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Modern Warfare 3, Just Dance top January US chart

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:50:00 GMT

Yet again, Modern Warfare 3 was the best selling game of the month in the US.

According to NPD data for the month of January, Activision's shooter beat out Just Dance 3 to the top spot.

Skyrim finished third, NBA 2K12 fourth and Battlefield 3 fifth. There were no new entries in the top 10.

Double Fine Adventure raises $1m in less than 24 hours

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:35:00 GMT

Double Fine's effort to crowd fund a new adventure game has raised a staggering $1 million in less than 24 hours.

Tim Schafer's studio had hoped to raise $400,000 over the space of a month to pay for the game's development and an accompanying documentary.

However, it seems to have underestimated gamers' enthusiasm for a return to Schafer's point-and-click roots.

Jaffe: Developers should focus on gameplay, not story

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:21:00 GMT

Developers need to focus their efforts on gameplay innovation rather than a misguided insistence on telling a fully-formed story, so says Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe.

Speaking today at the DICE event in Las Vegas, the famously outspoken Eat Sleep Play boss argued that the recent vogue for prioritising a game's narrative is both a waste of money and a threat to creativity.

According to Gamasutra's report, Jaffe stated that an over-emphasis on story "is a bad idea, waste of resources, of time and money and worst, has stuffed the progress of video games, to our own peril."

Diablo 3 release date narrowed

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:51:00 GMT

Blizzard has narrowed down the release window for keenly anticipated action RPG sequel Diablo 3 to the second quarter of 2012 - so some time between 1st April and 30th June.

CEO Mike Morhaime announced the news during an investor call earlier today.

"We can also confirm that we are targeting a Q2 launch for Diablo 3. We expect to announce more details about the release schedule in the coming weeks he said," he said.

Activision promises "meaningful innovation" in next Call of Duty

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:40:00 GMT

This year's entry in the Call of Duty franchise brings with it "meaningful innovation" for the series, according to Activision Publishing chief Eric Hirshberg.

Speaking during an investor call earlier today, Hirshberg announced work is well underway on the 2012 iteration of the FPS juggernaut.

"This year, we expect to further expand our presence with the launch of an all-new epic first person shooter title under the Call of Duty brand," he said.

Modern Warfare 3 has 12% more online gamers than Black Ops

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:39:00 GMT

Modern Warfare 3 has seen a 12 per cent increase in unique online gamers over last year's Call of Duty outing, Black Ops.

The figure, released as part of Activision's annual financial report today, accounts for the first two months following each game's launch.

The publisher also announced its Call of Duty Elite service now has over seven million registered user, of which more than 1.5 million have coughed up for a premium subscription.

UKIE lobbies to make crowd funding legal in the UK

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:23:00 GMT

The UKIE games trade body is drawing up a report to call for crowd funding initiatives, such as the Kickstarter programme so effectively adopted by Double Fine earlier today, to become legal in the UK.

The new report, due to be published on 17th February, will call for changes in legislation that will allow game developers and other interactive entertainment businesses to use crowd funding to help finance their projects.

As it stands, crowd funding in the UK is restricted by the current legal and regulatory framework.

Skyrim patch 1.4 now live for Xbox 360

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:18:00 GMT

UPDATE: According to a Tweet from Bethesda, Skyrim update 1.4 should now be available for PlayStation 3 owners in Europe, with a US roll-out to follow.

ORIGINAL STORY: The long-awaited Skyrim patch 1.4 is now live for Xbox 360, Bethesda has confirmed.

It is trickling out across the various territories now.

Itagaki: Tecmo tricked me into releasing unfinished Dead or Alive 2

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:20:00 GMT

Tecmo tricked former Team Ninja boss Tomonobu Itagaki into releasing an unfinished version of PlayStation 2 brawler Dead or Alive 2, so claims the eccentric developer.

Speaking at the DICE summit in Las Vegas earlier today, as reported by Wired, Itagaki revealed that his team was only give two and a half months to port the fighter onto the PlayStation 2 in order to make the console's launch.

"All of the staff, led by me, fought for a victory with all their energy," siad Itagaki. "But unfortunately, the result wasn't what we expected."

Spec Ops: The Line lets you shoot "unarmed civilians", "angry mobs"

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:46:00 GMT

Forthcoming 2K third person shooter, Spec Ops: The Line allows players to gun down unarmed civilians and open fire on "angry mobs".

The potentially controversial content was flagged up in the game's ESRB listing, which went live earlier today.

"Battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, slow-motion effects (during headshots); injured characters emit blood splashes when hit, and continue to incur damage when killed," it read.

Arkham City developer laments health of UK games industry

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

London-based Batman: Arkham City developer Rocksteady Studios has called on the government to step in and help revitalise the flagging UK games industry.

Speaking in an interview with CVG, studio game director Sefton Hill lamented the talent brain-drain caused by superior tax incentives abroad, especially in Canada.

"A lot of my friends have moved abroad to get work; there's a real talent drain," he said.

Killzone composer recruited for new PS minis shooter

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:06:00 GMT

New PlayStation minis shoot 'em up Velocity features music from award-winning Killzone composer Joris de Man, developer FuturLab has announced.

As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, the game is a traditional top-down shooter with a twist - you can teleport your ship around the screen to evade enemies, collect power-up and solve puzzles. See the trailer below for a better idea of exactly how the mechanic works.

"It sounds incredible and is a genuine, high-quality homage to the classic games we older folk remember fondly," wrote James Marsden, boss of the UK-based studio.

Square cuts back on Final Fantasy 14 servers

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:39:00 GMT

Embattled Square Enix MMO Final Fantasy 14 is shrinking, with the developer announcing a series of server merges.

