Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books Gets 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
- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
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
Life Is Strange 2: Episode 2 will be released this January
Square Enix and Dontnod Entertainment released Life Is Strange 2‘s first episode this past September. Players have been eagerly awaiting the second episode, but both entities have kept quiet about when fans can expect to dive back into the world of Life Is Strange 2.
Today, Dontnod reappeared with an update to their official website, and confirmed that Episode 2: Rules will be available to download for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this January. The four-month gap between episodes is longer than the developer originally intended, but it looks like they chose to delay Episode 2 to “meet the quality of play and storytelling that our vision for a game like this demands”:
The Life is Strange series is a project close to all of our hearts and one for which we do not want to rush development and thereby fail to meet the benchmark of quality and emotional impact that you, our players, deserve. This is why we so far have not announced an official release date – we want to ensure that we will be in a position to release something that we are proud of and that you will enjoy and remember forever.
We understand that there are certain expectations that episodes will be released at a similar cadence as previous Life is Strange games have. The ambition of Life is Strange 2, however, means that the previous frameworks no longer apply if we are to meet the quality of play and storytelling that our vision for a game like this demands and that you deserve.
Dontnod also promised that more information about Life Is Strange 2 – Episode 2: Rules will be made available sometime in mid-December.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Life Is Strange 2
The Video Game Canon – Half-Life
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at how Half-Life’s opening tram ride changed first person shooters (and may even have created an entirely new genre). Here’s a teaser…
“Good morning and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System. This automated train is provided for the security and convenience of the Black Mesa Research Facility personnel.”
It’s just another day at work for Gordon Freeman. The well-groomed scientist is running late for an important meeting and he’s forced to board the tram alone as he travels to the secure wing of the Black Mesa Research Facility.
It’s a rather lowkey introduction to one of the most ambitious games ever created, but easing the player into the game’s world was a big part of what made Valve’s Half-Life so ambitious. You’re free to move about the train car as you’re ferried from the facility’s living quarters to the research levels belowground, but for those five minutes, you’re also at the mercy of the developers and how they want you to interact with their game.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Alien: Blackout has been trademarked by 20th Century Fox for their next Alien game
Nearly a year ago, 20th Century Fox announced plans to produce a new shooter in the Alien universe with Cold Iron Studios. Earlier this week, we learned that the film studio may have settled on a title for the game, thanks to a new application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
There’s a chance it’s not connected to Cold Iron’s shooter, but according to the EUIPO, 20th Century Fox has trademarked the name Alien: Blackout for use with “computer game and video game software.”
That’s it for now, and we’re still quite a ways out from learning more about Alien: Blackout, but it tickles me that 20th Century Fox retained a law firm located on “Bishops Square” to file their EUIPO paperwork in London.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Alien: Blackout
Online Beta for Red Dead Redemption 2’s Red Dead Online mode is now available
Red Dead Redemption 2‘s sprawling story has taken the gaming community by storm, but Rockstar Games wanted to take a little bit more time for the game’s multiplayer-focused Red Dead Online mode. Earlier today, the prestigious publisher confirmed that the Online Beta for Red Dead Online will beginning rolling out this week.
Owners of Red Dead Redemption 2’s Ultimate Edition will get the first crack at the Online Beta, and more players will be added to the population all week:
Red Dead Redemption 2 – Online Beta Schedule
- Tuesday, November 27: All Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition owners.
- Wednesday, November 28: All players who played Red Dead Redemption 2 on October 26th.
- Thursday, November 29: All players who played Red Dead Redemption 2 between October 26th to October 29th.
- Friday, November 30: All players who own Red Dead Redemption 2.
Over on their official website, a Rockstar spokesman has detailed what players can expect from Red Dead Online in its earliest form:
The world of Red Dead Online will be a continually expanding experience. There will also be some additions and updates throughout the Beta period. Starting this week, you can ride with friends in a Posse, set up your Camp, embark on cooperative story-based missions or go head-to-head in competitive series, find strangers throughout the world to help (or hurt), tackle spontaneous Free Roam challenges, go hunting, fishing, bond with your horse, explore with friends or on your own (but look out for ambushes), and much more.
All the while, you’ll accumulate XP through your explorations and encounters that counts towards your rank and provides added bonuses. Unlock items and improve your attributes while you progress. You can also take on Award challenges throughout your open-world experiences to earn Awards in 12 categories like combat, hunting, sharpshooter and survivalist.
Red Dead Online begins with creating your character. Detail your appearance and attributes before you set out on your journey from Sisika Penitentiary where you’ll acquire a horse, set up a Camp, hunt down a treasure, equip your first Ability Card and meet some fateful characters with a larger story to tell; one that involves chasing truth, revenge, and honor.
After creating a character, players will be able to earn (or lose) Honor through two types of missions:
Free Roam Missions: Head over to the Stranger icons throughout the map alone or with your Posse to embark on Free Roam Missions. You’ll see some familiar faces along the way, and these missions can vary based on how noble or nefarious you are – for example, an honorable gunslinger may be asked to help escort a convoy, defending it from attacking gangs or even other players’ Posses, whereas a dishonorable outlaw may be asked to help spring a felon from the law.
A Land of Opportunities: Honor also plays into this deeper cooperative strand for two to four players that we will continually build upon. In A Land of Opportunities, you’ll be faced with a multi-part series of missions, with some parts changing as your honor changes on a larger journey to seek truth and justice, or revenge.
But if you’d rather mix it up with rival gangs, Red Dead Online will also include five different modes in the Showdown Series:
Shootout & Team Shootout: Classic gunfight modes with unlimited lives. Compete to rack up the most kills before the timer runs out. Sudden death will trigger in the event of a tie: whoever gets the first kill wins.
Make It Count: A true test of resourcefulness in two game modes: use nothing but a bow and a handful of arrows or throwing knives to be the last one standing. With a gradually shrinking player area, there’s nowhere to run.
Most Wanted: A tactical race to the top. Every kill pushes you up the scoreboard, but watch out: the closer to the top you are, the more points everyone else gets for killing you.
Hostile Territory: Work in teams to control the land. Capture a territory to start racking up points: the team with most points wins – or you can win outright by capturing every territory.
Name Your Weapon: Demonstrate your personal specialty in this free-for-all or team based match: the trickier the weapon you use to land the killing blow, the more points you get.
Rockstar is planning to add a wide variety of new features to Red Dead Online over the coming weeks and months, and players will be able to keep track of all the updates at RedDeadOnline.com.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Red Dead Redemption 2
Take-Two Interactive officially abandons the trademark for Agent
It’s been a wild ride, but it looks like Rockstar’s Agent has finally been canceled.
First announced in 2009 as a PS3 exclusive, Agent was touted as an open-word spy thriller from the creators of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Rockstar eventually unveiled a pretty swanky logo for the 1970s-set story, but it was subsequently pushed to the backburner so the publisher could focus on Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto V.
Last week, Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, officially abandoned the trademark for Agent by failing to file a “Statement of Use or Extension Request” with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It’s possible that the publisher is using this opportunity to give Agent a new title, but that seems extremely unlikely after almost a decade of silence.
While Rockstar hadn’t publicly commented on the game in years, an artist formerly employed by the publisher’s Rockstar North division posted some concept art from the game in 2015. Sadly, it now appears that those images will be our only glimpse at what Agent might have become.
WB Games and TT Games will release The Lego Movie 2 Videogame on February 26
WB Games and TT Games are putting the pieces together on their next Lego-styled collaboration, and they’ve announced that The Lego Movie 2 Videogame will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on February 26.
Based on both The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, players will need to team up with Emmet, Lucy, Batman, and all their friends to save Bricksburg from an alien invasion:
The alien monster invaders have left Bricksburg in ruins. It is now up to Emmet and a host of heroic characters to go beyond their world and save their friends from the strange inhabitants of the Systar System. Journey into outer space, discover new worlds, and test your Master Building skills.
“Packed with fan-favorite and exciting new characters, mysterious locations, and action from both the sequel and the original blockbuster, The Lego Movie 2 Videogame is a wild adventure for kids to explore,” said Arthur Parsons, the Head of Design at TT Games. “Players must scour the stars for rare items, materials and tools to complete their collections and help their journey across the Lego universe, experiencing a wide array of amazing environments, wacky vehicles, and incredible creatures along the way.”
More details about The Lego Movie 2 Videogame (along with a handful of screenshots) can be found at the game’s official website.
New Retail Releases: Darksiders III, More
With the “Fall Gaming Season” typically running from early September through Black Friday, it’s easy to see why there’s only a handful of new retail releases set to launch this week. But we’re thinking that more than one new title will surely catch your eye…
THQ Nordic leads the way this week with the release of Darksiders III. Developed by Gunfire Games (which was founded by the remnants of franchise originator Vigil Games), the third game in the apocalyptic action series stars follows the exploits of a new Horseman, Fury, and will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
A small number of additional games will also make their way onto store shelves this week, including Milestone’s latest motorcycle racing simulation, Ride 3, which will cross the finish line for the PS4 and Xbox One. Studio Wildcard’s dinosaur survival sim, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Saber Interactive’s offroad driving game, Spintires: Mudrunner – American Wilds, will also both make their Nintendo Switch debut this week.
Finally, Activision will bundle together Spyro Reignited Trilogy + Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy into a new package on the PS4 and Xbox One.
That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with an update on the latest downloadable titles coming to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Battlefield V, Farming Simulator 19, SteamWorld Dig 2, more coming to Xbox Store this week
We’re digging deep into another Xbox Games Store update. Here’s what’s coming to the Xbox One this week…
The Battlefield franchise “returns to its roots” this week with the launch of Battlefield V. The World War II shooter will include multiple multiplayer modes (Grand Operations and Combined Arms) and a single-player mode (War Stories). A Battle Royale mode (Firestorm) will be added next Spring.
Also set to launch for Xbox One this week is Focus Home’s latest farming simulation, Farming Simulator 19, and Image & Form’s underground MetroidVania, SteamWorld Dig 2.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Battlefield V, Farming Simulator 19, SteamWorld Dig 2