Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: PC
Say hello to Oddity, an upcoming RPG that was inspired by Earthbound
Shigesato Itoi’s Mother 2 (better known as EarthBound in the US) has inspired countless retro-styled RPGs over the years, and it looks like the franchise will continue to motivate game developers as we enter the third decade of the 2000s.
The word “decade” in that last paragraph is rather fitting, as that’s about how long an unofficial sequel known as Mother 4 has been in development by a group of fans that goes by The Mother 4 Team. Yesterday, they confirmed that their fangame will now stand on its own as an original RPG known as Oddity.
Set in the swingin’ seventies, Oddity features a look that is clearly inspired by EarthBound, as well as a quirky cast of characters that just might end up saving the world:
Oddity is a surreal urban fantasy role playing game set in the Seventies. Play as Travis Fields, an ordinary boy who leaves home in a bid to save the world Travis takes to the field armed with a baseball bat and pellet gun… Along with powers he’s only now discovering. It might have something to do with that “Gate” thing that blew up on an impromptu camping trip…
…Whatever the case, the world’s in danger! People are crabby, demons run amok, the moon’s covered in creepy ooze, a bear did something… And to top it all off, there’s even a secret society called the “Modern Men” popping up lately. They might be behind all the recent kidnappings… But don’t worry! You’ll make plenty of friends as you fight your way through this weird and groovy world!
Oddity is currently in development for the PC, and it’ll be released “when it’s ready,” which hopefully won’t take another decade.
Untitled Goose Game stole our hearts in 2019… and sold more than one million copies
Thanks to fun gameplay, a beautiful art style, and an absolutely inspired title choice, House House’s Untitled Goose Game managed to charm the entire Internet in 2019.
But while all the memes are nice, the game’s publisher confirmed yesterday that Untitled Goose Game also a massive hit. According to Panic’s Cabel Sasser (via Twitter), the game has sold more than one million copies in the last three months:
It seems impossible, but last week, three months after launch, Untitled Goose Game passed one million copies sold.
From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for playing our videogame.
— Cabel (@cabel) December 30, 2019
Sassler would go on to thanks the Goose’s many fans in a subsequent tweet: “The reaction was beyond anything we could have imagined. The fan art, the writing, yes the memes, protest signs, Chrissy Teigen, Muppets?! It feels once-in-a-lifetime. We hope we brought some joy into your life, because you brought so much into ours. And we’ll never forget it.”
Untitled Goose Game was originally released for the PC and Switch back in September, but the final push to become a million-seller likely came from it’s recent launch on the PS4 and Xbox One on December 17 (it was also added to the Xbox Game Pass library on the same day).
Presumably, “Sell Two Million Copies” is next on the Goose’s To-Do List.
WB Games is here to remind you (with a new trailer) that Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be released in 2020
Happy Star Wars Day! You can head down to your local theater anytime this weekend to catch a showing of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the final film in the “Skywalker Saga.” But WB Games and TT Games also want to remind you that Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in 2020.
The new trailer embedded above features a short glimpse at Lego-ized scenes from all nine Star Wars films, while also promising that fans who played the previous titles in the series will get to experience a “New Game” sometime next year.
Batman: The Telltale Series gets new graphical style with the launch of the Shadows Edition
The Dark Knight is getting a little darker as we head into 2020.
That’s because the resurrected Telltale Games has partnered with Athlon Games to launch Batman: The Telltale Series – Shadows Edition for multiple platforms. Available to download for the PC and Xbox One today (and coming to the PS4 on December 20 and the Switch in the near future), the compilation includes both Batman: The Telltale Series and Batman: The Enemy Within, as well as a brand new noir-style visual filter known as Shadows Mode, which you can see for yourself in the trailer embedded above.
“We’re excited to be able to build and continue the legacy of an iconic Telltale Games franchise by launching Batman: The Telltale Series – Shadows Edition,” said Brian Waddle, the Chief Revenue Officer at Telltale Games. “This is just the beginning in a much more expansive plan to build on our catalog of Telltale Games titles, which we hope to discuss in further detail in the coming months.”
Batman: The Telltale Series – Shadows Edition will be priced at $29.99, but Batfans who already own the games can purchase the Shadows Mode filter as downloadable content for $4.99.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: The Enemy Within, Batman: The Telltale Series
Gears Tactics will be released for the PC on April 28, 2020
Gears Tactics was first announced at E3 2018, but it’s been shrouded in mystery ever since. Microsoft didn’t bring the tactical spinoff to this year’s E3 Expo, nor did it have a showing at the consolemaker’s recent X019 event. Thankfully, that all changed at this year’s Game Awards.
