Travel Back to the SNES-era with Dragon Fantasy Book II – Preview

Dragon Fantasy Book I may not have been my favorite RPG ever but I could definitely appreciate what the developers were going for. Book II is hoping to move from a NES age inspired game to the times of SNES, while taking cues from best RPGs of the time, and it looks like they may have done just that.

The demo started with a sleeping Ogden dreaming of the best times. Not only was it set during his triumph over the dragon, but he had hair! The graphical improvements were obvious but soon the gameplay improvements from moving up a generation were clear as well. Monsters are now clearly on the map and avoidable, in similar fashion to Chrono Trigger (and with a battle system that's similar to that old gem as well). It's definitely turn based but positioning matters. If enemies are grouped up close enough you can use a spin attack, which is free and relatively weak, but which hits an area instead of just one monster. I also noticed that when Ogden came upon a weaker group of enemies he won instantaneously without a fight, just like in Earthbound, my personal favorite RPG of that era.

Dragon Fantasy Book 2 image 1

While trekking through the dream space I noticed new monsters as well, but they were all rock based. There were Magirocks (a rock with lipstick and a witch's hat), as well as Lycanthrocks (half wolf, half rock). I also noticed that during a battle it's possible for other monsters to come upon you and join in. After about 10 minutes I came upon a dragon that told me a bunch of prophecies about a flamebringer when I kicked his keister.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Travel Back to the SNES-era with Dragon Fantasy Book II - Preview

Electronic Arts Lays Off More Staff

Electronic Arts has been laying off staff throughout this year as it attempts to cut costs. An EA source has told Gamesbeat that the publisher has laid off up to 20 staff in the last few days. Electronic Arts is expecting sales to be down as the transition to the next generation occurs.

EA laid off some of its staff at its Los Angeles and Montreal studios back in February. There were also reports that EA had laid off up to 250 employees in April. While EA confirmed there had been layoffs, they said the 250 figure was "too high." However they did not give an exact figure.

EA showed off several titles for the next generation consoles. The first-person shooter Titanfall was the biggest title shown off. It is coming to the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC in Spring 2014. They also showed off Battlefield 4, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and several sports titles.

Rihanna gets flashy with a Stella McCartney holographic clutch

Rihanna gets flashy with a Stella McCartney holographic clutch

Here’s Rihanna, leaving a club in London whilst carrying a Stella McCartney Holographic Clutch. This bag was from Stella McCartney’s Resort 2013 collection, so it’s no longer available online, tragically. As with all Stella McCartney bags, the leather here is faux, but in this case, works to the bag’s advantage, as the holographic effect is much stronger than what you’d usually see on a leather bag. If you love this look, we found a similarly gorgeous, iridescent Stella McCartney clutch for $895 at Neiman Marcus.

Ri-Ri’s outfit here looks crazy camera-ready. If I had her abs, this is exactly what I would wear for a fun night out with my entourage – flashy top, casual jeans, great heels and accessories – it’s a winning club combo. Granted, it’s been years since I set foot inside anything that marketed itself as a “club”, with the exception of a Costco. But stranger things have happened.

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Xbox One Wiki – Games List, Release Date, Price and Specs

Welcome to the Xbox One wiki, brought to you by Gamewise.

The Xbox One is the next generation Xbox console from Microsoft and is the successor to the Xbox 360. It brings with it a variety of new functionality including running multiple applications simultaneously, instant switching between applications, streaming live TV and even possibly the running of multiple games. The Xbox One has 8 GB RAM (speed not specified).

Every system will come packed with the improved Kinect 2 and the new model of Xbox controller. During the first year after release, there will be 15 exclusive titles for the console, 8 of which will be new IPs. The Xbox One will launch worldwide in November of 2013, at the price point of $499.

Overview

Hardware

History

Accessories

Xbox Live

Applications

SKUs

Confirmed Xbox One Games (click games for more info):

 

 

Please note that the wiki is work in progress - if anything is missing please feel free to edit and improve! There are full contribution guidelines here.

GAME Opening Xbox Only Store in London

UK retailer GAME has announced they will be opening up a store that will only sell Microsoft products. The store will be located in London and open its doors on Thursday, June 20. This will be the only store of its kind from GAME, so don't expect anymore popping up.

The store will be selling Xbox 360 consoles and games, as well as  a display featuring the Microsoft Surface tablets.

GamesIndustry International is reporting that the store will feature "gaming pods, head-to-head challenge areas, a Microsoft Surface display and the latest and greatest in Xbox hardware and software."

 

Top 10 in Sales – 2008 – The Year of Nintendo

Welcome to the ‘Top 10’ weekly feature. Each week we will be taking a look at the top 10 selling games in a particular genre, platform, most recent month, even sprinkling in the top 10 selling games from a past year. All sales specified will be worldwide, unless stated otherwise. If there is a particular top 10 you want to see leave a comment and it may be featured in a future top 10.

This week we will be looking at the top 10 selling games in the year 2008. Last week we looked at the top 10 selling games in May 2013 and the week before that the top 10 selling Sonic games.

Top 10 Selling Games in 2008

Looking at the top 10 bestselling games in the year 2008, two of the games were released in 2005, three in 2006, one in 2007, and four in 2008.

The two titles released in 2005 sold a combined 10.02 million units or 5.01 million units on average per title.  The three titles released in 2006 sold a combined 38.58 million units or 12.86 million units on average per title. The four titles released in 2008 sold a combined 333.39 million units or 8.35 million units on average per title.

The top 10 bestselling games in May 2013 sold a combined 94.67 million units. One title topped 20 million units sold and the top four topped 10 million units sold. The top eight titles sold more than five million units and the entire top 10 sold more than four million units.

Eight of the top 10 titles in 2008 are on Nintendo platforms. Five of the titles are for the Wii and three are for the DS. The five Wii titles are also the five bestselling titles in 2008. One title is on the Xbox 360 and one on the PlayStation 3. These two titles are two versions of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The five Wii titles sold a combined 67.46 million units or 71.3 percent of the total games sold in the top 10. The three DS titles sold a combined 14.98 million units or 15.8 percent of the total games sold in the top 10. The two versions of Grand Theft Auto IV sold a combined 12.23 million units or 12.9 percent of the total games sold in the top 10.

Top 10 Selling Games in 2008

The top 10 bestselling games in May 2013 as a graph really shows how the Wii dominated the video game market at its peak. However, the top title, Wii Sports, was bundled with every Wii at the time.  

Breaking the top 10 down by publisher eight of the titles were published by Nintendo and two titles were published by Rockstar. The eight Nintendo titles are for the Wii and DS and sold a combined 82.44 million units or 87.1 percent of the total games sold in the top 10.

Here are the sales outside the top 10: The top 14 titles sold more than four million units and the top 40 titles sold more than two million units. The top 116 titles sold more than one million units and the top 284 titles sold more than 500,000 units.

Nintendo had the two bestselling platforms in 2008. Nintendo sold 29.47 million DS’s, and 24.09 million Wii’s. Sony sold 14.05 million PSP’s and 10.27 million PlayStation 3’s. Microsoft sold 10.82 million Xbox 360’s.

There were 176.92 million games sold for the Wii, 108.91 million games sold for the Xbox 360 and 88.79 million games sold for the PlayStation 3. There were 155.30 million games sold for the DS and 48.08 million games sold for the PSP.

Nintendo sold 154.69 million games, Sony sold 24.10 million games and Microsoft sold 16.62 million games. Electronic Arts sold 64.73 million games, Activision sold 53.94 million games and Ubisoft sold 47.32 million games.

Contact VGChartz at wdangelo@vgchartz.com

RHOC: “Tell him not to get involved in our bickerment.”

RHOC: “Tell him not to get involved in our bickerment.”

With last night’s episode of Real Housewives came a reminder that next week’s episode is the series’ 100th, and it’s kind of hilarious to look back on the very first season of Real Housewives. Does anyone even remember that it all started as a reality-TV response to Desperate Housewives? Or that it used to be centered exclusively around women living in the Coto de Caza gated community? Or that Jo, Slade’s first Housewives girlfriend, was the original RH wannabe pop-star? We’ve come so far, but at the same time, we haven’t. Maybe we’ve even regressed! In that spirit, let’s go over what went on last night.

1. Lydia’s getting ambitious with her Alexis powwows. Perhaps because the meeting she brokered between Alexis and Tamra was so successful, Lydia decided she wanted to see if she could get Alexis and Heather to do the same. The difference, of course, is that Tamra is in serious therapy and trying to be a better, more peaceful person, and Heather is just Heather. People like Heather and people like Alexis are natural enemies, you can tell that simply by looking at their hair. Lydia may have overlooked this in the afterglow of her nascent diplomatic success.

2. Now that Tamra’s reunited with Vicki, suddenly Gretchen’s a “difficult” friend. Tamra hasn’t said an ill word about Gretchen all season, as far as I can remember, and she had a majorly emotional moment with her just last week in Mexico. When Vicki’s the one doing the asking, though, Gretchen’s self-centered, difficult and hard to have around. Granted, all of those things about Gretchen may be true at times (or usually) (or always), and it’s okay to think those thoughts about friends occasionally. It only becomes a problem when you start, you know, yapping about it to people in front of a full camera crew, which is what Vicki masterfully goaded Tamra into doing without any hesitation. Nascent narrative arc, ahoy!

3. Heather and Alexis’ diplomatic summit went south quickly. Maybe Lydia should have come to babysit them like she babysat Tamra and Alexis, but it probably wouldn’t have helped all that much. As soon as they sat down, the bickering began. I couldn’t even tell what most of the sniping was about, honestly, but after resolving absolutely nothing, they agreed to start fresh and be nice the next time they saw each other. That’s sure to work, of course. A zillion previous fake detentes in past Real Housewives universes have taught us that.

4. Brianna’s husband deploying to Afghanistan is a fairly stark reminder that Real Housewives is incredibly stupid. Real-life drama like Ryan’s military service makes a good storyline, I suppose, but Real Housewives works best when it exists in its own universe of petty problems and superficial feuds. Juxtaposing the contrived drama of Lydia’s salsa party with the actual drama of war just makes everything we’re watching seem dumber than we already knew it was. It’s in Bravo’s best interest not to remind us of that. I hope Ryan serves his deployment safely and gets home quickly.

5. Slade thinks it’s appropriate to comment on Lydia’s weight to her face. Yes, Lydia is quite petite, but saying someone needs to eat a cheeseburger is idiocy, just like saying an overweight person needs to stop eating a cheeseburger. Lydia’s weight and body shape is not within Slade’s purview, it’s not his business and commenting on it in any way is rude. It’s not a compliment. Lydia’s body is not community property and it’s not there for Slade’s enjoyment, so telling her she needs to change it to please him is nothing but nasty. (This is a huge pet peeve of mine, if you hadn’t already picked up on that.) The weird, almost predatory look in Slade’s eyes when Lydia challenged him on his rudeness tells you all you need to know about the amount of respect Slade has for women, in case you hadn’t already figured that out based on all the other nasty things he’s said about people’s appearances on this show in the past.

6. Brooks might be dating a porn star when he’s not surprising Vicki to get a little camera time. Lauri is a font of information, most of it likely embellished if not entirely false, but I do enjoy listening to her tell ridiculous stories about things that may or may not happen off camera. I wish that they were true, and based on Vicki’s reaction to the information in the previews for next week’s episode, this little tidbit actually might be.

7. Gretchen thinks Alexis shouldn’t come wedding dress shopping with Tamra because it’s “so personal.” Because having an extra person along to watch a wedding dress appointment that’s being filmed by a professional television crew for the consumption of millions of people at home is really a violation of privacy, you know? And maybe if Alexis comes, then Gretchen doesn’t want to go because Gretchen is so selfless and doesn’t want to create a distraction by being three seats over from Alexis on a white couch in some cheesy wedding salon. You’d think that Gretchen would be old enough to know that attempting to withhold your friendship from someone in an effort to get them to change their relationships with other people always backfires. Then again, if Bravo was casting women who understand the finer mechanics of successful interpersonal communication, this show would have lasted all of one season.

The post RHOC: “Tell him not to get involved in our bickerment.” appeared first on PurseBlog.

Activision Increases Licensing Partnerships to 150

Publisher Activision Blizzard has more than doubled its licensing partners in the last year to 150. They have also increased their retail space by a third. Call of Duty licenses include Turtle Beach, Brady Games, BioWorld, and PowerA.

"Our licensing strategy is focused on partnering with industry leaders and category experts who will align well with our games' demographics and deliver meaningful brand extensions," said Ashley Maidy, VP of global licensing and partnerships.

"Deeper integration at retail is a key element of our expansion plans. Licensing has allowed us to secure space outside of the video game aisle, providing our fans with multiple touch points for consumer interactions. Additionally, the programs have garnered space in non-traditional gaming retailers like WH Smith and Smyths in Europe. Overall, this holiday we are increasing our retail space by more than one third over last year."

State of Decay Hits New Sales Milestone

Undead Labs zombie survival title, State of Decay, has hit a new sales milestone. The title first hit 250,000 units sold in its 48 hours and has now gone on to sell 500,000 units in its first two weeks on sale. This is the second fastest selling title ever on Xbox Live Arcade and is also the fastest selling original title ever on Xbox Live Arcade.

"We didn't know what to expect," said founder of Undead Labs Jeff Strain in an interview with Xbox Wire. "State of Decay breaks a lot of rules. Permadeath, switching characters, having to manage the "feelings" of your fellow survivors, offline progression — these are all things developers traditionally avoid, but we felt were essential to creating a true survival experience."

"We're thrilled and humbled that gamers are embracing the game. Record breaking sales are great, but the thing we're proudest of is that people who bought the game are having a great time playing it. That's why we do what we do, and what keeps us going back in to do it again."

The studio is currently working on a PC version of the title to be released on Steam. There is no release date, but the game just needs to be integrated with the Steam platform and controls for keyboard and mouse need to be added.

Elizabeth and James’ First Handbags Have Arrived

Elizabeth and James’ First Handbags Have Arrived

The grace with which the Olsen Twins walk the fashion-celebrity tightrope never ceases to amaze me. Not only is The Row one of perhaps only two celebrity-owned fashion lines to generate any true industry respect at all (the other, arguably, is Victoria Beckham’s), but Elizabeth and James, the sisters’ long-running contemporary label, churns out wearable, stylish, reasonably accessible clothes for chic young women, season after season. Often, I forget that it has an celeb associations at all, but when I saw these backpacks, from the brand’s first handbag collection, the connection to The Row felt pretty clear.

