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For the nine months ending December 31, Capcom net sales down 29% year over year, to 50.27 billion yen ($660.6 million). Similarly, operating income for the period is down 47.2%, despite such collaborative cross-marketing efforts as "the launch of beverages based on popular characters, in order to leverage highly popular software to achieve increased visibility, expanded fan base and other synergistic effects."

It's not so much that Capcom did poorly this year -- last year featured the breakout successes of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Super Street Fighter IV, among others. The blockbusters this year aren't as numerous and not quite as blockbustery. According to Capcom, Monster Hunter Tri-G sold 1.2 million copies since its December release in Japan. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record moved 800,000 and 500,000 respectively. That's still a pretty good return on a set of games entirely based on existing games.

Filed under: FeaturesThis is a column by Jesse Gregory all about his primary obsession, video game music. He feels that despite how core to the experience soundtracks often are, they aren't as large a part of gaming discussion as they should be. Let the discussion begin!
While just another game to some, last year's Sonic Generations was a review course of Sonic's varied musical history. With a wealth of classic and modern remixes and an even larger vault of unlockable originals, the game laid out in plain sight just how much the music of a single series can change over the course of two decades.

While hardware limitations can breed highly focused creativity, the lack thereof allows for unrestrained experimentation. From the Genesis to the Dreamcast, we witnessed Masato Nakamura's unforgettable themes replaced by a wide variety of tracks featuring live performances in a vast array of genres.

It sounds pretty good on paper. Sure, we got some enjoyable instrumental rock and jazz, but songs that sing about following rainbows and rap about chaos emeralds can make these games embarrassing to revisit. Still, I have to admire the many directions Sega was willing to explore with the series' music. Sonic Rush in particular really shook things up thanks to Hideki Naganuma. His unique brand of sample slicing threw many disparate genres into a blender to make something really special.

#3ds Put down those chocolates, son! Delicious candy should be an everyday gift. And you, in the lingerie store! Has he really seen you naked so many times that getting dressed seems sexy? Look, all you need for Valentine's Day is a pearl pink Nintendo 3DS, available February 10. More »

#psa Earlier this week, I brought you the story of a good friend who gave me his original Xbox without wiping its contents. From the data, I was able to piece together a sentimental portrait of my friend as he and his wife started their new lives together. More »

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata believes the company has proven that there's still a market for dedicated gaming handheld hardware like the 3DS. In a briefing -- which covered a lot of ground -- Iwata revealed the pictured chart above, comparing internal Nintendo weekly sales data of the Wii, DS and 3DS. The executive said that the initial sales pace of the 3DS was "unsatisfactory," but the device gained momentum after the price cut and the launch of popular titles like Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 (and Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) G in Japan).

"Last summer, when the sales pace of the Nintendo 3DS was slow, there were extreme remarks saying, 'With the penetration of smartphones, will there still be a market for handheld hardware?,' which was almost equal to 'Handheld hardware is not necessary anymore,'" Iwata remarked. "I believe we proved that such opinions are incorrect."

In the end, however, Nintendo did not reach its internal sales goal for the device, despite the 3DS gaining momentum and ending the year with a respectable 15 million unit sales. Iwata says the company could not cover the lack of units sold pre-price drop, which is one of the reasons for its negatively revised financial forecasts.

#wiiu While the Wii U will finally bring HD gaming to a Nintendo and sports some neat onboard tech, there's one big problem: it has a stupid name. More »

#nintendo The 3DS demo trend continues with a sneak peek at Mario and Sonic wiping the wrestling mat with one another in the demo for Mario & Sonic at the 2012 London Olympic Games, plus physics, pixels, and platformers, all in this week's Nintendo download. More »

As promised, another 3DS demo is available on the eShop, this time for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It may not have zombies, but then, it may have Waluigi. Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudds, its first self-published project, is also up on the eShop this week, offering challenging platforming and shooting and some dramatic 3D effects.

DSiWare features a sequel to the indie game Flipper; though if you played it, you still won't recognize Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish. The original was an isometric puzzle game about reshaping environments ... and the sequel is a side-scrolling action game that uses one contextual button!

#nintendo Today in Osaka, Nintendo released its revised forecast for this financial year. Things are not good. More »

Nintendo's recent sales have gotten a boast thanks to the 3DS and 3DS games. While not as good as original forecasted, the 3DS has surpassed the 15 million sold mark. Pretty good! More »

#china For Westerners, the conditions are shocking. Workers slave away for hours on end, pulling overtime, until their legs swell or they suffer from crippling disabilities. More »

#psvita Some people question whether dedicated gaming devices like the 3DS or Vita can find audiences when the iPhone and Android handsets offer games experiences and so much more. Sony CEO Andrew House's answer? "Look at Nintendo!" More »

#3ds Currently, Nintendo's second slide pad solution is the 3DS Circle Pad Pro. One individual thought they could do one better. The result? This. More »

#residentevil Nintendo announced a while back that they'd be rolling out playable demos to their stereoscopic handheld. So where are they? When are they coming? More »

#spiritcamerathecursedmemoir On Friday, April 13, Nintendo will start selling Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir for the Nintendo 3DS. It's a horror game that uses the 3DS' cameras to haunt the area you're playing in with various apparitions. More »

#spiritcamerathecursedmemoir If you thought the Fatal Frame series was terrifying, wait until you hold it in the palm of your hand. You'll get your chance on April 13, when Nintendo releases the augmented reality-powered Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir for the Nintendo 3DS. More »

#nintendo Like the DS before it, the 3DS is intent on being released in colours either fashionable or friendly to the masses. Except, that is, for these amazing (and official!) 3DS handhelds that come sporting the livery of the Mushroom Kingdom's biggest stars. More »

Yesterday, a series of tweets by IGDA Mobile SIG chair Kevin Dent alleged that THQ was in financial trouble, and that it was canceling its 2014 game lineup (most notably Warhammer 40k: Dark Millenium Online) and shopping itself out to potential buyers.

This evening, THQ's Australian PR department issued a statement to the contrary, as posted by VG247. "THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO," THQ said. According to the statement, the only reduction to THQ's lineup has been to move focus away from the "kids' boxed games sector" following poor performance of the most recent version of the uDraw. " Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business," the statement said. "We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry."

Note that THQ said it "has not made any decisions" about Warhammer 40k: DMO -- that's hardly a statement of unwavering support. Regardless, the statement is clear about the rest of the 2014 lineup.

Look, we're gonna be upfront about this, we're a little biased -- okay, I'm a little biased -- toward any news involving the New York Game Critics Circle (I'm the standing member for Joystiq), but we're putting together an awards show and it's gonna be totally boss. On February 2, a gaggle of us are taking over New York University's Cantor Film Center and holding an awards show to honor the best games of 2011 -- what we consider to be 2011's best, anyway.

Founding member (and occasional NPR correspondent) Harold Goldberg is heading up the proceedings with some assistance from various NYGCC members, while an unannounced, well-known voice man is on tap to MC the event. The first annual awards show will take place on February 2 and we've dropped the entire list of nominees after the break. It'll also be open to the public with limited seating, which we'll have more info on in the coming weeks.

Wondering who voted for said nominees? That list is right here, but rest assured that everyone involved is totally your favorite.

MCV's 2012 UK Games Industry Salary Survey, which polled 975 people (597 of whom worked in United Kingdom), showed an average UK games industry salary of £33,123 ($50,741), more than a 10 percent increase from 2011's average of £30,667 ($46,979).

That figure was created using survey results from "all sectors - development, publishing, retail, PR & marketing, services, technology and business development," according to MCV. Ten percent of respondents were women, which is reportedly in-scale with their overall presence in the British gaming industry.

The study's average salary figure is a median average rather than a mean average, we should note, and does not include "the group of very senior, and very well paid, execs" that also participated in the survey. Including their data, the average salary is £35,790. If you include the 378 non-British respondents, the average rose to £34,263, indicating that junior-level employees may be earning more outside of the UK.

The survey also showed a disparity between the average salaries of men and women, with industry women making £1.35 an hour less than their male counterparts. This is disproportionate to MCV's global findings, which show that women in the games industry earn more than men on average, albeit only by a few hundred pounds. Here is your reward for making it all the way through a facts-oriented article about salaries and averages.

[Image credit: mffoto via Shutterstock]

Well, this is awkward. Zen Pinball 3D launches on the 3DS eShop today ... and so does the DSiWare game 101 Pinball World. If you really love handheld virtual pinball, this is like the best day ever!

Elsewhere, The Learning Company and Gamelion bring the third installment of the surprisingly episodic WiiWare Carmen Sandiego series. And if you care to check Nintendo Video on your 3DS this Saturday, you can get a 3D Kirby cartoon.

#nintendo This week's Nintendo Download celebrates the silver ball with not one but two games to satiate gamers' cravings for hitting metal spheres with paddles. More »

#3ds Whoever ripped this poor man's arms, please return them asap. More »

#codeofprincess Code of Princess isn't exactly a memorable title. The game's official illustration, with a half-naked princess gripping a huge sword, sure is. But you can't play game art. More »

GameStop reported sales for the nine weeks ending December 31, 2011. In that period, it achieved sales of $3.02 billion, which, on the surface, is a repeat of last year's number. Moving down the decimal point, the company reported $3,018.1 million in 2010 (itself a record) and $3,019.1 in 2011 -- a new record by a million dollars.

Digital sales increased 60 percent during the period, led by Call of Duty Elite, a 2011 blockbuster. The paid service reached 600,000 sales in early November and had already become one of the retail giant's "top 10 launches of the year."

New video game software increased 9.9 percent, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 leading the pack to the shock of nobody. New hardware sales declined 19.6 percent as "there were no new console products or low enough price points to stimulate consumer demand."

"During the holiday, our solid sales performance of new high-def console software was offset by weak Wii software sales and hardware sales due to the lack of new hardware offerings versus the 2010 period. We were pleased with the performance of our buy-sell-trade business, digital offerings and mobile initiatives," said CEO Paul Raines. The company's used sales increased 3.5 percent during the period, with iOS trade-ins exceeding expectations. "GameStop also retired the remainder of its long-term debt establishing a debt-free balance sheet as we go into 2012."

Best Buy is currently offering a buy two, get two sale on used games. There are plenty of recent titles available, including the likes of Modern Warfare 3, Dead Island and Batman: Arkham City. If you're feeling frugal, just head over to the website.

The boxed retail market continues to decline in the UK, with sales slipping 7 percent from 2010. The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) reports, using Chart-Track data, that 2011 saw boxed sales of £1.42 billion ($2.2 billion).

Of the ten best-selling games in the year, eight were launched in the fourth quarter, generating 51 percent of annual revenue. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the top seller, generating £83 million ($128 million) during its launch week and selling two million copies in five days.

"In a year when overall consumer spending was down, 2011 proved to be a better than expected year for the UK's boxed-product games market," said UKIE Chairman Andy Payne. Helped by the launch of many top quality titles, particularly in quarter four, total software sales of £1.42bn was better than many predicted."

Overall, the total gross generated in the UK games market from hardware, software and accessories in 2011 was £2.5 billion ($3.9 billion), a drop of 13 percent. That's understandable since the global economy is horrible, so keep calm and carry on.

[mffoto via Shutterstock]