Velocity Gameplay Video

Here's a gameplay video for Velocity.

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Escape From Mount Stupid: Final Fantasy - Part 1

Part one of Danny and Mark's journey through the history of the Final Fantasy series.

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Escape From Mount Stupid: Football Games

We have everything you ever wanted to know about football (all right, soccer) games in one handy video.

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Escape From Mount Stupid: Angry Birds

We have everything you ever wanted to know about Angry Birds in one handy video and presented by Danny O'Dwyer.

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Kojima hiring for next Metal Gear Solid

Hideo Kojima unveils GDC job site for upcoming Metal Gear title; site displays Big Boss; Californian development studio on the horizon.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima today revealed the search is on to find new development talent for the next title in the popular franchise.

Kojima used Twitter to unveil a GDC job portal site with the title: "Big Boss Wants You; The 'Next' MGS."

Big Boss, reporting for duty.

The site advertises for programming, art, game design, sound, and production roles, highlighting the next Metal Gear Solid is "targeted for high-end consoles and PC" and will use the FOX Engine.

The site advertises for positions in two locations: Japan, and California, US. Kojima Productions producer Ken-ichiro Imaizumi tweeted that the company is planning to open a studio in California, "If we can find the right people."

Another part of the site links to an image of Big Boss, but reveals no further information.

Kojima has alluded to the next series in the franchise in the past, and rumors pinned Kojima's next project as powered by the FOX Engine, which was publicly shown for the first time during Konami's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference last year.

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Jeremy Lin NBA 2K12 Gameplay Video

Jeremy Lin continues his hot streak in this gameplay highlight reel for NBA 2K12.

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TMNT game coming from Activision?

Ninja Turtles display at Toy Fair 2012 lists game publisher as a cross-promotional licensor for new cartoon series.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back with a new cartoon, new toys, and apparently a new game from Activision.

Maybe Activision is just licensing TMNT for a line of waffle irons or something.

The news stems from a series of pictures on ToyArk documenting the Playmates Toys booth at the recently wrapped 2012 Toy Fair in impressive detail. Among the pictured items is a sign detailing Playmates' marketing plans for the toy line, including "Cross promotions with key licensees, including [comic publisher] IDW and Activision." IDW announced its deal to make new TMNT comics last year, but Activision has yet to confirm a game featuring the foursome.

Activision would be the third gaming publisher to try its hand at a Ninja Turtles game. Konami was the brand's first and longest-running publishing partner, with a string of games lasting from the Turtles' NES and arcade games of 1989 through 2005's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare. Ubisoft took over the franchise in 2007, starting with tie-ins for the computer-animated feature film TMNT, and it produced a handful of titles during the following two years.

As of press time, an Activision representative had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.

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Big in Japan Feb. 6-12: Suikoden, Gravity Rush

Two portable Sony titles dominate the Japanese software chart, but the 3DS is still the reigning hardware for the week.

It's tough and risky to launch a new IP, but the recent title Gravity Rush seems to be enjoying a good amount of sales alongside a Suikoden sequel in this week's Media Create sales update. The PS Vita adventure title was at second place, with 43,462 units sold, while Konami's role-playing entry for the PSP was at the top, with 61,784 units sold. Meanwhile, former fourth-place holder Ragnarok Odyssey dropped to ninth place, with 8,117 units sold.

Suikoden and gravity-shifting girls beat everything else last week.

Gravity Rush puts gamers into the shoes of Kat, a young girl with a unique power to control gravity around her. The game's lead director is Keiichiro Toyama, who is renowned for the first Silent Hill title, and for Siren. For more information, check out GameSpot's in-depth coverage of the Hong Kong version of the game.

The latest Suikoden title, Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki, is about a warrior who is sent back to the past to gather a group of soldiers to combat an extinction-level threat that appears every 100 years. Players can have a party of six warriors and perform team-up attacks, as well as learn skills from each other to boost their effectiveness.

Following just behind are a slew of 3DS titles still clinging on to the top 10 since their releases. Resident Evil: Revelations for the 3DS was at third place, with 26,106 units sold, while Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS was at fourth place, with 23,758 units sold. Capcom's recent Monster Hunter title for the 3DS remained strong at fifth place with 21,318 units sold, while Super Mario 3D Land trailed behind, with 19,673 units sold.

Non-mobile titles in the top 10 include the recent revamp of Gran Turismo 5, subtitled Spec II. The racing title from Polyphony Digital was at seventh place, with 12,613 units sold, with the PlayStation 3 version of Armored Core V right behind, with 11,673 units sold. Capping off the top 10 was Just Dance Wii, with 7,896 units sold.

On the hardware end of the spectrum, the 3DS was still on top, with 67,558 units sold. This was followed by all three of Sony's platforms: the PS3 sold 22,002 units, while the PSP and PS Vita portable systems sold 15,860 and 13,939 units, respectively.

Japan game sales week of February 6 - February 12

Software
Rank/Title/Publisher/Platform/ Unit sales
1. Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki/Konami/PSP/61,784
2. Gravity Rush/Sony/PS Vita/43,462
3. Resident Evil: Revelations/Capcom/3DS/26,106
4. Mario Kart 7/Nintendo/3DS/23,758
5. Monster Hunter 3G/Capcom/3DS/21,318
6. Super Mario 3D Land/Nintendo/3DS/19,673
7. Gran Turismo 5 Spec II/Sony/PS3/12,613
8. Armored Core V/Namco Bandai/PS3/11,673
9. Ragnarok Odyssey/Gung-Ho/PS Vita/8117
10. Just Dance Wii/Nintendo/Wii/7896

Hardware
3DS - 67,558
PS3 - 22,002
PSP - 15,860
PS Vita - 13,939
Wii - 8,206
PS2 - 1,239
Xbox 360 - 1,139
DSi XL - 957
DSi - 651

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Arkham City, L.A. Noire lead BAFTA nominations

Contenders for the UK's top video game awards revealed; Uncharted 3, Little Big Planet 2 also hotly tipped.

Following on from last week's announcement of the nominees for the ceremony's one publicly voted award, BAFTA today revealed the games up for the rest of this year's British Academy Video Games Awards. Batman: Arkham City and L.A. Noire lead the way with eight nominations each, while Little Big Planet 2 and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception are nipping at their heels with six nominations.

Mad Men's Aaron Staton is one of those up for the inaugural performer award.

The teams behind Portal 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will also be donning tuxedos with high hopes after both games secured five nominations each, as will those responsible for Deus Ex: Human revolution, after seeing their game nominated in four categories. Other multiple nominees were Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which both received three nods, Bastion, Battlefield 3, Dance Central 2, Dark Souls, FIFA 12, From Dust, Kinect Sports: Season Two, Monstermind, The Nightjar, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D Land, and Total War: Shogun 2, which each received two.

Arkham City, FIFA 12, L.A. Noire, Portal 2, Skyrim, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will do battle for the big award of the night, the Best Game prize. 2012 will also be the first year that the best performer category will be included, with a number of well-known stars in contention. Aaron Staton, nominated for his portrayal of Cole Phelps in L.A. Noire, is up against Mark Hamill (the Joker in Arkham City), Stephen Fry (the narrator in Little Big Planet 2), Stephen Merchant (Wheatley in Portal 2), and gaming stalwarts Nolan North (Nathan Drake in Uncharted 3) and Togo Igawa (diplomat, advisor, and military general in Shogun 2: Total War).

One existing category that often causes confusion is Best Strategy, this year being contested by Shogun 2, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, Football Manager 2012, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dark Souls, and From Dust. BAFTA defines the strategy category as honouring games "centred around the use of strategic gameplay," rather than simply those that fall into the strategy genre.

The full list of nominations can be found on BAFTA's website.

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NBA 2K12 GOTY hitting Best Buy March 11

Take-Two partners with retail giant for $50 edition of basketball sim that includes Legend's Showcase add-on and poster featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.

