Modern Warfare 2 has shattered entertainment sales records to become the biggest launch in history, according to Activision figures just released.

With a five-day worldwide sell through that has grossed USD 550 million, the game has beat all previous first and five-day entertainment box office, book and game records.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince held the record for the highest grossing film over five days, making USD 394 million. And Grand Theft Auto IV was previously the biggest selling game, with sales totalling USD 500 million over its first five days.

"In just five days of sell through, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has become the largest entertainment launch in history and a pop culture phenomenon," said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.

"The title's success redefines entertainment as million of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media."

Additionally, Microsoft released Xbox Live stats for the title, revealing that more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were notched up in its first day alone.

On the same day, 360 users also unlocked more than 11 million achievements.

Despite the game's massive success though, Activision added it remained cautious about the US and global economy going forward and that consumer spending remains a "significant concern".

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...USD550-million ...

An update on the Wii Vitality Sensor and a first look at its software applications are already part of Nintendo's plans for E3 2010, according to a new interview with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

Although he offered no more details about the Vitality Sensor, which reads biometric data from a person's finger, the relatively frank interview on blog site Kotaku did offer some insight into Nintendo's other future plans.

Fils-Aime admitted that the company's policy of only starting heavy marketing on new games a few weeks prior to their release has not proven as successful for less mainstream titles.

"I'm not satisfied with the volumes that we do on a Fire Emblem, for example, or a Battalion Wars," Fils-Aime admitted. "These are high-quality games that I have challenged the team to think about: How do we up our marketing on these types of titles to do a more effective job?"

"And I think you are going to see that more with a title like Sin & Punishment 2, where it is much more targeted to the active gamer," he promised. "It is a title that I believe we need to do a better job getting out in front of."

Fils-Aime was also questioned on why Nintendo itself has not announced more support for the Wii MotionPlus peripheral. He confirmed that Nintendo has more compatible games planned, but that the company was also banking on Ubisoft title Red Steel 2 (now delayed until 2010) as being a key release for the add-on.

"That's a title that we had always looked at to be a key part of the strategy to drive the installed base of Wii MotionPlus," said Fils-Aime. "Having said that, even without the benefit of that launch, we've sold over four million at this point in time. That's a very strong start."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-sensor-unveil ...

via Eurogamer


Konami is promoting Metal Gear Online with a monthly series of Survival Challenge events. Starting a week on Saturday - 28th November - players will be awarded Reward Points based on the length of their team's winning streak in Survival games over a 24-hour period.

The next events will be on 26th December, 23rd January, and 27th February. To be eligible you just need to join a Survival lobby in the PS3 multiplayer shooter and play at least one game during the 24 hours; numbers will be capped at around 3000 players. You'll get a Regain in-game T-shirt to prove you turned up on each day, and a Regain hat if you make all four.

"Players are not recommended to play for an extensive duration of time due to health risks," reminds the press release. Play safe, kids. ...

via IGN


Capcom revealed last week that Japan's Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition would be coming our way in the form of download content for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Today, Weekly Famitsu came through with specifics on the content and pricing.

At least four content packs will be offered for the game:

• The Lost in Nightmares Episode (500 yen/400 MSP): This includes the previously announced new episode that pairs RE5 hero Chris Redfield with RE series veteran Jill Valentine. Famitsu confirms a one hour gameplay time for the episode as well as a frightening new enemy who haunts the halls underneath Spencer's mansion. Also included in the pack are EX figures and two characters for use in Mercenaries mode.
  
• Costume Pack 1 (200 yen/160 MSP): This includes two costumes, EX figures, and two characters for Mercenaries.
  
• Unannounced New Episode (500 yen/400 MSP): That's right, Lost in Nightmares isn't the only additional episode! Sadly, Famitsu doesn't have any details on this additional scenario. As with the Lost in Nightmares DLC, it will include EX figures and two characters for Mercenaries mode.
  
• Costume Pack 2 (200 yen/160 MSP): Like Costume Pack 1, this includes two costumes, EX figures, and two Mercenaries characters.

The "Mercenaries" mode listed above is actually referred to in the magazine as "Mercenaries Reunion." According to Famitsu, the rules for Mercenaries Reunion are unchanged from Mercenaries. The Alternative Edition disc release will give immediate access to characters who weren't available for use in the original Mercenaries. Aside from that, we're unsure of the differences.

As for those new costumes, Famitsu provides a look at just two. Sheva will be getting a new red hooded "Folklore" outfit. Chris will go wild with a new Warrior outfit that has him sporting shades but missing a shirt.

Most of the Famitsu article is about the Alternative Edition disc version, which has yet to be announced for release outside of Japan. The disc will include all the above content along with the main Resident Evil 5 game and all the previously released RE5 DLC. In Japan, the disc version will arrive on February 18, priced at 4,990 yen -- about 3,000 yen less than a typical high profile Xbox 360 and PS3 third party title.

The downloadable content will hit some time in March. Capcom hasn't shared international details yet, but we're going to presume a similar time frame for the content outside of Japan.

Oddly missing from Famitsu's coverage of Alternative Edition was mention of PS3 motion controller support, a feature which was promoted heavily when the game was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show. We were hoping that a February 18 release for Alternative would imply a similar time frame for Sony's wand controller. As with the RE5 DLC's international release, we're going to have to wait for an official comment on the matter. ...

via 1up


The PlayStation 3 version of Bayonetta has a host of issues, not the least being long load times. As one fan pointed out in the official forums, it takes around 25 seconds to load a stage, 10 seconds to load a cutscene and five seconds to load a menu. Sega may be working on a solution though.

Responding to a query from a fan, a Sega representative wrote, "I can, in fact, speak on [the developer's] behalf in saying that a patch to correct this issue is under consideration through development to address the matter of the overwhelming load times with Bayonetta."
So it looks like Sega is "well-aware" of the situation, though how exactly they choose to address it remains to be seen. It also seems unlikely that they'll take the time to address the game's framerate issues and the lower quality texture. Still better than nothing though.

Look for it on January 5. ...

via CNET UK


Sixty per cent of Xbox 360s have kicked the red-ringed bucket, compared to 16 per cent of PS3s and just 6 per cent of Wiis, according to our survey on the reliability of games consoles in the UK.

CNET UK commissioned the survey last month -- and the results don't reflect well on the Microsoft console. Some 1,128 UK-based console owners responded, of whom 562 owned Xbox 360s, 473 owned PS3s and 591 had Wiis (some owned more than one).

Of those Xbox owners who have bought their Xbox since January 2008, 34 per cent report that their Xboxes have broken -- still double the lifetime failure rate of the PS3. Microsoft introduced new components in late 2007 and early 2008, when Bill Gates boasted of the Xbox's newfound "incredible reliability". Our survey shows that while the console has improved, it's still far from reaching Gates' goal of being the "most reliable video game box out there".

Only 25 per cent of disappointed 360 owners had owned the console for more than 18 months before it broke, with 47 per cent reporting a failure inside a year. Seventy two per cent returned their Xbox to Microsoft, who extended the 360's warranty to three years after the console's problems became widely known. Fifteen per cent sought their own solution, such as repairing it themselves or giving up and throwing it under a bed. One miserable gamer reported, "I can't afford to get (the Xbox 360) fixed as it is out of warranty, so it sits in the spare room all lonely."

Many 360 owners report the console breaking more than once. Of those whose console has broken at least once, 32 per cent say it has broken twice, and 19 per cent say it has broken three times or more. One person said their 360 "was repaired six times before (being) refunded by Microsoft".

Of those who have bought a 360 in the last two years, only for it to break, 29 per cent say it has broken more than once.

This was a self-selecting survey, so it doesn't represent a random sample of console owners. It's likely that people whose consoles have had problems are more motivated to fill out the survey, but the results are still interesting when you compare the Xbox 360 to its competitors.

The console makers are not in the habit of releasing such information, so this kind of survey is the best guess we have. We think the sample size and spread of console ownership do give it some credence, however, and it tallies with the anecdotal experience of many gamers we've heard from.

The survey did not distinguish between the Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite versions, which are very similar, or the PS3 and PS3 Slim, which has only just been introduced.

A spokesman for Microsoft said, "The vast majority of Xbox 360 owners are having an outstanding experience with their Xbox 360, and they invest in our platform more than any other.
Has your console broken? How did you get it fixed -- or is it pining away on top of a wardrobe? Did you receive good customer service? Tell us your experiences in the comments. ...

via Computer and Video Games


PSN product manager, James Thorpe has suggested that cross-game chat will eventually (and finally) be arriving on PS3.

Responding to rabid fan demand for the feature on the EU PlayStation Blog, Thorpe wrote: "I wish I could just give you a date, I really do!! Trust me when I say that as soon as I hear from 'up top' I will be shouting about it and making myself the most popular person on the blog.

"I hope, like you all do, that its sooner rather than later," he posted, adding a wink and a smilie.

The comment has since been removed from the blog, but luckily Kotaku kept a copy of Thorpe's words. The internet never forgets...

We've left a message with Sony for comment.

UPDATE: SCEE has declined to comment. ...

The Xbox 360 wireless network adapter is the hottest product even on Amazon, which allows you to easily transfer videos and music, chat with friends, play on Xbox Live and more. With the same design, the same factory and even the same product on ishopvideogame. (More Xbox 360 adaptors)
There are three important features of xbox 360 wireless network adapter:

Firstly, its USB interface allowed Microsoft to get away from using an external power supply such as those found in practically all wireless bridges.
Secondly, the most important feature of this adapter is its dual band capability.
Thirdly, the size of this adapter together with its ability to attach on the back of the Xbox 360, make the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter a must have accessory if you plan to use the Xbox 360 for networking gaming.
Xbox 360 wireless network adapter Features:

Highly versatile and supports 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a
Powered seamlessly by your Xbox 360 gaming console, so there\'s no external power adapter to plug in
You can transfer high-definition video and CD-quality music from your Media Center PC to your Xbox 360 via 802.11a wireless media support


More... ...

via Eurogamer


Mad Catz has told Eurogamer that its Wireless-N Gaming Adapter could not and would not be blocked by Microsoft, despite having the same functionality for a lower price.
Verrey made it very very very clear that this is "not a licensed Microsoft product" but said the platform holder is one of Mad Catz' treasured partners.
Mad Catz' Wireless-N network adapter costs £49.99 whereas Microsoft's official Wireless-N adapter costs £59.99. The former is out now; the latter will be released on Friday 20th November.
Verrey wouldn't comment on why no one else has done this before, and said Mad Catz tries simply to stay on the "cusp" of new technology and so has been researching this Wireless-N adaptor "for a while". "In fact, we didn't even know that Microsoft were bringing out their Wireless-N adapter at the same time," promised Verrey.

He went on to say that the Modern Warfare 2 range of Mad Catz goods had sold very well, and that there will be the brand new Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade FightStick here before Christmas, featuring new artwork by Udon painters.

The peripheral maker has some top secret products in development too. "We are going to be announcing some significant new products that we know are just going to blow you guys away. They're going to be announced at CES [in January]," Verrey told us.
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