Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Most Recent: Wii U
Nintendo cuts price of Wii U Deluxe Set to $300
Beginning September 20, Nintendo will cut the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set to $299.99. No reason was given for the $50 price drop, but presumably it’s to help the Wii U compete better against the PS4 and Xbox One this holiday season.
“Nintendo has one of the strongest and most diverse video game lineups in our history,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president and COO. “Today we’re making those unique Nintendo experiences more accessible and affordable. However you play and whatever you play, Nintendo has you covered.”
Nintendo did not mention what this means for the Wii U Basic Set, which currently retails for $299.99.
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be released on October 4
We knew it was coming sometime during the tenth month of 2013, but Nintendo has gotten more specific and confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be released on October 4.
Fans of the Zelda series will get a chance to play a game a bit earlier during the Seattle stop of the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert tour on September 12. Demo kiosks featuring The Wind Waker HD and this Fall’s other Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS, will be installed in the lobby of Benaroya Hall.
Nintendo also plans to display fan-created artwork during the show. If you want your Zelda-themed piece to be considered, apply for Nintendo’s “Fan Art Challenge” on their Facebook Page.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
DuckTales Remastered Review: Blessed Bagpipes or Cursed Kilts?
The original DuckTales game for the NES was one of my favorite games. I remember receiving the game as a Christmas gift when I was ten years old, and getting to the last level that very same day, only to have my older brother turn off the system during the final boss fight, because, as he put it, I “shouldn’t finish a game the same day I got it.” So I beat it the next day. And the day after that. For months, DuckTales was the only game that inhabited my NES. The gameplay, the controls, the music – it was in every way a perfect game. Fast-forward twenty-five years, and I am sitting at my desk at work when I see the announcement of DuckTales Remastered. Pulling up that announcement trailer, I was in a state of shock. One of my favorite childhood games, being remade by one of my favorite developers, WayForward – this was just too good to be true. After playing the new title, I can say that while it’s a great game, DuckTales Remastered is not all it’s quacked up to be. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Street Fighter II trilogy, Zero Escape, Ninja Gaiden II, more
A triple dose of Street Fighter leads the charge in this week’s Nintendo Download. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, and Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting are all available to download now from the Wii U eShop. Best of all, it’s possible to get all three games for a nice discount. If you buy one, at the regular price of $7.99, you’ll be able to score the other two for 50% until August 29.
Also available today is a pair of spectacular titles for the 3DS. The acclaimed visual novel Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward and the NES classic Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos can now be downloaded through Nintendo’s handheld.
Several other new games are also now available through the 3DS eShop. Read all about them after the break. (more…)
Nintendo is bringing 25 playable games to PAX Prime 2013
The games industry is squarely focused on Gamescom this week, but don’t forget that PAX Prime is just around the corner. Nintendo surely hasn’t forgotten, as the consolemaker has announced they will be bringing a huge slate of playable games to the Washington State Convention Center next week.
All of Nintendo’s major releases this Fall (including Pokemon X/Y, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and many more) will be playable on the show floor. Third party games from Yacht Club (Shovel Knight), Sega (Sonic: Lost World), WayForward (Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse), and Vblank (Retro City Rampage, which is coming to the 3DS). Fans can even get their hands on Bayonetta 2, which won’t be released for the Wii U until next year.
But the real star of Seattle will be The Wonderful 101. Nintendo plans to devote an entire panel, “Inside The Wonderful 101 with Hideki Kamiya,” to the game. They also plan to sell 101 copies of the game to fans each day of the show… two weeks before its September 15 release date.
PAX Prime 2013 takes place August 30 through September 2. The full list of playable games Nintendo will showcase at the show can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged PAX Prime 2013, The Wonderful 101
The criminals have “Nowhere to Run” in the latest Batman: Arkham Origins trailer
Batman wasn’t always The Dark Knight. In the beginning he was, in Alfred’s words, “a young man with a trust fund and too much anger.” But Batman: Arkham Origins wants to tell the story of how the brash and reckless Caped Crusader became the World’s Greatest Detective. It wants to tell the story of Jim Gordon coming to terms with Gotham’s need for a nighttime protector. And it wants to tell a ripping yarn about Batman battling eight assassins on Christmas Eve. I think this new trailer, released to coincide with this year’s Gamescom event, makes the case that it does.
“I am the reason the criminals breath easier when the sun rises.”
Tell him, Batman! The trailer, titled “Nowhere to Run,” also introduces us to another assassin, Firefly, and the delves into the Batcave for the first time. Developed by WB Games Montreal, Batman: Arkham Origins will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on October 25.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham Origins, Gamescom 2013
Disney Infinity cost $100 million to develop
Disney Infinity, Disney Interactive’s attempt to clone the success of Skylanders, is now available in stores. But you’ll never believe how much it cost to produce and just what effect is has had on Disney’s video game division.
The wall Street Journal recently published a behind-the-scenes look at Disney Infinity and, according to their sources, the game (and its associated toy line) cost more than $100 million to produce. Only Star Wars: The Old Republic can boast a higher production budget.
But this gargantuan project comes at a cost for Disney Interactive. Internal development within the company has ceased and all of their future projects (Fantasia: Music Evolved, Star Wars: Battlefront, the Visceral Studios Star Wars game, and Kingdom Hearts III) are co-productions with other publishers. According to The Wall Street Journal’s report, devotion to Disney Infinity also caused the axe to fall on several other titles including a tie-in game based on this Summer’s Iron Man 3 and an interanlly-developed Star Wars game.
But I think Robert Iger, Disney’s CEO, best summed up the importance of Disney Infinity’s launch: “If Infinity does well, it bodes very well for the bottom line of this unit. If it doesn’t do well, the opposite will be the case.”
Well said, Bob.
New Releases: Saints Row IV, Disney Infinity, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, More
This week’s new releases take us to infinity and beyond.
The “infinity” is taken care of by Disney’s massive companywide crossover, Disney Infinity, is ready for release on the 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360. The game’s “Starter Pack” will come complete with three figures (Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles, and Sulley from Monsters Inc.) with additional figures available for purchase separately.
That brings us to the “beyond,” which is ably covered by Volition’s Saints Row IV. The insane antics of the Third Street Saints have found a new home at Deep Silver, but the latest game is available for three familiar platforms: PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. And if you’ve got the scratch, why not spring for Saints Row IV’s luxurious (and ridiculous) “Million Dollar Pack.”
Also available this week is the latest adventure of Sam Fisher, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360); the 1960s-set adventures of an anti-alien task force, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (PC, PS3, Xbox 360); and the standalone release of Luigi’s latest starring effort, New Super Luigi U (Wii U).
More new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Disney Infinity, New Super Luigi U, Saints Row IV, The Walking Dead, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, XCOM