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Now Playing: February 17-23, 2014
Use lightning-fast moves to mow down enemies this week with Strider... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list: [Image: Capcom]
Now Playing: February 10-16, 2014
Find out the beginning of Ellie's story this week with The Last of Us - Left Behind... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
Skylanders series sells $2 billion worldwide
Activision announced today as part of its quarterly financial report that the Skylanders series has grossed more than $2 billion worldwide across all available platforms, as of December 31 last year. To date, Activision has sold approximately 175 million Skylanders toys, which players can collect and summon in-game as playable characters. The latest series entry, Skylanders Swap Force, debuted in October. Activision revealed in August last year that the Skylanders series passed $1.5 billion in retail sales since the franchise's launch in 2011. Over 100 million toys were sold by the end of 2012. [Image: Activision]
New Nintendo eShop releases: Bravely Default, Retro City Rampage DX
New games! Yes, it would be nice to have a few more exciting eShop-only types, but at least we can start sending that tumbleweed on its way. Bravely Default headlines the also-at-retail games, and we'd recommend checking it out. In our four star review, we lauded the 3DS JRPG for mixing Final Fantasy sensibilities with modern design. Whether a new promo trailer really conveys that ... well, it doesn't, but it made us chuckle so we're throwing it in here. On the downloadable-only front, felonious indie Retro City Rampage comes to 3DS with lots of major tweaks, and it's another we had plenty nice to say about. Also, bike-former/plat-biker Urban Trial Freestyle is down to $3.50, starting later today and ending February 20. Oh, and don't forget the Super Indie Connection sale runs until February 13.
Nintendo buys $1.1 billion of its own shares, Yamauchi family contributes
Nintendo has bought back 9.5 million shares of its own stock, valued at 114.2 billion yen ($1.1 billion), in its first step to stabilize the company's changing financial situation. The family of Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's late (and great) CEO, sold back a portion of its shares during this buyback, according to the acquisition document. We got wind of the Yamauchi family's involvement yesterday. Nintendo's year-on net profit fell by 30 percent in the final nine months of 2013, pulled down mainly by poor Wii U sales, the company reported. Net profit during this time was 10.2 billion yen ($99 million). Nintendo expects to post a net loss of 25 billion yen ($242 million) for its fiscal year ending in March. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and his board members are taking temporary pay cuts, French news outlet AFP reported. Iwata will take half of his salary for five months, and board members will see cuts of 20 percent to 30 percent. Iwata took a similar pay cut in 2011, that time to offset poor 3DS sales. [Image: Nintendo]
Now Playing: February 3-9, 2014
Get in touch with your inner wolf this week with The Wolf Among Us - Episode 2: Smoke and Mirrors... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
2DS sells 2.1 million, Animal Crossing: New Leaf gets 7.38 million
The Nintendo 2DS has made it into the tiny hands of 2.1 million customers worldwide since its launch on October 12, according to Nintendo's financial highlights (PDF link). The 3DS, which launched in February 2011, has shipped 42.7 million units, while the DS family has shipped 154 million units in total. Nintendo has sold 7.38 million copies of Animal Crossing: New Leaf worldwide since its initial Japan release in November 2012. New Leaf launched in North America, Europe and Australia in June 2013: From April 2013 to December 2013, the game sold 2.79 million units outside of Japan, and 730,000 copies in the country. Nintendo posted a year-over-year net profit decline of 30 percent in the nine months leading to December 2013, with numbers dragged down by weaker-than-expected Wii U sales and console price cuts. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and board members are taking smaller salaries for a temporary period, French news outlet AFP reported.
Nintendo's strategy to save its gaming kingdom: DS virtual console on Wii U, GamePad focus, on-demand services
It's been tough times for Nintendo. Its Wii U console has sold, in a year, 5 million units. Sounds decent enough, until you realize that's roughly the same number as both the PS4 and the Xbox One -- both on sale for mere months. Nintendo kicked off a business strategy briefing today in Tokyo, but it won't involve playing Nintendo titles elsewhere. The CEO announced at the start of the presentation that he wasn't pessimistic about the future of the company, reiterating that Nintendo would not be giving up the hardware side of the business. So what's stopped the Wii U from succeeding so far? Nintendo's CEO announced at the start of the presentation that he wasn't pessimistic about the future of the company, and that they would not be giving up on hardware The Nintendo boss admits that recognition of exactly what the GamePad does is low, and that many people view it as an accessory for the console -- it's not, by the way. Most interestingly, however, was the mention of an on-demand gaming service across games consoles, with the service based on your Nintendo ID rather than a device you owned. Bigger news still, is that you will see Nintendo DS games appear on the Wii U, via virtual console. Iwata added that the team will seek a partner to increase exposure for games and hardware. It will even, gasp, license character rights to other companies. He added in today's Q&A session that the company is already sharing its philosophy with another company and "aligning" with them. (Pretty mysterious, huh?) When it comes to gaming on the Wii U, the CEO said they will focus on games that make the most of the tablet-esque GamePad, especially titles with NFC -- expect to see announcements on this at E3 2014. Mario Kart 8 will also launch in May, and will apparently make strong use of the GamePad. At the same time, Nintendo is working on ensuring a faster start time when its used without a TV. We've got a video outlining the quick-boot function and even more details after the break.
Now Playing: January 27 - February 2, 2014
Let the kill streaks pile up this week in Call of Duty: Ghosts - Onslaught... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
Now Playing: January 20-26, 2014
Join the Special Ops against the undead this week in Dead Rising 3 - Operation Broken Eagle... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
Now Playing: January 13-19, 2013
Cut your way through the Louisiana bayou this week with the fully remastered Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
Now Playing: January 6-12, 2014
Welcome to the New Year, now Don't Starve on the PlayStation 4... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
GameStop rings in the new year with savings on GTA 5, more
Did you make it through the holidays with some spare cash? Well, GameStop wants it, and kicked off a new sale to celebrate the new year to get it. The retailer's deals, which stretch from January 3 to January 5, include $50 savings on both the Wii U Skylanders console bundle ($249.99) and the 250 GB Xbox 360 Holiday console bundle, which includes both Halo 4 and Tomb Raider for $249.99. The games on sale for the next few days, some of which carry over from GameStop's last sale, are as follows: Grand Theft Auto 5 and NBA 2K14 for $39.99 each, Gears of War: Judgment ($19.99), the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Lego Marvel Super Heroes for $49.99 and Wii U, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions for $39.99 as well as the 3DS version of Angry Birds: Star Wars for $19.99 and the DS, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions for $29.99.
Best of the Rest: Anthony's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. DmC: Devil May Cry No game surprised me more in 2013 than DmC: Devil May Cry. That surprise has absolutely nothing to do with some diehard devotion to Capcom's internally developed quartet of games in the original series either. What surprised me was the fact that Ninja Theory finally made something that lived up to the promise of Enslaved and Heavenly Sword. Both games aimed high in trying to deliver bitchin' action and deeply human tales, but both missed the mark. In DmC, they finally nailed it. Young Dante's fight against the demons is classic coming-of-age stuff. Rushing through Limbo feels like if J.D. Salinger wrote Dead Leaves. The combat, meanwhile, felt meatier than the limp button mashing of Enslaved, but more accessible than ball busters like Devil May Cry 3.
Now Playing: December 16-22, 2013
An all-new story of survival starts this week with The Walking Dead: Season 2... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
Call of Duty: Ghosts tops UK charts for third week in a row
"I am the Ghosts of Christmas past," said Call of Duty: Ghosts. "Long past?" inquired Scrooge, observant of the game's familiar nature. "Well, no," Call of Duty: Ghosts replied, a bit embarrassed. "I was the UK's best-selling game last week, and the week before that. This is my third week in a row as the UK No. 1." "Oh. I suppose that's marginally interesting... but not much more than that. Do you think that's why the author felt obligated to concoct a mediocre A Christmas Carol pastiche for an otherwise drab UK charts post?" "Probably... prooooobaaaaaablllllyyyyyyyyy... ooooooooohhhhh..." "You're not even a real ghost(s), are you?" "Shut up, Scrooge. You're not even a real duck." It was a Christmas miracle! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, "God bless us, every one!" "Shut up, Tiny Tim," said Call of Duty: Ghosts.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Rush, Double Dragon, more Sega 3D Classics
Dear Santa, Seriously, guy, where is my The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on Wii U? It's out on the European eShop this week, but I'm not seeing any Best SNES Games of All Time in the North American releases. Why is that? Wasn't I a good boy this year, Santa? Don't I deserve the chance to revisit a classic Zelda on my new Nintendo system? Wouldn't I get such joy from playing it alongside its 3DS sequel, A Link Between Worlds? That's all I wanted this year, Santa. That's all I've ever wanted. Tell me, Santa: Do you want to watch the world burn? Is that who you are? I hate you. Sincerely, Tommy PS: I would also like a Super Soaker 5000.
Now Playing: December 9-15, 2013
Become a puzzle master this week with Peggle 2... Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:
New Nintendo eShop Releases: 3D Sonic, 3D Altered Beast, Donkey Kong sale
Like the rest of the games industry, the Nintendo eShop is slowing down ahead of the holidays. We're not quite at the snoring-by-the-fireplace stage, but going by this week's offerings it's already donned a suitably seasonal sweater. Still, the 3DS gets two 3D-enhanced Sega classics in Sonic the Hedgehog and Altered Beast, and there are a few other bits and bobs, too. There's also a week-long 30 percent sale on Donkey Kong games, including Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. on both 3DS and Wii U, Donkey Kong 3 on Wii U, and Game & Watch: Donkey Kong Jr. on 3DS. As ever, you'll find the full list of new releases snoozing past the break.
Corrupted Super Mario 64 shows the real mushroom kingdom
Sometimes cartridges go bad. We can't explain what is going on in this footage of a corrupted Super Mario 64, presented by the same individual who posted that creepy Sesame Street footage earlier this year, but at least we know to avoid Princess Peach when she's baking a cake. Peach smash!
