Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Xbox One
New Retail Releases: Super Mario Maker 2, Judgment, F1 2019, More
Are we in a Summer games drought? Not if Nintendo and a few other publishers have anything to say about it.
This week, Nintendo will bring Super Mario Maker 2 to stores for the Switch. The course-creation sequel will add a full Story Mode, as well as a huge number of new creation tools, and a new game style based on Super Mario 3D World.
Also set to launch this week is Sega’s Judgment, a spinoff to the Yakuza franchise that’ll launch exclusively for the PS4. In Judgment, players will investigate the seedy Red Light District of Kamurocho in “the dramatic tale of a disgraced lawyer seeking redemption in a world rife with corruption and despair.”
Elsewhere on store shelves this week, gamers will be able to check out F1 2019 (PS4, Xbox One), latest racing simulation from Codemasters; The Sinking City (PS4, Xbox One), a Lovecraftian mystery from Frogwares; and Samurai Shodown (PS4, Xbox One), a rebooted new entry in SNK’s Samurai Shodown franchise.
And for RPG fans, Idea Factory will bring back the Neptunia series with Super Neptunia RPG for the PS4 and Switch.
A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Blazing Chrome will be released on July 11
JoyMasher has been working on Blazing Chrome, their retro-styled homage to Contra and Metal Slug, for a few years now. But the Brazilian developer has finally confirmed, alongside publisher The Arcade Crew, that the game will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on July 11.
With just a few weeks to go before Blazing Chrome’s launch, JoyMasher unveiled a new trailer today that gives prospective players a peek at a pair of hidden characters:
JoyMasher’s Blazing Chrome harkens back to the golden days of side-scrolling shooters with modern touches ensuring its gameplay feels as precise as it does authentic to the era it channels. Fans who unlock the new characters within the game will be treated to fast-paced, side-scrolling and vertical gameplay action as Suhaila, a razor girl with a robotic arm or the skilled and deadly ninja Raijin you try to out-fire, out-maneuver, and out-wit your various metal-encased AI enemies.
JoyMasher has also partnered with Limited Run Games to produce a physical edition for Blazing Chrome. It’ll be available to pre-order sometime this year for the PS4 and Switch.
NHL 20 launches September 13 with Auston Matthews on the cover
EA Sports has announced they’ll drop the puck on NHL 20 for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 13. The latest edition of the hockey simulation will feature Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs on the cover and a big emphasis on new shot types.
NHL 20 will also hop on the battle royale bandwagon with Eliminator Mode, which lets takes the popular NHL Ones and NHL Threes modes and lets up to 82 players compete against each other in a “survival tournament bracket.” Other new additions coming to the franchise are expanded options for Ultimate Team and World of CHEL, as well as improved goaltender AI, and a brand new broadcast-style presentation:
In NHL 20, your favorite NHL stars now look and feel more authentic with new Signature Shots and over 45 new shot types that make every attack a threat. A new broadcast package celebrates your biggest plays as you take on all-new game modes, including the new winner-take-all Eliminator Mode where you play solo or team up with friends to take down the competition.
More details about the new features coming to NHL 20 can be found at the game’s official website and an Announcement Trailer has been embedded above.
Mortal Kombat 11 wins back-to-back rounds as the best-selling game of May 2019
Analyst Mat Piscatella came out of hibernation last night to share a look (via Twitter) at The NPD Group’s report on the best-selling games from May 2019. Once again, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat 11 landed on the top of the list, and it’s now the best-selling game for all of 2019.
Days Gone managed to hold its position as the runner-up for the month of May, fighting off PC-exclusive Total War: Three Kingdoms (which proved popular enough to slide into the #3 spot) and fellow new release Rage 2 (#4). Perennial favorite Grand Theft Auto V rounded out the Top 5 in the #5 slot.
This year’s most popular titles played musical chairs throughout the remainder of last month’s Top 20. Some went up (Minecraft went from #14 to #9) while some were trending down (Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 dropped from #4 to #12).
The Switch was the best-selling console platform in May and as the PS4 and Xbox One continue to ride off into the sunset, it’s also remained the best-selling for the 2019 calendar year.
Overall, total industry sales were done 11% versus May 2018, but that can probably be chalked up to a paltry selection of new releases last month. You can find a full list of best-selling games from May 2019 after the break. (more…)
Konami surprise-launches Contra Anniversary Collection at E3 2019
In addition to unveiling Contra: Rogue Corps during today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, Konami has surprise-launched the Contra Anniversary Collection for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Like Konami’s previous 50th Anniversary Collections, the Contra Anniversary Collection will include a digital book detailing the history of the series, as well as seven games (Contra [Arcade], Contra [NES], Super Contra, Super C, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Contra: Hard Corps, and Operation C). Three regional variants (Contra [Japan], Probotector [Europe], and Super Probotector [Europe]) will also be included.
A post-launch update to the compilation will add six more Japanese variants at a later date.
But for now, be sure to relive some of the greatest action games of the 80s and 90s with Contra Anniversary Collection’s Launch Trailer, which has been embedded above.
Konami brings the Contra franchise back this September with Contra: Rogue Corps
Start flexing those “Up, Up, Down, Down” muscles, because Konami has announced that Contra: Rogue Corps will be available this Fall.
Eschewing the franchise’s traditional side-scrolling view, Contra: Rogue Corps is an overhead twin-stick shooter that takes place in Damned City, a place that was decimated by the alien invasion from the previous games and is now full of monsters and mutants:
Two years after the Alien Wars had ended, a mysterious area called the Damned City arose from the grounds where the final battles took place. Ruthless Fiends roamed the area, bringing a world full of madness. In the midst of chaos, five scoundrels emerge… they are the Rogue Corps.
They do not look anything like heroes of justice, but have they come to save humanity, or maybe they are looking to hit the jackpot by searching the Damned City for treasures… either way, the fate of the world is in their hands.
While the view might be a bit different from what fans are used to, the people behind the project will be the same, as Konami has tapped Nobuya Nakazato (the Director of Contra III: The Alien Wars, Contra: Hard Corps, and Contra: Shattered Soldier) to lead the development team. Rogue Corps will also feature multiple playable characters who can be customized with improved organs and cybernetics in the Operation Room, local and online cooperative multiplayer, and an “irreverent” tone (which is pretty obvious from the first trailer).
Contra: Rogue Corps is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and it’ll be released on September 24.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will land on PC and consoles later this year
Aside from making Final Fantasy VIII available to download for the PS3 through Sony’s PSone Classics banner in 2009, Square Enix has basically kept the RPG under lock and key since its launch more than 20 years ago. But it looks like they’re finally pulling it out of the vault later this year for a new re-release known as Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.
Featuring “newly rendered” visuals, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will be your first real chance to play the game on modern platforms:
In Final Fantasy VIII, the military nation of Galbadia has declared war on the Dukedom of Dollet, who must hire the mercenary force, SeeD. Squall Leonhart, a new member of SeeD, together with his friends and Rinoa Heartilly, a member of a resistance group, get pulled into the war, unaware of their fated task to save the world.
The E3 Trailer for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered has been embedded above, and you’ll be able to purchase it later this year for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
The Avengers disassemble in first trailer for Square Enix’s Avengers Project
After two and a half long years, Square Enix has finally pulled the curtain back on Marvel’s Avengers, their massive new game project starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Combining “cinematic storytelling” with single-player and cooperative gameplay for up to four players, Marvel’s Avengers is in development at Crystal Dynamics with assistance from Eidos Montreal, Crystal Northwest, and Nixxes Software.
While the first trailer for the game has a celebratory mood to start, things quickly take a dark turn…
Marvel’s Avengers begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, the only hope is to reassemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Marvel’s Avengers will tell an original story set within the Marvel Universe that’ll also be updated at regular intervals after release through a series of free narrative expansions. PS4 owners can also expect to receive some type of exclusive content that will announced at a later date.
“We’ve assembled world-class developers from across the industry to bring players on an unforgettable journey,” said Ron Rosenberg, a Studio Head at Crystal Dynamics. “To ensure a truly heroic experience for all players, we’re announcing that our narrative will be delivered over multiple years, with no random loot boxes or pay-to-win scenarios. Every new superhero and region will be delivered to players at no additional cost if you own the core game. This is just the beginning of what we’ve got in store for our fans.”
“As superfans, working with Marvel and these characters is a dream come true and we are excited to finally reveal Marvel’s Avengers to the world,” said Scot Amos, a Studio Head at Crystal Dynamics. “This is our original take on these iconic superheroes. Leveraging our companies’ combined experience in epic action-adventure storytelling, we’re building a universe that fans will immerse themselves in for years to come.”
Marvel’s Avengers will be released for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on May 15, 2020.