Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: 3DS
Disney shuts down all console development and cancels Disney Infinity franchise
Two months ago, the Disney Infinity franchise was put on hiatus by Disney Interactive. Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company announced the end of Disney Interactive with the cancellation of all console development and the closure of the entire division.
Speaking during the company’s quarterly financial report, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said, “During the quarter, we took a charge of $147 million in connection with the shutdown of our Infinity console games business. Going forward, our console games strategy will focus solely on licensing our great portfolio of content.”
This closure extends to developer Avalanche Software, and Disney Interactive General Manager John Blackburn thanked them for all their hard work on the publisher’s official website:
Our goal for Disney Infinity was to bring the best of Disney storytelling to life in homes around the world, and with your support we accomplished that. We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it.
And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project.
Avalanche will complete work on the remaining Disney Infinity content that is currently in development, including three figures from Alice: Through the Looking Glass (which will be available later this month) and a Finding Dory Play Set (coming in June).
With Disney’s console development future tied up in licensing deals, we should probably expect to hear about more third-party partnerships, like the one the company struck with EA to create Star Wars: Battlefront, soon.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, Disney Infinity: Star Wars
Pokemon Sun/Moon will be released on November 18; Starter Pokemon revealed
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced that Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon will be released for the 3DS on November 18. The two companies also unveiled a brand new trailer that introduces fans to the game’s starter Pokemon:
Name: Rowlet
Category: Grass Quill Pokemon
Height: 1’00”
Weight: 3.3 Pounds
Type: Grass/Flying
Starting Move: Leafage
The first of the potential partners is the highly adaptable Grass Quill Pokemon, Rowlet. This Pokemon can fly silently through the skies, sneaking up on its opponent without being noticed. It can attack its opponents using powerful kicks, and it can also attack from a distance using the razor-sharp leaves that form part of its feathers. Rowlet can survey its environment and turn its neck nearly 180 degrees from front to back, so it can see directly behind itself. When in battle, Rowlet turns its head to face its Trainer when waiting for instructions.Name: Litten
Category: Fire Cat Pokemon
Height: 1’04”
Weight: 9.5 Pounds
Type: Fire
Starting Move: Ember
The cool-headed Fire Cat Pokemon, Litten, is the next choice for a first-partner Pokemon. Litten’s fur is rich in oils and is immensely flammable. It constantly grooms itself by licking its coat, collecting loose fur into balls. It then ignites these hairballs to create fireball attacks. When the time comes for Litten to molt, it burns off all of its fur in one glorious blaze.Name: Popplio
Category: Sea Lion Pokemon
Height: 1’04”
Weight: 16.5 Pounds
Type: Water
Starting Move: Water Gun
The third possibility is the acrobatic Sea Lion Pokemon, Popplio. Popplio can create balloons made of water from its nose and utilize them to create a variety of different strategies and attacks in battle. This Pokemon is better at moving in the water than on land, and can swim at speeds over 25 mph. On land, it uses the elasticity of the balloons it creates to perform jumps and acrobatic stunts.
A fiery Cat Pokemon that tosses exploding hairballs. Somewhere, Warp Zoned’s resident Pokemon fanatic/crazy cat lady just lost her mind.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Pokemon Sun/Moon
New Retail Releases: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Doom, Disney Art Academy, More
We’ve waited and waited, but what might be Nathan Drake’s last adventure will finally arrive on the PlayStation 4 this week. Developer Naughty Dog is stepping away from the franchise after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but they want to test Drake like never before. These challenges include brand new dialogue options, and the return of his presumed-dead brother. And if you still haven’t upgraded to a PS4 yet, Sony will also begin selling an ultra-slick 500 GB PS4 + Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Bundle on Tuesday as well.
Another game that has been long time coming is id Software’s Doom, and it’ll be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Friday, May 13. Players will return to Mars and do battle with Imps, Cacodemons, and Barons of Hell in a first person shooter that emulates the classic Doom way of doing things.
Also available this week is Disney Art Academy, a drawing tool for the 3DS that lets players create artwork featuring Disney and Pixar characters on their handheld.
Finally, Battle Worlds: Kronos is a turn-based strategy game for the PS4 and Xbox One that “stays true to its hexagonal-roots.”
That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at the new downloadable titles coming to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Doom (2016), Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Nintendo Download: Pocket Card Jockey, Super Punch-Out!!, Style Savvy, more
Lovers of the Sweet Science, the Sport of Kings, and the World of Fashion will want to take a look at this week’s Nintendo Download.
