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
Harmonix will release Amplitude for the PS3 in April
It took a little bit longer than expected, but Harmonix has announced that Amplitude should be available for the PS3 in April. The developer shared the good news with their fans today on Kickstarter:
First up, PS3 version: It’s done! We’re submitting it to Sony certification today. The certification and release process takes a couple weeks, but you’ll be able to get your Sixaxis controllers all up in Amplitude’s business in April. We’re hoping for early April, but I’ll let you know when we have a confirmed date locked down.
Amplitude was originally released for the PS4 back in January, and everyone who purchased that version will also receive access to the game on the PS3 through Sony’s Cross-Buy program.
Xbox Store Today: Hitman, Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, Cel Damage HD, more
Sneak in, take a gander at today’s Xbox Games Store update, and sneak out…
Agent 47 is back in IO Interactive’s brand new episodic Hitman game for the Xbox One. Today’s release of the “Intro Pack” will reintroduce players to everyone’s favorite assassin with two missions, Contracts Mode, Escalation Mode, and a variety of other content. The story will continue in six expansion packs that IO will release more-or-less monthly throughout 2016.
One of last year’s most popular Xbox One games, Ori and the Blind Forest, will receive an expanded re-release today as Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition. Players will be able to explore new areas, discover new secrets, wield new abilities, and dive deeper into the story.
Also available today are a trio of other titles, all for the Xbox One… Cel Damage HD is a re-release of a cartoonish car combat from the turn of the century, and I’m sure some people will find it surprising that it even exists. MagNets: Fully Charged is an arena game where players have to scoop up rogue maintenance bots and restore order to Polarity City. And Blast ‘Em Bunnies is a first person shooter starring a bunch of deranged rabbits.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Hitman, Ori and the Blind Forest
Far Cry: Primal was the best-selling game of February 2016
It’s time to listen to the mastodon roar as Ubisoft’s Far Cry: Primal was declared the best-selling game of February 2016 by The NPD Group. Proving that players might be in the market for more titles that feature pre-modern warfare, Far Cry: Primal beat out Call of Duty: Black Ops III, which took the #2 slot.
Several other new releases broke into the top ten last month, including Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 at #4 and Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright at #9. But the most surprising result might be the less-than-stellar debut of Capcom’s Street Fighter V. Even after a big push from Sony, the much-hyped fighting game was only able to punch its way to #7.
Sales of new PS3 and Xbox 360 games continued to drop last month, and total retail spending on new games slipped 10% from February 2015. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD’s Liam Callahan said: “New physical software trends suffered due to a sharp decline in seventh generation consoles of 52% despite the 14% (or $28 million growth) in eighth generation software. Portable software also had a drop of 30% due to a poor comparison to the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, which coincided with the launch of the New 3DS.”
A complete look at last month’s top ten best-selling titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, Far Cry: Primal, Grand Theft Auto V, Lego Avengers, Minecraft, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, NBA 2K16, NPD, Street Fighter V
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture leads with 10 nominations at the 2016 BAFTA Games Awards
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) bestowed some absolutely rapturous acclaim on Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture yesterday. The game, which was developed by The Chinese Room and released exclusively for the PS4, was nominated in ten categories for this year’s BAFTA Games Awards.
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture will obviously be competing for “Best Game” at the 2016 BAFTAs, and also for “Best British Game,” “Artistic Achievement,” “Audio Achievement,” “Game Innovation,” “Music,” “Original Property,” and “Story.” Two nominations in the “Performer” category (one for Merle Dandridge and one for Oliver Dimsdale) round out its double digit list of accolades.
However, five other games (Fallout 4, Life Is Strange, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Rocket League, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt) are also up for “Best Game” and any one of them could easily steal the spotlight from Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture.
We’ll find out who takes the top prize on Thursday, April 7, when comedian Dara O’Briain returns to host the festivities, which will be televised via Twitch and BAFTA.org. The complete list of nominees in all categories can be found after the break. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Star Ghost, Mega Man Battle Network 6, Bravely Second demo, more
Wii U and 3DS owners will get a chance to try out a procedurally-generated space shooter, a Game Boy Advance classic, and an exclusive bonus adventure that’s part of an upcoming RPG…
Star Ghost is a procedurally-generated space shooter for the Wii U that was developed by Rhys Lewis, a developer that was formerly employed employed by Rare and Retro Studios. Also available this week for the Wii U is Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar / Cybeast Gregar, which was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005, and is the final game in the Mega Man Battle Network series.
Finally this week, Square Enix will bring a Bravely Second: End Layer demo to the eShop for the 3DS. In “The Ballad of the Three Cavaliers,” players will return to the land of Luxendarc and embark on an exclusive adventure with Yew, Magnolia, Janne, and Nikolai that won’t be available in the full version of the game. Players will even be able to earn bonuses that’ll transfer to Bravely Second when its released on April 15.
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 Bravely Second: End Layer
Aonuma wants to do “something new” with The Legend of Zelda Wii U
For a game that’s less than nine months away, we certainly don’t know a whole heck of a lot about The Legend of Zelda Wii U. It’s rumored to be an “open world” game, and the art style is certainly beautiful, but that’s about it. Thankfully, Producer Eiji Aonuma recently saw down with Famitsu (via Kotaku) to briefly give fans a window into the development process.
Aonuma revealed that his team is currently in the “end stages of development” and that he’s editing character dialogue and in-game text… just as he did near the end of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword‘s development. He also said that he wants fans to get “something new” out of The Legend of Zelda Wii U:
According to Aonuma, the keyword this time is “something new.” Ocarina of Time was a huge leap for the Zelda series and since then Aonuma explained, “I think the base of our secret sauce has always been Ocarina of Time. But this time, the change in flavor will be like going from Japanese food to Western style food. Perhaps, players will be surprised.”
“Please look forward to it, because I think we’ll be able to make ‘something new’ like Ocarina of Time was,” Aonuma added.
I’ve got to admit, I’m a sucker for a good food analogy and describing the game as “Western style food” will only fuel the “open world” rumors. Whatever happens, we should all be playing The Legend of Zelda Wii U by the end of the year.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Capcom reveals a few details about Alex and the rest of Street Fighter V’s first update
Street Fighter V‘s first major update will be released later this month, and today, Capcom revealed more information about fans should expect.
The centerpiece of this update is the inclusion of Alex, the game’s first downloadable character. Players can use Fight Money, Street Fighter V’s in-game currency to obtain Alex for free, but the he’ll also be available for sale individually and as part of the game’s Season Pass. Alex originally made his debut in 1997’s Street Fighter III and he retains a lot of his grappling abilities in his latest incarnation:
About Alex
In Street Fighter V, Alex returns as a powerful grappler that can inflict big damage with his close range Power Bomb command grab and his long limbs to fight from midrange distances. The threat doesn’t end there however, as Alex has a variety of special attacks that can cover a large portion of the screen for those times when the opponent keeps him out. Players looking for a methodical grappler who can do big burst damage up close, yet still do well at midrange, will find themselves perfectly at home with Alex.V-Skill: Overhaul
Alex stretches and gets ready to land the next killer blow. Once Alex finishes his animation, the very next attack he pulls off will count as a hard hit and damage the opponent as if they were counter attacked. If that attack misses or is blocked however, he loses the hard hit bonus.V-Trigger: Rage Shift
Alex channels his wrestling training and gains access to a brand new clothesline attack. This attack can be charged and during that time, it can parry an attack. Upon full charge, if Alex makes contact with a blocking opponent, he will break their guard, leaving them open to an immediate attack.Critical Art: Heavy Hammer
Alex hits the opponent with a thunderous chop that knocks the opponent around. He then grabs them and takes them up to the highest of heights in a crucifix hold, only to viciously drop them down on their heads at the fastest of speeds.
You can head on over to the Capcom-Unity blog for more details on the free portion of the update including a Challenge Mode complete with Tutorials and Trials for each fighter, the In-Game Shop, and an online rematch option.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Street Fighter V
Deep Silver taps Sumo Digital to complete Dead Island 2 development
Deep Silver has momentarily shoved Dead Island 2 aside to promote the release of this May’s Dead Island: Definitive Collection. But the publisher plans to return to the troubled sequel in the near future and they’ve confirmed to MCV that development will be continued by Sumo Digital.
“Sumo showed so much understanding of the brand, had creative ideas and an excellent, vision that was aligned with our own,” Koch Media CEO Dr. Klemens Kundratitz told MCV.
“It just made perfect sense for us to move the project to them. We will reveal more details at a later stage, but for now I’d like to say that we are obviously super excited about the progress that we are making with them.”
Development on Dead Island 2 originally began at Yager, but Deep Silver yanked the game away from the Spec Ops: The Line team after their progress didn’t meet the publisher’s expectations.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dead Island 2