News roundup 2010 wk 47 feature

Activision’s fighting elite did manage to hold off the medieval killers from UbiSoft and hold onto top spot. Undoubtedly it was a close call with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood squeezing into second, just ahead of EA’s Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, which we gave the thumbs up earlier this week at Gamestyle. The rest of the chart is an assortment of shuffling with the only other new arrivals being F1 2010, Sonic Colours and a disappointing debut from Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 1 in a meagre twentieth position.

EA would certainly have been hoping for a better performance from the teenage (or is that adult now?) wizard, but clearly consumers got wind of the disappointing nature of the game, as our review highlighted. The only other factor could be the massed ranks of Potter fans holding off until they had seen the film. Next week could be make or break for the title.

Square Enix don’t seem to stand around, only just confirming this week that MINDJACK will hit the PS3 and Xbox 360 formats on 21st January. Set in a futuristic world it promising mind bending action like you have never seen before. The mix of Square Enix and a third person action shooter is an interesting prospect and we look forward to checking out the game further after Hogmanay.

Also set to debut early next year is Stacking from Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions, who gave us the enjoyable Brutal Legend. The concept of Stacking is unique as always, with you taking the role of Charlie Blackmore a young doll who is aiming to piece together his family of Russian stacking dolls. “Stacking is distinctive in its overall cinematic look as well as its approach to puzzle solving, and we believe the game will appeal to both the casual and hardcore video game player,” said Martin Good, Executive Vice President, THQ Kids, Family, Casual Games, and Global Online Services. “We are pleased to expand our library of digital download offerings and do so with high-quality games from the wonderfully creative team at Double Fine Productions.”

Double Fine Productions founder and CEO Tim Schafer added, “We’re really excited to be doing another game with THQ, building on the success we had with Costume Quest, and delivering another great adventure told in an entirely new way. What Lee has created with Stacking is something truly awesome – a game with a great story and puzzles, and a completely fresh method for interacting with them both.”

Konami will be pleased with the news that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has managed to break the one million sales mark in America and Europe. "Castlevania has truly reinvented itself with its move to next gen platforms and we're extremely pleased at the positive response we've seen toward Castlevania: Lords of Shadow globally, mainly due to the dedicated fans who have supported the series for so long," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "The remarkable sales achieved in such a short time are a true testament of the work and dedication that went into this project, and we're very grateful to have partnered with such fine talent in the rebirth of one of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.'s most successful franchises."

Mafia II fans will be pleased with another piece of DLC in the form of Joe’s Adventures for the PS3 and Xbox 360. In this release players are put into the shoes of Joe Barbaro as he makes a name for himself in Empire Bay. The package is bolstered by more tunes from the 40’s and 50’s, Playboy collectibles and a Delizia Grandeamerica sports coupe.Not to be outdone, Fable III hits back with the Understone Quest Pack at just MS 400 points. For more information see last week’s update for the specifics on this DLC. Enslaved, overlooked by most players has its piece of DLC this week in the form of Pigsy’s Perfect 10, a new side story where the character from the main game is in search of love.

Finally we’ll end with a piece of charity that deserves some recognition. Players can head over and pick up Chime via the XBLA until 1st December with 100% of developer royalties being donated to children’s charities. “While 100% of our royalty is donated we feel we can freely encourage those who have not had a chance to purchase Chime to use this last opportunity to fully support the OneBigGame initiative,” said Ed Daly, general manager, Zoe Mode. “We have very much enjoyed working with OneBigGame on this unique venture and although this marks a change for Chime it is far from the end of the relationship.”

“We could not be happier with the success of our first game at OneBigGame and once again thanks to everyone at Zoë Mode for their hard work and generosity and in particular for extending the fund raising period. The money raised is going to make a difference and will help children around the world as we pass it on to our partners at Save the Children and Starlight Children’s Foundation.”

On that charitable note, we’ll see you online with Gran Turismo 5 if the servers can manage to cope with the demand. With the game accessing servers not only for play, but also when starting up and during various screen changes, its been a far from slick start to the ultimate driving experience.