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’s 2DS handheld will be permanently discounted to $99.99 on August 30
Nintendo has announced that their 2DS handheld will receive a price drop very soon. Currently available at a retail price of $129.99, the portable system will be permanently discounted to $99.99 on August 30. Even at this lower price, every 2DS box will still contain a download code for Mario Kart 7.
“At a suggested retail price of $99.99, [the] 2DS is an even more attractive introductory option for first-time gamers,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “The new lower-priced hardware combined with the strong lineup of new games launching this year and arguably the best library of games in this generation makes it a great time to be a Nintendo fan.”
While Nintendo doesn’t talk about the 2DS much, it is an interesting alternative in their handheld lineup. It doesn’t have the clamshell design or 3D display options of the 3DS, but the 2DS is compatible with nearly every 3DS game.
This price drop is Nintendo’s first salvo in a major Fall push, which includes a ton of semi-large 3DS releases (which are all playable on the 2DS) including Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, and Yo-Kai Watch.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Mario Kart 7
Nintendo announces Yo-Kai Watch will be released on November 6
Nintendo has announced that Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch will be released for the 3DS on November 6. The game, which is a certified phenomenon in Japan, follows a group of children who find and befriend invisible spirits known as Yo-Kai thanks to a special watch:
But what is a Yo-Kai anyway? Is it a spirit? A monster? A ghost? Nope – a Yo-kai is … well, it’s just a Yo-Kai! You might not see them because they’re invisible, but they’re all around you every day. And they’re often mischievous, mysterious pranksters who like to make trouble for you. Lose your homework, can’t keep a secret or find yourself running late to everything? Yo-Kai probably made you do it. The Yo-Kai are based on common concerns kids have. By confronting those concerns, kids can learn to overcome them.
Even more Yo-Kai Watch madness will travel across the Pacific by the end of the year including the manga series (Volume 1 will be available from Viz Media on November 3) and the anime series (which will air on Disney XD this Fall). Hasbro also plans to produce a series of Yo-Kai Watch toys, which will be released throughout 2016.
And after that, we can probably look forward to even more Yo-Kai Watch games.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Yo-Kai Watch
New Releases: LBX Little Battlers Experience, Dungeon Travelers 2, Madden 16 Bundle, More
Just three new releases will be available on store shelves this week before we ask if you’re ready for some football.
This week’s biggest new game is also, in many ways, its smallest. LBX: Little Battlers Experience was developed by Level-5 and will be published by Nintendo for the 3DS. Based on the popular manga and anime series also created by Level-5, LBX: Little Battlers Experience follows a group of kids who create tiny palm-sized robots that do battle in slightly less-tiny arenas.
Also available this week is Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & The Monster Seal, a turn-based RPG for the Vita from Atlus. Taking place entirely in a first-person view, players will delve deep into a series of dungeons to battle “monster girls.” Meanwhile, Helldivers: Super Earth Ultimate Edition is a disc-based release of the popular PS4 twin-stick shooter. The “Super Earth Ultimate Edition” will include download codes for the PS3 and Vita versions of the game as well as all 11 expansion packs, the Bonus Weapons pack, and other extra content.
Finally, the Xbox One-exclusive Madden NFL 16 1TB System Bundle will give brand new Xbox One owners the chance to play EA’s yearly football simulation a week earlier than everybody else and a year-long subscription to EA Access. I suppose current Xbox One owners could also partake in this deal, but they’d have to purchase a second Xbox One system to do it…
Actually, I think Microsoft would be completely OK with that.
Posted in 3DS, News, PS4, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Helldivers, Madden NFL 16
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Charts… Lego Jurassic World is best-selling game of July ’15
July is not typically a very strong month for new game releases, and only a single new title was able to crack the NPD Group’s recounting of the ten best-selling games of the month. But it was Lego Jurassic World, a June release, that sits at the top of the sales food chain this month.
Debuting at #3 in the NPD’s June report, Lego Jurassic World likely got a boost from the tremendous box office support for the film. After nearly nine weeks in theaters, the film has earned more than $636 million. Only Titanic ($658 million) and Avatar ($760 million) have made more money at the domestic box office.
While it’s unlikely that Lego Jurassic World will reach those heights, the game is another hit for WB Games, which had yet another big month in July. Batman: Arkham Knight (#2) and Mortal Kombat X (#8) once again both landed in the top ten.
The only new release to break into the top ten last month was EA’s Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. Before McIlroy, Tiger Woods had been PGA Tour’s pitchman for more than 15 years. As great as Tiger used to be, it looks like EA doesn’t need him to sell their golf game.
Finally this month, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that overall sales of all game-related items (hardware, software, and accessories) is roughly even with July 2014. Both July 2014 and July 2015 produced around $184 million in total sales.
The complete top ten for July 2015 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Knight, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny, FIFA 15, Grand Theft Auto V, Lego Jurassic World, Minecraft, Mortal Kombat X, NPD, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, The Elder Scrolls Online
Nintendo Download: Pandora’s Tower, Wind-Up Knight 2, more
One of the last major games released for the Wii, Pandora’s Tower, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Developed by Ganbarion, and originally released in April 2013, Pandora’s Tower tells the “haunting tale [of] a cursed young woman’s slow transformation into a hideous beast, and the lengths to which the man she loves will go in order to save her.” Best of all, it’s priced at $20, well below the price tag most online retailers are currently seeking for a new copy.
Over on the 3DS eShop, there’s a pair of new licensed that should keep all the kids out there entertained. Paddington: Adventures in London asks players to guide the titular bear through the streets of London as he does good deeds for its citizens. And in Garfield Kart, players get behind the wheel in a kart racing game that stars the lasagna-eating cat and all his friends. I’ll let someone else make the Toonces joke…
Actually, I might be the only one that still remembers Toonces.
Anyway, more information on all of this week’s new eShop releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Pandora's Tower
Indie Megabooth announces massive PAX Prime 2015 presence
It’s that time gain! Those beautiful, brilliant minds behind the Indie Megabooth have announced the PAX Prime 2015 lineup, and it certainly IS mega! I see a lot of personal favorites in there, including Armello, Death Road to Canada, Hyper Light Drifter, Mushroom 11, Cinelinx: A Card Game For People Who Love Movies, Pleasant Dreams, Skiptrace, and two games I can’t keep my hands off of: Monikers and Mini Metro! And let’s not forget that this might be your best chance to check out Funomena’s Wattam!
If you’re in Seattle the last weekend in August for PAX Prime, trust me: you do not want to miss the Indie Megabooth. These are traditionally some of the best games on the show floor, and I don’t just say that because my own game (Resistor) has been part of the Tabletop Area. OK, maybe that might sway my opinion a little. But the team behind the IMB carefully curates some of the most amazing games, not just for your enjoyment, but as an installation of the best and brightest developers in indie gaming right now.
Enough of my gushing. Watch the trailer and hit the jump for the full list of developers and games (more than 70 in all)! (more…)
Star Wars: Battlefront is crowned Best of Gamescom at Gamescom 2015
Heeding the words of Yoda (“Do… or do not. There is no try.”), Electronic Arts and DICE pulled out all the stops to win to five awards for Star Wars: Battlefront at Gamescom 2015, including the coveted “Best of Gamescom” title. The game also took home “Best Console Game – PS4,” “Best PC Games,” “Best Online Multiplayer Game,” and the “Most Wanted Consumer Award.” Strangely, Germany’s Digital Gaming Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) didn’t even nominate it in the “Best Console Game – Xbox One” category.
Other multi-award winners at the 2015 Gamescom Awards include Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (“Best Console Game – Xbox One” and “Best Action Game”), FM6 (“Best Racing Game” and “Best Simulation Game”), and Super Mario Maker (“Best Console Game – Wii U” and “Best Social / Casual / Online Game”).
Not to be forgotten, the HTC Vive virtual reality headset, produced in conjunction with Valve, won for “Best Hardware / Peripheral.”
The full list of this year’s winners can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Picross E6, more
Nintendo has big plans for the Virtual Console this month as Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Onimusha Tactics are now available to download through the Wii U eShop. The strategy RPGs, both originally released for the Game Boy Advance, are the first two games released as part of Nintendo’s “Classic Games For Hardcore Gamers” promotion.
Also available this week is Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight, a remake of the second Etrian Odyssey game. The 3DS RPG from Atlus includes a completely original Story Mode and the original Etrian Odyssey 2 game with “updated graphics and a full roster of classes.”
Finally this week, Picross E6 will delight fans of the “Picture Crossword” series with 300 new puzzles.
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight