12 February 2009
by Josh

UK gaming industry replaces Japan as 2nd largest in the world

The United Kingdom (UK) videogaming market has had an incredible start in January 2009 by outperforming Japan to become the second largest gaming territory in the world.

Unit sales for the first five weeks of the year are up an astounding 37% over 2008 (21% in terms of revenues), with ChartTracker quoted as saying (according to MCV) simply, “We are beating Japan.”

The gaming market itself in the UK grew by 26% in 2008 and with 2009 starting off to a great stark the UK may be in for an even greater year for ‘09.

It’ll be interesting to see if Japan will be able to rebound from it’s sluggish gaming sector in recent years or if the UK will permanently replace the Land of the Rising Sun as the second largest market, since Japan eclipses them in terms of population. The USA is still the biggest market.

12 February 2009
by Ferry

Zero Punctuation reviews Thief: The Dark Project

This week on Zero Punctuation: Yahtzee has to be a sneaky bastard in order to review Thief: The Dark Project. The PC classic was known back in 1998 for making stealth-action into a tense, rewarding and enjoyable experience for the first time.

As always, coarse language and imagery ahead.

12 February 2009
by Josh

BAFTA Games Awards Nominees announced for 2007-2008 period

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts have released their list of nominees for the BAFTA Game Awards that they will be holding this March.

What makes this awards show more interesting than other awards we have seen is that BAFTA skipped a year so by not having a 2008 awards show that means that games going as far back as November 2007 are eligable for an award! This means that Call of Duty: World At War will face Call of Duty 4 and game’s like Assassin’s Creed will be going up against Mirror’s Edge!
Here is the full list of nominees:

ACTION & ADVENTURE

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Development Team
Infinity War/Activision

Dead Space
Glen Schofield, Chuck Beaver, Bret Robbins
Electronic Arts/Electronic Arts

Fable II
Development Team
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios

Grand Theft Auto IV
Development Team
Rockstar North/Rockstar Games

Prince of Persia
Ben Mattes, Jean-Christophe Guyot
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Entertainment

Tomb Raider: Underworld
Noah Hughes, Pat Sirk, Toby Gard
Crystial Dynamics/Eidos
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12 February 2009
by Josh

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra videogame based on movie announced by EA

Electronic Arts has announced G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra videogame based on the upcoming blockbuster live-action movie of the same name based on the classic Hasbro license of toys, comics and of course, the beloved 80’s cartoon series. The movie opens in theaters on August 7th, 2009.

The game will feature an exclusive storyline that takes place directly after the feature film and will allow players to take part in some of the great moments from the movie as well as from the comics, animated series and toy line.

The game will feature 12 classic G.I. Joe characters that all feature unique weapons and abilities. In addition to the single-player campaign the game will also offer a single-screen co-op mode that will allow two players to unite as a team in their classic battle against good and evil as you work together to take down the evil COBRA organization.

“As Hasbro and Paramount Pictures reignite the G.I. JOE property this year with an all-new toy line and film, EA is excited to play a major role in bringing this icon of pop culture history to a new generation of enthusiasts through interactive gaming,” said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Hasbro. “G.I. JOE offers exceptionally rich storylines and a cast of characters that lends itself incredibly well to creating an over-the-top action adventure video game that will thrill gamers as well as G.I. JOE fans.”

“G.I. JOE has been an icon of action for 45 years,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro. “EA has tapped the legacy of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga to create an amazing interactive experience inspired by the movie, comic books, animated series and iconography that we hope will resonate with millions of fans.”

For more than four decades, G.I. JOE has been one of the premiere brands in the history of boys’ toys. Originating the term “action figure” in 1964, Hasbro’s G.I. JOE brand ushered in a new play pattern that forever changed the scope of the toy industry. The G.I. JOE brand made another revolutionary introduction in 1984 with the release of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA toy line, which introduced a generation of boys to the heroic G.I. JOE forces, led by Duke, and their epic struggle to defeat the evil COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga featured a diverse cast of characters – both good and evil – that became a part of pop culture through Hasbro’s toy line, an animated television series and best-selling comic book franchise.

11 February 2009
by Josh

First Spore Galactic Adventures videos show game creation features

The first video footage of Spore: Galactic Adventures has surfaced.

If you haven’t heard of the game, it is an upcoming Spore Expansion that will allow players to beam themselves onto planets themselves and will include an all new “Adventure Creator” that not only will allow players to create their own planets but also to create their own-single player game ala LittleBigPlanet, by allowing players to design their own missions and string them together for other players to tackle.

It will also add new space age creature parts that will grant your creature with new abilities including the addition of weapons.

Here are several new videos showing the new editor features in action.

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11 February 2009
by Josh

EA’s 2008 million-sellers: Left 4 Dead, Rock Band 2, Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space, FIFA 09

During Electronic Art’s recent conference call they announced some very good news about their late 2008 releases for some of their biggest new IP’s in years.

EA revealed that Left 4 Dead, Rock Band 2, Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space and FIFA 09 all sold over one million copies with data from last year (up till December 31st).

Specifically, Left 4 Dead sold 1.8 million copies (EA published the physical copies while it was digitally available from Valve themselves on Steam), Rock Band 2 sold 1.9 million copies, FIFA 09 sold an incredible 7.8 million copies while EA’s new intellectual properties did well for themselves as well as Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space both sold over a million copies each. Which is very good news that the original IP’s at least did well, even if they didn’t do gangbusters. But still a million copies is nothing to scoff at.

11 February 2009
by Josh

Under Siege is a new PS3-exclusive RTS game. Steven Seagal not involved or related

Seed Studios has finally revealed their PlayStation 3-exclusive real-time strategy (RTS) game called Under Siege (no, it doesn’t have anything to do with Steven Seagal).

The game is still a ways off as it is currently in pre-Alpha state but regardless the screenshots of the game look quite gorgeous already which is always a good sign. Naturally as it’s a PS3 exclusive, that means that the game has been built from the ground up specifically for the PS3 hardware which will allow the developers to really take advantage of the system’s power, according to PlayStation Universe.

“Under Siege features an original world, unique gameplay elements and a control scheme designed with a console controller in mind,” Ribeiro said. “We are also working on implementing a large number of multiplayer and community features with special emphasis on user generated content.”

The game is scheduled for release sometime this year.

11 February 2009
by Ferry

On Xbox Live Arcade today: 3 on 3 NHL Arcade and Minesweeper Flags

From today, at 9AM GMT (2AM PDT), you can play EA’s 3 on 3 NHL Arcade on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. 3 on 3 NHL Arcade will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points (that’s US$10 / €9.60 / £6.80 / CAN$12.40 / AU$13.20).

From the same team that brought you NHL 09 comes a 3 on 3 experience that throws conventional hockey, and its rules, out the window. Choose from the NHL’s top players and bring them into this no rules hockey game where big hits rule the day. 3 on 3 NHL Arcade offers 8 Powerups, Online Game modes, Leaderboards and Achievements.

Also available today is Microsoft’s Minesweeper Flags on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. Minesweeper Flags will be available worldwide for 400 Microsoft Points (that’s US$5 / €9.60 / £3.40 / CAN$6.20 / AU$6.60). Minesweeper Flag includes LIVE multiplayer Flags action, exciting achievements, rankings, ratings and true skill. See how you stack up against up to three of your friends in Minesweeper action.

Additionally, there’s a Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X Rio Demo released to give you a preview of Ubisoft’s combat game in the skies, that they say elevates your experience of warfare.

Lastly, formal Avatar clothes are now available in time for Valentine’s day, the men have a dark formal suit and the ladies have a red dress. Both are free.

11 February 2009
by Josh

New study shows excessive game playing doesn’t lead to depression, TV watching does

A new study shows that excessive TV watching by youth will lead to depression later on in young adulthood. The more TV they watch, the more likely they are to suffer from depression as they grow older.

The study was presented in the February issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry which is published by the American Medical Association.

But more interesting to this web-site was a little fact buried within the article that was written by the International Herald Tribune (the global edition of the New York Times). What was that fact?

“There was no association of depression with exposure to video games, videocassettes or radio.”

As for the study itself, they analyzed data from a large pool of 4,142 adolescents who were not depressed at the start of the study. After seven years of follow-up, more than 7 percent had symptoms of depression.

It goes on to say, “But while about 6 percent of those who watched less than three hours a day were depressed, more than 17 percent of those who watched more than nine hours a day had depressive symptoms.”

I found it particularly interesting as a gamer myself (naturally) that gaming did not lead to depression like TV did, ignoring of course the horrible terms used by the article. Who says “videocassette” and “radio” in this day and age? I interpret those terms to mean “movies” and “music” (respectively). They also said “computer games” but we all know what they REALLY meant (so I edited it). But I digress.

Personally I have to say that my younger sister seems to be more and more detached as she borders herself (no not literally) in her room for hours and hours on end watching television. She is in her mid-teens (turning 16 next month) and it is my personal opinion that watching that much TV, especially when it’s brain-rotting MTV drivel, cannot be a healthy thing.

I think that video games avoid what TV causes because of the simple fact that they keep the brain much more active. When playing a video game you are constantly thinking, as your brain sends signals to your fingers telling them to move in a specific way to make your character perform a particular action, something that gamers almost do automatically.

Think about it, even the very basics of a video game are keeping the mind actively involved. You cannot play a game without the brain constantly thinking “I have to move here.”, and this goes for any type of game, from fighting to racing to platform to action adventure to first-person shooter.
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11 February 2009
by Ferry

Call of Duty 5: World at War downloadable content shows up as map pack 1

Call of Duty 5: World at War developer Treyarch and publisher Activision have announced the first downloadable content. A map pack will be released in March 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & Windows PC, and includes three new multiplayer maps, as well as an additional level for the Nazi Zombie bonus co-op mode.

Map Pack 1 is described as follows:

Nightfire
In “Nightfire,” players take to the streets of a war-ravaged Berlin with only the flames of the burning city to expose the enemy.

Station
“Station” offers a bombed out underground train station littered with hidden passageways and destroyed subway cars.

Knee Deep
“Knee Deep” takes place on the island of Peleliu in a once tranquil village turned chaotic Japanese command centre.

Verrückt (Zombie Asylum)
The fan favourite four-player co-op Nazi Zombies Bonus Mode returns with “Verrückt,” a terrifying Zombie asylum featuring more weapons, perks via the addition of Perks-a-Cola machines, electroshock defenses and the endless zombie horde.