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Ride Zips Onto PS4, Xbox One In October

John-Shepard 0 Comments

Ready to go for a ride?

Publisher Bandai Namco has announced that their new motorcycle racing game, Ride , will launch on October 6 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions will come out "later in the year." For the record, it has been available since March in Europe (they love their bike sports over there).

The game was originally supposed to be on store shelves in June but, like so many titles this generation, suffered a delay. Developed by Milestone s.r.l. (the Italian studio that also brought you the MotoGP games), Ride lets us straddle over 100 bikes and participate in four unique racing categories. We can also expect lots of vehicle and rider customization and a "huge" array of available tracks.

The last motorcycle game I played was MotoGP 09/10 and it wasn't very good. Let's hope Ride is a good deal better.

Related Game(s): Ride

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Dark Souls II Ships 1.2 Million In 3 Weeks

Ben-Dutka 5 Comments

See, super challenging games can sell.

From Software's critically acclaimed Dark Souls II shipped 1.2 million copies in only three weeks, as Namco Bandai revealed today as part of its earnings report for the fiscal year. This figure does not include PC sales (that version launched in April), nor Japanese sales.

This means the numbers are a little screwy but it's clear the sequel is performing better than its predecessor, as the original Dark Souls shipped about 1.5 million in its first month and went on to sell 2.4 million units. The publisher highlighted a few other solid performers: God Eater 2 (700,000 units in Japan only), Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (620,000 units worldwide), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle (550,000 units in Japan only), and Disney Magic Castle My Happy Life (500,000 units in Japan).

All told, the publisher posted revenue of 507 billion yen ($4.9 billion) for the year, which is a 4.2 percent rise over last year. Unfortunately, profit fell 22.6 percent to 25 billion yen ($246.2 million).

Related Game(s): Dark Souls II

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Dark Souls II UK Pre-Orders Tracking 50% Ahead Of Original

Ben-Dutka 5 Comments

The sequel is shaping up to be much more popular than the original.

According to a new MCV report , Dark Souls II pre-orders in the UK are currently 50 percent higher than its predecessor.

We're not sure if the anticipated sequel is enjoying a similar upswing here in North America, but it's possible. The success of Dark Souls put the sequel into the limelight, and Namco Bandai hasn't been shy about talking. The first title (which was the spiritual successor to the acclaimed Demon's Souls ) sold 2.3 million sales worldwide, and the publisher is obviously hoping for an even better performance from the sequel.

Advertising will be significant as well, especially in the UK, where Namco is investing another £1m into marketing and promotion. Again, you can probably expect the same thing here, as gamers everywhere now know the Dark Souls name. Dark Souls II is scheduled to launch on March 11 in the US for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and three days later in the UK.

Related Game(s): Dark Souls II

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Ni No Kuni Franchise Reaches 1.4 Million Sales

David-D--Nelson 25 Comments

A new IP is a tough sell; a new JRPG could be self-imposed financial suicide in the current atmosphere.

That didn't deter Level-5 and Studio Ghibli from giving us one of the highest rated (and most nostalgic) games of 2013 in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch . Publisher Namco Bandai has announced that the charming JRPG endeavor that touched so many hearts this year has reached worldwide sales of about 1.4 million copies according to IGN.

We should note that this also includes the Japan-only title Ni No Kuni on 3DS. Still though, that is an admirable figure for a game in an increasingly niche genre. Perhaps it just goes to show that quality and giving genre fans what they want matters more than mass appeal.

Could this spark more entries in the franchise? I would sure like to see it so but I'm still waiting for more Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy while pondering what Level-5 might be working on for PS4.