Author: John Scalzo

John Scalzo is Warp Zoned's Editor-In-Chief and resident retro gaming expert. You can email him at john AT warpzoned DOT com.

Shenmue I & II will be released for PC, PS4, Xbox One in 2018

Posted on April 14, 2018 by John Scalzo

Fans have been asking Sega to release modern remakes of Shenmue and Shenmue II for more than a decade now, but it looks like the publisher will finally acquiesce to those demands later this year.

Earlier today, Sega confirmed that a Shenmue I & II bundle will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in 2018. Shenmue I & II will “stay true” to Yu Suzuki’s original vision for the franchise, but the re-release package will also include “fully scalable screen resolution, choice of modern or classic control schemes, PC graphics options, an updated user interface, and the option to enjoy either the original Japanese or English voiceovers”:

Since their original release, Shenmue I & II have established a passionate following and are revered as one of gaming’s greatest series of all time. These revolutionary masterpieces deliver a gripping story of retribution as Ryo Hazuki sets out to avenge his father’s death and attempts to unravel the secrets behind a mysterious artefact known as the Dragon Mirror.

Shenmue I & II comes complete with the original feature set that defined modern gaming, including enthralling jujitsu combat, investigative sleuthing, and RPG elements in addition to memorable mini-games. Shenmue I & II is set within engrossing real-time open worlds that feel truly alive thanks to day-to-night cycles and weather changes, with a population of civilians who follow their own schedules.

The first trailer for Shenmue I & II has been embedded above.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Rumor: BioShock 4 is secretly in development at a secret 2K Games studio

Posted on April 14, 2018 by John Scalzo

After Ken Levine closed the door on Irrational Games in 2014, he confirmed that 2K Games had also taken over ownership of the BioShock franchise. At the time, fans assumed that a BioShock 4 announcement was imminent, but here we are in 2018, and the publisher has yet to announce a return to Rapture (or its skybound cousin Columbia)

While this lack of communication through official channels is standard operating procedure for 2K Games, a new report on Kotaku has shed a little light on what fans can expect from the fourth entry in the BioShock franchise.

While investigating the aftermath of Mafia III‘s launch on Hangar 13, Kotaku’s Jason Schreier stumbled upon the existence of a small 2K team operating right next door… a small team that’s secretly working on BioShock 4 (currently codenamed “Parkside”):

In the midst of all this confusion, some employees of Hangar 13 couldn’t help but look with envy at their neighbors. Next door, a small group of people were working on a project code-named Parkside, quietly recruiting from across the video game industry for a game so secret, they wouldn’t even tell their colleagues at Hangar 13 about it. Word got out, though, that it was in fact a new game in one of the most interesting shooter franchises of the past decade: BioShock.

According to Schreier’s sources, 2K Games is proceeding very carefully with the creation of BioShock 4, as they try to figure out the “core thing” of the franchise:

“The issue is that Parkside’s not ready for lots of people,” said one person involved. “They’re trying to be really smart about figuring out what the core thing is. They’re careful about not falling into the same problem every studio has, where they have too many people and nothing for them to do.”

Schreier’s inside look at the development of Mafia III and the trouble Hangar 13 ran into when developing their followup project is well worth your time, but it looks like we’ll have to wait for another day to learn more about BioShock 4.

Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of 2K Games parent company Take-Two Interactive, told investors that the company plans to publish a “highly-anticipated new title from one of 2K’s biggest franchises” sometime in the next 12 months. It’s certainly possible that he was talking about BioShock 4, but we won’t know for sure until the notoriously tight-lipped publisher makes it official.

That said, the 2018 E3 Expo is right around the corner…

Posted in News | Tagged

Sega surprise-released Football Manager Touch 2018 for the Switch today

Posted on April 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

Even though more than a dozen new Switch games were added to the Nintendo eShop yesterday, Sega managed to sneak one more onto the digital storefront this morning. Fans of the “beautiful game” will be thrilled, because Football Manager Touch 2018, Sports Interactive’s wildly-popular soccer coaching simulation, is now available to download for the Switch.

According to Sega, Football Manager Touch 2018 is “the most realistic, in-depth, and immersive football management simulation in the world.” And players will be able to manage any team in more than 50 countries across the world, as well as take total control over “tactics, team talks, substitutions, and pitch-side instructions.”

Football Manager Touch 2018 will also feature full touchscreen and Joy-Con support, as well as…

Football Manager Touch 2018 Features

  • Many Ways to Play: Start your managerial career at one of the world’s top teams, create your own club, or tackle one of several management scenarios in Challenge Mode.
  • 3D Match Engine: Football Manager’s acclaimed match engine and modernised match presentation help to bring your fixtures to life.
  • Real World Scouting: Play the transfer market like never before with a realistic and immersive approach to scouting.
  • Tactical Innovation: Developing your footballing philosophy is easy with tactical analysis steering you towards your strengths by highlighting your weaknesses.
  • Bargaining Power: A wealth of clauses and transfer options arm you with more ways than ever to finalise that blockbuster deal.

“It’s been a huge technical achievement to bring Football Manager to the Switch but, as a studio, we’ve embraced the unique design opportunities that the console offers,” said Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive’s Studio Director. “Thanks to the support we’ve had from Hardlight throughout the development process we’ve been able to create a Football Manager experience that is just as immersive and enjoyable whether you’re managing on the move during your commute or playing it on your TV.”

Football Manager Touch 2018 is now available to download through the Nintendo eShop for $39.99.

