Warp Zoned Presents
Author: John Scalzo
Tetris 99 gets a Halloween-themed Maximus Cup (starring Luigi and Gooigi) this weekend
Nintendo will host the eighth Maximus Cup for Tetris 99 this weekend, and players will be competing for a new in-game Theme featuring Luigi’s Mansion 3. The Theme will feature Luigi and his ghostly doppelganger, Gooigi, alongside a whole lot of slime.
As always, players will need to accumulate 100 Event Points to unlock the new Theme, and besting the competition is the only way to do it. 1st Place is worth 100 Points all by itself, but Points can be obtained for almost any finish: 2nd (50 Points), 3rd (30 Points), 4th–10th (20 Points), 11th–30th (15 Points), 31st–50th (10 Points), 51st–90th (5 Points), and 91st-99th (1 Point).
Tetris 99 players will be able to drop blocks during this weekend’s Maximus Cup for starting on Friday, October 25, at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time). The event runs through Tuesday, October 29, at 3:00 AM (also Eastern Time), and don’t forget that only Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are able to participate in the Maximus Cup.
Bethesda’s Doom 64 re-release gets a new trailer
Doom 64 debuted as the official third entry in the FPS franchise for the Nintendo 64 all the way back in 1997, but id Software (and now Bethesda) has kept it locked in a vault ever since. Thankfully, that all changes next Spring when the game returns in a new re-release for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
While that wait might feel like an eternity, Bethesda did unveil a brand new trailer for Doom 64 today, and it’s been embedded above. The publisher also reconfirmed that fans who pre-order Doom Eternal will receive a free download code for Doom 64 as part of that game’s Rip and Tear Pack, which also includes the DOOT Revenant Player Skin, the Throwback Shotgun Weapon Skin, and the Cultist Base Master Level.
Doom 64 will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on March 20, 2020. Doom Eternal will arrive on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on the same day, and on the Switch at a later date.
MLB The Show 20 launches March 17, 2020 with Javier Baez on the cover
The Houston Astros knocked off the damn Yankees over the weekend and will be heading to the World Series on Tuesday to take on the Washington Nationals. So it’s a great time for Sony to call up the first details about MLB The Show 20 on the PlayStation Blog.
Next year’s edition of the sports simulation will feature Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs on the cover, and the defensive wizard was thrilled to be picked by the developers at Sony San Diego:
Known as “El Mago” which translates to “The Magician,” Baez has dazzled the baseball world for years with his enchanting skills that have rightfully earned his nickname. Whether Baez is stealing a base by masterfully evading a tag, making impossible catches look easy or pulling off his signature no look tag; his skills are unparalleled and he always does it with flair and swagger. Baez also produces at the plate, too; in 2018 he hit 34 home runs, 111 RBI’s and a .290 batting average.
“I am so honored and excited to be on the cover of MLB The Show 20,” Baez said. “I’ll never forget how it felt when I saw myself in the game for the first time (even as a backup!). It was so surreal. Still, it’s one thing to see your virtual self, but it’s completely next level to be on the cover of a game you’ve played and love. Let’s go!”
MLB The Show 20 will be available exclusively for the PS4 in four different packages on March 17, 2020.
As you might expect, the game-only Standard Edition will be priced at $59.99. Meanwhile, the special MVP Edition will set you back $79.99, but it’ll include a variety of digital bonuses (1 Diamond Variety Pack, 2 Gold Choice Packs, 10 The Show Packs, 10,000 Stubs, Double Daily Login Rewards, and PS4 Avatars for every MLB team), and come packed in a Steelbook Case. The GameStop-exclusive Anniversary Edition will include everything from the MVP Edition, as well as an MLB The Show 15th Anniversary 9FIFTY Hat from New Era. It’s being billed as a “Limited Edition,” and will be priced at $99.99.
If you prefer to download your PS4 games through the PlayStation Store, the Digital Deluxe Edition of MLB The Show 20 will feature an extra helping of digital bonuses. Also priced at $99.99, the Digital Deluxe Edition will include 2 Diamond Variety Packs, 5 Gold Choice Packs, 20 The Show Packs, 25,000 Stubs, Double Daily Login Rewards, and and PS4 Avatars for every MLB team.
And finally, all PS4 owners who purchase the MVP Edition, Anniversary Edition, or the Digital Deluxe Edition of MLB The Show 20 will be able to begin playing the game starting on March 13 thanks to an Early Access Weekend.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged MLB The Show 20
Capcom is going on a hiring spree to “awaken dormant IPs” in the future
Capcom is a publisher that’s always been highly in tune with their own past. This year alone they’ve produced a full remake of Resident Evil 2 and brought back the original Dante (after an 11-year hiatus) in Devil May Cry 5. But they’ve got even bigger plans for their past in the future.
Earlier this week, Capcom executives published the company’s 2019 Annual Report, and one very interesting initiative for the next fiscal year was repeated multiple times throughout the document… Capcom wants to “awaken dormant intellectual properties.”
Obviously, it’s much too early to talk about which properties Capcom might resurrect in 2020 (and beyond). But the publisher did say that they plan to “[increase] the number of our developers” to meet the demand for new entries in some of their older franchises.
But if anyone from Capcom is out there taking requests for which dormant franchise to bring back, I’d love to see a new adventure starring Maximo. How about you?
Posted in News
NBA 2K20 is the best-selling game from September 2019
It long ago become an annual tradition, but the latest entry in 2K’s NBA 2K franchise absolutely dominated the sales charts in September. According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), NBA 2K20 was not only the best-selling game from last month, but it also currently sits atop the list as the best-selling game for all of 2019 (dethroning Mortal Kombat 11).
