All Articles: Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight will be available for Xbox One next week

Posted on April 21, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Shovel Knight will make his PlayStation debut today (and he’s bringing Kratos with him), but Xbox One owners will have to wait just a bit longer. According to a tweet by Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb, the Xbox One version of Shovel Knight will be released sometime next week:

Updates to the Xbox Games Store are typically made on Wednesday and Friday, so Xbox One owners should expect to dig up a download of Shovel Knight on April 29 or May 1. And remember, he’ll entertain some exclusive special guests on Microsoft’s console as well. Zitz, Pimple, and Rash (AKA The Battletoads) will make their Xbox debut in Shovel Knight.

UPDATE: Yacht Club Games has confirmed Shovel Knight will launch on April 29 for the Xbox One.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Insert Quarter: Should Mega Man Make a Comeback? Maybe We Don’t Need Him…

Posted on April 9, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

With Shovel Knight, 20XX, and the upcoming Mighty No. 9 giving the gaming populace their fill of homages/spiritual successors to Mega Man, some people have started to wonder if a new game starring the original Blue Bomber is even necessary. GameRadar’s David Roberts is one of those people.

According to Roberts, Capcom is so handcuffed by the Mega Man formula that we might just be better off with the imitators. I’m not sure I agree, but he makes an interesting case:

It’s been nearly five years since Capcom released the last official Mega Man game. Mega Man 10 was just like all the other Mega Man games (Mega Mans?) that came before it; crunchy 8-bit graphics, a series of themed robot bosses, and soul-crushing difficulty. Since then, Capcom has released a fan-made Street Fighter/Mega Man crossover and let the Blue Bomber fight against a stable of Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. That’s all Mega Man has to show for the last five years; everything else has been cancelled. And you know what? Maybe that’s for the best.

The full article is available for your perusal at the GamesRadar.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Insert Quarter, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

The PAXpocalypse List: The Best of PAX East 2015

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Warp Zoned Staff

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Most of the big publishers chose to skip the 2015 edition of PAX East and even those that did attend (like Nintendo and Microsoft) kept their most anticipated projects home. But that didn’t stop a wide variety of indie developers from setting up shop in the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center to wow the assembled masses. These developers set the tone for this year’s expo, which featured a heavy focus on games that attempted to reinterpret classic gameplay concepts for a new generation of players. And the crazy thing is that many of the developers hyping these games looked like they would have been in diapers the first time I fired up an SNES.

It was a welcome sight with the rest of the industry pivoting away from those types of games and towards a competition to see who can push the most polygons. So if you were a fan of gaming in the NES, Super NES, and Genesis days, this PAXpocalypse List is for you. Because these are the games we would have played over and over again if some horrible snow storm had trapped us inside the convention center beyond the last day of the expo. (more…)

Posted in Features, Mobile, PC, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Shovel Knight will dig into the Xbox One in April with the Battletoads

Posted on March 4, 2015 by John Scalzo

Shovel Knight won’t just be debuting on PlayStation platforms this April. The paladin who wields a gardening instrument of justice will also make his way to the Xbox One next month. And he’s not coming alone.

Microsoft and Yacht Club Games have confirmed that the Xbox One (and Windows 10) version of Shovel Knight will include a cameo appearance from the Battletoads. Zitz, Pimple, and Rash have taken a hiatus from the game world for too long, and it’s great to see them back in the spotlight. It’s unknown how they’ll feature in the game, but if it’s anything like Kratos’ planned cameo, they’ll likely challenge Shovel Knight to a miniboss fight.

The new-generation version of Shovel Knight is currently playable at this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and will also be available at this weekend’s PAX East expo in Boston.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

MS opens up Windows 10 Store to ID@Xbox program with 17 games including Shovel Knight/Battletoads crossover

Posted on March 4, 2015 by John Scalzo

Microsoft wants to make Windows 10 a platform for gaming, and to do that, they plan to open the Windows 10 Store up to independent game developers through their ID@Xbox program. The first batch of ID@Xbox games through the Windows 10 Store will include 17 titles. Some of these games are currently available (or will be available soon) for the PC through Steam or other download services, but many of them will be brand new to the platform when Windows 10 launches later this year.

However, the biggest news to come out of this announcement is that the Battletoads will return in one of these ID@Xbox games. Zitz, Pimple, and Rash won’t be starring in their own adventure (yet), but they will provide assistance to Yacht Club’s Shovel Knight when his eponymous game appears on the Windows 10 Store. The Behemoth confirmed that their next project, Game 4, will also appear on the Windows 10 platform, which makes sense given its previously announced Xbox One exclusivity.

Many ID@Xbox titles on Windows 10 will provide cross-platform multiplayer with their Xbox One counterpart (if they have an Xbox One counterpart) and the developers interviewed in the Microsoft-produced video above seem very happy with the ease of the development environment.

The rest of the games that comprise ID@Xbox’s “tip of the iceberg” on Windows 10 can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows add-on will be available this Spring

Posted on March 3, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Now that we know when it’ll launch on the PS3, PS4, and Vita, Yacht Club Games has announced that Shovel Knight‘s first expansion, Plague of Shadows, will be available this Spring. Plague of Shadows will be a free update when its released and it’ll place the spotlight on the diminutive Plague Knight as he searches for the Ultimate Potion:

You play as Plague Knight, the villainous master of alchemy, in a quest all his own. Using his maniacal scientific mind, Plague Knight is seeking to concoct Serum Supernus, the Ultimate Potion. However, to retrieve these ingredients, he must extract them from his former allies… the villainous knights of the Order of No Quarter! World class platforming, music, storytelling, and art all return in Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows; an explosive quest with a new play style, new story, new bosses, and more!

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows will make its public debut at this weekend’s PAX East expo. If you’re heading out to the Boston convention, the expansion will be playable on the show floor at Yacht Club’s booth, where they’ll also be selling a never-before-seen Shovel Knight plush toy with a magnetized shovel.

Plague of Shadows is the first of three planned expansions for Shovel Knight on the 3DS, PC, Wii U, and PlayStation platforms. Eventually, those who dispense shovel justice will also be able to play as the swanky King Knight and the wealthy Mole Knight.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U | Tagged , ,

Sony’s Spring Fever 2015 includes Hotline Miami 2, Shovel Knight, Titan Souls, five more

Posted on February 27, 2015 by John Scalzo

This Winter has been absolutely brutal for people all across the United States, but Sony wants to remind us that Spring is almost here with their announcement of a double-size Spring Fever promotion. Beginning March 3 (take that, Punxsutawney Phil!), the promotion will run for eight weeks and include some of the most anticipated PlayStation Store releases across the PS3, PS4, and Vita.

Helldivers, a top-down shooter for the PS3, PS4, and Vita, will kick things off on Tuesday and the whole thing will wrap up on April 21 with Shovel Knight‘s PS3/PS4/Vita debut. In between, gamers will get a chance to test out six more great titles (and PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive a 10% discount on each game during its launch week):

  • 3/3 – Helldivers (PS4/PS3/PS Vita Cross-Buy)
  • 3/10 – Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PS4/PS3/PS Vita Cross-Buy)
  • 3/17 – Jamestown Plus (PS4)
  • 3/24 – Metal Slug 3 (PS4/PS3/PS Vita Cross-Buy)
  • 3/31 – Axiom Verge (PS4)
  • 4/7 – Bastion (PS4)
  • 4/14 – Titan Souls (PS4/PS Vita Cross-Buy)
  • 4/21 – Shovel Knight (PS4/PS3/PS Vita Cross-Buy)

Bastion and Axiom Verge will also launch for the PS Vita at some future date. As with the other Spring Fever releases, both will be Cross-Buy compatible.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged , , , , , ,

New trailer showcases “Spring 2015” Vita games: Shovel Knight, Hotline Miami 2, more

Posted on February 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

I’m not sure Sony understands how seasons work, especially after viewing this highlight reel of “Spring 2015” releases on the Vita. The mercury has dropped to 40 below in some places, and I’m watching a trailer that includes a game that launched yesterday (the monkey rhythm game Jungle Rumble), one that was released last week (movie tie-in SpongeBob HeroPants), and another that’s been available since January (Grim Fandango Remastered). Now, I’m no big city meteorologist, but I think I can safely say that those are all “Winter” releases.

That said, the short trailer does give us a nice glimpse at some of the upcoming Vita games that will populate the PlayStation Store over the next three months. They include JRPG Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, surreal shooter Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, top-down squad shooter Helldivers, beloved retro side-scroller Shovel Knight, action RPG Toukiden: Kiwami, side-scrolling skateboarder OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood, and the Zelda-like Titan Souls.

Further said, this trailer isn’t just for portable players. Many of these titles will be offered up on the PS3 and/or PS4 as part of Sony’s Cross-Buy promotion.

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