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
Agni’s Philosophy might be a real next-gen game, will reappear next June
Square Enix debuted Agni’s Philosophy, a technical demo showcasing the power of their next-gen Luminous Engine, at E3 2012. The mini-movie was heavily based on themes found in the Final Fantasy series and was a glorious display of graphical power. Go on, watch it again, I’ll wait.
Ready? Good. Usually, these tech demos from Square Enix don’t amount to anything. Just think back to the HD rendition of Final Fantasy VII‘s introduction they presented at E3 2005. But comments from Julien Merceron, Square Enix’s Worldwide Technology Director, point to a better future for Agni’s Philosophy.
He told French site Final Fantasy Dream: “So, around June of next year, there will indeed be something different around Agni’s Philosophy, which will perhaps be presented on different platforms than those which have been used before. I cannot tell you more, but I can tell you that it will not run on PC only.”
Wow. So, Agni’s Philosophy might be a real game and it’ll make a return appearance next June. It’s possibly in development for more than the PC and on platforms we haven’t seen before. Which means it’s very possible Merceron is referring to the Wii U, PS4/Orbis, and Xbox 720. I’ll say it again, wow.
Or it could be nothing, like all of Square Enix’s other tech demos.
Nintendo’s Wii U advertising campaign begins in US
We’ve already had a look at how Nintendo plans to advertise the Wii U in the United Kingdom. But today, the consolemaker has unveiled the commercial that American audiences will soon see on their TV screens.
I think the idea we’re supposed to take away from this is that the Wii U is futuristic… like Jetsons style.
Buy Wii U Deluxe Set, get cash back from future eShop purchases
When Nintendo revealed the bundle details and release date for the Wii U back in September, they also confirmed that the Wii U Deluxe Set would come packaged with a special discount on Wii U eShop content. Today, they’ve announced a few more details for the promotion.
Officially known as the “Deluxe Digital Promotion,” it’s not really a discount program at all. Instead, it’s a rewards program. According to Nintendo, Wii U owners will receive a point for every 10 cents they spend on the Wii U eShop between November 18, 2012 and December 31, 2014. After they’ve accumulated 500 points, the points can be exchanged for a $5 eShop credit. So, for example, if you purchase New Super Mario Bros. U for $59.99, you’ll receive 599 points.
“From day one, we want Wii U owners to experience the full breadth of great downloadable games and content available for the console,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The Deluxe Digital Promotion is our way of encouraging Wii U Deluxe Set owners to explore the Nintendo eShop and discover how Wii U offers an incredible combination of fun, innovation, convenience and value.”
Sadly, those who purchase the Wii U Basic Set will be ineligible to join the “Deluxe Digital Promotion,” and Wii Shop, DSi Shop, and 3DS eShop purchases cannot be used to accumulate points. But you have to admit, this is still a pretty good deal.
Nintendo details more New Super Mario Bros. U features
With the launch of the Wii U less than three weeks away, Nintendo has pulled back the curtain on a few more features found in New Super Mario Bros. U.
Like the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, U will feature several bonus modes. Challenge Mode tasks players with completing a level (either by themselves or with a friend) while meeting a variety of objectives such as “clearing a course without touching a single coin or touching the ground.” Coin Battle is a multiplayer-only mode that, you guessed it, makes players compete to collect the most coins in a course.
Nintendo is also boasting that New Super Mario Bros. U will feature a world map “for the first time since 1991’s Super Mario World. Now, I don’t want to tell the biggest video game publisher in the world their business, but that is just wrong. What they meant to say is that every game side-scrolling Mario game since 1991’s Super Mario World has included a world map and U is no exception.
Finally, Nintendo is bringing back the rabbit chases from Super Mario 64. The rabbit now has a name, Nabbit, and he’s wearing a purple bodysuit, but catching him will net Mario a powerful P-Acorn, “which will allow them to fly continuously through an entire stage.”
Want to know more about all these new features? Hit the jump for a complete description, straight from Nintendo. New Super Mario Bros. U and the Wii U console will be available on November 18. (more…)
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged New Super Mario Bros. U
Surprise! Robert Downey Jr. is the star of the CoD Black Ops II live-action trailer
Let’s see…
Appearance by Robert Downey Jr.? Check.
AC/DC’s “Back in Black” on the soundtrack? Check.
Tongue-in-cheek mayhem? Check.
Activision, and director Guy Ritchie, probably weren’t intentionally trying to link “Surprise,” the new live-action trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, to Downey’s Iron Man/Avengers character, but they certainly got the tone right. And what tone is that? Why, pure awesomeness, of course. So be sure to check out “Surprise” above.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on November 13. A Wii U release will follow five days later on November 18.
Need For Speed: Most Wanted announced for Wii U
Another one of this Fall’s biggest releases will make it to the Wii U as EA has confirmed that Need For Speed: Most Wanted will be released for Nintendo’s next console in 2013.
“We are very excited to deliver Need for Speed: Most Wanted on more platforms and to more gamers,” an EA spokesman said. “Starting October 30, Most Wanted will be available on [Xbox 360], PS3, PS Vita, Android and iOS. Then in 2013, Nintendo fans will be able to experience what it means to be Most Wanted amongst their friends on the Wii U.”
[Source: Polygon]
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Need For Speed: Most Wanted
Wii U demo stations now available at Target; pre-order program begins
Did you miss out on pre-ordering a Wii U from GameStop back in September? Well, good news! Target has announced plans to open their Wii U pre-order program this week, but you better hurry, “because quantities are limited.”
According to the announcement, Wii U pre-orders can be placed “at your local Target store,” so those hoping to snag a Wii U without leaving their house are likely out of luck.
The retailer has also revealed that over 1,000 Wii U demo stations have been set up at Target stores across the country. So if you haven’t tried out Nintendo’s next console yet, now’s your chance.
So, as is the theme of this news post, you better hurry!
This is how Nintendo is advertising the Wii U in the UK
With the console’s launch a little over a month away (it arrives in the UK on November 30), Nintendo has begun bombarding the airwaves with commercials for the Wii U. Watch what happens as you fling ninja stars at the screen in Nintendo Land (you yell “Pew! Pew! Pew” apparently) and watch how quickly the game jumps from your TV to your Wii U GamePad when your bored girlfriend demands the use of the telly (it happens very quickly).