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
EA will add offline Skirmish Mode to Star Wars: Battlefront next week
EA and DICE are making good on their promise to bring an offline mode to Star Wars: Battlefront. Beginning next week, Star Wars: Battlefront owners will be able to head into battle against offline bots in a special Skirmish Mode, which will also be splitscreen-compatible for two players on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Skirmish Mode will be available to download on July 20, and here’s what Lead Designer Dennis Brannvall had to say about it on the Battlefront Blog:
The new mode will be available starting July 20 and offers players the option to play offline against bots in a solo mission or with a friend using co-op split screen (Console only). Skirmish can be played on a difficulty level of your choosing and across two modes, Walker Assault and Fighter Squadron. With multiple locations that span the galaxy, from the frozen planet of Hoth to the lava encrusted planet of Sullust, we hope Skirmish brings players a new way to enjoy Star Wars: Battlefront.
The developer also confirmed that Battlefront’s next expansion, Death Star, will be available in September.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Battlefront
Nintendo Download: Tumblestone, Monster Hunter Generations, four Virtual Console games, more
It’s another big week for the Nintendo eShop, especially if you’re a fan of nearly-forgotten platformers from the 90s.
However, this week’s spotlight title is most definitely Monster Hunter Generations, the latest game in the long-running series from Capcom. Set to be released for the 3DS tomorrow, Monster Hunter Generations is being touted as the “most customizable” game in the Monster Hunter franchise, offering players the chance to use “four unique Hunting Styles and special Hunter Arts abilities.”
Jumping over to Nintendo’s home console, Wii U owners will be able to download Tumblestone, a modern match-3 puzzler that also serves as an homage to the multiplayer puzzlers that were all the rage back in the 90s. And speaking of the 90s, a trio of new Virtual Console releases (Bonk’s Adventure, New Adventure Island, and R-Type) will let Wii U owners relive some of the less-remembered (but no less classic) corners of that decade.
Finally this week, we jump back to the 3DS for another Virtual Console classic from the 90s, Final Fight. Capcom’s brawler helped define the genre, and many still look to it as a highlight of the punching and kicking oeuvre.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Monster Hunter Generations, Tumblestone
Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition is out September 20 and it’ll include all 26 characters
Microsoft and Iron Galaxy have announced they’ll cram a massive collection of Killer Instinct content into the newly-announced Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition this Fall.
Available for the Xbox One on September 20, the Definitive Edition will include all 26 characters from the game’s first three seasons (including Shadow Jago), as well as all 20 stages, both Killer Instinct Classic games, and more (thanks to the Xbox Wire):
- Every Killer Instinct Fighter! That’s 26 characters, including the remastered cast, original fighters like Hisako and Aria, and special guest characters like Arbiter from Halo, Rash from Battletoads and General RAAM from Gears of War.
- All 20 Stages, with visual upgrades and lighting changes (creating absolutely improved gorgeous fighting sets).
- Killer Instinct Classic 1 & 2 – Faithful recreations of the arcade originals for the Xbox One.
- Special Features like every song in the KI Archives, every character trailer, and never-before-seen concept artwork.
- An Interactive Universe Map with stage location details.
- Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Videos digging into the history, world, and design of this beloved franchise.
- The retail edition of Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition will include a bonus Original Soundtrack CD and an exclusive Gold Gargos Character Skin.
The Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition will be priced at $39.99, which is a pretty decent discount when compared to the currently-available Supreme Edition.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Killer Instinct
Square Enix will bring a climbing wall, go-kart course, and 7 playable games to Comic-Con
Square Enix doesn’t just want to play their games at next week’s San Diego Comic-Con, they want you to experience them as well. Taking over a section of San Diego at 7th Avenue and Market Street (in the city’s Gaslamp District), the publisher will host a special Square Enix Experience on July 22 and July 23 from noon until 10:00 PM (Pacific Time).
Fans who queue up to try their hand at the physical challenges will be greeted by a rock climbing wall from Rise of the Tomb Raider, a go-kart track from Final Fantasy XV, and a bungee run from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided…
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – The Icarus Dash
Enter the dark world of Deus Ex Mankind Divided and become covert agent Adam Jensen without the trench coat and fashionable shades. Showing off the Icarus Dash move, participants will have to run as fast as they can with a bungee cord on their back while shooting a laser gun at targets.Final Fantasy XV – The Royal Race
Fans can race each other in this themed, go-kart race that takes them through the various landscapes of Final Fantasy XV. Visitors can also have a photo taken to commemorate their race.Rise of the Tomb Raider – Glacier Climb
The Rise of the Tomb Raider Glacier Climb, inspired by the opening sequence of the game, will allow fans to test their skill and will against the hostile environments Lara faces. The 30-foot glacier wall covered in snow, offers an incredible opportunity for fans to experience Lara’s world. Climbers can have their photo taken while on the wall to capture their adventure. This obstacle challenge is the latest event in the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration (#TombRaider20), a year-long salute to the iconic heroine.
But don’t worry, the Square Enix Experience will also have plenty of games to play. Players can relax with a beer (if they’re over 21) and play several upcoming Square Enix titles including Deux Ex: Mankind Divided, Dragon Quest Builders, Final Fantasy XV, I Am Setsuna, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and World of Final Fantasy. Demo kiosks for all of these games will also be available at Square Enix’s booth (#3829) on the Comic-Con show floor.
Square Enix will also host a number of panels during the convention, and you can find a complete catalog of the publisher’s presentations after the break. (more…)
Nintendo will release the NES Classic Edition (packed with 30 games) this November
The NES is back… in microconsole form!
Nintendo has announced they’ll release the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition just in time for the holidays on November 11. The system will be HDTV-compatible and include an NES Classic Controller and a built-in hard drive packed with 30 NES games.
Sadly, NES Classic Edition owners won’t be able to add additional games to the microconsole (or relive the joys of blowing into cartridges to get them to work), but they will be able to play these NES-era favorites:
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It’s a great selection of games, though I’m a little shocked that other NES gems like Tetris, Dragon Warrior III, Mega Man 3, and Tecmo Super Bowl (minus the NFL licensing, of course) weren’t included.
Rather than forcing players to futz around with passwords or the dreaded “Hold Reset While Turning Off,” the NES Classic Edition will also include multiple suspend points for each game.
The NES Classic Edition will be priced at $59.99, and extra NES Classic Controllers will be sold for $9.99 apiece. If you’re a fan of Nintendo’s Virtual Console, an NES Classic Controller can be paired with a Wii Remote for use with the Wii or Wii U. Likewise, a Wii Classic Controller can be plugged into the NES Classic Edition for two-player action.
Xbox Store Today: Song of the Deep, Ghostbusters, The Solus Project, more
The Juno space probe parked itself over Jupiter last week, and the first pictures from the mission were sent back today. So now seems like a good time for The Solus Project to exit Microsoft’s Game Preview and become a full-fledged Xbox One game. Developed by Teotl Studios, The Solus Project is an interstellar exploration game where humanity’s last hope has to find a suitable location for a colony… “You must survive.”
Also available this week is Insomniac’s Song of the Deep, which takes players deep into the briny depths of the ocean for a different kind of adventure into the unknown. Described by Insomniac as a “MetroidVania,” Xbox One owners will guide a young girl named Merryn under the sea in Song of the Deep to search for her missing father.
Hopefully Merryn doesn’t find a Cthulhu-like elder god under the ocean, but if she does, we know who she’ll call… Ghostbusters. Rather than adapt the upcoming movie starring Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, Activision has released an overhead shooter for the Xbox One that pits four rookies against all the Class Five Full-Roaming Vapors of the world.
And finally this week, Iron Galaxy (the developers of Killer Instinct) are back with Videoball, an Xbox One sports game that mashes together “basketball, football, soccer, first-person shooters, and real-time strategy games.” Sure, why not?
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Ghostbusters (2016), Song of the Deep
Ubisoft educates the world on how to correctly pronounce Ubisoft
Is it pronounced “Oo-Be-Soft” or “You-Be-Soft”? The question has plagued Ubisoft since the company’s founding more than 30 years ago, but today, they’ve finally put it to rest. Sort of.
In a new video posted to their YouTube Channel, an unseen cameraman asks Ubisoft employees from around the world how they pronounce the name of the company they work for. Most weren’t exactly sure, but the responses filtered down to a few choices. Most of the French-speaking employees smoothly replied Oo-Be-Soft, while their English-speaking counterparts overwhelmingly went with You-Be-Soft. Further complicating matters were the company’s Japanese employees, who used a rather unique “You-Be-Eye-Soft” pronunciation.
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft’s CEO, had the final word, but even he feels it’s best to say, “You can pronounce it the way you want.”
So there you have it… both “Oo-Be-Soft” and “You-Be-Soft” are considered correct… though we all know that “You-Be-Soft” is more correct.
Posted in News
Nintendo is bringing 15 games to Comic-Con 2016… but not Zelda: Breath of the Wild
I’ve got bad news for anyone hoping to try out The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con… Nintendo won’t have the highly-anticipated game available at their Play Nintendo Family Lounge at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina next door.
However, the consolemaker will have 15 other demos on hand, including five 3DS titles (Monster Hunter Generations, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Style Savvy: Fashion Forward, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, and Yo-Kai Watch 2) that won’t be released until later this year:
3DS
- Monster Hunter Generations (Available July 15)
- Metroid Prime: Federation Force (Available August 19)
- Style Savvy: Fashion Forward (Available August 19)
- Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (Available September 27)
- Yo-Kai Watch 2 (Available September 30)
- Yo-Kai Watch
- Yoshi’s New Island
- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
- Kirby: Planet Robobot
- Mario Kart 7
- Pokemon Omega Ruby / Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
- New Super Mario Bros. 2
Wii U
- Splatoon
- Mario Kart 8
- Pokken Tournament
The Play Nintendo Family Lounge will also be home to tournaments, Pokemon meetups, a Yo-Kai Watch voice actor panel, and much more. The full list of events can be found after the break, and don’t forget that the Play Nintendo Family Lounge is free and open to the public from July 21 through July 24. (more…)