Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: 3DS
Take on Medal Challenges in this new Super Mario Maker For 3DS trailer
Nintendo is creating 100 new pre-built Courses for Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS, and the consolemaker will also add a series of “Medal Challenges” to the game when it launches on December 2. If this recent trailer is any indication, the demanding new mode definitely won’t be for the faint of heart.
For example, in Course 1-3, players will have to defeat only Piranha Plants to win the Medal. That doesn’t sound so hard, but then Nintendo ramps up the difficulty considerably in Course 3-1 (“Reach the goal without releasing Right on the Control Pad”) and Course 5-2 (“Reach the goal without pressing the jump button”). But even those like a piece of cake when compared to the Medal requirement for Course 9-2… “Lure all flying Boos to the goal.”
Hopefully Nintendo will also bring these new courses (and the Medal Challenges mode) to the Wii U version of Super Mario Maker, but no official announcement has been made as of yet.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Super Mario Maker
New Retail Releases: Titanfall 2, World of Final Fantasy, Skyrim Special Edition, More
EA and Respawn Entertainment will storm their way into stores this week with Titanfall 2 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. In addition to expanded multiplayer options, Titanfall 2 will include a single-player campaign for the first time. We can finally say it… Your Titanfall sequel is ready.
Also available this week is World of Final Fantasy, a new “chibi” RPG from Square Enix that celebrates the grand history of the Final Fantasy franchise. Designed primarily for a younger audience, PS4 and Vita players will still need to save the world from an evil mastermind. Thankfully, they’ll be aided by dozens of heroes from previous games in the series.
If you’d rather skip all the fighting and just dance, Ubisoft has you covered with the launch of Just Dance 2017 on the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Just Dance 2017 includes dozens of songs, and the new Just Dance Machine mode, which will throw an assortment of different dance styles at players.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition will make its PC, PS4, and Xbox One debut this week, as Bethesda plans to relaunch their epic RPG on a new generation of platforms. And Telltale will bring together Minecraft: Story Mode – The Complete Adventure on a single disc for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Finally this week, one of my favorite puzzlers of the year, Tumblestone, will receive a retail release on the PS4 and Wii U.
A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Just Dance 2017, Minecraft: Story Mode, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, TitanFall 2, Tumblestone, World of Final Fantasy
Voice actor strike reveals unannounced games like Lego Marvel 2, Brothers in Arms, more
SAG-AFTRA, a union representing voice actors and stunt performers, authorized a strike against game developers that began this morning. As part of the process, the union has published a list of projects that members are no longer allowed to work on, and it includes several unannounced games.
It wasn’t much of a shock to learn that EA Sports is already hard at work on Madden NFL 18 and NHL 18, but listings for Lego Marvel 2 and Brothers in Arms were a bit more surprising (though not unexpected). While WB Games has yet to make any noise about a new Lego Marvel game, Gearbox confirmed the existence of a fourth Brothers in Arms game last year.
A large number of mobile games also make up a large part of the list, as well as a few games that are denoted only by codenames. For example, Take-Two is working on something called “Alligator,” while EA is developing games under monikers as diverse as “Odin,” “Fearless,” “Scorpion,” and “Timbits.” We may never know what these codenames refer to (they may even belong to games that have already been released), but one of the union’s major demands is for developers to be more transparent during the hiring process and to use a game’s actual title when contracting with vocal/stunt performers.
Finally, several highly-anticipated 2017 titles will be affected by the strike including Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, Injustice 2, and Crash Bandicoot Remastered. So hopefully the two sides can reach an equitable agreement soon.
UPDATE: A representative from WB Games has informed us that the inclusion of “Lego Marvel 2” in the SAG-AFTRA strike list is actually a reference to Lego Avengers, which was released earlier this year. However, Lego Avengers was announced in January 2015, several weeks before the union’s deadline for projects that must be part of the picket line.
I’m not sure why it was included on the list (it’s possible the union goofed), but the official line from WB Games is that “Lego Marvel 2” is definitely not a reference to “Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2” or any other unannounced game. That said, I’d be very surprised if WB Games isn’t working on another Lego Marvel game, and we’ll likely hear more about “Lego Marvel 2” in the future.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Brothers in Arms 4, Crash Bandicoot, Injustice 2, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, Madden NFL 18, NHL 18
Voice actors represented by SAG-AFTRA union go on strike against game developers
Negotiations between game developers and the voice actors and stunt performers represented by the SAG-AFTRA union began in February 2015, but after more than 18 months of discussions, the two sides appear no closer to an agreement. Because of the impasse, and to protest against a contract they believe is decades out of date, the members of the union went on strike this morning.
“SAG-AFTRA has gone to the negotiations table with serious concerns affecting voiceover and stunt performers,” said Ray Rodriguez, the Chief Contracts Officer for SAG-AFTRA. “It’s time for video game employers to take our concerns seriously and negotiate a modern contract based on actor safety, industry precedent and best practices.”
This strike won’t affect all developers, and currently only applies to games that went into production after February 17, 2015 at Activision, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, Take-Two Interactive, and WB Games. However, the strike also extends to several independent vocal production studios that do a lot of contract work with the big publishers.
The game developers are offering an immediate 9% salary hike for all performers, and “additional compensation” depending on the number of recording sessions. However, the union’s demands for better working conditions went unmentioned in a statement from the Chief Negotiator for the game developers.
The SAG-AFTRA union plans to push the game developers for a better deal over the next few weeks, and their first order of business is encouraging all members to join a picket line in front of EA’s headquarters this Monday, October 24.
Nintendo Download: SteamWorld Heist, Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks, Pirate Pop Plus, more
Don’t worry, Nintendo didn’t forget about this week’s Nintendo Download amidst all the hoopla for the Switch reveal…
This week, Wii U owners will be able SteamWorld Heist, a side-scrolling strategy game from Image & Form. Players will be able to take part in “turn-based tactical shootouts” and perform “awesome bullet-bouncing trick shots” while they scour the universe for treasure.
Also available to download for the Wii U this week is The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Link’s second adventure on the DS. Originally released for the DS in 2009, Spirit Tracks offers plenty of exploration and dungeons for Zelda fans… as well as a Spirit Train to travel around New Hyrule.
Wii U and 3DS owners will also get the chance to try out Pirate Pop Plus, a retro-styled bubble-popping arcade game that emulates the monochromatic colors of the Game Boy. Best of all, players who purchase Pirate Pop Plus will receive access to it on both platforms.
Finally this week, the classic Super NES RPG Breath of Fire is now available to download for the 3DS. Originally released in 1994, the Capcom-produced game was eventually followed by five sequels.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged SteamWorld Heist
New Retail Releases: Battlefield 1, Civilization VI, Skylanders Imaginators, More
While the Call of Duty franchise continues to push further and further into the future, EA and DICE are taking the Battlefield franchise back to The Great War for Battlefield 1. The shooter will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week, and Microsoft is even offering a special Xbox One S + Battlefield 1 Bundle in two sizes… 500 GB and 1 TB.
Firaxis Games and 2K will return with a different sort of trip through time this week with Civilization VI. The strategy game will be released for the PC, and it’ll once again ask players to battle it out with famous world leaders and grow their civilization.
Skylanders fans will get the chance to try out a new entry in the franchise, as Activision will bring Skylanders Imaginators to the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this week. For the first time, players will be able to design their own Skylanders characters with the brand new Imaginators system.
In what has become a regular occurrence in the New Retail Releases report, another batch of games will get the re-release treatment this week. WB Games will swoop down to save the day in Batman: Return to Arkham, a PS4 and Xbox One compilation featuring Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The publisher will also package together Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 in Lego Harry Potter Collection, exclusively for the PS4. WayForward will give 3DS owners another chance to pick up Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, this time in a new Retail Edition. Finally, Harmonix will release the Rivals expansion for Rock Band 4 this week, and launch a special Rock Band 4 + Rivals Expansion pack for the PS4 and Xbox One.
A complete look at this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Disney Magical World 2, Severed, Animal Crossing Wild World, more
The Nintendo eShop is the happiest place on Earth this week…
Developed by Bandai Namco and published by Nintendo, Disney Magical World 2 makes its debut on the 3DS eShop this week, giving players the chance to explore the Magic Kingdom with Mickey, Elsa, the Disney Princesses, and many others.
The 3DS eShop will receive a second dose of magic this week with Severed, DrinkBox’s highly-acclaimed touchscreen title which stars a one-armed warrior “who wields a living sword on her journey through a nightmare world.” Players interested in purchasing Severed on the 3DS will also receive access to a Wii U download of the game (and the 3DS version is free for everyone who already owns it on the Wii U).
Finally, a pair of DS classics are now available to download for the Wii U. Animal Crossing: Wild World was originally released in 2005, and it brought the “social simulation” series to new heights. Kirby: Canvas Curse, a 2005 platformer where players control Kirby with a stylus, is also new to the eShop this week.
Additional details on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Paper Mario Color Splash, Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2, Mega Man X2, more
The Nintendo eShop is gets colorful this week with the latest entry in the Paper Mario franchise and two classics from Nintendo’s archives.
Paper Mario: Color Splash will be available for the Wii U tomorrow, and it’ll be the last Nintendo-published game until The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s release next week. But Wii U owners will get a big adventure to keep them busy until then as Color Splash tasks Mario with restoring the color to Prism Island with his fancy new Paint Hammer… Mario must be a fan of Splatoon.
If you’re looking to download something today, Nintendo has added two new Virtual Console titles to the Nintendo eShop. Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis was originally released for the DS in 2006, and the action-puzzler is now available to download for the Wii U. Meanwhile, Mega Man X2, arguably the best game in the Mega Man X series, originally launched for the Super NES in 1994 and it’s now available on the 3DS.
More information on all three games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Paper Mario: Color Splash