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Destiny tops PS4 downloads in 2014
Bungie's Destiny topped the PlayStation Store's PS4 best-sellers list for all of 2014, Sony revealed today. The store's top sellers on the current-generation console don't include many surprises; Grand Theft Auto 5 took the second spot, followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Minecraft and The Last of Us Remastered to round out the top five. GTA 5 was the most purchased PS4 game in the month of December. As for PS3 games, Minecraft led all purchases on the system in 2014 on the PS Store, followed by GTA 5, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny and Battlefield 4. Likewise, the list of top-selling PS4 and PS3 add-ons are a mix of Destiny, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Call of Duty: Ghosts DLC for the most part; Battlefield 4 Premium and The Last of Us' Left Behind DLC swooped in to the third spot in the PS4 and PS3 lists, respectively. Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment was the highest-selling game last year on the PlayStation Store for Vita. The Bandai Namco RPG was trailed on the handheld system by Minecraft, Killzone: Mercenary, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. [Image: Activision]
As Seen On TV: Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell launch infomercial
If you ignore most of the other, far worse sins, wanton consumerism is diabolically evil, which is why it's so fitting that the launch trailer for Volition's upcoming Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell should appear as a lengthy informercial packed with 1-800 numbers and endless groin trauma. [Image: Deep Silver]
Activision takes victory lap, Destiny biggest new game franchise launch
Let us be colloquial: Activision makin' mad bank, yo. Like, all the cheddar. The publisher took a victory lap this morning, reiterating the top placement of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare during yesterday's NPD, the success of Skylanders among children and making a pertinent addendum to Destiny's sales in 2014. Last night, US retail tracking group NPD released its year-end data, with Destiny ranked third behind Call of Duty and Madden NFL 15. Activision noted this morning that Destiny was in second place "among all titles in the U.S. in 2014, based on revenue." This would reflect the significant digital distribution push Destiny had, as well as the special editions and expansion bundles.
505 Games acquires Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons IP for $500K
Starbreeze announced the sale of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons to 505 Games today in a deal worth $500,000. Starbreeze CEO Andersson Klint said the transaction represented his studio's "final transition to the digital strategy," following its recent efforts to push sales through digital distribution channels. The deal includes full rights to the game and intellectual property (IP). With Brothers, Swedish studio Starbreeze created a new IP that gained strong traction with critics and consumers alike. The story-driven puzzle platformer earned a spot in our top 10 of 2013 and went on to sell more than 800,000 units to date.
Destiny 'Crota's End' hard mode coming Jan. 21
Next week, 'Crota's End' will get its revenge for all of the cheesy tactics used by Destiny players (maybe us included, maybe not. What's it to you?). Bungie is unlocking hard mode for the latest raid on January 21, the developer revealed in an update today. In Crota's End hard mode, both Crota and standard enemies will be far more challenging. Thankfully, though, the mode features swanky new loot. Those stamping out Crota in the mode will have a chance to earn powerful new primary weapons (see them after the break!), an exclusive color palette and a devious-looking ship known as "The Bane of the Dark Gods" (It's the ominous looking ship, above). "If you've experienced Hard Mode in Vault of Glass, you have some clues for how we can scale up a Raid," Bungie says in the weekly update. "Prepare to take better care of your teammates. You'll have fewer options for healing yourself, and each other." Croat's End hard mode is set to launch in Destiny at 1pm Eastern on January 21.
December NPD: Xbox One leads consoles in December, hardware sales surge in 2014
Video game hardware sales saw a significant uptick last year in comparison to 2013, but software sales at retail continue to chart a decline, the NPD Group's latest report states. Hardware sales saw a slight drop to $1.31 billion in December compared to the $1.37 billion earned during the same period last year. Annual hardware sales for 2014 peaked at $5.07 billion, however, representing a 20 percent increase over the $4.24 billion reported in 2013. Software sales at retail channels totaled $5.30 billion in 2014, dropping 13 percent compared to 2013's reported $6.11 billion. Though console-specific sales numbers are not available, Microsoft notes that the Xbox One emerged as 2014's "best-selling console in the U.S. in November and December."
Dark Souls 2 prepares for expansion with free update
To prepare existing copies of Dark Souls 2 for the additions coming to the dark fantasy game in the Scholar of the First Sin expanded re-release, From Software will issue a free update on February 5. The list of changes included in the update is immense, but highlights include improved loading times on the PlayStation 3, longer-lived white phantoms, more consistently useful rewards during multiplayer combat, new item flavor text and the addition of the titular Scholar of the First Sin character. For a comprehensive list, see Bandai Namco's Tumblr. Since there are so many changes included in this update, the Dark Souls 2 servers will be brought down for maintenance on February 4 at 9AM EST. Barring any technical problems, the servers should be back up and running by 12PM EST. Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin is scheduled to launch on April 7. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Battlefield Hardline beta will bust perps on all platforms
Publisher EA has announced plans to beta test its upcoming cops vs robbers shooter Battlefield Hardline on the PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. EA's announcement fails to mention when the beta test will take place, but it does offer a handful of new details on what will be included. Alongside the series' mainstay Conquest mode (with support for up to 64 players, assuming you're playing on a PC, PS4 or Xbox One), beta testers will have access to the new Hotwire game type, which the publisher describes as "an all-new mode coming to Battlefield focused on combining all-out warfare with all-out speed." There won't be any progression cap during the beta, so players are free to gain as many ranks and new gadgets as they can (though none of this progression will carry over to the final game). EA's decision to beta test Battlefield Hardline on a wide range of systems stands in contrast to other imminent shooters, notably Turtle Rock's Evolve, that heavily promote a console-exclusive beta test prior to launch. Battlefield Hardline is scheduled to launch on March 17. [Image: EA]
Resident Evil Revelations 2 held back a week longer
The first episode of Resident Evil Revelations 2 is now due on February 24, a week later than originally planned. So if your name is Barry Burton and you're planning a return in an upcoming zombie game, we'd recommend grabbing some form of food and chilling out. You can check out Capcom's full release schedule below the break, but the CliffsNotes are that Revelations 2 is split across four episodes, with one out each week. Episodes individually cost $6, while the $25 "Complete Season" comes with two extra spinoff episodes and Hunk as a bonus RAID character. And yes, Barry is indeed back as a playable protagonist. By the by, there's a similar delay to the $40 goodies-stuffed retail box. So, as things stand, that's due stateside on March 17 and in Europe three days later. Like the individual episodes, the retail box is on its way for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. Also, a Vita release for Revelations 2 remains due sometime this spring. [Update: Capcom noted a similar delay to the retail box in new promo art, which you can find below the break too. We've amended the post accordingly.] For more on Resident Evil's second book of Revelations, check out our preview.
Hotline Miami 2 refused classification in Australia [update]
Hotline Miami 2 is effectively banned from sale in Australia, following the Australian Classification Board's decision to refuse classification. According to Kotaku and Player Attack, the legislative body's report describes an implicit rape scene featuring "visual depiction of implied sexual violence" as part of the offending content. On its website, the ACB says the ruling is accordance with National Classification Code that refuses classification to games featuring "matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena" that offend accepted standards. The site's listing doesn't note the scene specified in the report obtained by Kotaku and Player Attack. According to both publications, the report notes that it doesn't include a complete list of the content that contributed to the ACB's decision. [Update: Devolver Digital published a response to the ruling this morning, which you can read in full below the break. The publisher says it's "concerned and disappointed that a board of professionals tasked with evaluating and judging games fairly and honestly would stretch the facts to such a degree..." Devolver added it has no plans to officially challenge the decision.]
Over 60 games discounted in PlayStation Anniversary Sale
To celebrate the twentieth birthday of the PlayStation brand, Sony is hosting a digital sale on a wide swath of games for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Vita and PSP. Highlights of the sale include Killzone: Shadow Fall at $24, Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and Vice City Stories at $4 a piece and Mass Effect 2: Ultimate Edition at $14. If you prefer games from the original PlayStation era, you'll find digital re-releases of Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9 each priced at $6 and Jet Moto at $3. As with all PlayStation Network sales, these discounts are even larger for PlayStation Plus subscribers. For a full rundown of all the games on sale, visit the PlayStation.blog. The PlayStation 20th Anniversary Sale ends on January 19. [Image: Sony]
Splice slices its way to PS3, PS4 on January 20
Splice, the gene-slicing game with a gorgeous piano soundtrack, is due out on PS3 and PS4 for $15 as a Cross-Buy game on January 20. PlayStation Plus members will get a 20 percent discount during its first two weeks on PSN. Splice comes from music-loving indie studio Cipher Prime and has players piecing together cellular strands in a moody, floaty environment. "We've been working for months to bring you a truly amazing experience for Playstation," Cipher Prime Creative Director William Stallwood writes on the PlayStation Blog. "It's been a childhood dream of ours for such a long time to release a game on a console, and Splice will be our very first. We couldn't be more excited to share with you our award-winning puzzler." To celebrate the console launch, Cipher Prime is offering the Splice original soundtrack, Flight of the Angels, for free this week. It's seven songs of haunting, emotive, original piano work; grab it on Bandcamp. Also, get the sheet music for Splice's songs in the links here, for $5. [Image: Cipher Prime]
PlayStation Network offline, Sony investigating [Update]
Update 2: According to the PSN Support page, PlayStation online services are back to normal. Sony offered no reason for the outage. Update 1: Sony has upgraded its online support status from red (offline) to yellow ("Heavy Network Traffic"). Some users may experience delays in signing in, with the PSN console and web store and more. Those attempting to log into the PlayStation Network may be met with connection issues. According to the PSN Support page, the network is listed as offline. The cause of the outage is currently unknown. "We're aware that some of you are having issues connecting to the PSN. Engineers are investigating," the official Ask PlayStation account tweeted. Additional PSN-related services, including the Sony Entertainment Network store, are experiencing problems. Sony's PSN ended 2014 on a down note – an issue that also plagued the Xbox Live service – due to an apparent DDoS attack on its servers. Service, however, was soon restored. Sony has scheduled maintenance for the PlayStation Network on January 15, during which the service will be unavailable from 12PM EST and through 4PM EST.
PSN Update: PlayStation Now rolls out
Today's PlayStation Store update focuses on the rollout of Sony's new games streaming service, PlayStation Now. For a per-game fee (or unlimited access with a pricey subscription) players can reach back into the PS3 catalog and stream previous-generation games directly to their PlayStation 4. According to the PlayStation Blog, the new PlayStation Now service includes "more than 100 PS3 games", including newer titles such as The Last of Us and "old" favorites like Tokyo Jungle. A 7-day free trial is available. Beyond PlayStation Now, new releases are light this week (and non-existent in the land of the PS4). Vita owners have three new games to look forward to: role-playing game Atelier Ayesha Plus ($39.99), the free-to-play mobile port puzzler Fat Princess: Piece of Cake and Joe Danger 2: The Movie ($10.99).
Arrow actor Stephen Amell stars in new Lego Batman 3 DLC
For its latest downloadable addition, Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is ditching the titular Dark Knight to focus on another vigilante billionaire: Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow. Instead of simply cobbling together a Lego version of the comic book character - a thinly-veiled Robin Hood/Batman hybrid - Warner Bros. Interactive cast Stephen Amell, the actor who plays Green Arrow in the surprisingly good CW series Arrow. The developers then modeled the Lego character after Amell, who provided the voice work. As you can see in the trailer beyond the break, Amell seems very comfortable as a virtual character, which shouldn't be too surprising, given that he also played the role as a Green Arrow DLC skin in Injustice: Gods Among Us. The Arrow DLC for Lego Batman 3 is currently available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 and will be available on January 14 for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. It bears a $3 price tag, but is included (along with four other DLC packs) in the game's $15 season pass. [Image: WBIE]
PSA: PlayStation Network comes down temporarily on January 15
Owners of Sony gaming devices, take note: The console manufacturer has scheduled PlayStation Network maintenance for January 15, which will bring the online service down for approximately four hours. During the downtime, PlayStation owners will not be able to access the PSN Store, any streaming entertainment apps or online gameplay functions. However, if you just can't go four hours without shooting somebody over the Internet, you can get around this problem by signing into PSN before the network comes down. As long as you don't sign out of the PlayStation Network, you'll be able to play online while everyone else is forced to interact with reality. Barring any last-minute changes or unexpected problems, the downtime is scheduled to occur at 12PM EST and last through 4PM EST. [Image: Sony]
GTA5 tops PS4 digital sales charts for December
Gamers who found a PlayStation 4 under their Christmas trees last month very quickly turned their holiday cheer into murderous bloodshed, as Sony revealed that Rockstar's remastered port of Grand Theft Auto 5 ranked as the PlayStation 4's most popular digital purchase in the month of December. GTA 5 beat out Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition, Battlefield 4, and The Walking Dead: Season Two to claim the platform's top digital sales spot last month. Digital versions of Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ranked as the PlayStation 3's best digital sellers in December, while Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition and Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment headed up the PS Vita charts. December was also a big month for classic RPGs. Konami's recently reissued Suikoden 2 took top honors in Sony's PS Classics sales chart last month, leading over the original Suikoden and Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7. [Image: Rockstar]
Far Cry 4 DLC, Escape From Durgesh Prison, now available
The expansive Himalayan world of Far Cry 4 just got a bit larger with the launch of the "Escape From Durgesh Prison" DLC mission. "In this new piece of downloadable content for Far Cry 4, Ajay and Hurk find themselves defenseless in the dangerous northern region of Kyrat after being captured, tortured and stripped of their weapons in Yuma's prison," reads Ubisoft's official plot description. "On their way to the extraction point, they will be able to complete a series of challenges kicked off by the tyrannical Pagan Min to acquire weapons and upgrade their gear before a final stand-off against Yuma's forces." Escape From Durgesh Prison can be played either alone or with a friend in co-op mode. This mission is a time trial, meaning that players will be vying for position on an online leaderboard. However, this also means that, on death, players will be forced to restart the mission completely. Escape From Durgesh Prison is now available on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PS4. The DLC is included in the $30 Far Cry 4 season pass, but can also be purchased a la carte for $10. [Image: Ubisoft]
Alien: Isolation's third DLC adds one-life-only Salvage Mode
Are you a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality? If that sounds like you then maybe let's not do coffee... but you may want to check out Alien: Isolation's new Safe Haven DLC. The add-on's new Salvage Mode tasks you with completing ten challenges in a large map as you try to escape from You-Know-Who (not Voldermort) within the time limit. The catch? You've got one life. While dying does take you back to your last saved challenge, it'll cost your final score. So to really do the business on the leaderboards, you'll need to make it through all ten challenges without perishing. On the flipside, if you collect enough points you can trade them in to save your progress. Like the previous DLC, you get to play another new character in Safe Haven. This time around it's Hughes, Sevastopol's communications manager and one of the first unfortunate souls you encounter in the main game. The last bit of intel is that Safe Haven introduces another new mode, Marathon, letting you play Survivor Mode maps in the order of your choosing. For a glimpse at the seemingly misnamed Safe Haven, check out Sega's teaser trailer below the break. If you still want in, the DLC is due to hit all platforms today, except in Europe where PS4 and PS3 players are on standby 'til tomorrow. If you've got the $30 season pass then you have already paid for the pleasure, otherwise the asking price is $8.
Destiny patch repairs Crota's bum knee
Bungie issued a new patch for Destiny today, primarily providing fixes for issues with the Crota's End raid in the game's first expansion, The Dark Below. As the developer revealed late last week, the update zapped a glitch that allowed players to easily beat the raid boss, Crota, by unplugging one teammate's network cable. The "force quit" by one player previously caused Crota to enter an irrecoverable kneeling state, according to Bungie's patch notes. Additionally, not only does the update fix a "rare case where the Shriekers would not spawn, preventing players from reaching the Deathsinger" enemy in the expansion, but the Deathsinger now has a chance to drop rare exotic gear and materials. The Dark Below launched in December, bringing with it a slew of story missions and three Crucible arenas. The DLC is available for $20 on its own, or as part of Destiny's $35 season pass. [Image: Bungie]
