Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Another Big Night and Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2025-2026 DICE Awards
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- The Game Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Racks Up Nine Wins, Including “Game of the Year”, at the 2025 Game 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)
Most Recent: 3DS
Nintendo Download: Freedom Planet, River City Ransom, The Rivers of Alice, more
It’s Thursday, so it’s time to check in with the new releases on Nintendo’s eShop once again.
After a delay or two, Wii U owners will finally get their chance to try out Freedom Planet, a Sonic-like side-scroller that is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Whatever your opinion is of Sonic’s more recent outings, I think it’s safe to say that Galaxy Trail nailed the look of the character’s 16-bit heyday. Also available as part this week’s Nintendo Download is a Virtual Console re-release of River City Ransom. Now available for the Wii U, River City Ransom is one of the finest beat ’em ups to ever grace the NES.
Finally this week, we have The Rivers of Alice: Extended Version, a dreamy adventure game for the Wii U. Sporting a unique graphical style that combines watercolors, ink, and graphite, The Rivers of Alice asks players to guide Alice through a dream world that has been overtaken by her fears.
More information on all of these titles (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Freedom Planet
Mighty No. 9 will be released… for real this time… on February 9, 2016
Here we go again…
After their rather shady treatment of the gaming public and a string of delays, publisher Deep Silver and developer Comcept are finally ready to reveal the release date for Mighty No. 9. Barring any further setbacks, Keiji Inafune’s spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise will officially launch on February 9, 2016.
Mighty No. 9 will be available on store shelves and as a digital download for the PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One. Players will also be able to pick it up exclusively as a digital download for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. A portable version of Mighty No. 9 for the 3DS and Vita is also in the works and will be released at a later date.
With the game’s final release date set in store, Deep Silver and Comcept are also ready to release the promised demo edition. Kickstarter backers are encouraged to visit Humble Bundle (and register with the same email address connected to their pledge) to receive access to the demo.
Nintendo Download: Animal Crossing: Home Designer, Extreme Exorcism, Beatbuddy, more
The Animal Crossing crew is back as the highlight of this week’s Nintendo Download is Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, which will be available to download through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow.
In Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, you’re the village’s best interior decorator and all your favorite Animal Crossing villagers have asked you to create new looks for the homes. If that’s not enough of a hook for you, Nintendo has also released a set of Amiibo Cards for Happy Home Designer that can be used to add new characters to the game. “Gotta catch ’em all” certainly takes on a new meaning with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.
Over on the Wii U, a number of “Nindies” can now be purchased through the Wii U eShop. Players can dig in to Extreme Exorcism, a supernatural single-screen arena fighter; Beatbuddy, an underwater musical platformer; Starwhal, a multiplayer game starring marine mammals in outer space; and Nova-111, a turn-based strategy game that uses “SCIENCE” as its hook.
More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians, Extreme Exorcism, Starwhal
Hyrule Warriors Legends won’t offer stereoscopic 3D option on older 3DS models
Hyrule Warriors will be released on the 3DS sometime next year, but it looks like Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have been forced to make some compromises to get it to run on the handheld.
Speaking to 4Gamer, Producer Hayashi Yosuke revealed that the handheld version of the game, which will be known as Hyrule Warriors Legends, will only support stereoscopic 3D on the New 3DS or New 3DS XL. This limitation was imposed on the game due to the extremely high number of enemies and graphical effects that Hyrule Warriors throws at players in every level. Thankfully, the processor found in the New 3DS is able to sidestep these limitations due to its beefier hardware configuration.
Yosuke also confirmed that Hyrule Warriors Legends will include every previously-released downloadable expansion on the cartridge, as well as Amiibo support (which was available on the Wii U version as well). It should be available in stores sometime in early 2016.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Hyrule Warriors, TGS 2015
Bandai Namco adds Fire Emblem, Xenoblade characters to Project X Zone 2 in TGS trailers
To prepare fans for Project X Zone 2, Bandai Namco unveiled two new trailers for the game during last week’s Tokyo Game Show. The nearly four-minute “Brave New World” trailer, embedded above, delivers an extended look at many of the game’s characters and a good chunk of gameplay. But its the second trailer, available after the break, that will definitely get gamers talking.
New challengers enter the arena as characters from a fourth company will join Bandai Namco, Sega, and Capcom in the massive crossover event. Nintendo will lend Fiora from Xenoblade Chronicles and Chrom and Lucina from Fire Emblem: Awakening to Project X Zone 2. Bandai Namco also confirmed that KOS-MOS, from Xenosaga, will make a return appearance in the strategy franchise.
Project X Zone 2 is all set to be released for the 3DS on February 16, 2015. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Project X Zone 2, TGS 2015
New Releases: Lego Dimensions, FIFA 16, NBA 2K16, More
Sport fans should gather up their foam fingers and beer hats once more as the soccer shenanigans of FIFA 16 and the raucous roundball of NBA 2K16 will both arrive on store shelves this week for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Blood Bowl II, and its fantastical version of football, will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
But if you’re a Lego fan, the release of Lego Dimensions is likely a much bigger deal this week. Mashing together more than a dozen media franchises, Lego Dimensions could very well be the ultimate Lego game. Developer TT Games has clearly come a long way since 2005’s Lego Star Wars. Sadly, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker won’t be part of the magic, but characters from DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings, Scooby-Doo, The Simpsons, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, and many, many others will appear in the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One game.
Finally this week, 3DS owners will get to play decorator as Nintendo will release Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer for the handheld system. It will launch alongside a new range of Amiibo-powered cards and a New 3DS + Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Bundle.
All of this week’s new releases are available in a handy list format after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Blood Bowl 2, FIFA 16, Lego Dimensions, NBA 2K16
Nintendo Download: Year Walk, Skylanders SuperChargers, Senran Kagura 2, more
I’m dedicating this story about this week’s Nintendo Download update to all the Skylanders fans out there, as Activision is almost ready to release the next entry in the popular franchise. Beginning September 20, Skylanders SuperChargers will be available to download for the Wii U through the Wii U eShop. Players will need to own a Portal of Power, but as long as they do, they’ll gain access to the full game and digital versions of the Instant Spitfire and Instant Hot Streak. Also available this week for the Wii U is Year Walk, Simogo’s artistic and dreamy adventure game that was originally a smash hit on iOS devices in 2013.
There’s only one new release this week over on the 3DS half of the store, and it’s Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson. The latest Senran Kagura game is a 2.5D side-scrolling brawler that features all the “high-flying, clothes-ripping battle mechanics” the series is known for. In a first for the franchise, Deep Crimson will also include two-player co-op.
More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases such as overhead racer Rock ‘N Racing Off Road DX and RTS/tower defense hybrid Zombie Defense can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Skylanders SuperChargers
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice release date spin dashes into 2016
Sega has released new games in the Sonic series at a pretty steady clip over the last 25 years. But it looks like 2015 will be the year without a hedgehog as the publisher cconfirmed that Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice has been pushed into 2016.
Writing on the Sega Blog, a representative from the publisher said the 3DS title is in need of additional time and polish. They also added, “it’ll be ready when it’s ready,” a time-tested statement for public relations folks everywhere. While it’s easy to be cynical about this announcement, Sega believes that it will result in the creation of a “stronger, more enjoyable” game:
In the grand scheme of things, while the downside is that you won’t be playing the game this year, the upside is that what you’ll play next year, and what fans will continue to play for years after they pick up the game, will be a stronger, more enjoyable experience.
We think that’s important, not just for this one game, but for all future Sonic titles.
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is in development at Sanzaru Games and, once again, it’ll be ready when it’s ready.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice