November
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Read the patch notes for AC's November update
The patch notes for Asheron's Call's November update were recently published by Turbine. Most of the changes are bug fixes and tweaks, but a couple of things are worthy of note.Rare item drops have been increased world-wide, new items have been added to "the various special vendors across Dereth," and some more masks have been put into the game. The patch notes also cryptically say that "there appears to be some sort of plague affecting the Carenzi of Marae Lassel." Presumably Turbine wants us to figure out what's going on there for ourselves.It's good to know that Asheron's Call is still getting some patch love on a regular basis; some older games aren't so lucky.
DS releases for the week of November 26th
Finally, gamers in the U.S. get a break from the deluge of releases. Draw a breath and hoard your pennies, DS fans ... there's more to come soon, and this lull won't last long. This might also be a good time to catch up on some of the games you've got lying around. Unless, of course, you're going to be picking up one of this week's releases! Gamers in the rest of the world aren't as lucky this week -- or are luckier, depending on your point of view -- and Japan in particular faces a spectacular array of DS games. Importers might want to take a closer look. Boogie Geometry Wars Galaxies Master of Illusion
Guild Wars: got $100,000?
NCsoft would like to remind you that the ArenaNet-sponsored Guild Wars $100,000 Tournament Series is still going strong. The October rankings are in, the November cycle is swiftly wrapping to a close, and the December season rules are now available for review. You'll be able to check out the schedule, the map rotation, and the upcoming prize list which includes in-game prizes such as cape trim for your guild and reward points, and physical prizes like a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer sound card and a 160Gb iPod. So what are you waiting for? Let's get those slay bells ringing this holiday season.
DS releases for the week of November 12th
Hmm, with all the games out this week, it seems like there should be something that really gets our hearts pumping. Maybe it's WordJong. After all, we liked it, but nah, that's not really an incomparable thrill ride. Cooking Mama 2? Just doesn't seem like it. We can cross off Baby Pals and all the Petz and Horsez games, too. It's right there, on the tip of the tongue ... what could it be?Oh yeah: Contra 4. At last, dear friends, it's here! Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Baby Pals Contra 4 Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders Impossible Mission Jenga Monster Jam Need for Speed ProStreet Orcs & Elves Petz: Catz 2 Petz: Dogz 2 Petz: Hamsterz Life 2 Petz: Horsez 2 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake Super Fruit Fall Ultimate Mortal Kombat WordJong WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008
Orange gets French iPhone in November
It's official: Orange has the iPhone in France.France Telecom, Orange's parent company, says they won't subsidize the iPhone, but also didn't say anything about price, according to CNN Money. They also didn't give a release date other than November-- the UK and Germany are getting it on 9th November, so it should be close to that point.Reader Samuel, who sent us this French article (all I know is "sacrebleu," sorry), also notes that Apple seems to be signing with the national operators in each country, so the prediction for Italy is TIM, Belgium is predicted Belgacom (although reader Jelle says he saw the iPhone on Base's website, so who knows), KPN in the Netherlands, and so on.I'm clueless about French wireless providers-- is Orange good? Does this deal have you Francophiles saying oui or no?Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
November NPD breakdown
November is often the best of times and worst of times for gamers. Good in the sense that we are given precious fuel in the form of several top-notch games, bad in the way that we can't pay our utility bills for the month as all funds had been diverted towards gaming. It's really a vicious cycle as upon buying all these games, we have to wait until we can pay our electric bill to play them or, which often is the case this time of year, we just go over to a friend's house and perform a hostile takeover on their gaming rig.With the release of two new consoles this November, along with countless high-profile, AAA titles, it's no surprise that we spent a total of $1.7 billion. In the interest of creating a post that is both smooth and less-filling, we've gathered the top sellers and placed them into convenient bullet points:Console Sales (units) DS: 918k PS2: 664k Game Boy Advance: 661k Xbox 360: 511k Wii: 476k PSP: 412k PS3: 197k Software Sales (units and sales grossed) Gears of War: 1 million -- $61.5 million Final Fantasy XII: 896k -- $49 million The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 412k -- $20.2 million Guitar Hero II: 356k -- $20.2 million You may go over the rest of the figures here.[Via Joystiq]
Japanese hardware sales, 6 November - 12 November: Supply and demand edition
