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: Switch
Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma said there is “a possibility” for a 2D Zelda on the Switch
We are getting closer and closer to the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Franchise Producer Eiji Aonuma has decided to share his vision for Link’s future with Game Informer.
With the Nintendo Switch occupying a place in our lives as both a home console and a portable handheld, the magazine asked Aonuma if we’d ever see another 2D Zelda game like 2013’s A Link Between Worlds. The developer replied that the Legend of Zelda’s handheld development team will remain intact and that there’s “definitely a possibility” they could create a 2D Zelda game for the Switch:
“The dev pace is not really dependent on how many people are on a team, so combining them would not necessarily expedite the development pace,” says Aonuma. “The 3DS team and the Wii U team have different approaches to game development, so I don’t necessarily want to combine them and have them think together, but rather have each think about what they can bring to Nintendo Switch from their own perspective.”
Aonuma then offered additional clarification, saying “The handheld development team will not be phased out because of Nintendo Switch. Switch will allow the users to bring their home console on the go, but this doesn’t mean handheld game development like Nintendo 3DS will be discontinued.”
When we asked point-blank if there was a possibility that the 3DS Zelda teams were working on a new game for the Nintendo Switch, Aonuma said, “Yes, there is definitely a possibility.”
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Nintendo Switch console, will be released on March 3.
Check out this goofy opening cinematic to Super Bomberman R
When March 3 rolls around, most people will be laser-focused on just a single game for the Nintendo Switch… The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But nearly a dozen other games will be available for the console when it launches, including Konami’s Super Bomberman R.
The 90s-style throwback features the Bomberman Brothers blasting away at each other for the first time in almost seven years. But this entry in the Bomberman franchise will also include a Story Mode that looks to evoke the goofy Saturday Morning Cartoons from the era. Super Bomberman R’s opening cinematic introduces us to the evil Emperor Bugler, and along with his Five Dastardly Bombers, he wants nothing short of world domination.
Can the Bomberman Brothers stop him? As long as its $50 price tag doesn’t scare you away, I’m going to say… maybe.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Super Bomberman R
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will receive an Expansion Pass on Switch and Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will offer the largest world in the franchise’s history for players to explore when it launches early next month. But Nintendo also wants players to reach beyond Hyrule’s borders with bonus content they’re creating for the game’s Expansion Pass.
Priced at $19.99, the Expansion Pass will include two DLC Packs and a trio of “Day One” bonus items:
Expansion Pass Bonus (March 3)
- 3 Treasure Chests
- Found in the Great Plateau
- Contains Switch Logo In-Game Clothing + 2 Other Useful Items
DLC Pack 1 (Summer 2017)
- Cave of Trials Challenge
- Hard Mode
- Additional Map Feature
DLC Pack 1 (Holiday 2017)
- New Original Story
- New Dungeon
- Additional Challenges
“The world of Hyrule, which we created for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is so large and vibrant that we wanted to offer more for players to experience within it,” said Eiji Aonuma, the Franchise Producer in charge of The Legend of Zelda. “With this new Expansion Pass, we hope that fans will play, explore and enjoy the game even more.”
Nintendo’s announcement of an Expansion Pass for Breath of the Wild is a first for a “mainline” Zelda game, but should feel familiar to fans who purchased the Season Pass for Hyrule Warriors.
And if you aren’t ready to upgrade to the Switch just yet, don’t worry, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Expansion Pass will be available for the Wii U as well.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Is Nintendo Marketing the Switch to the Wrong Audience?
The Nintendo Switch releases on March 3rd, less than three weeks from now. There’s hype, speculation, premature predictions of the console’s failure, and tons of confirmed launch games lists floating around. However, that’s not what’s concerning me most right now. I’m concerned about Nintendo’s marketing.
What’s wrong with Nintendo’s marketing, you might ask? Take a look at their first official trailer below, and then come back to me. Are you done…? Good. Now let me pose a question. Did you see any children in that trailer, any at all? No, you didn’t? Neither did I. But, I’ll tell you what I did see. I saw a bunch of millennials joyously playing with their shiny new Nintendo Switch consoles in the most unrealistic settings.
Now, of courses, this is just one trailer. If you’ve seen the Nintendo Switch Super Bowl commercial, then you’re aware that there were a few kids sprinkled throughout that one. But I digress. There are way too many millennials in sight. (more…)
Sega will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at Sonic Mania and Project Sonic at SXSW 2017
Sega has been unusually quiet about the future of Sonic the Hedgehog since announcing Sonic Mania and Project Sonic at Comic-Con 2016. That’ll all change next month, when the publisher hosts “Gotta Go Fast: The Official Panel of Sonic the Hedgehog” at South by Southwest 2017 on Thursday, March 16.
Takashi Iizuka, the Head of Sonic Team, Aaron Webber, Sonic’s Community Manager, and Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollock, the voice actors behind Sonic and Dr. Eggman, will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at both games, along with unveiling a few “other surprises”:
Dive into the world of Sonic the Hedgehog in this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at both Sonic Mania and the upcoming Sonic 2017! With presenters from Sega and Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka, this panel will answer questions about both games, showcase a new reveal for each title, and will discuss Sonic’s resurgence in the world of gaming since the reveal of both games. Of course, with Sonic involved, who knows what other surprises might be in store?
Sonic Mania is a side-scrolling platformer that’s an homage to Sonic’s past, and it’ll be available this Spring. Project Sonic is a new 3D game that’ll launch this Fall, and it features many of the same time-bending shenanigans as Sonic Generations. Both games are currently in the works for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania
Get to know the fighters from Arms in two new trailers
Arms was one of the more bizarre titles to be unveiled during Nintendo’s Switch Presentation last month. The game, which might be best described as Punch-Out‘s even more outlandish cousin, stars a gaggle of colorful characters who fight each other using their super-stretchy arms.
Over the weekend, Nintendo Japan released a pair of new trailers for Arms that attempt to explain a little bit more about the game’s wacky world. The narration is completely in Japanese, but the trailer embedded above will introduce viewers to Spring Man, Ribbon Girl, Ninjara, Master Mummy, and Mechanica. Each has their own special abilities, but they should look familiar to fighting game fans (Spring Man is average… Ribbon Girl is fast… Ninjara can teleport… Master Mummy is slow but strong… Mechanica has electrical powers… etc).
The second trailer, available after the break, is a primer on the game’s fighting mechanics. Again, it’s all in Japanese, but it’s easy enough to suss out when the narrator is talking about weak punches, strong punches, blocking, and a wide variety of customizable boxing gloves.
The Nintendo Switch will be available in stores beginning on March 3, and Arms is expected to launch sometime this Spring. (more…)
Switch owners will get to test out Splatoon 2 in a Global Testfire on March 24-26; Local Multiplayer and Spectator Mode also confirmed
Nintendo successfully sold the original Splatoon to unsure Wii U owners with a series of Global Testfires that allowed players to try out the multiplayer shooter before it launched. This was new territory for Nintendo, though other publishers have been using open betas to build hype for years.
But it looks like the consolemaker had a good experience with their Global Testfire gambit, because they’re bring it back for Splatoon 2. Beginning March 24, Switch owners will be able to download a special demo version of the game that’ll include four different main weapons: the new Splat Dualies, as well as remixed versions of the Splat Roller and Splat Charger.
Splatoon 2’s Global Testfire will be available for six hour-long blocks during the demo period:
Global Testfire Starting Times (Eastern Time)
- Friday, March 24: 3:00 PM and 11:00 PM
- Saturday, March 25: 7:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 11:00 PM
- Sunday, March 26: 7:00 AM
Nintendo also announced that the final version of Splatoon 2 will include a local multiplayer mode, known as LAN Play because each player will need their own Switch console, for up to eight players. And two additional non-players will be able to watch all the action unfold from multiple camera angles (including overhead) in a special Private Battle Spectator View.
Finally, the consolemaker confirmed that Amiibo figures from the original Splatoon series will be compatible with Splatoon 2.
Splatoon 2 will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch sometime this Summer. A new trailer advertising the Global Testfire can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2
Indie Megabooth will host 12 games in their GDC 2017 Showcase
The Indie Megabooth will once again offer a small chunk of real estate at the Game Developers Conference to up-and-coming developers this year. Their GDC 2017 Showcase will feature 12 games that are sometimes goofy (Keyboard Sports), sometimes terrifying (Perception), and sometimes without explanation.
The full lineup includes:
Indie Megabooth’s GDC 2017 Showcase
- _Transfer
- A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher
- Cosmic Express
- I, Hope
- Keyboard Sports
- Lightfield
- Monster Prom
- Perception
- Post Human WAR
- Rogue Process
- Snake Pass
- Super Slime Arena
The Indie Megabooth will set up shop in San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center on the third floor of West Hall, and more information about every game featured in the Showcase can be found on their official website.
The 2017 Game Developers Conference will begin on February 27.