"The first instalment of the series takes us back to the wintery depths of January 2009 when most would have taken advantage of the high street sales. Here’s our list of the new releases that shouldn’t have been overlooked and that we recommend you look out for when on the search for a bargain in this years sales."

"They were hyped, they were highly anticipated, they were meant to be GREAT. But they simply disappointed the fans and therefore were thrown in the bucket of shame. Ladies an gentleman, read on to find out the titles of the 10 most disappointing computer games of 2009!"

"the rumour states that almost all of the studio’s 200 or so employees within the Los Angeles-based developer will be let go with only a few to be transitioned into other EA development teams.

The news is unconfirmed at the moment, but with the report also stating that the Pandemic staff are to be informed at 11 a.m. PT today, we’d expect an official announcement sometime soon."

"Games are expensive and time consuming. As a consumer you deserve the best for the money you work so hard for—especially in the current economic climate. With that in mind, I have compiled a short list of games that looked promising and generated a lot of gamer attention, but ultimately proved unworthy of your cash. I’m not saying that the titles selected are horrible, because many of these games have garnered a loyal fan base and do offer a good time. Instead, the point of the article is to ..."

"“The Lord of the Rings universe offers so much variety and depth and we wanted to pass more of this incredible experience to fans,” says Michael Saladino, Senior Producer at Pandemic Studios. “The Heroes & Maps Pack gives gamers a chance to experience even more intense battles with their friends online and explore more of Middle-earth.”"

The NPD Group before the weekend released the top twenty software and top ten software by platform lists for the January 2009 sales numbers, showing the top rankings in software sales for the month. The top ten rankings for accessory sales are also available.

Numbers are inserted where known.

Top 20 Games of December 2008:
01. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 777k
02. [WII] Wii Play (Nintendo) - 415k
03. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) - 292k
04. [360] Left 4 Dead (Electronic Arts) - 243k...

The NPD Group has released their hardware and software numbers for the month of January, representing sales for the United States for the four week period of January 4th to January 31st.

Notables this month:

• Wii and DS more than double their sales from January 2008

Hardware numbers:
WII: 679.2k (169.8k per week)
NDS: 510.8k (127.7k per week)
360: 309.0k (77.25k per week)
PS3: 203.2k (50.8k per week)
PSP: 172.3k (43.075k per week)
PS2: 101.2k (25.3k per week)

2009 Year-to-Date in...

"Online multiplayer is well catered-for, with sixteen player matches in a variety of a-typical modes leaving the player with little question as to what is demanded of them. Skilled players will become proficient in no time, overcoming even the Scout’s annoyingly cumbersome Back Stab manoeuvre, but also finding the quite obvious unbalance with certain Heroes. Gimli in particular appears to be stunted in more ways than appropriate, and the Witch King may well be able to take plenty of damage, bu..."

"The game itself covers two separate campaign modes, War of the Ring and Rise of Sauron. The War of the Ring campaign basically drags you through a handful of scenarios throughout middle earth, beginning with the siege of Helm’s Deep, to the final showdown at the Black Gate. The Rise of Sauron mode will also offer a chain of missions, delving into the possibility that Frodo was killed at Mount Doom, and that Sauron reclaimed the One Ring. The story follows the Dark Lord’s army as they ravage t..."

Not a long list this week either, but the notable titles are really notable. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest has been getting a nice bit of hype; see if it lives up on PC, Xbox 360, PS3 or DS. The DS sci-fi adventure Moon comes out too -- check out Tainted's take on the game on his blog over here. Finally, there's the first-person parkour game most of us know and love coming for PC: Mirror's Edge.

"If you aren't too busy with your holiday gifts or recovering from a rowdy night of auld lang syne, Major Nelson brings word that you can now pick up the demo for The Lord of the Rings: Conquest. The game takes a page from the popular Star Wars: Battlefront series, letting you choose your side in massive battles. The game was pushed to 2009, but seeing that we're now in 2009, the release of January 9 seems that much closer. Check out the heavy 1.25 GB demo and let us know what you think."

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"Pandemic Studios, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest for the Xbox360 video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system, PC and NintendoDS platforms, will ship..."

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