LUCIDMEDIA

Lucid Gaming – November

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Monday, 02 November 2009 09:46

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Lucid Gaming – November
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The sales charts, previews, reviews and new releases for the month of November are here presented. Just one more Gaming column till Christmas, have you got your wish list made yet? Maybe this can help.

Charts

A glut of pre-holiday new releases helped game sales for October tick up slightly, but over last year, the numbers are still way down. In October 2008, the number one selling game, Wii Sports, added nearly another million units in sales. A year later, as the number two game of the month it sold over 555,000 copies which was just a few less than the number one game, Playstation 3’s Uncharted 3, which sold with 569,000.

On the hardware side, Nintendo’s Wii retuned to the top spot with another half million units sold. But it was the same news for the hardware as it was with the software as this time last year, nearly a million Wiis were sold. On the bright side, for Sony at least, the price cut on the PS3 allowed the system to stay strong with a third place finish. As well overall sales on systems are up over last month.

Top 20 Games – September

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3/Sony) - 569,283/569,283
2. Wii Sports (Wii/Nintendo) - 555,171/25,457,759
3. Wii Fit Plus (Wii/Nintendo) - 500,536/500,536
4. Wii Sports Resort (Wii/Nintendo   ) - 317,981/2,226,874
5. Halo 3: ODST (X360/Microsoft) - 270,150/2,259,832
6. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS/Square Enix) - 244,097/509,278
7. NBA 2K10 (X360/2K Sports) - 229,472/229,472
8. Borderlands (X360/            2K Games) - 221,814/221,814
9. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (X360/Codemasters) - 177,090/177,090
10. Demon's Souls (PS3/Atlus) - 174,588/174,588
11. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii/Sega) - 174,145/174,145
12. Mario Kart Wii (Wii/Nintendo) - 168,481/7,695,974
13. NBA 2K10 (PS3/2K Sports) - 165,560/165,560
14. Brutal Legend (X360/Electronic Arts) - 161,878/161,878
15. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS/Nintendo) - 102,829/315,657
16. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS/Nintendo) - 99,893/99,893
17. Brutal Legend (PS3/Electronic Arts) - 99,292/99,292
18. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 (X360/THQ) - 98,410/98,410
19. Madden NFL 10 (X360/EA Sports) - 98,281/1,207,222
20. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS/Sega) - 95,784/95,784

Hardware

Nintendo Wii: 555,171/25,457,759
Nintendo DS: 430,132/38,672,375
Sony Playstation 3: 266,026/9,944,181
Microsoft X-Box 360: 236,469/18,820,002
Playstation Portable: 131,084/17,669,132
Sony Playstation 2: 78,000/51,067,273

Total: 1,696,882

Previews

Left 4 Dead 2(X-Box 360) – IGN.com

“Further into the map, moving through a darkened kitchen space, a jockey, one of the new boss infected types, jumped on my character's head. These things wrestle control from your character, causing you to stumble around in directions they determine as they cling to your back. This event was made more interesting thanks to the character chatter that was tailored for the situation, with my chosen model screaming about how a jockey's got him. This type of thing extends across the rest of the experience, pointing out when other boss infected might be near and signaling to others what types of weapon or item pickups are sitting around. After accidentally triggering a car alarm, my character exclaimed "God dammit, it's getting good," as infected started sprinting into a section of the street, climbing over fences and across other bits of stage to get at us as drums pounded along with blaring horns on the soundtrack.

“Pipe bombs and AK-47s were up for grabs further into the second chapter of the campaign. We went through a tank encounter near a gazebo in a park, and picked up a powerful scoped rifle just afterwards. A more high intensity sequence was built further into the second chapter, where the survivors had to race through a maze of fences to access and deactivate an alarm, then stay on the high perch where the alarm was located to fend off zombies clambering up ladders. By the time I got to the safe house at the end the second map, I'd already tried out the electric guitar melee weapon (capable of decapitating multiple foes with its wide swings), and was just about to try out the effectiveness of a combat shotgun and machete combo, but unfortunately that was the end of the demo.

“So far it seems like great fun, and something any Left 4 Dead fan should have a blast with. Upon repeat playthroughs these opening sections played much differently, with appearances by boss infected varying quite a bit. In some cases the Tank in the park wasn't present, and in a few a Witch would show up instead. In one playthrough I thought it might be possible to get through without running into a tank at all, though my hopes were dashed as one showed up right near a trailer near the end of the second chapter, blocking the way toward some much needed first aid kits. I'm certainly looking forward to checking out more of the game, particularly testing out the Realism mode.”

Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on November 17th

New Super Mario Bros (Wii) – 1Up.com

“NSMBWii plays very differently depending on how many people are in the game. Solo, it's more about conservative play and hunting for secrets -- or at least it is for me, since that's how I prefer to tackle Mario games -- while in a group, it becomes a struggle to coordinate the actions of a bunch of people who turn into bumbling idiots when there are suddenly three other players on-screen. The game allows players two through four to jump in or out at any time; story mode isn't segregated into single- or multiplayer but rather turns it all into one free-form experience.

“There are, however, a few multiplayer-specific aspects to the game. The first is Coin Attack, which is (as it says on the label) a contest to collect more coins than the other players. More interesting is the second extra mode, Free-For-All, which drops multiple people into a single level and lets them duke it out for score and coins. Of course, that's assuming everyone actually finishes the level; as manic as a four-player session in story mode can be, the action is even more frantic when it's every man (or Toad) for himself. Eventually, players are probably going to be forced to come to terms with the need to work together in order to clear these stages, since a multiplayer level comes to an end once all characters are knocked out of the action simultaneously -- even if someone has revived from a death and is simply floating around the stage waiting to be freed from his respawn bubble. Of course, whatever teamwork is forged of necessity will inevitably end in backstabbing, in true Survivor style -- but waiting for the hammer (or is it a dagger?) of treachery to fall is part of the fun.”

New Super Mario Bros will be released on November 15th

Reviews

DJ Hero – Multiple Platforms

“But despite the controller's accessibility, if DJ Hero gets a sequel, the hardware needs a redesign. For optimal performance, I had to make my own crude modifications to the Renegade version's deck. First, the fader on the mixer has too much space to operate, which I improved by attaching gaff tape to both ends. This restricted its movement to just the right amount, and improved my score (and overall experience) dramatically. Next, the mixer and turntable lack stability when it just rests on your lap; spinning the platter too much during scratch combinations tends to slide the setup around. I made the base more secure by affixing Velcro to the bottom, and placing a t-shirt on my lap. These micro adjustments -- easy, valuable, and cheap -- were essential to my enjoyment.” – 1Up.com

“DJ Hero is a well made title that even old farts can enjoy. From the quality set list, accessible turntable peripheral, and generally nicely implemented mechanics, there's a lot for any gamer to enjoy. On the downside, the multiplayer elements aren't nearly as convincing as they should be, making this a game you'll likely play alone. Also, I've got a feeling that the appeal is narrow enough and the game bundle expensive enough that it may never gain the traction it needs to become a phenomenon. Nevertheless, there is a lot of and fun to be had here that I'd like to see rewarded with a nice run at retail.” – Cheat Code Centrals

Forza Motorsport 3 – X-Box 360

“Forza 3 doesn't do anything that's never been done before, but everything it does do has been executed to such a high standard that it's hard to find faults - and even those are minor in the grand scheme of things. Never before has there been such a content-packed racing game, playable for people of all skill levels, that feels this good. That's the key. On the track, no matter what car you're in, it feels right. You're not wondering if the controls are too twitchy or if you should tweak some options in the menu. You're 100 per cent focused on nailing every corner, out-breaking an opponent and taking him on the inside and just having a good time. Turn 10 has created a sim racer that goes far beyond the genre's usual hardcore boundaries. It's made a racing game to be enjoyed by just about anyone.” – Video Gamer

“Customization is a core value with this videogame series. Forza 3 continues the tradition of allowing players to paint and decorate their cars, then sell, share or trade their designs online. And the tools are quite powerful: I was able to re-create Stuntman Mike’s custom ‘69 Dodge Charger from the movie Death Proof in an afternoon. There’s already a car decked out with the Ghostbusters logo available for sale in the game’s marketplace. And you can be sure there will be more than a few replicas of the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard for sale as soon as the game launches.” – Wired