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Content Crash #3: Will New Games Always Cost $60?

Welcome everyone to the Content Crash podcast. I’m your host, Dan Hartnack, and with as always, Keno Eastmond.

Today’s topic… we’d like to talk about the pricing of games. The standard has forever been that a brand new AAA release comes out and it is $60. That happened way back in the 90s with Nintendo and the Super NES. And all the way to today, that number has not changed, for the most part.

But why is that? And will it ever change?


You can subscribe to the Content Crash podcast on YouTube or SoundCloud.

Posted in PC, Podcast, PS2, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Top Story, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

SteamWorld Dig 2 also coming to PC and PS4 alongside Switch launch in Late Summer/Early Fall 2017

Image & Form has announced that SteamWorld Dig 2 will be available “soon-ish,” and they also revealed that it’s coming to the PC and PS4 as well. Community Manager Julius Guldbog had a bit more to say about the announcement on the developer’s official website:

We’re happy to reveal that SteamWorld Dig 2 is coming to Steam and PS4 in addition to Nintendo Switch. We plan to have SWD2 out on all [platforms] within a few days of the Nintendo Switch debut. A few years ago a multi-platform launch would’ve been completely impossible for us. Thanks to hard work and a bigger team we can finally make it happen. It’s like we’re a “real” game studio now!

Rest assured that these new versions of the game won’t delay the Nintendo Switch version, it’s just that multi-platform development is so much easier for us nowadays. Switch is still the main platform, and now more gamers can join in on the fun!

The addition of two new platforms means that SteamWorld Dig 2 won’t make its originally-planned Summer 2017 launch date. Instead, the game will be available on all three platforms in “Late Summer/Early Fall 2017” So Image & Form can apply some extra polish to it.

Finally, Guldbog said that Image & Form “have not forgotten where we came from,” and that “Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita are still important to us.” So it’s very likely that a portable version of SteamWorld Dig 2 will materialize at some point.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch | Tagged

Clueless Gamer returns… Conan O’Brien and Will Arnett play Arms

Conan O’Brien’s Clueless Gamer returns for another round of ridiculousness as the comedian straps on a pair of Joy-Cons to fight it out with Will Arnett in Nintendo’s Arms.

Conan and Arnett traded insults and springy-armed blows while playing the game, but they also seemed to be in a competition over the affections of Conan’s assistant, Aaron Bleyaert. Also, Will Arnett mumbles a lot, sweats even more, and mentions he’s from Canada every chance he gets.

I’m not sure I knew Will Arnett was Canadian, but I do know that Arms was released for the Nintendo Switch last week.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Justice was served as Injustice 2 was the best-selling game of May 2017

NetherRealm Studios has done it again… The NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz) has revealed that Injustice 2 was the best-selling game in May.

In the midst of Wonder Woman-mania, the one-on-one fighter beat out the Switch’s heaviest hitters (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at #2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at #4), as well as Prey (#5) and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia (#7).

Grand Theft Auto V continues to sell well, landing at #3 in the monthly tally. And Blizzard’s Overwatch celebrated its first anniversary by squeaking into the top ten at #10.

A list of May 2017’s top ten best-selling titles can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Ubisoft unveils the first in-engine gameplay demo for Beyond Good and Evil 2

Michel Ancel’s pre-show fakeout fooled us all, which meant that Beyond and Good Evil fans were suitably thrilled when its sequel made its debut during Ubisoft’s E3 Press Conference. But that wasn’t the only E3 2017 appearance for Beyond and Good Evil 2.

In addition to the cinematic trailer they showed to the public, Ubisoft also produced a “closed door” gameplay demo for members of the media. Beyond and Good Evil 2 is still in an extremely early state, and the demo only offered viewers the chance to see what the game’s engine is capable of, but today, Ubisoft released a video of that demo to the public.