NBA 2K12 will soon have new life. Today, publisher Take-Two announced that a Game of the Year edition of the well-received basketball simulator will arrive for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 exclusively at Best Buy on March 11.

NBA 2K12 goes big, and maybe to your home, this March.

The NBA 2K12 Game of the Year Edition will retail for $50 and include the previously released Legend's Showcase add-on, as well as a poster featuring Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. According to Take-Two, it will be available for a limited time only.

No mention was made as to whether or not the NBA 2K12 Game of the Year edition will be available outside of Best Buy.

Developed by Visual Concepts, NBA 2K12 was originally released in October and went on to sell more than 4 million units. For more on the title, check out GameSpot's review.

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NFL Blitz tops PSN January sales

EA Sports' arcade football game leads Sony's monthly sales chart; NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat collection, Infamous: Festival of Blood, and Sonic CD round out top five.

Sony today released its list of the top 20 best-selling PlayStation Network games for the month of January, revealing NFL Blitz to be the top-selling game during the month.

NFL Blitz tackled the competition on the PSN in January.

The $15 arcade football game was released on January 3 and features two-minute quarters of penalty-free action and over-the-top hits. The game was developed by Madden house EA Tiburon. Rounding out the top five were NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection, Infamous: Festival of Blood, and Sonic CD.

As for best-selling PlayStation 3 add-ons, Battlefield 3's Back to Karkand expansion--which went on sale in December--was the biggest digital ware of January. The PSOne Classics category was dominated by Square Enix titles from the Final Fantasy and Chrono Cross series, with Corpse Party and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X grabbing the top two spots on the PSP-specific charts.

The full list of top PSN titles--broken down by category--is below.

Top 20 PSN and PS3 full games:

1. NFL Blitz
2. NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
3. Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection
4. Infamous 2: Festival of Blood
5. Sonic CD
6. Payday: The Heist
7. Dungeon Defenders
8. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
9. Amy
10. Crysis
11. Resident Evil 4
12. Shadow of the Colossus
13. Castle Crashers
14. Trine 2
15. Real Steel
16. Darksiders
17. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
18. Battlefield 1943
19. Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition
20. Saints Row 2

Top 5 PS3 add-ons
1. Battlefield 3--Back to Karkand
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops
3. Gran Turismo 5--Car Pack 3
4. Gran Turismo 5--Speed Test Course Pack
5. Battlefield 3--SPECACT Kit & Dog Tag Bundle

Top 5 PSOne Classics
1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Final Fantasy VI
3. Final Fantasy Origins
4. Chrono Cross
5. Final Fantasy IX

Top 5 PSP Games
1. Corpse Party
2. Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
3. NBA 2K12
4. Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
5. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

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Angry Birds hatches on Facebook

Rovio's strategy megahit slingshots onto social networking giant with new power-ups, social features.

Facebook is a hot spot for casual games, but until today, it lacked arguably the hottest on the market. Today, Rovio's ultrapopular strategy game Angry Birds landed on the social networking giant.

Where isn't Angry Birds available?

Angry Birds on Facebook offers gamers new power-ups and additional social features. The new power-ups are Sling Scope, King Sling, Super Seeds, and Birdquake.

As for the game's new social features, those who play Angry Birds on Facebook can brag about their high scores with news feed posts, and they can give friends "mystery gifts," which contain power-ups.

Angry Birds is available on a number of platforms, including the 3DS, PSP, PlayStation 3, iOS and Android mobile devices, Google Chrome, Google Plus, and Amazon's Kindle Fire. The game has been downloaded over 500 million times, including 6.5 million instances on Christmas Day alone.

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Assassin's Creed 3 due this year?

Supposed 2012 release schedule indicates new entries in Assassins' Creed, Splinter Cell, and Prince of Persia franchises due later this year; Just Dance Final Party also rumored.

Source: Gaming news site Gameranx.

