Bioshock 2 entered the UK all-formats chart at number one this week with sales exceeding those of last week's number one Mass Effect 2, making it the biggest release of the year so far.

In turn, Mass Effect 2 was knocked down to eigth position with a decrease of 58 per cent in sales.

Ubisoft's Just Dance remained at number two from last week, and FIFA 10 saw a 53 per cent increase in sales elevate it to number three following price promotions at retail.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 slipped from three to four, and Dante's Inferno dropped from four to nine.

Moving in the opposite direction was SEGA's Bayonetta, which rose from 38 to number 10.

The full Chart-Track UK top 20 is as follows:

01 Bioshock 2
02 Just Dance
03 FIFA 10
04 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
05 Wii Sports Resort
06 New Super Mario Bros Wii
07 Wii Fit Plus
08 Mass Effect 2
09 Dante's Inferno
10 Bayonetta
11 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
12 James Cameron's Avatar: The Game
13 Army of Two: The 40th Day
14 Madden NFL 10
15 Mario Kart Wii
16 Forza Motorsport 3
17 LEGO Batman: The Videogame
18 Peppa Pig: The Game
19 Assassin's Creed II
20 Grand Theft Auto IV

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...on-in-uk-chart ...

Sony has said that shortages of PlayStation 3 hardware could be imminent, following strong demand for the console over the holiday period.

According to a statement issued by the company's senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, following the release of January's NPD figures, demand for the console at retail has been exceptionally high over the last couple of months.

"We're working very hard with our retail partners to meet consumer interest, but the demand is tremendously high for the PS3 and we expect tight inventory in the coming months," he said.

January's US sales figures showed the PS3 experienced the highest year-on-year growth of all the consoles, amounting to 36 per cent. The console sold 1.36m units in December - a higher number than Xbox 360, just behind on 1.31m.

"The strong demand carrying through the holidays was evident and early in the month we [knew] there was going to be limited supply of the PS3 at retail in January," Seybold added, speaking to Joystiq. "We're working closely with the retail channel to meet this demand, but expect tight supply for the coming months."

In response to the shortage, Amazon US has restricted customers to one PS3 per household.

"As you may know, the PlayStation 3 120 GB is in great demand. In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase PlayStation 3 120 GB, we are limiting the total number of [...] units that can be purchased. As a result, each household may only purchase one PlayStation 3 120 GB unit," the website currently reads.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-ps3-shortages ...

Specialist media group Future Publishing is to launch PSN's first interactive magazine show in partnership with Sony and alongside the Official PlayStation magazine that it has published since 1995.

The weekly offering, called PlayFirst, will be available to UK gamers from March, priced at 99p per episode, or £8.99 for a three month subscription.

Each show promises HD reviews and previews, as well as exclusive download content. Six premium video slots per episode will also be made available to advertisers.

Talking about type of content the show will offer PSN users, Tim Clark, editor-in-chief of Future's Official PlayStation portfolio told GamesIndustry.biz he was confident it would be unique and compelling enough to justify the 99p price tag.

"Yes, the PlayStation Store is full of content, and one part of our offering is filtering the best stuff out - which can be pretty intimidating when you're talking about over a million LittleBigPlanet levels," he said. "But fundamentally FirstPlay is an editorial offering, bringing you really authoritative coverage of the biggest and best PS3 games - all in hi-def. And in terms of editorial content, there really isn't anything on the UK PSN currently."

The team – partly made up of existing Official PlayStation editorial staff – had worked closely with Sony on the show, he said, but editorial independence wouldn't be affected by that relationship.

"Obviously, just as the Official PlayStation mag is, FirstPlay will be an enthusiastic brand advocate for PlayStation but I'm not worried about interference at all. I've been working with Sony for almost a decade, and in that time they've never pressured us over scores or tone. That same hands-off approach to the editorial will be the same here. I actually think the freedom Sony give us - is testament to their confidence."

"The finished product looks great," added Ray Maguire, senior VP of SCEE and MD of Sony in the UK. "Future has blended the impartial editorial stance it takes with the Official PlayStation magazine and delivered it in the digital arena of PSN. The result is dynamic, fast moving but also encourages a thirst for consumers to delve further through the printed edition, creating a great, complimentary, online and offline experience."

Maguire said there were no concerns that the new show would confuse consumers by offering demos and content similar to that available through the official PlayStation Store.

“The fundamental role for PSN is to offer consumer choice. FirstPlay still offers an impartial view on all things PlayStation. Consumers are aware of the Official PlayStation proposition and the PSN simply allows for a more dynamic delivery medium whilst not detracting from the more, in depth, editorial found in the printed edition," he explained.

Following FirstPlay's launch in the UK, the show will be rolled out across other PAL territories and selected European countries later this year.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...teractive-show ...

Microsoft has unveiled more details about Xbox Live on mobile - revealing that users will now be able to increase their Gamerscore via handheld games.

Speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Windows mobile boss Microsoft's Joe Belfiore said "multiplayer interaction" would also form part of the new service.

According to TechRadar, he said: "The spotlight... gives announcements about new games and new info available on the service... pan right and I can see Gamerscore, recent achievements either on console or on phone and I can see their avatar as well...

"At the far right is the collection of games featuring premium titles authored to Xbox Live which on the phone will support Achievements, letting you increase Gamerscore and letting you do multiplayer interaction with people on other phones but also on the PC and console as well."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Microsoft has unveiled its new Windows Phone 7 Series OS, with multimedia and gaming unsurprisingly at the heart of the user experience.
The company says the OS is built around six 'hubs' based on specific themes: People; Pictures; Games; Music & Video; Marketplace; and Office.
The standouts here are Music & Video and Games. The latter will deliver the first and only official Xbox Live mobile experience, including Xbox Live games, spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, achievements and gamer profiles from the communities 23 million members.
Music & Video, meanwhile, will be the mobile representation of Microsoft's Zune brand, combining PC content, online music services and FM radio.
Microsoft is promising that users will be able to turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC.

The company says devices powered by Windows Phone 7 Series will be available in time for the summer.
Among the companies already committed to include Windows Phone 7 Series in their portfolio are AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, and manufacturers Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/36057...Zune-Xbox-Live ...

MCV talks to Sony's Michael Denny, Microsoft's Chris Lewis and Nintendo's Rob Lowe
Last year, Microsoft’s game software boss Phil Spencer offered a telling quote about the direction of the games industry to MCV.
It wasn’t about motion controllers or new online services – it was about the market forces that are allowing those things to appear: “Do we need a new console? I don’t think we need one right now.”
While the industry saw a relatively quick switch from Xbox, GameCube and PS2 to 360, Wii and PS3, this generation is shaping up to be quite different.
And with more diverse interface technology on the way – Project Natal, Wii Vitality Sensor and PS3’s motion controller – this all makes complete sense: the longer cycle is needed to make these new add-ons commercially viable for all.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37560/FEAT...sole-lifecycle ...

Some might have been disheartened to hear that Crysis 2 was swapping the lush rainforest environment of the first game for a more familiar city setting, but developer Crytek has promised to deliver a "unique" take on New York in its upcoming shooter.

"I Am Legend and The Day After Tomorrow were unique and both 'owned' a version of New York," Crytek president Cevat Yerli told Edge. "Ours, likewise, is in harmony with the Nanosuit. In Crysis, we changed that island in ways the player didn't expect. Expect bigger here. It'll be a New York City like none in games or cinema."


Executive producer Nathan Camarillo said: "It was a large island in Crysis but you weren't interested in every square inch. There were large expanses, funnels and action spaces, and we're doing the same with New York. It's a comparable size.

"You have this freedom to explore these small pockets and go really deep on details, but seeing all of New York isn't necessarily that exciting, and it's not great for pacing or telling the kind of story we want. It's a constrained freedom," he continued, adding that the action will span "three storeys up and down".

"We know what was good about Crysis, what we needed to improve and what was fun about the game, and we can build on a core we no longer have to find. We can have those signature moments that only Crytek can do in realtime - those five big things you'll remember forever."

Publisher EA said recently that Crysis 2 will launch before December 31, 2010 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Some might have been disheartened to hear that Crysis 2 was swapping the lush rainforest environment of the first game for a more familiar city setting, but developer Crytek has promised to deliver a "unique" take on New York in its upcoming shooter.

"I Am Legend and The Day After Tomorrow were unique and both 'owned' a version of New York," Crytek president Cevat Yerli told Edge. "Ours, likewise, is in harmony with the Nanosuit. In Crysis, we changed that island in ways the player didn't expect. Expect bigger here. It'll be a New York City like none in games or cinema."


Executive producer Nathan Camarillo said: "It was a large island in Crysis but you weren't interested in every square inch. There were large expanses, funnels and action spaces, and we're doing the same with New York. It's a comparable size.

"You have this freedom to explore these small pockets and go really deep on details, but seeing all of New York isn't necessarily that exciting, and it's not great for pacing or telling the kind of story we want. It's a constrained freedom," he continued, adding that the action will span "three storeys up and down".

"We know what was good about Crysis, what we needed to improve and what was fun about the game, and we can build on a core we no longer have to find. We can have those signature moments that only Crytek can do in realtime - those five big things you'll remember forever."

Publisher EA said recently that Crysis 2 will launch before December 31, 2010 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

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