Most Recent: Retro

New Retail Releases: Red Dead Redemption 2, Just Dance 2019, More

After almost a decade of waiting, it’s finally time to hop on your horse and ride along the dusty trails and gleaming train tracks of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. The Wild West prequel will be available in stores for the PS4 and Xbox One later this week, and while you might think that most game publishers would avoid going head-to-head with the highly-anticipated new entry in the famed franchise… you’d be wrong.

Well, sort of.

Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2019 serves as a perfect bit of counterprogramming to Rockstar’s cowboy epic, and the latest addition to the series will be available on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, as well as the PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360.

But the rest of this week’s new retail releases are mostly a smattering of smaller games from smaller publishers. Nickelodeon Kart Racers will let fans drive for the finish line as their Nickelodeon characters. A different kind of driving skill is required for Spintires: Mudrunner – American Wilds Edition. And Bandai Namco will launch My Hero One’s Justice, the first game based on the My Hero Academia anime. All three games will be available for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

A complete look at this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

The Game Console is a new book that’ll look at the “grisly innards” of your favorite consoles

No Starch Press has announced that they will publish The Game Console, a new book that promises to depict “A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox,” on November 6.

Authored by Evan Amos, and featuring an extensive collection of full-color photos and notes about 86 different consoles, The Game Console might just be the most complete catalog of game consoles ever published:

The Game Console is a tour through the evolution of video game hardware, with gorgeous full-color photos of 86 consoles and their grisly innards. You’ll start your journey with legendary consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Commodore 64. The visual nostalgia trip continues with systems from the 1990s and 2000s, ending with modern consoles like the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.

Throughout the book, you’ll also discover many consoles you never knew existed, and get a rare peek at the hardware inside some of history’s most iconic video game systems.

You can find a few preview images from The Game Console at No Starch’s official website, and they do look absolutely amazing.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro |

New Retail Releases: CoD Black Ops 4, WWE 2K19, The World Ends With You Final Remix, More

It’s the second week of October and the New Retail Releases continue to pile up to avoid Rockstar’s upcoming juggernaut…

The Call of Duty franchise ditches its single-player campaign this week with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. With an earlier release date than ever before, and a new focus on its Blackout battle royale experience, Call of Duty fans will definitely be wading into uncharted waters with Black Ops 4.

After its Deluxe Edition launch late last week, 2K Games will roll out the Standard Edition of WWE 2K19 this week for the PS4 and Xbox One (the game will also be available to download for the PC). Players will be able to take control of AJ Styles and dozens of other wrestlers thanks to the biggest roster ever in a WWE game.

Players looking to dive back in to some classics will yesteryear will get their chance on Nintendo platforms this week. Square Enix will revive a beloved RPG originally released for the DS as The World Ends With You: Final Remix for the Nintendo Switch this week. Nintendo themselves will shrink down one of the GameCube’s most surprising launch titles, Luigi’s Mansion, for the 3DS. And NIS America will continue to pump out Disgaea remasters with the release of Disgaea 1 Complete for the PS4 and Switch.

Finally this week, Microsoft will bundle Minecraft into a pair of new packages for those who have yet to purchase it on the Xbox One. Both the Starter Collection and the Master Collection will include the main game, and a unique selection of downloadable content.

A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , ,

Mega Man 11, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, WWE 2K19: Digital Deluxe, more coming to PS Store this week

This week’s PlayStation Store update isn’t overflowing with new releases, but a trio of big titles are now (or soon will be) available to download.

Leading things off is the return of one of the greatest franchises from the late 80s/early 90s… Capcom’s Mega Man. The Blue Bomber rides again on the PS4 in Mega Man 11, which includes a new art style and a new group of Robot Masters under the command of Dr. Wily.

Also available to download for the PS4 this week is Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the latest game in Ubisoft’s centuries-spanning saga of Assassins and Templars. This time around, players will tear up Ancient Greece and become a legendary Spartan hero.

Finally, 2K Games will launch the WWE 2K19: Digital Deluxe Edition a few days before the Standard Edition’s arrival next week. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes access to the game’s Season Pass, as well as the inclusion of Ronda Rousey and Rey Mysterio as playable wrestlers.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged , ,

FIFA 19, Life Is Strange 2, Hollow Knight, more coming to PS Store this week

“The Beautiful Game” gets updated for a new year as EA Sports is back with their latest soccer simulation, FIFA 19. The game will be available to download for the PS4 this Friday in a Standard Edition, a Champions Edition, and an Ultimate Edition.

Also set to launch later this week for the PS4 is Dontnod’s Life Is Strange 2 – Episode 1: What Doesn’t Kill Us. Leaving Acadia Bay behind, the second Life Is Strange adventure will follow two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz, who are on the run from the police.

Elsewhere on the PlayStation Store this week, Team Cherry will launch Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition for the PS4. Originally released for the PC in 2017 and the Switch earlier this Summer, the new Voidheart Edition includes the full game, as well as all previously-released downloadable content.

Finally this week, a pair of strategy RPG sequels for the PS4 will give players two very different viewpoints into the genre from Sega (Valkyria Chronicles 4) and Weappy Studio (This Is the Police II).

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged , , ,

Kosmic completes a nearly perfect Super Mario Bros. speedrun of 4 minutes and 55.96 seconds

The speedrunners competing to complete a “perfect” Super Mario Bros. run got a little closer earlier this week when “KosmicD12” set a new world record of four minutes and 55.96 seconds.

Thanks to pixel-perfect platforming and a series of glitches (including running through the wall to find the Warp Zone in World 1-2), this “Any Percentage” run is nearly identical to the “Tool Assisted Run” of four minutes and 55 seconds. In a “Tool Assisted Run,” a computer calculates the optimal path through the game using all known glitches, so to see an actual human person nearly match it is rather astounding.

“KosmicD12” was rather tongue-tied after his record-setting feat, but he did manage to croak out, “I don’t know what to say.” This run definitely speaks for itself, so I’m not sure anything else needs to be said.

Congratulations to “KosmicD12” from the entire Warp Zoned staff, and you can look here, here, here, here, and here to find previous record-setting Super Mario Bros. runs.

Posted in News, Retro | Tagged

New Retail Releases: FIFA 19, Valkyria Chronicles 4, This Is the Police II, More

It’s Monday, and that means another big batch of new games will be available at your favorite retail establishment this week…

Leading the way is the latest iteration in EA Sports’s annual series of soccer simulations, FIFA 19. The game will launch its way towards the goal on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in a Standard Editions and a Champions Edition. FIFA 19 will also be available to download for the PC through EA’s Origin service.

Sega is bringing back a beloved franchise this week as Valkyria Chronicles 4 will also make its way to the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Featuring hand-drawn visuals and gameplay that melds together a turn-based strategy RPG and a third-person shooter, fans will also be able to download Valkyria Chronicles 4 for the PC.

Strategy RPG fans might also be interested in This Is the Police II for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Players will manage a Sheriff’s Department in the “cold border town” of Sharpwood in a “harsh story where no one is completely innocent.”

Elsewhere on the shelves, Bandai Namco will re-release Dragon Ball FighterZ and Namco Museum Arcade Pac (which comes bundled with Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus) for the Switch. And Nintendo themselves will launch new Starter Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey.

Finally this week, Gun Media will resurrect the Friday the 13th: Ultimate Slasher Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One, which includes the original game and all previously-released downloadable content.

A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , ,

Madden NFL 19 beat out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to become the best-selling game of August 2018

As new entries in the series always do, EA Sports’s Madden NFL 19 broke away from the pack and sprinted for the end zone as the best-selling game of August 2018. But it’s one of the games it beat out that might be the most interesting story from The NPD Group’s latest report.

According to the market research company (via GamesIndustry.biz), the #8 spot in last month’s list of best-selling games was occupied by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a title that was originally launched in 2009. So why the sudden sales surge? The most likely explanation is because Microsoft recently added the Xbox 360 edition of the game to the Xbox One’s Backwards Compatibility Library.

Adding new sales to perennially best-selling games was absolutely a trend in August, as 2015’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (#3), 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V (#4), and 2014’s Mario Kart 8 (#5) all cracked the top five. But if you’re looking for newer titles, Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World continued its improbable run at the top of the charts by landing at the #2 spot thanks to the PC edition’s August launch.

Overall, the game industry grew 26% year-over-year with total sales of $796 million, including $214 million in hardware (a 28% increase), $330 million for software (a 16% increase), and $251 million for accessories (a whopping 39% increase).

A list of last month’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,