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
Skylanders: Trap Team introduces a new Portal on October 5
Toys For Bob, the original development team behind the Skylanders phenomenon, will return for the next game in the series… Skylanders: Trap Team. Trap Team will be available on October 5 for the PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and, for the first time, the PS4 and Xbox One. A 3DS version of the game, which Activision is calling a “completely unique adventure,” will also be released on October 5.
Trap Team introduces a new gameplay mechanic to the Skylanders universe and requires a new Portal accessory for the game’s figures, the Traptanium Portal. With the Traptanium Portal, the Skylanders will turn into quasi-Ghostbusters and trap some of the game’s biggest baddies. After trapping them in the Portal using a Trap Master token, players can send the villains back into the game as reformed heroes.
In Skylanders: Trap Team, Kaos continues his ongoing quest to rule over Skylands. He has discovered the location of the legendary Cloudcracker Prison — a fortress built entirely out of the magical substance Traptanium and home to Skylands’ most nefarious baddies. In an attempt to build his own army of foes, Kaos blows up the prison, releasing the most wanted villains and blasting shards of Traptanium to Earth in the form of Traps. Now it’s up to Portal Masters to recapture all of the escaped villains using powerful Traptanium Traps and defeat Kaos before it’s too late! The new adventure delivers a diverse and dynamic story-driven gameplay experience, filled with adventure, combat, puzzles, mini-games, activities, platforming and drop-in/drop-out co-op play — all set within new compelling environments.
As you might expect, an entirely new line of Skylanders figures will be available alongside Trap Team’s October launch including a new series known as Trap Masters, new “Core Skylanders” characters, and reposed “fan-favorite Skylanders characters.” Your wallet will be sorry.
Nintendo Download: NES Remix 2, Child of Light, Yoshi’s Island, more
It’s an embarrassment of riches in this week’s Nintendo Download. But don’t expect most of the major titles to be available today.
Beginning tomorrow, April 25, Wii U owners will be able to download NES Remix 2, Nintendo’s second challenged-based minigame collection featuring NES classics. On April 29, Wii U owners will also be able to download Child of Light, Ubisoft’s side-scrolling action RPG. However, if you have to have something new to play today, Nintendo added Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 to the Virtual Console section of the Wii U eShop today.
What can we look forward to on Nintendo’s 3DS handheld? Well… Majesco wants you to say hi to Mama once more as Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends will be available for the 3DS on April 29. And the Big N themselves have made a demo version of Mario Golf: World Tour available to download today.
More information on all of these (as well as a few additional new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Child of Light, NES Remix 2
Can Watch Dogs hack it as a movie? Ubisoft and Zombieland writers think so
Even though it’s still a few weeks from release, Deadline is reporting that Sony Pictures and New Regency are collaborating with Ubisoft to produce a film adaptation of Watch Dogs. The film version of Aiden Pearce’s quest for vengeance will be written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the screenwriting duo behind Zombieland.
Watch Dogs isn’t the only Ubisoft property currently stationed in New Regency’s production office. The company is also adapting Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed. Tom Hardy is set to star as Sam Fisher in the Splinter Cell adaptation while Assassin’s Creed will feature Michael Fassbender (though its unknown if he will play Altair, Ezio, Desmond, or someone else entirely).
It’s currently unknown who will play superhacker Aiden Pearce, but I could see Jim Caviezel doing a good job with the role. Oh, wait…
Hunt the Goliath in an interactive trailer for Evolve
Turtle Rock Studios and 2K have used Evolve‘s unique 4v1 structure to promote the game ever since it was announced in January. Today, the publisher and developer got together to release a special interactive trailer that allows viewers to jump into the viewpoint of each character, as well as Goliath the Monster. Viewers will be able to study the tactics used by The Trapper, The Support, The Assault, and The Medic in pursuit of their prey in real time… before Goliath kills them all, because that’s what Monsters do.
You can also check out a nine-minute supercut of the battle above with commentary from eSports broadcaster Aaron “Ayesee” Chambers and Turtle Rock’s Chris Ashton. Evolve will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Fall.
Project CARS will cross the finish line in November
Project CARS, Slightly Mad Studios’ ambitious racing sim, will finally be released this November for the PC (Windows/SteamOS), PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One. To celebrate, the developer has released a stunning new trailer, which they claim is composed of “all in-game footage.”
Slightly Mad was able to bypass the traditional publishing model to create their passion project thanks to their engagement with fans and the community. The development team sold special “Tool Packs” for the game and gave fans access to a private forum to discuss the direction development was taking.
When all is said and done, Project CARS might be one of the most realistic racing games ever. So I guess it’s a good thing Slightly Mad is planning to include Oculus Rift support as well.
The Evil Within Preview: Shinji Mikami Made A Game With Zombies In It (Again)
Marketing a horror title is tricky business. If you give away too much, that will spoil the scares and dissipate the tension. But you also don’t want to play things too close to the vest, as then your audience won’t have any clue what to expect. This has been the problem for Bethesda’s The Evil Within almost from the start.
The Evil Within is in development at Shinji Mikami’s new studio, Tango Gameworks. Mikami is most famous for creating Resident Evil and the franchise’s signature sequel, Resident Evil 4. So far, The Evil Within’s marketing has lead audiences to believe that it would be a tense and claustrophobic affair that would force players to run and hide from the imposing and seemingly unstoppable residents of the game’s sanitarium setting. But during a live demo presentation during the 2014 PAX East convention, we got to see a new side of The Evil Within that belies the game’s previous marketing approach and goes in a different (and not altogether wanted) direction. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2014, The Evil Within
Tales of Xillia 2 will be released in US in August; Collector’s Edition announced
Tales of Xillia 2 was released in Japan more than 18 months ago. Now, Bandai Namco is finally ready to announce a western release date for the game. The latest entry in the long-running Tales series will be released in North America exclusively for the PS3 on August 19. European gamers will have to wait an extra three days, until August 22, for the game to reach their shores.
The publisher also announced that a special Collector’s Edition of Tales of Xillia 2 will be available in August. The Collector’s Edition, which has been priced at $129.99, will come packaged with a ton of goodies:
- Collector’s Edition Packaging
- Ludger Kresnik Figure
- The Art of Tales of Xillia 2
- Special Music Selection CD
- Elle’s Pocket Watch (Non-Functioning Replica)
- Rollo Plushie Charm
- Classic “Tales of” Costume DLC (Yuri Lowell, Emil Castagnier, and Asbel Lhant)
Maybe it’s asking too much, but for $130, I’m a little surprised the watch doesn’t even work.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Tales of Xillia 2
XBL Store Today: Warface, Defense Technica
The full version of Crytek’s ridiculously-named free-to-play first person shooter, Warface, is now available to download through the Xbox Live Game Store. If you’re not a fan of war being right in your face, a new tower defense game, Defense Technica, was also released today.
More information on both Xbox 360 games can be found in their Dashboard descriptions (Defense Technica’s, it should be noted, has not been edited in any way):
Warface (Free)
Engage in explosive action with this exhilarating free-to-play FPS from Crytek, keeping you on your toes with daily new missions. Master four soldier classes as you team up to complete daring Co-op raids or dominate Versus modes. Join the battle with unique assault moves and real-time weapon customization.
Defense Technica ($9.99)
The new revolution of Tower defence! Defence Technica! A project ‘Noah’ is now released to defeat the cruel invader Hergus and save the world. You should defend the core and struggle against the constantly rushing enemy in the battlefield where attack paths and the land, or weather are changed in real-time. You will be amazed at the gorgeous landscape in the beautiful graphic of Defence Technica. Upgrade various weapons to the enemy’s attribute. Predict and decide promptly how and when to counterattack in response to their changing moving route.