Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: 3DS
Nintendo Download: Minecraft Switch Edition, Garou Mark of the Wolves, Elliot Quest
Three new games are now available to download through the Nintendo eShop, but we start with the biggest game on the planet right now… Minecraft.
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition brings the popular open world game to Nintendo’s newest console, and players will be able to join up with three other friends for local multiplayer, while up to eight can venture forth together online. The Nintendo Switch Edition of Minecraft also includes the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, so everyone can transform the game’s blocky terrain into a mirror of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Beginning today, Switch owners will also get the chance to download SNK’s Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Originally released for the NeoGeo in 1999, Garou: Mark of the Wolves is a one-on-one fighting game, and the last game to date in the Fatal Fury series.
Finally this week, Elliot Quest was added to the 3DS side of the eShop. Developer PlayEveryWare created an 8-bit adventure that was inspired by Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Mega Man II, and players will battle through five dungeons to cure Elliot of his curse.
You can learn more about all of these games after the break. (more…)
Nintendo’s E3 2017 presentation will focus on Super Mario Odyssey and other Switch games coming this year
Nintendo has announced that they’re kicking off their E3 2017 activities with a special “Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017” presentation on Tuesday, June 13. “Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017” will deliver new information about Super Mario Odyssey, as well as other Switch games scheduled to launch this year. The presentation begins at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time), and fans can watch it via e3.Nintendo.com. As in years past, Nintendo will follow their consumer-focused Press Conference with a series of “Nintendo Treehouse: Live at E3” segments all throughout the week.
Nintendo’s E3 portal will also feature livestreamed coverage of the first tournaments for Arms and Splatoon 2 at this year’s Expo:
Nintendo will also host game tournaments that will be livestreamed from the E3 show floor. The 2017 Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational splats onto the scene on June 13 and features Splatoon 2 for Nintendo Switch. Composed of four pre-qualified squid squads from the U.S., Japan, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand, the tournament will find teams participating in the first-ever international Splatoon 2 competition. The second tournament, the 2017 Arms Open Invitational, takes place on June 14 and will feature Nintendo’s upcoming Arms fighting game for Nintendo Switch.
Finally, E3 attendees will get the chance to try out Super Mario Odyssey for the first time, along with other games coming to the Switch and 3DS this year.
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch
Tagged Arms, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey
Fire Emblem Echoes will likely be the last game in the series to be released on the 3DS
After its splashy reveal last year, everyone assumed that the hybrid nature of the Nintendo Switch meant the 3DS was most likely on its way out. Further proof to that fact was delivered this week with the revelation that Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will probably be the last “mainline” game in the series to appear on the handheld.
Fire Emblem Series Producer Hitoshi Yamagami confirmed this end of an era in a recent chat with Japanese magazine Dengeki Nintendo (via Game Memo).
However, Yamagami is also looking towards the future of the Fire Emblem franchise, including a Switch-exclusive Fire Emblem game that’s set to launch sometime in 2018. Koei Tecmo and Omega Force are also hard at work on Fire Emblem Warriors, which will launch for the New 3DS and Switch this Fall.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will be available on May 19, and in case you missed it, Nintendo recently unveiled a few details about the game’s Season Pass.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Season Pass will include $45 worth of DLC content
It’s taken more than 25 years for Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia to travel across the Pacific Ocean, but Nintendo has decided they also want to expand the strategy adventure with a wide array of post-launch downloadable content.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will released exclusively for the 3DS on May 19, and Nintendo will release the first DLC Pack on the same day. Additional Packs will arrive every week after that, and a Season Pass option (priced at $44.99) will be available for those who want to collect them all. However, players who aren’t interested in obtaining all five DLC Packs can purchase them separately.
Each DLC Pack for Fire Emblem Echoes will feature a variety of new content including new maps, new dungeons, new character classes, and a sweeping new story chapter that serves as a prologue to the main game:
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia – DLC Schedule
- DLC Pack #1: Fledgling Warriors Pack – Ideal for early- to mid-game adventurers, this pack includes a new dungeon (The Astral Temple) and two new maps, great for gaining more items, money and experience points. (May 19, $7.99)
- DLC Pack #2: Undaunted Heroes Pack – In addition to a new dungeon (The Inner Sanctum), this pack also includes two challenging new maps that stronger, more seasoned heroes will want to tackle. (May 25, $9.99)
- DLC Pack #3: Lost Altars Pack – The mysterious dungeons included in this pack hold the power to upgrade characters to exclusive classes that don’t appear in the main game. (May 25, $14.99)
- DLC Pack #4: Rise of the Deliverance Pack – Discover the previously untold history of Valentia in this prologue pack. Complete with new story content and additional voice acting that details the rise of the Deliverance in Zofia, this collection of challenging maps includes new support conversations between selected heroes, as well as the ability to take command of a character players won’t be able to control in the main game. (June 1, $12.99)
- DLC Pack #5 – More information about this final DLC pack will be revealed in the future. ($5.99)
In addition to this series of paid expansions, Nintendo plans to release several free updates for Fire Emblem Echoes. The first free update will also be available on May 19, and it’s a special gift that can be obtained from the Goddess Mila.
