Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Retro
Monster Hunter: World is king of the jungle… and the bestselling game of January 2018
The Monster Hunter franchise is an absolute phenomenon in Japan, and Capcom has been trying to replicate its success in North America since since Monster Hunter was released for the PS2 in 2004.
It might have taken more than a decade, but it looks like the series finally broke through with Monster Hunter: World, which was the best-selling game of January 2018. According to The NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), Capcom’s unique Action RPG helped push the industry to its best performance in January since 2011.
However, Capcom wasn’t the only publisher to post a monster-sized debut in January. Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball Fighter Z fought its way to the #2 slot, beating out some of 2017’s biggest titles, including Call of Duty: WWII (#3) and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (#5).
All told, video game fans purchased more than $517 million in software, as well as $278 million in hardware. Microsoft’s Xbox One, Nintendo’s Switch, and Sony’s PS4 were neck-and-neck-and-neck, and total hardware sales crossed one million units during the month.
You can find the NPD’s recounting of January 2018’s top ten best-selling titles after the break. (more…)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie will open in theaters in November 2019
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount has scheduled the theatrical premiere for Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie on November 15, 2019.
Tim Miller, most famous for directing Deadpool, is the Executive Producer on Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, which is said to include “a mix of live action and CGI to bring the character to life.”
Believe it or not, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie will have an Oscar-nominated director behind the camera. Jeff Fowler was nominated for an Oscar for “Best Animated Short” in 2005 (for Gopher Broke), and he’ll be sitting in the director’s chair. He’ll be joined on set by screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who previously worked on a pair of Team Hot Wheels movies.
Sonic the Hedgehog has starred in several dozen games since his debut in 1991, so we have no idea what the movie will look like when it comes to theaters next year. But it should be interesting.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro
Tagged Sonic the Hedgehog
Metal Gear Survive, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, more coming to PS Store this week
It’s time for another PlayStation Store update, and it looks like PS4 owners will be able to play a batch of new action-packed games this week
First up is Metal Gear Survive, a spinoff of the Metal Gear franchise that asks players to defend their base from an invading horde of interdimensional zombies. Also available to download this week will be Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, the latest game in Bandai Namco’s Action RPG franchise.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store (including a handful of new Vita games) after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Metal Gear Survive
Dark Horse will publish Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia this October
Do you know everything about Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom? Would you like to?
If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, then you’re in luck. Dark Horse has announced (via their official website) that they’ll publish the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia this October. Weighing in at 256 pages, this reference work will cover the first 30 years of “Super” Mario’s career, beginning with 1985’s Super Mario Bros.:
The Super Mario Encyclopedia is jam-packed with content from 17 Super Mario games and spans more than 30 years of the franchise’s history—from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World. Track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels.
This tome also contains an interview with producer Takashi Tezuka, tips to help you find every Coin, Star, Sun, and Mushroom… even explanations of glitches! With information on enemies, items, obstacles, and worlds from over 30 years of Mario, Super Mario Encyclopedia is the definitive resource for everything Super Mario!
The Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia will be released on October 23.
Bayonetta 1 + 2, Fe, Xeodrifter, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
Nintendo and its third-party publishing partners will add 17 new Switch games to the Nintendo eShop over the next seven days. While the sheer quantity is impressive, the list also includes some of this Winter’s most highly-anticipated games.
Nintendo themselves lead the way with the Switch re-release of Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. Starting this Friday, players will be able to take Platinum’s pair of action games on the go for the first time. Also available to download tomorrow is Fe, a “wordless platformer” from Zoink and Electronic Arts.
Elsewhere on the Switch storefront, Atooi will make a return to the platform with the launch of Xeodrifter, a retro-styled side-scroller that was originally released for the 3DS in 2014. And Bloober Team will bring the horrific Layers of Fear: Legacy to the Switch on Wednesday. Layers of Fear: Legacy is being touted as the definitive version of the game with its inclusion of the Inheritance expansion, touchscreen controls, and HD Rumble support.
You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, Fe, Xeodrifter
Secret of Mana, Fe, Dynasty Warriors 9, more coming to PS Store this week
One of the greatest action RPGs of the 90s will be reborn on the PlayStation Store this week.
Square Enix hasn’t always given the Mana series its due (the third game in the franchise was never even released in the US), but the publisher is ready to launch a 3D remake of Secret of Mana for the PS4 and Vita this week. Featuring upgraded graphics and a new translation, Secret of Mana has never looked like this before. Also available for the PS4 this week is Fe, a wordless platformer developed by Zoink and published by Electronic Arts.
Several larger releases will also be available to download for the PS4 through the PlayStation Store this week including Dynasty Warriors 9, the latest action extravaganza from Koei Tecmo, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a medieval RPG from Warhorse Studios.
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 Fe, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Secret of Mana
New Retail Releases: Bayonetta 2, Dynasty Warriors 9, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, More
The Umbra Witch flies again as Platinum Games and Nintendo will bring Bayonetta 2 to the Switch this week. The package will also include a download code for the original Bayonetta.
Also available on store shelves this week will be a pair of games that explore warfare in the olden days… Dynasty Warriors 9 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Both games will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Players looking for a more modern take on warfare might want to pick up Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – Advanced Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One. The re-release will include “rare bonus content” and 600 in-game Credits.
Finally this week, Ubisoft will re-release South Park: The Stick of Truth for the PS4 and Xbox One with a graphical upgrade.
A complete look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Owlboy, Dragon Quest Builders, Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
It’s Thursday, and Nintendo has offered up yet another hefty eShop update for the Switch.
This coming Tuesday, February 13, Switch owners will be able to download Owlboy, a side-scrolling platformer from D-Pad Studio. The Longest Five Minutes, a new RPG from NIS America, will also be available on the same day.
Both of those games rely on retro aesthetics to pull in players, and Square Enix will use a similar trick in its next game for the Switch. Dragon Quest Builders, a Minecraft-like experience based on the first game in the RPG series, will be available to download for the Switch beginning tomorrow. In addition to the main game, Dragon Quest Builders on the Switch will also include a variety of exclusive content.
Finally, 3DS owners will be able to download Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology early next week. Atlus originally released Radiant Historia for the DS in 2011, and Perfect Chronology is a re-release that includes new story content, upgraded graphics, and “new ways to experience the adventure.”
You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders, Owlboy, Radiant Historia