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
The Switch continues to soar as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the best-selling game in April 2017
Nintendo continues to dominate the retail charts with another strong showing in April for their Switch console. According to The NPD Group, Nintendo added another 280,000 Switch consoles to its tally last month, and the newly-launched Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold more than 459,000 copies (in just two days) to take the top spot on the list of best-selling games. The company’s success also seems to be great for the industry as a whole, as the industry generated $636 million in sales in April 2017, a 10% increase over the year before.
The other big news in April is that Persona 5 pushed the franchise and gave the RPG the #2 spot on the best-seller list, just below Mario Kart 8.
“Persona 5 experienced the strongest debut month for any title in Persona franchise history, with packaged dollar sales five times that of the previous best-selling debut, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4,” NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella told GamesIndustry.biz.
Additional new releases were thin on the ground in last month’s Top 20, but Lego Undercover‘s re-release on the PC and current-generation consoles helped it secure a spot (#13). And as expected, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continued to sell well, landing in the #3 position for the month. But the big retail winners in April all came from the backlist, including Grand Theft Auto V (#6), Overwatch (#9), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (#10), and Minecraft (#20).
The NPD Group’s complete list of best-selling games for April 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, For Honor, Grand Theft Auto V, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix, Lego City Undercover, Lego Worlds, Mario Kart 8, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Minecraft, MLB The Show 17, NBA 2K17, Nier: Automata, NPD, Overwatch, Persona 5, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Nintendo Download: Fire Emblem Echoes, Thumper, Darksiders Warmastered Edition, more
It’s Thursday, and Nintendo is back with another update to the Nintendo eShop. Here’s what you’ll see on the storefront’s digital shelves…
After 25 years, Nintendo is finally Fire Emblem Gaiden to a North American audience as Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for the 3DS. Fire Emblem Echoes is a tactical RPG with a pair of intertwining stories that began life as an NES exclusive previously only available in Japan. Set to launch tomorrow, Fire Emblem Echoes is expected to be the last game in the series to appear on the 3DS.
Jumping over to the Switch shelves, Drool has brought their “rhythm violence” game Thumper to Nintendo’s newest console. Guide your “Space Beetle” down a track by hitting the right notes, and do then battle with a “Giant Head From the Future” to win.
Finally, the Wii U lives for another week with the release of apocalyptic action game Darksiders: Warmastered Edition on Tuesday, May 23.
You can find more information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Darksiders, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Thumper
Mr. Shifty Review: Not Ready to Shift Into the Spotlight
Mr. Shifty is a top-down brawler from Team Shifty, a new development studio out of Brisbane, Australia. As Mr. Shifty, you are able to shift/teleport your way through walls and bullets, taking down your enemies at lightning speed while trying to break into the world’s most secure facility. There are 18 levels to shift your way across, all with varying difficulty. New enemies help keep the gameplay fresh and exciting, but the replayability of the title is lacking a bit.
So, you’re a teleporting thief who has embarked on his biggest heist yet. What could possibly go wrong? Well, if you are Mr. Shifty, the answer to that is everything. (more…)
Posted in PC, Reviews, Switch, Top Story
Tagged Mr. Shifty
Callie is missing in the first Splatoon 2 single-player trailer
If you’ve been following the “Squid Sisters Stories” saga, then you know that Callie disappeared after the conclusion of Splatoon‘s final Splatfest. This forced separation has sent Marie into seclusion, and it also forms the spine of Splatoon 2‘s single-player Store Mode (and the new trailer embedded above).
Like some kind of eight-limbed bounty hunter, players will venture through Octo Valley and attempt to bring Callie home:
In a shocking twist, Callie – of Squid Sisters fame – has gone missing and her right-tentacle squid Marie tasks the player to search for Callie and the Great Zapfish. Players can use different weapons in single-player mode to overcome obstacles, defeat enemies and take down towering bosses – weapons like the Roller, Slosher, Splatling or the new Dualies. The single-player mode is designed to teach players tips and tricks that they can then use in multiplayer.
Splatoon 2 will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on July 21.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2
NIS America launches Switch eShop demo and Overview Trailer for Disgaea 5 Complete
Disgaea 5 Complete will make its way to the Nintendo Switch on May 23, and NIS America wants to make sure the franchise’s fans are prepared with an Overview Trailer. Whether you’re new to the series, or just need a refresher, you can learn all about the game’s battle system and story with this brand new video. The publisher also revealed that a demo of Disgaea 5 Complete is now available to download through the Switch eShop.
Disgaea 5 Complete was first released in 2015 for the PS4 as Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance, and the Switch re-release will include the original game and all of its post-launch downloadable content.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
New trailer shows how players can customize their own character and in Sonic Forces
Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic will be receiving some help in this Fall’s Sonic Forces. Sega has announced that players will also be able to dash through the game’s levels as their own “powerful gadget touting” customizable character.
Players will be equipping their custom Hero Character with one of a variety of powerful unique gadgets called Wispons. Wispons are an evolution of the Color Powers from Sonic Colors and double as both offensive abilities and as a way to platform through levels quickly. Along with the Wispon, the Hero Character will have a grappling hook they can utilize to quickly traverse across zones. Players can also customize the Hero Character’s looks by choosing and swapping between hundreds of accessories and outfit options to change the character’s appearance as they play through the game.
In addition to changing their look, players can also choose the species of their Hero Character:
Animal Types in Sonic Forces
- Wolf – Automatically draws in rings when near them
- Rabbit – Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
- Cat – Keeps one ring after being hit
- Dog – Restarts with five rings after the player dies
- Bear – Blows away enemies with a homing attack
- Bird – Flies high with double jump abilities
- Hedgehog – Collects rings when getting damaged
And in case you were worried, Hero Characters won’t be walled off in special areas of the game. According to Sega, they’ll be “a key part of the story” and appear alongside Sonic in cutscenes and throughout his adventure.
Sonic Forces will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One this Fall. A new gameplay trailer featuring a customizable character with a grappling hook and fired-based Wispon can be found after the break. (more…)
Sega’s future plans include a focus on PC development and “revival of major IPs”
Sega fans have been on a wild roller coaster ride since the company’s early 90s heyday. Every time Sega hits it out of the park, they seem to crash back down to Earth in short order. But the publisher has started to turn things around lately, especially after their merger with Atlus.
Fresh off the launch of Persona 5, Sega has issued a “Road to 2020” report as part of a presentation to investors. In addition to disclosing financial details, the report talks about short-term goals (such as “aim for big hits”), as well as longer-term plans on how to keep this recent bit of momentum going.
The first part of Sega’s plan involves expanding their reach on the PC by developing more titles based on existing properties and obtaining new properties in deals with outside developers. The publisher has already begun to follow through with this promise by re-launching Bayonetta and Vanquish through Steam.
But Sega also wants to bring back some of their classic game franchises and are planning a “Revival of major IPs” in the future. The report didn’t delve into which properties Sega is looking to revive, but the company’s back catalog offers a nearly unrivaled selection of characters to choose from. Personally, I’d love to see another chapter in the House of the Dead saga.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Sega’s plans for the future soon.
WB Games will release Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 on November 14
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 was first teased more than six months ago as one of the struck titles from the SAG-AFTRA voice actor’s strike (which has still not been resolved, by the way), but a new announcement from WB Games has confirmed the game will be out this Fall.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 will be developed by TT Games, and feature a dimension-hopping story that’ll bring together a huge number of Marvel characters:
Players will go head-to-head with the time-traveling Kang the Conqueror in an epic battle across Chronopolis, from Ancient Egypt and The Old West to Sakaar and New York City in 2099. Along the way, gamers will be able to take control of a host of iconic characters, from Cowboy Captain America from the past to Spider-Man 2099 from the future along with Thor, Hulk, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Green Goblin, and dozens of other Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains.
“With a completely original branching storyline, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 introduces amazing new gameplay features, including the ability for characters to manipulate time and a four-player competitive Super Hero battling mode,” said Tom Stone, the Managing Director at TT Games. “With a huge array of brand new characters from the Marvel Universe, including old favorites in new guises, this game is sure to thrill both Lego and Marvel fans, as well as newcomers to the series.”
WB Games will release Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 14. The game is also in development for the Switch, and it’ll be released for Nintendo’s console sometime this Fall. An official launch date for Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 on the Switch will be announced at a later time.
Finally, you can find the first teaser trailer for Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 after the break. And WB Games plans to unveil the “Full-Length Trailer” on May 23. (more…)