Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
Author: John Scalzo
Nintendo Download: SMT Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker, Mega Man & Bass, more
It’s games we’ve seen before and games that look like games we’ve seen before on today’s Nintendo Download.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker is a 3DS remake of the handheld RPG, which was originally released for the DS in 2012. The remake will include a brand new scenario, “Triangulum Arc,” as well as enhanced graphics and new downloadable content.
Also available this week is Mega Man & Bass, the first offering from Capcom as part of their Mega May promotion. Originally released only in Japan for the Super NES, Mega Man & Bass is the ninth entry in the original series. It came to America for the first time in 2003 on the Game Boy Advance, and now that version is available to download through the Wii U eShop.
Finally this week, High Strangeness is available on the Wii U eShop. High Strangeness was the first game project to ever reach its funding goal on Kickstarter and is also billed as the world’s first “12-bit” title. The action RPG is “a deftly blended hybrid of 8 and 16-bit games,” that also includes a talking cat.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
Nintendo posts first yearly profit in four years as Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros. 4, Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire sell a bundle
The champagne is surely flowing in the Nintendo office today as the consolemaker has posted a yearly profit for the first time since 2011. After tabulating sales of almost ¥550 billion (about $4.6 billion), Nintendo announced an operating income of ¥24.77 billion (about $207 million) during their most recent fiscal year (April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015).
It’s quite a turnaround for the company, and it’s all due to an influx of big-selling titles on the 3DS and Wii U. Leading the way was Super Smash Bros. For 3DS and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U. Nintendo’s ridiculously popular fighting game sold 6.75 million copies on the 3DS and 3.65 million on the Wii U for a grand total of 10.4 million copies. Another connected pair of games almost reached eight figures this past year, but Pokemon: Omega Ruby and Pokemon: Alpha Sapphire will have to settle for a 9.94 million tally instead.
Mario Kart 8 was next on the sales charts, producing sales in excess of 5.11 million copies sold. And speaking of the Mario Kart franchise, Mario Kart 7 sold 2 million copies during the fiscal year, which pushes its lifetime sales past 11.7 million copies. Sticking with the 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D also performed well in the last 12 months, selling more than 2 million copies.
Finally, Nintendo also shared hardware sales figures for both the Wii U and 3DS. Nintendo’s home console has sold 9.54 million systems since its 2012 launch while the 3DS has chipped in 52 million in sales for the handheld’s entire family.
Project Giant Robot, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, Yoshi’s Woolly World move closer to release
Nintendo shuffled around a few games in an update to their 2015 release calendar yesterday, but all three feel closer than they did a week ago. And one game in particular is now much closer to launching.
Project Giant Robot, one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s “GamePad Experiments,” has been given a “First Half 2015” release window by Nintendo. That means the giant robot battler will be released for the Wii U sometime in the next eight weeks. Not bad for a game that we still know very little about.
Speaking of games we know very little about, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem has been given a “Winter 2015” launch date for Japan. The RPG mashup’s American and European launch is still listed as “To Be Determined,” but it should cross the Pacific shortly afterwards.
Finally, Yoshi’s Woolly World still has a “Fall 2015” release date for North America, even though its been penciled in for a June 28 launch in Europe. Hopefully, that means Fall will turn into Summer and we get Yoshi’s Woolly World on this side of Atlantic sooner rather than later.
The remainder of Nintendo’s release calendar looks just like it did last time as Star Fox Wii U, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fatal Frame 5, Project Guard, and Devil’s Third are all still on track for a release sometime in 2015.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Project Giant Robot, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, Yoshi's Woolly World
Nintendo and Universal Studios team up to create Nintendo theme park attractions
“The Happiest Place on Earth” might be Disneyland, but Nintendo and Universal Studios have announced they are working together to create the Smashiest Place on Earth.
In a joint statement, the two entertainment companies revealed they will join forces to design a variety of Nintendo-themed attractions for Universal’s amusement parks. According to the consolemaker, the attractions will be “spectacular, dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds.”
This agreement likely came about as part of Nintendo’s recent push to license their vast array of characters to other companies. Announced last year, the initiative also spurred Nintendo’s recent move into mobile game development with DeNA. The Universal Studios deal is still in the very early stages, so it’s unknown which Nintendo characters or games will get the theme park treatment, but I’m holding out for “Ms. Aran’s Wild Ride” myself.
Universal’s last major addition, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” went from announcement to opening in about three years. So hopefully we’ll all be able to romp through a real world Mushroom Kingdom sometime in 2018.
Posted in News
Today’s Bonus (and completely unexpected) PS Store Release: Misadventures of Tron Bonne
Sony already posted this week’s PlayStation Store update, but it looks like Capcom decided to wait a day before blowing everyone’s mind with a special addition to the digital storefront.
