Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Meet the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025: Quake, GoldenEye 007, Defender, and Tamagotchi
- The BAFTA Games Awards Polled the Public and Shenmue is “The Most Influential Video Game of All Time”
- 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
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- Fight Club, The Game David Fincher Didn’t Want You To Play – Time Extension (2025)
- 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)
Monthly Archives: December 2016
Xbox One Backwards Compatibility list reaches 300 titles; 50% of Xbox One owners use it
Yesterday, Microsoft added BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite to the Xbox One’s growing Backwards Compatibility list. Believe it or not, with the addition of these three games, more than 300 Xbox 360 games that are now playable on the Xbox One.
While a number of incredibly high-profile titles are now playable on the Xbox One, you might be wondering how many people actually bother with Backwards Compatibility. According to Phil Spencer, the Head of Microsoft’s Xbox Division, more than 50% of Xbox One owners use the program:
Now over 300 back compat titles. Nearly 50% of XB1 owners playing BC games is great to see. Thanks for supporting the program.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 13, 2016
You can find a complete list of all Xbox 360 titles that are playable on the Xbox One through the Backwards Compatibility program at Xbox.com.
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged BioShock, BioShock 2, BioShock Infinite
Stardew Valley, DriveDriveDrive, I Expect You to Die, more added to PS Store
Even though an extended cold snap will make the northeast and midwest a chilly place this week, PlayStation fans are thinking about the joys of planting season in Stardew Valley. Available to download now for the PS4, players will inherit their grandfather’s old plot of land and attempt to build a thriving farm with just a few coins and a dream.
Also available for the PS4 this week is DriveDriveDrive, a racing game that asks players to control multiple cars and multiple tracks. If that’s not weird enough, I Expect You to Die is a PS4 game that wants to hear your best Goldfinger impression. OK, that’s not entirely accurate, but it is a PlayStation VR-exclusive that puts players “in the well-polished shoes of an elite secret agent” as they escape from deadly death traps using only their wits and their telekinesis powers.
Finally this week, Batman: The Telltale Series comes to an end with the release of its fifth, and final, episode on the PS4 and PS3.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. A complete look at this week’s new add-ons and discounts is available at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4
Tagged Batman: The Telltale Series, Stardew Valley
Daily Scoop: December 13, 2016 – War for the Overworld on sale at Steam
I’ve got a huge stack of games next to my television, and I’m not sure what to start next. I’m thinking about putting a poll up here just to see what people think! I would love to play Gods Eater 2: Rage Burst, but I’m also being tempted by Final Fantasy XV. Decisions, decisions… Either way, I have to get through The Last Guardian first!
Over at the Humble Store, they’ve got lots of games on sale this week. Grand Theft Auto V is $29.99, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition is $8.99, and Max Payne 3 is $6.99, among many others.
The Midweek Madness at Steam is Mount & Blade: Warband, which is on sale for $5.99. You can also get the DLC Collection for $11.99, or the Full Collection for $13.49. The Daily Deal is War for the Overworld. You can get the standard version of the game for $7.49, the Underlord Edition for $9.99, or the Gold Edition for $15.75.
Hit the jump to see today’s t-shirts! (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop
Turtle Rock has partnered with Perfect World to produce a free-to-play co-op FPS with “dark fantasy” elements
When Turtle Rock parted ways with 2K earlier this year, they left the future development of Evolve in the publisher’s hands. But the developer has revealed they have no plans to stop creating co-op shooters after partnering with Perfect World on a new free-to-play title.
Steve Goldstein, Turtle Rock’s President, recently sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to discuss this new title, the team’s future, and the difficulty of being an independent AAA developer in today’s world. The executive confirmed that the game, which is currently untitled, won’t be released until “at least 2018.” He also said it shouldn’t be considered a spiritual successor to Evolve or the Left 4 Dead series because it takes place in a “dark fantasy” world:
According to President and GM of Turtle Rock, Steve Goldstein, the developer isn’t willing to go so far as to call the new IP a spiritual successor. “We think that kind of label has big expectations tied to it, also – it sets an expectation that we’re making something sequel-like that does not deviate too far from the original formula. And while we focus on awesome first-person shooting and co-op, we’d rather have the new game be something our players classify and designate and judge without us affixing the label ourselves,” he said.
“What we can say is that we are definitely going back to our moment-to-moment gameplay roots with a huge focus on co-op FPS. There will be plenty of baddies to shoot up, but it is not a ‘zombie game’ or anything post-apocalyptic. What we can say right now is there’s a strong dark fantasy element to it.”
Goldstein is also very impressed with the way developers are able to quickly respond to fan feedback in the free-to-play space. However, it’s likely the last thing we’ll hear about Turtle Rock’s next game for a long time.
UPDATE: An official press release from Turtle Rock has confirmed their free-to-play project is in development for “PC and console.”
Learn about “The Calamity and The Blade” in this new Tales of Berseria trailer
Bandai Namco has provided fans with another extended look at Tales of Berseria, this time zooming in on the game’s demon-heavy backstory in a new trailer titled “The Calamity and The Blade”:
A mysterious disease known as Daemonblight is devouring the kingdom, it infects humans, plants, and animals, turning many of them into violent creatures. Take on the role of Velvet Crowe, a woman who some years ago lived a normal life in her village but is now infected with Daemonblight. She narrowly escapes death and is instead imprisoned for three years. Take part in her tale of vengeance!
The publisher has also opened digital pre-orders for Tales of Berseria and fans who purchase the game before release will receive the following bonus items:
PS4 Digital Pre-Order Bonuses
- Tales of Berseria Theme (Illustrated by Ufotable)
- 15 Minute Exclusive Dramatic Chat Skit – Hosted by Bienfu with Velvet and the complete cast discussing a plethora of topics about the Tales of series
- Mini Music Selection from Tales of Berseria
Steam Digital Pre-Order Bonuses
- $10.00 Loyalty Discount – If you have previously purchased Tales of Zestiria or Tales of Symphonia through Steam
Tales of Berseria will launch early next year for the PS4 (on January 24) and Steam (on January 26). If you’d rather try it out first, a demo will also be available on January 10.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Tales of Berseria
Yooka-Laylee will be released on April 11; Switch release planned for later in 2017 after Playtonic cancels Wii U version
Playtonic Games has announced that Yooka-Laylee will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 11. Yes, you read that right, the Wii U version of the colorful 3D platformer has been canceled. According to the developer’s official website, the Wii U version was dropped due to “unforeseen technical issues.”
However, Playtonic revealed that they’re working closely with Nintendo to bring Yooka-Laylee to the upcoming Nintendo Switch. More details about the Switch release of Yooka-Laylee will be revealed next year, likely during Nintendo’s livestream presentation on January 12.
In other Yooka-Laylee news, Playtonic also unveiled a gameplay trailer for the game that focuses on a brand new locale, the “Capital Cashino”:
This glamorous, marble-floored playground has our buddy-duo navigating the casino floor, discotheques and oversized roulette tables in search of delicious golden bounty. But there’s a twist; players must now compete to win casino tokens, and exchange them with the banker for the pivotal Pagies!
Finally, Playtonic announced that everyone who pre-orders a copy of Yooka-Laylee will instantly receive the Toybox Demo, “which offers a taste of the platforming mechanics set to appear in the full game in a self-contained, spoiler free sandbox.”
The Big List of Nintendo Switch Games: December 2016 Update
We are exactly one month away from learning a lot more about the Nintendo Switch. On January 12, the consolemaker will host the “Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017,” a livestream dedicated to revealing “the launch date and pricing for Nintendo Switch, as well as a look at the lineup of games currently in development.”
However, a few recent rumors have given us a pretty good look at what Nintendo probably has planned for the Switch, including adding GameCube games to the Virtual Console, a multi-touch touchscreen, and a wallet-friendly possible retail price of $250.
We’ve even gotten a glimpse at a dozen new games in development for the Switch, and you can learn more about those after the break. (more…)
Early Access release of Pit People will launch for Xbox One and Steam on January 13
The Behemoth has announced that their upcoming strategy RPG, Pit People, will be available to download through Early Access on Steam and the Xbox One Game Preview program on January 13. Here’s what they had to say about it on the official Behemoth Blog:
After implementing our changes post-beta, holding onto the game in its current state just feels weird. The core gameplay is complete and we’ll be adding content until the full version is released. We feel that Pit People is at a point where we’ll confidently say there’s more than enough fun, content, variety, value and play-time to keep someone happy. We won’t sell something unless it meets these standards, so it definitely seems like it is time! This will also be a good opportunity to monitor the balance in the game and continue getting feedback from the gaming community as we finish up!
According to the developer, the Early Access version of Pit People will include “a sizeable chunk of the Story mission, plus access to several world maps (yes, there are more than one!), quests, Unfair Challenge against the AI, and Versus mode.” All of the game’s multiplayer modes will also be available including two-player cooperative mode and Versus Mode for up to four players.
As development continues, The Behemoth plans to add more quests, collectible items, story missions, and world maps to the game.
Players who give Pit People a chance in its Early Access will be able to do so at a discounted rate. The Behemoth will sell the Early Access version of the game for $15, which is a 25% reduction off its regular $20 price tag. And as you might expect, players who purchase the Early Access version of Pit People will receive the full version at no additional charge.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Pit People