Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Jordan Minor’s “Boss Fight Books: Super Mario Galaxy” is Now Available for Pre-Order
- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- 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
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Author: John Scalzo
The Banner Saga 2 will be released for PC on April 19; PS4, Xbox One release coming this Summer
Stoic Studio has announced that The Banner Saga 2, their Viking-flavored strategy RPG sequel, will be released for the PC on April 19. And though it’s a bit at odds with the game’s Scandinavian setting, PS4 and Xbox One owners will get a chance to download it this Summer.
To celebrate the game’s release, Stoic is bringing the party to next month’s PAX East expo, where they’ll have a demo of the game available at the Versus Evil booth (#10081). A panel focusing on the development process (with Art Director Arnie Jorgensen, Technical Director John Watson, Writer Drew McGee, Tech Designer Matt Rhoades, and Composer Austin Wintory) will also be held on Saturday, April 23.
A pre-order option for The Banner Saga 2 is now available on Steam, and you’ll get a 10% discount if you buy it before April 19.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2016, The Banner Saga 2
Nintendo Download: Hyrule Warriors Legends, SNES Classics on 3DS, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, more
It’s time to check in with some classic characters in this week’s Nintendo Download.
After 30 years and more than a dozen games, the cast of characters from the Legend of Zelda franchise has reached massive proportions… and nearly all of them make an appearance in the 3DS re-release of Hyrule Warriors. Now known as Hyrule Warriors Legends, the portable game introduces several new characters (including Linkle, Link’s female counterpart) and a new level based on The Wind Waker. It’ll be available through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow.
Elsewhere on the 3DS eShop, a trio of Super NES classics are now available to download for the New 3DS. Donkey Kong Country is one of the most visually impressive side-scrollers of the 90s; Super Mario Kart started the whole kart racing genre; and EarthBound is a great RPG that’s even more beloved today.
If you’re looking for a new game for your Wii U, have no fear, more classic characters are here. Yoshi’s Nintendo 64 adventure, Yoshi’s Story, is now available through the Wii U eShop. As is, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge Director’s Cut, WayForward’s hair-raising side-scroller.
More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged EarthBound, Hyrule Warriors
Nordic Games plans to release four massive RPGs in the next two years
Nordic Games has updated their release calendar for the next two years and it includes a quartet of new RPGs in addition to a few games we already knew about (The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 for mobile/Wii U, Battle Worlds: Kronos for PC/PS4/Xbox One, MX vs ATV Supercross Encore for Xbox One, and Aquanox Deep Descent for PC/PS4/Xbox One).
The publisher is referring to their upcoming RPG slate as the “Big Four” and it includes a mix of sequels and original properties. This year, Nordic will release multi-generational saga The Guild 3 and RTS/RPG hybrid Spellforce 3 exclusively for the PC. And next year, they plan to launch the action RPG ELEX and the traditional JRPG-styled Battle Chasers: Nightwar for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
More information about Nordic’s “Big Four” can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Battle Chasers: Nightwar, ELEX, SpellForce 3
Battleborn’s Open Beta will launch on April 8 (for PS4) and April 13 (for PC, Xbox One)
Gearbox Software will fill the badass-sized hole in our hearts this May with their next project, Battleborn. But first, the developer has unveiled a brand new Story Trailer to fill fans in on the backstory of their new universe. They’ve also announced that an Open Beta is on the way for PC, PS4, and Xbox One owners.
Beginning on April 8, PS4 players will gain access to the Open Beta, which will include a ton of content: two Story Mode episodes, two Competitive Multiplayer Modes (Incursion and Meltdown), and 25 playable heroes that you unlock as you progress. PC and Xbox One owners will be able to join the Open Beta a week later, on April 13. Players on all platforms will be able to download the Open Beta on April 6, and it’ll shut down for everybody on April 18.
Gearbox helpfully put together a huge Open Beta FAQ at Battleborn.com.
Battleborn will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 3.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Battleborn
Xbox Store Today: Stranger of Sword City, TrackMania Turbo, Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo
A trio of new Xbox One games are now available to download through the Xbox Games Store.
NIS America will bring Stranger of Sword City to the Xbox One this week, and I believe it’s the first first-person dungeon-crawler for the console. And in another possible first, players will be able to choose between two different art styles: the beautiful and fantastical style of Yoko Tsukamoto, or the cute character graphicse of Oxijiyen.
Also available this week is a pair of racing titles, which will offer two vastly different experiences of their own. Ubisoft’s TrackMania Turbo is a wild and crazy “fantasy racer” that includes 200 “outlandish” tracks spread across five unique worlds. Meanwhile, Milestone’s Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo is a racer that’s grounded in the mud and mess of rally racing.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Day of the Tentacle Remastered, TrackMania Turbo, Manhunt, more added to PS Store
Sony’s Launch Party promotion continues this week with the addition of Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PS4 + PS Vita Cross-Buy) to the PlayStation Store. Tim Schafer’s famed point-and-click adventure has been lovingly remade by his new studio, Double Fine Productions, and they even documented the process in the behind-the-scenes video embedded above.
This week, PlayStation 4 owners will also get the chance to try out a number of other games including a pair of racing games that run the gamut from the high tech “fantasy racing” of Ubisoft’s TrackMania Turbo to the down and dirty rally racing of Milestone’s Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo. Making the jump from mobile to consoles is Camouflaj’s exploration of surveillance culture, Republique, which is now available for the PS4. And Smite has exited its beta phase and the MOBA is now available as a free-to-play download.
Possibly the world’s only first-person cat simulator, Catlateral Damage, has also been released for the PS4. And it’s join by a trio of PS2-On-PS4 titles including the bloody and controversial Manhunt, and the just plain controversial Bully. Okage: Shadow King, a cult favorite PS2 release, rounds out the trio.
Finally this week, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Plus, 2K’s blockbuster strategy game, made a surprise debut on the Vita.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Catlateral Damage, Smite, XCOM: Enemy Unknown
New gameplay trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes us back to a galaxy far, far away
WB Games released a new gameplay trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens this morning, and it gives us our first look at the game’s Multi-Builds system, as well as the new cover mechanic for blaster battles, and a flying Millennium Falcon.
The trailer also delves into some of the Expanded Universe content that Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens will add to the film’s story including the tale of how Han and Chewie captured the Rathtars, new adventures with Poe Dameron, and the backstory of Lor San Tekka (AKA The Old Man Who Gives Poe the Map and Then Dies).
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released on June 28 for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Minecraft: Story Mode’s final chapter will be available next week; 3 bonus episodes will launch later this year
Telltale Games has announced that Minecraft: Story Mode‘s tale will come to an end next week with “Order Up,” the game’s fifth and final episode… though fans should get ready for more adventures with Jesse and friends. Later this year, the developer plans to launch a three-episode miniseries following the further Adventures of the New Order of the Stone. Unlike the standalone The Walking Dead: Michonne, these bonus episodes will be released as add-on content for Story Mode.
But first, let’s look at the upcoming finale:
In the upcoming Episode 5, on a tip from Ivor, Jesse and friends head to an abandoned temple holding mysterious treasures. Ambushed by former Ocelot Aiden and his crew, our heroes find themselves in an entirely new world: Sky City! As they explore, the Order finds that resources are at a premium, and nothing but ‘The Void’ exists below the known world. When Aiden convinces Sky City’s ruler that the New Order of the Stone are up to no good, you’ll need to make some tough choices to clear your name, and keep Aiden from destroying an innocent world.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Order Up will be available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on March 29. Unfortunately, a release date for the episode’s Wii U launch wasn’t announced.