Of course Kanye’s sales were going to take a drop from the 957k he did with, “Graduation.” The economy, no battle wit 50 and an entirely different style had less people buying his album this time around. Ludacris dropped one of the best Rap albums of the year with, “Theater of The Mind,” and sold a good 212k during the first week of sales. Beyonce is still going strong with 254k sold.

gamestation.co.uk

It seems that LittleBigPlanet may not have done as bad as most thought it did. The charts of UK retailer Gamestation shows Sackboy – Sony’s creative ray of hope – at the top of the charts. Call of Duty 5: World at War (XBOX 360) comes in at second place followed by Mario Kart Wii, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and Fallout 3 (XBOX 360).

www.gamercenteronline.net

Well, if you’re a fan of the movie, like me, you may already know that Ghostbusters is more about jokes then scares, but there also was a creepy side to it. I mean that’s what made Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters. And what should make the game any different?

Appearently, shifting from Sierra to Atari gave Terminal Reality some time to work on Ghostbusters creepy side. When speaking in London today CVG was told by Drew Haworth of Terminal Reality that, “[Terminal Reality] added some more creepy elements, a couple of more puzzle elements… we feel that the combat is in a very solid spot.”

Ghostbusters: The Game was one of the most unfortunate victims of Activision’s merger with original publisher Vivendi, which left the game floating in limbo, until Atari came to TR’s rescue.

“[The move to Atari] allowed us to go back and tweak and see ‘oh, this experience would be enhanced here by adding more scares, more cooldown areas… – pacing basically. We also upgraded some of the in-game cinematics.” add Haworth.

“It wasn’t frustrating as much as our course has changed now,” Haworth said of the switch. “We were certainly happy to get a new publisher. After Vivendi decided not to publish the game we were surprised more than anything else. It also allows us an extension to polish and improve the quality of the game”.

By Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney.com senior writer

Remember all the talk during the presidential campaign about a middle-class tax cut? It could be showing up in your paycheck early next year.
As the debate heats up over how to pull the economy from the ledge, it’s likely that tax cuts for the middle-class will play a central role.

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President-elect Barack Obama hopes to have a massive economic stimulus plan waiting for his signature when he takes office on Jan. 20. It’s expected to include hundreds of billions in spending on infrastructure and green energy, but he also made clear last week that he wants it to also feature tax cuts to lower- and middle-income Americans.

Tax cuts are “part and parcel of what we need when it comes to stimulus,” Obama said last week.

“We’re going to be putting money in people’s pockets so that they can spend on buying a new computer for their kid’s school, so that they can, you know, make sure that they are able to deal with heat and groceries and all the other strains on the family budget,” he added.

The long-term benefit, in his view: It would create more fairness in the tax code.

One promise he made but may hold off on for awhile: the reversal of some of the Bush tax cuts for high-income taxpayers, who are roughly defined as individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000. Specifically, Obama has said he would increase the top two income tax rates and the capital gains rate to their pre-2001 levels.

Mindful that a tax increase during a recession might do more harm than good, he and his advisers have left open the possibility that they might wait to implement the increases until 2011, rather than next year. “Whether [the tax rate changes are] done through repeal or whether that’s done because the Bush tax cuts are not renewed is something that my economic team will be providing me a recommendation on,” Obama said at a press conference last week.

Tax cut considerations

Some economists think tax cuts for the middle class might be one way to create or save some of the 2.5 million jobs Obama has promised over the next two years if lawmakers put together the kind of stimulus package he envisions.

Others say it’s a bad idea.

“It would be a serious mistake to enact tax cuts aimed at increasing already excessive consumption,” wrote Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, in the New York Times last week. “The Obama administration needs to encourage the sort of saving that will put consumers on sounder financial footing and free up resources.”

So what kind of tax cuts are being considered? Obama’s transition team isn’t offering details yet and one Democratic aide on the Hill told CNNMoney.com that specifics have not yet been discussed.

But in talking about his economic recovery package, Obama has mentioned his campaign promise to offer a “net tax cut” for “95% of American workers.”

One option that could get Obama a good way toward that 95% is his proposed Making Work Pay credit — a centerpiece promise in his campaign. The credit would essentially work as a payroll tax credit equal to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples.

The credit would have an income threshold. Only those making $75,000 or less ($150,000 or less for couples) would get the full credit. Individuals making between $75,000 and $85,000 (and couples making between $150,000 and $170,000) would get a partial credit.

The credit also would be refundable, meaning that even tax filers without any tax liability — typically very low-income workers — would receive one.

Rather than mail out checks to consumers, the IRS, together with employers, could coordinate a change in how much money is withheld from workers’ paychecks, so they’d simply get a bigger paycheck.

Economist Mark Zandi, however, believes a payroll tax credit like the kind Obama has proposed could be tricky to implement because it’s based on income. As a result, it could take longer to take effect than, say, an across-the-board payroll tax holiday — a temporary suspension of the payroll tax viewed by some as another way to boost spending.

“Under the Obama payroll tax credit, payroll and other accounting software would have to be recoded and implemented across many businesses,” said Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com.

Even though the short-term impact of such a credit could be muted, it has more potential bang for the buck in the long run than a tax holiday.

“A payroll tax credit would provide more of a spending boost since it is a permanent change in the tax code,” Zandi said. “Households are more likely to spend a tax cut if it is the result of a permanent change rather than a temporary one.”

www.videogamer.com

The PSP isn’t doing too badly when you think about it. Sony entered a handheld market that had been completely dominated by Nintendo for years and managed to take a decent chunk. The problem is that there just aren’t enough games. When you think back to all the great PSP games you’ve played this year, and what’s on the horizon, there aren’t too many. So, in an attempt to spur Sony and the rest of the video game world into action, we’ve put together a list of the PSP games that, if they were ever to come to fruition, could save the PSP in 2009.

World of Warcraft Handheld Edition

World of Warcraft is played by over 11 million people across the world. It’s the most popular MMORPG on the planet, but once you leave the house, and the comfort of your PC gaming chair, that’s it. No more Warcraft. What if a handheld version of the game, one that allowed WoW players to genuinely affect their in-game characters, perhaps through item creation, auction house interaction, character customisation and guild management, were to be released on the PSP? We reckon that would sell bucket loads, and would probably make many of those 11 million WoW players at least consider buying a PSP, if they haven’t got one already. You wouldn’t even have to be online via a hotspot for many of these gameplay elements. You could, after importing your character data to the PSP, level up trade skills and professions offline, as well as check statistics, fiddle with weapon and equipment set-ups and anything else that doesn’t require interaction with other players, and then sync your character data up when you got back to your home PC. If there’s one title that’s a stone wall system seller, it’s World of Warcarft, and with Blizzard’s merger with the multi-platform kings Activision, it’s more likely than you think.

www.TechRadar.com

So Atari has finally pulled back the curtain on its new line-up for early 2009, with a solid number of interesting new titles announced.

And while there was nothing particularly surprising in the line-up, as TechRadar reported yesterday, it was certainly nice to see a once great gaming brand look like it was back on the up.

Since the announcements, one question has been whispered around the TechRadar office – can Phil Harrison save Atari? Can the ex-Sony man turn around the slow-burning financial disaster that the once-mighty Atari had become in recent years?

Experiment early, fail cheaply

“I think Phil Harrison can save Atari,” says GamesMaster magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Robin Always.

“Possibly not with the fairly traditional line-up of console releases they’ve just announced, but with their commitment to internet-based, in-the-browser gaming and shaking up the development process with their ‘experiment earlier and fail more cheaply’ approach.”

“Phil Harrison can certainly talk the talk,” opines TechRadar’s very own Patrick ‘Gaming’ Goss, “and frankly the Atari brand deserves better than it has had for the last few years.”

Goss adds that he thinks “gamers want to love Atari again, and by signing up Mizuguchi, Harrison is taking a large step in the right direction.” We look forward to reading his extended musings on the topic on his weekly MSN Gaming Goss column sometime very soon!

Needs to raise its PC game

“Atari’s track record recently has been patchy, but their recent announcements show continuing faith in new IPs, which is impressive given how conservative most publishers are right now,” thinks PC Gamer’s Editor, Ross Atherton.

“Alone in the Dark showed that they need more patience and expertise at the closing stages of a project, and I really hope they’ve learned from the abortive release of that game – its fantastically imaginative mechanics were woefully under-polished.

“They will need to raise their game in this regard when it comes to Demigod, which looks a very exciting signing, and could be the start of a great new IP for a publisher who own precious few.”

A publisher to watch

PC Zone’s newly-appointed Editor, Ali Wood, agrees with us that, “obviously Phil Harrison made a great impact at Sony, responsible for some of the most innovative games of our time.”

Wood also reiterates our hope that “with his experience and reputation, his appointment at Atari can only be a good thing; he’s already recruited a leading development talent in SingStar creator Paulina Bozek, but with this in mind you have to wonder if Atari will be looking to focus on the mass market gaming audience.”

Wood also adds that, “Atari has never been best known for its PC product, so it will certainly be interesting to see what impact Harrison has on this. Nonetheless, having been through many changes in recent months (and years), Harrison’s enviable developer contacts and influence on Atari can only be a good thing.

“His appointment has confirmed Atari is going nowhere and I think they’re going to be one of the publishers to watch.”

By Adam Hartley

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Just got home from work (yes..I have a real job!) to find out that the infamous NBA2K9 has been finally fucking patched!

Let me remind everyone why this is such a big deal….for the past 5-6 years(?) 2K Sports have made NBA2K THE basketball series of choice for anyone who calls themselves a videogame basketball fan. Ever since the Dreamcast I’ve been in love with the series, great graphics, awesome mix between sim/arcade and the best animations in any sports game PERIOD.

Enter NBA2K9, I rented it from Gamefly after waiting patiently for a year only to find out that the game was SUPER-GIMPED. No 2K camera option (a camera view made famous by the series), framerate issues, several game crushing bugs and worst of all the online part of the game (the meat and potatoes) blew dragon balls since you couldnt connect to anyone 70% of the time. Also 2K Sports decided in all their infinite wisdom that it was best to remove the option for players to set up ranked matches on their own and instead opted for a random opponent type of thing, this left countless players up in arms on their forums including me, I quickly returned it back to Gamefly because it was a waste of my time.

Looks like I’ll have to re-add it into my rental queue since the patch does away with most if not all the problems, check out some of the fixes :

Online

Player Match Crash – It was discovered on launch day that when a certain number of users simultaneously select the ‘Player Match’ option, the game will eventually crash when looping through the available players.

Team-Up Lag – An intense round of optimization has taken place for the Team-Up experience. The changes made grant significant speed improvements for users on slower broadband connections such as lower-end DSL connections. The end result is a much smoother gameplay experience for everyone.

‘2K’ Cam – In order to increase user satisfaction with the title, we have added the ‘2K’ camera angle as a playable camera angle when playing online.

First FT Lag / Difficulty – The first free throw of an online game had a variable amount of lag depending on which camera was chosen for the shot. We have corrected this issue by asserting a fixed camera for this shot that eliminates any controller lag. In addition to this, the ‘make’ window for free throws in online play has been increased to account for the timing difference.

Waiting For Opponent – Users with poor connections were causing the game to loop too long on the “Waiting for Opponent” dialog before continuing on into the game. We’ve cleaned up this behavior to place players into the game in a much quicker fashion.

Quick Match Connection Problems – An issue was identified where users were being re-directed to the online FAQ instead of being taken into a game. This message will now only appear in appropriate situations.

Online League Injuries – In online leagues, injured players that were taken off the roster weren’t healing. The game now properly detects injured players and heals them in the appropriate time frame regardless of where they are placed on the roster.

PS3 Voice / Team-Up – An issue was uncovered where voice chat would drop or become intermittent when more than two users were talking simultaneously. This issue has been resolved.

Team-Up Cameras – The Broadcast camera for Team-Up has been optimized to show the user a better balance of their player, the ball, and they player they should be guarding. Also, 2K Cam has been added to the list of cameras the user can use during Team-Up play.

They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere.

c9049Okay, so that is referring to the Scarlet Pimpernel, a fictional English nobleman who disguises himself and sneaks French noblemen (and women) out of France back to England, confounding the silly peasants-turned-rulers of post-revolutionary France.

But what if he was really Altair, previously the assassin climbing and stabbing his way through Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus during the Crusades in the game Assassin’s Creed? After all, they both sneak around during a chaotic violent period of history trying to do a greater good.

Well, if it was to be him, he’d have to have aged incredibly well, found the fountain of youth or a time machine, or be a product of ancient cloning technology. Or maybe it wouldn’t actually be him, but a relative following in his footsteps several generations later.

liberty-copyIf recent rumours are to be believed, the next Assassin’s Creed may indeed take place in 1700s France around the time of the French Revolution. And why not?

We already know from the first game that in the future what we believe is a relative of the famous Altair is being probed for his ‘genetic memories’. Apparently the future isn’t interested in his relatives that were school teachers or pig farmers and are concentrating on those that were important instruments in history.

The French Revolution was a huge historic period of upheaval where the notion of absolute rule by the monarchy and the aristocrats was turned on its head when the downtrodden, starving, smelly, diseased peasants, incited by the intellectuals and merchant class, revolt and start killing off their so-called betters.
bastille

Storming of the Bastille Prison during the French Revolution

When they ran out of them, they followed by killing each other off too during the Reign of Terror. Of course the ideas of freedom, equality, and brotherhood were all dandy but repression was more fun. It was just that repression was now carried out by the lay-people, not just upper crust lords and ladies in wigs.
The other monarchies of Europe felt threatened by the French Revolution and so attack. Napoleon fights them and wins. For awhile anyway.

Enter Altair, or his relative. Mayhem everywhere by everyone. Again the question arises: who are the good guys fighting for long-term peace, and who are the manipulators making war to further their own agendas? Storm the Bastille and free the unjustly imprisoned! Kill off the warmongering nobles from the other nations. Kill off the backstabbing leaders of France who like the guillotine way too much to be healthy in the head! Assassinate all the enemies of peace! Vive La Revolution!
The view from Notre’ Dame Cathedral

The view from Notre

Of course Paris back then was not the romantic Eiffel Towered city it is today. It was an overcrowded mess full of beggars to get in Altair’s (or his relative’s) way (didn’t you love the pesky beggars in the first game?) and full of cut-throat gangs for you to kill off when they torment poor old women.

You won’t be able to climb the Eiffel Tower, but there is still Notre Dame Cathedral, which was desecrated during the Revolution in the 1790s, and the Bastille Castle, which was destroyed during the Revolution.

Obviously there were guns then and not just swords which you might think would change the gameplay a bit. Those guns were only muskets and so would take awhile to reload.: Very much like the archers in the first game, then.

Cannons might complicate things, but climbing while they destroy the environment around you might be fun.

aztectotI think this time period has a lot of potential. I really don’t agree with those who think going to the East and doing a ninja theme is the way to go.

We have had plenty of games that deal with samurais and ninjas. I also disagree heavily with going modern until maybe the third game. Even then I’d rather only part of it is done there. Some think it will be in the Mayan or Aztec period, which might be different.

The Crusader sack of Constantinople due to Venice’s manipulation might have been good. There you had the Crusaders all ready to recapture Jerusalem, only to get into debt with the Venetians who were to transport them there.

crusade-10The Venetians then force the Crusaders to pay off their debt by agreeing to sack the still Christian bastion of Constantinople (present day Istanbul). Lots of manipulators against peace there, plus two great cities in Venice and Constantinople.

Just as unlikely but interesting would be going further back in time to Ancient Rome, Egypt, or Babylon.

Assassin’s Creed was an amazing technical achievement and if they can reproduce and expand on that in the second and concentrate on having an increased diversity of missions, the game should be a hit. That is If they choose the right time and place…

Hopefully soon we will have a confirmed Assassin’s Creed 2 location.
Until then, we seek him here, we seek him there….

xboxoz360gamer.com