Warp Zoned Presents
Author: John Scalzo
Nintendo PlayStation sells at auction for $300,000
The Sony PlayStation launched with a $300 price tag in 1995, famously undercutting Sega’s planned $400 price point for the Saturn. So it’s only fitting that in 2020, the fabled Nintendo PlayStation prototype sold at auction this afternoon for $300,000.
The new owner of this rare artifact is currently a mystery, but the winning bid may have been placed by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who wrote about his interest in the auction on Twitter back in February.
The Nintendo PlayStation was previously owned by Dan Diebold, who took it “around the world and back again” after his father discovered it among some “junk” that had once belonged to former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Olaf Olafsson:
At one time, this particular unit was owned by the founder, first president, and first chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. Olaf Olafsson. Olaf eventually left Sony to join Advanta Corporation, and became its president in 1998. A little over a year later, Olaf left Advanta to join Time Warner — but he left his Nintendo PlayStation prototype behind at Advanta. Roughly around this time, Advanta filed for bankruptcy and began gathering up everything in their corporate office to sell at auction. As the story goes, the Nintendo Play Station prototype was grouped together with some miscellaneous items that was boxed up with a group lot, the contents of which were veiled. A nice Easter egg for the winning bidder, indeed!
By far, this is arguably one of the most notorious, mysterious, and controversial artifacts of the video game industry. This prototype has been around the world and back again, admired and appreciated by video game enthusiasts from all over. Even though this is the closing of this portion of its narrative, it will continue to remain a pivotal piece of video game history no matter where it ends up.
According to the auctioneers at Heritage Auctions, the purchaser of the Nintendo PlayStation will also have to pay a $60,000 “Buyer’s Premium” on top of the winning bid, bringing the total to $360,000.
UPDATE (3/7/20): Forbes is reporting that Greg McLemore, the founder of Pets.com, is the mystery man behind the winning bid in yesterday’s Nintendo PlayStation auction. McLemore is an avid collector of arcade machines, game consoles, and original artwork, and he told the publication he plans to open a permanent museum to house his collection.
Dunk Lords is the NBA Jam/Mortal Kombat mashup you never knew you wanted… and it’s out March 18
Story Fort has announced (via their Twitter) that Dunk Lords will be available for the PC on March 18. Are you unfamiliar with Dunk Lords? I was too until this Gameplay Trailer crossed my desk… and I’m honestly not sure how it passed me by until now.
In case you skipped the video, Dunk Lords is a “2v2 Basketball Beat ‘Em Up” that mixes together an NBA Jam-like basketball game with the “over-the-top special moves” and “game-changing equipment” of a one-on-one fighter like Mortal Kombat:
Dunk Lords is a two-on-two basketball beat ’em up featuring over-the-top special moves, devastating dunks, and game-changing equipment. Choose from 16 of the baddest ballers around, each with unique special attacks and abilities, and do battle on a variety of hazard-filled courts.
Dunk Lords is also in development for the Xbox One, and a launch date for the game’s console debut will hopefully be announced soon.
See more of the Trials of Mana remake in this new Gameplay Trailer
Trials of Mana, the third game in the Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu franchise, was originally released for Japan’s Super Famicom all the way back in 1995. But in a cruel twist of fate, it didn’t make its way to the US until 2019 (as part of the Collection of Mana compilation). Thankfully, we won’t have to wait quite so long to play the upcoming remake, which will be released on April 24 for the PC, PS4, and Switch.
Square Enix recently unveiled a brand new Gameplay Trailer for Trials of Mana that gives prospective players a look at some of the changes made to the game in the last two decades, including a gorgeous visual upgrade, character classes, hundreds of abilities, and its unique branching story structure:
Square Enix today released a brand-new trailer for Trials of Mana, a full, high-definition remake of the third entry in the classic Mana series. Launching on April 24, the game will bring the beloved story and characters to the modern era with real-time combat, beautiful 3D graphics, and updated gameplay.
Originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, Trials of Mana immerses players in an unforgettable adventure filled with exciting gameplay, memorable heroes, and villains. Players will craft varying experiences by selecting a party of three from six unique characters as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime, upgrading their characters’ classes into more power forms, learning over 300 different abilities, and discovering a world of secrets and mysteries to explore.
Trials of Mana’s new Gameplay Trailer has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch
Tagged Trials of Mana
HBO is turning Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us into a limited series
HBO is one of the many channels that have given new life to the “limited series,” and it looks like they’ve zeroed in on their next project… Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO will partner with PlayStation Productions to produce the post-apocalyptic series alongside Craig Mazin (the creator of HBO’s Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (the Creative Director of The Last of Us):
Mazin, who is said to be an avid player of the game, stated, “Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus. Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so honored to do it in partnership with Neil.”
“From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us,” said Druckmann in a statement. “With Chernobyl, Craig and HBO created a tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece. I couldn’t think of better partners to bring the story of The Last of Us to life as a television show.”
The adaptation will cover the events from the first game, but HBO told The Hollywood Reporter that a second season of “additional content based on the forthcoming game sequel” is also a possibility.
Sam Raimi was previously attached to a film adaptation of The Last of Us, but it seems that that version of Joel and Ellie’s story is no longer in development.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, PS4
Tagged The Last of Us
Control and Death Stranding set a BAFTA Games Awards record with 11 nominations apiece
This year’s BAFTA Games Awards are likely to break some records as the nominating process has already yielded two games that can lay claim to the honor of “highest number of nominations in a single year.”
Remedy’s Control and Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding both earned 11 nominations this year, one up on Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, which earned 10 nominations ahead of last year’s ceremony. While both games received a bucketful of nominations, only Control will be competing for the BAFTA’s “Game of the Year” prize, and it’ll be going up against ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium, Nintendo’s Luigi’s Mansion 3, Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds, From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and House House’s Untitled Goose Game.
The 2020 BAFTA Games Awards will be held on April 2. You can find a complete list of the nominees in all categories after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Control, Death Stranding, Disco Elysium, Outer Wilds, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Untitled Goose Game
Death Stranding will be released for the PC on June 2
505 Games and Kojima Productions have announced that Death Stranding will make its way to the PC (via both Steam and the Epic Games Store) on June 2. The exploration game will add a Photo Mode for PC players, as well as support for High Frame Rate and Ultrawide Displays.
Players who get the game on Steam will also be able to unlock gear inspired by Valve’s Half-Life. Sam Porter Bridges’s new selection of attire will include a Head Crab Helmet, Gordon Freeman’s Glasses, Alyx’s Gravity Gloves, and a Valve Valve that can be attached to the back of his head. You can get a closer look at these fresh threads in the Release Date Trailer embedded above.
Finally, a nice selection of pre-order goodies (including in-game gear, a soundtrack download, and a digital artbook) will also be available for players who purchase the game on either platform before launch. You can learn more about the pre-order bonuses at Death Stranding’s official website.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Death Stranding
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula mixes Castlevania and Contra and its available for the PC now
Migami Games mixed together a little inspiration from Castlevania and a little more from Contra to help create Wallachia: Reign of Dracula, which is now available to download for the PC through Steam. The side-scroller tries to bypass the “typical vampire myths,” but Dracula still looks very hard to kill in the Launch Trailer embedded above:
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula, is an epic adventure in the land of horror. The year is 1462. Prince Vlad Dracula is six bloody years into his second reign. After losing the throne once before in 1448, Dracula vowed not to let it happen again. After years of exile, he regained power in 1456 and started purging the land of anyone who might oppose him.
Wallachia is an insane action platformer depicting a world of ferocious fights. With spears, arrows, or sword in hand, your survival depends on your ability to fight. Trust no one, embody the Princess, and enter a deadly journey to claim your kingdom back.
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula is also currently in development for the Switch, and it’ll be available for Nintendo’s newest console at a later date.
Supermassive Games teases The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope in new trailer
When Supermassive Games kicked off The Dark Pictures Anthology in 2019, they promised that a new entry in the budget-priced horror series would be available each year.
For the first game in the series, players explored the Man of Medan, a ghost ship that harbored each character’s worst nightmare. But this Summer, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope will trade a jaunt aboard a haunted boat for a stroll through a haunted small town:
Trapped and isolated in the abandoned town of Little Hope, four college students and their professor must escape the nightmarish visions that relentlessly pursue them through an impenetrable fog. As they journey through the town looking for a means of escape, they must understand the meaning of these events, the root of evil, and how it is directly connected to them!
“We’ve been delighted by the reaction from players and the success of Man of Medan as the first installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology,” said Pete Samuels, the CEO of Supermassive Games. “We really appreciate feedback from the community and the team remains committed to the goal of making each new installment deliver further thrilling horror experiences, with the next chapter, Little Hope, bringing an all new and disturbing horror story to the anthology.”
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and you can get your first look at it in the Announcement Trailer embedded above.