While Microsoft posted "record" revenues of $19.02 billion for the second quarter ending December 31, 2009 - driven by "exceptional demand" for new OS on the block, Windows 7 - the Entertainment and Devices Division, home to the Xbox 360 and PC gaming businesses, wasn't as successful. That's an inversion of last quarter, for those of you keeping track. "EDD revenue decreased reflecting a $295 million or 12% decline in Xbox 360 platform and PC game revenue," the company's 10-Q form reports. "This decrease was due mainly to decreased revenue from Xbox 360 video games, decreased Xbox 360 consoles sold, and decreased revenue per console, offset in part by increased Xbox Live revenue."
Microsoft blames the dip in game revenue to a shortage of major releases; the same period last year saw the release of "two significant games," most likely Fable 2 and Gears of War 2. It reports sales of 5.2 million Xbox 360s for the quarter, a drop from the 6 million sold during the same period last year. And lastly, that pesky price drop is messing up this year's numbers. There are some silver linings: Xbox Live revenue is up, the unit's operating income is up nearly 300% "due to reduced operating expenses." You can thank "lower Xbox 360 console costs" and "decreased marketing for the Xbox 360 platform" for that savings. It looks like all eyes are on you, Mr. Wake and Mr. Supercop, to pick things up in the next fiscal half.
[Via IndustryGamers]
“I think every game we make we try to make a system seller. Because every game we build we strive for 90%+ quality.” - BioWare’s Ray Muzyka
Really, BioWare?
Really? I didn’t think this title was very good at all. While the Metacritic average is higher than I originally thought, I think it shows that [...]
When you guys aren't setting franchise records downloading a track for The Beatles: Rock Band, you're helping to save lives .... well, actually, we guess you were kinda doing them both at the same time. My, what wonderful multitaskers you all are!
Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox-exclusive track "All You Need Is Love" managed to procure $217,780 to date for the Doctors Without Borders charity, an international humanitarian outfit that specializes in assisting those in need in impoverished and war-torn countries. That figure comes from both the DLC and the custom Xbox 360 auctioned off for $17,400.
Oh, and if you didn't know all that about the charity stuff and just wanted to download a Beatles song, then there it is: you're making the world a better place, one harmony and hot guitar solo at a time. All proceeds from "All You Need Is Love" will go to Doctors Without Borders up until January 31.
Well, this surely puts a damper on the excitement for Legends of Exidia. It’s not a fully original game…it’s just a mobile game. Might and Magic II was put out by Gameloft on cell phones, and now they’ve brought it to DSiWare. The difference is, all the ties to the Might and [...]
Very few games have been able to match the impact of the original Rez ... well, with the exception of Rez HD on Xbox Live Arcade; unsurprisingly, revamped visuals made for an even more psychedelic experience. Q Entertainment recently tweeted about a possible PSN port of the game, asking how much a PS3 version should cost. $15 seems to be the figure Q is working with, noting that "it would not be a huge profit" and "we're not big enough to do things for fun."
Q Entertainment hasn't committed to making the port yet, stating "this is no indication that it's happening, but we're researching if its feasible." Already, there have been some complaints from PlayStation loyalists who reject the notion of paying full price for a two year delayed port. We're confident that you, Joystiq reader, will be able to help Q figure out exactly what to do:
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[Thanks, kassatsu! Via PSN Stores]
Where would we be without the original Street Fighter II? This is the baby that kicked off the fighting game wars, and the series is still alive and kicking right now. I can still get hours and hours of enjoyment out of this classic.
Every week, I am constantly impressed with the numbers that House of the Dead: Overkill does. This game must be raking in the cash for SEGA at this point. It may not have burst out of the gate, but it’s definitely showing a very long tail.
Linebeck really is a fantastic character. He may not be as engaging as Midna, but he’s a different type of character. I actually think he’s a little more personable!
Game Informer has gotten into the habit of rounding up what they consider to be the best reader/staffer blogs from each week. They compile the blog posts into a roundup, and I poked my nose through the entries. If you have some spare time, you might want to check some of these random [...]
