Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
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)
Author: John Scalzo
Gearbox details the loot inside the Borderlands 2 special edtions
Gearbox first announced that Borderlands 2 would be available in multiple special edition configurations at this year’s PAX East expo. But I guess everyone was too busy waiting in line to play Borderlands 2 to notice.
Today, they announced the full details of the two packages and they will make any loot hunter squeal with delight while also making their wallets cringe with fear. Just what will you get for your hard earned cash? Check it out…
The “Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collectors Edition” ($99.99 MSRP) includes an authentic Marcus Kincaid bobble head, hardbound art book, map of Pandora, comic book download and a four sticker set.
Meanwhile, the “Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition” ($149.99 MSRP) packs an exclusive SteelBook case, numbered certificate of authenticity, creatures of Pandora wide format ID chart and four lithograph postcards with a Marcus Kincaid bobble head, hardbound art book, cloth map of Pandora, comic book download and four sticker set, all packed in a replica loot chest!
Sound awesome? Why yes it does. Both special editions will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. You can get a closer look at the contents of both special editions after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2
Nintendo Download: Mario Kart 7 update, Kirby’s Block Ball
This week’s Nintendo Download brings with it an update for Mario Kart 7. If you want to continue playing the 3DS racer online, you’ll have to download this update, which permanently eliminates shortcut exploits from from the tracks “Wuhu Loop,” “Maka Wuhu,” and “Bowser Castle 1.”
When it comes to new games, there’s Kirby’s Block Ball for the 3DS eShop. Originally released on the Game Boy, so not exactly a new game, Kirby’s Block Ball drops the pink puffball into a Breakout-like adventure.
But there is one actual new game this week and its Chronicles of Vampires: The Awakening, a hidden object game that’s now available on the DSiWare Shop.
Posted in 3DS, DS, News
Tagged Mario Kart 7
INSANE Rumor: Eminem teaming up with Nintendo for Wii U game
There are three reactions to any rumor…
- There’s the obvious rumor (Sony is working on God of War 4!);
- There’s the plausible, but unproven, rumor (Grand Theft Auto V will be out in 2012!);
- And then there are rumors that make you wonder if you’re stuck in some kind hideous loop where every day is April 1st.
This rumor is that last one.
GoNintendo is reporting that Eminem recently met with a Sacramento-based marketing agency to create a video for Nintendo’s E3 press conference. According to the report, the Real Slim Shady will appear on stage via video to promote a Wii U game titled Acid Ghost.
No one is quite sure what Eminem’s connection to Acid Ghost is, but a second GoNintendo report has revealed a bit about the game. Acid Ghost will take place on a cruise ship and players will control the titular poltergeist as he torments the vacationing passengers. Some of The playful ghost will be able to pull a wide variety of pranks such as “pick up random objects, grab people’s body parts, draw on the walls with blood, turn on and off lights in rooms, mess with passengers [televisions], radios, and laptops, and mess with their food when they aren’t looking.”
GoNintendo’s tipster stated that Acid Ghost is in development at Kuju Entertainment, but I still have no idea what Eminem has to do with this. Does he love pranks? Is his paleness a hint at a deepseated love for Casper the Friendly Ghost? Did the Jason costume he used to wear give him a hankering to recreate Friday the 13th Part VIII?
I’m holding out hope for all of the above. But I can’t wait to find out the truth.
[Image Credit: Games Radar]
Halo 4’s Infinity Multiplayer is said to be the “ultimate” multiplayer mode
In a final bit of Halo 4 news today, Microsoft has revealed the first details of the game’s “Infinity” multiplayer mode.
Halo 4’s multiplayer mode begins on the UNSC Infinity and tasks players with creating their own Spartan-IV supersoldier. From there, 343 Industries is giving those players the option of competing in your standard set of multiplayer matchtypes (call “War Games” here) or in a new episodic co-op campaign known as Spartan Ops (which can also be played solo).
Whichever mode you choose, the Infinity multiplayer system will include several improvements over previous Halo games:
Total Combat Freedom: Halo 4 features a vastly expanded suite of new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles, armor abilities, a new loadout and player progression system, and a new armor modification system that introduces gameplay-enhancing customizations for the first time in a Halo game.
