Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
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Warp Zoned Presents
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Most Recent: Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the NES fangame transforms Breath of the Wild into an 8-bit adventure
Nintendo famously created an 8-bit prototype of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to help the development team get acclimated to working with its many interlocking systems. Fans have been clamoring for a chance to play this prototype since its reveal, but Nintendo doesn’t appear to be in any rush to make it available for public use.
Naturally, a dedicated Nintendo fan, Winter Drake, has decided to create a playable version of the prototype in his spare time.
The fangame is known as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the NES, and a demo is currently available as a free download through Itch.io. Nintendo is usually quick to ask their lawyers to issue a “Cease and Desist” order when their characters are used in a fan-created game, but the developer of Breath of the NES has vowed to finish at any costs. Specifically, they told Kotaku that he plans to swap out Link and his Hyrulian enemies with original characters when the time comes:
“When a lot of people hear about this project, they jump to worrying about a cease and desist from Nintendo,” Winter Drake told Kotaku. “While I’m going to stay hardworking on Breath of the NES for as long as I can, if Nintendo asks me to stop using their IP, I do plan to continue development with my own original characters. I’m having way too much fun creating this world to just give up.”
Winter Drake also said they’re not creating a direct conversion of Breath of the Wild, but want to “capture the spirit” of the game:
“This project is still in its early stages… I’ll be adding more areas with distinct elements and atmospheres, puzzle elements for dungeons, and lots of ways to creatively kill enemies,” Winter Drake, the developer behind Breath of the NES, told Kotaku.
“I have a lot of plans for original features in the game, and although I’d like to capture the spirit of BotW and NES Zelda, I’m not restricting myself to be perfectly faithful.”
Winter Drake will be providing additional updates on Breath of the NES’s development on Twitter.
Splatoon manga coming to North America in Fall 2017
CoroCoro Comics published a manga series based on Nintendo’s Splatoon in Japan after the game’s launch in 2015. Serialized in CoroCoro magazine, the series, which was written and illustrated by Sankichi Hinodeya, was eventually compiled in two volumes.
This weekend, Viz Media announced (via Twitter) that they’re translating it into English for a North American release this Fall.
We don’t currently have any more details than that, but fans will get the chance to dive back into the world of Splatoon this July when Splatoon 2 launches for the Nintendo Switch.
Rock out to these screenshots from “Starfish Mainstage,” another new stage coming to Splatoon 2
Nintendo recently announced that fans will be able to return to the world of Splatoon 2 on July 21, and Nintendo UK pitched in with a quick look at “Starfish Mainstage,” a new stage set to appear in the Switch sequel:
This is Starfish Mainstage. It’s an outdoor music venue that hosts concerts for all types of music acts. The now legendary “Squid Squad” played here once, and it’s considered a bit of a holy site for devotees of rock music. It’s a wonder that all the ink spray doesn’t cause the equipment to short circuit, but we suppose they’ve got it all figured out.
“Starfish Mainstage” seems to feature a fairly wide open design, which you can see for yourself in a pair of screenshots available after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2
New Retail Releases: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Dragon Quest Heroes II, More
Spring has sprung, flowers are in bloom, and a huge batch of new releases will be sprouting on the shelves at your local game store this week.
Nintendo Switch owners have the biggest reasons to celebrate this week as Nintendo will bring Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the console, while Sega will release Puyo Puyo Tetris. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes all of the downloadable content from Mario Kart 8’s original release, as well as several new racers, a brand new Battle Mode, and improved graphics. Meanwhile, Puyo Puyo Tetris mashes together the two puzzle game franchises to create a multiplayer title that features nearly a dozen different ways to play.
Also available this week is a pair of terrifying new titles, including Red Barrels’s first-person horror compilation, Outlast Trinity (which contains Outlast, its expansion, and the brand new Outlast II) for the PS4 and Xbox One. Bandai Namco will also release their creepy puzzle platformer, Little Nightmares, for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Elsewhere on store shelves, fans of big swords and big guns will be able to get your fix with the Square Enix/Koei Tecmo collaboration, Dragon Quest Heroes II (PS4), and CI Games’s shooter sequel, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One).