You can hear the cries from the rooftops:"OMG the PS3 sold out rofl fastest in world!!!111oneone""It is teh greatest system evar!""Chim-chiminny chim-chiminny chim-chim, cheroo..."And yes, it's true, the PS3 did sell out every single available unit within minutes of 12:01 AM last week, driving a majority of gamers, cold and hungry, empty-handed through the night. Certainly, we can allow ourselves a little bit of pride, though, right? Yes, as expected, the DS Lite outsold the brand-spanking-new PS3 by a considerable margin this week, despite the two-year-plus availability. Sony's Japanese allotment of the PS3 was nothing short of pathetic, and when those savvy Japanese gamers weigh the risks and rewards of the purchase, the DS Lite (which has reached the point of being able to walk up to a random eighty-year-old on the street and expect him to have at least one on him at any given moment) looks mighty shiny. Besides, they hate first-person shooters.So hear this: we expect the DS Lite to outsell PS3 (in Japan) by a factor of 6.13 throughout the holiday season. That includes this week, and will run until the final full week in 2006. Make your guesses, ladies and gents, and we'll see who comes the closest!- DS Lite: 148,174 35,077 (31.01%)- PS3: 81,639 81,639 (N / A) - PSP: 19,123 4,602 (19.40%) - PS2: 16,157 4,825 (23.00%) - Xbox 360: 3,864 2,716 (41.28%) - GBA SP: 1,320123 (8.52%) - Game Boy Micro: 1,213 86 (6.62%) - Gamecube: 496 151 (23.34%) - DS Phat: 279 94 (25.20%) - GBA: 12 8 (40.00%) - Xbox: 3 3 (N / A)[Source: Media Create]
Superman Returns to DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Nov. 28th
Summer blockbuster Superman Returns has a date from Warner Home Video, and VideoBusiness says you'll be able to see it no matter what side of the format war you're on. While The Lake House will still be the first triple-release later this month, you can pick up Superman Returns on DVD, HD DVD & Blu-ray November 28th. The standard DVD will be available either as a single disc (MSRP $28.98), 2-disc special edition (MSRP $34.99), HD DVD Combo disc (MSRP $39.99), or Blu-ray (MSRP $34.99). The special edition DVD will come with several hours worth of extras, but no word on the high definition IME extras we've already heard so much about. Still, considering such a high profile release and that they've already got HD extras ready, it seems likely that Superman follows Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift in being a 30GB/9GB combo disc. We're still not sure how many people are willing to pay a few extra bucks for a combo disc, but Warner is putting a lot of weight behind them. Information on whether or not the disc would allow buyers to fly merely by putting on a cape and yelling "I'm Superman" is also unavailable at this time.
Official Wii site launches
We told you earlier tonight that the official Wii site had appeared, and was so new we could smell the fresh code from here. During the press event, the site updated with loads of goodies. To get to the goods, click the Japan link at the top. We assume the other links will go live during their events, so the English version should be available within several hours. There's a lot to discover, even though the site has a few open slots that simply read "coming soon." Joystiq's semi-live coverage should include some translations soon. In the meantime, enjoy the video demonstrations.
Wii: last minute rumors [update 1]
It's almost time, fanboys and girls, for the big announcement that is almost certain to bring us the launch details on the Wii. What does that mean for Wii Fanboy?Rumor roundup time! Yee-haw!After the jump, we not only bring you a rumor compendium, but we also offer the official (!) Wii Fanboy predictions on launch and release date.
Hulk, King Kong & Waterworld coming to HD DVD November 14th
Universal is keeping the hits big budget flicks coming to HD DVD. They have announced we can expect Ang Lee's Hulk, Peter Jackson's King Kong and Kevin Costner's Waterworld on HD DVD November 14th. All will feature Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtracks, the extras from the DVD editions and...that's it. Hulk and Waterworld carry a $29.98 SRP while King Kong starts off at $39.98. Excuse us if we're a bit underwhelmed, we're sure they will look and sound great but c'mon Universal, we've got a new standard for blockbuster high-def rollouts. Throw us a bone here, TrueHD soundtrack, IME picture-in-picture extra, Hulk-hands pack-in, something. You can check out these and other dates on our Google HD DVD & Blu-ray release calendars.HD DVD release scheduleBlu-ray release schedule
Final Fantasy III delayed...slightly
The upcoming Final Fantasy III, one of the most anticipated games for the Nintendo DS, has been ever so slightly delayed. The previously scheduled North American release date of November 1st has been transfigured (with a bit of phoenix feather and mugworm extract) to November 14th. Unfortunately, many readers didn't seem to know about the delay to November in the first place, as the game was originally intended for a September release. Still, there are plenty of other things to keep you occupied until November, right? Also, keep in mind that Final Fantasy V for the GBA is currently scheduled for release on November 6th, and Final Fantasy XII for the PS2 on October 31st. Three Final Fantasy titles in fifteen days?! MADNESS!
Nintendo employee says "November, it'll launch in November"
A product tester, by the name of Shane D. Lewis, recently spilled the beans in regards to what he believes month we should expect the Wii to launch in the US. Oh, November, you say Shane? "In a chic downtown Toronto hotel, my expectations are duly dismissed when I play the games everyone will anticipate once Nintendo's next-gen system launches in November (Yes, November, according to product tester Shane D. Lewis of Nintendo of America)."We advise you take this with a grain of salt, fine reader, as Shane is only a product tester and in no way associated with Nintendo's well-oiled PR machine. Personally, we're shooting for validation of an October launch, because...well, we want it as soon as possible.
