Joystiq

Avatar sets Blu-ray sales record, sells 2.7 million in four days

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST

Unsurprisingly, Avatar has done extremely well during its home video run. In fact, James Cameron's movie has claimed the honor of best-selling Blu-ray movie ever, beating the previous title-holder, The Dark Knight. According to a report by Variety, 2.7 million Blu-ray discs were sold in the four days since its retail release in the US. (In comparison, The Dark Knight took 18 months to sell 2.5 million discs.)

Perhaps a testament to the growing demand for Blu-ray content, Blu-ray accounted for 40% of total home video sales for Avatar in the four-day window. That's a significant increase from the 25% market share The Dark Knight claimed over a year ago.

Avatar will most likely represent yet another sales benchmark when it is re-released on 3D Blu-ray next year. Thankfully, PS3-owning movie fans are already equipped with one of the few Blu-ray players on the market that will be capable of playing that disc.

Avatar sets Blu-ray sales record, sells 2.7 million in four days originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cameron entertaining possibility of doing more games with Ubisoft

Justin McElroy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST

Though it sounds intriguing and exciting on the outside, there's something about the X-Play interview with James Cameron we put after the break that kind of bums us out. The director recently told the show, "I've got a lot of stories and I don't have time to make them all as movies. That's something I'm exploring with Ubisoft, to see if there's maybe a relationship around just getting some of these story and world ideas into games."

It's good news if you're a fan of Ubisoft or Cameron, but bad news if you're not a fan of watching a man entering his twilight years, fully aware that his own mortality may keep him from sharing all the stories he wants to with mankind. That's kind of a total bummer. Look for James Cameron's Grim Realization and Acceptance of the Inevitability of His Own Death coming to PS3 and 360 in 2011.

Continue reading Cameron entertaining possibility of doing more games with Ubisoft

Cameron entertaining possibility of doing more games with Ubisoft originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Metareview: James Cameron's Avatar

Justin McElroy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST

Here's a dreary, uncomfortably true comment about the state of movie-licensed games: When we saw the average that James Cameron's Avatar currently sports on Metacritic, our first thought was, "Wow, a 65, not bad!" Here's how it was sized up by a few outlets:

VideoGamer (70/100): "James Cameron's Avatar: The Game is easily one of the best movie licensed games I've ever played, but at the same time it's not good enough to stand alone as a must-own title. While the presentation is great and the combat generally enjoyable, the missions leave a lot to be desired - and there's little of the sense of wonder that the movie promises."
IGN (68/100): "There's nothing disastrous here, and the RDA shooter side of things performs well enough to be occasionally enjoyable. The quest design, including both the main and side tasks, is about as generic as they come. Go here, collect this, plant these bombs, or kill this and then return to me."
Game Informer (65/100): "These shortcomings are a shame considering the game's interesting gameplay twists. Avatar features a solid RPG element that unlocks new armor and upgraded weapons at a steady pace. Players also unlock new skills (i.e. buffs) that help spice up combat a little, but can't overcome the gameplay imbalances."
GameSpot (55/100): "It's not a bad game, and portions of it are competent, if not quite remarkable. But Avatar wears thin quickly, and the story is too fragile to compensate for the deficiencies.

Metareview: James Cameron's Avatar originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avatar's third dev diary is all about choices

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Okay, okay - we'll admit that the transparent dry erase board thing is a bit on the "too much" side of things, but Avatar's third dev diary contains enough interesting information about the game in it otherwise that we feel okay forgiving the clip's director. The emphasis here is on the game's many choices, and, more specifically, the one major choice which mirrors the movie's plot. Will you choose the path of the human and murder a tall blue alien ... thing, or stand up for all that is righteous and good in the world? The choice is yours (you monster!).

Gallery: James Cameron's Avatar (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)

Avatar's third dev diary is all about choices originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avatar gameplay trailer shows off blue guy's athleticism

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

We finally understand why James Cameron spoke for nine-and-a-half hours about his upcoming film/game, Avatar, during Ubisoft's E3 press conference earlier this year. Without the context provided during his lengthy diatribe, we'd have absolutely no idea what was going on in the above gameplay trailer for his long overdue film's video game adaptation. However, now we understand perfectly: A blue alien guy is murdering humans with primitive weapons.

Now wait just a second. Let's forget the fact that when one brings a knife (or in this case, a long, spiked club) to a gun fight, one rarely claims victory. Instead, let's focus on the fact that Mr. Cameron wants us to root against humanity. "Oh, but they're polluting their planet," you might cry. No, they're doing their job. That's a thing humans have to do from time to time. They don't have the freedom to skip around lush jungles all day, riding around on pterodactyls. They have responsibilities, and we're not really comfortable with playing as the turquoise-toned authors of their eradication for that reason alone.

Avatar gameplay trailer shows off blue guy's athleticism originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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James Cameron's Avatar launches for everything Dec. 1

Xav de Matos — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:00:00 EST

Ubisoft's website lists James Cameron's Avatar as launching across all platforms -- Xbox 360, PS3, PC, DS, Wii, PSP, Wifi-enabled Toilets and Toasters that also cook hot dogs -- for December 1. As we're often skeptical with what we read on the Internet, we decided to find out if the listing was accurate. According to Ubisoft, the game will indeed launch in North America on December 1.

The date thrusts gamers into the Avatar universe more than two weeks before the film hits theaters on December 16. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players -- with the proper set up -- will also be able to experience the game in 3D. Whether or not James Cameron will record what seems like an hours-long video introduction outlining every detail of the game and movie experience to accompany the launch is unclear.

Gallery: James Cameron's Avatar (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)

James Cameron's Avatar launches for everything Dec. 1 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avatar: The Game: The Developer Diary

David Hinkle — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:00:00 EST

Ubisoft has released the first of its developer diaries for Avatar: The Game. This video mainly covers the Avatar universe and how the game will be directly related to the film. Avatar: The Game is not your typical licensed game -- at least in respect to its story, by being officially recognized as canon in a larger universe.

Those of you looking to see some gameplay will notice some snippets above, though the video is mainly developers and Cameron talking about the game. Don't worry, though: Cameron doesn't pull another Cameron.

Avatar: The Game: The Developer Diary originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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James Cameron's Avatar gets PSP incarnation with PS3 connectivity

Andrew Yoon — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST

Not much is known about the upcoming PSP version of Avatar: The Game. Heck, we didn't even know it existed until just now. According to PlayStation: The Official Magazine (via IGN), the handheld game has you taking up arms as the film's blue-skinned Na'vi aliens after their village is destroyed by the human RDA force. Based on the plot similarities, it's likely that the PSP game is based on the Wii version and not the PS3/360 game.

Like Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, the two PlayStation Avatar games will be able to communicate with each other. One feature revealed so far is the ability to transfer "Effort Points" from the PSP game to the PS3. That's not immediately exciting stuff, but we're hoping that more interesting connectivity features will be revealed at a later stage.

James Cameron's Avatar gets PSP incarnation with PS3 connectivity originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avatar's first gameplay trailer unsurprisingly full of blue people

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST

We imagine you're just as excited for James Cameron's upcoming film, Avatar, as we are. How can you go wrong with blue people, right? The game's first trailer though -- it unfortunately lives up to our expectations for games based on licensed properties, including cheesy rock music right on cue at the one minute mark. We're hoping a demo lands before the game's planned December release window.

As pointed out in our hands-on with the game, the visuals certainly do pop with color, but the action itself seems to lean toward the generic side of things. That being said, we hear the blue giants are playable in the game. That's something different, right? Right?!

... where are you going?

Avatar's first gameplay trailer unsurprisingly full of blue people originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Impressions: James Cameron's Avatar

James Ransom-Wiley — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

Today being "Avatar Day" (what, didn't your calendar tell you?), we figured it's the perfect time to fill you in on what we've seen of the gaming side of James Cameron's much-talked-about mega-project, James Cameron's Avatar. The Game, as it's subtitled, is split into two distinct products on consoles. (Additionally, there will be portable versions for DS and PSP.) The games aren't typical movie-license rehashes and tell their own stories, separate in plot from the movie, in turn contributing unique elements to the Avatar universe.

Ubisoft likens Avatar to Harry Potter, "an incredible entertainment phenomenon." Understandably, you might not have made the same connection, but then, the marketing push is only now beginning to rev up (did you catch the movie trailer yet?). Excuse us then, if we prematurely deflate some air out of the tires:

Xbox 360
(PS3/PC)

Wii

Jump to a platform-specific preview above or read both after the break.

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Impressions: James Cameron's Avatar originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft sees Avatar as 'world-changing,' compares to Harry Potter

David Hinkle — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST

Having left EA and joined Ubisoft, Murray Pannell is finally getting out and about to promote Ubisoft's upcoming titles. One of its biggest is the tie-in to James Cameron's upcoming movie, Avatar. Pannell recently spoke about the IP to MCV, commenting, "Avatar looks set to be a world-changing kind of cinema given its pedigree and elements like the 3D." Pannell also compared work on the game to his time spent working on the first Harry Potter game for EA, which he described as "an incredible entertainment phenomenon."

Obviously, Ubisoft hopes to attain the same success with Avatar as EA did with the Harry Potter games, which have become a staple for the games giant. If that's going to happen, we have one suggestion: don't give James Cameron any monologues.

Ubisoft sees Avatar as 'world-changing,' compares to Harry Potter originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Avatar' game requires HDMI for 3D effects

Xav de Matos — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:30:00 EST

Avatar, the upcoming Ubisoft title based on the film James Cameron could not stop talking about during E3 2009 will require an HDMI port for 3D effects, leaving early Xbox 360 owners out in the cold. Luc Duchaine, senior international brand manager for the game adaptation of James Cameron's Avatar confirmed to MTV Multiplayer that a full 1080p setup will be required to play the game with 3D effects.

Although all Xbox 360 consoles are now capable of upscaling content to resolutions as high as 1080p, the Avatar game requires a native 1080p output which is only achievable through HDMI (something that is common knowledge for 3D geeks, we're told). Users with an HDMI equipped console now only need a pair of 3D glasses included with the game and a compatible 3D 1080p, 120Hz TV set! If 3D isn't an option, the game is still playable the old-fashioned way; however, the 40-minute introduction video starring James Cameron explaining the entire Avatar universe that we expect to see when the game inserted into our console will be slightly less awesome.

Gallery: James Cameron's Avatar (Concept Art)

'Avatar' game requires HDMI for 3D effects originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avalook at James Cameron's Avatar

Randy Nelson — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:30:00 EST

Acclaimed -- and quite verbose -- director James Cameron today revealed the full extent of Ubisoft's involvement in the creation of his latest film, Avatar. In what's possibly a further sign of synergy between Cameron and Ubisoft, the very first glimpse of what Avatar actually looks like comes in the form of three images ... from the video game.

We thought the shot of winged beasts attacking the human gunship looked a little ... Halo; then we saw the ~~Warthog~~ Jeep-like vehicle with a soldier behind the wheel and -- well, have a look yourself at the gallery below.

Gallery: James Cameron's Avatar (Concept Art)

Avalook at James Cameron's Avatar originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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