Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Wii U
Yacht Club reveals a short snippet from Shovel Knight’s King Knight add-on
Yacht Club Games launched the beefy “Plague of Shadows” expansion for Shovel Knight late last year, but they’re not done updating their 2013 debut. The developer is also in the midst of creating add-on campaigns for King Knight and Specter Knight, and the current plan is to release both by the end of the year.
There’s still no ETA on when the King Knight or Specter Knight campaigns will be completed, but Yacht Club recently released this quick glimpse at King Knight in action:
We're creating two new Shovel Knight campaign updates! Specter is cool and King Knight rules. Here he is in action! pic.twitter.com/tkIwxcA2Xy
— Yacht Club Games (@YachtClubGames) June 2, 2016
I love the regal flourishes that have been added to the status bar.
Minecraft continues its quest for world domination after selling 100 million copies
Two years ago, Microsoft spent $2.5 billion to acquire Mojang and all rights to Minecraft. I think it was a wise investment… as Mojang announced today that more than 100 million copies of Minecraft (106,859,714 to be exact) have been sold since the game’s original release.
According to a nifty infographic on Mojang’s blog, the mobile version of Minecraft appears to be the most popular around the world. But over on the game’s official website, we can see that exactly 23,540,997 have been sold for the PC. That leaves console editions for the PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One to pick up the rest of the slack.
All told, more than 40 million people play Minecraft at least once a month, and that number probably won’t slow down anytime soon… more than 53,000 copies of the game are still sold each and every month.
Nintendo Download: Metroid Prime Hunters, Kick & Fennick, Donkey Kong Country 3, more
It’s Thursday, so Nintendo is back with another update to the Nintendo eShop.
This week, platforming fans will get to try out Kick & Fennick on the Wii U. According to the developers, Kick & Fennick is an “action-filled adventure” where the titular duo “blast, bounce, and bound their way through 45 challenging levels.”
Also available for the Wii U this week is Metroid Prime Hunters, a multiplayer shooter that was originally released for the DS in 2006. Taking control of one of six bounty hunters, players will challenge Samus Aran in the search for relics from a “once-powerful warrior culture.” The Star Wars and Indiana Jones comparisons practically write themselves.
Nintendo will also bring another classic title to the New 3DS this week through the handheld’s Virtual Console service. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble was originally released for the Super NES and serves as the capper to the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy. Fans of classic platforming should definitely give it a look.
More information on all of these games (as well as a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
BB-8 stars in the latest Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer
The time has come… the latest Character Trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an epic showcase for none other than BB-8. The breakout star of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, BB-8 certainly holds his own in the 30-second clip, and he looks like he’ll be a major part of the game.
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is less than a month away now, as the game will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on June 28.
Skylanders Imaginators will let players create their own Skylanders when it launches in October
The sixth Skylanders game is a secret no more as Activision announced that Skylanders Imaginators will be available this October. Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators will finally give players the opportunity to create their very own Skylanders characters.
“Since we launched the very first Skylanders game, we have received countless letters and drawings from kids all over the world sharing their vision for their own Skylanders. No matter how in touch with our ‘inner kids’ we might think we are as adults, nothing comes close to the endless creativity that springs from the mind of an inspired kid,” said Eric Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision Publishing. “We’ve turned this year’s game into the ultimate blank canvas for kids’ imaginations so they can create and play their own Skylanders.”
According to Activision, the creation tool in Skylanders Imaginators will include a huge number of customizable options, such as appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes, and more. But every hero needs a mentor, and Skylanders Imaginators has that covered too. Nearly three dozen Senseis, sorted into 10 “Battle Classes,” will offer guidance and training for your Skylanders creation, as well as “unlocking super-cool Imaginator weapons, providing access to special areas in the game, as well as bestowing Secret Techniques.” But if you’d rather stick with the heroes you know and love, Skylanders Imaginators will also be compatible with all previously-released Skylanders figures.
Skylanders Imaginators is in development for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It’s scheduled to be released on October 16, but you can check out the debut trailer right now.
Minecraft’s Console Edition is getting a PvP arena in June with Battle Mini Game update
Minecraft‘s Console Edition is about to get a little more interesting with the launch of the Battle Mini Game update in June. Available as a free download for the PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, the Battle Mini Game will add a competitive multiplayer battle arena to the game.
Here’s what Marsh Davies, Mojang’s Community Manger, had to say about the update on the company’s official website:
Battle pits players against one another in a fight for survival, as they race to snatch weapons and resources from chests, dance over each arena’s unique perils and stave off hunger pangs. We’ve made the mini game specifically with console players and couch-based competition in mind: it supports up to four players in splitscreen and eight players online, either by invitation or using the in-game matchmaking system. We wanted it to be super-accessible and fast-paced, so we’ve tried to keep the focus on rapid tactical thinking and combat: there’s no need to craft anything here, and you can loot inventories and equip armour with the tap of a button.
The Battle Mini Game update will include three maps, but Mojang and 4J Studios have plans to produce more Map Packs or the mode, which will be available later this year for $2.99 apiece. For now, you can head over to Mojang.com for a look at the first screenshots from the Battle Mini Game.
Nintendo Download: StarTropics, StarTropics II, Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice, more
Two NES classics, and an RPG that just looks like an NES classic, are now available to download through the Nintendo eShop.
When fans reminisce about Nintendo’s great franchises, they often leave the StarTropics series off the list. But I’m quite fond of these NES action RPGs and they’re both now available to download for the Wii U. StarTropics and Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II both star adventurer Mike Jones, who has come to the tropics to save his missing uncle. But the action moves far beyond blue water and palm trees after the aliens show up.
Also available to download this week for the Wii U and 3DS is Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice, a game built from the ground up to honor the JRPGs that were popular in the 80s and 90s (Captain a pirate ship! Battle giant bosses! No random encounters!).
More information on all of these games (as well as a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Deep Silver continues their goofy advertising pitch for Mighty No. 9 with new “Masterclass” trailer
Prospective fans of Mighty No. 9 are understandably upset that the game has taken so long to go from Kickstarter campaign to finished product. But game development takes time, and creator Keiji Inafune started work on Mighty No. 9 with little more than an idea and a dream.
So here we are, less than a month away from its launch, and publisher Deep Silver has delivered a new “Masterclass” trailer that focuses on Beck’s many special abilities. Narrated by the same goofy announcer as last November’s “Features Trailer,” it has a similar retro vibe, and probably would have felt right at home on Nickelodeon in 1992.
Will this kind of advertising fly in 2016? It’s too soon to say, but we do know that Mighty No. 9 will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on June 21. The game will also appear on the 3DS and Vita later this year.