Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Jordan Minor’s “Boss Fight Books: Super Mario Galaxy” is Now Available for Pre-Order
- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- 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
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Author: John Scalzo
NeverDead ships to stores on January 31, coffin not included
Konami has announced that NeverDead will spring to life early next year. Scheduled for a January 31 release on the PS3 and Xbox 360, NeverDead’s won’t cost an arm and a leg. However, players will put those appendages to good use when defending against the demonic hordes:
“In NeverDead, we’ve gone all out to change the approach the player takes in battle,” said Shinta Nojiri, creator of NeverDead. “Losing a limb is a mere inconvenience and Bryce’s physical skills allow a wealth of ways to take out the enemy – from close-range combat, to throwing limbs into clusters of monsters and shooting them remotely. This adds a level of humor to the game that brings the world-weary main character to life, while players revel in game worlds that are fully interactive and eminently destructible.”
Konami also plans to support NeverDead with additional downloadable content after launch. More details on the DLC will be available soon.
Goin’ down to South Park, Obsidian’s making an RPG
To quote the main characters from Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s (poorly) animated television show: “Son of a bitch!”
The January 2012 cover of Game Informer will be devoted to South Park: The RPG Game, which is being developed by Obsidian and published by THQ. A South Park RPG? I repeat: “Son of a bitch!”
Scheduled for release next year, South Park: The RPG Game is being described as “a full-scale RPG” and will be released on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The game even has a full-scale RPG-type plot: “As the new kid in South Park, it’ll be up to you to make friends and defend the town from a wide range of threats.”
Parker and Stone will lend Obsidian a hand by writing the game’s script, voicing the characters, and generally overseeing development. Of course, the same thing could be said about the South Park FPS from 1998. Actually, let that be the only thing said about the South Park FPS from 1998.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged South Park: The Stick of Truth
Nintendo Download: More House and more Adventure Island
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like a new episode in the House M.D. adventure game series and another version of Adventure Island are a part of the Nintendo Download every other week.
The two game franchises tag team this week’s Nintendo Download as House M.D. Episode 5: Under the Big Top has been added to the DSiWare Shop and the Game Boy version of Adventure Island is now available on the 3DS eShop.
Here’s what else you’ll be able to download from the DSiWare Shop, 3DS eShop and Wii Shop this week:
House M.D. Episode 5: Under the Big Top (DSiWare) – Dr. Gregory House and his elite diagnostic team race against the clock to unravel a medical mystery involving a middle-aged circus manager who is strangled by a horse.
Adventure Island (3DS eShop) – Master Higgins’ princess has been kidnapped, and he is the only one who can save her. To aid in his search, he’ll need to equip his skateboard and use a variety of weapons as he fights his way through eight different worlds.
Xmas Puzzle (WiiWare) – Xmas Puzzle is a game in which you must solve progressively more difficult puzzles as you advance through the plot. As many as four friends or family members can enjoy playing at the same time.
Double Bloob (DSiWare) – Double Bloob is a cartoonish, arcade-style vertical shooter. The planet needs you! Bloobs have invaded the Earth and took a little dolphin named Will as a hostage! Don’t let the Bloobs win!
Capcom creating Sour Patch Kids: The Game
In the proud tradition of Yo! Noid, Spot: The Video Game, and Sneak King comes World Gone Sour, a Capcom-published platformer starring Sour Patch Kids candy. Coming to PC download services this Winter, with a PSN and XBLA release to follow in the Spring, World Gone Sour is described by Capcom as “a journey from the perspective of a lost piece of candy finding its way to its ultimate destination — the human stomach.”
Read that sentence again… World Gone Sour ends with the suicide of its main character! However, before that happens, World Gone Sour sounds like it has the makings of a pretty awesome platformer:
Gamers will take on the miniature role of a lost Sour Patch Kid in a stylized human-sized world, guiding the hero through the sticky floors of a movie theater, across the counter of a concession stand, and other unique and oversized environments. Joining forces with fellow lost Sour Patch Kids, players will use a combination of jumps, twists and puzzle-solving to negotiate and overcome larger than life obstacles. Along the way, they will battle unusual candy enemies, escape from deranged humans, and face-off against bizarre creatures including one very angry wad of sticky chewing gum.
Tagged with the bargain price of $5 (or 400 Microsoft Points on XBLA), the game will also include local co-op and narration from Creed Bratton of “The Office.” It remains to be seen whether World Gone Sour’s “quips and tidbits” will come from the real Creed Bratton or the television creation.
Oh, and check out Method Man’s performance in the game’s theme song, “World Gone Sour (The Lost Kids),” in the video above.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged World Gone Sour
XBLA Today: Voltron, Scene It? Movie Night
Are you ready for this week’s Japanese robot and movie trivia-filled Xbox Live Arcade update? Microsoft added two games to the XBLA today, the first is Scene It? Movie Night…
Scene It? Movie Night is your ticket to an exciting movie trivia showdown, packed with clips from your classic favorites and the biggest box-office blockbusters. Show off your cinematic know-how with friends and family through 14 brain-twisting puzzle categories, and prove you’ve got what it takes in a fast-and-furious multiplayer showdown. Scene It? Movie Night includes Mega Movies, an action-packed collection of challenges focused on the biggest, most memorable, most “mega” films of all time! Play on your own, or compete against friends in 2-4 player multiplayer. With downloadable content available via Xbox Live Marketplace, players always have a fresh play experience.
And the second is Voltron: Defender of the Universe…
From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend. The Legend of Voltron. Defender of the Universe. A mighty robot, loved by good, feared by evil. Take control of your favorite Lion and join forces on Xbox Live to defend the Far Universe. Visit iconic locations from classic series including Arus and Planet Doom. Take on enemy forces in four different game modes. Battle Zarkon’s minions in Survivor Mode as a pilot, engage in ground assaults in Lion Mode or cross the glalaxy in Space Mode, or coop with four friends in Voltron Mode to confront massive Robeasts! Voltron fans, Mega-Thrusters are go!
Both games are available to download for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
Jacked: The Grand Theft Auto Story to release in April 2012, GTA5 to follow?
David Kushner is the author of Masters of Doom, one of the essential texts on video game history. And he’s returning to the world of “interactive entertainment” with his next project: Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Set for release on April 3, 2012, the book promises to tell the tale of the franchise’s creation as well as the true story behind the “Hot Coffee” incident.
Besides flying to the top of my must read list, the release of Jacked also raises some interesting questions about the release of Grand Theft Auto V. A marketing blurb for the audio edition in the 2012 Blackstone Audio catalog seems to imply that Grand Theft Auto V will be released shortly after Jacked:
The release of a GTA is always a big media moment, and this book will release prior to the next game.
Admittedly, “prior to the next game” could mean anything. After the book is released in April, Grand Theft Auto V might not be released until the Fall or ever sometime in 2013. But I believe this book is meant as a media tie-in for the next game in the series, so a GTA5 release in the Spring is a very real possibility.
And remember, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors that the company expects to see “substantial earnings growth” during their next fiscal year… which begins on April 1, 2012.
Yes, a Spring release for GTA5 is a very real possibility indeed.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Grand Theft Auto V
The Sly Collection added to PlayStation Store
Sony has slyly updated the PlayStation Store with all three games from The Sly Collection, available individually and as a three-game bundle.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves are available to download for $9.99 each and include Trophies, high definition graphics, and a 3D viewing option. At $29.99, The Sly Collection bundle is actually more expensive (by two pennies!) than buying all three games separately.
Also available this week is a multiplayer action game based on Voltron: Defender of the Universe, the theatrical trivia of Scene It? Movie Night, and two more “PS3 Full Games”: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and De Blob 2.
Finally, this week sees the release of the PSone Classic Darkstalkers (vampire fighting, woo!) and the PS2 Classic Tak 2: Staff of Dreams.
For more information on all of these titles (and this week’s new game add-ons), check out the PlayStation.Blog.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged The Sly Collection
Ubisoft deploys new Rainbow 6: Patriots details
Ubisoft has dropped some new intel on the multiplayer mode and campaign for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots. Promising to “[capture] the reality of modern-day terrorism,” the game will require players to make “tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.”
Ready for those new details now? Here you go…
Unprecedented Narrative – Patriots’ storyline explores an ultra-realistic what-if scenario inspired by real events and characters. The game will allow players to experience events from multiple perspectives creating an unprecedented level of immersion.
A New Threat For A New Team – Terrorism has evolved and Team Rainbow must face an organized militia of home-grown insurgents. As the leader of a new squad, players will wrestle with difficult ethical decisions and determine if the doing-whatever-it-takes mentality is needed to stop the enemy.
Enhanced Squad Management – At the press of a button, the Rainbow squad will perform the most efficient and deadly tactic given the context of the situation. When extreme measures are required, or when players call for it, you can take full control of your squad to plan the perfect assault.
Evolved Combat – The game’s combat techniques have been pushed to the next level with cover and weapon systems redesigned to accommodate every combat situation. New Rappel and Breach mechanics are now enriched with multiple new techniques including Wall & Ceiling Breach, Fast Rope Rappel, inverted ‘Aussie Style Rappel’, Infiltrate & Subdue, to name a few.
Intense Multiplayer Experience – Players will be rewarded for working as a team and mastering the game’s new features that enhance communication and tactical execution between teammates. Once such feature found in the pre-game online lobby is the Sandtable, a holographic display that helps acquaint players with the level maps before they jump into the action. This will help players strategically coordinate attacks and add a new dimension to squad tactics.
Surprise And Overpower Enemies – Utilize the game’s new Scan mode to strategically breach and infiltrate areas. This new tool will provide a thermal read on the situation, allowing you to determine the squad’s best course to overwhelm and defeat enemies.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2013.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots