Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 2024 GOTY Scoreboard: Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, More
- The Strong Museum of Play Acquires Prototypes and Development Documents from Volition’s 30-Year History
- Minecraft’s Volume Alpha Soundtrack Has Been Added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry
- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- The 2024-2025 BAFTA Games Awards Goes With the Flow as Astro Bot is Named “Best Game”
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- It’s beginning to feel like gaming isn’t for everyone – Digital Trends (2025)
- 22 years later, modders are keeping SimCity 4 alive – The Verge (2025)
- The B-movies of Paul W.S. Anderson double as acts of devotion to his muse, Milla Jovovich – The AV Club (2025)
- Breakout, Ripoff, Genre: How Fiction Outgrows Originality – Uncanny Magazine (2025)
- ‘I Could Make “Fart Fart Boobie Fart: The Game” and Maybe It Would Eventually Get Taken Down’ – Devs Reveal Why the Consoles Are Drowning in ‘Eslop’ – IGN (2025)
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Telltale Games will release a game set in the Marvel Universe in 2017
Telltale Games has just announced they’ve teamed up with Marvel Entertainment to produce an episodic game for PC and consoles based on a Marvel property. The official announcement is incredibly sparse on details, but we do that the game will be released in 2017. So we’ve got quite a long time to wait.
While it could just as easily be based on Marvel Comics continuity, the company has quite an impressive slate of films on tap for 2017 including Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Thor: Ragnarok, and the debut of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, Telltale might be working on a game unconnected to either continuity. Last year, Marvel’s TQ Jefferson said the company wants to create a connected universe of games to rival the MCU. A high-profile title from Telltale Games would be the perfect way to kick off such an initiative.
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour pushed back to July; Gameplay Features trailer now available
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour will include a ton of options when it launches this Summer (including the “extreme fantasy courses” first unveiled last year), but it looks like the tee time will be a little later than expected. Originally announced for release in June, EA Sports confirmed today that the game will now be available on July 14.
To help ease the sting, a new trailer and a new post at the game’s official website go into a little bit of detail about what gamers can expect from Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. Among the features highlighted include the three gameplay styles (the easier Arcade option, the three clicks of Classic, and the accuracy of Tour), new “Aiming Arc” and “Putt Read” options, and a Backswing Meter.
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour is in development at EA Tiburon for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Rory McIlroy PGA Tour
See the first Star Wars: Battlefront Developer Diary here
GAME, the largest chain of video game stores in the United Kingdom, has teamed up with DICE to bring gamers a series of Developer Diaries that delve into the making of Star Wars: Battlefront. Design Director Niklas Fegraeus takes us behind-the-scenes at DICE in the first episode, which has been embedded above.
Watch as Fegraeus explores the Lucasfilm archive to ensure the look of everything is just right. And follow him to Skywalker Sound where the hum of a Lightsaber is recorded for use in the game. The developer even travels to the real-world locales that were used for the ice planet Hoth and the desert world of Tatooine.
Star Wars: Battlefront will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17. And don’t worry, GAME will unveil three more Developer Diaries with DICE in the coming days.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Battlefront
Square Enix will add Final Fantasy IV: The After Years to Steam on May 12
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was originally released in 2008, exclusively for Japanese mobile phones. In typical Square Enix fashion, the game was eventually ported to a variety of different platforms including the Wii (2009) and the PSP (2011). An iOS/Android remake was released in 2013 that ditched the Super NES-style graphics. Today, the publisher announced that this version of the game will make its way to Steam on May 12.
Priced at $15.99 ($14.39 if you pre-order), the game takes place 20 years after Final Fantasy IV, with another moon threatening the planet’s very existence:
Seventeen years have passed since the war’s end, and the son born to King Cecil and Queen Rosa of Baron has grown into a young man. Prince Ceodore has enlisted in the airship fleet known as the Red Wings, eager to meet the expectations demanded of his blood and station. Yet once more another moon has appeared in the sky, and with it vast hordes of monsters intent on destruction. The brief peace enjoyed by the Blue Planet now stands threatened under the shadow of impending catastrophe.
In addition to revamped graphics, the Steam version of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years will support for Steam Achievements and Steam Trading Cards.
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
Daily Scoop: April 23, 2015 – Back to my winter coat
So, winter decided to come back again, as it was in the 30s last night and this morning. I played it safe and wore my winter coat because I don’t want to make this cough any worse than it is already! I knew I was in trouble when I woke up and the heat was on, because it has to be cold indeed for that to happen. Soon I’ll be complaining that it’s too hot out. I can’t wait!
Anyway, let’s talk deals! There’s a brand new Humble Weekly Bundle, and this one’s all about Multiplayer Mayhem! Pay what you want for Primal Carnage, God Mode, and early access to Boid. Beat the average to get Chariot, Blade Symphony, and GoD Factory: Wingmen. Pay $10 or more to unlock early access to Homebrew. And you have one more day for the Shooter Sale, so get on it!
Over at Steam, the Midweek Madness is everyone’s favorite Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. You can play for free all weekend, and if you decide you want to buy it, it’s on sale for a measly $4.99. The Daily Deal is the Worms Collection, which includes Worms Clan Wars, Worms Armageddon, and Worms Crazy Golf, among others. You can get the whole collection for $22.49.
Finally, let’s check out today’s t-shirts! (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop
Kickstart This! 10 Pointers To Get More Gold For Your Game
Nearly two years ago, I augmented my regular Kickstart This! column with a guide for prospective campaign creators called “How To Get More Coin For Your Game.” Since then, there has been an explosion in games funded via crowdfunding platforms. There have been highs and lows, ups and downs, and despite a recent decline in donations, it is apparent that crowdfunding is here to stay as an alternative way of independent financing.
Yet whenever I browse those vying for my coins, gold rings, or rupees, I am often disheartened by how many of these projects appear to have been cobbled together in a Katamari-like rush, with strips of duct tape covering over the cracks. Finding projects I feel passionately enough about to fund has gone from an exciting trek of discovery to an aimless slog through a myriad of garbage bags and run-down half-way houses. Wander too far and you will get lost among people trying to fund their own lifestyles rather than a game project to be enjoyed by the masses.
Kickstarter, by the nature of its funding model, manages to dissuade those attempting to fund the purchase of a new PS4 or an upgrade to their YouTube Channel, which are found on other platforms such as Indiegogo. Both of these examples were lazily set up, with the Indiegogo placeholder descriptions left in place rather than writing their own. The world is saturated with gaming channels on YouTube and Twitch, bedroom podcasts, and one-man gaming blogs, so if you do need money to fund these endeavours, it is going to be a hard sell, even more so if you are asking for someone to simply buy you a PC, turning a crowdfunding platform into a crowded begging centre.
Yet, at their core, all of these people want to celebrate games, and the more games that are funded through crowdfunding, the more independent voices there are to counter the stale sequelitis being spewed by EA, Ubisoft, Activision and their ilk, the better.
So, armed with a stern brow and steadfast determination, I have revisited my original guide to bash it into a slightly different shape, remoulding it with some blunt advice for anyone looking to run a successful campaign. Follow this, and your project will stand a better chance of reaching its funding goal. (more…)
Mad Max gameplay trailer takes us beyond The Wasteland and into Thunderdome
Did you catch a glimpse of the Thunderdome in this brand new gameplay trailer for Mad Max? The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment occurs right around three minutes and 55 seconds into this extensive look at how players will take control of “Mad” Max Rockatansky.
Max’s car is at the center of who he is and this focus carries over to the trailer. Prospective players will learn all about building his car, the Magnum Opus, and the vehicular combat it’ll open up. Scavenging parts, talking to other Wasteland inhabitants, and forging alliances will also play a big role in the game.
Mad Max will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 1. Maybe you’ll even be able to barter for it.