NOW CLOSED – As Kiwi across the country settle into a new way of living life in a bubble, new insights released from New Zealand’s fully impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, reveal many New Zealanders have been searching for new gaming consoles to help them keep entertained over the stage four lockdown.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “In March [2020] alone, the number of clicks received across the entire shopping category of ‘games and consoles’ skyrocketed, increasing by almost a third (+30 per cent), which is extremely high.

“Interestingly, the number of clicks received started to rise from the 18th of March 2020 before peaking on the 24th^, ahead of the national stage four lock down that started on the 26th.”

In terms of the most popular games people were clicking on, the PriceSpy data also found between the 18th and 26th of March 2020, the most popular games shoppers were clicking on were:

Liisa continues: Interestingly, looking at the historical pricing data across the top five most clicked-on games, even though the country is still on a stage four national lockdown, 80 per cent of the games were found to have spiked on the 31st March 2020 compared to the 24th of March 2020.

“For any gamers looking to buy a new game or two after the lockdown, our key piece of advice is to conduct important price research to ensure what they are buying isn’t being sold at an overinflated price.”

“Using a website or app like PriceSpy can help shoppers keep a close eye on the price of games every day.”

PriceSpy has teamed up with us here at STG to give away two of the top two most clicked on games between 18th to 24th of March 2020 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch and FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway by answering this question:

Tell us your most played game during the nationwide lockdown. There is no wrong or right answer.

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question. Winner(s) will receive a physical copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch and FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is rated G in New Zealand, FIFA 20 is rated M15+ in New Zealand. You must be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this promotion – STG may request age verification. Competition ends on the 30th of April 2020.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

The post Enter to Win Games of the Month w. Pricespy! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

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NOW CLOSED – Black Friday is taking place this week and in celebration of one of the biggest sales days of the year, New Zealand’s biggest impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, has teamed up with STG to give away what it predicts will be the top two most searched for games on the sale day.

If you’re not quite lucky enough to win these two great games, you can keep a close eye on the range of Black Friday deals retailers are offering here.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “Black Friday last year provided some fantastic savings for gamers searching out early Christmas gifts. PlayStation games for example appeared to provide the biggest overall number of discounts – with 54 per cent of products being lowered in price. Buyers should still however be aware, as 15 per cent of PlayStation games were also found to have increased in price on Black Friday”.

2018 Black Friday discounts:

Source: PriceSpy

To stand a chance of winning the two most predicted games; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and FIFA 20 on Xbox One you will need to correctly Answer this Question:

What’s the WORST Black Friday item you bought because it was on sale?

There is no wrong or right answer and be as descriptive as you like (but keep it short).

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question.Winner(s) will receive a new retail boxed copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on PlayStation 4 and FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is rated M15+ (you MUST be over the age of 15 years in order to enter this promotion) and FIFA 20 is rated PG. Competition ends on the 5th of December 2019.

The post PriceSpy Predicts Most Popular Black Friday Games appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The beautiful game, the world’s game. Whilst not so much in New Zealand or, here in Australia.

EA’s FIFA franchise remains the top sports video game in both countries. And for good reason.

This year, on top of the usual visual tweaks and improvements, EA Sports have added somewhat of a game-changer to their premier sports title.

FIFA 20 has the 2019 / 2020 season’s roster update across some 29 countries. The game features licenced football leagues from the English Premier League to the Australian A-League. The licenced UEFA Champions League, introduced last year, returns again for FIFA 20. There’s also loads of licenced cup tournaments, such as the Emirates FA CUP. The Women’s International tournament is included, yet again- but it would be nice to see Women’s football expanded to feature club sides, as well. 

Whilst I’m not hardcore FIFA fanatic, I found FIFA 20’s ball handling and player control absolutely sublime. Any mistakes in the pitch where of my own doing. Never once was I fighting with the controls.

Player attributes really matter, the difference playing as Arsenal compared to the likes of Sydney FC is very noticeable. The Gunners’ surgical skill with the ball comes across vastly superior to the comparatively clumsy matter in which the Sydney team handle themselves on the pitch.

The same level of high-fidelity player controls is matched by the on-pitch visuals. The game looks superb. In fact, FIFA 20 is probably one of the most polished game presentations on the market. Player animations and the even player facial modelling (which in the past has been a bit hit and miss) is pretty much spot on. Everything from the pre-match intros to the final summary is as it should be. The commentary sounds great, with little repetition.   

Fans expecting a continuation of the narrative campaign movie-within-a-game, “The Journey”, present since FIFA 17 will be disappointed. With Alex Hunter’s story concluded in FIFA 19, EA Sports have taken the campaign mode in a different direction with Volta Football.

Volta is the most interesting addition to FIFA in years. Basically, it’s FIFA Street, a hip urban take on the game played by hipsters and street urchins alike, or some it seems from the intro animation and premade player rosters.

Volta is played on surfaced basketball-sized courts, with or without a walled boundary, and features small teams of up to five-a-side. The faster gameplay is presented more zoomed in, with players rendered larger than in regular matches. There are a number of different rule variations, but on the whole, it’s a lot looser than regular FIFA. To avoid scuffed knees, there’s no sliding tackles, but there’s also no red cards, either.

