The NPD results were delayed a week for E3 2011. Yesterday they were released, so let's take a look at the top-sellers for the month of May. These numbers are courtesy of NeoGAF.
4-week tracking month; Reporting Period 5/1/11 through 5/28/11
Software (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC)
01. L.A. Noire (360, PS3) Take 2 Interactive - 899K
02. Brink (360, PS3, PC) Bethesda Softworks - 401K [360/PS3 Only]
03. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii, 360, NDS, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC) Disney Interactive Studios
04. Portal 2 (360, PS3, PC) Electronic Arts
05. Mortal Kombat 2011 (PS3, 360) Warner Bros. Interactive - 292K
06. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC) Activision Blizzard
07. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii, 360, PS3) Majesco
08. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, PC) Take 2 Interactive
09. Just Dance 2 (Wii) Ubisoft
10. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Wii, NDS, 360, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC) Lucasarts
Hardware
Xbox 360: 270K (+39%) [Best Selling Console]
PlayStation 3: 177K (+15%)
The top winner of the Showcase Showdown is L.A. Noire with over 800,000 copies purchased. Wait a minute. How did that Price is Right line get in there? No matter. I'm surprised by the critical flop known as Brink making second place even with all the poor scores. Again it seems like good advertising always prevails. In third place is the latest of the LEGO series of games followed closely by Portal 2. Mortal Kombat fights its way to fifth place showcasing another fighter with decent legs. The rest of the list is your regulars that have enough fight to stay on the top ten.
On the console side of the spectrum, thanks to Kinect, the Xbox 360 wins out the month once again while the PlayStation 3 gets a "good luck for trying" badge. The Wii winds up somewhere in the middle, and the 3DS barely gets off the ground for yet another month.
SPC Highlights
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs -Game Boy Advance - Edition
E3 is over, and this time around we'll be having blast from the past with music from five Game Boy Advance. Check your battery and get ready because the music begins now!
v731. Mario Tennis: Power Tour - Peach Tournament Match
Mario Tennis: Power Tour, much like Mario Golf: Advance Tour, was an RPG disguised as a sports game. You started as a neophyte tennis player making his or her way up the ranks in singles and doubles play. You start at Junior, then head to Senior, and then finally Varsity. It is after you reach rank 1 or 2 that you get to go to the Island Open and compete. After the credits roll, you unlock the ability to face off against Mario and the crew. In Power Tour Mario and the gang felt more like an afterthought with only six Mushroom Kingdom denizens as playable characters. This theme, Peach Tournament Match, plays in the Peach Dome during championship tournament matches.
v732. Drill Dozer - Art Museum
Drill Dozer (our first look at this game on the VGMs) was a new IP for the Game Boy Advance from the makers of the Pokemon series of games. It had you playing as a girl inside a miniature tank with a drill on the end of it. You drilled through blocks, bosses, and enemies in your adventure and quest to save the day and take back treasures from the bad guys. This theme, Art Museum, is quite catchy and plays during the second level of the game.
v733. Sonic Advance - Casino Paradise - Act Two
Speed through multiple acts and zones in the original Sonic Advance. This game would get a port on the ill-fated N-Gage in the form of Sonic N. Nonetheless, Sonic Advance was more than just jetting through levels and pressing right. There was some difficult platforming, badniks to outsmart, and bosses to beat. Casino Paradise - Act Two is a jazzy song that makes you want to get up, put on a top hat, and start tap-dancing. ...Maybe that's just me.
v734. Golden Sun - World Map
Golden Sun was a fun RPG romp that introduced puzzle elements and Psyenergy to dungeons and other in-game areas. Sure, most battles could be summon-fests, but the game was universally enjoyed by many a-gamer. I find the Golden Sun games to be a little text-heavy. The script could use some brevity-- that's for sure. Regardless, if you're looking for a great system for JRPGs, the Game Boy Advance has several excellent ones including Golden Sun. This track is the World Map theme as heard in both Golden Sun and its sequel, the Lost Age.
v735. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - Dark Hyrule Castle
Dark Hyrule Castle is the final of five main dungeons in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The game itself focused on exploration, adventuring, fun combat, and brain-bending puzzle-solving. Unlike most Zelda games, Ganon was nowhere to found. Instead the enemy was a bad guy named Vaati. To this day I really enjoy playing this tremendous title-- fusing kinstones and saving the Princess.
Nothing like nostalgia to make you feel good. That does it for this week of favorite VGMs. The VGMs will see you next week, but I'll be back for more content tomorrow. Good day!
v731. Mario Tennis: Power Tour - Peach Tournament Match
Mario Tennis: Power Tour, much like Mario Golf: Advance Tour, was an RPG disguised as a sports game. You started as a neophyte tennis player making his or her way up the ranks in singles and doubles play. You start at Junior, then head to Senior, and then finally Varsity. It is after you reach rank 1 or 2 that you get to go to the Island Open and compete. After the credits roll, you unlock the ability to face off against Mario and the crew. In Power Tour Mario and the gang felt more like an afterthought with only six Mushroom Kingdom denizens as playable characters. This theme, Peach Tournament Match, plays in the Peach Dome during championship tournament matches.
v732. Drill Dozer - Art Museum
Drill Dozer (our first look at this game on the VGMs) was a new IP for the Game Boy Advance from the makers of the Pokemon series of games. It had you playing as a girl inside a miniature tank with a drill on the end of it. You drilled through blocks, bosses, and enemies in your adventure and quest to save the day and take back treasures from the bad guys. This theme, Art Museum, is quite catchy and plays during the second level of the game.
v733. Sonic Advance - Casino Paradise - Act Two
Speed through multiple acts and zones in the original Sonic Advance. This game would get a port on the ill-fated N-Gage in the form of Sonic N. Nonetheless, Sonic Advance was more than just jetting through levels and pressing right. There was some difficult platforming, badniks to outsmart, and bosses to beat. Casino Paradise - Act Two is a jazzy song that makes you want to get up, put on a top hat, and start tap-dancing. ...Maybe that's just me.
v734. Golden Sun - World Map
Golden Sun was a fun RPG romp that introduced puzzle elements and Psyenergy to dungeons and other in-game areas. Sure, most battles could be summon-fests, but the game was universally enjoyed by many a-gamer. I find the Golden Sun games to be a little text-heavy. The script could use some brevity-- that's for sure. Regardless, if you're looking for a great system for JRPGs, the Game Boy Advance has several excellent ones including Golden Sun. This track is the World Map theme as heard in both Golden Sun and its sequel, the Lost Age.
v735. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - Dark Hyrule Castle
Dark Hyrule Castle is the final of five main dungeons in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The game itself focused on exploration, adventuring, fun combat, and brain-bending puzzle-solving. Unlike most Zelda games, Ganon was nowhere to found. Instead the enemy was a bad guy named Vaati. To this day I really enjoy playing this tremendous title-- fusing kinstones and saving the Princess.
Nothing like nostalgia to make you feel good. That does it for this week of favorite VGMs. The VGMs will see you next week, but I'll be back for more content tomorrow. Good day!
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) Launch Trailer
In but a week fans of the ever-popular, ever-heralded Zelda franchise will get to sink their collective teeth into a remastered and 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the Nintendo 3DS. Watch this launch trailer that is basically the original commercial that aired in 1998 for the original version of the game. Enjoy that nostalgia.