The Best-Selling Comics of August 2012

A year after the launch of DC's New 52, comic book sales for the company are still a marked improvement, as the company took the lead over Marvel in market dollar share with a 33.32% compared to a 32.42%. Marvel still took unit share though, inching out DC's 37.12% with a 37.18%. Overall, comic book sales were up nearly 20% from August 2011.

The top 10 best-sellers of August are as follows:

1. Avengers vs. X-Men #9 (Marvel)
2. Avengers vs. X-Men #10 (Marvel)
3. Batman #12 (DC)
4. Justice League #12 (DC)
5. The Amazing Spider-Man #692 (Marvel)
6. Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1 (DC)
7. AvX: VS #5 (Marvel)
8. Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1 (DC)
9. Green Lantern #12 (DC)
10. Detective Comics #12 (DC)

As for the top sellers in graphic novels and trade paperbacks:

1. Batman: Earth One HC (DC)
2. The Walking Dead Vol. 1 TPB (Image)
3. Swamp Thing Vol. 1 TPB (DC)
4. Superman: Action Comics Vol. 1 HC (DC)
5. Batman Vol. 1 HC (DC)
6. Hulk: Season One HC (Marvel)
7. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1 Color HC (Oni Press)
8. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Sith Hunters TPB (Dark Horse)
9. The Walking Dead Vol. 2 TPB (Image)
10. Fear Itself TPB (Marvel)

We'll see if zero month can help push DC over the top, but then again, Marvel's got the conclusion of Avengers vs. X-Men headed our way this month. Which will win out?

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Special Forces: Team X -- An Attempt to Breathe Life into Old Ideas

When it comes to talking about shooters, calling the market "crowded" is an understatement. If you want to make something that can compete with the likes of Call of Duty, Battlefield, Counter-Strike or any other numerous established shooter franchises, it's not enough to make it cheap or even free. Alongside a price point that makes it attractive, you need a hook -- some sort of innovation or series of innovative twists on what's come before -- to stand out.

For Zombie Studios next game Special Forces: Team X, the hook comes from the fact that it's a less-than-serious, third-person, cover-based shooter with a cool take on map design. Sure, cover-based shooters have been partially explored on the Xbox thanks to Gears of War, but virtually not at all on the PC, making it a much easier genre to become a potential competitor in. Combine these mechanics with Special Forces: Team X's sub $20 price tag, and you have what could be an attractive alternative to players looking for a cheap, multiplayer-only option in the genre Gears so firmly established.

Let's just get all of Team X's similarities to Gears of War right out of the way. It puts a similar premium on utilizing cover. Battles don't boil down to who can rush in and get themselves killed the fastest, but who can play methodically, out-flanking the enemy team. Moving between cover is crucial, and Team X gives gives you a very roadie-run-like sprinting ability that lets you press on enemy positions. You can also vault and blind fire from cover and you have recharging health.

Now that that's cleared up, let's focus on how Team X mixes it up, namely by tossing in elements from Call of Duty. Just like COD, Team X gives you loadouts, and you unlock new gear for your loadouts based on your level, which is raised by killing people, completing objectives -- you know the drill by now, right? As you level up you'll unlock new weapons for your two weapon slots, new perks (called Skills in Team X), as well as a host of options for changing your appearance. Weapons can be further customized with attachments, but Zombie has intentionally made it so you only have to worry about a few items and stats, rather than the slew of options that were in their last game, Blacklight: Retribution. The point of this isn't too think too much about how to best min-max your loadouts stats, but to put things on that sound fun and then see if they work. Since it's not a free-to-play but rather a single transaction, you don't have to fret over whether or not you want to pay to rent or buy items, either.

One really cool thing that Team X does different from its competitors is its map generation. Instead of launching with a few pre-made maps, Team X lets players vote on the map layout before each match. Every map is composed of three segments, and to vote you simply swap out the segments until you find a combination you like. Then, after the timer counts down, Team X counts which map sections got the most votes in which slots and generates the level accordingly. This results in a few things that could make Team X a lot of fun to play. First of all, it's a great way to keep you on your toes, since this means that you can't simply learn a map in its entirety, but instead have to learn the ins and outs of sections, and then understand how they'll play off one another when next to one another. Second, it makes voting on each round feel more exciting, because you're not just picking between two maps that you might not like, you're actively participating in the design of the level -- albeit on a very basic level. Third, it means that Zombie Studios could roll out new map DLC at a fast rate if Team X does well, since the team only has to create single segments at a time rather than entire maps.

Other standout features in Team X could also help differentiate it. For instance you can play traditional modes like team deathmatch and king of the hill with two teams, but Team X also allows as many as four separate teams against one another at a time. Or if you don't like to use grenades as your method for breaking someone out of cover, you can also bring dogs into the fight, sending them at your attackers to kill them or provide a distraction while you flank your enemy.  Even the Skill system in Team X tweaks the standard formula a bit, with some Skills giving area of effect bonuses to your teammates instead of only benefiting you. These group-focused skills are important, too, because they encourage you to stick together -- something particularly important in a cover-centric shooter.

With so many generic shooters or blatant clones releasing in recent years, it's nice to see a studio attempt to innovate on established formulas. Whether or not this will bring success to Special Forces: Team X, though...well that remains to be seen. At least we won't have to wait long, since Team X is slated to release on XBLA and PC before the end of the year.

Source : ign[dot]com

The iPhone 5 Rumor Roundup Continues

While the media's patience wears thin and the Android platform continues to grow its market share, the 'net is bursting with iPhone 5 rumors ranging from the plausible to the laughable and everything in between.

Source: T3

The most believable (and corroborated) set of Apple hints now surrounds the unannounced device's release date. iMore reported today that, coinciding with an iPhone 5 event, pre-orders for the next-gen smartphone would begin on September 12, or nine days before the alleged release day.

All of this information comes to iMore by way of "sources who have proven accurate in the past," a character we've seen a few times before, and since.

Source: BGR

His distant cousin, BGR's "trusted source" and apparent AT&T insider, also outed a late September release window for the iPhone 5, citing a rescheduled employee training event and an "all hands on deck" policy as the reasons for suspecting that timing.

The Apple press conference on September 12 is almost certainly the platform for Apple's iPhone 5 announcement, but the question is whether or not release will follow so quickly. For comparison, the iPhone 4, which released over two years ago (a longer development timeline that most), was announced on June 7 at WWDC 2010, then introduced to store shelves June 24 internationally. Apple is no stranger to surprises, or to swift turn-around times, so the September and October rumors sound like reasonable guesses.

Over the past week, images and even video have "leaked" from Japanese manufacturers, French journalists, and American speculators. The footage swam over the Pacific from Japanese site Macotakara to deliver a purported first full look at the casing that will be holding the new iPhone. While this seems to be in line with other ideas about the wraparound middle-back cover, there's no way to know if the video is a good-looking farce or the real deal.

Source: iPhone 5 Guides

Other rumors about the casing and display have circled around a 4-inch screen and a thinner, higher-resolution LCD panel.

Blogs all across the tech-interest sphere have been claiming for months that the days of the 30-pin iPhone dock connector won't continue with the iPhone 5. Although a consensus on the smaller connector has yet to be reached, it's not unthinkable to imagine that Apple may be going to the micro-USB standard, if changing at all.

Leaked images of what may be the iPhone 5's motherboard have also given rise to some spurious speculation. While some contend that the SIM card slot from the pictures looks to support micro-SIM cards, those infamous sources are claiming some insider knowledge about nano-SIM cards for the iPhone 5.

IGN will be on-hand at the September 12 event and keeping tabs on all the rumors (and eventually facts) about the iPhone 5 and Apple's next generation of mobile devices.