Is there any better-known or more widely discussed backpack in fashion than The Row’s? It’s sleek, modern, and in alligator, it costs in excess of $30,000. It makes sense that Elizabeth and James would have a little-sister version of that bag, even though the two brands aren’t all that closely associated with each other; The Row’s backpacks sell out like crazy, and of course women with a similar sense of style but more modest budget are interested in getting the same look without searching for a straight-up knock-off. This bag retains the simple, clean feel of the more expensive bag, but it’s a little slouchier, a little more casual, a little more 90s. It’s also a lot less expensive, starting at $445 for regular leather and ranging up to $595 for spotted calf hair.

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Utter Despair and Hope in That Dragon, Cancer – Preview

Playing games for most people is fun partially because it allows for an escape from reality. Recently, though, we've seen an emergence of developers using the creation of a game to better deal with and accept reality. That Dragon, Cancer is one such game.

Whenever someone asks an expecting family what gender they're hoping for the classic answer is “I just hope he has all his fingers and toes”, which is a funny way to say what every parent thinks: they just want their child to be healthy. There's little in the world more heart rending then when someone you love has a life threatening illness because you know you're powerless to do anything about it.

That Dragon Cancer 2

Cancer in particular is an overly simple term for what is really an array of different conditions which each require their own strategy with little hope of a single magic bullet cure. I've been to quite a few seminars on the topic and there's a lot of work being done in the field with some really heartening results. Even these are usually years off from human testing, let alone being an affordable drug. Right now the best you can do is hope and try to deal with the situation in some way for both you and your loved one.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Utter Despair and Hope in That Dragon, Cancer - Preview

#WhatsInYourKors? Michael Kors Wants to See Your July 4 Getaway Bag!

#WhatsInYourKors? Michael Kors Wants to See Your July 4 Getaway Bag!

Now that summer is well underway, the next long weekend that we’re looking forward to is the Fourth of July. Whether it’s a picnic in the park or a full-on beach party that you’ll be attending, celebrating in style is always on our minds. In that spirit, we’ve teamed up with Michael Kors to show you what would be in the ideal July 4th weekend bag. We also want to hear about what you’ll be carrying (or wish you were carrying) for the impending holiday. Tell us: #WhatsInYourKors? Below, find out what’s in ours.

We know that you guys have lots of opinions when it comes to bags and accessories, and Michael Kors wants to hear them. On Twitter or Instagram, use the hashtag “#WhatsInYourKors” to share photos of or links to the things you’d be packing away in your Michael Kors bag for a weekend jaunt to celebrate our nation’s independence. You can check out more about our collaboration with Michael Kors on DestinationKors.com, and make sure to watch this space – we’ll have more answers to the #WhatsInYourKors? question coming soon. For now, check out the contents of the Independence Day-themed MICHAEL Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Tote below.

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This Valentino Bag is Nearing Full-On Jewelry Territory

This Valentino Bag is Nearing Full-On Jewelry Territory

I’ve always been a bit of a magpie. I’ve probably owned more pairs of silver shoes than black in my adult life, I’m prone to buying costume jewelry that doesn’t fit my personal style just because it’s so fun and crystal-covered that I need to have it in my possession, I own a shameful tube of glitter eye-liner. We all have our crosses to bear. Unsurprisingly, when the Valentino Glam Lock Crystal Bag popped up late last week, it was like a shot of serotonin straight to my brain’s pleasure centers.

Valentino has done these kinds of jewel-encrusted bags in the past, but this one, with its muted use of silver, gold and ivory and signature studs amidst the hardcore glamour, might be my favorite. It’s the kind of treatment that almost any other designer would reserve for a tiny evening bag, but as a leather-based mini crossbody, this bag could conceivably be taken out for daytime use. If you’re the type of person who thinks it makes sense to eat dessert first because you never know what might happen during dinner, then maybe some serious bling at brunch would also be to your liking. This bag sold out in a matter of days, but it retails for $3,455 via Net-a-Porter, where you can still add it to your wishlist for notification when and if it becomes available.

The post This Valentino Bag is Nearing Full-On Jewelry Territory appeared first on PurseBlog.

Lose Yourself in Rain – Preview

It's so nice to see Sony Studios Japan back in action a bit for the last year or so. It started with a quirky fun little title - Tokyo Japan - and has continued this E3 with the fantastic looking Puppeteer and Rain titles. Rain is made by Acquire and SCEJ and is looking like another fantastic little PSN gem.

Rain's story is introduced through some beautiful water color paintings that tell the story of a boy excited to go to a circus. Unfortunately on the day of the circus it begins to rain and it looks like he's in for a day of boredom. As he gazes out into the rain he notices the outline of a young girl and their eyes meet before she is chased off by the outline of a creature. The boy quickly dashes after the two and finds that he too is now invisible. Now he must not only catch up with the girl, but discover how he has become translucent and how he might get back to normal.

Rain Preview 2

One thing I love about Rain is how the storyline is told through text that simply appears along with the gameplay. You'll walk along and on the wall you'll see the narration. I believe I saw this first in a Splinter Cell game and I think it's a brilliant way to keep the storyline from getting in the way of the gameplay. Contextual actions like “examine” are also presented in a similar way.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Lose Yourself in Rain - Preview

2013 Year on Year Sales and Market Share Update to June 8th

Here we see data representing the global sales through to consumers and change in sales performance of the four home consoles and four handhelds over comparable periods for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.  Also shown is the market share for each of the consoles over the same periods.

Year to Date Sales Comparison (Same Periods Covered)

YTD

YTD

Market Share – 7th Generation (Same Periods Covered)

MS

Market Share – 8th Generation (Same Periods Covered)

MS

2010 – (Week beginning January 3 to June 12)

2011 – (Week beginning January 2 to June 11)

2012 – (Week beginning January 1 to June 9)

2013 – (Week beginning December 30 to June 8)

Total Sales and Market Share for Each Year – 7th Generation

Total

Total Sales and Market Share for Each Year – 8th Generation

Total

"Year to date" sales for 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 sales are shown in series at the top of the table and then just below a comparison of 2013 versus 2011 and 2013 versus 2012 is displayed.  This provides an easy-to-view summary of all the data.

Microsoft

Xbox 360 - Down Year-on-Year 26,585, Year to Date -18.0%

Sony

PlayStation 3 – Down Year-on-Year 14,498, Year to Date -16.7%

PSP - Down Year-on-Year 6,054, Year to Date -7.6%

PlayStation Vita – Down Year-on-Year 20,490, Year to Date -35.0%

Nintendo

Nintendo Wii - Down Year-on-Year 31,916, Year to Date -53.9%

Nintendo DS - Down Year-on-Year 39,472, Year to Date -60.1%

Nintendo 3DS - Down Year-on-Year 20,490, Year to Date -7.9%

Nintendo Wii U – n/a

Contact VGChartz at wdangelo@vgchartz.com

Weekly Sales Analysis, 1 June – Minecraft, Remember Me

Overview

Overall hardware sales decreased by six percent week-on-week. Week-on-week sales are down across the board.  Overall year-on-year sales are down 21 percent.  There are also no platforms to be up year-on-year. The 3DS has dropped by eight percent year-on-year, the smallest drop. The DS has dropped by 74 percent year-on-year, the biggest by percent.

Two games debuted in the top 30 this week. Minecraft (X360) debuted at the top of the charts with sales of 120,476.  The game launched in North America and Japan.

Software milestones this week in the top 30: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) passed the two million mark; and Mario Kart 7 (3DS) passed the eight million mark.

Worldwide Hardware

Hardware

Hardware home console sales week-on-week are down across the board. PlayStation 3 sales are down 8,219 (-6%) to 125,658 units sold. Xbox 360 sales are down 1,951 (-2%) to 84,947 units sold. The Wii sold 28,155 units, a decrease of 259 (-1%). The Wii U sold 24,012 units, a decrease of 1,655 (-6%).

Handheld sales week-on-week are down across the board. The 3DS sold 130,359 units, which is down 4,704 (-3%) week-on-week. The PSP is down 975 (-2%) to 50,780 units sold. The Vita sold 28,012 units which is down 13,973 (-33%) compared to last week. The DS is down 480 (-4%) to 14,168 units sold. Total week on week sales are down 32,116 units (-6%) to 486,091 units sold.

There are no platforms up year-on-year. The PlayStation 3 is down 14,498 (-6%), the Wii is down 31,916 (-53%), and the Xbox 360 is down 26,585 (-24%). The PSP is down 6,054 (-11%), the DS is down 39,472 (-74%), the Vita is down 20,490 (-42%) and the 3DS is down 20,490 (-8%). Year on year sales are down 125,680 units (-21%).

Hardware Home Consoles

Home console hardware sales have decreased for one week for the Wii U, and two weeks for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The PlayStation 3 has led for the last 24 weeks. Wii and Wii U sales have been nearly identical for the last nine weeks. The Wii has outsold the Wii U for the last five weeks.

The PlayStation 3 has a 53 percent market share for the seventh generation; the Xbox 360 has a 36 percent market share; and the Wii has an 11 percent market share. Compared with ten weeks ago all for home consoles are down.

Hardware Handhelds

Handheld hardware sales have decreased for the 3DS and Vita for two weeks. The gap between the 3DS and Vita has decreased this week to 102,000 units this week, up from 93,000 units last week.

The PSP has a 78 percent market share this week for the seventh generation handhelds, while the DS has a 22 percent market share. The 3DS has an 82 percent market share for the eighth generation of handhelds, while the Vita has a 18 percent market share. Compared with ten weeks ago all four handhelds are down.

Worldwide Software

Two games debuted in the top 30 this week. Minecraft (X360) debuted at the top of the charts with sales of 120,476.  The game launched in North America and Japan.

Remember Me (PS3) debuted at number seven with sales of 39,812. The Xbox 360 version debuted at number 13 with sales of 29,135. The game launched in North America and Europe.

Here are the other games in the top 10 that are not debuts:  Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) is at number two with sales of 56,480. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS) is at number three with sales of 49,638. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PS3) is at number four with sales of 48,339. Tomodachi Collection: Shin Seikatsu (3DS) is at number five with sales of 46,301.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (X360) is at number six with sales of 44,910. Resident Evil: Revelations (PS3) is at number eight with sales of 32,439. Just Dance 4 (Wii) is at number nine with sales of 31,999. FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3) rounds out the top 10 with sales of 31,730.

Software

Software home console sales week-on-week are up for the Xbox 360, and down for the Wii U, Wii and PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 sold the most games this week with sales of 1.28 million units, an increase of 28,391 units (2%).  The PlayStation 3 sold 1.28 million games this week, a decrease of 87,047 units (-6%). Wii software sales are down 21,103 units (-4%) to 493,696 games sold. The Wii U sold 92,086 games, a decrease of 6,080 (-6%).

Handheld software sales week-on-week are down across the board. The 3DS sold 451,894 games, which is down 88,013 units (-16%). The DS sold 304,593 games, a decrease of 15,989 units (-5%) week-on-week. The PSP sold 129,354 games, a decrease of 23,641 (-15%).  Vita game sales are down 20,517 units (-21%) to 78,018 games sold. Total combined software is down 233,999 units (-5%) week-on-week to 4.10 million.

Year on year software totals are up for the 3DS and Xbox 360, and down for everything else. The PlayStation 3 is down 88,188 units (-6%), the Wii is down 264,367 units (-35%) and the Xbox 360 is up 6,671 units (1%). The DS is down 114,260 units (-27%), the PSP is down 49,836 units (-28%), the 3DS is up 74,830 units (-20%), and the Vita is down 50,654 units (-39%). Total combined software is down 393,718 units (-9%) games sold year on year.

Software Home Consoles

Home console software sales have increased for the Xbox 360 for four weeks. The Wii has decreased for one week, while the PlayStation 3 and Wii U have dropped for two straight weeks.

The Xbox 360 has a 42 percent market share, the PlayStation 3 has a 42 percent market share, and the Wii has a 16 percent market share. Compared to ten weeks ago all four home console software sales are down.

Software Handhelds

The 3DS sold the most software for a handheld for the 25th straight week. However, 3DS software sales have dropped considerably the last two weeks. The 3DS and DS have remained above their rivals, the Vita and PSP respectively. The 3DS sold nearly six times as many games as the Vita. The DS sold more than two times as many games as the PSP.

The DS has a 70 percent market share for the current generation handhelds and the PSP has a 30 percent market share. The 3DS has an 85 percent market share for the next generation handhelds, while the Vita has a 15 percent market share. Compared with ten weeks ago all four handheld software sales are down.

The Top 75 can be seen below or click here to view the full chart.

Pos Game Weekly Total Week #
1
Minecraft Wiki - Gamewise
Minecraft (X360)
Microsoft Game Studios, Adventure
120,476 120,476 1
2
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon Wiki - Gamewise
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
Nintendo, Adventure
56,480 2,008,239 12
3
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Wiki - Gamewise
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS)
Nintendo, Platform
49,638 231,228 3
4
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Wiki - Gamewise
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PS3)
Activision, Shooter
48,339 10,358,296 30
5
Tomodachi Collection: Shin Seikatsu Wiki - Gamewise
Tomodachi Collection: Shin Seikatsu (3DS)
Nintendo, Misc
46,301 1,093,663 8
6
Call of Duty: Black Ops II Wiki - Gamewise
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (X360)
Activision, Shooter
44,910 12,352,243 30
7
Remember Me Wiki - Gamewise
Remember Me (PS3)
Capcom, Action
39,812 39,812 1
8
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12
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15
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18
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19
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20
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21
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27
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28
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29
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30
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32
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33
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39
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40
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Wolfenstein The New Order is Mostly Old – Preview

It's been a long time since we had a good Wolfenstein game. 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein and its expansion were shockingly good, but the 2009 reboot left a lot to be desired. Wolfenstein: The New Order is here to save the day. Developed by MachineGames with its roots in Starbreesze Studios (makers of the Riddick and Darkness games), The New Order is shooting for a mix of emotion and ridiculous B-movie humor.

Our demo began with a story-only segment, showing the interaction on a train between B.J. Blazkowicz and a Nazi named Frau Ingel. Ingel is pretty sadistic, testing Blazkowicz (who was undercover) on the validity of his Aryan heritage. Blazkowicz passes her test, and moves on to a cheesy B-movie romance scene with a girl in another cabin. This fit well with the tone of past Wolfenstein games.

The developers walked through a more standard linear FPS section, fighting through the wreckage of a train (maybe the same train?). The game plays like a pretty standard FPS, with just a bit more insanity on top of it. Blazkowicz will, for example, dual wield pretty much anything, including full shotguns. Enemies are a mix of Nazis and advanced cyborg creatures. The sci-fi future skin may make this look a bit different from the Wolfenstein of old, but it's still as ludicrous and unbelievable as ever.

Wolfenstein

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Wolfenstein The New Order is Mostly Old - Preview

Wolfenstein: The New Order is Mostly Old – Preview

It's been a long time since we had a good Wolfenstein game. 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein and its expansion were shockingly good, but the 2009 reboot left a lot to be desired. Wolfenstein: The New Order is here to save the day. Developed by MachineGames with its roots in Starbreesze Studios (makers of the Riddick and Darkness games), The New Order is shooting for a mix of emotion and ridiculous B-movie humor.

Our demo began with a story-only segment, showing the interaction on a train between B.J. Blazkowicz and a Nazi named Frau Ingel. Ingel is pretty sadistic, testing Blazkowicz (who was undercover) on the validity of his Aryan heritage. Blazkowicz passes her test, and moves on to a cheesy B-movie romance scene with a girl in another cabin. This fit well with the tone of past Wolfenstein games.

The developers walked through a more standard linear FPS section, fighting through the wreckage of a train (maybe the same train?). The game plays like a pretty standard FPS, with just a bit more insanity on top of it. Blazkowicz will, for example, dual wield pretty much anything, including full shotguns. Enemies are a mix of Nazis and advanced cyborg creatures. The sci-fi future skin may make this look a bit different from the Wolfenstein of old, but it's still as ludicrous and unbelievable as ever.

Wolfenstein

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Wolfenstein: The New Order is Mostly Old - Preview

Crimson Dragon Makes its Return – Preview

The demo I played for Crimson Dragon was a short little lava level right before the E3 showfloor closed up for the year. It felt right to fly around the screen on a dragon as I locked on to enemies before firing a fusillade of plasma rays. My only other available weapon was a short range electricity attack but it proved useful when bosses started to get too close.

Crimson Dragon 1

My goal seemed to be to take out a white dragon who had escaped to the inside of a volcano. After a few minutes of dodging rock outcroppings and killing weaker enemies I came upon a long dragon-like creature that swam in and out of the lava and thus out of range of my attacks. The fireballs he shot were easily avoided, and when he got close my secondary weapon worked like a charm so it was pretty easily manageable.

As I traveled through the level I was able to collect jewels that increased my score but as far as I could tell they didn't serve any other purpose. My dragon's movement had quite a bit of momentum to it so these jewels were tough to maneuver for, but they were a fun distraction when no enemies happened to be on screen.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Crimson Dragon Makes its Return - Preview

Terraria Wiki Guide – Crafting Recipes, Items, Environments, Enemies

Terraria is an action-adventure / role-playing indie game, developed by independent game studio Re-Logic and released on PC via Steam, Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.

The game features exploration, crafting, construction, and combat with a variety of creatures in a randomly generated 2D world. The game has sold more than 2 million copies on Steam.

Overview

Gameplay

Items

Environments

Crafting

Enemies

The Wind Waker HD Goes Gyroscopic – Preview

Earlier this year, Nintendo provided us with more details of their new, high-definition The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker game for the Wii U. Many fans were hoping for a new HD Zelda, but a remake of the GameCube's classic feel-good game is all that we were offered at the time.

At E3, I got a chance to spent some time on the game, and as I would hope and expect, the game plays and feels just like the original Wind Waker. The only change is that the game looks much better. In fact, it looks really good and provides a fantastic feeling of nostalgic memories. For those who have yet to play this game, The Wind Waker HD will be a great Wii U release. For those, like me, who have already played the game, it will most likely only be bought by the hardcore Zelda fans looking to dust off an older classic.

Nintendo had 2 areas up for demonstration at E3. The first begins right where Link began his quest almost 11 years ago: Outset Island. To fill the need of truly highlighting the new inventory features, Nintendo provide Link with several items from his arsenal at the start of the game, but outside of that, nothing has changed as far as the demo is concerned. The hard-to-find 100 Rupees are still hidden under Link's home, Aryll is still on-top of the watch tower, and life goes on per usual on the palm tree filled island of Outset.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Wind Waker HD Goes Gyroscopic - Preview

The Wind Waker HD Goes Gyroscopic – Preview

Earlier this year, Nintendo provided us with more details of their new, high-definition The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker game for the Wii U. Many fans were hoping for a new HD Zelda, but a remake of the GameCube's classic feel-good game is all that we were offered at the time.

At E3, I got a chance to spent some time on the game, and as I would hope and expect, the game plays and feels just like the original Wind Waker. The only change is that the game looks much better. In fact, it looks really good and provides a fantastic feeling of nostalgic memories. For those who have yet to play this game, The Wind Waker HD will be a great Wii U release. For those, like me, who have already played the game, it will most likely only be bought by the hardcore Zelda fans looking to dust off an older classic.

Nintendo had 2 areas up for demonstration at E3. The first begins right where Link began his quest almost 11 years ago: Outset Island. To fill the need of truly highlighting the new inventory features, Nintendo provide Link with several items from his arsenal at the start of the game, but outside of that, nothing has changed as far as the demo is concerned. The hard-to-find 100 Rupees are still hidden under Link's home, Aryll is still on-top of the watch tower, and life goes on per usual on the palm tree filled island of Outset.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Wind Waker HD Goes Gyroscopic - Preview

UK Digital Retailer Green Man Gaming Opens US Office

Green Man Gaming, the UK digital retailer, is expanding into the US by opening up a new office in California, according to reports from MCVUK. The retailer currently sells games for download, as well as boxed products on its website.

"In line with our expansion strategy, we recently incorporated Green Man Gaming in the US and opened our new office in Santa Monica," said GMG marketing EVP Darren Cairns. "The US market is really important to us and having a local presence is essential if we are to continue to look after our increasing base of customers and partners."

Green Man Gaming, which is based in London, is already selling games in 90 countries. The digital retailer allows customers to trade-in its digital games.

The Witcher Developer CD Projekt RED Opens New Studio

The Witcher developer CD Projekt RED, which is based in Warsaw, Poland, has opened up its second studio. The new studio is based in Krakow, Poland. CD Projekt RED managing director Adam Badowski confirmed the news to Gamasutra.

"This July we are opening an office in Krakow," said Badowski.  "As we informed in our strategy outlook some time ago, aside from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077, the studio aims to develop two smaller (approximately 20h of gameplay) premium quality titles. Consisting of 20 people, the core team in Krakow will be responsible for developing one of these games."

Metro: Last Light – Review

When pitching video game ideas to a publisher, one based on a conversion of a Russian sci-fi novel based in the post-apocalyptic tunnels of the Moscow Metro is perhaps not the most obvious of sellable material. When Metro 2033 did arrive in 2010, based on the terrific Dmitry Glukhovsky novel of the same name, it swiftly attained a strong cult following due to its twisting narrative and foreboding atmosphere, but was hampered by a poor engine and often woeful combat mechanics. Enough interest was shown in the series for a sequel to be commissioned by the then publisher THQ, but after their demise earlier this year the rights were purchased by Deep Silver with only a few months delay before release.

Metro: Last Light

Although a sequel to the Metro 2033 book does exist (Metro 2034), Metro: Last Light bares no resemblance to this tome and instead features an original narrative exclusive to the game. Last Light picks up the narrative strand of 2033 one year after its conclusion, and begins with a reflection on the impact of the original's 'normal ending' (there is no Mass Effect style choices-consequences system here). Artyom, now a ranger occupying the pivotal D6 military facility, is informed that a Dark One has been found alive near the station and it is his job to destroy the creature. Our hero, internally conflicted by his almost complete genocide, sets out to investigate the sighting with plans other than destruction for the creature. What follows is a morally ambiguous game of cat and mouse through the dingy Metro and dangerous Overground, taking in the Nazi Reich, Communist Red Line and disparate groups in between the extremes. Rightly or wrongly, each group is attempting to recover humanity through its own methods and ideology; as Artyom notes, whether they destroy the rest of the world does not matter, for the only world they know is that of the Metro. War is coming to the Metro, and the motions are set. 

These greater themes are presented to Artyom in a microcosmic style, introducing and explaining wider events through the people he meets, the conversations he hears and the scenarios he participates in. This works on a certain level, and is understandable within the wider context of the series (Artyom is but an individual dragged by greater forces), but it does at times force the narrative into uncomfortable moments; minor events are given great build-up, while monumental, game-changing instances are swept away with little comprehension, explained in notes are off-hand comments.

Metro: Last Light

Last Light's strong narrative is well supported by the linear style of play. In a generation where linearity is seen as a wall preventing the player's natural ability to make choices within a game, it is refreshing that linear titles like Last Light and BioShock: Infinite can guide and thrill a player by removing choice and open-world 'freedom' and replacing it with refined, exhilarating set-pieces and narrative. One does not read The Great Gatsby and question the choices made by the author narratively, wishing to create a different path, or novel, so why is it expected of video games to remove the expert story-teller and allow gamers to fritter willy-nilly? 

Linearity is at once a design choice but also a necessity for the environment of the Metro; this is a dark, dank world, restrictive in movement and direction. The atmosphere created by this claustrophobia, the constant sense of danger coupled with outposts of humanity is probably Last Light's finest attribute. Foreboding and intense, at once horrifying and hopeful, the player is gripped and engulfed by the darkness before being enriched and enthralled by the tender humanity that sprouts in the dark. Almost, almost, the game shoots itself in the foot with the incessant darkness and bleakness; Last Light is so consistently dark and dangerous that when the worst moments of humanity strike, the player is almost saturated to the point it barely registers. This is saved by that rarest of things in gaming - genuine humanity. As the Reich measure people's heads and the Soviets check their height, you feel for the desperation of those flung between a rock and a hard place. In the Theatre station, the famous Moscow Theatre is carried on by a small, hopeful cabaret show. Children cry, adults weep, but they just get on with things. In the Metro, everyone is an outcast, but some are more outcast than others.

Metro: Last Light

All that considered, one could assume that we are discussing Pasolini's Oedipus Rex and not a video game. As a sequel, Last Light improves on the gameplay of 2033 in nearly every respect. Gone is the loose engine and unpredictable gunplay, replaced by a highly polished, smooth and consistent engine that handles every situation in style. There are no lost bullets here; lead slugs into flesh with satisfying aplomb, and any missed shot is due to your own wonky aim, and not the fallibility of the engine. Although the game could be accused of being slightly easy on normal mode, the other interpretation is that it has a well-tuned learning curve, training and improving the player as the enemies get harder. Understandably, the weapon selection is restrictive due to the sparse nature of apocalyptic life, but they are still satisfying and clunky in combat.

At its heart, Last Light is a stealth game reliant on sleuth and patience to make it through the Metro. Light indicators show your visibility, while the lack of ammunition resolves the player to silent, lethal or non-lethal take-downs on the enemy. These enemies, in particular humans, unfortunately lack the humanity of their station counter-parts. For the most part they are blazing idiots, walking into fire, missing bodies they are stood on and failing to do their job with any sort of realism. For such a generally well-considered game, this is a huge oversight that can somewhat blight the otherwise consistent impression of a genuinely dangerous world.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Metro: Last Light - Review
This entry was posted on June 17, 2013, in Review.

Hitman Developer IO Interactive Lays Off 50% of Staff

IO Interactive, the developer of Hitman: Absolution, has laid off nearly 50 percent of its staff. Several titles under development have been cancelled and the remaining staff will focus on developing a new Hitman title. The news was reported by GamesIndustry International.

"We are making significant changes at IO Interactive as we align our business against a changing and challenging market," said a spokesperson in a statement. "Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO."

"The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new AAA Hitman project," continued the spokesperson. "However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today's market."

"For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it's possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so," concluded the spokesperson. "We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers. If you are part of a company that is looking for additional development talent, please contact us directly at info@ioi.dk"

Keeping Up With The Kardashians: “How do you feel about having guns in the house? Like, a BUNCH of them.”

Keeping Up With The Kardashians: “How do you feel about having guns in the house? Like, a BUNCH of them.”

You know it’s a seriously dramatic episode when Kim’s divorce and baby drama alone can almost fill the full 40-45 minutes. All of the plotlines on this week’s episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians made me extremely tense – but these were highly emotional, nerve-hitting issues, weren’t they? I mean, gun control and Kim Kardashian’s divorce? Have you seen more headlines about anything else this year?

As we all know, 3-4ish months in the future, Kim is now happily divorced and a happy (?) new mama, as of this past weekend. (I really hope they’re taping for next season right now. Well, I do and I don’t, really.) HOWEVER, let’s pretend tabloid news doesn’t exist and suspend disbelief; it makes for a far more compelling episode. Kim received some bad news right out of the gate that her divorce deposition has been pushed back yet again. We can all attest to the fact that Kim’s divorce proceedings took far too long and lasted approximately four times as long as both her marriage and courtship to Khris Humphries combined. Kim has obviously already begun a new life with Kanye, who remains forever in the shadows on this season of KUWTK. (Understandably so. As much as he peacocks for the media, on “candid camera” he comes off as a bit self-conscious.) But guess what, friends? Try as Kim might, being pregnant with another man’s baby is not grounds for an “emergency divorce,” from a legal perspective. Somehow, in our heart of hearts, we already knew that.

But before we could proceed any further with Kim’s divorce drama, we had to deal with Kim’s pregnancy issues. As you might remember, Kim had a major pregnancy scare while flying to LA and was quickly ushered to the hospital a few months ago. I’m frankly surprised they got any of this on film, because it was kind of an emergency situation, and also, it seemed super personal, but film it they did – all the hand wringing, painful prodding, tests, and exams, and crying. It was a little hard to watch. It’s easy to think of someone as a sort of pop culture caricature of themselves until you see them doing something as vulnerable and humanizing as unabashedly weeping on a doctor’s table.

Kim is not having a fun time with her pregnancy, as is obvious to everyone with functioning eyeballs. Kris Jenner continues to rail on like a glass-eyed lunatic about how pregnancy is like walking barefoot on a gilded cloud, clearly failing to realize that there are a wide range of pregnancy experiences a woman can have and that Kim is having a totally crappy one. Kim literally threatened to both hang herself and slit her own throat if delivery proved to be more painful than whatever she’s experiencing. (Spoiler: it’s a stomach infection.) I seriously worry about Kim and post-partum depression, I really do.

In the show’s other highly publicized plotline, the entire family went a little gun-crazy. At the beginning of the episode, Bruce met up with Kris to discuss the idea of getting a gun for the house, after the Kardashians get “SWATTED.” He wanted to purchase a gun and teach the Jenner girls to use it, but Kris was not down with the idea. At all. Bruce got all macho and said things like, “It’s my responsibility to protect my family.” (When he’s not hanging out at his Malibu beach house/man cave, which I assume is still under contract. Then his family’s on their own.)

To reinforce this episode’s whole gun theme, the Jenners played a few rounds of paint ball, which is combat-lite for a bunch of Malibu princes like Brody and Brandon. (Did you catch that reference to the Jenner boys’ extremely short-lived Fox reality show of yesteryear? No? Nevermind then.)

Gun fever was spreading all around the Kardashian fam, and Scott Disick definitely caught a mild case. (I never realize how much I love Scott until he doesn’t appear in an entire episode.) Scott didn’t really want a gun in the house because he has little kids, and also, Kourtney might MURDER HIM. (It was kind of a joke, but if she gets knocked up again, I could see it happening.) Still, Scott was curious about the idea and decided to tag along for a day of shootin’ fun with Bruce, Kendall and Rob. Scott and Kendall had no patience for safety instruction, though, because they really just wanted to pop a cap in something, ASAP. Sadly, that day never came for Scott.

Here are things you shouldn’t combine with guns:

Toddlers and guns.
Teenagers and guns.
Scott Disick and guns.

Some mustached gun instructor started giving Scott crap for his casual, cavalier attitude regarding gun handling. They had “a disagreement about what is safe on the range,” according to the “gun ranger,” and Scott split. I don’t like being told what to do by people with mustaches either, so I can sympathize with Scott in this instance. Of course, Scott spun it a little differently in his later retelling of the event to Kourt and Khloe, proclaiming that he “almost got shot by a guy at the gun range.” (If anything, he probably almost got pistol-whipped.) The whole mustached gun ranger ordeal turned Scott off to the idea of gun ownership. Khloe also made a valid point during this convo – Rob should really not have a gun either, because he gets really angry sometimes, and seems less than emotionally stable this season, let’s be honest.

Meanwhile, back at the Calabasas ranch, Bruce and Kris still don’t agree on the gun issue. In fact, they have several heated arguments on the subject throughout the episode, so much so that I get that sinking “mom and dad are yelling at each other” feeling. Bruce wasn’t backing down on this one, though, because it’s weirdly important to him that he wins this battle. A totally healthy way to conduct a marriage!

Brody n’ Brandon break! The bros had a candid, yet strangely political discussion about gun ownership while playing a little put-put. Not a single Kardashian was privy to this conversation. If a Jenner falls down in the woods, and a Kardashian isn’t there to see it, did it really happen? Also, I have to mention two absurdly ridiculous things re: last week’s episode – I seriously did not realize that Brody Jenner was “Brody” from The Hills until someone pointed it out pointe blank in the comments last week, mostly because in KUWTK, he looks like a laid-back, 30-something surfer dude, and not a hair gel’d to death Malibu douchebag. Also, that same commenter pointed out that Bruce actually has two more kids from a previous marriage that occurred BEFORE his marriage to Brody and Brandon’s mama. So that’s 3 marriages, 6 kids. Which makes Bruce seem like some sort of serial procreator. No word yet on how great/terrible those first two Jenners think their relationships with Bruce are. Maybe we’ll find out next season.

In the end, Bruce bought his gun, and the fam decided that only he and Kendall would have access to the guns and safety codes. Seems legit.

After the guns debate was settled and Kim’s pregnancy woes finally ebbed, we returned to her eternally ongoing divorce drama. Kim was actually looking forward to a face-to-face with her now ex-husband Kris, because, let’s face it, the divorce drama had gotten a little ridic. She wanted to remind him that they did love each other (questionable), she still loves him (doubtful) and things should never have gotten this crazy (true, but also totally expected). But it’s kind of apt that things did get that crazy, because their ridiculously brief courtship and extremely over-the-top wedding were also crazy. Unfortunately, Khris didn’t show in court and was probably taking every conceivable step to avoid being alone in a room with Kim and her camera crew. Kim was a little bummed she didn’t get that moment of closure. We didn’t get to see Kris Humphries, as much as we all wanted to, but we were treated to a rare appearance from Kim’s BFF LaLa Anthony. She and Kim chatted about how pregnant she was, and how emotionally trying the decision to divorce Khris had been on Kim. It’s a sort of bittersweet moment to end the show on, but end it does, with almost no fanfare (other than Lala!)

More conversational gems from this episode:

(Rob to Scott) “Do you stuff your pants? It just looks like you do.”

(Scott to Kourtney) “How do you feel about having guns in the house? Like, a BUNCH of them.”

(In response to a gun in the home) “Maybe I wanna be a Charlie’s Angel” – Kendall (Strangely, it seems like a valid career option for Kendall.)

“OMG I think I got a pussywillow in my eye, I swear.” – Kim (Also, PUSSYWILLOWS in general.)

“Who puts anal beads in the stove?” – Scott, on finding a shopping bag full of anal beads and other sex paraphernalia in the stove. This might’ve been an addendum to the series premiere, where Kourtney threatened Scott’s manhood with an oversized marital aid.)

(Kim to Kourtney, as she’s getting a foot massage.) “You’re so not nice like this, what’s going on?”

Did you find this episode as tense as I did, Kardashian fans? I’m almost looking forward to an episode where almost nothing actually happens, though I’ll probably have a different stance on that when one lands in my lap next week.

The post Keeping Up With The Kardashians: “How do you feel about having guns in the house? Like, a BUNCH of them.” appeared first on PurseBlog.

Sandra Bullock Carries a Christian Louboutin Bag in London

Sandra Bullock Carries a Christian Louboutin Bag in London

Here’s Sandra Bullock, being ushered out of a restaurant in London by a large entourage acting as human buffer zone between Sandra and her overzealous English fans/paparazzi. Sandra is currently in the UK promoting her new movie with Melissa McCarthy, The Heat. Her bag is the super luxe, hand-painted Christian Louboutin Sweet Charity Python Bag, available for $3,595 at Net-a-Porter.

This is one of the first times we’ve seen Sandra carrying a notable designer bag of any ilk, but what a premium selection she’s made here! Strangely, it’s been a spell since we saw a celeb wielding a snakeskin bag on PB, proof positive that the animal print trend is quite literally becoming more muted.

The post Sandra Bullock Carries a Christian Louboutin Bag in London appeared first on PurseBlog.

USA Preorders Chart, 8 June 2013 – The Last of Us, Animal Crossing

Overview

There are two games in the top 40 to be in their final week: The Last of Us (PS3) and Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS).

