LEGO Minecraft to become an even Blockier Reality

Due to mass fan request, LEGO Minecraft is to begin development sometime in the near future. The movement to convert the virtual blocks of Minecraft into the plastic blocks of the LEGO world was first brought about by Mojang back in December.

The developers urged its fan base to sign a petition on the LEGO Cuusoo website and it has clearly worked. The way in which that system works is that if an idea or project receives 10,000 supporters then it would become subject to official approval and, when you think about it, it really does make sense.

A post went live today on the Cuuso website, which broke the news:

“We’re happy to announce that the Minecraft project on LEGO CUUSOO has passed the LEGO review and we are now developing a concept that celebrates the best aspects of building with the LEGO system and in Minecraft.”

However, the post also warned eager fans that this wasn’t something that would happen overnight.

“We can’t wait to show it to you—but it isn’t ready just yet. These things take time, so we appreciate your patience.”

Japan video game sales charts – January 9th – January 15th

The latest software sale figures for the Japanese video game industry sees sales slumping with even the top selling game failing to sell over 100k copies. 

If you think about it, it’s not surprising that the Japanese video game sales charts shows that even the #1 game only just sold over 80k copies. With parents having given their money to children last week as part of “Otoshidama“, they themselves don’t have much to spend and children have little to spend, especially those who don’t get any kind of income (such as allowance”. So as a result, the fact that Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Masou Kishin I & II manage to get the top spot on its debut feels underwhelming. The only other new debuts to get into the charts was Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, which got to 7th spot with over 16k copies sold and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy which took the 9th spot with just under 13k copies sold.

As such, this week’s charts will feel familiar to last week as Nintendo still dominate, system and publisher wise. What is interesting is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Dubbed Version) made a re-entry into the charts making it the biggest climber, going from 24 to 19 (the Go Vacation Last Week and This Week stat seem to be an error). Monster Hunter series continues to be…Well a monster in sales, with Monster Hunter 3G staying in 3rd spot while Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (PSP the Best) climbs up from 18 to 13. The biggest drop belonged Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, going down by seven positions while the aforementioned Go Vacation, Inazuma Eleven Strikers 2012 Xtreme and Nintendogs + Cats followed closely with the former two dropping by six positions while the latter went down by five positions. Final Fantasy XIII-2 continues to do poorly and it reaching the million mark seems like a huge struggle, if not impossible. Square Enix will be banking on the North America and European sales to do very well.

Source: Siliconera

Fifa Street to Kick Off March 13th

Previously slated for a vague March release, Fifa Street has finally received a solid release date. EA’s next entry into the series will be hitting on March 13th, 2012. The series reboot will take to the streets with 35 locations, street challenges, tournaments and new dribble controls. Gracing Fifa Street’s cover will be Lionel Messi.

Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City get ESRB Rating for PS3

Just when you thought there couldn’t be anymore GTA games heading our way, this news drops. The ESRB has rated the award-winning Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City titles for the PlayStation 3. Considering the hugely popular third entry in the series is available on iOS and Android, word of it coming to the PS3 isn’t the craziest news we’ve heard, although it’s a shame that it won’t be heading to the Xbox.

The third, and my personal favourite, entry in the GTA 3 series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, still doesn’t have a PS3 listing from the ESRB. For all we know, San Andreas could just be waiting in the wings, gearing up for a surprise drive-by.

The Latest UK Video Games Chart

Well I’m back again with the Latest UK Video Games Chart and I’m still tweaking that pesky layout, below is last week’s list.

January 15th - 21th

Minecraft for XBLA to get Frequent Updates

Microsoft may be about to end its limit on content distribution and speeding up its approval process, with the XBLA version of Minecraft, the first ever title to get such treatment. In a recent interview, the developers behind the port say the plan is to catch the Xbox version up to the 1.0 build.

It is clear that Microsoft understands that a big part of Minecraft’s appeal is its ever-evolving nature and long list of Mods. While the constant updates of the PC version aren’t feasible at this time, the developers do say Microsoft is “keen to move towards that – they do see it as the future.”

However, it has been confirmed that Microsoft won’t be stepping out of the way completely. The plan is to just speeding up the notoriously slow testing and approval process. “I think that there will always be Microsoft testing involved… But the whole turnaround of that testing they’re hoping to speed up, so we can maybe roll out very two months.”

It is a possibility that Microsoft may be using Minecraft as a test case. There are certainly other games on the Xbox 360 that could benefit from frequent updates; Valve’s Team Fortress 2 comes to mind. Hopefully the XBLA version of Minecraft will usher in a new era of updates when it releases this spring.

Minecraft Pocket Edition Pockets Big Bucks

Now, we all know that Minecraft for the PC has been incredibly successful but did we ever expect the mobile version to be as popular? Apparently it is and is selling surprisingly well.

Minecraft Pocket Edition for iOS and Android has broken the 700,000 sold barrier, according to Mojang’s Daniel Kaplan. Between iOS and Android versions, Mojang is selling around 5,000 copies per day, which is a pretty amazing feat considering the game costs£4.99 ($6.99) and has no crafting or survival elements. Well, not yet, anyway.

Resident Evil 6 Logo and Release Date Leaked

With a lot of speculation around Resident Evil 6 (and perhaps a possible reveal later tonight), it appears that we have a first look at the logo. A number of promotional posters and display boxes were sent to GameStop, and later leaked by an employee to IGN. As you can see, the title will be releasing for the Xbox 360 and PS3 around 20th November 2012.

A Resident Evil 6 reveal trailer is expected to air tonight at 10pm GMT on a viral site nohopeleft.com.

Source: IGN

RE5 to be Included with Resident Evil HD Revival Selection

Capcom is set to bundle the retail version of the recent Resident Evil HD Revival Selection – Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica – with Resident Evil 5, according to a Japanese retail listing. The pack will be released on March 15^th and for PS3 only. News on the bundle comes ahead of a 15th anniversary party being held for the series in Japan tomorrow night, and follows the release of the first trailer for the upcoming movie Retribution, as well as speculation that a new game announcement later tonight UK time.

Square Enix Brings the Award-Winning Koozac to Smartphone and Tablet Devices

Today, Square Enix announced it had acquired the license for the award-winning puzzle game KooZac, and will soon be bringing it to iOS and Android devices.

Described by the BBC as “the ultimate in brain training” and “utterly addictive”, KooZac is an immersive puzzle game devised by Ben Cusack which has racked up 15 million plays online and picked up a Channel 4 “Best International Interactive Viral” award. With the original concept created following years of research into what makes an evergreen puzzle game, Square Enix recently moved to acquire the KooZac license, and also hired Ben Cusack in the process to head up its expanding mobile division.

“KooZac has all the makings of a classic puzzle game and heralds a new style of casual game for Square Enix Ltd and our expanding digital portfolio,” says Antony Douglas, Digital Sales Director, Square Enix Ltd. “Since its original online launch the game has enjoyed huge recognition from the media, the industry and its fans. The addition of Ben joining as Head of Mobile also gives us unparalleled expertise and insight into the world of mobile entertainment.

Unfortunately, no release date has been confirmed but we can expect to see KooZac sometime in Q1 2012.