Gadgets and Video Games

Activision has announced that DJ Hero was “the #1 new intellectual property by revenue in the U.S. and Europe for calendar 2009, according to the NPD Group.” Lest you sped through that proclamation, take note of the two key words: “by revenue” — in other words, the total amount of money spent by consumers. Considering DJ Hero debuted at $120 for the standard turntable bundle and $200 for the Renegade Edition , it’s no wonder that it managed to bring in the most money (though not necessarily the most profit, and certainly not the most units sold for a new franchise). NPD representative Anita Frazier clarified for Joystiq the performance of last year’s new IPs in terms of actual unit sales. As you might have guessed, DJ Hero wasn’t quite #1 in that category, but managed a respectable 789,000 units in U.S

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NPD: DJ Hero best-selling new IP of ‘09, by revenue only

Now this is just demoralizing. According to a report in the rumors section of the Feb. 2010 issue of Game Informer (which doesn’t name its source) there won’t be “any game from the [Half-Life] franchise in 2010.” As if that weren’t crushing enough, the magazine says it’s not even sure there will be a Half-Life 2: Episode 3 , postulating that the next Gordon Freeman adventure might be Half-Life 3 proper. Alright, listen, Half-Life : You take as long as you need, but we know you’re holding Portal 2 in there somewhere. Just let GLaDOS go unharmed and you can develop until 2020 for all we care.

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Game Informer: No Half-Life 2: Episode 3 for you in 2010

If you’ve been desperately wanting to live the luxurious life of a virtual DJ, but lack the finances required to do so, fret no longer — GuitarHeroStore has temporarily knocked the price of the Wii, PS3 and 360 versions of DJ Hero down to $79, and the PS2 version of the game to $64. That even includes free shipping, which is good, since plastic turntables probably cost more than your average parcel to transport cross-country. Make sure you enter in the coupon code “DJHPP1″ while checking out in order to access the offer. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying full price for the game, losing out on $20 you could’ve spend on other disc jockey accessories

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GuitarHeroStore scratches DJ Hero price down to $79

Lance Henriksen, who was most memorably cleaved asunder as android (ahem, “artificial lifeform”) Bishop, will see another continuation of his Aliens film role in Rebellion’s Alien vs. Predator game. Henriksen plays Karl Bishop Weyland, the descendant of Weyland-Yutani corporation founder Charles Bishop Weyland

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Lance Henriksen reprises ‘Bishop’ role in Aliens vs. Predator

Perhaps, in the past, during a rousing round of Tetris , you may have found yourself in an existential funk. “Where does the next block come from?” you mused. Sure, it’s easy enough to pin your extraordinary luck (or misfortune) on the wonders of random generation, but what if it wasn’t so simple?

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Where does the next Tetris block really come from?

Both Br

Alan Wake will allegedly premiere in late May of next year on Xbox 360. MCV reports that “a source close to the game” gave the new release date and suggested that the title would be promoted “in the style of a Hollywood movie.” Officially, we know that Wake’s drawn out development will conclude in ” Spring 2010 ” — around the 5-year mark. We’ve also previously been told that the game has been done since August and is in hibernation being polished over and over again

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Report: Alan Wake stops snoozing May 2010

When celebrities get on board for a game, the inevitable pitfall is the dreaded interview where said celebrity awkwardly tries relating to the “gamer” crowd (trust us, we know all about it .) With DJ Hero dropping this week, celebrity sponsor Jay-Z sat down with MTV News to talk about how much of a gamer he is (hint: not so much) and his support for the cultural awareness opportunities inherent in the recently released turntable title. “Immediately, of course, with the success of Guitar Hero , you know, [DJ Hero] piqued my interest, and then on top of that it was something from the hip-hop culture. So, anytime you can, you know, I can expand the genre and introduce it to new audiences and widen it — you know, the reach of what hip-hop can do — you know, I’m interested in that,” Jay-Z explains in the video interview (embedded after the break). As far as Jay-Z’s gaming roots, that’s another story altogether.

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Jay-Z is a gamer; likes Madden and, uh, you know, stuff like Madden

Activision has sent out the intro cinematic for DJ Hero , and we can’t help but think of Br

With FIFA 10 ’s massive record-breaking debut last week, it’s probably no surprise that the soccer title retained its spot atop the Chart Track ’s UK all formats sales chart . Despite the footie title’s 64 percent sales drop, Codemasters’ “biggest selling launch title” ever, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising , grabbed the silver. Meanwhile, Need for Speed: Shift -ed into gear and moved up to third, with Professor Layton stepping off Pandora’s Box ( Diabolical Box in the States) to fourth. Other notable debuts this week were DS titles Scribblenauts and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 , which both drew some attention at the No.

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FIFA 10 maintains top sales rank in UK, Operation Flashpoint debuts strong for Codies