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
Tribute Games will release Flinthook on April 18
Tribute Games has announced they’ll release Flinthook for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 18. Like their name implies, Tribute frequently looks to the past for inspiration, which has allowed them to create a procedurally-generated side-scroller where players take control of a zippy little space pirate with a blaster and a grapple gun:
In a galaxy filled with scoundrels and miscreants, everyone seeks treasure and riches! But when a malevolent treasure hunter hatches a sinister plan to unleash an ancient evil threatening the cosmos itself, Flinthook, the galaxy’s smallest but toughest pirate zips into action! Be ready to jump, zip and blast around the meanest fleets the galaxy has to offer! Whether using time-slowing powers or his trusty blasma pistol, Flinthook is ready to take on all pirates, steal treasure and save the galaxy itself!
A new trailer for Flinthook has been embedded above, and if you’re attending this year’s PAX East convention (which begins tomorrow in Boston), you’ll be able to play Flinthook on the show floor at Tribute’s booth (#17116).
Xbox Store Today: Ghost Recon Wildlands, Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Lego Worlds, more
After a five-year hiatus, Ubisoft brought back the Ghost Recon series this week, and in today’s Xbox Games Store update, Xbox One owners will now be able to download Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Leaving behind the futuristic setting of the Advanced Warfighter/Future Soldier games, Wildlands follows a team of Ghosts into Bolivia as they attempt to take down the Santa Blanca cartel.
Also available to download for the Xbox One today is Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, a re-release of the fan-favorite fighting game that all comes packed with 1080p graphics, all the previously-released DLC characters, and a digital recreation of Marvel Vs Capcom: Official Complete Works.
Finally today, Xbox One owners will be able to download Lego Worlds, a new game that let’s you create Lego models in a procedurally-generated world.
More information about these three games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Lego Worlds, Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Nier: Automata, Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Lego Worlds, more added to PS Store
Big guns and big worlds lead the way in this week’s PlayStation Store update…
First up is Nier: Automata, an action RPG from Square Enix that was developed by Platinum Games. Available to download now for the PS4, Nier: Automata is a sequel to 2010’s Nier, and features a squad of androids attempting to take back Earth from an alien invaders.
Also available this week is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, which follows the titular special forces squad into Bolivia for a fight against the Santa Blanca cartel. Giving players the option to undertake any mission at any time, the PS4 shooter will offer a huge open world to go along with a series of visually-impressive gunfights.
And speaking of open world games, WB Games and TT Games have teamed up again to bring the huge toybox of Lego Worlds to the PS4. Players will be able to create anything they desire in Lego Worlds thanks to the game’s procedurally-generated universe that’s made entirely of Lego Bricks.
Finally this week, Koei Tecmo and Gust continue the Atelier series of RPGs on the PS4 and Vita with Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey. Like many RPGs, Atelier Firis follows a pair of sisters who are in search of crystals that are both mysterious and magical.
You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Lego Worlds, Nier: Automata, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Activision will release Variety Map Pack for CoD: Modern Warfare Remastered on PS4 on March 21
Activision has announced plans to expand Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered with four additional multiplayer maps later this month. Available to download for the PS4 on March 21, the Variety Map Pack will be priced at $14.99 and also include 10 Rare Supply Drops. PC and Xbox One owners interested in the Variety Map Pack will likely get a chance to download it beginning sometime next month.
If the previous nine years have dulled your memories of the Variety Map Pack, don’t worry, Activision revealed a few more details about the expansion’s four multiplayer maps on the Activision Games Blog:
Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered’s Variety Map Pack
- Broadcast: Based on the TV station from the campaign mission “Charlie Don’t Surf”, this map provides a unique blend of confined corridors and wide-open spaces. Outside the station, the parking lot contains long sightlines, but once inside, cramped hallways and a computer-cluttered broadcast room provide ample close-range combat opportunities.
- Chinatown: Set in a foggy downtown district, this nighttime map is lit up by flickering neon signs and a full moon. A re-imagining of the original Call of Duty multiplayer map “Carentan”, players will need to be careful on these streets, as almost every building in the map can be occupied, providing perfect cover for enemies waiting for a chance to line you up in their sights.
- Creek: Set in a wide-open village ravaged by combat where concealment is the difference between life and death, a gaping ravine divides this map into two. Open clearings with sheer cliff faces and ample forested cover make this map ideal for snipers and long-range firefights.
