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JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 9 - November 13


We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

The Office: Series One (Netflix Watch Instantly)
While everyone was quick to sneer at the American version of The Office on NBC and say "Oh, it's not as good as the original," that new show has gone a long way towards proving itself. However, they're right ... it's still not as good as the original. Now the entire British run of The Office is available on Netflix. If you haven't seen it yet, dive in here with the entire first series, then move on to Series Two and the Specials. Ricky Gervais hasn't struck box office gold yet in America (his movies Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying have fallen a bit flat), but The Office is more than good enough to make up for it.

Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

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EEDAR: Blame low industry sales on casual gamers

EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich recently told Industry Gamers that the low sales reported by NPD in October can be attributed mainly to casual gamers. Specifically, he placed the blame on "non-traditional and casual gamers who have failed to make follow-up purchases." Conversely, Divnich said that core game sales have been "quite healthy" throughout 2009. So, what can drive casual gamers back to the cash register? "it will take the introduction of some new style of gameplay or peripheral before we see a resurgence in the casual and non-traditional markets," said Divnich, noting that his company expects a new DS to arrive in 2010 (presumably a next generation model, not another redesign). In addition, Divnich believes that Microsoft's Project Natal could reinvigorate interest in motion-controlled gaming among both core and casual gamers.

Divnich also reiterated his belief that the Wii will remain on top for the rest of the year. He also thinks the PS3 could outsell the Xbox 360 over the holidays. He did note, however, that PS3 sales are "declining much faster post-price drop than the Xbx 360," suggesting that it's too early to claim any definite winners in the long run.

New Red Dead Redemption screens showcase the finer things in (cowboy) life


A slow trickle of information and media on upcoming Old West-em-up Red Dead Redemption has been coming from developer Rockstar Games for some time now. And if it weren't for the game's somewhat unique setting – as well as our (admittedly strained) faith in the game's developer – we might not indulge the it with so much attention. Alas, these screens, much like the screens and video that came before them, keep impressing us. Call it a predilection for Western-themed entertainment ... we're not sure. Peep the screens below and decide for yourself if the game is worth your time during the busy second holiday release season.

Japanese gamers can feast on Bitter Chocolate in December

Japanese shmup/strategy fans may already have a bitter taste in their mouths as a result of R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate missing its October 29 release date. However, that taste should be replaced by the much more pleasant (but still bitter) flavor they desire on December 10, when the game launches for real. Okay, we'll stop making jokes about the title from now until the end of the post.

The UMD release will sell for ¥5,040 ($50.60) and will be accompanied by a soundtrack disc as a pre-order bonus, while the digital release will cost ¥3,800 ($42). You can hear samples of the soundtrack, which features selections from various R-Type games and Image Fight, on the official site. No announcements have been made for a release outside of Japan, but the nice thing about digital releases is that you can always just sign into a Japanese PSN account and download the thing!

[Via Andriasang]

Avatar gameplay trailer shows off blue guy's athleticism

We finally understand why James Cameron spoke for nine-and-a-half hours about his upcoming film/game, Avatar, during Ubisoft's E3 press conference earlier this year. Without the context provided during his lengthy diatribe, we'd have absolutely no idea what was going on in the above gameplay trailer for his long overdue film's video game adaptation. However, now we understand perfectly: A blue alien guy is murdering humans with primitive weapons.

Now wait just a second. Let's forget the fact that when one brings a knife (or in this case, a long, spiked club) to a gun fight, one rarely claims victory. Instead, let's focus on the fact that Mr. Cameron wants us to root against humanity. "Oh, but they're polluting their planet," you might cry. No, they're doing their job. That's a thing humans have to do from time to time. They don't have the freedom to skip around lush jungles all day, riding around on pterodactyls. They have responsibilities, and we're not really comfortable with playing as the turquoise-toned authors of their eradication for that reason alone.

SingStar developers working to fix bugs introduced in latest patch

Dave Ranyard, the Game Director for SingStar, recently announced a fairly huge patch for the karaoke-infused rhythm title on the European PlayStation Blog. See, it would have to pretty large in order to completely encompass the game's previous patch, which apparently broke a lot of things.

The game's last patch, software update 4.20, is apparently capable of deleting purchased songs off the system's hard drive, crashing the game in the middle of those songs or generally corrupting your media files. Fortunately, SingStar v4.30 is currently undergoing QA testing, and is targeted for a December 1 release. Just in time for the holidays, SingStar owners will receive the gift of not having their stuff deleted any more. Or, as we like to call it, the gift that keeps on giving.

Metal Gear Rex toy will launch a nuclear assault on your heart

Created with the capability to launch a nuclear slug, halfway across the world -- undetected -- Metal Gear Rex is anything but cute. That is, until you shrink it down to toy size, at which point it becomes positively adorable. The killer collectible was initially spotted by a Toyark forum member, who noted it was coming from threeA. The forum dweller further noted that Rex appears to be 15 to 17 inches tall.

We're not sure if the railgun is functional but, if push comes to shove, you could definitely launch some rubber bands off of that thing. Pricing and release information have not yet been revealed.

[Via TomoPop. Thanks, Gusto]

Rumor: Best Buy's 2009 Black Friday deals

According to Gear Live, Best Buy's Black Friday 2009 ad circular has been leaked, and all the deals have been revealed. Gamers have quite a bit to look forward to, specifically some decent hardware bundles and heavily discounted games. The console deals include a PS3 with Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time and LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition for $299, as well as a 120GB Xbox 360 Elite bundle with four (thus far unidentified) games for $299. Also up for grabs will be Brain Age or Mario DSi bundles for $169.99 with a free $20 gift card.

Several recent Xbox 360 and PS3 releases will be on sale for $34.99, including Brütal Legend, Left 4 Dead 2, Dragon Age. Many older titles will be $20 or less. Meanwhile, several Wii titles will be reduced to $14.99, while certain DS titles will drop to $9.99 or less. Hit the source link for the full (and still rumored) set of deals. We've contacted Best Buy to verify the ad.

Update: Best Buy has responded to Joystiq about the ad, saying, "As a matter of company policy, Best Buy does not comment on rumor and speculation and so we are unable to confirm if our Black Friday insert has leaked."

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 multiplayer deets uncovered


Over at the PlayStation Blog, details for the competitive multiplayer modes for SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 have spilled out revealing the game will feature 16-player competitive multiplayer games across eight maps and seven new modes. The modes -- which are available both locally and over the Internet -- include a "Leader Mode" allowing players to designate team captains and a "Tug-of-War" mode, where teams fight for tickets similar to the Battlefield franchise.

Playing SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 online also allows worldwide players to experience tournaments, clan modes, character customization and voice chat. Voice chat, you say? Finally our dream of bringing hateful language on the go can be realized.

Reminder: Assassin's Creed, too, on PSP next week

Following a surprisingly passionate fanboy petition, an Assassin's Creed game is actually coming to PSP. Ubisoft hasn't done much to promote the upcoming PSP exclusive, Bloodlines, but this new trailer -- released a few days before the game hits store shelves -- is something ... right?

In addition to showcasing the game's crisp look, the trailer emphasizes connectivity between Assassin's Creed II on PS3 and Bloodlines on PSP -- both due out next week -- without actually going into detail. Thankfully, we already found out about some of those features.

Sony throwing an adhocParty in North America this month

North American PS3 and PSP owners will no longer have to go through a complicated process to access adhocParty, the once Japan-only application that lets local adHoc PSP games be played online. SCEA just announced that the PS3 app will be available in North America this month! The application works with "select online multiplayer games" for PSP, using the PS3's internet connection. It is currently unknown whether it will support the same list of games available in Japan, but Sony specifically named Gran Turismo and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite as compatible.

We're hoping that, some time in the next year, Sony will enhance its platforms even more with a new technology called the "space bar." It could really work wonders for adhocParty on PSPgo.

Activision: Probably fewer 'Hero' SKUs next year, but next DJ, Guitar and Band lined up


Activision may have "fewer SKUs" in 2010, but it still needs its Heroes to champion the financial cause. Guitar Hero brand CEO Dan Rosensweig tells MCV that the publisher is already working on the "next iterations" of Guitar Hero and Band Hero, and mentions that there will be "more" DJ Hero. Rosensweig makes no mention of the recently trademarked Drum Hero,

... it's rather sad when game announcements border on non-news. Well, we might as well finish by saying that Madden NFL 11 will also release next year, along with all the other sports franchises.

First Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 DLC released, revealing

Listen, it's scientific fact that as ninjas shed their clothes, they become better at executing their ninja duties. So, if you see us purchase the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 costume pack, which was released on the PlayStation Store yesterday for $3.99, it's not because we're pervs or anything. It's because the skimpy outfits you see above were meticulously engineered to maximize our capacity for flipping out and killing people.

Also, we realize Ryu's new costume (which was previously handed out as a pre-order bonus) isn't more revealing than his standard duds. See, the above rule only applies to female ninjas. Hey, don't look at us like that. We didn't write the ninja rulebook, okay?

Rock Band Weekly: AFI, The Bangles

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AFI will be available next week in a Rock Band DLC five-pack of ... oh wow, The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" is there too! Hey guys, it's "Walk Like an Egyptian!" So, all you foreign types with hookah pipes better do the sand dance, don't you know?

Check out the full update after the break, along with Rock Band Unplugged's new DLC.


Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:

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Hands-on: Just Cause 2


Action movie sequels always aim to be bigger and better than the original. Having played two missions from Just Cause 2, we can unequivocally say it's bigger than the first game, a cult favorite open-world romp starring a South American super-agent with an inexhaustible supply of parachutes. But better? That would require much more playtime to answer.

We've posted no fewer than six videos of Just Cause 2 to date, but this week I had my first chance to actually get behind the controls of the Avalanche Studios developed title, which reintroduces us to Rico Rodriguez, who's bringing his Desperado-era Antonia Banderas looks (sans the long locks this time) to the massive -- yet fictional -- island sandbox of Panau.

Continued →

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