But it’ll face some stiff competition throughout the rest of the year as a big batch of new releases took over the Top 10 including Borderlands 3 (#2), FIFA 20 (#3), The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (#4), Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (#6), Code Vein (#8), and NHL 20 (#9). Microsoft’s Gears 5, which was also available to download through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, managed to make its way onto the list at #7.
However, the most surprising addition to this month’s list might be EA’s Plants Vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville, which is currently only available as an Early Access download on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. We can expect it’s profile to rise next month as the game will make its retail debut on store shelves tomorrow.
You can find a full list of best-selling games from last month after the break. (more…)
More than 2,500 playable MS-DOS games have been added to the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive has made it their mission to safeguard as much of the Internet as they can, but the group is also heavily involved in preserving classic video games and making them playable for a new generation of players through in-browser emulation.
Earlier this week, they massively expanded the number of retro video games available in their collection thanks to the addition of more than 2,500 MS-DOS games from the 1980s and 1990s.
It wasn’t easy getting all of those titles to work in a browser, and Curator Jason Scott had a bit to say about the process on the Internet Archive Blog:
The update of these MS-DOS games comes from a project called eXoDOS, which has expanded over the years in the realm of collecting DOS games for easy playability on modern systems to tracking down and capturing, as best as can be done, the full context of DOS games – from the earliest simple games in the first couple years of the IBM PC to recently created independent productions that still work in the MS-DOS environment.
What makes the collection more than just a pile of old, now-playable games, is how it has to take head-on the problems of software preservation and history. Having an old executable and a scanned copy of the manual represents only the first few steps. DOS has remained consistent in some ways over the last (nearly) 40 years, but a lot has changed under the hood and programs were sometimes only written to work on very specific hardware and a very specific setup. They were released, sold some amount of copies, and then disappeared off the shelves, if not everyone’s memories.
It is all these extra steps, under the hood, of acquisition and configuration, that represents the hardest work by the eXoDOS project, and I recognize that long-time and Herculean effort. As a result, the eXoDOS project has over 7,000 titles they’ve made work dependably and consistently.
Even with 2,500 new additions, you’re not going to find every MS-DOS game ever released in the Internet Archive’s collection. But you will find a wide variety of beloved games, including id Software’s The Ultimate Doom, Psygnosis’s Wipeout, EA’s original The Need For Speed, LucasArts’s The Secret of Monkey Island, and many more.
Google Stadia will launch on November 19
Google has announced (via the official Google Blog) that the Founder’s Edition Bundle for their Stadia game streaming service will be available on November 19. Stadia’s online storefront will open its doors on the same day and all users will receive a free copy of Destiny 2 as part of the deal:
Stadia Founder’s Edition will start arriving on gamers’ doorsteps on November 19, 2019. If you were one of the first gamers who pre-ordered and have received your Founder’s Editions, you’ll be able to buy and play your favorite games beginning at 9AM PST/5PM BST/6PM CET on November 19.
Whether you ordered Stadia Founder’s Edition or Premiere Edition, you’ll have three months of Stadia Pro, with access to Destiny 2: The Collection. Using the included Chromecast Ultra and Stadia Controller, you’ll be gaming in up to 4K HDR with 5.1 surround sound when playing on your TV.
Stadia Founder’s Editions and Stadia Premiere Editions will begin shipping in the same order that pre-orders were received. You’ll get an email when your package ships, and soon after, will receive a code to activate your Stadia account and Stadia Pro.
According to Google, Stadia will offer instantaneous game streaming with no downloads required. However, players will also need to subscribe to the Stadia Pro service (priced at $9.99 per month) to receive access to the the Stadia storefront. Prices for individual games have yet to be announced, but they will likely be comparable to competing digital game merchants. A free Stadia Base tier will be available in 2020… but you’ll still have to purchase individual games through the service.
If you still have questions about Google Stadia, the search giant has uploaded a brand new “What is Stadia and How It Works” video that answers most of them, and it’s been embedded above.
League of Legends will come to consoles and mobile devices in 2020 as League of Legends: Wild Rift
League of Legends helped kickstart the frenzy for free-to-play gaming after its launch in 2009. But for the past decade, Riot Games has kept it locked up tight on the PC… until now.
Earlier today, the developer announced League of Legends: Wild Rift, a new version of the 5v5 MOBA rebuilt and redesigned specifically for consoles and mobile devices. Wild Rift will feature a brand new map designed for “faster games and revamped controls,” and it’ll include roughly 40 Champions at launch (with more on the way):
Features
- Welcome to Wild Rift – Skillful outplays. Brilliant maneuvers. The occasional throw. League of Legends is coming to mobile and console!
- Real-Life Roaming – Keep your winstreak alive wherever you go. Jump into a match with your Wild Rift party in seconds, even when you’re away from your PC.
- The Rift, Rebuilt – Team up to take down the enemy Nexus on a new 5v5 map designed for new platforms, with faster games and revamped controls.
- Familiar Faces – Blast the bad guys with Lux’s laser or outplay the opposition with a pixel-perfect windwall. Champions play authentically to League, with slight changes for more thumb-friendly casting. League of Legends: Wild Rift will launch with around 40 Champions. More will follow over time.
Like the original game, Wild Rift will be available as a free-to-play download. As of right now, Riot expects to make the game available for Android and iOS devices by the end of 2020, with a console debut sometime after that (and no, they’re not ready to announce which consoles Wild Rift is in development for).
In the meantime, an Announcement Trailer for League of Legends: Wild Rift has been embedded above.