What we heard: If a purported Ubisoft 2012 release schedule proves accurate, the publisher will ship new entries in many of its major franchises--including Assassin's Creed 3--before the year is out.

Gameranx got hold of Ubisoft's alleged 2012 software release schedule and on it were several announced titles, led by Assassin's Creed 3. No further information regarding that game was made available, though Ubisoft said last year that a "full-fledged" Assassin's Creed game was due out in 2012.

Is Assassin's Creed 3 dropping in 2012?

Additionally, the calendar shows that a new Splinter Cell title--Splinter Cell: Retribution--will arrive for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this year. A new Splinter Cell game is currently in development at the publisher's outfit in Toronto, but it has not been officially announced.

The schedule also indicates that a new entry in the Just Dance franchise reportedly titled Just Dance Final Party will be released this year. That game is rumored to see release for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The Just Dance franchise has sold more than 25 million units, and Ubisoft told GameSpot last month that it was especially pleased with Just Dance's ability to win over hardcore gamers.

The last unannounced title on the supposed 2012 Ubisoft calendar was Prince of Persia for the Wii and 3DS. No further information was provided concerning this title.

The release schedule also mentioned Brothers in Arms: Furious 4, I Am Alive, Far Cry 3, Ghost Recon: Future Solider, and Ghost Recon Online, all of which have been previously announced as due in 2012.

The official story: A Ubisoft representative told GameSpot, "We're thrilled and kind of amused to see this lineup news. It shows that players are anxious to hear about Ubisoft's upcoming releases. However, this reported lineup is inaccurate. We guarantee you that you'll hear directly from us soon about the amazing variety of games Ubisoft has slated for fiscal year 2012-13."

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus that Ubisoft would commission a third core entry in the Assassin's Creed series given the major success of the brand thus far. However, when it will actually ship, only Ubisoft knows. As for the unannounced games, new entries in the Splinter Cell and Just Dance franchises seem likely. However, Ubisoft said the list is inaccurate, indicating at least something is amiss here.

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Finger Mechanics - Major League Baseball 2K12 Trailer

Supermodel Kate Upton gives Justin Verlander, David Price, C.J. Wilson, and Jay Bruce some pitching mechanics tips in MLB 2K12.

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Mini Golf Mania Gameplay Trailer

Check out a Mini Golf Mania gameplay trailer for the PSP.

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Lego Star Wars franchise sells 30 million

The Lego Group reveals new sales statistics for block-style platforming games based on popular sci-fi universe; contract extended through 2022 with Lucasfilm Ltd.

The Force is strong with The Lego Group. Today, the popular toymaker announced that sales of the four Lego Star Wars titles have reached more than 30 million units life-to-date.

Strong sales, the Lego Star Wars series has reached.

In addition to revealing the new sales milestone for Lego Star Wars, The Lego Group announced today that it had entered into a new licensing deal with Lucasfilm Ltd. for an additional 10 years. It was not mentioned if a new Lego Star Wars game was in development as part of the contract extension.

The Lego Group first picked up the rights to the Star Wars franchise from Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1999, with the initial Lego Star Wars game--Lego Star Wars: The Video Game--released in 2005.

Following that were 2006's Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, 2007's Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and 2011's Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.

For more on the latest Lego Star Wars title, check out GameSpot's review of Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.

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Little Big Planet Karting confirmed

Sony affirms speculation of kart racing gaming in platformer series in development; platform(s) and release date TBA.

The rumors were right. Sony today confirmed that a Little Big Planet kart racing game titled Little Big Planet Karting is in development.

Little Big Planet Karting is in development, but that's all we know for sure.

The news stems from the official PlayStation Twitter account, which wrote earlier today, "We can confirm that LittleBigPlanet Karting is in fact in development."

This week's speculation pointed to Little Big Planet Karting being released for the PlayStation 3 with 3D support, but Sony did not confirm those elements.

Additionally, no mention was made as to which studio will develop the game or when it will be released, though Sony said gamers can expect more news "soon."

The next Little Big Planet game due out is Little Big Planet for the PlayStation Vita, which does not yet have a release date.

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Skyrim wins IAA Game of the Year

The Elder Scrolls V caps a big night by winning multiple categories, top honors at the Interactive Achievement Awards.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim cast a dragon-size shadow over the 15th annual Interactive Achievement Awards, taking home five awards, including Game of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.

It's the Game of the Year (and not just because it would take you that long to see it all).

It beat out a competitive group in the top category, including Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, Uncharted 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. With the exception of Skyward Sword, the above titles all won other awards at the ceremony, with Uncharted picking up a trio of gongs for various visual categories.

Not all of the award recipients were revealed at the event. The organizing Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announced that Asteroids and Centipede designer Ed Logg would be receiving the annual Pioneer Award, while Epic Games cofounder Tim Sweeney would be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.

The IAA show is a highlight of the D.I.C.E. Summit (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain), a yearly conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. For complete video of the ceremony, as well as every D.I.C.E. panel and presentation, keep an eye on GameSpot's official coverage page.

A full list of nominees follows below. Winners have been italicized.

Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
Portal 2--Valve
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--Bethesda Game Studios
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword--Nintendo
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Little Big Planet 2--Media Molecule
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog
InFamous 2--Sucker Punch
Portal 2--Valve

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Battlefield 3--DICE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3--Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Need for Speed: The Run--EA Black Box
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Story
Bastion--Supergiant Games
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Portal 2--Valve
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--Bethesda Game Studios
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Character Performance
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Adam Jensen)--Eidos Montreal
L.A. Noire (Cole Phelps)--Team Bondi
Portal 2 (Wheatley)--Valve
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Nathan Drake)--Naughty Dog
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Victor Sullivan)--Naughty Dog

Downloadable Game of the Year
Bastion--Supergiant Games
Drawn: Trail of Shadows--Big Fish Games
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet--Fuel Cell
Ms. Splosion Man--Twisted Pixel Games
Orcs Must Die!--Robot Entertainment

Casual Game of the Year
Fruit Ninja Kinect--Halfbrick Studios
Tiny Wings--Andreas Illiger
Jetpack Joyride--Halfbrick Studios
Monsters Ate My Condo--Adult Swim/PikPok
Where's My Water?--Creature Feep

Social Networking Game of the Year
Army Attack--Digital Chocolate
CastleVille--Zynga
Gardens of Time--Playdom
The Sims Social--Playfish
Triple Town--Spry Fox

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Dark Souls--From Software
Deus Ex: Human Revolution--Eidos Montreal
Star Wars: The Old Republic--BioWare Austin
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--Bethesda Game Studios
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings--CD Projekt

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Bastion--Supergiant Games
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Portal 2--Valve
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure--Toys for Bob
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--Bethesda Game Studios

Sports Game of the Year
FIFA 12--EA Canada
Madden NFL 12--Tiburon
MLB 11: The Show--SCE San Diego
NBA 2K12--Visual Concepts
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition--Firemint

Racing Game of the Year
Forza Motorsport 4--Turn 10 Studios
Mario Kart 7--Nintendo
Real Racing 2 HD--Firemint

Fighting Game of the Year
Fight Night Champion--EA Canada
King of Fighters XIII--SNK Playmore
Mortal Kombat--NetherRealm Studios
Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition--Capcom
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3--Capcom

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Iron Brigade--Double Fine
Orcs Must Die!--Robot Entertainment
Total War: Shogun 2--The Creative Assembly
Toy Soldiers: Cold War--Signal Studios
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution--Relic Entertainment

Family Game of the Year
Dance Central 2--Harmonix
Just Dance 3--Ubisoft Paris
Kinect Disneyland Adventure--Frontier Developments
Little Big Planet 2--Media Molecule
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure--Toys for Bob

Mobile Game of the Year
Contre Jour--Chillingo
Dead Space--EA Mobile
Infinity Blade II--Chair Entertainment
Tentacles--Press Play
The Dark Meadow--Phosphor Games Studio

