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.

Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler was the best-selling game in July 2018

Posted on August 23, 2018 by John Scalzo

It would have been amusing if Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler took the #8 spot in The NPD Group’s monthly report of best-selling games (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz). But instead, the retro-styled RPG smashed expectations and landed in the top spot for the preceding four-week period. That means the publisher is likely less amused and more amazed.

Nintendo Switch exclusives dominated the list of best-selling games last month, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#3), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Super Mario Odyssey (#7), and Mario Tennis Aces (#10) all cracking the top ten. The recent Switch launch of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (#9) also likely accounted for its rise in the rankings (the game is also available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One).

The Switch was also the best-selling console in July, the first time that’s happened since December 2017.

You can find out how the rest of the top ten shook out, with a quick rundown of the remainder of July 2018’s best-selling games, after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

F1 2018, Shenmue I & II, Distrust, more coming to Xbox Store this week

Posted on August 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

Xbox One will be racing, investigating, and surviving in this week’s Xbox Games Store update…

Codemasters has dropped the checkered flag on F1 2018, which is now available to download for the Xbox One. The racing game includes new options in the Career Mode and the complete schedule for the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Also available to download this week for the Xbox One is Shenmue I & II, a re-release of both games in Sega’s RPG/adventure/life simulation series.

Finally this week, Cheerdealers will bring Distrust to the Xbox One. The roguelike isometric survival game takes place in the arctic and was heavily inspired by John Carpenter’s The Thing.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Xbox Games Store (including Brawlout, Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier, Phantom Doctrine, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , , ,

Guacamelee 2, F1 2018, Little Dragons Cafe, more coming to PS Store this week

Posted on August 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

A nice variety of games will be added to the PlayStation Store this week.

Drink Box returns to their “Mexiverse” with more luchador-inspired action in Guacamelee! 2 for the PS4. The sequel features four-player co-op, as well as new levels, new wrestling moves, “sassy” new bosses, and “300% more chickens.”

Speaking of bizarre franchises, Sega will re-release Shenmue I & II for the PS4 this week, and fans will once again be able to search for the killer of Ryo Hazuki’s father.

Also available this week for the PS4 is F1 2018, the latest game in Codemasters’s long-running racing simulation series. The new entry in the franchise will include the complete schedule for the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Finally this week, Aksys Games will ask players if they can run a cafe and raise a dragon in Little Dragons Cafe for the PS4.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store (including Brawlout, Slime Rancher, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged , ,

Nintendo will scare up a 3DS re-release for Luigi’s Mansion on October 12

Posted on August 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has announced that Luigi’s Mansion, which was originally released for the GameCube all the way back in 2001, will make its way to the 3DS on October 12.

Luigi’s first ghostbusting adventure is nearly two decades old, and Nintendo is thrilled that fans will finally get the chance to play it again. But developer Grezzo has also added a few portable-exclusive features to the game:

Luigi must enter a sprawling mansion equipped with nothing but his trusty flashlight and Poltergust 3000, a vacuum-like contraption used to capture ghosts, find treasure and solve puzzles.

This is the first time the Nintendo GameCube classic can be played on the go. This updated version of the game includes the same classic adventure, but with some added features perfect for Nintendo’s popular portable systems. Using the bottom touch screen on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, players can view the mansion map.

In the new Gallery Battle Mode, exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Luigi will have the ability to re-challenge boss ghosts that were defeated in the game.

A new website for Luigi’s Mansion (with a handful of new screenshots) can be found at LuigisMansion.Nintendo.com.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

J. Jonah Jameson delivers “Just the Facts” in two new Spider-Man trailers

Posted on August 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

We don’t know who Sony and Insomniac lined up to play J. Jonah Jameson for this September’s Spider-Man, but judging by the two newest trailers for the game, the mystery actor was definitely inspired by the legendary J.K. Simmons.

The Daily Bugle publisher will have his own radio show in Insomniac’s game, and it looks like Peter Parker is a regular caller. While Jameson is convinced the superhero is still a menace to the city, he inadvertently reveals some helpful tips for your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

In the first trailer, “Marvel’s New York,” Jameson and Peter talk about the skyscrapers, warehouses, and rooftops that Spider-Man will sling past on his way to stopping (or causing) street crime. And in the second trailer, “Combat,” the increasingly agitated host discusses Spider-Man’s different suits and gadgets with a frustrated Peter.

Spider-Man will be released exclusively for the PS4 on September 7, and you can find both trailers after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

New Gameplay Trailer confirms Devil May Cry 5 will be released on March 8, 2019

Posted on August 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

Gamescom 2018 attendees got their first look at Devil May Cry 5, and Capcom unveiled a brand new Gameplay Trailer for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One action game during today’s special episode of Inside Xbox. In addition to the new video, the publisher also unveiled the game’s official release date… March 8, 2019.

As we saw during the E3 Trailer, players will take control of Nero in the upcoming game, but be sure to watch the new trailer all the way to the end for a quick glimpse at the game’s second playable character:

The threat of demonic power has returned to menace the world once again in Devil May Cry 5. The invasion begins when the seeds of a “demon tree” take root in Red Grave City. As this hellish incursion starts to take over the city, a young demon hunter Nero, arrives with his partner Nico in their “Devil May Cry” motorhome. Finding himself without the use of his right arm, Nero enlists Nico, a self-professed weapons artist, to design a variety of unique mechanical Devil Breaker arms to give him extra powers to take on evil demons such as the blood sucking flying Empusa and giant colossus enemy Goliath.

Devil May Cry 5 is currently playable at the Xbox booth at Gamescom 2018 (August 21-25), and Capcom will also bring it to PAX West next week (August 31-September 4) to give attendees in Seattle a chance to try out the demo as well.

Oh, and in case you missed it, that’s Dante on his flashy motorbike at the end there.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Supermassive Games returns to horror with The Dark Pictures Anthology

Posted on August 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

Supermassive Games released Until Dawn in 2015, and the narrative-horror adventure became one of the first times a slasher-style story was used in a game. Today, the developer announced at Gamescom that they’re going back to their horror roots with The Dark Pictures Anthology, a series of standalone games for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Each game in the anthology well tell its own self-contained tale of horror, and the first will follow a group of aquatic adventurers in search of a shipwreck:

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan chronicles the adventures of a group of friends in search of a mysterious World War II shipwreck, whose holiday diving trip turns sinister as a storm slowly envelops them. With survival their only concern, the player must take control of the five protagonists and traverse the terrors of the sea, both to uncover its mysteries, and to live to tell their tale.

“We are incredibly excited to announce the Dark Pictures Anthology and the first game in the series, Man of Medan,” said Pete Samuels, the CEO of Supermassive Games and Executive Producer of The Dark Pictures. “With each title being a standalone game, we have the opportunity to create a unique horror experience every time, with new stories, settings, characters and cast.

Samuels went on to add: “As a studio we have a passion to deliver powerful cinematic horror, and we can’t wait for players to experience these new games across PS4, Xbox, and PC. We have a great partner in Bandai Namco Entertainment and we look forward to working with them to help bring these terrifying tales to gamers everywhere.”

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan will be released sometime in 2019. For now, the game’s first trailer has been embedded above.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Gamescom 2018 Trailer for Daemon X Machina offers an expanded look at the action game

Posted on August 21, 2018 by John Scalzo

The Gamescom 2018 Trailer for Nintendo’s Daemon X Machina is very similar to the one we first saw during the E3 Expo, but the heavily-stylized mech game still looks great, and any excuse to spy a few extra seconds of footage is definitely worth a rewatch.

Daemon X Machina is currently in development at Marvelous Entertainment and First Studio, and will be released exclusively for the Switch in 2019.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged ,