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Peggle 2 receives PEGI rating for Xbox 360
Peggle 2 has received a PEGI rating of 3 for Xbox 360, alongside a release date of February 12, 2014 – today. Peggle 2 hit Xbox One on December 9 in the US and Europe, and it's yet to be officially announced for other platforms, though it was previously rated for Xbox 360 and PS4 in South Korea. Slow your roll on that PEGI release date, though. Some of PEGI's purported release dates represent the day those games launched in Europe (Grand Theft Auto 5), while others are incorrect (Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefiled 4 next-gen, Peggle 2 on Xbox One). Still, another rating for Peggle 2 on Xbox 360 is a good sign for non-Xbox One puzzle fiends.
AirMech getting multiplatform follow-up, classification suggests
Ubisoft could be gearing up for a multiplatform release or spinoff for Carbon Games' browser and PC RTS AirMech, a recent Australian classification rating indicates. The Australian Classification Board added an entry for the previously unannounced AirMech Arena last week, assigning the multiplatform game a PG rating. A Brazilian newspaper corroborates the title, describing it as an upcoming North American release for the Xbox 360. Developer Carbon Games declined to comment when questioned about Arena, saying that further announcements will be made after the PC version wraps up its beta phase. We've reached out to Ubisoft for details, and will update with any new information. [Update: An Ubisoft representative responded to our request for more information, stating "We have no comment on rumor or speculation."] [Image: Carbon Games]
The Elder Scrolls Online tagged with Mature rating by ESRB
The Elder Scrolls Online has been given a Mature rating by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Bethesda noted on the game's official Facebook page that while it does not agree with the ESRB's rating, intimating that it expected a "Teen" label, it is "unwilling to change the game's content to achieve a different rating." As a result, fans can expect Bethesda to promptly begin age-gating its Elder Scrolls Online materials, such as the game's website and trailers, though it mentioned that "the game we have created is the one we want our fans to be able to play." The Elder Scrolls Online is due out April 4 for PC and Mac with next-gen console launches following in June.
Facebook's latest test run puts star ratings on businesses' pages
Facebook's known for testing new features with a limited group before a broader rollout, and it's latest one could have some real implications for both businesses and individual users of the social network alike. As TechCrunch reports, Facebook is now testing a new five star rating system that's prominently displayed on pages for places or businesses -- a move that would place it even more directly in competition with the likes of Yelp. As TechCrunch notes, Facebook has already been collecting star ratings from users through various means, but this is the most public use of those results to date. For its part, though, Facebook isn't offering any indication just yet as to when or if we'll see a broader rollout of the feature.
Peggle 2 rated for PS4, Xbox 360 in South Korea
South Korea's Game Rating Board classified Peggle 2 for PS4 and Xbox 360 this week, as well as Xbox One. The puzzler follow-up is set to arrive on Xbox One first, and there's no indication that's changed, even though it won't make the console's launch this month. However, these ratings suggest it could trickle onto other platforms in the near future. PopCap has already said Peggle 2 will, much like its predecessor, be ported to "as many other platforms as possible." PopCap's enthusiastically announced sequel is due next month on Xbox One. According to our PAX Prime preview, it doesn't ricochet too far from the tried-and-tested Peggle formula, but it still "looks like a game you'll play until your thumbs drop off."
Angry Birds: Star Wars rated for next-gen by ESRB
Angry Birds: Star Wars is X-winging its way onto PS4 and Xbox One, at least according to multiple ratings. North American ratings board ESRB listed it for the next-gen systems this week, while in Brazil the game was classified for both systems back in July. To add further evidence, in August retailer GameFly listed the next-gen versions too. When approached on the ratings, an Activision rep told Joystiq the company wasn't able to comment. What we do know is Rovio's fusion of force and feathers is coming to Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC, and you can peck it up for those systems on October 29. Meanwhile, Angry Birds Star Wars 2 is available on PC as of today, if you'd prefer to play it on a computer far, far away from your mobiles.
Walking Dead: Game of the Year Edition rated by ESRB [update]
Whether or not to pick up a GOTY version and relive all those horrors again; that may be the next heart-wrenching choice for The Walking Dead fans to make, going by a recent ESRB rating. The listing notes a Game of the Year Edition that's apparently headed for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Mac. We've reached out to Telltale for comment. The Walking Dead was one of our favorites from last year, placing third in our Top Ten list after winning and subsequently breaking our hearts. The zombified adventure continued via the 400 Days DLC this summer, and we'd expect that to be included in a GOTY version. As for the second season, Telltale is teasing more news on that later this month. Last we heard, the next batch of difficult decisions is due sometime this fall. Update: Reliable Xbox-hound @lifelower unearthed a GameStop listing that has it going for $30. According to that, the GOTY edition includes the 400 Days DLC, the soundtrack, and a behind-the-scenes vid.
Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings launch with ABC's Scandal in the top spot this week
Nielsen announced late last year that it would create a rating system to track how much engagement TV shows are getting on Twitter, and now the list is available. The system tracks the number of tweets about a particular TV episode (sports events are excluded) and the number of people posting about it, as well as the number of times those tweets were seen and by how many accounts. Nielsen reports that sometimes the amount of action on Twitter aligns closely with viewer ratings -- the Breaking Bad finale topped the week of September 23rd on Twitter -- but shows like CBS sitcoms top traditional ratings without causing much conversation. This week, ABC's Scandal topped the list as Miley Cyrus accounted for the next two spots with her MTV special and Saturday Night Live episode. All of this comes at a crucial time for Twitter as it nears its IPO and seeks a path to profitability, which may be fueled by its use as a companion for TV watching. Whether or not this helps broadcasters focus on the best of TV programming remains to be seen, or if our screens will be so full of hashtags there won't be anything left to watch.
Facebook to join Twitter in providing TV networks with user data
Now that Facebook has granted broadcasters access to your public wall posts, it wants to give them even more of your data -- but anonymously this time. Zuckerberg and Co. told the Wall Street Journal it'll supply the likes of ABC, NBC, FOX and others with detailed analytics on how much buzz a show is generating in terms of likes, comments and shares. It'll mine that info from private postings as well public ones, though it said that the data will be aggregated without revealing anyone's identity. Of course, Twitter and Nielsen have been supplying networks with such info for a while now, but Facebook claims its results are more meaningful, since viewers must ostensibly use their real identities. One CBS exec added that Facebook's wider demographic also seemed to jibe better with actual audience numbers, meaning that programming could become less affected by tech-savvy types and more by your mom.
Study finds app ratings now more critical to rankings than ever before
We knew Apple was tweaking its algorithms for ranking top apps, but a new report by app-testing firm Appurify gives us a much better idea of just how heavily weighted ratings are becoming. The company's study examines at the ratings of the top 1,000 apps on the App Store. Perhaps not surprisingly, the results show that more than half of the top 1,000 apps have a rating of at least 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 75% scoring 4 stars or higher. More interesting, however, is that the higher an app is placed in the charts, the more the ratings seem to matter. For example, in order to reach the top 300 of all apps in the marketplace, you're going to need hundreds of 4.5- and 5-star reviews every single day, but the criteria for landing in the top 300-600 apps is not nearly as demanding. Head on over to Appurify's blog to check out the full results. [via TechCrunch]
Apple is testing changes to App Store ranking algorithms
Determining what apps appear on the top of the App Store charts is a big deal, as it can make or break a brand. App-marketing firm Fiksu has been keeping a close eye on the effect this top secret algorithm has on App Store hopefuls and has discovered that Apple may indeed be revamping the criteria it uses to rank digital products. The company believes it has discovered two very important changes to the ranking algorithm that are being implemented: Rankings now take into account user ratings, and a change in how often the App Store updates the top-seller lists. A tweak to allow app ratings to change rankings is certainly the biggest news, as I think we've all seen apps with one- or two-star ratings in the top 100 or even the top 10 of various categories and wondered how it happened. If an app is more promise than delivery -- think of how lots iOS games sell themselves as the next Angry Birds in text and screenshots, only to deliver something barely playable -- it will have a harder time luring suckers into a purchase. The second change that alters how often the App Store updates its rankings -- from every 15 minutes to every three hours -- is also pretty huge, but in a more indirect way. If an app scores a bunch of downloads in 15 minutes (think suspiciously here), there used to be a chance it could sneak its way into a highly trafficked chart. Now, with three hours' worth of data to draw from, Apple can identify such outliers and deal with them before they con a top spot in the rankings. [via TechCrunch]
Here's the full player ratings list for Madden 25
EA Tiburon's player ratings list for Madden 25, at least as it stands for preseason football before the weekly roster updates start in September, is now available. Sporting News has a full spreadsheet with every NFL player's rating, from Seahawks QB Russell Wilson's 86 speed rating to Jets rookie CB Dee Milliner's 88 man coverage rating. Madden 25's release is just around the corner: The game launches August 27 on Xbox 360 and PS3, and will come to Xbox One and PS4 at a later date. Feel free to check out the above trailer for the game's top defensive players, but who doesn't prefer spreadsheets over videos?
Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson top Madden 25's players on offense
EA kicked off its Madden 25 player ratings reveal this week, issuing a single trailer to cover the top five players in each offensive category. The top-rated QB to start the game is Aaron Rodgers at 98 overall, while the top running back is Adrian Peterson, who is rated 99 overall.
CastleStorm rated for Wii U, PS3, Vita
CastleStorm may be approaching the gates of Wii U, PS3, and Vita after being listed for the three platforms by German ratings board USK. Zen Studios' eclectic fusion of Angry Birds and tower defense has already hurled itself at XBLA, Windows 8, and Steam this year. Zen didn't deny the Wii U port when asked by Nintendo Everything, telling the site it intends "to bring CastleStorm to as many platforms as possible." The Hungarian studio has plenty of experience with the newly listed systems, having sprung Marvel Pinball, Star Wars Pinball, and Zen Pinball 2 upon all three in recent years. Also, as evidenced by Marvel's Pinball's appearance on seven platforms to date, Zen is fond of the odd port or two.
Google debuts new Zagat app for Android and iOS, redesigned website
Sure, Mountain View slowly infused Maps with Zagat content after acquiring the brand, but now it's revamped the outfit's mobile apps on Android and iOS, along with its website, to boot. As you'd expect, users can wield the apps and website to find venues with searches and map-based browsing, and catch up on news and videos from the service's editors. In this fresh incarnation, Google's lifted a registration requirement that was previously necessary to peruse reviews online. Page and Co.'s redesigned experience only covers restaurants and nightlife in nine cities, but will include hotels, shopping and other points of interest in a total of 50 US cities over the coming months. In the meantime, Zagat promises its existing ratings and reviews for spots in those markets will soon be available on the web. Hit the bordering source links below to grab the reimagined applications.
EVO 2013 smashes viewership records with 1.7 million spectators
This year's Evolution Championship Series, colloquially known as EVO 2013, was the most-watched fighting game tournament ever broadcast through Twitch.tv, according to the streaming site's VP of marketing, Matthew DiPietro. "It was nearly fifty percent higher than last year's EVO, which was the previous record holder," DiPietro said in a statement. "1.7 million tuned in during the course of the weekend." Records for concurrent, game-specific viewership were also broken, with Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 peaking at 144,848 simultaneous viewers. Estimations place Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition and Super Smash Bros. Brawl at approximately 125,000 and 134,000 concurrent viewers each, respectively. Numbers like these, while certainly impressive, aren't all that surprising considering that this year's EVO was easily the most thrilling in the event's 11-year history. With legal drama, release date/DLC/new game reveals and some truly surprising winners at the end of it all, EVO 2013 put on one hell of a show.
Mighty Switch Force 2 for Wii U, says PEGI listing
European body PEGI rated Mighty Switch Force 2 for the Wii U this weekend, suggesting the 3DS sequel is repeating the first game's mighty switch from portable to console. Patricia Wagon's premier adventure combined HD visuals with off-TV play in its Wii U 'Hyper Deluxe Edition,' so we'd expect the same for WayForward's follow-up, should it make the move. Mighty Switch Force 2 launched on the 3DS eShop last month. So says our JC: While Patricia's career change from cop to firefighter isn't that much of a change-up, the game's intrigue-packed bite-sized levels make for another "impressively economical" outing.
State of Decay gets Australian R18+ rating second time around
State of Decay passed its Australian Classification Board re-review with R18+ colors, confirming the ACB says no to drugs but yes-alright-then to vitamins. The XBLA horror was denied entry to Australia after the ACB waggled its finger at the depiction of drug use, so dev Undead Labs changed the game's "stimulants" to "supplements" and re-submitted it. Lo and behold, the game can now be sold in Oz, and in its announcement of the approval Undead said, "Stay tuned for more news tomorrow." State of Decay was the second game to be banned in Australia since the R18+ rating's introduction, the first being none other than Saints Row 4. Developer Volition plans to submit a re-worked version of that game to the ACB, namely a "low violence" one if Steam Australia is anything to go by.
State of Decay tries again to please Aussie ratings board
State of Decay is up for re-review at the Australian Classification Board, and developer Undead Labs is "feeling pretty optimistic" about getting approval this time around. Going by a recent Facebook post, the sandbox horror's revised version says so long to stimulants, replacing them with "supplements." The ACB originally refused entry to the XBLA breakout hit because of its depiction of drug use, a matter Saints Row 4 fell afoul of, too. "Who could possibly not like vitamins? They're good for you," reads Undead's post. While it waits to hear from the ACB about vitamins that may well include A, C, and B, the Seattle-based studio is keeping itself busy with the game's upcoming PC version. However, Undead doesn't expect to share any news on that for a while yet.
Google announces new features for its Maps app, coming soon
Google I/O is going down today (as you have probably noticed from all of the Google updates), and one of the new products announced there is a new version of the Google Maps app, due out to the App Store later on this summer. Google says the new Maps app will include integrated information from Zagat, and a redesigned routing process that will now take into account traffic incidents and push you around obstacles in real time. The new version will be targeted at more personal use, so it will combine those reviews with user ratings and even some Google Offers options as well. Additionally, the app will boast a new tablet experience for the iPad. Google had a road bump with its Maps app last year, when Apple decided to replace it as the default maps client on the iPhone with Apple's own solution. But Google says that the Google Maps app, despite not being the default, has still been a "tremendous success," and so this followup seems designed to differentiate Google's offering even further than Apple's new default. We'll keep an eye out for the Maps update, and hopefully we'll see it on schedule later this summer.