Player Progression: The Halo 4 player progression system goes beyond simple aesthetic upgrades, encouraging players to invest time and effort to create a Spartan that looks and plays the way they want. Players can earn and activate combat enhancements called “Specializations” based on the style of play they engage in, from stealth to all-out assault, and everything in between.
Want to learn more about the Spartan Ops episodic campaign? Sure you do, because it sounds awesome. Hit the jump for more details on Spartan Ops and War Games. (more…)
Microsoft unveils official Halo 4 box art
Check it out, the Master Chief is going to fight the aliens from Independence Day!
OK, not really. But the image to your left is the official box art for Halo 4 and it is awesome. Be sure to check out the enlarged version so you can in all the details.
Oh, and if you thought Microsoft already released the official box art for Halo 4, you’d be right. The first “official box art” for Halo 4 was revealed at PAX Prime 2011, but it is much less cool than the new cover.
[Credit for the Independence Day joke goes to Game Informer]
Microsoft announces Halo 4 Limited Edition
Microsoft began their big Halo 4 marketing push today, as the publisher has announced a pre-order program for the Limited Edition of the game. Also, they announced a Halo 4 Limited Edition, but that’s not much of a surprise, is it?
Purchasing the Limited Edition will set you back $99.99, but it includes a huge variety of Halo-themed extras such as free access to nine DLC maps, unlocked Specializations, unique character and weapon skins, and an extended version of the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn live-action series.
But if you’d prefer your Halo 4 Limited Edition contents in handy list form (with Microsoft-provided descriptions), we’ve got that after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Halo 4, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
XBLA Today: Sonic 4 Episode II, Jam Live Music Arcade
Microsoft has added a pair of titles to the Xbox Live Arcade on this XBLA Wednesday.
This week, Sega has completed their Sonic throwback series with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. The platformer is priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15):
The Sonic 4 Saga continues in Episode II with the return of a beloved side kick and fan-favorite villains! Following the events of Episode I, Metal Sonic has returned to form an alliance with Dr. Eggman! To face this new evil, Sonic will have to call upon an old friend to help him save the day! Now joined by Tails, race across four new Zones and take down fearsome new badniks with deadly combination moves in order to put an end to this dastardly duo’s plans! Experience the Sonic 4 saga as never before with the addition of a brand new engine; bringing you gameplay with updated physics and zones in stunning HD graphics! Also new to Episode II is the addition of online/local collaborative play where players can team up with a friend to take control of Sonic and Tails as they battle against Dr. Eggman!
Also available this week is Jam Live Music Arcade, a “music sandbox” that’s available to download for 800 Microsoft Points ($10):
Jam Live Music Arcade is a robust musical experience of creative freedom. Through your guitar peripheral or controller, take control of all aspects of a song: guitar, bass, drums, vocals, synth and more. Featuring music from Modest Mouse, Fallout Boy, Atmosphere and much more, JAM has over 30 tracks from Rock, Pop, Hip Hop and techno. Be the DJ, producer and band leader in the live music sandbox or take on the arcade challenge.
Oh, and proving that Microsoft is pulling away slightly from that “XBLA Wednesday” thing, the consolemaker has announced that the classic arcade game, Dragon’s Lair, will be available from the XBLA on Friday, May 18.
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
Community channels Mario, Earthbound for third season finale
Community is a show I don’t watch regularly, but I really should… especially after seeing the two awesome images above!
Those are screenshots from a video game the Greendale College study group will be zapped into for the first part of the third season finale, “Digital Estate Planning.” Pierce (Chevy Chase) may lose his inheritance unless he does battle with his father’s former assistant (Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito). But the battlefield turns out to be a 16-bit video game. Kinda sounds a bit like Ready Player One doesn’t it?
The screenshot on the left is clearly an homage to the Super Mario Bros. franchise. That waterfall (and the jumping fish above it) are ripped right out of Super Mario Bros. 2 and the hilly platforms are very Mario-esque.
And the image on the right looks exactly like a screenshot from Earthbound. All of the Community characters even bear more than a passing resemblance to Ness and company.
Head on over to The AV Club to get a full-sized look at the images.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged EarthBound