This year’s Game Developers Conference has barely started and already we’re anticipating the inevitable sequel, which promises to feature bigger news, improved visuals (we’re all working out for the next year) and dynamic crowd motion. According to event organizers, GDC 2011 will run from February 28 through March 4, 2011 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. That’s five days of gaming bliss (six if you’re a malfunctioning PS3).

As much as we’d like to express further enthusiasm, we should probably get back to covering GDC … 2010. Which is going on, like, right now.

Save the date: GDC 2011, Feb. 28 – March 4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most titles that appear atop Media Create’s weekly Japanese sales chart have at least a measure of international appeal. That’s not necessarily true for the latest chart-topper, as Spike’s beat-’em-up Kenka Bancho 4: Ichinen Sensou for the PSP debuted in the pole position on the Japanese stat-tracking firm’s roundup for the week of February 22-28, selling 71,504 units.

Kenka Bancho 4 teaches the fine art of running the heck away.

Fellow newcomer Super Robot Wars OG: Saga Endless Frontier Exceed for the DS, from Namco Bandai, scored a second-place finish with 64,805 units. The week’s top five was rounded out by Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (47,815 units), New Super Mario Bros. Wii (45,369 units), and God Eater (44,717 units), which have tangled for the lead spot over the past several weeks.

The final two charting debuts landed in sixth and seventh, as Sony’s Hot Shots Tennis Portable sold 44,603 units and Spike’s Shiren the Wanderer 4: Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso moved 40,703 copies. Perennial chart-toppers Tomodachi Collection, Wii Fit Plus, and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie rounded out the week’s highest echelon.

No particular hardware device put up noteworthy figures on the week, though Sony’s PSP did finish first with 37,338 units sold. The Wii followed in a close second with 36,241 units, outpacing the PlayStation 3’s 27,763 unit tally. The DS family came next, with the three distinct systems selling a combined 45,220 units. Bringing up the rear were the Xbox 360 (2,510 units), PlayStation 2 (1,912 units), and PSP Go (1,296 units).

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF FEBRUARY 22-28, 2010

Software:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales

1) Kenka Bancho 4: Ichinen Sensou / Spike / PSP / 71,504

2) Super Robot Wars OG: Saga Endless Frontier Exceed / Namco Bandai / DS / 64,805

3) Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition / Capcom / PS3 / 47,815

4) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 45,369

5) God Eater / Namco Bandai / PSP / 44,717

6) Hot Shots Tennis Portable / Sony / PSP / 44,603

7) Shiren the Wanderer 4: Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso / Spike / DS / 40,703
Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 33,325

9) Wii Fit Plus / Nintendo / Wii / 29,787

10) Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie / Square Enix / DS / 26,474

Hardware:

PSP – 37,338

Wii – 36,241

PS3 – 27,763

DSi LL – 24,605

DSi – 15,586

DS Lite – 5,029

Xbox 360 – 2,510

PS2 – 1,912

PSP Go – 1,296

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After two weeks on top of the Japanese sales charts, Namco Bandai’s PSP game God Eater was dethroned by another game about insatiable hunger. According to Japanese tracking firm Media Create, Capcom’s zombie redux Resident Evil 5 Alternative Edition (called Gold Edition in the US) was the best-selling game for the week of February 15-21, selling 143,339 copies in its retail debut.

Sure, Namco Bandai’s latest can eat gods, but it can’t stop this.

Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition includes all of the downloadable content released for the original survival horror game, as well as compatibility with the PlayStation 3 motion-sensing controller. Unfortunately, it will be some time before gamers know how well that compatibility works, because Sony won’t be releasing the peripheral until the fall.

Though the Monster Hunter-like God Eater relinquished the top spot, it didn’t fall very far. The multiplayer action game sold 64,192 copies for the week, more than enough to hold off a trio of sales-chart-loitering titles for Nintendo’s systems: New Super Mario Bros. Wii (44,415 sold), Dragon Quest VI for the DS (41,412 sold), and Tomodachi Collection (31,299 sold).

Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition wasn’t the only game new to the top 10 for the week. Quantic Dream’s PlayStation 3-exclusive noir-tinged thriller Heavy Rain was the sixth-best-seller of the week, selling 26,775 copies. Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2010 Reverse of Arcadia for the DS also made its first appearance on the charts, selling 24,132 copies for the week.

Sony was the big winner on the hardware charts, with the PSP outselling every other system for the seventh straight week and the PS3 leapfrogging the Wii and DSi LL (called the DSi XL in the West) to land in second. The chart position for Sony’s portable has benefitted not just from a lineup of best-selling new releases like God Eater and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, but also from Nintendo’s segmentation of the DS lineup of systems. Combining sales of the DSi LL, the DSi, and the DS Lite, Nintendo’s portables outsell even the PSP by more than 12,000 units.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF FEBRUARY 15-21, 2010

Software:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales

1) Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition / Capcom / PS3 / 143,339

2) God Eater / Bandai Namco / PSP / 64,192

3) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 44,415

4) Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie / Square Enix / DS / 41,412

5) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 31,299

6) Heavy Rain / Sony / PS3 / 26,775

7) Wii Fit Plus / Nintendo / Wii / 25,631
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s World Championship 2010 Reverse of Arcadia / Konami / DS / 24,132

9) Star Ocean: The Last Hope: International / Square Enix / PS3 / 15,097

10) Wii Sports Resort / Nintendo / Wii / 11,303

Hardware:

PSP – 32,796

PS3 – 32,130

Wii – 31,652

DSi LL – 24,388

DSi – 15,380

DS Lite – 5,053

Xbox 360 – 2,453

PS2 – 1,883

PSP Go – 1,371

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Japan’s love for the Monster Hunter series apparently extends beyond the brand to games reminiscent of Capcom’s multiplayer action adventure games. For the week of February 1-7, Japanese tracking firm Media Create is reporting that Namco’s new PSP release God Eater topped the charts, selling 295,405 copies in the island nation.

The scientific name for a God Eater is (or at least should be) “deiphage.”

Like Capcom’s series, God Eater allows up to four players to team up with customized characters and take down supernatural beasts in dozens of missions. The game may be friendlier to solo players than its inspiration, as it will allow for AI-controlled teammates when venturing alone.

The previous week’s best seller didn’t fall very far, as Square Enix’s DS remake of Dragon Quest VI finished in second, selling 189,802 copies. It was trailed in third place by another of the role-playing game specialist’s titles, the PlayStation 3 debut of last year’s Xbox 360-exclusive Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The Tri-Ace-developed RPG double-dip sold just over 72,000 copies, easily besting the studio’s most recent title, the Sega-published Resonance of Fate (End of Eternity in Japan). After debuting in second place the week before, the PS3 edition of Resonance of Fate fell to seventh place, selling 25,640 copies.

The last new release of the week to make the top 10 was Pop’n Music Portable, with 19,138 copies sold. Although the Konami rhythm game series has been around for more than a decade, this is the first time it has arrived on Sony’s handheld, and it’s the first portable version since 2000.

The week’s hardware race was less than exciting, with the same systems charting in the same order as the previous week. On top of that, every system saw week-over-week sales declines except for the last place PSP Go, which saw a sales twitch with 1,738 systems sold for the week, up from 1,645 the week before.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1-7, 2010

Software:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales

1) God Eater / Bandai Namco / PSP / 295,405

2) Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie / Square Enix / DS / 189,802

3) Star Ocean: The Last Hope: International / Square Enix / PS3 / 72,026

4) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Nintendo / Wii / 62,174

5) Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 38,164

6) Wii Fit Plus / Nintendo / Wii / 27,104

7) End of Eternity (Resonance of Fate) / Sega / PS3 / 25,460
Pop’n Music Portable / Konami / PSP / 19,138

9) Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep / Square Enix / PSP / 14,780

10) Wii Sports Resort / Nintendo / Wii / 13,314

Hardware:

PSP – 43,163

Wii – 36,149

DSi XL – 28,080

PS3 – 25,450

DSi – 19,116

DS Lite – 5,410

Xbox 360 – 3,651

PS2 – 2,047

PSP Go – 1,738

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Major Nelson has a dropped a partial February schedule for Xbox Live Marketplace content, including a particularly nice Deal of the Week. Specifically, next week’s deal, beginning February 15, will be Battlefield 1943 for only 800 ($10). If you’ve yet to pick up the game, $10 is definitely a good price. Also dropping next week, both Resident Evil 5 and Beautiful Katamari will arrive on Games on Demand.

The post also notes that this week marks the end of the second season of 1 vs 100. Tonight’s episode (9:00pm ET/6:00 pm PT) will feature Magda Apanowicz from SyFy’s series Caprica. For the season finale this Friday (10:00pm ET/7:00 pm PT), the game will feature 343 Industries‘ Frank O’Connor and Bungie’s Marty O’Donnell.

See the full XBLM schedule after the break.

Continue reading Xbox Live Marketplace Feb. schedule includes $10 Battlefield 1943

Xbox Live Marketplace Feb. schedule includes $10 Battlefield 1943 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As has been the trend during the first part of 2010, the second week of February sees a handful of high-profile games march largely alone to retail shelves. This week, the games in question come from Electronic Arts and its one-time acquisition target, Take-Two.

Dante’s Inferno sets out to prove that the scythe is mightier than the pen.

From EA and Dead Space developer Visceral Games comes Dante’s Inferno for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (A PSP edition is expected to arrive later this month.) Like the epic poem it’s based on, the game follows a descent through the nine circles of hell–limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, violence, heresy, fraud, and treachery.

Rather than seeing the protagonist as a passive visitor, the game reimagines Dante as a fierce scythe-wielding warrior who must slay all manner of demonic creatures to rescue his ladylove, Beatrice. A demo for Dante’s Inferno is available through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Take-Two’s highly acclaimed BioShock franchise returns on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC this week, though Irrational Games has handed off development to a new studio–or should that be “studios.” 2K Marin has taken the reins on the single-player campaign of BioShock 2, and Digital Extremes is crafting the multiplayer component. Support is also being provided by 2K Australia, 2K China, and Arkane Studios.

The single-player campaign is set 10 years after the events of BioShock, with players putting on the diving boots of one of the hulking Big Daddies. The game will feature new plasmids, areas, and opponents, including the dreaded Big Sister. The multiplayer component is set before the first game, allowing gamers a glimpse of life in Rapture as things started to go wrong in the undersea utopia.

One other notable release this week is Square Enix and Tri-Ace’s Star Ocean: The Last Hope – International for the PS3. Released as a timed Xbox 360 exclusive in February 2009, the Japanese-style role-playing game is the fourth proper installment in the Star Ocean franchise. The Last Hope is set after World War III and follows humankind as it makes its way into outer space. For an idea of what to expect, check out GameSpot’s review of the Xbox 360 installment.

For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun–WII–D3Publisher

FEBRUARY 9, 2010

BioShock 2–X360, PS3, PC–2K Games

Dante’s Inferno–X360, PS3–Electronic Arts

The Daring Game for Girls–DS–Majesco Games

Data East Arcade Classics–WII–Majesco Games

Rock Blast–WII–UFO Interactive

Samurai Rising–IP–Trippert Labs

Scene It? Twilight–DS–Konami

Shiren the Wanderer–WII–Atlus Co.

Sniper-X–IP–Trippert Labs

Square Logic–PC–MumboJumbo

Star Ocean: The Last Hope – International–PS3–Square Enix

Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll–WII–Sega

World Cup of Pool–DS–Aksys Games

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Bookworm Adventures–DS–PopCap

Darwinia+–X360–Valve Software

Windchaser–PC–Got Game Entertainment

FEBRUARY 11, 2010

No new releases announced.

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars–X360–THQ

Zorro: Quest for Justice–DS–505 Games

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This year’s jam-packed first-quarter game-release schedule grew a little more crowded today when Sony announced the launch date for Heavy Rain. The PlayStation 3-exclusive title will arrive on February 23 in North America, February 24 in mainland Europe, and February 26 in the UK and Ireland. In the US and Canada, the game is rated M for Mature and will retail for $59.99.

Heavy Rain’s Origami Killer has only two more months on the lam left.

Heavy Rain is developed by Quantic Dream, the Paris-based shop behind 2005’s Indigo Prophecy (aka Fahrenheit) for the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Like that critically acclaimed title, Heavy Rain eschews normal game conventions for a more cinematic approach, focusing on complex storytelling and compelling emotion via realistic graphics. This was evidenced by the first footage of the game from the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo, which showed a non-player character auditioning for a part as an actor would–at first, anyway…

As for its story, Heavy Rain will concern the pursuit of a mysterious serial murderer called the Origami Killer. Players will be able to assume the role of several characters–a drug-addled FBI agent, a private investigator, and a victim’s father–who must collect clues in a film-noir-style setting to crack the case. Last May, Quantic Dream CEO David Cage explained the concept behind the game in a video interview, available below.

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