It seems that Final Fantasy XIII might be one of the biggest games of the year even if it is only released in Japan and on a single platform, the PlayStation 3 from Sony. The game, which was released on December 17, has managed to sell more than 1.5 million copies in just three days, topping the sale chart for the market and breaking the record held by Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which was released in 2008.

The Famitsu magazine reports that some stores have run out of copies of Final Fantasy XIII as Square Enix is rushing to send in new stock. The publisher delivered close to 2 million units to retailers before the release date, about the same number as that initially put out for Final Fantasy XII that was released for the PlayStation 2.

A good chunk of the games sold are bundled with a special edition of the PS3, branded with the logo and images from the title, which is good news for Sony, which also gets to sell more of its devices.

Square Enix is saying that it expects Final Fantasy XIII to perform just as well in the West, when it arrives in March 2010. Although the game is a PS3 exclusive on the Japanese market, it will also be released on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft on other markets, in what marks a first for the series.

Square Enix has marked the new Japanese role playing title as one of the centerpieces of its strategy of attracting wider audiences outside of its core market.

Since it debuted in 1987, more than 92 million units of Final Fantasy-labeled games have been sold and the XIII installment in the series seems poised to be one of the biggest hits yet.

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Microsoft will make available the next update to the service it has built around its Xbox console, come next week. Larry Hryb, the director of programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live, revealed that the Redmond company would offer all members of the Xbox LIVE community the latest refresh to the service starting with November 17, 2009. At the time of this article, the Xbox LIVE update has been already offered to a select pool of testers. However, it appears that Microsoft’s Preview Program for the upcoming Xbox LIVE Update will soon be shut down, as the company will start delivering the fully-fledged refresh.

“I know some of you are already enjoying many of these features through the Preview Program, but I am happy to announce that the next update that contains Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune video will be available to all Xbox LIVE members launch Nov. 17,” Hryb noted.

When it comes to the Windows LIVE update there are a few things that Xbox console users need to be aware of. First off, the refresh is designed to kill unauthorized memory units. The Redmond company made it clear in October, when it debuted the Preview Program, that it would tackle the usage of unauthorized memory units with Xbox 360 consoles.

In addition, not all users will be free to enjoy the new enhanced social networking capabilities of Xbox LIVE. Testers that have been running the public preview and that were younger than 18 were cut off from accessing Twitter, Facebook, or Last.fm. This situation will not change after Microsoft will release the fully-fledged update.

“We made this decision because as it stands now, parents aren’t able to use Family Settings to customize which of these applications their children can access. In order to offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn off these applications for those Gold members under the age of 18. As expected, this has been a hot topic with the preview users. We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access. This means that Xbox LIVE members between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to use Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm as long as their parents approve,” Hryb added.

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We all know that Gears of War 3 will be released, probably at some point in late 2010. But any new tidbit of information related to the third title in the franchise is still welcome news for the fans that have finished Gears of War 2 and all the extra content that developers Epic Games have put out since release.

A presentation at the 2007 edition of the GDC and various statements from Epic developers were the most telling in relation to the intentions of Epic, until now.

Cliff Blezinski, one of the biggest driving forces behind the franchise, recently sat down with the people at the Official Xbox Magazine UK and told them about the projects he was working on.

He said that “There's only been two Gears games, man. There's still plenty of opportunities for things you can do in a cover-based shooter, and there's still a lot of stories to tell in the Gears universe. I'm not burned out on that at all.” The developer added that recent rumors that his company was working on a survival horror title were unfounded.

On July 28, gamers are set to receive a new content pack for Gears of War 2, titled Dark Corners. It will offer players a new chapter in the single player story, which did not make it in the initial release of the game, called Road to Ruin. The package, which will be available as adownload from Xbox Live, is also set to offer seven new multiplayer maps and will be sold for the low price of 19.99 dollars.

Gears of War has single handedly managed to make the cover-oriented shooter one of the most important genres for console games and has managed to become Epic's most important franchise, with the previous star, Unreal Tournament, turning into a shadow of its former self.

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Recently, the Need For Speed franchise owned by Electronic Arts has been subject to a lot of rumors and speculations about whether it will be terminated, as profits have been slowly decreasing ever since the ProStreet title appeared, combined with the recent financial troubles the company has been experiencing. But now it seems that things will be completely different from what any other rumor that has surfaced recently stated, as Eurogamer has just reported that Electronic Arts will not only keep the NFS franchise going, but it will launch three new titles this year, each one oriented to a specific type of gamer.

That's right, not one, but three full titles, one of them being completely free. It seems that EA is still very confident in the NFS brand and is very much focused on delivering tailor-made experiences to the large number of gamers out there. The three games will be Need For Speed: Shift, reported to bring a much more realistic driving experience, similar to ProStreet, which will be made for the PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP this fall, Need For Speed: Nitro, a casual-oriented title made exclusively for the Wii and DS, and last but not least, Need For Speed World Online, a free to play game based on racing licensed cars in an open environment, scheduled to be released in Asia this summer for the PC, with Western territories receiving it in winter.

Here are a few details, about each of these future racing titles:

Need for Speed: Shift will be created by Slightly Mad Studios, developers of the famous GT Legend and GTR2 titles, in cooperation with Michael Mann, a producer from EA Black Box, the studio that has handled the NFS series for quite some time, and Patrick Soderlund, one of the EA Games Europe executives.

Shift aims to be a true racing simulator, not only in that it tries to recreate a realistic car behavior, but, as a first in the modern series of NFS games, in that you will also be able to view the race from inside the car, and see how the driver moves and behaves while racing. This is what Keith Munro, the EA marketing boss, hopes will bring this game the edge, as opposed to other simulators.

Aimed at a more hardcore audience, consisting of old NFS fans and those who are really into real-life racing, the game will bring a new HUD (Heads Up Display) which will act under the influence of the G-forces experienced in the races.

“The urban underground was a manifestation of style in some past Need for Speed games for sure, but Shift focuses less on these style cues and more on mirroring the driver experience, that athleticism of being in a wickedly-intense race, and what it really feels like to be behind the wheel,” said Munro.

Need For Speed: Nitro will be developed by the team at EA Montreal, it will be aimed at a more casual market, and it will appear on the Wii and DS. But don't think this will be like the Mario Kart series, as it promises to bring some new features that haven't appeared in other titles.

Specific details haven't been released yet, but according to Munro we are in for a very special experience: “We are evolving the arcade racer with a fresh and unique visual style that is very Need for Speed. The game will be rich and deep and will appeal to experienced arcade racers as well as casual players. What you'll see is that Nitro in no way resembles any other previous Need for Speed title.”


Need For Speed: World Online will follow in the footsteps of the company's future free to play shooter, Battlefield Heroes. This will also be the version that the EA Black Box studio will make, in collaboration with EA Singapore. The game promises to deliver a great online experience, with the most licensed cars and parts ever encountered in an NFS game. Thanks to EA Singapore, the game will be released in Asia first, and, if things develop smoothly, will hit Western shores in winter 2009.

No word on how the game will be supported, as it is completely free, but we will see more details in the near future. “This is not so much a proof of concept - it is a full-fledged launch in a market that we are very ambitious toward,” explained Munro. “This Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed fans the most licensed cars, parts and game modes ever in Need for Speed's history. Players will prove their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customize their profile and their ride.”

All in all, it seems that the Need For Speed franchise will receive a fresh new start that will hopefully mark a new age in its long history. It's a very risky measure, but, as every gamer will find an interesting version, it will surely make a lot of money for the company.

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Nintendogs: Best Friends is a real time pet simulation video game developed and published, as the title suggests, by Nintendo exclusively for its DS handheld console. The game is part of the extremely popular Nintendogs franchise, which has won over a lot of fans due to its fun gameplay and relatively realistic experience. The first game was released in Japan, and then in other territories like North America, Europe or Australia. Despite the fact that it was launched in three versions, Dachshund & Friends, Lab & Friends, and Chihuahua & Friends, the popularity of the game made the Japanese company release new editions, called Nintendogs: Best Friends and Nintendogs: Dalmatian and Friends.

