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EA, 2K dominate October’s best-selling games list as Battlefield 1, Mafa III lead the way
More games get released in October than any other month (though November is probably close), so it shouldn’t be surprising that megapublishers like Electronic Arts and 2K Games nearly ran the table with the NPD Group’s monthly best-sellers report.
EA’s Battlefield 1 took the top spot, and the publisher placed three other games in the top ten including FIFA 17 (#4), Titanfall 2 (#9), and Madden NFL 17 (#10). 2K Games had an equally strong month, thanks to Mafia III making gamers an offer they couldn’t refuse (and the #2 spot on the list). It was followed by NBA 2K17 (#5), WWE 2K17 (#7), and Civilization VI (#8).
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD’s Sam Naji said that overall industry revenues were up 6% in October 2016, though hardware and accessories aren’t selling as well as they did a year ago.
The full Top 10 from October 2016 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Battlefield 1, Civilization VI, FIFA 17, Gears of War 4, Madden NFL 17, Mafia III, NBA 2K17, NPD, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, TitanFall 2, WWE 2K17
Xbox Store Today: Gears of War 4 Ultimate Edition, Mafia III, Rogue Stormers, more
Happy Friday everyone! Four new games were added to the Xbox Games Store today, and the quartet includes one particular title that Xbox fans have been waiting for for a long time.
Gears of War 4: Ultimate Edition is the first new game in the Gears of War franchise completely under Microsoft’s control and it is now available to download for the Xbox One. Taking place a generation after the war with the Locust, players will follow JD Fenix and his friends as the battle “a monstrous new enemy.” In addition to Gears of War 4, the Ultimate Edition will include the game’s Season Pass and other downloadable content. And everyone who downloads the game through the Xbox Games Store will also receive access to the game on Windows 10 PCs.
Monsters also exist in the world of Mafia III, and while they don’t have fangs or tentacles, they’re no less dangerous. Developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games, Mafia III is an Xbox One that stars Lincoln Clay, an orphan and Vietnam veteran who battles the organized crime families of New Bordeaux (a stand-in for New Orleans) in the late 60s.
Clay and his crew often employ a heavy arsenal of guns, just as the stars of Rogue Stormers do. Available to download now for the Xbox One, Rogue Stormers is a steampunk-styled side-scrolling shooter with roguelike elements from Black Forest Games, as players try to vanquish “the ultimate evil threatening Ravensdale.”
Finally this week, One Hundred Ways is puzzling game for the Xbox One where players have to guide a ball to its goal.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Gears of War 4, Mafia III, Rogue Stormers
Mafia III, Space Hulk Ascension, Rogue Stormers, more added to PS Store
Sony is making PS4 owners an offer they can’t refuse with this week’s PlayStation Store update.
2K Games leads things off with Mafia III, their 60s-set tale of organized crime and the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Taking place in New Bordeaux, a stand-in for New Orleans, players will take on the role of Lincoln Clay as he takes on the Italian Mafia.
Also available this week is Space Hulk: Ascension, a turn-based strategy game based on the popular tabletop experience. But the PS4 adaptation adds “new RPG style mechanics, additional weapons, enemy types, an all-new chapter, and loads of other new features.”
Finally this week, Rogue Stormers is a new side-scrolling shooter with a roguelike twist from Black Forest Games.
A full list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break, and a rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts is available at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Mafia III, Rogue Stormers
New Retail Releases: Gears of War 4 Ultimate, Mafia III, Paper Mario Color Splash, More
After a brief surge in September, the “Fall Gaming Season” continues to ramp up with a trickle of big new releases during this first week of October.
It’s likely that none of this week’s new games will be bigger than Gears of War 4, which Microsoft is releasing in an Ultimate Edition ahead of its official launch next week. Fans will return to Sera alongside a new generation of heroes on the PC and Xbox One, and they’ll do it in style. The Ultimate Edition of Gears of War 4 will include a copy of the game, the Season Pass, and download codes for all four Gears of War games on the Xbox 360 (and yes, they’re backwards compatible).
If you’re looking to upgrade your Xbox One experience, Microsoft will also offer an Xbox One S 2TB + Gears of War 4 Limited Edition Console Bundle that includes a digital copy of the game, the Season Pass, download codes for the Xbox 360’s Gears of War title, and a custom “Crimson Omen” Xbox One S and Controller.
Not to be outdone, 2K Games will launch it’s own action epic that focuses on a new generation with Mafia III. Set to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Mafia III is set more than 20 years after the second game in the franchise and relocates the action to New Bordeaux, a stand-in for New Orleans. Mixing the cultural upheaval caused by the Vietnam War with era-appropriate music, 2K wants to give a different kind of organized crime experience with Mafia III.
If you’re looking for something a bit more colorful, Nintendo will release Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U this week. The RPG gives Mario a Paint Hammer and asks him to restore color to Prism Island. I don’t know if Nintendo was trying to make a comment on the current state of AAA games, but releasing Color Splash on the same day as Gears of War 4 is a rather obvious bit of counter-programming.
Finally this week, a trio of lower-profile games will be available on store shelves including Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack (a compilation of the 3DS platform shooter series from Inti Creates), Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide (a co-op survival game set in the Warhammer universe for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One), and Rocksmith 2014 Remastered (an updated version of the music tutor for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One).
That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with details on all the new downloadable additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Azure Striker Gunvolt, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Gears of War 4, Mafia III, Paper Mario: Color Splash
Check out Mafia III’s very cinematic E3 2016 trailer right here
Mafia III developer Hangar 13 didn’t want to give fans of the franchise the same old Sicilian mob story that’s been told and retold since the days of The Godfather. Instead, they relocated the action down to New Bordeaux, a New Orleans stand-in, and put players in control of Lincoln Clay, an African-American veteran of the Vietnam War. Prospective players will get to see just how different it is in the E3 2016 trailer embedded above.
Mafia III’s Creative Director is Haden Blackman, a developer who previously worked at LucasArts and helped produce Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. If this trailer is any indication, Blackman has still got a flair for the cinematic and is putting it to good use at Hangar 13.
Mafia III will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 7.
Mafia III’s Collector’s Edition embraces the 60s by including a 2-LP vinyl soundtrack
Mafia III is getting a groovy Collector’s Edition this Fall that includes not one, but two, soundtrack albums on vinyl.
The first album features a small sampling of Mafia III’s full in-game soundtrack, but the inclusion of The Rolling Stones’s “Paint It Black,” Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower,” and The Animals’s “The House of the Rising Sun” is certainly representative of the decade. A complete track listing for the soundtrack can be found after the break. Meanwhile, the second album will present “the flavor” of Mafia III’s New Orleans-like setting to listeners with Jesse Harlin and Jim Bonney’s score.
But don’t worry, even if you’re not a vinyl aficionado, the Mafia III Collector’s Edition will include a large batch of goodies:
Mafia III Collector’s Edition
- Exclusive Two-LP Vinyl Soundtrack and Score Collection: One disc features some of the 60s’ greatest hit makers and the artists that inspired them – and this is just a small sampling of the 100-plus song in-game soundtrack. This eclectic mix of Rock, Rhythm and Blues, and Pop, all colliding against a backdrop of war, civil unrest, and sweeping social changes that defined the 1960s.
- Exclusive Collectible Art Prints: Two frame-worthy prints from Playboy and the Alberto Vargas Estate representing the vast collection of art for players to discover in-game.
- The Art of Mafia III Collectible Art Book: A 56-page book examining the creation of New Bordeaux, the new world fashioned after New Orleans in the summer of 1968.
- Lincoln Clay Replica Dog Tags: 1960’s US military issue replicas, these are the tags of a combat-hardened Vietnam vet fueled by the need for military-grade revenge against the Italian Mafia
- Faux Leather Establishment Drink Coasters: Take a break from your revenge spree with a drink – and park them on these coasters. They represent the Paradiso Casino and Sammy’s in-game criminal establishments.
Mafia III will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 7. (more…)
Get your revenge in Mafia III on October 7
2K Games is heading down to N’awlins (excuse me, New Bordeaux) this October to treat PC, PS4, and Xbox One owners to the blood-soaked tale of revenge at the center of Mafia III. Set in the swingin’ sixties, a new Story Trailer for the game gives us another glimpse into Lincoln Clay’s war on the organized crime families that ruined his life:
Mafia III is set in the open world of 1968 New Bordeaux, a reimagined version of New Orleans bustling with activity and complete with era-inspired cars, fashion and music. After years of combat in Vietnam, Lincoln Clay knows this truth: family isn’t who you’re born with, it’s who you die for. Now, back home in New Bordeaux, Lincoln is set on escaping his criminal past. But when his surrogate family, the black mob, is betrayed and wiped out by the Italian Mafia, Lincoln builds a new family from the ashes of the old and blazes a path of military-grade revenge through those responsible. Intense gun fights, visceral hand-to-hand combat, white-knuckle driving, hard choices and street smarts will all be required to survive the mean streets of New Bordeaux. But with the right crew, it’s possible to make it to the top of the city’s underworld.
Mafia III is in development at Hangar 13, and the developer plans to release a number of downloadable add-ons and expansions for the game after its launch. A Season Pass will be available, and a special Deluxe Edition (priced at $79.99) will bundle together the main game and the Season Pass. A Collector’s Edition (Retail Price: $149.99) is also in the works, and it’ll include the main game, the Season Pass, the original game score on vinyl, a collectible art book, art prints, and more. Everyone who pre-orders any version of Mafia III will receive the Family Kick-Back Pack, which will contain three exclusive vehicles and weapons.
“Mafia III introduces a true open world, rich with its own criminal ecosystems to the franchise, while still upholding the strong narrative storytelling and immersive setting that the previous Mafia games are known for,” said Haden Blackman, Studio Head and Creative Director at Hangar 13. “New Bordeaux in 1968 provides a unique and powerful backdrop for our hard-boiled story of crime, betrayal, loyalty and revenge.”
Developers from Hangar 13 will travel to Boston this weekend for the annual PAX East convention. The Saturday panel, “Defining a New Era of Organized Crime,” will explore how the team brought the franchise into the modern day and what it was like creating a new protagonist to take on the Italian mob.
Mafia III will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 7.
Mafia III explores organized crime in 1968 New Orleans next year
As promised, 2K Games released the first trailer today for Mafia III at the Gamescom expo in Germany. The accompanying announcement also includes plenty of details about the storyline, which takes place in New Orleans in 1968. And you know its 1968 because most of the action in the trailer is scored to “House of the Rising Sun.”
Rather than follow a foot soldier’s rise in La Cosa Nostra, Mafia III flips the player’s perspective and follows Lincoln Clay, “a disenfranchised Vietnam veteran” who is at war with the Sicilian Mob.
Mafia III follows the story of Lincoln Clay, a disenfranchised Vietnam veteran, returning from combat and looking for a home and a place to belong. Orphaned as a child, Lincoln at last achieves a semblance of family with the city’s black mob, finding the surrogate father and brother he has longed for. But when Lincoln’s new family is betrayed and slaughtered by the Italian mob, he becomes fixated on revenge and wages a brutal war against the Italians, disrupting the balance of power in the seedy underworld of New Orleans. As the story progresses, Lincoln allies himself with other criminals and builds an empire and a new family of his own that transforms the city.
As Clay, players will be able to “choose their [own] path” when building their crime syndicate. And their revenge can be exacted through “cunning, stalking, and deception” or through “overwhelming force and firepower.” If the trailer is to be believed, players will even be able to feed rivals to crocodiles.
“The Mafia franchise is known for its immersive sense of time and place, and for presenting compelling stories about life within organized crime,” said Haden Blackman, the game’s Creative Director. “In Mafia III, we are introducing players to an unexpected new anti-hero and an iconic city to explore, all within a hard-boiled drama set during one of the most turbulent years in American history.”
Mafia III is in development at Hangar 13 and will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in 2016.