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
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Shadow of Mordor GOTY, AirMech Arena, more added to PS Store
Are you ready to head back into Nazi Germany with B.J. Blazkowicz and his particular set of skills (for dispatching Nazis)? I hope so, because Bethesda and MachineGames added Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a standalone prequel to last year’s Wolfenstein: The New Order, to the PlayStation Store last night.
Other new games to download this week include…
- Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor – Game of the Year Edition, a special PS4 re-release of the well-liked game that includes all the previously-released downloadable content.
- AirMech Arena, a free-to-play strategy game on the PS4 that is currently available for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
- Ether One, a PS4 “first-person adventure that deals with the fragility of the human mind.”
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. And, as always, a full rundown of this week’s new add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita
Tagged AirMech Arena, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Oculus Rift Consumer Version will launch in early 2016
After years of waiting, Oculus has finally announced that the Consumer Version of their Rift virtual reality headset will be available in early 2016. As store shelves will definitely be in short supply, Oculus plans to open up pre-orders later this year.
Writing on the Oculus Blog, the developers said: “The Rift delivers on the dream of consumer VR with compelling content, a full ecosystem, and a fully-integrated hardware/software tech stack designed specifically for virtual reality. It’s a system designed by a team of extremely passionate gamers, developers, and engineers to reimagine what gaming can be.”
The Consumer Version of the Rift will include an “improved tracking system that supports both seated and standing experiences.” It will also improve on the “Crescent Bay” prototype with a “highly refined industrial design, and updated ergonomics for a more natural fit.”
But if you’re looking for hardware specificiations or game reveals, you’re going to have to wait. Oculus said that information on the “hardware, software, input [options], and unannounced made-for-VR games and experiences” will come at a later date.
Disney Interactive officially announces Fall release for Disney Infinity: Star Wars
After being outed by a German retailer last week, Disney Interactive has gone ahead and officially announced Disney Infinity: Star Wars. As expected, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker figures will be included as part of the game’s Starter Pack (which will be priced at $64.99).
The 3.0 Edition of the popular series will once again be developed by Avalanche Software in partnership with Ninja Theory, Sumo Digital, Studio Gobo, and United Front Games. A release date wasn’t announced, but the game should be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this Fall. A version of Disney Infinity: Star Wars for mobile devices is also in the works.
Three Star Wars-themed playsets will be released alongside the game, each focusing on a different trilogy. “Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic” (which is included in the Starter Pack) will star Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Darth Maul in epic battle set in the prequel era. Meanwhile, “Star Wars: Rise Against the Empire” will feature Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader doing the Rebels versus Empire thing. A third playset based on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens will also be available sometime this Winter.
A number of non-Star Wars characters will also be part of the main game for the first time including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy, Mulan, Frozen‘s Olaf, and many others. And an enhanced Toy Box mode will add two new multiplayer Toy Box Expansion Games: “Toy Box Speedway” (kart racing) and “Toy Box Takeover” (action-adventure). Both Toy Box Expansion Games will require the additional purchase of a Disney Infinity Game Piece.
Additional playsets based on Pixar’s Inside Out and the Hulk/Iron Man battle from Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released this Fall as well.
Finally, even more Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars figures and playsets are planned for release next year. But don’t worry, Disney Infinity: Star Wars will be compatible with all figures and Power Discs from Disney Infinity and Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 officially coming to PS4, Xbox One this year
Tony Hawk has been teasing the return of his eponymous video game franchise for a while now, but today, Activision made it official by announcing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 in the pages of Game Informer.
In development at Robomodo (the same team behind 2012’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD), Tony Hawk 5 will be “a call back to the old-school lineage of the first four titles.” A new batch of levels complete with solo, co-op, and competitive objectives will reintroduce players to the classic style of a Tony Hawk game. A Skate Park Creator will also be included, and players will have the ability to share their creations online.
So what’s new? Glad you asked. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 will include a series of missions where players collect power-ups and have “the ability to shoot projectiles.” Does this mean Tony Hawk 5 will be the Skate or Die 2 successor I’ve been waiting 25 years for? I sure hope so.
Also new to Tony Hawk 5 is brand new generation of professional skaters including Nyjah Huston, Aaron Homoki, Ishod Wair, Riley Hawk, Lizzie Armanto, Chris Cole, David Gonzalez, Leticia Bufoni, and Andrew Reynolds. Naturally, Tony Hawk himself will also be a playable character.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One later this year. A PS3 and Xbox 360 port is also in development and will launch sometime later.
Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Dragonslayer multiplayer expansion is out today; Jaws of Hakkon add-on available to all on May 26
Electronic Arts and BioWare have announced a new multiplayer expansion for Dragon Age: Inquisition will be available to download (for free) on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One today. The Dragonslayer expansion will add three new characters (Skywatcher, Zither the Virtuoso, and Isabela the Raider Queen of the Eastern Seas), a new location, and the opportunity to fight dragons. As part of the expansion, BioWare will also add The Black Emporium, ” four high-level stores which sell epic weapons, powerful accessories, new crafting materials and schematics and other hard-to-find items,” to the game.
More details on the Dragonslayer expansion can be found at the Dragon Age Blog or by watching a special Twitch stream hosted by BioWare, which will begin at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time) today.
In other Dragon Age news, BioWare has confirmed (via Twitter) that Inquisition’s first single-player expansion, Jaws of Hakkon, will be available to download for the PS3, PS4, and Xbox 360 on May 26. PC and Xbox One owners have been able to purchase it since March.
PlayStation Now will be available to PS3 owners on May 12
Sony has announced (via the PlayStation Blog) they will expand their PlayStation Now streaming subscription to PS3 owners on May 12.
PlayStation Now currently offers the ability to stream more than 100 PS3 games through one-month and three-month subscriptions. Players won’t be tied to either console as the service’s Cloud Saving option will let them move their game from a PS4 to a PS3 and back again.
The complete list of titles offered through PlayStation Now can be found at PlayStation Now, which includes five ew titles for the month of May (Fat Princess, F1 2014, Sanctum 2, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, and Farming Simulator).
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood launch trailer does things the old-fashioned way
Bethesda brilliantly marketed Wolfenstein: The New Order last year. From the outstanding early trailers to a complete soundtrack of German pop hits, the publisher did everything it could to reintroduce players to the world of Wolfenstein. And we responded by making it one of 2014’s biggest hits.
Today, B.J. Blazkowicz is back in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a standalone prequel now available to download on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Bethesda has once again pulled out all the stops and produced a beautiful launch trailer with an old-timey vibe that doesn’t skimp on the action. That’s on top of yesterday’s gameplay trailer and walkthrough.
I don’t know what’s next for one of gaming’s earliest heroes, but The Old Blood looks like a Nazi-killing good time.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Vote: Patrick Peterson, Odell Beckham, Gronk, or Antonio Brown for Madden NFL 16 cover
In years past, EA Sports has used the Madden NFL Cover Vote to pit dozens of professional football players against each other to decide who deserves the right to be represent the game on store shelves. This year, only four players will duke it out in a shortened contest that will be completed by next Wednesday.
The voting procedure has also been considerably revamped this year as only owners of Madden NFL Mobile and Madden NFL 15 will be able to cast a vote in the semifinal round. Voting starts today and will end on Monday, May 11 at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time). Players can earn up to five votes per day, and the two highest vote-getters will go head-to-head in an ESPN.com poll on May 13. Full details on the voting rules are available at the official Madden site.
So who’s in the running for the Madden NFL 16 cover? Glad you asked…
- Odell Beckham Jr. (WR) – New York Giants
- Antonio Brown (WR) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Rob Gronkowski (TE) – New England Patriots
- Patrick Peterson (CB) – Arizona Cardinals
Which man has your vote? Does Odell Beckham’s catch still make you gasp? Is Antonio Brown’s 2014 offensive line still impressive? Is you reaction to Patrick Peterson something other than “Who?” Or are you still charmed by Rob Gronkowski’s Mortal Kombat X prowess?
Posted in Mobile, News, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Madden NFL 15, Madden NFL 16