Handheld Game of the Year
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective--Capcom
Kirby Mass Attack--Hal Laboratory
Mario Kart 7--Nintendo
Professor Layton and the Last Specter--Level 5
Super Mario 3D Land--Nintendo

Adventure Game of the Year
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Portal 2--Valve
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword--Nintendo
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play
Battlefield 3--DICE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3--Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games
Gears of War 3--Epic Games
Little Big Planet 2--Media Molecule
Star Wars: The Old Republic--BioWare Austin

Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity
Battlefield 3--DICE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3--Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games
Dragon Age II--BioWare Edmonton
Portal 2--Valve
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Action Game of the Year
Battlefield 3--DICE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3--Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games
Dead Space 2--Visceral Games
Gears of War 3--Epic Games
Saints Row: The Third--Volition

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Assassin's Creed: Revelations--Ubisoft Montreal
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Rayman Origins--UbiArt Montpellier
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
Battlefield 3--DICE
Portal 2--Valve
Rayman Origins--UbiArt Montpellier
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
Crysis 2--Crytek GmbH
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Rage--id Software
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
Portal 2--Valve
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure--Toys for Bob
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--Bethesda Game Studios
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword--Nintendo

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Batman: Arkham City--Rocksteady Studios
L.A. Noire--Team Bondi
Portal 2--Valve
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim--Bethesda Game Studios
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception--Naughty Dog

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US game retail industry tanks in January - NPD

New physical channel sales fall 34 percent to $750.6 million; Xbox 360 leads hardware, Modern Warfare 3 tops software.

The US retail game industry has taken its first step into 2012, and it appears to have resulted in a broken ankle. Today, the NPD Group reported dismal January retail sales, with total consumer spend in the US falling 34 percent to $750.6 million.

Modern Warfare 3 outperformed all others during a very slow month.

"One factor for the double digit declines in new physical software was the lack of new launches. New launches in January 2011 represented 13 percent of dollar sales and new launch performance dropped 99 percent in Jan 2012. Games like Dead Space 2, Little Big Planet 2, and DC Universe Online ranked within the top ten last year," commented NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

New software sales for console, portable, and PC games fell 37 percent during the month to $379.6 million. However, NPD did note that it expects sales outside the new physical channel, such as full-game and add-on downloads, social games, subscriptions, and rentals, brought in an additional $350 million to $400 million in January.

The top game of 2011 maintained its number one position, as Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 led January's sales charts. In fact, there was no change at the top over December. Ubisoft's Just Dance 3 again finished second at US retail, with Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim securing third place. Take-Two's NBA 2K12 emerged to edge out EA's Battlefield 3 for fourth- and fifth-best-selling games.

Hardware took an equally hard hit in January, falling 38 percent to $199.5 million. Though NPD does not release its sales figures, Microsoft independently announced that its console was the best selling of the bunch for the 13th month in a row, having shifted 270,000 units. Sony and Nintendo had not disclosed hardware sales figures as of press time.

JANUARY 2012 US GAME SALES
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Total retail sales: $750.6 million (-34%)
Non-PC hardware: $199.5 million (-38%)
Non-PC software: $355.9 million (-38%)
Total software: $379.6 million (-37%)
Accessories: $195.2 million (-18%)

TOP 10 GAMES FOR JANUARY 2011
Title (Platforms) - Publisher
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - Activision
2. Just Dance 3 (Wii, 360, PS3) - Ubisoft
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (360, PS3, PC) - Bethesda Softworks
4. NBA 2K12 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) - Take-Two
5. Battlefield 3 (X360, PS3, PC) - EA
6. Madden NFL 12 (X360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) - EA
7. Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - Nintendo
8. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, PC) - Activision Blizzard
9. Zumba Fitness 2 (Wii) - Majesco
10. Saints Row: The Third (360, PS3, PC) - THQ

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Major League Baseball 2K12 Official Trailer

Check out the official trailer for Major League Baseball 2K12, spotlighting the latest features in the game.

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