Nintendogs takes full advantage of the unique characteristics of the Nintendo DS and makes players use the touchscreen and the built in microphone in order to play and interact with their dog. The touchscreen can be used to pet the dog and allows the player to use various items that can be found or purchased throughout the game. These items range from balls and frisbees to toys or grooming supplies, all aimed at making the dog of the player happy. The microphone can be used to call the player's dog by simply saying the name given to it at the beginning of the game. It can also be used to teach the dog basic commands, such as sit or roll over.

The ways the virtual dog and the player can interact are quite numerous, ranging from taking them on walks in the park or by introducing them to other dogs via the DS' wireless connection. The game also uses the internal clock and calendar of the console in order to recreate things that happen in time, such as making the dog hungry or dirty.

Nintendogs: Best Friends received a lot of favorable reviews, with critics noting the great gameplay and how, as time goes on, you really become attached to the dog you have in the game. As such, it won quite a lot of awards since its launch and is still being played quite commonly these days.

UNLOCKABLES

Miniature Pinscher - Get 30,000 owner points.

Miniature Schnauzer - Get 16,000 owner points.

Pug - Get 14,000 owner points.

Shih Tzu - Get 2,000 owner points.

Shetland Sheepdog - Get 4,000 owner points.

Shiba Inu - Get 45,000 owner points.

Siberian Husky - Get 20,000 owner points.

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Bethesda Softworks is announcing that the Broken Steel expansion, set to arrive in March, will, amongst other things, increase the level cap for characters created in the game to 30. This means that players will be able to max out more skills and enjoy more perks as they go through the Capitol Wasteland.

Jeff Gardiner, who is the lead producer on Broken Steel, has talked to Eurogamer, confirming that the new level cap would also mean that the ending of the game as it stands at the moment would be amended. He stated that “along with removing the game's 'ending' with Broken Steel, we figure raising the level cap would allow them to. We plan on raising it to level 30 - but it will be a long, hard climb to get there!”

It's good to see that Bethesda has taken to heart the rather tough reaction that players have had towards the ending of the game, which felt rushed and not thought through. The final choice particularly felt out of place in a role playing game struggling at every moment to offer meaningful choice, which felt natural to the situation and to the character. Removing it might be the best way to make sure that the open ended nature of Fallout 3 is preserved and also allows Bethesda to create as much added content as they want.


Until March, Bethesda will deliver two other pieces of DLC for Fallout 3. In January, gamers will receive Operation: Anchorage, which will offer a chance to fight a simulated liberation of Alaska, while in February, The Pitt will arrive, taking role players to Pittsburg to fight for or against vicious gangs.

Don't forget that there's also a GECK out for Fallout 3, a complete modding tool allowing players to create everything from perks to weapons, enhancing those aspects of the game that felt neglected by Bethesda.

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The Prince of Persia franchise is one of the oldest and most popular platforming series of games out there, with its roots tracing back to 1989, when we followed the adventures of the first Prince. Now, in 2008, the franchise, which was bought by Ubisoft, has seen its latest installment, a completely fresh and new Prince of Persia game.

After the Sands of Time trilogy, Ubisoft thought that a fresh vision on the franchise was required in order to make the series more interesting in the eyes of people who hadn't played the first games. With a completely and different art style and with some very intriguing gameplay mechanics, the new Prince of Persia was received quite well by critics, who praised it for the compelling story and the great levels, but considered that the game almost played itself, and didn't really make the player believe that he was in control.

Ben Mattes, the producer of this game, talked with IGN regarding the innovations the release brought to the franchise, and the fact that most of the reviewers didn't really appreciate them as they should have. Mattes complained that although his game struggled to deliver something new in order to please the public, the level of appreciation wasn't very high.

“For years we've all been reading complaints about sequels and companies churning out carbon copies of proven formulas without focusing on innovation or taking risks. We tried to really embrace this challenge on PoP. We set out to keep a few core fundamentals but to re-imagine everything else, discarding some very well entrenched ideas not only about the brand but also about videogames in general. What surprises me is how little these high level risks seem to be noticed and appreciated as attempts to shake up the industry and push things forward. Perhaps I'm an idealist, but I think perhaps I was expecting a few more virtual pats-on-the-back for our attempts to do something new.”

Although Prince of Persia brought quite a lot of new things, the game wasn't a major breakthrough. Even though the new art style and gameplay mechanics were pretty innovative, it still had glitches and some levels were very poorly designed. Let's hope that the Ubisoft team will do something more innovative with the next game in the series.

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LittleBigPlanet is probably one of the most innovative games that have appeared this holiday season. It provided a unique twist to the usual puzzle platformer genre, enabling players to create their own levels via the unique tools that were made available by its developer, Media Molecule.

Also, as Sony, its publisher, considers that the game will get better over time, the two companies have teamed up and now offer weekly batches of DLC (Downloadable Content) in the form of costumes for the SackBoy and SackGirl characters or packs that contain new material for the Level Creator.

Such is the case with the free Christmas pack that we reported about earlier, and which is available up until January 8, when it will be removed from the offers on the PlayStation Store. Now, as an even more special Christmas gift, Media Molecule has just announced that two Metal Gear Solid-themed content packs will appear on the PlayStation Store today in North America and tomorrow in other territories, like Japan.

After waiting for quite some time, players will finally be able to buy special costumes for their SackBoy or Girl characters. The costumes available will be Solid Snake, the main character of the MGS tactical stealth games, Meryl Silverburgh, Screaming Mantis and Raiden. Players who want to dress up their characters in their costumes can pay 5.99 dollars for the whole pack, or purchase them individually by paying 1.99 dollars on the PlayStation Store.

But that's not the only MGS pack that will appear for LBP, as the developers have worked together with Konami, the creator of the MGS franchise, and will release a very special Premium Level Pack filled with lots of goodies. From the fact that it will contain all the costumes, plus a special Gurlokovich Soldier one, it will also come with a variety of new resources for the Level creator, so players can make their own MGS-themed levels. 72 stickers, 18 objects, 12 materials and 10 decorations will be available in this pack, but, as opposed to the Christmas level pack, which only contained resources, this one will also bring new developer-created levels.

That's right, 5 new Story Levels and 1 new Challenge Level were custom made by the Media Molecule developers, together with Konami, in order to bring gamers the full LBP MGS experience. Along with these new levels, new music resources will be made available, such as custom tracks and objects, but, as a first, SackBoy will also wield a paint gun, dubbed the Paintinator, which he will use to take down his enemies, like in MGS.

All of these things, including 12 new trophies, will be available for the very low price of just 5.99 dollars. A true Christmas gift for any Metal Gear Solid and LittleBigPlanet fan, which will certainly have a happy holiday season.

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As the end of 2008 draws ever near, most sites and magazines reporting on videogames are getting ready to present a host of awards, showing which titles impressed editors and players alike during the closing year. Our awards will be presented during the final days of December.

IGN, one of the leading sites reporting on the videogames industry, has already named the best games it reviewed in 2008 for a variety of platforms. And the picks are a pretty good indicator of the other awards.

World of Goo, from 2D Boy, is Game of the Year for the Nintendo Wii. The title, which is basically a physics puzzle with a lot of personality, was launched via the Wiiware digital download service from Nintendo and proved to be a great success. It's easy to get into, while requiring a certain level of mastery to be reached by the player as the levels progress.Fallout 3 was named the best Xbox 360 Game of the Year, edging out titles like Dead Space and Gears of War 2. The Bethesda made role playing game, which I've reviewed for Softpedia, impresses with the depth and breadth of the Capital Wasteland it portrays and the move to first person will probably keep the Fallout series relevant for years to come.As expected, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was chosen as Game of the Year for the PlayStation 3. The epic created by Hideo Kojima was launched early in 2008 and impressed with the visual style, the varied gameplay and the lengthy cutscenes. It's a game some people loved, while others hated intensely.Sins of a Solar Empire was seen as the Game of the Year for the PC. The Ironclad developed and Stardock published real time space strategy title was released early in 2008 and created a very deep and engaging experience, mixing planet management and fleet battles.

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