Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Wii U
Madden NFL 17 rumbles its way to the end zone as the best-selling game of August 2016
A trio of new releases stood atop the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games of August 2016, but Madden NFL 17 unsurprisingly took the top spot.
EA’s juggernaut is almost always unstoppable during the calendar’s eighth month, but it was equally unsurprising to see No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided take up residence at #2 and #3, respectively.
NPD analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz: “The release of strong new titles such as Madden NFL 17, No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided bolstered console software dollar sales by 8%.”
The remainder of this month’s best-sellers included the usual mix of big titles from 2015 and 2016, with some Grand Theft Auto V (#4) and Minecraft (#9) tossed in for flavor.
A full look at August 2016’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Dragon Quest 7, Noitu Love Devolution, WarioWare Smooth Moves, more
Copies of Dragon Warrior VII were rather hard to come by when the game was originally released for the PlayStation in 2001. But 15 years later, Nintendo and Square Enix are fixing that with the 3DS launch of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, which will be available to download from the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow. The massive RPG has been “completely rebuilt from the ground up” for the handheld, so even experienced players may want to play it again.
Also new this week is Noitu Love: Devolution, the latest game in Nintendo’s Nindies Summer Jam promotion. Available to download for the Wii U and 3DS, Noitu Love is a side-scrolling platformer that asks players to save the city from an evil robot army lead by professor Darnacus Damnation.
Finally this week, WarioWare: Smooth Moves makes it Wii U debut as a downloadable title on the eShop. Originally released for the Wii back in 2007, WarioWare is packed with 200 insane minigames that ask players to “swing, spin, and squat” their way to victory.
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 Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment expansion will be available in Spring 2017
Yacht Club Games had previously expected to launch the Shovel Knight expansions starring Specter Knight and King Knight by the end of the year. However, that’s no longer in the cards as the release of both add-ons has been pushed into 2017.
But to make up for this scheduling snafu, Yacht Club unveiled an amazing new logo for Specter Knight’s campaign, which is now officially known as Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. In a blog post on their official website, the developer confirmed the free expansion will be released in Spring 2017 and that it is, “a HUGE game with even more new content than Plague of Shadows.”
Shovel Knight, and the Plague of Shadows expansion, is currently available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Heart Machine cancels development of Hyper Light Drifter on the Wii U and Vita
In a heartfelt new update to the game’s Kickstarter page, Heart Machine’s Alex Preston has confirmed that Hyper Light Drifter is no longer in development for the Vita and Wii U.
Most of the problems with the ports can be attributed to GameMaker, the engine Hyper Light Drifter was built in. When trying to recreate the game for the Vita, Preston said they forced the engine to do things it wasn’t designed to do, making performance suffer:
With the Vita, we worked for months to get the project to run well enough on the platform. The problem is we pushed the engine incredibly far and made it do things it wasn’t meant to do. So the native port option has not been performing anywhere near our standards and would require a lot of majot reworking and downgrading to fit on a lower-powered platform.
Preston first discussed the problems his team was having with the GameMaker engine on the Wii U back in February, and it looks the engine’s lack of support for Nintendo’s console finally killed the port. The developer also cited his own health issues as a major contributing factor in dropping both versions of the game.
Preston confirmed that any Kickstarter backer who originally request the Wii U or Vita version of the game will receive a full refund. Though an option to receive a download code for the PC, PS4, or Xbox One is also available.
Finally, Preston said that “a big update” for Hyper Light Drifter will be released later this month, so we should all be on the lookout for that.
Posted in News, Vita, Wii U
Tagged Hyper Light Drifter
Koji Igarashi delays Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s launch to the First Half of 2018
Koji “Iga” Igarashi delivered some bad news last night to fans of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The famed developer revealed that progress on the game isn’t going as smoothly as he would have hoped. To make sure it’s “done right the first time,” Igarashi announced that Bloodstained will miss its planned March 2017 launch. Instead, the game be released in the first half of 2018 for the PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One:
“The last thing I want to do is keep our backers waiting, but after receiving such incredible support, I feel responsible for delivering the best product I possibly can. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies.”
To help maintain his vision, Igarashi also confirmed that he’ll add a new development team so he can keep development of Bloodstained “fully on track.” Inti Creates is currently working on the game for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One (Armature is handling the Vita and Wii U port), but it’s unknown if this second team will work alongside them, or replace them.
Nintendo Download: Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice, Jotun, Super Castlevania IV, more
Objection! You need to read all about the new games in this week’s Nintendo Download…
New to the 3DS eShop this week is Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice, the latest game in Capcom’s Ace Attorney series. This time, Phoenix Wright and his colleagues will need to explore crime scenes, dust for fingerprints, and contact the dead to win the case.
Hopping over to the Wii U, the Nindies Summer Jam continues this week with Jotun: Valhalla Edition, an overhead action game from Thunder Lotus Games. The game features hand-drawn artwork and plunges players into the world of Norse mythology as Thora tries to enter Valhalla by provig herself to the Gods. Also available to download for the Wii U this week is Mario Strikers Charged, a Mario-centric soccer title that was originally released for the Wii in 2007.
Finally this week, we drop back down to the 3DS eShop for the digital launch of Super Castlevania IV. Originally released for the Super NES all the way back in 1991, it would be the last time that Simon Belmont battled Dracula in the franchise.
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 Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
New Zelda Amiibo coming December 2: 8-Bit Link, OoT Link, Wind Waker Link/Zelda 2-Pack
While the crazed fervor for Amiibo figures has died down considerably since their 2014 debut, the collectible toys are still quite popular with fans, and Nintendo doesn’t look to be slowing down production on new figures anytime soon.
Earlier this morning, Nintendo announced plans to celebrate The Legend of Zelda‘s 30th anniversary with four new Amiibo figures, all of which will be available on December 2. An NES-inspired “8-Bit Link” figure will certainly get fans talking, and it’ll be joined on store shelves by another Link based on his Ocarina of Time appearance, and a two-pack that includes both Toon Link and Zelda from The Wind Waker.
These Amiibo figures will feature the same functionality as the other Link, Toon Link, and Zelda figures from the Super Smash Bros. series, but they’ll also provide special functionality in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it launches next year.
The exact specifics of this special functionality will be announced at a later date.
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo Download: Axiom Verge, Zelda Skyward Sword, Picross 3D Round 2, more
After looking to NES classics like Metroid and Contra for inspiration, Thomas Happ is finally ready to bring his retro-flavored side-scroller, Axiom Verge, to the Wii U this week. As the first game in Nintendo’s “Nindies Summer Jam” promotion on the eShop, Axiom Verge’s Wii U debut will offer Off-TV Play, Leaderboards, and a Speedrun Mode.
Two other games unveiled by Nintendo during this morning’s Nintendo Direct presentation are also now available to download through the Nintendo eShop. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Link’s only full-length adventure developed exclusively for the Wii, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. And over on the 3DS, players can chip away at a three-dimensional block puzzle in Picross 3D Round 2.
More information on all of these games (and a huge number of other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Axiom Verge, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword