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
Nintendo’s 2DS is now just $80 and includes a Mario Kart 7 download in the box
Nintendo’s handheld for the whole family, the 2DS, will become even more affordable next week. Beginning May 20, the 2DS will be available on store shelves for just $79.99, which is a savings of $20 off the current price tag. Best of all, the new 2DS package will also include a full game download of Mario Kart 7.
“Nintendo 2DS is the best value available for a portable dedicated gaming system and is great for gaming on the go,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “The system has a library full of high-quality games for purchase, some in our Nintendo Selects category for less than $20 each, featuring Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and Zelda.”
The 2DS is compatible with all 3DS games, and its non-folding design is perfect for smaller hands to hold. The 2DS also features most of the same functionality as its bigger brother, but as its name implies, it doesn’t include the glasses-free 3D display technology of the 3DS.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Mario Kart 7
Uncharted 4, Doom, MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs Zombies, more added to PS Store
Nathan Drake is a man of action, and he doesn’t have time to go to the mall or wait for the postman… so it’s a good thing that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4) is now available to download through the PlayStation Store. At the start of A Thief’s End, the fortune hunter is retired and living a life of marital bliss with Elena Fisher, but all that changes when he’s “forced back into the world of thieves” by his brothers. A Thief’s End will be the final Uncharted game from Naughty Dog, so let’s hope Drake can make it out alive.
Also available this week is Doom, the latest resurrection of id Software’s seminal shooter series. Designed as a “challenging modern-day shooter experience” by id Software, while also existing as an homage to the developer’s past, Doom will be available to download on Friday, May 13.
Finally this week, Vita owners will get the chance to download MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs Zombies, yet another spinoff for the HyperDimension Neptunia series, and MOP: Operation Cleanup, a puzzle platformer starring a “curious and unique” cleaning robot.
More information about 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…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Doom (2016), Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Disney shuts down all console development and cancels Disney Infinity franchise
Two months ago, the Disney Infinity franchise was put on hiatus by Disney Interactive. Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company announced the end of Disney Interactive with the cancellation of all console development and the closure of the entire division.
Speaking during the company’s quarterly financial report, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said, “During the quarter, we took a charge of $147 million in connection with the shutdown of our Infinity console games business. Going forward, our console games strategy will focus solely on licensing our great portfolio of content.”
This closure extends to developer Avalanche Software, and Disney Interactive General Manager John Blackburn thanked them for all their hard work on the publisher’s official website:
Our goal for Disney Infinity was to bring the best of Disney storytelling to life in homes around the world, and with your support we accomplished that. We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it.
And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project.
Avalanche will complete work on the remaining Disney Infinity content that is currently in development, including three figures from Alice: Through the Looking Glass (which will be available later this month) and a Finding Dory Play Set (coming in June).
With Disney’s console development future tied up in licensing deals, we should probably expect to hear about more third-party partnerships, like the one the company struck with EA to create Star Wars: Battlefront, soon.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, Disney Infinity: Star Wars
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine expansion will be available on May 31
Prepare to ride with Geralt of Rivia one last time as CD Projekt Red has announced the Blood and Wine expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be available to download on May 31.
“Blood and Wine makes The Witcher 3 complete [because] it’s Geralt’s final mission. Containing more than 90 new quests, and over 30 hours of brand new adventures, it’s something that I think gamers will remember for a long time,” said Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the Game Director at CD Projekt Red.
“There’s also a massive amount of features we’re giving gamers with this expansion like a dynamic Point of Interest system, a new Gwent deck, new endgame mutation mechanics, and even a place Geralt can call home…. And it’s all happening in a new region as big as No Man’s Land in the base game,” he added.
In addition to the absolutely massive expansion, European fans of The Witcher 3 will be able to pick up a special Limited Edition that contains a Blood and Wine download and two real-life Gwent decks (Northern Realms and Nilfgaard). More information on this rather cool extra is available at The Witcher 3’s official website.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
EA will release next Need For Speed game in 2017
Ghost Games brought the Need For Speed franchise back last November with the simply-named Need For Speed. Since then, they’ve added to the racer with a number of expansions, including the upcoming SpeedList update. But don’t worry, they’ve got big plans for the future.
Writing on the franchise’s official website today, the developer revealed that an untitled new Need For Speed game will launch in 2017:
We are now building upon the foundations that have been laid with Need for Speed and delivering our next game in 2017.
That’s not to say that we’re going quiet between now and then… far from it. We’ll be working with our community and there will be multiple opportunities to bring many of you into the studio in the coming months to get your feedback on where we’re headed.
Your passion and dedication for Need for Speed continues to motivate, inspire and drive us forward. It’s absolutely amazing. From all of us at Ghost, thank you.
It’s possible, though unlikely, that EA might discuss the next Need For Speed game during their 2016 E3 Press Conference, which will be held on June 12.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Need For Speed Payback
Mass Effect: Andromeda blasts off for E3 2016 (and an Early 2017 release date)
EA and BioWare are very excited about Mass Effect: Andromeda, and they’ve confirmed that fans will be able to share in this excitement beginning next month. Writing on the the game’s official website, Aaryn Flynn, the General Manager of BioWare said that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be a big part of EA’s E3 Press Conference, which is scheduled for June 12.
Flynn also shared some details about the team’s progress:
- More Freedom: One of our biggest ambitions is to give players an unprecedented level of freedom for a Mass Effect experience –where you’ll go, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll play.
- New Uncharted Worlds: We’re leaving the Milky Way behind and headed to Andromeda, where we’ll meet new allies, confront new enemies, and explore fascinating new worlds.
- The Next Great Mass Effect Experience: Mass Effect: Andromeda will be the first Mass Effect game for today’s consoles and the first built on the Frostbite engine. We’re pushing the technology to deliver visuals, story, and gameplay that have never been done in franchise history.
Finally, Flynn also thought he was announcing a slight delay for Mass Effect: Andromeda, but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen actually beat him to the punch a few months ago. Regardless of who said it first, the game will officially be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in “Early 2017.”
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will be available on Steam later this week
After launching on the PS4 last year, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will make its PC debut (via Steam) later this week.
The Steam re-release will include all the special features found in the PS4 version including a modern graphical upgrade, a rearranged soundtrack, and the never-befre-available bonus content from the International Editions. Steam users will also be able to access an Auto Save feature and optional “Boosters” including High Speed Mode and No Encounter Mode. A similar “Booster” system was added to Final Fantasy IX‘s Steam release back in April.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will be available to download through Steam on May 12.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Pokemon Sun/Moon will be released on November 18; Starter Pokemon revealed
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced that Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon will be released for the 3DS on November 18. The two companies also unveiled a brand new trailer that introduces fans to the game’s starter Pokemon:
Name: Rowlet
Category: Grass Quill Pokemon
Height: 1’00”
Weight: 3.3 Pounds
Type: Grass/Flying
Starting Move: Leafage
The first of the potential partners is the highly adaptable Grass Quill Pokemon, Rowlet. This Pokemon can fly silently through the skies, sneaking up on its opponent without being noticed. It can attack its opponents using powerful kicks, and it can also attack from a distance using the razor-sharp leaves that form part of its feathers. Rowlet can survey its environment and turn its neck nearly 180 degrees from front to back, so it can see directly behind itself. When in battle, Rowlet turns its head to face its Trainer when waiting for instructions.Name: Litten
Category: Fire Cat Pokemon
Height: 1’04”
Weight: 9.5 Pounds
Type: Fire
Starting Move: Ember
The cool-headed Fire Cat Pokemon, Litten, is the next choice for a first-partner Pokemon. Litten’s fur is rich in oils and is immensely flammable. It constantly grooms itself by licking its coat, collecting loose fur into balls. It then ignites these hairballs to create fireball attacks. When the time comes for Litten to molt, it burns off all of its fur in one glorious blaze.Name: Popplio
Category: Sea Lion Pokemon
Height: 1’04”
Weight: 16.5 Pounds
Type: Water
Starting Move: Water Gun
The third possibility is the acrobatic Sea Lion Pokemon, Popplio. Popplio can create balloons made of water from its nose and utilize them to create a variety of different strategies and attacks in battle. This Pokemon is better at moving in the water than on land, and can swim at speeds over 25 mph. On land, it uses the elasticity of the balloons it creates to perform jumps and acrobatic stunts.
A fiery Cat Pokemon that tosses exploding hairballs. Somewhere, Warp Zoned’s resident Pokemon fanatic/crazy cat lady just lost her mind.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Pokemon Sun/Moon