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
Supergiant’s Transistor will be released on May 20
Supergiant Games has announced that Transistor, their followup to Bastion, will be released for the PC and PS4 on May 20. The developer has also announced that the science fiction-styled action RPG will carry a price of $19.99.
Supergiant plans to bring a “near-final build” of Transistor to this weekend’s PAX East convention and you can check a trio of new screenshots from this version of the game at their official website.
Posted in News
Tagged PC, PS4, Transistor
Citizens of Earth is a turn-based RPG starring the Veep
Sadly, Joe Biden doesn’t star in Citizens of Earth. Instead, Eden Industries has created their own slick politician to lead a political party of 40 concerned citizens in their upcoming turn-based RPG. Taking nostalgic cues from Earthbound, and other 16-bit classics, Citizens of Earth asks the Veep to investigate some strange goings-on in his hometown:
The retro-inspired Citizens of Earth pits players as the second-highest-paid bureaucrat in the land. The game begins just after winning a long, drawn-out candidacy, and the VP returns to his hometown for some taxpayer-funded rest and relaxation. But after just one night passes, the VP awakens to find the world gone berserk! As elected official he has two responsibilities: investigate what’s caused people to go crazy… and delegate as much of the dirty work as possible. Citizens of Earth has 40 wacky citizens to recruit and send into battle.
The “way-too-jittery Barista, the ever-optimistic Weatherlady, the notoriously skeezy Car Salesman, and the ridiculously shy (and totally real) Sasquatch” are just some of the citizens of Citizens of Earth that the Vice President will be able to command. Eden Industries has promised the game will not include random encounters, but that it will have “hours of bonus content and optional side-quests to explore.”
Citizens of Earth will be published by Atlus and will be released as a downloadable title this September for the PC (through Steam), Wii U, 3DS, PS3, PS4, and Vita.
Nintendo announces North American release for Tomodachi Life
The Tomodachi franchise is a series of life simulation games that have gained a considerable following in Japan. And after the continued success of Animal Crossing and its many sequels, Nintendo is finally ready to bring it to North America, starting with Tomodachi Life for the 3DS.
In the game, layers will be able to mix their Mii into “the outrageously bizarre island world” of Tomodachi Life. Nintendo has promised “drama, intrigue, and hilarity” for everyone that dares venture into Tomodachi Life as well as plenty of crazy antics:
“Tomodachi” is the Japanese word for “friend.” After completely customizing all your Mii characters, from their voices and appearances right down to their personality quirks, you’ll recognize them instantly. But you can’t possibly predict what they’ll do next. For the first time ever, Mii characters behave based on the personality traits you select, playing out the drama you set in motion. A celebrity might fall in love with your math teacher. Your mom might jump on stage to belt out heavy metal songs. Or you could become famous striking poses down the runway of a fashion show wearing cute and silly outfits. Best of all, you can document these unbelievable moments for posterity and share them all with your friends via the Nintendo 3DS Image Share service.
Nintendo plans to populate Tomodachi Life with a variety of celebrities including Christina Aguilara. The singer is the first celebrity to sign on for the game’s promotional campaign, which will include an in-game Mii modeled after herself and appearances in videos promoting the game. Like, for example, the one you can find after the break.
Tomodachi Life will be released exclusively for the 3DS/2DS on June 6 (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Tomodachi Life
XBL Store Today: Lego The Hobbit, Kinect Sports Rivals, RBI Baseball 14, more
Six new games are now available through the Xbox Live Store in today’s update…
The Xbox One will play host to three of those games as Lego The Hobbit, Kinect Sports Rivals, and Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut have all been released for Microsoft’s new console. Kinect Sports Rivals brings the popular minigame compilation to the Xbox One for the first time while Strike Suit Zero is now available for consoles in an expanded and enhanced new edition. Lego The Hobbit is also available on the Xbox 360.
Another Xbox 360 release this week is MLB Advanced Media’s first foray into video game development, R.B.I. Baseball 14. The beloved baseball franchise is back and so is its signature style of fast-paced gameplay. Before today, you could say that they don’t make ’em like R.B.I. Baseball 14 anymore. But now they do again. Finally this week, the third episode of Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us, A Crooked Mile, is available to download through the Xbox Live Arcade. The latest tale of murder in Fabletown has been priced at $4.99, but will be free to anyone who purchased the Season Pass.
More details about all of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Sony officially announces The Last of Us Remastered for PS4
After that rather embarrassing PlayStation Store leak this morning, Sony has officially gone ahead and announced that The Last of Us Remastered will be released for the PS4 this Summer.
The Last of Us Remastered will be developed by Naughty Dog and will include all of the downloadable content currently planned for the PS3 edition including the “Left Behind” expansion, the “Abandoned Territories” map pack, and the upcoming “Reclaimed Territories” pack. The PS4 edition of the game will also feature 1080p visuals and optional commentary from Creative Director Neil Druckmann, Troy Baker (Joel), and Ashley Johnson (Ellie).
If you’re interested in pre-ordering The Last of Us Remastered, you’ll net yourself a few in-game bonuses including:
- 100 Supply Points (XP) for use in Factions mode
- Two special bonus skins for Joel and Ellie which will be unlocked after you complete the Single-Player Campaign
- Increased Crafting Speed for use in the Single-Player Campaign
- Increased Healing Speed for use in the Single-Player Campaign
- 9mm Reload Speed Increase Upgrade for use in the Single-Player Campaign
- Rifle Clip Capacity Increase Upgrade for use in the Single-Player Campaign
And if you pre-order the digital version from the PlayStation Store, you’ll receive all of the above as well as a trio of bonuses for the game’s Factions multiplayer mode:
- Early Access to the Brawler Survival Skill
- Early Access to additional Loadout Points
- Early Access to the Jeep Cap and Surgical Mask
On the PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog has promised they will reveal more details about The Last of Us Remastered soon.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged The Last of Us
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel officially announced
The rumors are true! 2K Games, Gearbox Software, and 2K Australia have announced that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is officially in development. As expected, it will be released this Fall for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
The moon… jetpacks… Handsome Jack before his rise to power… everything that was hinted at in Monday’s leak is now official:
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is the newest entry in the critically acclaimed Borderlands franchise that is currently being co-developed by Gearbox Software and 2K Australia. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel continues the franchise’s tradition of industry-leading co-op, allowing up to four players to experience all-new low-gravity, shoot ‘n’ loot gameplay on Pandora’s moon. Featuring four new playable character classes armed with powerful laser and icy Cryo weapons, players will battle against an array of new enemies. Taking place in-between the events of Borderlands and Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel showcases Handsome Jack’s transformation into the ruthless tyrant fans loved to hate in Borderlands 2.
In bridging Borderlands and Borderlands 2, The Pre-Sequel will reintroduce players to four characters they’ve already met, but who are playable for the first time:
- Athena, the Gladiator: Uses her Kinetic Aspis, which is a shield that can absorb incoming damage, then convert it back into energy to use against enemies. Athena made her debut in “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx” DLC for the first Borderlands game.
- Wilhelm, the Enforcer: Wilhelm was previously seen in Borderlands 2 as one of the first deadly bosses in the game.
- Nisha, the Lawbringer: The sheriff of Lynchwood from Borderlands 2, Nisha will be dealing out her own brand of justice, which we’ll discuss further in the coming months.
- Claptrap, the Fragtrap: Wait – Claptrap? The goofy robot companion from Borderlands 2, now playable for the first time? Fragtrap is his character class? Well, you can play him too!
Be sure to check out the trailer above for a first look at Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. And if you’re attending this weekend’s PAX East convention, 2K Games plans to showcase the game at their booth all throughout the entire show.
Posted in News
Tagged Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
The Evil Within’s PAX East trailer is full of horrific images
Shinji Mikami and the rest of the Tango Gameworks team are attempting to create something truly scary with The Evil Within. And if the PAX East 2014 trailer they released this morning is any indication, it’ll scare us silly.
The trailer is absolutely packed with blood and gore and the freaky residents of Beacon Mental Hospital. If you’re eating breakfast, I’d suggest watching this trailer after you’re done. It also reintroduces us to “The Boxman,” a deranged butcher who will be the star of Bethesda’s live demo presentation of The Evil Within during this weekend’s PAX East convention.
The Evil Within will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on August 26.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2014, The Evil Within
Nintendo has another Mario game in development
Are you sitting down? You might want to sit down because Nintendo has confirmed that another Super Mario game is in development. Take a moment to compose yourself, this is a completely unprecedented and unexpected announcement.
OK, I kid because I love.
Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura of EAD Tokyo recently spoke to Edge, and confirmed the news that Mario will return. The pair was asked if the game would be released for the 3DS or the Wii U, but Koizumi shut that line of questioning down by saying, “That’s still a secret!” However, he did reveal that the team isn’t afraid to possibly shake things up: “There’s still a lot more room for discovery and invention, and we’ll continue to propose new and exciting game mechanics going into the future.”
On that note, Motokura added that if the game is in development for the Wii U, it “might need to make even more use of the [Wii U] GamePad.” Interesting.
So we still don’t know much about the next Mario game, but we do know that it’ll be the 20th game in the long-running franchise. Can you imagine if Nintendo stuck with the Super Mario Bros. title scheme after all these years? The fact that this is technically the announcement of Super Mario Bros. 20 utterly amazes me. And hopefully we’ll find out more about it soon.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario Maker