Warp Zoned Presents
Author: John Scalzo
Shovel Knight’s King of Cards and Showdown expansions will be released on December 10
Yacht Club Games has announced that the first chapter of the Shovel Knight saga is finally coming to a close after four expansions and five glorious years (though you’ll need to tack on an additional year if you want to go all the way back to the Kickstarter campaign). Yesterday, the developer confirmed that Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown will both be released on December 10.
King of Cards is a followup to Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment, and it’ll be the final side-story starring a member of the villainous Order of No Quarter. Meanwhile, Showdown breaks from tradition and isn’t a platformer at all. Instead, it’s a multiplayer fighting game that features the franchise’s entire cast, along with a huge single-player adventure.
Fans who originally backed the Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight, or who own the Treasure Trove bundle, will receive both expansions for free. The King of Cards expansion will be available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One, while Showdown will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Yacht Club will also release King of Cards and Showdown as standalone downloads for fans who are digging into the franchise for the first for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Finally, the developer will try to also take over your favorite game store on December 10th with the release of a pair of Amiibo sets (a Treasure Trove 3-Pack and a Gold Edition Shovel Knight), as well as a Physical Edition of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (which includes the original game and all four expansions) for the Switch and Xbox One. A PS4 version of the Physical Edition will follow in 2020.
Whew, that’s a lot of Shovel Knight. But don’t forget, Yacht Club is also hard at work on a 16-bit-styled sequel/spin-off known as Shovel Knight Dig.
Posted in News
Tagged 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Only 12 games will be available to buy through Google Stadia at launch
Back in June, Google said they were expecting to launch their Google Stadia game streaming service with at least 25 games, but it looks like the search giant has had to cut that number as we get closer to the service’s November 19th launch.
All Stadia Pro subscribers will still receive a free copy of Destiny 2: The Collection as part of their subscription, but according to the official Google Blog, the Stadia Store will only include 11 other games for purchase on “Day One” (on top of the $10 per month subscription cost). This launch lineup will include a Stadia-exclusive horror game from Tequila Works, Gylt, as well as Mortal Kombat 11, Red Dead Redemption 2, and a handful of other titles:
Games Available at Launch for Google Stadia
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
- Destiny 2: The Collection
- Gylt
- Just Dance 2020
- Kine
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Samurai Showdown
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Thumper
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
While they won’t be available on launch day, Google has promised that an additional 14 titles will be added to the Stadia Store before the end of the year:
Games Set to Launch Before the End of 2019 for Google Stadia
- Attack On Titan 2: Final Battle
- Borderlands 3
- Darksiders Genesis
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- Farming Simulator 19
- Final Fantasy XV
- Football Manager 2020
- Grid
- Metro Exodus
- NBA 2K20
- Rage 2
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
- Trials Rising
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Google Stadia’s “free” tier, Google Base, will be available sometime in 2020. However, users will still need to purchase titles on an individual basis before they can stream them.
Paramount debuts Sonic’s redesign in a new trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie
Paramount has been plugging away on a Sonic the Hedgehog movie for a few years now, and they gave us our first look at the Blue Blur’s cinematic debut back in April. While the clip was “endearingly goofy,” Sonic just didn’t look like Sonic… and the response from fans was brutal.
But rather than take their lumps and release the movie as is, Paramount delayed the theatrical release of Sonic the Hedgehog into next year and promised to rework the character’s design. This morning, the production company unleashed the first trailer featuring the redesigned Sonic… and it’s actually pretty great.
Sonic’s redesign gave the character his gloves back, and he now looks much closer to his Genesis counterpart in every way. Paramount even winked at their earlier misfire in the opening seconds of the clip (“I’m Sonic, a little ball of super-energy in an extremely handsome package.”). But best of all, the same goofy energy that pervaded the first trailer is still there in the new trailer, and Jim Carrey is still doing his crazy Jim Carrey thing as Robotnik.
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie will be out in theaters on February 14, 2020. I’m cautiously optimistic.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro
Tagged Sonic the Hedgehog
Square Enix’s Romancing Saga 3 is now available in English for the first time
It’s been a struggle for RPG fans in North America and Europe to experience Square Enix’s long-running Saga franchise over the years. While the earliest Saga games were brought West under the Final Fantasy Legend banner, many of the later entries were only released in Japan by the publisher.
Thankfully, Square Enix has recently begun filling in those missing piece with a handful of Saga-related re-releases, including today’s launch of Romancing Saga 3.
Originally released for the Super NES in 1995, Romancing Saga 3 follows eight different protagonists, “each with their own motives and unique personalities.” This HD remaster of the game will give players outside of Japan their first chance to try out the turn-based RPG, which will include upgraded graphics, new areas to explore, and a New Game+ option:
Romancing Saga 3 gives players the freedom to forge their own path, choosing to play through eight different narratives led by eight protagonists, each with their own motives and unique personalities. Developed by industry veterans, including renowned developer Akitoshi Kawazu (Final Fantasy, Romancing SaGa, SaGa Frontier), this HD remaster will feature optimized graphics, a new dungeon called the Phantom Maze to explore, and a New Game+ function. Romancing Saga 3 adds new storylines to the game original game, making it the perfect time for both new and veteran players to experience the SaGa series.
Romancing Saga 3 is now available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One, and mobile devices. A Launch Trailer for the RPG re-release has been embedded above.
Nintendo just surprise-released a crazy ambulance game known as The Stretchers
Well here’s a nice Friday afternoon surprise from Nintendo… The Stretchers, a hybrid driving/puzzle game from Tarsier Studios, is now available to download for the Switch through the Nintendo eShop.
Players will need to become daredevil paramedics in The Stretchers, driving crazily across the game’s map to save the residents of a small town from a mad scientist known as Doctor Brains. But once they reach their patient, they’ll have to load them onto a stretcher and get safely back to the ambulance:
In The Stretchers, players take on the role of two medics who must work together to rescue Dizzies, troubled residents dizzied by the evil mastermind Captain Brains, in all kinds of wacky ways.
To rescue Dizzies, players will drive to each scene in their ambulance while breaking through walls, soaring through the sky and facing other perils along the way. Once they’ve arrived, players will need to pile Dizzies up on a stretcher (or grab them by their limbs) and bring them back to the trusty ambulance. Each player controls one of the two medics, so working together and passing a Joy-Con to a friend or family member to carry the stretcher, dodge dangers and overcome physics-based puzzles takes skillful coordination and communication.
The Stretchers, which has been priced at $19.99, was published by Nintendo themselves, and a Launch Trailer for the game has been embedded above.
Jamestown+ blasts its way onto the PC and Switch on December 12
Jamestown, a steampunky space shooter from Final Form Games, was originally released for the PC all the way back in 2011. It eventually slid onto the PS4 (as Jamestown+) in 2015, and now its on the move again. Earlier today, Final Form announced that Jamestown+ will be available to download for the PC and Switch on December 12.
Strap in for a rocket-fueled, bewilderingly imaginative adventure across 17th-Century Mars and her moons. Escaping a death sentence on Earth, Sir Walter Raleigh sets a course for Mars, home to his only refuge: Jamestown. Absolve Sir Walter by uncovering the truth behind the disappearance of Roanoke and defending the good peoples of the New World from a Conquistador hellbent on conquering the colonies using an ancient, terrible power.
Soar through the skies aboard one of twelve Conveyances, rocket-sleds with mighty weapons. Tear through oncoming enemies with the simple but reliable Beam ship. Experiment with the Ghost ship, capable of summoning a duplicate ship to maintain support fire while daring pilots get up close and personal with the legendary sword Excalibur. Roll the dice with the Fortune ship, which mimics other ships after death and requires a high degree of adaptability.
Rise up and rebel against the malevolent Conquistador and his army of robots and Martian Warriors by weaving through streams of bullets. Dodge, dip and dive out of the way while fighting to end tyranny on Mars. Every aspect of Jamestown+ — from lush pixel landscapes to enemy design to gameplay mechanics— was hand-designed with an emphasis on presenting something fresh every 10-15 seconds. An emotionally-stirring orchestral score raises the stakes and makes victory all the sweeter.
The top-down shooter features four-player simultaneous play, and players new to Jamestown+ will receive an improved game with two new levels, four new ships, new background and enemy artwork, and remastered music and effects. A new trailer for the game has been embedded above.
One of the developers behind Sonic Mania has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an original side-scroller
2017’s Sonic Mania was created by a three-headed hydra of beloved indie developers… Christian “Taxman” Whitehead, PagodaWest Games, and Headcannon. While we don’t know what Whitehead or PagodaWest are up to right now, we’ve just learned that Headcannon has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an original side-scroller known as Vertebreaker.
Inspired by some of the quirkier side-scrollers found on the Genesis and Super NES, Vertebreaker stars a skeletal hero named Richard Boehner, who is out to avenge his defeat at the bony fingers of the evil King Calavera.
Boehner wields a whip-like grappling hook that he can use to “swing, zip, and thrash.” The grappling hook is the key to moving around in Vertebreaker, as players will be able to launch themselves in any direction, as well as swing from trees, or pull enemies in for a quick slash:
“Rest in Peace?!” You wish! “Vertebreaker” is a brand-new and authentic pixel-based side-scroller from Headcannon, the studio that helped bring “Sonic Mania” to the masses. Starring a stubby-yet-seemingly-unstoppable skeleton who’s thrashing their way to victory, it’s gothic, cartoonish, and unabashedly retro!
Take control of our bony hero in a crusade to crush the undead and look cool while doing it! In “Vertebreaker”, traversal is key as you slash, bash, and grapple your way through the most wicked 2D adventure yet! “What is ‘traversal'”? It’s slinging, swinging, and launching from floors, walls, and ceilings to propel yourself forward or even upward with serious speed!
Save the day with our pearly-boned mascot, their mysterious golden half-skull, and their sick grappling hook made from the spine of a demon! “What demon”? It doesn’t matter… does it…?
Headcannon is seeking $275,000 from the the public to fund development of Vertebreaker, and as of this writing they’ve amassed about 5% of their goal. The campaign ends on Saturday, November 30, but the developer has made a demo available for those who’d like to try out the game before they pledge.
If all goes well, Headcannon hopes to release Vertebreaker for the PC in Summer 2021.
UPDATE: Headcannon has canceled the Kickstarter campaign for Vertebreaker, but all is not lost, the development team wants to come back in the future with “a better campaign.”
BioWare teases Dragon Age 4 announcement for December 4th
About a week ago, Electronic Arts’s Blake Jorgensen reconfirmed that BioWare is hard at work on Dragon Age 4, but that the game wasn’t expected to launch until 2022… at the earliest. But an announcement for the RPG sequel might be coming sooner than we think.
A few days ago, BioWare shared a message for Dragon Age fans on their Twitter account which strongly hints at a Dragon Age 4 announcement happening on December 4th:
Today marks 10 years of Dragon Age! This year we’re excited to join the community’s party on December 4th and celebrate a decade together in the world we all love. See you on 12/4 for Dragon 4ge Day!
— BioWare (@bioware) November 3, 2019
Obviously, this isn’t confirmation that a Dragon Age 4 announcement is happening next month, and something could still happen to derail the whole process, but I’d be absolutely shocked if we don’t learn more about the game in a few weeks.
Posted in News
Tagged Dragon Age 4