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
It’s Official… PS4 Slim to be released next week and PS4 Pro in November
I’m not sure Sony was ever trying to keep the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro a secret, but today the consolemaker announced full technical specs, price, and release date for the new models.
The PS4 Slim will arrive first, and it’ll actually be available on store shelves beginning September 15. Priced at $299, the PS4 Slim will include a 500GB Hard Drive and a considerably lighter profile:
The internal architecture of the new PS4 system has been revamped, reducing its volume by more than 30% compared to the previous models and reducing its weight by 25% and 16% compared to the first (CUH-1000 series) and current (CUH-1200 series) models respectively. Also, the new PS4 system is more energy efficient, as the power consumption has been cut by more than 34% and 28% compared to the very first and current models.
But the real star of the show was the PS4 Pro, which will launch on November 10. Priced at $399, the PS4 Pro will deliver an “enhanced experience” with a 1TB Hard Drive, support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) image processing (the PS4 Slim will also include HDR support), and 4K image resolution:
By boosting the performance and capability of the system architecture including the CPU and GPU, PS4 Pro allows games to deliver graphics with far more detail and unprecedented visual precision. Users with 4K TVs will be able to enjoy all PS4 titles in higher quality, such as 4K quality resolution and faster or more stable frame rates. In addition, PS4 Pro supports 4K video playback to deliver 4K streaming video services such as Netflix and YouTube.
The PS4 Pro will upconvert all PS4 games to 1080p, and according to the PlayStation Blog, some high-profile games will be further enhanced for the PS4 Pro including Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Days Gone. But Sony was quick to reiterate that they have no plans to release any PS4 Pro-exclusive titles.
However, unlike the Xbox One S, the PS4 Pro won’t include a 4K UHD Drive for playback 4K UHD movies.
But the PS4 Pro is still an impressive package and it’ll be interesting to see if these higher-end mid-generation systems will be embraced by the gaming community.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Days Gone, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Nintendo will bring Super Mario Run to iOS this December
It’s finally happened… Nintendo is bringing a Mario game to the iOS App Store. Unveiled today during Apple’s Special Event today in San Francisco, Super Mario Run will be available to download for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad this December.
Introduced by Shigeru Miyamoto himself, Super Mario Run won’t be free-to-play, but it will include three different game modes. Players will collect Coins and heads for the Flagpole in Super Mario Run’s main “endless runner” mode. But in Toad Rally, they’ll be able to compete against friends in a battle mode to see who can get the highest score by impressing the most Toads. Finally, a third mode will let players create their own Mushroom Kingdom using the Coins they’ve collected in the other two modes.
“We have created Super Mario Run to be perfect for playing on your iPhone,” said Miyamoto. “Super Mario has evolved whenever he has encountered a new platform, and for the first time ever, players will be able to enjoy a full-fledged Super Mario game with just one hand, giving them the freedom to play while riding the subway or my favorite, eating a hamburger.”
Super Mario Run will appear on iOS devices “first,” so we can expect it to be available for Android devices sometime in 2017.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Super Mario Run
Xbox Store Today: Awesomenauts Assemble, Star Trek Online, Oceanhorn, more
Space… The Final Frontier… These are the Voyages of the Xbox Games Store Update…
Star Trek Online warps onto the Xbox One today, and the free-to-play MMO will include “over 125 episodes through multiple story arcs, featuring content in both space and ground.” And like any good Captain, players will also be able to “explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations.”
Also available for the Xbox One today is Awesomenauts Assemble!, a side-scrolling Action Platformer/MOBA from Romino Games. Players can compete in 3v3 battles both online and locally as they “bring together the most elite mercenaries from across the universe to do battle!”
Finally this week, Xbox One owners will get the chance to take a trip back in time to experience the action RPG stylings of Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas. Set within the “ancient kingdom of Arcadia,” players will “fight monsters, learn to use magic, and discover ancient treasures” in order to complete their quest.
More information on all three of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Awesomenauts, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas
Capcom delivers the scoop on Urien… Street Fighter V’s final DLC character from Season 1
The first “Season” of downloadable content for Street Fighter V will come to an end this month, so Capcom has unveiled a trailer for Urien, the final DLC character of 2016. The Illuminati fighter made his debut in Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, but according to the Capcom-Unity blog, he’s still at odds with Shadaloo:
About Urien
Urien returns to Street Fighter V, donning a pinstriped suit and is often seen with a sinister smile when he hits opponents with his powerful limbs and violent combos. He uses his slow moving projectiles to pressure opponents and get them to do his bidding. A master of manipulating ki, his signature Aegis Reflector, one of the 66 Illuminati secret arts, is back and allows him to control the pace of the match.V-Skill: Metallic Aura
Urien laughs maniacally while enveloping his body with his Metallic Aura. Once charged, his skin tone darkens and the next forward-propelling special move can temporarily absorb one attack.V-Trigger: Aegis Reflector
Urien opens his arms and creates an energy barrier in front of him. The barrier will reflect projectiles back at the opponent and the direction held when activating the V-Trigger determines where it appears. Opponents who touch the barrier without blocking will take damage and be knocked back. With a full V-meter, Urien can project two barriers.Critical Art: Dominate Crush
Urien channels energy into his arm and slams it into the ground, striking his opponent with a pillar of destruction.
A release date for Street Fighter V’s September Update (including Urien) will be announced during this year’s Tokyo Game Show, which will be held next week, beginning on Thursday, September 15.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Street Fighter V, TGS 2016
Telltale will release final episode in Minecraft: Story Mode series on September 13
All things must end… and that includes Minecraft: Story Mode, which Telltale expanded with three additional “Adventure Pass” stories this Summer. Today, the developer revealed that the series finale, Episode 8: A Journey’s End?, will be available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices on September 13:
In Episode 8: A Journey’s End?, 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? will go out with a bang thanks to appearances from Jim Cummings (Darkwing Duck) and Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty).
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II, Just Sing, Star Trek Online, more added to PS Store
This week’s PlayStation Store update will take players into the unknown with a handful of new titles.
First up is The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II, a JRPG from XSEED Games. Developed by Falcom, players will return to the kingdom of Erebonia and attempt to save it from civil war on the PS3 and PS Vita.
Also available this week is a pair of free-to-play games for the PS4 that are out of this world… literally. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the franchise, Star Trek Online will let players sit in the Captain’s Chair and experience more than 125 episodes as they “explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and new civilizations.” Meanwhile, The Tomorrow Children from Q-Games drops players in a world where “mankind is on the verge of extinction, and you must cooperate with other players to build your town and defend it from monstrous invaders.”
Finally this week, Ubisoft will launch Just Sing, their karaoke spinoff of the Just Dance franchise, for the PS4. If you just need to sing, now’s your chance.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. And a complete rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts is available at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
ReCore’s Launch Trailer reveals a bit more about Joule’s journey through Far Eden
Microsoft will release ReCore next week, but first, a new Launch Trailer for the game will give fans a deeper glimpse into the world of Far Eden. A collaboration between Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune and Armature Studio, here’s what Senior Creative Director Joseph Staten had to say about ReCore on the Xbox Wire:
Survival starts in the core, and today Microsoft Studios unveiled a new look into ReCore’s adventure-filled world, Far Eden, and its heroine, Joule Adams. Narrated by Joule’s father, Dr. Thomas Adams, the video takes a deeper look at Joule’s journey, revealing new gameplay and characters from ReCore’s cinematic story as well as the qualities Joule inherited from her father; qualities that will help her and her Corebot companions to bring new life and hope to Far Eden.
In addition to being one of the first big games of the Fall, ReCore is also the first Xbox Play Anywhere title, and it’ll be available for the PC and Xbox One on September 13.
Batman: Return to Arkham gets new release date and a Side-By-Side Comparison Trailer
WB Games has announced that Batman: Return to Arkham, the PS4 and Xbox One re-release of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, will be released on October 18. The compilation was previously scheduled to launch this Summer, but it was pushed back so developer Virtuos could have enough time to “deliver a polished Batman Arkham game experience.”
To show fans just how far the porting process to Unreal Engine 4 has come, WB Games also unveiled a new Side-By-Side Comparison Trailer today to showcase Return to Arkham’s “improved graphics, upgraded models, environments, lighting, effects, and shaders.” Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were originally developed using Unreal Engine 3, and the generational leap seems very apparent in the video embedded above.
Priced at $49.99, Batman: Return to Arkham will also include all previously-released downloadable content for both games.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City