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
The Legend of Zelda Wii U won’t be released in 2015
Delays are nothing new for The Legend of Zelda series. Nearly every game in the franchise has missed its originally announced release date. Today, The Legend of Zelda Wii U joins their ranks as Producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed the game won’t be ready for a late 2015 launch. Speaking in a video message to fans, Aonuma said that “new ideas” and “new possibilities” have encouraged the development team to take their time and produce “the ultimate Zelda” instead of attempting to hit an arbitrary deadline.
Aonuma’s full statement can be found right here:
Since I declared at the Game Awards in December that the game would launch in 2015, the directors and the many members of the development team have been working hard developing the game. In these last three months, as the team has experienced first-hand the freedom of exploration that hasn’t existed in any Zelda game to date, we have discovered several new possibilities for this game.
As we have worked to turn these possibilities into reality, new ideas have continued to spring forth, and it now feels like we have the potential to create something that exceeds my own expectations. As I have watched our development progress, I have come to think that rather than work with meeting a specific schedule as our main objective, and releasing a game that reflects only what we can create within that scheduled time, I feel strongly that our focus should be to bring all these ideas to life in a way that will make Zelda on Wii U the best game it can possibly be.
So I must apologize to all of you who were expecting the game by year’s end, but we are no longer making a 2015 release our number one priority. Instead, our priority is to make it the ultimate and most complete Zelda game. I hope to use the added time to make a Zelda on Wii U that will reward you for your patience. So thank you for your continued support.
A new release date wasn’t announced, but it’s assumed The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be released in 2016. However, Nintendo also announced (via Twitter) that the game won’t be shown at this year’s E3 Expo. So who knows when we’ll get another look at the next Legend of Zelda game.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
What Games Belong in the World Video Game Hall of Fame? We Asked A Few Developers…
This Summer, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and the Strong Museum of Play will announce the first class of inductees for the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Any game, past or present, arcade or console, casual or hardcore, is eligible to be enshrined within its soon-to-be hallowed halls, and the World Video Game Hall of Fame is currently accepting nominations on their website through March 31. Do you think your favorite game has what it takes to be considered Hallworthy? First, it has to meet the following criteria:
- Icon Status: The game is widely recognized and remembered.
- Longevity: The game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
- Geographical Reach: The game meets the above criteria across international boundaries.
- Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general. A game may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.
Earlier this month, we asked a few developers at the PAX East expo which games they would nominate for the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Here’s what they told us… (more…)
Posted in Features, Top Story
Tagged PAX East 2015, World Video Game Hall of Fame
MotoGP 15 will be available this Spring for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC
Italian developer Milestone has announced they’re currently hard at work on MotoGP 15 with a release date planned for the Spring. The motorcycle racer will be available on current-generation consoles (PS4 and Xbox One), previous-generation consoles (PS3 and Xbox 360), and the PC.
As expected, MotoGP 15 will include all the teams, riders, and bikes from the 2015 season as well as several real events from the 2014 season. All of these bikes and riders will be customizable through the brand-new GP Credits Shop, which can be unlocked as you compete in any race mode. GP Credits can be used to customize “20 bike models, 40 different liveries, sponsors, leathers, boots, gloves, and three different motorhomes (Basic, Mid-Range and Top-Range) so your avatar can live in a manner befitting to their level of stardom.” A full-featured Helmet Editor will also be included. Milestone also plans to add an enhanced Career Mode and a Beat the Time time trial mode to MotoGP 15.
For your first look at the game, be sure to check out the MotoGP Announcement Trailer embedded above.
Mortal Kombat X TV spot goes back to the past to ask “Who’s Next?”
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
With just a few weeks to go until Mortal Kombat X‘s April 14th launch, NetherRealm Studios has unveiled the game’s full-length television commercial. It’s mostly comprised of footage we’ve seen before, but it’s interesting to see NetherRealm ask “Who’s Next?” by traveling back to the past.
First, you’ll notice that the soundtrack blares to life courtesy of System of a Down’s 2001 hit, “Chop Suey.” But what you might not notice is that the Mortal Kombat X spot is also a modern riff on the very first commercial used to sell the series. The crowd, the urban setting, even some of the camerawork, can all be linked back to the infamous “Mortal Monday” commercial that was used to promote the console release of Mortal Kombat in 1993.
Mortal Kombat X will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 14. A mobile version for iOS and Android will also be released next month, and a version for PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will be available in the Summer.
Xbox Store Today: Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious, Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty
Two games race their way onto the Xbox Games Store today…
Available for both the Xbox One and Xbox 360, Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious is a standalone expansion to Forza Horizon 2 that includes racing action based on the Fast and the Furious franchise. Best of all, the game will be free from now until April 10 thanks to Universal Studios, which is using the game to promote Furious 7. After April 10, the game’s price will be $9.99.
Also available this week is Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee – New ‘N’ Tasty for the Xbox One. The New ‘N’ Tasty edition takes the original Oddworld game and adds in “improved, deeper gameplay” to a package that also includes enhanced graphics and audio.
More information about both games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious
Killer Instinct Ultra Edition owners can now download Hisako
Iron Galaxy has announced that Hisako, Killer Instinct‘s “ghost girl,” is now available to download for players who own the Season 2 Ultra Edition. Combo Breaker Pack players will have to wait until Thursday, April 2.
The character is heavily based on Japanese horror heavies such as The Ring‘s Samara, so if you’ve ever wanted to watch a ghost fight a dinosaur (Riptor), a cyborg (Fulgore), or a walking skeleton (Spinal), you can in the trailer embedded above.
And be sure to watch all the way to the end to get your first look at Killer Instinct’s next character, Cinder.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Killer Instinct
Pillars of Eternity launches today in three editions… and there’s a launch trailer too
After raising nearly $4 million on Kickstarter (and a further $500,000 in additional crowdfunding), Obsidian Entertainment is finally ready to release Pillars of Eternity. A “classic RPG” in the style of Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment, Pillars of Eternity has been a labor of love for the team at Obsidian.
“Moments like these feel surreal when they finally arrive,” said Feargus Urquhart, the CEO of Obsidian Entertainment. “Today is the culmination of two years’ hard work, but there’s even more to it than the usual game release day. Given where we were when we started on Pillars of Eternity, this is the start of a new chapter in the story of Obsidian. We’ll be forever grateful to all of our fans and backers for making this moment possible, and truly hope that we have lived up to the faith you placed in us.”
To further celebrate the launch of Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian has released a pretty great launch day trailer, which has been embedded above. And if you haven’t picked up Pillars of Eternity yet, you might want to know that it’s available in three versions: the Hero Edition ($44.99), the Champion Edition ($59.99), and the Royal Edition ($89.99).
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Pillars of Eternity
Liu Kang and Kung Lao are zombies in this new Mortal Kombat X trailer
The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat X, which was produced in conjunction with Maxim Russia for some reason, gives us our first look at Liu Kang in action… and he’s a zombie under the thrall of Shinnok! Oh no! Kung Lao is also a member of the walking undead after his resurrection by dark magic. Newcomer Kung Jin, Kung Lao’s descendant, is also featured in this “Shaolin Style” trailer.
I guess now we know how all those previously-dead kombatants will be able to take part in Mortal Kombat X. Though Kung Lao did look to be in complete control of his faculties in his debut trailer, so perhaps they get better.
Mortal Kombat X will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 14. The title will also be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 this Summer.
UPDATE: An English-language version of the trailer has now been posted on the Mortal Kombat Community YouTube Channel.