Rain Games might release World to the West on Nintendo NX

Rain Games will release World to the West, an overhead action-adventure game, for the PC, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One in Early 2017. But during a recent interview with Miketendo64, the developer hinted the game might also be released for Nintendo’s NX next year:

Artist Ole Ivar Rudi spilled the proverbial beans during this exchange:

Miketendo64: “Since World to the West will be coming to the Wii U, and the NX is set to release next year, are there any plans to release it on the NX as well?”

Ole Ivar Rudi: “Hehe, gotta keep answers straight here. As we mentioned earlier it’s very unlikely to come out on 3DS, but it *will *show up on additional platforms. Maybe even another Nintendo platform, but our lips are sealed though.”

World to the West is a sequel to Teslagrad, a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer that’s now available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One. The developer clearly has experience working with many different platforms, but they also have a fairly cozy relationship with Nintendo (the consolemaker demoed the Wii U version of World to the West at PAX West this year).

With all this evidence, I’d be shocked if World to the West doesn’t make its way to the NX eventually.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged

Someone beat the Super Mario Bros. “Any Percentage” speedrun record by a single frame

In April, “Darbian” lowered the World Record “Any Percentage” speedrun for Super Mario Bros. to just four minutes and 57.26 seconds. In the aftermath of his achievement, he retired from speedrunning, saying, “I have reached my potential in this category.”

But some records were made to be broken… and even the slimmest of margins can mean the difference between Silver and Gold.

On Thursday, “Kosmic” set an unbelievable new “Any Percentage” record for Super Mario Bros. of four minutes and 57.244 seconds. The minuscule difference between the two runs, just 0.016 seconds, is actually equivalent to a single frame of animation in the game. So how did he do it? “Kosmic” has a pretty extensive FAQ up on YouTube, and a desire to get his World Record down to four minutes and 56 seconds.

If you’re interested in watching him try, you can follow his Twitch Channel to see all his attempts.

UPDATE (10/4/16): Believe it or not, but Kosmic has already set a new Super Mario Bros. “Any Percentage” record. He posted to Twitter that his new best time is 4:57.194, an improvement of 0.05 seconds (or three frames) over his previous record-setting attempt.

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Weekly Warp-Up: Time for More Nintendo NX Rumors…

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

Psst! Hey! You! Get over here! Do you wanna hear some new rumors about Nintendo’s NX console? Supposedly, a trial production for the Nintendo NX was recently held, which means the console is still on track to launch in March 2017.

We even heard about a few new games in development including Puzzle Box from Bplus and the very strong possibility of a Beyond Good & Evil Prequel from Ubisoft. Now that’s exciting.

Equally exciting was the news that J.J. Abrams told reporters that a pair of films based on Portal and Half-Life are still in development. We might even get an official announcement “soon.”

Finally this week, UK Correspondent Andrew Rainnie dove deep into the crowdfunding rabbit hole and came out with three new Kickstart This! selections: Z’Isle, Ultra Captain & The Great Piratey Space Escape, and Magicland.

More news from the week that was can be found after the break.

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Posted in News |

New Retail Releases: Gears of War 4 Ultimate, Mafia III, Paper Mario Color Splash, More

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After a brief surge in September, the “Fall Gaming Season” continues to ramp up with a trickle of big new releases during this first week of October.

It’s likely that none of this week’s new games will be bigger than Gears of War 4, which Microsoft is releasing in an Ultimate Edition ahead of its official launch next week. Fans will return to Sera alongside a new generation of heroes on the PC and Xbox One, and they’ll do it in style. The Ultimate Edition of Gears of War 4 will include a copy of the game, the Season Pass, and download codes for all four Gears of War games on the Xbox 360 (and yes, they’re backwards compatible).

If you’re looking to upgrade your Xbox One experience, Microsoft will also offer an Xbox One S 2TB + Gears of War 4 Limited Edition Console Bundle that includes a digital copy of the game, the Season Pass, download codes for the Xbox 360’s Gears of War title, and a custom “Crimson Omen” Xbox One S and Controller.

Not to be outdone, 2K Games will launch it’s own action epic that focuses on a new generation with Mafia III. Set to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Mafia III is set more than 20 years after the second game in the franchise and relocates the action to New Bordeaux, a stand-in for New Orleans. Mixing the cultural upheaval caused by the Vietnam War with era-appropriate music, 2K wants to give a different kind of organized crime experience with Mafia III.

If you’re looking for something a bit more colorful, Nintendo will release Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U this week. The RPG gives Mario a Paint Hammer and asks him to restore color to Prism Island. I don’t know if Nintendo was trying to make a comment on the current state of AAA games, but releasing Color Splash on the same day as Gears of War 4 is a rather obvious bit of counter-programming.

Finally this week, a trio of lower-profile games will be available on store shelves including Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack (a compilation of the 3DS platform shooter series from Inti Creates), Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide (a co-op survival game set in the Warhammer universe for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One), and Rocksmith 2014 Remastered (an updated version of the music tutor for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One).

That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with details on all the new downloadable additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged , , , ,

New World and Crucible also announced by Amazon Game Studios

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Breakaway wasn’t the only game that Amazon Game Studios was ready to announce today. The game publishing arm of the retail giant also confirmed that it has two other projects in the works for the PC… New World and Crucible

New World sounds like a rather traditional MMO that also include Twitch integration for “broadcaster-led events”:

New World is a massively multiplayer, open-ended sandbox game that allows players to carve out their own destiny with other players in a living, cursed land. Players decide how to play, what to do, and whom to work with–or against–in an evolving world that transforms with seasons, weather, and time of day. Players can band together to reclaim monster-haunted wilds and build thriving civilizations, or strike out alone, surviving in the face of supernatural terrors and murderous player bandits. With emergent gameplay and rich social features, including deep Twitch integration with broadcaster-led events, achievements, and rewards, the only limit in the New World is a player’s ambition.

While Crucible is a survival game that also includes another player that serves a role that sounds very similar to a Dungeon Master:

Crucible is a battle to the last survivor on a hostile, alien world. Players choose and customize heroes, making alliances and betraying allies on their path to victory. An additional player heightens the drama by triggering events, live-streaming the battles, and interacting with viewers.

Both games are still early in development, but interested players can head over to Games.Amazon.com to keep tabs on them.

Posted in News, PC |

Xbox Store Today: Axiom Verge, Zenith

Two new games are now available to download for the Xbox One through the Xbox Games Store today…

After taking a trip around the entire galaxy of games, Axiom Verge has found its way to the Xbox One. Using the Metroid franchise as his main inspiration, Thomas Happ’s famed “MetroidVania” is now available to download through the Xbox Games Store. Also new to Microsoft’s digital storefront today is Zenith, an action RPG from Badland Indie that combines “the feel of the golden era RPG games” with “a generous dose of humor and parody.”

More information on both games can be found right here:

Xbox One Games

Axiom Verge ($19.99)
After a lab accident, a scientist awakens in a mysterious, alien world. Is this a distant planet? The far future? Or a complex virtual-reality computer simulation? Plumb the recesses of a large, labyrinthine world in order to learn its secrets and uncover your role within it. Discover tons of weapons, items, and abilities, each with their own unique behaviors and usage. You’ll need your wits to find them all. Combat bizarre biomechanoid constructs, the deadly fallout of an ancient war, and the demons of your own psyche. And finally, break the game itself by using glitches to corrupt foes and solve puzzles in the environment. Life. Afterlife. Real. Virtual. Dream. Nightmare. It’s a thin line. It’s Axiom Verge.

Zenith ($19.99)
Zenith is an action RPG that combines that feel of the golden era RPG games with a generous dose of humor and parody. The game counts with a solid story which unfolds in a fantasy world populated by dozens of unorthodox characters. Adventuring, exploring ruins, accidentally unleashing the apocalypse, saving the world… you’ve done it all, and so has Argus. And, frankly, he’s a bit fed up with the whole thing. He used to be a wizard, which was fine and all, but he’s in his 30s now, and he wants to settle down, get some peace and quiet. But that’s not easy to get with all those spike-haired buffoons dragging their giant swords around and ruining the pavement.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Amazon Game Studios reveals 4v4 “sport brawler” Breakaway

When Amazon purchased Twitch for nearly a billion dollars back in 2014, you knew they were serious about their entrance into the video game industry. Today, they let the world know just how serious they are with the unveiling of Breakaway, their first “AAA” game project.

Developed by Double Helix, Breakaway is a 4v4 “sport brawler” for the PC that looks a bit like hockey… though with less ice and more buildable death traps:

Breakaway is a 4v4 mythological sport brawler built for fast action, teamwork, and live-streaming. Players assemble a team from an expanding roster of legendary warriors, including the relentless gladiator Spartacus, the twisted sorceress Morgan Le Fay, and the bloodthirsty warlord Vlad the Impaler.

At the start of each round, warriors can summon persistent buildables onto the playing field that dynamically alter the game. Buildables can besiege foes, shield teammates, or create new pathways through the arena. Players fight for dominance across fabled locations such as El Dorado, Atlantis, and Styx.

They battle to control the Relic–the center of Breakaway’s action–passing it to teammates, defending it from attackers, and smashing it into an opponent’s base to score.

Naturally, Double Helix will be packing Breakaway with a number of Twitch-specific features, including “real-time stat overlays” for viewers and in-game wagering:

  • Metastream allows streamers to customize their broadcasts with real-time stat overlays.
  • Broadcaster Match Builder lets broadcasters invite their followers to join their matches.
  • Broadcaster Spotlight adds to the excitement of streaming. It tells players when they’re in a match that’s being broadcast, and lets them follow the broadcaster with a single click.
  • Stream+ gives broadcasters new ways to interact with their viewers through polls, and by allowing viewers to wager loyalty points that are redeemable for in-game rewards.

Prospective players can visit PlayBreakaway.com to learn more about the game’s characters and to sign up for a chance to join the Alpha Test. For a sneak peek at what you can expect, a ten-minute video showcasing the world’s first Breakaway exhibition match can be found after the break.

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Posted in News, PC |

Daily Scoop: September 30, 2016 – Get Black Ops III on sale this weekend at Steam

Last night, I tried out the Picross 3D Round 2 demo, and it was super fun! I wasn’t sure what they could to expand on their already solid foundation, but the new additions are perfect. It’s much more fun than Pokemon Picross, mainly because those paywalls are really killing the fun for me.

Anyway, let’s talk about today’s sales! There’s a New World Interactive sale happening at Humble right now. You can get Insurgency for $3.99, early access to Day of Infamy for $16.99, or both together for $20.08.

The Weekend Deal at Steam is Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Get the game alone for $29.99 or the Digital Deluxe edition for $74.99. The Daily Deal is 8-Bit Hordes. Get the game alone for $11.24, the Complete Edition for $12.09, or the Armies & Hordes bundle for $17.98.

Finally, today is the last day for Xbox Games with Gold for September. Grab Mirror’s Edge for Xbox 360 and Earthlock: Festival of Magic for Xbox One while you can!

Hit the jump to see today’s t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |