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
Two new Dark Souls III trailers reimagine the game as an animated short and 80s Direct-To-Video schlock
With less than two weeks to go before Dark Souls III‘s launch, Bandai Namco has decided to have a little fun with their marketing materials.
First, the publisher commissioned Eli Roth (the director of Cabin Fever and Hostel) to produce an animated short based on the game’s lore. In “The Witches,” a “lonely knight” comes face-to-face with three witches and attempts to repel their attacks. If you’re at all familiar with the Dark Souls franchise, you can guess how well that goes.
The second video reimagines Dark Souls III as the kind of ridiculous Direct-To-Video flick that haunted the shelves of Blockbuster in the 80s and 90s. You can check out a faux commercial for this “VHS release” after the break.
Dark Souls III will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 12. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dark Souls III
Indie Megabooth will showcase 87 games at PAX East 2016
The Indie Megabooth has announced they’ll provide space on the PAX East show floor for more than 80 developers during this year’s convention.
The PAX East 2016 lineup includes 87 titles, and several of them have previously appeared in our twice-yearly Best of PAX roundup. This year’s PAXpocalypse alumni include 20XX from Batterystaple Games (PAX East 2015), Refactor from NextGen Pants (PAX East 2014), Scale from Cubeheart Games (PAX Prime 2013), and Tumblestone from The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild (PAX East 2014 again). Graceful Explosion Machine, a semi-sequel to Vertex Pop’s We Are Doomed (a PAX Prime 2013 selection) also has a spot in the Indie Megabooth’s Minibooth this year.
Personally, I’m also a huge fan of single-stick shooter Deathstate and heady puzzler Gnog, so be sure to check those two out if you’re attending this year’s PAX East convention, which will be held April 22nd through the 24th.
A complete list of titles included in the PAX East 2016 Indie Megabooth is available after the break. And more information on every one of those games can be found at the group’s official website. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged 20XX, Graceful Explosion Machine, PAX East 2016, Refactor, Tabletop Games, Tumblestone
Hear Florence Welch talk about her cover of “Stand By Me” for Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine can write a bombastic-sounding song in her sleep (just listen to “Dog Days Are Over,” “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up),” “Drumming Song,” “Heavy in Your Arms,” “What Kind of Man,” and “Ship to Wreck” for proof). But what happens when Square Enix asks her to produce a cover of one of the most famous songs of all time? In that case, you get Noctis riding a Chocobo and looking sad with his comrades/bros while Welch belts out the chorus to Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
The musician talked about her contribution to Final Fantasy XV’s soundtrack in the video embedded above.
“I’ve always seen Final Fantasy as mythical, beautiful and epic,” said Welch. “’Stand by Me’ is one of the greatest songs probably of all time and you can’t really improve on it, you just have to make it your own. For me it was just about bringing the song into the world of Florence and the Machine and the world of Final Fantasy.”
Final Fantasy XV will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 30. You can more of Florence + The Machine’s cover in the game’s “Reclaim Your Throne” trailer.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix will release a Final Fantasy XV pinball game for mobile devices soon
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
The final piece of the Final Fantasy XV transmedia experience is Justice Monsters Five, a pinball game for mobile devices (iOS, Android, and Windows 10).
According to Square Enix, Justice Monsters Five is the favorite pastime of Final Fantasy XV’s main character, Noctis. In fact, he loves Justice Monsters Five so much that Final Fantasy XV players will even be able to man the flippers themselves during breaks in the RPG’s story on the PS4 and Xbox One. In the middle of a war, Noctis somehow finds time for pinball.
Thankfully, in the real world, the mobile version of Justice Monsters Five won’t require players to dodge a warzone. The pinball game will “combine role-playing elements with some of the franchise’s most iconic monsters” and the first trailer has been embedded above.
Square Enix will release Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV animated film this Fall
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
Square Enix is getting back into the movie business this Fall with the release of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, a CG animated film that serve as a prequel to the Final Fantasy XV game and as a sequel to the Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV anime series.
The film will star Sean Bean as King Regis, Lena Headey as Princess Luna, and Aaron Paul as Kingsglaive soldier Nyx:
The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the hallowed Crystal, but the menacing empire of Niflheim will stop at nothing to make it theirs. War has raged between the two for as long as most can remember.
King Regis of Lucis commands an elite force of soldiers dubbed the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, Nyx Ulric and his fellow glaives stand before the crown city of Insomnia, fighting to stay the inexorable advance of Niflheim’s imperial army.
Before the overwhelming military might of the empire, King Regis can only salvage his kingdom by accepting an ultimatum— he must cede all lands outside the crown city, and see his son, Prince Noctis, wed to Lady Lunafreya, the former princess of Tenebrae now captive of Niflheim.
As the war of wills rages, the machinations of Niflheim transform Insomnia into an awe-inspiring battleground, pulling Nyx into a struggle for the very survival of the kingdom.
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV will be available sometime this Fall on Blu-ray and as a digital download. A Blu-ray copy of the film will also be packaged with the “Deluxe Edition” or “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” of the game.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV is an anime prequel series to the game and the first episode is available now
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
Final Fantasy XV is one of the biggest games that Square Enix has ever produced, and the publisher plans to create an entire connected universe to go along with it. The first of these side projects is Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV, a five-episode anime series that will serve as a prequel to the game. The first episode is available on YouTube now, and embedded above, and the remaining four episodes will be released throughout the Spring and Summer.
Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV is a new anime series that consists of five standalone episodes that delve into the extraordinary friendships between crown prince Noctis and his three comrades, setting the stage for the adventure players will set out upon in the action-packed RPG.
The Announcement Trailer for Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV can be found after the break, but to get the whole story, you’ll need to see the exclusive sixth episode, which will only be available in Final Fantasy XV’s “Ultimate Collector’s Edition.” (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV: Platinum Demo is available now and includes a side-story that’s not part of the full game
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
Final Fantasy XV is exactly six months away, but wouldn’t you rather be playing it right now? Square Enix understands your plight, which is why the Final Fantasy XV: Platinum Demo is now available to download for the PS4 and Xbox One through the PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store.
In addition to giving players a glimpse inside the world of Final Fantasy XV, the Platinum Demo will include an exclusive scenario that won’t be available in the full game that’s set to launch in September. In the Platinum Demo, players will take control of a younger Noctis who has just begun to master weapons, magic skills, and driving:
Final Fantasy XV: Platinum Demo is a free download demo that offers a glimpse into the final game as it whisks players away to a fragmented dreamscape of Noctis as a child. This storyline is unique to the demo and will not be available in the final version of the main game. Players can take control of young Noctis as he masters various weapons, magic skills, and driving. To overcome the many monsters within this fantastical dream world, young Noctis will have Carbuncle as is his magical guide.
Players who complete the Final Fantasy XV: Platinum Demo will unlock an exclusive Carbuncle summon that’ll be available in Final Fantasy XV on September 30.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV will be released in three editions on September 30
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
The big news is that Final Fantasy XV will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 30. The RPG, which has been in development in one form or another for over a decade, will be released in three separate editions.
The “Day One Edition” will retail for $59.99 and include a bonus downloadable weapon, the Masamune. Players who pre-order the game on the PS4 will also receive a Dynamic Theme, while Xbox One owners can obtain new Avatar items (a Noctis Special Outfit and a Carbuncle Pet).
The “Deluxe Edition” will retail for $89.99 and come packaged in an exclusive Steelbook case. In addition to all of the “Day One” bonus content, it’ll also include a Blu-ray copy of the Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV film, and two in-game bonus items (a Platinum Leviathan Regalia design for your car and the Royal Raiment costume).
Finally, the “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” will be available exclusively through the Square Enix Online Store. Priced at $269.99, it’ll include everything from the “Deluxe Edition” plus a Play Arts Kai action figure of Noctis, a Blu-ray copy of the Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV anime series, a hardcover art book, a soundtrack CD, and four in-game item packs. The “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” will be limited to a print run of 30,000 copies, and you can get a closer look at it after the break.
But first, take a look at the brand new trailer for the game, which is titled “Reclaim Your Throne,” and includes a cover of “Stand By Me” by Florence + The Machine. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV