Warp Zoned Presents
Author: John Scalzo
First three Dragon Quest games will make their way to Switch on September 27
Dragon Quest fans have a lot to look forward to later this month as Square Enix has announced the classic “Erdrick Trilogy” will be available to download for the Switch on September 27.
The games in the “Erdrick Trilogy” for the Switch will be based on the recent mobile re-releases for iOS and Android devices, and they won’t feature the original pixel art. Each game will also be available to download individually, with Dragon Quest set to be the cheapest ($4.99). It’s two sequels, Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line ($6.49) and Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation ($12.49), will be a tad higher.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the three games (or you weren’t one of the many Nintendo Power subscribers who received a free copy of Dragon Quest in 1990), Square Enix has passed along this short primer on the series:
The iconic Erdrick trilogy begins in the acclaimed Dragon Quest where players begin their voyage as the “Hero,” a descendent of the valiant hero Erdrick in an epic journey through the historic realm of Alefgard.
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line takes place a century later, where the young prince of Midenhall embarks on a journey to find the other two descendants of Erdrick in order to defeat the nefarious Hargon.
The third and final title in the Erdrick trilogy, Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, takes players through the land of Aliahan, where a young hero has been charged with an impossible task of slaying Baramos, the master of darkness.
The “Erdrick Trilogy” introduced a huge population of players to the joys of turn-based RPGs back in the early 90s, so it’s great that Switch owners will get the chance to relive these games alongside the launch of Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition, which will also be available on September 27.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Dragon Warrior, Dragon Warrior II, Dragon Warrior III
Yakuza: Like A Dragon transforms the franchise into a turn-based RPG… and it’ll launch in 2020
The seventh game in the Yakuza franchise is taking the series in a wild new direction…
Yakuza: Like A Dragon will introduce fans to a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, while also transforming the game’s signature hand-to-hand battles into a turn-based RPG. Sega has recruited actors Kazuhiro Nakaya, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Ken Yasuda, and Kiichi Nakai to lend their appearances and voices to the game’s main cast, and the foursome will help tell a dramatic crime saga that spans nearly two decades:
Yakuza: Like A Dragon introduces a new main protagonist for the first time since the series’ inception over a decade ago – Ichiban Kasuga, a low-level yakuza member looking to prove his self-worth, and follows him and his motley crew of unlikely allies as they attempt to rise from rags to riches in this modern human drama.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is much more than just a new chapter in the Yakuza series. Much like the new English title itself, Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a complete reimagining of the franchise, a landmark to coincide with the series’ 15th anniversary. With the bulk of the game taking place in the large-scale, painstakingly-realized setting of Ijincho in Yokohama, players will explore an entirely new side of Japan never-before-seen in the series. Not only that, but Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s combat system has undergone a major overhaul, combining Yakuza’s established brawling action with a turn-based RPG battle system.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon will be released exclusively for the PS4 sometime in 2020. An Announcement Trailer has been embedded above.
Madden NFL 20 goes back-to-back as the best-selling game of August 2019
The month of August was fairly light on new releases, so naturally, it looks like the game industry went through a lighter period on the business side of things as well.
According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), EA Sports’s Madden NFL 20 topped the list the best-selling titles for the month, repeating its victory from July (I guess you could say the developer went for two). The rest of the Top 20 was littered with repeat entries, but most surprisingly of all is that Minecraft earned the #2 spot, more than seven years after its retail debut.
The other big story to come out of the Top 20 was Nintendo’s continued dominance of the Summer. The consolemaker placed nine Switch games in the Top 20, including Platinum’s latest project, Astral Chain, at #10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (#4), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#5), Super Mario Maker 2 (#6), Mario Kart 8 (#7), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#12), Super Mario Party (#16), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (#17), and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#18) were the other Nintendo titles to crack the list.
However, the overall industry felt a bit of a dip in August 2019, totaling $666 million in sales, an 18% drop versus August 2018.
You can find a full list of best-selling games from last month after the break. (more…)
Say hello to Ring Fit Adventure… Nintendo’s latest wacky peripheral for the Switch
Most of their fans would be happy to tell you that they never want Nintendo to stop being Nintendo. Thankfully, the consolemaker added another notch to their wacky bedpost today with the announcement of Ring Fit Adventure, an RPG that hands players a plastic ring known as a Ring-Con (as well as a Leg Strap) and asks them to do daily exercises to defeat “Dragaux the Bodybuilding Dragon.” And no, I’m not kidding:
In the Ring Fit Adventure game, players explore an expansive world, battling enemies along the way using real-life exercises to perform in-game attacks. The new Ring-Con and Leg Strap accessories that are included with the game respond to the player’s real-world movements, allowing the game to turn them into in-game actions, like jogging in place to move your character through the world using the attached Leg Strap, or squeezing the Ring-Con and turning that strength exercise into powerful attacks. By playing the game daily, players can regularly work out various parts of their bodies. With additional mini-games and workout routines, Ring Fit Adventure is a fun experience for players of various skill levels and lifestyles.
