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
The Strong announces finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015
The Strong National Museum of Play and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games have announced the finalists for the inaugural class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. More than a dozen classic games passed this first test on their way to video game immortality, which were selected from thousands of nominations that poured in from gamers all across the world. Nominations for the Class of 2015 were accepted from February 17 through March 31, but in case you missed out, the Hall of Fame is already accepting games for next year’s class.
This year’s inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be chosen from the finalist pool by an “international selection committee” made up of journalists, scholars, and other individuals. The inaugural class will be announced on June 4 at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time) during a ceremony at The Strong.
The finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 include:
- Angry Birds
- Doom
- FIFA International Soccer
- The Legend of Zelda
- Minecraft
- The Oregon Trail
- Pac-Man
- Pokemon Red/Blue
- Pong
- The Sims
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Space Invaders
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tetris
- World of Warcraft
“The 15 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame span decades, gaming platforms, and geographies… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on popular culture and society in general,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be selected based on the following criteria: “Icon Status,” “Longevity,” “Geographical Reach,” and “Influence.” All 15 finalists certainly qualify, but I know I’ll be rooting for Tetris.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Angry Birds, Doom (1993), Minecraft, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, World Video Game Hall of Fame
Batman: Arkham Knight Season Pass announced… sort of
WB Games has announced that Batman: Arkham Knight buyers can also purchase a Season Pass, which will entitle them to “six months” of additional content after the game’s launch. However, that content is still very much a mystery. You might even says it’s… an enigma.
According to the announcement, the Season Pass will include “new Story Missions, additional supervillains invading Gotham City, legendary Batmobile Skins, advanced Challenge Maps, alternative Character Skins, and new drivable Race Tracks.” The exact mix of Skins, Tracks, and additional Story Missions wasn’t announced, but WB Games did say the Season Pass will be priced at $39.99. A digital-only Premium Edition, which includes Arkham Knight and its Season Pass, will also be available for $99.99. The Arkham games are always packed with content, but $39.99 seems kind of steep for a Season Pass with a big question mark on it.
Batman: Arkham Knight will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on June 23. And don’t forget to check out the game’s brand new trailer, “All Who Follow You,” which was released yesterday.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Knight
Avalanche and Square Enix unveil first Just Cause 3 gameplay trailer
Square Enix and Avalanche Studios have released the first gameplay trailer for Just Cause 3, going so far as to tell gamers it features “No cut scenes, no scripts, no staging.” Said to captured from “actual gameplay,” the cinematic presentation is thanks to “great camera angles.” I’m not sure I buy it, but the collection of explosions, gunplay, and aerial stunts are certainly impressive.
The trailer also serves as the debut of the Weaponised Vehicle Pack, which will be available as a free bonus to players who pre-order the game. The Weaponised Vehicle Pack includes three luxury vehicles all decked in the finest in heavy weaponry. Perfect for protagonist Rico Rodriguez to use in his quest to free the island of Medici from the evil General Di Ravello.
Just Cause 3 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Fall.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Just Cause 3
Minecraft on consoles gets female character; Sony platforms receive Simpsons Skin Pack
Mojang made three big Minecraft-related announcements today…
First, Mojang has announced that all console players will be able to play as Alex, a female character, beginning Wednesday. According to Mojang’s Owen Hill (writing on the company’s official website), Alex was added to the game because “jolly old Steve doesn’t really represent the diversity of our playerbase.” All eight “Alex” skins will be available as a free update on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Alex has been available for PC players since last year.
Today’s second big announcement is that The Simpsons Skin Pack will be available to download on PlayStation platforms this Wednesday. It’ll be priced at $2.99 and include 24 of your favorite Springfieldians.
Finally, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition will receive 30 additional Achievements that were introduced to the game in Minecraft: Xbox One Edition. A few extra music tracks will also be included in this update.
Watch Shigeru Miyamoto play Mario Maker on GameCenter CX
UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube.
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto recently appeared on GameCenter CX (AKA Retro Game Master) to take part in a unique challenge presented by host Shinya Arino. Nintendo gave Arino early access to Mario Maker and the host was able to create one of the most deranged Mario courses I’ve ever seen…
Cannons belch a neverending stream of Coins!
Giant Koopa Troopas pop out of Question Blocks!
Springboards bounce on top of other Springboards!
Cats and dogs! Living together! It’s mass hysteria!
Thankfully, some kind soul has posted the segment on YouTube for all the world to see. Sadly, Miyamoto admits defeat after several tries. Mario Maker will launch exclusively for the Wii U in September.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario Maker
Batman: Arkham Knight “All Who Follow You” Trailer… Play as Robin, Nightwing, Catwoman
As promised, Rocksteady Studios released a new trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight, which confirms gamers will be able to play as Robin, Nightwing, and Catwoman in the upcoming game. Taking a page from Grand Theft Auto V, Arkham Knight’s “Dual Play” mechanic will allow players to “switch seamlessly between The Dark Knight and his allies.”
After watching this trailer, I’m more convinced than ever that Batman is going to need all the help he can get. He may be “Vengeance” and “The Night,” but the Arkham Knight has a whole army…
Batman: Arkham Knight will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on June 23.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Knight
Rumor: Gears of War remake developed by Splash Damage coming to Xbox One
Microsoft has gone back and forth for over a year now about the possibility of a Gears of War remake on the Xbox One. According to a new report on Polygon, it looks like the pendulum has officially swung back to the “let’s do it” side.
Citing unnamed sources close to the project, Polygon said the remastered game will include “updated visuals and reworked cutscenes.” After the story went to press, an additional update revealed development on the game is currently taking place at Splash Damage. The developer, best known for Brink and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, recently posted a variety of job listings on their Careers page looking for employees to work on a “very well known and highly popular AAA title with next gen technology.”
Microsoft acquired the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games last January. At the time, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer said, “I think if you look at what we did with 343 and getting them up to speed for Halo 4, you can maybe anticipate some things that are similar to that.” Many people assumed this meant a Gears of War remake was on the way, just as Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary was released shortly after Microsoft purchased the rights to Halo from Bungie.
Rod Fergusson, the Studio Head of Black Tusk Studios, seemingly put the kibosh on this rumor (via Twitter) last month. But Fergusson specifically said there was no “Marcus Fenix Collection” in development, which means he was telling the truth if only the first game is being remade.
Whatever happens, we’ll probably find out for sure at this year’s E3 Expo… if not earlier.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Gears of War
Konami cancels Silent Hills but says “We will continue to develop series”
Konami has issued a statement on the future of Silent Hills to GamesRadar and it seems to corroborate all our worst fears.
First, Konami confirmed that Norman Reedus will no longer be involved with the game. In a statement, the publisher said their contract with the actor had expired. Possibly related to Reedus’s departure, Konami also stated the “distribution period” of PT had expired. The “Playable Teaser” was added to the PlayStation Store last year, and is scheduled to be delisted this week.
The Silent Hills project has likely been canceled as Konami made no specific mention of the future of the project in their statement. Though they were quick to clarify that “the Silent Hill series” will continue.
Director Guillermo Del Toro, who would have collaborated with Hideo Kojima on the game, was disappointed by this news. Yesterday, he told an audience at the San Francisco Film Festival that Silent Hills featured “truly cutting edge stuff” and that it was being designed to “[****] with your brain really bad.”
So, to recap, Silent Hills is dead and an unrelated Silent Hill 7 will probably soon enter production.
UPDATE: Konami revealed to Game Informer that Silent Hills has officially been canceled: “Also, in response to what Del Toro said during the Q&A, Konami is committed to new Silent Hill titles, however the embryonic Silent Hills project developed with Guillermo Del Toro and featuring the likeness of Norman Reedus will not be continued.”
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Silent Hills