I could easily dismiss Volta as “soccer” for an American audience that still has trouble with a 90-minute ball game potentially ending in a draw. Even the idea of a 2-1 win after that long feel geriatric to average Yank who expects any team playing for that long should really have a score in double digitals. So, Americans and those that can’t sit still for too long and that feel a 100m long pitch is a bit of a drag, welcome to Volta.

Volta is integrated into the game as a separate mode of its own, centred around a career mode. Whilst I could select Volta as a game option for a quick match from the main menu, I couldn’t see any way to set up a Volta tournament for some couch multiplayer. This is a bit weird considering the game’s tournament mode is so easily customisable. For instance, whilst not officially in the game, I could easily set up a World Cup tournament from group stage to the final.

As in extra, though, Volta adds to an already feature-packed package. As usual, you can play a licenced season for pretty much any league on the planet, as well as local licenced tournaments and cup competitions.

The career mode lets you take the role of a manager of a rookie player, starting out with your favorited team. In the player career you can play as the whole team or concentrate on just controlling the player.

FIFA Ultimate Team, a favourite of mine, is starting to get a bit long in the tooth. The fantasy football/collectable card mash-up is still fun, but I’m not so inclined to part with the real cash required to avoid the grind. Having to start from scratch each year is a bit harsh.

If there wasn’t enough to do, the game’s multiplayer integration extends the action online with almost every mode having an online portion. Of course, you can also play local multiplayer, FIFA traditionally being the king of couch multiplayer gaming tournaments where I come from.

FIFA 20 gives the franchise it’s annual polish but also, in Volta, something a little extra. Whilst some fans may lament the loss of the narrative campaign, “The Journey” and whole new way to play football, does almost make up for it. If you’re are a fan, FIFA 20 is a no-brainer. If you are only a casual FIFA fan or missed the last few iterations, you may find that FIFA 20 offers a lot more that your usual yearly release.

The post FIFA 20 (Xbox One / PC) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – According to new data insights from fully impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, gamers appear to be enjoying the latest influx of new games releases – with four of the top five most popular launching within the last four weeks.

Interestingly, when FIFA is releases around the world, it typically causes quite the stir. In New Zealand however, NBA 2K20 (PS4) (which officially launched on 6th of September 2019), pipped it to the post – claiming overall top spot for September 2019.

The overall price points of all five top games also appear to sit under $90 mark and despite first launching on 9 September 2018 (over a year ago), Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) continues to sit strong, alongside four brand new games.

PriceSpy has teamed up with STG to Giveaway the top two most popular games for the month of September; NBA 2K20 (PS4) and FIFA 20.

To stand a chance of winning these two games, you will need to correctly Answer this Question:

What NBA star is on the cover of the regular edition of the game NBA 2K20?

A: Lebron James

B: Dwayne Wade

C: Anthony Davis

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question.Winner(s) will receive a new retail boxed copy of NBA 2K20 on PlayStation 4 and FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4. NBA 2K20 is rated PG and FIFA 20 is rated PG. Competition ends on the 6th of November 2019.

The post PriceSpy reveals Kiwis on the look-out for new games appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

NOW CLOSED – According to the latest popularity data insights from fully impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (PS4) has claimed the top spot as overall most popular game for the entire month of August 2019, despite launching last October.

Historical pricing insights also reveal this surge in interest for the games coincides with a considerable drop in price, as Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (PS4) once retailed at $94 NZD but is now available to purchase from just $39 NZD – a saving of 59 per cent.

Interestingly, despite the Rugby World Cup kicking off within days, Kiwis also appear to have a soft spot for football, with FIFA 20 placing as second most popular game for August 2019, one month ahead of its official launch date.

In third, fourth and fifth positions was CTR Crash Team Racing – Nitro Fueled Edition (PS4) and old-time favourites, Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Liisa continues: “This month, all five of the most popular games were priced under the $100 mark and despite Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (PS4) first launching almost one year ago, it still managed to climb back up the popularity rankings and claim the top spot.

“Downloading and using our handy PriceSpy app will help ensure gamers always consistently one step ahead of retailers, so that can shop around and make sure they aren’t paying over the odds for the latest must-have games.”

PriceSpy has teamed up with STG to give away the top two most searched for games for the month of August 2019, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (PS4) and FIFA 20 (released on 27 September 2019).

To Enter our PriceSpy Games of the Month Giveaway you will need to correctly answer what year did the first Assassin’s Creed game release?

A: 2009

B: 2007

C: 2005

You can give us your Answer by placing a Comment below, hitting us up on Facebook, Tweet to us, or Email Us.

Download the PriceSpy app here.

www.pricespy.co.nz

* Winner(s) will be randomly selected from those that Comment below / Facebook Comment / Email in accordance to the above Question.Winner(s) will receive a new retail boxed copy of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey on PlayStation 4 and FIFA 20 on PlayStation 4. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is rated M15+ and FIFA 20  is rated PG. You MUST be over the age of 15 years in order to Enter this competition (STG may request for Age Verification). Competition ends on the 6th of October 2019.

The post Be in to Win August Games of the Month w. Pricespy! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.