Sunday, November 30, 2008

Sony offer UK gamer £40 discount on PlayStation 3 (PS3) and why I would ask for money this Christmas

Sony are NOT cutting the price of the PS3 but they are offering the console direct from them at a discount (usually the dealers cut).

With Christmas the busiest time for game sales Sony are offering their 40GB PlayStation 3 for £269 that £40 cheaper that the recommended price.

Sony are also promosing a bundle with an 80GB with LittleBigPlanet for £279 no date has been set.

The Sony online store can be found here...

If you can wait I predict discounts just after Christmas as retailers try and squeeze more sales in the difficult January period.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Are 80% of games rubbish - if only 20% make money?

2007 saw video game sales topping $9 million, but according to a new report, only twenty percent of finished games actually turn a profit.

Forbes originally reported that only 4 percent of games are profitable, but the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research company quoted in the story was quick to clarify: Computer and video games, Nov. 24: This means that 4% of all games which start production will eventually make a profit, but a far-more-likely 20% of finished products will see profitable returns. ...

the average Xbox 360 title shifts 216,000 units and that Mature-rated titles are generally more popular on the Xbox 360 than those rated Teen.

However, the EEDAR stood by other statistics in the report, including the following: Computer and video games - The study concludes that the average total sales for an Xbox 360 game is around 216,000 units, while the average PlayStation 3 title sells 192,256 copies.

Therefore, any title shipping on both platforms is expected to sell on average 408,336 units. ... Interestingly, implementing a co-op mode is claimed to boost sales by 12,400, while a multiplayer mode could add 25,000 copies to a game's sales roster.

That's about $1 million in revenue, so well worth it if the said developer can whip up an online mode for less, notes the EEDAR study.

So, does this mean that 80 percent of video games suck?

Game reviewers don't seem to think so. Of the 526 Xbox 360 games on Metacritic, only 54 have garnered meta-scores of below 50 percent. Conversely, a full 210 — or 40 percent — of games earned meta-scores of 75 percent or above.

Perhaps these figures simply point out that the majority of likely consumers want mature titles with multiplayer elements for their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

UK - Battlefield 2 - The Complete Collection at ASDA only £9.91 delivered!

Head online for award-winning Battlefield franchise multiplayer action with up to 64 players.

Maps scale to the number of players engaging in battle (16, 32, or 64), for an intense experience every time.

Join a squad or select the new Commander Mode to assume the strategic role of a battlefield commander directing his forces. Enhanced squad structure includes VOIP commands and team stat tracking.

Earn medals, ribbons, unlockable weapons, and other items as you rise through the ranks from lowly Private to General.

Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2: Special Forces Expansion Pack
Battlefield 2: Euro Force Booster Pack
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury Booster Pack

Lock and load, soldier! Head out to the frontlines of the 21st century with the original Battlefield 2 plus the Battlefield 2: Special Forces Expansion Pack and the two Booster Packs.

Unleash the fury of an awesome arsenal in massive online battles featuring the franchise's legendary multiplayer warfare.

Choose an army and enter the fray with laser-designated bombs, wire-guided missiles, sniper rifles, and much more. Roar onto the battlefield in tactical fighters, main battle tanks, four-wheel drive assault buggies, and other advanced vehicles.

This is no minor skirmish-this is the ultimate collection of high-tech warfare on the modern battlefield.

Asda here...

LocoRoco 2 Review for Sony PSP (PlaySationPortable)

The genius of Tsutomu Kouno's LocoRoco concept is that its gameplay hasn't been forced, like a square peg to a round hole, into the confines of the the PSP's control system, like so many first-person and third-person titles are. The L and R buttons are used to tilt the beautiful 2D game world and the Circle button is used for everything else. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Some will say LocoRoco 2 is too similar to 2006's brilliant original, and with good reason. Essentially it's the same game with different levels and a few gameplay tweaks, but then revolutionising the fundamentals that made the Sony Japan Studio developed title such a perfect fit on the PSP would have run the risk of ruining it. And anyway, its charm, beauty and uplifting nature is just as potent a second time around, even if you've felt it all before.

Full review here on VideoGamer...

Left 4 Dead survival rate published by Valve

Achievement tracking on Steam shows that only 0.2% of PC players survived all campaigns on Expert.

Valve's Left 4 Dead figures show how gamers have been getting on thanks to Steam's stat tracking abilities.

While no achievement has been earned by all players, there are a few around the 70 per cent mark.

'DRAG AND DROP' which tasks players with rescuing a survivor from a Smoker's tongue before he takes damage has been earned by 72.7 per cent of PC players and is the most earned achievement. 'BRAIN SALAD' - making 100 headshot kills is the second most earned achievement with 69.4 per cent of players seemingly able to point a gun in the face of oncoming zombies.

The hardest achievements to earn are unsurprisingly 'LAMB 2 SLAUGHTER' - As an Infected, incap a Survivor who has entered and left a safe room, and 'ZOMBIE GENOCIDEST' - kill 53,595 Infected. No PC gamer has managed to earn these achievements.

You'll find the full list of Left 4 Dead achievement stats over on www.steampowered.com.

Grand Theft Auto IV The Lost and Damned download content available in store

US retailer Gamestop will make the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV - The Lost and Damned - Download Content (DLC) available in store, according to its website.

Grand Theft Auto - The Lost And Damned, will be bundled with a GTA IV poster and comes in the form of a promotional code rather than a disc.

The move is thought to be an attempt to encourage more consumers to purchase the download as well as subscribe to Xbox Live.

The Xbox 360 exclusive content will be available on February 17, 2009 at a cost of $19.99 that's £13.

Jasper Xbox 360 motherboards out now - an end to the Red Ring of Death

The 360's latest - and safest - chipset is codenamed "Jasper".

And has been on our radar for a while now.

Well, if posters on xbox-scene are to be believed, Jasper 360s have finally gone on sale.

Biggest giveaway is the 150w you can see there on the power brick.

Jaspers are supposed to run quiter, use less power and run cooler, so if you're in the market for a 360, might want to look for one manufactured anytime after October 23, 2008.

Read the Xbox post here...

More on Jasper chip for Xbox 360 here...

Jasper Xbox 360 to conquer Red Rings?

NEW - Christmas soundtrack for Gears of War 2 by Devotchka

Xbox 360 today announces that fans of the smash hit blockbuster Gears of War 2 can further immerse themselves in the GOW2 experience by enjoying the alternate soundtrack this Christmas.

Following on from the “Mad World” TV advert that accompanied the first game, Xbox has again delivered an emotive, cutting edge TV ad for Gears of War 2 with “Last Day”. Invoking the emotion and desperation of humanity’s last stand against overwhelming odds, the ad uses the track “How It Ends” by Colorado-based band Devotchka.

To celebrate the tremendous success of the game, Xbox is offering the original track, an exclusive remix, and the original TV spot all for the incredible value of 79p, available for download from iTunes from Monday 1st Dec 2008.

Stephen McGill, Head of Gaming & Entertainment, Microsoft UK, commented “Due to the incredible success of the game in the UK and the insatiable demand for all things GOW2 from fans of the franchise, we’re thrilled to be able to offer consumers the chance to enjoy the track from the new TV ad campaign “How It Ends” as a bona fide single release”.

Gears of War 2 is the biggest Xbox 360 exclusive this Christmas and provides an epic, adrenaline-fuelled rollercoaster ride that expands upon the original game’s themes of loss, hope and survival. On its opening weekend GOW2 sold over 2 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the biggest video game launches of all time.

Xbox 360 delivers the biggest blockbuster entertainment experiences through a combination of High Definition movies, music and games – a perfect fit for the Gears of War 2 and Devotchka collaboration.

“Gears of War 2” is rated 18 by the BBFC and is now available exclusively on Xbox 360 with an Estimated Retail Price of £44.99 for the Standard Edition and £49.99 for the Limited Edition.

PopStar Guitar on Wii - poor mans Guitar Hero

New music rhythm game, PopStar Guitar, from XS Games out in Europe.

Featuring songs from top pop music stars including 3 Doors Down, Simple Plan, Blink 182 and many more, PopStar Guitar allows players to unlock their inner pop celebrity and star as the lead guitarist in their very own band. PopStar Guitar will be available for Nintendo Wii, featuring the AirG, an exciting new peripheral that turns the Wii Remote into an air guitar.

PopStar Guitar developed by Broadsword Interactive features a single player Career Mode, along with single player and multi-player mini-games.

The game takes the player on a musical journey that starts with forming a garage band to playing at 25 unique venues and eventually performing in the worldwide "Battle of the Bands" contest. Twelve playable characters are featured in the game and can be customized to give the band its own unique look. PopStar Guitar features 60 pop songs, including several masters performed by the original artists.

Video game makers are facing an uncertain Christmas

The game business is now bigger than Hollywood and last year the nation's largest game seller racked up over $2 billion in holiday sales.

It's a fairly expensive product line to push and the industry is battling to boost that bottom line.

Black Friday marks the beginning of a holiday season where sales growth is not expected to cover inflation.

That hasn't stopped shoppers, looking for a bargain, from turning out.

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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Saturday, November 29, 2008