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Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 have been announced
The finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 have been announced… and they’re on fire.
This year’s honorees include titles from every era of gaming, though the Star Power of Guitar Hero looms large over the competition. But that’s OK, because there’s a few other firestarters vying for a spot in this year’s class, including Midway’s NBA Jam, Mojang’s Minecraft, and Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Melee.
There’s also the groundbreaking GoldenEye 007, the unforgettable Nokia Snake, the edutaining Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and the addicting Bejeweled. Rounding out this year’s crop of finalists is Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and a trio of classics from the early 80s (Centipede, Frogger, and King’s Quest).
This isn’t the first opportunity to join the World Video Game Hall of Fame for some of these games, and fans will have the chance to make their voice heard by submitting a Player’s Choice Ballot. The public can vote once per day now through April 2nd, and the three games that receive the most votes will join the 29 other ballots submitted by members of the Hall of Fame’s International Selection Advisory Committee.
The Strong Museum’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the entity that oversees the World Video Game Hall of Fame, will announce the inductees from the Class of 2020 at a date to be determined in a special ceremony. For now, you can learn more about this year’s finalists after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Bejeweled, Centipede, GoldenEye 007, Guitar Hero, King's Quest, Minecraft, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, World Video Game Hall of Fame
Grand Theft Auto V is the best-selling game of the 2010s
The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella has one more list of best-selling games for us… the best-selling games of the 2010s.
Originally posted on Twitter, the chart was topped by Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, but the majority of the list was dominated by Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. Seven of the ten slots were claimed by the shooter series, leaving only two remaining places for Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 (#7) and Mojang’s Minecraft (#10):
Best-Selling Games in 2010-2019
1. Grand Theft Auto V
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
6. Call of Duty: Ghosts
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
8. Call of Duty: WWII
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
10. Minecraft****** All Digital Sales Not Included
****Digital Sales on PC Not Included
While the Call of Duty franchise remains a perennial presence on the sales charts, there’s no guarantee it’ll have the same impact on the 2020s. After all, the best-selling game from 2000-2009 was Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
Square Enix’s Romancing Saga 3 is now available in English for the first time
It’s been a struggle for RPG fans in North America and Europe to experience Square Enix’s long-running Saga franchise over the years. While the earliest Saga games were brought West under the Final Fantasy Legend banner, many of the later entries were only released in Japan by the publisher.
Thankfully, Square Enix has recently begun filling in those missing piece with a handful of Saga-related re-releases, including today’s launch of Romancing Saga 3.
Originally released for the Super NES in 1995, Romancing Saga 3 follows eight different protagonists, “each with their own motives and unique personalities.” This HD remaster of the game will give players outside of Japan their first chance to try out the turn-based RPG, which will include upgraded graphics, new areas to explore, and a New Game+ option:
Romancing Saga 3 gives players the freedom to forge their own path, choosing to play through eight different narratives led by eight protagonists, each with their own motives and unique personalities. Developed by industry veterans, including renowned developer Akitoshi Kawazu (Final Fantasy, Romancing SaGa, SaGa Frontier), this HD remaster will feature optimized graphics, a new dungeon called the Phantom Maze to explore, and a New Game+ function. Romancing Saga 3 adds new storylines to the game original game, making it the perfect time for both new and veteran players to experience the SaGa series.
Romancing Saga 3 is now available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One, and mobile devices. A Launch Trailer for the RPG re-release has been embedded above.
New Retail Releases: Crackdown 3, Far Cry: New Dawn, Metro Exodus, More
It’s time once again for some big new sequels as a few of gaming’s biggest franchises will receive new installments this week.
After several very long years in development, Microsoft will bring Crackdown 3 to the Xbox One this week (and it’ll also be available to download for Windows 10 PCs). Players will take control of Commander Jaxon, a superpowered Agent played by Terry Crews, and blast their way through a futuristic city to stop a ruthless criminal empire. There’s also the option to compete in Wrecking Zone, a multiplayer mode that asks teams of Agents to tear down the opposing team’s stronghold as fast as they can.
PS4 and Xbox One owners will also find a strange new future in Ubisoft’s Far Cry: New Dawn. Set within a post-apocalyptic world based on Far Cry 5’s Hoep County, New Dawn will pit players against highwaymen and their ruthless leaders, The Twins. Far Cry: New Dawn will also be available to download for the PC.
Yet another dystopian future is on display in 4A Games’s Metro Exodus for the PS4 and Xbox One this week. The third entry in the series based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels will further explore the Russian Federation during the aftermath of a nuclear war. An Xbox One X 1TB + Metro Exodus Bundle will also be available on store shelves, and the game can also be purchased for the PC exclusively through the Epic Games Store.
Finally this week, Bandai Namco will release Jump Force, an anime-inspired crossover fighting game for the PS4 and Xbox One (and downloadable for the PC), and NIS America will release the adventure platformer The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince for the PS4 and Switch.
The full list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Crackdown 3, Metro Exodus, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince
Battle Princess Madelyn, R-Type Dimensions EX, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, more coming to PS Store this week
As we chug closer and closer to the end of the year, the PlayStation Store is taking a trip down memory lane with a few retro-themed additions this week.
Leading the way is Casual Bit’s Battle Princess Madelyn, a side-scrolling homage to Capcom’s Super Ghouls N Ghosts that’s now available to download for the PS4. Also set to launch for the PS4 this week is R-Type Dimensions EX, a reimagined remake of Irem’s R-Type and R-Type II.
PS4 players interested in something a little more modern will be able to download Fatshark’s Warhammer: Vermintide 2, a sequel to their first-person co-op brawler.
Finally this week, Vita owners will be able to download Atari Flashback Classics, a compilation of more than 150 titles from the console’s heyday.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Battle Princess Madelyn
The Games of December 2018
The New Releases shelf is usually a barren wasteland in December as game publishers want their hot new titles out before Black Friday. But that is definitely not the case this year, and players looking for new games to play during the next four weeks will have a healthy selection to choose from. Especially if you’re the sort of person who loves retro revivals or the slightly goofier side of gaming.
Thankfully, we here at Warp Zoned love those types of games, and you can find out exactly what we’re looking forward to this month after the break. (more…)
Battlefield V, Farming Simulator 19, Beat Saber, more coming to PS Store this week
It’s mid-week, so it’s time for another PlayStation Store update…
Electronic Arts will do battle with other game publishers this week for your attention with the PS4 launch of Battlefield V. Developer DICE is bringing the multiplayer shooter back to the World War II era, and they’ll add a Battle Royale mode to the game sometime next Spring.
Elsewhere on the PS Store, PS4 players who opt to download Farming Simulator 19 this week won’t have to deal with a rampaging army, but they will learn how their Thanksgiving feast moves from the farm to the table. But as they say, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy, so thankfully Beat Saber launches for the PS4 this week to provide a colorful rhythm experience for PlayStation VR owners.
Finally this week, Sony and Insomniac will expand Spider-Man once again with the Turf Wars expansion.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Battlefield V, Farming Simulator 19, Spider-Man
Battle Princess Madelyn will be released on December 6
Causal Bit Games has announced that Battle Princess Madelyn, their side-scrolling platformer that was partially designed by the Creative Director’s daughter, will be released on December 6.
Battle Princess Madelyn is a modern-day homage to Capcom’s Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, and will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. The game is also in the works for the Wii U and Vita, and both of those versions will launch sometime in 2019.
Causal Bit’s Christopher Obritsch is incredibly proud that Battle Princess Madelyn has reached this point and can’t wait for the public to play it:
“It’s been an exciting, exhaustive, stressful, enjoyable, [and] frustrating period over the last two years developing Battle Princess Madelyn and I would do it all over again. The feedback that has been given in the creation of the game, the positive remarks, the way social media [and] the specialist gaming press have supported the game throughout this long period has been nothing short of remarkable. The end result is a game the team are all proud of and went beyond what was envisioned. Within a very short time gamers will be able to play Battle Princess Madelyn. I hope it will give them as much enjoyment as it has to the team that created it!”
In case you missed it, Casual Bit unveiled a new trailer for Battle Princess Madelyn a few weeks ago.