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Most Recent: DS
Mortal Kombat decapitates the competition in April NPD report
It’s no secret that the video game community has responded to NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat reboot with a resounding “I love it.” But like Shao Kahn taunting a clearly inferior kombatant, the game also emerged on top of The NPD Group’s April 2011 sales report. And according to a tweet from Kombat creator Ed Boon, the game sold over 1,000,000 copies during the month. Flawless victory indeed.
April 19’s other big release, Portal 2, teleported its way to the top of the list with a strong #2 showing. Of course, it’s important to point out that a good portion of Portal 2’s sales were digital downloads through Steam, which isn’t counted by the NPD.
But the biggest surprise from last month’s top ten might be the absence of Sony’s SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs. The online shooter was also released on April 19th, one day before hackers took down the PSN. The service has yet to return and its offline status definitely contributed to SOCOM 4’s lackluster sales.
Hit the jump for the complete top ten of April’s bestselling games. (more…)
Pokemon Black/White Review: You Can Catch It, But It’s Certainly Not a Legendary
Pokemon games follow a pretty simple formula: you live in a world full of pocket monsters that exist in harmony with humans. Your character is a pretty typical kid who wants to go out on adventures in Unova and become a Pokemon trainer. You’re entrusted with a Pokedex and told to fill it. On the way, you make enemies and friends, battle ace trainers and campers, and, of course, catch a ton of Pokemon – preferably all of them, if you’re so inclined/psychotic. But Pokemon Black and White introduce a new factor to the equation – a coherent storyline, with plot twists and all. The question is – does this add or detract from the series we’ve come to know and love? (more…)
Posted in DS, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Pokemon Black/White
MDK 2 blasts onto Wii Shop today
One of the greatest action games of all-time, MDK 2, will be blasting its way onto the Wii Shop Channel today. More than a simple Virtual Console re-release, the game has been rebuilt for the Wii and Interplay has released the game as a full WiiWare title.
The DSiWare Shop will receive a trio of new games today, but none as cool as MDK 2. They include Mighty Milky Way, a puzzler from WayForward; GO Series: Tower of Deus, a dark and atmospheric 2D platformer; and Whack-A-Friend, a whack-a-mole game that uses the faces of your friends.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
New Releases: Brink, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, MX vs ATV Alive, More
After moving up its launch date up week, Bethesda and Splash Damage are ready to release their parkour-inspired shooter Brink on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
If you’d rather travel by sea, then you should know that Disney and Lego Captain Jack Sparrow will release Lego Pirates of the Caribbean on every current system (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360) this week. Perhaps wall running and boating aren’t for you. Then you’d be well to know that THQ is bringing their latest off-road racing title, MX vs ATV Alive, to the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week.
Moving on from the “ways to get around” theme, Sega has Virtua Tennis 4 set to be released on the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 while Deep Silver is bringing Duke Nukem: Critical Mass to the DS. Let’s hope it doesn’t take forever for our next helping of Duke.
Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Brink, Duke Nukem: Critical Mass, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, MX vs ATV Alive, Virtua Tennis 4
The Balcony is Closed: Whatever Happened to the Licensed Game?
In case there was any doubt, Thor and his mighty hammer have officially opened the 2011 Summer movie season today. What will follow is four months of blockbusters that will be heavy on action and even heavier on reviews comparing their visuals to video games. But as Hollywood and Redmond trade ideas back and forth, the once great institution that is the licensed game has gone by the wayside.
Okay, “once great institution” might be the nostalgia talking, but licensed games were always plentiful, even if they weren’t always good games. We all know the story of Atari practically bankrupting themselves to produce the woefully bad E.T. game for the Atari 2600. And Acclaim’s history of low review scores (and eventual bankruptcy) could be attributed to the company’s string of licensed games.
But titles like GoldenEye and The Chronicles of Riddick prove that a licensed game doesn’t have to be a cheaply made cash-in. They can be classics. Yet their number is decreasing, even as gamemakers have embraced the trappings of Hollywood during the development process. (more…)
The Next Level: The Games of May 2011
After a wild April that saw major havoc being wreaked on the PlayStation Network and several high profile releases in Mortal Kombat, Portal 2 and SOCOM 4, it’ll be hard for May to compete. And with a slew of delays, the already slim May slate has gotten even slimmer over the last few weeks. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t on the brink of something big. So join us in la-la-land for a look at what we want to play in May: (more…)
Nintendo Download: Bingo Party Deluxe, Rival Turf!, more
It’s Monday morning and the weekly Nintendo Download is here, on schedule and as uneventful as ever.
This week sees the release of Bingo Party Deluxe on the Wii Shop Channel and Rival Turf! (formerly of the Super NES) on the Virtual Console.
The DSiWare Shop has received a trio of new games: priate puzzle-action game Ikibago; the action RPG Anonymous Notes: Chapter 2 – From The Abyss; and the slef-explanatory Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
New Releases: MotorStorm Apocalypse, Thor, More
May 3rd, 2011… a day that will be remembered as the day the world should have ended. The day Duke Nukem Forever would have been released. OK, it’s not quite that bleak, the Duke is still on track for a June return. But still…
Anyway, this week still has plenty of world-ending events as Sony will release MotorStorm Apocalypse for the PS3. Sadly, due to the ApocalyPS3, online play through the PSN might not be in the cards on launch day.
Sticking with the end of the world theme is Asgard’s herald of the heavens, The Mighty Thor! He’ll headline his first film this Friday, but you can also check out the tie-in game, Thor: God of Thunder, on the DS, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 this week.
Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged MotorStorm Apocalypse, Thor: God of Thunder