More information about all of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia’s DLC Packs can be found at the game’s official website.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Nintendo Download: NBA Playgrounds, Bonk’s Revenge, more
The classic arcade-style hoops of NBA Jam returns to the Nintendo eShop this week with NBA Playgrounds. Developed by Saber Interactive, NBA Playgrounds will be available to download this coming Tuesday, May 9. The Switch game will include dozens of NBA superstars, and offer “high-flying” two-on-two contests.
Also available as part of this week’s Nintendo Download, and available to purchase today, is Bonk’s Revenge on the Wii U. The side-scroller was originally released for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1991, and players will once again get the chance to headbutt their way through a prehistoric jungle.
Nintendo fans can learn more about both games (and the rest of this week’s new additions to the Nintendo eShop) after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged NBA Playgrounds
Shovel Knight: Official Design Works officially announced by Udon Entertainment
It looks like the rumors are true… Udon Entertainment will release a Shovel Knight artbook this August.
Shovel Knight: Official Design Works will include an in-depth look at the early concept art that allowed Shovel Knight to become a Kickstarter darling and indie sensation, as well an exclusive interview with the development team:
Udon has worked very closely with developer Yacht Club Games to ensure that Shovel Knight: Official Design Works is every bit the definitive Shovel Knight art book that fans deserve. Within its pages you’ll find character art, developer commentary, rough illustrations and concept art, background development images, comprehensive sprite sheets, full-page promotional illustrations, and more – including an exclusive interview with the game’s development team!
The 184-page book will also include content from the game’s first expansion, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows.
If you can’t wait until August, you can view a selection of preview pages at the the publishing company’s official website right now.
Nintendo will release New 2DS XL handheld on July 28
It’s 11:00, do you know what Nintendo is doing? The answer, of course, is that NO ONE ever knows what Nintendo is doing.
In the middle of the night (though to be fair, it’s only 8:00 PM on the west coast), Nintendo has decided to announce a new addition to their handheld line… the New 2DS XL. The New 2DS XL includes all the improvements that Nintendo added to the XL line (the C-Stick, built-in Amiibo functionality, XL screens, more processing power, a slicker overall presentation), but removed the glasses-free 3D that originally gave the handheld its name. The new handheld is still a few months away, but all this will be available for just $149.99 on July 28.
Also on July 28, Nintendo has announced plans to launch two new 2DS/3DS games… Hey! Pikmin and Miitopia:
Hey! Pikmin – In this brand-new style of Pikmin game, players guide Captain Olimar through 2D side-scrolling levels and collect Sparklium to refuel his crashed ship, the S.S. Dolphin 2, so he can escape the planet. The touch-screen controls let players choose the right Pikmin to toss at enemies and objects, which is critical to defeating foes and solving the many puzzles Olimar encounters during his adventure.
Miitopia – Band together with your Mii and Mii friends to explore your own personalized world of Miitopia. Cast Mii characters into various roles and watch hilarious scenes unfold as they work together to defeat the Dark Lord who has stolen the faces of townspeople of Miitopia. Players can bring in their created Mii characters from the Miitomo or Tomodachi Life games, or create their own Mii team in the game. This game has a lighthearted tone with traditional and strategic RPG-like elements, including customization, relationship building and team management.
You can get a closer look at the New 2DS XL in the trailer embedded above.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Miitopia, Pikmin For Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo’s 2016-2017 Annual Report: Big sales for Switch, Zelda BotW, Pokemon + Fall release dates for Xenoblade 2, Mario Odyssey, more
Nintendo published their annual financial report this morning, and the company gave us our best look yet at the Switch’s retail prospects, as well as reconfirmed several 2017 releases.
The big announcement today is that Nintendo has sold 2.74 million Switch consoles around the world as of March 31. Nintendo originally predicted that they’d sell two million around Switch consoles in March, so it’s safe to say they surpassed their goal. The consolemaker expects to sell ten million more Switch consoles before the start of their next fiscal year. If this prediction proves accurate, the Switch will have matched the total sales of the Wii U in a single year.
Moving on to games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has proven to be fairly popular, with total sales of 3.84 million copies sold (2.76 on the Switch and 1.08 on the Wii U). And don’t count out the 3DS just yet. According to Nintendo, Pokemon Sun and Moon combined to sell 15.44 million copies since they were released in November.
Nintendo closed out their report with the promise of a bright future, reiterating that all of their upcoming Switch and 3DS game are still on track to be released in 2017. Super Mario Odyssey and Fire Emblem Warriors are both still set for the Fall, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is still penciled in for a “TBA 2017” launch date.
Other titles scheduled to be released this Fall include Monster Hunter Stories, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, Kirby‘s next 3DS game, and Miitopia. Ever Oasis (June 23), Hey Pikmin (July 28), Splatoon 2 (July 21), and Arms (June 16) are set for this Summer.
Nintendo will most likely reveal a lot more about all of these games at this year’s E3 Expo… unless they get delayed, of course.
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Arms, Ever Oasis, Fire Emblem Warriors, Kirby: Battle Royale, Miitopia, Monster Hunter Stories, Pikmin For Nintendo 3DS, Pokemon Sun/Moon, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits/Fleshy Souls