Video Games Daily News Digest

Words matter. And in a world where the Internet makes sure that anything you write or say will never, ever disappear (so long as no one detonates a weapon to wipe out all technology like that totally rad scene at the end of Escape from L.A.), they matter more than ever — which is something we’re not quite sure the video games industry has fully appreciated yet. And with any luck they never will, because the world would be a lot more mundane without deliciously insane quips like these flowing through the digital ether.

So in accordance with the custom at this time of year, we’ve put together a list of our favorite industry quotes of 2009. From hilarious to delusional, poignant to revelatory, there were nearly enough “say whaaa?” moments this year to fill two of these features. But below is the best of the best (or worst?) for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

The Wonders of Motion Controls

“[It's] like the 2D to 3D shift…that was the degree of shock I felt.”

- Hideo Kojima, on his reaction to seeing Project Natal for the first time.

We know that EA and BioWare have a long-term plan for Dragon Age: Origins. Even at launch the developer stated that two years worth of of DLC are in the works, and we’ll be receiving our first major bit of it next week. But a rumor is circulating today that the plans may be even more ambitious than we realized, with a full packaged expansion planned for March.

Big Download Blog reports on a page from Eurogamer.cz, the Czech gaming site. According to the translated text, the expansion is titled “The Awakening,” and will come out on March 19. The suggested price is around 2/3 the price of the original game, which would probably translate to $30-40 U.S. dollars. It’s also said to be a full packaged product that would be found in stores, and while only the PC version is mentioned, we expect BioWare would similarly support the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. The original game is reported to be required, and it will raise the level cap while also creating an entirely new, shorter campaign with a new character. The report states that EA will make the announcement official in early January, so we may see it any day now.

We don’t usually see such specificity in a rumor, so it’s hard not to think Eurogamer is on to something. Origins was always meant to be the start of a lucrative RPG franchise — it’s even present in the title. Still, until we hear official word from EA, we’re going to categorize this strictly as a rumor. We’ll keep you posted when, and if, we get more details.

Despite all the economic mishaps, Nintendo has had a pretty good year for sales — particularly at Amazon.com. The online retailer released a list (via Kotaku) of their top sellers for the year, which includes both hardware and software. Of the top 10 alone, Nintendo claimed nine spots.

1. Wii
2. Wii Remote
3. Wii Motion Plus
4. Wii Nunchuck
5. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
6. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
7. Wii Sports Resort
8. Wii Fit
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360)
10. Mario Kart Wii with Wheel
11. PS3 DualShock controller
12. Wii Play with Remote
13. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
14. Official Wii Wheel
15. Assassin’s Creed 2 (360)
16. Halo 3 ODST
17. PlayStation 3 120 GB
18. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
19. EA Sports Active
20. Left 4 Dead 2 (360)

For those curious only about software, if we remove hardware and accessories from the list, the top 10 sales are a little more evenly spread among the consoles.

In this in-depth postmortem, the Dutch independent developer Ronimo Games discusses what went right — and wrong — in creating critically acclaimed WiiWare side-scrolling console RTS Swords & Soldiers.

While some game makers had a tough year, others flourished. The result was a fine year for videogames in general, with some spectacular successes.

If one trend defined 2009, it was heavy delays on some of the year's most anticipated games. Though we had the usual holiday flood this year, it would have been much bigger if not for all the pushed back games that are set for early 2010. We even published a feature on the trend in August, and the delays just kept coming. So as we close out the year, let’s take another look at some of the titles delayed this year, and when they’re due.

One way not to delay a game can be found in an example from Sega. Rumors spread of an Alpha Protocol delay as reviewers noticed the company hadn’t sent any copies of the game; but it took until the game’s release day to finally confirm it. Now it’s set for spring of 2010. On the other end of the spectrum, Bayonetta was pushed into early next year to “maximize [its] potential,” but seems to have leaked to the public by major retailers already. So to be clear: one game waited until its release date to announce a delay, and the other was delayed but unofficially came out early.

The delay of BioShock 2 wasn’t quite as storied. It seemed to be a necessary move to improve the quality of the game, and now it’s due early next year. Dark Void, meanwhile, was more bluntly delayed to avoid the “crowded fall season.”

Modern Warfare 2’s iron grip on the UK sales chart continues. With a 17% rise in sales over last week, Infinity Ward’s latest remains the most sold game in the country. However, there is a challenger on the horizon — FIFA 10. After seeing an 18% rise in sales, the EA game was just 2,000 copies behind Modern Warfare 2’s numbers last week.

Looking at other recently released games, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II made a little comeback from number five to three while increasing sales by 5%, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii saw a -9% drop but held on to its number 7 spot. Top 20 follows.

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Assassin’s Creed II
4. Wii Sports Resort
5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
6. Wii Fit Plus
7. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
8. James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
9. Mario Kart Wii
10. Forza Motorsport 3
11. LEGO Batman: The Videogame
12. Just Dance
13. Left 4 Dead 2
14. Need for Speed: Shift
15. Pure
16. Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
17. Wii Play
18. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
19. Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training
20. Grand Theft Auto Episodes — Liberty City

One of my favorite moments from the original BioShock was right at the start. Mere minutes after reaching the dank underwater city of Rapture, injecting myself with strange powers, and dropping my jaw at just the foot of a Big Daddy, I’m stumbling down a corridor. Something catches my eye out of the window, and it isn’t simply a big fish; half of the plane I was on is sinking towards me. I watch in amazement/terror as the hulking mass of metal crashes into the corridor, and beautiful, crystal clear water pours through.

If, like me, you loved that moment, then this short gameplay video for BioShock 2 should bring back pleasant memories. It features a few quick clips of the player roaming Rapture as water comes in from all around, flooding the floor, leaking from pipes, and coming to an electrifying end.

You can get drenched in the BioShock 2 when the game comes out February 9th 2010.

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