Now Playing: November 9-15, 2009
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ 23 minutes ago } 
Yup. That about sums it up for this week, folks.
British MP Watson leading charge against Modern Warfare 2 media controversy
by Griffin McElroy { 52 minutes ago }
It was a wise, pre-emptive move on Watson's part -- as promised, Vaz brought up the game during today's Parliament session, explaining that it's so violent that "even the manufacturers have put in warnings within the game telling people how they can skip particular scenes." He inquired how the government was planning on "protecting our children." Watson stepped in and dropped the timeless observation that the UK already has a game rating system which restricts the game's sale to minors, and that it's more important to protect the gaming industry than it is to "create moral panic" in the media.
If you want to stay informed of Watson's other heroic, industry-defending activities, you might want to join the Gamers' Voice group. (We hear that shortly after that Parliament session, he doused a burning orphanage, then ate an entire maple tree for breakfast. Seriously!)
Crackdown HDD installation now available
by Richard Mitchell { 1 hour ago }
Remember agent, installing isn't just for convenience, it's also for saving wear and tear on the DVD drive -- especially in games like Crackdown, which stream data constantly.
Second season of Xbox Live's 1 vs 100 starts Nov. 19
by David Hinkle { 3 hours ago }
Multiple-choice maniacs will be able to play the new season of 1 vs 100 on a daily basis through themed Extended Play sessions every night, including "Finish the Lyrics," "80's" night and -- yes, we're totally serious -- "Vampires." Finally, a theme night your 12-year-old sister can get behind!
Wii Fit Plus claims top spot in UK sales chart, Dragon Age debuts in fifth
by Alexander Sliwinski { 3 hours ago }
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time premiered at the 22nd spot, which is a weaker debut than we had anticipated for the titular duo's final(ish) outing. It'll likely have a stronger showing in the US, though we'll have to wait for the NPD results to see if it lands in the top ten.
Source -- A fitting No1 [Chart Track]
Source -- All formats chart [Chart Track]
For the UK's best Modern Warfare 2 deal, head to the grocery store
by JC Fletcher { 4 hours ago }
Tesco is also offering a big price cut on Modern Warfare 2: it's £25 with the purchase of another bestselling game (The Guardian specifies "top-20" games), or £39.70 on its own. Tescos, which are open all the time anyway, will begin selling the game at midnight tonight, as will five Sainsbury's locations. Unless they're like stores in the US, in which case they began selling them last week.
Final Fantasy XIII announcement possibly due on Nov. 13
by Griffin McElroy { 18 hours ago }
Before reading on, why not try to solve that puzzle for yourself? It's an anagram, which means you can mess the letters about to spell a secret message. Here's a hint: It was posted by Square Enix as a tease for Final Fantasy XIII, meaning it probably has something to do with that game. What's that? "A Chevron Non-nineteenth Mutt?" We suppose that's a pretty good guess, but unfortunately, it's the wrongest thing ever. A Final Fan-site recently had better luck uncovering the message's true meaning: "Announcement Nov Thirteenth."
The nature of this "announcement" is still up in the air, though our money's on an official North American release date for the super-anticipated RPG. Though, considering the speed at which the series is growing now, we wouldn't be surprised if Squeenix went ahead and dropped the Final Fantasy XV bomb on us.
EA Sports MMA gameplay footage revealed during Strikeforce match
by Griffin McElroy { 20 hours ago }
How does it look? We have no idea. There's plenty of punching and kicking, sure, and one might say these two techniques are used intermittently -- or rather, that they are mixed. Therefore, our initial, amateur analysis of the video concludes that it reeks of authenticity.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Xbox 360 port of 3D Dot Game Heroes 'possible'
by David Hinkle { 1 day ago }
My Game News Flash recently stopped by Silicon Studios to chat up producer Hiroyuki Misawa, who offered that a port is "possible," but that it's really "up to From [Software]." He added, "We're a developer, so if there's a call to make it, I believe we can do it." Hardly confirmation that a port is in the works, but should that be a future move for From Software, Silicon Studios sounds like it's willing.
Gallery: 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
[Via andriasang]
Select GameStops in NY, OH and PA selling Modern Warfare 2 already [Update: Activision responds]
by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }
Poor, poor GameStop. As the gaming public's anticipation for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 approached critical mass, they faltered in their loyalty, and took their business to small "mom and pop" game retailers who had broken the game's street date. Fortunately for the retail juggernaut, Activision showed compassion for its plight, and agreed to let certain GameStops in a few Northeast states start selling the game before Tuesday in order to help combat these vicious local businesses.
