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.

Mario Kart Tour is Nintendo’s next mobile game… and it’ll be released sometime in the next 12 months

Posted on February 1, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo’s first batch of mobile games haven’t set the world on fire, but the company has built up a steady following with Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

However… excuse the hokey wordplay… but they might be turning a corner this year.

Nintendo has said they’ll release Mario Kart Tour for mobile devices sometime during their next financial year (April 2018 – March 2019). No other details about the game were announced, but Nintendo has promised to reveal more information about the kart racer in the coming months.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Wulverblade, Railway Empire, Asemblance added to Xbox Store

Posted on January 31, 2018 by John Scalzo

A trio of new Xbox One games are now available to download from the Xbox Games Store.

First up, Darkwind Media and Fully Illustrated have released Wulverblade, a side-scrolling beat ’em up that takes place in the Dark Ages. Take up your sword for Britannia and defeat the Romans in a game that’s heavy on the gore and historically accurate. And speaking of accuracy, also available to download today is Railway Empire, a simulation game that asks players to travel back to the 1830s and manage a sprawling rail network.

Finally today, Asemblance is a first-person thriller that puts players inside a machine built to simulate memories. Can you survive?

You can learn more about all of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Switch has officially outsold the Wii U after ten months on the market

Posted on January 31, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s official. After launching in March and being available to consumers for just under ten months, the Nintendo Switch has officially surpassed the Wii U in total sales. According to Nintendo’s internal tracking, they’ve sold 14.86 million Switch consoles as of December 31. This milestone easily leapfrogs the Wii U, which sold just 13.56 million consoles before it was discontinued in January 2017.

Nintendo also shared some software sales figures for the Switch’s first year, and leading the way is Super Mario Odyssey with 9.07 million copies sold. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is second place with 7.33 million copies sold, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was close behind with 6.7 million copies sold on the Switch.

Other million-sellers for the Switch include Splatoon 2 (4.91 million), 1-2-Switch (1.88 million), Arms (1.61 million), and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (1.06 million).

Nintendo will announce full-year sales figures for the Switch in April, and it’ll be interesting to see what these numbers look like then.

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The Video Game Canon – 2018’s “Version 2.0” Update

Posted on January 31, 2018 by John Scalzo

The Video Game Canon is a statistical meta-ranking of dozens of “Best Video Games of All Time” lists that began in 2017 with Version 1.0, and the ranking has been updated several times since then. Which game is #1? There’s only one way to find out…

The Video Game Canon has been upgraded to “Version 2.0” thanks to the addition of four new lists that were published throughout the last year. Edge Magazine’s “100 Greatest Videogames” issue, Jeux Video’s “Top 100 Best Games of All Time,” Polygon’s massive “500 Best Games of All Time,” and Stuff UK’s “50 Greatest Games of All Time” have reshuffled the ranking in a big way.

Let’s take a look…

Visit VideoGameCanon.com for all future updates to this project and to explore the complete Top 1000.

Posted in Features, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Anthem was officially delayed to Early 2019 to make room for Battlefield V

Posted on January 31, 2018 by John Scalzo

UPDATE: EA has announced that “Battlefield 6” will officially be known as Battlefield V.

ORIGINAL STORY: Electronic Arts delivered their quarterly financial report yesterday, and the megapublisher used the opportunity to shuffle their upcoming release schedule.

Confirming rumors we first heard last week, EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, announced that BioWare’s Anthem will now launch in Early 2019:

Our new IP, Anthem is a stunning project from BioWare that will blend genres with a shared world experience that evolves around its players. Excitement for Anthem is building, and we’re deeply invested in delivering a great new experience with this game when it launches in [Early 2019].

None of EA’s executives had much else to say about Anthem, but Wilson returned during the Q&A portion to fill in a few more details about the delay. According to the CEO, Anthem was delayed to give it some breathing room away from the Fall 2018 launch of Battlefield 6:

The first thing about Anthem is regardless of kind of how it’s being portrayed, we are not looking at that as a delay in the game. We’ve chosen to launch Anthem in [Early 2019] and the date is really determined by portfolio of balancing consideration not for product readiness reasons. It’s tracking well on its development milestones. We are really confident of its ship date.

We are really excited by the way the next Battlefield is shaping up and it might set… it probably doesn’t make sense to launch Anthem right up next to it. And when you think about Anthem as a brand new IP, we also believe it make sense to give it its own launch window so that we can give us a focus and attention that it deserve and give it some free air.

As for Battlefield 6, Wilson promised that it will appeal to “longtime fans and new players alike” with “innovation at every level, incredible stories at the core, astonishing visuals, and gameplay that will captivate every Battlefield fan.”

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

Wulverblade, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, EA Sports UFC 3, more coming to PS Store this week

Posted on January 31, 2018 by John Scalzo

Some bashing and crashing is the order of the day in this week’s PlayStation Store update.

First up is Wulverblade, a side-scrolling beat ’em up from Darkwind Media and Fully Illustrated that retells the bloody history of Britannia. Also this week, Square Enix teamed up with Team Ninja to launch Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, a 3v3 arena fighter that features more than 20 characters from the long-running RPG series. Both games are now available to download for the PS4.

And on Friday, EA Sports will release EA Sports UFC 3 for the PS4. The sports sim includes a host of new animations and a new Career Mode that promises the most “authentic” MMA experience available.

You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged , ,

Play as Ryu and Sakura in Monster Hunter: World with upcoming DLC armor sets

Posted on January 30, 2018 by John Scalzo

Capcom is getting ready to add a little Street Fighter V to Monster Hunter: World.

“In just a few weeks,” PS4 players who own Street Fighter V will get early access to a quest called “Down the Dark, Muddy Path.” Completing this quest (and taking the “SFV Tickets” you receive to the Smithy) will unlock a special Ryu armor set. Xbox One owners, and PS4 players who don’t also own Street Fighter V, will get the chance to unlock the Ryu armor set at a later date.

Monster Hunter: World players will also be able to unlock a Sakura armor set in a similar manner, but Capcom is currently keeping the details under wraps.

Check out the trailer above for a closer look at the Ryu armor set. And head over to the Capcom-Unity blog for more information about premium Ryu-themed Gestures and Chat Stamp Sets also coming to Monster Hunter: World.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Nakoruru joins SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy in Evo Japan 2018 trailer

Posted on January 29, 2018 by John Scalzo

NIS America and SNK revealed a new character for SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy this weekend during the first-ever Evo Japan event. Nakoruru first appeared in 1993’s Samurai Shodown, and you can see her in action in SNK Heroines in the trailer embedded above:

The divine spirit of nature, Nakoruru, makes her SNK Heroines debut! Originally appearing in arcade-favorite Samurai Shodown in 1993, this defender of nature most recently appeared as part of the Another World Team in 2016’s The King of Fighters XIV. With her lightning-quick attacks and loyal bird companion, Mamahama, she is looking to bring her brand of 18th century beatdown in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy!

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will be released this Summer for the PS4 and Switch.

Posted in News, PS4, Switch | Tagged