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
Nintendo Download: Guacamelee!, Bombing Bastards, Squids Odyssey, more
How can you not be intrigued by a game known as Bombing Bastards? The game, which is an homage to the Bomberman franchise, is now available through the Wii U eShop courtesy of developer Sanuk Games. And it’s joined by another uniquely named homage (this time to lucha libre wrestling): Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition.
Over on the 3DS, players will be able to download Squids Odyssey for the first time. The game is actually an enhanced compilation of two other games (Squids and Squids Wild West) and is described as “a unique mix of an action and turn-based RPG.”
More information on all of these games, as well as many more (including the Wii U release of Mario Tennis: Power Tour), can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Guacamelee
Behold… Shovel Knight’s Butt Mode revealed (along with hundreds of other cheat codes)
Just like The Legend of Zelda‘s Second Quest, Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight includes a series of secret codes that activate special conditions when they’re entered as your name at the New Game screen. So far, the developers have revealed four official codes, including perhaps the greatest code to ever grace any game ever: Butt Mode.
If you use “X&BUTT” as your name, several common words in the dialogue (Shovel, Knight, Health, Magic, and others) will be replaced by the word “butt.” So, for example, Shovel Knight becomes “Butt Butt.” Well played, Yacht Club. Other officially released codes include “J&2JMP!” (Super Jump), “J&!JSMP” (Moon Jump), and “IM&SGC14” (Iron Man of Gaming Mode, a timed version of Mole Knight’s stage created for the Iron Man of Gaming event).
But the developers also created the “Gimme the Dirt” tier for their Kickstarter campaign, so there are a lot more cheat codes out there. More than 300 backers pledged enough to receive an “exclusive” code and the Internet, naturally, is trying to brute force their way into figuring out what all of them do. A Google Doc has been created to compile every working code and a few of my favorites include:
- “ENTSSYSQ” – New Game+
- “QMPGLCRA” – Enemies Are 8 Times Stronger
- “KYRNMAPC” – Sudden Death Boss Battles
- “FCCKJOIQ” – Pogo Bounce (AKA DuckTales Mode)
Go on, try a few out yourself. With hundreds of combinations, Shovel Knight will have enough staying power to last you all Summer.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged Shovel Knight
Evolve, No Man’s Sky dominate Best of E3 2014 Game Critics Awards
Two of the most buzzed-about games going into the 2014 E3 Expo were Turtle Rock’s Evolve and Hello Games’s No Man’s Sky. Not surprisingly, both games cleaned up in this year’s Best of E3 2014 Game Critics Awards.
Evolve tallied four wins including “Best of Show,” “Best Console Game,” “Best Action Game,” and “Best Online Multiplayer.” No Man’s Sky traded on its unique reputation while on its way to winning “Best Original Game” and “Best Independent Game” as well as a “Special Commendation For Innovation.”
No other game was honored in multiple categories though Super Smash Bros. For 3DS was selected as “Best Handheld/Mobile Game” and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U took home “Best Fighting Game.”
A complete list of this year’s winners can be found after the break. (more…)
Kickstart This! It’s Just Not Cricket Edition
That’s right, it’s time for football (or soccer, for the average American reader and editor). World Cup fever has landed and is now in full swing like the Rio Carnival. It has been a tournament of surprises, with the current World Cup champions knocked out by the second game, along with perennial contenders England (but I’m Scottish, so the less said about Luis Suarez’s two beautiful goals, the better).
There are a number of great Kickstarter campaigns in full force as well, and instead of placing bets on goals scored or corners won, perhaps think about donating some of that cash to these fine projects. We have the amazingly named Catlateral Damage, top-down 2D action-adventure Midora, and 2D puzzle-platformer For My Brother. On top of that, there is also a side-scrolling space shooter known as Temporus, the stealth ninja mastery of Twin Souls, and the 8-bit existential journey of Glitch.
Let’s go for the goal! (more…)
Comcept shows off another gameplay trailer for Mighty No. 9
Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept have released a new gameplay trailer for Mighty No. 9, their spiritual successor to Inafune’s world famous Mega Man series.
Today’s trailer is an update to Mighty No. 9’s May trailer in that it once again focuses on the industrial locale that Mighty No. 5 calls home and the icy domain of Mighty No. 2. Go Mighty go!
Thanks to its hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, Comcept will release Mighty No. 9 for the 3DS, PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in Spring 2015.
Moon Chronicles Episode 1: One Small Step Review: Good Moon Rising
A lot of first-person shooter games were released during this past generation. Hell, it’s more than just a lot. It was an outright epidemic. It seems like someone released a new FPS every week. But what’s odd about this phenomenon is that a good majority of these genre titles only came out for consoles. The handheld systems were all but forgotten. Sure, there were a few exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, first-person shooters avoided the handheld systems like a red barrel (because as you know, it’s never good to stand next to a red barrel). Aside from the Call of Duty games, there weren’t a whole lot of options for those of us who liked their FPSs on the go.
Enter Moon, a title for the original Nintendo DS. Throwing caution to the wind, the developers at Renegade Kid felt that the popular system would be a perfect fit for their mature, story-driven first-person shooter. And it paid off. Moon released to positive reviews, with many praising the game’s graphics, framerate, and moody atmosphere. And although many clamored for a sequel, the rights for the title were held by Mastiff Games, and the Moon IP was stuck, stranded in suspended animation. Until now. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Moon Chronicles
Nintendo Download: Shovel Knight, Castlevania III, Wii Sports Club, more
The time to dispense shovel justice is upon us. Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight is now available to download through the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and 3DS. The ridiculously retro side-scroller has been available to Kickstarter backers since yesterday, but now everyone will get the chance to slam a shovel down upon the group of evildoers known as The Order of No Quarter.
While Yacht Club strived to make Shovel Knight as authentically 8-bit as possible, an actual 8-bit game is available to download this week via the Virtual Console. 3DS and Wii U owners are now able to purchase Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, one of the franchise’s best games.
If you’re looking for something a little newer, Nintendo also released the final two games in the Wii Sports Club collection: Baseball and Boxing. All five games can be downloaded individually from the eShop, or you can wait until July 25 to purchase the retail compilation.
More information on all of these titles (as well as many more) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Shovel Knight, Wii Sports Club: Baseball, Wii Sports Club: Boxing
Platinum is developing a Legend of Korra game for Activision
In the “OMG YAY!” department, Platinum Games has announced it is developing The Legend of Korra, a game based on – no kidding – the show by the same name. The game will be released on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Fans can currently vote on the cover art on Facebook.
Tim Hedrick is writing the game’s story, which is good news, since he’s involved in the show. Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, co-creators and executive producers, will be consulting. The game will take place between seasons two and three, and you’ll get to play as Korra herself, using the four elements to not just fight enemies, but also participate in the Pro-Bending arena. You’ll also get to ride on her awesome bear-dog, Naga!
There’s also a 3DS game in the works, though this one is a turn-based strategy game developed by Webfoot Technologies. Season three of the show starts tomorrow, and the game will be out this Fall.