From Joystiq:

How much does Nintendo make for each Wii they sell?

$6 (in operating profit)

How many Nintendo’s have been sold in 2008?

19 Million

The Math:

$6 x 19,000,000 = $114 Million

How much does MS or Sony make on the 360 or PS3?

0 - that round thingy is a zero

News #2: Black Friday

Black Friday is the biggest day of US shopping (right after Thanksgiving) and all goes on discount.

I never go buying on black friday (played some Wow instead this year). Seems like it was a good idea, cause apart from risking being killed… this is the kind of situations you can encounter…

News #3 MMO Copies Assets

From shack, the chinese developed MMO Aurora Blade has been accused of stealing assets from WoW, Ragnarok and Maple Story. By stealing assets, I guess what they mean is not simply “being inspired,” but rather lazily “copy and pasting”.

See images below and make your own opinion… Aurora Blade assets on the left, other games on the right.

Below, Ragnarok Online assets are on the right - Aurora blade on the left.

NEWS #1 Warcraft Seizure

Some swedish dude played Lich King for 27 hours in a row and then ended up having a seizure.

“Doctors told the father that his son’s bodily systems had been disrupted by a combination of sleep deprivation, lack of food, and the prolonged period of concentration playing the game.”

Now, the big question is… who is to blame? The game? Or the father for letting the son play for 27 hours in a row? Or the son for not feeding himself during a 27 hour click-fest?

I blame myself. I had never really tested my proton accelerator before using it…

Bah. The human  being is an addictive animal - 27 hours in a row of anything apart sleeping will probably kill you… or make you feel like crap… let’s think about it:

1. 27 hours of studying… not good. Then you have teen students falling asleep behind the wheel as they go home…
2. 27 hours of reading - say hello to your new glasses.
3. 27 hours of exercising. I think you died around hour 8 but your body just kept on going.
4. 27 hours of food & wine. No comment.
5. 27 hours of cricket. If you didnt die, your soul probably did.

Still, from the Telegraph:

Dr Richard Graham, a child psychiatrist at the Tavistock Centre, warned last week that some young people were damaging their social and mental development by playing the game for up to 16 hours at a time.

“The problem with World of Warcraft is the degree it can impact and create a socially withdrawn figure who may be connecting with people in the game and is largely dropping out of education, social opportunities,” he said.

More news about this: here, here, here and here.

NEWS #2 GTA 5 Subscription Based

From 1Up:

At the same BMO Capital Markets’ conference last week in New York where he gave an update on upcoming GTAIV DLC and Chinatown Wars, Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick offered a glimpse further down the road. In his “Negative Approach” blog for cnet, Dave Rosenberg related these remarks from Zelnick:

The Holy Grail is taking a business, already a very large and successful business that’s focused on packaged goods…and turning that into a subscription business or a semi subscription business where we have an ongoing relationship with consumers, giving them products that they want. Who’s better positioned to do that than the company that has the top franchises?

Comments anybody?

News #3 NEW Xbox Live Look

Just a few hours to go…

Ah, the horror. From Destructoid, here is  Cliffy B’s most prized possession…

What is it? Well… (from Destructoid)

Apparently, the young Clifford once jokingly told faceplate creator SpaceGhost2K that he would like him to make a plate based on the famously disgusting Internet meme in which a young Japanese girl summons forth a veritable geyser of watery backdoor clay with which to douse herself. Be careful what you wish for. Cliff received this artistic tribute to self-degradation at the Gears 2 launch party.

If you want the full non-pixelated view, plz click here [VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED].

From Kotaku.

You ask, and you receive. Last spring, when faceplate creator extraordinaire SpaceGhost2K attended a Microsoft Spring Showcase in San Francisco, Gears of War’s Dude Huge, AKA the game designer formerly known as CliffyB, told SpaceGhost2K he liked his custom faceplates and jokingly (we think? we hope?) put in a request: TubgIrl. SpaceGhost2K agreed and created a Tubgirl faceplate, which he gave to DH at the Gears 2 launch.

Hit the jump for an uncensored version. It’s anime-style, but should still be stomach churning to those who haven’t erased the original image from their brains. Note: New to the internet and unfamiliar with Tubgirl? Check out this text only Wiki entry. Anyone who posts or links the actual picture in the comments section will get cozy with the brunt end of the Banhammer.

NEWS #2 - New Dead Space DLC

On November 13th, Dead Space will be getting a new load of DLC. From 1Up, here is the list…

Since I already finished it… I really dont know why I would buy this stuff. I hope for more missions/levels in the next DLC, then maybe I’ll buy something to look cooler… dunno. What do you think?

• Astronaut Pack: Download the Astronaut Suit and Weapon Skin Pack, featuring an amazing Astronaut Suit and new skins for the Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle, and Ripper! — $3.00 / 240 MS points
• Big Gun Pack: Download the Steam Punk Force Gun, the ultimate in Necromorph-killing destruction. — $1.00 / 80 MS points
• Heavy Damage Pack: Download the Heavy Damage Weapon pack featuring a cool new look and massive firepower for the Plasma Cutter, Contact Beam, Pulse Rifle, and Ripper. — $3.00 / 240 MS points
• Hot Rod Pack: Download the Hot Rod Weapon Skin Pack, featuring awesome flame graphics for the Flamethrower and Pulse Rifle. — $1.00 / 80 MS points
• Military Pack: Download the Military Weapon Pack for a new look and enhanced power for all 7 Dead Space weapons. — $4.00 / 320 MS points
• Pedestrian Pack: Download the Pedestrian Weapon Skin Pack, featuring a fresh new look for the Contact Beam, Plasma Cutter, and Ripper. — $1.50 / 120 MS points
• Scorpion Pack: Download the Scorpion Pack featuring an upgraded Level 5 Suit and powered up Plasma Cutter, Line Gun, and Force Gun, all decorated in an awesome red Scorpion Skin. — $4.00 / 320 MS points
• Scorpion Weapon Pack: Download the Scorpion Weapon Pack featuring a faster death-dealing Plasma Cutter, Line Gun, and Force Gun in awesome red skins. — $2.25 / 180 MS points
• Speed Kills Pack: Download the Speed Kills Weapon Pack! Includes faster-firing Force Gun, Line Gun, and Plasma Cutter. — $2.25 / 180 MS points
• Tank Pack: Download the Tank Pack featuring an upgraded Level 5 Suit and powered up Flamethrower, Force Gun, and Line Gun, all covered in Unitology script. — $4.00 / 320 MS points

PLAYSTATION®3 Exclusive Packs:

• Obsidian Weapon Skin Pack: Download the exclusive Obsidian Weapon Skin Pack now, available only for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Includes weapon skins in jet-black PLAYSTATION 3 colors for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle. — $1.50
• Obsidian Pack: Download the exclusive Obsidian Suit and Weapon Skin Pack now, available only for the PLAYSTATION®3! Includes an upgraded Level 5 suit, and weapon skins for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle, all in jet-black PLAYSTATION®3 colors. — $3.00

Xbox 360®-Exclusive Packs:

• Elite Weapon Skin Pack: Download the exclusive Elite Weapon Skin Pack now, available only for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system! Includes weapon skins in Xbox 360 colors for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle. — 120 MS points
• Elite Pack: Download the exclusive Elite Suit and Weapon Skin Pack now, available only for the Xbox 360! Includes an upgraded Level 5 suit, and weapon skins for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle in Xbox 360 colors. — 240 MS points

NEWS #3: K-Mart and Sears Black Friday Sales Leaked

If you are planning on buying a lot of gifts and whatnot on black friday you should check out kotaku’s news on the leaked list of games and price points that came out of K-Mart and Sears.

 

K-Mart

 

2 Pack Wii Games - $16.99

 

3 Pack PS2 Games - $9.99

 

Animal Crossing Wii - $49.99

 

Guitar Hero III Bundle PS3 - $54.99

 

Guitar Hero III Bundle Wii - $54.99

 

Guitar Hero III Bundle Xbox 360 - $54.99

 

Limited Edition Ratchest & Clank PSP Bundle - $199.99

 

Mario Kart Wii - $49.99

 

Mario Super Smash Bros Wii - $49.99

 

PSP System - $169.99

 

Super Mario Galaxy Wii - $49.99

 

Wii Music - $49.99

 

Wii Play - $49.99

 

Sears

 

Buy Any XBox 360 System And Get A Free XBox 360 Wireless Controller - $0.00

 

Guitar Hero On Tour Decades Bundle For Nintendo DS - $49.99

 

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle For PS2 - $89.99

 

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle For PS3 - $99.99

 

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle For Wii - $99.99

 

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle For Xbox 360 - $99.99

 

Gutar Hero III Bundle For PS3 - $54.99 *

 

Gutar Hero III Bundle For Wii - $54.99 *

 

Gutar Hero III Bundle For Xbox 360 - $54.99 *

 

Nintendo DS - $129.99

 

Nintendo DS Car Adapter - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Figure Skater - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Folio - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Kirby Super Star - $29.99

 

Nintendo DS Mario Party - $29.99

 

Nintendo DS Master Chef - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS New Super Mario - $34.99

 

Nintendo DS Pen Stylus w/Protector - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Petz Hamsterz 2 - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Pokemon Ranger - $29.99

 

Nintendo DS System Glove - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Traveler NDS 125 Bag - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Traveler NDS 300 Case - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Traveler NDS 700 Case - $9.99

 

Nintendo DS Traveler NDS 801 Case - $9.99

 

Nintendo Wii All Star Cheer - $29.99

 

Nintendo Wii Animal Crossing - $49.99

 

Nintendo Wii Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader - $19.99

 

Nintendo Wii Music - $49.99

 

Nintendo Wii Play w/Remote - $49.99

 

Nintendo Wii Rayman Raving Rabbids - $49.99

 

Nintendo Wii SpongeBob SquarePants Globs Doom - $29.99

 

Playstation 3 80GB Console - $399.99

 

Playstation 3 Blu-Ray Remote - $24.99

 

Playstation 3 Component AV Cables - $19.99

 

Playstation 3 DualShock3 Controller - $54.99

 

Playstation 3 Fallout 3 - $59.99

 

Playstation 3 Little Big Planet - $59.99

 

Playstation 3 Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe - $59.99

 

Playstation 3 Resistance 2 - $59.99

 

Special Edition Mario Red or Ice Blue DS - $149.99 *

 

Value Video Games - 20% Off *

 

XBox 360 Call of Duty: World at War - $59.99

 

XBox 360 Fable 2 - $59.99

 

XBox 360 Gears of War 2 - $59.99

 

XBox 360 Pro 60GB Holiday Bundle - $299.99

 

XBox 360 Wireless Controller - $49.99

 

XBox 360 Wireless Network Adapter - $99.99

 

XBox 360 WWE 2009 - $59.99

Have you played both? The guys at destructoid think that Saint’s Row 2 beats GTAIV on all of the following 10 points…

1. Mission Checkpoints
2. Cars are actually fun to drive
3. In-Mission Checkpoints
4. Cars are actually fun to drive
5. Weapons are far more varied and awesome
6. You can be a cockney bastard
7. Real customization
8. Lots more to do
9. Superior multiplayer
10. It looks better
11. It’s much funnier
12. It’s not ashamed of its own stupidity

What do you think?

NEWS #2 - Used Videogame Market is Bad For Games

From 1Up - The founder of Lost Winds developer Frontier Developments, David Braben, has sounded off with some extremely harsh criticisms of the practice of buying and selling used games.

In the wake of UK-based entertainment retailer HMV announcing it would begin accepting trade-ins, Braben claimed that used games are “really damaging to the single-player experience.” He pointed out that single-player games are frequently traded back in at stores once players have completed them, he told GamesIndustry.biz.

He also spoke with Eurogamer recently where he made similar statements, although his comments were far more volatile. He even went so far as to claim, “The shops are not giving us a way of distinguishing between pre-owned and new. So the shops are essentially defrauding the industry.”

Do you think selling used games is fair? Is it fair to consumers and also to game developers? Keep in mind, all the money on used games goes ONLY to the retailer - nothing to the developer.

NEW #3 - New PS3 Controller

A new rumor appears confirmed - always from 1Up and gamesindustrybiz - here is the new PS3 controller.

This new controller isn’t just another revision of the Sixaxis; rather, it looks like a complete overhaul of the form and function of the device, resembling a pair of ice cream cones more than Sony’s ubiquitous Dual Shock. The images accompanying the patent display two Wii-like remotes with removable button faceplates, topped off with strange, bulb-like shapes. These glowing, spherical structures house LEDs and ultrasonic sound emitters, which would allow the PlayStation Eye camera to determine the controllers’ positions in three-dimensional space.

Yes, it has all that great stuff. Plus it has boobs.

Get more info on the new PS3 controller at BLORGE.

NEWS #1: Gameboy iPhone

MacThemes has an awesome new design available for the iPhone. Designed by Rob Sheridan, is the above theme that will give your iPhone the distinctive 80’s gamer look. So if you want to be an O.G. geek, hit MacThemes today.

NEWS #2 Molyneux Interview

If you love Molyneux and Fable 2 you should read his recent and extremely honest interview with Develop.

An excerpt:

Q: A lot of designers do that and think it’s perfectly acceptable, though…

A: True. But look right back at Dungeon Keeper and then through all of my games, you’ll see me do it and talk that kind of thing up.

Q: Such as?

A: Classic example: in Black & White 1, I said that while you were playing it the weather in the game would be the same as it was outside. Now… who really gives a fucking shit about that? What should have been important was how the player felt when playing the game.

NEWS #3 - Fallout 3 Reviews

Fallout 3’s reviews are finally out…from gamerankings.com:

Site Name / Link	Quality	Date	Rating	Ratio
IGN		10/28/2008	9.6 out of 10	96.0%
TeamXbox		10/28/2008	9.4 out of 10	94.0%
GameSpot		10/28/2008	9 out of 10	90.0%
Official Xbox Magazine		12/1/2008	10 out of 10	100.0%
Game Informer		12/1/2008	9.5 out of 10	95.0%
GameSpy		10/28/2008	5 out of 5	100.0%
Eurogamer		10/28/2008	10 out of 10	100.0%
Worth Playing		10/28/2008	9.5 out of 10	95.0%
GameZone		10/28/2008	9.4 out of 10	94.0%
VideoGamer		10/28/2008	9 out of 10	90.0%

Well… this was unexpected…NOT! Bethesda seems to have the RPG formula down to a science, can’t wait to play 100 hours of this.

An excerpt from IGN:

It’s rare that a game can hit the mark in so many different and often conflicting areas. Fallout 3 offers freedom without sacrificing a focused story. It delivers fantastic combat without forgoing a deep role-playing system. The characters you meet are engaging and oftentimes hilarious without feeling out of place in this harsh world. The game has a few flaws — most of them technical — but it’s a case where the whole is greater than the sum. It’s a fantastic game with incredible atmosphere that offers fun in so many different ways that you’re almost sure to get hooked. This is one of the best games you’ll play this year.

But let’s pretend that’s not true… Or let’s just say that whatever the case, Blizzard has made a great job with their femal heroes. The art of the game is fantastic - and it has inspired tons of great artists that regularly submit their works of art to Blizzard and get posted on their Fan Art pages.

This post is dedicated to what, IMHO, are the best female art pieces inspired from WoW I found on the Fan Art website.

Enjoy and vote your favorite.

#1- The Light of Lights
by Krystopher Decker (Pepperwolf)

This dude should setup an online gallery and sell his art.

#2 - Valeera Sanguinar
by Paul Kwon (Shira Mune)

#3 - Rogue
by Wenjun Lin (Junc)

#4 - Paladin
by Jung-Hun Ju (kveldulv)

#5 - Night Elf Archer
by Paul Kwon (shiramune)

#6 - T7 hunter
by xia jie (jiejie)

#7 - Guarding the Moonwell
by Michael Nothdurft (M1keN)

#8 - Morganna and Jolinaar (Medivh)
by Val D (Jilian)

#9 - Become the Betrayer
by Nancy Cho (Avedral)

#10 - Lena
by Emiko Setsuna (Dênakê)

Note for Authors: For some I could not find a website link - please submit a comment if you want your link posted.

NEWS #1 - THE WAIT IS OVER

At 2PM today, PST, Tuesday Oct 21 2008, LucasArts and Bioware will be holding a formal press event to announce “the official unveiling of the game that’s been rumored about for years.”

Stay tuned.

NEWS #2 - FABLE 2 CE NERFED

Fable 2’s collector’s edition has been nerfed again…

Not only it lost the cards, the little dolly chotchkie, the whatever stuff nobody needs… But now for those 9 dudes who dont have Xbox Live, it looks like the card that would grant them awesome 2 days of live experience is missing!

AAAARGH!

More details at 1Up.

NEWS #3 - BARBARIAN DIABLO 3 TREE!

Hurra’ for the new Barbarian talent tree you can now find at Diablo3X.

Wonder how the chick barbarian will turnout…

NEWS #1: NO WOW2 (HURRA)

Good News: Next Blizzard MMO will NOT be a set in Azeroth. No Wow 2 then… no Everquest 2 mistake hopefully.

In the words of Morhaime (Blizzard CEO):

“We’re not trying to replace World of Warcraft with this new MMO. We’re trying to create a different massively multiplayer experience, and hopefully World of Warcraft will still be going strong when that one is released.”

NEWS #2 FABLE 2 SPARTAN

If you buy the Fable 2 Collector’s Edition your character will be gifted some pretty crazy items (source Joystiq)

The Spartan Armor (LAME)

The Energy Sword (LAMEer).

NEWS #3 - VADER VS. YODA

In the latest Soul Calibur, Thanks to DLC, you will be able to download Vader or Yoda, whatever is missing to your Xbox 360 or PS3.

Awesome.

—

Source of incredibly beautiful top art, Blizzard Fan Art - author: Emiko Setsuna.

Great news from Neogaf.

According to a new listing on the ESRB’s website (the US based Entertainment Software Rating Board) it looks like Capcom’s most awesome fighting game ever - Marvel vs. Capcom 2- will be coming to Xbox 360 and PS3. See image below.

All bets are that the game will be downloadable… now we only need figure the price!

NEWS #2 - Starcraft 2 will be a Trilogy

Directly from Blizzcon comes the news that Starcraft 2 will be a trilogy… three seperate games that should be released over a 3 year timespan.

1. Terrans: Wings of Liberty
2. Zerg: Heart of the Swarm
3. Protoss: Legacy of the Void

Personally, I never liked playing the Zerg campaign in either the first Stacraft and in Brood Wars. Don’t know that I will be that interested in chapter 2…

What is you favorite Starcraft race?

NEWS #3 - Game Industry Immune from Recession

In the words of Kaz Hirai - SCE ultimate boss - here are 3 soundbites he gave to the Financial Times (via CVG).

“As long as we can generate excitement, then we will be less affected than other industries,” he said. “We’re getting to the point where price becomes more important”.

I guess he is talking about cost of entertainment per minute… if you think about it you can easily understand where he is coming from. If an average game lasts 10 hours and costs $60, you are paying 10 cents per hour of entertainment. That is more ore less the same as a a movie that costs $12 and lasts 2 hours.

Bizarrely contradicting his last statement, Kaz says that Sony has no plans to cut the price of the PlayStation 3 - currently the most expensive of the current-gen consoles - before Christmas.

PS3 at $400, 360 at $300 and Wii at $250… what would you buy?

“The answer is yes, if you’re asking, ‘Are these the prices we’re going with this Christmas?” he said. “When you really compare apples to apples, then I think we have a very good value proposition.”

What do you think?

From 1Up:

A Blizzard staffer going by the username ‘Bashiok’ was quick to offer up an answer as to how death is being handled in the new Diablo title. And there’s a stark difference between the new system and the one found in Diablo 2: rather than being sent back to town and having to venture back to where you perished to recover your place (without any of your gear, mind you), you’ll now be sent back to a checkpoint. These checkpoints are scattered throughout the world and “generally” at the end of each level of a dungeon. When respawning at a checkpoint you’ll be left with a small amount of health.

News #2 - Would Fable Work on a PS3?

Fable 2 god designer Molyneux seems to think that 360’s LIVE system is better than the PS3 online system…

In his words:

What I would say, and this is not just me being the good company man, I’d say the thing I love about the 360 more than anything is nothing to do with the hardware, it’s all to do with LIVE. LIVE is still underexploited for a game mechanic. Some of the stuff in Fable II we’re doing with co-op is only possible because of the way that LIVE is structured. I love playing around with that stuff as a designer. Whereas PS3 doesn’t seem to be quite so mature on that side. They haven’t got quite the same infrastructure and service but, you know, yeah, I’d love to get games on every platform.

Jim Sterling at Destructoid does not seem to agree:

Seriously though, do you agree with Peter’s assertion that Xbox Live is what makes Fable 2 possible? Would you contest that the PlayStation Network is robust enough to support the game’s online elements? After all, with Resistance 2 and MAG promising the kind of multiplayer experiences that Xbox Live is yet to touch, I’d say that the PSN can more than easily handle 2-player co-op.

I honestly think that Molyneux was not just talking about 2 player co-op but also all the other side things that Xbox Live can offer a game designer. An example is the fact that you can download an XBLA game that has all the Fable gambling games and gamble for money. You should then be able to use the money you within the main boxed game soon on shelves…

What is your opinion?

News #3 Resident Evil 5 Update

Great cover for resident evil five on EGM this november. Kudos to whoever does PR at Capcom and to who made that render, they look gr8.

As for EGM, I just wonder what type of score this game will receive… Well, assuming they Game Informer will give RE5 maybe a 9 (who knows - I just hope) I can expect EGM to give RE5 something like 7.867

I still get a kick out of their 2nd decimal point… I get so much info out of it…

News #1 - Gamer Allegedly Killed over a Forum Dispute

On September 21st, An Advance Wars fan, Matthew Pyke, was stabbed to death (The Press Association).

The body of 20-year-old Matthew James Pyke was discovered by ambulance crews called to his flat above the Orange Tree pub in North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, at about 6.15pm on Friday.

Detectives believe that Mr Pyke’s killer or killers would have been heavily blood-stained following the murder and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said a post-mortem examination carried out at Leicester Royal Infirmary had confirmed that Mr Pyke died from stab wounds.

From the Telegraph:

Police confirmed a man, believed to be 21, had been arrested near Frankfurt in Germany following the death of student Mr Pyke, who was killed in his flat in Nottingham.

Shortly after the killing a fellow gaming fan, David Heiss [picture below], 21, from Frankfurt, posted a message on the Facebook site of Joanna Witton, Mr Pyke’s girlfriend, apologising “for having caused so much trouble lately”.

Police refused to confirm or deny that Heiss was the arrested man, although detectives admitted internet links were a line of inquiry they were actively following.

Mr Pyke, 20, and Miss Witton ran a website called Wars Central, devoted to fans of computer strategy game Advance Wars.

More details at 1Up:

Advance Wars fan Matthew Pyke, 20, was stabbed to death in his home in Nottingham, England, over what police suspect may have been an online dispute with a German gamer (via Telegraph.co.uk).

The suspect, 21-year-old David Heiss, was arrested near Frankfurt in Germany. Police at first didn’t say whether the arrested man was Heiss, but details later emerged confirming that Heiss was in fact the man arrested in connection with this case (via This is Nottingham). Not long after the killing, Heiss posted a message on the Facebook page of Pyke’s girlfriend, Joanna Witton, where he apologized for “having caused so much trouble lately.”

Pyke and Witton ran a fansite for Advance Wars, which included (as many gaming fansites do) a forum for patrons to chat with each other. Police suspect a possible motive may be that Heiss — who was a member of the forum under the name “Eagle the Lightning” — entered into a dispute with Pyke online, and actually flew to the U.K. in order to exact this tragic “revenge.” Curiously, another anonymous poster suggested that some forum members may know more about the case, with a message that read, “We may know a lot of what was going on prior to the killing, but I, for one, am not going to say any more.”

Heiss is believed to be in custody in the German town of Limburg an der Lahn. He was scheduled to appear in court in Frankfurt for an extradition hearing, although according to MSN U.K., the hearing was delayed due to Nottinghamshire police failing to provide the extensive paperwork needed in time. It’s also not yet known whether Heiss will contest the extradition application from British authorities.

News #2 - New DS

From Gamespot, and confirmins something we already covered, a new DS should come out by the end of the year:

Earlier this year, Nintendo projected hardware sales of its DS handheld system to total 28 million for the current fiscal year. While that can be considered a massively successful year, it is down slightly from the 30 million portable game players the company sold last year. That anticipated slowdown led one industry analyst to predict a new iteration of the DS hardware is on the way, while another had been expecting such a redesign since last November.

Today, Japanese news site Nikkei Net (subscription required) is reporting that the time has finally come for Nintendo to roll out another new DS and that the system will arrive in Japan by the end of the year. Planned features for the unnamed DS revision include a camera function, music playback, and improved wireless capabilities. No mention was made of previously speculated upgrades, such as larger screens, enhanced memory, or a smaller size.

News #3 Nascar Driver uses Video Game Strategies…

… and Miserably fails.

Carl Edwards tried to beat Jimmie Johnson by bouncing his car off a concrete wall… on purpose. He then went ahead to provide the following bits of mental computation:

From Kotaku:

“I planned on hitting the wall, but I didn’t plan on the wall slowing me down that much,” Carl Edwards said. “In video games, you can just run into the wall and run it wide open. That’s what I did, but it didn’t quite work out the same as the video game.”

Kitty picture source is here.

Suddenly yesterday, Bungie had their countdown go back online for a whopping 12 hours… You might remember Microsoft had them stop the timer right around E3 causing all sort of speculation.

So the timer went back up and for 12 hours we fretted and bit our nails and then this teaser trailer was posted on the Bungie website.

So… anybody have a clue of what this means?

News #2 - Super Extra Rare Dead Space Edition!

If you are a crazy Dead Space fan you should head out to the EA store. With $150 you can buy one of 1000 super limited editions that include…

The Dead Space game (360)

Limited Edition packaging

Dead Space Downfall Animated Movie (DVD)

Bonus content DVD

Exclusive lithograph art

97-pg Dead Space art book written and illustrated by the development team

160-pg Graphic novel

Ishimura crew patch

News #3 - Force Unleashed > Connoisseur Reviewers

The Force Unleashed is currently the best selling Star Wars title ever - this when the timeframe its been on the market is compared to the same timeframe for previous Star Wars games.

1Up reports:

Dispelling any concerns that middling review scores would effect its retail numbers, LucasArts announced that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has achieved record-breaking sales. In just the week since its September 16 release, 1.5 million copies of the game have found their way into gamers’ homes worldwide, making it both the fastest-selling Star Wars and LucasArts game of all time.

“The record-setting sales of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed shows the undiminished power of Star Wars and its popularity across all media types, including videogames,” remarked LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez, adding, “We’re blown away by the response to the game.” That popularity even extends to the game’s novelization, which rocketed to the top spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list during its first week of sales

But how bad were these review scores…

Pretty lame for what LucasArts was probably aspiring to. Were they deserved? You can judge yourself… below is a list from Gamerankings.

GameSpot		9/15/2008	7.5 out of 10	75.0%
IGN		9/15/2008	7.3 out of 10	73.0%
TeamXbox		9/15/2008	7.7 out of 10	77.0%
Official Xbox Magazine		10/1/2008	7.5 out of 10	75.0%
Electronic Gaming Monthly		10/1/2008	68.33 out of 100	68.3%
Game Informer		10/1/2008	8.75 out of 10	87.5%
Worth Playing		9/18/2008	6.5 out of 10	65.0%
VideoGamer		9/16/2008	7 out of 10	70.0%
Game Revolution		9/15/2008	C+	70.0%
1UP		9/15/2008	C	65.0%

Warhammer Age of Reckoning (that just launched) and with futuristic brother Warhammer 40K. But let’s proceed with order…

News #1: MJ hearts Gold Spammers, NOT!

Marc Jacobs (the GM of Mythic Entertainment) has a task force in Warhammer Age of Reckoning that goes around banning as many gold spammers as they can find, on the spot.

God bless!

The mass of players who have gone deaf in WOW from being chat spammed by people names XCYZIST saying things like “Powerlevel to 60 in nine days, etc etc” seem to be extremely happy.

The motivational below holds the message that gamers see in the game when a gold spammer is banned… Naturally it doesnt say Mark Jacobs (its more aligned with the game’s mythos) but we know that he is the one actually pushing the button…right? :)

If I could, I would…

News #2: WH40K Looks Great!

New Warhammer 40K screenshots look awesome - hopefully the next Relic Entertainment RTS will be up to snuff with Starcraft 2.

News #3 - Halo MMO is Dead

Just to go back to some MMO news, Ensemble studios was recently shut down. This was an absolute bummer for me since I loved their Age of Empires franchise… however it looks like they were creating the Halo MMORPG for microsoft.

I can’t say I’m bummed that game is dead.

News #1

How much did World of Warcraft cost since 2004 up till now? Somebody? Anybody?

I’m talking about servers, GMs, customer service, water bills in the offices, marketing, those cute little spring company picnics… I mean everything. So, what do you think?

The answer is $200 Million as stated in Blizzard’s latest analyst conf call (source).

As Kotaku puts it:

That’s it. Staff payroll, hardware support, customer service (which, interestingly, they say is their largest department), the lot. Well, mostly - we think they’re just talking the upkeep costs, not the original development costs. Sure, in isolation $200 million is a lot of clams, but when you put $200 million in the “expenditures” column then put $300 gazillion in the “revenue” column, you’re not just laughing all the way to the bank, you’re cackling.

News #2

Why did Sega stop making the Dreamcast? Any takers? Anybody know?

Peter Moore says it was Sega of Japan’s fault (source):

“Dreamcast was a phenomenal 18 months of pain, heartache, euphoria… We thought we had it,” he said.

“But then Playstation came out… And of course, EA didn’t publish which left a big hole, not only in sports but in other genres. We ended up that Christmas period not being able to get to where we needed to be - we weren’t far short, we just couldn’t get that critical mass.”

In other words, Moore explained, SEGA Japan set a target that just couldn’t be reached. “I can’t remember the exact figures - but we had to make N hundreds of millions of dollars by the holiday season, and shift N millions of units of hardware, otherwise we just couldn’t sustain the business.

“So on January 31st 2001 we said SEGA is leaving hardware - somehow I got to make that call, not the Japanese. I had to fire a lot of people, it was not a pleasant day.”

News #3

Microsoft is releasing a new controller!

Allegedly it should fix most of the issues with the D-pad the old one had, even if our friends at Eurogamer don’t seem to agree (source).

If you ask us, whoever designed the Xbox 360 d-pad in the first place was having a bad day. Or perhaps they didn’t realise what it was for. But after a couple of days testing, it’s clear that the replacement will need software designed to take advantage of whatever magical advances live beneath its bright green exterior, because while it feels a bit different beneath your thumb, the physical change alone is insufficient to improve your average Xbox Live Arcade game. Although for some reason we do like the colour.

I dont see any physical difference from the previous one (below) - apart from the green color - but sure, hopefully its more sensitive or something…

Top Blizzard Fan Art by Krisanna McKellar (Yaoumei)

Ever wondered what it feels like to bring down a Star Destroyer with the force? It looks like The Force Unleashed, soon available (between the 16th and the 20th of September worldwide) will be able to give us that thrill…

So I recently downloaded the Demo on the Xbox 360 and have been playing it quite a bit… absolutely impressive.

Both the story and the gameplay seem to have nailed it. You play as Starkiller, the secret padawan of Darth Vader.

Using the force in a variety of ways is probably the coolest thing about the game. Discovering new ways to use it is actually probably one of the most rewarding mechanics about the game. You’ll see how much fun it is to lift a Storm Trooper and see him cry out and hold onto a crate just before you throw him off a bridge…

Also, I wouldnt be concerned with some of the review scores that are coming out (see Gamerankings below).

Official Xbox Magazine		10/1/2008	7.5 out of 10	75.0%
Electronic Gaming Monthly		10/1/2008	68.33 out of 100	68.3%
GamePro		10/1/2008	3.5 out of 5	70.0%
gamesTM		10/1/2008	7 out of 10	70.0%
Pelit (Finland)		9/1/2008	85 out of 100	85.0%

I mean, EGM gave it a 68.33%? Everybody has their own opinions sure… but under 70%? Let alone the droleness of the 0.33% attached after the 68%… what are they running, a video game magazine or a class in statistics? Enough with the wine connassoir model! Reviewers, please, you are not video game sommeliers.

Setting aside the review debate… the game has some awesome artwork and screenshots circulating the net. I’ve tried to collect all I could find below - so enjoy.

[Visit the Soul Calibur Shrine for some other Star Wars chars and more videogame art]

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