Most Recent: Switch

Epic delays free-to-play version of Fortnite: Save the World into 2019

Posted on October 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

Fortnite was a very different game when it was first released in July 2017. Originally, the game was developed as a team-based shooter where players would battle zombies and rescue survivors (not unlike Left 4 Dead) while also crafting and building weapons and defensive fortifications.

That all changed when Epic Games launch the Fortnite: Battle Royale expansion. Very quickly, the 100-player free-for-all was all anyone was talking about, and the main game (which was retroactively retitled as Fortnite: Save the World) was moved to the back burner.

But Epic always planned to offer a free-to-play version of Fortnite’s Save the World mode, and it was expected to launch before the end of this year. However, the developer has now confirmed (via their official website) that it won’t be available sometime in 2019:

We decided to move the free-to-play launch of Save the World out of this year. We’re working on a broad set of features, reworks, and backend system scaling we believe are needed to go free-to-play. Save the World has grown consistently since our launch in July 2017 and Fortnite overall has experienced unprecedented growth. Scaling up for the legions of player heroes who will be joining the fight is key to providing an excellent experience. This applies to all of our players, old and new, so we’re taking the time to get this right.

To make amends for this delay, Epic also announced that players will be able to pick up Fortnite: Save the World for 50% off beginning this week when they buy one of the game’s four Founder’s Packs.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged

New Retail Releases: Red Dead Redemption 2, Just Dance 2019, More

Posted on October 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

After almost a decade of waiting, it’s finally time to hop on your horse and ride along the dusty trails and gleaming train tracks of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. The Wild West prequel will be available in stores for the PS4 and Xbox One later this week, and while you might think that most game publishers would avoid going head-to-head with the highly-anticipated new entry in the famed franchise… you’d be wrong.

Well, sort of.

Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2019 serves as a perfect bit of counterprogramming to Rockstar’s cowboy epic, and the latest addition to the series will be available on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, as well as the PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360.

But the rest of this week’s new retail releases are mostly a smattering of smaller games from smaller publishers. Nickelodeon Kart Racers will let fans drive for the finish line as their Nickelodeon characters. A different kind of driving skill is required for Spintires: Mudrunner – American Wilds Edition. And Bandai Namco will launch My Hero One’s Justice, the first game based on the My Hero Academia anime. All three games will be available for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

A complete look at this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

New Retail Releases: Starlink: Battle For Atlas, Soul Calibur VI, Lego DC Super-Villains, More

Posted on October 15, 2018 by John Scalzo

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally moseying up to its release date, so game publishers are rushing to launch their latest projects ahead of the Wild West prequel. And that means several big releases will make their way onto store shelves this week, including new games from Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, WB Games, and 2K Games.

Ubisoft will attempt to revive the toys-to-life genre with Starlink: Battle For Atlas for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Players can customize the space shooter by purchasing additional Starship Packs and Weapon Packs, and Switch owners will even be able to pilot an Arwing from Star Fox right out of the box.

Several other long-running franchises will also receive new entries this week, including Bandai Namco’s one-on-one fighter Soul Calibur VI (PS4, Xbox One, and download-only on the PC) and WB Games’s family-friendly action title Lego DC Super-Villains (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and download-only on the PC). Saber Interactive is also charging the hoop for their second arcade-style basketball game, teaming up with 2K Games for NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and download-only on the PC).

Finally this week, Dark Souls Remastered will finally make its way to the Switch, and Bandai Namco will also bundle together all three games in the Dark Souls Trilogy for the PS4 and Xbox One. For Honor: Marching Fire Edition from Ubisoft will also bundle together the original game and a big batch of new content for the PS4 and Xbox One.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , ,

New Retail Releases: CoD Black Ops 4, WWE 2K19, The World Ends With You Final Remix, More

Posted on October 8, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s the second week of October and the New Retail Releases continue to pile up to avoid Rockstar’s upcoming juggernaut…

The Call of Duty franchise ditches its single-player campaign this week with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. With an earlier release date than ever before, and a new focus on its Blackout battle royale experience, Call of Duty fans will definitely be wading into uncharted waters with Black Ops 4.

After its Deluxe Edition launch late last week, 2K Games will roll out the Standard Edition of WWE 2K19 this week for the PS4 and Xbox One (the game will also be available to download for the PC). Players will be able to take control of AJ Styles and dozens of other wrestlers thanks to the biggest roster ever in a WWE game.

Players looking to dive back in to some classics will yesteryear will get their chance on Nintendo platforms this week. Square Enix will revive a beloved RPG originally released for the DS as The World Ends With You: Final Remix for the Nintendo Switch this week. Nintendo themselves will shrink down one of the GameCube’s most surprising launch titles, Luigi’s Mansion, for the 3DS. And NIS America will continue to pump out Disgaea remasters with the release of Disgaea 1 Complete for the PS4 and Switch.

Finally this week, Microsoft will bundle Minecraft into a pair of new packages for those who have yet to purchase it on the Xbox One. Both the Starter Collection and the Master Collection will include the main game, and a unique selection of downloadable content.

A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , ,

Skybound Games reaches deal with Telltale to complete The Walking Dead: The Final Season

Posted on October 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

We still don’t know what will happen to the hundreds of employees that Telltale Games unceremoniously let go as part of their “majority studio closure” on September 21, but thanks to an agreement with an outside developer, it looks like development on The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be completed.

Skybound Games, the video game division of The Walking Dead author Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment, announced that they’ve reached a deal with Telltale to finish the final two episodes of The Final Season:

According to Variety, Skybound plans to rehire “members of the original Telltale team to finish the story,” but nothing is official as of yet. More details about Skybound’s involvement with The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be announced at a later date.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged

Super Mario Party, Disgaea 1 Complete, Mark of the Ninja: Remastered, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on October 4, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s party time for Switch owners as the consolemaker will add Super Mario Party to the Nintendo eShop this week. Featuring the returning of Board Game Mode, as well an online minigame mode known as Mariothon, Super Mario Party will be available to download beginning October 5.

Also set to launch this week for the Switch are a pair of remastered re-releases. NIS America will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their flagship strategy RPG by bringing Disgaea 1 Complete to the Switch on Tuesday, October 9. And Klei Entertainment will bring Mark of the Ninja: Remastered, an enhanced and updated version of their side-scrolling stealth game, to the Nintendo eShop on the same date.

Finally this week, though Telltale Games remains embroiled in a “majority studio closure,” the developer managed to complete Batman: The Enemy Within for release on the Switch.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, The King of Fighters 2001, The Midnight Sanctuary, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged , , ,

Rumor: Nintendo will release an upgraded Switch console in 2019

Posted on October 4, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has a long history of keeping their handheld lines technologically up-to-date through a series of incremental upgrades before eventually moving on to a completely new platform. For just one example, look at how the DS begat the DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL between the handheld’s debut in 2004 and the 2011 launch of the 3DS.

So it’s been widely assumed by fans that the consolemaker will release an upgraded and enhanced version of the Switch at some point. And according to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, it could happen as early as Summer 2019.

Citing statements from “suppliers and others with direct knowledge of the plan,” the Wall Street Journal believes that Nintendo might be looking to engineer a better screen for the Switch, which would also increase battery life:

Nintendo is still debating what new hardware and software features to include in the upgrade and weighing the cost of the features, people with knowledge of the discussions said.

One option is improving the display, they said. The current Switch uses a lower-end liquid-crystal display without some technologies that are standard in more recent smartphone LCDs.

Updating the display with these technologies would make it brighter, thinner and more energy-efficient.

The Wall Street Journal’s sources also expect any upgraded version of the Switch to be compatible with all current Switch software. Nintendo declined to comment about any of their suppositions.

While still technically a rumor, I’m sure most Nintendo fans would be absolutely shocked if an upgraded Switch console failed to materialize. The only real question about this report is if the 2019 launch date is accurate.

Posted in News, Switch |

The Games of October 2018

Posted on October 2, 2018 by John Scalzo

The Fall is in full swing here in Warp Zoned’s northerly headquarters, and that means Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice, a lot of talk about the leaves, and plenty of new video games. There are so many games set to launch this month, but one stands out head and shoulders above all the rest… I’m talking, of course, about Just Dance 2019.

Nah, it’s actually Rockstar’s latest magnum opus, Red Dead Redemption 2. You know you’re doing something right when you’re a developer with multiple magnum opuses (opusii?). And that is definitely the case with Rockstar and their newest trip back to the American West.

But there are other games we’re excited for this month, and you can read all about them after the break. (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Switch, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged , , , ,