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
Sony San Diego details MLB The Show 17’s Retro Mode and Twitch livestream schedule
Pitchers and Catchers report in just 19 days… which means the 2017 Major League Baseball season is right around the corner. That also means that Sony San Diego is putting the finishing touches on MLB 17 The Show, which will launch exclusively for the PS4 on March 28.
And like any good skipper, Sony San Diego’s Ramone Russell wants his players to be ready to step into the batter’s box on Opening Day, so the Community Specialist took over the PlayStation Blog to deliver a few more details on the SNES-styled Retro Mode:
Retro mode is pretty much a one-button mode, but with surprising depth, and all the new animations, gameplay additions, and improvements found in the regular version of the game.
For example, in an effort to simplify the batter vs. pitcher battle, we’ve taken all the pitching attributes out and boiled them down to velocity, break, and control. Because there is no high and low in the strike zone, you have three pitches at your disposal that you can trigger with the touch of one button. To throw a fastball you hold down on the left analog stick and press X. To throw a changeup you hold up on the left analog stick and press X. And to throw a slider you press to the left or right on the left analog stick after the pitch is released.
One of the wrinkles we’ve added is that velocity is controlled by holding down or up on the analog stick just before the pitcher releases. In closing, you choose velocity before the pitch is thrown and you can affect movement (left or right) after the pitch is thrown.
Russell also revealed that Sony San Diego will provide a full scouting report on MLB The Show 17’s new modes and features with weekly livestreams on Twitch and Developer Blogs on YouTube beginning February 7.
Finally, if you’re planning to purchase MLB The Show 17 in Canada or Taiwan, Sony also revealed the special cover athletes for those regions. The Canadian cover will feature Aaron Sanchez of the Toronto Blue Jays. Meanwhile, Wei-Yin Chen of the Miami Marlins will appear on the Taiwanese cover.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged MLB The Show 17
Square Enix and Marvel team up for multi-game Avengers Project
It’s the team-up you never thought you’d see! Marvel Entertainment has announced a multi-title collaboration with Square Enix to develop and publish original games based on your favorite Marvel superheroes. Naturally, this partnership will begin with something currently known as The Avengers Project:
The Avengers project is being designed for gamers worldwide and will be packed with all the characters, environments, and iconic moments that have thrilled longtime fans of the franchise. Featuring a completely original story, it will introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come.
We’ll have to wait until 2018 to learn more about The Avengers Project, but we do know that it’ll be co-developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal. While I’m sure a lot of fans were hoping to see a Marvel Universe in Kingdom Hearts III, a mature and action-packed adventure starring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes from the creators of Tomb Raider and Deus Ex is a pretty great consolation prize.
Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Games & Innovation, Jay Ong, is pretty excited about the partnership too:
“By partnering with Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, we are now working with two of the industry’s most talented and respected game development studios to bring Marvel stories to life in ways our fans have never experienced. The Avengers Project is a perfect example of how Marvel is making games a key part of the landscape for Marvel storytelling, alongside comics, television and film. We can only do this by matching our greatest superheroes with the world’s top developers, such as the creative minds at Square Enix.”
You can find the first teaser trailer for The Avengers Project embedded above.
Posted in News
Tagged The Avengers Project
Nintendo Download: Flying Warriors, Kung-Fu Heroes, Little Ninja Brothers, more
A trio of ninja-themed games originally released by Culture Brain for the NES lead the way in this week’s Nintendo Download.
Flying Warriors made its NES debut in 1991, and the side-scrolling beat ’em up features two different martial arts styles for main character Rick Stalker in his fight against “the great monster of the Dark Dimension, Demonyx.”
Going back a bit further, Kung-Fu Heroes was originally released in 1989, and the overhead beat ’em up follows Kung-Fu Masters Jacky and Lee in their quest to save Princess Min-Min. The Kung-Fu Heroes return in Little Ninja Brothers, a sequel that was originally released in 1990 and is now also available to download through the Wii U’s Virtual Console.
More information on all of these games (and the rest of this week’s new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom will also be released for the PC in 2017
First unveiled at the 2015 PlayStation Experience, we’ve known for some time now that Bandai Namco and Level-5 are hard at work bringing Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom to the PS4. Today, the publisher confirmed that the RPG is also heading for the PC in 2017. So if you’re new to the franchise, Bandai Namco has provided a quick primer on the story so far…
In the world of Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, players enter the kingdom of Ding Dong Dell, where cats, mice, and humans once lived in harmony. After a treacherous coup, Evan, the young boy king of Ding Dong Dell is banished from his kingdom. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom recounts the story of this deposed king and his journey to build his own kingdom and unite the entire world.
Supporting Evan on his adventure are friends Roland, Tani, and beings known as Higgledies who come from the power of the hearts found within people, animals, and elements such as fire and wind. Only individuals with pure hearts can see the Higgledies. The Higgledies will aid Evan throughout his journey, helping him in battles, and letting him reach places he wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. Join Evan on his quest as he fights powerful monsters, face perilous dungeons, and rises to once again become a King!
In addition to a wide and expansive world, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom will also include lush animation overseen by former Studio Ghibli animator Yoshiyuki Momose. You can get a look at the artwork behind the RPG in a brand new set of screenshots that are available after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
World of Goo, Human Resource Machine, Little Inferno will all be available for Nintendo Switch on March 3
Tomorrow Corporation, the indie developer responsible for World of Goo, Human Resource Machine, and Little Inferno has announced (via their official website) that all three games will be available to download for the Nintendo Switch on March 3.
World of Goo was one of the first games released for Nintendo’s WiiWare service all the way back in 2008, and it’s a puzzle game where players will need to gather up all the goo. Likewise, Little Inferno was one of the first games released for the Wii U, and it’s a puzzle game where players have to keep a fire going. Finally, Human Resource Machine made its Wii U debut in 2015, and it’s a puzzle game where players have to program office drones to solve problems.
The Tomorrow Corporation’s catalog bumps the total number of Switch games available on “Day One” to ten. Though I’m sure they’ll understand if you’re only interested in playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the first few weeks.
Xbox Store Today: Resident Evil 7, TowerFall Ascension, Moto Racer 4
It doesn’t feature any familiar characters or shambling hordes of zombies… but the Resident Evil franchise is back. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is now available to download for the Xbox One through the Xbox Games Store and it asks players to explore a creepy plantation in Louisiana in a brand new first-person viewpoint. Don’t worry, a fine family of cannibals is more than willing to give you a tour.
Also available to download from the Xbox Games Store today is TowerFall Ascension. Matt Thorson’s multiplayer archery competition has made its way to the Xbox One alongside the Dark World expansion and the complete single-player campaign.
Finally today, Milestone will bring the arcade thrills of Moto Racer 4 to the Xbox One. Featuring tracks from across the globe, players will be able to race for the checkered flag in single-player and multiplayer modes.
More information about this trio of games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, TowerFall Ascension
It’s Batman versus Robin in the latest Injustice 2 trailer
It’s hard to have a normal childhood when your mother is an immortal assassin and your father is The Dark Knight. So while Damian Wayne has caught some bad breaks, he’s also Robin, and he’s all set to join NetherRealm’s Injustice 2 as a brand new playable character.
Using the ninja skills he learned from his father and the sword his mother gave him, Damian is a formidable opponent in the latest trailer for Injustice 2. Batman even tries to impart his “No Killing” code on his son, but unfortunately, things don’t turn out well for the Caped Crusader.
NetherRealm is currently testing Injustice 2 with a Closed Beta, so keep an eye on your inbox for an invite. For the rest of us, the fighting game will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on May 16.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Injustice 2
Dishonored 2, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, Uncharted 4 will compete for “Game of the Year” at 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards
The organizers of the SXSW Gaming Conference and Festival have announced the nominees for the 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards. Not surprisingly, Dishonored 2, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will all be competing for the coveted “Video Game of the Year” award.
Appearing over and over again throughout SXSW 2017’s 23 categories, the nominating committee was very impressed with these five titles. However, Overwatch definitely lead the way with nine total nominations including “Esports Game of the Year,” “Trending Game of the Year,” “Excellence in Design,” “Most Promising New Intellectual Property,” “Most Memorable Character” (for Tracer), “Excellence in Multiplayer,” “Excellence in Art,” and “Excellence in Animation.”
The 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards will be held on Saturday, March 18, and fans are invited to vote for their favorites from now until February 10 at IGN.com. The winners in each category will ultimately be decided by a 50/50 vote between the public and the SXSW Gaming Advisory Board.
The full list of nominees in all categories can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Dishonored 2, Doom (2016), Overwatch, TitanFall 2, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End