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
Valkyria Chronicles rolls onto the Switch next month
Sega hosted a panel at PAX West this year all about the steps they take to bring games created in Japan to gamers in North America and Europe. As you might have guessed, this was the perfect opening to announce a game or two… like the North American launch of Valkyria Chronicles for the Switch.
Valkyria Chronicles will be released for the Switch on October 16, and the trailer that Sega unveiled during “A Sega Perspective: Bringing Japanese Games to the West” has been embedded above:
Sega of America is happy to announce that the original Valkyria Chronicles is heading to the Nintendo Switch eShop on October 16, 2018! Experience the tale of Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, Sergeant Alicia Melchiott, and their comrades in Squad 7 in Valkyria Chronicles on the Nintendo Switch.
It looks like Valkyria Chronicles will be exclusive to the Nintendo eShop, but it’ll include all previously-released downloadable content, and players who own Valkyria Chronicles 4 will receive a 25% discount when they purchase the first game in the series.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged PAX West 2018, Valkyria Chronicles, Valkyria Chronicles 4
Casual Bit Games shares a new trailer from Battle Princess Madelyn’s Arcade Mode
Casual Bit Games delivered the “August 2018 Development Update” for Battle Princess Madelyn to Kickstarter backers over the weekend, and they also gave fans their first look at the game’s Arcade Mode:
There are seven levels in arcade mode, and 11 boss fights – two of them being end-of-the-game gauntlet fights. These levels come at you like you would expect – relentlessly but in a fair sorta way. They’re definitely not a walk in the park, but those o you who have good reflexes will find themselves right at home with this more demanding version of the gameplay.
The levels are a mash-up of the three main stages in story mode. We’ve picked our favorite levels and turned them into the levels contained within this mode. In Arcade Mode there are less hidden items and no puzzles to get around, so it’s straight up Ghouls ‘n Ghosts style action, presented in our own way.
The bosses have been tweaked to be harder, but with less hit points in order to balance out the play time in these levels. Enemies have been tuned differently to be a little more spot-on with their abilities compared to how they behave in Story Mode.
Battle Princess Madelyn doesn’t have a final release date just yet, but the game will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Vita, and Xbox One.
New Retail Releases: Spider-Man, Dragon Quest XI, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, More
Summer is (unofficially) over and we’ve reached the fine month of September. But this calendar flip is also wrapped up in the very official start to the “Holiday Shopping Season” and game publishers have begun stocking store shelves with a bumper crop of new games this week. Ready? Because here we go…
Sony and Insomniac Games are starting things off in a big way with the long-anticipated release of Spider-Man. The PS4-exclusive aims to take the wallcrawler’s video game adventures in a new direction, and Sony is giving non-PS4 owners an easy in with the Limited Edition Spider-Man PS4 Pro 1TB bundle.
Another staltwart video game franchise will get a new lease on life this week, as Square Enix is gearing up to launch Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for the PS4 (and digitally for the PC). The massive turn-based RPG will include (as always) dozens of hours of gameplay and artwork by Akira Toriyama.
Over on the Xbox One, Microsoft has teamed up with PUBG Corp to launch the “Full Product Release Edition” of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Unlike the earlier retail package for the battle royale game, this version includes a fully-updated copy of the game on a disc.
This Fall’s NBA season won’t tip off until the end of October, but 2K Games and EA Sports don’t want to wait. Both publishers will release their new basketball simulations, NBA 2K19: 20th Anniversary Edition for the PC (download-only), PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and NBA Live 19 for the PS4 and Xbox One, later this week.
A decidedly different kind of competition will take place in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, but the one-on-one fighting game will launch for the Switch this week (and on the PS4 as a PS Store-exclusive). And Bungie will crank up the action in Destiny 2 with the game’s first major expansion for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Destiny 2: Forsaken.
Finally this week, a slew of other titles will also be added to store shelves, including Hinterland’s The Long Dark (PS4, Xbox One), 704 Games’s NASCAR Heat 3 (PS4, Xbox One), Konami’s Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars (PS4), Monomi Park’s Slime Rancher (PS4, Xbox One), and Nicalis’s Blade Strangers (PS4, Switch). NASCAR Heat 3 and Blade Strangers will both also be available to download for the PC.
A full rundown of this week’s new retail release can be found after the break.
Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released on April 9, 2019
Yacht Club Games originally wanted to release Shovel Knight: King of Cards a few years ago, but the expansion kept getting pushed back as they dug deeper into Shovel Knight’s world. Today, the developer is finally ready to confirm that Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One on April 9, 2019.
The developer is also bundling together the original Shovel Knight and all of its expansions (including Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and the recently-announced Shovel Knight Showdown) in a new retail release for the PS4 and Switch. This Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will also launch on April 9.
But wait, there’s more. The Amiibo 3-Pack featuring King Knight, Specter Knight, and Plague Knight will also make its debut in stores on April 9. The figures will unlock “exclusive armor sets, new Challenge stages, and the ability to summon fairy companions to accompany players on quests” in the games for the 3DS, Switch, and Wii U.
Finally, attendees at this weekend’s PAX West show in Seattle will get the chance to try out a playable demo of Shovel Knight: King of Cards at Yacht Club’s booth.
Shovel Knight’s Battle Mode will be known as Shovel Knight Showdown
All the way back in 2013, Yacht Club Games closed out Shovel Knight‘s Kickstarter campaign with the promise of three additional story expansions and a Battle Mode. More than five years later, we’ve almost reached the end of this bounty of post-launch content, and the developer has confirmed that Battle Mode will actually be known as Shovel Knight Showdown.
Like the previous expansions, Shovel Knight Showdown will be available as a free update to the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, as well as a standalone download. Players will be able to choose from more than 16 characters (including Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, The Enchantress, and every member of the Order of No Quarter) as they battle it out in four-player modes like Gem Clash and Showdown. A single-player Story Mode for every character is also in the works.
Those attending PAX West 2018 this weekend will be able to meet the developers and try out Shovel Knight Showdown at Yacht Club’s booth.
Shovel Knight Showdown will launch for the PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, and Xbox One on April 9, 2019, and a few more details about the game can be found at Yacht Club’s official website. The developer also produced an extended gameplay trailer for IGN, and it’s been embedded after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged PAX West 2018, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight Showdown
Microsoft launches Xbox All Access, a monthly subscription plan that includes an Xbox One console, Xbox Live Gold, and Xbox Game Pass
Are you interested in joining the Xbox One community, but without the expensive financial commitment of dropping a few hundred dollars on another console? Then allow me to introduce you to Microsoft’s latest plan to expand the Xbox brand… Xbox All Access.
Similar to your cell phone plan, Xbox All Access subscribers will receive a brand new Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, as well as access to all the features found in Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for two years. To receive this deal, you’ve got to agree to pay a subscription rate of $21.99 (for an Xbox One S) or $34.99 (for an Xbox One X) per month.
When you run the numbers, it’s actually not a bad deal. An Xbox One S ($299.99) plus two years of Xbox Live Gold ($119.98) and Xbox Game Pass ($239.96) will total up to $659.93 on their own. Microsoft’s monthly payment scheme through Xbox All Access offers the same console and subscriptions for $130 less over the span of two years.
By contrast, if you’re looking to get an Xbox One X through the All Access program, you’re only saving a total of $20 over the two years. Still a nice deal, but slightly less impressive.
If you’re thinking about adding an Xbox One under your television, Xbox All Access is definitely an interesting new option to consider. But according to Microsoft, the Xbox All Access subscription will be available “for a limited time only,” and you can learn more about it (or sign up) at the Microsoft Store.
Sega is bringing demos of Team Sonic Racing, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Valkyria Chronicles 4, and more to PAX West 2018
Like a lot of publishers, Sega’s presence at PAX West 2018 will look very similar to the slate of playable demos they brought to last week’s Gamescom show. This year, the prolific publisher is going all-in with Sonic’s latest racing adventure, two dance-heavy Persona spinoffs, and the latest entry in the Valkyria Chronicles franchise.
Here’s a sneak peek at the full lineup of games scheduled to appear in their PAX West booth (#2513):
Placing First: Team Sonic Racing
First off the blocks as always is the blue blur himself. Team Sonic Racing, developed by the award-winning studio Sumo Digital, combines the best elements of arcade and fast-paced competitive style racing experience, featuring your favorite characters from across the Sonic Universe. Visitors at PAX will have the opportunity to race on the newly revealed track Ice Mountain, and play as Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, or Team Vector.Get Ready for Total War
The latest in Creative Assembly’s legendary Total War series, Total War: Three Kingdoms is set to showcase some exciting content of its own. The hands-on demo will give players the opportunity to explore the exotic lands of ancient China in a campaign map flythrough before being thrust into the midst of a night-time ambush battle. Sun Jian’s army, led by Sun Ren and Sun Quan, face either a desperate defence against waves of incoming heroes and warriors or a gruelling fight to escape with what remains of their forces, and live to fight another day.Japanese Games Galore
As if that wasn’t enough, Sega is bringing a whopping four games to the show floor! With tactical RPG Valkyria Chronicles 4, frantic action/adventure Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, and the hugely anticipated rhythm games Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, they will be hosting a collection of some of the hottest Japanese IP on the planet. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to play everything!Last but by no means least is Shin Megami Tensei Liberation Dx2 which after a successful initial release in Japan, has just launched worldwide in English so that all fans of the Shin Megami Tensei series from Atlus can finally play the renowned post-apocalyptic RPG on their mobile devices. Swing by the Sega booth’s presentation stage for a chance to see one of the daily appearances by Producer Norio Furuichi, who also previously worked on Virtua Tennis series and Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force.
Sega is also inviting fans to learn about “previously untold secrets and nuanced details about how Japanese games are localized and published for the western audience” in the a panel (“A Sega Perspective: Bringing Japanese Games to the West”) scheduled for Saturday, September 1, at 4:30 (Pacific Time).
If you can’t make it to Seattle for this year’s PAX West, you can view the full panel at home through Twitch.
Play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (and 8 other Switch games) at Nintendo’s PAX West 2018 booth
Nintendo is putting most of their eggs in a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate-shaped basket this Fall, though the consolemaker is also planning to release a few other big titles for the Switch before the end of the year. But if you’re attending PAX West later this week, don’t worry, they’ll have playable demos of all of them on the show floor, along with several eagerly-anticipated third-party games.
In addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, fans will be able to stop by Nintendo’s booth (#1939) to try out Super Mario Party, Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu!, and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee!. Playable demos for Ubisoft’s Starlink: Battle For Atlas, Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball FighterZ, Blizzard’s Diablo III: Eternal Collection, Grasshopper Manufacture’s No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again, and NIS America’s SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will also be available.
“Many of our biggest fans descend on Seattle every year to celebrate video games at PAX West,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “It’s the perfect venue for us to interact directly with our fans with fun activities and engaging hands-on demos with some of our upcoming games.”
Nintendo will also host a handful of special events at PAX West 2018, and you can learn more about them after the break. (more…)