In advance of NPD sales results for February 2010, analysts are predicting year-over-year declines for pretty much everything. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, according to Gamasutra, is predicting that hardware and software sales will decline 10 percent, with Wii hardware sales hit particularly hard (around 40 percent) due to shortages. Beyond the Wii, the continuing decline of the music genre is partly to blame for the reduced sales.
Analyst Colin Sebastian is guessing at a 15 percent decline, despite encouraging early sales for games like Heavy Rain and preorders for games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (which, as an early March release, may fit into the NPD February sales period) and God of War III. The fact that high-profile games are likely to show sharp declines after strong first-week sales will prevent software trends from turning for the better.
Much like the star it's named for, it seems the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise isn't adverse to trying new things. EA has announced that the next iteration, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, will support the PlayStation Motion Controller to "give gamers an authentic interactive swing experience."
There aren't any other details about Motion Controller implementation at the moment, but the game is slated for release on June 8 -- well before the Motion Controller's projected fall release. (And before you ask, no mention has been made of support for Microsoft's Project Natal.)
It may be less flashy, but series fans may be interested to hear the game will also feature the Ryder Cup, allowing for two 12-man teams to face off against each other.
We say 12-man, but we guess it could be 12 women against 12 men, right? Heck, maybe even 12 women against one man. Can you imagine, one guy trying to keep up with all those women? We sure can't.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be available on June 8 for Wii (with MotionPlus support), Xbox 360, PS3 and iPhone.
[Editor's Note: EA's press release only included a box art asset for the Xbox 360 version. Go figure.]
Though there's a lot of content on DSiWare in Japan today, it's almost entirely training stuff. So, it would seem that DSiWare stepped aside to let WiiWare's single release shine this week. (That's probably not what really happened -- but it's a nice thought.)
In any case, Mega Man 10 is up on WiiWare in Japan today, and it's likely to overshadow anything else available this week, including the ancient Moon Cresta:
Don't even lie! You're just as excited as any club kid that boundary-pushing pop sensation Lady Gaga is coming to Rock Band next week. So, in the privacy of your living room, break out the tight-fitting pleather and get your jam on (to the tracks you, publicly, tell everyone you hate).
Of course, you could pretend you "accidentally" bought the Gaga Track Pack, when you actually meant to purchase South Park chubby charmer Eric Cartman's rendition of "Poker Face." Yup, that lil' ditty will also be available. See, now you can cover up that undeniable desire to go goo-goo for Gaga with a veil of irony!
First he won a silver medal at the Winter Olympics, and now he'll be on the cover of the Wii-exclusive NHL 2K11. Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler sounds genuinely excited about the opportunity, telling The Canadian Press that the only way he thought he'd ever end up on a game cover was "if I put my own picture on there."
"It's a dream come true for me," Kesler, ever the good spokesplayer, said. "I grew up playing, and to be on the cover of 2K is unbelievable."
Kesler confirmed that he got in his motion capture time for the game last year with 2K10 cover athlete Alexander Ovechkin. "I'm not a flashy scorer like Ovechkin, by any means, but I think I'm exciting in my own right," Kesler observed, suggesting that his Olympic performance was what attracted publisher Take-Two to his game ... face.
Hopefully, for Kesler's sake, there's no equivalent "Madden Curse" for NHL games. Hockey players are already doomed to lose all their teeth anyway. NHL 2K11 will be out this fall.
Let's look at the complaints about Zelda that have been uttered since Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask's 3 Day system makes the game unaccessible and the game is "too hard". Oracle of Seasons and Ages were not made by Nintendo, the boss fights are too difficult, and the combined ending was too convoluted to expect anyone to experience it. Four Swords and by extension The Minish Cap is too easy. Twilight Princess is too much like Ocarina of Time. Phantom Hourglass is too cartoony, stylus controls blow, and the game is again... too easy. Finally we get to Spirit Tracks: Game is too boring, cutscenes too long, and the train travel is stupid as it turns Zelda into an on rails shooter. All of this is said because Ocarina of Time told everyone that "this is what Zelda is suppose to be".
The Lost Gamer writes "In revealing when their next issue will release, US magazine Nintendo Power have teased that they are set to provide the world exclusive reveal of a new title for Wii."
Final Fantasy II (actually Final Fantasy IV) is one of the most important role-playing games of all time. Not only was it the first to introduce the ATB system (Active Time Battle), but it also had an incredibly ambitious plot and, frankly, a downright great opening sequence. It would help bring the world to the JRPG (and vice versa), so however you choose to play through this bit of classic gaming, do it. You owe it to yourself to do that at least once in your life.
Final Fantasy II (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) (actually FFIV)
Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
Oh, you don't believe us? Well, that hurts our feelings, but, by all means, check out the full list of this week's content past the break for yourselves. We'll just wait for you in the corner with our broken heart.
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Analysts predict hardware, software drops in February NPD originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