The Adventure mode featured in Ring Fit Adventure takes place across 20 different colorful worlds in a quest to take down Dragaux, a giant, chiseled dragon with an ego to match his oversized muscles. Jog, sprint, and do knee-highs in real life to travel through the world, and use the Ring-Con accessory to perform different in-game actions, like jumping, hovering in mid-air or steering a raft on a river.
To play Ring Fit Adventure, players attach a Joy-Con controller to both the Ring-Con and Leg Strap, which then translate your movements (known as Fit Skills) into attacks within the game world. A wildly upbeat Announcement Trailer, which has been embedded above, provides a pretty good overview of how it all works.
If you’re just in it for the exercise, players can compete in a series of minigames by dropping in to Quick Play, Simple Mode, or Set Mode. A Silent Mode with quieter exercises is also available for players who “live in an upstairs apartment or don’t want to make a lot of noise.”
Ring Fit Adventure will be released for the Nintendo Switch on October 18… which gives you plenty of time to watch that mesmerizing Announcement Trailer over and over and over again.
Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling spinoff of Enter the Gungeon… and it’s coming to iOS devices
Apple has signed up a few high-profile developers to deliver content for their upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service, and today they locked up another one as Dodge Roll Games has announced that Exit the Gungeon will be available to download for Mac, Apple TV, and iOS devices soon.
Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling spinoff of Enter the Gungeon that eschews the overhead dungeon crawling of its predecessor and embraces a new focus on vertical combat as the world’s first “dungeon climber”:
Exit the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon climber immediately following the adventures of the misfit “Gungeoneers” and their journey for personal absolution in Enter the Gungeon.
Spoilers: The Gungeon has become a paradox and is collapsing. Armed with an ever-changing weapon, an insatiable need to loot, and a signature trusty dodge roll, each of our heroes must ascend and escape via their own unique route of increasingly perilous elevators. Battle against the last and most bitter of the Gundead at a frantic pace, slowing down just long enough to chat with some familiar faces… and a few new ones. Shifting rooms, enemies, bosses, bizarre weapons, and items all combine to ensure that no two attempts to finish Exit the Gungeon play out the same.
Devolver Digital will publish Exit the Gungeon, which will be co-developed by Singlecore Games. Presumably, it’ll make it’s way to other platforms after some period of exclusivity on Apple Arcade.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC
Tagged Exit the Gungeon
Capcom reveals first teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Project Resistance
As promised, Capcom rolled out the first full teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Project Resistance yesterday, and as we all suspected from the leaked footage, it appears to be another crack at creating a team-based spinoff akin to 2003’s Outbreak, 2012’s Operation Raccoon City, and 2016’s Umbrella Corps.
Capcom will reveal more details about Resident Evil: Project Resistance later this week at the Tokyo Game Show, and the game is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Resident Evil: Project Resistance
Square Enix will release Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition on January 23, 2020
Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition will be released for the PS4, Switch, and iOS and Android mobile devices on January 23, 2020.
Originally released for the GameCube back in 2004, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a multiplayer action RPG for up to four players. The Remastered Edition will add online multiplayer to give far-flung friends a chance to play together, and the game also supports cross-play functionality on all platforms. Upgraded graphics and a series of audio updates (including new character voiceovers) will bring the game’s presentation into the 21st century, and new dungeons and bosses will add an additional challenge to the adventure.
Square Enix will bring a playable demo of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition to this week’s Tokyo Game Show, and a brand new trailer for the game has been embedded above.
Posted in Mobile, News, PS4, Switch
Tagged Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Mini Metro arrives for the PlayStation 4 on September 10
Dinosaur Polo Club has announced that their minimalist subway simulator, Mini Metro, will arrive on the PS4 (via the PlayStation Store) on September 10th.
Designer Robert Curry recently stopped by the PlayStation Blog to share a few details about the game, which was a big hit on the convention circuit, and during previous stops for the PC, Switch, and mobile devices:
Now you too can design subway systems from the comfort of your couch. Now I know what you’re thinking. Designing a metro map? Surely this is someone’s job? But haven’t you ever, while waiting for a bus or a train, though you could organize things better? Here’s your chance.
It starts simply — a handful of stations, some passengers wanting to move between them, and you have to draw the lines to set the whole thing in motion. Trains travel the lines and passengers hop on and off automatically to get to where they need to go. So far so good.
Then a few more stations pop up.
Mini Metro will include more than 20 real-world maps (such as London, Paris, Mumbai, and Shanghai) when it pulls into the PlayStation 4 station tomorrow.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Mini Metro