via Games Industry


Microsoft has said that the Xbox 360 had its biggest European sales month ever in November, with sales up 124 per cent.

Citing data from GfK Chart-Track, Microsoft claims the Xbox 360 outsold PlayStation 3 in the entire European region, with significant market gains in France, Spain and Italy.

While sales in November were up 124 per cent year-on-year, sales of rival consoles the Wii and PlayStation 3 were up 43 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.

...

via Eurogamer


Lionhead has a title update for Fable II in testing and waiting for finalisation, and has said everything is "coming along nicely".

That's according to the community website, which has also supplied a list of bugs being addressed in the patch.

The Ritual/Monk's quest no longer presents an unresponsive Abbot if you run out of the region before he finishes talking, which is quite a rude thing to do. Still, part of the main quest and that, so even those with no manners ought to be able to continue.

Rescuing Charlie shouldn't prevent interactivity with objects any more, and the Guild Cave Chest should properly reward Limited Collector's Edition, website or Chicken Kickin' items.

The second part of the Spire quest should present a talkative ship's captain, and there will be less getting stuck during Bloodstone quests The Hero of Skill (Pirate King) and T.O.B.Y./Trouble in Bloodstone.

Brilliantly, your children are no longer chosen as assassination targets, and the Furniture Shop in Bowerstone now always has something for sale. In addition, there are a number of unspecified nips and tucks.

Lionhead recently unveiled a whole new island of content for Fable II, which will be here in just over a week, on 12th December.

Knothole Island will add lots more things to do and cost 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60). ...

via Kotaku


DICE plans on keeping Mirror's Edge players on their toes next month with the January release of a downloadable Time Trial Map Pack, featuring seven new maps for your running enjoyment.

Players will be able to strive for the fastest times in nine races spread across the seven maps, all for the low price of $10 or 800 Microsoft fake monies. As an added bonus, PlayStation 3 owners will be able to download an additional map for free, because DICE loves them more.


The Time Trial Map Pack will be available in late January for the PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC version of the game, which ships on January 13th in North America. ...

via Kotaku


DICE plans on keeping Mirror's Edge players on their toes next month with the January release of a downloadable Time Trial Map Pack, featuring seven new maps for your running enjoyment.

Players will be able to strive for the fastest times in nine races spread across the seven maps, all for the low price of $10 or 800 Microsoft fake monies. As an added bonus, PlayStation 3 owners will be able to download an additional map for free, because DICE loves them more.


The Time Trial Map Pack will be available in late January for the PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC version of the game, which ships on January 13th in North America. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Konami will bring an all-new Suikoden to DS next March titled Suikoden Tierkreis. Here are the first batch of shots.

Official blurb reads: Suikoden Tierkreis casts the player as a member of a tightly knit security force in a remote setting called 'Citro Village'. During an ongoing task to get rid of the land's fearsome creatures, players uncover a mysterious phenomenon... a light emits something inexplicable at the top of the tower in the old ruins. From then on, the player and their comrades' destiny begins to change...

The Nintendo DS title boasts a cast of 108 fully interactive characters. Each will work independently of the others, but can be recruited to make a four-person party, ideally suited to the tasks ahead. Each character enjoys a detailed history which is unfurled as the game progresses, with voice-overs and animated sequences fleshing out their many stories. From these, players than assemble their team to utilise the various skills on offer, while weapons such as swords and bows can be equipped and customised. Together, they are then pitted in turn-based battles against the many hostile creatures that lurk within Suikoden Tierkreis.

In addition to running battles, players and their parties will also be given specific quests during the course of the adventure. Suikoden Tierkreis is set in a series of parallel worlds, wherein users play in their own bespoke locale, while other players inhabit their own. This system will introduce the user to even more characters and the opportunity to make friends, while the Wi-Fi or Wireless communication capabilities of the Nintendo DS also allow users to send characters to these other worlds to receive missions from other players. Extra items such as money and items are offered as rewards, and ensure that the game is capable of constantly surprising the player.


Screenshots here ...

via Eurogamer


Microsoft has served up the first batch of new clothes for Xbox Live Avatars.

They're free, and consist of a snowboarding coat, snowboarding gloves, snowboarding boots and a snowboarding hat. Yes the only things missing are some snowboarding trousers, but we went with the skinny Spandex-style black strides and were content with the ensemble.

Microsoft has previously promised regular and free clothing updates for Avatars, at least for the first few batches. The New Xbox Experience, which introduced Avatars, only launched mid-November, but we hope there are plenty of festive outfits planned for Christmas.

Because, let's be honest, the selection on there can be limiting. How were we, for example, supposed to match our curly hair and penchant for a costume or two? No fairy wings? And what about stubble? ...

via Games Industry


Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel has debuted at the top spot of the Japanese software chart according to data provided by Media Create.

The third title in the puzzle solving DS series sold 347,360 units, resoundingly beating out Konami's PlayStation 3 title Winning 11 2009 which came in second place with 168,405 units.

Animal Crossing: City Folk dropped two places from its debut last week to come in third, while Chrono Trigger for the DS fell to fourth place.

PlayStation Portable title Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 saw its first week on sale secure it a place at number five with 64,179 units sold, while Gundam vs. Gundam, also for Sony's handheld, dropped to sixth place from third last week.

Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe, for the DS, dropped one place to seventh, as new PSP titles dominated the latter positions in the top ten, starting with Silent Hill 3 at number eight with 53,966 units, Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin at nine with 45,809 units and Higurashi Daybreak at ten with 32,639 units.


Full Japanese software chart follows:

01. Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel (DS)
02. Winning 11 2009 (PS3)
03. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
04. Chrono Trigger DS (DS)
05. Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 (PSP)
06. Gundam vs. Gundam (PSP)
07. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS)
08. Silent Hill 3 (PSP)
09. Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (PSP)
10. Higurashi Daybreak (PSP) ...

via Games Industry


Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel has debuted at the top spot of the Japanese software chart according to data provided by Media Create.

The third title in the puzzle solving DS series sold 347,360 units, resoundingly beating out Konami's PlayStation 3 title Winning 11 2009 which came in second place with 168,405 units.

Animal Crossing: City Folk dropped two places from its debut last week to come in third, while Chrono Trigger for the DS fell to fourth place.

PlayStation Portable title Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 saw its first week on sale secure it a place at number five with 64,179 units sold, while Gundam vs. Gundam, also for Sony's handheld, dropped to sixth place from third last week.

Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe, for the DS, dropped one place to seventh, as new PSP titles dominated the latter positions in the top ten, starting with Silent Hill 3 at number eight with 53,966 units, Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin at nine with 45,809 units and Higurashi Daybreak at ten with 32,639 units.


Full Japanese software chart follows:

01. Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel (DS)
02. Winning 11 2009 (PS3)
03. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
04. Chrono Trigger DS (DS)
05. Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 (PSP)
06. Gundam vs. Gundam (PSP)
07. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS)
08. Silent Hill 3 (PSP)
09. Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (PSP)
10. Higurashi Daybreak (PSP) ...

via Eurogamer


Majesco has revealed plans to release a Gardening Mama game on DS next year. 505 Games is the European publisher.

The Cooking Mama team will be at the helm [hoe? - Ed], turning styluses into green-fingered tools that plant, nurture and harvest flowers and fruit in the garden.

Tasks range from growing seeds into adults to collecting harvests to make jam - or perhaps you want to grow a pumpkin for Halloween. Who knows what you're thinking?

There's multiplayer for up to four chums, either battling to breed the biggest harvest, or sharing crops in a Treasure Box area. Garden decoration's also on offer, and features hanging baskets and pergolas and so on.

Mama's togs can be swapped to make her look pretty or less manurey, and apparently the user interface can be tinkered with until it suits you.

Offensively bright and colourful gardening, then, which will likely be an enormous hit. That said, the Cooking Mama games haven't been that bad, as our Cooking Mama and Cooking Mama 2 DS reviews point out. ...