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: Nindies@Home reminder, Fire Emblem Sacred Stones, Fat City, more
Before we delve into today’s additions to the Nintendo eShop, the consolemaker wants to remind everyone that only four days remain in their Nindies @ Home demo offer. The program, which expires on Monday, June 22 at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time), gives gamers at home the chance to download nine demos that Nintendo brought to the 2015 E3 Expo as part of their “Nindies” initiative. There’s some pretty great games in the list including Extreme Exorcism, Rive, Freedome Planet, Typoman, Runbow, Lovely Planet, Soul Axiom, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge, and Forma.8. I highly recommend exploring the “Nindies” if you own a Wii U.
Now then, onto this week’s new releases, which also includes the Wii U Virtual Console release of Earthbound Beginnings, which was originally released for the NES back in 1989 and only in Japan. But if you’re looking for something new to the Wii U eShop today, there are a few options…
- Nintendo’s Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones was the second game in the strategy RPG series to be released outside of Japan when it originally launched for the Game Boy Advance in 2005.
- Heavy Iron’s Fat City looks to combine the “let’s pull off a heist” plot of Ocean’s 11 with the overhead viewpoint of Pac-Man.
- Super Icon’s Life of Pixel is a side-scroller that promises to take players through a history lesson of early gaming styles.
- Jose Varela’s Solitaire Dungeon Escape is a solitaire/puzzle game with magic card.
More details on these games, as well as a pair of new releases for the 3DS, can be found after the break. (more…)
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is now Genei Ibun Roku FE
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem has apparently undergone a name change as Nintendo reannounced the Atlus-developed RPG with the working title Genei Ibun Roku FE. According to GameSpot, the temporary English title is loosely translated as “Mirage Spinoff FE,” though the game will likely have a different title altogether when it launches for the Wii U in 2016.
The E3 2015 trailer embedded is typical of the Persona franchise’s hyperkinetic style, and the GameSpot profile describes the game as a Persona game that uses elements of the Fire Emblem franchise. Put simply, that means the game takes place in modern day Tokyo, but includes Fire Emblem characters as summons (known as Mirages) for the two pop idols at the center of the story.
“If you’re going to be very strict about it, it is a Shin Megami Tensei game, but it’s only similar to it, it’s not exactly like Shin Megami Tensei,” [Atlus Producer Shinjiro] Takada explained. “But we put Fire Emblem elements into that kind of framework.”
Yesterday, Takada was a guest on the Nintendo Treehouse Live set, where he sat down to discuss Genei Ibun Roku FE and show off some additional gameplay. You can find that video after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem
20 more tracks from Guitar Hero Live were revealed at E3 2015
Shortly after confirming an October 20 release date for Guitar Hero Live, Activision revealed another 20 songs that will be available on the game disc. This batch of songs returns to the wider variety of music found in earlier tracklist updates with songs from Bob Dylan, Bruno Mars, Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Kongos, and many others. There’s also several Guitar Hero alums returning for an encore which were previously featured in the original Guitar Hero (White Zombie’s “Thunder Kiss ’65”), Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade”), Guitar Hero: World Tour (Korn’s “Freak on a Leash”) and Guitar Hero 5 (Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”).
Here’s all the new songs Activision included in their E3 2015 announcement:
- American Authors – “Best Day of My Life”
- The Avett Brothers – “Another is Waiting”
- Band of Skulls – “Asleep at the Wheel”
- Biffy Clyro – “Sounds Like Balloons”
- Bob Dylan – “Thunder on the Mountain”
- Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song”
- Calvin Harris – “Feels So Close”
- Carrie Underwood – “Before He Cheats”
- Courtney Barnett – “Pedestrian at Best”
- Dum Dum Girls – “Rimbaud Eyes”
- Green Day – “American Idiot”
- Iggy Pop – “Lust for Life”
- Jake Bugg – “What Doesn’t Kill You”
- Jet – “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?”
- Kongos – “Come With Me Now”
- Korn – “Freak on a Leash”
- Rage Against the Machine – “Bulls on Parade”
- The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”
- White Zombie – “Thunder Kiss ‘65”
- ZZ Top – “I Gotsta Get Paid”
This update pushes the total number of songs in Guitar Hero Live to 74 (previous tracklist updates can be found here, here, here, and here). Activision hasn’t said how many songs will ship on the Guitar Hero Live game disc, but they plan to continue announcing new songs as it gets closer to release.
New trailer reveals Xenoblade Chronicles X will launch on December 4
As part of their flurry of E3 announcements, Nintendo has announced that Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released in North America on December 4, 2015. A new trailer for Monolith Soft’s science fiction saga is also available, and its been embedded above. If you’re unfamiliar with the RPG franchise, here’s what you can expect, courtesy of Nintendo:
Amid an intergalactic war between aliens and human survivors, players fight for survival while exploring the massive expanses of an unknown planet. Weaponized mechs called “Skells” let players access every location they see. Players also can customize a lethal skill set of combat and defensive skills, called Arts, to strengthen their strategies and defeat enemies efficiently.
Monolith Soft considers Xenoblade Chronicles X a spiritual successor to 2012’s Xenoblade Chronicles, which was released for the Wii in North America after an outpouring of fan requests.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X
Super Mario Maker will ship with pre-made courses including the four from NWC 2015
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka stopped by the Nintendo Treehouse Live set yesterday to talk about Super Mario Maker and the two legendary developers dropped a few big Bob-Ombs.
First, they said that players won’t be able to upload every course they create. Don’t worry, Nintendo isn’t putting any restrictions on what kinds of courses you can create in Super Mario Maker. But they are requiring that you can beat your own course before you upload it for the world. “It’s only fair,” said Tezuka.
But the big news is that the four ridiculously insane courses created for the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, along with other pre-built courses, will be included in Super Mario Maker:
Mr. Miyamoto & Mr. Tezuka just announced that the 4 #SuperMarioMaker courses from #NWC2015 will be in the game! pic.twitter.com/po3pHlHQ4C
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 17, 2015
Super Mario Maker will be released for the Wii U on September 11.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Super Mario Maker
Guitar Hero Live is coming October 20; Here’s your first look at GHTV
Here it is, your first momentous look at Guitar Hero Live‘s GHTV mode. Are you ready? Here it comes…
Wait, it’s just a Guitar Hero note highway overlaid on top of a music video. The list of available music videos will be periodically updated and players can opt to play individual songs or a themed series of videos. That’s exactly how Activision said GHTV would work when the game was announced a few months ago.
OK, Guitar Hero Live’s E3 2015 trailer is a bit of a bust, but we did also learn that the game will be released on October 20 for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and “select mobile devices.” If you’re thinking of pre-ordering Guitar Hero Live, you might also be interested to know that Activision has partnered with Avenged Sevenfold to create exclusive bonus content for fans of the rhythm game franchise. Prospective pre-order purchasers of the game will receive access to a playable concert performance featuring the heavy metal band in Guitar Hero Live’s GHTV mode. More information is available at GuitarHero.com/bonus.
Guitar Hero Live is in development at FreeStyleGames, the same studio that was responsible for DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2.
Another Super Mario Maker trailer reveals September 11 release date and Amiibo support
Nintendo already gave us an amazing look at what’s possible in Super Mario Maker during the final round of this year’s Nintendo World Championships. But that didn’t stop them from releasing another trailer for the Wii U game, which showcases a ton of even crazier Mario moments.
For example, towards the end of the trailer, you see a a person tapping a Link Amiibo figure. Rather than give Mario a Link costume or something silly like that, the Amiibo literally drops Link into the game. These “Mystery Mushroom” characters can be unlocked for a number of other Amiibo figures including Kirby and Wii Fit Trainer. But don’t worry, all of the characters will be available without Amiibo assistance if you complete their corresponding “100 Mario Challenge” in the game.
An additional pair of 30th Anniversary Amiibo figures will be available alongside the game. Depicting Mario in all his pixelated glory, the Classic Mario and Modern Mario figures (sold separately) will unlock a Big Mushroom to allow in-game Mario to go stomping through a level as an unstoppable giant.
Finally, each copy of the game will include a 100-page book with tips and tricks “that illustrate the boundless possibilities” in the game. All courses created in the game will be shareable online, and I can’t wait to see what people come up with when Super Mario Maker is released exclusively for the Wii U on September 11.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Super Mario Maker
Star Fox Zero slips out on the Wii U this Fall
It’s Nintendo’s turn to deliver a massive batch of new game announcements in this already ridiculously packed E3 season and the consolemaker has delivered with our first extended look at Star Fox Wii U… now known as Star Fox Zero. While you might assume that “Zero” means the game is a prequel, you’d be wrong. Apparently, Shigeru Miyamoto just likes how the kanji for “Zero” looks and considers Star Fox Zero “its own thing.”
In Star Fox Zero, players will experience a pretty typical-looking Star Fox game on their televisions, but if they look down at the Wii U GamePad, they’ll get a close-in “cockpit view” for precision aiming. But that cockpit won’t be limited to just an Arwing. With the push of a button, players will be able to transform their craft into a Landmaster Tank, a chicken-like Walker, or a drone-like Gyrowing.
A trailer for Star Fox Zero, which is being co-developed by Platinum Games, has been embedded above. And don’t worry, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy are all coming back to do a barrel roll with Fox.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Star Fox Zero