Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- 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)
Author: John Scalzo
PS Store Today: Lego The Hobbit, Strike Suit Zero, Persona 4, Final Fantasy XIV, more
Prepare yourself for an unexpected journey with today’s PlayStation Store update. Lego The Hobbit is now available to download for the PS3, PS4, and Vita… just in time for the Blu-ray/DVD release of Desolation of Smaug.
If controlling a Lego Minifig version of Bilbo Baggins doesn’t interest you, how about a massive starfighter that also morphs (some would say transforms) into a flying mech? Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut is now available to download for the PlayStation 4 in an enhanced, expanded, and updated version. We took a look at the game’s new features a few weeks ago. Speaking of newly enhanced and updated versions of previously released games, the PS4 is now home to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Square Enix’s MMO will be available in stores on April 14, but players who elect to download the game will be able to play it six days early.
Rounding out this week’s store update is the next episode in Telltale’s Fables adaptation, The Wolf Among Us: A Crooked Mile; the return of R.B.I. Baseball franchise in R.B.I. Baseball 14; and a PS3 release for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. Persona 4 is definitely a PS2 classic and it is now available to download through the PS2 Classics section of the store. Fancy that.
More information on all of this week’s release, along with a few others, can be found after the break. And a full rundown of this week’s new game add-ons can found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Direct from Nintendo… Super Smash Bros. 4 launches for 3DS this Summer, Wii U in Winter
They’re still not ready to reveal the final title, but Nintendo has confirmed that Super Smash Bros. 4 will be available for the 3DS this Summer with the Wii U release to follow sometime in the Winter. The news comes via a new Nintendo Direct video that included a multitude of other announcements:
- New Characters! Greninja, the final evolution of Froakie from Pokemon X/Y, will be included in a Smash Bros. game for the first time. It will be joined by returning favorites Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, Yoshi, and Charizard.
- Smash Run Mode! “Exclusive to the 3DS, four players have five minutes to enter a dungeon and explore the surroundings, fight enemies and obtain power-ups to enhance their fighters. Once the five minutes are up, all four fighters enter a battle arena using their newly equipped items and power-ups.”
- Custom Movesets! Players will be able to create custom movesets for all characters.
- Online Play! Online multiplayer will be included on both systems in two flavors… “For Glory” is a straight fight in Final Destination stages with no items, elevated areas, or platforms. “For Fun” includes random stages, items, and power-ups.
- Unique Stages! While the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game will feature similar stages, they will be unique on each platform. Wii U stages will be based on home console entries in a franchise while 3DS stages will draw inspiration from the handheld entries in the franchise.
- Bosses! Some stages will have boss characters that can be drawn into the fight. For example, the Rock Monster (AKA the Yellow Devil) will guard Dr. Wily’s Base.
- System Link! The 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. 4 will link up with the Wii U version in some way. More details later.
That’s all for now, but the complete Nintendo Direct video can be viewed above.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
The Crew will now be released in the Fall, new trailer available
Ubisoft has confirmed that The Crew, their cooperative cross-country driving game, will now be available this Fall. The PC, PS4, and Xbox One game was previously scheduled for a Summer release, but it looks like the publisher wants to spend a little more time on one of their first next-gen titles.
Ubisoft has also announced that players who pre-order The Crew will have the option to choose among two different special editions of the game. The Limited Edition will include 10,000 “Crew Credits” as well as early access to three cars: BMW Z4 sDrive35is, Mini Cooper S, and Dodge Ram SRT-10. And the GameStop-exclusive Muscle Edition will include everything from the Limited Edition as well as access to the 2015 Ford Mustang GT.
If you want to try out The Crew before its Fall release, Ubisoft will have a playable demo of the game available at this weekend’s PAX East convention.
New Wolfenstein: New Order trailer leaves us with “Nowhere to Run”
Bethesda has released a new trailer for the MachineGames-developed Wolfenstein: The New Order, which includes a short glimpse at some gameplay as well as another pass through the game’s Nazi-dominated timeline (soccer’s flopping problem has apparently been solved). And a little gunplay starts at about 1:56, giving us a look at some of B.J. Blazkowicz’s new weaponry. I spy a plasma cannon, a pair of dual-wielded machine guns, and a shotgun with a cutting torch attached to the front (perfect for punching out a makeshift murder hole).
Wolfenstein: The New Order will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 20. The game will also be playable at this weekend’s PAX East convention. And don’t forget, if you pre-order The New Order, you’ll receive guaranteed access to the Doom 4 beta.
Posted in News
Tagged PC, PS3, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Xbox 360
Disney confirms Marvel characters will be added to Disney Infinity 2.0
Marvel Entertainment has released a teaser trailer confirming that Marvel Comics characters (or, at the very least, Captain America) will be part of Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition. Right now, it’s unknown if the 2.0 Edition is a full-fledged sequel or just another online update to 2013’s Disney Infinity, but as I said, we do know it’ll include Marvel characters.
It’s long been assumed that Disney would bring Disney Infinity to the PS4 and Xbox One in some way, so perhaps the 2.0 in the 2.0 Edition refers to the game’s next-gen debut. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier setting the box office on fire, I’m sure we’ll find out soon.
Posted in News
Tagged Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes
EA Sports UFC will launch on June 17; Bruce Lee pre-order offer announced
Electronic Arts has announced that EA Sports UFC will enter the retail octagon on June 17 and it’s bringing “The Father of Mixed Martial Arts,” Bruce Lee, with it.
Gamers who pre-order the game on the PS4 or Xbox One will receive a code to unlock “The Dragon” from the get-go. And in a great move by EA, If you aren’t interested in pre-ordering EA Sports UFC, you can still unlock the legendary actor and martial artist as a playable fighter by completing the game’s Career Mode on Pro difficulty.
“I am so excited about this opportunity to bring my father back to video games!” said Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter. “I’m thrilled that fans can now interact with him in a new way. The EA Sports UFC development team has been incredible to work with, and they’ve done a great job capturing the look and feel of my father. I think people will love getting a chance to fulfill a fight fantasy by playing Bruce Lee in the new UFC game.”
“It has always been part of our vision to have Bruce Lee, the most iconic martial artist of all time, in the first ever EA Sports UFC,” said Brian Hayes, the Creative Director at EA. “The team is very excited and tremendously honored to have the privilege of bringing Bruce Lee to life in our game. We’ve been working closely with the Bruce Lee team to ensure we represent the legend with as much visual and gameplay fidelity as possible.”
I wonder if Bruce Lee’s famous tracksuit will be an unlockable outfit…
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged EA Sports UFC
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel URL discovered; game rumored to be in development at 2K Aus
Back in February, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford told Polygon that Borderlands 3 is definitely not in development at the developer. But that doesn’t preclude a different team from working on a sorta-sequel.
British retailer GamePointsNow has revealed that they somehow learned that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a new game that takes place between the first and second games, is in development for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 at 2K Australia:
Set on the moon of Elpis and Hyperions ominous H shaped moon base, the game sees Handsome Jack in the days when he was just a humble programmer called John, hunting a powerful alien artefact (what else!!). Players will be able to select one of Jack/Johns four lieutenants to play as in Athena The Gladiator, Wilhelm The Enforcer, Nisha The Lawbringer and Fragtrap, a militarised claptrap.
Since Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place on a moon, the lower gravity and lack of oxygen will effect combat in a big way. Players will be required to keep track of how much oxygen they have left (Doom 3 featured a similar mechanic) and enemies can be instantly incapacitated if they’re deprived of their air supply. The reduced gravity also opens up the game to jetpacks and encourages players to blast their foes into the stratosphere with a well-placed grenade. And what would a new Borderlands game be without a few new weapons? This set of Vault Hunters will be outfitted with Moonraker-like lasers (naturally) and a “Cryo” freeze ray.
GamePointsNow was unable to narrow down a release date for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but they guessed that a Fall launch seems most reasonable as the game is said to be in development for previous-generation consoles. And with Gearbox more-than-likely set to announce a new game at PAX East 2014, I’m pretty confident the Pre-Sequel is a real thing.
Lending further truth to the rumor is a Whois lookup for BorderlandsThePreSequel.com. The highly unusual domain was registered on March 24, just in time for this weekend’s PAX East convention.
Posted in News
Tagged Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, PAX East 2014, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
The Simpsons did a Minecraft couch gag last night
If you’ve slipped away from The Simpsons, you might be unaware that the long-running show did a couch gag based on Minecraft last night. Swiping Minecraft’s logo font, last night the show was presented as “Simcraft: Parodies Are Easy!” A truncated version of the opening then followed the Simpson family past the statue of Jebediah Springfield, Lard Lad Donuts, and the tire fire until they’re greeted by Moe the Creeper. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. The intro is available to view on YouTube (for now) thanks to “SuperNecocheaBros.” But if you’d prefer to wait for an official upload, the full episode will begin streaming on Fox.com on April 11.
Someone who did see the opening last night was Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson, who has mixed emotions about The Simpsons using his creation:
The Simpsons did a Minecraft couch gag. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
— Markus Persson (@notch) April 7, 2014
Honestly, I’m not sure I know either. The couch gag was neat, but the blockiness of the characters and the world didn’t really resemble Minecraft. And YouTube is full of fan-made Simpsons/Minecraft mashups that take place within the actual game. Just take a look at this excellent version of the entire opening by 8lack7ight.
Or maybe I’m just one of those crotchety Simpsons fans who checked out a few seasons ago.