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
NIS America will bring Phantom Brave to Steam on July 25
Way back in 2004, Phantom Brave was one of the first games released in the States by NIS America. Along with Disgaea, it helped establish the NIS America label and allowed the publisher to spread their unique brand of strategy RPGs throughout the world.
Phantom Brave takes place on Ivoire, the small island that a lonely girl named Marona calls home. An orphan since she was very young, Marona uses her special “Chroma” ability to speak to phantoms and complete tasks for the other islanders. This gift has come in handy over the years, but the optimistic Marona, and her ghostly companion Ash, are about to embark on their biggest adventure yet.
The Steam version of Phantom Brave will be based on the 2009 Wii re-release, but it’ll also include the bonus content created for the 2011 PSP re-release. And don’t worry, support for Steam Trading Cards, Achievements, and Cloud Saves will be also be part of Phantom Brave’s PC debut.
Hanzo and Genji are the “Dragons” at the center of Blizzard’s latest Overwatch short
With Overwatch just a week away, Blizzard has released a new animated short to give players further insight into the lives of Hanzo and Genji. I don’t want to spoil anything, so let me just suggest that if you liked the Winston and Tracer shorts, you should drop everything and watch this one too.
Overwatch, Blizzard’s upcoming MOBA-like arena shooter, will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 24.
Bethesda commissioned a chainsaw artist to create a sculpture of Doom’s Revenant
It’s not uncommon for a publisher to create a life-size statue of a larger-than-life character to show off at fan conventions. I remember Sega being especially proud of the absolutely massive Power Loader they created for Aliens: Colonial Marines when it was on the con circuit. So I guess it’s not really news that Bethesda asked Australian artist Rob Bast to create a similar statue for Doom…
Except they asked him to use a CHAINSAW.
It took Bast more than 130 hours (and eight different CHAINSAWS) to carve the imposing Revenant out of cypress wood, and Bethesda recorded the whole process to give fans a closer look at the incredibly intricate design…
Which, again, was created with a CHAINSAW.
After nearly a decade in development, Doom was released this past Friday for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And if you live in Australia, Rob Bast’s Revenant sculpture is currently available for viewing at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Doom (2016)
Mario Goes Hollywood (Again): Nintendo wants to get into the filmmaking business
Nintendo disappointed a lot of people last year when they shot down rumors that The Legend of Zelda was being adapted into a gritty Game of Thrones-like series for Netflix. But the dream didn’t totally die, and Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima recently told Asahi Shimbun that the company wants to get into the filmmaking business.
Rather than license their characters out to a third party production company, Kimishima told the Japanese newspaper that Nintendo is looking for a partner and wants to do as much as they can by themselves. It’s likely that Nintendo’s hands-on approach is a direct response to the absolutely bonkers film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. from 1993. I guess turning the Mushroom Kingdom into Blade Runner‘s Los Angeles still stings after all these years.
Nintendo’s President also told Asahi Shimbun that they’d like to release their first movie within two-to-three years, though it’s unknown which of the consolemaker’s many properties will be adapted. What we do know is that it’ll probably be an animated feature, though that’s not set in stone either.
Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius will be available for mobile devices this Summer
PS4 and Xbox One owners are preparing themselves for this Fall’s release of Final Fantasy XV, but Square Enix plans has more to come from the long-running series in 2016. Set to launch this Summer, Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius will be the first “full-scale” Final Fantasy adventure designed exclusively for mobile devices (iOS and Android).
Adventurers will follow two knights of the kingdom of Grandshelt, and a young girl who suddenly appears before them, as they begin their quest to pursue a highly sought after crystal. Players will make their way through various types of dungeons to search for items, collect gil, uncover hidden paths, and venture new routes.
Already available in Japan, Brave Exvius is a traditional turn-based RPG that features “streamlined battle mechanics and intuitive touch controls” designed to work well with mobile devices. To make Final Fantasy fans feel more at home, Square Enix has also filled the game with familiar characters (The Warrior of Light, Cecil, Vivi, and Terra) and summons. To see just how developer Gumi shrunk the Final Fantasy series down to mobile size, you might want to check out the Announcement Trailer embedded above.
Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius will be free-to-play and interested players can pre-register at the game’s official website to receive special in-game items at launch. The game will also be playable at this year’s E3 Expo, so expect to learn more about it next month.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged E3 2016, Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius
Yo-Kai Watch 2 will be released in North America on September 30
The Yo-Kai are getting ready for their second American invasion, because the mischievous spirits at the center of Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch series will make an encore appearance on the 3DS this Fall in Yo-Kai Watch 2. Set to launch on September 30, Yo-Kai Watch 2 will be available in two versions (Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls) and add more than 100 new Yo-Kai to the game’s universe:
Already a huge hit in Japan, the sequel to the first smash hit, which is once again developed by Level-5, offers the same deep RPG gameplay and wacky adventures as the first game. The new adventure also offers many new areas to explore outside of Springdale, more than 100 new Yo-kai, a new-and-improved in-game Yo-Kai Watch and even the ability to travel back in time! Yo-Kai Watch 2 will also launch with two versions, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls, each featuring rare Yo-Kai that can only be found in their respective games.
Fans of the Yo-Kai Watch television series also have reason to be excited this morning, as Disney announced the second season will begin airing on Disney XD this Summer. And in case you missed it, you can catch up with the first season on Netflix.
Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, News
Tagged Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits/Fleshy Souls
Microsoft will shut down Project Spark this August
Microsoft and developer Team Dakota have announced plans to discontinue online support for Project Spark, a game creation tool originally released for the PC and Xbox One in 2014. Community Manager Thomas Gratz delivered the verdict over the weekend through Project Spark’s official website:
Despite this news, we want to celebrate the accomplishments of our team and community of creators and players. Our team released 46 content packs, thousands of assets and 16 updates since launch (averaging more than one update every two months). We produced hundreds of livestreams and videos to educate and celebrate our community. In turn, our passionate fans have then gone above and beyond supporting “Project Spark” by uploading hundreds of thousands of creations and dreaming up millions of objects, behaviors, and experiences. Outside the game, they created fan sites, tutorials, forums, apps, and more! We thank everyone who has played or created anything within “Project Spark,” as it would have never existed without you.
Project Spark was removed from the Xbox Games Store on Friday, and all other online services will be shuttered this Summer. Even with the end of Project Spark’s online accessibility, the game will still be playable offline, though players won’t be able to download any of the community’s creations after August 12.
Microsoft also announced that players who purchased the Project Spark Starter Kit will receive a credit that can be used for a future Xbox Games Store or Windows Store purchase.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Project Spark
Weekly Warp-Up: Walt Disney Shuts Down Disney Interactive and Cancels Disney Infinity…
No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…
The biggest news this week wasn’t an exciting new announcement or confirmation of a long-awaited release date. The biggest new this week is that The Walt Disney Company has decided to shut down their Disney Interactive division and brought an end to the Disney Infinity franchise. Disney didn’t go into too many details about why the shutdown took place, but they did say that the plan going forward is to license their characters and films to other game publishers.
Elsewhere on Warp Zoned, we published Part Two of It’s In Your Blood: A History of Horror Games this week. Moving into the 90s, it’s time to relive Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, Clock Tower, and a few others. A review of Enter the Gungeon was also published this week, and it might be worth a look as the twin-stick shooter/roguelike-like hybrid definitely has its moments.
More news from the week that was can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News