As detailed on the game's official site, the number of Worlds is being reduced from 18 down to ten as of 27th March.

All players will be required to re-assign their characters to one of the new servers. If you fail do so by the 19th March, Square will automatically choose one for you.

World of Warcraft universe recreated in Minecraft

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:18:00 GMT

An ambitious, time-rich Minecraft player has taken it upon himself to recreate the entire World of Warcraft universe within Mojang's indie phenomenon.

Minecraft forums member Rumsey has put together some custom software to help transfer Warcraft's world map over to Minecraft, and is using a mod to circumvent the game's 128 block height limit.

He aims to complete every single continent and dungeon in the game, and has already polished off the Kalimdor region.

World of Warcraft universe being recreated in Minecraft

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:18:00 GMT

An ambitious, time-rich Minecraft player has taken it upon himself to recreate the entire World of Warcraft universe within Mojang's indie phenomenon.

Minecraft forums member Rumsey has put together some custom software to help transfer Warcraft's world map over to Minecraft, and is using a mod to circumvent the game's 128 block height limit.

He aims to complete every single continent and dungeon in the game, and has already polished off the Kalimdor region.

Apple to reveal iPad 3 in first week of March - report

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:56:00 GMT

Apple will reveal the next iteration of its phenomenally successful iPad tablet in the first week of March.

Sources close to Apple told AllThingsD that the new device will debut at an event in San Francisco early next month - most likely held in the company's favoured Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

If it follows the same release model as the iPad 2, the new tablet will then be on shelves a few weeks later.

David Braben discusses consumer Raspberry Pi release

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:52:00 GMT

Elite co-creator David Braben hopes the consumer version of the intriguing Raspberry Pi device - the $25 credit-card sized computer - will be made available to the public in the third quarter of this year.

A pre-order system for the uncased, developer version of the Raspberry Pi will be unveiled in the near future, Braben told Eurogamer.

"We've not got a pre-order [system] for the commercial one yet because we need to determine the price, determine roughly when it's going to be," he said.

Calligraphy-themed fighter Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise for XBLA

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:43:00 GMT

Arty beat-'em-up Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise launches on Xbox Live Arcade early this year, publisher 7sixty has announced.

It mixes "over-the-top martial arts movies" and distinctive paintbrushed looks, meant to be reminiscent of ancient Chinese calligraphy.

Kung Fu Strike is the first project from Chinese indie developer Qooc Soft. It won Microsoft's annual Dream Build Play competition in 2009 when showing off the game, then named HurricaneX.

Inside the Alan Wake PC Collector's Edition

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:00 GMT

Nordic Games has revealed the insides of the Alan Wake PC Collector's Edition.

Stand-out features include the addition of in-game audio commentary and background information, and The Alan Wake Files collection.

The retail version of Remedy's thriller launches on 2nd March. As previously announced, the digital version launches on Steam on 16th February. It goes live on "other popular digital channels", such as EA's Origin, "soon afterwards".

Will there be a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning 2?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:18:00 GMT

Will there be a Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning 2? Co-developer Big Huge Games would love to make it, but it needs enough sales of the first game to convince a publisher to fund it.

Reckoning finally launches in the UK tomorrow, Friday 10th February. It marks the end of a long journey for BHG, which has worked on the game in some shape or form for half a decade.

You'd think, then, that BHG would fancy creating something entirely different for its next big project. Not so, according to lead designer Ian Frazier. In fact, not only would the team be happy to work on a sequel to its open world fantasy RPG - it would love to.

Asura's Wrath delayed

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:37:00 GMT

Asura's Wrath has been delayed to Friday, 9th March, Capcom has confirmed to Eurogamer.

Capcom's quirky god-filled action game was due out on 24th February.

Capcom said the delay was "due to the uncertainty of the UK retail market" - surely in reference to GAME and its current, well-documented troubles.

English language Cannon Fodder 3 hits GamersGate

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:24:00 GMT

An English language version of the Russian-made Cannon Fodder 3 is now available to download from GamersGate.

It costs £19.95 and weighs in at 542.59MB.

These are the system requirements:

New copies of PlayStation Vita Ridge Racer come with Gold Pass

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:34:00 GMT

UPDATE: Namco has announced plans to launch a PlayStation Vita app featuring information on its upcoming games, including Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen and Touch My Katamari. Both titles will receive demo versions and will be supported by both free and premium DLC after launch.

ORIGINAL STORY: Fresh copies of Ridge Racer on PlayStation Vita will, for a limited time, include a "Ridge Racer Gold Pass" that unlocks free downloadable content.

The Gold Pass will be packaged in an unspecified number of Ridge Racer boxes. Digital versions of the game, meanwhile, will run out of the Pass on 31st March.

Dirt 3 Complete Edition announced

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:12:00 GMT

Codemasters has announced the Dirt 3 Complete Edition, which comes with £20 worth of extra content.

The Complete Edition is due out on 9th March for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and carries a suggested retail price of £29.99/€39.99.

It has 12 new routes across two locations, new cars and a range of liveries (via download on PC).

Super Smash Bros. convinced Harada to make Tekken 3DS

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:08:00 GMT

Tekken boss Katsuhiro Harada was convinced to bring the fighting series to the 3DS after watching passionate Nintendo fans playing Super Smash Bros.

Namco producer Harada witnessed the diversity of Nintendo gamers playing at the US Major League Gaming tournament.

"Super Smash Bros. had everyone from adults to kids, even women so I thought they would be all playing cheerfully together," Harada revealed in a new Iwata Asks interview.