Monthly Archives: June 2009

Best Buy now has trial kiosks set up in some of its US stores full of used games.

The stores are also allowing customers to trade used games for store credit.

Analysts predict this could result in the used game market earning $3 billion annually combined with GameStop and other stores that sell used games.

“While we believe that Best Buy’s entry into the used video game market will create a new overhang on shares of GameStop,” wrote Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. “We expect Best Buy’s initiative to expand the used videogame market rather than take significant share from the specialty channel.

“We estimate the size of the commercial used videogame market in the USD 2.5 billion range worldwide, continuing to grow, driven by major players including GameStop, Game Group, Game Crazy, and Internet marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon.”

Via GI.biz.

A job posting from Square Enix states that the company is looking for someone with “good knowledge” of MMO Final Fantasy XI.

FFXIV has been in development for five years now, and the position of Game Master would begin mid-September in London leading some to believe that the beta will be kicking off then, leading up to the game’s 2010 release.

Then again, Square could need extra hands for its current MMO.

That’s why this is dubbed as rumor.

Thanks, StrategyInformer.

Modern Warfare 2 will not have a campaign co-op mode, but will instead have two-player Special Ops.

Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling said that this was so the story wouldn’t be “ruined”.

“We don’t do co-op in our story because we’re crafting a very specific experience and we don’t want to ruin that by cramming co-op into it,” he told VideoGamer. “We take the moments that work really well with co-op, we bring them out and we put them in Special Ops.

“Story’s all about pacing. Sometimes moments get toned down because they don’t fit with the pacing of the experience you’re trying to deliver. There (in Special Ops) it’s all about fun. It’s about playing over and over again, getting a better time – you’ll have a time at the end of it – it’s about challenging a friend going in on co-op and trying to beat it on veteran.

“Two player seemed to be the magic number for co-op. That’s when it stayed really fun and intense without becoming a clusterfuck of things. We just found that two-players was the most fun.”

Game’s out November 10.

More through the link.

CD Projekt RED has nailed down a date for the upcoming patch for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition.

July 8 is the date.

It has five fan-made adventures, will be DRM-free, etc.

You must have patch 1.4 (enhanced edition) installed to get the upgrade.

Via GamersHell.

NCSoft has announced that Aion: The Tower of Eternity will launch in North America on September 22 and in Europe on September 25.

The lovely looking MMO has flying, strategic combat, and the ability to “ascend to divinity”. Cool.

If you haven’t seen the video for it that was posted yesterday, go have a look-see.

Thanks, GamersHell.

Nintendo has sent over its list of downloads for the week, and it includes a Golf, cutting paper, experiments, and mind games.

Sounds like a normal Saturday night down at the local doesn’t it?

WiiWare gets three games this week and Virtual Console gets SimEarth: The Living Planet. DSiWare gets BoxLife.

Here’s the list:

• Drill Sergeant Mindstrong – WiiWare (800 Points)
• Neves Plus – WiiWare (600 Points)
• Family Mini Golf – WiiWare (500 Points)
• BoxLife – DSiWare (500 Points)
• SimEarth: The Living Planet – Virtual Console (500 Points)

Descriptions for each are posted after the break.

More »

Global Industry Analysts (GIA) expects the global gaming market to reach $91 billion by 2015.

The report, titled Video Games: A Global Strategic Business Report, was complied by GIA reviewing trends in gaming from 2001-2015.

It was concluded that growth can be attributed to the climbing installed bases of consoles, the popularity of MMOs, mobile games, more customers acquiring high speed internet, and the increased access to all of these in developing countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

Due to purchasing figures for PS3, Wii and Xbox 360, gamers in Europe and North America spent the most in 2009, with East Asia and Japan driving the sales of MMOs, and mobile phones games driving the market in developing countries.

The full report can be viewed here.

Via IndustryGamers.

Activision plans to release a PC patch for Call of Duty World at War and is still working on Map Pack 2.

No date the patch yet, but zombie pathing issues, server refreshing, modding items and a few other fixes were mentioned over on the official forums.

Regarding the map pack, Treyarch community manager Josh Olin had this to say:

“We are continuing to work on support for Map Pack 2 on the PC. I have no specific information to provide on this yet, but I will update the community when there are more details.”