Finally this week, the Syberia franchise comes in from the cold with Syberia 3, which will launch for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
You can find a complete list of this week’s new retail releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Dragon Quest Heroes II, Little Nightmares, Mario Kart 8, Outlast, Outlast 2, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, Syberia 3
Nintendo smashed sales records in March 2017… but Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands was the top-selling game
Nintendo told us all about their record-setting sales month last week, but the NPD Group made it official today when they revealed their retail report on the video game industry for March 2017.
NPD analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz: “March 2017 will go down in history books as the month Nintendo broke records.The Nintendo Switch had the biggest hardware launch for a Nintendo platform and the second biggest launch for any video game platform since 1995, the time NPD began tracking this category.”
However, even though The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild managed to sell more than 900,000 copies, it wasn’t able to secure the #1 spot. Instead, Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands was the best-selling game last month, likely due to Nintendo’s unwillingness to share their digital sales figures with the NPD Group. Other strong sellers on the Switch included 1-2 Switch (#13) and Super Bomberman R (#17).
Big debuts weren’t limited to Nintendo’s Switch, and it was a banner month for several new releases last month, as Mass Effect: Andromeda (#3), Horizon: Zero Dawn (#4), and Nier: Automata (#9) also smashed expectations. Combined with impressive Switch hardware sales, these games helped the industry record more than $1.36 billion in total sales for the month, a 24% year-on-year increase over March 2016.
The complete list of best-selling games from March 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged 1-2-Switch, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, FIFA 17, For Honor, Grand Theft Auto V, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMix, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMix, Lego Worlds, Madden NFL 17, Mass Effect: Andromeda, MLB The Show 17, NBA 2K17, Nier: Automata, NPD, Overwatch, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Super Bomberman R, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Nintendo Download: Wonder Boy The Dragon’s Trap, Rayman 3, Rayman Advance, more
Nintendo’s Switch continues to be a home for interesting retro-themed titles, as two more are now available to purchase through the Nintendo eShop.
Developed by Lizardcube, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a remake of 1989’s Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, and the side-scrolling platformer has been updated with a hand-drawn visual style and a re-orchestrated soundtrack for its Switch debut. Also available to download this week is Fatal Fury, a re-release of one of SNK’s earliest fighting games.
Nintendo’s other platforms will receive a handful of new downloadable titles this week, including Urban Trial Freestyle 2 for the 3DS. Developed by Teyon, the stunt racer asks players to “pull off insane stunts on top of skyscrapers, speed down busy highways, and take intense rides through the suburbs.” There’s even a few new games available for the Wii U this week, including Virtual Console re-releases of Rayman Advance and Rayman 3.
You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Ubisoft’s new Berlin studio begins work on “unannounced AAA project”
Ubisoft is expanding once again.
The megapublisher has announced plans to open a new studio in Berlin, which will join the well-established Ubisoft Blue Byte in the German capital. Ubisoft Blue Byte is best known as the creator of the Anno series of strategy games, and they will work alongside the newly-created Ubisoft Berlin on an “unannounced AAA project.”
Ubisoft didn’t reveal any more information about this “unannounced AAA project,” but they did mention a few more details about the plan for Ubisoft Berlin on the UbiBlog:
Ubisoft Berlin
Germany is home to Blue Byte, one of the most established names in German gaming and an industry leader in PC strategy games. The team in Berlin will work closely with the BlueByte teams in both Düsseldorf and Mainz on an unannounced AAA project, and will help Ubisoft establish a presence in the German capital. The studio is looking for newcomers and industry veterans alike, as they plan to grow to around 50 people within their first 12 months. Keep up with the latest news from the BlueByte team and check job openings locally at http://jobs.ubisoft.com.
Ubisoft also announced that they’re opening a satellite studio in Bordeaux, France. Ubisoft Bordeaux will collaborate with other Ubisoft studios on franchises like Just Dance, Steep, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
Learn all about Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers in this new trailer
Capcom wants to educate all would-be World Warriors with a new trailer for Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers. The Switch-exclusive remake is set to launch on May 26, and it’ll include a wide variety of new features and modes to revitalize the 25-year-old game.
Ultra Street Fighter II will add two new characters to the game (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken), as well a first-person “Way of the Hado” Mode, Touchscreen Super Moves, two-on-one Buddy Battles, a Character Color Editor, and Arcade Standby for online play.
Ultra Street Fighter II will also include two soundtrack options (“Classic” and “New Generation”), and Capcom has created a special sampler video for players interested in a preview of the new music. You can find it after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Street Fighter II