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June Game Sales Grow 25 Percent

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360,

DS Lite Despite recent analyst gloom-and-doom statements that June would be a slow month for gaming, NPD reports that videogame sales increased 25 percent year over year. The game industry was predicted to be in a slump this year, as game and console manufacturers gear up for the holiday console launches. But to date this year, videogame sales are up around 4 percent, despite any earlier slowdown.

The biggest driver appears to be the Nintendo DS, which sold an amazing 593,000 units in June. This bested the sales figures for the PS2 and the Xbox 360 combined. The PS2 pulled in 312,000 consoles sold, and the Xbox 360 trailed slightly at 277,000 units. The DS also drove portable software sales, bringing an increase of 30 percent over last year. Right now, at least, it looks like the DS is becoming a phenomenon in the portable world. Any gamer who judged the DS by its mediocre launch two years ago would have to be surprised by its immense success today. While the DS dominates, every videogame category was up percentage-wise.

LEGO Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Trailer

Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PC, PlayStation 2, PSP, Release Dates, Trailers, Xbox, Xbox 360,

A trailer is now out for LEGO Star Wars: The Original Trilogy. The trailer definitely showcases the fun factor of the LEGO Star Wars games and makes me want to find a copy of the first LEGO Star Wars. The game is set for a September 12th release on all platforms except the Wii.

Sony Still Best Brand

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3,

A recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive shows Sony topping the list of “best brands” for the seventh year in a row. Participants in the poll were asked the following question: “We would like you to think about brands or names of products and services you know. Considering everything, which three brands do you consider the best?” The responses were totaled, and this year, Sony was again number one on the list. Other notable entries include Dell, at second place, and Apple at tenth on the list. Hewlett-Packard also made the list at seventh. Last year, Microsoft tied with Hewlett-Packard for tenth on the list, and this year they dropped off the top ten. The list doesn’t really correlate with success in a particular field or sales numbers. It does, however, indicate how well received a company is by customers buying its products. Since the question doesn’t qualify the word “best” in any way, it can be hard to draw conclusions, but it does indicate that in the world of the general consumer, the Sony brand does carry some weight.

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G4TV Counts Down the Best for PS2, Xbox and Gamecube

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, Reviews, Xbox,

X-Play Logo with Morgan Webb The summer months are always a slow time for video game releases, but compound that with the fact that many companies are dedicating the majority of their resources to the yet-to-be-released next gen consoles and you have a summer gaming drought of epic proportions. As such, it’s an especially good time to look back on the games that made the current generation worth owning. X-Play, on G4 tech TV, has decided that ‘tis the season for top ten lists and thus presents us with their picks for the top 10 games for the Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube.

Overall, it looks like they’ve done a fairly good job at catching the major, well-reviewed titles that sold millions - your Halo 2s and your GTAs of course are on the list. There are some great games on this list that didn’t sell as well though - like Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts, and Eternal Darkness - and it’s nice to see X-Play remind folks of some overlooked gems (especially now that you could get most of them for $19.99!).

If you missed the original broadcast on G4TV, the episodes are segmented up into nice, bite-sized podcast chunks available through either iTunes or the G4TV podcast RSS feed.

See the full list after the jump. Did they forget any of your favorite games?

Click to continue reading G4TV Counts Down the Best for PS2, Xbox and Gamecube

Sega Japan Announces Phantasy Star Universe Keyboard

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, MMORPG, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360,

PSU Keyboard According to a report by Japan’s Famitsu magazine, Sega of Japan is releasing a USB wireless keyboard for use with Phantasy Star Universe. The branded keyboard will work with both the Playstation 2 and PCs. The keyboard also ships with a “Guidebook for new Guardians” to help users navigate through the online lobbies and a driver disk for PC users. The keyboard will be available on August 31, in time for the Phantasy Star Universe launch. The price has been set at 8190 Yen, or roughly $72.

Interestingly, compatibility with the Xbox 360 was not listed even though the game has been announced for that platform. Given that Xbox 360 gamers playing Final Fantasy XI have found most USB keyboards to work, there shouldn’t be any compatibility issues with the Xbox 360 hardware. The Xbox 360 version of the game might not support keyboard communication at all; it will support chat over Xbox Live. If the Xbox 360 game servers are distinct from the PS2 and PC servers as rumored, keyboard support may not be necessary at all.

In addition to the new wireless keyboard, Sega also announced the availability of Phantasy Star Universe Score and Soundtrack CDs.

Cheap Ass Gamer Yard Sale Guide

Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Accessories, Hardware, Hot Deals, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Retro, Xbox, Xbox 360,

Some of the friendly users over at Cheap Ass Gamer have put together a guide for finding great game deals at local garage sales. With recent garage sale finds such as a Zelda 3 prototype, garage sales have become a beacon to bargain hunters and game collectors. The guide is part of the CAGwiki; and includes many common sense tips, bargaining methods, and video game loot cleaning tips.

New Super Mario Bros. Loses Top Spot in Japan

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP,

Valkyrie Profile Silmeria New Super Mario Bros. has finally been pushed from the top of the best seller’s list in Japan. Gamers who bet that a Square-Enix published title would accomplish this feat scored a win, as Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria took the top spot. The tri-Ace developed game sold 281,510 copies between the 19th and 25th of June. Mario is still no slouch, clocking in at 170,168 units. The Magic Box’s translation of the latest Media Create numbers show five other DS titles in the top ten, including Animal Crossing, Digimon Story, and three DS training titles. SNK Playmore’s latest entry in the King of Fighters series debuted at sixth on the list, with 28,015 copies sold.

Despite Mario’s loss in the rankings, the DS Lite was still the number one seller, with gamers picking up another 157,022 consoles, and no other console even came close. The Playstation 2 still has legs in Japan, with 25,467 units sold. Apparently, there are still some diehard Xbox fans living the dream; 10 people picked up that console last week.

Liberty City Still Tops in UK

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2,

New Super Mario Bros. had the second best launch of a DS title since Super Mario 64 DS, but this was not enough to unseat Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories from the top sales spot in the UK. According to a report by Gamasutra, New Super Mario Bros. debuted at second place on the Chart Track sales ranking this week. Three other DS titles appear on this week’s chart, including Over the Hedge, Animal Crossing, Brain Training, and Nintendogs: Dalmatian & Friends. Electronic Arts’ FIFA World Cup and Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer take two other spots, due largely to the ongoing World Cup tournament. Rounding out the top ten are Tomb Raider: Legend and Hitman: Blood Money. Nintendo had a fairly soft launch of the DS Lite in the UK, but New Super Mario Bros. may help lift console sales.

Metal Slug Does Well in 3D

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, PlayStation 2, Retro, Reviews, Third Person Shooters,

Metal Slug 3D Screenshot
When SNK / Neo-Geo fans heard that their darling franchise Metal Slug was going 3D, the general consensus was “Nothing good can come of this”. With a game that focused on Contra-esque shoot-anything-that-moves game-play and meticulously drawn, gorgeously animated 2D sprites, a lot of fans thought the announcement of a 3rd-person Metal Slug shooter was the death knell for the series.

Well, there aren’t a ton of reviews in yet, but there’s a hint of good news for fans. Famitsu, the Japanese gaming magazine recently gave the 3D translation straight 7’s (i.e., a total score of 28 out of 40) which is quite respectable for that particular publication. So far, this is the only review of the game posted (and it’s of the Japanese version), but it’s still a glimmer of hope for everyone who couldn’t imagine Metal Slug taking on an extra dimension.

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