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
Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition includes a Sonic statue that shouts “Say-Gaa!”
“Say-Gaa!”
That sing-songy overture greeted millions of players during the Genesis era, and Sega is resurrecting it for Sonic Mania. The side-scrolling Sonic game will be available to download for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring 2017, but fans will also be able to spring for a special Collector’s Edition that’s priced at $69.99.
The highlight is a Sonic statue that actually makes the “Say-Gaa!” sound, but the whole package will also be housed in a Deluxe Collector’s Box and include a host of other goodies:
- Metallic Collector’s Card – Includes Download Code for the Digital Game.
- Sega Cartridge Cast – Includes Gold Ring.
- 12-Inch Sonic Statue – Plays the “Say-Gaa!” startup audio when the power switch on the replica Sega Genesis is flipped.
“This Collector’s Edition is the perfect blend of past and present Sonic, and contains items we know fans new and old will really appreciate,” said Ivo Gerscovich, Sega’s Chief Brand Officer for Sonic. “Sonic is a cultural icon and helped define gaming for a generation of gamers, and continues to do the same today. With Sonic Mania, and this special Collector’s Edition, we’re paying homage to his beginnings and giving fans the ultimate nostalgic experience as we celebrate his 25th anniversary and look ahead at the future of the Sonic brand.”
Sega also has a second Sonic project in the works for next year, and the currently untitled Project Sonic will be released in Fall 2017.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Sonic Mania
NBA 2K17, Pac-Man CE 2, BioShock Collection, and a lot more added to PS Store
It’s a big day for the PlayStation Store and this week’s update starts off with enough sports games to fill a gym bag…
- NBA 2K17 is the latest basketball sim from 2K Games. It’ll be available for the PS4 and PS3 on Friday, September 16.
- NHL 17 is the latest hockey sim from EA Sports, and it’s now available for the PS4.
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is the latest soccer sim from Konami, and it’s now available for the PS4 and PS3.
- NASCAR Heat: Evolution is also now available and its the first NASCAR racing sim to be released for the PS4.
Competitive eaters will also get their chance to shine this week as Bandai Namco has launched Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 for the PS4. The last Championship Edition game was released in 2010, and Pac-Man has learned plenty of new tricks in the intervening years including how to “bump” Ghosts. He’ll need all the help he can get, because Pac-Man will also battle bosses for the first time in Championship Edition 2.
One of gaming’s first heroes won’t be the only blast from the past to greet PS4 owners this week. BioShock: The Collection is a remastered compilation of Irrational’s beloved trilogy that’ll also include commentary from the developers. And Frank West will return in the Dead Rising Triple Pack, which will include Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2, and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. All three games will also be available as individual downloads.
Nostalgia-driven gamers might also be interested Rive, the final game from developer Two Tribes. A side-scrolling shooter with a dash of platforming for the PS4, Two Tribes likes to think of Rive as their “metal-wrecking, robot-hacking” swan song.
Finally this week, Telltale Games will add new episodes to two of their series. Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8: A Journey’s End? is available to download for the PS4 and PS3, while Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1: Realm of Shadows comes to the PS3 for the first time.
More information on all of these games (and a lot of other new releases) can be found after the break. And don’t forget, the PlayStation Blog has a complete rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts. (more…)
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection will bring AC2, Brotherhood, and Revelations to PS4, Xbox One this November
“Batti il ferro finché è caldo.” (“Strike while the iron is hot.”)
– Italian Proverb
Ubisoft announced today that they plan to release Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection for the PS4 and Xbox One on November 15. As the name implies, the compilation will include all three adventures starring Ezio Auditore… Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. However, Ubisoft has decided not to include the multiplayer portions of Brotherhood and Revelations in The Ezio Collection.
Instead, the publisher will improve the overall aesthetic of the franchise with “enhanced graphics,” along with adding in all the downloadable content designed for the single-player Story Mode from each game. The previously-released short films, Assassin’s Creed: Embers and Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, will also be included in The Ezio Collection.
And speaking of films based on Assassin’s Creed, every copy of The Ezio Collection will include a movie ticket good for one admission to Assassin’s Creed, which opens in theaters on December 21 and stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.
Finally today, Ubisoft confirmed that the 14 titles in the Assassin’s Creed franchise have collectively sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
“Creating an Assassin’s Creed game is no easy task. It takes the creativity and hard work of many people in many different Ubisoft studios all over the world,” Senior Producer Martin Schelling told the UbiBlog. “To have this franchise join the ranks of those that have reached more than 100 million sold is a testament to the teams that have taken on that challenge over the years.”
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations
“What is Dragon Quest Builders?” Square Enix answers that question in a new trailer
if you’re unfamiliar with Dragon Quest Builders, Square Enix’s upcoming “open-world sandbox RPG,” then the game’s newest trailer was made just for you. The publisher covers a lot of ground over the course of four and a half minutes, ultimately delving into its story (which runs parallel to the original Dragon Quest), the realm of Alefgard, the monsters that are threatening it, and most importantly, how to build things…
Rise as a legendary builder in a tale of epic proportions and explore a vast sandbox world to gather materials, craft items, and build everything imaginable. It’s up to you to use the power of creation in battle against the reigning Dragonlord and his evil minions to restore peace to the shattered realm. Build for fun. Build for adventure. Build to save the world!
Dragon Quest Builders will be released for the PS4 and Vita on October 11.
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Dragon Quest Builders
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment expansion will be available in Spring 2017
Yacht Club Games had previously expected to launch the Shovel Knight expansions starring Specter Knight and King Knight by the end of the year. However, that’s no longer in the cards as the release of both add-ons has been pushed into 2017.
But to make up for this scheduling snafu, Yacht Club unveiled an amazing new logo for Specter Knight’s campaign, which is now officially known as Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. In a blog post on their official website, the developer confirmed the free expansion will be released in Spring 2017 and that it is, “a HUGE game with even more new content than Plague of Shadows.”
Shovel Knight, and the Plague of Shadows expansion, is currently available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8 is here… and so is the Launch Trailer
Jesse and friends will ride off into the sunset this week with the release of the final episode in Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode. Players will be introduced to “The Old Builders” in Episode 8: A Journey’s End?, which might mean a way home for the adventurers:
With Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8: A Journey’s End? is now available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices. Players can purchase it as part of the Adventure Pass ($14.99) or as a standalone download ($4.99).
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue delayed to January 24, 2017
Square Enix has announced that Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue won’t be released in 2016 as originally planned. Today, the publisher confirmed that the PS4 game, which is a remake of 2012’s Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, on January 24, 2017.
While this two-month delay is disappointing, Square Enix also released a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 today. The Tokyo Game Show 2016 trailer also features footage from the included companion chapters, Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover and Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage…
[The trailer] includes never-before-seen scenes depicting a mysterious meeting of the “Foretellers,” the five Keyblade Masters from the Kingdom Hearts origins movie included in the compilation as Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover. The trailer also features HD remastered gameplay of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD and new battles scenes from Aqua’s adventures in Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage.
Through the trailer, fans can listen to the newly remixed version of “Simple and Clean” by popular singer Utada Hikaru.
Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts III remains as mysterious as ever. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about it during this week’s Tokyo Game Show.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, TGS 2016
World of Warcraft’s Lead Designer, Rob Pardo, forms Bonfire Studios
As the Lead Designer on World of Warcraft, Rob Pardo was part of the team that profoundly changed the video game industry as we know it. Now, he’s struck out on his own and formed Bonfire Studios, a new game development house located in Irvine, California.
Writing on the company’s blog, Pardo said Bonfire hasn’t started work on their first project yet (or even decided on a platform), but his desire is to to let his team stay small while still being able to create blockbuster games:
Game developers live the dream scenario where passion meets work. We don’t view our week as something to get through so we can really live on the weekend. But often, developers must compromise and decide — do I work on a blockbuster game where I have less personal impact or the gutsy indie studio that struggles to get noticed? Our vision is to create a studio that doesn’t require them to choose.
Bonfire also has close ties with Riot Games, the development team behind League of Legends. “Riot’s aspiration to be the most player-focused game company in the world, aligns very nicely with our vision to build friendships through our online games,” said Pardo. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Bonfire’s first project turns out to be an online-focused multiplayer game.