Production/Development; The Studio of Production of Paris seeks Game Designer for the continuation of the Red Steel project. You will assist the Person in charge Game design for the project: – in the
management of ergonomics – in the design of the menus – in the redaction of the documents game system. You will have in load the design and the follow-up at least a key feature of the project.”
Read (Nintendo Life)
Review: Guild Wars Nightfall
Since its release, Guild Wars has been the only title that could effectively challenge World of Warcraft in the MMO arena, mainly because it delivered the same experience without monthly fees. The first expansion, Factions, was received well among the MMO crowd, and Nightfall continues down that path. More »
Video: Twilight Princess Bug
[gv data="http://www.youtube.com/v/XkB53h2M5Pw" width="450" height="350"][/gv]
A video with a bug in Zelda: Twilight Princess has emerged on YouTube. The error stops the player from being able to proceed further into the game, if they save in the room with the large cannon. So obviously as a word of warning, do not save the game in the room with the large cannon.
Killzone PS3 Info
Ever since the fake video of E3 2005, there has been no news of Killzone. Now, Dutch developer Guerilla Games has revealed some details to a Dutch news paper Volkrant, saying the game will cost more than the most expensive movie in the country, Black Book, which cost over $21 million. The real budged for Killzone wasn’t revealed, but Guerilla said there are over 120 people working on the project. The game will be translated into 20 different languages, which will improve sales by up to 40 percent (according to Guerilla). Downloadable content was also mentioned, where gamers will be able to purchase further content.
Read (Ownage.nl)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Screens & Movie
Masahiro Sakurai has updated the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website with a load of new screenshots and a movie for the Nintendo World 2006 Wii Hands-On events that will be taking place in Japan.Some of the new gameplay reveals character and stage redesigns, as well as new stages from games such as Kid Icarus. Judging from the screenshots, we can conclude that there will be massive graphical change, although we will not be sure exactly how the new Smash will play and if it will satisfy everyone.
The development team had originally had plans to use the Classic Controller to play the game, but it has not been fully finalized, so there could be many last minute changes. The screenshots also have a disclaimer stating that they are also still under development. You can view all of the screenshots here, and view the two-minute Nintendo World 2006 video here.
Microsoft Begins Shadowrun Multiplayer Beta
Today, Microsoft announced that they will begin accepting beta sign-ups to test the multiplayer of Shadowrun, their upcoming fantasy shooter. Currently the beta is only open to Xbox 360 users, however, sometime in the future the beta will be opened to Windows Vista users. Beta sign-ups are currently being handled at the Microsoft Connect Website.
Read (Firing Squad)
Wii Launch Numbers In
The official numbers for the Wii’s first week on shelves are in. The result? Over 600,000 Wiis sold and, including other hardware, $190 million in Nintendo’s pocket. The Wii’s numbers are certainly impressive, as the number sold doubled the Xbox 360s 300,000 sold in the first week.
Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime had this to say about the launch,
“Even with sales already in excess of 600,000 units, demand continues to exceed supply, as it’s clear this is one of the ‘gotta-have’ products for the holiday season. We’ve shipped retailers several times the amount of hardware the other company was able to deliver for its launch around the same time — and we still sold out. Given the inclusive nature of Wii game play, we’re seeing this new form of video gaming is already a huge hit with gamers and newcomers alike. It continues to be a phenomenal launch.”
Nintendo has promised 200,000 Wii consoles to North America each week this year, and over 2 million worldwide in 2006. The best selling Wii title is The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess, selling over 450,000 copies during the same week.
Read (1UP)