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Sound Shapes, Muramasa, and more get PSN Ultimate Editions
If you're looking to catch up on some of the PlayStation Network's best releases to date, a gaggle of new digital Ultimate Editions have launched this week, offering DLC-bundled versions of Sound Shapes, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Batman: Arkham Origins. Other newly-collected Ultimate Editions include Dead Island: Riptide, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Toukiden: Age of Demons. Sony is also hosting a sale this week on many previously-released Ultimate Editions, including Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Saints Row 4, and Resident Evil 6. PlayStation Plus members get an additional discount on top of listed price drops. Sale prices remain in effect through October 20. [Image: Sony]
Saints Row 4 'Game of the Century' Edition spotted on Amazon [Update]
An Amazon listing for a DLC-bundled re-release of Volition's Saints Row 4 has surfaced in Germany, gaming marketplace analyst @lifelower reports. A North American release for the package has not been confirmed. According to Amazon's product page, the Game of the Century version of Saints Row 4 will bundle last year's game with all subsequently released DLC and Season Pass content, including the Enter The Dominatrix and How the Saints Save Christmas mission packs. Also included are a variety of ability upgrades, vehicles, and weapon packs, such as the Stone Age DLC and the GameStop contest-winning Polarizer. Other recent lifelower discoveries include a Complete Edition of Metro: Last Light and a Dead Island Double Pack, neither of which have been officially announced. [Update: A Deep Silver representative confirmed the upcoming Game of the Century release with Shacknews, but notes that it's only scheduled for release in Europe at this time. "We hope to have more information on what we will be releasing for the Americas and when soon!" the representative stated.] [Image: Volition / Amazon]
Xbox 360 Ultimate Sale continues with FIFA 14, Skyrim, Dead Island: Riptide
It's day 3 of the Xbox 360 Ultimate Game Sale, and that means seven more discounts vying to divorce hard-earned cash from bank accounts. The big name games include FIFA 14, Skyrim, and Dead Island: Riptide, but the biggest discount of the day goes to Bejeweled 3; should you want your precious time consumed by addictive match-3 puzzling, the Arcade game is down by a whopping 93 percent to just over a buck. We've got today's one-day-only discounts in full below the break. Don't forget, there's also a collection of games staying on sale throughout the week, including a little-known gem by the name of Portal 2. Could be a sleeper hit, that game, so if you want to get ahead of the curve, it's two-thirds off at $9.89/£6.59/9.89 euros.
Dead Island Riptide is free to play on Steam this weekend
Dead Island Riptide is free for Steam users to play this weekend until Sunday at 1:00pm PT. The game is also 66 percent off ($13.59) until Monday, September 30, a good deal for those wanting to keep the game after this weekend's free trial. The Game of the Year Edition of the original Dead Island is discounted on Steam this weekend as well, as it is 75 percent off ($4.99) until Monday. The special edition includes the full game, Bloodbath Arena DLC, Ryder White DLC and Ripper mod packs.
Dead Island developer Techland opens Vancouver studio for work on Dying Light
Polish-based developer Techland (Dead Island series) has jumped across the mighty pond of the Atlantic to open Digital Scapes Studio in Vancouver, Canada. As VentureBeat reports, former Radical Entertainment Technical Director Marcin Chady will serve as the studio's managing director. Digital Scapes will be treading familiar territory, as they'll be at least partially responsible for developing Techland's upcoming zombie-themed first-person melee game, Dying Light, which is set to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive sometime in 2014. In short: the technical director from the studio that brought us Prototype 2 will be leading a team that promises Mirror's Edge-style free-run gameplay plus zombie slaughter. Yeah, we're cool with that.
Humble Deep Silver Bundle adds Metro 2033, Sacred Citadel, Risen
The Humble Deep Silver Bundle recruits Metro 2033, Sacred Citadel and Risen today. These new additions are free for anyone who's already purchased the bundle, while new customers must pay over the average price (currently just shy of $5) for the trio. Calling the Humble Deep Silver bundle successful is perhaps an understatement: It has sold over 340,000 bundles and earned in excess of $1.6 million since its introduction last week. The pay-what-you-want lineup consists of Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition, Saints Row 2, Sacred 2: Gold Edition, Risen 2: Dark Waters and Saints Row: The Third and all its Full Package DLC. Paying more than $25 also secures a copy of Dead Island: Riptide. The Humble Deep Silver Bundle has little less than a week to go before closing its virtual doors. It's also worth noting that these games are provided as Steam codes, so you'll need Valve's digital distribution platform to run them.
Saints Row, Dead Island head up Humble Deep Silver Bundle
Humble Bundle organizers have launched The Humble Deep Silver Bundle, a pay-what-you-want compilation offering up Steam codes for Saints Row: The Third, Dead Island, and other standout games from the publisher's PC catalog. Buyers who pay $1 or more will receive Steam codes for Saints Row 2 and Saints Row: The Third, along with the pirate-themed action-RPG Risen 2: Dark Waters and the Gold Edition of Sacred 2. Pay more than the average purchase price (currently around $5) and you'll also get the Game of the Year Edition of Dead Island and Saints Row: The Third's Full Package DLC collection. If you're feeling particularly charitable, you might consider the bundle's $25 purchase tier, which includes a Steam copy of Techland's recently released Dead Island: Riptide. The Humble Deep Silver Bundle will be available for purchase through August 13.
Best Buy offering $50 with purchase of two select games
Select PS3, PC and Xbox 360 games are being highlighted in a new promotion at Best Buy, games which run the gamut from new to not-so-new: Skyrim Legendary Edition, Black Ops 2, Tomb Raider, Deadpool, Far Cry 3 and Dead Island Riptide are all featured here. The source link below has the full list of games. To get the deal, simply add two games from said list to your cart and the yellow tag retailer will automatically add the gift card at checkout, then ship you a physical gift card worth $50 at a later date.
Steam weekend deals aim for Dead Island series' head
This weekend's Steam deals have a decidedly undead slant, offering content from the Dead Island series at a reduced price. The original Dead Island is down to $5, while this year's entry, Dead Island: Riptide, is $20. DLC for some extra costumes and a special blade have also been reduced. Last week at E3, developer Techland revealed a new zombie game being published by Warner Bros. called Dying Light. It mixes parkour elements in a "ruined-world game," as our own Ludwig Kietzmann put it, with a full day/night cycle.
April NPD: Injustice: Gods Among Us reigns supreme
Another hot, fresh loaf of financial data has been pulled out of The NPD Group's analytical oven, and its buttery goodness contains sales information for the four week period between April 4 and May 7, 2013. During that time, the physical retail sector of the games industry was down 25 percent when compared with its performance over the same four weeks in 2012, pulling in a grand total of $495.2 million. It's worth noting, however, that this figure does not include the sale of PC games. Hardware sales brought in $109.5 million, a 42 percent decrease from the $187.8 million seen last year, with the Xbox 360 once again enjoying the highest sales with 130,000 units moved. Meanwhile, the brief reprieve from year-over-year decline seen by the Accessories segment last month was short lived, as in April it by dropped 19 percent to a total of $131.4 million. Software sales (including PC games) topped out at $267.8 million, with NetherRealm Studios' Injustice: Gods Among Us taking top honors as the best-selling game for the period, the first time a fighting game has finished in first since 2011's Mortal Kombat. Dead Island: Riptide and BioShock Infinite rounded out the podium in spots two and three respectively – meanwhile MMO/Syfy series Defiance debuted in fifth. As always, scope the full list after the break.
Dead Island Riptide tops the UK charts for third week running
Dead Island Riptide is the second game this year to keep the competition at bay for three weeks in a row. Despite a 55 percent drop in sales, the semi-sequel repeats the run of BioShock Infinite earlier in the year. That's no surprise given the new releases shelves are just tumbleweeds rolling past each other. The charts do include two (sort of) new releases, and both did well. Coming in at ninth is the physical box set of The Walking Dead, which released in North America late last year. Another latecomer to Europe is Persona 4 Arena, and distributor Zen United must be pleased with the fighter punching in at 11th. As we said last week, you know it's quiet season when Call of Duty's re-gunning for the top; Black Ops 2 is now up to second place, a full six months after being released. Oh, and on the day Square Enix releases its financial results for the fiscal year, Tomb Raider makes it 10/10 - that's ten weeks in the UK top ten. Just. Saying.
Dead Island Riptide stays afloat of this week's UK Charts
A 32 percent drop in sales isn't enough to keep Dead Island Riptide from surviving as the UK's No. 1. A quiet week bereft of major new releases means it's a largely familiar line-up; this week's top ten features nine of the entries from last week. Injustice: Gods Among Us makes it three weeks in the top two, while Tomb Raider climbs back up to number 3 as one of the few games to hold steady sales. As ever, when FIFA and Call of Duty are on the up, chances are there's a new releases lull. One game that was released last week was Soul Sacrifice, with the time ripe for it to make a strong impression on the charts. Keiji Inafune's Vita game only debuted in 26th.
Dead Island Riptide surfs the crest of this week's UK charts
Dead Island Riptide is the new chart leader in the UK. Like Dead Island before it, the zombie-stuffed continuation may be critically divisive, but commercially it's doing the business so far. Having said that, Riptide's first week sales come in at less than half of the original's. Dead Island sliced through the 5 million mark for sales earlier this year. Caught in the high Riptide is Injustice: Gods Among Us; last week's number one washes up this week in number two. Meanwhile, enhanced re-release Dark Arisen also matches its original's first week chart performance, notching third spot just like Dragon's Dogma did. The third of four new releases in this week's top ten is Star Trek; it boldly goes into fourth place. The last top ten debutante is Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, the 3DS version doing what its sibling failed to; the Wii U version debuted at 12th earlier this year. Outside of the new releases, this week's musical chairs are very interesting. Tomb Raider continues its impressive run, only down from fourth to fifth. FYI, Square Enix, that's eight weeks it's been in the UK top five, and it's ahead now of BioShock Infinite. After five weeks, Irrational's sky-high shooter is floating just below in sixth. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is another consistent performer, and five weeks in the 3DS game is still haunting the top ten.
Dead Island Riptide review: DNR
Dead Island was a bit strange. A showy, standout marketing campaign belied a familiar zombie game, its roots in Dead Rising and weapon-heavy looters like Borderlands obvious. For all the modesty of its combat, for all the bugs and rough edges, it was satisfying. The endless array of swipes, kicks, bashes, decapitations and dismemberment got repetitive fast, that's true. But when it was fresh, that shaky first-person melee offered an adrenaline rush that remains vivid.The reason it's so vivid is because I'm playing the same game all over again in Dead Island Riptide, an uninspired and unashamed rehash. Not only is it less satisfying, but any satisfaction gained is done so begrudgingly, because the game plainly doesn't deserve it.%Gallery-185099%
PSN Tuesday: Dead Island Riptide, Star Trek, Thomas Was Alone
The PlayStation Store update this week includes four full games, two new for PSN and three Vita games. The full games are Star Trek, SoulCalibur 5, Dead Island Riptide and Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII, while PSN gets God Mode and Thomas Was Alone.Thomas Was Alone is a Cross Buy game, making it available on Vita today as well, along with Draw Slasher and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R.Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is out as a PS2 Classic and PSP gets Black Rock Shooter The Game. The Spring Sale is still on, with discounts on Resident Evil 6 and Thomas Was Alone this week.
Metareview: Dead Island: Riptide
Dead Island: Riptide, the pseudo sequel to paradise-gone-wrong simulator Dead Island, shares one clear trait with its predecessor. No, not zombies (but, yeah, those are in there). It's that reviews are all over the place for the game's launch. The original Dead Island entered into a similarly hostile critical climate, but went on to sell 5 million units globally. Our Riptide review will be available later this week. Game Informer (80/100): "Riptide's flaws are many, but they couldn't hold me back from having a blast. Few games nail the visceral feel of melee combat and co-op fun like Dead Island. At its worst, an annoying hiccup breaks the immersion of the grizzly trek through a zombie-infested paradise. At its best, Riptide hits the same high notes as the original." IGN (72/100): "Technically, it's done nothing to build itself into a great game. Rather than fix the graphics and the performance problems that plagued the original two years ago, Techland slightly modified the setting and delivered a new character and more content. It's a fun time, but there are no surprises or killer new features to make it an impressive package." Eurogamer (60/100): "What makes that so sad is that this feels like a series only a few great decisions away from being really good. A better script with a sense of humor, a bit more imagination in quest design, more coherent inventory management and character development... These things shouldn't be unattainable goals for a developer that must be flush from the unexpected success of the first game." VideoGamer (50/100): "On the whole however Riptide is yet another missed opportunity, and just too painfully average, wonky and padded out with filler to truly recommend." Gamespot (40/100): "Riptide is dumb, and mind-numbingly slow, and somehow manages to make the art of zombie-slaying feel like utter tedium. And if slaying zombies isn't fun in a game that's all about slaying zombies, why bother? "
Dead Island Riptide gameplay trailer thought it was safe
If you'd like to know how Dead Island transitions into the upcoming Riptide spin-off, watch this video. If you'd rather not have Dead Island's ending pseudo-spoiled for you, look away now. If you're indifferent about all of that and just want zombie carnage, why are you still reading?
Dead Island: Riptide UK pre-order bonuses slice, dice, BBQ zombie flesh [Update: US too]
Very few things will survive the zombie apocalypse. One thing that will make the cut: pre-order bonuses. Quite literally in this case, as Dead Island: Riptide bonuses in the UK will include the Survivor Pack, which features the BBQ Blade seen above. The hefty machete has a fuel tank attached that, presumably, will set the blade on fire. If a giant flaming knife just isn't enough for you, the pack will also include a special in-game shop with discounted items and a higher chance for rare items. Furthermore, the Survivor Pack includes a booster for both XP and stats.Finally, those who pre-order from GAME will also get the Fashion Victim pack, which includes new skins for all playable characters. New skin is probably handy for those times when you find all of yours gnawed off by the undead.We've contacted Deep Silver to find out if these bonuses are headed to North America as well. At the moment, US retailers are listing a pre-order special edition including a Steelbook case, weapon mods, character skins and a digital map. That's not to be confused with the $80 "Rigor Mortis" Edition.Dead Island: Riptide launches April 23.Update: Amazon now lists the same pre-order bonuses for the US as well.
9 minutes of Dead Island Riptide's new hub defense missions
This Dead Island Riptide video showcases a new gameplay element, hub defense missions. These missions involve making preparations – like hunting down some mounted machine guns – in order to defend a single location. They also involve zombies. Lots of those.
Deep Silver apologizes for 'gruesome statue'
After discovering that sane people are universally disgusted by its foot-tall statue of a mutilated human torso in a bikini, included with the Europe/Australian Dead Island Riptide Zombie Bait Edition, publisher Deep Silver issued an apology today through its Twitter account.The company said the statue was inspired by the violence in the game: "a decision was made to include a gruesome statue of a zombie torso, which was cut up like many of our fans had done to the undead enemies in the original Dead Island."Deep Silver said it "sincerely regret[s] this choice," and that it is "committed to making sure this will never happen again," which is as simple as not doing it again.What isn't clear, however, is whether it's still happening this time. The apology note makes no mention of pulling or replacing the offending item from the Zombie Bait Edition.