Four games have 200,000 or more pre-orders, the same as last week, and the top seven has 100,000 or more pre-orders, the same as last week. One game added 20,000 or more pre-orders, the same as last week and five added 10,000 or more, the same as last week.

Games in Final Week Before Launch

The Last of Us Pre-orders vs Uncharted 3 Pre-orders

The Last of Us (PS3) added 22,205 pre-orders for a grand total of 338,303. Expect first week sales in the USA at retail to be in the 450,000 to 550,000 unit range. Expect the game to sell between 1.8 million units and 2.2 million units lifetime in the US.

  • Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3,  2011) – 494,320 week one USA, 2,288,563 to date

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Pre-orders

Animal Crossing (3DS) added 18,335 pre-orders for a grand total of 275,465. Expect first week sales in the USA at retail to be in the 350,000 to 450,000 unit range. Expect the game to sell between 1.8 million units and 2.2 million units lifetime in the US.

Major Performers in the U.S. – Week Ending June 15

Minecraft (X360) sales are expected to drop to around 32,000 units in its second week on sale.

Remember Me (PS3) sales are expected to drop to around 6,000 units in its second week on sale. The Xbox 360 version is expected to drop to around 5,000 units.

Overall hardware and software sales are expected to increase for the PlayStation 3 and 3DS week-on-week.

Other Hot Games – In Order of Release

Grand Theft Auto V Pre-orders

Grand Theft Auto V (X360) added 14,816 pre-orders, up from 14,087 last week, for a total of 323,935. The PlayStation 3 version added 11,313 down from 17,147 pre-orders for a total of 282,256. The game is 15 weeks away from launch in the USA, September 17, 2013.

Battlefield 4 Pre-orders vs Battlefield 3 Pre-orders

Battlefield 4 (X360) added 7,256 pre-orders, up from 5,860 last week, for a total of 157,278. Battlefield 4 (PS3) added 3,723 pre-orders, down from 4,582 last week, for a total of 74,409. The game is 21 weeks away from launch in the USA, October 29, 2013.

Notable mentions: Call of Duty: Ghosts (X360) added 17,540 pre-orders for a total of 118,455. Call of Duty: Ghosts (PS3) added 7,893 pre-orders for a total of 70,232. Madden NFL 25 (X360) added 5,603 pre-orders for a total of 29,082.

Requests: Deadpool (X360) added 3,559 pre-orders for a total of 15,526. Time and Eternity (PS3) added 679 pre-orders for a total of 12,194. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (WiiU) added 431 pre-orders for a total of 12,174

If your favorite game isn't in the top 40, leave a comment requesting which game you want to see and the most requested games will be added in next week's article!

The Top 40 can be seen below or click here to go to the USA pre-orders page.

Pos Game Weeks to Launch Weekly Change Total
1
The Last of Us Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
The Last of Us (PS3)
Sony Computer Entertainment America, Adventure
1 22,205 338,303
2
Grand Theft Auto V Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Grand Theft Auto V (X360)
Take-Two Interactive, Action
15 14,816 323,935
3
Grand Theft Auto V Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Grand Theft Auto V (PS3)
Take-Two Interactive, Action
15 11,313 282,256
4
Animal Crossing: New Leaf Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - 3DS
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
Nintendo, Action
1 18,335 275,465
5
Battlefield 4 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Battlefield 4 (X360)
Electronic Arts, Shooter
21 7,256 157,279
6
Call of Duty: Ghosts Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Call of Duty: Ghosts (X360)
Activision, Shooter
22 17,540 118,455
7
Tales of Xillia Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Tales of Xillia (PS3)
Namco Bandai Games, Role-Playing
9 4,106 104,145
8
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (X360)
Ubisoft, Action
11 1,811 80,743
9
Pokémon X/Y Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - 3DS
Pokémon X/Y (3DS)
Nintendo, Role-Playing
18 2,586 75,503
10
Beyond: Two Souls Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Beyond: Two Souls (PS3)
Sony Computer Entertainment, Adventure
18 1,482 75,181
11
Battlefield 4 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Battlefield 4 (PS3)
Electronic Arts, Shooter
17 3,723 74,409
12
Call of Duty: Ghosts Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Call of Duty: Ghosts (PS3)
Activision, Shooter
22 7,893 70,232
13
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (PS3)
Square Enix, Role-Playing
14 3,687 64,437
14
South Park: The Stick of Truth Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
South Park: The Stick of Truth (X360)
Ubisoft, Role-Playing
30 386 55,641
15
Shin Megami Tensei IV Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - 3DS
Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)
Atlus, Role-Playing
6 1,759 52,855
16
Pikmin 3 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - WiiU
Pikmin 3 (WiiU)
Nintendo, Strategy
9 441 52,634
17
The Last Guardian Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
The Last Guardian (PS3)
Sony Computer Entertainment, Action
N/A 35 52,177
18
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PS3)
Ubisoft, Action
11 896 47,413
19
South Park: The Stick of Truth Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3)
Ubisoft, Role-Playing
30 285 43,076
20
Project X Zone Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - 3DS
Project X Zone (3DS)
Namco Bandai Games, Action
3 1,995 42,226
21
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Lego Marvel Super Heroes (X360)
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Action
30 3,176 40,748
22
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (X360)
Ubisoft, Action
21 2,134 38,167
23
Prey 2 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Prey 2 (X360)
Bethesda Softworks, Shooter
30 33 34,358
24
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Lego Marvel Super Heroes (PS3)
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Action
30 2,631 30,575
25
Madden NFL 25 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Madden NFL 25 (X360)
Electronic Arts, Sports
12 5,603 29,082
26
Rayman Legends Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - WiiU
Rayman Legends (WiiU)
Ubisoft, Platform
13 109 28,221
27
Destiny Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Destiny (X360)
Activision, Action
N/A 1,596 28,213
28
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (X360)
Take-Two Interactive, Shooter
11 491 26,370
29
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (PS3)
Ubisoft, Action
21 1,748 25,858
30
Wii Fit U Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - WiiU
Wii Fit U (WiiU)
Nintendo, Action
30 62 24,874
31
The Elder Scrolls Online Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PC
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC)
Bethesda Softworks, Action
30 462 24,045
32
Prey 2 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Prey 2 (PS3)
Bethesda Softworks, Shooter
30 32 23,980
33
Disney Infinity Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - Wii
Disney Infinity (Wii)
Disney Interactive Studios, Action
11 1,865 21,823
34
Dragon's Crown Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Dragon's Crown (PS3)
Atlus, Role-Playing
9 1,808 20,826
35
Rune Factory 4: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - 3DS
Rune Factory 4: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (3DS)
Marvelous Entertainment, Role-Playing
6 701 20,735
36
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (PS3)
Take-Two Interactive, Shooter
11 337 20,204
37
Muramasa Rebirth Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PSV
Muramasa Rebirth (PSV)
Ignition Entertainment, Role-Playing
3 725 19,074
38
Madden NFL 25 Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Madden NFL 25 (PS3)
Electronic Arts, Sports
12 3,712 18,960
39
Disney Infinity Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - X360
Disney Infinity (X360)
Disney Interactive Studios, Action
11 1,335 18,350
40
Batman: Arkham Origins Cheats, Codes, Hints and Tips - PS3
Batman: Arkham Origins (PS3)
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Action
20 2,664 16,256

Contact VGChartz at wdangelo@vgchartz.com