We hate to be all Captain Obvious about it, but there's good reason the Gran Turismo series is still doing laps around the virtual track. People are voting with their cash, as the latest figures from Polyphony Digital show that Gran Turismo PSP has managed to sell 1.8 million copies. And through its success, it's hit one hell of a milestone for the Gran Turismo series at large. Here's the rundown of the franchise's success:

• The original Gran Turismo has sold 10,850,000 units
• Gran Turismo 2 has sold 9,370,000 units
• Gran Turismo 3 A-spec on the PS2 managed to sell 14,890,000 units
• Gran Turismo Concept Series sold 1,560,000 units
• Gran Turismo 4 "Prologue" invaded 1,350,000 homes
• Gran Turismo 4 has been the series' top earner, selling 10,980,000 units
• Gran Turismo 5 "Prologue" brought the series to the PS3 by selling 4,650,000 units
• Gran Turismo PSP recently recorded sales of 1,800,000 units

That brings the total to 55,450,000 units. It seems impressive enough -- over five million units sold in the last year-and-a-half ain't too shabby -- though there are some caveats.

For one, the Gran Turismo series has been around for over 10 years -- much longer than any of its competitors. Secondly, it's been the definitive diehard simulation racing experience on Sony's consoles, effectively making it the only show in town. Finally, the series has over seven Guinness World Records. Basically, when you have the world record for "Largest Instruction Guide for a Racing Game," it's, like, a guarantee people are going to buy it.

[Via GI.biz]

Gran Turismo PSP helps series top 55 million units sold originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adam gives you the dirty, dirty reasons why Bayonetta’s tight…over the top the combat, and supple…acrobatic death dealing are the perfect recipe for a game that will have you wanting to stay Up All Night.

 

Tomorrow, some much anticipated armor and a shotgun will be available for Mass Effect 2 players. Both PC and 360 gamers will be able to download the gear for free at noon through the in-game Cerberus Network. Here's what's on-tap:

Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shields by +10%
Increases health by +10%

M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun
The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

What do you think? Pretty hot, right?

Source: Bioware Forums

Upon hearing the news last week that Peter Molyneux and the whimsical wizards over at Lionhead Studios plan to show off Fable III at Microsoft’s X10 event this week, I’m guessing that quite a few Fable fans selected the “Jump for Joy” option from their personal action menus. If this describes your response, then Molyneux has some words of warning for you.

"There’s some – Wow – there’s some very, very big things happening in Fable. Bigger than you think, and it’s going to really going to upset people. I’m really scared. When I go out and tell people what it is, they’re going to get super pissed off. They really are. But it’s the right thing to do,” Molyneux recently told Game Reactor.

Seeing as gamers have come to expect Molyneux games to have their release dates pushed at least a few times, it would be hard to imagine that a Fable III delay would really "piss off" that many gamers. If the game were 100 percent Project Natal-powered, then that would definitely elicit some rather unpleasant feelings among players. This is probably the least likely scenario, seeing as I doubt Microsoft would pull a Tony Hawk Ride with one of their most precious franchises, but anything’s possible I guess. Fortunately, we only have to wait a few days before we know the devastating truth.

Source: Game Reactor (via VG247)

You may have assumed this from the climbing PS3 sales Sony reported last week, but a report from Research and Markets provides further confirmation that the system is increasing in popularity around the world.

"The PS3 is dominant in Japan and Korea," the report notes, "and as of June 2008, has begun to outsell the Xbox 360 in Europe. It is also steadily increasing its market share in all other regions across the globe, including in the North American market." The Xbox 360 is still ahead of the PS3 in North America. It's worth noting that the increase in sales in Europe predates the price drop and introduction of the PS3 Slim.

Research and Markets also provided a bit more information about the distribution of console sales. Though North America remains the largest market for consoles, "The high population density and rapid uptake of technology in countries such as Japan and Korea, and to a lesser extent in Singapore and Hong Kong, see a disproportionately high level of console sales compared to the rest of the world," the report reads." Console sales are also fairly high in Western Europe and are growing considerably in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Latin America, and other areas in Asia."

Report: Global PS3 market share increasing originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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