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Welcome to the latest edition of Pachter Predicts, where Wedbush Morgan analyst and my sworn adversary Michael Pachter makes his predictions for the past month’s console sales here in the United States. For the second straight month, Pachter has predicted that the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360. (Although last month his prediction turned out wrong, as the 360 had a 5,000 unit edge over the PS3.)

Here are his predictions, with last month’s numbers in parentheses:

Wii: 600,000 (721,000)
PS3: 290,000 (257,000)
Xbox 360: 275,000 (262,000)
PS2: 160,000 (216,000)
DS: 550,000 (698,000)
PSP: 235,000 (297,000)

If Pachter turns out to be right, it looks like the 360 and PS3 won’t have seen a major boost in sales as many have thought they would. He attributes his predicted higher sales of the DS and Wii to their greater availability.

As for Grand Theft Auto IV, he expects it to have sold 3.3 million units in its first six days in the US alone, and also notes that he expects 20 games to have cracked the 100,000 unit mark in April, compared with only nine last year.

Those of you who still find yourself looking for a Wii, Pachter thinks that situation might be soon resolving itself: “We believe that Nintendo has diverted a significant portion of its available supply to Europe since April 2007, as the weakening dollar has made US sales less profitable for the company… We expect the supply situation will begin to improve over the next several months. We expect a surge in supply in the US for Wii Fit’s May 21 launch here, and believe we could see as many as 900,000 Wii units show up at retail this month (May).”

via Next Gen

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In addition to all of the gorgeous screenshots from Rare’s two new games, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise and Banjo-Kazooie 3, several other games have been discovered, although the details are shaky at best. The first and only simple one to wrap your head around is Scene It? 2. No real need for an explanation there, although I’d hope that if this is simply an expansion pack to the original that there will be some sort of DLC alternative where you can simply download this new content. But don’t count on it.

The other two games are called Ninja Blade and Lips. Your guess is as good as mine, but here goes my prediction: Ninja Blade will be something related to that rumored Xbox 360 Wiimote-rip off, which will work where you swing the 360mote like a sword. Lips will have something to do with the Xbox Live Vision cam where it tracks your lips.

Okay, that second guess is pretty stupid, but what the hell else could something called Lips be?

You didn’t think those first screens of Banjo-Kazooie 3 were the only thing uncovered by some intrepid NeoGAF members, did you? Good, because next up we’ve got a sequel to one of my personal favorite Xbox 360 games, Viva Pinata. Subtitled Trouble in Paradise, it looks like you’ll be tending to more gardens with a similar interface to the original game.

The one thing I pulled from these screenshots was that there is both a shovel and a watering can that seem to be working simultaneously. Could that mean we’ll be seeing some sort of co-op mode? We should be finding out the official word this week. In the meantime, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more screenshots.

Microsoft will be holding a Gamers’ Day event this week where a number of games will be unveiled, but thanks to a PR screw up, the internet is on fire this morning with, among other things, the first screenshots of Banjo-Kazooie 3.

You can click on the thumbnails below to get a look at them, or head to NeoGAF, whose members you can thank for tracking down all of these wonderful things.

It’s important to note, though, that even while the screenshots might make Banjo 3 appear to be a racing game, Rare has clarified that the game is most certainly not a racing game.

We haven’t revealed the gameplay mechanic yet,” George Kelion, Rare community manager, told Eurogamer. “It’s not a racing game, and people are honestly better off waiting until tomorrow when we are going to be talking about it extensively before drawing their own conclusions.

“The honest truth is that people don’t know the half of it yet. The game is not just a graphical showcase.”

It certainly could be; the game looks absolutely gorgeous. I’m excited to hear exactly what Rare’s got in store, but these are good enough for now.

As promised, WiiWare has finally launched today. Wii owners can now head to the Wii Shop Channel and start downloading any of the six previously announced launch titles. With the launch of WiiWare, there won’t be any releases on the Virtual Console today, but the normal Wii-kly Update schedule will resume next week.

Only one of the six launch games matches the releases that Japan saw when WiiWare launched over there, so there’s a good chance you don’t know much about several of the games. That’s where Game|Life comes in, as they’ve posted a WiiWare launch guide which should be able to help you decide how to spend your Wii Points.

Be sure to come back and let us know what you think of the service and any games you buy.

Twenty Sided has an article up on how have flawed main characters can be fun. The example used here is the lead character from BioWare’s Jade Empire. For those of you who have always wanted to play it but haven’t got around to it; you might want to skip this article. However for those gamers who understand the inside joke, this is a fun piece of truism.

Personal, I like a little roughness in both my NPCs and player characters. It makes them more realistic and easier to relate to. It also helps to build tension in a story. If everything single obstacle is too easily surmounted, I tend to lose interest quickly.  This especially applies to RPGs and games with RPG elements.

The unstoppable Kratos retains a human touch as he mourns the loss of his family. Similarly, the new Viking: Battle for Asgard features a less than perfect main character as well. Not all player characters are as clueless as the lead character in Jade Empire, but it’s nice to have three dimensional characters that have some room for growth.

via Twenty Sided

Aside from World of Warcraft, the biggest MMO of 2007 and so far this year isn’t one you would name off the top of your head. According to the author of an article up on Eurogamer; it’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The piece goes on to defend the position that although CoD4 isn’t an MMO in the strictest sense of the definition, it does share many of the same gameplay elements that typify an MMO.

Call of Duty 4 proves that it’s possible to take some of the things that MMOs do right and distil them for a game that wouldn’t traditionally be seen as an MMO. The potency of the idea, even in this form, is obvious; the drive to play just a little bit more, because there’s a reward waiting just up ahead, is an incredibly powerful and addictive force for players

I can actually agree with the author on most of his points, and the idea isn’t one that hasn’t been presented before. The success of MMOs is changing the way traditional video games are being designed. One of the latest examples of this trend is the multi-player mode in RockStar’s Grand Theft Auto IV. I think we’re going to see the games industry moving ever closer to this formula as gamers demand more of a social element to their gaming experience.

via Eurogamer

Electronic Arts has released a new trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company. The video features the bad boys of B Company; a wayward band of soldiers that are more interested in Gold and personal financial gain than the glory of battle or patriotism. There should be a demo coming up soon for this single-player and multiplayer first person shooter.

Of course since Battlefield: Bad Company is a game for Mature gamers or at least seventeen years old; I can’t include the trailer here. Just follow the link to FileFront, and mind the age gate.

Rich Briggs, a Producer on EA’s Dead Space puts the S-E in SEXY with his work on Scripted Events and Focus Groups. These are the major building blocks of the Dead Space storyline. Briggs has a colorful analogy on the roll of SE in the game.

Dead Space is a horrific roller coaster ride that we want to take you on. The framework of the coaster is already there, as our core gameplay mechanics will drive your second to second enjoyment. The SEs are the paint, the decorations, and the lights. They are the dark tunnel you plummet through, and the plumes of water that spray up as you skim along the water. It’s the name of the experience, which is why roller coasters are called “The Viper” or “Death Rail” as opposed to “Mobile Cart Precariously Connected to Wooden Tracks.”

The biggest challenge for the development team is making sure that you can’t break the SE moments in the game. They occur while you still control the main character, and while they want you to experience these as spine tingling episodes, they don’t want to take away your control, like say Dirge of Cerberus.

Dead Space is scheduled for release in North America and Europe October 2008.

via Dead Space

The track record of useful accessories to come out of Nyko is all over the place. The Nyko Intercooler has often been blamed for causing overheating problems with the Xbox 360; the Wiimote Charge Station has been absolutely wonderful for me; and the Nunchuk Wireless Adapter is just downright silly, if you ask me.

But their newest accessory for Wii looks to be quite useful for anyone planning on picking up Wii Fit or the Wii Balance Board — the Nyko Energy Pak will fit right into the Balance Board’s battery compartment and provide you with up to 30 hours of balance acts, and will also allow you to charge and play at the same time.

For $20, it sounds like this is a pretty good bet for anyone that wants to save themselves from the woes of batteries. The Energy Pak (why does it have to be called “Pak”?) releases on May 19.

via Wii Fanboy

This Monday will finally see the launch of WiiWare in North America, and I have here the list of game’s that will be available on the service from day one. There won’t be any Virtual Console releases this Monday, but hopefully that’s only because of WiiWare’s launch; it’ll be nice to regularly get both new WiiWare and Virtual Console games in the same week.

On with the list:

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Square Enix, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 1,500 Wii Points): Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King takes a legendary franchise and launches it into the realm of simulation gaming. Players are challenged to rebuild a kingdom, leading its young king on a path of discovery through an adventure bristling with mystery and intrigue.

LostWinds (Frontier Development, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): A fresh, enchanting platform adventure that puts the power of the wind in the palm of your hand – from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze. You’ll wield your Wii Remote controller to power Toku’s jumps and glides, suspend and smash enemies, meet friends and solve puzzles using LostWinds’ novel, intuitive and playful control system.

Defend your Castle (XGen Studios, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Defend your Castle takes place on a grassy plain surrounded by invaders. You are the commander of your castle, and it is your duty to fling the invading enemies sky-high, watching them plummet to their demise. As you progress, add powerful spells and upgrades to your arsenal for repelling the attacks. How long can you hold them off?

Pop (Nnooo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 700 Wii Points): Pop bubbles to score points and stop the timer from running out. Pop can be enjoyed by anyone – casual gamers can simply play to pop bubbles and keep the game moving, whereas advanced players will need to pick their shots rapidly and accurately and generate combos to maximize their score.

V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack (High Voltage Software, Inc., 1-4 players, Rated T for Teen – Simulated Gambling, 700 Wii Points): V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack re-creates the casino experience, with fully animated players and a realistic Las Vegas dealer. Single players can increase their bankrolls, while multiple players can engage in a head-to-head mini-blackjack tournament.

TV Show King (Gameloft, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): TV Show King transforms your living room into a real TV quiz show studio where you’ll face the challenge of answering more than 3,000 questions across six different categories. Compete against family and friends and use your Wii Remote controller in original ways to make it to the finals to see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one final, deciding duel.

100 Wii Points translates to $1, so the math isn’t too difficult to figure out. I’m still trying to decide on what I’ll be buying (if anything) from this first batch of WiiWare titles. Does anything immediately catch your eye?

It’s funny to think about how things would have played out if things were the same as a year ago. With Microsoft, Moore would’ve either dismissed Home after seeing another delay or politely talked about how he’s interested in trying it. Instead, he’s now publicly voiced his disappointment as he seems very excited about the prospect of EA Sports taking advantage of Sony’s online hub.

When asked about the possibility of using Home, Moore told Eurogamer, “Yeah; I just wish it would ship. I [previously] questioned it a little bit, whether I’d want to wander around there. Phil Harrison showed me a demo - it’s very cool, but let’s go already. And so I’m disappointed that it’s been pushed back a little bit again.

“But I really hope it gets going and becomes that portal to the PlayStation Network and we can utilise it. But boy, I just wish we’d get going.”

I think a lot of PlayStation 3 gamers that are looking forward to Home (myself included) share that sentiment. 10-year life cycle or not, let’s get moving, Sony.

Microsoft’s certification process is a pretty long-winding and complicated one, so who really knows with them how long something will take to pass through it. What we do know is that Vigilante 8 Arcade is essentially complete and has just finished its pre-certification with Microsoft.

Isopod expects it to be no longer than 2-4 weeks, and then the game will simply need a release slot — they’re guessing early June, but it could be sooner or later depending on the release schedule.

There are plans for “some neat DLC” which I’m going to go out on a limb and guess include new vehicles, maps, and/or modes. Daring, I know, but that’s just the kind of guy I am.

Not much has been divulged regarding God of War III other than your normal “coming soon” and “we are working on it” sound bites from Sony. Not even a concrete release date has even been hinted around at other than “late 2009″.

Has this stopped the speculation or rumors? Heck no, because Amazon has it up for preorder right now and are listing the release date as March 2, 2009. That is 10 months from now. Take this release date with a grain of salt until official word comes down from Sony, but check it out nonetheless.

Also, I am hoping against all hope, that the cover art for the game that they are showing is just temporary because Kratos is just too bleeping cool not to be featured on the cover of his own game.

Check back with us often for updates.

Thanks for the Tip: Mrjuandrful

EA issued a press release yesterday regarding another bid at trying to take over Take-Two, and while we felt that this was just another chapter in the soap opera not worth mentioning, today, I just had to post something about it because our favorite analyst has thrown his two cents in on the subject.Michael Patcher, whom one of our writers calls “his nemesis” has had plenty to say regarding the back and forth between both companies, and while visiting Game Politics this morning, I came across this lovely bit of information.

Apparently, EA has only $1.7 billion in the bank, and the deal they have offered Take-Two deal is $2.1 billion, so they have talked to Morgan Stanley, the Bank of Nova Scotia and several other financial institutions who have all agreed to loan them some money so as to secure the deal.

Here is what I pulled from Game Politics:

It is something that should be expected. After [the acquisition of] Pandemic/BioWare, EA has only around $1.7 billion in available cash… The Take-Two deal is around $2.1 billion… so they’re short. They also probably need around $400 million in available cash for working capital needs, so they need to raise around $800 million to complete the deal. The extra $200 million is just a cushion, although I suppose it could be construed as how much higher they’re willing to go [for Take-Two]…

The timing isn’t particularly unusual, a bit later than I would have thought, as they should have started the process on March 13 (when they went hostile). However, I have no experience in credit markets like we’re experiencing now, so maybe it’s normal to take 8 weeks to get something like this done. It’s also possible that they waited for their new CFO [Eric Brown] to start in order to allow him to negotiate terms…

I would not read any significance into the filing, other than to say that if they want to raise their offer price [for Take Two], they will likely need a higher credit line…

So EA, what are we going to do tonight? The same thing we do every night, Pinky - try to take over the world!

Via: Game Politics

Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star took the Parents Television Council up on an interview offer, and shot a few questions off to Dan Isett , PTC Director of Public Policy about Grand Theft Auto IV.We are all familiar with the level of hate the PTC has been spouting off regarding GTA IV of late, and some of it is just plain nonsense. Especially regarding getting “points” fro drunk driving. Thus, Villarreal, has shown just how ignorant of the game’s contents the PTC is, and follows is a transcript pulled directly from the interview.

When it comes to “Grand Theft Auto IV,” however, Isett is clueless. Here’s a transcript of part of our conversation.

Have you played the game?

“I’ve actually played ‘Grand Theft Auto IV,’ and it’s right in keeping with previous versions. The series continues to lower the bar and this is the first game that has an alcohol content warning. You get points for driving drunk in this game.”

You know that’s not true, right? The game doesn’t have points.

“If nothing else, it’s a rewarded activity. Necessary for advancement.”

I don’t think so.

“But there’s an alcohol content warning and a scene of drunk driving, correct?”

Yes. Did you play that part?

“No, no. I didn’t get that far.”

Are you a gamer at all? Do you play any games these days?

“I enjoy video games.”

What do you play?

“I have a lot of fun. I play all sorts of games. I actually have a Wii.”

What were the circumstances that you played “GTA IV?”

“I rented it at a friend’s house. I think that what’s important is it’s a horrifically violent game and if you want to quibble about extra points being granted, fine. It rewards every antisocial behavior.”

Isett said among the worst of such antisocial behavior is murder, and he played the game for a couple hours and was led by the game to kill other characters. When pressed for the circumstances in which he did the killing, because my and most other gamers’ first couple hours with the game were murder-free (although you do kill in self defense in some early missions), he refused to give any details.

I pressed him about why his organization is going after M-rated games rather than R-rated movies, and he kept repeating “the focus on this today is on video games, not movies.”

The comparison between movies and games isn’t valid, he said.

“I reject the argument that an M-rated game is comparable to an R-rated movie. One, it doesn’t require 30 hours of continuous game play to make your way through an R-rated movie.” Isett said scientific research proves games are more immersive than movies and should be treated differently.

As awkward as Isett sounds in those quotes, I was just as nonsensical when I accused Isett’s organization of wrongly declaring “Grand Theft Auto IV” was AO-rated in the press release.

Great job Phil! It is nice to see journalists with integrity and intelligence still exist the media.

Via: Game Politics and AZNightBuzz

Jonathan mentioned last week that a Muse Track Pack for GH III would be available this week, and Chris mentioned that it was now available through PSN yesterday.Today, The Major posted that it became available last night for the Xbox 360 and here are the details:

Content: Muse Track Pack
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in India
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) MILD LYRICS,MILD SUGGESTIVE THEMES] “Exo-Politics”, “Stockholm Syndrome” & “Supermassive Black Hole” as performed by Muse. For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Via: Major Nelson

Submitted for your approval are the new screens and trailer for the Rocketmen: Axis of Evil expansion It Came From Uranus. I have looked online, have looked at the Capcom website, and have read numerous game stats and press releases on this game, and I still cannot figure out if the actual title of the damn thing is It Came from YOUR Uranus or It Came From Uranus. It is being called both by numerous sources so pardon me for being confused. In the end I guess it does not really matter, both titles are a play on words of sort and no matter what title is accurate, you will either like the game or you won’t.

You can expect the expansion to hit next week for both the PS3 and 360.

I won’t bother you with any teaser text: go here to download the first real trailer for Gears of War 2.

With that out of the way, those of you who are of age are in for a treat after downloading the trailer, which shows off the game’s usage of an upgraded Unreal Engine that looks terrific. There’s also a preview of a number of new game mechanics, such as being able to grab an enemy and use him for cover and chainsaw duels. Head over to GameVideos for an in depth analysis of all the details those folks were able to pull from the trailer.

As for my thoughts; it certainly looks great, there’s no denying that. I wasn’t blown away by the trailer, but that’s the nature of seeing gameplay versus a teaser trailer. And in all actuality, while it doesn’t have the same effect that a teaser would have, this is much more satisfying, as we can actually see the game in motion. I’m not sure how to feel about the chainsaw duels — it seems like an improvement from the first Gears, but I’m not sure that mashing B (which may or may not be all there is to it) is really the most elegant solution to the problems with Gears‘ chainsaw. Cliffy B is right, though. The game looks pretty badass.

The PlayStation Store has gotten a great update this week with three solid demos, new music for both Guitar Hero III and Rock Band, the expansion pack to PixelJunk, PixelJunk Monsters Encore ($5.99), and Rocketmen: Axis of Evil ($9.99). In addition to all that, there’s a number of trailers for games and movies, including an Iron Man trailer and one for WipEout HD and Mercenaries 2.

Check it all out after the break.

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