Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Arms
The 1-2 punch of Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 sit atop the best-selling games list for June 2017
Fighting game fans have proven, once again, that the genre is alive and well. According to the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games in June, Tekken 7 (#1) and Injustice 2 (#2) took the top two spots. Nintendo’s bizarro take on the genre, Arms, also made a strong debut in the #5 spot.
Speaking of the Switch, Nintendo’s newest console continued to push the game industry to new heights in June, as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#6) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#7) stayed in the top ten.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella said: “The Nintendo Switch has been the catalyst for year-to-date growth. Year-to-date, hardware spending has grown 19% versus 2016 to $1.4 billion.”
However, older titles also performed well in June, including Grand Theft Auto V (#3), Overwatch (#9), and Minecraft (#17). 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III (#12) even managed to outsell 2016’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (#15).
A complete look at the Top 20 for June 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Arms, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, FIFA 17, Forza Horizon 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Injustice 2, Mario Kart 8, Minecraft, MLB The Show 17, NBA 2K17, NPD, Overwatch, Tekken 7, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Max Brass is coming to Arms on July 12… and here’s a new trailer
Max Brass will join Arms as a playable character on July 12, and Nintendo unveiled a new trailer for the game’s final boss this weekend.
Marvel at all the glittering gold that adorns Max’s arena, and watch as the character pounds away at opponent with his exploding grenade fists. Max also won’t flinch when his arms are charged up, and they’ll remain permanently charged if his health is below 20%.
In case you missed it, Nintendo offered up an earlier look at Max Brass during a Treehouse livestream at this year’s E3 Expo.
Clueless Gamer returns… Conan O’Brien and Will Arnett play Arms
Conan O’Brien’s Clueless Gamer returns for another round of ridiculousness as the comedian straps on a pair of Joy-Cons to fight it out with Will Arnett in Nintendo’s Arms.
Conan and Arnett traded insults and springy-armed blows while playing the game, but they also seemed to be in a competition over the affections of Conan’s assistant, Aaron Bleyaert. Also, Will Arnett mumbles a lot, sweats even more, and mentions he’s from Canada every chance he gets.
I’m not sure I knew Will Arnett was Canadian, but I do know that Arms was released for the Nintendo Switch last week.
The first downloadable character for Arms is Max Brass… and he’s coming next month
The Switch’s game library grew by one earlier today when Nintendo unleashed Arms on the gaming public. The springy-armed boxing game is absolutely brimming with style, and Nintendo plans to add even more characters to the game in the coming months.
On that note, Nintendo announced this week that the first addition to Arms’s roster of playable fighters will be Max Brass, an “all-around fighter” who is “basically the greatest champion in the history of the Arms Grand Prix.” Basically, you can think of Max Brass as the Michael Jordan of the Arms Grand Prix, especially since he serves as the final boss in the game’s single-player mode. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, his arms are made out of championship belts.
You can get a glimpse at Max Brass in action by fast-forwarding to 22:40 in the video embedded above.
Max Brass will be available to download in Arms (for free) as part of the July update. Nintendo is also hoping to add a Spectator Mode to the game as part of the first free update, which should be available sometime in the next weeks.
New Retail Releases: Arms, Cars 3 Driven To Win, Psychonauts In the Rhombus of Ruin
It’s common knowledge that game publishers try to avoid releasing big new games during the E3 Expo, but as we all know, Nintendo’s methods are anything but common.
This week, the consolemaker will launch their stretchy-armed fighting game, Arms, for the Nintendo Switch. Featuring support for motion controls with the Joy-Cons and standard controls with the Switch Pro Controller, Arms will give players plenty of options to battle it out with the its colorful characters.
Also set to launch this week is a game adaptation of Pixar’s Cars 3. Cars 3: Driven To Win was developed by WB Games and Avalanche Software, and will be available for the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360.
Finally this week, Double Fine will release a retail edition of the PlayStation VR-exclusive Psychonauts In the Rhombus of Ruin. All copies of the game will also come with a download code for the original Psychonauts.
While we’ll be preoccupied with the E3 Expo for most of this week, we’ll be back soon with a look at this week’s newest additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Arms Global Testpunch Impressions: Nintendo’s New Fighter Needs a Helping Hand
After launching their newest console with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and a “Global Testfire” for Splatoon 2, Nintendo gave Switch owners a taste of their first wholly original game this weekend with a “Global Testpunch” for Arms.
Arms is what you get if you take Punch-Out‘s behind-the-back viewpoint and give every character a stretchy extendable set of arms and a pair of superpowered boxing gloves (which are, strangely enough, also known in-game as “Arms”). It’s all very silly, and the gameplay often feels a little wishy-washy, but Nintendo might be able to overcome these flaws and transform Arms into another big hit. (more…)
Nintendo announces schedule for Arms Global Testpunch
The Arms Global Testpunch begins later this week, and Nintendo has finally released a full schedule for the online demo sessions through the game’s official website. Here’s when you’ll get to try out Arms before it launches next month:
Friday, May 26 || Friday, June 2
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Eastern Time)Saturday, May 27 || Saturday, June 3
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Eastern Time)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern Time)
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Eastern Time)Sunday, May 28 || Sunday, June 4
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (Eastern Time)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Arms will be available for the Nintendo Switch on June 21, but you can download the Arms Global Testpunch demo through the Nintendo eShop right now. And in case you missed it, Nintendo hosted an Arms-focused Nintendo Direct presentation last week.
Nintendo’s Arms Direct video unveils new fighters, new modes, Global Testpunch demo
With the launch of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the rearview window, Nintendo is turning their focus to the Switch’s next big new release… Arms. The consolemaker hosted another Nintendo Direct presentation for the bizarro boxing game earlier this week, and gave fans a look at several new characters and the option-filled Versus Mode.
After a brief detour to describe the basics of Arms combat (Should that be “Arms-ed” combat?), Nintendo added a trio of new characters to the Arms universe, including the snakelike Kid Cobra, robotic lawmen Byte & Barq, and “A-List Actress” Twintelle:
New Characters
- Kid Cobra – A fan of selfie sticks and livestreaming, this hip fighter pounces on opponents with a charged-up dash.
- Byte & Barq – Two fighters in one! This robot fighter and his robot canine companion battle together to unleash devastating combo attacks.
- Twintelle – As an A-list actress, Twintelle uses her celebrity status to render her opponents utterly star struck as she walks the red carpet to victory.
After building an amazing Battle Mode for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo wants to add a similar bevy of bonus modes to Arms. And the second half of this week’s “Arms Direct” focused on more than a half-dozen minigames that players will get to compete in:
Versus Modes
- Fight – In this main multiplayer mode, two fighters battle against each other one-on-one to claim victory. During the fight, bombs and other healing items drop in, adding some strategic options to the proceedings.
- Team Fight – In this mode, two players are attached by strings and must team up to battle another team of two. Attacks can hit allies, so watch out for friendly punches!
- V-Ball – Similar to volleyball, but much more awesome. V-Ball is a sport that involves knocking an explosive ball into the opponent’s court.
- Hoops – Grab opponents and shoot them into the net (or even dunk them for extra satisfaction) in this hardcore game of Arms-style basketball.
- Skillshot – Break as many targets as possible using the versatile powers of Arms.
- 1-On-100 – Defeat 100 enemies in a row, one at a time, in this progressive battle mode.
- Arms Test & Training – In Test mode, players can try out randomized Arms combinations, while Training lets them practice a number of varied drills.
Finally, Nintendo confirmed that Switch owners will get the chance to test out Arms before its released during a special Global Testpunch event. Like Splatoon 2‘s Global Testfire, players will be able to download the Global Testpunch demo from the Nintendo eShop and log in to play multiplayer matches during scheduled times. The first Global Testpunch will be available during May 26-28, while the second is scheduled for June 2-4.
Arms will be released for the Nintendo Switch on June 16. A series of free updates featuring new fighters, stages, and arm types are planned for after release.