Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books Gets 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
- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
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 will release Dr. Mario World for mobile devices this Summer
Nintendo delayed Mario Kart Tour‘s mobile debut earlier today, but it looks the company is planning another major mobile release for this Summer.
Dr. Mario World will be co-developed by Line Corporation and NHN Entertainment, and it’ll be released for iOS and Android devices this Summer. Like all of Nintendo’s mobile offerings, the “action puzzle” game will be free-to-download with optional in-app purchases.
More information about Dr. Mario World will be revealed at a later date.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Dr. Mario World
Nintendo delays release of Mario Kart Tour to Summer 2019
Nintendo announced last year that the Mario Kart franchise would race onto mobile devices in Early 2019, but it looks like the company has put the brakes on that plan for now.
As part of a Consolidated Financial Highlights document the company released alongside their latest quarterly financial report, Nintendo confirmed that Mario Kart Tour will now launch sometime this Summer. If all goes well, this delay will allow Nintendo to “improve [the] quality of the application and expand [the game’s] content offerings after launch”:
In the smart-device business, Mario Kart Tour was scheduled to be released this fiscal year, but in order to improve quality of the application and expand the content offerings after launch, the release date has been moved to summer 2019. As we endeavor to develop future planned applications, we will also focus on continued service operations for applications that have already been released so that consumers can enjoy playing them for a long time.
Aside from its rather snazzy logo, we currently don’t know much of anything about Mario Kart Tour. Hopefully that’ll change soon.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Mario Kart Tour
Jumpgrid will be available to download for PC on February 12
Developer Ian MacLarty describes Jumpgrid as a cross between a “bullet hell” shooter and a hypersonic version of Pac-Man. I had a similar reaction to the game last month, but you can judge the accuracy of this claim for yourself by viewing its latest trailer, which has been embedded above:
Jumpgrid is bullet hell hyper-Pac-Man. Survive an ever-moving cosmic obstacle course by deftly teleporting between nodes on the “Jumpgrid”. Clear all nodes to open a wormhole to the next level. Success requires only a few seconds of precision finger ballet, but touch any of the pulsing hazards and the level instantly resets, ready for you to try again, and again, and again…
If you’re interested in giving Jumpgrid a try, MacLarty also announced that the game will be available to download for the PC (through Steam and Itch.io) on February 12.
Ed Boon responds (in typical Ed Boon fashion) to a fan petition asking to add Scooby Doo’s Shaggy to Mortal Kombat 11
Did you know that Scooby Doo’s pal Shaggy has godlike powers? It’s one of the stranger memes currently circulating around the Internet (even Matthew Lilliard is somehow involved), and Mortal Kombat fans recently took it one step further by asking NetherRealm Studios to add the mystery-solving teen to the upcoming Mortal Kombat 11.
The Change.org petition has more than 165,000 signatures as of this writing, and it even prompted a response from Ed Boon, NetherRealm’s Creative Director. But in typical fashion for Boon, the developer spent the day teasing his fans about Shaggy’s possible inclusion in Mortal Kombat 11 on Twitter.
First, he sarcastically told his followers that it wasn’t happening (“Let me know how that works out for you…“). But he followed that up a few hours later with a second tweet that hinted Shaggy might make it into the game after all.
Mortal Kombat and Scooby Doo both live under the vast corporate umbrella of Warner Bros., so Shaggy could easily be added to the blood-soaked series if the right executives signed off on it. But while it’s unlikely that Warner Bros. would want one of their family-friendly characters fighting for his life in the game, it wouldn’t be first time Shaggy was involved in a more adult adventure. DC Comics’s Scooby Apocalypse series is absolutely drenched in blood and gore, so that version of Shaggy would be right at home in Mortal Kombat 11.
The comic also features a cybernetically-enhanced Scrappy Doo and a dream sequence where Velma becomes the bikini-clad “Monster Queen”… it’s a weird book.
Mortal Kombat 11 will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on April 23. I have my doubts that Shaggy will make the cut, but nothing seems to be impossible for NetherRealm Studios.
MLB The Show 19’s newest Teaser Trailer features “Big Sexy” Bartolo Colon
Even though Bartolo Colon is 45 years old, he still wants to play Major League Baseball in 2019. And he just might get the chance, because Bartolo Colon is possibly immortal. The seemingly-invincible pitcher has amassed 247 career wins and a comically rotund physique that has earned him the nickname “Big Sexy” (and a legion of fans to go with it).
He is also the star of the newest Teaser Trailer for Sony’s MLB The Show 19.
