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Call of Duty: Black Ops II was the best-selling game in all of 2012 too
As the best-selling game of the month in November and December, Call of Duty: Black Ops II has consistently blown away the competition since its November 13th launch. But seven weeks was all it needed to stand tall as the best-selling game of all of 2012.
The complete list doesn’t include many surprises. Like the list of bestsellers from December 2012, no original games are included in the full-year list. Microsoft’s Halo 4 was the only platform-exclusive title to make the list and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the only 2011 release able to retain its spot in the top ten.
In terms of retail sales, 2012 was a down year for the game industry. Retail sales of games, accessories, and consoles (not counting used games/hardware or downloadable games/content) totaled $13.26 billion, which was off 20% from 2011’s $16.99 billion total. perhaps this Fall’s expected launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 will kickstart the industry in 2013.
The complete 2012 top ten can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Borderlands 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, FIFA Soccer 13, Halo 4, Just Dance 4, Lego Batman 2, Madden NFL 13, NBA 2K13, NPD
CoD Black Ops II was the best-selling game of December 2012
For the second straight month, Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II stands tall as the best-selling game of the month, per The NPD Group’s December 2012 report.
The first person shooter fended off a bevy of sequels including the rest of the top five: Just Dance 4, Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed III, and Madden NFL 13. In fact, not a single non-sequel cracked the top ten last month.
Once again, The NPD Group is reporting (via Game Informer) that game sales and console sales are down relative to 2011 (which was itself down from 2010). Of course, the NPD Group’s inability to track sales of downloadable games makes this statistic less than helpful.
The full top ten from last month can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Far Cry 3, FIFA Soccer 13, Halo 4, Just Dance 4, Madden NFL 13, NBA 2K13, New Super Mario Bros. 2, NPD, Skylanders Giants
The Golden Pixel Awards 2012: Gaming’s Best, Worst, and Everything Else
Welcome to Warp Zoned’s second annual Golden Pixel Awards. It was definitely a good year for gaming. With the fight over Mass Effect 3‘s ending, the resurrection of Sleeping Dogs, and the launch of the Wii U, we were treated to 12 months of interesting stories.
So sit back and relax as we reward the best (and worst) games of 2012 with a series of accolades based on their rather unique accomplishments.
The Apocalypse List
The bombs have fallen, the economy has collapsed, food is scarce, the zombie hordes are scratching at your door, and you’ve boarded yourself up in a bunker that’ll stand for a hundred years. What better way to spend your time in “The Vault” than by playing Warp Zoned’s favorite games from 2012? It doesn’t matter if you call it a “Top Ten List” or “Our Favorites From 2012,” but these are the games we plan to keep playing even if there was no game industry to keep making games. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, Features, Mobile, PC, PS3, Top Story, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Angry Birds Star Wars, Binary Domain, Borderlands 2, Dishonored, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Halo 4, Journey, Lego Lord of the Rings, Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3, Minecraft, Sleeping Dogs, Street Fighter X Mega Man, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, The Walking Dead, Xenoblade Chronicles
Halo 4: Crimson Map Pack Review: Vehicle Lovin’ Fun
The first map pack for Halo 4 is here, and all three battlefields have one thing in common: vehicles. Each one has a plethora of death-dealing machinery for you to ride and enhance your Spartan-blasting pleasure (hmm, I think I’ve been playing this game way too much). So how do the new maps stack up? (more…)
Spike TV VGAs: First season of Halo 4 “Spartan Ops” resumes on January 21
Microsoft and developer 343 Industries revealed that the first season of the Halo 4‘s Spartan Ops campaign will resume on January 21. Five Spartan Ops episodes have already been released and five more are currently planned. And if you’ve been following the story so far, this Spike TV Video Game Awards “World Premiere” trailer is sure to stoke your interest.
The Walking Dead shambles away as the big winner at the 2012 Spike TV VGAs
The tenth annual Spike TV Video Game Awards have been handed out and The Walking Dead has come away the big winner, trouncing more ambitious (and expensive) titles such as Halo 4 and Mass Effect 3.
The episodic adventure game based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series won Game of the Year, Best Adapted Video Game and Best Downloadable Game. Developer Telltale Games also won Studio of the Year while Melissa Hutchinson was honored in the Best Performance By a Human Female category for her role as Clementine.
The other big winner of the night was thatgamecompany’s Journey, which nabbed three awards: Best PS3 Game, Best Independent Game, and Best Original Score. Gearbox’s Borderlands 2 also took home three awards: Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer Game, and Best Performance By a Human Male (Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack). The viewer-voted Best Character award was also given to Borderlands 2’s Claptrap.
Hit the jump for a complete list of winners from this year’s Spike TV Video Game Awards, which also includes XCOM: Enemy Unknown, New Super Mario Bros. U, Sound Shapes, and many others. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2, Dishonored, Grand Theft Auto V, Halo 4, Journey, Mass Effect 3, NBA 2K13, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, New Super Mario Bros. U, Persona 4: Arena, Sound Shapes, SSX, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Walking Dead, XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Call of Duty: Black Ops II nukes the competition in November 2012 NPD report
Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Halo 4 set records in November 2012. The Wii U also opened strong with sales of over 400,000 consoles. And the Christmas rush resulted in big numbers for new releases like Assassin’s Creed III, Just Dance 4, and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. But that still didn’t stop The NPD Group from reporting that retail game sales dropped 11% from November 2011.
“Despite an overall retail video game decline of 11 percent, November had the smallest year-over-year decrease we have seen for dollar and unit sales so far this year. This is a sign of momentum going into the December holiday period,” said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
You can view the complete top ten from last month after the break, and remember, despite what The NPD Group says, the console game market is still in good shape. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, FIFA Soccer 13, Halo 4, Just Dance 4, Madden NFL 13, NBA 2K13, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, NPD, Skylanders Giants, WWE '13
Halo 4: Crimson Map Pack launching on December 10
The first Halo 4 map pack has a release date. Announced by Microsoft today, the Crimson Map Pack will be available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 10.
The Crimson Map Pack has been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and will contain three new maps for Halo 4 players. The pack will also include eight new Achievements worth 250 Gamerscore.
In addition to the Crimson Map Pack, Microsoft will also be adding a new matchtype, Extraction, to Halo 4’s multiplayer options on December 10. Here’s what you can expect from Extraction:
Extraction is a 5 vs. 5 objective-based game type where opposing Spartan teams are tasked with extracting assets from various sites around the map. Once a team has found a site and is in position, they must plant their beacon and protect it from the opposing team while the extraction process occurs. If the defending team remains in control of the beacon, they receive one point, however if the opposing team overtakes the site before extraction is complete, the point goes to them. Once a site has been extracted, a new site becomes available. The first team to extract five points wins.
But wait, there’s more. A new trailer showcasing the Crimson Map Pack has been embedded above and an overview of all three maps (provided by Microsoft) can be found after the break. (more…)