Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: 3DS
Nintendo Download: Zelda Breath of the Wild, Shovel Knight, Super Bomberman R, more
The Nintendo Switch is here!
Nintendo’s next gaming machine, a hybrid console/handheld, will go on sale in just a little over three hours. That’s also when Nintendo will swing the doors open on the Switch’s eShop and give early adopters the chance to purchase nearly a dozen different launch titles.
The biggest name in the Switch’s launch lineup, by far, is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Also available to download on the Wii U, Breath of the Wild will offer a wide-open world for Link to explore and new puzzles to solve.
However, if you’re looking to celebrate the system’s launch with a big party, you’ll have several options. There’s 1-2-Switch, a wild minigame collection where players are encouraged to look at each other instead of the screen. There’s also Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together!, a co-op puzzle adventure starring two pieces of paper. And Ubisoft will bring the popular Just Dance series to the Switch with Just Dance 2017.
Prospective Switch players who want to be on the move might want to look into FAST RMX, a new futuristic racer from Shin’en Multimedia.
Finally, retro gaming fans will have plenty of options on the Switch’s first day including Yacht Club’s new platformer, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, as well as the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, which includes Specter of Torment and the first two campaigns. Konami’s Super Bomberman R brings the lovable Bombers back for the first time in almost a decade. And I Am Setsuna, from Square Enix, is an original RPG inspired by Chrono Trigger.
If you’re taking a wait and see approach to the Switch, never fear, 3DS owners will still have something new to play this week. Marvelous Entertainment’s Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is the latest entry in the popular farming simulation series and, as you might have guessed, players will be able to visit three towns this time around.
You can learn more about all of these games after the break. (more…)
Video Game History Foundation wants to create a digital record of the industry’s past
Frank Cifaldi is a developer who has worked on Mega Man Legacy Collection and IDARB, but he is also the founder of the Video Game History Foundation, a new non-profit that seeks to preserve and digitize the history of video games.
The Video Game History Foundation launched their first “Digital Collection” yesterday, focusing on The NES Launch in 1985. Cifaldi is also seeking donations to expand the scope of the Foundation, as detailed on their “What We’re Doing” page:
The heart of the Foundation is its digital library, an online repository of artifacts related to the history of video games and video game culture. The ultimate goal is to create a searchable, organized, always-online archive of verified, high-quality material that is accessible to researchers and historians as a public education resource.
All donations to the Video Game History Foundation are tax deductible, and I can’t wait to see what collections they come up with next.
More than 60 “Nindies” are in development for Nintendo Switch including SteamWorld Dig 2, Runner 3, Yooka-Laylee, and more
Nintendo presented their first-ever Nindies Showcase for the Nintendo Switch today, and promised that more than 60 games from independent developers will be available for the console in 2017. This includes a staggering number of exclusives and timed exclusives such as…
- Image & Form’s SteamWorld Dig 2, which will be available first on the Switch this Summer.
- Choice Provisions’s Runner 3, which is in development exclusively for the Switch, and will be released this Fall.
- Vertex Pop’s Graceful Explosion Machine, a side-scrolling shooter that’ll be released for the Switch first this April.
- Team Shifty’s Mr. Shifty, an overhead action game that’ll also be available first for the Switch this April.
- Cardboard Robot’s Pocket Rumble, a retro-styled fighting game that’ll only be available to console owners on the Switch this March.
Other highlights from the Nindies Showcase include confirmation that Yooka-Laylee will be available for the Switch “soon” and that Blaster Master Zero will be released simultaneously for the 3DS and Switch on March 9.
Nintendo’s complete Nindies Showcase presentation has been embedded above, and you can learn more about all the games featured in the video after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch
Tagged Blaster Master Zero, Graceful Explosion Machine, Mr. Shifty, Pocket Rumble, Runner 3, Shakedown Hawaii, Stardew Valley, SteamWorld Dig 2, Yooka-Laylee
New Retail Releases: Nintendo Switch, Zelda Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, More
It seems like it really snuck up on us, but “Day One” for Nintendo Switch is less than five days away. Nintendo won’t have a ton of games available alongside the launch of their latest console, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which is also coming to the Wii U this week) will surely keep most early adopters busy for quite a while.
However, a handful of other Switch titles will be available for those looking for a different kind of experience. Ubisoft and Activision will bring ports of Just Dance 2017 and Skylanders Imaginators to the Switch. Meanwhile, Nintendo themselves will also launch 1-2-Switch, a quirky multiplayer party game, and Konami will resurrect the Bomberman series with the SNES-inspired Super Bomberman R.
It’s rare to find new games for rival platforms during a new console’s launch period, but the Nintendo Switch will actually face some stiff competition on store shelves this week. Leading the way is Horizon: Zero Dawn, a visually-striking post-apocalyptic adventure from Guerrilla that’ll be released exclusively for the PS4.
Also available this week will be Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS), the latest farming sim from Marvelous; Torment: Tides of Numenera (PS4, Xbox One), a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment; The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (PS4, Xbox One), a Season Pass Disc that’ll grant access to every episode of the zombie-themed adventure; and Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 + Arcade Game Series, a retail re-release of the retro reboot.
You can find a complete list of this week’s new retail releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged 1-2-Switch, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Just Dance 2017, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, Skylanders Imaginators, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, Super Bomberman R, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, Torment: Tides of Numenera
Overwatch wins “Game of the Year” (and three other awards) at 2017 DICE Awards
Blizzard made their mark on last night’s DICE Awards presentation when Overwatch took home the trophy in four categories, including “Game of the Year.” The shooter was also honored as “Action Game of the Year,” as well as for “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design” and “Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay.”
It was also a good night for Naughty Dog, as the developer claimed four victories for their work on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End including “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement in Story,” “Outstanding Technical Achievement,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Animation.”
The full list of winners at the 2017 DICE Awards (including Pokemon Go for “Mobile Game of the Year,” Pokemon Sun and Moon for “Handheld Game of the Year,” and three awards for Inside ) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Doom (2016), Inside, Overwatch, Pokemon Go, Pokemon Sun/Moon, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Nintendo Download: Harvest Moon 64, Forma.8, more
Even though Nintendo plans to officially retire the Wii U in a week’s time, the consolemaker is still making classic titles available to download through its Virtual Console. This week, the farming simulation Harvest Moon 64, which was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, is now available to purchase.
Elsewhere on the Wii U eShop, players will be able to download Forma.8, a unique “MetroidVania” with a minimalist visual aesthetic. Players will take control of a small exploration probe known as Forma.8, and they must explore the surface of an alien planet to find a powerful energy source before its too late.
You can learn more about both of these games (and a few other new additions to the Nintendo eShop) after the break. (more…)
NIS America will release RPG Maker Fes for the 3DS this Summer
3DS owners will get the chance to create their own RPGs when NIS America brings RPG Maker Fes to the handheld this Summer.
RPG Maker Fes doesn’t require any programming skills, and players will be able to create a unique game with an original plot and characters, a cutomized battle system, and much more.
Dedicated RPG makers will also be able to share their creations through the RPG Maker Player app, which will be available to download through the 3DS eShop. Best of all, according to a post on the NIS America Blog, “The RPG Maker Player app allows anybody who has downloaded the app to play other player’s RPGs, absolutely free.”
A short teaser trailer for RPG Maker Fes has been embedded above.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged RPG Maker Fes
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is finished; Coming to Switch in March and other platforms in April
Yacht Club Games has announced (via Twitter) that they’ve completed development on Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, the latest expansion to their NES-inspired platformer, Shovel Knight. The developer expects to launch Specter of Torment first for the Nintendo Switch in March. It’ll later be available as a free update on all other platforms (3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One) in April.
The Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove compilation (as well as the Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows standalone campaigns) should also be available for the Switch in March, with additional platforms to follow a month later.
Specter Knight’s campaign will actually take place before the events of Shovel Knight, and will depict how The Enchantress was able to recruit the evil Order of No Quarter. If you’re interested in learning how it all went down, Yacht Club Games will be attending this year’s PAX East expo to give fans a taste of Specter of Torment before it launches. The Boston-based convention kicks off on March 10.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2017, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment