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 Download: Wave Race 64, Mega Man X, Mario Sports Mix, more
If you’re a fan of retro gaming, then today’s a good day to visit the Nintendo eShop. Three games from Nintendo’s illustrious past are now available to download through their digital storefront.
Let’s start with the Wii U eShop, and that’s because owners of Nintendo’s home console are now able to download Wave Race 64, one of the best games from the Nintendo 64’s launch period. An argument could even be made that it’s one of the best games ever released for the Nintendo 64, period. Also available to download this week is Mario Sports Mix, a mash-up of hockey, basketball, volleyball, and dodgeball that was originally released for the Wii in 2010.
Jumping over to the 3DS eShop, we find that Mega Man X, the first Mega Man game released for the Super NES all the way back in 1993, is now available to download for Nintendo’s handheld. Fans love the game’s colorful new characters and more mature storyline, and the brutal difficulty will provide a challenge for even the toughest players.
More details 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 Mega Man X
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia and three other games added to Nintendo eShop
It’s a slow week for the Nintendo eShop as just four games were added to the digital storefront today…
The biggest name in the bunch is Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, which was originally released for the DS in 2008, and is now available to download for the Wii U through its Virtual Console service. Also new to the Wii U eShop this week are Dragon Skills, a retro-style game inspired by Arkanoid and Snake, and Overworld Defender Remix, an arcade shooter with music by the Italian chiptune artist Buskerdroid.
Over on the 3DS eShop, players will be able to get into the Olympic spirit with Stickman Super Athletics, a mini-game compilation starring a group of Stickmen. A free demo for Nintendo’s Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is also available to download now.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Just Dance 2017 demo now available; Songs from DNCE, Silento, Shakira added to the game
Ubisoft will release Just Dance 2017 this October, but fans interested in a playable demo featuring Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” can download one for the PS4, Xbox One, or Wii U beginning today.
In addition to a new song from “The Biebs,” Ubisoft announced three more songs that’ll be included on Just Dance 2017’s soundtrack:
- DNCE – “Cake By The Ocean”
- Silento – “Watch Me (Whip/ Nae Nae)”
- Shakira (featuring Wyclef Jean) – “Hips Don’t Lie”
Just Dance 2017 will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, and Wii U this October. The game will also be released for Nintendo’s NX console next year.
Nintendo Download: Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Kirby Mass Attack, Kirby’s Dream Course, more
Kirby is sucking up the entire Nintendo eShop this week with the launch of three classic Kirby games and a free demo for Kirby: Planet Robobot.
Let’s start on the Wii U, where Kirby’s Epic Yarn is now available to download. Kirby’s Epic Yarn was originally released for the Wii in 2010 and was Nintendo’s first attempt at creating a game entirely out of yarn and cloth. Wii U owners will also have the chance to download Kirby: Mass Attack this week, which was originally released for the DS in 2010. In Mass Attack, players will gather together a mob of Kirbys to solve the game’s many puzzles.
Over on the 3DS, Kirby fans will travel even further back in time if they download Kirby’s Dream Course this week. Originally released for the Super NES all the way back in 1995, Kirby’s Dream Course is the closest thing we’ll probably ever get to a Kirby golf game.
More information on all of these games (and a few other non-Kirby new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Kirby: Mass Attack, Kirby's Epic Yarn
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition officially announced for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U
The apocalypse is being remastered once more… Nordic Games announced today that Darksiders will be re-released for the PC, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One as Darksiders: Warmastered Edition.
In Darksiders, players saddle up as the first Horseman, War, and roam scorched Earth in search of the shadowy cabal that kickstarted the end of the world. The Warmastered Edition takes the original game and polishes it using improved graphical rendering to present its revelation in 60FPS (30 FPS on the Wii U) with 1080p visuals, better shadow quality, doubled resolution on all textures, and new post-processing effects. Basically, it’ll be a much prettier apocalypse.
The Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is expected to be available this Fall, though Nordic Games would only say that its release date is “Coming Soon.”
Rive might skip the Wii U and be released for NX instead
Two Tribes is putting the finishing touches on their side-scrolling shooter, Rive, but it looks like the game’s upcoming launch this September will skip the Wii U. Speaking to Nintendo Life, Two Tribes Co-Founder Collin Van Ginkel confirmed the developer is having problems getting the game to run smoothly on the Wii U:
The Nindies demo in 2015 was specifically optimized to perform well in hand-picked levels and didn’t manage 60FPS consistently. We’ve added a lot of stuff since then and we haven’t been able to reach the performance level required yet. We won’t release Rive unless it’s a solid 60FPS, and if that means delaying it to a future platform, we will make that call and make sure Nintendo fans get the perfect experience.
This performance problem, coupled with the impending retirement of the Wii U, has prompted Two Tribes to consider moving Rive to the NX:
The market has also changed. The game was supposed to ship over a year and a half ago, and things are a lot different now. Nintendo is exiting the Wii U market early in favor of the NX which means a long tail in sales is not looking likely. So that is the business part; do you release a game on a platform in its last days or on a new one that’s better suited and can reach gamers for years to come?
Two Tribes has yet to announce when Rive will be available for a Nintendo platform, but we do know the game is on track to launch this September for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Overwatch climbs to the top of the NPD’s list of best-selling games for June 2016
June is typically a slow period for new game releases, but The NPD Group’s look at last month’s best-selling games proves just how slow it was. According to tracking firm, consumer spending on games was down 20% from last year, when Batman: Arkham Knight launched to strong reviews and even stronger sales.
To make matters worse, the only new release to crack the top ten were Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (#3) and Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst (#5). But that means the path to the top of the list was clear for Overwatch, which rode a wave of support from fans to become June 2016’s best-selling game. Grand Theft Auto V (#2) and Doom (#4) rounded out the top five.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in June, as NPD Analyst Liam Callahan told GamesIndustry.biz: “After 32 months since the launches of the PS4 and Xbox One, the combined cumulative hardware sales for these two consoles exceed the sales of [the PS3 and Xbox 360] by 40% at the same point in their lifecycles.”
However, the biggest news this month might be the new way that the NPD reports their monthly sales data. Provided a publisher supplies the numbers, the company has agreed to begin integrating digital sales into their monthly tally. Most publishers have already signed on, though Bethesda, Sony, and Mojang remain holdouts, and Blizzard has decided not to share sales data from Battle.net.
A complete look at last months top ten best-selling titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Destiny, Doom (2016), Grand Theft Auto V, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Minecraft, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, NBA 2K16, NPD, Overwatch, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Nintendo Download: Pokemon Ranger, Buddy and Me, Wind-Up Knight 2, more
It’s time to recatch another classic Pokemon game as Nintendo has added Pokemon Ranger to the Wii U eShop this week. Originally released for the DS in 2006, Pokemon Ranger is an action RPG where players work as a… Pokemon Ranger… and attempt to preserve nature and protect Pokemon in the wild.
Also available to download on the Wii U eShop this week is Buddy and Me: Dream Edition, a side-scrolling platformer where players become a young boy and race through the forest with their “magical flying companion” named Buddy.
Over on the 3DS, a different kind of side-scroller asks players to take control of the Wind-Up Knight in Wind-Up Knight 2. Players who download Wind-Up Knight 2 will unload the springy Sir Sprint and help guide him as he “rockets through the kingdom dodging traps, pits and mythical creatures.”
More details about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)