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
NBA 2K17 predicts a Cavs-Warriors rematch (and a Warriors win) in 2017 NBA Finals
The 2017 NBA Playoffs kicked off late last week, and 2K’s NBA 2K17 was there to provide a simulation of this year’s bracket.
If you’ll recall, last year, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They eventually lost the series in Game 7, and LeBron James was able to hoist his third NBA Championship.
But if NBA 2K17’s simulation comes to pass, this year’s NBA Finals will end in a rematch that once again goes the distance… and this time the Warriors will emerge victorious in Game 7.
So how do we get from here to there? According to the simulation, the Warriors will easily roll over their opponents in the first three rounds with wins over the Portland Trail Blazers (4-0), Los Angeles Clippers (4-1), and Houston Rockets (4-1). The Cavaliers will have a tougher time to reach the Finals, ultimately pushing past the Indiana Pacers in five games, the Toronto Raptors in six games, and the Washington Wizards in seven games. Cleveland’s more brutal schedule might be the reason behind their eventual defeat in the Finals.
In the real world, the Warriors and the Cavaliers are both doing their part to accurately reflect the action in NBA 2K17s crystal ball, as each team won their first playoff game this weekend. But we’ll have to wait until June 1st, and the start of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, to see if the game’s full simulation is on the mark.
Weekly Warp-Up: Good News (Star Wars: Battlefront II Announced) and Bad News (Nintendo Discontinued the NES Classic)
No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…
This was a bad week for video game fans everywhere as Nintendo announced they’re discontinuing the NES Classic Edition. The microconsole was originally released in November, and its been hard to find ever since, so this is a particularly big blow to retro gaming fans. Hopefully, the upcoming launch of the Virtual Console on Nintendo’s Switch will help us forget this strange decision.
But there was also good news this week as EA unveiled the first trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront II, which showcased the game’s single-player campaign and confirmed a November 17 release date.
Elsewhere on Warp Zoned this week, the latest edition of Kickstart This! focuses on the retro-styled Cowgirls Vs Cthonimon, and the newest Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time essay delves into the weird world of the ridiculously popular The Sims.
More news from the week that was can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
New Retail Releases: Dark Souls III Fire Fades Edition, The Silver Case, Deformers, More
It looks like the Easter Bunny is skipping over your favorite retail establishment… just a handful of new games will be available on store shelves this week.
Starting things off is Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition, a re-release of the trilogy-capping action RPG for the PS4 and Xbox One. Originally released last year, the Fire Fades Edition will add both downloadable expansions (Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City) to the package.
Another re-release will make its way to store shelves this week, as NIS America launches The Silver Case for the PS4. The Silver Case was the first game developed by Goichi “Suda51” Suda’s Grasshopper Manufacture, and it was originally released in Japan in 1999. The adventure game made its North American debut last year on Steam, but this PS4 re-release is the first time console players will get the chance to play it.
Elsewhere, GameStop’s GameTrust label will team up with Ready At Dawn to launch another exclusive game for the retailer this week. Deformers is a multiplayer brawler that’ll be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Finally this week, ATV Renegades is a new off-road racing game for the PS4 and Xbox One from Nighthawk Interactive.
That’s it for this week’s New Retail Releases report, but we’ll be back with an update or two on several high-profile new games that’ll be available to download soon through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dark Souls III
EA unveils first Star Wars: Battlefront II trailer, the single-player campaign, and November 17 release date
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Electronic Arts unveiled Star Wars: Battlefront II during today’s festivities at the Star Wars Celebration, and the game’s first trailer gave us our first look at its Empire-centric single-player campaign.
Iden Versio is an Imperial special forces officer who was on the forest moon of Endor when the second Death Star was destroyed. As the commander of Inferno Squad, Versio escapes from custody and vows to avenge her Emperor. Players will follow Versio from Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens as she battles the Rebels over a span of 30 years.
In addition to the single-player campaign, EA has major ambitions for Battlefront II’s multiplayer modes, which will include “intense dogfights in space” for the first time. The game’s “galactic-scale space combat” will be developed by Criterion, and they are adding “refined handling, weapons, and customization options” to every ship in the game.
Battlefront II will also include ground-based maps from all three eras of Star Wars including “Yavin 4’s jungle canopies, the spaceport town of Mos Eisley, and Starkiller Base.” And players will be able to play as iconic characters like Yoda and Darth Maul (or regular ground troopers) in these 40-player skirmishes.