Sources: 9to5 Mac, The Verge, Macotakara, BGR, iMore

Dan Crabtree is an I.T. guy and freelance writer with words on IGN, and a league of other gaming news outlets. His dog is considered handsome and well-read. You can find him (the human) on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Top 25 Wii Games

A year ago, we thought the Wii was pretty much done. The console had been on the market for five years. It seemed everything notable had been released already - with the exception of one major adventure starring a certain pointy-eared hero - and most Nintendo fans had already resigned themselves to a status of mental stasis, waiting around for the arrival of Nintendo's next home console.

Well, we're still waiting now – but, thankfully, these past 12 months for Wii haven't been quite as terrible as we feared, with that one major adventure joined by a couple of high profile, epic role-playing games that we honestly didn't expect to see actually released in America. Because of the high quality of that handful of titles, and because there's still plenty of time to go back and experience the best Wii has to offer in these final months before Wii U's arrival, we've updated our Top 25 list of the best of the best from Nintendo's current console. Read, enjoy, and rejoice that while this past year certainly hasn't been Wii's biggest in quantity of releases, the quality of what we did receive was stunning.

Publisher: Nintendo | Developer: Nintendo Release Date: July 26, 2009 | Read the Review

The original Wii Sports will probably be remembered as the quintessential Wii experience since it was initially included with the Wii system, but that would be a disservice to the awesome follow-up (and the Trojan horse for the Wii MotionPlus), Wii Sports Resort. Simple, wrist-flicking Wii Sports essentials like bowling and tennis are included in Resort, but new games like table tennis and Frisbee golf actually require finesse, even skill, thanks to the Wii MotionPlus add-on for the Wii Remote. Additionally, the use of Wuhu Island as a cohesive setting for all the events is a great idea – so great it was used again in Pilotwings Resort for 3DS!

Publisher: Nintendo | Developer: Nintendo EAD / Intelligent Systems Release Date: January 17, 2007 | Read the Review

With Wii Sports in the box and games like Wario Ware: Smooth Moves arriving shortly after launch, the Wii became known as the "party game" system early on. As party games go, the Wario Ware series is hard to top. Wario Ware: Smooth Moves presents collection of "micro games," doled out in quick succession. It's four-player, Wii Remote-waggling madness: you have only seconds to figure out what to do in each game before you're on to the next one. Additionally, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves features a healthy dose of Japanese wackiness. Some microgames are downright unintelligible, adding to the general sense of pandemonium.

Publisher: Nintendo | Developer: Treasure Release Date: June 27, 2010 | Read the Review

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is one of the most intense, exciting games available on Wii. Two kids fly through fantastic environments on other planets, shooting everything in their way and taking down giant boss monsters. It barrels along at a breakneck pace, barely giving you a chance to wipe the sweat off your Wii Remote. Developer Treasure is basically teaching a master class on how to make an on-rails shooter. While the Wii has most often been regarded as the family-friendly or kid-friendly console of this generation, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is exactly what is meant by the term "hardcore."

Publisher: Nintendo | Developer: Intelligent Systems Release Date: November 5, 2007 | Read the Review

As far as classic strategy games go, Fire Emblem pretty much harks back to the beginning of time. It's been one of those series that Nintendo held back for a long time from American audiences, but now that we've got it, we can recommend it to any and all strategy fans. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn for Nintendo Wii did very little to change a formula that's been around for nearly two decades. The involving story is still there, the classic turn-based strategy originating on Famicom Wars (the 8-bit inspiration for the Advance Wars series) is at large once again, and players of a whole new generation got a chance to experience exactly what Fire Emblem is all about.

Publisher: Ignition Entertainment | Developer: Vanillaware / Marvelous Entertainment Release Date: September 8, 2009 | Read the Review

According to the very few who have actually played this sleeper game, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is as much a piece of art as it is a video game. This Marvelous Entertainment-developed experience is one part role-playing game and one part old-school brawler, but most importantly it's one of the most visually creative games to be released in Wii's lifetime. There always seems to be something new around the next corner, giving this original action title an enormous sense of discovery. The seamless blending of visuals, audio, and fun makes Muramasa is a true 2D classic.

Source : ign[dot]com

Microsoft to Open New Studio in London

Microsoft is set to open a new games studio in London. The company is currently hiring senior staff to run the studio.

“EMEA is a key market for us and we continue to cultivate the best talent and focus on growing our business, with this role focused on the continued expansion of our Microsoft Studios business in the region,” the company told MCV.

Job listings for the studio suggest this new team will be working on more casual experiences, seeking employees with a history in both cloud and mobile gaming.

Microsoft already operates several studios in the UK, including Lionhead, Rare and Soho Productions.

The news comes on the back of reports of an unspecified number of redundancies at Microsoft Studios Vancouver after further development on both Microsoft Flight and Project Columbia was ceased.

Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. Chat to him on IGN here or find him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

Source : ign[dot]com

Google Fiber Could Revolutionize Internet and TV Service

In its latest effort to make our lives more awesome, Google is gearing up to premier its crazy-fast Fiber service, starting with a trial market in Kansas City. The service comes without monthly bandwidth caps or overages, and paid plans come bundled with 1TB of Google Drive cloud storage.

The promotional video for Google Fiber’s KC debut points to average USA broadband speeds as a bottleneck in users’ experience of the web.

Just as the last few years have seen huge expansions in processor speed and storage capacity, Google proposes to multiply home internet connection speeds by 100. “Fiber offers up to 1,000 Mb/sec download and upload,” Google’s “About” page explains. So just to be clear, that means users will be able to download (or upload) any file up to a gigabyte in a second or less.

Google is offering three plans for pre-registration.

Anyone who pays a one-time $300 fee (to cover home fiber-line construction) can have US-average broadband speeds free, guaranteed for at least seven years.

For $70 per month, users can upgrade to gigabit service. That’s the whole monthly price—no introductory rates that double after six months—and that includes the wifi-equipped Network Box. Google will even throw in 1TB of Google Drive cloud storage. Oh, and a two-year contract waives that $300 setup fee.

For $120 per month you get the “whole Google experience.” Again, the network box and 1TB on Google Drive come bundled; and a two-year contract still waives the fiber construction fee. But that $120/mo. will net you all this other stuff too:

• A TV Box with “hundreds” of basic fiber channels (click here for the full list) to replace your cable service (Premium channels will be available as add-ons.)


• On-demand movies and TV shows, plus out-of-the-box support for Netflix & Youtube.


• A networked 2TB DVR “Storage Box” (That’s enough space for 500 hours of HD programming, and the TV Box can record up to 8 programs at a time.)


• A totally free Nexus 7 tablet—your remote control for the TV box.

Residents in high-demand neighborhoods on both sides of the Kansas-Missourri border have 45 days to pre-register here. The rest of us will have to wait a while longer, although Google will all but certainly expand its fiber network to high-demand urban areas first. The packages listed above are residential only; business prices have yet to be announced. Would you ditch your current service for one of Google's Fiber plans? Let us know in the comments.

Source : ign[dot]com

THQ Avoids NASDAQ De-Listing

THQ has announced that it has met the minimum share price to remain listed on the NASDAQ stock market. In fitting with NASDAQ’s minimum price, THQ stock has held a value above $1.00 per share for more than 10 consecutive business days, allowing it to stay on the market.

Earlier this month, THQ announced a reverse split of its stock, meaning that every 10 shares of company stock was converted into one share. This move cut the number of shares from 68.5 million to 6.9 million in an effort to maintain NASDAQ’s minimum $1.00 price.

Meeting NASDAQ’s minimum is good news for THQ, though it’s only the beginning of the company’s road to recovery. THQ has been in tough financial shape all year, following the failure of its uDraw tablets and subsequent lawsuits. THQ announced yesterday that Ron Moravek is its new executive vice president of production, and earlier this week it consolidated its quality assurance facilities.

THQ has several big games planned for 2013. For more about THQ moving forward, be sure to read our interview with Rubin as well as how THQ is protecting its future.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com