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.

XBLA Today: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Heroes in a half-shell! Turtle power! The Ninja Turtles are back on the Xbox Live Arcade in their latest game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Priced at $14.99, it’s the final game in this year’s Summer of Arcade promotion:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows takes you back to how it all began. Be the four Turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael in the fight to save New York City from mutants, the Foot and Shredder. With seamless drop-in, drop-out co-op, along with team combo moves and relentless combat, this is the game fans have been waiting for.

The game’s launch trailer can be found above.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Nintendo dates Fall games including Mario 3D World, Zelda: Link Between Worlds, more

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Nintendo is just on a roll this afternoon. After cutting the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set, announcing the 2DS, and officially revealing the Zelda: Wind Waker Wii U Bundle, the publisher has announced release dates for almost every 2013 game they’ve got coming down the pipe.

Here’s what the Wii U’s release schedule looks like:

  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (eShop: September 20, Retail: October 4)
  • Wii Party U (October 25)
  • Super Mario 3D World (November 22)
  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (December 6)
  • Wii Fit U (Holiday)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Holiday)

And over on the 3DS, both The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party: Island Tour will launch on November 22.

In case you were wondering, the release date for Super Smash Bros. 4 is still “TBA 2014.”

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

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Wii U Bundle set for September 20

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In addition to slashing the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set, Nintendo has announced that a special edition Wii U Bundle featuring The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be available on September 20.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Wii U Bundle will be priced at $299.99 (the same price as the regular Deluxe Set) and will include a black Wii U Deluxe console; a GamePad controller adorned with gold lettering, a gold Hyrule crest and gold symbols from the game; a download code for the eBook version of Hyrule Historia, which details the chronology, history and artwork of the Zelda series; and a code that can be used to download The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD from the Wii U eShop.

Best of all, fans won’t have to wait until October 4 to activate the code. It will work immediately on September 20.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Nintendo cuts price of Wii U Deluxe Set to $300

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Beginning September 20, Nintendo will cut the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set to $299.99. No reason was given for the $50 price drop, but presumably it’s to help the Wii U compete better against the PS4 and Xbox One this holiday season.

“Nintendo has one of the strongest and most diverse video game lineups in our history,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president and COO. “Today we’re making those unique Nintendo experiences more accessible and affordable. However you play and whatever you play, Nintendo has you covered.”

Nintendo did not mention what this means for the Wii U Basic Set, which currently retails for $299.99.

Posted in News, Wii U |

Nintendo announces 2D-only version of 3DS handheld

Well this was unexpected. Though Nintendo has attempted to downplay the 3D capabilities of its 3DS handheld ever since it was released (including Shigeru Miyamoto stating that the 3D feature wasn’t necessary for all games).

Today, the consolemaker has announced the 2DS, a new handheld that plays all 3DS games, but only in 2D. As with the 3DS, DS game support is also included. The handheld, which has been priced at $129.99, is being aimed at families looking for a more affordable system. And in another interesting twist, it doesn’t share the clamshell design of the 3DS (or the DS, DSi, and DSi XL for that matter). Instead, it’s one solid piece and will be available in two colors: Blue and Red.

The Nintendo 2DS will be released on October 12, the same day as Pokemon X and Pokemon Y.

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MS bringing Killer Instinct, Battlefield 4, Forza 5, Ryse, “other suprises” to PAX Prime 2013

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PAX Prime practically takes place in Microsoft’s backyard and the consolemaker will have a large presence at the show, taking over three booths (#412, #422, and #432) and a hefty chunk of the Washington State Convention Center. But they only plan to have eight games on display, and one of them is on loan from Electronic Arts.

Four Xbox One games will be playable on the show floor including Crytek’s Ryse: Son of Rome, Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport 5, Double Helix’s Killer Instinct reboot, and DICE’s Battlefield 4.

Microsoft also plans to erect a massive theater in their booth that will showcase developer-guided demos of four additional games on a 30-minute rotation. The rotation includes new looks at Rare’s Kinect Sports Rivals:, Capcom’s Dead Rising 3, the game creation game Project Spark, and the lone Xbox 360 game in their booth, Fable Anniversary. According to Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb, “other surprises” may be in store for the Xbox booth as well.

This year’s PAX Prime expo runs from August 30 through September 2. More details on all of the demos can be found after the break. (more…)

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Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be released on October 4

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We knew it was coming sometime during the tenth month of 2013, but Nintendo has gotten more specific and confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be released on October 4.

Fans of the Zelda series will get a chance to play a game a bit earlier during the Seattle stop of the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert tour on September 12. Demo kiosks featuring The Wind Waker HD and this Fall’s other Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS, will be installed in the lobby of Benaroya Hall.

Nintendo also plans to display fan-created artwork during the show. If you want your Zelda-themed piece to be considered, apply for Nintendo’s “Fan Art Challenge” on their Facebook Page.

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

PSN Today: Madden NFL 25, Final Fantasy XIV, Lost Planet 3, more

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A quintet of new PS3 releases have made their way to the PlayStation Store on the same day as their retail release.

The games include Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Square Enix’s second shot at an MMORPG; Lost Planet 3, the latest entry in Capcom’s alien ice planet action series; Hatsune Miku Project Diva F, a rhythm game from Sega; Killer Is Dead, the latest game from Suda 51; and Madden NFL 25, EA Sports’ annual prfessional football simulation.

Also available this week is Spelunky, a quirky platformer that comes to the PSN and PS Vita as a Cross-Buy title, and Sweet Fuse: At Your Side, a PSP game where you play as Keiji Inafune’s niece. Sure, why not?

More information on all of these titles (and several others) can be found after the break. And, as always, a complete list of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PSP, Vita | Tagged , , ,