Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Rare Replay
Xbox One Holiday Bundle will (technically) include 36 free games
Gamers who receive an Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle under the tree this Christmas will also receive a gargantuan gaggle of free games from Microsoft.
Available beginning in October for $399, the Holiday Bundle will also include physical copies of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Rare Replay, as well as a download code for Ori and the Blind Forest. A three-game bundle is already a pretty great deal, but it gets even better when you realize that Rare Replay is a collection of 30 of Rare’s most popular titles. Battletoads, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct Gold… they’re all here (a complete list of Rare Replay’s contents can be found right here). And if we keep counting, we can add four more Gears of War games as the Ultimate Edition includes a download code for the Xbox 360 editions of Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, and Gears of War: Judgment.
And when you add it all together you get 36 games in a single bundle. That’s actually pretty impressive. More details about the bundle can be found at Xbox.com.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Gears of War, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rare Replay
BOOM! Madden NFL 16 is the best-selling game of August 2015
Whatever your opinion of Tom Brady and Deflategate (for the record, I agree with Tony Kornheiser, the suspension was “completely unjust”), it looks like nobody can take the air out of EA’s Madden NFL franchise. And don’t just take my word for it. The latest entry in the series, Madden NFL 16, topped the NPD Group’s newest monthly report and was declared the best-selling game of August 2015.
Madden NFL 16’s ascendance to the top of the list was a foregone conclusion, but August was an unusually quiet month for new releases. Just look at the three remakes/re-releases that broke into the top ten. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition chainsawed its way into the #3 spot, while the 30 games in the Rare Replay compilation collectively landed at #6. Finally, a Combo Pack containing Call of Duty: Black Ops + Call of Duty: Black Ops II claimed the #8 position (two spots ahead of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at #10, I might add). The only other new release to crack the top ten was Sony’s Until Dawn at #7.
But the real story of the month might be that Minecraft continues to sell. Even though its been available on the PS4 and Xbox One since last year (and another year on the PS3 and Xbox 360), the game continues to sell month after month. Only Madden NFL 16 was able to outpace Mojang’s creation in August as Minecraft is sitting at #2 on the best-sellers list.
A complete look at August 2015’s top ten is available after the break. (more…)
Get a first look at Rash (and a Kim Wu tease) in Killer Instinct Season 3 trailer
Yes, the Battletoad known as Rash is officially coming to Killer Instinct Season 3 (on both the Xbox One and the PC) in March 2016. And now we’ve got the video evidence to prove it.
Rash can use his morphing powers to transform into a Wrecking Ball and his combos include fists and feet that transform into ram horns, big boots, axes, and big fists… just like in Battletoads. And a Hoverbike finisher looks to be pretty hard to avoid.
A downloadable beta version of Rash is currently available to anyone who has purchased Rare Replay or any piece of Killer Instinct DLC. The beta test will end on September 8.
Finally, the Rash trailer closes with a tease for Kim Wu, the last character from Killer Instinct 2 to make the leap to the new version.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2015, Killer Instinct, Rare Replay
Xbox Store Today: Rare Replay, Boggle, Sheltered (Game Preview), more
A quintet of new games are available to download through the Xbox Games Store today including a free-to-play puzzler and a new addition to the Game Preview program. But depending upon our you count Rare Replay, there is considerably more…
Rare Replay will celebrate Rare’s 30th anniversary by collecting 30 games from the company’s glorious history in a single package. Whether you discovered the developer in its early days on the NES or jumped in during their N64 heyday, there’s plenty to play in Rare Replay. Rare’s Xbox and Xbox 360 output (minus the Kinect Sports series) is also included.
Also available this week is Beyond Eyes, a fairy tale-like game that places players into the shows of a blind girl searching for her friend. With an entirely different understanding of the world, players will carefully guide young Rae on a “life changing journey.”
The Xbox One’s Game Preview program also grew by one this morning because Sheltered, a strategy game where players have to escape from a a deserted underground shelter, is now available.
More information on all of these games (as well as Boggle and the free-to-play Frozen Free Fall: Snowball Fight) is available after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Rare Replay
Killer Instinct Season 3 will kick off in March with Rash (of Battletoads fame) as guest fighter
Microsoft has announced that Killer Instinct Season 3 will kick off in March 2016, which is good news for all the fighting game fanatics out there. The previously-announced PC edition, featuring characters from all three seasons, will also be available beginning in March.
Killer Instinct Season 3 will once again feature eight new characters, including Rash, one of the tubular toads from Battletoads. Best of all, you won’t have to wait until March to try him out. Everyone who has purchased the 30-game Rare Replay compilation will be able to download an early beta version of Rash starting today.
The Rash beta is expected to be available until sometime in September.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2015, Killer Instinct, Rare Replay
New Releases: Rare Replay, Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
Only two new games will be available in stores this week… but they’re both so massive that players who are interested in purchasing them will be busy for a very long time.
First up is Rare Replay for the Xbox One. This compilation brings together 30 games from Rare’s three-decade history and offers 10,000 Gamerscore for truly dedicated Achievement hunters. Additional bonuses include a Challenge Mode and 60 minutes of behind-the-scenes interviews and footage. If you were a fan of Battletoads, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, R.C. Pro Am, Killer Instinct Gold, Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark, and many others… welcome home.
Also available this week is Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, an RPG for the 3DS from Atlus. Though it should be noted that Atlus actually looks at The Fafnir Knight as two games in a single package. In addition to being an enhanced remake of Etrian Odyssey 2: Heroes of Laggard, The Fafnir Knight also includes a brand new “Untold” Story Mode that explores the relationship between the titular hero and Princess Arianna as the battle through the ruins of Ginnungagap and the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.
If neither of these games tickles your fancy, don’t worry, a large of downloadable titles will be added to the digital storefronts later this week.
Posted in 3DS, News, Xbox One
Tagged Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, Rare Replay
Microsoft has enlisted singing puppets to persuade you to pre-order Rare Replay
Microsoft and Rare would really like you to pre-order Rare Replay. In fact, they’re so committed to parting Xbox One owners with their $30 that they’ve commissioned this all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza starring paper puppets from Rare’s glory years. They’re all here… Zitz, Pimple, and Rash from Battletoads, The Great Mighty Poo from Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Joanna Dark from Perfect Dark, Fulgore from Killer Instinct, and many many more. I’m not usually one for pre-ordering games, and I can’t quite understand the lyrics, but the puppets are pretty awesome.
Rare Replay will be available exclusively for the Xbox One on August 4. It’ll include 30 classics from throughout Rare’s history, a Challenge Mode, 10,000 Gamerscore, and exclusive bonus features. Players will even be able to import saved progress and Achievements from the Xbox 360 titles that are included in the collection.
If that doesn’t sell you on Rare Replay, how about an encore performance from The Great Mighty Poo. A part of me still can’t believe Rare got away with that boss battle on the Nintendo 64…
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Rare Replay
Rare Replay collects 30 classic games including Battletoads, Perfect Dark, a lot more
Rare has produced a huge number of classics over the years, beginning with their first game, Jetpac, in 1983. That title lead to dozens of others over the next 30 years including R.C. Pro Am, Battletoads, Killer Instinct Gold, Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie, and many others. Rare has developed for it all, but now, nearly their entire history will be collected in one place.
Rare Replay, which will be released exclusively for the Xbox One on August 4, will compile 30 games developed by Rare for the low, low price of $30. It won’t include games that Rare created while under contract with Nintendo such as GoldenEye and Donkey Kong Country, but the number of games it will include is pretty staggering. Even Rare’s Xbox 360 games will be part of Rare Replay.
Boasting more than “700 hours of gameplay” (clearly, this number doesn’t take the Battletoads “Turbo Tunnel” into account) and Achievements worth 10,000 Gamerscore, Rare Replay will keep any gamer busy for a long time.
So just what will the collection include? A complete list can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, Rare Replay