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)
Most Recent: 3DS
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash (and a Chibi-Robo Amiibo) will be released for 3DS in October
Yesterday, Nintendo hosted an extensive Nintendo Direct presentation for Japanese gamers, announcing a variety of new titles. This morning, Nintendo of America released a “Micro” version of that Nintendo Direct with many of the announcements translated into English. And first out of the gate is the announcement of Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash for the 3DS.
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is a side-scroller where the plucky little robot uses his cord to whip enemies into submission. But Chibi-Robo is clearly a fan of Indiana Jones, as he can also use the cord to swing from platform to platform or reach distant objects.
A Chibi-Robo Amiibo figure, which will exclusively be sold in a bundle with the game. Tapping the Chibi-Robo Amiibo to your 3DS will unlock Super Chibi-Robo, a stronger and faster version of the main character. According to Nintendo’s Bill Trinen, more Amiibo functionality for Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash will be announced at a later date.
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash will be available for the 3DS this October.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games announced by Nintendo
UPDATE: We’ve added the English-language trailer from the June 1 “Nintendo Direct Micro” presentation after the break.
Mario and Sonic will do battle on the athletic field once more in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which was announced this morning as part of a Nintendo Direct presentation delivered by Nintendo Japan. Like the first Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and London 2012, players will be able to go for the gold medal in Track, Floor Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Soccer, Beach Volleyball, and many other sports. We also got our first look at two new additions to the series today: Rugby and Golf.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be released for the 3DS and Wii U sometime in the near future, though no release date was announced. However, every previous entry in the series has debuted during the November before the Olympic Games, so I think it’s a safe bet to assume Rio 2016 will as well. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
New Releases: Heroes of the Storm, Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven, Tetris Vita, More
As we close the book on May and its scant slate of new releases, we look ahead to June and find… another scant slate of new releases. Sigh.
This week, Blizzard is ready to roll out the full version of Heroes of the Storm, their entry into the crowded MOBA field. Also available as a Battle.net download for the PC, this “Starter Pack” will include five heroes (Sonya the Warrior, Zeratul the Assassin, Zagara the Specialist, Li Li the Support, and Jaina the Assassin) and a Golden Tiger Mount.
Also available this week is Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven, a new strategy RPG for the 3DS from Marvelous and XSEED. Lord of Magna follows Luchs as he attempts to recruit seven maidens to save the world and battles enemies by literally bowling them over. Speaking of knocking things down, Ubisoft will also bring everyone’s favorite puzzle game to the Vita this week as Tetris Ultimate.
Finally, Rescue 2: Everyday Heroes is a firefighter sim for the PC and a sequel to Rescue 2013: Everyday Heroes.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, Vita
Tagged Heroes of the Storm, Tetris Ultimate
Get a VIP tour of Lego Jurassic World in this new trailer
I know it’s quite cliche to open an article like this, but welcome to Lego Jurassic World! WB Games and TT Games have released a new trailer to promote their Lego-ized adaptation of the four Jurassic Park films and this time we’re treated to a “VIP Tour” of the park.
We’ve also learned that the first two DLC packs will be available as a free bonus to fans that pre-order the game through the digital storefronts:
Pre-Order Through PlayStation Store (PS3 or PS4) and Get…
Jurassic Park Trilogy Pack #1
Characters – Dino Handler, Eric Kirby, and Paul Kirby
Vehicle – Animal Control Vehicle
Pre-Order Through Xbox Games Store (Xbox 360 or Xbox One) and Get…
Jurassic Park Trilogy Pack #2
Characters – Jurassic Park Helicopter Pilot, Lex Murphy, and Tim Murphy
Vehicle – Ian Malcolm’s San Diego Cruiser
Both packs will be available after launch for $0.99 each.
Lego Jurassic World will be released on June 12 for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Jurassic World will open in theaters on the same day.
Nintendo Download: Splatoon, Don’t Starve, Mega Man Zero 3, more
A large number of new releases were added to the Nintendo eShop today, but one game stands above all the others and it actually won’t be available until tomorrow. Are you ready… because Splatoon is finally available for the Wii U.
Nintendo’s take on the team-based shooter involves human/squid hybrids known as Inklings fighting for turf using paint guns. Use your squid powers to swim through the ink and use your human powers to blast other Inklings while claiming territory for your team. if multiplayer gaming isn’t your thing, there’s also an extensive single-player story mode that offers more towns to paint red (or yellow or purple or blue).
Also available for the Wii U this week is Don’t Starve: Giant Edition, a survival game from Klei. The game’s description says it all: “Fight, farm, craft, scavenge and do whatever it takes to survive in a wilderness filled with science, magic and things that go bump in the night.” Best of all, players who purchase Don’t Starve will receive a giftable bonus code to give to a friend.
Finally this week, Capcom is closing out Mega May with three classic Mega Man titles, all of which were originally released for the Game Boy Advance. Mega Man Battle Network 4: Blue Moon and Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun continue the saga of Lan and Mega Man within the computer world, while Mega Man Zero 3 closes out Zero’s story in one of the hardest platformers ever produced.
More details on all of these games, and a few others, can be found after the break. (more…)
Humble Nindie Bundle brings “Pay What You Want” scheme to 3DS and Wii U for first time
Humble Bundle has been offering “Pay What You Want” bundles of PC and Android games for over five years now. But console gamers were never able to get involved… until now. Nintendo has partnered with Humble Bundle to offer the Humble Nindie Bundle and it features a ton of games:
Pay what you want and get Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition for the Wii U, Woah Dave! for the 3DS, and Might Switch Force! for the 3DS. Beat the average to unlock The Fall for the Wii U, OlliOlli for the Wii U and 3DS, and Moon Chronicles for the 3DS. If you pay $10 or more, you’ll unlock Stealth Inc 2 for the Wii U and SteamWorld Dig for the Wii U and 3DS. That’s a lot of Nintendo games! And even more titles will be added to the Humble Nindie Bundle next Tuesday, June 2.
All of these games are currently available through the Nintendo eShop for a combined price of $88, so being able to purchase them for as little as $1 is a deal that’ll never come around again.
Happy shopping, and don’t forget, the Humble Nindie Bundle will expire on Tuesday, June 9 at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: E3 2015 Table Setting Edition
Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, 2017, or unannounced release date.
This edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog is definitely focused on the pre-E3 table setting that happens every May. In addition to release dates for some of this Summer’s most-anticipated games (Lego Jurassic World on June 12, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition on June 23, and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour on July 14) we were recently treated to release dates for some of this Falls big franchise titles (Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege on October 13, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate on October 23, WWE 2K16 on October 27, and Call of Duty: Black Ops III on November 6).
Looking beyond the big names, we now know that Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 will be released on September 15 (though the 3DS and Vita versions will launch “sometime later”). But even the recent surprise announcements are focused on big names including Need For Speed and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, both of which will launch this Fall.
Finally, you can’t talk about release dates without mentioning a few delays. This time, Tom Clancy’s The Division was pushed back (to early 2016) alongside Mirror’s Edge 2 and the Ratchet & Clank remake (both will be available in Spring 2016). But Dead Island 2 got the worst delay of all, going from Spring 2015 all the way to TBA 2016.
But speaking of games that are far away, let’s end this roundup with Telltale’s Marvel Game, an untitled episodic adventure game that won’t be released until sometime in 2017. Hey, gotta get that announcement out there sometime.
Even more new release dates for this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Edition, Mega Man Zero 2, more
The Puzzle & Dragons series, a ridiculously popular match-3/RPG hybrid makes the leap from mobile devices to the 3DS this week as Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. Available separately in Japan, American gamers will be able to pick up both games in a single package. Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition will be available to download through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow.
Also this week as part of the Nintendo Download are a pair of 2D sequels. Mega Man Zero 2 originally debuted on the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and is now available to download through the Wii U’s Virtual Console. Meanwhile, Swords & Soldiers II is a sequel to the popular 2D strategy game, promising an even bigger campaign and “endless replayability.”
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 Puzzle & Dragons Z, Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition