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: Amiibo Tap, Paper Mario, Karous: The Beast of ReEden, more
It’s another mix of new and old on the Nintendo eShop this week.
Paper Mario was originally released for the N64 in 2001, so it officially qualifies as “old.” But the RPG is still well-loved by fans and will surely be well-loved again as it makes its way to the Wii U eShop today. But if you’re looking for something “new,” Circle Entertainment has added Karous: The Beast of ReEden to the 3DS eShop this week. A vertically-scrolling shooter, The Beast of ReEden is a sequel to Karous, the final game officially released for the Dreamcast.
On the third hand, Amiibo Tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits encompasses the best bits of new and old. It’s “old” in that its a randomized collection of scenes from a variety of Nintendo-published NES and Super NES games currently available on the Wii U eShop. The “new” bit comes into play in how you access these scenes. Tapping any Amiibo figure to the Wii U GamePad will unlock a random scene from a game, and tapping a second time will spin the wheel again for a different random scene. Repeat until you’ve gorged on a ton of classic 8-bit and 16-bit games. Best of all, Amiibo Tap is available as a free download.
Also available this week is Heart Beaten. A minigame collection that asks players to literally destroy the heart of an unwanted paramour through a series of retro-styled levels. If you’ve ever wanted to punch a heart right in its heart, now’s your chance.
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. (more…)
Mighty No. 9 gets September 15 release after Comcept signs publishing deal with Deep Silver
Some mighty news today for Comcept’s Mighty No. 9. Keiji Inafune originally planned a “Spring 2015” release date after his spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise found great success on Kickstarter. But with the unofficial end of Spring looming, Inafune has confirmed what we all feared… Mighty No. 9 has been delayed.
But there’s good news too. Comcept has partnered with Deep Silver to publish the game worldwide with a digital download and a retail disc. Both versions of the game will be available on September 15 for the PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One. The PC version will also be released on that date for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as a digital-only game. Sadly, the promised 3DS and PS Vita versions have been further delayed to a to be announced date.
In addition to having more time to complete the main game, Comcept will use this delay to produce some additional content for Mighty No. 9. A special bonus stage featuring a battle with Ray, Mighty No. 9’s rival, will be included. After besting Ray, players will unlock the robot, who has unique skills and all-new gameplay mechanics, as a playable character for the entire main game. New Japanese and French language tracks are also planned alongside eight subtitle tracks.
Even though Deep Silver will publish Mighty No. 9, Comcept will retain all rights to the characters and any future sequels.
The Strong announces finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015
The Strong National Museum of Play and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games have announced the finalists for the inaugural class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. More than a dozen classic games passed this first test on their way to video game immortality, which were selected from thousands of nominations that poured in from gamers all across the world. Nominations for the Class of 2015 were accepted from February 17 through March 31, but in case you missed out, the Hall of Fame is already accepting games for next year’s class.
This year’s inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be chosen from the finalist pool by an “international selection committee” made up of journalists, scholars, and other individuals. The inaugural class will be announced on June 4 at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time) during a ceremony at The Strong.
The finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 include:
- Angry Birds
- Doom
- FIFA International Soccer
- The Legend of Zelda
- Minecraft
- The Oregon Trail
- Pac-Man
- Pokemon Red/Blue
- Pong
- The Sims
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Space Invaders
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tetris
- World of Warcraft
“The 15 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame span decades, gaming platforms, and geographies… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on popular culture and society in general,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be selected based on the following criteria: “Icon Status,” “Longevity,” “Geographical Reach,” and “Influence.” All 15 finalists certainly qualify, but I know I’ll be rooting for Tetris.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Angry Birds, Doom (1993), Minecraft, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, World Video Game Hall of Fame
Watch Shigeru Miyamoto play Mario Maker on GameCenter CX
UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube.
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto recently appeared on GameCenter CX (AKA Retro Game Master) to take part in a unique challenge presented by host Shinya Arino. Nintendo gave Arino early access to Mario Maker and the host was able to create one of the most deranged Mario courses I’ve ever seen…
Cannons belch a neverending stream of Coins!
Giant Koopa Troopas pop out of Question Blocks!
Springboards bounce on top of other Springboards!
Cats and dogs! Living together! It’s mass hysteria!
Thankfully, some kind soul has posted the segment on YouTube for all the world to see. Sadly, Miyamoto admits defeat after several tries. Mario Maker will launch exclusively for the Wii U in September.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario Maker
Director of Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS wants to create as many DLC characters as possible
Masahiro Sakurai, the Director of Super Smash Bros. For 3DS and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, has had a massive change of heart about downloadable characters. At first, Nintendo’s DLC plan was going to be a one-off special offer for fans who purchased both versions of the game. That’s right, there were originally no plans to sell Mewtwo as a separate download.
That all changes next week when Mewtwo will be offered up to every owner of Super Smash Bros. For 3DS/Wii U. Not only that, but Sakurai told Famitsu (via Nintendo Everything) that he wants to offer as many downloadable characters as he can:
It’s a huge undertaking to create a fighter, so I think we can’t make them in large quantities. I’d also like to feel refreshed when the project is over. However, since we have decided to tackle [DLC] once, I’d like to offer as much fun [content] as possible. It will take a while from now, but please look forward to it.
The final decision on which characters will be added to the game still sits with Nintendo, but the consolemaker is listening to fans. They’ve set up the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot and will continue to tally our votes until October.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
Nintendo Download: Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart 8 200cc update, more
It’s a Mario Kart kind of day in the latest Nintendo Download. First, one of the best games to ever grace the franchise, Mario Kart DS, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Also available today is the free 200cc update for Mario Kart 8.
In addition to adding an entirely new race class to the game, Nintendo has added the game’s second downloadable expansion, the Animal Crossing X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack, to the Wii U eShop as well. Available on its own for $7.99, or as part of a two-pack for $11.99, the second DLC Pack adds three new racers and eight new tracks to the game.
In other DLC news, Mewtwo will be available to download in Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and Super Smash Bros. For 3DS on Tuesday, April 28. The popular Pokemon character can be yours in a single version of Smash Bros. for $3.99 or in both for just a buck more.
To keep the spotlight shining on their new DLC offerings, only two additional games were added to the eShop today. Cube Creator 3D is a Minecraft-like game for the 3DS while Suspension Railroad Simulator is a suspension railroad simulation.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart DS, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
An adventure game based on Adventure Time is in the works
Little Orbit has announced they will publish an “action-oriented” adventure game based on Adventure Time this November. Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is in development at Vicious Cycle and will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. In retrospect, an adventure game based on Adventure Time seems so obvious that I can’t believe it didn’t happen sooner.
Calling it “a complete departure from previous Adventure Time games,” Little Orbit’s Matt Scott is thrilled with the puzzle-solving and people-talking opportunities present in Finn and Jake Investigations:
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is an all-new, real-time, fully 3D action-oriented twist on the classic story-driven graphic adventure game. Finn and Jake decide to carry on the profession of Finn’s foster parents, who were Professional Investigators. Confronted with mysterious Land of Ooo disappearances and strange events, players will interrogate colorful inhabitants, dispatch evil doers in fast-paced combat, solve mind-bending puzzles, explore new and familiar locations, and genuinely feel as if they have stepped into their own personal episode of Adventure Time.
Adventure Time‘s sixth season is currently airing on Cartoon Network.
Nordic Games will release Legend of Kay Anniversary this Summer
For an action platformer starring a samurai cat, Legend of Kay is one of the more amazing underdog stories in all of gaming. Initially released across Europe in early 2005, the game eventually made its way to America thanks to Capcom almost a year later. Five years after that, the game was resurrected by DreamCatcher Games, who elected to give it a DS port. Now, it looks like the game is coming back once more as Nordic Games has confirmed they will release Legend of Kay on a number of new platforms this Summer.
Now known as Legend of Kay Anniversary, German developer Kaiko has been tapped to bring the game to the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox 360. Nordic plans to release Legend of Kay Anniversary as a budget title, but if it does well enough, it could finally spawn a sequel or two.
“Legend of Kay was a true gem on the PlayStation 2 platform,” said Reinhard Pollice, the Business and Product Development Director at Nordic Games. “Our strategy is to focus on our IPs and make them available to as many players as possible and also on the current generation of consoles. We [will] keep our options open to expand on the Legend of Kay franchise in the future.”