Tekken 7’s Season Pass 2 includes Anna Williams, Lei Wulong, and Negan from The Walking Dead

Posted on August 6, 2018 by John Scalzo

Tekken 7‘s first Season Pass featured Eliza, Geese Howard, and Final Fantasy XV‘s Noctis, but it looks like Bandai Namco has plans to add even more characters to the game. Season Pass 2 was announced yesterday during Evo 2018, and it’ll include six new characters. So far, Tekken series mainstays Anna Williams and Lei Wulong have been revealed… as well as Negan from AMC’s adaptation of The Walking Dead.

Your eyes do not deceive you, your pounding heart does not betray you; Negan from AMC’s The Walking Dead is making his way into Tekken 7 to deal a world of pain in the Tekken universe. Negan, beloved by fans of The Walking Dead for his charismatic yet sinister demeanor, is ready to destroy all challengers, regardless of their stature in the Tekken universe.

Lei Wulong makes his long-awaited return to Tekken, this time sporting some new threads, new attitude, and his deadly Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake, and Dragon styles. True Lei Wulong fans will also enjoy the return of Lei’s Drunken Master style to the Tekken 7 arena!

Anna Williams returns to wreak havoc in Tekken 7 and to drive her sister, Nina Williams, crazy! As the personal bodyguard of Kazuya Mishima and the second-in-command of the G Corporation, Anna doesn’t only have the intelligence to run circles around her opponents, she’s got the deadly fighting skill to back-up her killer looks as well.

Some fans might scoff at Negan’s inclusion, but you have to admit, he seems downright normal when you’re talking about a franchise that also features a “bodyguard bear” that knows karate.

The first trailer for Tekken 7’s Season Pass 2 has been embedded above, and according to the publisher, the characters will be available to download “soon.”

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New Retail Releases: Madden NFL 19, Overcooked 2, We Happy Few

Posted on August 6, 2018 by John Scalzo

A trio of new games will be available on retail shelves this week, and each one will provide a unique experience for players looking for something different.

If you’re looking for a new entry in a tried-and-true franchise, you can never go wrong with John Madden Football. EA Sports’s annual football simulation is back this week with the release of Madden NFL 19, and Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown is on the cover. Set to launch for the PS4 and Xbox One, the development team is touting a new animation system known as Real Player Motion this time around, as well as a continuation of last year’s “Longshot” Story Mode

Also available this week is Overcooked! 2, Ghost Town’s multiplayer cooking simulation sequel for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Though we use the word “simulation” pretty loosely, as players will have to deal with “teleporters, moving platforms, dynamic kitchens that shift and evolve, and magic.”

Finally this week, Compulsion Games is ready to release We Happy Few, their whacked-out tale of drug-fueled denial in a “retrofuturistic” alternate take on 1960s England. Featuring three interwoven storylines, We Happy Few will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One.

All three games will also be available to download for the PC in the coming days.

And speaking of digital downloads, we’ll be back later this week with a complete rundown of this week’s new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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Switch Open Beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ begins on August 10

Posted on August 3, 2018 by John Scalzo

Bandai Namco has announced that Switch owners will be able to take part in the Open Beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ next week. Fans can download the Open Beta client right now, and the fighting begins at the stroke of midnight (Eastern Time) on August 10:

Schedule for Dragon Ball FighterZ Open Beta on Switch

  • August 3: Release the Open Beta on the eShop for pre-load only (players will be able to begin downloading the Open Beta client on this day).
  • August 10 at 12:00 Midnight (Eastern Time): Official release of the Open Beta on the Nintendo eShop and start of the Open Beta session (all players can now launch the game and have access to the online game servers).
  • August 12 at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time): The Open Beta period ends.

Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Open Beta will include access to 23 characters, as well as the Arena Match, Ring Match, and Ring Party Match modes. Open Beta participants can also fight their way through the Practice Battle Tutorial before they challenge an opponent online.

Dragon Ball FighterZ will be released for the Switch on September 28.

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WarioWare Gold, Dead Cells, Overcooked! 2, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on August 2, 2018 by John Scalzo

It is another big week for the Switch, but this Nintendo eShop belongs to the 3DS as Wario makes his debut on Nintendo’s dedicated handheld.

WarioWare Gold is the latest microgame collection starring Mario’s (other) nemesis, and this time around players will be able to tackle more than 300 new and returning microgames. Players will need to “use the touchscreen, tilt the system, push buttons, and rock the mic” when WarioWare Gold is available to download for the 3DS beginning tomorrow.

But Switch owners will once again get to choose from dozens of new releases this week, including today’s eShop launch for Salt and Sanctuary, a brutally challenging 2D Action RPG from Ska Studios. Also available to download today is comedic side-scroller Guns, Gore, and Cannoli 2 and picture puzzler Picross S2 (now with a Story Mode!).

And early next week, on August 7, Switch owners will be able to download Dead Cells, a MetroidVania-style roguelite from Motion Twin; Overcooked! 2, another multiplayer cooking sim from Team17; Slam Land, a basketball-style party brawler from Bread Machine; and 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, an interactive adventure set during the Iranian Revolution.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Iconoclasts, Not A Hero, Flipping Death, and more) after the break.

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The Games of August 2018

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Warp Zoned Staff

The Summer’s almost over, but game publishers have decided to fill these final school-free days with a steady stream of re-releases and a few side-scrollers that look very interesting.

We’re very excited for the console debut of Motion Twin’s Dead Cells, which looks to combine a retro-inspired look with roguelite elements and a MetroidVania style. Bread Machine will also try their hand at reimagining a popular genre on consoles, the party brawler, with Slam Land. Featuring a hand-drawn art style, Slam Land wants players to slam their friends to impress a mysterious Giant Blue Man.

Also this month, a few classic games will make their way to new locales, including Zeboyd’s Cosmic Star Heroine and Sega’s beloved Shenmue I & II. We may have missed them the first time around, but that’ll soon change.

You can find out exactly why the Warp Zoned staff is interested in these titles after the break, and take a gander at August’s full release schedule, which also includes WarioWare Gold, Madden NFL 19, Overcooked! 2, We Happy Few, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and many more.

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Nintendo scored both the best-selling game (Mario Tennis Aces) and console (NES Classic) of June 2018

Posted on August 2, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo can lay claim to the top-selling console in June 2018… but it wasn’t the Nintendo Switch. Instead, it looks like the relaunched NES Classic was the month’s best-selling console.

However, that’s not to say that the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch (as well as the Super NES Classic and 3DS) were slouching. According to the NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), the three major consoles, both of Nintendo’s retro microconsoles, and the 3DS created a 52% increase in overall hardware sales versus June 2017.

All told, the game industry tallied $1.1 billion in sales in June, which was good for a 25% year-over-year increase.

June is typically a slow month for new releases, and that was reflected in the NPD’s companion report on best-selling games. Mario Tennis Aces was the top-selling game during the month, with The Crew 2 (#4), and Lego The Incredibles (#7) also breaking into the top ten. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy‘s debut on the PC, Switch, and Xbox One also helped it re-enter the list at #9.

A quick rundown of the remainder of June 2018’s best-selling games can be found after the break.

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Vigor, 1979 Revolution, Forsaken Remastered, more coming to Xbox Store this week

Posted on August 1, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s time for another vigorous new update to the Xbox Games Store…

Leading this week is Vigor, a brand new survival shooter for the Xbox One from developer Bohemia Interactive. The game is now available to download through Microsoft’s Xbox Game Preview program, and it asks players to make their way through the aftermath of a nuclear war in an alternate 1991.

Also available to download this week for the Xbox One is 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, a narrative adventure that transports players back to the Iranian Revolution and a “dangerous world of revolution and civil unrest.”

Finally this week, a long-forgotten (but well-liked) shooter from the N64-era is being remastered for a new audience. Forsaken Remastered was first released in 1998, and players will once again get the chance to explore its underground locales with 360° combat.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break.

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Posted in News, Xbox One |

Titan Books will publish a God of War novelization on August 28

Posted on August 1, 2018 by John Scalzo

Sony Santa Monica jettisoned the over-the-top gore and gratuitous minigames from the newest entry in the God of War franchise, and they were rewarded with huge sales and stellar reviews. This time, the developers chose to focus on a (relatively) kinder and gentler Kratos to tell a more grounded story about fatherhood and responsibility.

So it’s only fitting that Titan Books has selected J.M. Barlog (the father of Game Director Cory Barlog) to pen an official novelization of God of War:

His vengeance against the Gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive… and teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series—satisfying combat; breathtaking scale; and a powerful narrative—and fuses them anew.

The God of War novelization will be available in bookstores on August 28.

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