Posted in News, Switch |

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs, Gururin added to Xbox Store

Posted on April 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

A pair of new Xbox One games have been added to the Xbox Games Store on this Friday the 13th.

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is a JRPG-style tactical RPG from Polish developer Pixelated Milk. Players will “assemble a party of valiant individuals, manage your realms, forge alliances, and vanquish [their] foes in challenging turn-based combat.” Also available to download today is Gururin, an “action-puzzle” game that was originally released for the NeoGeo in 1994.

You can learn more about both of these games right here…

Now Available on Xbox Games Store – 4/13/18 [Major Nelson]

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs – Royal Edition
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is a tactical RPG about the restoration of a fallen kingdom to its former glory. Embark on an adventure that will remind you of your best JRPG experiences… assemble a party of valiant individuals, manage your realms, forge alliances, and vanquish your foes in challenging turn-based combat! After your father’s passing you inherit a wondrous land far, far away… There’s a catch, however, your realm is drowning in terrible debt. Now, through some good old-fashioned adventuring, you have to return your family seat to its long gone greatness!

Gururin
Gururin is an action-puzzle game released in 1994 by FACE. Enjoy a puzzle game the likes of which you’ve never seen before while rotating the Magic Troupe “Gururin”! Comes with One Player Mode, Challenge Mode (VS CPU), and Two Player Mode.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

What Remains of Edith Finch wins “Best Game” at 2018 BAFTA Games Awards; Hellblade wins practically everything else

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

Giant Sparrow’s mystery adventure, What Remains of Edith Finch, won “Best Game” at the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards… but Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice stole the show. Ninja Theory’s action-adventure took home top honors in five categories during tonight’s ceremony, and their haul included awards for “Artistic Achievement,” “Audio Achievement,” “Best British Game,” “Game Beyond Entertainment,” and “Performer” (which was given to Melina Juergens for her vocal work as Senua).

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which swept its way to multiple victories at The Game Awards, the GDC Awards, the DICE Awards, and the SXSW Gaming Awards, was limited to a single victory at the BAFTAs for “Game Innovation.” However, Nintendo’s Super Mario Odyssey had a good night, winning for “Game Design” and “Family.”

The complete list of winners from the 2018 BAFTA Games Awards can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged , , ,

Don’t Starve, Streets of Red, Burly Men at Sea, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s a struggle for survival in this week’s Nintendo eShop update…

Klei Entertainment will bring their procedurally-generated survival game, Don’t Starve, to the Switch today. Players will take control of a “Gentleman Scientist” and attempt to survive as long as they can in a “bizarre and unexplored locale” of “strange creatures, dangers, and surprises.” The Nintendo Switch Edition of Don’t Starve will also come bundled with the Reign of Giants and Shipwrecked expansions.

Also available to download for the Switch today is Streets of Red, a side-scrolling brawler where players do battle with the undead. In this procedurally-generated game, players will need to collect quarters to purchase a continue to keep playing or upgrade their abilities as part of a fresh run.

Finally this week, Burly Men at Sea comes to the Switch, and it follows “a trio of large, bearded fishermen who step away from the ordinary to seek adventure.”

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged ,

Vertex Pop announces next game as Graceful Explosion Machine sells 50,000 copies on the Switch

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

Most people who purchased a Switch at launch filled their days and nights with non-stop Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sessions. But Switch owners who delved deeper into the eShop in those early days managed to find dozens of other interesting titles.

For a lot of people, Vertex Pop’s Graceful Explosion Machine was at the top of that list.

The colorful side-scrolling shooter made its Switch debut on April 6, and it went on to sell 50,000 copies in its first year of availability on Nintendo’s newest console (as revealed by a new post on the developer’s official website). But why stop there? Vertex Pop is celebrating Graceful Explosion Machine’s first anniversary with a 50% off discount on the Switch eShop (and Steam) this week only. In case you were wondering, sales figures for the game on the PC and PS4 weren’t disclosed.

Vertex Pop also revealed that their next game will be released for the Switch in 2019. Fans of Graceful Explosion Machine should especially look forward to the mystery title, as the developer added, “it’s an action game” and “it’s colourful.”

Posted in News, PC, Switch | Tagged

Bethesda will bring “a big mix of stuff” to E3 2018

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

Bethesda held their first E3 Press Conference in 2015, and they managed to instantly win over the crowd by showcasing the first teaser trailer for Doom. In the years since, the publisher has doubled down on this strategy, and continued to focus on spectacular sequels and expansions to their biggest franchises.

And it sounds like 2018 won’t be any different.

DualShockers tracked down Bethesda’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Pete Hines, at PAX East 2018, and asked him what we can expect from the company’s E3 showcase. As in years past, Hines promised that fans will see “a big mix of stuff” that won’t be limited to one kind of game or genre:

[W]e have a lot of new stuff to talk about at E3. Whether or not folks realize it, this is the hell on Earth time for us with E3. We are in the midst of so much planning and work for all of that content but I’m really excited.

I think we have a lot of stuff that folks are going to like. To my earlier comment, it’s going to be a big mix of stuff that’s all over the place. It’s not going to be like all [one] kind of game or genre. It’s going to be a lot of stuff in a lot of different areas and hopefully, there’s something in there for everybody.

Bethesda always has a lot of irons in the fire, but aside from the constant drumbeat of The Elder Scrolls VI (and the two “big and crazy” projects that will precede it), we don’t have any idea what the publisher is working on.

I guess we’ll all find out together during Bethesda’s E3 Showcase, which will be held on June 10 at 9:30 PM (Eastern Time).

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