The 
multiyear losing streak by the video game industry finally came to an end in 2014, though any celebrations may be muted.
Total sales of video game hardware and software came in at $13.1 billion in the U.S., a one percent increase over the 2013 totals,according to The NPD Group. That’s a small bump, but it’s the first time the industry has seen an overall sales increase since 2008.
To 
the surprise of absolutely no one, “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” was the best-selling game in November.
The title, which is the crown jewel of the Activision Blizzard’s portfolio, represented one-quarter of the industry’s software sales at brick-and-mortar retailers last month, according to The NPD Group, which normally would be cause for celebration.
But the sales numbers posted by “Advanced Warfare,” which has been a critical hit, were 23 percent lower year over year than those posted by last year’s “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” according to Edward Williams of BMO Capital Markets. And “Ghosts” was a game critics took to task.
While 
there’s an understandable excitement that surrounds the launch of new video game hardware, the real fun usually doesn’t start until a year or so after the systems hit store shelves.
Last year’s launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, if we’re being honest with ourselves, didn’t have an especially stellar lineup of games. But the story’s much different as 2014’s holiday season gets underway—and that’s good news for players.
Activision’s 
annual release of “Call of Duty” is always a watershed event for the industry.
Since 2007, the series has been the video game industry’s sales leader, raking in billions of dollars for the publisher. But after last year’s “Call of Duty: Ghosts” stumbled, analysts are now wondering if consumer fatigue may finally be descending on the franchise.
Wal-Mart, 
which took the plunge into the used video game business in March, is leveling up.
The retailer on Tuesday announced the launch of a certified preowned program in 1,700 stores nationwide, finally putting those games it has been offering store credit for over the last seven months back up for sale. It’s a move that heightens the growing battle between Wal-Mart and GameStop.
Activision-Blizzard 
has tapped America’s favorite mayor to help defend its “Call of Duty” franchise from former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega.
Bracewell Giuliani will represent the company in its defense against claims by the former ruler that the videogame publisher unlawfully used his image for monetary gain. And leading the charge is former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who will serve as co-council on the defense team. His first step: Filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Monday morning in the Superior Court of the State of California.
The 
throwaway dialogue line that became a gaming meme in the early build of Bungie’s Destiny has been jettisoned into space as the game enters its beta phase.
Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage’s “so bad, it’s campy” reading of the already-dumb line “That wizard came from the moon” was a standout part of the game’s early trial. And while people still widely praised the game as a whole, the gaming world – as it’s wont to do – fixated on that line, which quickly took on a life of its own.
Manuel 
Noriega, the former Panamanian dictator who has spent the better part of the past 25 years in prison, is suing Activision Blizzard for using his name and image in its “Call of Duty” video game series.
Noriega appeared in “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” as both an in-game character and one who appeared in news clips throughout the game. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the former ruler accused the publisher of unlawfully using his image for monetary gain.
Manuel 
Noriega – yes, that Manuel Noriega – is not at all happy to have been a character in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. And now the former Panamanian dictator is suing Activision for including him in the game.
Noriega, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleged the game made him out to be “a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state” – and he wants a cut of the game’s profits as compensation.
Didn’t 
get enough Destiny during the short alpha trial last month? Good news: you’re going to get more time to test out Bungie’s upcoming sci-fi franchise.
The developer has announced that a beta of the game will kick off in 10 days for PlayStation owners, with Xbox owners getting their chance to play a week later.
Chris Morris: Journalist 