Unveiling a trailer that mixes cinematic moments with gameplay footage, The Coalition and Splash Damage have attempted to bring the spirit of the Gears franchise to the turn-based genre. Here’s what they had to say about their collaboration on Xbox Wire:
Developed by The Coalition and Splash Damage, Gears Tactics is set 12 years before the first Gears of War. Cities across the planet Sera are beginning to fall to the monstrous threat rising from underground – the Locust Horde. With the government in disarray, a squad of survivors emerge as humanity’s last hope. Outnumbered and fighting for survival, players must recruit and command a squad to hunt down Ukkon, an evil mastermind who makes monsters.
Gears Tactics features an immersive and character-driven story, one that follows the defiant soldier Gabe Diaz, voiced by Noshir Dalal, to rescue and build up a squad in a journey of leadership, survival and sacrifice. Playing as Gabe, you’ll customize your squad and equipment to prepare your troops to face tough enemies, upgrading squad skills and outfitting them with loot collected in challenging missions.
Microsoft also confirmed that Gears Tactics will be released for the PC on April 28, 2020. An Xbox One launch will follow at a later date.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Game Awards 2019, Gears Tactics
WolfEye Studios revealed Weird West at the 2019 Game Awards
Raphael Colantonio and Julien Roby shepherded the creation of Dishonored and Prey at Arkane Studios between 2012 and 2017, but the pair recently departed the development team to form a new company known as WolfEye Studios.
While WolfEye officially opened its doors just a few weeks ago, Colantonio and Roby were ready to unveil their first project Weird West, as part of this year’s Game Awards. Currently in development for the PC, and set to be published by Devolver Digital, Weird West is an action RPG that brings “fantastical creatures” to the dusty trails and one-horse towns that populate the American frontier:
Survive and unveil the mysteries of the Weird West through the intertwined destinies of its unusual heroes in an immersive sim from the co-creators of Dishonored and Prey.
Discover a dark fantasy reimagining of the Wild West where lawmen and gunslingers share the frontier with fantastical creatures. Journey through the origin stories of a group of atypical heroes, written into legend by the decisions you make in an unforgiving land. Each journey is unique and tailored to the actions taken – a series of high stakes stories where everything counts and the world reacts to the choices you make. Form a posse or venture forth alone into an otherworldly confines of the Weird West and make each legend your own.
A World Premiere Trailer for Weird West has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Game Awards 2019
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice wins “Game of the Year” at the 2019 Game Awards
Geoff Keighley and his co-presenters shotgunned their way through dozens of awards during tonight’s Game Awards, but in between all the World Premiere Trailers, they managed to shine a brief spotlight on a wide variety of titles. Unlike most years when a handful of titles dominate the conversation, this year’s Game Awards spread the wealth among a lot of worthy winners, including Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this year’s recipient of the “Game of the Year” award.
From Software’s ninja adventure also claimed the “Best Action/Adventure Game” trophy, but it wasn’t able to sway the jury for the other three nominations it was up for. Instead, ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium became the most-honored game of the night, winning “Best Narrative,” “Best Role Playing Game,” “Best Independent Game,” and “Fresh Indie Game.”
Some of the ceremony’s other winners included Kojima Production’s Death Stranding (“Best Game Direction,” “Best Score/Music,” and “Best Performance” for Mads Mikkelsen), Remedy’s Control (“Best Art Direction”), Beat Games’s Beat Saber (“Best VR/AR Game”), Respawn’s Apex Legends (“Best Multiplayer”), and Activision’s Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (“Best Sports/Racing Game”).
In addition to a rousing speech by their former President, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo had a great night too, taking home trophies for “Best Fighting Game” (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), “Best Family Game” (Luigi’s Mansion 3), and “Best Strategy Game” (Fire Emblem: Three Houses).
A complete list of winners from the 2019 Game Awards can be found at Video Game Canon.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Game Awards 2019, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare repeats as the best-selling game of November 2019
Not even the combined might of two new Pokemon games could stop Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from holding on to its position as the best-selling game of November 2019… but Nintendo and Game Freak certainly made it interesting.
According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), three Pokemon games actually managed to crack the top five last month. Pokemon Sword sliced its way to #3, while Pokemon Shield built a stronghold at #5. Sandwiched in the middle at #4 was the Pokemon Sword + Pokemon Shield Double Pack, which was counted as a separate game by the tracking firm.
If you were wondering what would have happened if all three games were combined onto a single line, Piscatella said that the combined sales of Sword, Shield, and the Double Pack would have landed at #2 for the month (though who knows what the sales charts would have looked like if Nintendo contributed eShop sales to the dataset). Even with that caveat, new releases dominated last month’s ranking, with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (#2), Death Stranding (#7), and Need For Speed Heat (#9) in the top ten. Going further down the list, you’ll also find Just Dance 2020 at #14.
Overall, the game industry collected $2.3 billion in sales last month, a 19% drop from November of 2018. Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Switch was once again the best-selling console during the month, and it remains the best-selling console for all of 2019.
You can find the full list of best-selling games from November 2019 after the break. (more…)