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
Ubisoft reveals full Just Dance 2017 tracklist… including Maroon 5’s “Don’t Wanna Know”
Just Dance 2017 will boogie its way into stores on October 25, so now’s the perfect time for Ubisoft to unveil the game’s full tracklist.
In addition to previously-announced tracks from Justin Bieber, Sia, and DNCE, Just Dance 2017 will also include music from Beyonce (“Single Ladies”), Ariana Grande (“Into You”), and Zayn (“Like I Would”). “Don’t Wanna Know,” the newly-released single from Maroon 5’s upcoming new album, will also be a featured track in the game.
Just Dance 2017 will be available this month for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game is also in development for Nintendo’s NX console and it’ll presumably launch alongside the console in March 2017.
The full Just Dance 2017 tracklist can be found after the break, and a gameplay trailer featuring “Don’t Wanna Know” has been embedded above. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Disney Magical World 2, Severed, Animal Crossing Wild World, more
The Nintendo eShop is the happiest place on Earth this week…
Developed by Bandai Namco and published by Nintendo, Disney Magical World 2 makes its debut on the 3DS eShop this week, giving players the chance to explore the Magic Kingdom with Mickey, Elsa, the Disney Princesses, and many others.
The 3DS eShop will receive a second dose of magic this week with Severed, DrinkBox’s highly-acclaimed touchscreen title which stars a one-armed warrior “who wields a living sword on her journey through a nightmare world.” Players interested in purchasing Severed on the 3DS will also receive access to a Wii U download of the game (and the 3DS version is free for everyone who already owns it on the Wii U).
Finally, a pair of DS classics are now available to download for the Wii U. Animal Crossing: Wild World was originally released in 2005, and it brought the “social simulation” series to new heights. Kirby: Canvas Curse, a 2005 platformer where players control Kirby with a stylus, is also new to the eShop this week.
Additional details on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Bloodstained’s Wii U release may move to the Nintendo NX
The release date for Koji “Iga” Igarashi’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was recently pushed back to 2018, and now it looks like the planned Wii U version of the game might be in trouble. Speaking to IGN, Igarashi said that his team may want to move on to the new hardware found in the Nintendo NX:
“Yeah, it’s a very complicated problem,” Iga said. “The reality is this: As timelines move on, certain pieces of hardware become irrelevant. Sometimes new pieces of hardware come out that make you think about what is the right strategy. And as a creator, usually you want to make stuff for the new hardware. That’s the reality.”
“Unfortunately, some of those don’t make as much sense anymore as they did before, and that’s also reality. So you’re in a very difficult position, and at the end of the day, if you’re going to go in one certain direction, you want to make sure that you have support from them,” he explained.
“But so far we’ve, I think, been incredibly transparent through all the things that have happened with our backers, and they have been very supportive. So I’m hoping that if there is going to be a difficult decision some day, and we don’t know, that we’re able to have that conversation. If they say they don’t get it, well that’s where we’re at. And if they say they do get it, well then, we’ll be able to do things that are maybe more interesting. We’ll see.”
Moving Bloodstained, a side-scrolling “MetroidVania” developed by one of the great masters of the genre, to the Nintendo NX makes sense from a lot of angles. Looking at the technical side of the equation, the game is being built with Unreal Engine 4, which is not designed to work with the Wii U. Porting house Armature Studio said they can make it happen, but it would be tricky even if the Wii U was in the prime of its life.
But that leads us to a secondary question about Bloodstained’s recent delay. If the NX launches in March 2017 as announced, then the Wii U will have been dead for more than a year by the time Bloodstained is ready for release. And the console is already struggling now, in 2016, as it nears the end of its life cycle. From a financial perspective, it just makes sense to release Bloodstained on the NX instead of the Wii U.
But as Igarashi said, “we’ll see” what happens.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Nintendo Download: Paper Mario Color Splash, Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2, Mega Man X2, more
The Nintendo eShop is gets colorful this week with the latest entry in the Paper Mario franchise and two classics from Nintendo’s archives.
Paper Mario: Color Splash will be available for the Wii U tomorrow, and it’ll be the last Nintendo-published game until The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s release next week. But Wii U owners will get a big adventure to keep them busy until then as Color Splash tasks Mario with restoring the color to Prism Island with his fancy new Paint Hammer… Mario must be a fan of Splatoon.
If you’re looking to download something today, Nintendo has added two new Virtual Console titles to the Nintendo eShop. Mario Vs Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis was originally released for the DS in 2006, and the action-puzzler is now available to download for the Wii U. Meanwhile, Mega Man X2, arguably the best game in the Mega Man X series, originally launched for the Super NES in 1994 and it’s now available on the 3DS.
More information on all three games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Paper Mario: Color Splash
Igarashi teams up with 505 Games to publish Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
In the latest Kickstarter update for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Koji “Iga” Igarashi has announced that he’s signed an agreement with 505 Games to publish the side-scrolling “IgaVania” game. To seal the partnership, “Iga” sat down to showcase some new footage from the game in the trailer embedded above.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will be released sometime in 2018 for the PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Rain Games might release World to the West on Nintendo NX
Rain Games will release World to the West, an overhead action-adventure game, for the PC, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One in Early 2017. But during a recent interview with Miketendo64, the developer hinted the game might also be released for Nintendo’s NX next year:
Artist Ole Ivar Rudi spilled the proverbial beans during this exchange:
Miketendo64: “Since World to the West will be coming to the Wii U, and the NX is set to release next year, are there any plans to release it on the NX as well?”
Ole Ivar Rudi: “Hehe, gotta keep answers straight here. As we mentioned earlier it’s very unlikely to come out on 3DS, but it *will *show up on additional platforms. Maybe even another Nintendo platform, but our lips are sealed though.”
World to the West is a sequel to Teslagrad, a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer that’s now available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One. The developer clearly has experience working with many different platforms, but they also have a fairly cozy relationship with Nintendo (the consolemaker demoed the Wii U version of World to the West at PAX West this year).
With all this evidence, I’d be shocked if World to the West doesn’t make its way to the NX eventually.
New Retail Releases: Gears of War 4 Ultimate, Mafia III, Paper Mario Color Splash, More
After a brief surge in September, the “Fall Gaming Season” continues to ramp up with a trickle of big new releases during this first week of October.
It’s likely that none of this week’s new games will be bigger than Gears of War 4, which Microsoft is releasing in an Ultimate Edition ahead of its official launch next week. Fans will return to Sera alongside a new generation of heroes on the PC and Xbox One, and they’ll do it in style. The Ultimate Edition of Gears of War 4 will include a copy of the game, the Season Pass, and download codes for all four Gears of War games on the Xbox 360 (and yes, they’re backwards compatible).
If you’re looking to upgrade your Xbox One experience, Microsoft will also offer an Xbox One S 2TB + Gears of War 4 Limited Edition Console Bundle that includes a digital copy of the game, the Season Pass, download codes for the Xbox 360’s Gears of War title, and a custom “Crimson Omen” Xbox One S and Controller.
Not to be outdone, 2K Games will launch it’s own action epic that focuses on a new generation with Mafia III. Set to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Mafia III is set more than 20 years after the second game in the franchise and relocates the action to New Bordeaux, a stand-in for New Orleans. Mixing the cultural upheaval caused by the Vietnam War with era-appropriate music, 2K wants to give a different kind of organized crime experience with Mafia III.
If you’re looking for something a bit more colorful, Nintendo will release Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U this week. The RPG gives Mario a Paint Hammer and asks him to restore color to Prism Island. I don’t know if Nintendo was trying to make a comment on the current state of AAA games, but releasing Color Splash on the same day as Gears of War 4 is a rather obvious bit of counter-programming.
Finally this week, a trio of lower-profile games will be available on store shelves including Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack (a compilation of the 3DS platform shooter series from Inti Creates), Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide (a co-op survival game set in the Warhammer universe for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One), and Rocksmith 2014 Remastered (an updated version of the music tutor for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One).
That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with details on all the new downloadable additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Azure Striker Gunvolt, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Gears of War 4, Mafia III, Paper Mario: Color Splash
Nintendo Download: Yo-Kai Watch 2, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Sonic Boom Fire & Ice, more
Nintendo’s versatile handheld steals the spotlight in this week’s Nintendo Download…
Leading things off is Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls, a pair of new 3DS games from Level-5. More than 350 troublemaking spirits will be added to the Yo-Kai universe in the sequel, and each game will include a batch of unique Yo-Kai. And Yo-Kai Watch fans will likely need all the help they can get, as players will have to travel back in time to save Springdale.
Also available for the 3DS this week is Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, the final featured title from Nintendo’s Nindies Summer Jam promotion. Developed by Inti Creates, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 is a side-scrolling action/platformer that harkens back to the heyday of Super NES shooters.
However, if you were more of a Genesis fan in the early 90s, you grew up with Sonic the Hedgehog. And the Blue Blur is back this week in Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, yet another 3DS game based on the new animated series.
Jumping over to the Wii U eShop, a pair of puzzling games are now available to download. First up, we’ve got Soul Axiom, a mysterious “cyber thriller” where players will have to unravel the mysteries of their digital afterlife to save the day. But a very different type of future can be glimpsed in Pikmin, the Wii original (which was itself a remake of the GameCube classic) that’s now available for the Wii U. Join Captain Olimar and his Pikmin pals and explore a strange new planet.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits/Fleshy Souls