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NCAA Football 12 is the valedictorian of July’s NPD chart
The NPD Group has revealed the top ten bestselling games for the month of July and NCAA Football 12 jumped to the head of the class. None of the rest of the month’s new releases managed to crack the list (including the awesome Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon or the alluring Catherine). Even the heavily-hyped Duke Nukem Forever was unable to maintain its place in the top ten.
With few new releases, only 17 titles were released during the month, gamers spent their money on other things in July. According to The NPD Group’s Anita Frazier, July was the “lowest month [for game sales] since October 2006.”
Maybe that’ll show publishers that the gaming community is pretty desperate for new games in the Summer. So maybe they shouldn’t backload every worthwhile game into the September-November period. In the meantime, check out the full top ten after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged 3DS, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Cars 2, DS, Fallout: New Vegas, Just Dance 2, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Major League Baseball 2K11, Mortal Kombat, NCAA Football 12, New Super Mario Bros., NPD, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, Zumba Fitness
Jordan, Bird, Magic triple-team NBA 2K12 cover
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. 2K Sports has chosen those three legends to grace the three different covers that’ll be available for NBA 2K12. The basketball sim will be available for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.
After the huge success of last year’s Jordan-infused NBA 2K11, expanding the game’s repertoire of hoops legends is a great idea. The looming NBA lockout probably influenced 2K’s decision to stay away from active players as well.
However, I wouldn’t get too attached to the artwork of His Airness. If you look close you’ll see that, instead of his familiar “23” (or even his short-lived “45”), the number on Jordan’s jersey is a “3.” (A second look reveals that the “2” in “23” is there, just pushed all the way to the left.)
Whoops! Hit the (fast) break for a look at all three covers. (more…)
Double Fine begins acquiring the rights to Psychonauts
The exclusive rights to publish Psychonauts, the first game from Tim Schaeffer’s Double Fine Productions, have now reverted to the developer. Although this resulted in a celebratory OMG Tweet from Senior Gameplay Programmer Anna Kipnis, the studio still has a few more deals to work out before they can resume working on the IP. Schaeffer told Gamasutra, “[A]fter that’s all squared away, we will have some fun stuff to announce! (And no, it’s not Psychonauts 2.)”
Released in 2005 for PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, Psychonauts is revered for its unique story and sense of humor that has since become synonymous with Double Fine. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on what those announcements end up being.
Posted in News
Tagged PC, PS2, Psychonauts
See the final box art for Madden NFL 12
Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis vaulted over some stiff competition to earn the right to grace the Madden NFL 12 cover. Today, Hillis has officially been targeted by the Madden Cover Curse as the final box art for the game was revealed. Feel free to click on the image to view a slightly larger version.
Madden NFL 12 will be released for the PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on August 30.
EA unveils E3 2011 lineup; includes multiple unannounced projects
Electronic Arts has caught the E3 fever and the only cure is an hour-long show on Spike TV!
Geoff Keighley of GameTrailers TV will host “Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview,” a live broadcast of EA’s 2011 E3 press conference. The photogenic game journalist will be joined by EA CEO John Riccitiello and several of the publisher’s development teams to unveil their E3 lineup:
- Experience an explosive, never-before-seen demo of Battlefield 3
- Travel across the galaxy for a look at Commander Shepard’s final voyage in Mass Effect 3
- Hit the pitch for a first look at FIFA Soccer 12
- Discover what’s new in Madden NFL 12
- Shred the mountains in the world premiere look at SSX
- Experience the high-speed thrills of Need For Speed: The Run
- Star Wars: The Old Republic and multiple “unannounced projects” will also be revealed during the broadcast
Gamechangers will air live on Spike TV on Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM (Eastern Time).
Posted in News
Tagged 3DS, Battlefield 3, E3 2011, FIFA Soccer 12, Madden NFL 12, Mass Effect 3, Need For Speed: The Run, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, SSX, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Wii, Xbox 360
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…)
Your Madden NFL 12 Cover Athlete: Peyton Hillis
Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis didn’t just win the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote, he demolished his competition, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. The Madden NFL 2004 coverboy only managed to capture 34% of the vote to Hillis’ 66%. Hillis had an impressive 2010-2011 season, but this vote was clearly a huge upset.
All told, more than 12,000,000 votes were cast throughout the entire tournament and Hillis steamrolled some pretty hefty competition (including head-to-head victories over Ray Rice, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles and Aaron Rodgers).
Madden NFL 12 (with Peyton Hillis on the cover) will be released for the PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on August 30.
Michael Vick, Peyton Hillis fight for Madden NFL 12 cover
And then there were two.
The voting for the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete is down to the end and only Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis remain.
Hillis defeated the heavily favored Aaron Rodgers to reach the finals while Vick ended the cinderella dreams of Adrian Peterson. A Vick victory would give the formerly incarcerated quarterback his second Madden cover appearance while Hillis has run over some of the biggest names in pro football to reach the finals. I think it’s safe to say that few people picked either of these guys to make it this far.
Final round voting will continue from now until Monday, April 25. The winner will be announced on April 27th during ESPN 2’s “SportsNation.”