NEW RELEASES
This is it, guys; gaming nirvana is upon us. There are more games coming out this month than you have time to play or pay for, so buckle up and allow us to suggest a few of the top choices.
First up, November 4 brings the latest entry in the first-person shooter juggernaut, Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, PS3, 360, PC). For anybody keeping up with the series, AW introduces exosuits, futuristic tech and Hollywood heavyweight Kevin Spacey.
If shooting’s not your thing, hold out until November 13 and you can get your next football fix with Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 (XBO, PS4, PS3, 360, PC). It’s the first time the series is hitting the new consoles and is bound to bring the fight to the FIFA franchise.
On November 18 you’ll be granted a double whammy with both Far Cry 4 (XBO, PS4, PS3, 360, PC) and GTA V hitting store shelves. The latter brings the biggest game of last year to PS4 and Xbox One, while the former lets you ride elephants and cause all sorts of open-world mayhem. A day later, PS Vita owners finally get some lovin’ with Minecraft, allowing users to delve into the insanely popular world-builder on the go.
We’d be remiss not to mention anything for the kiddies, but you’ll have to wait until the end of the month for the good stuff. November 21 sees the release of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (3DS) – a fresh take on Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire – while November 26 brings the third entry in the charming LEGO Batman franchise, Beyond Gotham (XBO, PS4, PS3, 360, PC, Wii U) – guaranteed to contain more block-building and cooperative fun.
NEWS
Microsoft Buys Mojang
In what is probably going to be the biggest news of 2014, Microsoft has pulled out its chequebook and acquired Mojang, the developer behind the insanely popular and profitable cash cow Minecraft, for a whopping US$2.5 billion. Still, the company expects to break even on its acquisition by the end of June 2015. According to the development team, there is no reason for the development, sales and support of the PC/Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, iOS and Android versions of Minecraft to stop, so fans without a Microsoft-made console needn’t worry about losing their precious title… just yet, anyway.
Meanwhile, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson (the actual creator of the game) will be leaving the studio once the deal is done. “I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter,” he said. Persson plans to go back to working on small experimental projects, including Ludum Dares game jams, and avoiding the creation of another Minecraft. “If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately,” he admitted.
Video Games On The Rise
Major video games retailer EB Games is, unsurprisingly, publicly predicting its sales will skyrocket, despite the slump currently prominent within the larger retail industry. Michael Mauler, executive vice president of EB’s US parent company GameStop, believes that despite the general decline, game sales should rise between ten and 15% worldwide this year – and Australia will very much play a role, especially considering that our country is not only EB’s fastest growing market (with 380 stores nationally and another 40 in New Zealand), but GameStop’s third-biggest market behind the US and Europe. “It’s bigger than music, bigger than box office. So ten to 15 per cent growth on a $100 billion business is pretty significant,” Mauler told The Sydney Morning Herald.