We've been receiving tips all morning from folks living in New York and Pennsylvania (and Kotaku reports Ohio as well) stating that they were able to find the game on sale at their local GameStop. If you live in one of those Northeastern states, you might want to go ahead and call your local 'Stop to see if it's one of the stores which was granted special permission. If it is, then you can go straight to hell, you lucky jerk.
Reminder: Watch the first episode of Halo Legends today [update: It's gone]
by Richard Mitchell { 2 days ago }
This is just a quick public service announcement to remind all the Halo fans out there today that the first episode of Halo Legends is available on Halo Waypoint today. Entitled "The Babysitter," it tells the story of a squad of ODST soldiers on a mission to assassinate a Covenant Prophet. The only catch is that a Spartan has been assigned to lead the squad. ODSTs and Spartans don't necessarily get along, so things get a little complicated.
The episode is only available today, so be sure to grab it quick. And remember, something related to Halo Legends will be airing on Waypoint every week, so keep an eye out for future installments.
So you want to play the Bayonetta demo early, do you?
by Xav de Matos { 2 days ago }
Registration for the "contest" will be open from Monday, November 9 to Friday, November 13. Winners will be notified on Monday, November 16. Those not selected will then be referred to as "the group least likely to win a 'boot-gun thing' firing contest" ... or PlayStation 3 players. Should you not get selected, you might want to take advantage of making a Japanese account.
Square Enix summons Earnings Report; Final Fantasy XIII Sales Projections evade attacks
by David Hinkle { 2 days ago }
The statement also talks about the acquisition and assimilation of Eidos in direct proportion to Square Enix's games group division -- which includes video games across all platforms and online games for personal computers. Through the aid of titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and the aforementioned Dragon Quest IX, the games division rose its net sales and operating income by 117 percent and 63 percent to 4.8 billion yen ($53 million) and 1.0 billion yen ($11 million), respectively.
As for the company's upcoming darling, Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix prez Yoichi Wada spoke about concern regarding the title's projected domestic sales. Basically, he's not concerned at all! "PS3 sales continue to increase. We're bundling PS3 and FFXIII, and can expect even further sales increases. Orders for FFXIII are definitely not bad," he said. While he didn't reiterate anything as bold as six million, Wada did claim that the game is expected to sell in the millions.
Source - Square Enix earnings (PDF) [Via andriasang]
Source - Wada comments on FFXIII sales
Activision catches both pirates and thieves in Modern Warfare 2 investigation
by JC Fletcher { 2 days ago }
When IPCyberCrime found the person behind the sale, the investigator discovered that he was an employee at a retailer, who, with friends, had stolen the bundles to sell on Craigslist. The sellers were turned over to the store's loss prevention department.
That bust led to one of the prospective buyers, named Christian Del Amo, who was raising money on a forum to buy the bundle (allegedly) for the purpose of copying the game and selling the copies, along with other pirated games, on hard drives. IPCyberCrime turned that case over to the Miami-Dade Police Department, who arrested Del Amo.
Obviously, this demonstrates one reason (aside from the whole morality thing) why you shouldn't try to make a business of selling pirated games. Activision has enough money to hire a private investigator, and is not afraid to use it.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 2 - November 6
by Kevin Kelly { 2 days ago }
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.
Recommendation of the Week:
The Shield: The Complete Series (DVD [What, no Blu-ray?] $159.95, lower at many retailers)
Vic Mackey isn't the first hardass cop to come down the line and smack miscreants into place, but he's definitely one of the most effective and most memorable. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Michael Chiklis in The Shield, then this has your name all over it. If you have ... well, your name is still on it. It's the complete series, filled with extras, and packaged to look like a nifty coffee table book, embossed with a copy of the misaligned badge logo from the opening of the show. Forget everything else, this is hands down one of the best cop shows ever created, and it captures the underbelly of Los Angeles perfectly. Some people would argue that Los Angeles is all underbelly. Hopefully that means there's plenty of Mackey to go around.
As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
Recommendation of the Week:
The Shield: The Complete Series (DVD [What, no Blu-ray?] $159.95, lower at many retailers)Vic Mackey isn't the first hardass cop to come down the line and smack miscreants into place, but he's definitely one of the most effective and most memorable. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Michael Chiklis in The Shield, then this has your name all over it. If you have ... well, your name is still on it. It's the complete series, filled with extras, and packaged to look like a nifty coffee table book, embossed with a copy of the misaligned badge logo from the opening of the show. Forget everything else, this is hands down one of the best cop shows ever created, and it captures the underbelly of Los Angeles perfectly. Some people would argue that Los Angeles is all underbelly. Hopefully that means there's plenty of Mackey to go around.
