Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books Gets 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
- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
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
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will be released for the PC on May 8
Obsidian Entertainment sent out a short news blast this afternoon to confirm that Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will be released for the PC on May 8. The isometric RPG was originally expected to launch on April 3, but the developer needed more time to “put those finishing touches on the game”:
We know you’re as excited as we are about the upcoming launch of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. As you have probably guessed, Deadfire is a huge game — significantly larger than the original Pillars of Eternity. Obsidian has been working harder than Abydon himself to make every inch of it awesome, as well as incorporating all the great feedback we have been getting from everyone playing the Backer Beta.
With this in mind, we are taking just a few extra weeks to polish and put those finishing touches on the game.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is also in development for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It’s on track to make its console debut this Fall.
And if you’re planning to attend PAX East in Boston next month, you’ll be able to play Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire at the Versus Evil booth.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2018, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Video Game Hall of Fame will publish A History of Video Games In 64 Objects book in May
The curators from the World Video Game Hall of Fame will offer a peak behind the curtain at some of the historical artifacts found in their collection with A History of Video Games In 64 Objects, an upcoming book from Dey Street Books (a Random House imprint):
Inspired by the groundbreaking A History of the World in 100 Objects, this book draws on the unique collections of The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, to chronicle the evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories of dozens of objects essential to the field’s creation and development.
Drawing on the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s unmatched collection of video game artifacts, this fascinating history offers an expansive look at the development of one of the most popular and influential activities of the modern world: video gaming.
Essays and photographs will provide further insight into how each object contributed to gaming’s history, as well as “the greater culture.”
A History of Video Games In 64 Objects will be available on May 29, and you can get a sneak peek at its Introduction chapter at Unbound Worlds. And don’t forget about the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s 2018 induction ceremony, which will take place a few weeks earlier on May 3.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, Retro
Tagged World Video Game Hall of Fame
Super Daryl Deluxe is a hand-drawn action RPG… and it’ll be available on April 10
Dan & Gary Games has announced they’ll release their debut title, Super Daryl Deluxe, for the PC, PS4, and Switch on April 10. Featuring hand-drawn graphics and an original soundtrack, players take control of a hapless high schooler named Daryl in the game, and they’ll need obtain a variety of superpowers if they want to save the day:
Water Falls High School, of course, is a perfectly normal multidimensional high school. Its classrooms literally whisk students away to alternate worlds coinciding with their subjects, where kids can do anything from arguing the value of capitalism with Joseph Stalin in History to offering a fist bump to Oedipus in Literature. You know, just like every other school.
What’s not normal are the missing students, the locked down classrooms, and the shadowy principal that no one has actually seen. Not to mention something about a secret that nearly destroyed the world 40 years ago.
Enter Daryl Whitelaw, the poorly-postured mouth-breather who just wants to make friends that has found himself the unlikely hero of this story. With the aid of a self-help book, Daryl can attain more than 45 powers, from thrashing enemies with an axe three times his weight to cleaning their faces up with a mop. Abilities can be customized and upgraded, making for endless playstyles and combinations.
A new trailer for Super Daryl Deluxe has been embedded above, and it’ll give you a good idea about what to expect with this side-scrolling action RPG in the “MetroidVania” mold.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch
Tagged Super Daryl Deluxe
Amid Evil’s Early Access Launch Trailer brings back the look of fantasy-style shooters like Hexen and Heretic
Resurrecting the medieval style from early 90s fantasy shooters like Hexen and Heretic, Indefatigable’s Amid Evil is now available to download for the PC through Steam Early Access. The development team is probably celebrating with grog and mead right now, but they’ve also unveiled a new Launch Trailer for the game.
Brutal new footage released today introduces the endless mode gameplay, Hordes of Evil, which pits players against insane enemy AI. Hordes of Evil is included in the Early Access version of the game, which grants players three of the final seven campaign episodes. Each episode boasts different environments and enemies, as well as multitudes of in-game options and cheat codes.
The “Full Version” of Amid Evil is expected to be available sometime later this year.
New Retail Releases: Kirby Star Allies, Surviving Mars, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, More
A handful of re-releases and the return of Nintendo’s pink puffball take center stage in this week’s New Retail Releases report…
Kirby will make his Switch debut this week in Kirby Star Allies. The side-scrolling platformer includes drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for up to four players, and Kirby will be able to unleash brand new Friend Abilities against the game’s colorful foes. Speaking of things that are colorful, fans of city-building sims will be able to colonize the Red Planet this week in Haemimont’s Surviving Mars for the PS4 and Xbox One.
And if you’re looking to give a classic game from yesteryear a second chance, you’ll have plenty of opportunities this week. Capcom will bring Devil May Cry HD Collection to the PS4 and Xbox One. Electronic Arts and Criterion will hit the gas on Burnout Paradise Remastered for the PS4 and Xbox One. And NIS America will bring Suda51’s The 25th Ward: The Silver Case to North America for the first time on the PS4.
Finally this week, Nintendo will relaunch Splatoon 2 as the Splatoon 2: Starter Edition. It’ll include the original game for the Switch, as well as guide book, and a sticker sheet.
A complete look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Kirby Star Allies, Splatoon 2
Ubisoft quietly announces Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Earlier this week, Ubisoft quietly confirmed that Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is in development on their official website. The shooter sequel will once again be developed by Massive Entertainment, and Creative Director Julian Gerighty delivered an early message to fans about the future of the franchise:
That said, we’ve always envisioned the story in the game we launched in 2016 as the beginning chapter in a larger saga, and today we’re excited to share more info about what’s next for The Division universe.
We’re thrilled to announce that we are working on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, and that development will be led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Bucharest. The Division 2 will be powered by an updated version of the Snowdrop engine that enables us to realize our ambitions for the sequel, but more importantly, we’re also taking everything we learned over the past two years and applying it towards the sequel to make sure we get it right.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will be fully unveiled at this year’s E3 Expo, and Massive wants to help players be prepared for its upcoming launch with the introduction of a new type of achievement, “Shields,” to the original game. Players who collect “Shields” in Tom Clancy’s The Division will unlock special rewards in The Division 2 when it launches.
Hopefully, we’ll find out a release date for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 at E3.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2018, Tom Clancy's The Division, Tom Clancy's The Division 2
Complete The Joker’s origin story in Batman: The Enemy Within’s finale on March 27
“Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another… if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!”
— The Joker, The Killing Joke
Batman fans will get the chance to rewrite The Joker’s origin story in the finale of Telltale’s Batman: The Enemy Within on March 27. Read no further if you’re not caught up, but Episode 5: Same Stitch will take the character of “John Doe” closer to his destiny or in a completely new direction (barring an Elseworlds adventure or two):
“What would you choose: a friend whose unhinged approach to justice turns your allies against you, or a sworn enemy who will stop at nothing to see you suffer as your city burns? Based on the relationship you’ve built with John Doe, you’ll see one of two very different stories play out. So what’ll it be, Bruce: friend… or foe?”
As the description indicates, the choices players have made over the course of the season will determine which story — and which version of The Joker — they’ll see in the finale. Same Stitch features two totally separate takes on the fully evolved John Doe: one a ruthless villain that hews closer to the classic Clown Prince of Crime and the other an unpredictable vigilante that’s unlike any other portrayal of DC’s iconic character.
According to Telltale, Episode 5: Same Stitch is the “branchiest” episode they’ve ever created. By taking earlier choices into account, the epiosde includes more than 4,500 possible lines of dialogue divided among 38 characters.
“Without exaggeration, Same Stitch is the most ambitious piece of content Telltale has ever produced,” said James Windeler, the Lead Writer of Batman: The Enemy Within. “We had to adjust our usual development process to accommodate the added scope, but it was super important to us to honor players’ choices, whether they chose to befriend John or not. We had to deliver on the season’s central promise of allowing players to craft their own Joker.”
Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 5: Same Stitch will be available for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices. You can spy a handful of new screenshots from the finale at Telltale’s official website.
Darwin Project, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, more added to Xbox Store
I know we’re all still recovering from yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation, but Microsoft wants to talk about a handful of new additions to the Xbox Games Store.
First up, Darwin Project is now available to download for the Xbox One through the Game Preview program. Darwin Project is a ten-player battle royale that takes place in the freezing cold climate of the Canadian Rockies. Players will have to hunt the other players, but they’ll also need to craft warm clothing and start fires if you want to survive.
Also available to download today for the Xbox One is Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, the latest SNK re-release from Hamster Corporation. Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 was the seventh game in the Fatal Fury series, and it was originally released for the NeoGeo in 1998.
You can learn more about the rest of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store (including Train Sim World: Founders Edition and One-Eyed Kutkh) after the break. (more…)