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
Get spooked by the new Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trailer at Gamescom 2016
I couldn’t even begin to tell you how the new Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trailer connects to the rest of the franchise. Released today at Gamescom, the trailer’s definitely spooky, but a ghost chasing a woman through a dingy basement is not where my mind goes when I think of Resident Evil.
That said, the trailer does introduce fans to Marguerite Baker, one of Resident Evil 7’s main characters:
Set within the sinister plantation house in Dulvey, Louisiana, the Baker family, including Jack and Marguerite, were residents but no-one has seen or heard from them in a while. Where could they be? One thing is clear in the latest content to be shown from the game – there’s something not quite right within the plantation. Who is the mysterious girl in the gameplay? What does Marguerite want with her?
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on January 24, 2017.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2016, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Inversus, Grow Up, Uno, more added to PlayStation Store
There’s a nice mix of new games available to download from the PlayStation Store this week. So let’s get right too it…
Inversus is a minimalist overhead shooter for the PS4 that ties your path of movement and attack to a black-and-white grid. Single-player and multiplayer options (both local and online) will give players plenty of opportunities for competition.
Also available this week is Grow Up, a PS4 platformer from Ubisoft that stars BUD, “an adorable yet clumsy, stumbling, tumbling robot.” And speaking of Ubisoft, the publisher will also bring a new version of Uno, everyone’s favorite card game, to the PS4 this week.
Finally this week, Codemasters is giving the green light to their latest open wheel racing simulator, F1 2016. It’ll be available for the PS4 on Friday, August 19.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) 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…)
NetherRealm adds Suicide Squad members Harley Quinn and Deadshot to Injustice 2
It’s Gamescom week, so NetherRealm Studios decided this was the perfect time to unveil two more combatants from Injustice 2. In a good show of corporate synergy, the latest Injustice 2 trailer re-introduces Harley Quinn to the fighting franchise, while also giving her Suicide Squad teammate Deadshot a chance to shine. However you feel about the Suicide Squad film, Harley Quinn was one of the best parts of Injustice: Gods Among Us, so her return is definitely a welcome one.
Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime in 2017.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2016, Injustice 2
Titanfall 2 “Open Multiplayer Technical Test” kicks off this weekend on PS4 and Xbox One
Electronic Arts and Respawn have announced that Titanfall 2‘s Open Beta (which they’re calling an “Open Multiplayer Technical Test”) will be available to download on the PS4 and Xbox One beginning Friday, August 19. Players will be able to battle it out in a pair of modes all weekend long:
Modes
- Bounty Hunt (5v5): A brand new mode that pits Pilots and their teammates against an opposing team as well as the Remnant Fleet. Earn bonuses by killing grunts and enemies, but make sure and deposit all your points at the bank between waves without getting killed.
- Pilots vs. Pilots (8v8): Players can be the best Pilot on the Frontier and put their combat and mobility skills to the ultimate test in this classic 8 vs 8 Pilots only mode.
Maps
- Boomtown: A secret underground IMC facility where the latest in R&D is put to the test. In this facility Pilots can use the many peaked roofs to use as cover against combatants below. With tight lanes through the middle, Titans can also be easily ambushed.
- Homestead: The IMC have claimed Imminent Domain on a small commune’s plot of land. With a series of raised, rocky plateaus and a river running down the middle, Pilots are mostly safe from Titans among the rocks and trees but they also can duck into the caves and building when needed. However, the Titans control the large rolling fields.
Players will be able to take part in Titanfall 2’s “Open Multiplayer Technical Test” for a second weekend beginning on Friday, August 26. In addition to the modes and maps from the first weekend, Respawn will add another mode and map for players to try out:
Mode
- Amped Hardpoint (6v6): A new twist on Hardpoint Domination from the original game; now defending a Hardpoint will let you amp it, giving your team double score. Team work is the key to securing victory.
Map
- Forward Base Kodai: Militia forces have taken over an IMC substation and set up a forward operating base. Pilots can find safety from Titans in the hallways and chambers of the main building, while Titans can walk over the roof to get a better view of the action.
Respawn plans to use Titanfall 2’s “Open Multiplayer Technical Test” to showcase some of the game’s new features including two brand new Titans (Ion and Scorch), as well as a few tactical abilities for Pilots including the Grapple GVun, Holo Point, and Pulse Blade. And for players who want to go in guns blazing, Respawn will include a variety of weapons including the Masttiff (“a deadly horizontal spread shotgun”) and the Alternator (“a dual-barrel SMG”).
Finally, if you’re interested in a look at the first live multiplayer stream for Titanfall 2, check out a replay of today’s pre-Gamescom livestream at Twitch.
Titanfall 2 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 28.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2016, TitanFall 2
CoD: Infinite Warfare’s Zombies Mode goes back to the 80s with “Zombies In Spaceland”
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s single-player campaign is blasting off for outer space, so it seems rather fitting that the game’s co-op Zombies Mode is going to Spaceland. Revealed today in a brand new trailer (which is embedded above), Infinity Ward is putting their spin on the famed Zombies Mode with an 80s-set adventure titled “Zombies In Spaceland.”
And to help set an appropriately 80s mood, Paul “Pee-Wee Herman” Reubens and David Hasselhoff will make an appearance in “Zombies In Spaceland” alongside a comedic ensemble cast, as confirmed by the Activision Games Blog:
Zombies in Spaceland tells the story of four aspiring actors who come upon a mysterious movie theater for an audition. They’ve been invited by director Willard Wyler, portrayed with voice and likeness by Paul Reubens, who was once the shining star of the horror genre. Unbeknownst to the actors, they will be transformed into the movie characters onscreen and transported straight into Wyler’s film to fight against an all-new variety of zombies in an 80s theme park.
You’ll play as one of four 80s movie-inspired characters: The Jock, The Nerd, The Valley Girl, or The Rapper. The characters are voiced by a comedic ensemble cast, including Seth Green, Ike Barinholtz, Jay Pharoah, and Sasheer Zamata.
To guide you through the onslaught of the undead (while providing a killer soundtrack as you battle), you’ll want to keep an eye out for the Spaceland DJ, portrayed with voice and likeness by David Hasselhoff. He’s sure to be an invaluable resource to help you get you out of this horror movie alive.
Players who pre-order Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will receive a bonus package of zombie-hunting gear courtesy of the Zombies In Spaceland Pack, which will contain a Zombies Weapon Camo and Reticle, an Animated Zombies Playercard, and a Fate & Fortune Card Pack. But if you want to get a good look at “Zombies In Spaceland” before you put your money down, tune in to Activision’s reveal stream tomorrow at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time) on Twitch.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 4.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Gamescom 2016
Splatoon Testfire Demo returns next week
If you haven’t tried out one of the Wii U’s biggest hits yet, Nintendo is bringing back the Splatoon “Testfire Demo” next week. Splatoon’s Testfire Demo will be available to download from the Wii U eShop from Thursday, August 25, through Sunday, August 28. Wii U owners will be able to jump into a match between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM (Eastern Time) on those four days.
Participants in the Testfire Demo will be able to choose from four different weapons (Splattershot Jr, Splattershot, Splat Roller, and Splat Charger) and two Stages (“Saltspray Rig” and “Walleye Warehouse”) as they battle it out in Splatoon’s Turf War Mode.
Splatoon was originally released for the Wii U last May. Since then, more than four million copies of the game have been sold worldwide, and it’s possible it’ll receive an upgraded re-release for the Nintendo NX next year.
Microsoft will host Pre-PAX Open House for ID@Xbox games on September 1
Microsoft has announced they’ll throw open the doors to their corporate campus once again to help kick off (the newly renamed) PAX West with another ID@Xbox Pre-PAX Open House event. The event, which is free and open to the public (a PAX West badge isn’t required), will take place on Thursday, September 1, at 5:00 PM (Pacific Time). Parking is also free and buses will shuttle people in need of a ride from the Washington State Convention Center to the Microsoft Campus.
Attendees will be able to check out playable demos for more than 50 ID@Xbox titles, including several never-before-seen surprises, and the Xbox Wire has a look at some of the games that’ll be playable at the ID@Xbox Pre-PAX Open House event:
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It’s likely that most, if not all, of these titles will also be playable on the PAX West show floor.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged PAX West 2016
Activision officially announces Destiny: The Collection
Over in the “I Can’t Believe It Took Them This Long” department, Activision has announced that Destiny: The Collection will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 20. Launching the same day as the Rise of Iron expansion, The Collection will bring together all five pieces of the Destiny story including the original game, Expansion I: The Dark Below, Expansion II: House of Wolves, and The Taken King.
The package will be priced at $59.99, though players who pre-order it through the PlayStation Store or Xbox Games Store will receive instant access to all currently-available Destiny content. And just like Rise of Iron, those who pre-order will also receive the Iron Gjallarhorn rocket launcher and Iron Gjallarwing Sparrow hoverbike.
A new trailer for Destiny: The Collection has been embedded above.