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Most Recent: Opinions
Will Zelda: A Link Between Worlds’ Item Shop Really “Transform” the Franchise?
According to the most recent Nintendo Direct presentation, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will, in the words of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, “transform the way you play Zelda.” After years of following a consistent, popular formula, Nintendo has finally seen the need for progression. The next Zelda game will “buck the mold” of traditional Zelda gameplay with one revolutionary change: items will now be rented from and bought at a shop, rather than found in a dungeon. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Opinions, Top Story
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
World of Warcraft’s Next Expansion Should Be Its Last
It’s no secret that Blizzard’s immensely popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft (WoW), has been suffering ever since the release of the game’s most recent expansion, Mists of Pandaria. Whether it’s the pandas, the retcon, or the multitude of changes to the game mechanics, World of Warcraft has lost over two million subscribers since Mists of Pandaria released last September. The most recent statistics released by Blizzard state that WoW has dropped to 7.7 million subscribers.
At one point in 2010, WoW boasted 12 million subscribers, so the number of subscribers has been steadily dropping, and is almost at only 50% of its highest number. Whether this is due to an influx of free-to-play MMOs, a lack of continued interest in the world of Azeroth, or the rise of the MOBA genre, World of Warcraft seems to be on its last leg. According to a recent comment from Game Director Tom Chilton to IGN, Blizzard may have read the writing on the wall. The announcement directly mentioned the next patch for Mists of Pandaria, stating that it would “bridge the storyline between Mists… and the next expansion.” He went on to hint that the next expansion for World of Warcraft would be announced at BlizzCon, which is set to happen this November. I personally believe that Blizzard should make this the final expansion for World of Warcraft, tying up the story of Azeroth. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PC, Top Story
Tagged World of Warcraft
The New Conservatism of Nintendo
Nintendo has never been known for having a liberal attitude. Even with a diverse range of characters, the publisher has fallen back on reimagining their various iconic characters (such as Mario, Link, and Samus) through the decades. When the company was still battling with rival Sega, it was Nintendo that took the moral high ground, often censoring blood or religious imagery from games on their systems, most famously in the original Mortal Kombat, where blood was replaced with sweat and the finishing moves were toned down. In recent years, Nintendo has even throttled back the power of its consoles (compare the Wii and Wii U with the PS3/Xbox 360 and PS4/Xbox One) versus competing systems. However, with the end of this year’s E3 Expo came a decisive contrast in how gamers and journalists alike perceived Nintendo, and that for better or worse, the company has entered a new era of conservatism. (more…)
E3 2013: The Roadmap To Victory for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony
Even with the rise of PAX Prime, PAX East, the San Diego Comic-Con, and Gamescom, the annual E3 Expo is still the game industry’s premiere showcase for “what’s next.” And every year, half the fun of the festivities is picking apart the press conferences from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony and declaring a winner.
I admit, picking press conference winners is more than a little silly. But the three companies are locked in a vicious three-way battle for your video game dollar. Even as the total market has expanded, the opportunities for any individual company have shrunk. So anytime one can wrest control of the headlines away from the other two is a victory. But what can each consolemaker do to ensure a win? Read on and follow our E3 Roadmaps for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony to find out. (more…)
Has THQ’s Demise Made the Game Industry Healthier?
The final pieces of THQ found new homes this week as 505 Games acquired the Drawn To Life series, Gearbox purchased the Homeworld franchise, and Nordic Games scooped up the rest. While the popular publisher is no more, THQ’s demise may lead to an uptick in the overall health of the game industry. (more…)
The Wii U: It’s All Just A Little Bit of History Repeating
Bashing Nintendo’s new console has quickly become a troll’s favourite pastime. Not a day has gone by in 2013 without a cluster of articles marked with the words DOOM and GLOOM in big bold letters, attracting fanboys from all sides of the fence like moths to a flame, caught in an endless argument of whose favourite manufacturer is better. Then news came that Deep Silver would not be publishing Dead Island: Riptide or Saints Row IV on the Wii U. It all reached a fever pitch during the GDC, when DICE confirmed that Battlefield 4 would not appear on the platform either. You could hear the carving knives being sharpened, with many asking how would Nintendo’s new console survive without major third-party support? Later in the week, Kotaku’s Kirk Hamilton asked Epic co-founder Mark Rein if the Wii U would run their brand spanking new Unreal Engine 4. His response, one of laughter, was hastily clarified on Twitter as Epic sought to smooth their relations not only with Nintendo, but gamers in general, who hounded Rein’s account. Giving Epic the benefit of the doubt, I could not help thinking that we’ve heard these arguments before.
Then I realised we had. (more…)
Just Stop! Hey Kojima, WE KNOW You’re Behind The Phantom Pain
When the Internet decides to collectively believe something that’s just not true, we have to cry out… Just Stop! This is what’s making a Warp Zoned editor rip his computer from the wall in frustration today…
It’s not the Internet-at-large that’s bugging me today, but instead it’s one man: Hideo Kojima. Actually, it’s two men, as Joakim Mogren, the CEO of Swedish game developer Moby Dick Studio, is most definitely not Hideo Kojima. But who is he, really? Some say it’s Cliff Bleszinski in disguise. Is the man formerly known as CliffyB really behind Moby Dick’s first game, The Phantom Pain? Or is it just some actor keeping the world in suspense until Kojima reveals his connection to the game at this year’s Game Developers Conference? Whoever’s behind The Phantom Pain, they think they’re being clever.
No! Just Stop! YOU. ARE. WRONG. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Why You Shouldn’t Pre-Order A PS4… Yet
By now, you’ve probably seen Sony’s PlayStation 4 press conference, which took place a week and a half ago. You’ve gotten a glimpse of the slick new controller, seen the amazing footage of Watch Dogs and InFamous: Second Son. You’ve seen the Twitter, Facebook, and forum posts all saying the same thing, “DAY ONE!” You’ve checked your budget and figured that by scrimping and saving you will be able to afford the PlayStation 4 when it launches. Now, all you need to do is pre-order your system.
Not so fast there, champ. (more…)