Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Wii U
Nintendo Download: Harvest Moon 64, Forma.8, more
Even though Nintendo plans to officially retire the Wii U in a week’s time, the consolemaker is still making classic titles available to download through its Virtual Console. This week, the farming simulation Harvest Moon 64, which was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, is now available to purchase.
Elsewhere on the Wii U eShop, players will be able to download Forma.8, a unique “MetroidVania” with a minimalist visual aesthetic. Players will take control of a small exploration probe known as Forma.8, and they must explore the surface of an alien planet to find a powerful energy source before its too late.
You can learn more about both of these games (and a few other new additions to the Nintendo eShop) after the break. (more…)
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is finished; Coming to Switch in March and other platforms in April
Yacht Club Games has announced (via Twitter) that they’ve completed development on Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, the latest expansion to their NES-inspired platformer, Shovel Knight. The developer expects to launch Specter of Torment first for the Nintendo Switch in March. It’ll later be available as a free update on all other platforms (3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One) in April.
The Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove compilation (as well as the Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows standalone campaigns) should also be available for the Switch in March, with additional platforms to follow a month later.
Specter Knight’s campaign will actually take place before the events of Shovel Knight, and will depict how The Enchantress was able to recruit the evil Order of No Quarter. If you’re interested in learning how it all went down, Yacht Club Games will be attending this year’s PAX East expo to give fans a taste of Specter of Torment before it launches. The Boston-based convention kicks off on March 10.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2017, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Nintendo Download: Tank Troopers, Ogre Battle 64, more
It’s war in this week’s Nintendo eShop update!
First up is Tank Troopers, a tank battling game for the 3DS published and developed by Nintendo. Players will choose their tank, customize it, and then go into battle against their friends in six-player local multiplayer battles. But if you’d rather go it alone, Tank Troopers also includes a single-player mode with 30 unique stages.
Also available to download this week is Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, a tactical RPG originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. Wii U owners will be able to take control of Magnus Gallant, a nobleman who has to decide whether to desert his kingdom and fight with the rebellion, or “turn a blind eye to the evils of his rotten society.”
More information on both games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will receive an Expansion Pass on Switch and Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will offer the largest world in the franchise’s history for players to explore when it launches early next month. But Nintendo also wants players to reach beyond Hyrule’s borders with bonus content they’re creating for the game’s Expansion Pass.
Priced at $19.99, the Expansion Pass will include two DLC Packs and a trio of “Day One” bonus items:
Expansion Pass Bonus (March 3)
- 3 Treasure Chests
- Found in the Great Plateau
- Contains Switch Logo In-Game Clothing + 2 Other Useful Items
DLC Pack 1 (Summer 2017)
- Cave of Trials Challenge
- Hard Mode
- Additional Map Feature
DLC Pack 1 (Holiday 2017)
- New Original Story
- New Dungeon
- Additional Challenges
“The world of Hyrule, which we created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is so large and vibrant that we wanted to offer more for players to experience within it,” said Eiji Aonuma, the Franchise Producer in charge of The Legend of Zelda. “With this new Expansion Pass, we hope that fans will play, explore and enjoy the game even more.”
Nintendo’s announcement of an Expansion Pass for Breath of the Wild is a first for a “mainline” Zelda game, but should feel familiar to fans who purchased the Season Pass for Hyrule Warriors.
And if you aren’t ready to upgrade to the Switch just yet, don’t worry, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Expansion Pass will be available for the Wii U as well.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Video Game Canon: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at the unique advertising Nintendo employed for Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Here’s a teaser…
I’m just guessing here, but I’d imagine that many Mario fans have no idea a sequel to Super Mario World even exists. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island was released for the Super NES in 1995 and starred the titular dinosaur in his first solo adventure. Most fans refer to the game as just “Yoshi’s Island,” because it’s such a departure from the rest of the franchise to that point, and because the “Super Mario World 2” print on the game’s box is almost invisible.
Serving as a prequel to the entire Super Mario franchise, Yoshi’s Island introduced Baby Mario to the world and tasked Yoshi with protecting the infant from Baby Bowser. While it’s Fall 1995 release was overshadowed by the launch of the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation, a dedicated cult following has built up around the game over the years.
Though they might not have known exactly which game it was promoting, I guarantee that everyone remembers the commercial Nintendo used to sell Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island in America.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in 3DS, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
No new Skylanders game in 2017, but multiple “Adventure Packs” coming
As part of their quarterly financial report yesterday, Activision executives confirmed that a new game in the Skylanders franchise won’t be released in 2017. However, fans should still expect plenty of new content to appear this year.
First and foremost, Skylanders Imaginators will make its Nintendo Switch debut on March 3. The “toys-to-life” franchise has been one of the few third party bright spots on the Wii U, so it’s good to see Activision continuing the tradition on the Switch. And with Imaginators in the spotlight for another year, COO Thomas Tippl confirmed that Activision plans to launch “multiple Adventure Packs, new characters, and new in-game content” for it throughout the year.
Tippl revealed that Netflix’s Skylanders Academy has also been well-received by fans. A second season will premiere on the streaming service sometime this year, and a third is already in the works.
Finally, Activision is working on a new mobile game set in the Skylanders universe, but that’s all we know at this point.
Nintendo Download: Mario Vs Donkey Kong, Azure Striker Gunvolt: The Anime, more
Even though the Switch will be available in slightly more than three weeks, Nintendo continues to fill out the Virtual Console offerings on the Wii U. This week, Wii U owners will be able to download Mario Vs Donkey Kong, which was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Like their first meeting, Mario Vs Donkey Kong is a puzzle platformer that pits the two mascots against one another in a battle of wits, this time involving locked doors and runaway Mini-Mario toys.
Gamers who enjoy the Azure Striker Gunvolt series will find a very interesting new offering over on the handheld side of Nintendo’s digital storefront. Azure Striker Gunvolt: The Anime is a standalone OVA created by LandQ Studios and Touhoku Shinkai. The Anime promises a deeper look into the world of Azure Striker Gunvolt, and includes two audio options for viewers… the original Japanese voice cast or a brand new English dub.
Several other new games have also made their way to the Nintendo eShop today, and more information about all of them can be found after the break. (more…)
The Video Game Canon: Madden NFL Football (Series)
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with an examination into the validity (or lack thereof) of the Madden Cover Curse. Here’s a teaser…
A gambler will tell you that they believe Lady Luck will reward them for respecting a streak, and a professional football player will tell you that he doesn’t believe in the Madden Curse. The former is a wishful thinker, and the latter is a liar.
The sports world is filled with superstitions. As a Little Leaguer growing up, I could show you what a “rally cap” was and explain the importance of never touching the baselines. I understood completely why retired Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland refused to change his underwear during a 12-game winning streak in 2011. I’ve even got strong opinions on what you say to a pitcher in the middle of a perfect game. The answer is you don’t say anything, because talking to him at all is bad luck.
For decades, the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx served as a well-known precursor to the Madden Curse. Those who believe in the Jinx are convinced that any player who appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated will experience some form of terrible luck, even though a handful of high-profile hits have obscured the long list of players who avoided the Jinx over the years. If the sheer number of cover subjects doesn’t dissuade you (more than 3,000 issues have been produced since the magazine’s launch in 1954), the illustrious career of Michael Jordan should. The basketball great has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times, and he’s had the kind of career that other athletes dream about… not counting his detour through Minor League Baseball and Space Jam.
But what of the Madden Curse? Although you’ll find a few executives at Electronic Arts who enjoy hyping up the current year’s game with talk of the Curse, most of them like to downplay it. In 2008, the then-President of EA Sports, Peter Moore, said, “I guess when you look back there’s a grain of truth to the Madden Curse.” At the time, he wasn’t wrong. Five of the last six offensive players on the cover succumbed to some horrible calamity. The publishing giant even considered producing a movie based on the Madden Curse in 2010, though that project seems to have fallen off the radar in the years since.
And that’s probably because the Madden Curse is as mythical as a wild turducken.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in 3DS, DS, Features, Mobile, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Madden NFL 11, Madden NFL 12, Madden NFL 13, Madden NFL 15, Madden NFL 16, Madden NFL 17, Madden NFL 25