Yesterday during an analyst conference, Activision CEO Mike Griffith announced that the publisher is going to refocus its rhythm games into two main franchises, Guitar Hero and DJ Hero. According to Griffith, this will help Activision reach a “broader audience.”

In 2010 Activision plans to release less than ten music game SKUs. While that still sounds like a lot, it’s not even half of what 2009 saw. Griffith explained, “This year, fewer SKUs will service a broader audience.” Read more… »

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, billed as a re-imagining of the classic horror franchise, was released last year to decidedly solid reviews.  In fact, Gamer Limit’s own Andrew Kauz gave it an 8.5 in his review.

Given the relatively positive reception the game received, it seems that developer Climax Group still wants another shot at the series, which is published by Konami. Read more… »

In a recent interview with Game Informer, Sony Senior Vice President of Product Development Shuhei Yoshida talked about a number of things.  One of these topics pertained to the fact that God of War II, a best-selling and critically acclaimed title considered by many to be one of the last great PS2 games, almost ended up on the PS3.

According to Yoshida, certain departments within the team believed it to be a good idea to put Kratos’ second adventure on their new platform, while others wanted to make one final splash on the PS2. Read more… »

With pitchers and catchers arriving down in spring training just a a few short weeks away, Sony has announced that allstar catcher Joe Mauer, of the Minnesota Twins, will be the cover athlete for the PlayStation exclusive marquis baseball title, MLB 10 The Show.

To be honest, this really comes as no surprise. Taking a look at the young catcher’s career numbers (in just 5 short years), he’s an absolute beast, not to mention you can finally play as a catcher in this iteration of the MLB franchise title. Hit the jump for a more complete list of NEW features that The Show will bring to the table. Read more… »

And Australia thinks they have game delays…

On November 18, 2009, Sony officially started selling their PlayStation 2 console in Brazil.  That’s only a nine-year wait.  Not too shabby.

The kicker: it’ll retail for R$799, or about US$465, and the fourteen games available at launch will cost R$119 ($66) or R$99 ($55).

Hit the jump for the press release and additional details.

Read more… »

Today Konami Digital Entertainment announced that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a remake of the original PS1 Silent Hill,  will arrive December 9 of this year.

For those of you who don’t know, Shattered Memories isn’t just a remake, but rather a reworking of Silent Hill. The awkward combat elements have been removed, leaving players to rely on their wits, a cell phone and a flashlight to guide them through the spooky puzzles. Read more… »

After a short delay, the NPD Group has finally released the software and hardware sales data for the month of September. With a 1% increase over last year’s sales, the month of September was certainly an impressive sales month for both Halo 3: ODST and the Playstation 3 console.

Despite the fact many feel Halo 3: ODST felt more like an expansion, Halo fans proved, once again, just how important the Halo series is to the Xbox 360.

Hit the jump for the full breakdown of September’s NPD numbers.

Read more… »

Today publisher Activision announced a new dinosaur themed first-person shooter for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, and Wii.

Dubbed Jurassic: The Hunted, the new shooter drops gamers off on an “island lost in time,” where you are forced to fight for your life. “Players assume the role of weapons and survival expert Craig Dylan, who has been hired to protect a research team studying the strange temporal energy of the island. Protection quickly becomes a fight for survival as Dylan is pulled back in time through the Bermuda Triangle and finds himself facing the most terrifying creatures in the history of the planet.”

To find out more about this new shooter, hit the jump. Read more… »

While the loveable duo’s last adventure released over 4 years ago on the PS2, Jak and Daxter are finally coming back on November 3rd! Titled Jak and Daxter: The Last Frontier, the game will continue the story from Jak and Daxter 3.

Additionally, this game will only be released on the PSP, the PSN (for the PSP-Go) and on the PS2.

Read more… »

[Every Thursday, Gamer Limit gives you a blast from the past with either its Retro Reunion or Bargain Bin series]

It’s a sad truth that some of the best games ever made never really manage to sell a lot of copies.  These diamonds in the rough eventually find themselves sitting in the bottom of bargain bins all across the world, waiting for some lucky soul to pick them up and discover their true greatness.  One of these games is the highly acclaimed Beyond Good and Evil.

Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier Studios and released back in November of 2003 for PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, and PC; BG&E was hailed by critics as one of the best games of the year.  Unfortunately, it did not resonate well with the public and posted horrible sales figures, quickly dropping off the charts into oblivion.  Since then, the title has garnered a cult following of beloved fans who adore both the game, and its incredible cast of characters.

Read on to find out more about this extraordinary bargain bin title, which deserves your attention. Read more… »

It’s basically common knowledge that Japan produces some of the more obscure material for television programs and advertising campaigns, and that it works. Sony seems to thrive on this left-of-center marketing, and have once again produced the goods for their upcoming PS3 Slim.

Not since David Lynch’s Playstation 2 ads have we been so baffled by console marketing.

Hit the jump to check out the odd ad.

Read more… »

Today Activision announced that FreeStyle Games’ turntable touting rhythm game DJ Hero will arrive in North America on October 27. The rest of the world will have to wait until “late October.”

For those of you who don’t know, DJ Hero lets gamers cut and scratch their way though over 100 songs from some of the worlds most famous artists. The game will come bundled with a turntable controller that features a rotatable turntable as well as three “stream” buttons and a crossfader. Players are tasked with following on screen commands to get their mix just right. Read more… »