Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Wii U
Dark Souls III envelops your very being in darkness and despair… it was also the best-selling game of April 2016
I’m sure this is a surprise to no one, but people really love the Dark Souls franchise. And according to The NPD Group (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz), Dark Souls III was the best-selling retail game in April 2016.
The finale to From Software’s brutally difficult trilogy beat out some stiff competition in April including the Ratchet & Clank reboot (#2), Quantum Break (#7), and Star Fox Zero (#10). MLB The Show 16 also got a boost from the opening of this year’s baseball season (#3), but it wasn’t enough to unseat the Babe Ruth of gothic action RPGs.
But even with a handful of big new releases, the retail sector as a whole suffered a huge decline from the year before, when Mortal Kombat X obliterated all expectations. “In April 2016, overall trends (hardware, new physical software, and accessories) were down 15% (or $88.5 million) compared to April 2015 due to a $41.6 million decline in hardware and a $52.8 million decline in software, with the $5.9 million growth in accessories unable to offset these losses,” said The NPD Group’s Liam Callahan.
However, Callahan added, “Despite these declines, keep in mind that Xbox One and PS4 are trending over 40% higher in cumulative sales after 30 months in the market compared to their predecessors.”
A complete look at last month’s best-selling retail games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Dark Souls III, Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, MLB The Show 16, NBA 2K16, NPD, Quantum Break, Ratchet & Clank, Star Fox Zero, Tom Clancy's The Division
Nintendo Download: Super Meat Boy, Minecraft Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, Zelda Phantom Hourglass, more
The Nintendo eShop is about to get a meaty update as the brutally hard (and monumentally weird) platformer Super Meat Boy is now available to download for the Wii U.
Also available for the Wii U this week is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, a game that was originally released for the DS in 2007. Borrowing Wind Waker’s cel-shaded visual style, Phantom Hourglass also brought touchscreen puzzles to the Zelda franchise for the first time.
Minecraft: Wii U Edition is getting a “super” update later this week (on May 17), though more specifically, it’s the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack. The update will include new Character Skins for Mario and all his friends, a Super Mario-themed pre-made world, and a set of Super Mario-themed music and item textures.
Finally this week, the budding artist in all of us can pick up Disney Art Academy for the 3DS to learn how to draw all the characters from Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and dozens of other Disney characters.
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 Minecraft, Super Meat Boy
Disney shuts down all console development and cancels Disney Infinity franchise
Two months ago, the Disney Infinity franchise was put on hiatus by Disney Interactive. Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company announced the end of Disney Interactive with the cancellation of all console development and the closure of the entire division.
Speaking during the company’s quarterly financial report, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said, “During the quarter, we took a charge of $147 million in connection with the shutdown of our Infinity console games business. Going forward, our console games strategy will focus solely on licensing our great portfolio of content.”
This closure extends to developer Avalanche Software, and Disney Interactive General Manager John Blackburn thanked them for all their hard work on the publisher’s official website:
Our goal for Disney Infinity was to bring the best of Disney storytelling to life in homes around the world, and with your support we accomplished that. We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it.
And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project.
Avalanche will complete work on the remaining Disney Infinity content that is currently in development, including three figures from Alice: Through the Looking Glass (which will be available later this month) and a Finding Dory Play Set (coming in June).
With Disney’s console development future tied up in licensing deals, we should probably expect to hear about more third-party partnerships, like the one the company struck with EA to create Star Wars: Battlefront, soon.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, Disney Infinity: Star Wars
Minecraft: Wii U Edition is getting a free Super Mario Mash-Up Pack next week
Ever since Minecraft made its way to the Wii U as Minecraft: Wii U Edition, we’ve been waiting for the inevitable announcement of a Super Mario Mash-Up Pack. Well, we won’t have to wait much longer, as Nintendo and Mojang announced today that players will be able to pick up a Super Mario Mash-Up Pack through the Wii U eShop beginning next week.
Best of all, the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack is a free update:
After downloading the update, players who own the Minecraft: Wii U Edition digital game, which launched last December, will have immediate access to new skins (including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and even troublemakers like Bowser, Wario, and all seven Koopalings), a Super Mario-themed pre-made world and a set of Super Mario-themed music and item textures. All this new content is inspired by games in the iconic Super Mario series, such as Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Sunshine.
The Super Mario Mash-Up Pack will be available to download on May 17, and it’ll also be included on the disc of Minecraft: Wii U Edition’s retail release, which is currently scheduled for June 17.
And if you do nothing else today, be sure to watch the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack’s awesome Announcement Trailer, which is embedded above.
Splatoon will hold a big party for its first truly global Splatfest
Throughout the year, Nintendo has been trying to bring the global Splatoon community closer together with Splatfests that involve all three regions.
Back in February, a Pokemon-themed contest gave players in North America, Europe, and Japan the same choice for the first time… though matches were restricted to players within the same region. But last month, European and North American players were finally able to directly compete against each other in a Splatfest celebrating SpongeBob SquarePants.
Today, Nintendo announced that the upcoming Splatfest will invite players from all three regions to be matched against each other for the first time. And what will they be fighting over? Miitomo, of course.
Taking a cue from the communication app, this Splatfest will ask players to choose between a “Fancy Party” or a “Costume Party.” It’s not The Beatles versus The Rolling Stones, but it’s a start. The Splatfest Kiosk is now available in Inkopolis Plaza to make your choice, and the contest will begin on Friday, May 13 at 11:00 PM (Eastern Time). Players will be able to battle it out all day Saturday before a winner is crowned on Sunday, May 15, at 6:00 AM.
Good luck and don’t get inked!
Nintendo Download: Pocket Card Jockey, Super Punch-Out!!, Style Savvy, more
Lovers of the Sweet Science, the Sport of Kings, and the World of Fashion will want to take a look at this week’s Nintendo Download.
It all starts on the 3DS where Game Freak, the developer behind the Pokemon franchise, is back with a wacky new game. Pocket Card Jockey is a horse racing game that includes puzzle-solving elements and a built-in Solitaire game to make the horses run faster. Also, if the Launch Trailer is to be believed, there might even be a “Stud” minigame.
3DS owners will also get to dabble in an outlandish adaptation of the Sweet Science this week in Nintendo’s Super Punch-Out!!. Originally released for the Super NES in 1994, Super Punch-Out!! isn’t as well-known as its NES predecessor, but it’s still a cartoony blast of boxing fun.
Finally this week, fashionistas will get to strut their stuff on the Wii U with the addition of Style Savvy to the console’s Virtual Console service. Originally released for the DS, players will be able to “dream up dazzling outfits” as they run a chic boutique.
More information on all these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo reiterates that The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be their focus at E3 2016
I’ve got bad news for everyone who was hoping that Nintendo’s “All Zelda, All the Time” mantra for this year’s E3 Expo was just a prelude to a brain-busting slew of surprises. In an announcement today, the consolemaker reiterated that The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be the only playable demo available at their booth.
“At E3 this year, we’re treating people to an immersive Zelda experience,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “By giving attendees extended hands-on time with this remarkable game, they’ll be able to get a much deeper understanding of something new for the franchise.”
Nintendo is even eschewing their traditional E3 Digital Event for a special Treehouse Live broadcast, that’ll focus entirely on Zelda Wii U. Scheduled to begin on Tuesday, June 14, at 12:00 Noon (Eastern Time), the special stream will be the world’s first “in-depth” look at the game, and fans are encouraged to tune in through Nintendo.com, YouTube, and Twitch.
While this news is disappointing for fans who wanted to learn more about the NX, Nintendo wants to send one lucky fan to the E3 Expo to play Zelda Wii U on the show floor. All you have to do is send a tweet to @NintendoAmerica about what the Zelda franchise means to you using the hashtags #MyZeldaLegends and #NintendoSweepstakes by May 10. The winning fan will also be able to invite a guest because it’s dangerous to go alone.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be released sometime next year for the Wii U and the NX.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged E3 2016, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Go on “New Adventures” in the latest Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer
WB Games wants in on the Star Wars Day shenanigans, so they released a brand spanking new trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens this afternoon.
The latest trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens gives us a glimpse at the “New Adventures” not seen in the blockbuster film… including Han and Chewie’s Rathtar hunt, Poe Dameron’s rescue of Admiral Ackbar, and the story behind C-3PO’s red arm. Altogether, the game will include six “New Adventures,” all with new dialogue from the cast of the film:
- Rathtar Hunting – Follows Han Solo and Chewbacca’s voyage to capture the ravenous Rathtars.
- Lor San Tekka’s Return – Uncovers secrets behind Lor San Tekka’s journey to the Jakku Village.
- Poe to the Rescue – Details Poe Dameron’s daring rescue mission to save Admiral Ackbar.
- Crimson Corsair – Explores how the notorious Outer Rim pirate, the Crimson Corsair, foiled the plans of the First Order.
- Trouble Over Taul – Follows the events leading up C-3PO’s acquisition of his new red arm.
- Ottegan Assault – Reveals a puzzle piece to how the Resistance and the First Order find Lor San Tekka on Jakku.
It would actually be quicker to list who’s not returning to The Force Awakens, as practically the entire cast will record new dialogue for the game. But where’s the fun in that? Especially when WB Games somehow got Harrison Ford to mutter “Wookiee Cookies” into a microphone. And even little BB-8 has some new things to say… pay close attention to the droid’s chirps during the Admiral Ackbar rescue in the new trailer.
The full voice cast scheduled to appear in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens includes:
- Harrison Ford as Han Solo
- Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa
- Daisy Ridley as Rey
- John Boyega as Finn
- Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron
- Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
- Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux
- Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma
- Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata
- Max Von Sydow as Lor San Tekka
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on June 28 for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.