Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Wii
Disney Infinity combines toys and games this Summer
If that headline is giving you Skylanders flashbacks, that’s by design. Disney’s latest game project, Disney Infinity, combines toys and video games in a way that is very reminiscent of Activision’s cash cow.
Announced today at a press conference in Los Angeles, Disney Infinity will bring Disney’s massive stable of characters together in a way that you normally wouldn’t see outside of Disney World.
In development for the 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360, every copy of Disney Infinity will include three figures: Captain Jack Sparrow, Sulley, and Mr. Incredible. The three characters will be able to experience their own separate adventures within Disney Infinity, but the real draw of the game is Toy Box Mode.
In Toy Box Mode, the three figures (along with additional figures, which are available to buy separately) can be mixed together in a game of your own creation:
[C]reate your own world! Unlock virtual toys, characters, buildings, weapons, gadgets and more — and bring them into the Disney Infinity ‘Toy Box’ where you can mix them all up to create your own game. In the Disney Infinity Toy Box, there are no rules and you can create any adventure you want. Share your creations with your friends with up to 4-player co-op play.
Disney Infinity will be available this Summer, but a countdown clock on the game’s official site expires on June 1. So I’m thinking “early Summer” instead of “late Summer.”
Nintendo sold $300 million worth of Wii U hardware in 2012
What do you do when you want to brag about the sales of your latest system, but it sold less than your previous system? First, you stop talking about unit sales of your previous system and, second, you start touting the total amount of money your new system made.
Watch closely…
Nintendo has announced that the two Wii U hardware bundles have generated $300 million in sales during the last two months of 2012. The company’s newest system is now in the hands of nearly 890,000 gamers in the US.
Nintendo also wants you to know that the Wii only managed to generate $270 million in sales during its first 41 days on sale. So you see, the Wii U is clearly more popular! But wait… the Wii’s lower price means that Nintendo actually sold over a million Wii systems in 2006. Or over 100,000 more than the Wii U at the same point in its lifecycle. Whoops.
It’s still way too early to declare the Wii U a failure (or a success), but these kinds of half-truths when it comes to sales numbers never end well.
Oh well, at least New Super Mario Bros. U is a huge hit with over 580,000 copies sold.
Posted in News, Wii, Wii U
Tagged New Super Mario Bros. U
CoD Black Ops II was the best-selling game of December 2012
For the second straight month, Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II stands tall as the best-selling game of the month, per The NPD Group’s December 2012 report.
The first person shooter fended off a bevy of sequels including the rest of the top five: Just Dance 4, Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed III, and Madden NFL 13. In fact, not a single non-sequel cracked the top ten last month.
Once again, The NPD Group is reporting (via Game Informer) that game sales and console sales are down relative to 2011 (which was itself down from 2010). Of course, the NPD Group’s inability to track sales of downloadable games makes this statistic less than helpful.
The full top ten from last month can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Far Cry 3, FIFA Soccer 13, Halo 4, Just Dance 4, Madden NFL 13, NBA 2K13, New Super Mario Bros. 2, NPD, Skylanders Giants
Nintendo Download: ZombiU demo, NBA 2K13 demo, more
Nintendo continues to play catchup to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace when it comes to offering downloadable demos. But today’s Wii U eShop update adds two new try-before-you-buy titles to the service: Ubisoft’s ZombiU and 2K’s NBA 2K13.
This is great for Wii U owners as you really have to try ZombiU’s unique mix of GamePad inventory management and first person shooting for yourself.
You can see what else is available as part of this week’s Nintendo Download (on the 3DS, DS, and Wii) after the break. (more…)
The Golden Pixel Awards 2012: Gaming’s Best, Worst, and Everything Else
Welcome to Warp Zoned’s second annual Golden Pixel Awards. It was definitely a good year for gaming. With the fight over Mass Effect 3‘s ending, the resurrection of Sleeping Dogs, and the launch of the Wii U, we were treated to 12 months of interesting stories.
So sit back and relax as we reward the best (and worst) games of 2012 with a series of accolades based on their rather unique accomplishments.
The Apocalypse List
The bombs have fallen, the economy has collapsed, food is scarce, the zombie hordes are scratching at your door, and you’ve boarded yourself up in a bunker that’ll stand for a hundred years. What better way to spend your time in “The Vault” than by playing Warp Zoned’s favorite games from 2012? It doesn’t matter if you call it a “Top Ten List” or “Our Favorites From 2012,” but these are the games we plan to keep playing even if there was no game industry to keep making games. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, Features, Mobile, PC, PS3, Top Story, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Angry Birds Star Wars, Binary Domain, Borderlands 2, Dishonored, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Halo 4, Journey, Lego Lord of the Rings, Mass Effect 3, Max Payne 3, Minecraft, Sleeping Dogs, Street Fighter X Mega Man, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, The Walking Dead, Xenoblade Chronicles
EA shutting down online servers for NBA Jam, NBA Live 10, Sims 2, more
Electronic Arts has announced another round of shutdowns for some of their online-enabled games. This time the hammer is falling on EA Sports’ 2009/2010 slate of games, including NBA Live 10 and NBA Jam. This announcement means that NBA Jam: On Fire Edition becomes EA’s only basketball game with online play.
The publisher is also cutting the cord on online support for The Sims 2, claiming it’s “no longer feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running.”
You can find the full list of upcoming server shutdowns after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Fluidity Spin Cycle, Super Mario Bros Lost Levels, Mega Man, more
Did you get a Wii U for Christmas? Although I guess the more important question is… have you finished downloading the massive system update required to get it online yet? If you said yes to both questions, you might want to check out a few discounted eShop games. Chasing Aurora, Little Inferno, and Trine 2: Director’s Cut are all on sale for the next week and a half.
What abput what’s new? This week Nintendo has added a trio of big games to the 3DS eShop including Fluidity: Spin Cycle, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and the original Mega Man!
You can read all about those games, as well as the rest of the new releases, after the break. (more…)
Calvin Johnson defies Madden Curse, sets single-season receiving record
The Madden Curse targets some players (for example, Peyton Hillis in 2011), while leaving others alone. But this year, cover athlete Calvin Johnson laughed in the face of the Madden Curse after setting the single-season receiving record… and there’s still one game to go!
Johnson, who is a Wide Reciever for the Detroit Lions, pulled in 225 receiving yards yesterday against the Atlanta Falcons. This brought his season total up to 1,892 yards, surpassing Jerry Rice’s previous record of 1,848 in 1995. Interestingly enough, Rice appeared on the cover of Madden rival All-Pro Football 2K8 in 2007.
Congratulations Calvin, but with one game left to play, Madden NFL 13 could still claim a victim for the Curse. So be careful!