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne was originally released for the PSone in 2000. As a spinoff of the Mega Man Legends sub-series, it didn’t receive a whole lot of attention from gamers, possibly due in part to a small print run. But a forgotten Mega Man game (even if Mega Man is nowhere to be seen) won’t stay forgotten for long and interested collectors soon pushed copies on the secondary up to triple digits. Needless to say, I hope you cashed out yesterday as the game is now available to download through the PlayStation Store for $5.99.
Here’s what Capcom had to say about The Misadventures of Tron Bonne on the Capcom-Unity blog:
For the completely uninitiated, TMOTB is sort of a spin-off of a spin-off, building on the charming world, aesthetic, and characters of the Mega Man Legends games from a new angle: leaving MegaMan Volnutt and the Caskett brigade on the sidelines, the game focuses instead on the travails of beloved anti-heroine and “air pirate” extraordinaire Tron Bonne, who must take on a variety of missions to earn money to pay off her brother’s astronomical debt.
Gameplay is divided into several diverse mini-campaigns, each with completely different mechanics—some RPG-inspired, some adventure-inspired, some puzzular, and some very akin to the explosive action of the mainline Mega Man Legends games. All of this is tied together via a delightful central hub—the Gesellschaft airship (ironically the cause of the Bonnes’ debt in the first place)—where Tron can chat with, train, and recruit her lovable, motley army of Servbots. Servbot management is a highly addictive element that takes a cue or two from Japan’s well-established sports management genre and truly sets this game apart as a unique classic.
What are you waiting for? Head over to the PlayStation Store now to scoop up a piece of gaming history.
Xbox Store Today: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
There’s just one new addition to the Xbox Games Store today, but it’s a big one. How big is it? How does 37GB sound? Yes, Bethesda’s Wolfenstein: The Old Blood will put a strain on your broadband connection, but if you’re interested in the Xbox One title, it’s only available as a download through the Xbox Games Store.
So what’s Wolfenstein: The Old Blood all about? It’s a standalone prequel to last year’s Wolfenstein: The New Order that tasks B.J. Blazkowicz with infiltrating Castle Wolfenstein and giving an Allied 1-2 punch to a bunch of ghoulish Nazi zombies and primitive Nazi cyborgs.
More information on Wolfenstein: The Old Blood can be found right here…
Xbox One Games
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood ($19.99)
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a standalone prequel to the critically acclaimed first-person action-adventure shooter, Wolfenstein: The New Order. The adventure, which spans eight chapters and two interconnected stories, features the hallmarks of MachineGames – thrilling action, immersive story and intense first-person combat. As war hero B.J. Blazkowicz, arm yourself with new weapons such as the bolt-action rifle and grenade-launching Kampfpistole as you attempt to thwart the advancing Nazi war machine, and take advantage of duel-wielding pipes that can be used for wall climbing – or for vicious take-downs of never-before-seen Nazi adversaries.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
TitanFall 2 will be released sometime after Spring 2016
Even though it hasn’t been officially announced yet, EA executives just can’t help themselves when it comes to questions about TitanFall 2. During the Q&A portion of their quarterly financial presentation yesterday, Executive Vice President Blake Jorgensen confirmed the game will not be released this year. Instead, it looks like the game won’t be released until EA’s 2017 fiscal year, which begins on April 1, 2016.
Here’s what Jorgensen had to say about TitanFall 2: “In terms of TitanFall [2], you should assume that that’s not in fiscal 2016. It’s more likely in fiscal 2017. And a title of that size, we want to be pretty clear as to when it’s falling in the title slate, and so your assumption should be 2017.”
Even without an official announcement, TitanFall 2 has been a popular topic of conversation for EA executives and developers from Respawn Entertainment. Respawn’s CEO, Vince Zampella, confirmed the game is in development back in March.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged TitanFall 2
EA will release new Plants vs Zombies game and Need For Speed 2015 in next 12 months; Mirror’s Edge 2 coming in Spring 2016
Electronic Arts has quite an impressive array of titles planned for the next 12 months. But the publisher is also looking beyond this Fall and into 2016 with an equally interesting lineup of games.
During the company’s quarterly financial presentation last night, CEO Andrew Wilson reiterated that the publisher will release a new game in the Need For Speed series sometime in the next 12 months. A mobile version of the game is also in development.
Wilson also revealed that EA has a “bigger and bolder new console experience” for Plants vs Zombies fans in the pipeline for a late 2015/early 2016 launch. He wasn’t ready to go into details just yet, but did say that gamers will learn more about it at E3.
Less surprising is Wilson’s continued commitment to EA Sports and their yearly lineup. In addition to the previously announced Rory McIlroy PGA Tour and Madden NFL 16, the publisher plans to release FIFA 16, NHL 16, and NBA Live 16 this year. In case you’re curious, each game will feature “industry-leading gameplay, compelling new features, and fresh Ultimate Team experiences.”
Finally, Wilson announced that DICE’s untitled Mirror’s Edge sequel/reboot will be in Spring 2016. An E3 unveiling wasn’t promised, but it seems very likely at this point.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, FIFA 16, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, NBA Live 16, Need For Speed, NHL 16, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2