- Killhouse: A small training warehouse filled with various building mock ups that feature soft and hard cover points. Expect fast-paced and fierce firefights for maximum close-quarters chaos.
Access to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered was included as a bonus in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Legacy Edition, and it remains to be seen if Activision will ever release the remake as a standalone game in the future.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Outlast II will be released on April 25 alongside a retail collection of both games
Red Barrels announced yesterday that Outlast II will be available to download through digital storefronts on April 25. The developer also revealed that they’re partnering with WB Games on Outlast Trinity, a special retail collection for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One that includes the original Outlast, its Whistleblower expansion, and the sequel.
The original Outlast was absolutely terrifying, and Red Barrels has been working hard to make sure Outlast II is just as scary. But the developer is also taking the survival horror sequel in a new direction with a new protagonist and a new locale:
The sequel to the original critically acclaimed game, Outlast II is a twisted new journey into the depths of the human mind and its dark secrets. Blake Langermann, a cameraman working with his wife Lynn, must take risks and dig deep to uncover the stories no one else will dare touch. As the two follow a trail of clues that started with the seemingly impossible murder of a pregnant woman known only as Jane Doe, the investigation leads them miles into the Arizona desert to a darkness so deep that no one could shed light upon it, and a corruption so profound that going mad may be the only sane thing to do.
“We’ve been lucky to have such an amazing fan base, and none of this would have been possible without their support,” said Philippe Morin, a Co-Founder of Red Barrels. “Ever since we released Outlast in 2013, a physical version has been one of the top requests, so we’re obviously thrilled to finally give people the entire series in one bundle of terror.”
Voodoo Vince Remastered will be released for the Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 18
Even though gamers immediately embraced Halo: Combat Evolved, the Xbox struggled to find an identity in the early 2000s. Microsoft released a mish-mash of titles for their first console over the years, and even tried to challenge Mario with several different mascot platformers. None of them stuck the landing, but oddities like Blinx: The Time Sweeper and Grabbed By the Ghoulies still have fans today.
Voodoo Vince was also part of this fraternity, and Microsoft announced today they’re going to re-release the puzzle platformer for the Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 18 as Voodoo Vince Remastered. Originally developed by Beep Industries, Voodoo Vince’s 2003 debut was a quirky adventure that took the title character through the “magical underbelly of New Orleans.” You can reacquaint yourself with the wisecracking voodoo doll in the Announcement Trailer embedded above.
Voodoo Vince Remastered will receive a full graphical makeover, running in 60 FPS at 1080p resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio. The game will also include an updated soundtrack from original composer Steve Kirk, as well as Xbox Play Anywhere support.
If you can’t wait until April, Voodoo Vince Remastered will be available for fans to try out at this weekend’s PAX East convention in the ID@Xbox booth.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2017, Voodoo Vince
Sign up now for the Quake Champions Closed Beta… and play it this weekend at PAX East
Bethesda and id Software have announced that a Closed Beta for Quake Champions will begin “in the coming weeks.” So if you’re interested in re-entering the Arena, head over to Quake.com right now and sign up for the chance to participate.
However, if you’re shipping up to Boston to attend this weekend’s PAX East convention, you’ll also get a chance to play the game in Bethesda’s booth (#18007 and #20007).
To celebrate the Closed Beta, Bethesda has released a brand new gameplay trailer, and they plan to unveil two more gameplay videos (one focusing on a Champion named Nyx and another featuring the “Blood Covenant” Arena) later this week.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged PAX East 2017, Quake Champions
Sony will bring 26 playable PS4 games to PAX East 2017
Sony has announced (via the PlayStation Blog, naturally) that they’re bringing 26 PS4 games to this year’s PAX East convention.
By giving attendees more than two dozen demo options, Sony will be able to showcase a wide variety of titles at their booth including AAA blockbusters (Gran Turismo Sport and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy), highly-anticipated indie offerings (Cosmic Star Heroine, Tooth & Tail, and What Remains of Edith Finch), and a few PlayStation VR curiosities (Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and Farpoint).
Here’s a full look at the 26 PS4 games Sony will bring to PAX East 2017 (though a few of them are also in development for the Vita):
|
|
The 2017 PAX East convention will open its doors this Friday, March 10, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.