Warp Zoned Presents
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Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler was the best-selling game in July 2018
It would have been amusing if Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler took the #8 spot in The NPD Group’s monthly report of best-selling games (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz). But instead, the retro-styled RPG smashed expectations and landed in the top spot for the preceding four-week period. That means the publisher is likely less amused and more amazed.
Nintendo Switch exclusives dominated the list of best-selling games last month, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#3), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Super Mario Odyssey (#7), and Mario Tennis Aces (#10) all cracking the top ten. The recent Switch launch of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (#9) also likely accounted for its rise in the rankings (the game is also available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One).
The Switch was also the best-selling console in July, the first time that’s happened since December 2017.
You can find out how the rest of the top ten shook out, with a quick rundown of the remainder of July 2018’s best-selling games, after the break. (more…)
Nintendo scored both the best-selling game (Mario Tennis Aces) and console (NES Classic) of June 2018
Nintendo can lay claim to the top-selling console in June 2018… but it wasn’t the Nintendo Switch. Instead, it looks like the relaunched NES Classic was the month’s best-selling console.
However, that’s not to say that the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch (as well as the Super NES Classic and 3DS) were slouching. According to the NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), the three major consoles, both of Nintendo’s retro microconsoles, and the 3DS created a 52% increase in overall hardware sales versus June 2017.
All told, the game industry tallied $1.1 billion in sales in June, which was good for a 25% year-over-year increase.
June is typically a slow month for new releases, and that was reflected in the NPD’s companion report on best-selling games. Mario Tennis Aces was the top-selling game during the month, with The Crew 2 (#4), and Lego The Incredibles (#7) also breaking into the top ten. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy‘s debut on the PC, Switch, and Xbox One also helped it re-enter the list at #9.
A quick rundown of the remainder of June 2018’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Crash Bandicoot, Detroit: Become Human, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, Grand Theft Auto V, Lego The Incredibles, Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis Aces, NPD, The Crew 2
New Battle Princess Madelyn trailer shows off the game’s updated stages
The developers at Causal Bit Games are still working hard on Battle Princess Madelyn, their modern-day homage to the retro stylings of Capcom’s Super Ghouls N Ghosts, and earlier this week they unveiled a brand new trailer featuring “updated stages, collecting weaponry, and armor shards from the cursed chests.”
The developer also posted a new update to Battle Princess Madelyn’s Kickstarter campaign, detailing a few more changes and additions that have been made to the game in the last month:
The final boss was redrawn and redesigned a few times. Nothing was feeling epic enough. Following the story too close wasn’t cutting it, it started as a rival sorceress girl the same age and size as Maddi, but the first half of the fight felt too plain and samey. I worked with Maddi a few times on how the last boss should look overall. There was a giant zombie woman head, dragon snake things, and I can’t even remember what else now. This one has been redone over and over for the better part of a year. But finally I got a clear head about it, and we sat down and came up with something amazing! We aren’t going to show that obviously but we’re not that far away from you seeing it yourselves!
Creative Director Christopher Obritsch also discussed rather scary-sounding heath issue towards the end of the post and everyone at Warp Zoned wishes him a speedy recovery.
Battle Princess Madelyn will be released sometime soon (but we don’t know exactly when) for the PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
New Battle Princess Madelyn trailer shows off the game’s first level
Casual Bit Games continues to plug away at Battle Princess Madelyn, their side-scrolling homage to 16-bit classics like Super Ghouls N Ghosts and Wonder Boy 3: The Dragon’s Trap, and development is nearly complete on the first half of the game. To mark this milestone, the developer has released a new trailer highlighting the game’s animated introduction and gameplay from the first chapter.
Battle Princess Madelyn is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One. The game was originally expected to be released in Early 2018, but rather than announce a new launch date, Casual Bit Games has said that it’ll be done when it’s done.
Just Shapes and Beats, West of Loathing, Pokemon Quest, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
The shapes are taking over the Nintendo eShop this week! And I’m not talking about Michael Myers…
Berzerk Studio brought Just Shapes and Beats to the Switch today, and the shapely side-scrolling anti-shooter asks players to survive its bullet-hell-like levels with up to three friends while grooving to a nice selection of beats. Also available to download for the Switch today is West of Loathing, the humorous “stick figure” RPG from Asymmetric.
Using a 16-bit palette, Fox N Forests is also now available to download for the Switch, and players will need to employ seasonally-powered magic spells to save the forest. And on June 5 comes Happy Birthdays, an updated version of Birthdays the Beginning, the new sandbox game from the creator of Harvest Moon, Yasuhiro Wada.
Finally, Nintendo wanted to remind everyone that players can still experience the action RPG antics of the cube-shaped Pokemon from Pokemon Quest, which was added to the Switch eShop this part Tuesday.
Over on the 3DS, Nintendo’s handheld is now home to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, the new Castlevania-like side-scroller from Koji Igarashi and developer Inti Creates.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Icey, Pirate Pop Plus, Yesterday Origins, and more) after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Just Shapes and Beats, Pokemon Quest
God of War slays all comers and emerges as the best-selling game of April 2018
You might say that Kratos returned with a vengeance last month, and that’s because Sony’s God of War reboot climbed to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for April 2018. According to the NPD (via GamesIndustry.biz), God of War was also the “best ever launch for a PlayStation exclusive.”
Sony and Kratos weren’t done setting records, and the former “Ghost of Sparta” helped sell a lot of PS4 consoles too. Thanks to a push from the newly-available PS4 Pro 1TB + God of War Limited Edition Bundle, Sony’s console was propelled to the top of the NPD’s Hardware Chart for both “units sold” and “dollar sales.” The PS4 also set a new record for console sales during the month of April, besting the previous mark set in April 2008 by Nintendo’s Wii.
While Nintendo lost out on one record, they almost stole Sony’s thunder by placing six games in the NPD’s Top 20 last month, including the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit (#4), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Mario Kart 8 (#6), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#13), and Kirby Star Allies (#19).
You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for April 2018 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged A Way Out, Call of Duty: WWII, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Far Cry 5, FIFA 18, God of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, MLB The Show 18, Monster Hunter: World, NBA 2K18, Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Sea of Thieves, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Raging Justice, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
Switch owners with retro sensibilities will enjoy this week’s Nintendo eShop update…
A re-release of Retro’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze leads the way, but the side-scroller has some funky new tricks up its sleeve for its Switch debut. The aptly named Funky Mode will let players take control of Funky Kong as part of “a more approachable experience for players of all ages and skill levels.” Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be available to download beginning tomorrow, May 4.
Also available this week is Raging Justice, a side-scrolling brawler from Team17 and MakinGames. The game was inspired by Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, and Switch owners will be able to battle it out with street thugs or arrest them if they’d prefer to be a “Good Cop.” Raging Justice will be available to download on Tuesday, May 8.
WayForward’s Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – Ultimate Edition will also be added to the Nintendo eShop on May 8, and Switch owners will get the original game, as well as both expansions (Friends to the End and Pirate Queen’s Quest).
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Nihilumbra, Professional Construction: The Simulation, Cast of the Seven Godsends, and more) after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Raging Justice, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Jotun, Light Fall, Saturday Morning RPG, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
Nintendo has once again updated the Nintendo eShop, and more than a dozen new Switch titles will once again be added to the digital storefront over the next seven days.
Leading the way this week is Jotun: Valhalla Edition. The isometric action game from Thunder Lotus Games includes hand-drawn graphics and five “epic” boss fights against giant Norse elementals known as Jotuns. Jotun: Valhalla Edition will be available to download beginning tomorrow.
Light Fall is a puzzle platformer from Bishop Games where players will control a magical box known as a Shadow Core, and it’s available to download today. Also launching today is Saturday Morning RPG, a turn-based RPG that was inspired by 80s pop culture.
Bandai Namco will also bring the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy to the Switch, and players will be able to purchase each title in the anime-inspired series individually or they can pick up the entire trilogy in a discounted bundle.
Finally this week, Nintendo fans will be able to download 10-Yard Fight, an early football experience from the 80s arcade era, on May 2.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Aqua Moto Racing Utopia, A Robot Named Fight, Agatha Knife, and more) after the break. (more…)