Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Xbox One
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the best-selling game of 2019
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has dominated the sales charts throughout October, November, and December. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella declared it the best-selling game for all of 2019 as well (via Twitter). But many of this year’s biggest titles managed to crash their way into the Top Ten.
A few yearly sports updates, NBA 2K20 and Madden NFL 20, finished just behind Activision’s shooter. Another franchise FPS, Borderlands 3, slid in at #4. And rounding out the Top Five was NetherRealm’s blood-spattered sequel, Mortal Kombat 11.
The lower half of the Top Ten gave us a few games we’ve seen before, as 2018’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate meleed its way to the #7 slot, while 2017’s Mario Kart 8 shifted into the #10 slot. In between, you could find Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (#6), Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts III (#8), and Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (#9).
While none of Nintendo’s new releases made the list, the consolemaker was responsible for the two most-successful pieces of hardware in 2019. The Switch was the best-selling hardware platform of the year, while the Switch Pro Controller was the best-selling accessory.
You can view the full list of 2019’s best-selling games in handy list format after the break. (more…)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare goes 3-for-3 as the best-selling game of December 2019
December 2019 came and went without any major new releases, which left a big opening for Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to threepeat as the best-selling game of the month. And according to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), that’s exactly what happened.
It was a good holiday season for all as multiple games from Electronic Arts (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order at #2, Madden NFL 20 at #3, FIFA 20 at #13, and Need For Speed Heat at #15) and Take-Two Interactive (NBA 2K20 at #4, Grand Theft Auto V at #11, and Red Dead Redemption 2 at #12) fought their way into the Top 20. But with ten titles in the Top 20, it was Nintendo that claimed the most spots on the list. Luigi’s Mansion 3 ranked the highest at #5.
You can find the full list of best-selling games from December 2019 after the break. (more…)
CD Projekt RED augments Cyberpunk 2077’s launch date to September 17
Another big Spring release has been slapped with a delay, as CD Projekt RED recently confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077‘s launch date will move to this Fall.
In a statement posted to Twitter, the developer said that while the sprawling RPG is “complete and playable,” they need more time for “playtesting, fixing, and polishing” to make it “perfect”:
We are currently at a stage where the game is complete and playable, but there’s still work to be done. Night City is massive – full of stories, content and places to visit, but due to the sheer scale and complexity of it all, we need more time to finish playtesting, fixing and polishing. We want Cyberpunk 2077 to be our crowing achievement for this generation and postponing launch will give us the precious months we need to make the game perfect.
Seems like a missed opportunity not to use “breahtaking” in place of “perfect,” but it is what it is. Cyberpunk 2077 is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it’ll be released on September 17.
Get your first look at The Joker’s Mortal Kombat 11 appearance in this new trailer
With the most nominations in the field, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is heading into this year’s Oscars as the odds-on favorite for “Best Picture.” But the character always has something else in his bag of tricks, and earlier today, NetherRealm Studios unveiled the first trailer for The Joker’s upcoming appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
Like his appearances in the Injustice franchise, The Joker’s latest incarnation looks to be an agile fighter who carries around a crowbar and a set of comically-large boxing gloves. But The Joker always wants to leave ’em laughing, so it’s fitting that he also has one of the best Fatalities I’ve ever seen.
The Joker will be available for Kombat Pack owners on January 28, with a full release scheduled for February 4. He’ll launch alongside the DC Elseworlds Skin Pack, which includes DC-inspired Skins for Noob Saibot (The Batman Who Laughs), Baraka (Killer Croc), and Kitana (Catwoman). A separately-available “Time Lord of Apokolips” Skin will also transform Geras into the spitting image of Darkseid.
Mortal Kombat 11 is currently available for the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.
Raze Hell (and your adrenaline level) with this new Doom Eternal trailer
Dim the lights and crank up the metal… Bethesda has dropped a brand new trailer for Doom Eternal.
We are exactly 66.6 days from Doom Eternal’s March 20th launch date, and this new trailer is filled to the brim with brand new Glory Kills, and a brief peak at two never-before-seen enemies (The Marauder and The Gladiator), and a whole lot of ridiculous over-the-top action. The clip also plays up Doom Eternal’s surprising new focus on telling a deeper story. It’s a surprising move for the franchise, but I’m actually very excited to see where its story goes.
Doom Eternal will be released for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on March 20. The game will also be available for the Switch at a later date.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Doom Eternal
Square Enix’s The Avengers has been pushed back to September 4
Square Enix delayed the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake earlier today, and now it looks like the same thing will happen to the next game starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Square Enix’s The Avengers is set to be an original adventure featuring Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The Hulk, and other many other famed superheroes. It was originally scheduled to be released this May, but developer Crystal Dynamics has shared (via the game’s official website) that it’s been delayed. Citing a desire for additional time to “fine tune and polish” the game, The Avengers will now launch on September 4:
As fans ourselves, it’s an honor and a privilege to work with these legendary characters and we know what these Super Heroes mean to us and True Believers around the world. When we set out to bring you our vision for Marvel’s Avengers, we committed to delivering an original story-driven campaign, engaging co-op, and compelling content for years to come. To that end, we will spend this additional development time focusing on fine tuning and polishing the game to the high standards our fans expect and deserve.
When it launches in September, The Avengers will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Avengers Project
Death Stranding and Control take control of the 2020 DICE Awards with 8 nominations apiece
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) has announced the nominees for this year’s DICE Awards, and Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding and Remedy’s Control lead the way with eight nominations apiece. As you might expect, both games were nominated for “Game of the Year,” and they’ll be competing against ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium, Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds, and House House’s Untitled Goose Game for the big prize.
“On behalf of the Academy, I want to thank our peer panelists, who always dedicate their time, energy, and expertise in evaluating and selecting 2019’s best games,” said Meggan Scavio, the President of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. “To all of the finalists… a big congratulations on continuing to push the boundaries of storytelling, creativity and technical innovation. We can’t wait to celebrate your achievements at the 23rd Annual DICE Awards!”
A complete list of this year’s nominees can be found after the break, and the winners in all categories will be announced during the DICE Awards ceremony (which takes place during the DICE Summit) on February 13. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Control, Death Stranding, Disco Elysium, Outer Wilds, Untitled Goose Game
Death Stranding connects with 7 nominations at the 2020 GDC Awards
It looks like Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding really connected with the judging panel for the 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards. The developer’s latest game, and his first as the head of an independent team, was nominated in seven categories: “Game of the Year,” “Best Design,” “Best Visual Art,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio,” “Best Technology,” and the “Innovation Award.”
The remaining “Game of the Year” contenders gobbled up most of the rest of the nominations, as Remedy’s Control and Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds were close behind with five nominations apiece. Also in the running are House House’s Untitled Goose Game (which collected four nominations) and From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (which snuck into the conversation with three nominations).
In addition to this year’s slate of competitive awards, Kate Edwards will receive Ambassador Award for her work in “helping video games advance to a better place through advocacy and action.” Edwards is the current Executive Director of Global Game Jam and the former head of the International Game Developers Association.
The 2020 Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony will take place on on Wednesday, March 18, and will be livestreamed on the GDC’s Twitch channel. The full list of nominees, as well as all the Honorable Mentions, can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Control, Death Stranding, GDC 2020, Outer Wilds, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Untitled Goose Game