NPD November 2014: Good-bye 2014

I hope you all had a happy holidays(Unless you were one of those who played on Playstation Network).  And now, here is the NPD of November 2014

At number 10, Halo: The Master Chief Collection by 343 Studios and Microsoft for the XBox One.  About as buggy as a Windows ME Machine

At number 09: NBA 2K15 by 2K Games for the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC.  Space Jam's got nothing on this

At number 08: Pokemon: Omega Ruby by Nintendo and Gamefreak for the 3DS.  Why is this lower than Alpha Sapphire?

At number 07: Far Cry 4 by Ubisoft for  the PS4, XBone, 360, PS3 and PC.  At least it's not a buggy mess

At number 06: Pokemon: Alpha Sapphire by Nintendo and Gamefreak for the 3DS.  Come to think of it, why are both games separate, but Smash Bros is bundled into one?

At number 05: Assassin's Creed: Unity by Ubisoft for the PS4, XBone and PC.  Seems the beta testers were asleep on this one

At number 04: Madden NFL 2015 by EA for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4.  Wait.  Madden couldn't afford a PC?

At number 03: Super Smash Bros 4 by Nintendo and BandaiNamco for the Wii U and 3DS.  The Duck Hunt Dog laughs at Assassin's Creed: Unity

At number 02: Grand Theft Auto V by Take 2 and Rockstar for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4.  Didn't this come out last year?

And number 1: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare by ActivisionBlizzard for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC.  So...uhhh, when did they jump the shark?


The overall software sales for games is up.  But surprisingly, it seems Wii U and 3DS Software has gone up thanks to the sales of Smash Bros and Pokemon.  But even more surprisingly, sales of the X Box One has skyrocketed past the Playstation 4 no thanks to a temporary lower price.

Folks, I'm afraid I have some bad news.  As much as I hate to say this, I have grown tired of posting news articles about video games.  I enjoyed it in the past, attmepting in vain to mirror the now former host of the Colbert Report himself: Stephen Colbert.  So with the next NPD, I will be retiring this Blog for good and leaving it up for archive status.  With the next NPD, I will bid you farewell.

RIP Ralph Baer

Folks, it has come to my attention that Ralph Baer, inventor of the Magnavox Odyssey, the light gun, and even the game Simon!, has passed away.  Gamasutra has more details on his passing.

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Ralph Baer, a true pioneer of video games, has passed away at the age of 92, Gamasutra can confirm via independent sources close to Baer.
Baer developed the very first console video game system, originally known as the Brown Box, but later licensed and sold as 1972's Magnavox Odyssey, which laid the foundation for video games as we know them today.
Baer, an engineer and inventor through and through, also developed the light gun, recognized as the very first peripheral for video game consoles, the interactive memory game, Simon, and other inventions.
He'd been widely recognized for his achievements throughout the course of his life, such as receiving the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush, and an induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
He also received a 2008 Game Developers Choice Pioneer Award (video above). "Thank you very much," he said at the time. "I appreciate the honor, and I'm still cranking out stuff. Goodbye."

 

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Folks, had it not been for this pioneer, we would not have any form of video games on our television sets, on handhelds, on cellphones, or even computers.  Heck, we wouldn't even have had cell phones, home computers or even tablets.  Life wouldn't have been interesting without the man who made the video game industry possible.

Here's to you Ralph Baer.  RIP and thank you for bringing to us video games

Ralph Baer: March 8, 1922 - December 6, 2014

Works Cited: Gamasutra