Latest Call of Duty dominates 2009 global charts despite mid November release
As part of its all-encompassing detailed report on the global video game market in 2009, GfK-ChartTrack has confirmed that Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold nearly 12m units worldwide last year.
More precisely, the game’s total sales now stand at 11.86m units – or at least, they did come the end of 2009. Total sales could conceivably be far in excess of this by now.
Looking at the sales region-by-region, the USA emerged with the keenest appetite for the shooter, snapping up 8.82m copies. The UK was next up with total sales of 2.8m while Japanese sales hit 238k.
Other star performers on the global stage included Wii Sports Resort (7.57m), New Super Mario Bros (7.41m), Wii Fit Plus (5.80m) and Wii Fit (5.44m).

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37424/MW2-sold-12m-in-2009 ...

Head tracking and, for the PS3 version at least, stereoscopic 3D features are both being lined up for MotoGP 10/11 (the sequel of MGP 09/10, which Capcom will release on March 31).

Lead designer Greg Bryant told CVG: "We haven't looked into Natal yet for MotoGP 09/10, but we're definitely going to be looking into it for MGP 10/11 because I personally think the future for that application is through head tracking in racing games."

"We did a lot of testing with other games for competitor analysis and one that came up was the classic Grand Prix Legends. You can set that up with full head tracking and a steering wheel, and it's one of the most compelling racing experiences. Now that that developers have that technology available to them we certainly want to harness that for the next iteration of the game," he told CVG.

The PS3 is in for extra treats, too. "One of the other things that I'm really excited about it that the PS3 going to support 3D technology as well. So when you combine that with the PS Eye and theoretically doing the head tracking through that. I think that's going to be absolutely awesome."

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

From tomorrow a number of PlayStation Minis titles will go on sale for two weeks, with savings of between 50p and £1.50. The cuts come as part of what Sony is calling ‘Minis Month’.
The discounts will come into effect tomorrow (February 4th) and run until February 18th. A fresh bout of Minis marketing will also kick-off to help promote Sony’s fledgling service, with the PSP YouTube channel being the main focus.
The PSPgo has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following poor sales numbers in Japan. UK unit sales – tellingly – have not been revealed, but are believed to lag far behind those of its UMD-equipped predecessor the PSP-3000.


Here are the offers in full, as listed by the PlayStation blog:
Fieldrunners – €4.99/£3.99 now €3.99/£3.49
Kahoots – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Vempire – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Breakquest – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Pinball Fantasies – €4.99/£3.99 now €3.99/£3.49
Bloons – €3.99/£3.49 now €2.49/£1.99
Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Dracula: Undead Awakening – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/297...f-PSPPS3-Minis ...

From tomorrow a number of PlayStation Minis titles will go on sale for two weeks, with savings of between 50p and £1.50. The cuts come as part of what Sony is calling ‘Minis Month’.
The discounts will come into effect tomorrow (February 4th) and run until February 18th. A fresh bout of Minis marketing will also kick-off to help promote Sony’s fledgling service, with the PSP YouTube channel being the main focus.
The PSPgo has come under the spotlight in recent weeks following poor sales numbers in Japan. UK unit sales – tellingly – have not been revealed, but are believed to lag far behind those of its UMD-equipped predecessor the PSP-3000.


Here are the offers in full, as listed by the PlayStation blog:
Fieldrunners – €4.99/£3.99 now €3.99/£3.49
Kahoots – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Vempire – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Breakquest – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Pinball Fantasies – €4.99/£3.99 now €3.99/£3.49
Bloons – €3.99/£3.49 now €2.49/£1.99
Mahjongg Artifacts: Chapter 2 – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74
Dracula: Undead Awakening – €2.99/£2.99 now €1.99/£1.74

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/297...f-PSPPS3-Minis ...

David Braben has kick-started his new column in Develop by exploring the current state of game narrative.
The Develop Legend Award winner opened his account by opining that narrative could turn out to define the current generation of software, and is therefore “a foolhardy thing to ignore.”
Briefly fixing the discussion on Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2, Braben revealed high praise for the game in all aspects save for one, wittily observing: “There might as well have been a lava level, for all that the story mattered to me”.
Said Braben: “My point is when we look back at it from the future – when the combat is no longer best in class – it will feel dull, like those almost storyless cowboy films of the '50s (not featuring John Wayne), shown endlessly on TV in the early ‘70s, but that have thankfully now been forgotten.”
He added that talented storytelling is coming ever more to the fore in the game sector, citing Fallout 3, Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins as great examples of non-linear storytelling.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-Achilles-Heel ...

David Braben has kick-started his new column in Develop by exploring the current state of game narrative.
The Develop Legend Award winner opened his account by opining that narrative could turn out to define the current generation of software, and is therefore “a foolhardy thing to ignore.”
Briefly fixing the discussion on Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2, Braben revealed high praise for the game in all aspects save for one, wittily observing: “There might as well have been a lava level, for all that the story mattered to me”.
Said Braben: “My point is when we look back at it from the future – when the combat is no longer best in class – it will feel dull, like those almost storyless cowboy films of the '50s (not featuring John Wayne), shown endlessly on TV in the early ‘70s, but that have thankfully now been forgotten.”
He added that talented storytelling is coming ever more to the fore in the game sector, citing Fallout 3, Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins as great examples of non-linear storytelling.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-Achilles-Heel ...

Via Retroemu.com

Hey guys!

About : Battery Warning plugin is a PSP plugin that shows a message on screen when your battery reaches 15% or less charge. Works in VSH/GAME + Homebrew Games & Apps.

Why bother when the PSP LED blinks when the battery is low? Well lets face it, who can honestly say when they are stuck into a game that they even notice the LED blinking at all, also added to that, the fact that when your playing a game your thumb practically covers the whole light, it's not an ideal method of warning

I lost the source to V0.2 because my external HDD died so I had to start the project from scratch.

Screenshot :



So here are the changes :

Changelog :

* Added ability to turn the message off. Press L+R+Select to disable the message once shown.
* Changed message to display remaining battery percentage and time remaining (in mins)
* Message now doesn't get hidden behind objects.
* Message now clearer to read (again).
* Reduced flickering substantially (still flickers in certain games)

Future :

In the next release there will finally be the configuration manager. I have started it and it wont be long until it's finished. However been that in essence this is more of a new plugin than a updated version (since I had to start from scratch) I want to be certain people enjoy the same level of success with it as I do before bothering to release a customization manager.

Thanks and enjoy!

EDIT : New version attached. V0.3.1

Changes :

* Message upon battery reaching full charge (Whilst charging) - (See screenshot)
Removing the power cable or pressing L+R+Select will disable the message.

...

In early January, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata gave an interview with Japan's second largest newspaper The Asahi Shimbun. The printed article has been a source of dispute.

In the original article, the Asashi Shimbun quoted Satoru Iwata as stating the Nintendo DS successor will have "highly detailed graphics, and it will be necessary to have a sensor with the ability to read the movements of people playing".

Nintendo of America told Kotaku that the Asahi Shimbun had "misinterpreted" Iwata's remarks. "Mr. Iwata did not make any comments regarding the functions of Nintendo's future hardware systems," Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America's senior director of corporate communications told Kotaku. "The answer to the reporter's question was misinterpreted."

The Asahi Shimbun stands by its reporting and issued a statement to Kotaku Japan that read: "The article quoted Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's comment accurately." The actual quote in the article is a fragment of a longer sentence.

During a recent investors Q&A, Iwata was asked about new hardware. "Naturally, we are always developing new hardware," Iwata replied. However, Iwata says he is not in a position to talk specific details about upcoming hardware. The exec went on to address the issue with the Asahi Shimbun, asserting that the reporter stated, "The graphics for the next DS will be highly detailed and it will contain a motion sensor, right?" Iwata claims he then replied, "Those things are naturally being required. But do you think it would sell with just that?" Iwata emphasized that this last part was left completely out.

Now it seems as thought Nintendo is saying that these features (better graphics, motion sensor) are being viewed as basic requirements — and Nintendo is probably correct in this assertion. Most likely all future handhelds will have motion sensor tech and improved graphics. The issue here is whether or not Nintendo brought this up or the Asahi Shimbun is putting words in Iwata's mouth when the exec was speaking indirectly and not necessary divulging Nintendo's plans.

This is where a recording would be helpful! Perhaps the Asahi Shimbun has one, hence the paper issuing a statement that it stands by its reporting. Perhaps, it does not, but trusts its reporter's work.

While the Asahi Shimbun article did not touch on an HD Wii, Iwata also took the opportunity to clear the air, stating he has never mentioned an HD Wii. Speaking hypothetically, Iwata also mentioned that if he heard Wii getting HD, that it would need more than simply high definition to get new customers around the world to purchase the console. "I would ask, 'Can it be sold with just this? It needs something new." But what?

http://kotaku.com/5462023/nintendo-v...r-it-continues ...

News via http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/...AZuojIghOA.php

Axc97c released a new version of his Freestyle Dash for homebrew Xbox360s.

What's new/fixed:
* Fixed content saving bug in dash
* XML saving in dash quicker
* Added usb0:\applications and hdd1:\application paths. Please delete your config.xml for these to be added to existing installs. (The one in fsdata not base)

To Add (future features):
* Add buttons working on indexer, allow you to add custom graphics to a title when none have been automatically downloaded
* Background image support (Element 'Background' in xbox360.xui and gamedetails.xui if your making a skin)
* Preview.wmv support. Put preview.wmv in the artwork folder for a game and it will play when selecting the game
* Pick all/xbox 360/xbla/homebrew/emu on indexer to help sorting out your content. ...