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
Motiga is collecting names for a Gigantic playtest on Xbox One
Motiga will bring Gigantic to the Xbox One later this year alongside the PC/Windows 10 version, which is currently in Alpha. But releasing a massive online multiplayer game like Gigantic requires testing, which the developer will launch sometime soon.
To that end, Motiga has launched a survey to gauge interest in a Gigantic playtest on the Xbox One. If you’d like to add your name to the waiting list, visit the survey link and answer two very short questions about your interest in Gigantic and the status of your Xbox Live Gold subscription. However, bear in mind that Motiga has stressed that signing up for the waiting list will not guarantee you a spot in the upcoming playtest.
We were big fans of Motiga’s team-based action game at this year’s PAX East expo. In fact, we liked Gigantic so much that it earned a spot on this year’s PAX East PAXpocalypse List.
Xbox Store Today: Shovel Knight, State of Decay: Year-One Edition, Project Root, more
Steel thy Shovel, gentle knave, for Shovel Knight is now available to download on the Xbox One. Yacht Club’s retro-inspired platformer will also include an appearance by the long-lost Battletoads, who will challenge Shovel Knight in a special boss battle hidden somewhere on the game’s map. And here’s something else you’ll dig… the game will receive a free expansion, Plague of Shadows, in the coming weeks, as well as two more updates before the end of the year.
Also available for the Xbox One this week is State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition, an updated and enhanced version of Undead Labs’ zombie survival simulation. In addition to a fancy new graphical presentation, the package also includes both of the game’s downloadable expansions.
One last Xbox One release this week is Project Root, a shoot ’em up developed by OPQAM.
Finally, Ubisoft has added a video game adaptation of Risk on the Xbox 360 side of the Xbox Games Store. Players will be able to use the 2010 rules as they attempt to crush their opponents in the game of “Global Domination.”
More information about all of these new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Project Root, Shovel Knight, State of Decay
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor gets Game of the Year Edition next week
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor took home a truckload of Game of the Year awards from various publications, so WB Games has decided to capitalize on its reputation with the release of a special Game of the Year Edition of the game. Oh, and it’ll be released next week.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor – Game of the Year Edition will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 5. The Game of the Year Edition will include the main game as well as all previously-released downloadable content:
- Every Mission – Including The Lord of the Hunt Mission, The Bright Lord Story Mission, Guardians of the Flaming Eye Warband Mission, The Berserks Warband Mission, and more!
- Every Rune – Including the Hidden Blade Rune, the Deadly Archer Rune, the Flame of Anor Rune, and the Rising Storm Rune.
- Every Skin – Including the Dark Ranger Skin and the Captain of the Watch Skin.
- Every Challenge Mode – Including the Test of Power Challenge Mode, the Test of Speed Challenge Mode, the Test of Wisdom Challenge Mode, and the Endless Challenge Mode.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor was also released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 last November, but it looks like the previous-generation platforms won’t receive the Game of the Year Edition.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
ESPN SportsNation prepares for Pacquiao vs Mayweather with Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Michelle Beadle is a host of ESPN’s SportsNation, but she is woefully unprepared for this Saturday’s big boxing bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Thankfully, her co-hosts, Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley, have the perfect solution to get her in fighting shape: Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
While Kellerman and Wiley don’t stick a controller in her hands and force her to fight Kid Dynamite himself, they do drop Beadle inside for an amusing homage to Nintendo’s classic boxing game. It’s bizarre, but then again, so is Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
As of this writing, Mayweather is listed as a 2:1 favorite versus Pacquiao. Those aren’t terrible odds, but Pacquiao might have better luck taking on Tyson’s NES doppelganger. After all, somebody beat him blindfolded not too long ago.
Posted in News, Retro
Tagged Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Broken Age, Project Root, Omega Quintet, more added to PS Store
Sony has delivered another update to the PlayStation Store and it came packed with a dozen new games. Here’s what you can download on your PS3, PS4, and PS Vita today…
- Double Fine has released Broken Age for the PS4 and PS Vita as a Cross-Buy title. PlayStation players won’t have to do any waiting as both halves of the adventure game are now available on the PlayStation Store.
- Project Root is this week’s other PS4/PS Vita Cross-Buy release. It’s a retro-styled shoot ’em up developed by the Argentina-based OPQAM.
- Omega Quintet is a PS4 RPG that stars a five-piece girl group who battle “the dark forces of the world” with their music.
- And speaking of dark forces, a quartet of Star Wars games from the PS2 era are now available to download just in time for “May the Fourth Be With You.” The PS3 section of the store is now home to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Starfighter, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, and Star Wars: Racer Revenge.
- Finally, El Presidente dictates that he’s available on the PS4 for the first time in Tropico 5.
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. And a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita
Tagged Broken Age, Project Root, Tropico 5
Codemasters has revealed Dirt Rally… and it’s on Steam Early Access right now
It’s been a long time since Codemasters last decided to play in the dirt. It’s been three years since the last game in the rally racing franchise, Dirt: Showdown, was released. Though many fans ignore the arcade-style spinoff and choose to remember the last game in the main series, four since Dirt 3, which was released in 2011.
So it was a bit of a shock when Codemasters announced the PC-exclusive release of Dirt Rally yesterday. And it was even more of a shock when the developer revealed that it’s available to buy now (for $34.99) through Steam’s Early Access program.
The developer is currently looking for feedback from fans to shape the future of the franchise, but Dirt Rally has launched with the following features already available:
- 17 Cars in 6 New and Classic Classes – Including BMW M3 Evo, Audi Quattro S1, Lancia Delta HF Integrale, and Subaru Impreza.
- Diverse Locales – 36 challenging stages set across Hafren, Wales; Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Argolis, Greece.
- Team Management – Hire up to four engineering staff to work on your car between stages.
- Rally Async – Daily, weekly, and month-long challenges against fellow players from around the world without the need to be online at the same time.
- Rally Seasons – Compete in a succession of events with the aim of gaining promotion to the next rung on the driving ladder.
- Custom Rally Events – Take any car on any track and configure and compete in single or multi-stage events against the AI’s times.
- Upgrades – Unlock the full potential of your car with meaningful improvements to its handling and performance.
- Tuning – Tweak your car set-up based on car, track and weather conditions to best suit your racing style.
- Physics-Based Assists – Dirt Rally allows players to experience cars in their purest form. It also offers a selection of real world assists similar to those seen in race and road vehicles as traction control and ABS.
- Damage and Repairs – Wear and tear is faithfully recreated with a comprehensive and realistic damage model. Damage can be repaired by hiring Engineers to work in the team’s Service Area between stages but with a finite amount of time available.
Codemasters will bring “regular free updates” to Dirt Rally throughout the Early Access period, which is expected to last into 2016. It’s unknown when, or even if, Dirt Rally will make an appearance on consoles.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Dirt Rally
Cinder engulfs Killer Instinct this week
Cinder will be available to download this week, April 30 to be exact, if you own the Season 2 Ultra Edition of Killer Instinct. The fiery monster is the second-to-last character of the game’s second season and the final character from 1994’s Killer Instinct to be added to the 2013 reboot. Players who purchased Season 2’s Combo Breaker Edition will have to wait until May 6 to download Cinder.
The trailer embedded above is our first look at the character, who has a snarky new attitude that would make Spider-Man pround. And stay tuned until the very end to get your first glimpse at Aria, the final playable character of Killer Instinct’s second season. The head of Ultratech is shrouded in darkness, but she seems to have a very robotic silhouette.
It’s unknown when Aria will be available, though a late May/early June launch seems likely.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Killer Instinct
Mighty No. 9 gets September 15 release after Comcept signs publishing deal with Deep Silver
Some mighty news today for Comcept’s Mighty No. 9. Keiji Inafune originally planned a “Spring 2015” release date after his spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise found great success on Kickstarter. But with the unofficial end of Spring looming, Inafune has confirmed what we all feared… Mighty No. 9 has been delayed.
But there’s good news too. Comcept has partnered with Deep Silver to publish the game worldwide with a digital download and a retail disc. Both versions of the game will be available on September 15 for the PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One. The PC version will also be released on that date for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as a digital-only game. Sadly, the promised 3DS and PS Vita versions have been further delayed to a to be announced date.
In addition to having more time to complete the main game, Comcept will use this delay to produce some additional content for Mighty No. 9. A special bonus stage featuring a battle with Ray, Mighty No. 9’s rival, will be included. After besting Ray, players will unlock the robot, who has unique skills and all-new gameplay mechanics, as a playable character for the entire main game. New Japanese and French language tracks are also planned alongside eight subtitle tracks.
Even though Deep Silver will publish Mighty No. 9, Comcept will retain all rights to the characters and any future sequels.