Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: 3DS
Nintendo Download: Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Return to PoPoLoCrois, more
It’s time to catch ’em all… again…
The Pokemon franchise is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and Nintendo will add the original trio of Game Boy games (Pokemon Blue, Pokemon Red, and Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition) to the 3DS eShop on Saturday, February 27. Players will even be able to battle their friends using the handheld’s wireless connection. And fans looking for another dose of Poke-mania should tune in to tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct presentation at 10:00 AM (Eastern Time) to learn more about the future of the franchise.
Another blast from the past is new to the 3DS eShop today as Capcom has added the Mega Man Legacy Collection to the download service. Players will be able to explore the first six Mega Man games, which were originally released on the NES from 1987 through 1994, as well as a brand new Challenge Mode. But if you’re looking for something new on your 3DS, Marvelous and XSEED have teamed up to bring together the RPG stylings of the PoPoLoCrois franchise with the farming simulation of the Story of Seasons franchise in Return to PoPoLoCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale, which will be available on March 1.
Finally, over on the Wii U eShop, 6180: The Moon is now available to download for Nintendo’s home console. The platformer previously appeared on the PC and Xbox One, but its minimalist aesthetic will surely find a lot of fans on the Wii U.
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 Mega Man Legacy Collection
New Releases: Far Cry Primal, PvZ Garden Warfare 2, Mega Man Legacy Collection, More
A trip back to the Stone Age, anthropomorphic plants with guns, and a compilation of some of the greatest platformers ever sit atop this week’s new release roundup.
Publishers are easily swayed by trends and it’s not hard to slot many of the most popular shooters of the last 15 years into three well-defined eras. After Medal of Honor, everyone rushed to produce a shooter set during World World II. After Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the hardware and tactics of the modern military became the focus. And after Deus Ex: Human Revolution, many shooters have seen shifted to the “not-so-distant future.”
But Ubisoft wants to go back… even further back than the European Theater. And that’s why Far Cry: Primal (PS4, Xbox One) features a battle between warring tribes of Stone Age warriors. Trading machine guns and laser rifles for stone knives and spears, Far Cry: Primal also lets players train a prehistoric tiger to do their dirty work for them.
And on the subject of bizarre shooters, EA and PopCap Games are back this week with another entry in the Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare saga. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) is a time-hopping trip that also adds back in the single-player modes that its predecessor was lacking.
Finally this week, Capcom brought together the first six Mega Man games for the retail release of the Mega Man Legacy Collection (3DS, PS4, Xbox One). If you didn’t play it last year, you should definitely stop putting it off.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Far Cry: Primal, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
Let Nintendo help you decide which version of Fire Emblem Fates to buy with this chart
Fire Emblem Fates is now available on store shelves and the 3DS eShop, but it’s understandable if you still haven’t decided between Birthright or Conquest.
The story in Fire Emblem Fates will veer off in widely different directions depending upon which half of the story you play. Selecting Birthright will align your character with the Hoshido and pit you against the corrupted King of Nohr beside a family of strangers. But if you pick Conquest, you’ll side with your adoptive homeland and struggle to change it from within.
I’m sure Nintendo would prefer it if you purchased both sides to the story, but the consolemaker is realistic enough to realize that most players will make a choice when confronted with Birthright and Conquest. They even produced this handy flowchart to ensure that players make the most informed decision possible:
Can’t decide between #FireEmblemFates Birthright and Conquest? This flowchart might help…https://t.co/IBEubpwBRa pic.twitter.com/VhhcXkBdNE
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 17, 2016
Whichever path you choose, the other will always open to you as a downloadable expansion available through the 3DS eShop. And a third scenario, Revelation, will be released on March 10.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright/Conquest
Nintendo Download: Fire Emblem Fates, Project X Zone 2, Ninja Gaiden II, Ninja Gaiden III, more
It’s been a long time coming, but Nintendo’s epic strategy game, Fire Emblem Fates, will be available to download through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow. Fire Emblem Fates is all about choice and players will actually have to choose between two halves of the game… they can side with their family in Birthright or fight with their friends in Conquest. Regardless of which choice you make, players will have the chance to download the other scenario through the eShop, and a third scenario will even be available in March.
If you’re looking for a different kind of epic strategy game, Bandai Namco plans to release Project X Zone 2 through the 3DS eShop this week as well. Characters from games published by Bandai Namco, Capcom, Sega, and Nintendo will battle it out in a dimension-hopping game where the fate of the entire multiverse is at stake. No pressure.
Speaking of “no pressure,” three of the hardest games ever to grace the NES are now available to download through the Wii U eShop. In Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, Ryu Hayabusa completes his journey on the NES by challenging the Emperor of Darkness and a cybernetic army bent on taking over the world. Also available this week is Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones, the final NES adventure starring the Jimmy and Billy Lee.
More information on all of these games (as well as a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright/Conquest, Project X Zone 2
Insert Quarter: The Legend of Zelda’s Most Interesting One-Off Items
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
With more than a dozen games under his tunic, Link has accumulated quite the arsenal of one-off items and weapons. Sure, everyone loves the Ladder and the Whistle, but those appeared all the way back in the original Legend of Zelda. What have you done for me lately, Link?
Thankfully, the writers at The AV Club have put their “Inventory” skills to good use and cataloged all these weird and wacky inventions for future generations as part of “Zelda Week.” That’s such a great idea that I’ll even give them a pass after whiffing on the Ball And Chain (it appeared in Twilight Princess and Hyrule Warriors):
So much of The Legend Of Zelda’s identity hangs on that “legend” conceit. It’s a tale that’s always being retold, often with the same characters, locations, and plot points. That’s also why Link’s ever-growing collection of weapons and gadgetry tends to stay so similar from game to game. But when you look past the utilitarian adventuring necessities—your bombs and bows and boomerangs—the series is full of tools that have only ever made their way into a single Zelda game. Some are powerful items with deep ties to the stories in which they appear, and others are idiosyncratic novelties that have no place outside the ruined temples in which they’ve been hidden away. Whatever their role, some of these one-legend wonders are among the most memorable tools Link has ever used.
The full article is available for your perusal at The AV Club.
New Releases: Street Fighter V, Fire Emblem Fates, Project X Zone 2, More
This week’s new release report has “Made in Japan” written all over it.
After upgrading and enhancing Street Fighter IV nearly half-a-dozen times, Capcom is finally ready to move on to Street Fighter V this week. The PC and PS4 fighting game will include 16 characters, and the publisher plans to add new characters to the roster every few months as downloadable content. Fans have been waiting for this one for a while, but I’m very interested to see how the Street Fighter franchise will change without the promise of a “Super” or “Ultra” expansion in the future.
Nintendo brings back another long-awaited sequel this week with the release Fire Emblem Fates on the 3DS. To give players a choice in how the story proceeds, the massive game was actually split into two parts, Birthright and Conquest, so players lead a rebellion or smash it. A third path, pitting both sides against an even greater evil, will be available as a downloadable expansion later this Spring. A beautifully-rendered New 3DS XL: Fire Emblem Fates Edition can also be picked up on store shelves, but it won’t include a copy of either Fire Emblem Fates game.
Speaking of complex strategy games on the 3DS, Fire Emblem Fates will get some competition this week from Project X Zone 2, Monolith Soft’s ridiculous quad-company crossover. Beloved characters from games published by Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, and Nintendo are joining forces to battle a dimension-hopping foe.
Finally this week, Nintendo will re-release Bayonetta 2 in a single-disc version that drops the Bayonetta bonus disc. If you’ve been waiting to pick up one of the best action games the Wii U has to offer, now’s your chance.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Wii U
Tagged Bayonetta 2, Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright/Conquest, Project X Zone 2, Street Fighter V
Call of Duty: Black Ops III marches to the top of January 2016’s list of best-selling games
The NPD Group recently delivered their monthly report on the state of retail video game sales, and the market research firm once again crowned Call of Duty: Black Ops III as the best-selling game of the month. The military shooter’s January 2016 victory is its third straight, but the industry as a whole is in a bit of a slump due to last month’s lack of new releases.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, retail sales for new games totaled $212.7 million last month, down from $235.6 million in 2015. The NPD Group speculated that the lack of a highly-anticipated new title like Techland’s Dying Light might be the cause for the dip, which makes sense when you realize that only one new release, Lego Avengers, was able to crack the top ten. Across the entire industry, US consumers spent $605.2 million on games, consoles, and accessories in January 2016, which was slightly down from January 2015’s total of $627.6 million.
Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 4, Minecraft, and a few others continue to tally impressive sales. And you can find them all in the full top ten list of January 2016’s best-selling games, which is available after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, FIFA 16, Grand Theft Auto V, Lego Avengers, Madden NFL 16, Minecraft, NBA 2K16, NPD, Star Wars: Battlefront, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Nintendo Download: Oddworld New N Tasty, Big Brain Academy, Polarium Advance, more
Nintendo is bringing some old favorites to the Wii U eShop this week, with one developer upscaling a PlayStation-era classic and Nintendo themselves adding three new titles to the Virtual Console.
Oddworld Inhabitants has been hard at work on Oddworld: New N Tasty since it made its PS4 debut in 2014. Since then, the Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee remake has launched on the PC, Xbox One, PS3, Vita, and now the Wii U. Retaining all the wacky charm of the original release, Oddworld: New N Tasty will give a new generation of gamers the chance to experience the cutting edge of 1997 game design as filtered through a 21st century production.
Nintendo will also add three titles to the Wii U’s Virtual Console this week including Big Brain Academy, a collection of brain training mind games originally released for the DS; Kuru Kuru Kururin, a maze puzzler originally released for the GBA (and available in America for the first time); and Polarium Advance, a tile-flipping puzzler also originally released for the GBA.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)