At first parodying a commercial for cologne, the pitcher is shown whacking his one career home run (in sexy live-action), before transitioning to show the same highlight in MLB The Show 19. You can view it for yourself above, but it’s as glorious as you’d expect.
MLB The Show 19 will be released exclusively for the PS4 on March 26, and stay tuned for the first Gameplay Trailer, which will be unveiled on February 5.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged MLB The Show 19
Madden NFL 19’s Super Bowl LIII simulation predicts the Rams will beat the Patriots
Tom Brady will spend this Sunday looking to capture his sixth Super Bowl Ring, but he might not want to call his jeweler just yet. According to Madden NFL 19‘s official Super Bowl XIII Simulation, the Los Angeles Rams will defeat the New England Patriots by a score of 30 to 27.
EA Sports also uploaded a video featuring gameplay footage from their simulation, and it’s been embedded above. But if everything breaks the same way in real life, Aaron Donald will capture the MVP Award with four sacks, while Jared Goff will throw for over 300 yards:
Aaron Donald finished his dominant season with a Super Bowl record four sacks to cement his first MVP award. Other player highlights included Jared Goff topping Tom Brady by throwing for 303 yards to Brady’s 287 yards, while both garnered two touchdown passes and one interception. Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and Rams wide receiver Robert Woods both hauled in eight catches and one touchdown for a total of 104 and 103 receiving yards respectively. Pats running back Sony Michel was the top rusher with 103 yards and touchdown, while no Rams player rushed for more than 100 yards, with running back C.J. Anderson maxing out at 64 yards on 18 carries.
Will the Madden series make yet another correct prediction? We’ll all find out this Sunday, February 3, when Super Bowl LIII kicks off at 6:30 PM (Eastern Time).
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Madden NFL 19
New Retail Releases: Kingdom Hearts III, More
It’s been a little more than a decade since Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts II for the PS2 back in 2005, but they’ve been very busy producing spinoffs and compilations in the years since.
That all changes this week, as the publisher is finally ready to launch Kingdom Hearts III for the PS4 and Xbox One. The threequel is the first game in the franchise produced exclusively for current-generation consoles, and it will finally give fans a conclusion to the “Dark Seeker Saga”.
A handful of other games will be available on retail shelves this week, but they don’t pack quite the punch as Square Enix’s RPG does.
The Council is an investigative adventure game for the PS4 and Xbox One that gives players the chance to explore an English secret society in the 1790s. Genesis Alpha One will also launch for the PS4 and Xbox One, and it’s a futuristic adventure that’ll allow players to explore and build a space habitat.
PQube’s Song of Memories will be available exclusively for the PS4 this week, and it’s a romantic RPG that also includes an apocalyptic virus.
Finally this week, THQ Nordic will resurrect PS2-era platformer Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy for the Switch. And PM Studios will bring their musical adventure, Deemo, to the Switch… and it also includes support for the Piano Toy-Con from Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit.
That’s it for this week’s new retail releases. But we’ll be back soon with updates for the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Kingdom Hearts III
D3 Publisher will release Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain for the PS4 on April 11
D3 Publisher and Yuke’s have announced that Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain will be released exclusively for the PS4 on April 11. The action game will only be available to download through the PlayStation Store, but EDF fans still get to blast a new set of bugs with “a new cast of characters” and “advanced gear, tech, and weaponry.”
Like 2011’s Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, Iron Rain is a more serious-minded spinoff of the main series that takes place in the United States. But in a first for the franchise, the game has also been built from the ground up using Epic’s Unreal Engine 4:
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain Features
- Master Four Soldier Classes: Thanks to advances in “PA-Gear” technology, the EDF is on more equal footing with the “Aggressors.” These powered exoskeleton suits can be customized with hundreds of weapon, armament, and item loadout combinations with four unique soldier classes, each with their own critical Over Drive ability to change the tide of battle, including the Trooper, Jet Lifter, Heavy Striker, and most notably, the brand-new Prowl Rider.
- Multiplayer: Staying true to the series’ roots in arcade action, both online and local multiplayer split-screen modes are available. Online supports up to six player co-op – and the new Mercenary mode, which finds teams competing for Energy Gems hosts up to 8 players.
- Character Customization: For the first time in the series, players will step into the boots of Closer, a decorated war hero who awakens from a seven year coma. Players can customize his or her appearances before diving into the game’s character driven campaign.
You can get a closer glimpse at Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain’s new look in the new trailer embedded above, and be sure to check out an in-depth conversation with Series Producer Nobuyuki Okajima about what makes the spinoff unique at the PlayStation Blog.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain