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
Shenmue III is already fully-funded on Kickstarter
Last night’s announcement of Shenmue III during Sony’s E3 Press Conference came with a caveat… the game had to reach a funding goal of $2 million on Kickstarter. However, fans of the franchise have been primed for this moment after more than a decade of waiting and they pounced on the “Back This Project” button with their wallets wide open. Less than seven hours after being available, the Shenmue III Kickstarter campaign is now fully funded.
As of this writing, the campaign is currently approaching $2.5 million and the first stretch goal, “Shenmue 1 & 2 Cinema Shorts.” The developers promised that more information about the stretch goals (which include subtitles in a variety of languages, a Skill Tree System, and the expansion of Baisha Village) would be revealed once the campaign reached its goal. With the $2 million mark well in the rearview mirror, a campaign update should appear sometime today.
If all goes according to plan, Director Yu Suzuki would like to release Shenmue III for the PC and PS4. After so many years, the fans have shown they may not be able to wait a minute longer.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged E3 2015, Shenmue III
EA unveils first Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer at E3 2015
It’s time to stop calling it Mass Effect 4. Electronic Arts opened their 2015 E3 Press Conference with a short glimpse at Mass Effect: Andromeda, the next game in the well-loved RPG franchise. In development at BioWare Montreal, Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One next Fall.
EA’s executives didn’t say much about the game during their E3 Press Conference, but developers at BioWare were all too eager to finally talk about their new project. According to the BioWare Blog, Andromeda takes place “far away from and long after” the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy:
While we aren’t ready to go into too many details just yet, as you saw in the trailer and can tell by the name, this game is very much a new adventure, taking place far away from and long after the events of the original trilogy. You will play a human, male or female, though that’s actually not the character you saw in the trailer (more on that later). You’ll be exploring an all-new galaxy, Andromeda, and piloting the new and improved Mako you saw. And through it all, you will have a new team of adventurers to work with, learn from, fight alongside of, and fall in love with.
BioWare describes the trailer as a “visual target for the final game,” so it’s possible Andromeda may not look like this when its released. But the inclusion of Johnny Cash’s “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” was inspired. Along with the desert visuals, it gives the whole thing a Firefly vibe, though that was probably unintentional.
You can’t take the sky from me…
Activision officially announces Transformers: Devastation with E3 trailer
Even though Best Buy Canada spoiled the surprise, the official announcement of Transformers: Devastation is still pretty great… because it includes a trailer of the game in motion. Platinum’s decision to use cel-shaded graphics, and the original Generation 1 character designs, makes the game look like a lost episode of the 1980s cartoon series. I think I speak for every child of the 80s here when I say we couldn’t be happier.
The trailer also gives us a nice glimpse of Platinum’s patented brand of fast action as applied to the Transformers universe. According to the Activision Games Blog, players will even be able to string together combos using robot mode and vehicle mode:
If you’re in the mood for an iron-fisted rumble, your Autobot robot mode should fit the bill nicely. But when you need to race across the city to perform a few hit-and-run maneuvers, vehicle mode is just a button-touch away.
You can dynamically switch between modes to perform a seemingly endless stream of robot/vehicle combo maneuvers, reducing the Decepticon army to a pile of smoldering metal. It wouldn’t be a Transformers game without Optimus Prime, and Peter Cullen is once again lending his iconic voice to the character. Sideswipe, Bumbleebee, Wheeljack, and Grimlock are also playable, and each character has a unique set of maneuvers and combos.
Transformers: Devastation, which also features the vocal talents of Dan Gilvezan (Bumblebee) and Frank Welker (Megatron and Soundwave), will be released this Fall for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Xbox Game Preview brings “Early Access” for in-development games to Xbox One
Beginning today, Xbox One owners will be able to purchase in-development as part of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Preview program. Similar in style to Steam’s Early Access program, Xbox Game Preview will allow developers to put unfinished games on the Xbox Games Store and players will be able to purchase. However, to avoid abuse of the system, Microsoft is asking all developers to create a demo version of their game so players can try before they buy.
For now, the program is launching with just two games. Elite: Dangerous, a spaceship simulator from Frontier Development, and The Long Dark, a survial game from Hinterland, will both be available beginning today within a special Xbox Game Preview section of the Xbox Games Store.
More games will be added to the Xbox Game Preview program in the future, including Might and Delight’s Shelter and Bohemia’s DayZ.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged DayZ, E3 2015, Elite: Dangerous, The Long Dark
First Star Wars: Battlefront gameplay trailer brings us back to the Battle of Hoth
Guard: Your Tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker!
Han Solo: Then I’ll see you in Hell!
As part of EA’s E3 Press Conference, DICE gave us our first look at Star Wars: Battlefront in action by returning to the ice planet Hoth, one of the most recognizable locales in the Star Wars galaxy. I’ve lost track of how many games include a level that takes place during the Battle of Hoth, but Star Wars: Battlefront is definitely one of the most interesting. The trailer whips back-and-forth between the Rebel perspective and that of the Empire, giving viewers a complete view of the battlefield. The ice is littered with Snowspeeders, TIE Fighters, X-Wings, AT-STs, and a menacing AT-AT… which is made all the more menacing by the appearance of Darth Vader.
There’s no rampaging Wampas (yet), but its all fairly epic in scope. But to increase the epicness a tad, the trailer ends with Luke Skywalker (in his Return of the Jedi costume) going Lightsaber-to-Lightsaber with Vader in the middle of the battlefield. It’s definitely non-canon, but it works.
Star Wars: Battlefront will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17.
This E3 2015 trailer gives us our first look at Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst
EA took their turn on the E3 Press Conference merry-go-round and they came out shooting with both barrels. But one of their biggest new games mostly eschews guns for a more physical form of combat. I’m talking, of course, about the insane parkour that’s at the center of Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst.
In addition to showing the trailer embedded above, developer DICE got a chance to talk about their latest passion project, which seemed unlikely to ever exist just three years ago. Taking place in the city of Glass, and serving as a prequel (of sorts) to the original Mirror’s Edge, Catalyst will reveal the backstory behind Faith, a “Runner” working against the dystopian government:
In Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, you will experience the rise of Faith, a daring Runner who uncovers a hidden truth within the walls of the city of Glass. Through her journey, Faith will explore every corner of the city, from the highest, most pristine skyscrapers, to the dark and gritty tunnels that lie beneath. Players will need to master the environment, using their momentum and timing their combat to fight the oppression of the ruling elite, uncovering the dark secrets behind the city’s beautiful façade. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst gives players the freedom to explore the entire city, discovering a variety of new activities, like Dash, races from point A to B, environmental puzzles and story missions to complete at their own pace.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is built on top of a sprawling open-world of glass and steel, and DICE has decided to tease out some of the details of that world through the official Mirror’s Edge website. In addition to a biography of Faith, the developer also published a primer on the art of freerunning in the game and a small glimpse at some of the darker corners of the city.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 23, 2016.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is coming August 25… but a public beta is available now
Finally pulling back the curtain on the worst-kept secret in gaming, Microsoft has announced that Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will be released for the Xbox One on August 25.
To make this the biggest version of Gears of War ever available, Microsoft and The Coalition will add five campaign chapters to the Ultimate Edition that were previously only available on the PC version. An extensive visual upgrade, running at 1080p, will also make the game look better than ever before.
Fans who can’t wait to dive back in to Gears of War won’t have to wait long, Microsoft also announced that a public multiplayer beta test is now available to download through the Xbox Games Store. As long as you’ve got an Xbox Live Gold subscription, you’re good to go.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, Gears of War
Xbox One will get Xbox 360 backwards compatibility update this Fall
Do you miss your old Xbox 360 games now that you’ve upgraded to the Xbox One? Well then, I’ve got some good news for you! Microsoft will begin offering backwards compatibility for select Xbox 360 (and Xbox Live Arcade) games this Fall. But how will it work? Glad you asked…
Players won’t have to pay anything for the privilege as backwards compatibility will be included as part of a free update to the Xbox One. However, Microsoft has to have permission from the original publisher to enable backwards compatibility. As such, only 100 Xbox 360 games will work when backwards compatibility goes live this Fall. Once backwards compatibility is enabled for a game, players will have the option to use them with all the Xbox One’s new features, including in-game screenshots, Twitch broadcasting, and the GameDVR.
If you’re part of the Xbox Preview program, you’ll be able to test out Xbox 360 backwards compatibility starting today with a limited number of titles. Microsoft plans to add more games to the list all the time and the consolemaker is even accepting suggestions through the Xbox Feedback forum.