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
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition announced as publisher continues to tease Darksiders III
Nordic Games has officially announced that Darksiders II will get the remaster treatment this Winter and be re-released as Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is in development at Gunfire Games, one of the studios founded in the wake of Vigil’s closure. If you remember, Vigil Games created both Darksiders games for THQ before the publisher declared bankruptcy. While the developer is well-versed in how the game originally looked, they do plan to offer some improvements as part of the Deathinitive Edition. The PS4/Xbox One version of the game will include all of the previously-released downloadable content, as well as tuned game balancing and reworked loot distribution. Naturally for any remaster, the Deathinitive Edition will also feature an improved graphical engine for better lighting and shadows with visuals rendered in 1080p resolution.
But while announcing their new project, Nordic couldn’t stop themselves from teasing Darksiders III one more time. Reinhard Pollice, the company’s Business & Product Development Director, said: “We took over the franchise roughly two years ago and thought about the next chapter for Darksiders ever since then. Naturally (and extremely excitedly!), there will be a large-scale project based on Darksiders, but for now it is very important for us to take care of the existing games and make those available to a broader audience.”
Obviously, any official announcement regarding Darksiders III is still a very long way in the future.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Darksiders II, Darksiders III
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst unveiled with new art; prequel comic series on the way
The 2015 E3 Expo beckons and Electronic Arts is getting the show started a bit early with a glimpse at Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. The new artwork displays the game’s protagonist, Faith, doing what she does best… clinging to the side of a futuristic building. Hyper-modern skyscrapers pierce the horizon while the watchful eyes of a squad of surveillance helicopters hover at the edge of the scene.
We’ll learn more about Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst next week, but for now, Senior Producer Sara Jansson discussed the development team’s vision on the game’s official website:
The team has spent a lot of time re-evaluating every aspect of the game and making it a new experience. This is not a sequel, this is not Mirror’s Edge 2. We have landed on a vision that honors the first game — pushing the boundaries of first person movement and diving deeper into the story behind our heroine Faith — but also brings a lot of great new, interesting gameplay and features to the experience for our players.
In addition to next week’s E3 reveal, fans will get another look at that vision in Mirror’s Edge: Exordium, a prequel comic series which will be published by Dark Horse. The first issue, which will be written by Narrative Director Christofer Emgard, will be available on September 9. The six-issue series will also feature art from some of DICE’s in-house artists including Mattias Haggstrom, Robert Sammelin, Henrik Sahlström, Erik Persson, and Emgard himself. You can sneak a peek at the cover of Exordium‘s #1 at the Dark Horse Blog.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One at DICE. It is expected to be released sometime next Spring.
Sega will bring Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice to the 3DS this Fall
Even though Sonic Boom didn’t speed its way into the hearts of fans last year, Sega is sticking with the series by announcing Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice.
Once again developed by Sanzaru Games, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice will feature five playable characters (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Sticks, and Amy) along with a brand new supervillain (D-Fekt) and the return of Dr. Eggman. In addition to a new bad guy to stomp, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice will include special fire and ice powers for each character:
To create an entirely new experience, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice will infuse fire and ice elements throughout gameplay, enabling new abilities to play out in special character moves and interactions with environments. The new title also delivers gameplay that enables players to run through the game at top speed, or take their time with deeper exploration and puzzle play.
Besides the single-player portion of the game, Sanzaru plans to add a speed-focused multiplayer minigame, Bot Racing, to Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. Players will be able to unlock character-themed Bots to challenge friends as they work their way through the campaign.
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice will be available exclusively for the 3DS this Fall.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice
Xbox Store Today: The Elder Scrolls Online, Monster Jam Battlegrounds
Two new games have been added to the Xbox Games Store… one is an expansive MMO set in a sprawling medieval world while the other is a monster truck simulator.
The sprawling medieval world belongs to The Elder Scrolls Online. Bethesda’s fantasy role playing game doesn’t require on the Xbox One and all players will be able to “explore dangerous caves and dungeons in Skyrim, or craft quality goods to sell in the city of Daggerfall.”
On the other side of the spectrum is Monster Jam Battlegrounds, a monster truck simulator for the Xbox 360. It “replicates the world renowned Monster Jam stadium and arena events” with 23 official Monster Jam trucks including Grave Digger, Max-D, and Monster Mutt.
More information on both of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged The Elder Scrolls Online
Toy Soldiers: War Chest will add He-Man, GI Joe, two other licensed armies
Signal Studios and Ubisoft have announced that Toy Soldiers: War Chest will include a quartet of licensed armies when it launches for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Summer.
Two licensed armies remain under wraps, but Ubisoft and Signal were ready to reveal that G.I. Joe (with Duke leading the charge) and the Masters of the Universe (naturally lead by He-Man) will join the fight in Toy Soldiers: War Chest. This pair of 1980s stalwarts will do battle with the game’s four standard armies, which will all include their own unique offensive and defensive units:
- Kaiser Wilhelm and the German army from World War I.
- Starbright (who looks like a cross between Sailor Moon and Rainbow Brite) and her Star Power army of Bunny Bears, Ponies, and Pixies.
- Ghost Company, a futuristic army lead by the power armor-clad Phantom.
- Black Dragon, a feudal force lead by Darklord.
Toy Soldiers: War Chest will be available in two distinct versions when it launches this Summer. The Hall of Fame Edition, which will be available as both a digital download and a retail disc for $29.99, will include all four licensed armies as well as the four standard armies. Meanwhile, the standard edition of the game will only be available as a digital download (priced at $14.99) and will only include the four standard armies. However, players who purchase the standard edition will be able to add the four licensed armies by purchasing them separately (for $4.99 apiece) or as part of the Legendary Heroes Pack (for $14.99).
Now you know… and knowing is half the battle!
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Toy Soldiers: War Chest
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 officially announced with “Full Reveal” scheduled for June 12
Konami may be slowly inching themselves away from console development, but a new Pro Evolution Soccer title is in the cards for 2015 as the publisher announced Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. The Pro Evolution Soccer franchise will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, making it almost as old as the 23-year old selected to grace the game’s cover, Brazilian soccer star Neymar. For now, the teaser trailer above is all we’ve got, but a “Full Reveal” is planned for this Friday, June 12.
“This is a real honor for me to be cover star for PES 2016,” Neymar said. “The series has long been praised for its sheer level of control and utter realism and I am delighted to be working with such a talented team as Konami. I am fascinated by the huge amount of work involved in putting together the game and ensuring the world’s top players look and play just like the real things, and cannot wait to see myself in action as soon as possible.”
“Neymar is a player that perfectly fits the PES brand, and what we want to achieve” added Erik Bladinieres, Konami’s European Brand Director of Football. “His unique qualities and the ability to surprise goes hand in hand with the gameplay experience in PES 2016. In our anniversary year we want to celebrate the past, while look forward to the exciting future of the brand. We’ll do this with Neymar leading our campaign.”
We’ll have to wait for the “Full Reveal” to know for sure, but Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 is expected to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime this Fall.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Pro Evolution Soccer 2016
Lego Avengers is coming this Winter… and here’s the first trailer
Are you ready to recreate the Battle of New York using Legos? Well, you’re in luck, because the first trailer for Lego Avengers is here and it lets us all see how the finale of The Avengers would have looked using the famous toy bricks. In addition to the first film, a series of stages based on this Summer’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron will also be included in the game.
Lego Avengers, in development at TT Games and scheduled to be published by WB Games, will be available this Fall/Winter for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
New gameplay trailer for Devil’s Third reveals August release for Japan and UK
Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of the Dead or Alive franchise and the mastermind behind the Ninja Gaiden revival, is finally ready to reveal more about Devil’s Third, his first game with Valhalla Game Studios. In this ten-minute gameplay trailer, the outspoken developer talks a bit about his wild new action game. But unless you’re fluent in Japanese, the finer details of shooting someone with a machine gun or slicing an opponent to ribbons with a katana might be lost on you.
In addition to all the brutal shootings and stabbings, the trailer goes into the story of Devil’s Third, which involves a future without satellites and a return to warfare using hand-to-hand infantry combat with small arms and melee weapons. After this terrorist attack takes out our satellites, the tattooed star of Devil’s Third, who is known as Ivan the Terrible, goes on a one-man crusade to hunt down those responsible.
Besides talking the game up in detail, Itagaki also confirmed the Wii U-exclusive has an official release date in both Japan and the United Kingdom. Devil’s Third will be released on August 4 in Japan and August 28 in the UK (and presumably the rest of Europe). A North American release date has yet to be announced, but Nintendo has promised it’ll be out by the end of the year.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Devil's Third