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.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King’s 3DS debut pushed back to 2017

Posted on September 2, 2016 by John Scalzo

dragonquestviii-2017

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past will be available for the 3DS in exactly two weeks, but did you know that Nintendo and Square Enix are also toiling away at a brand new version of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for the handheld?

Unfortunately, a short blurb during yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation confirmed the RPG re-release won’t make its 3DS debut until sometime in 2017.

Previously expected to be available in North America before the end of the year, no reason was given for the delay, but the 3DS version of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King was described by a Nintendo Direct host as “more feature-rich than ever.”

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Xbox Store Today: Earthlock Festival of Magic, Assetto Corsa, The Final Station, more

Posted on September 2, 2016 by John Scalzo

earthlock-header

It’s time for another end-of-the-week update to the Xbox Games Store, and here’s what Microsoft has in store for you…

We start things off with Earthlock: Festival of Magic, a turn-based fantasy RPG for the Xbox One with a Norwegian influence. If that sounds like an interesting combination to you, then you’ll be pleased to learn that Earthlock is also one of this month’s Games With Gold freebies, and you’ll Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to pick up for free all this month.

Also available to download today is Assetto Corsa, a racing sim from Kunos for the Xbox One. Keepnig with our international theme, Assetto Corsa has an Italian flavor and features over 90 dream cars, “all rendered to an obsessive level of detail, each with bespoke handling and performance modelling taken from manufacturer’s real-life data and telemetry.”

Finally this week, The Final Station turns onto the Xbox One track from Russia, and it brings with it a train full of refugees trying to survive in a zombie-infested world.

More info on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 2 will be released on September 20

Posted on September 2, 2016 by John Scalzo

batmantelltale-header

Telltale Games has announced that the next episode in Batman: The Telltale Series, Children of Arkham, will be available to download for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 20. The episode will be released for the PS3, Xbox 360, and mobile devices at a later date.

Story details from Episode 2 are still being kept under wraps, but it sounds like The Penguin might complicate Batman’s plan to take down Carmine Falcone:

An old friend becomes a new adversary as Bruce learns more about the Wayne family legacy and Batman escalates the fight against crime and corruption throughout Gotham.

PAX West attendees interested in learning more about the future of Batman: The Telltale Series should head out to a special Crowd Play event at the Wyvern Theatre on Saturday, September 3. Hosted by The Nerdist’s Dan Casey, a noted “Batman Expert,” fans will get the chance to see the worldwide debut of Episode 2: Children of Arkham before anyone else.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

New Zelda Amiibo coming December 2: 8-Bit Link, OoT Link, Wind Waker Link/Zelda 2-Pack

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

legendofzelda-classicamiibo

While the crazed fervor for Amiibo figures has died down considerably since their 2014 debut, the collectible toys are still quite popular with fans, and Nintendo doesn’t look to be slowing down production on new figures anytime soon.

Earlier this morning, Nintendo announced plans to celebrate The Legend of Zelda‘s 30th anniversary with four new Amiibo figures, all of which will be available on December 2. An NES-inspired “8-Bit Link” figure will certainly get fans talking, and it’ll be joined on store shelves by another Link based on his Ocarina of Time appearance, and a two-pack that includes both Toon Link and Zelda from The Wind Waker.

These Amiibo figures will feature the same functionality as the other Link, Toon Link, and Zelda figures from the Super Smash Bros. series, but they’ll also provide special functionality in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it launches next year.

The exact specifics of this special functionality will be announced at a later date.

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged , ,

Nintendo Download: Axiom Verge, Zelda Skyward Sword, Picross 3D Round 2, more

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

axiomverge-header

After looking to NES classics like Metroid and Contra for inspiration, Thomas Happ is finally ready to bring his retro-flavored side-scroller, Axiom Verge, to the Wii U this week. As the first game in Nintendo’s “Nindies Summer Jam” promotion on the eShop, Axiom Verge’s Wii U debut will offer Off-TV Play, Leaderboards, and a Speedrun Mode.

Two other games unveiled by Nintendo during this morning’s Nintendo Direct presentation are also now available to download through the Nintendo eShop. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Link’s only full-length adventure developed exclusively for the Wii, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. And over on the 3DS, players can chip away at a three-dimensional block puzzle in Picross 3D Round 2.

More information on all of these games (and a huge number of other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Nintendo will release Super Mario Maker for 3DS on December 2

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

Super Mario Maker is coming to the 3DS this Fall! Announced during Nintendo’s newest Nintendo Direct presentation this morning, Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS will be available on December 2, and it’ll be nearly identical to its Wii U sibling.

Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS players won’t be able to upload their creations to the Internet, but they will be able to share courses locally with friends through a wireless connection or StreetPass. To make up for this missing feature, Nintendo has added a collaborative level-editing mode for two players to Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS.

In addition to building their own courses, players will also be able to take on 100 Nintendo-designed courses (with added 3DS-exclusive objectives) and download “select” courses from the Wii U version in 100 Mario Challenge.

You can get your first glimpse at Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS by viewing its first trailer, embedded above.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Slayer Shock will be released on September 29; Pre-order now to get access to the beta

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

Developer David Pittman and Minor Key Games have announced that Slayer Shock, a procedurally-generated first-person action RPG heavily influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will be released for the PC on September 29. But players who pre-order the game now through Itch.io will receive instant access to the beta version.

Slayer Shock further leans on its late 90s influence with a retro-inspired look that wouldn’t be out of place on teh Nintendo 64:

Operating from your headquarters at a college coffee shop, you take missions to patrol the streets, rescue captive humans, and weaken the undead threat. A team of fellow vampire slayers assists you from HQ, providing new weapons, skills, and research.

With a format that lovingly recalls scripted television (missions are “episodes”, each campaign is a “season”), Slayer Shock blends immersive first-person action, lightweight strategy, and procedural narrative into a uniquely thrilling experience.

Finally, Pittman and Minor Key Games have released a new trailer for Slayer Shock, and its been embedded above.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Bombs away! Link paraglides in the latest Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild mini-trailer

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

thelegendofzeldabreathofthewild-header

I think Nintendo might have outdone themselves with the latest mini-trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Link takes up paragliding in the new video clip, which was posted to Nintendo’s Twitter account yesterday. But rather than leisurely leap off a mountain and glide to safety, Link delivers death from above by dropping Bombs on a mob of enemies and using an exploding Arrow to get a bit of an updraft:

That’s just beautiful… and I also love the superhero-esque three-point landing right on top of the remaining mooks. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be released for the Wii U and NX sometime in 2017. Probably after Nintendo releases a few dozen more mini-trailers.

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged