Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Another Big Night and Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2025-2026 DICE Awards
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- The Game Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Racks Up Nine Wins, Including “Game of the Year”, at the 2025 Game Awards
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: Wii U
Nintendo has another Mario game in development
Are you sitting down? You might want to sit down because Nintendo has confirmed that another Super Mario game is in development. Take a moment to compose yourself, this is a completely unprecedented and unexpected announcement.
OK, I kid because I love.
Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura of EAD Tokyo recently spoke to Edge, and confirmed the news that Mario will return. The pair was asked if the game would be released for the 3DS or the Wii U, but Koizumi shut that line of questioning down by saying, “That’s still a secret!” However, he did reveal that the team isn’t afraid to possibly shake things up: “There’s still a lot more room for discovery and invention, and we’ll continue to propose new and exciting game mechanics going into the future.”
On that note, Motokura added that if the game is in development for the Wii U, it “might need to make even more use of the [Wii U] GamePad.” Interesting.
So we still don’t know much about the next Mario game, but we do know that it’ll be the 20th game in the long-running franchise. Can you imagine if Nintendo stuck with the Super Mario Bros. title scheme after all these years? The fact that this is technically the announcement of Super Mario Bros. 20 utterly amazes me. And hopefully we’ll find out more about it soon.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario Maker
Direct from Nintendo… Super Smash Bros. 4 launches for 3DS this Summer, Wii U in Winter
They’re still not ready to reveal the final title, but Nintendo has confirmed that Super Smash Bros. 4 will be available for the 3DS this Summer with the Wii U release to follow sometime in the Winter. The news comes via a new Nintendo Direct video that included a multitude of other announcements:
- New Characters! Greninja, the final evolution of Froakie from Pokemon X/Y, will be included in a Smash Bros. game for the first time. It will be joined by returning favorites Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, Yoshi, and Charizard.
- Smash Run Mode! “Exclusive to the 3DS, four players have five minutes to enter a dungeon and explore the surroundings, fight enemies and obtain power-ups to enhance their fighters. Once the five minutes are up, all four fighters enter a battle arena using their newly equipped items and power-ups.”
- Custom Movesets! Players will be able to create custom movesets for all characters.
- Online Play! Online multiplayer will be included on both systems in two flavors… “For Glory” is a straight fight in Final Destination stages with no items, elevated areas, or platforms. “For Fun” includes random stages, items, and power-ups.
- Unique Stages! While the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game will feature similar stages, they will be unique on each platform. Wii U stages will be based on home console entries in a franchise while 3DS stages will draw inspiration from the handheld entries in the franchise.
- Bosses! Some stages will have boss characters that can be drawn into the fight. For example, the Rock Monster (AKA the Yellow Devil) will guard Dr. Wily’s Base.
- System Link! The 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. 4 will link up with the Wii U version in some way. More details later.
That’s all for now, but the complete Nintendo Direct video can be viewed above.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
Thumbs-On Impressions: GelTabz Performance Thumb Gripz
While a fantastic piece of hardware, the DualShock 4 is not without its issues, the most pressing of which is the quality of the analog sticks. Many gamers have reported cases of the rubber peeling off the sticks. Sony even issued a statement that they are looking into the problem and offered to replace any damaged controllers as they are covered under the warranty. I have not experienced this problem with my DualShock 4, but I have had a different issue: the sticks are slippery as hell.
Sure, it could be my thumbs, but I don’t remember perspiring this much during a gaming session, let alone having overactive sweat glands on my fingers. The issue really comes into play when I’ve got the analog stick pressed for an extended period of time, like during the flying race levels in Lego Marvel Heroes or certain challenges in Rayman Legends. Or pretty much the entirety of Resogun. I’ve found myself losing a life or throwing myself off-course due to having to reposition my left thumb, which can be the difference between life and death, or getting a silver medal instead of a gold. (more…)
New Releases: TitanFall Xbox 360, Lego The Hobbit, Kinect Sports Rivals, More
After a month-long delay, EA and Respawn Entertainment are finally ready to launch the Xbox 360 version of TitanFall.
If giant mechs duking it out on the battlefield isn’t your thing, you might be interested to know that WB Games will release the awkwardly-titled Lego The Hobbit this week. The game will be available on Tuesday for the 3DS, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One with a Wii U release set for April 22. A PC version of the game will be also be downloadable this week through Steam.
Finally, Microsoft will bring Kinect Sports Rivals, their motion-controlled sports franchise, to the Xbox One for the first time and Nintendo will join forces with Disney to bring the Disney Magical World life sim to the 3DS this week.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
The Kingpin, Black Cat, Green Goblin fight Spidey in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 game
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is absolutely packed with villains and the video game tie-in won’t be any different. Spider-Man will go head-to-head with The Kingpin, Black Cat, Electro, Green Goblin, and possibly a few others when Activision and Beenox release The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on April 29 (a 3DS version is also in the works). Serving the role of Yoda to Spidey’s Luke will be Kraven the Hunter (surely after a fight where our hero mistakes Kraven for a bad guy).
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will open in theaters on May 2.
Nintendo Download: Batman Blackgate, Metroid Fusion, Advance Wars, more
Everyone’s favorite handheld, the Game Boy Advance, returns in a big way this week courtesy of the Nintendo Download. Metroid Fusion (the last Metroid side-scroller), Advance Wars (one of the greatest strategy games of all time), and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (a pretty great RPG) are now purchasable through the Wii U eShop… and more 3DS games are on the way all month. Wii U owners will also have a chance to download Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate – Deluxe Edition, a high definition re-release of the Arkham Origins spinoff, and Evofish, an evolutionary fish sim.
Over on the 3DS, Nintendo has added their Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball, their free-to-play baseball-themed minigame collection, to the eShop along with a pair of Mystery Case Files hidden object games.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
New Mario Kart 8 trailer showcases the beautiful return of Rainbow Road 64
Mario Kart 64‘s version of Rainbow Road is one of my all-time favorite tracks from any Mario Kart game. And it’s making a return in next month’s Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U as one of the game’s “remixed” tracks. In addition to Rainbow Road 64, Nintendo announced that Toad’s Turnpike from Mario Kart 64 will also be added to the sequel, alongside Moo Moo Meadows from Mario Kart Wii and Donut Plains from Super Mario Kart.
Mario Kart 8 will be more than just old courses with a new coat of paint, as Nintendo also revealed two new items, three new characters, and the brand new “Spin Boost” special move. According to Nintendo, the Spin Boost gives players an advantage when racing upside down or on walls: “Players can bump into other racers or certain track obstacles to get a speed boost, fundamentally redefining the way that players compete.”
As they put the “Spin Boost” to work, players will also be able to use two new items. The Piranha Plant “attaches to the front of the player’s kart and chomps at other characters, banana peels on the track or even shells thrown by other characters.” And the Boomerang Flower “allows players to strike multiple opponents with a single toss” of the Boomerang. In another, totally unrelated, first for the series, Mario Kart 8 will feature music recorded by live performers on some courses.
Finally, Nintendo has confirmed that three more racers will join the fray: Metal Mario, Latiku (who’s going to wave the checkered flag when he’s racing?), and Shy Guy.
Mario Kart 8 will be available exclusively for the Wii U on May 30.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Mario Kart 8
Over 100 games will be included in the Indie Megabooth at PAX East 2014
Over the years, the Indie Megabooth has become one of the busiest spots at PAX East and PAX Prime and the 2014 East show is no exception. Organizers behind the Indie Megabooth have announced that 76 games will be permanently installed in the booth with another 28 titles rotating in-and-out of a special “Minibooth” within the Indie Megabooth over the course of the convention’s three days. For the first time, tabletop games will get a chance to shine in the Indie Megabooth. Sponsored by Cards Against Humanity, this selection of tabletop games includes bluffing game These French Fries Are Terrible Hot Dogs, party game Funemployed, and six others.
Other highlights in this year’s Megabooth include Duet, a hypnotic mobile puzzler; Delver’s Drop, everyone’s favorite indie answer to the Zelda franchise; Hyper Light Drifter, everyone’s other favorite indie answer to the Zelda franchise; Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Answer, a sequel to the ultraviolent overhead shooter; and Secret Ponchos, an arena shooter that was one of our favorite games from PAX East 2013. Of course, with 104 total titles, this list of highlights is just scratching the surface of what’s available within the Indie Megabooth.
A complete list of titles that will be playable within the Indie Megabooth at PAX East 2014 can be found after the break. And more information about all of them is available at the organization’s official website. (more…)