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
Xbox Store Today: Jump Step Step, King of Fighters 96
Two new additions to the Xbox Games Store will help usher in the weekend.
First up is Jump Step Step, a “relaxing puzzle game” from Phung Games that asks players to help a robot named Bob find his lost limbs (insert your C-3PO jokes here). Players won’t control Bob directly in the isometric puzzler, instead inputting a sequence of commands that hopefully allows them to reach the exit.
Also available to download today is The King of Fighters 96, the third game in the famed SNK fighting franchise, and the second chapter of the “Orochi Trilogy.” This time around, players will be able to choose from 27 different characters.
You can learn more about both games after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Flip Wars, Severed, Sonic Mania (Tuesday), more
Nintendo has made the Switch a very indie-friendly place to be since the console’s launch in March, but things are getting even friendlier with this week’s Nintendo eShop update…
Flip Wars, that adorable tile-flipping game from the Switch’s first Nindies Showcase, is now available to download. Up to four players will attempt to push out their friends by grabbing powerups and flipping tiles in local, online, or single-player battles.
Also available to download this week is Severed, the wild touchscreen-based dungeon crawler from DrinkBox Studios. Severed was originally released for the Vita, Wii U, and DS in 2016, and it can only be played using the Switch’s Handheld Mode.
Elsewhere on the Switch eShop, console owners will find Phantom Trigger, a neon-fused hack and slash from TinyBuild; and Ironcast, a turn-based strategy game from Ripstone.
Finally this week, Sega will release the indie-inspired Sonic Mania for the Switch on Tuesday, August 15. Developed by a “supergroup” of indie developers lead by Christian “Taxman” Whitehead and Simon “Headcannon” Thomley, Sonic Mania will take the Blue Blur back to his 16-bit roots.
You can learn more about all of these titles (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Sonic Mania
Bethesda unveils first gameplay trailer for Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Bethesda released the first gameplay trailer for Dishonored: Death of the Outsider today, giving fans their first look at Rosario Dawson in action as Billie Lurk.
Tasked with killing a god, the character certainly has her work cut out for her. But she’ll be assisted in the game by her mentor, Daud (once again played by Michael Madsen). Standing in their way is Robin Lord Taylor, who will also reprise his role as The Outsider:
See a new side of Karnaca as Death of the Outsider takes you through its gritty underbelly. Investigate mysterious cults, infiltrate underground fight clubs, and even pull off a bank heist as you search for a way to do the impossible: kill a god. Playing as a new assassin, you’ll have access to slew of powerful new supernatural abilities, weapons and gadgets, all of which are designed to help you cut a bloody swath through Karnaca and leave your mark on the history. Or perhaps you’ll choose to be merciful and use your skills to slip unnoticed through the world. In true Arkane fashion, the intricately designed levels allow for a wide array of playstyles, with branching paths and heavy choices that will greatly affect the outcome of your mission.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 15.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Capcom will release Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen for PS4, Xbox One on October 3
Capcom has been one of the most active participants in the great remaster race, and they’ve announced that their next re-release will be available this Fall. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen will make the jump to the PS4 and Xbox One on October 3.
To celebrate Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen’s pending relaunch, the publisher uploaded a new trailer to the Capcom-Unity blog:
As we patiently wait for this imminent release—it’s just two months away!—enjoy this fresh new trailer, specifically made from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Just a heads up though, if you’re brand new to Dragon’s Dogma, this trailer contains some spoiler-y type things; the original game just celebrated its 5th anniversary, after all.
Capcom will give fans a closer look at Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen on the PS4 and Xbox One later today. The publisher plans to host a fresh gameplay livestream on their Twitch channel at 6:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dragon's Dogma
Xbox Store Today: Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Batman Enemy Within, Sine Mora EX, more
It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for your midweek Xbox Games Store update.
Four new Xbox One games were added to the digital storefront today, including Capcom’s Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. Packaging together Mega Man 7, 8, 9, and 10 into a single bundle, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 also includes a Challenge Mode with remixed stages, an Armor Mode for easier play, and a Museum Mode with concept art and audio tracks.
Also available to download today is Batman: The Enemy Within, Telltale’s latest adventure starring the Caped Crusader. Players will once again be able to play as Batman and Bruce Wayne, and they’ll go up against the The Riddler and an emergent Joker in Episode 1: The Enigma.
Elsewhere on the Xbox Games Store today is Sine Mora EX, an enhanced re-release of the Grasshopper Manufacture’s bizarre side-scrolling shooter; and Blackhole: Complete Edition, a survival platformer from FiolaSoft Studio.
You can learn more about all of these games after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: The Enemy Within, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Sine Mora
It ain’t Leave It To Beaver… the latest Wolfenstein II trailer introduces us to Trust In Brother
Bethesda is back with another twisted bit of 1960s Americana in the latest trailer for Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Leave It To Beaver never made it onto the airwaves in the game’s Nazi-occupied United States, but Trust In Brother certainly has the same sense of wholesome family fun:
“I’m still going to have to inform on you!” Sometimes life isn’t easy when you’re Ronnie and you’re always getting caught doing FUN (Following Unlawful Nature) things in Trust In Brother – a heartwarming comedy show for the whole family. Giggle your hearts out as the gluttonous Ronnie gorges on milk chocolate bars. Chuckle until your belt buckles burst as Ronnie dances to degenerate music that threatens to send him into a spiral of drugs, crime, and political deviance. But whenever Ronnie stumbles, his big brother Dale will always be there to catch him – and inform on him to the authorities! With a resounding endorsement from our Beloved Fuhrer himself, you’re in for eine großartige Zeit – a hoot of a time! Trust in Brother is filmed before a live studio audience.
And in case you missed them, don’t forget to check out the earlier trailers featuring snippets of Wolfenstein II’s in-universe television programs, including the German… Or Else! game show and the Lassie parody Liesel.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 27.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Inversus Deluxe is also coming to the Switch this Fall
Earlier this year, Hypersect announced that Inversus would make its way to the Xbox One sometime this year. That’s still the plan, but today, the developer confirmed the black-and-white shooter will also make its way to the Nintendo Switch.
The Xbox One and Switch launch will be retitled Inversus Deluxe, and Hypersect plans to add a wide variety of new features to the game alongside its new name:
New Features Planned For Inversus Deluxe
- 12 New Versus Maps and 4 New Arcade Maps create a total of 50 unique maps for players to enjoy.
- Test your skills in the new Single-Player Versus Mode by facing off against AI Bots that scale in difficulty from beginner to world-class player.
- The addition of Ranked Online Multiplayer rewards skill in both 1v1 and 2v2 games.
- New Real-Time Soft Shadows and High Definition Materials add a depth and richness to the screen.
- With the new Split-Shot Ammo, players can fork bullets and shoot around corners.
- Equipping new unlockable Motion Trails allow players to show off personality in the arena.
“When I first saw Nintendo Switch, I knew it was the perfect home for Inversus!” said Hypersect’s Ryan Juckett. “The controls map directly onto a single Joy-Con for playing with friends, while the quick game sessions are great for playing on the go.”
If you’re an owner of Inversus for the PC or PS4, don’t worry, the “Deluxe” update will be available as a free download.
PS Store This Week: Hellblade, Telltale’s Batman The Enemy Within, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, more
Big-budget retail releases may have dried up for the Summer, but there’s a ton of new titles to download this week on the PlayStation Store…
First up is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, an “Indie AAA” from Ninja Theory. The team behind DMC: Devil May Cry and Heavenly Sword is back with a new third-action game for the PS4 about “a warrior’s brutal journey into myth and madness.” The developer worked alongside neuroscientists to accurately portray the mental state of the protagonist and added a unique bit of quasi-permadeath to Hellblade’s save system.
Also available to download this week is the first episode of Telltale’s Batman: The Enemy Within. The Riddler is terrorizing Gotham City in the PS4 sequel, and Batman also has to deal with an appearance by Amanda Waller and the emergence of The Joker. And speaking of return appearances, Cliff Bleszinski returns to game development with LawBreakers, a new hero shooter for the PS4.
Finally this week, a trio of side-scrolling shooters will make the PlayStation Store a retro-tastic place to shop. Capcom has compiled Mega Man 7, 8, 9, and 10 on the PS4 in the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. Vertex Pop will also release their colorful space shooter, Graceful Explosion Machine, on the PS4. And the bizarre Sine Mora EX has been remastered for the PS4 by THQ Nordic.
You can learn more about all of these titles (and a few others) after the break. (more…)