just-dance-2
Latest
Yes, another set of Amazon game deals today
Amazon refuses to stop tempting us with awesome deals, hosting an all-video-game Gold Box today -- including some popular discounts that came over the crazy weekend, revisited. The deal of the day is Just Dance 2 for $25.99, representing the perfect opportunity for you to pick it up as a gift for someone else. (Yeah, that's the ticket!) Lightning deals include Plants vs. Zombies for $13.99 on Xbox 360, and several deals that have yet to be named specifically. We've got "guesses" after the break courtesy of Thrifty Nerd. We say "guesses" because, as repeat deals, it's not too hard to figure them out. Likely highlights include discounts on the DSi XL, PS3, and Vanquish. In addition, there's another whole list of "family-friendly" discounts today for day 2 of Amazon's "17 Days of Deals." [Thanks, Noah]
Gran Turismo 5 starts at pole position in UK sales chart
Gran Turismo 5 raced into first place on the UK sales chart last week, becoming the sixth largest PS3 launch ever in the region. In a good sign for the oft-delayed franchise installment, sales were up 6 percent from Gran Turismo 4's launch week numbers in March 2005 on the PS2 (according to Chart-Track). Call of Duty: Black Ops and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood both took one step back this week, grabbing silver and bronze, respectively. CoD:Blops dropped another 42 percent in sales two weeks after its record-setting premiere, while AC:B slipped off a Borgia tower, but caught itself 32 percent of the way down. FIFA 11 took the fourth spot with a sales surge, and fifth belongs to... yup, loyal chart watchers, you got it: Just Dance 2 is unstoppable as it waves its arms in the air, selling copies like it just don't care. As for debuts on the chart that didn't go vroom-vroom, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare shambled in at 14, while Ubisoft's Michael Jackson: The Experience had the late king of pop make one duke-y of a debut down at 38. Find the full UK top ten after the break. Update: We just noticed that Disney Epic Mickey began its retail quest in the UK last week. It didn't even make the Top 40 in the All Formats chart. It debuted at the 11 spot on the Wii Chart. For comparison's sake, Michael Jackson: The Experience premiered at number five on the Wii chart, which ended up being 38 on the All Formats.
Black Ops maintains top UK sales spot, AC: Brotherhood has strongest debut in franchise
Call of Duty: Black Ops sales may have dropped 85 percent in the UK last week, but even with that massive dip its record-breaking debut ensured that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood would stop at second place. 63,000 copies separated the two. According to Chart-Track, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood had the well-deserved, largest debut of the franchise to date. The only other top ten premiere this week came from Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, which raced into third place. The remainder of spots in the top five are occupied with games that involve feet. FIFA 11 defends its spot at fourth, as Just Dance continues reaping the benefits of its Faustian deal and its sequel does the Charleston in fifth. Check out the full UK top ten after the break.
October NPD: NBA 2K11 tops charts, Xbox 360 'best selling console in 2010'
Here is the second edition of the revised (and less informative) monthly NPD report. With the market research group no longer sharing specific hardware figures, it's noteworthy to point out that only Microsoft has (as of writing) released concrete sales numbers. Major Nelson tweeted that Microsoft sold 325K Xbox 360s in October. Although the figure represents a 32-percent drop from the previous month, it was enough to secure Microsoft's spot as best-selling console of the month. Major Nelson also added that the Xbox 360 "is the best selling console in 2010 [with] 3.5 million" sold so far. Sony's response doesn't offer console sales numbers, but Patrick Seybold commented on increased momentum for the company's PlayStation Move motion controller. "The PS3 Move Bundle had a 15-percent increase in sales since launch last month, and we're working hard to keep the inventory up across the country to meet strong consumer demand." In addition, Seybold reminded us of the impending launch of Sony's big holiday game: "With next week's launch of the industry's most anticipated title, Gran Turismo 5, we're sure to carry the momentum through the holidays." Nintendo, as of the time of publishing, had not offered comment. Software sales jumped 6 percent year-over-year for the month to $605 million. The multiplatform release of NBA 2K11 helped propel it to the top of the charts, undoubtedly aided by EA Sports' cancellation of NBA Elite 11. Fallout, Medal of Honor and Fable all made strong debuts -- but Rock Band 3's 15th-place position in sales has us concerned. NPD analyst Anita Frazier did make a special note in the report, assuring us that "this game has the potential to perform well over the holidays." The top-ten software breakdown is posted after the break.
Call of Duty: Black Ops breaks UK launch records
We already knew Call of Duty: Black Ops shattered day-one sales records in the UK, but let's just add a full week of intel to that with reports of 2 million units sold in the region over five days. Chart-Track estimates Activision-Blizzard's latest installment of the hit franchise took in a comfortable £81.9 million ($131.5M). For some disturbing perspective, Black Ops grossed more during its launch than the whole UK entertainment software market did over the past couple weeks ... combined. According to Chart-Track, last week became the highest grossing week in UK entertainment software history, with £113.8 million in sales. The last record breaker was £107.6 million, back in week 52 of 2008. (What was the number one game then? Call of Duty: World at War.) The record-breaking week was assisted by the launch of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral. Eight of the 11 UK Kinect launch titles debuted in the Top 40. The top premieres were Kinect Sports, Dance Central and Ubi's Motion Sports, which took fourth, 13th and 15th places, respectively. Check out the full UK top ten after the break.
Football Manager 2011 debuts atop UK charts, Bond finds quantum of solace in teens
Fable 3 lost the UK sales chart crown last week to not one, but two, footie titles. The football revolution sent Lionhead's Albion simulator to third as FIFA 11 maintained its spot in second and ... oh my, the PC-exclusive Football Manager 2011 premiered at the premier spot. According to Chart-Track, it was only the second PC-exclusive title to reach the top spot this year, with the other being StarCraft 2. Ubisoft's Just Dance 2 maintained its fourth place. If the title has the stamina of its older sibling, 2010 might have a Just Dance representative in the top ten throughout the entire year. Professor Layton and The Lost Future rounded out the top five. Other high-profile premieres last week, Goldeneye 007 for Wii and 007: Blood Stone, had licenses to kill the #13 and #18 spots, respectively. Spy with your double-0 eye the UK top ten after the break.
Fable 3 crowns UK charts, Force Unleashed 2 and Rock Band 3 debut
Fable 3 took the throne last week in the UK as the top-selling title, moving 128,895 units and 6,000 more than Fable 2 did during its launch week. Fallout: New Vegas sales, which held the top spot the prior week, dropped 55 percent, moving 69,613 copies to wastelanders. FIFA 11 kicked it up and charged back into second place with 75,703 sales, while Just Dance 2 kept its momentum and slid into fourth, moving and shaking 58,375 units. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 premiered in fifth place. FU2 unleashed 56,064 copies on the British public, with plenty of folks likely screaming that abbreviation after spending those hard-earned pounds on the disposable game. Meanwhile, the 7,386 owners of Rock Band 3, which debuted way down at #26, likely rocked the weekend away. You may have noticed we have actual unit sales this week, that's thanks to UKIE (formerly known as ELSPA). No idea how long this'll last, but it's interesting given the NPD's recent reluctance to share such data for the US. Check out the UK top ten after the break.
Medal of Honor claims UK sales top spot; Just Dance 2 debuts in third
Here's the latest communique from the UK: Medal of Honor managed to premiere in the top spot of the UK sales chart, ousting FIFA 11, which had a 65 percent drop in sales and slipped to second. Although Chart-Track won't share raw intel on sales figures, it claims MoH had the fourth and fifth biggest premieres for 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively. Just Dance 2, the sequel to the unbelievably stalwart chart topper, debuted in third place. The original Just Dance has been the best selling game on one format in the UK this year and, even with its sequel out, still managed to secure a spot at #12 last week. This is only the seventh time since hitting the Wii-exclusive dance floor that the title has been out of the top ten. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Enslaved both slipped four spots last week to tenth and eleventh, respectively. There's little hope that either of these quality games will hang around the top ten for more than a couple weeks, especially as the incoming competition keeps heating up. Check out the UK's top ten after the break.
Jersey Shore wants to Just Dance 2
Who are we to question the judgment of a multi-national, multi-billion dollar video game publisher like Ubisoft? And yet, here we are, faced with a commercial for Just Dance 2 featuring a pair of cast members from MTV's Jersey Shore. The ad has Snooki and Ronnie facing off in a club dance-off to promote Ubi's hit franchise. Okay, so "dance-off" is being a tad generous. The reality TV thespians (who also have their own RPG) raise their arms and then do a running man-esque move for a couple seconds. In conclusion, if that medium-shot of Snooki dancing doesn't become a .gif or meme shortly, the internet will have failed us all.
Just Dance 2 track list released, will grow with DLC
Ubisoft is (indirectly) giving us a mid-Gamescom dance party, by releasing the track list for Just Dance 2. And since we can't read the words "Junior Senior - Move Your Feet" without rushing to YouTube, you all get a musical interlude after the break. And also the track list. And also a trailer. In addition to the 44 listed tracks, the press release confirms that we'll be able to Just Download even more music "from an expanding catalogue of new hits using WiiWare." Ubisoft didn't mention price, or how frequently this DLC would arrive. Try not to worry about that while you're listening to that Junior Senior song, though.%Gallery-99783%
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Just Dance 2
This week's Nintendo Channel update is slathered in Just Dance 2, giving those with an active palette a tasty serving of Ubisoft's follow-up. Not only is there a fun vignette on dancer auditions, but there's also a more filling video showcasing on-going development, behind-the-scenes at Ubisoft. For the rest of this week's content, hit the jump.
Just Dance 2 busts a move on October 14
Want to go crazy like this lady? With Ubisoft's Just Dance 2, you'll be able to do just that -- with up to 7 other friends as well. Promising 40 new songs, the sequel features new modes like "Just Sweat," Duets, and Face-Offs. Ubisoft will start raking in the millions when it releases in stores on October 14th.
Just Dance 2 making moves on Wii this fall
Amid the various parties and sword-swinging antics at this morning's Nintendo E3 2010 press conference, a sequel to the wildly popular Just Dance was announced as heading "exclusively to Wii" in fall 2010. Duets, a "Just Sweat" mode, some sort of approximation of bringing it in "dance crew face-offs," and support for "up to 8 players" will be packed into Just Dance 2. Are you ready to "join the movement?" Yeah, we're not sure we are either, but we get the feeling that those millions of people who bought the first just might be.
Ubisoft begins hunt for Just Dance sequel talent
Ubisoft has just announced that it's about to start combing the globe, looking for the hottest dancers and choreographers that it can include in the follow-up to surprise smash hit Just Dance. As detailed by the press release, the auditions will begin in France before moving to London and, eventually, the US. The game's Facebook page has all the details. [Update: That UK event is fine if you can get there, but in the U.S. branch of the contest, you can actually enter a video online! Check it out here.] Before you get too excited, know that the official Joystiq dance team, Jamaretto, will be participating and -- against contest and federal regulations -- we'll be breaking out all our signature moves like the Grand Crunk Railroad, the Gogurt, the Sprained Cankle and the Spin Around Really Fast. So ... yeah. Bring it.
