Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
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
USC takes back its crown as 2017’s best Game Design program for undergraduates
After losing out to the University of Utah in last year’s ranking, the University of Southern California has once again topped the Princeton Review’s list of “Top Undergraduate Schools to Study Game Design” for 2017. The Princeton Review also found a lot to recommend about USC’s Game Design program at the Graduate level. The school’s more advanced course of study came in at #5 in Princeton Review’s ranking of Graduate programs.
“Game design is an exciting field and programs are springing up in colleges all over the world,” said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review’s Editor-In-Chief. “We want to help students find the best program for their needs and interests. The top schools on our lists have outstanding faculties and great facilities which will give students the skills and experience they need to pursue a career in this dynamic and burgeoning field.”
While the Utes at the University of Utah aren’t the top choice anymore, their program still ranked #3 in both the Undergraduate and Graduate rankings. Other schools that broke into the top ten on both lists include the Rochester Institute of Technology (#2 in Undergraduate, #4 in Graduate), the DigiPen Institute of Technology (#4 and #7), New York University (#7 and #6), and Rexel University (#9 and #8).
The Princeton Review’s full ranking of Game Design programs is available after the break. And more information about their survey methodology and how to apply to each of these programs can be found at PrincetonReview.com. (more…)
World Video Game Hall of Fame announces 12 finalists for the Class of 2017
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior fought against Mortal Kombat for the hearts (and quarters) of arcade players in the early 90s. Next month, they’ll square off again as two (of the 12) finalists the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.
Announced this morning by The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, this year’s finalists also include Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy VII, Halo: Combat Evolved, Myst, Pokemon Red and Blue, Portal, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Wii Sports, and Windows Solitaire.
“These 12 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists span decades, gaming platforms, and countries of origin… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on the world of gaming and popular culture,” said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, the Director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “Whether it’s a pop culture icon like Donkey Kong, an innovator and true original like Portal, or a game like Wii Sports that transformed millions of living rooms into interactive zones for all ages, they’re among the most influential games of all time.”
An international advisory committee made up of journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games will advise the Hall of Fame’s selection of this year’s inductees, which will be announced on Thursday, May 4, at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time).
You can learn more about all of this year’s finalists after the break. (more…)
Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Impressions: This Pre-Release Test Proved Nintendo’s Shooter Franchise is Still “Fresh”
Even though it shipped to stores in a half-finished state, the near-instantaneous success of Splatoon guaranteed that a sequel would make an appearance sooner rather than later. But with Splatoon’s rise coinciding with the Wii U’s collapse, that sequel is now bound for a Summer 2017 launch on the Nintendo Switch. And the whole world got to test it out this weekend as part of the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire.
Does the franchise still feel “fresh” two years later? Oh yeah… (more…)
Posted in Previews, Switch, Top Story
Tagged Splatoon 2
Valkyria Revolution will be released for PS4, Xbox One, Vita on June 27
Sega announced this afternoon that Valkyria Revolution will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on June 27. The game will also be released for the Vita on the same day, and it’ll be available as a digital download exclusively through the PlayStation Store.
Fans familiar with the Valkyria franchise’s turn-based gameplay will be in for a surprise with Valkyria Revolution. According to Sega, Revolution will include “new characters, a new world, and new gameplay mechanics” when it launches this Summer:
In the wake of a revolution, Jutland’s elite soldiers, the Vanargand, must band together to defeat the Ruzi Empire and stop death itself–the Valkyria. This grizzled anti-Valkyria squad is equipped with advanced mana weaponry and has the powerful ability to wield ragnite spells to combat this terrifying threat. The unit is comprised of soldiers who have a high affinity for ragnite, and even Jutland’s own Princess Ophelia has joined the ranks. The princess carries the utmost love for her country and has answered the call of duty to liberate those who are suffering from the Ruzi’s tyranny. However, Amleth Gronkjaer, the commanding officer of Vanargand hides a terrible secret. Is he friend or foe to the country he has sworn to protect?
As part of this announcement, Sega also confirmed that Valkyria Revolution’s first print run will be available in a limited “Vanargand Edition.” This special edition of the game comes with a Metal Vanargand Pin and a 12-Track Soundtrack composed by Yasunori Mitsuda.
Finally, you can find a new Teaser Trailer for Valkyria Revolution after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Valkyria Revolution
Bungie unveils the official logo for Destiny 2
With Destiny 2‘s lengthy development cycle nearing its end, Bungie finally gave fans their first look at the game’s logo earlier today on Twitter.
In the three years that Destiny 2 has been in development, we’ve learned the game is in the works the PS4 and Xbox One, and that a PC launch is also a definite possibility. And thanks to last week’s poster leak, we’re also reasonably sure it’ll be released on September 8.
But even though we’re clearly getting closer to Destiny 2’s “official” announcement, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the game. Hopefully, Bungie will fill in some of the gaps sooner, rather than later.
Atlus Japan unveils new trailers for a Radiant Historia remake, SMT: Deep Strange Journey, Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2
In case you missed it, Atlus Japan revealed three new games over the weekend during a special “Spring Broadcast 2017” livestream…
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is an enhanced remake of Radiant Historia, which was originally released for the DS in 2010. The remake will be available for the 3DS in Japan on June 29.
Shin Megami Tensei: Deep Strange Journey is also an enhanced remake, and it’ll give players the chance to reexamine 2010’s Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey on the 3DS. It’ll launch in Japan this Fall.
Finally, Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2 is a dungeon-crawling sequel to 2015’s Etrian Mystery Dungeon, and it’ll be released for the 3DS in Japan on August 31.
Atlus didn’t announce a North American release date for any of these titles, but it seems likely that all three will eventually make it out of Japan. For now, teaser trailers for all three games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Radiant Historia, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
JoyMasher channels Contra and Metal Slug in the upcoming Blazing Chrome
Konami brought back Bomberman a few weeks ago with the release of Super Bomberman R, but they’ve continued to let the Contra franchise languish in limbo since the release of Hard Corps: Uprising in 2011. Thankfully, a number of indie developers have picked up the slack.
JoyMasher recently announced Blazing Chrome, a side-scrolling shooter they described on Tumblr as “mostly inspired by Contra and Metal Slug.” Taking place in the aftermath of a robot uprising, players will fight back against the automatons in an attempt to take back the Earth:
Blazing Chrome is a classic co-op run ‘n gun with an original arcade feel. Players can choose between Mavra, the badass human resistance, soldier or Doyle, the groovy rebel robot, to kick some metal ass.
The developer wasn’t ready to announce a release date for Blazing Chrome just yet, but a Teaser Trailer for the PC game is embedded above.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Blazing Chrome
StarCraft Remastered will launch this Summer; Blizzard will release original StarCraft for free later this week
The original StarCraft can be credited with a lot of things. It revolutionized the real time strategy genre… it lead to the birth of esports… it further cemented Blizzard’s status as one of the best developers in the world. This weekend, the developer confirmed plans to re-release the seminal game this Summer in an enhanced and expanded edition known as StarCraft Remastered:
The remastered graphics and audio will bring a modern look and feel to the timeless classic, with widescreen UHD support for up to 4K resolution. Other updates will include new illustrations to enhance storytelling in the StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War campaign missions; advanced matchmaking; full connectivity to Blizzard’s gaming network for social features and updates; cloud saving for campaign progress, custom maps, replays, and keybinds; support for eight new languages in addition to the original five; and more.
While Blizzard is modernizing StarCraft’s presentation, they were also quick to point out to fans that the actual gameplay experience won’t be changing:
While these improvements will bring StarCraft to the modern era, gameplay and balance have been precisely preserved, for an experience that will feel identical to veteran players.
“StarCraft is a pure distillation of Blizzard’s DNA… its story, its balance, and all the little details reflect our long-running commitment to epic entertainment, and it’s been a staple in competitive gaming and esports for almost 20 years,” said Blizzard’s CEO, Mike Morhaime. “With StarCraft Remastered, we’re modernizing the original game’s visuals, audio, and online support to ensure that players can enjoy StarCraft for another 20 years and beyond.”
In addition to announcing StarCraft Remastered, Blizzard also confirmed plans to repackage the original StarCraft, and its Brood War expansion, as the StarCraft Anthology. If you’ve never played StarCraft before, you’ll be interested to learn that this classic collection will be free to download, and it’ll be available sometime next week.