Star Wars: Battlefront II will be jointly developed by DICE, Criterion, and Motive Studios, and will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17. Fans who pre-order the Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition will be able to get the game three days earlier, and unlock upgraded versions of all four trooper classes, bonus weapons and modifications, and exclusive skins for Rey and Kylo Ren based on their costumes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
EA has also opened the doors to Star Wars: Battlefront II’s official website, which includes a glimpse at more concept art from the game.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Battlefront II
The Video Game Canon – The Sims
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon as we contemplate the futility of determining the best-selling video game of all time and The Sims. Here’s a teaser…
What is the best-selling video game of all time? It’s a surprisingly hard question to answer as game publishers, unlike Hollywood film studios, refuse to release sales figures for their games on a title-by-title basis. But for years now, the conventional narrative has been that The Sims became the best-selling PC game of all time in 2002 after dethroning Myst, the graphical adventure game that sold more CD-ROM drives than every other piece of “multimedia” software combined.
Developed by Maxis, The Sims delivered a smaller, more personal, simulation that differed greatly from the macro scale of designer Will Wright’s previous games, SimCity and SimCity 2000. Instead of pulling the camera back, giving the “mayor” control of an entire city, The Sims moved the camera in close, allowing the player to interact with the day-to-day minutiae of a single family. Part Real World, part Demon Seed, and part Barbie Dream House, this approach allowed players to bypass the mayoral office and step right into the shoes of a god. However, it was a literal “Act of God” that encouraged developer Will Wright to create The Sims in the first place.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Xbox Store Today: Sengoku 2
The Xbox Games Store grew by one today as SNK and Hamster Corporation launched another NeoGeo re-release through their “Arcade Archives” banner.
Sengoku 2 is the game in the spotlight this time, and it’s a side-scrolling beat ’em up that was originally released in 1993. Players control of a pair of time-travelling warriors who will punch and kick their way through history to save the world from an evil warlord.
Coming straight from SNK and Hamster Corporation, more information about Sengoku 2 is available right here:
Xbox One Games
Sengoku 2
Sengoku 2 is a side scrolling action game released by SNK in 1993. Take on the role of a warrior summoned by a shrine princess, and fight over various historical periods in order to defeat the dark monarch. Players can enjoy new tactical features such as charge attacks and defensive abilities.
Nintendo of America sold 906,000 Switch consoles and 1.3 million copies of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in March
There’s been an electric feeling in the air since Nintendo’s launch of the Switch on March 3. Come on, I’m sure you can feel it too. Nintendo is back… and now we have the sales figures to prove it.
Yesterday afternoon, Nintendo of America announced that more than 906,000 Switch consoles were sold in the United States during the month of March. If that weren’t impressive enough, the consolemaker added that more Switch consoles were sold during its first month of availability than any other game system in Nintendo’s history.
Nintendo also revealed that they sold even more copies of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during the month. Zelda fans purchased more than 925,000 copies of the game on the Switch, as well as nearly 460,000 copies for the Wii U. With total sales of 1.3 million, Breath of the Wild is the “fastest-selling Nintendo launch game of all time, as well as the fastest-selling game ever in The Legend of Zelda series.”
But what about Breath of the Wild’s insane 102% attach rate on the Switch? Nintendo attributed the unprecedented sales success for Breath of the Wild to fans who purchased two copies of the game… a limited edition to keep sealed and a standard edition to play.
“Nintendo always strives to offer consumers something fun, new and different,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s President and COO. “With its various play modes and the innovative features of the Joy-Con controllers, Nintendo Switch provides unique experiences that people can take with them anywhere and share with anyone.”
Worldwide sales figures for the Nintendo Switch will be announced on April 27 during Nintendo’s annual financial report.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Culdcept Revolt will be released for 3DS on August 29
NIS America got a few minutes to talk about their upcoming 3DS and Switch releases during Nintendo’s most recent Nintendo Direct presentation. Skipping right to the point, the niche publisher confirmed that Culdcept Revolt, a card-battling RPG that mixes concepts from Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly, will be released for the 3DS on August 29.
In case you missed it, NIS America unveiled an Announcement Trailer for Culdcept Revolt back in February.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Culdcept Revolt