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
Bandai Namco officially announces Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
Lace up those sneakers and get ready to compete for the Championship Edition once more, because Bandai Namco has announced that Pac-Man’s hypersonic spinoff series will receive a new entry this September.
Players will be able to use portals to zip around the mazes even faster in Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, and the massive Giant Ghost will add boss fights to the series for the first time. Even more new features are visible in the trailer embedded above, and in this short blurb direct from Bandai Namco:
Currently under development at Bandai Namco Studios Inc. in Tokyo, Japan; Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 features new eye-popping 3D mazes with unique visuals, a wide variety of dynamic mazes, the new ability to bump ghosts, and the addition of intense giant sized ghost boss battles. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 will also build upon Pac-Man Championship Edition DX’s “Chain Eating” mechanics by enabling fans to build up to four ghost trains before chowing down for maximum chompage points. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 returns with the fan favorite Score Attack mode where players need to gather as many points within a specified time and a new Adventure mode that will have players chasing fast moving fruit, battling big bad bosses, and experiencing fun new ways of playing Pac-Man.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it’ll be available sometime this September. In the meantime, fans can visit the Bandai Namco booth (#129 in Hall A) at this weekend’s Comic-Con for their first chance to play the game before it launches.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Comic-Con 2016, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
Live-action Pokemon movie starring “Detective Pikachu” officially announced
Remember all those rumors about a “bidding war” between movie studios over a live-action Pokemon movie? Turns out, it really happened, and Legendary Entertainment has emerged as the winner.
We’ll probably never know if Pokemon Go‘s phenomenal success had any influence on their desire to create a Pokemon movie, but Legendary has announced plans to produce a live-action movie based on Great Detective Pikachu, a game where a (very talkative) Pikachu in a deerstalker cap helps a young boy solve crimes. Even stranger, Great Detective Pikachu is currently only available in Japan, and many Pokemon fans don’t even know it exists. However, after this announcement (which was first reported by Deadline), I have a feeling that’ll change very soon.
With Comic-Con just hours away, you’d think Legendary would have to more to say about their ambitions for the first live-action Pokemon film. Unfortunately, besides confirming that Universal will distribute the movie outside of Japan and that production might begin next year, we don’t know anything else about it.
If nothing else, I guess it’s time to revive that “Danny DeVito as Pikachu” petition.
Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, News
Tagged Detective Pikachu
Xbox Store Today: Sword Coast Legends, Ninja Pizza Girl, 10 Second Ninja X, more
The Summer continues to soldier on and with another Wednesday comes another batch of new additions to the Xbox Games Store. Today, Xbox One owners will be able to go on an RPG adventure, and follow along as a pair of ninjas battle robots and… deliver pizza.
In Sword Coast Legends, players will be able to have a “shared storytelling experience” in a multiplayer game that allows one player to become the Dungeon Master in a special DM Mode.
Elsewhere on the Xbox Games Store today, Xbox One owners will be able to battle robots in 10 Second Ninja X, and deliver pizzas in Ninja Pizza Girl. Believe it or not, the Ninja Turtles aren’t involved in either game.
More details about all of these titles (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
I Am Setsuna, Moon Hunters, Sword Coast Legends, more added to PS Store
Square Enix’s throwback RPG, I Am Setsuna, is now available to download for the PS4. It’s actually quite the busy week for RPGs on the PlayStation Store, so let’s dive in…
Also now available to download for the PS4 is Moon Hunters, a co-op action RPG from Kitfox Games. It’s joined by a pair of RPGs inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, the free-to-play Neverwinter, and the “shared storytelling” of Sword Coast Legends.
Finally this week, Vblank Entertainment has surprise-released Retro City Rampage DX for the PSP. Yes, you read that right. Even four years after its original release, the 8-bit visuals and GTA-like gameplay are a unique combination.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And a full rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts is available at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, PSP, Vita
Tagged I Am Setsuna, Retro City Rampage
Ubisoft will release Uno for the PC, PS4, Xbox One on August 9
Believe it or not, Uno was one of the first big hits for the Xbox 360. The classic card game was perfect for online play, and it’ll return to consoles and the PC this August as Ubisoft has announced plans to release a new version of the game.
Set to launch on August 9 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Uno will include online multiplayer, themed decks, house rules, and video chat support:
Uno makes its return to consoles and PC with an assortment of exciting features such as added video chat support and an all new theme system which adds more fun to enjoy your Uno game!
Match cards either by matching color or value and play action cards to change things up. Race against others to empty your hand before everyone else in either Classic Play or customize your experience with a variety of House Rules and match settings to ensure you and your friends never play the same game twice!
Also, get ready to shake things up with new branded themes introducing never-before-seen Theme Cards that really change the way you play the game!
A few screenshots for Uno can be found at the game’s official website.
First Batman: The Telltale Series trailer reveals an August 2 launch date for Episode 1
As promised, Telltale Games has lit up the Bat Signal and unveiled the first trailer for Batman: The Telltale Series. We’ve also learned that Episode 1, Realm of Shadows, will be available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices on August 2.
Also making good on their promise to create a game that puts just as much focus on Bruce Wayne as it does on the Caped Crusader, the first trailer showcases how both sides of the superhero’s personality fight for the soul of Gotham:
Enter the fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne and discover the powerful and far-reaching consequences of your choices as the Dark Knight. In this gritty and violent new story from the award-winning creators of The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series, you’ll make discoveries that will shatter Bruce Wayne’s world, and the already fragile stability of a corrupt Gotham City.
Designed to resemble a “living, breathing comic book,” Batman: The Telltale Series will feature a huge case including Troy Baker as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Travis Willingham as Harvey Dent, Erin Yvette as Vicki Vale, Enn Reitel as Alfred Pennyworth, Murphy Guyer as Lieutenant James Gordon, Richard McGonagle as Carmine Falcone, and Laura Bailey as Catwoman/Selina Kyle
Gravity Rush 2 will be released for PS4 on December 2
Sony has announced that Gravity Rush 2, the gravity-bending sequel from Sony Japan Studio, will be released exclusively for the PS4 on December 2. Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Sony’s Brian Dunn tried to catch up players who might be unfamiliar with the quirky franchise:
Gravity Rush 2 marks the return of gravity shifters Kat and Raven (now a powerful ally), ex-cop Syd, and introduces a bevy of new characters. The first new face to join the expansive world of Gravity Rush 2 is the mysterious guardian angel, who shows up to help Kat when she’s in a bind, quickly dispensing of a group of pesky Nevi enemies.
Angel is a superheroine with an aggressive and wild fighting style, and packs an overwhelming punch to her attacks. She also has a crystallization ability that helps her to regenerate health instantly. Check out Angel’s abilities in the new gameplay trailer!
New and returning fans interested in the Gravity Rush universe will be happy to learn that Sony is teaming with Studio Khara to produce an anime, Gravity Rush The Animation: Overture, that bridges the gap between the first game and its sequel. More information on Gravity Rush The Animation: Overture will be revealed soon.
Finally, Sony also announced that players who pre-order Gravity Rush 2 will receive an alternate white costume for main character Kat, as well as a nine-song soundtrack.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4
Tagged Gravity Rush 2
Rise of the Tomb Raider coming to PS4 on October 11 in 20 Year Celebration Edition; Bonus content also available on PC/Xbox One
Square Enix has been celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tomb Raider all year long, and it all culminates this October with the release of the Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The 20 Year Celebration Edition will mark Rise of the Tomb Raider’s PS4 debut after last year’s PC/Xbox One exclusivity period, and it’ll give players a chance to dive into the sequel, along with all previously-released downloadable content, and a huge amount of new content. The 20 Year Celebration content starts with Blood Ties, a new Story chapter that allows players to explore Croft Manor, and Lara’s Nightmare, which pits the adventurer against a zombie invasion of her home. PlayStation VR owners will even get the chance to explore Croft Manor in a special first-person view.
In addition to new locales, players will be able to re-explore the main game in new ways, including an “Extreme Survivor” difficulty setting and a Co-Op Endurance Mode. “Extreme Survivor” will remove all Checkpoints from the game, while the Co-Op Endurance Mode gives two players the chance to raid tombs and survive the brutal wilderness together. Square Enix will also add five new in-game models to the 20 Year Celebration Edition for Lara based on some of her classic looks from the last two decades. Finally, players who pre-order Rise of the Tomb Raider’s 20 Year Celebration Edition will also receive a Limited Edition containing an exclusive Art Book.
But don’t worry, if you previously purchased Rise of the Tomb Raider for the PC or Xbox One, all of the 20 Year Celebration content (minus PlayStation VR support, obviously) will be available to download separately. And those who purchased the Season Pass on either platform will get everything for free.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Rise of the Tomb Raider