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Final Fantasy XIII UK launch event rewarding cosplayers
Square Enix, apparently, is all about the cosplay. Just today, the publisher announced that it'll be rewarding the first 50 people dressed in "Final Fantasy costumes" who arrive at the March 9 launch event for Final Fantasy XIII with a free copy of the game's soundtrack. Oh, and also, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase and art director Isamu Kamikokuryo will be there, signing whatever you want. The release further entices attendees with "high-profile DJ and TV presenter Alex Zane," who'll no doubt be spitting hot fire into a mic all evening. The event kicks off at 5:30PM at the Oxford Street HMV in London and runs until the sun comes up -- or 7:30PM, whichever comes first. %Gallery-41346%
HMV slashes price for DJ Hero, PSP Go in the UK
Lucky Brits. Not only do they get to be in closer geographic proximity to the dreamy David Tennant than we do, they're also extended some amazing post-Thanksgiving deals on typically pricey gaming equipment. Electronics retailer HMV is currently running two such offers in the UK -- the company has dropped the price of the PSP Go to £148.99, down significantly from the handheld's MSRP of £224.99. In addition, it's reduced the cost for DJ Hero, normally £107.99, down to just £69.99. We're not sure how long these prices will stay this low, so if you live in the United Kingdom and have any interest in turntabling or digital distribution revolutions, we suggest you get while the getting is good.
PSPgo dips to £149 in the UK, have cooler heads prevailed?
While we might think of the $250 PSPgo pricetag in the States as a criminal act on the part of an out-of-touch and-yet-malicious multinational corporation, we can only imagine how our unfortunate counterparts in the UK felt, staring down a £225 list price (about $371 US). Luckily, that quickly dropped to £200 after a week of sales, and now the console can be had for as low as £149 at UK entertainment retailer HMV. That converts rather tidily to $245 US, which is unfortunately about as far as the console has been discounted around these parts. There's no way to tell how many more months of dour faces and crossed arms pointed in the general direction of Sony Computer Entertainment America it'll take to get that price down to something more realistic Stateside, at which point we can start this whole UK / US price disparity drama all over again.
PSP Go already discounted in the UK
Oop. So much for the PSP Go's premium "aspirational" pricing -- several UK retailers have already discounted Sony's newest handheld to £199 ($319) after launch weekend. That's not a massive drop from the £224 ($358) MSRP, but it's still pretty notable, especially considering the PSP-3000 has an MSRP of £139 ($221). No wonder Sony thinks the Go will drive PSP-3000 purchases -- too bad it couldn't figure out a way to make the Go interesting enough to sell itself.
UK retailers already discounting PSP Go
Following the first weekend of PSP Go sales, at least four UK retailers are offering sale prices on the new handheld. Amazon.co.uk, Play, HMV and GAME have all discounted the device to £199.99, which – while still really expensive (it converts to around US $319) – is a significant drop from the MSRP of £224.99. While it's tempting to just write this off as the PSP Go bombing, we're guessing that the MSRP includes some room for retailer profit (unlike the standard price points for most consoles), and these stores are cutting the margins a bit in the interest of competitiveness. Of course, we don't know what the margin is for a Go, but we doubt all these companies would resort to a price drop so soon if they weren't still going to make a lot of money on the venture.
Modern Warfare 2 'Veteran Edition' offered by UK retailer GAME
UK residents who shop at GAME will be wandering around cluelessly in the dark this November when Modern Warfare 2 hits store shelves. Rather than getting the night vision goggle-equipped "Prestige Edition" like way cooler UK retailer HMV, those who shell out £119.99 for the 'Veteran Edition' will receive the 12-inch statue of returning Modern Warfare character Captain "Soap" MacTavish, seen above. At £30 more for freakin' night vision goggles, a statue (albeit a nice one) might be a hard sell for those already investing more than double the cost of the game. If you're gonna go crazy, why not just go all the way crazy?[Via Eurogamer]
GameOn! London is off
HMV's GameOn! London event is officially off with the official website making the cancellation expressly clear. Ticket holders will be refunded for the event, which was to occur in November, after already being delayed from June.For an event that had several big publishers allegedly committed to the show when it was first announced, organizers obviously ran into some major issues. Perhaps the Eurogamer Expo -- also partnered with HMV -- which takes place at the end of October, was just more attractive.[Thanks, Shaffy]
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 limited edition is HMV exclusive in Europe
The announcement of the European version of the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 limited edition, releasing on October 2, reveals bonuses mostly identical to the North American version -- by which we mean "that one book." The Ninja Gaiden Treasury , as it's called, includes the same strategy guide, comic, and art sections advertised with the American release, though Tecmo Koei Europe offers a bit more detail about it. The comic, for example, is a "prologue comic" designed by Team Ninja. The downloadable costume is also part of the LE.Europe's version includes one thing the American release doesn't: a complete soundtrack. Other than that, it's identical -- right down to the exclusivity to a single retailer. The Sigma 2 limited edition will only be sold at HMV, for £39.99, though Tecmo's announcement says the RRP is £49.99.
Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition exclusive to HMV in UK, GameStop in Ireland
UK retailer HMV has secured an exclusive on the Prestige Edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. (Y'know, the one with the night vision goggles.) The chain's online store confirms availability of the title on November 10 at a price of £149 ($243). It's noted that the edition will be in limited availability, although the limit of three to a customer is quite generous for a collector's item.We've also received word from a retail source that GameStop will carry the set exclusively in Ireland, where it will sell for €149 ($211). Did we mention it includes night vision goggles?
Games accounted for one fourth of HMV's sales last year
British-based retailer HMV is happy to report it has made over £1.95 billion ($3.21 billion) in sales last year (ending April 25, 2009), making an easy profit of £63 million ($103 million). HMV saw profits rise 4.4%, up from £56.6 million ($93.1 million) in the previous year. Gaming, GamesIndustry.biz notes, played a big part in boosting the retailer's overall figures, thanks to the introduction of used games sales -- which is a tactic that has become quite popular as of late.24% of all HMV's sales in the UK & Ireland were accounted to video games. This number is an increase of 4% over the previous year and also raises HMV's market share for gaming by 0.4%. HMV International also saw 12% of its total sales go to gaming and related technologies. Overall, it seems HMV is pleased with how its new strategy with gaming is panning out. If this keeps up, the HMV logo change we've discussed before just might happen for real.
Valve mocks PS3 listing of Left 4 Dead
Valve's collective, gusto-infused dislike of the PlayStation 3 seemed like it had abated when marketing director Mike Lombardi stated the company's intent to try to tap in to the system's growing user base late last year. However, old habits die hard -- when questioned about a listing for an EA-developed, PS3 version of Left 4 Dead on the site of British retailer HMV, a Valve representative soldered his tongue to his cheek, and replied, "Fantastic. I can't wait to see it."Could this be the annoyed, outright denial of an extremely-oft-rumored title -- or is it a flexing of Valve's developmental muscles in response to EA's lackluster (though short) history with bringing Newell's brainchildren to the PS3? We're sure to know one way or the other by June 5 -- according to HMV, that's when the Zombocalypse sim is coming to Sony's big black box.
Boxing Day deals for Canadians
Today is what's known as Boxing Day in some parts of the world. This means that some retailers will be discounting goods. In Canada, such retailers offering big sales include: Best Buy Future Shop Walmart Toys R Us HMV (Thanks, Tom) Hit up those links to check out what deals they're running. Additionally, you can also cruise past the break for a list of the deals offered by Amazon Canada.
Games overtaking music sales at HMV
UK retailer HMV's chief executive, Simon Fox, says game sales may surpass music at the company within 18 months. Video games now account for 19% of sales at the music store, with an increase of 4.1% occurring in the last three months, Fox tells The Sun.Earlier this year, the UK's Entertainment Retailers' Association noted that game sales overtook music at retail and were on the way to catching DVD revenues. Considering HMV's iconic symbol is that of a dog with a phonograph, we've gone ahead and updated the image for the new generation.[Via GI.biz]
40GB stock running low in anticipation of new 80GB model
A new PS3 SKU will go to sale in Europe on August 27th. Already, the effects of the newly announced 80GB Core model has been affecting the sales stream of the 40GB model. According to HMV's commercial manager for games, stock of the 40GB model is dwindling as retailers prepare for the newly upgraded model. For those interested in picking up a PS3, it appears waiting for the 80GB model next month would be the wise choice."40GB stock has been in very short supply over the last few weeks ... PlayStation 3 will now boast a monopoly on Blu-ray, increased storage space and Play TV in the near future," Jonathan Hayes noted. "All this points to a stronger proposition for Sony going into Christmas. The only disappointment was the lack of backward compatibility compared to the US version."
HMV (finally) embraces used game sales
HMV, the music, movie, and games retailer with locations throughout the UK, Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong, is finally catching up with the wants needs of modern gamers. Starting later this year, the chain will begin selling second-hand games at some of its locations, ramping up across the globe in 2009. We're not sure why it took so long for HMV to begin selling used software. Perhaps it thought it was actually in Japan, which lifted its ban on used game sales in 2002? In any event, the move will put HMV on a level playing field with other UK games retailers, including Game and CEX, who have offered used titles for some time (the latter dealing in them exclusively). Now all HMV has to do to recreate the US game-buying experience is to get bought out by GameStop. You know, like New Zealand's Gamesman.
Brits: Drill your way to HMV for cheap games
Summer in the northern hemisphere officially starts today, which means one thing: sharing strawberries with a loved one in a tranquil hay meadow as you soak up the rays grabbing cheap games in the sales! The folks at HMV know the heat turns us Brits into mushy-minded impulse buyers, and so they've gone and slashed prices on approximately 30 DS titles to around the £12 - £15 mark. Here's the best of what's on offer: Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits for £11.99 Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for £15.99 Drawn to Life for £11.99 The Simpsons Game for £12.99 Geometry Wars: Galaxies for £12.99 Sim City for £11.99 MySims for £14.99 Magical Starsign for £11.99 Remember also that HMV offers free shipping to the UK, so you won't need to leave your La-Z-Boy and expose yourself to that nasty summer sun. %Gallery-4739%
Meet Kojima in London on June 2nd
The HMV London store at 150 Oxford Street will feature video game celebrity Hideo Kojima on June 2nd. He'll be available to sign "pre-release sleeves" for the upcoming PS3-exclusive Guns of the Patirots, and perhaps approved body parts. Yoji Shinkawa, lead artist of the series, will also be present for the signing.You'll have to arrive early, as only 300 sleeves will be available for signing on the day of the event. The pre-order sleeves will be up for grabs at 9AM and will be issued on a first-come first-serve basis for those that place a £5 deposit.
Buy Ninja Gaiden II at HMV, get MS points free
Love 'em or hate 'em, it's impossible to say that UK retailer HMV doesn't offer some good gaming deals. Their recent GTAIV offer is proof of that. So, it should be no surprise that HMV is offering up a pretty convincing Microsoft points bribe to customers who are interested in Ninja Gaiden II this June. A 1000 Microsoft point bribe. That's right, anyone who ends up fulfilling their Ninja Gaiden II fix at HMV will score a redemption code for 1000 free MS points to use however they choose. And get free shipping too. Love 'em or hate 'em ... 1000 free points is a 1000 free points.[Via Eurogamer]
HMV's MS points bribe to get your GTAIV pre-order
Grand Theft Auto IV pre-orders are teh hawtness right now in the retail channel as big box retailers are fighting tooth and nail to lure you into their stores to slap down your pre-order cash. And the UK retailer battle has been kicked up a notch with HMV announcing that they'll give customers 1000 Microsoft points with any GTAIV pre-order. For those of you keeping track, that's double the Microsoft points over rival GAME's pre-order offer. HMV will also be throwing in vouchers worth an additional £130 off of their other products. We just pray that this retailer fueled GTAIV pre-order battle wages on with hopes that we'll see free cars or condos being given out with pre-orders.
Free MS points with Lost Odyssey pre-order
If you're a resident of the pristine lands of the UK and are a guaranteed purchaser of Lost Odyssey, then we have a deal for you. UK retailer HMV is offering 1000 Microsoft points for free to anyone who pre-orders Lost Odyssey before the game hits retailers this week. Free MS points that can be used on the sure to be released DLC in the months to come. This offer is not only fourteen times better than the United States' pre-order bonus, but our European friends also enjoy prettier packaging as well. You lucky monkeys.[Thanks, Callum Lawrence]
