If you’ve yet to jump into the God of War series, then boy does Sony have the bundle for you. Today the company announced that it will be bringing its recently revealed Garnet Red PS3 to North America as part of a new God of War bundle. This bundle will feature the latest game in the series, God of War: Ascension, along with every other game in the franchise.
If you think that sounds like a lot of games, you’re right – you’ll be the owner of six God of War games if you choose to pick up this bundle, thanks to the inclusion of the God of War Saga. The God of War Saga takes the first two God of War games for PS2 and gives them a coat of HD paint, tossing the PSP titles Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta in for good measure. It also features God of War III, which was the only game in the series made for the PS3 prior to the announcement of Ascension.
The Garnet Red PS3 in this pack will come equipped with a beefy 500GB hard drive and a matching controller. Aside from the entire God of War series and the PS3, purchasers will also get 30 days of PlayStation Plus, which is just enough time to tempt you into paying for a full year. Sony has given the bundle a price of $349, which doesn’t seem to bad considering the sheer amount of stuff you’re getting.
Of course, God of War: Ascension isn’t out yet, so this bundle won’t be available immediately. It launches on March 12, 2013, the same day as God of War: Ascension. Are you planning to pick up this bundle, or are you already set as far as PS3 is concerned?
Yesterday, we heard that Nintendo was revising its Wii U sales forecast, bringing the number of consoles it plans to sell in the year ending in March 2013 down to four million. Previously, Nintendo has expected to sell 5.5 million consoles, so this is suggesting to some that Nintendo is struggling on the Wii U sales front. Sorry to say, but if you were hoping for Nintendo to cut the price on the Wii U in a effort to boost sales, you’re not going to get your wish.
In a presentation to investors after Nintendo revised its sales forecast, president Saturo Iwata said that the company isn’t planning to drop the price on the Wii U any time soon. Some were expecting a price cut if Nintendo found itself in hot water with the Wii U, since it implemented a price cut when 3DS sales were lagging. Iwata said in his presentation that he “would like to make this point absolutely clear,” so it seems Nintendo is holding firm on the issue.
One of the reasons Nintendo doesn’t want to cut the price on the Wii U is because it’s already offering the console at a loss. Dropping the price below where it’s at now would definitely widen that loss, so it may not help that much. Instead of dropping the price, Nintendo says it will try to better communicate the value of the Wii U as we wait for the console’s software line up to improve.
Software will also be a major focus for Nintendo moving forward. During the most recent Nintendo Direct livestream, Iwata revealed a number of exciting Wii U games, announcing an HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and informing us all that the company will have new Mario and Mario Kart games for the Wii U on display at E3 2013. We’ll see how Nintendo addresses Wii U sales that are below expectations soon enough, but after today, a price drop just doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
This week we’re having our first real good look at the game known as INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us, a DC Comics beast of a fighting-genre game that’s being released by the same folks who brought you Mortal Kombat. The trailer is showing off not only bits of the timeline included in this alternate universe, but gameplay as well. Every icon from Batman to Wonder Woman, Solomon Grundy to The Flash, and everyone in-between will be here for a massive beat-down festival the likes of which you’ve never seen before.
NetherRealm Studios are bringing what they call a “bold new franchise” to the fighting game genre complete with a “deep” original story that’s also being released as we speak in real-world comic book form. Each of the heroes and villains you know so well have been given “god-like” powers where applicable to essentially equalize their ability to destroy the other. Multi-tiered fighting arenas also make for a gaming experience that no DC comics hero (or Mortal Kombat character, for that matter) have ever been through before.
Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are behind the wheel here with a storyline made to engage not only game players but the comic universe as well. Iconic battle arenas are pulled directly from the pages of the comics as the storyline inside the game expands the environment created in the comics. With the power of the advanced computing systems inside the PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, you’ll be able to knock your opponents into, through, and completely out of the arenas in which you do battle.
This game is up for pre-order at several locations in the United States right this minute in standard editions as well as Collectors Editions. The Collector’s Edition includes the game itself, a 12-inch statue with Batman and Wonder Woman making with the action poses, and the “INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us” graphic novel. You’ll also get a digital download copy of the DOOM: Justice League movie and three unique and exclusive skins for your characters in-game based on the comic DC COMICS – THE NEW 52.
Earlier this week, we told you about the nasty situation some who pre-ordered the Ni No Kuni Wizard’s Edition are now facing. In short, Namco Bandai and Digital River oversold the Wizard’s Edition, meaning that it had to cancel some orders and delay the shipment of others. This, obviously, has a fair few gamers upset, but Namco Bandai is trying to diffuse the situation by offering some freebies to those who had their order canceled.
Those who were affected by this “glitch” in Namco Bandai’s ordering system already knew they had a $20 clubNamco voucher on the way, but in an effort to sweeten the deal a little bit, Namco Bandai has also decided to offer these gamers a hardcover copy of the Ni No Kuni strategy guide. The 400-page guide will include a code to download a Gold Hurly Familiar. Digital River will be contacting those who are eligible for the strategy guide in the coming days to tell them how they can get their hands on it.
