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
Minecraft: Story Mode’s first episode will be added to Wii U eShop this week
Telltale has announced that Minecraft: Story Mode will begin to build a home on the Wii U this week with the release of the game’s first episode, The Order of the Stone, on January 21. The first episode will be priced at $4.99, though a Season Pass to secure access to the remaining four episodes will also available for $19.99.
“Working with Nintendo, we’re tremendously excited to be bringing our unique style of storytelling to Wii U for the first time, and we couldn’t be happier to be kicking things off with a series like Minecraft: Story Mode that allows players of all ages to craft their own adventure across the Minecraft universe,” said Kevin Bruner, the CEO and Co-Founder of Telltale Games.
Subsequent episodes in the Minecraft: Story Mode series will be added to the Wii U eShop in “the coming weeks.”
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Minecraft: Story Mode
Pokken Tournament will be released for the Wii U on March 18
Nintendo has announced that Pokken Tournament, a Tekken-styled Pokemon fighting game produced by Bandai Namco, will be released for the Wii U on March 18. The publisher also revealed the first print run of the game will come packed with an Amiibo Card of Shadow Mewtwo, which can be tapped on the Wii U GamePad to unlock the character in the game.
Finally, an official website for Pokken Tournament is now online at PokkenTournament.com. It’s pretty bare at the moment, but additional information on “Games Modes,” “How to Play,” the “Amiibo Card,” and “My Town” will be available soon.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Pokken Tournament
Nintendo Download: Metroid Zero Mission, Lionel City Builder 3D, Space Hulk, more
Wii U owners will get a chance to try one of Samus Aran’s earliest missions in this week’s Nintendo Download. That’s because Metroid: Zero Mission, an enhanced remake of the first Metroid game for the NES, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004, Nintendo added improved graphics and several bonus areas to Zero Mission, as well as animated cinematics to help propel the game’s story forward.
Also available on the Wii U eShop this week is Space Hulk, a digital rendition of Games Workshop’s two-player strategy board game. Players will explore the Warhammer 40,000 universe from a new angle as they take control of a small squad of Space Marine Terminators that’s planning to mount an assault against a group of vicious Genestealers. A single-player mode has also been included.
Finally this week, Lionel City Builder 3D: Rise of the Rails will give 3DS owners the opportunity to create their own model railroad and the entire world around it. Choo choo!
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Bayonetta 2 gets a price cut on February 19 but Bayonetta 1 will be removed from the box
If you’re a Wii U owner, you know that it’s been difficult to find a retail copy of Bayonetta 2 during the last 12 months. But Nintendo is about to make your search a bit easier as the consolemaker will re-release the game in stores this February at a discount ($29.99)… but without the previously bundled bonus disc that contained the original Bayonetta:
Get familiar with Bayonetta before taking her on in #SmashBros! Bayonetta 2 launches as a standalone game on 2/19. pic.twitter.com/T3tUrjYK7o
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 14, 2016
As you can see, Bayonetta 2 is getting a budget-priced re-release on February 19 to get gamers ready for the character’s upcoming appearance in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Wii U. While it doesn’t look like the original Bayonetta is in line to receive a retail release, it’s currently available to download through the Wii U eShop for $29.99.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2
Nominees for the 2016 DICE Awards have been announced with Rise of the Tomb Raider and The Witcher 3 leading the way
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced the nominees for the 2016 DICE Awards.
Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider and CD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lead all other games with eight nominations apiece, including “Game of the Year.” They’ll be competing for the AIAS’s highest honor against three other games: Bloodborne, Fallout 4, and Ori and the Blind Forest. All told, 53 different titles received at least one nomination.
“Looking at the nominees for the 19th Annual DICE Awards, I am especially impressed by the broad range of titles catering to gamers’ increasingly sophisticated and diverse tastes,” said Martin Rae, the President of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. “It is always gratifying to watch our industry and its many artists and craftsmen grow and continue to challenge and thrill audiences.”
In addition to this year’s awards show, Satoru Iwata will be honored with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award and Hideo Kojima will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
The ceremony for the 2016 DICE Awards will take place on Thursday, February 16, during this year’s DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit. The full list of nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Bloodborne, Fallout 4, Forza Motorsport 6, Helldivers, Heroes of the Storm, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Mortal Kombat X, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Rocket League, Star Wars: Battlefront, Super Mario Maker, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be released for 3DS on March 18; Wii U version launching later
Get your torch relay ready, Nintendo has announced (via their Facebook page) that Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be released for the 3DS on March 18. The sports-themed minigame collection will also be released for the Wii U later this year.
The 2016 Summer Olympics will kick off on August 5, so we can probably expect to see the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games sometime this Summer.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Splatoon’s next Splatfest will pit the Flintstones against the Jetsons… sort of
Nintendo has announced the theme for Splatoon‘s upcoming North American Splatfest… “Would You Rather Travel to the Past or the Future?”
Scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 16, this Splatfest is basically asking participants to pledge allegiance to their favorite fictional universe. Did you prefer Back to the Future or Back to the Future Part II? Would you side with Sarah Connor or the technological terror that is The Terminator? And do you consider yourself a Jetsons junkie or a Flintstones fan? Though there was that time the Jetsons met the Flintstones…
Voting for the next Splatfest starts tomorrow in #Splatoon! Would you rather travel to the past or the future? pic.twitter.com/7CIiZ6rA3l
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 8, 2016
It really is a tough decision. Thankfully, the Squid Research Lab has compiled a list of pros and cons to help you make your choice.
Nominees for the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced
Bloodborne, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Rocket League, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will all be competing for “Game of the Year” honors at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, March 16.
With four nominations apiece, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became the most-nominated titles this year. In addition to “Game of the Year,” The Phantom Pain is also up for “Best Audio,” “Best Design,” and “Best Technology.” Meanwhile, The Witcher 3 will attempt to also take home “Best Visual Art,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Technology.”
Fallout 4 and Bloodborne were just a step behind both titles with three total nominations of their own. However, they have a lot of company as Star Wars: Battlefront, Splatoon, Her Story, and Undertale all received a trio of nominations as well.
Viewers at home will be able to watch the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards through Twitch, and a complete look at this year’s nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Bloodborne, Fallout 4, GDC 2016, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Rocket League, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt