Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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
- “Animal Crossing” and Undertale” Lead the Way for New Book Series About Games at University of Chicago Press
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)
All Articles: Dragon Quest Builders
Owlboy, Dragon Quest Builders, Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
It’s Thursday, and Nintendo has offered up yet another hefty eShop update for the Switch.
This coming Tuesday, February 13, Switch owners will be able to download Owlboy, a side-scrolling platformer from D-Pad Studio. The Longest Five Minutes, a new RPG from NIS America, will also be available on the same day.
Both of those games rely on retro aesthetics to pull in players, and Square Enix will use a similar trick in its next game for the Switch. Dragon Quest Builders, a Minecraft-like experience based on the first game in the RPG series, will be available to download for the Switch beginning tomorrow. In addition to the main game, Dragon Quest Builders on the Switch will also include a variety of exclusive content.
Finally, 3DS owners will be able to download Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology early next week. Atlus originally released Radiant Historia for the DS in 2011, and Perfect Chronology is a re-release that includes new story content, upgraded graphics, and “new ways to experience the adventure.”
You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders, Owlboy, Radiant Historia
New Retail Releases: Shadow of the Colossus, Dragon Quest Builders, More
Topple the Colossi again in this week’s New Retail Release report…
Sony and Bluepoint will bring Shadow of the Colossus to the PS4 this week in a remake that was “built from the ground up” for the new-generation console. Also coming to store shelves this week is a Switch re-release of Dragon Quest Builders, Square Enix’s Minecraft-like reimagining of the first game in the RPG franchise.
In another corner of your favorite gaming store, Bandai Namco will launch The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia, an action game based on the hit anime, for the PS4. Sony’s console will also receive Under Night In-Birth: Exe Late[st], an updated version of the popular fighting game from Aksys.
Finally this week, Soedesco will release Blackhole: Complete Edition, a “sci-fi comedy,” for the PS4.
That’s it for this week’s New Retail Releases report, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, PS4, Switch
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders, Shadow of the Colossus
Dragon Quest Builders coming to Nintendo Switch on February 9
Square Enix will continue their impressive support of the Nintendo Switch in 2018 with the launch of Dragon Quest Builders on February 9. The Minecraft-like action RPG will include the same building and battling as the PS4/Vita release from 2016, as well as Switch-exclusive “experiences and items”:
Playing Dragon Quest Builders on Nintendo Switch will offer players experiences and items exclusive to this version of the game. This includes the ability to gather rare crafting materials and battle enemies while riding the powerful (and adorable) Great Sabrecub, as well as additional crafting options for more robust building customization options.
Square Enix previously confirmed (back in August) that Dragon Quest Builders 2 is also in development for the Nintendo Switch (and the PS4).
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders
Dragon Quest Heroes II Explorer’s Edition will be available for PS4 and PC on April 25
Square Enix has announced they’ll bring Dragon Quest Heroes II to the PC (via Steam) on the same day, April 25, as its PS4 launch.
The publisher also revealed that early adopters on both platforms will be able to purchase the Explorer’s Edition, which will come packed with 15 in-game bonus weapons. And players who purchase the Explorer’s Edition of Dragon Quest Heroes II through the PlayStation Store will also receive an exclusive PS4 Theme, a “Dragon Quest I Hero Costume,” and a special “Healix the Hero Recipe” for Dragon Quest Builders.
Finally, Square Enix wants everyone to watch Dragon Quest Heroes II’s new Overview Trailer to see the “tons of characters, vast landscapes, fast action, customizable classes, and online multiplayer” the game will offer.
A closer look at the 15 bonus in-game weapons available as part of the Explorer’s Edition can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders, Dragon Quest Heroes II
Warp Zoned’s 2016 Golden Pixel Awards: A Look Back at the Year in Video Games
In a very real way, the game industry wiped the slate clean in 2016.
After nearly a decade of development difficulties, Square Enix unleashed Final Fantasy XV on the world. Fumito Ueda and Sony Japan Studio overcame similar troubles to finally release The Last Guardian. Id Software shook off the past and was reborn after the launch of the fourth game in the Doom franchise. Blizzard closed the book on their failed “Titan Project” with the release of Overwatch. Naughty Dog said goodbye to Nathan Drake, but gamers said hello to altered realities that were both “augmented” and “virtual.” Nintendo found new kingdoms to conquer with Super Mario Run. And the launch of No Man’s Sky taught us that while the hype machine sometimes fails to deliver, the chance for a brighter tomorrow is always there.
But before we venture off into that great unknown, let’s look back at some of gaming’s highlights from 2016. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, Features, Mobile, PC, PS4, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Dangerous Golf, Dark Souls III, Doom (2016), Dragon Quest Builders, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, Final Fantasy XV, Hyper Light Drifter, No Man's Sky, Overwatch, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, Pokemon Go, Pokemon Sun/Moon, Superhot, The Last Guardian, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Square Enix is “committed” to bringing more Dragon Quest games to the US and UK
Dragon Quest Builders was released for the PS4 and Vita a few weeks ago, and Square Enix’s Noriyoshi Fujimoto recently sat down with MCV to discuss the game’s development.
Naturally, the conversation eventually shifted to questions about the future of the Dragon Quest franchise in Western locales like the US and UK. While Fujimoto couldn’t make any specific announcements, he did confirm that Square Enix is “committed” to launching more Dragon Quest games outside of Japan:
MCV: How do you think Dragon Quest Builders will affect the series’ Western performance going forwards?
Fujimoto: 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Dragon Quest series. It’s not as well known in the West as we would like but it really plays an epoch making role in the console gaming history. If gamers were to “discover” Dragon Quest now, they may be surprised to the sheer breadth of the universe, in terms of variety and depth. But they would also have instant access to something that has taken us 30 years to build. Dragon Quest Builders is definitely a great way of getting the feel of Dragon Quest while having great fun right from the start.
We’re committed to bringing more Dragon Quest titles in the West as we believe it truly has potential to succeed even better. So watch this space.
Square Enix plans to make good on their promise soon, as they’ll partner with Nintendo to release Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on the 3DS sometime next year.
The publisher will also launch Dragon Quest XI: In Search of the Departed Time on the 3DS, PS4, and Switch in Japan next Spring, but it’s currently unknown if a Western translation is in the cards.
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders
PlayStation VR launch games, Dragon Quest Builders, WWE 2K17, more added to PS Store
It’s a big week for Sony as the consolemaker is all set to launch the PlayStation VR headset this Thursday, October 13. Naturally, their splashy hardware launch will be joined by an equally impressive slate of new software including Batman: Arkham VR, DriveClub VR, Rez Infinite, and RIGS: Mechanized Combat League. All told, more than two dozen titles compatible with PlayStation VR will soon to be available to download from the PlayStation Store.
That includes Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, which made its PS4 debut this week after a year of Xbox One/PC exclusivity. In addition to including all the previously-released DLC to Lara Croft’s latest adventure, Crystal Dynamics added a special chapter that players will be able to explore using Sony’s virtual reality headset.
For those who plan to pass over PlayStation VR, there’s still plenty of big new releases on the PlayStation Store this week, and that includes Dragon Quest Builders (PS4), Square Enix’s Minecraft-like action RPG; WWE 2K17 (PS4, PS3), the latest wrestling sim from 2K Games; and Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour (PS4), a re-release of the famed first person shooter.
And speaking of re-releases, Konami will bring Hideo Kojima’s Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain together in a single package as Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience, and Rockstar will add Red Dead Revolver to the list of PS2-On-PS4 titles.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And a full rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts is available at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
New Retail Releases: PlayStation VR, Gears of War 4, Dragon Quest Builders, More
The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launched the “Great VR Arms Race” a few months ago, but virtual reality enthusiasts will get a much more affordable option this week with Sony’s release of PlayStation VR.
More than two dozen games will launch alongside the PS4’s VR headset, and there looks to be a little something for everybody including the superheroics of Batman: Arkham VR, the high octane racing of Driveclub VR, the robotic combat of RIGS Mechanized Combat League, and the gory stealth of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Square Enix will also bring Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition to the PS4 this week, and the game’s PS4 debut will receive “Blood Ties,” a unique VR-compatible chapter.
Rather than shy away from Sony’s juggernaut, Microsoft is charging into the fray head-on with the launch of the “Standard Edition” of Gears of War 4 for the PC and Xbox One. While this version of the game doesn’t include the Season Pass, it does feature the same action-packed co-op campaign for JD Fenix and friends.
Square Enix will deliver a game that’s a bit more colorful than Gears of War 4… but no less post-apocalyptic… to store shelves this week with the PS4 launch of Dragon Quest Builders. Players will return to the time of the original Dragon Warrior and rebuild Alefgard (using a Minecraft-like crafting system) after the destruction caused by the Dragonlord’s monstrous allies.
Rather than dwelling on the cage match between Sony and Microsoft, we could turn our attention to WWE 2K17, which will be available this week for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360. 2K’s latest wrestling sim stars Brock Lesnar, and it features a major focus on the popular NXT promotion.
Finally this week, Konami will package Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain together on the PS4 and Xbox One in Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience.
A full look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)