Meanwhile, in the same statement, Namco Bandai dispelled rumors that it has been working with PlayCanada, a group that has been selling Wizard’s Editions online for ridiculously large sums of money. Despite PlayCanada’s claim to the opposite, Namco Bandai assures that it has never worked with the retailer, saying instead that PlayCanada ordered a large number of Wizard’s Editions during a time when there wasn’t a restriction on how many copies a consumer could order.
Unfortunately, Namco Bandai says that it won’t be making more copies of the Wizard’s Edition, so those of you who were hoping for a second run are simply out of luck in this case. Hopefully this will help make these affected fans happier, but we doubt much outside of actually receiving the Wizard’s Edition they ordered will do that. Was your order canceled by Digital River and Namco Bandai, or did you end up getting your Wizard’s Edition?
Earlier in the week, Sony announced a pair of new colored PS3s for Japan. The Azurite Blue and Garnet Red PS3s also appeared in a listing on Amazon Germany, though Sony hadn’t made any announcements for Europe at the time. Today Sony revealed that these two PS3s will indeed be coming to the UK on February 15, which is just a few short weeks away.
The consoles will come equipped with beefy 500GB hard drives and two matching controllers, so this is quite the bundle for folks who are just getting started with PS3. There isn’t any word on pricing yet, but Amazon Germany’s listing assigned a price tag of €329.95, which is just over £280. While that might give us a general idea of the price Sony is shooting for, we’ll have to wait for official confirmation from the company before we can make the call.
Sadly, there’s been no announcement for North America at this time, so these red and blue PS3s may never make it to our shores. Sony recently confirmed its Classic White PS3 bundle for North America, which comes with a year of PlayStation Plus, so at least there’s that. To be honest, though, we like the look of these a lot more than the Classic White console, so here’s hoping that they’re announced for North America as well.
Sony seems to be announcing new PS3 colors left and right these days. Perhaps this is one final push to rack up some PS3 sales before the company reveals its next console? We’ve been hearing rumors that claim 2013 is the year of the next-gen game console, so there’s plenty of reason to look forward to the future. Stay tuned.
This week PS3 owners have a lot to get excited about with the highly anticipated release of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, but for some who ordered the limited Wizard’s Edition of the game, the launch is causing some headaches. On launch day, some were saying that their Wizard’s Edition order hadn’t shipped, with others saying that their order hadn’t even been processed. This obviously made quite a few gamers angry, but today publisher Namco Bandai has explained why some copies of the Wizard’s Edition have been delayed.
Apparently, Namco Bandai and Digital River oversold the Wizard’s Edition, of course meaning that consumers bought more copies of the Wizard’s Edition than actually existed. This oversell has been attributed to a glitch in Digital River’s ordering system, which allowed for orders to be placed even after the game had sold out. Unfortunately, since only a certain amount of Wizard’s Editions were made, this means that Namco Bandai and Digital River are now canceling the extra orders.
There isn’t a way to order another copy of the Wizard’s Edition if your original order is canceled, so unless you want to turn to eBay and probably pay a premium price, you’re simply out of luck. This glitch in the system was also the reason for the delays, as it seems that Namco and Digital River had to spend extra time sorting through the orders to find out which could be fulfilled and which couldn’t. In any case, purchases are now on their way out to eager gamers.
If your order was canceled, expect to have an email in your inbox explaining the situation shortly. Just the same, Digital River will send you email confirmation when your order is sent out, so if you aren’t seeing any kind of messages, be sure to check those spam and trash folders. Have any of you received notice that your Ni No Kuni order was canceled?
Today’s Nintendo Direct livestream shows that the company is taking the future of its new console very seriously. There was a bit of worry there, since Nintendo is somewhat famous for botching big launches, but after a couple of months of letting the Wii U‘s launch titles support the system, Nintendo came out with guns blazing today. Wii U owners have a lot of new games and features to look forward to, with Nintendo proving that it isn’t simply going to sit back and let its famous name move units.
Let’s recap just a few of the games that were revealed during the livestream. Nintendo will be releasing an HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker later this year, and even though a handful of fans probably scoffed at such a re-released, the company also said that it has an all new Zelda game in development for the console. We’ve also heard of a new Mario adventure to look forward to, along with a new Mario Kart release, both of which will be showcased at E3. We saw an exciting gameplay trailer from The Wonderful 101, Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolift Soft has a new game in development, and Nintendo and Atlus are joining forces to bring us Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem (which sounds totally awesome).
There were more than those titles announced for the Wii U, but you get the idea – as far as new games go, Nintendo hit it out of the park today. The Nintendo Direct livestream didn’t stop at just new games, however, with Nintendo also revealing new features for the console, like a version of Virtual Console made specifically for the Wii U, and the ability to access MiiVerse on your phone. If you’re a Wii U owner, I have a feeling that your purchase was validated today.
Keep in mind that the Wii U is only a couple months old. At this point in the lifespan of the 3DS, there wasn’t all that much to look forward to. Gamers had Super Mario 3D Land and ports like Star Fox 64 3D and Ocarina of Time 3D on the way, but that was mostly it as far as notable first-party titles from the big N. While the 3DS is doing great these days and has a number of excellent games to offer players, the first few months of the handheld’s life weren’t very exciting.
Contrast that with the Wii U environment at present moment, and it almost seems like Nintendo has done a 180. Nintendo has wasted no time getting up in front of the camera and showing off games that get players excited. Remember when Nintendo had just launched the 3DS and Reggie Fils-Aime was making the rounds to talk about what an excellent game Steel Diver was? There was none of that nonsense today, with Iwata introducing a strong lineup of games that players will want to own.
For a while there, it seems that Nintendo was simply counting on the company’s name to sell handhelds and consoles. Release the console, make promises of a new Mario game, and it’ll sell like hotcakes. We did hear some Mario news today, sure, but there were also a number of good looking third-party titles that have nothing to do with the plumber. The Wii U will live or die by its third-party support, and I was pleased as punch to see so many third-party titles show up in Iwata’s presentation.
If Nintendo can get that kind of support to stick around, then it has nothing to worry about when Microsoft and Sony launch their next consoles. Make no mistake, though, Nintendo is going to be at a disadvantage when those new consoles launch, but instead of just letting the Wii U fester while the name brings in sales, Nintendo is going all in. This attention is just what the Wii U will need to flourish, so here’s hoping that this strong start continues and ultimately turns into a strong life. Keep it up, Nintendo, and your legions of fans will shower you in money.
Tomorrow, Nintendo will be holding another Nintendo Direct livestream. These livestreams are usually worth watching for one reason or another, but if you’re a Wii U owner, you’ll definitely want to tune in tomorrow. That’s because Satoru Iwata will apparently be announcing some new Wii U titles during the address, and if we’re lucky, maybe he’ll even announce some release dates.
The pages for the Japanese and UK livestreams don’t mention these new games – instead, we have to navigate over to Nintendo UK’s Twitter account to get confirmation of the reveals. “Mr Iwata will reveal new games for #WiiU in a new #NintendoDirectEU at 2pm GMT on 23/01,” the tweet reads. Unfortunately (and rather predictably), Nintendo UK doesn’t give away any details on games Iwata will be announcing, leaving us to guess at what they could be.
While we’re hoping for a new Zelda reveal, that seems unlikely given that Skyward Sword only recently turned one-year-old. A new Mario game in the vein of Super Mario Galaxy or Sunshine would be a welcome announcement as well, but Nintendo may want to give New Super Mario Bros. U some more time to shine before revealing a new full-3D title in the series. While we’re clearly keeping our fingers crossed for some first-party announcements, don’t be surprised to see Iwata get up in front of the camera to talk about incoming third-party games as well.
We can guess all we want, but at the end of the day, we won’t be any closer to figuring out what Iwata will be announcing. The only solution to this problem is to tune into the livestream tomorrow, which will be kicking off all around the world at the same time: 2PM GMT (9AM EST). Stay tuned, because hopefully tomorrow there will be some announcements worth getting excited about.
How does an 8-core 1.6GHz chip backed by a 768-thread-packing GPU in your Xbox sound? Apparently the Xbox 720, or whatever it ends up getting called, will boast 1.2 teraflops of processing power. Those gun-toting scumbags are never going to look so real when you blow their heads clean-off with your Barrat .50 cal. More »
If you believe the hype, Sony and Microsoft will be announcing their new consoles this year. We think both will, along with many other gamers and analysts out there. With the next generation seemingly on our doorstep, the only question now is which console will come first. Speaking to The Times (as reported by IGN), Sony CEO Kaz Hirai may have just answered that question by suggesting his company will let Microsoft go first.
“Why go first,” Hirai asked, “when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?” That’s all he said, leaving us to wonder if Sony will indeed wait until Microsoft has revealed the next Xbox before it announces the PlayStation 4. Of course, whatever advantage Microsoft would gain from Sony announcing its next-gen console first seems minimal at best, as most of the hardware in the next Xbox will likely be mostly – if not entirely – final by that point anyway.
Then again, it isn’t as if being last out of the gate is a bad thing for a new console. Out of the big three for this generation, the Wii was the last to launch in the US. If you concern yourself with consoles at all, it’s likely you know how that turned out. Just the same, the Dreamcast was the first console to launch in the prior generation, and that didn’t end so well for Sega, with the company deciding to leave the console business altogether just a couple of years after it launched.
Still, with all signs pointing to an E3 2013 announcement for the next Xbox, it makes you wonder when Sony will announce the PlayStation 4 if Hirai really is planning to wait for Microsoft’s own reveal. Perhaps we won’t see the PS4 until the Tokyo Game Show this year? We’ll just have to wait and see, so sit tight and try not to let the anticipation get to you.
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