Survey finds video games top holiday wish lists
A recent poll conducted by KRC Research, commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association, found that 42 percent of those surveyed will give or hope to receive a computer, console of related software for the holidays. The poll also found that 52 percent of participants believe that with the shaky economy, video games are a good option for family entertainment this holiday season (check out our “Non-Gaming Parents Should Follow When Buying Videogames for Their Kids feature” for some great holiday gift giving advice).
These numbers represent a 9 percent increase over 2007 and the research backed up the fact that both men and women enjoy computer and video games almost equally. Forty-seven percent identified women as recipients of such gifts, a 31 percent increase from 2007. Fifty-Four percent of those who play computer and video games also plan to play with a friend or family member during the holiday season - according to those surveyed.
“Computer and video games are topping holiday lists because they provide a superior entertainment value for the whole family,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “With 68 percent of American households playing computer and video games, U.S. consumers value the creative and innovative products the entertainment software industry produces and are seeking them out for themselves and to give as gifts.”
The national telephone poll, conducted for the ESA by KRC Research, surveyed 1,001 U.S. adults, between November 4 and 8, 2009.
What’s on the top of my wish list? Peace on earth, goodwill towards men, and an orange Crispy Gamer ball cap. That’s a gift worth having.
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Category DS, Industry, Mac, Mobile, Other, PC, PSP, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Public Interest, Wii, Xbox 360, iPhone, iPod Touch | Tags: Christmas,Computers,Consoles,ESA,Hardware,holidays,Software,Survey,Video Games,Wish List
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Modern Warfare 2 sanitized for Russia
If you live in Russia, and want an original version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you may be out of luck for awhile. The console versions of the game have been pulled from retails shelves as an official rejection of the “No Russian” mission in the game. If you are a regular Crispy Gamer reader than you have probably read some of our discussions of that mission (See our Modern Warfare 2 review, this blog post about playing it, another blog post about a segment on Fox & Friends and how the No Russian Mission is a failure). The objection is to a terrorist act, where the player takes part in a mission in an airport as an undercover agent secretly involved in a Russian-lead massacre of innocent civilians. Russian citizens and politicians don’t like the way the game depicts its soldiers in this Red Dawn style storyline and have donw something about it.
Further, the PC version of the game has been sanitized of the No Russian mission, so if you didn’t get the game before all this blowback you won’t have a chance to experience the mission for yourself. While people and governments certainly have a right to object to a game’s content, this hardcore approach seems a little rigid to me; couldn’t people object to the game’s content by simply not buying it?
According to published reports, these new console versions of the game will be released in less than a month, contingent on government approval.
Source: GotPS3.ru via Hellforge
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Category Action, Genres, Industry, Other, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Politics, Xbox 360 | Tags: Call of Duty,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,Censorship,Consoles,Government,Modern Warfare 2,No Russian,Russia,Steam
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Video game hardware and software sales decline in Oct.
Video game software and hardware sales in the United States took a sharp dive in October, down 19 percent in October to right around $1.07 billion, according to sales data collected by research group NPD. Console hardware sales fell 23 percent from the same period a year ago, while software sales dropped 18 percent.
Sales of video game accessories were down 2 percent. In Oct. the Wii managed to climb back up on the top of the heap ahead of the PS3 and Xbox 360, despite price cuts for both systems in Sept. The Wii sold 507K units in the U.S., followed by 457.600K units for the DS, 321K units of the PS3 and 250K of the Xbox 360. The PSP and PS2 sold 174.6K and 117.8K, respectively.
Sony’s Uncharted 2 managed to move about half a million copies in October, followed by Wii Fit Plus (441K), the Xbox 360 version of 2K Games’ Borderlands (418K), Wii Sports Resort (314K), NBA 2K10 on Xbox 360 (311K), and Halo 3 ODST (271K).
Nintendo DSi on top, PSP moves up in Japan
According to Media Create, the Nintendo DSi was the best selling console in Japan for the week of Oct. 19 - 25th, 2009. During the week Nintendo managed to sell 42,199 units, followed by the PSP with 32,865 and the PS3 finally beating out the Wii with 29,977 units.
