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FIFA 11 has third largest debut on UK charts, rushes top spot
Like a bowl of comforting chicken soup, FIFA 11 premiered at the top of the UK all formats chart. According to Chart-Track, the game had the third-largest debut in UK chart history, unseating previous bronze holder FIFA 10's first week by 21 percent in unit sales and 36 percent in revenue. Chart-Track also states that the top two premieres belong to CoD: Modern Warfare 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. We followed up with Chart-Track because this information doesn't exactly jive with details it provided a couple weeks back. At the time, FIFA 10 wasn't even mentioned in the top three and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was in the third spot. Turns out there are two charts the company is tracking, one that's "individual formats" and the other is "combined formats." We've placed both after the break for clarification. Surprise winner last week, F1 2010, lost its pole position and slipped into second. Dead Rising 2 maintained its third place with the help of a chainsaw paddle, while Halo: Reach began its slow fall down the charts, slipping two spots to fourth. Moving up a spot and rounding out the top five is Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, showing the rhythm genre has life in the UK beyond Just Dance (#12). Check out the UK's top ten after the break.
Capcom reduces fiscal forecast due to Lost Planet 2 shortfall
Capcom has adjusted its earnings outlook for the current fiscal year, ending March 31, 2011. Despite some promising sales numbers in Japan from Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes and the Japan-only Monster Hunter spinoff Monhan Nikki Pokapoka Airu Mura, the publisher is expecting 91 billion yen in net sales this year ($1.09 billion) instead of the previous estimate of 95 billion ($1.14 billion). Contributing factors to the falling forecast include the rising yen vs. the dollar and euro, the one-month delay of Dead Rising 2, and continued fallout from underperformance of Lost Planet 2. On a happier note, this reduced forecast is still much better than the 66.84 billion yen Capcom pulled in last year.
Metareview: Dead Rising 2
In our review of Dead Rising 2 we said the game "doesn't stray from the core principle of the original." That's a running theme in many reviews. If you thought the original Dead Rising just needed more of everything (pus-filled zombie warts and all), with the addition of a weapon creation system, it seems your purchase of the game is good to go. Game Informer (95/100): "Even after playing for dozens of hours, you'll still find new things in Dead Rising 2. ... This game is designed for multiple playthroughs, and I'm looking forward to each and every one of them." Gamespot (85/100): "Dead Rising 2 delicately balances wanton destruction with thoughtful objectives. Just about every aspect of this game is entertaining, ensuring that you're having a good time whether you're fighting psychopaths, rescuing survivors, or just trying to find hidden secrets." 1UP (B+): "Dead Rising 2 has annoying technical flaws and uninteresting boss battles. But the ability to jump into a friend's game while wearing a Borat-inspired mankini and a Servbot helmet with a lawnmower blade strapped on top help you quickly forget those problems." Eurogamer (80/100): "Despite the low-level irritations, Dead Rising 2's focus and determination win you over. Its assured grasp of what the game is and what it isn't is worth celebrating. The harder edges of the first game have been softened a little, no doubt thanks to the involvement of a Western studio." Giant Bomb (3/5): "But it's the other stuff--the still messy survivor AI and poorly built boss battles--that really mars the Dead Rising 2 experience. It's not an impossible game to love, but as with the first game, you'll have to look past a lot of blemishes to find happiness." %Gallery-103993%
Dead Rising 2's ZQ magazine lets you 'stay sharp, die smart'
Reviewer's guides are not uncommon for new games, but Capcom gets an A+ for the effort put into the guide for Dead Rising 2. "ZQ" is a magazine that not only offers hints and tips for a trek through Fortune City, but goes the extra mile with flavor text and advertisements that make the zombie-infested world feel entirely real.
Dead Rising 2 review: Duct tape beats everything
Sifting through my inventory, I scroll past flaming boxing gloves, a sledgehammer duct-taped to a pair of fire axes, a makeshift lightsaber (two of those, actually) and a box of french fries. Four survivors -- two of whom I've armed with assault rifles -- are trailing behind me, weaving through the zombie-free path I've literally carved for them. Soon I bring them all back to safety, netting me a cool 168,000 Prestige Points. I level up. Twice. I barely notice, since I can't stop wondering how to combine this wheelchair with the lawn mower I found in hardware. %Gallery-103437%
F1 2010 races past Halo, Dead Rising 2 and Civ 5 on UK charts
It would seem the long-awaited return of Formula One racing to high-def consoles is more welcome than a doomed planet, a zombie-filled casino and even civilization itself, with Codemasters' F1 2010 taking the pole position on the UK charts last week. According to Chart-Track, the game didn't just take first -- it lapped the competition, beating sales of Halo: Reach and Dead Rising 2 combined. Reach lost its grasp on first, with an 80 percent drop in sales, while Dead Rising 2 premiered in third. Civilization 5 debuted in fourth, though it's worth noting that Chart-Track (like NPD in the States) doesn't track those nebulous digital distribution sales. Rounding out the top five is Sony Move's apparent breakout title: Sports Champions. Other premieres on the charts this week were Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock at sixth and Final Fantasy XIV in tenth. Dependable top ten titles Just Dance and Red Dead Redemption are out, dropping to eleventh and sixteenth place, respectively. Check out the top ten UK titles after the break.
Dead Rising 2 asks 'What Would Chuck Do?'
The short answer to "What Would Chuck Do?" in Dead Rising 2 is: Murder the undead. But perhaps you'd like to see the long answer play out in the latest trailer for the game? Good, 'cause we've got it for you here. (Oh, and part of the answer involves giant teddy bears -- just so you know.)
Dead Rising 2 launch trailer shows 'creativity kills'
Ah, duct tape. So versatile. In fact, so important that the United States government has it listed as an official item in the basic emergency supply kit. Dead Rising 2's Chuck Greene was prepared, as evidenced by this launch trailer for the zom-pocalypse action game.
Dead Rising 2: Case West brings photography back
Faaaaaantastic! Dead Rising 2: Case West will feature everyone's favorite zombie-bashing photojournalist, practicing his craft by immortalizing the undead in still pictures. Developer Blue Castle Games' president, Rob Barrett, recently told Eurogamer that Frank West's return in the sequel's DLC epilogue would be accompanied by photography gameplay. Of course, West isn't there just to snap photos -- he'll join in the survival adventure co-op style. Dead Rising 2's $5 prologue Case Zero has been successful for Capcom, selling over half a million downloads in two weeks. The core Dead Rising 2 game shambles to North American retail next week, on September 28th. It'll be interesting to see if the demo-consuming hoard is still ravenous for the full experience.
Play it again, Frank! Dead Rising 2: Case West trailer, screenshots
Here's why complaining about sequels is tough. When a company makes a sequel, gaming zealots get upset. When they decide to try something new and ditch the main character for some new guy, fans get upset. Guys, you can't have it both ways! Except you can, as Capcom evidenced by revealing its Xbox Live-exclusive "epilogue" Dead Rising 2: Case West. In this downloadable extension to this month's zombie-filled sequel, Frank and new guy Chuck team up to mess up some zombies. See what they're up to in the trailer after the break, or the screens right there. %Gallery-102314%
Blue Castle Games acquired by Capcom
Capcom apparently really liked Blue Castle Games' work on Dead Rising 2, as the publisher just revealed at TGS that it has purchased the Canadian developer. Keiji Inafune, Managing Corporate Officer of Capcom, said the publisher made the acquisition because the future of Capcom will require working with other developers on games that feel like they were made in Japan, but also have that Western je ne sais quoi. The studio will henceforth be known as Capcom Game Studios Vancouver. Taking the stage after the announcement, Rob Barret, president/CEO of Blue Castle Games, said, "We take this responsibility very seriously. Capcom games have a certain flavor ... we don't just want to make amazing games, we want to make amazing Capcom games." Phew, that's a relief. Good thing Capcom bought the company then -- would have been awkward if Blue Castle wanted to make amazing Konami games.
'Dead Rising 2: Case West' epilogue revealed, Xbox 360 exclusive
Capcom just announced at TGS that the Dead Rising 2: Case Zero prologue sold over 500,000 copies in under 2 weeks. With that knowledge, one can understand why they'd do an epilogue such as: Dead Rising 2: Case West. Keiji Inafune revealed that the downloadable episode will take place after the events of Dead Rising 2 and, as teased, will feature Frank West (of the original Dead Rising) working with latest protaganist Chuck Greene. Inafune concluded, "Apologies to PS3 fans, but this too will be an Xbox 360 exclusive." We'll update as we learn more.
Frank West teased in Dead Rising 2 viral blog
In a recent post on Capcom's viral site for Dead Rising 2, fictitious Fortune City denizen "Johnny Pipes" tells the tale of his search for sweets amid the zombie horde and a Chuck Greene spotting along the way. When Pipes started snapping pics of Greene with his camera phone, though, Greene took off. Never one to shy away from danger, Pipes pursued Greene and evidently noticed another gentleman (of the non-zombie variety) at his side: Is that Frank West? Outside of the tale and a very, very blurry shot of the duo fighting zombies side by side (seen above), the Tape It or Die post doesn't give out hard details on whether we can expect to see the first game's star in DR2 -- perhaps as an additional player in the game's co-op mode? We can't be sure just yet, but Pipes' story indicates that West's camera could also make a return. Sure, he's shot wars before, but has West shot Chuck Greene plowing through a crowd of the undead with chainsaws attached to a wheelchair? Yeah, didn't think so.
Capcom hosts a Dead Rising 2 party at Greene's Hardware
Capcom rented out some empty retail space in East Los Angeles last night to set up Greene's Hardware. The company invited the public by for a "Super Sale," and held a pre-release party instead. Lots of Dead Rising 2's best implements were on display out front, and in back, the full game was playable on a roomful of demo units. The pizza and soda flowed freely, and Capcom held a few contests -- participants were tasked with building actual zombie-killing items out of plastic toys, and they came up with a few good ideas, including a plastic sword shuriken and some sort of pencil stabbing thing (it looked very effective). Winners took home the prize above -- a Dead Rising 2 t-shirt cleverly disguised as a roll of duct tape. You can browse through all the festivities in the gallery below. %Gallery-101937%
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero downloaded over 300K times
According to GamerBytes, leaderboard data shows that Dead Rising 2: Case Zero was downloaded over 300,000 times (328,290 at the time of writing). Even with Microsoft's alleged 30 percent cut, one can estimate that Capcom made roughly $1.15 million off the experiment in less than a week. Publisher Capcom insisted on its blog that "these are NOT official numbers," though we think they serve as a good, early indication of success. Two interesting things are at play here: Will the Case Zero experiment usher in a new type of demo experience? And if sales for Dead Rising 2 fall below expectations, will Capcom place the blame on a $5 demo that proved a little too satisfying? %Gallery-100734%
Dead Rising 2's Keiji Inafune and his desire to 'replace the Resident Evil franchise'
"The goal for Dead Rising 2 is to replace the Resident Evil franchise and become the number one IP within Capcom," Keiji Inafune told Eurogamer. It's a lofty claim -- according to Capcom's own data, Street Fighter is the company's top franchise. Still, taking down the Resident Evil franchise first is no easy task. Unlike Capcom's other properties, the company's original survival-horror game has the mainstream appeal to support three successful Hollywood adaptations (with a fourth one opening this week). The last iteration of the series sold over 5 million copies. Dead Rising, on the other hand, sold 1.6 million. Dead Rising has big shoes to fill, but it's that lofty ambition that pushes good game design, Inafune argues. "Unless you have a big goal to strive for, you can't create a good game. Therefore, if the Dead Rising franchise takes over the Resident Evil franchise, a new game I come up with will obviously strive to go over Dead Rising. That's the goal I set out for any title I decide to create." If Dead Rising 2 becomes the success Inafune wants it to be, we wonder what the next big idea from Capcom will be. Another IP with even more zombies?
Monster Hunter Frontier features improvised Dead Rising 2 weapons in Japan
We have a pretty good idea what boxing gloves with knives taped to them will do to zombies. But how about wyverns? Japanese gamers will get to find out exactly that when Dead Rising 2 launches there (September 30 on consoles, October 28 on PC). Those who purchase Dead Rising 2 will get vouchers to unlock Dead Rising 2-themed items in either the PC or Xbox 360 versions of Monster Hunter Frontier. Those items include the aforementioned knifegloves, a boomstick (a shotgun with a pitchfork on it), a moose head, and several different colors of the Terror is Reality racing suit. Now let's see some giant swords in Dead Rising 2!
Dead Rising 2's Chuck Greene attacks PAX as a Bobble Budd
If you bought a Servbot Bobble Budd from Capcom and have been looking for a little motorcycle jacket for it, you're in luck!
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero delayed in Japan [update: English version on track for Aug. 31]
Dead Rising 2's standalone playable prologue, Case Zero, has been delayed in Japan. According to Andriasang, the delay may have been prompted by some inappropriate content presented in the free trial portion of the game (which can be fully unlocked for 400 Microsoft Points). Capcom assured Famitsu that Case Zero's delay would not affect Dead Rising 2's release in the region. We're currently following up with Capcom in other regions to confirm the status of the title, which is supposed to unleash its brain-munching masses on Xbox Live Marketplace tomorrow, August 31. Update: Capcom USA has confirmed that the English release has not been delayed. %Gallery-99768%
WRUP: Our zombie apocalypse arsenal
Earlier this week we shared some of our favorite weapons from Dead Rising 2. It got us thinking of more weapons that we'll use when the real zombie apocalypse occurs -- because, don't kid yourself, it's coming. We're still big fans of the Super Soaker Flamethrower (don't attempt at home!). What's everyone playing this weekend?
