Most Recent: Switch

Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, Garage, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on May 10, 2018 by John Scalzo

The urban weirdness of 80s action staples like Big Trouble In Little China, They Live, and The Golden Child is alive and well in TinyBuild’s Garage, an overhead shooter for the Switch that takes place in a parking garage with “a passageway to a supernatural world that has never seen the light of day.”

Also set to launch for the Switch later this week is Battle Chasers: Nightwar, a traditional turn-based RPG from Nordic Games and Airship Syndicate that’s based on Joe Madureira’s cult comic series. It’ll be available to download on Tuesday, May 15.

Also on May 15, 3DS owners will be able to download Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, an enhanced remake of Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. Originally released for the DS in 2010, the remake features “new story content, additional endings, a new dungeon to explore, brand-new illustrations by Masayuki Doi, updated visuals and UI tweaks, and more.”

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 – Deluxe Edition, Hyper Sentinel, The Fall, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch | Tagged ,

Nintendo Switch Online service coming in September with NES Library, Cloud Saves, online play, more

Posted on May 8, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has announced the first official details for their Nintendo Switch Online service, which we now know will go live in September 2018. As expected, the service will be priced at $20 per month, though “$4 for One Month” and “$8 for Three Months” plans will also be available. A Family Membership (12 Months for $35) will include access to the Nintendo Switch Online service for up to eight Nintendo Account holders.

We already knew the basics of Nintendo’s service, and the consolemaker reconfirmed that Switch owners will need to subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online service if they wish to play online. But also revealed that the service will include an option for Save Data Cloud Backup, giving Switch owners the chance to “retrieve their data if they lose, break, or purchase an additional Nintendo Switch system.”

But I think that most Switch owners will list the NES Library as the biggest perk of the Nintendo Switch Online service. The NES Library will initially launch with access to 20 games, and more will be added on a regular basis. For now, Nintendo has announced that subscribers will be able to play Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Soccer, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Tennis. Best of all, all games will include a Spectator Mode, as well as online competitive or co-op multiplayer (if the original game offered multiplayer options, of course). The other ten titles as part of the NES Library’s launch will be revealed at a later date.

If this sounds like a rebranded “Virtual Console,” you’re not far off. After making this announcement, Nintendo reached out to Kotaku to confirm that the “Virtual Console” branding won’t be used on the Switch. Instead, games from previous Nintendo consoles will be offered through Nintendo Switch Online, individually through the eShop (like Sega and Hamster are doing), or in packaged collections (like Capcom is doing with the Mega Man franchise):

“There are a variety of ways in which classic games from Nintendo and other publishers are made available on Nintendo Switch, such as through Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo eShop or as packaged collections,” the Nintendo spokesperson said. “Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online will provide a fun new way to experience classic NES games that will be different from the Virtual Console service, thanks to enhancements such as added online play, voice chat via the Nintendo Switch Online app and the various play modes of Nintendo Switch.”

It’s currently unknown if Nintendo will add other platforms to Nintendo Switch Online’s playable library of games, but hopefully they’ll have more to say about the service at this year’s E3 Expo.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged , , ,

New Retail Releases: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Conan Exiles, Megadimension Neptunia VIIR, More

Posted on May 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

The month of May trudges on as a quintet of new games make their way to retail shelves this week…

Leading the short parade is Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, an isometric RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. Set to launch this week for the PC, Deadfire adds “vastly improved graphics” and “deeper game mechanics” to the franchise, as well as giving players the opportunity to customize and pilot a ship.

Swords and sorcery are also at the center of Conan Exiles, which will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One this week courtesy of Funcom. In this adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, players will fight for survival in a harsh world, while also building a home and waging war against enemies.

Speaking of weird worlds, Idea Factory will revisit their Neptunia franchise with the release of Megadimension Neptunia VIIR this week. VIIR is a VR-enhanced re-release of Megadimension Neptunia VII for the PS4 with a new engine and a renovated battle system.

Finally, WayForward will release Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – Ultimate Edition for the Switch, a bundle featuring the original side-scroller along with both of its expansions. And Red Hook will do the same on the PS4 for their roguelike RPG with the Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Raging Justice, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on May 3, 2018 by John Scalzo

Switch owners with retro sensibilities will enjoy this week’s Nintendo eShop update…

A re-release of Retro’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze leads the way, but the side-scroller has some funky new tricks up its sleeve for its Switch debut. The aptly named Funky Mode will let players take control of Funky Kong as part of “a more approachable experience for players of all ages and skill levels.” Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be available to download beginning tomorrow, May 4.

Also available this week is Raging Justice, a side-scrolling brawler from Team17 and MakinGames. The game was inspired by Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, and Switch owners will be able to battle it out with street thugs or arrest them if they’d prefer to be a “Good Cop.” Raging Justice will be available to download on Tuesday, May 8.

WayForward’s Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – Ultimate Edition will also be added to the Nintendo eShop on May 8, and Switch owners will get the original game, as well as both expansions (Friends to the End and Pirate Queen’s Quest).

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Nihilumbra, Professional Construction: The Simulation, Cast of the Seven Godsends, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged , ,

The Games of May 2018

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Warp Zoned Staff

Game publishers are launching just a handful of “new” games this month, but Switch owners should be pleased with a slew of big re-releases from Nintendo, Capcom, and Nicalis.

You might not agree with all our choices, but the next four weeks are going to be great if you’re looking forward to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Ikaruga, and many others. It’s almost a shame that Dark Souls Remastered‘s Switch launch was pushed out to the Summer, but at least PC, PS4, and Xbox One players will get to stay on theme.

You can find out exactly why the Warp Zoned staff is looking forward to these games, and view the release schedule for all of this month’s new games, after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Features, PC, PS4, Switch, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged , , , ,

Just Shapes and Beats will be released for PC and Switch on May 31

Posted on May 2, 2018 by John Scalzo

Berzerk Studio recently updated the official website for Just Shapes and Beats, and they’ve announced that their “trippy/couch co-op/musical/bullet hell” game will be released for the PC and Switch on Thursday, May 31.

Just Shapes and Beats was originally in development for solely for the PC, but Nintendo’s most recent Nindies Showcase revealed that it would also be sliding over to the Switch. Berzerk described the game’s Switch launch as a “timed exclusive,” so it’ll likely also make an appearance on the PS4 and/or Xbox One later this year.

Posted in News, PC, Switch | Tagged

Nicalis and Treasure will bring Ikaruga to the Switch on May 29

Posted on May 1, 2018 by John Scalzo

Way back in 2003, Treasure’s Ikaruga redefined the vertically-scrolling shooter with a strategic style that required players to quickly switch the polarity of their ship to survive (and ultimately, fight back against) an unending wave of enemy gunfire. And now, a decade-and-a-half later, it’s coming to the Switch.

Nicalis has announced (via their official website) that Ikaruga will make its Switch debut with a Nintendo eShop release on May 29. The frantic arcade action will remain intact, and Switch owners will even be able to tilt their screen and play the game vertically (AKA TATE Mode) when in Tabletop Mode:

Playing as the rebel freedom fighter Shinra, pilot of the advanced Ikaruga aircraft, you must defeat the relentless forces of a conquering nation not only by dodging and shooting, but also by switching between two polarities—black or white—to absorb enemy bullets of matching color. The ability to switch polarities at the press of a button adds a tactical, puzzle-like element to the action, and as you absorb bullets you’ll power-up your ship’s homing laser to dish out up to 10 times more punishment. Additionally, blasting enemies of opposite polarity allows you to inflict double damage on your foes. But beware: One hit from an opposite-polarity bullet will mean the destruction of your ship.

Ikaruga will be priced at $14.99 on the Nintendo eShop and the first trailer has been embedded above.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Dark Souls Remastered Network Test coming to PS4, Xbox One on May 11-13

Posted on May 1, 2018 by John Scalzo

Bandai Namco has announced plans to host a Network Test for Dark Souls Remastered later this month on the PS4 and Xbox One.

If you want to get involved, you’ll need to download the Network Test client beforehand, and it’ll be available as a free download through the PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store beginning on Wednesday, May 2, at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time). PS4 and Xbox One owners will have until the following Wednesday, May 9, to grab the client, but after that, “no new participants will be accepted.”

The Network Test itself will begin on Friday, May 11 (at 9:00 PM Eastern Time), and continue until the early morning hours of Sunday, May 13 (the servers will go offline at 3:00 AM Eastern Time, to be exact). According to the publisher, the test will take place within the game’s “Undead Parish” location and players will be asked to summon co-op partners or invade the games of other players.

Dark Souls Remastered will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 25. Switch owners will get the chance to purchase Dark Souls Remastered later this Summer, and Bandai Namco is planning a second Network Test before the game’s launch on Nintendo’s newest console.

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