BAFTA nominates Arkham City, L.A. Noire, FIFA 12 for best of 2011

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has released its nominations for the 2012 Video Game Awards, which honors the top games from 2011 as chosen by the charity. The British stand-outs differ from our Yankee choices slightly, stressing the brilliance of Batman: Arkham City, which also made our Top 10 of 2011 list, but also including L.A. Noire, which hit our Best of the Rest, and FIFA 12, which... well. Just because we share a language doesn't automatically mean we share interests.

Check out the entire list below:

Action

Assassin's Creed Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Portal 2
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Artistic Achievement

Batman: Arkham City
LA Noire
LitteBigPlanet 2
Rayman Origins
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Audio Achievement

Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dead Space 2
The Nightjar
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Best Game

Batman: Arkham City
Fifa 12
LA Noire
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Debut Game

Bastion
Eufloria
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Shadow Planet Productions/Microsoft Studios
LA Noire
Monstermind
RIFT

Design

Batman: Arkham City
LA Noire
LittleBigPlanet 2
Portal 2
Super Mario 3D Land
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Family

Dance Central 2
Kinect Sports 2
Leho Pirates of the Caribbean
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
LittleBigPlanet 2
Mario Kart 7

Game Innovation

Bastion
Child of Eden
From Dust
LA Noire
LittleBigPlanet 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Mobile and Handheld

Dead Space iOS
Magnetic Billiards: Blueprint
Peggle
Quarrel
Super Mario 3D Land
The Nightjar

Online – Browser

Gardens of Time
I Am Playr
Monstermind
Resistance 3
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
The Sims Social

Online-Multiplayer

Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Dark Souls
Gears of War 3
LittleBigPlanet 2

Original Music

Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
LA Noire
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Performer

Aaron Stanton (Cole Phelps) – LA Noire
Mark Hamill (The Joker) – Batman: Arkham City
Nolan North (Nathan Drake) – Uncharted 3:Drake's Deception
Stephen Fry (Narrator) – LittleBigPlanet 2
Stephen Merchant (Wheatley) – Portal 2
Togo Igawa (Dipolomat, Advisor and Military General) – Total War: Shogun 2

Sports/Fitness

Dance Central 2
DiRT 3
Fl 2011
Fifa 12
Kinect Sports 2
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012

Story

Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
LA Noire
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Strategy

Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Football Manager 2012
From Dust
Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Total War: Shogun 2

Bafta Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital

Dreamweaver
Joust!
Tick Tock Toys

Game Award of 2011 (voted for by the public)

Batman: Arkham City
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Fifa 12
LA Noire
Minecraft
Portal 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

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[Multi] IGDA to Investigate 'brutal' Working Conditions at L.A. Noire Studio

[Multi] IGDA to Investigate 'brutal' Working Conditions at L.A. Noire Studio

The International Game Developers Association is launching an investigation into Australian developer Team Bondi following a recent report that suggests shocking working conditions at the studio during the lengthy seven-year development of the recently-released blockbuster L.A. Noire. Several anonymous sources that claim to be former employees at Team Bondi allege in the report that they experienced 100+ hour work weeks without overtime pay, seemingly unending crunch times, excessive employee turnover rates, poor communication with management, and verbal abuse from Team Bondi founder and president Brendan McNamara.

“[But] certainly reports of 12-hour a day, lengthy crunch time, if true, are absolutely unacceptable and harmful to the individuals involved, the final product, and the industry as a whole,” said Brian Robbins, chair of the IGDA Board of Directors. “We encourage any Team Bondi employee and/or family member to email qol@igda.org with comments about the recent past and current situation - positive or negative.”

Both industry professionals and gamers have recently lashed out at McNamara, who was decidedly unapologetic and unsympathetic to employees for his studio's working practices during the development of L.A. Noire, stating that he is “not in any way upset or disappointed by what I've done, and what I've achieved. I'm not even remotely defensive about it. I think the beginnings and the ends of a game’s development are always great, and the middle is torture." He also added that "if you want to do a nine-to-five job, you [should] be in another business", and that Australian video game developers can't compete with the rest of the world "without killing yourself."

It will be interesting to see if he changes his tune following the investigation.

Written by: Mike Glubish

(This post was last modified: 06-28-2011 08:05 PM by GlueGun18.) Wiiwillrockyou

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RE: [Multi] IGDA to Investigate 'brutal' Working Conditions at L.A. Noire Studio
I can hear the investigative music clue chime from the game in my head right now... I found my wii!
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Zumba Fitness stays atop UK charts for fifth week, LA Noire brings up second place

by Ben Gilbert on Jun 27th 2011 8:45AM

It seems that 505 Games' Zumba Fitness motion game is destined to occupy every living room in the UK, as it was the UK's highest selling title last week -- even after 31 weeks of availability. Regaining a place in the top five, Rockstar's LA Noire took second place, though it saw a 15 percent dip in sales.

Here's where things get really depressing: Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami's excellent Shadows of the Damned debuted on the charts at number 31, beaten not only by the likes of recently released stinkfest Duke Nukem Forever, but even older titles like Art Academy and EA Sports Active 2. FEAR 3 faced a starkly different reception, landing the number three spot just below LA Noire. We're not mad, UK readers and EA marketers -- just, ya know, disappointed.

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[PS3, X360] Rockstar announces DLC plans for L.A. Noire

[PS3, X360] Rockstar announces DLC plans for L.A. Noire

Managed to finish L.A. Noire? After some new things to do? Well get ready, because Rockstar have made an announcement regarding further DLC releases.

First of all, Rockstar have announced a special L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass, which will allow gamers to pre-order future DLC. The pass will be available for a limited time special price of $10.00 / 800 MSP (roughly 50% off). Once purchased, it will grant players access to all the downloadable content for free.

Four new cases will be coming as well as additional collectibles and challenges to test players skill. These new cases are standalone cases but sit perfectly alongside the main game. The are the two cases that were original DLC exclusive to certain outlets, they are "The Naked City" (a Vice case) and "A Slip of the Tongue" (a Traffic case) both of which will be available for download on the 31st of May for $4.00 / 320 MSP each. The other two are new cases, they are "Nicholson Electroplating" (an Arson case) to be released on the 21st of June and "Reefer Madness" (a Vice case) to be released on the 12th of July for $4.00 / 320 MSP.

There'll also be a range of collectibles available for download, including the DLC bonuses that were once again retail specific. The Badge Pursuit Challenge and the Sharpshooter / Broderick detective suits for $2.00 / 160 MSP and $1.00 / 80 MSP respectively.

To thank fans for their support, Rockstar will be giving members of the Rockstar Social Club some free gifts. These include a free download for he Chicago Lightning Detective Suit and unlock for the Chicago Piano machine gun for all players. If you aren't a member yet, be sure to jump over to the page and join up.

Written by: Kyran Morrison

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[Multi] Americas Sales Chart, May 15-21: L.A. Noire Takes Over

SOFTWARE TOP 20
1) L.A. Noire (X360) - 542,224 (542,224)
2) L.A. Noire (PS3) - 361,034 (361,034)
3) Brink (X360) - 61,642 (355,455)
4) Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 48,373 (13,315,898)
5) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC) - 45,282 (45,282)
6) Portal 2 (X360) - 40,864 (683,478)
7) Zumba Fitness (Wii) - 40,209 (1,170,816)
8) Mortal Kombat (PS3) - 37,999 (655,349)
9) Pokemon Black/White (DS) - 37,215 (3,677,399)
10) LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii) - 36,887 (94,239)
11) Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 35,419 (11,774,634)
12) Just Dance 2 (Wii) - 35,187 (4,813,565)
13) SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs (PS3) - 33,736 (326,012)
14) Mortal Kombat (X360) - 33,562 (555,492)
15) Wii Fit Plus (Wii) - 31,117 (8,651,637)
16) Portal 2 (PS3) - 30,963 (442,464)
17) Kinect Adventures! (X360) - 29,224 (6,832,739)
18) LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (X360) - 25,666 (84,215)
19) Brink (PS3) - 21,515 (120,391)
20) Call of Duty: Black Ops (X360) - 21,475 (8,827,073)

HARDWARE
Xbox 360 - 77,389 (31,731,753)
Nintendo Wii - 72,692 (41,532,569)
PlayStation 3 - 55,157 (19,762,764)
Nintendo DS - 52,414 (55,637,268)
Nintendo 3DS - 34,180 (953,913)
PlayStation 2 - 19,968 (55,855,260)
Sony PSP - 19,536 (22,043,823)

Notes:
- L.A. Noire moved 1.63 million copies worldwide in its debut week, 53% on Xbox 360 and 47% on PlayStation 3. In comparison, Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption sold 1.95 million in its debut week last year.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops is the first PlayStation 3 game to sell 10 million copies.
- The Xbox 360 version of Black Ops has overtaken Modern Warfare 2 as the best-selling Xbox 360 game of all time (12.48 million).
- Next week's major releases: NASCAR 2011: The Game (Wii)

Debuts:
- L.A. Noire (X360) - 542,224 (#1)
- L.A. Noire (PS3) - 361,034 (#2)
- The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC) - 45,282 (#5)
- ExerBeat (Wii) - 10,498 (#37)

TOP 10 PREORDERS
1) Gears of War 3 (X360) - 724,178
2) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) - 110,270
3) NASCAR 2011: The Game (Wii) - 104,869
4) inFamous 2 (PS3) - 99,158
5) Metal Fight Beyblade (DS) - 97,817
6) Duke Nukem Forever (X360) - 95,793
7) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (X360) - 95,148
8) Diablo III (PC) - 86,763
9) Battlefield 3 (X360) - 70,476
10) Deus Ex: Human Revolution (X360) - 60,753

Written by: Mike Glubish

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Dirt 3 debuts in second on UK charts, LA Noire still tops

by Alexander Sliwinski on May 31st 2011 9:05AM

L.A. Noire, which premiered as the UK's fastest-selling new IP, maintained its top position on Chart-Track's UK All Formats chart this past week. Dirt 3, the only new competitor to race into the top ten, had to settle for second.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean lost some wind in its sails and fell to third, with Brink rounding out the top five. Zumba Fitness maintained fourth, with sales up 19 percent last week. It's like Zumba Fitness was infused with that Just Dance "staying power" magic -- and as it happens, Just Dance 2, despite not being in the top ten, has been hanging around close by (at No. 11).

Price promotions helped give sales boosts to some of the top ten remainders. Check those out after the break.

Top 10 UK Software Sales (All Formats); week ending May 28:
L.A. NoireDIRT 3Lego Pirates of the CaribbeanZumba FitnessBrinkWii Sports ResortFIFA 11Call of Duty: Black OpsCrysis 2Mario Kart Wii

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[Multi] Europe / Others Sales Chart, May 15-21: L.A. Noire Conquers All

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Reputation: 315 [Multi] Europe / Others Sales Chart, May 15-21: L.A. Noire Conquers All

SOFTWARE TOP 20
1) L.A. Noire (PS3) - 401,754 (401,754)
2) L.A. Noire (X360) - 325,800 (325,800)
3) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC) - 166,947 (166,947)
4) Brink (X360) - 44,426 (137,776)
5) Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 41,928 (10,814,758)
6) LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii) - 36,001 (72,555)
7) Pokémon Black / White Version (DS) - 35,552 (2,136,516)
8) LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video game (PS3) - 32,960 (71,194)
9) Zumba Fitness (Wii) - 32,034 (297,422)
10) LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (X360) - 31,500 (70,515)
11) Brink (PS3) - 26,091 (75,093)
12) Wii Fit Plus (Wii) - 25,026 (8,188,090)
13) LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (DS) - 22,669 (39,716)
14) Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 19,380 (11,915,575)
15) Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) - 16,777 (3,877,792)
16) Mortal Kombat (PS3) - 16,624 (241,518)
17) Sniper: Ghost Warrior (PS3) - 16,230 (55,465)
18) Wii Party (Wii) - 14,304 (2,465,974)
19) Kinect Adventures! (X360) - 13,745 (2,990,520)
20) Call of Duty: Black Ops (X360) - 13,486 (3,597,682)

HARDWARE
PlayStation 3 - 63,385 (24,106,891)
Nintendo Wii - 50,701 (33,379,040)
Xbox 360 - 43,055 (20,666,930)
Nintendo DS - 41,189 (58,947,627)
Sony PSP - 35,728 (28,589,207)
Nintendo 3DS - 29,433 (820,311)
PlayStation 2 - 12,233 (63,969,485)

Debuts:
- L.A. Noire (PS3) - 401,754 (#1)
- L.A. Noire (X360) - 325,800 (#2)
- The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (PC) - 166,947 (#3)
- Dead or Alive: Dimensions (3DS) - 7,767 (#37)

Written by: Kyran Morrison

(This post was last modified: 05-28-2011 07:38 PM by LemonManX.)

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[PS3, X360] L.A. Noire Review

[PS3, X360] L.A. Noire Review
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Release date: US May 17th, 2010 EU – May 20th, 2010 AU – May 19th, 2010

Every once and a while a game comes along that demands your attention. It could be a blockbuster sequel, or a new intellectual property from a development team that has produced brilliant games in the past. However, there is a third kind, the dark horse in gaming where a new studio takes the world by surprise. Team Bondi can lay claim to this title with their debut masterpiece, L.A. Noire. Much like Heavy Rain did last year, this game requires a little more attention that your average narrative-driven title. Team Bondi have created a wonderful 1940’s-styled Los Angeles and you are the LAPD officer rising through the ranks and solving mysteries as you go along. But is the game any good? Well, my glowing introduction may have given you an idea but if you are still in doubt then keep reading.

...In the end, it all comes down to a simple question: do you like games that suck you in and keep you hooked to the very end with gameplay that will relentlessly immerse you? If your answer is yes, then you owe it to yourself to play this game. Team Bondi have carved a fantastic game out here, the gameplay is incredibly absorbing and will demand your full attention. The actors perform incredibly that will have you believing every word they say, you’ll recognise a lot of faces (the facial capturing is that brilliant). This is a heavy contender for this year’s game of the year awards and will have little trouble going toe-to-toe with the more experienced titles due later this year. The question is, are you going to play it? The only right answer is yes.

Click here to read the full review.

Written by: Kyran Morrison

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L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire X360

Price: $59.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

LA Noire becomes UK's fastest-selling new IP

by Alexander Sliwinski on May 23rd 2011 9:25AM

Your friends list can probably corroborate: L.A. Noire is a hit. Chart-Track revealed today that Team Bondi's crime drama is the "fastest-selling new video game IP ever in the UK," and the 13th fastest-selling title during launch week for Xbox 360 (11th fastest on PS3). It'll be interesting to see if L.A. Noire does as well as Red Dead Redemption, which sucked the oxygen out of retail during its first few weeks.

Meanwhile, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean maintained second place, while Brink slipped from its top position last week to third. Zumba Fitness won't go home when the lights go out, slipping only six percent in sales and capturing a spot in fourth.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings premiered in fifth as the only other debut to break into the top 40 last week. The sequel outsold The Witcher's UK launch nearly three to one, according to Chart-Track -- remember that those figures don't include digital sales.

Investigate the rest of the UK top ten after the break.

Top 10 UK Software Sales (All Formats); week ending May 21:
L.A. NoireLego Pirates of the CaribbeanBrinkZumba FitnessThe Witcher 2: Assassins of KingsCrysis 2Portal 2FIFA 11Mortal KombatCall of Duty: Black Ops

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