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July 29, 2011

Catherine review

Though often frustrating, it's hard not to fall in love with Atlus' bizarre tale.

Catherine is at its core a game about the nature of love, commitment and what ‘forever’ means when it’s past time to grow up. On the surface, however, it’s about choosing between two beautiful women – featuring the shabby sort of protagonist that always seems to end up with that particular double-edged dilemma.

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Minecraft trial added to Humble Indie Bundle

The third pay-what-you-want indie promotion, which launched earlier this week, is rapidly closing in on $750,000 in revenue, and that looks set to climb even further now that the five-game bundle also includes a free trial of Minecraft. Those who buy the bundle will have free access to the game until August 14, as well as Mac, Windows and Linux-compatible, DRM-free copies of Crayon Physics Deluxe, Cogs, VVVVVV, Hammerfight and And Yet It Moves.
http://www.humblebundle.com/
Humble Indie Bundle


Riccitiello: EA seeing "poor returns" on 3D

Speaking at EA's annual shareholder meeting yesterday, CEO John Riccitiello said the publisher saw little demand for 3D gaming. "We have not seen a big uptake," he said. "We have not seen a big uptake in 3D TVs in the home [either]. We are not here trying to drive a market. We are here to react to what customers want." Instead, Riccitiello sees the next big thing as mobile and social gaming, which is no surprise following the acquisition of PopCap and its intent for its digital business to be worth a billion dollars a year. "We really see high returns in these markets," he said, "and very poor returns focusing on 3D, so we are allocating our resources toward new innovations."
http://venturebeat.com/2011/07/28/ea-chief-stereoscopic-3d-gaming-is-a-dud-so-far/
VentureBeat


Yamauchi hit as Nintendo stock plummets

While the immediate impact on Nintendo's share price following its poor financial results and announcement of a 3DS price drop was minimal - with shares ending yesterday up 0.1 per cent - today's trading has painted a markedly different picture of investor confidence in Nintendo. Bloomberg reports that at the end of Osaka trading today Nintendo's stock had fallen 12 per cent, to ¥12,290 per share, its biggest drop in a single day since January 2009. Former company president Hiroshi Yamauchi, who stepped down in 2002, was among the hardest hit: he owns 10 per cent of the company, and the day's trading means he has lost some ¥24.2 billion (£190.7 million).
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-29/nintendo-s-yamauchi-loses-500-million-in-single-day-after-plunge-in-stock.html
Bloomberg


Cave working on Windows Phone 7

In a post on its development blog - translated by Andriasang - Cave development head Makoto Asada reveals that the developer is at work on a shooter for Windows Phone 7. The iOS ports of Cave's bullet-hell shooters have been well received, but WP7 users may be in for a wait: Asada says the game, which is an original title and not a port, is only 20 to 30 per cent complete.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/07/28/cave_wp7/
Andriasang


FIFA 11 back on top of Nordic chart

Ageing football game back at number one in chart combining sales data from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

Electronic Arts' ageing football title FIFA 11 is back on top of the Nordic chart, as last week's number one, LA Noire, slips seven places to eighth.

Harsh winters mean the domestic football leagues are still in full swing in the Nordic territories, and that combined with a budget re-release sees FIFA return to the summit despite the release of the next game in the series, FIFA 12, being only two months away.

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Ubisoft: our PC DRM works

The publisher once again got on the wrong side of PC gamers this week when it was revealed that the PC version of the upcoming Driver San Francisco requires a constant internet connection. Speaking to our friends at PC Gamer, an Ubisoft representative said the end justified the means, with the publisher seeing "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection, and from that point of view the requirement is a success."
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/28/ubisoft-our-drm-is-a-success/
PC Gamer


3DS sold at a loss after price drop

A report by Bloomberg Japan, translated by Andriasang, claims that Nintendo will be incurring a loss on sales of 3DS hardware following the announcement yesterday of a global price drop for the struggling system. At an Osaka press conference, company president Satoru Iwata said the move was necessary to improve fiscal performance. The cut - 40 per cent in Japan, and a third in the US and Europe - came in the wake of Nintendo's latest financial results, which revealed a drop in sales revenue of over 50 per cent. The immediate impact on Nintendo's share price appears minimal: its stock ended yesterday at ¥14,000 per share, up 0.1 per cent.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/07/29/3ds_losses/
Andriasang


July 28, 2011

Setting out in Skyrim

We take our first steps in the epic world of Elder Scrolls V.

The mountain known as The Throat of the World stands before us. It fills our vision – snow-coated escarpments, fog-smothered peaks and black claws of rock so massive, so tall, that the eye cannot absorb it in one go. It looks fierce, deadly and cold – and just looking at it, even from the bucolic haven of the valley below, we can already imagine the hiss and wail of wind, the oppressive, driving ice that will greet us as we journey to its top. And we will go there – up its 7,000 steps, through its frigid passes and over treacherous gale-blown ridges.

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Capcom mobile profits rise 360 per cent

Publisher's profits climb thanks to hugely profitable mobile division.

Capcom has released its financial results for the three months to June 30, which show a sharp rise in profits, despite falling sales revenue, thanks in large part to its growing mobile division.

Net sales totalled ¥11.9 billion (£93.86 million) for the quarter, a drop year on year of 37.2 per cent, but profits rose 58.2 per cent to ¥338 million (£2.6 million).

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Capcom mobile profits rise 360 per cent

Publisher's profits climb thanks to hugely profitable mobile division.

Capcom has released its financial results for the three months to June 30, which show a sharp rise in profits, despite falling sales revenue, thanks in large part to its growing mobile division.

Net sales totalled ¥11.9 billion (£93.86 million) for the quarter, a drop year on year of 37.2 per cent, but profits rose 58.2 per cent to ¥338 million (£2.6 million).

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Nokia's Ovi store tops 7 million daily downloads

The Finnish mobile firm has had a fairly miserable run of fortune - culminating in the publication last week of financial results which showed a quarterly loss of €487 million - it at last has some good news to report. Downloads from its Ovi store, which hosts apps that run on its Symbian OS, recently hit 7.62 million in a single day, beating the firm's previous record by 840,000. India appears to be behind much of that growth, with download volumes trebling.
http://www.developer.nokia.com/Community/Blogs/blog/nokia-developer-news/2011/07/26/ovi-store-tops-7-million-daily-downloads
Nokia


Activision announces indie contest winners

In a press release, the publishing giant has announced the first winners of its Independent Games Competition. Dstroyd, developed by Peter Angstadt, took first place and $175,000 in cash, while Engient's Rigonauts: Broadside took second place and $75,000. Any independent US game is eligible for the next round of the competition, with Activision pledging a total of $500,000 in development support to the lucky winners. Activision's Dave Stohl said: "The first round of the competition was very impressive, and we have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to show our commitment to supporting the creative spirit and innovation of independent developers."
http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=594349
Activision


Study: average in-app purchase worth $14

Mobile analytics firm Flurry has found that, while 71 per cent of transactions in freemium mobile games are worth less than $10, the average value of an in-app purchase is $14. There are three pricing levels under $10 - $9.99, $4.99 and 99¢ - and only two per cent of purchases are worth 99¢. At the other end of the scale, a staggering 30 per cent of transactions over $20 are in fact worth over $50.
http://blog.flurry.com/bid/67748/Consumers-Spend-Average-of-14-per-Transaction-in-iOS-and-Android-Freemium-Games
Flurry


Xbox Indie Game Monaco to be ported to other platforms

Andy Schatz's XNA game Monaco - the grand prize winner at the 2010 Independent Games Festival - is to be released on other platforms. The port is being handled by Empty Clip Studios, and will use the RapidFire Engine it previously used in porting several PlayFirst titles to DS. While no target platforms were specified, Schatz - who describes his game as "Pac-Man meets Hitman" - said the news meant Monaco would be released for Mac "at the very least."
http://indiegames.com/2011/07/monaco_getting_ported_to_other.html
Indie Games


Xbox Indie Game Monaco to be ported to other platforms

Andy Schatz's XNA game Monaco - the grand prize winner at the 2010 Independent Games Festival - is to be released on other platforms. The port is being handled by Empty Clip Studios, and will use the RapidFire Engine it previously used in porting several PlayFirst titles to DS. While no target platforms were specified, Schatz - who describes his game as "Pac-Man meets Hitman" - said the news meant Monaco would be released for Mac "at the very least."
http://indiegames.com/2011/07/monaco_getting_ported_to_other.html
Indie Games


Pachter: crunch comments were taken out of context

As the controversial analyst says he is "surprised" by reaction, we reveal his minimum 70-hour working week.

Earlier this week, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter made public his views on the ongoing crunch debate in the latest of his regular video Q&A sessions for Gametrailers. Pachter's typically outspoken comments have been met with strong criticism from within and without the industry: in an opinion piece yesterday, Ubisoft developer Charles Randall descibed the view that crunch was inevitable as "bullshit".

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Nintendo reveals sales slump

3DS hardware and software comfortably outsold by Wii and DS as revenue falls over 50 per cent.

The reason for Nintendo's decision to cut the price of the 3DS worldwide is revealed in its latest financial results: only 710,000 units of its glasses-free 3D handheld were sold worldwide in the three months to June 30.

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Global 3DS price to drop

Iwata says major European and US price drops this summer are to "create momentum" for the year end.

Following this morning's news that the price for Nintendo 3DS in Japan is to drop to ¥15,000 from August 11, a fall of 40 per cent, the company has announced that the same markdown will be applied worldwide.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says the drops are to speed the handheld's market penetration in time for this winter and major releases including Super Mario 3Dland and Mario Kart 7. 

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Nintendo narrows Mario, Mario Kart 3D release windows

Alongside the announcement of its latest financial results and a worldwide 3DS price cut - on which more later - Nintendo has narrowed down release windows for two high-profile titles. Mario's return now has a final name, Super Mario 3DLand, and it will be out in Japan in November; Mario Kart 7 will follow in December.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/07/28/3ds_price_cut/
Andriasang


Nintendo cuts Japanese 3DS price

Nintendo has announced a price cut for 3DS hardware, which will see it retail at ¥15,000, a drop of 40 per cent, from August 11. While the price drop only applies to Japan, Nintendo said it would also be reducing the cost of 3DS overseas some time during before the end of its current quarter in September. More to follow.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/07/28/3ds_price_cut/
Andriasang


PS3 sales down as Sony posts loss

March earthquake behind £121 million loss; PlayStation business posts slender profit as PS3 sales drop 25 per cent.

Sony Corporation has released its financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal year, which reveals it was hit with a loss of ¥15.45 billion (£121.3 million). Over the same period last year it posted a profit of ¥25.6 billion (£201 million).

The Consumer Products and Services division, which includes Sony's PlayStation business, saw sales revenue fall almost 18 per cent to ¥732.3 billion (£5.75 billion) and operating income fall by a staggering 94.1 per cent to ¥1.7 billion (£13.35 million).

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Resident Evil remakes out in September

Capcom has confirmed that the HD remake of Resident Evil 4 will be released on Xbox Live Games on Demand on September 20, with the PlayStation Network version launched on September 21. Code Veronica will follow on September 27 and 28, with both games priced at 1600 Microsoft Points or £15.99 on PSN.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-27-resi-hd-remakes-cost-1600-points-GBP15-99
Eurogamer


THQ phasing out Red Faction franchise

THQ looks set to axe the Red Faction franchise following disappointing commercial performances by the last two entries in the series, 2009’s Guerrilla and this year’s Armageddon. "Given that that title now in two successive versions has [only] found a niche, we do not intend to carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way," THQ CEO Brian Farrell told investors in a conference call listened in on by Gamasutra. "In today's hit-driven, core gaming business, even highly-polished titles with a reasonable following like Red Faction face a bar that continues to move higher and higher. Moving forward, our core game titles must meet a very high quality standard with strong creative and product differentiation, appeal to a broad audience, and be marketed aggressively." Farrell said THQ is to revise its internal review process in a bid to hit a higher quality bar going forward. Red Faction developer Volition is currently working on Saints Row: The Third and Guillermo del Toro collaboration Insane.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36133/THQ_Phases_Out_Red_Faction_Franchise_Following_Disappointing_Sales.php
Gamasutra


THQ posts disappointing first quarter results

Losses widen as publisher reports lower than expected sales for Red Faction: Armageddon and several licensed kids titles.

THQ has reported a disappointing set of results for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2011, citing lower than expected sales of Red Faction: Armageddon and several licensed kids titles.

The company posted a net loss of $38.4 million for the three months, compared with a loss of $30.1 million during the same period the previous year. Net sales came in at $195.2 million, up from $149.4 million a year earlier.

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