No hell has not in fact frozen over - price cuts are like little miracles! Personally I think that the PSP go would be doing a lot better if its price point wasn’t more than the Wii at this point. Go figure. Full list below:
1 - DSi: 42,199
2 - PSP: 32,865
3 - PS3: 29,977
4 - Wii: 25,917
5 - DS Lite: 6,550
6 - Xbox 360: 4,470
7 - PS2: 1,951
Source: Media Create
Xbox 360 Elite, Pro price cuts finally official
As predicted, Microsoft officially announced what has been rumored for months: the price of an Xbox 360 Elite console will drop by $100, to a $299.99 estimated retail price in the United States. The Xbox 360 Pro will now be priced at $249.99 (ERP), reflecting a price reduction of $50, while supplies last - because there are no future plans to continue with this model going forward. Finally the Arcade SKU will be priced at $199.99 (ERP). Microsoft also emphasized that the “Xbox 360 you buy today” will work with Project Natal, its controller-free gaming solution..
“With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s already time to start looking for entertainment and gifts that everyone will enjoy,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. “If you’re looking for deep experiences that don’t require deep pockets, now is the time to purchase an Xbox 360. We’ve got the best games, a vast library of TV shows and movies, new music experiences, more ways to connect friends and family, and so much more on the horizon including ‘Project Natal’ — no controller required.”
Of course Shane Kim might have wanted to say something like “Hey Sony, is that my finger in your eye?” or “the PS3 Slim and price cut won’t save you” because this move is obviously an attempt to dampen any momentum Sony might have gotten with cutting the price of the PS3 and the Slim SKU.
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Category Industry, Other, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Tags: Consoles,Hardware,Project Natal,PS3 Slim,Xbox 360,Xbox 360 Elite,Xbox 360 Pro
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Going Free-to-Play: The D&D Online Unlimited Q&A
Last week Turbine Entertainment announced an industry first: it revealed that it was retro-fitting a commercially launched, subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game and relaunching it as a free to play game with micro-transactions via an in-game store. The game in question is Dungeons & Dragons Online, which, along with The Lord of the Rings Online, is Turbine Entertainment’s bread and butter.
But the privately held MMO company isn’t just grasping at straws here or committing an act of desperation with this move, because many in the industry believe free to play is the future. With games like Free Realms and Runes of Magic garnering millions of subscribers in a short amount of time after launch, there is no denying the viability of the free to play model. But how will a commercial game like D&D Online hold up in this brave new environment? We wanted some answers from Turbine, and answers we received.
For those answers, we turned to Dungeons & Dragons Online Executive Producer, Fernando Paiz and Turbine Entertainment Public Relations Manager Adam Mersky. They filled us in on the future of the Dungeons & Dragons Online MMO, henceforth known as Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited .
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Category Genres, Industry, MMO, Other, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Public Interest, RPG, Xbox 360 | Tags: Adam Mersky,Asheron's Call,Console MMO,Consoles,DDO Unlimited,DDOU,Dungeons and Dragons Online,Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited,Fernando Paiz,Free to Play,Interview,James fudge,LOTRO,MMO,MMORPG,PC,The Lord of the Rings Online,Turbine,Turbine Engine,Turbine Entertainment
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Former Rockstars form 4MM Games
Two former Rockstar Games executives have formed a new video game venture called 4mm Games, which will focus on the digital distribution of games via the web and through select partnerships. The company founded by Jamie King and Gary Foreman, will set its sites on the iPhone first, with an eye towards other console platforms at a later time.
The duo is joined by former Image Metrics executive Nicholas Perrett, who serves as 4mm Games CEO; and former NBC and Warner Music executive Paul Coyne, who has joined the company as an executive vice president. Coyne was senior adviser to Def Jam Enterprises and senior adviser and senior VP for Warner Music Group, where he directed videogame strategies for the companies. Before that, he co-founded Abandon Interactive Entertainment.
The company is being funded by investment group CEA Autumn Games, though financial terms of that deal have yet to be disclosed. The deal apparently covers multiple years and titles.
Two titles are being developed by 4mm Games, with the first one rolling out sometime later this year. The company says that it won’t develop MMO titles, but may target the online casual market with a focus on women.
Source
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Category Industry, Mobile, Other, PC, PSP, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, iPhone | Tags: 4mm Games,Consoles,Digital Distribution,iPhone,PC,Rockstar Games
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