Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Xbox 360
Almost three years after its release, GTA5 was NPD’s best-selling game in July 2016
With a sweltering Summer in full swing, game publishers mostly skipped the month of July. And nowhere is this more evident than the monthly NPD ranking of best-selling games, which was topped by Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, a game that was originally released almost three years ago. The only new release to crack the top ten in July was Capcom’s Monster Hunter Generations, which claimed the #4 spot.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD analyst Sam Naji said: “Lack of strong new titles for the month resulted with poor comparison with last July’s Batman: Arkham Knight with consumers spending 14 percent less year-on-year on hardware, software and accessories. However, the release of Monster Hunter: Generations and the price drop for the 2DS helped to bolster spending for 3DS and 2DS hardware by 44%”
While brand new titles were a rare sight in the NPD’s July 2016 top ten, new-ish titles like Overwatch (#2), Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (#3), and Doom (#8) continue to be popular with shoppers.
The NPD Group continued their foray into tracking sales of digital downloads last month, though Capcom, Mojang, Bethesda, and Blizzard (for Battle.net sales) chose not to participate.
A full look at July 2016’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
New Retail Releases: Madden NFL 17, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, King of Fighters XIV, More
It’s FOOTBALL time ladies and gentlemen, which means it’s also time for EA Sports to release the next yearly installment in the Madden NFL franchise. Madden NFL 17 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this Tuesday, and Rob Gronkowski will adorn on the cover. This year, the development team at Tiburon focused on improving Madden’s famed Franchise Mode, so the hardcore statheads should be very happy.
EA also teamed up with Microsoft to offer an Xbox One S + Madden NFL 17 Bundle for fans looking to upgrade their Xbox One console. And if you’re not a sports fan, Microsoft will also launch an Xbox One S + Halo Collection Bundle this week.
Over in a completely separate corner of your local game store is this week’s other big launch… Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Square Enix and Eidos Montreal will release the next chapter in their futuristic story of technologically-augmented humans (and the people who hate them) for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Finally this week, SNK and Atlus will team up to bring The King of Fighters XIV to the PS4. The King of Fighters series gets a graphical overhaul in this 14th installment (not counting spinoffs), with 50 fighters set to battle it out in one of the franchise’s biggest games ever.
Don’t forget to check back later this week to learn all about the latest additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Madden NFL 17, The King of Fighters XIV
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wins 2016 “Best of Gamescom” Award
After winning a basketful of “Best of E3” awards earlier this year, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has similarly dominated the conversation at Gamescom. Link’s next adventure won two Gamescom Awards this year… “Best Wii U Game” and the coveted “Best of Gamescom.”
Several other games were also big winners at the European gaming convention including For Honor (“Best PlayStation 4 Game” and “Best PC Game”), Sea of Thieves (“Best Xbox One Game” and “Best Multiplayer Game”), and Battlefield 1 (“Best Action Game” and the “Most Wanted Consumer Award”).
The full list of winners and nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Watch Von Miller outdance Justin Bieber for Madden NFL 17 commercial
Von Miller is the NFL’s lovable goofball, and the All-Pro linebacker showed off some of his newest moves for a new Madden NFL 17 commercial. Believe it or not, the ad is actually a parody of Justin Bieber’s music video for “Sorry.” But instead of a musical apology, Miller is asking fans to “Start Me” and build their team around his defensive wizardry.
Miller has reason to be excited as EA Sports gave 110% to improving the Franchise Mode in Madden NFL 17, and it’s the subject of an epic-length “Kickoff Live” stream the publisher hosted yesterday. The game’s developers also showcased an extensive amount of gameplay footage, as well as “Madden Ultimate Team, Draft Champions, Madden Mobile and much more.”
Madden NFL 17 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on August 23. And you can check out a replay of the entire “Kickoff Live” stream after the break. (more…)
36 more wrestlers added to WWE 2K17 including “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Oh yeah! Randy Savage, better known as “The Macho Man” to wrestling fans the world over, will be joining the WWE 2K17 roster this October. His inclusion was announced as part of this week’s “Suplex City Census” update, which also featured 35 other WWE superstars who are now officially part of the game:
|
|
This week’s update features a lot of names from the WWE’s late 80s heyday including “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Shawn Michaels, and Bam Bam Bigelow. But this is balanced out by a large batch of current WWE superstars including AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, and Stardust.
2K Games will release WWE 2K17 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 11. We can expect to get another “Suplex City Census” update next week, but in the meantime, check out a new entrance video from the game featuring The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E).
Please rise and watch the 1992 Dream Team challenge the 2016 Men’s Olympic Basketball Team in NBA 2K17
After all the panic and worry, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio kicked off without a hitch and Team USA seems to be doing pretty well on the basketball court. Their 3-0 record includes a 98-88 victory over Australia, and they’ll take on Serbia this Friday, before closing out the Group Phase with a contest against France on Sunday. But first, 2K Games wants everyone to get excited for NBA 2K17 with this new trailer pitting the current National Team against the 1992 Dream Team.
So please rise for the “Star Spangled Banner” and watch as virtual versions of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird take on Kevin Dyurant, Carmelo Anthony, and NBA 2K17 cover athlete Paul George.
NBA 2K17 will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 20. However, the 1992 Dream Team is only available in the game as a pre-order bonus. But on the plus side, you’ll receive NBA 2K17 four days early in a special “Tip-Off Edition” that’ll be released on September 16.
2K Games adds 41 wrestlers to WWE 2K17’s roster
2K Games has partnered with IGN to create the “Suplex City Census,” a promotion that’ll unveil the roster of playable wrestlers in WWE 2K17 over the next few weeks.
So far, more than 40 wrestlers have been added to the game’s roster including current WWE superstars like Triple H, R-Truth, and Daniel Bryan. The roster will also feature a healthy number of former champions including Andrew the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, and Bret “Hitman” Hart.
Every wrestler announced as part of the “Suplex City Census” can be found right here:
Playable Wrestlers in WWE 2K17 Announced on August 2
|
Playable Wrestlers in WWE 2K17 Announced on August 9
|
WWE 2K17 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 11.
Puff Daddy is curating WWE 2K17’s in-game soundtrack
Two years ago, John Cena and Wiz Khalifa teamed up to create the soundtrack for WWE 2K15. This year, 2K Games called up Sean Combs, better known to the public as “Puff Daddy,” to curate the in-game soundtrack for WWE 2K17.
“I am a huge WWE fan. I love the intensity and the competition and I wanted fans to feel that energy in the soundtrack for WWE 2K17,” said Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. “While prepping for the upcoming Bad Boy 20-Year Family Reunion Tour, I’ve been thinking a lot about the past and the artists that inspired me. I mixed some of my favorites with some of the best new acts in the game today to create something really special.”
Combs selected 13 songs for the game’s soundtrack from “established and emerging artists” from the hip-hop, indie and alternative rock, heavy metal, and electronic dance worlds. Here’s the complete tracklist:
WWE 2K17 Soundtrack
- Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ (Featuring Rico Love) – “What About The Rest Of Us”
- Anderson Paak – “Come Down”
- Andy Black – “We Don’t Have To Dance”
- Axwell Λ Ingrosso – “This Time”
- Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”
- Bring Me The Horizon – “Run”
- FIDLAR – “Drone”
- French Montana (Featuring Kojak Black) – “Lockjaw”
- Ishi (Featuring French Montana, Wale, and Raekwon) – “We Run”
- P. Diddy, Black Rob, and Mark Curry – “Bad Boy For Life”
- Travis Barker and Yelawolf – “Out of Control”
- Twenty One Pilots – “Ride”
- Yellow Claw (Featuring Lil Eddie) – “We Made It”
WWE 2K17, which will be released on October 11, is in development at Yuke’s and Visual Concepts for the PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.