It’s that time of the week again, yes, yes, we wrap up the news for you in the Top 5 Stories of the Week. Some stories you will see below are about the Xbox One in China and how it actually did pretty well, Super Smash Bros finally has a date for release and even news about Hugh Laurie as a bad guy in a video game? Wait, what? Hugh Laurie, you mean the guy that played that doctor on that show with that amazing bed side manner? Yeah, we can’t wait either. As always, for the full article, simple click on the hyperlink. Get in, sit down and hold on because here we go! Leave comments below!
Number 5
There Are Now 100,000 Xbox One’s Sold in China
As we’ve reported to you here, the Xbox brand’s notable struggles in the Japanese market have thrown quite the wrench in its ambitions for landing a virtual foothold in Far East Asia. Luckily, it looks like there’s a home for it beyond the Land of the Rising Sun.
The Xbox One has reportedly already moved 100,000 units according to Chinese new sites such as 17173 and Sina News, who have mutually come to speculate that China might very well be the “savior” of the Xbox One name on the Asian continent. The American console also marks the first Chinese game console launch in 14 years since the days of the original Xbox, Gamecube, and Playstation 2.
The console’s failure to hit both Japanese and Korean audiences has been well documented to say the least, but for the Zang and Shanghai Media Group, the mommy and daddy of Microsoft’s China partner, BesTV, the company boldly aims to move at least a million by this time next year.
Number 4
Darth Revan Casts a Shadow Over the Old Republic in New DLC
Glory may be of no use to the dead, but your friendly neighborhood expansion pack might to the living.
Shadow of Revan, the next expansion to grace Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic, marks the return of the titular nemesis to the MMORPG. The new DLC focuses on Darth Revan’s efforts to destroy the Galactic Republic with his army of Revanites long following his previous attempts to overthrow the Jedi with the Star Forge and Malak by his side. The DLC will raise the level cap to 60 and includes five new levels of story missions, high-level multiplayer Flashpoints and Operations, and new worlds to explore .
Players will step back into the boots of the Jedi’s Prodigal Knight Dec. 9th for $19.99, but adepts pre-ordering the ways of the Force will have access to the expansion weeks early this Nov. 2nd in addition to receiving “Grand Statue of Revan” to display in their stongholds, and free access to the previously released Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion.
If you pre-order before Dec. 1st, you get the statue and the free Hutt DLC, but forego early access to Shadow of Revan. In addition, subscribers who pre-order the DLC will receive a class experience boost in the form of a 12x experience modifier when they play through a class story mission up to level 55.
Number 3
Super Smash Bros. For Wii U is Finally Dated
Nintendo has announced that the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will make the promised holiday 2014 release. The company has announced a Nov. 21st release date in North America.
The first wave of Amiibos (Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Fox, Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Pikachu, Kirby, Marth) will arrive on the same day. A second wave of Amiibos, including Zelda, Diddy Kong, Luigi, Pit, Captain Falcon, and Little Mac will be along on December 19 in Europe and sometime that month in North America.
Number 2
Former Irrational Games Devs Create The Flame In The Flood
After Irrational Games was downsized earlier this year, former employees are now starting to reveal their first post-Bioshock projects. The group have named themselves the Molasses Flood and their first title is a survival game where players use a raft to traverse a bleak apocalyptic landscape. It’s called The Flame in the Flood and it features colorful graphics, an isometric view point and a soundtrack of country music by Chuck Ragan.
Molasses Flood said that the inspiration for the game was Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, Heart of Darkness, Mud, and Beasts of the Southern Wild. The studio wants to convert the adventure and melancholy of these works into a video game The Flame in the Flood is being funded via Kickstarter and has a target of raising $150,000 by November 6, As well as a copy of the game, backers can also earn an art book and a copy of the soundtrack depending on how much they pledge.
Number 1
Hugh Laurie is the Villain of LittleBigPlanet 3
There’s a doctor in the house , namely Sony’s, following its latest announcement. Hugh Laurie, star of Fox’s House and the BBC’s Blackadder will be reuniting with comedy partner Stephen Fry in Sumo Digital’s LittleBigPlanet 3 this November as “the dastardly counterpart” to Fry’s light-hearted Narrator.
The two join Uncharted’s Nolan North and Shaun of the Dead‘s Peter Serafinowicz as the charming “double act” for the third entry into the LittleBigPlanet series. Tara Strong of My Little Pony and Fairly Oddparents fame will also be a part of the party along with an unknown number of “returning characters” that Sony is content with staying quiet about for now.
Honorable Mentions
This week had a lot of big news and the news staff and I found it hard to narrow it down to the usual five stories:
If you have suggestions for future entries, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com