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
Pac-Man debuted in Japanese arcades 35 years ago today
Bandai Namco and Pac-Man have a lot to celebrate thanks to today’s big anniversary, but after the year he’s had, everyone’s favorite ghost-chomper isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
On May 22, 1980, exactly 35 years ago, “Puck Man” made its debut in Japanese arcades. The game and its title character would go on adopt the much better known moniker of Pac-Man a few months later because executive at Midway, its American distributor, feared that unruly teenagers would attempt to vandalize the machines. And just like that, an icon was born.
Pac-Man made the most of its simple “eat dots/avoid ghosts” gameplay model, spawning dozens of sequels, spinoffs, and successors. And its unique mazelike structure shows up again and again in games like Bomberman, The Legend of Zelda, and many others. Pac-Man has appeared on numerous “Best Games of All-Time” lists and was selected as a finalist for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
“From arcades and consoles to digital and mobile, Pac-Man has remained a fixture in our gaming lives. The endless appeal of the series’ simple but masterful design after all this time is nothing short of remarkable,” said Jeferson Valadares, the General Manager at Bandai Namco America. “But more than anything else, this is an anniversary for the fans. If you treasure any fond Pac-Man memories of your own from the past 35 years, we hope you share them with someone special today and make some new ones together.”
Bandai Namco is hosting a celebration for their most famous creation today at Level 257, a Pac-Man-themed restaurant in Schaumburg, Illinois. Pac-Man’s creator, Professor Toru Iwatani, will be on hand to present the birthday cake and I’m sure “Pac Man Fever” will be playing on a continuous loop. Mobile gamers who own Pac-Man on their iOS device will also receive a free update today that adds a “classic-inspired user interface” to the game.
Aside from starring in one of the most beloved video games of all time, Pac-Man manages to keep himself busy with a variety of side projects. Earlier this year, Bud Light borrowed the game’s familiar maze to create a “Real Life Pac-Man” commercial for Super Bowl XLIX. More recently, Google also dropped Pac-Man into the real world by offering a playable Pac-Man Street View in Google Maps. And last year the mascot got the chance to duke it out with Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man in Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and 3DS, with his very own Amiibo figure scheduled for release next week.
Let’s hope there’s also some pizza at that Pac-Man anniversary celebration.
Xbox Store Today: NASCAR 15, Spy Chameleon
Speed and stealth are the name of the game in today’s Xbox Games Store update.
First up is NASCAR 15 on the Xbox 360. A budget-priced update to last year’s NASCAR title (and the first game from developer DMi), NASCAR 15 will include races and drivers from the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as well as Quick Race, Career, and multiplayer modes. Xbox One owners can now purchase Spy Chameleon, an overhead stealth puzzle game starring a cartoon chameleon.
More information on both games can be found after the break. (more…)
F1 2015 release skids into July as Codemasters releases first trailer
Codemasters has announced they’ve had to push back the release of F1 2015, which was originally scheduled to launch next month. The open-wheel racing sim will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on July 21. Codemasters didn’t elaborate on the cause of the delay, but perhaps the jump to PS4/Xbox One development has something to do with it. However, F1 2015 fans won’t walk away from this news empty-handed as Codemasters also released the first teaser trailer for the game. It’s been embedded above.
Finally, Codemasters announced that fans who pre-order F1 2015 from GameStop will receive a collectable metal case.
Ultra Street Fighter IV comes to PS4 next week… watch launch trailer and see what’s new
Sony and Capcom will release Ultra Street Fighter IV for the PS4 next week (exclusively through the PlayStation Store), so naturally they’ve served up a nifty new launch trailer for fans.
To prepare gamers for its release, Sony’s Gio Corso took over the PlayStation Blog to talk about all the enhancements Capcom added to the game’s PS4 debut. In addition to full support for PS4 and PS3 fight sticks, this enhanced edition of Ultra Street Fighter IV will include:
- Ultra Street Fighter IV on PS4 will be running at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second for all your fighting glory.
- The PS4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV will also include all DLC launched up to this point, including the most recent Vacation and Wild costume packs.
- A few of you hardcore Street Fighters out there said that there was minor input lag in the controls of Ultra Street Fighter IV for PS3. Well, don’t worry: We’ve eliminated it to make the PS4 edition the ultimate version on any platform!
- The price is $24.99.
That “all DLC launched up to this point” bullet worries me, but Capcom wouldn’t be Capcom if they weren’t working on still more content for the latest game in their famed fighting series.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Street Fighter IV
Samurai Warriors 4-II coming to PC, PS3, PS4, Vita on September 29
Koei Tecmo has announced they will release Samurai Warriors 4-II for the PC, PS3, PS4, and Vita on September 29.
Unlike the regional structure found in the original Samurai Warriors 4, this sequel/spinoff will focus on the individual heroes of the saga. In all, players will take control of 13 characters across the game’s 13 chapters including an all-new never-before-seen samurai. Other new features set to be added to Samurai Warriors 4-II include:
The game will feature many new and improved features as the battle, action, and character development systems have been revamped. It also introduces a highly challenging and richly rewarding mode called: the Endless Castle. Players can choose to enter and struggle to survive for as long as possible, or to play against the clock and see how far they can get up the castle’s increasingly difficult levels!
If you’re in London this weekend (May 22-24) for the MCM Comic-Con, a playable demo of Samurai Warriors 4-II will be available at Koei Tecmo’s booth.
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer wants to see more Xbox 360 games on Xbox One
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have all slipped down the “Definitive Edition” alley a time or two and brought some of their past blockbusters to their current consoles. And with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition unofficially on tap for release later this year, the consolemaker likely plans to continue to pump out enhanced remakes for the foreseeable future.
But if it were up to Phil Spencer, the head Microsoft’s Xbox Division, “lots” of Xbox 360 games would make the jump to the Xbox One:
@Jonny_Athan Lots of 360 games I'd like to bring to XB1, only so much time and want to focus on making new games. Not easy tradeoffs.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 19, 2015
Spencer obviously wants to bring a wide variety of new games to the Xbox One, but his support could mean more Xbox 360-to-Xbox One remakes are in the works. Personally, I agree with the executive, and anything a publisher does to make games available to as many people as possible is a good thing.
Nintendo Download: Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Edition, Mega Man Zero 2, more
The Puzzle & Dragons series, a ridiculously popular match-3/RPG hybrid makes the leap from mobile devices to the 3DS this week as Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition. Available separately in Japan, American gamers will be able to pick up both games in a single package. Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition will be available to download through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow.
Also this week as part of the Nintendo Download are a pair of 2D sequels. Mega Man Zero 2 originally debuted on the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and is now available to download through the Wii U’s Virtual Console. Meanwhile, Swords & Soldiers II is a sequel to the popular 2D strategy game, promising an even bigger campaign and “endless replayability.”
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Puzzle & Dragons Z, Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Game of Thrones: Sons of Winter will be available next week
Telltale’s video game adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones continues with the release of the fourth episode, Sons of Winter, next week. Depending upon which platform they prefer, players will be able to dig into the latest episode on the following dates:
- Tuesday, May 26: PC (Windows, Mac) and PlayStation Network (PS3, PS4)
- Wednesday, May 27: Xbox Games Store (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
- Thursday, May 28: Mobile (iOS, Android)
So what sorts of intrigue and deception will the denizens of House Forrester experience in Sons of Winter? Here’s what Telltale had to say…
In Episode 4, the fate of the scattered Forresters hangs in the balance, and no one allied with the family is safe. An unexpected meeting offers Rodrik a new opportunity to free Ironrath from its Whitehill stranglehold, but with young Ryon Forrester still held prisoner, his next moves are critical. Gared must abandon Castle Black and venture beyond the Wall in search of the mysterious North Grove, risking encounters with Wildlings and worse. In King’s Landing, the population is reeling from a recent royal death, and Mira must step carefully in an increasingly complex game of politics where secrets are traded as currency. Far away in Essos, Asher infiltrates the slave city of Meereen at the behest of Daenerys Targaryen, but will the friendship he holds dear break under the strain of a mission that raises memories best forgotten?
Unlike the typical Telltale game series, their Game of Thrones adaptation will stretch out across six episodes. So be on the lookout for Episode 5 (A Nest of Vipers) and Episode 6 (The Ice Dragon) in the coming months.