Now’s your chance to marvel at the massive cities of System 3, including the unique architecture built in to the massive structures you’ll be able to fly right up to. From there, blast off into outer space and get a feel for the game’s spaceship sections, and then crash back down to the craggy surface of the planet.

The UbiBlog offers up a similar description of the video:

In a new behind-the-scenes video, creator Michel Ancel will walk you through what Beyond Good and Evil 2’s new engine is capable of, showing off its massive scale, intricate level of detail, multiple methods of exploration, and more.

A prequel to the first Beyond Good and Evil, Beyond Good and Evil 2 tells a story of space piracy in System 3, a star system being colonized largely through the use of human-animal hybrids as slave labor.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is currently in development at Ubisoft, with an unknown release date, for unknown platforms.

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

Nintendo Download: Ever Oasis, RPG Maker Fes, Fatal Fury 2, more

Nintendo’s Summer of weird and wild new games continues to hum along with this week’s Nintendo Download…

Leading the pack is Ever Oasis, a brand new action RPG for the 3DS that was directed by Koichi Ishii, the creator of the Mana series. The game shares a lot of similarities with its spiritual predecessor, and players will need to “explore the desert and solve puzzling dungeons” to gather the resources needed to rebuild their oasis. Ever Oasis will be available to download beginning tomorrow, June 23.

Also available to download for the 3DS this week is RPG Maker Fes, a game-building game from NIS America. Players will be able to create their own RPGs without any programming knowledge, and share them with the entire 3DS community through the free RPG Maker Player app. RPG Maker Fes will be available to download on Tuesday, June 27.

But if you’re looking for something to download today, Switch owners are now able to purchase Fatal Fury 2 from the Nintendo eShop. The NeoGeo classic was originally released in 1992 and you can relive all the punching and kicking now.

More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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

The A-Z of E3 2017: Warp Zoned’s Full Recap of Gaming’s Biggest Showcase

The 2017 E3 Expo was one of firsts. It was the first time that gaming’s biggest showcase was open to the public, and the first time that developers sat down for panel discussions in the E3 Coliseum.

It was also a show of firsts for us here at Warp Zoned. We premiered the first two episodes of our Content Crash podcast (Episode #1: The Eve of E3 2017 and Episode #2: The E3 2017 Recap), and asked “So Did Anyone “Win” the 2017 E3 Expo?” for the first time.

But we also got our first glimpse at how the game industry will be shaping up this Fall and into 2018. The Xbox One X is going to make everything a little prettier, but Nintendo wants to make everything a little weirder. And Sony just wants to make all our Spider-Man dreams come true. So read on for a full recap of this year’s E3 Expo, and to learn more about what we thought of this year’s biggest games-to-be. (more…)

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

Content Crash #2: The E3 2017 Recap

Welcome to the second episode of the Content Crash podcast. I am your host, Dan Hartnack, and I am here this time with my friend, Keno Eastmond.

We just had a huge week wrapping up, [Thursday] was the last day of E3 2017 and there was a lot to get to. We had the conferences starting all the way back on Saturday with EA, and then Microsoft Sunday, Bethesda Sunday, and then a whole bunch on Monday including Sony, the PC Gaming Show, Ubisoft, and wrap it all up with Nintendo on Tuesday. And then, you know, little things in-between.

I think it was a pretty packed show for the most part. There was a lot of things I liked. But anyway, we’re just going to get into it, and go down the line to discuss what we saw at each conference. We’ve got a lot of games… it was all about the games this year… as it should be every year…

Quick Rundown

  • 2:00 – Electronic Arts
  • 8:45 – Microsoft
  • 26:38 – Bethesda
  • 38:20 – Devolver Digital
  • 40:54 – PC Gaming Show
  • 51:42 – Ubisoft
  • 1:00:55 – Sony
  • 1:14:50 – Nintendo
  • 1:20:25 – The Rest of E3

You can subscribe to the Content Crash podcast on YouTube or SoundCloud.

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