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
Every new character from Hyrule Warriors Legends can be added to the Wii U original
GameXplain has good news for everyone who is thinking about buying Hyrule Warriors Legends for the 3DS… you’ll also receive a code to import all five new characters into the Wii U original. It’s unknown if Nintendo will offer the characters as DLC for Wii U owners who don’t want to purchase Hyrule Warriors Legends, but my gut tells me they will.
The GameXplain folks also created the video embedded above, which includes almost an hour of action starring Linkle, Skull Kid, Toon Link, Tetra, and the King of Hyrule in the Japanese version of Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U.
Hyrule Warriors Legends is currently available for the 3DS in Japan, with a North American/European launch planned for March 25.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Hyrule Warriors
Starbreeze delays release of Overkill’s The Walking Dead from TBA 2016 to Q3/Q4 2017
The new year has claimed its first victim as Starbreeze has decided to delay the launch of Overkill’s The Walking Dead, a Payday-esque shooter based on the popular comic series. Originally set to be completed sometime this year, the game will now be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One during the second half of 2017.
According to Starbreeze, a recent investment agreement with Korean developer Smilegate is the cause for the delay. Smilegate will offer Starbreeze a portal into the Asian games market, and the developer has decided to hold back the release of Overkill’s The Walking Dead for a year so they can expand the scope of the game.
In return, Starbreeze will produce a “premium co-op first person shooter” based on Smilegate’s CrossFire, a free-to-play shooter described as “one of the top grossing online games worldwide.” This new version of CrossFire will be exclusive to the PC and is being designed to appeal to a Western audience.
I’ve got to admit, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of CrossFire.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Overkill's The Walking Dead
Xbox Store Today: Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink
Do you love adventure games? How about adventure games with steampunk themes? The maybe you’ll want to look into today’s sole new to the Xbox Games Store… Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink. Available now for the Xbox One, and developed by Artifex Mundi, Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink is probably the only chance you’ll get to save the world from a destructive wave of earthquakes.
A trailer for Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink has been embedded above, and more information about the game can be found right here:
Xbox One Games
Clockwork Tales: Of Glass and Ink ($9.99)
Delve into this exciting detective adventure game with a steampunk twist! Strange earthquakes are causing the world’s cities to crumble to ruin. The brilliant Dr. Ambrose Ink hopes to expose the underlying cause of this phenomenon, but he needs the assistance of his longtime friend, Agent Evangeline Glass. The heroine will have to storm the castle of the General Engineer of Gottland to find out the truth and stop the cataclysm.
Sega will release Sega 3D Classics Collection for 3DS on April 26
Sega announced yesterday that they’re bringing more 3D Classics to the 3DS in a special compilation of games previously released for the Master System, Genesis, and arcade. The Sega 3D Classics Collection will try to give players exactly what it says on the tin by including four games not currently available through the 3DS eShop (and two that have never been released outside of Japan), along with five other titles:
- Altered Beast – A beat ’em up set in ancient Greece.
- Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa – A classic psychedelic scrolling shooter. (NOT AVAILABLE ON 3DS eSHOP)
- Fantasy Zone II W – Fantasy Zone II W is basically an updated version of the game above.
- Galaxy Force II – Save the galaxy in this space-themed 3D shoot ’em up.
- Maze Walker – A 3D mystery adventure. (NOT AVAILABLE ON 3DS eSHOP)
- Power Drift – A high octane sprite-based circuit racer. (FIRST TIME AVAILABLE IN US)
- Puyo Puyo 2 – A head-to-head competitive puzzle game. (FIRST TIME AVAILABLE IN US)
- Sonic The Hedgehog – Control the iconic character in the classic fast-paced platformer.
- Thunder Blade – Helicopters, guns, missiles and explosions. What more do you need?
The Sega 3D Classics Collection will be released exclusively for the 3DS on April 26.
EA will add Mike Tyson to EA Sports UFC 2
Earlier this month, EA Sports announced that players who pre-order EA Sports UFC 2 would receive instant access to a trio of bonus fighters by buying the game before its launch: Bas Rutten, “The Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba, and a “Mystery Fighter.” Today, they revealed the identity of the Mystery Fighter… and he’s a blast from your video game past.
The most dangerous boxer of all time, Mike Tyson, will enter the Octagon in EA Sports UFC 2 in two different versions: “Iron” Mike Tyson (“based on his climb to stardom and string of invincible fights in the eighties”) and “Legacy” Mike Tyson (“developed with the end of his illustrious career in mind”). Players who pre-order the standard edition will receive instant access to “Iron” Mike, while players who opt for the Deluxe Edition will receive an unlock code for both. And if you have an aversion to pre-ordering games, both versions of Tyson can also be unlocked by reaching the Hall of Fame in Career Mode.
“When you think about the most devastating fighters of all time, Mike Tyson is either around, or at the top of everyone’s list. It’s fun to think that if MMA was as popular back when he was competing as it is today, you might have seen Tyson put on four ounce gloves and step into the Octagon,” said Creative Director Brian Hayes. “This is one of those great ‘what ifs’ that we get to create when making a game like EA Sports UFC 2.”
“As a huge fan, I’m honored to be part of EA SPORTS and explore the world of mixed martial arts,” said Mike Tyson. “I follow UFC very closely and it’s going to be very cool to see how I would stack up against these amazing MMA athletes.”
Tyson will have the strongest punching power of any fighter in the game and you can see if his style is impetuous when EA Sports UFC 2 launches for the PS4 and Xbox One on March 15.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged EA Sports UFC 2
Nintendo Download: Minecraft: Story Mode, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, SMB3 GBA, more
It’s going to be a busy busy time for Nintendo fans this weekend as the latest Nintendo Download includes a pair of hotly-anticipated new titles and a different pair of reborn classics.
Let’s start with the new, as Telltale brings their episodic magic to a Nintendo console for the first time in a long time with the release of Minecraft: Story Mode. The first episode, The Order of the Stone, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop and Wii U owners will finally get their chance to craft a new adventure with Jesse and his friends while also possibly saving the world. Also available this week is Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, the latest Mario RPG from Nintendo. Paper Jam will merge “two classic gaming universes” when its added to the 3DS eShop tomorrow.
However, if you’re looking for a game that has received a seal of approval from the gaming public, you can always turn to this week’s Virtual Console re-releases. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 and Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros’ Treasure are both available to download for the Wii U today, bringing an enhanced version of Mario’s greatest adventure (along with the hard-to-find e-Reader-exclusive levels) and a pirate tale from Capcom to the Wii U for the first time.
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 Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Minecraft: Story Mode, Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo confirms Wolf Link Amiibo will unlock Challenge Mode in Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
After a week of rumors, it looks like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD will indeed include a bonus dungeon that’s unlockable with the included Wolf Link Amiibo figure.
The bonus dungeon will be known as the Cave of Shadows and serve as a sort of Challlenge Mode for Twilight Princess players. After completing the Cave of Shadows, players can record their score (represented as their remaining Hearts) to the Wolf Link Amiibo. And tapping the figure again will reopen the dungeon to give players another shot at besting their highest score.
Players will also be able to use other Zelda-themed Amiibo figures in the game. Some of the figures will bestow weapon refills on Link as tapping a Link or Toon Link figure will fill your quiver with arrows. Other figures provide Link with protection as tapping a Zelda or Sheik figure will refill your Hearts. Finally, tapping a Ganondorf figure will make the game considerably harder as all enemies will deal double damage.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD will be released exclusively for the Wii U on March 4.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Dragon Quest VII will get a new script and is “basically a brand new game” on 3DS
Nintendo recently held an RPG Showcase event in San Francisco and GameXplain was there to sweep up all the dirt on the consolemaker’s next batch of RPGs. That includes Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, which will be released for the 3DS this Summer.
Originally released in 2001 for the original PlayStation (as Dragon Warrior VII, by the way), Fragments of the Forgotten Past will feature a more modern visual style, a brand new English translation, and no more random encounters (enemies are visible on the World Map). According to GameXplain (via Twitter), Nintendo bragged that it’s “basically a brand new game.”
A second tweet confirmed the game will also have a Story Summary feature, so that players can keep the sprawling story straight, and a StreetPass feature that’ll unlock additional Tablets.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is also scheduled for a 3DS re-release this year and should be out sometime in the Fall.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past