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
Splatoon gets a new trailer and a Best Buy-exclusive console bundle
Are you ready to “Claim Your Turf” in Splatoon, Nintendo’s colorful multiplayer shooter? I hope so, because the publisher has unveiled the game’s first television commercial, which asks that very question.
Nintendo and Best Buy have also announced that the retailer will begin selling a Wii U + Splatoon System Bundle on May 29. The Special Edition Splatoon Deluxe Set will include a 32GB Wii U console, a pre-installed copy of Nintendo Land, and a download code good for one copy of Splatoon. Even though this seems like the perfect chance to release a wild-looking multi-colored Wii U system, the console in the Splatoon bundle will come in the standard jet black pattern. Seriously, missed opportunity right there. At least the box looks neat.
The Special Edition Splatoon Deluxe Set will be priced at $299.99.
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog #4: The 2015 Calendar is Taking Shape
Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, or unannounced release date.
The 2015 E3 Expo is slightly less than two months away, and that means gamemakers have decided that now is the time to lock down those all-important Fall release dates while pushing some games to 2016. But first, some of this Spring’s biggest titles finally have confirmed dates including Project CARS (May 6 on PC and May 12 on PS4/Xbox One), Splatoon (May 29), and the full release of Heroes of the Storm (June 2)
But, I’m sure you’re going to ask next, what about the Fall? It kicks off in appropriate fashion with the launch of Madden NFL 16 on August 25 before moving into the crossover-craziness of Lego Dimensions on September 27. Nintendo’s Mario creation kit, Mario Maker, will also debut sometime in September.
No no, you say, Fall really begins in October and November. What’s on tap for then? Glad you asked, my overly pushy imaginary friend. On October 27, Microsoft will release Halo 5: Guardians on October 27. Electronic Arts will follow that up with another major sci-fi shooter, Star Wars: Battlefront, on November 17. In between, Activision will likely release Call of Duty: Black Ops III in early November, though that date is tentative for now.
Other Fall highlights this year include Guitar Hero Live and the North American release of Fatal Frame 5 on the Wii U. Both will set down roots on a specific date soon, but both are coming out in 2015.
However, two highly-anticipated games won’t be coming out in 2015 as previously thought. Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda Wii U and Remedy’s Quantum Break have both been pushed back to the nebulous “TBA 2016.” They’ve been joined by newly-announced entries from two well-liked franchises… Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.
The full list of games included in our fourth Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)
Hype Fatigue: Why I’m Exhausted With Viral Marketing, Elaborate Advertising Campaigns, and Countdowns
The machinations of video game marketers absolutely baffle me. Obviously, “video game marketing” is an incredibly broad term that encompasses hundreds of different campaigns a year, all run by different people, and all carried out with different expectations. Whipsawing between a seemingly neverending series of hype events and viral campaigns has started to make my head spin. Following hashtags and decoding secret messages has become de rigueur if you want to come up with all the latest game news. Last week, three publishers launched three very different viral campaigns that made me long for the days of the simple press release/trailer combo platter. But maybe they aren’t to blame, as video game marketing has been growing increasingly insane for years now. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, Opinions, PC, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Friday the 13th, Joe Montana Football 16, Lego Dimensions, Star Wars: Battlefront
Battlefield Hardline pulls off a heist to become best-selling game of March 2015
Hey, have you heard of this Bloodborne game? I hear its pretty popular and that Sony’s got a bonafide hit on their hands. It even sold more than a million copies. For all the acclaim Bloodborne has received and all the copies it surely has sold, the game was topped in last month’s NPD rankings by Battlefield Hardline. Developed by Visceral Games, Battlefield Hardline is a cops-and-robbers spin on the Battlefield series and it, not Bloodborne, managed to become the best-selling game of March 2015.
That said, nearly every game of note managed to crash the top ten last month including Mario Party 10 (#4), MLB 15: The Show (#6), Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (#9), and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (#10). Nintendo’s Code Name: STEAM was the only other March release that seemed like it might have enough juice to reach the top ten, but it was pushed out by Grand Theft Auto V (#3), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (#5), and other returning heavy hitters.
The NPD Group (via Game Informer) used this new release drought to explain why March 2015’s game sales were down 6% from the same month a year ago. NPD’s Liam Callahan was also quick to point out that March 2014 saw the release of two very well-received games in TitanFall and InFamous: Second Son. Callahan also confirmed that the PS4 outsold the Xbox One for another month.
March 2015’s top ten best-selling titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Donkey Kong 64, Battleground Z, Ultimate Angler, more
Are you a fan of Nintendo’s StreetPass Mii Plaza on the 3DS? If so, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to today’s Nintendo Download because the publisher has added two brand new StreetPass Mii Plaza titles to the 3DS eShop.
StreetPass Mii Plaza: Battleground Z asks 3DS users to join up with their friends to battle the zombie menace by gathering weapons and taking the fight to the Zeds. Meanwhile, StreetPass Mii Plaza: Ultimate Angler is a relaxing fishing trip with friends at the StreetPass Islands. 3DS owners might also be interested in A-Train 3D: City Simulator, a train management sim from Natsume and Artdink.
Over on the Wii U eShop, Donkey Kong 64 becomes the second Nintendo 64 game available to download through the Virtual Console.
More information on all of these games (and a few new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Project CARS will launch on May 6 with support for 12K monitors
After several delays, Slightly Mad Studios and Bandai Namco have announced Project CARS will definitely be released this May. PC gamers will be able to download it through Steam on May 6. If you plan on picking it up for a console, be advised that PS4 and Xbox One owners will have to wait until May 12. Finally, Project CARS will be released (for all platforms) in European countries on May 7 and a day later, May 8, throughout the UK.
To celebrate the good news, Slightly Mad has put the pedal to the metal on a brand new trailer, which has been embedded above. They’ve also updated the game’s Official FAQ with confirmation that the PC release will support 12K monitor (a 11520×2160 resolution).
How ridiculous is that? Very, actually, because 12K display technology don’t yet exist. The resolution is currently only available by jury-rigging three 4K monitors together and powering it with a PC that has four GeForce Titan graphics cards stuffed into it. The future is now and Slightly Mad is in the driver’s seat.
On a lower resolution note, a Wii U edition of Project CARS remains in development and Slightly Mad still plans to release it sometime before the end of the year.
Capcom brings back Mega May with MM & Bass, Battle Network 3, Battle Network 4, Zero 2
Capcom took over the Nintendo eShop last May with their “Mega May” promotion, ultimately adding five Mega Man titles to the Virtual Console service on the 3DS. This year, they’re moving on up to the Wii U eShop with a re-release of six Mega Man games that were previously available for the Game Boy Advance.
“Mega May 2015” will feature Mega Man & Bass, Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue / White, Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun / Blue Moon, and Mega Man Zero 2. Like last year, Capcom has decided to let fans decide which game will be released first and voting is now open at the Capcom-Unity Blog.
The vote will end on April 29 and the winner of “Mega Man 2015” will be available for download through the Wii U eShop on May 7.
New trailers reveal all you need to know about Mario Kart 8’s Animal Crossing DLC
Nintendo has decided its time to get serious as the publisher has just unleashed NINE brand new trailers showcasing everything from the Mario Kart 8 X Animal Crossing DLC Pack.
And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. The trailers focus on the three new characters (Isabel, Villager, Dry Bowser), four new karts (Streetle, City Tripper, P-Wing, Bone Rattler), four retro tracks (Mario Kart 7‘s Neo Bowser City, Super Circuit‘s Ribbon Road and Cheese Land, Double Dash‘s Baby Park), and four new tracks (Super Bell Subway, Big Blue, Wild Woods, Animal Crossing).
The Mario Kart 8 X Animal Crossing DLC Pack will be available on April 23. You can find the remaining trailers after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Mario Kart 8