Minecraft hit the XBLA marketplace last week with record breaking day one sales. It was only 4 weeks ago since the record was previously broken with the release of Trials Evolution, but nothing will top this. 5 days after Minecraft has now reached over a million sales and that number is most definitely increasing. CVG reports that the records are according to Microsoft’s very own figures.
“It’s official: Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has has broken all previous Xbox LIVE Arcade digital sales records, selling more than any other title in the first 24 hours on Xbox LIVE Arcade,” said Microsoft’s Major Nelson blog in an official announcement last week.
Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson last week tweeted that performance numbers were “very, very good” and said the title became “profitable in an hour”.
I have managed to get away from Minecraft for just a bit to type this piece of news but its calling back to me right now. It’s absolutely a must for any Xbox owner and to reach a million downloads in less than a week is a huge struggle for other upcoming arcade titles to beat that record. It won’t be done for a long time, maybe never within this generation of consoles. Download the trial/Full game directly from Xbox.com. You’ll love it.
Fans over on the Halo Waypoint Forums were given a chance to piece together the Halo 4 boxart. Microsoft emailed 32 pieces of the artwork to fans that eagerly put together what appeared to be an awesome piece of artwork featuring Master Chief. Gameinformer reports that it only took a single hour for the pieces of the puzzle to be put together.
It is now officially confirmed by Microsoft that the image is of the boxart we should expect to see on shelves on November 6 exclusively for Xbox 360. It’s looking awesome!
Bethesda today have announced that the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be releasing a free title update later on this month that will allow for Kinect functionality for over 200 different voice commands. IGN has reported that Kinect owners will be able to use shouts, follower commands and other key menu features that will enhance gameplay exclusively for Xbox 360.
Using Kinect’s voice recognition capabilities, players will be able to perform Dragon Shouts, Hotkey Equipping, Follower Commands, as well as control all menus with their voice. There will also be new special map functions, more hotkey options, and the ability to sort items in your inventory by name, weight, and value.
Skyrim with Kinect is a great feature that will no doubt enhance and accelerate the gameplay during battles. That tedious moment when you have to scroll through your hotkey items to find health potions will no longer be an issue. As for shouts, sometimes I find that Kinect doesn’t understand the very basic English let alone a made up language of shouts such as ‘fus ro dahs’ and ‘Mar-di-gras’. But… Mass Effect 3 benefited with Voice commands and I know for a fact that Skyrim will pull it off better. Shame I’ve completed the game in its entirety but bringing this update 6 months after its initial release can spark only one thing…….. DLC!
Marvel’s Avengers are to take on high scores in the latest instalment of the massively popular pinball franchise featured on Xbox 360, Playstation and the PSvita this Spring. Zen Studios are renowned for their Zen Pinball games and Pinball FX2 was one of Xbox 360s most downloaded Arcade titles of 2011. With The Avengers film approaching in May, there is no better time to release the next Marvel content named ‘Avengers Chronicles’. Gaming-age reports that the new content will feature 4 additional tables. The Avengers, World War Hulk, Fear Itself and The Infinity Gauntlet.
Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles features four tables designed to tell a more cohesive story from the actual comic or movie material, while incorporating the most dramatic elements as gameplay. Fans of previous Marvel Pinball tables will experience a fresh approach to the critically acclaimed series, including deeper character interactions, more dialogue, and the most explosive action to date.
Table Overviews
Marvel’s The Avengers table reflects the events of this summer’s highly anticipated blockbuster, pitting all six Avengers against Loki’s invasion of Earth. Nick Fury commands the team of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, each character represented by a customized ball that echoes his or her own appearance and power set.
Hulk Smash! After the Hulk’s banishment to outer space, he returns to Manhattan to seek revenge against the Illuminati and wage war against the X-Men, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four and Doctor Strange in World War Hulk.
The Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock enlist Earth’s Mightiest Heroes – including you – to recover the six Infinity Gems from Thanos and save the universe in The Infinity Gauntlet. The intense pinball atmosphere heightens as each Infinity Gem produces a special effect on the table, such as literally flipping the table upside down with the Reality Gem.
The Avengers must defeat Odin’s long-banished brother, the Serpent, and free the world from the grip of chaos in Fear Itself. Featuring a table design unlike any to date, Fear Itself utilizes magnetic energy in ways no one has ever before experienced on a pinball table.
“The collaboration between Zen Studios and Marvel Entertainment is a brilliant display of passion, excitement and energy. Avengers Chronicles represents a historic moment in videogame pinball,” said Mel Kirk, Zen Studios’ Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations.
Marvel Pinball: Avengers Chronicles will integrate seamlessly into Pinball FX2 on Xbox LIVE Arcade and Marvel Pinball on PlayStation Network, and be a separate, standalone download on PlayStation Vita. The pack will feature Achievements and Trophies, social leaderboard integration including in-game scoring notifications, table guides and hot-seat multiplayer.
Adding fresh new tables is excellent. This franchise has already seen nearly 30 tables already and Avengers Chronicles will exceed it thoroughly. Zen Pinball is at a mass of variety with table design and the collaboration with Marvel makes for an interesting blend of both comic book action and intense arcade pinball addiction. If you own Zen’s Pinball FX2 on Xbox360 then add my gamertag (DiRTY POPE). Either try and beat my scores or have some set for me to struggle with! Here are some screens provided by Gaming-age and enjoy the trailer.
The NEW iPad has been officially revealed, sporting fantastic features such as an amazing retina display of 3.1 million pixels, an A5X Quad-core processor, improved camera with 1080p video recording and all the other blah de blah stuff. With all that in mind, mobile gamers would want to know what’s hitting the iOS that will benefit all these features? Well Joystiq reports that Epic Games and Namco have shown off their games that will feature on the iOS and will be enjoyed ‘best’ on the new iPad. Epic Games have revealed ‘Infinity Blade: Dungeons’ and Namco exposes ‘Sky Gamblers’.
Epic Games president Mike Capps took the stage at Apple’s iPad event today to revealInfinity Blade: Dungeons. Capps noted that the game has players trying to craft the “ultimate weapon.” Our friends at Engadget confirm that the game is “definitely a step up” graphically from its predecessors. Dungeons will feature new crafting system and, obviously, will look the best when played on the latest iPad (though presumably it will be compatible with other iOS devices as well). Infinity Blade: Dungeons is “coming soon.”
Namco also showed off a new Sky Gamblers game, which bore a very strong resemblance to the company’s Ace Combat series. Namco’s Jim Sheldon noted that “the extra graphics performance lets us increase the level of detail of everything in the game.” Sky Gamblerswill arrive exclusively on iOS later this month.
Imagine some of the games to be revealed in the future for the iOS now with the improved processor and stunning retina display. Will it be up to scratch on existing Apple products? What do you think? Are mobile games featured on tablets going to conquer over the likes of the PS Vita? Anyway, here is the newly revealed Infinity Blade: Dungeons trailer. Enjoy!
During Sunday nights ‘Walking Dead’ we finally witnessed the brand new Mass Effect 3 ‘Take Earth Back’ trailer and what a way to get gamers and fans excited. BioWare and EA really impressed us with this 90 second CG extravaganza pitting Commander Shepard against incalculable enemies during Earth’s struggle against the Reaper invasion. Over on the biowaremasseffect YouTube channel you can view this glorious trailer in 1080p and this Tuesday be prepared to watch the extended cut of ‘Take Earth Back’. Mass Effect 3 will be released March 6 in NA and March 9 in EU on PC, PS3 and Xbox360. Be amazed!
Joystiq reports that GameStop are further reducing the price of Nintendo’s 3DS. It seems that the reduction is a deliberate attempt to gain a few extra DS purchases before the real competitor arrives in a few weeks time.
Through February 12, GameStop has Nintendo 3DS systems, including the Pearl Pink version launching on the 10th, on sale for $149.99, a $20 discount. We’re sure the timing of this sale is perfectly innocuous — it’s just a coincidence that a competitor’s handheld gaming system will be in stores two days after this sale is over.
Just sit tight with this one. The temporary price drop of the 3DS won’t scare Sony in the slightest but with evidence of the Vita sales being a bit drab lately in Japan, the chances of Sony doing well with this in the Western part of the world is unnerving. My predictions are that Sony’s handheld will be performing very similar price reductions… fast.
Playstation Vita games are now being downloaded direct from the Playstation store in time for the release of the handheld due out very soon. Not only are you able to download them now but you can run to your nearest GameStop to purchase boxed copies of all the first-party titles reports Joystiq.
GameStop currently has copies of Little Deviants, Uncharted, Hot Shots,Wipeout 2048, and ModNation Racers in stock online right now. They ship within 24 hours, the site notes, or you can use the site to check for stock at your local store.
The Vita hardware will officially be available February 15 in the First Edition bundle, but it’s possible you already have a Japanese unit, in which case you should be able to play these cartridges.
Great stuff if you already own an imported PS Vita straight from Japan seeing as the PS Vita is region free. Majority of downloaded PS Vita titles are at a slight discount within the Playstation store, however ‘Uncharted’ appears to be the same price as the physical copy at $49.99.
It seems the Neo Geo is back. Gameinformer reports that SNK is bringing back a new officially licensed portable handheld with 20 Neo Geo games built in. The device will host a 2GB internal storage with an SD slot for additional memory and a 4.3 inch screen.
Controls include four face buttons, a d-pad, four shoulder buttons, a menu button, a start button, and buttons for volume and brightness. Ports include headphones, AV and an SD card slot. No pricing or release date has been announced.
The games included are the North American version with English text:
1.WORLD HEROES
2.ULTIMATE 11
3.TOP PLAYER’S GOLF
4.SENGOKU
5.NAM-1975
6.MUTATION NATION
7.LAST RESORT
8.KING OF MONSTERS
9.FRENZY
10.CYBER LIP
11.FATAL FURY SPECIAL
12.ART OF FIGHTING
13.SUPER SIDEKICKS
14.LEAGUE BOWLING
15.METAL SLUG
16.MAGICIAN LORD
17.BASEBALL STARS PROFESSIONAL
18.SAMURAI SHODOWN
19.KING OF FIGHTERS ’94
20.FATAL FURY
If you haven’t got the list of games already then this re-release will be ideal for those into classic portable gaming or if you’re willing to pay out extra to recall a few of those memories. If you don’t want my opinion, well you’re going to get it. I think it looks highly typical of many past devices. Maybe they’ll bring a few changes to the design but so far the images look tacky and way too classic. Maybe that’s the purpose of a classic portable device. Portable gaming for North America and Europe will see the PS Vita hits shelves in February and with that in mind I’m sure this gadget has a lot to live up to. No price has been reported yet and neither has a release date.
Angry Birds has had a very Merry Christmas according to a report by AllThingsD. Rovio had stated that Angry Birds reached a record of 6.5 million downloads on Christmas day alone. That’s nearly equal to the number of Smartphone’s activated on Christmas day. So nearly everyone receiving smartphones this Christmas had in some way downloaded a particular version of Angry Birds. The total combing all downloads for Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio both Free and paid for Apps.
“We’re really excited to have such a massive number of new people get acquainted with Angry Birds over the holidays — we have exciting new releases lined up for 2012, and can’t wait to introduce them to the public,” Rovio’s Ville Heijari told AllThingsD.
This just goes to show that Mobile gaming is becoming the must have with the likes of Smartphones and Tablets. Will the Sony PS Vita really shine when it comes to paying additional prices for quick snappy mobile gaming and not to mention PS Vita’s hefty price tag.
