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Q4 release for Mafia 2 (re)confirmed; Payne, Noire, Civ V still on hit list

by Christopher Grant { Mar 14th 2010 at 12:59AM }

Earlier this month, Take-Two announced the potential movement of one of the titles planned for release in its fiscal fourth quarter, extending from August to October. The choices were: LA Noire, Mafia 2, Max Payne 3, or Civilization V. During our demo of Mafia 2 on Wednesday, we were told the game would make its Q4 release, removing it from the list of potentially delayed titles. If we were the betting type, we'd be looking at one of those two Rockstar titles; after all, we've seen Civilization V at this point while LA Noire and Max Payne 3 remain shrouded in mystery.

NPD: BioShock 2 Feb. PS3 sales just shy of 200k mark

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 12th 2010 at 11:30AM }

Having printed and shipped more than 3 million copies of BioShock 2 across the seas, publisher Take-Two is clearly leaning on its sequel to provide a strong sale wind to push the company through another successful quarter. Following its February 9 release, the Xbox 360 version of BioShock 2 cruised up the US sales charts, anchoring in the peak position, according to the NPD's monthly report. For the PS3 version, the journey was not such a breeze, as it appeared to have come up against some bad weather.

Despite the Xbox 360 edition's #1 ranking in US February game sales, the PS3 version of BioShock 2 was curiously absent from the top ten listing. An NPD representative told Joystiq that the PS3 game recorded roughly 190.5k units sold last month, "just outside the top 10 at #11." If anything's to blame for this somewhat modest debut month, it's Heavy Rain. In just one week of retail availability, the PS3-exclusive "Western Interactive Novel" had enough of an impact, with 219.3k units sold, to seemingly alter the sales course of BioShock 2 for PS3.

Now, just imagine how much trouble a rampaging "murder carousel" could stir up for BioShock 2 PS3 sales this month!

Ryan Kesler is the NHL 2K11 cover athlete

by JC Fletcher { Mar 9th 2010 at 11:31AM }

First he won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics, and now he'll be on the cover of the Wii-exclusive NHL 2K11. Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler sounds genuinely excited about the opportunity, telling The Canadian Press that the only way he thought he'd ever end up on a game cover was "if I put my own picture on there."

"It's a dream come true for me," Kesler, ever the good spokesplayer, said. "I grew up playing, and to be on the cover of 2K is unbelievable."

Kesler confirmed that he got in his motion capture time for the game last year with 2K10 cover athlete Alexander Ovechkin. "I'm not a flashy scorer like Ovechkin, by any means, but I think I'm exciting in my own right," Kesler observed, suggesting that his Olympic performance was what attracted publisher Take-Two to his game ... face.

Hopefully, for Kesler's sake, there's no equivalent "Madden Curse" for NHL games. Hockey players are already doomed to lose all their teeth anyway. NHL 2K11 will be out this fall.

BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack' coming March 11

by David Hinkle { Mar 5th 2010 at 1:00PM }

Next Thursday, those entrenched in The Great Splicer Uprising of '59 will get a chance to beef up their arsenal in Bioshock 2's multiplayer mode with the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack on March 11. Here's what you'll get for your 400

($5) on Xbox Live and Games For Windows - Live, and $4.99 on PSN:

Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

Happy Splicer hunting! (Splunting?)

Borderlands getting more DLC

by David Hinkle { Mar 3rd 2010 at 7:00PM }

Hidden in a dark, damp crevice of the Take-Two mega-mountain of news today was a brief, albeit interesting, comment from Ben Feder, president and CEO. After referencing the success of Gearbox's Borderlands, Feder stated that Take-Two "will continue to support the title with add-on content."

So, if you've finished The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot and The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, expect more soon. But, where will our intrepid foursome go next?

NHL 2K11 skips Xbox 360 and PS3, only coming to Wii [update]

by David Hinkle { Mar 3rd 2010 at 5:30PM }

During the recent Take-Two fiscal earnings report, we noticed something a bit off. See, back in December when we got our last update from the company, NHL 2K11 was missing entirely from the report. This suggested that there wouldn't be another game in the series.

Well, today Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick revealed that another iteration in the series is in the works -- and it's exclusively for the Wii. "As far as NHL, we're taking a year off on PS3 and Xbox 360 to refine, redesign and re-think," Zelnick remarked during the earnings report. So while Canadians* will have fewer options when it comes to platform, knowing the series hasn't been retired is a good thing, right?

Update: We reached out to Take-Two for a more comprehensive explanation of the choice to ditch PS3 and Xbox 360 this year. Here's what the spoksperson said: "We have decided to reevaluate our NHL strategy and will only be releasing NHL 2K11 for the Wii in fiscal year 2010. We want to become a stronger competitor in this category and taking a year off on PS3 and Xbox 360, while focusing on making the best possible game for Wii, should allow us to accomplish that goal."

*Come on, we all know Canadians are the only ones playing these games

Take-Two may delay major 2010 release; L.A. Noire, Mafia, Max Payne and Civ V named

by JC Fletcher { Mar 3rd 2010 at 4:50PM }

Take-Two's financial results briefing today suggests that one of its upcoming titles could be subject to a delay. "L.A. Noire, Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and Sid Meier's Civilization V are all planned for release in the fourth fiscal quarter [August–October, 2010]," the announcement confirms, "however, the Company's fiscal year 2010 guidance reflects the potential movement of one of these titles into fiscal 2011 [beginning November 1, 2010]." If Take-Two is already adjusting its financial estimates based on one of these titles being delayed, it sounds like more than just potential.

Folks have been waiting a long time for pretty much all of these games. Max Payne 3 was already moved from winter 2009 to "late 2010"; L.A. Noire has just been given a expected September date after an extraordinarily lengthy development time; and the very fact that Mafia II is said to release between August 1 and October 31 already represents a delay from its last known release window. That leaves Civilization V, which was just announced two weeks ago, and thus hasn't had time to be delayed yet. This could be its first, people!

Red Dead Redemption date wrangled, pinned to May 18

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 3rd 2010 at 4:45PM }

As part of its latest financial results report today, Take-Two delayed Red Dead Redemption by several weeks. Previously scheduled to arrive on April 27, the game is now slated to release in North America on May 18 and internationally on May 21. The announcement doesn't specify a reason for the move, though it's worth pointing out that the new date moves Red Dead Redemption out of the publisher's fiscal Q2 (February–April) and into its third quarter (beginning May 1). [Update: During an investor call corresponding with the financial report, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick clarified that the delay was issued to extend the game's pre-release marketing period.]

Take-Two also notes that financial guidance for its fiscal 2010 has been adjusted to take the date change into account. While Read Dead Redemption was at the center of a controversy concerning developer Rockstar San Diego, a barrage of recent media assets and confirmation of retail pre-order bonuses seems to indicate that development is on track.

Take-Two revenue up $14m, laying off 15% of execs

by Ben Gilbert { Mar 3rd 2010 at 4:37PM }

Take-Two has released its fiscal 2010 Q1 financial report, dropping always thrilling financial news on us about the company's performance between November 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. Aside from a $13.8 million year-over-year increase in net revenue ($163.2 million this year over $149.4 million last year), Take-Two also reports a diminished net loss (again, year-over-year) to the tune of $20 million.

Take-Two also updated investors on current sales of several games and franchises, with GTA IV chocking up "over 15 million units globally" to date, NBA 2K10 already shipping "over 2 million units," and Carnival Games accruing 6 million units sold worldwide across both Wii and DS platforms. That's gotta be helping with that improved bottom line, eh?

Aside from those highlights, the investor report additionally notes plans for "a targeted restructuring of its corporate departments," resulting in a "15 percent reduction in corporate headcount." More shocking, the "restructuring" (read: layoffs) will amount to "approximately $8 million in savings in fiscal 2010." Holy cow!

Bioshock 2 has shipped over 3 million units

by David Hinkle { Mar 3rd 2010 at 4:29PM }

Take-Two has revealed in its latest fiscal earnings report that Bioshock 2 has managed to ship more than three million units worldwide since releasing on February 9. The report also says the first game has now sold over four million copies worldwide across all platforms, "bringing the total sales of the franchise to 7 million units." Of course, the important distinction here is that "shipped" does not equal "sold," as Take-Two infers above.

Still, getting three million copies out there into the world is a pretty noteworthy feat. Get yourself a couple more million and you'll be able to finance construction on your own underwater metropolis -- not that any good could possibly come of it.

MLB 2K10 showcases numbers in 'Stats & Splits' trailer

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 27th 2010 at 5:00AM }

Nothing says "It's seriously snowing, again?" like a new trailer for MLB 2K10 focusing on the "real language" of baseball. Being pro chair sitters, we're not really able to vouch for the validity of this trailer's claims about the vernacular of the diamond, but we can make the claim that the uncanny valley of video games is being crossed by sports. We certainly aren't sports buffs, but some of the graphics look damn near real life. And yes, whatever the announcers are saying could be spoken in mistranslated Mandarin Chinese for all we know, but that doesn't make the visuals any less impressive.

Nope, we're not any more excited to play this game now than we were before seeing the trailer, but the baseball fans among you will assuredly find the video embedded above for this Tuesday's MLB 2K10 helpful in sating your desires for another few days. We'd say go play some baseball in the meantime, but, well, you know. All that snow.

Gallery: MLB 2K10 (My Player mode)

Take-Two taking its business to Japan

by JC Fletcher { Feb 24th 2010 at 10:15AM }

Take-Two is starting an office in Japan to publish its games. Previously, Take-Two and Rockstar games have been published by partners like Capcom, Cyberfront and, most recently, D3 Publisher. It always seemed a bit weird to see a GTA game with a Capcom label, and now we'll be spared that minor cognitive dissonance.

The first game to be released under the new Japanese branch of Take-Two Interactive is Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. The publisher has yet to offer a date for this Japanese release, or even specify if it will be on both PS3 and Xbox 360.

Bioshock 2 DLC kicks off with 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack'

by David Hinkle { Feb 22nd 2010 at 12:00PM }

2K Games has announced that expansions for BioShock 2 are "slated to arrive over the coming months," expanding both the single-player and multiplayer facets of the game. The custodians of Rapture have yet to reveal what's in store for the single-player campaign, but have offered details on the first new multiplayer add-on: the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack.

Available "soon" for 400

($5) on Xbox Live and Games For Windows - Live and $4.99 on PSN, the pack will include:

Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

We just hope 2K Games takes care of those freezing issues before luring us back to the Circus of Values.

BioShock 2 debuts atop UK charts, drowns out Just Dance

by David Hinkle { Feb 15th 2010 at 1:00PM }

Mass Effect 2's reign in the UK has come to an end, with a return trip to Rapture replacing BioWare's journey across the stars in first place. The latest Chart-Track data shows that Bioshock 2 is now the Big Daddy on the block, besting the hypnotic gyrations of Just Dance, Ubisoft's successful bust-a-mover. With that in second place, FIFA 10 slid into third.

Bioshock 2, which bested Mass Effect 2's UK debut numbers, is the first Take-Two title to be in the top spot since 2008, when GTA IV managed to jack its way into first place.

Source - Guess Who's The Daddy? [GFK Chart-Track]
Source - Latest UK Software Charts [GFK Chart-Track]

Red Dead Redemption trailer -- "The Law"

by Christopher Grant { Feb 11th 2010 at 9:44PM }

You're going to watch the above trailer (dubbed "The Law") for Rockstar's upcoming Red Dead Redemption regardless of what we say about it here, so we thought we'd try a little experiment: Don't watch it! That's right, don't watch it ... instead, close your eyes and just listen to it. The voice acting oscillates between excellent and simply serviceable and the dialogue sounds historically appropriate; but the music ... the music is where this trailer sets itself apart. It's like Ennio Morricone himself took the gig. So sling your poncho over your shoulder, close your eyes, and pull the trigger on that play button.