It all starts on the 3DS where Game Freak, the developer behind the Pokemon franchise, is back with a wacky new game. Pocket Card Jockey is a horse racing game that includes puzzle-solving elements and a built-in Solitaire game to make the horses run faster. Also, if the Launch Trailer is to be believed, there might even be a “Stud” minigame.
3DS owners will also get to dabble in an outlandish adaptation of the Sweet Science this week in Nintendo’s Super Punch-Out!!. Originally released for the Super NES in 1994, Super Punch-Out!! isn’t as well-known as its NES predecessor, but it’s still a cartoony blast of boxing fun.
Finally this week, fashionistas will get to strut their stuff on the Wii U with the addition of Style Savvy to the console’s Virtual Console service. Originally released for the DS, players will be able to “dream up dazzling outfits” as they run a chic boutique.
More information on all these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Go on “New Adventures” in the latest Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer
WB Games wants in on the Star Wars Day shenanigans, so they released a brand spanking new trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens this afternoon.
The latest trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens gives us a glimpse at the “New Adventures” not seen in the blockbuster film… including Han and Chewie’s Rathtar hunt, Poe Dameron’s rescue of Admiral Ackbar, and the story behind C-3PO’s red arm. Altogether, the game will include six “New Adventures,” all with new dialogue from the cast of the film:
- Rathtar Hunting – Follows Han Solo and Chewbacca’s voyage to capture the ravenous Rathtars.
- Lor San Tekka’s Return – Uncovers secrets behind Lor San Tekka’s journey to the Jakku Village.
- Poe to the Rescue – Details Poe Dameron’s daring rescue mission to save Admiral Ackbar.
- Crimson Corsair – Explores how the notorious Outer Rim pirate, the Crimson Corsair, foiled the plans of the First Order.
- Trouble Over Taul – Follows the events leading up C-3PO’s acquisition of his new red arm.
- Ottegan Assault – Reveals a puzzle piece to how the Resistance and the First Order find Lor San Tekka on Jakku.
It would actually be quicker to list who’s not returning to The Force Awakens, as practically the entire cast will record new dialogue for the game. But where’s the fun in that? Especially when WB Games somehow got Harrison Ford to mutter “Wookiee Cookies” into a microphone. And even little BB-8 has some new things to say… pay close attention to the droid’s chirps during the Admiral Ackbar rescue in the new trailer.
The full voice cast scheduled to appear in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens includes:
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa
- Daisy Ridley as Rey
- John Boyega as Finn
- Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
- Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux
- Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma
- Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata
- Max Von Sydow as Lor San Tekka
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on June 28 for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Handicapping the 2016 World Video Game Hall of Fame Finalists
We’re just a few days away from learning which games will be inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame this year. In 2015, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Pong, Doom, World of Warcraft, and Pac-Man were selected as the inaugural class by the institution’s induction committee. The Hall’s Class of 2016 will be announced on Thursday, May 5, and five or six games are once again expected to rise above the other finalists.
But which of the 15 finalists will be honored this year? Using the Hall’s induction criteria as a guide, I can think we can determine the odds of which games will make it in and which will have to wait until next year. (more…)
Mighty No. 9 release date is “set in stone” for June 21
After a seemingly neverending series of delays, Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept have announced that Mighty No. 9 has finally completed development and officially “gone gold.” The side-scrolling platformer, which Inafune designed as a spiritual successor to his long-running Mega Man series, will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on June 21. Portable versions for the 3DS and Vita will launch at a later date.
In addition to the release date announcement, Inafune also delivered a message for fans on Mighty No. 9’s Kickstarter page, where he once again apologized for the many delays and confirmed that its June 21 release date is “set in stone.”
Inafune’s complete statement has been reproduced after the break. (more…)
The PAXpocalypse List: The Best of PAX East 2016
Believe it or not, we’re not living in a post-apocalyptic hellscape (depending on your political affiliation, insert your own Trump/Hillary joke here). But you’d never know it if all you had to go by was the 2016 PAX East show floor, which was overrun by dozens of titles that took place after the collapse of society… and a lot of them were pretty good.
But what if some disaster did befall the world and force PAX East attendees to forever wander the halls of the Boston Convention and Exhibition, feasting on whatever mac and cheese bowls or turkey legs they may find? That’s where Warp Zoned’s PAXpocalypse List comes in, because these are the games we’d keep playing if we could never venture outside again… (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Features, Mobile, PC, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged 20XX, Catlateral Damage, Cuphead, Flinthook, Graceful Explosion Machine, Inversus, Just Shapes and Beats, PAX East 2016, Pit People, Refactor, Streamline, Tooth and Tail, Tumblestone, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End