More is over on the official forums.

Thanks, BigDownload.

Famitsu’s posted up some images of two new Monster Hunter bundles for the Japanese market.

One’s red, one’s blue. They include the console, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G and… that’s it.

They’re out July 23 priced ¥21,000.

The Punisher: No Mercy will release exclusively for PS3 on July 2, Zen said today.

The Punisher-based FPS is a PSN-only affair.

PR after the break.

More »

GTbyCITROEN, the Citroen concept supercar present in GT5, has been taken for a real-life spin in London, as you can see in these images.

For those that care, the car’s making its UK show debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 3-5.

Some screens mixed into that lot. PR after the break. No date on the game.

More »

Kalypso just confirmed a 360 version of Cubalike strategy sequel, Tropico 3.

Bulgarian studio Haemimont Games is handling both SKUs.

It’s out this September.

Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres is to join Lionel Messi on the cover of PES 2010, Konami said today.

“Everyone knows that when it comes to football simulation, Konami’s PES series is by far the most realistic title available,” said Torres.

“The new game looks absolutely stunning, and I look forward to seeing myself in action in PES 2010.”

There’s a press release after the break. It’s out this autumn.

More »

Bethesda’s released Point Lookout, the next bit of Fallout 3′s DLC.

More here. It costs 800 MS Points. And it’s set in a swamp. Irresistible.

“Just shut up.”
[inaudible, breaking glass]
“You’re late.”
“Whatever.”
“Are you drunk?”
“Yes. I don’t like you very much. It’s easier like this.”
“Get the fuck on with it.”
[sounds like clattering plates, grumbling]
“You know Warner’s been looking at Codemasters?”
“I don’t think they’re the only ones, but yes. There were ‘whispers’ about a month ago.”
“Yeah, well, apparently they’ve completed due diligence and buyout discussions are ongoing.”
“No shit.”
“Apparently so.”
[commotion, sounds like falling chair, muffled noises]
“Jesus. You’ve asked them for comment?”
“Yes. Codemasters said, ‘We have nothing to say on the matter.’ I think the Warner mails got lost in the ether somewhere.”
“Well, it’d make a lot of sense. Warner needs the dev. Sounds like they’re really going for it.”
“It does seem that way, yes. They must still be looking for a proper in after Square beat them to Eidos.”
“And Codies has been up for sale for years.”
“Very much so. Got any smokes?”
“You disgust me. Is that it?”
“Yes. And fucking get over yourself. I feel sick. Where’s my money?”
“Here. And stop calling me at home. My wife’s suspicious enough as it is.”
“Just be honest with her.”
“I don’t think so. Won’t you stay a while?”
“After last time? No.”
“Maybe if you didn’t stink there wouldn’t be such a problem.”
“I don’t need this.”
“Get out.”
[mumbling, slamming door, screaming]

EA’s released Mass Effect Galaxy, the iPhone bridge between the franchise’s first and second games.

It’s on the App Store now for £2.99.

You really may as well. Assuming you’ve got an iPhone or iPod Touch, obviously.

Realtime World boss and GTA creator Dave Jones has just told the GameHorizon conference that the studio’s next game is to be announced next year.

The developer described the new title as “very, very ambitious” and said it was in the works before both Crackdown and APB.

Jones is keynoting the conference, with is now happening in Newcastle, UK.

Update: GI reckons it’s another MMO.

Want to know what the Wii version of DiRT2 looks like? Hit the link.

The racer looks to be doing a nice job on the machine, all told.

It’s out in September.

More »

THQ’s released a video of Gary Busey behaving very oddly in an effort to promote free Saint’s Row 2 DLC, the “UnKut Pack”.

See it on Shacknews. It’s pretty worrying.

Suda 51′s told GI that Japanese games sales will be revived by an as yet untapped “middle audience”. Why not?

“There are a lot of core gamers, and a lot of lighter users playing on platforms such as the DS – but there’s nothing in-between,” said the Grasshopper boss, speaking at this year’s Nordic Game.

“I think it’s going to be very important for games to be created for that middle audience, and that will help bring the market back on-track.”

What’s going to happen when everyone’s playing games in Japan? Best not to think about it. There’s a full interview here.

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