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
- 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)
Author: Andrew Rainnie - UK Correspondent
Next Gen Marketing Malarkey: 5 Buzzwords I’m Already Bored Of
While the launch of two new consoles is an exciting event, this one has been slightly marred by marketing departments using inane buzzwords to hype up frantic fans until there is nothing left but over-expectations and broken hearts. It has become a bombastic practice that often leaves companies in a bigger hole than where they started, as fans and critics peel away the poor PR paint job to uncover a myriad of lies and deceit. Here are a few words to cry BS at. (more…)
GAME announces additional next gen bundle deals for UK gamers
In addition to several previously announced packages, Video Gamer reports that UK retailer GAME has a number of new bundles they plan to make available to customers savvy enough to pre-order either the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Both consoles will come with four tier options; Value, Movie, Premium, and Epic.
The Value package for the PS4 comes in at a cool £389.99 and is bundled with one additional game, with players being able to choose from the much anticipated Killzone: Shadow Fall, platformer Knack, as well as the latest entry in two of EA’s biggest franchises, Battlefield 4 and Need for Speed: Rivals. Curiously, there is also the option to take home Putty Squad, the remake of an unreleased Amiga game. There are also some sport options available, including FIFA 14, Madden NFL 14, and NBA 2K14. The Xbox One Value pack (priced at £469.99) also comes with the option of these sports titles, although gamers can get FIFA 14 or Forza Motorsport 5 free, in addition to another game. These include Ryse: Son of Rome, Dead Rising 3, as well as the EA titles mentioned above.
The Movie pack adds the option of taking home two new Blu-ray titles as well as one game for £414.99 for the PS4 or £499.99 for the Xbox One. Such titles include robot rampage Pacific Rim, hilarious cartoon comedy Despicable Me 2, and superior X-Men sequel The Wolverine. The hairy Canadian is not the only superhero in consideration, with Man of Steel and Kick-Ass 2 also on offer, along with British smash Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
The Premium pack is where things get exciting. For the Xbox One, it removes one of the Blu-ray titles and replaces it with a 12-month Gold subscription to Xbox Live for a grand total of £509.99. The PlayStation 4’s Premium pack, priced at a cool £449.99 means you can take home two games and two Blu-ray films.
Last, and most expensive, the Epic Pack for the PS4 chucks in another Blu-ray film from the list, and includes a GAMEware starter kit including a headset, vertical stand, and a handy dual controller charging station, all for £484.99. The Xbox One Epic package comes with the same two-game, three-film combo, although no Xbox Live subscription, yet it sports a similar starter kit, but includes a Play & Charge kit, HDMI cable, and Kinect wall mount and clip, with a total bill of £549.99
The Xbox One is the first next-gen console out of the gate in the UK, releasing on Friday, November 22. The PlayStation 4 will be playing catch-up when it is released exactly one week later on Friday the 29th.
Girl Fight Review: Wham, Bam, No Thank You Ma’am
“Sex sells,” Edward Bernays, the father of Public Relations, once told the world. In Girl Fight, it’s the “same sex” that sells. Eight hot, scantily clad women duke it out in Kung Fu Factory’s downloadable brawler. While it may do nothing for the ongoing and much-needed debate about women within the games industry, its borderline misogyny makes the game feels like it is stuck in its own narcissistic past. (more…)
Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Girl Fight
Interview-O: Gary Beaver of GHI Electronics Talks About FEZ Game-O
In July, our regular Kickstart This! column featured GHI Electronics’ FEZ Game-O, a programmable hand-held console. Having managed to raise almost double their $5,000 goal, the FEZ Game-O was put into production and should start shipping this month. We caught up with Gary Beaver, Director of Operations at GHI, to see how he led a successful campaign, learn more about the FEZ Game-O, and see what the future might hold for the company. (more…)
Posted in Features, Interviews, Top Story
6 Reasons I’m Not Looking Forward to Batman: Arkham Origins
Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s Batman: Arkham Origins hits stores next week, and despite wave after wave of screenshots and info on the villains of the project, it has not managed to raise my excitement above lukewarm. I’m a self-confessed Batman fan and I adored the previous two entries (Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, despite the latter’s Day One DLC debacle), yet the prospect of purchasing the third entry has left me feeling numb
“But this is The Batman!” I hear my inner geek scream.
“So was Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin,” replies the pessimistic part of my brain.
In an attempt to reconcile these loyal feelings of fandom with my lackluster enthusiasm for the game, I decided to dissect exactly why Origins is not pushing my buttons. (more…)
Kickstart This! The Opulent October Edition
October, the month where towns and shops put up Christmas decorations before people have even celebrated Halloween, when you remember that you have a heating system that has lain dormant all summer. And also the celebration of when I crawled out of the womb, a video game controller already in my hand (all birthday presents are welcome). But rather than spend your money on me, or hoarding it for a last minute Christmas Eve rush, instead why not channel the spirit of Tam o’ Shanter and dance with a strange devil in the midnight oil. And by this I mean give a nice game developer a Kickstarter donation.
There are five projects shaking their Starbuck-emblazoned begging cup at you, starting with the video game version of an old homeless man, ColecoVision. There is also Japanese Action RPG Reborn, Zombie RTS Undead Overload, the Lovecraftian 2D adventure game Mark of the Old Ones, and last but not least, the beautiful and unique Knite and the Ghost Lights.
Let’s go. (more…)
Why I’m Boycotting SimplyGames
CVG recently reported that UK-based online retailer SimplyGames has been accused of blatantly profiteering from gamers who have pre-ordered Sony’s PlayStation 4 by upping the price from £350 ($558) to £415 ($662). Those who do not pay this £65 ($103) upgrade ransom have been told they will lose their pre-order, although PixelEnemy has noted that those with orders of two or more units are guaranteed to receive a system on launch day. (more…)
Square Enix to accept crowdfunding pitches through Collective program
Square Enix is hopping on-board the crowdfunding bandwagon by announcing the Square Enix Collective, an online community that will allow game designers to pitch future ideas for their projects to Square Enix. These pitches will be judged by the gaming public, and after a 28 day incubation period, those that prove popular will be shepherded by Square Enix into a crowdfunding stage on Indiegogo.
It is a smart move for the developer, as it will allow them to nurture small indie developers from the ground up. Through the Collective program, the company will even allow developers to create pitches based on older franchises from their Eidos label. And in light of recent negative stories about crowdfunding where successful projects never see the light of day, Square Enix has also added a “due diligence” requirement. This will provide potential donors with reassurance that any game they back will ultimately be released.
The best news is that the pitching process is absolutely free, although there are terms and conditions attached, which have yet to be revealed. More information on the pitching process and IP selection will be made available at GDC Next, which will be held November 5-7 at the LA Convention Center. Presumably it will be some form of equity share or stake in the IP, although Square Enix may be planning to distribute the games in return. If you are a developer and think you would be interesting in submitting your ideas to The Collective, you can email the group with questions or feedback at collective AT square-enix DOT com.
Posted in News