Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
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
Impress a giant blue man in Slam Land on the PC, PS4, and Switch
Players will need to impress a giant blue man with their dunking prowess if they want to succeed in Slam Land, a new competitive brawler from Bread Machine Games. Described by the developer (on Twitter) as a “couch-competitive slam dunking brawler,” Slam Land will feature hand-drawn graphics and local play for up to four players.
Instead of dunking basketballs, players will fight it out for the right to dunk each other, which… again… is supposed to impress a giant blue man looming in the background. You can get your first glimpse at Slam Land’s dunking action in Bread Machine’s recent Twitch stream.
Slam Land will be available for the PC, PS4, and Switch this Summer.
Closed Beta for Sea of Thieves begins today
Ahoy, matey! Earlier today, Microsoft and Rare raised the Jolly Roger and launched the Closed Beta for Sea of Thieves.
The pirate simulation will be available for Windows 10 and Xbox One on March 20, but fans who joined the “Sea of Thieves Insider Programme” before December 1 and anyone who pre-ordered the game can take part in this week’s Closed Beta. The pre-release test kicked off at 7:00 AM (Eastern Time) this morning and players will be able to plunder and pillage all they want until January 29 at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time).
A short trailer promoting the Sea of Thieves Closed Beta has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Sea of Thieves
Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 4, OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes, more added to Xbox Store
Welcome to the latest Xbox Games Store update as four new games are now available to download for the Xbox One.
First up is OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes, a beat ’em up based on Cartoon Network’s new series. Developed by Capybara Games, players will smash and bash their way through hordes of evil Boxmore robots in an “epic” quest to save Lakewood Plaza Turbo. Also available to download today is Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 4: What Ails You, the latest chapter in Telltale’s episodic comic adventure.
Elsewhere on the Xbox Games Store, Digital Dreams Entertainment will release the full version of Mutant Football League for the Xbox One (it’s been available in Game Preview since last year), and DOMO Studio will launch an RPG known as Xuan Yuan Sword: The Gate of Firmament.
You can learn more about all of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: The Enemy Within, Mutant Football League
Creative Director of Uncharted: Lost Legacy joins Crystal Dynamics to lead Avenger Project
Crystal Dynamics is continuing to make progress on their Avengers Project, and today the developer confirmed that they’ve hired Shaun Escayg as the game’s Creative Director. Escayg was previously employed by Naughty Dog, where he served as the Creative Director on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, as well as the Animation Supervisor on The Last of Us in addition to his role.
Of course, because this is an Avengers project, it’s possible that Escayg allowed himself to be captured so that he could then unleash his diabolical scheme from inside Crystal Dynamics. It’s what Loki would do.
“We’re committed to delivering an incredible, completely original Avengers experience to our gamers, and that means we are always looking to add amazing developers to our existing best in class studio talent,” said Scot Amos, the Co-Head at Crystal Dynamics. “As development progresses, our studio continues to grow. The tremendous progress we’ve made on The Avengers Project further drives us toward our goal of crafting something all Marvel fans will be proud of, and will play for years to come. We can’t wait to show you what we mean in the future.”
Crystal Dynamics added a total of 15 new faces to the Avengers Project team, and in addition to Escayg, they also hired Stephen Barry (formerly of Visceral Games), as well as veteran developers from Eidos Montreal and DICE.
“We recently hired fifteen world-renowned industry veterans, spanning production leadership, animation, design, art and engineering, who have previously worked on games such as Batman: Arkham Origins, Dead Space, Star Wars: Battlefront, and many more.” said Ron Rosenberg, the Co-Head at Crystal Dynamics. “Their AAA experience adds to an already deep roster, making us well-positioned to deliver on the ambitious goals we’ve set for ourselves with The Avengers Project. It’s a stellar addition of many people who fit incredibly well into our wheelhouse of building game experiences we all love.”
If all goes according to plan, we should learn more about The Avengers Project later this year.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Avengers Project
Celeste, Lost Sphear, OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes, more coming to PS Store this week
It’s a big week for the PlayStation Store, and several long-awaited PS4 games will make their way to the digital storefront over the next few days.
Leading the pack is Celeste, a competitive mountain-climbing game from Matt Thorson, the creator of TowerFall. Also set to launch this week is Lost Sphear, the latest retro-styled RPG from Square Enix’s Tokyo RPG Factory. And Capybara Games returns this week with OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes, a beat ’em up based on the Cartoon Network series.
Elsewhere on the PlayStation Store, Bandai Namco and Arc System Works will bring Dragon Ball Fighter Z to the PS4 on Friday. It’ll be released on the same day as Capcom’s newest monster-hunting action RPG, Monster Hunter: World. And Supermassive Games will rewind the clock on Until Dawn with The Inpatient, a PlayStation VR-powered sanitarium simulation.
Finally, Telltale will continue their newest Batman adventure with Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 4: What Ails You.
You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Batman: The Enemy Within, Celeste, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Lost Sphear, Monster Hunter: World, The Inpatient
John Cena might star in a Duke Nukem movie
Duke Nukem’s brash and cocky persona (which was borrowed wholesale from Bruce Campbell’s appearance in Army of Darkness) made him the quintessential 90s hero. But even though we’re more than two decades removed from the character’s heyday (Duke Nukem 3D was released in 1996), Hollywood has finally come calling for Duke.
A film adaptation is currently in the works at Paramount, and The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the WWE’s John Cena is in talks to play the intergalactic alien hunter:
The wrestler-turned-actor is negotiations to star in Duke Nukem, a big-screen adaptation of the popular video game franchise featuring the politically incorrect action hero that is set up at Paramount.
Platinum Dunes, the company run by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller, will produce the movie.
Cena certainly looks the part, I’ll give them that much. But giving Duke the same outdated shtick in 2011’s oft-delayed Duke Nukem Forever definitely didn’t win him any new fans.
That said, any Duke Nukem movie adaptation is likely years away because there’s currently no script or director attached to the project.
Wulverblade will launch next week for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One
Darkwind Media and Fully Illustrated have announced that Wulverblade, a side-scrolling brawler that originally launched for the Switch in 2017, will soon be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. PC and PS4 players will be able to download the game on January 30, while Xbox One owners will have to wait a day longer until January 31.
Whichever version you buy, the developers have spruced up Wulverblade’s (the game now runs at 60 Frames Per Second) and added Online Leaderboards to the feature list:
Story
The Roman Empire is about to take control of the north of Britannia and quash the last remaining tribes… and you must stop them dead in their tracks! Play as either Caradoc, Brennus, or Guinevere… members of a family originating in the northern tribe of the Caledonii. This family of warriors have been the guardians of the most northerly tribes of Britannia for generations. The Romans have invaded Britain and conquered all that lies before them… until now.Features
- Bathe in the enemy’s blood in glorious 60 Frames Per Second.
- Add your name to the Online Leaderboards and earn some bragging rights!
- Immerse yourself in breathtaking 2D Cinematic Artwork.
- Explore Eight Incredibly Detailed Levels set around northern Britannia.
- Battle the enemy using a Refined Combat System.
- Experience a rich historical and cultural storyline told through stunning Animated Shorts.
- Take in a powerful Soundtrack from sound designers who worked on The Dark Knight Rises and Wrath of the Titans.
A new trailer for Wulverblade has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Wulverblade
God of War will be released for PS4 on April 20… watch the Story Trailer and see the special editions now
Creative Director Cory Barlog confirmed (via the PlayStation Blog) that God of War will be released for the PS4 on April 20. The developer also unveiled a brand new Story Trailer for the game, which you can view right here:
Speaking of trailers. Yeah, I just lost interest finding an elegant way to get here from the last paragraph so I just went for it. That is just how I roll. I really am ecstatic that I can finally show you this beautiful trailer we have been cooking up in the creative kitchens of Santa Monica Studio headquarters. It will give you more insight on why Kratos and Atreus are going on their journey as well as provide a glimpse at some new bits of action.
Fans who plan to purchase God of War will have several options when the game launches on April 20. Everyone who pre-orders the game will receive in-game access to three Legendary Shield Skins. Opting for the Digital Deluxe Edition ($69.99) will add the Death’s Vow Armor Set to increase your strength, as well as a digital artbook and comic from Dark Horse Comics. All Digital Deluxe Edition pre-orders will also include a limited-run God of War physical pin.
But if you want a package fit for a god, Sony will also offers fans the chance to purchase the fully-loaded Collector’s Edition ($129.99) or the even-more-packed Stone Mason Edition ($149.99, available in US and Canada only):
Collector’s Edition
The 9″ statue was crafted by our team in collaboration with the incredible folks at Gentle Giant. The cloth map is a unique companion to your journey, and an art piece on its own. The Huldra Bros carvings pack as much detail as their personas do in game. Just a few of the highlights, not to mention the digital items as well!Stone Mason Edition
Available in the US and Canada only, this edition includes everything in the Collector’s Edition along with four very distinct, rare items directly from the game. You might recognize Atreus’ wooden Horse and Troll carvings from our E3 2016 debut. The Stone Mason Ring is a finely crafted piece of jewelry, whose story we won’t spoil. The talking Mimir Head keychain may be your personal favorite after you interact with him in game.
A closer look at the Collector’s Edition and the Stone Mason Edition can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged God of War 4