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Piranha Bytes' RPG Risen is getting a second chance in America. Originally released in Europe on October 2009, reviewers slammed the game as "unfinished and unrefined" and "a technical mess" -- for good reason, too. The original retail release of Risen on Xbox 360 was largely a "beta" version of the game.
Four months later, Piranha Bytes is putting the true finishing touches to the game, and the improvement is immediately noticeable. The European game's framerate was inconsistent at best, but this revised version is -- dare we say it? -- playable. In fact, aside from the occasional hiccup, the experience is rather smooth. According to the developer, Risen now boasts higher resolution textures, denser vegetation, better lighting, sharper fonts and brightness controls. Visually, this is pretty much a different game altogether.
Unfortunately, that still doesn't place Risen in the same league as games like the admittedly underwhelming Dragon Age Origins. This is still a visually dated product, but at least this time around, the game is playable.
Looks like Best Buy is changing up their game sales a little bit. Now you’ll be bringing up a box copy to the check-out counter to get your game. That means, you can actually end up thinking a game is in-stock when it’s really not. Hmmm…I’m sure this will help cut down [...]
Monado disappears from the Japanese list, XENOBLADE pops up for Wii. The Last Story is in there as well. Metroid: Other M is due out this Summer in Japan, but it’s still a TBA for Europe and NA. This is an unusually intriguing first-party lineup report! Anyone care to guess what [...]
It's quite obvious we adore Mass Effect 2. Judging from the game's Metacritic score, we certainly aren't alone. What a crazy and exciting year we've got ahead of us, especially when a game of the year candidate sets such a very high bar in January. Let's check out the lavish praise other sites bestowed upon BioWare's epically epic space opera:
Eurogamer (100/100): "Perhaps BioWare's greatest success in Mass Effect 2 has been taking a complex RPG and making it effortless to understand, play and enjoy on a constant basis, because it has done this in a manner that should prove utterly essential to veterans and newcomers alike, and more than enough to suggest Mass Effect 3 will be the most important game in BioWare's history"
Giant Bomb (100/100): "BioWare has really gotten it right the second time around. They took those same ideas and figured out a better way to combine them into a more cohesive, more playable sequel that makes good on every bit of Mass Effect's potential and leaves me staring very grudgingly at the presumable two-year wait until my own Commander Shepard can continue his fight in the next game."
Game Informer (98/100): "The loss of RPG elements may hit some people hard, and the repetition in minigames may lead to yawns and tired eyes, but none of these faults hold Mass Effect 2 back from being a work of bold ambition, and one of gaming's most exciting sequels."
IGN (96/100): "It's incredibly personal while still retaining a sense of epic sweeping scale. The combat and mission design are outstanding. The visuals, voice acting, soundtrack, and direction are miles ahead of the competition. Perhaps most impressively, Mass Effect 2 manages to fulfill its incredible ambition while only suffering from very few technical hiccups. The only real caveat I should mention is that some of the revelations and plot twists won't be quite as powerful if you haven't played Mass Effect 1, but that isn't any reason to skip this fantastic videogame."
Edge (90/100): "Ultimately, Mass Effect 2's greatest strength is in tying its disparate pieces together, binding the gunplay and conversation systems into something that meshes, while creating an action-RPG that knows stats should be there, but that they should never get in the way of a good headshot."
Gallery: Mass Effect 2
Hey, you remember this morning, right? When we told you that the ESRB had rated After Burner Climax for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network? Wasn't that just the tops? Well if that did it for you, here's something that'll positively tickle you pink: Sega has officially confirmed the game for a "Spring 2010" release on the aforementioned digital distribution platforms! The Sega of America blog spilled the deets this afternoon, even handing over a handful of new screens via its Flickr account. We've dropped them below into a convenient little gallery, because we just like you that much.
Firstly, as should come as no surprise to anyone, it is my sad duty to reprimand the various con artists and charlatans in our community who insist on making a mockery of the hard work of others by cheating to win. The following is a list of the top twenty kill counts of the recent Demo/Soldier competition:
1 
