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A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of viewing Make My Day. A creation of Hidden Frame Productions, Make My Day reminds us of those Choose Your Own Adventure books we enjoyed as younglings, as the premise is that you take the main character and guide him through his day using choices presented to you. While just about every scenario results in the death of the main character, the numerous ways that he dies had us laughing out loud. If you enjoy independent film, or if you simply enjoy laughing at something so over the top you have to wonder what was going through the mind of the creator, we can whole-heartedly recommend Make My Day. You can grab a copy for $15 USD, or you can win one here.
Read More 
| Make My Day DVD
A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of viewing Make My Day. A creation of Hidden Frame Productions, Make My Day reminds us of those Choose Your Own Adventure books we enjoyed as younglings, as the premise is that you take the main character and guide him through his day using choices presented to you. While just about every scenario results in the death of the main character, the numerous ways that he dies had us laughing out loud. For only $15 USD, this one is definitely a great gift or stocking stuffer for anyone with even a slight sense of humor.
WIN IT!: Want to win your own copy of Make My Day? Just head on over to our Holiday Giveaway Forum Thread for details! Two readers will walk away with a Make My Day DVD courtesy of Hidden Frame Productions and Gear Live Media.
Read More | Make My Day DVD
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NPD November Sales Numbers
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Not too many surprises in the November sales numbers. Xbox 360 sold around 326k but could have easily sold more had its supply been stronger. The PS2 still dominates the charts but console sales numbers are down compared to last year. We’re a little surprised to see the huge 4:1 tie ratio for Xbox 360 software. (The tie ratio refers to how many units of software are sold per machine.) Oddly enough, PSP sales numbers weren’t included in this analysis’ release.
In terms of the software sales numbers, Activision’s Call of Duty 2 leads the Xbox 360 pack despite an annoying bug. While Microsoft’s Perfect Dark Zero was the third best selling Xbox 360 game, consumers simply didn’t see it as the ‘killer-app’ that many originally hoped it would be. Meanwhile, Mario Kart DS made a fairly strong showing at #10 on the list - especially considering it’s a handheld title. The figures released are immediately below.
Xbox 360 = 326,000
PS2 = 531,000
Xbox = 197,000
GCN = 272,000
DS = 370,000 (approx)Xbox 360 software sales = 1.3 million units, Tie ratio of almost 4:1.
Overall software sales are down 18% over November 2004. Console software sales are down 33%, even with the Xbox 360 sales contribution.
Hardware sales are down 44% over last year.
November Top 25 Software Sales
US Top 25 Videogame Titles
Rank Title PublisherRank Title Publisher
1 XBX STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II LucasArts
2 PS2 STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II LucasArts
3 360 CALL OF DUTY 2 Activision
4 PS2 MADDEN NFL 06 Electronic Arts
5 PS2 WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2 THQ
6 360 MADDEN NFL 06 Electronic Arts
7 PSP GTA: LIBERTY CITY STORIES Take 2 Interactive
8 PS2 TONY HAWK AMERICAN WASTELAND Activision
9 GCN MARIO PARTY 7 Nintendo
10 NDS MARIO KART Nintendo
11 PS2 50 CENT: BULLETPROOF Vivendi
12 PS2 CALL OF DUTY 2: BIG RED ONE Activision
13 360 NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED Electronic Arts
14 PS2 SOUL CALIBUR III Namco
15 PS2 DRAGON BALL Z: BUDOKAI TENK Atari
16 PS2 NBA LIVE 06 Electronic Arts
17 PS2 BLITZ: THE LEAGUE Midway
18 PS2 NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED Electronic Arts
19 PS2 RATCHET: DEADLOCKED Sony
20 PSP STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II LucasArts
21 360 PERFECT DARK ZERO LTD ED Microsoft
22 PS2 SOCOM 3: US NAVY SEALS Sony
23 PS2 GUN Activision
24 PS2 THE MATRIX: PATH OF NEO Atari
25 XBX CALL OF DUTY 2: BIG RED ONE Activision
Source: The NPD Group/NPD Funworld, POS
Latest Gear Live Videos
Play Sim City Classic Free Online
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: PC, Retro, Simulation, Strategy,
Don’t like all the graphical wiz-bang of all the new videogames? Looking for a classic but solid, fun game to lose countless hours of sleep to once again?
Maxis posted the original Sim City game on its website - so you can play it right now. For free even. For when the game was released, Sim City was top of the line and its gameplay surprisingly enough still shines. Sure, the original may no have as many features as the newest iteration of the series but the core is certainly present. Build a power plant, build up some industrial, commercial, residential properties and you’re on your way to being the mayor of a booming metropolis. Just don’t forget to build roads and power lines - otherwise your citizens aren’t going to be very happy.
Read More | Sim City
More Xbox 360s Coming Soon to Best Buy
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Corporate News, Release Dates, Xbox 360,
Don’t have an Xbox 360 but want one? Well it looks like you may have to pitch a tent outside your local Best Buy pretty soon. According to IGN, Best Buy has confirmed that it well sell additional 360s on December 18th - that’s this Sunday. The retailer will reportedly sell anywhere between twenty and sixty units per store, and if launch was any indication, this next allotment of machines will surely sell out instantly.
Good luck to those of you contemplating heading out to your local Best Buy. And who knows, you may even meet someone famous while camping out!
Read More | IGN
One of the greatest theme songs in videogame history is now featured on… a sitar?? If you’re curious as to what a sitar looks or sounds like, you should take a look at this video immediately. The Mario theme song certainly sounds unique on a sitar, but we still prefer the song on a piano. Or, is the xylophone version our favorite?
Read More | mediabum
Final Fantasy RPG Battle Reenactment
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Internet, PlayStation 2, Role Playing Games,
Looking for a good laugh? Watch a few characters battle in an entertaining fan-video linked below. The reenactment is based off of Final Fantasy battles and features a limit break along with some good old summoning. If this video doesn’t put you in a good mood and make you laugh, we don’t know what will.
The video’s currently being hosted on Google Video. What would we ever do without Google?
Read More | Google Video
Xbox 360 Not Designed To Play Games In Vertical Position?
Posted by Brandon Gribin Categories: Hardware, Rumors, Xbox 360,
A 360 Insider blogger reported yesterday of a Microsoft customer service representative explaining that the 360 wasn’t designed to play games in the vertical position.
The owner of the Xbox 360 at hand originally contact customer support because his 360 suddenly stopped reading games. When asked for a solution to the problem, the customer rep simply said to place the console horizontally and asserted that the machine wasn’t designed to be played standing vertically. Sure enough, the Xbox 360 started working again when placed horizontally.
We’ve all heard of misinformed reps, so is the Microsoft rep here just mistaken? After all, Microsoft has shown the Xbox 360 positioned vertically more times than we can count. In fact, all of the in-store kiosks we’ve seen feature the Xbox 360 standing vertically. Should all those consoles be set horizontally? And why did the console at hand start working again when placed horizontally? Will the 360 work better and last longer if it isn’t positioned vertically?
Read More | 360 Insider
Looking to make a political statement? Why, look no further than Activision’s The Movies. Currently available for the PC, The Movies lets players run their own movie studios and create movies. Recently, an Alex Chan created a short film through the game entitled “The French Democracy.” The film is a commentary on the recent riot that took place in cities throughout France.
Chan’s film has received media attention since its release on November 22nd - and now its received the attention of Lionhead Chief Peter Molyneux. Molyneux said:
“With The Movies we wanted to make a game that allows anyone to easily express themselves by making a short film and posting them online to share with the world. Alex’s film, which is absolutely terrific, really demonstrates the potential power and impact that these films can have.”
If you’re disgusted with a certain politician, or a party in general, The Movies may just be your platform to make a statement. And hey, maybe one day we’ll see the president address the American public through a game. No? Not yet? Well one can dream…
Read More | Business Week
An interesting dialog with Peter Moore, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox, covers issues ranging from the two SKUs to replenishing consoles in stores. Moore argues that consumers were given a choice at launch with the two SKUs (core and premium,) but were they really? Because of the severe shortage, if consumers were only able to purchase a core bundle - even though they’d prefer a premium - many times they went with the less preferred core package. Some choice, eh?
As for future shipments to stores, here’s what Moore had to say:
We’re working around the clock to get all of our retailers, large and small, as many consoles as we can humanly make. We understand the amazing demand for Xbox 360, and we will continue to do our best. However, demand will outstrip supply for this busy holiday season. We expect supply to catch up with demand sometime early next year.
For all those folks that want an Xbox 360 and have not been able to get their hands on one, I want to thank you for your patience. Keep checking in with your local retailers and ask them when they expect their next shipments so you can plan accordingly.
Supply will “catch up with demand sometime early next year?” How early are we talking? Will everyone who wants a 360 now have one by January or February? Unlikely, but then again it wouldn’t be surprising if people who are demanding 360s now just decide to wait a little longer to get a machine. Or they could decide to simply wait for a certain upcoming Sony or Nintendo home console.
In the meantime, anyone who wants a 360 before Christmas may have to pester their local retailer, or import from Japan, in the meantime.
Read More | GameDaily
