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
Penny Arcade 4 coming to PC, Xbox 360 on June 7; Penny Arcade 3 available for free today
Zeboyd Games has announced that the final game in the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness series, Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4, will be released on June 7. The game will be available as a download for the PC through Steam and for the Xbox 360 from the Xbox Live Indie Games channel for $4.99 (or 400 Microsoft Points).
To celebrate the series finale, the Penny Arcade boys are giving away free Steam codes for Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 (which includes all of the bonus content) all day today. They’ll continue to issue codes for the game right up until 11:59 PM (Pacific Time), but the number of available codes is expected to be exhausted well before that. So if you want it, get it now!
And I recommed that you should, as I liked Penny Arcade 3 very much.
Batman: Arkham Origins: First trailer, Joker confirmed, Deathstroke playable
It’s a big day for Batman: Arkham Origins news. First, Kevin Conroy confirmed that he’ll be providing the voice of Batman in the game. And now, as promised, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the first trailer for the game.
The five-minute clip is an outstanding introduction to the prequel story. Batman is lured to an abandoned warehouse (but then, aren’t they all?) by Deathstroke, who has been hired by Black Mask to kill the Caped Crusader. But taking a page from Assassins/Smokin’ Aces/other assassin compeition films, a few other killers-for-hire (including Deadshot) are after The Dark Knight as well.
And speaking of Deathstroke, he’s all set to be a playable character in the Challenge Map portion of the game. The Deathstroke Pacl will come complete with “his own unique weapons and special moves,” two bonus character skins, and two Deathstroke-exclusive maps. Players who pre-order the game will receive the Deathstroke Pack first… and for free.
Finally, WB Games has released the first six screenshots of Batman: Arkham Origins and they include confirmation that The Joker will play at least some role in the game. Will he be voiced by Mark Hamill? Hopefully the answer is yes, but with Hamill’s retirement from the character, I have my doubts.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on October 25. You can check out those first screenshots after the break. (more…)
Shadow Warrior reboot announced for PC, next-gen consoles
Shadow Warrior was a 1997 first person shooter from 3D Realms that is infamous for its, let’s say “insenitive,” portrayal of Asian culture. Devolver Digital (truly, the 3D Realms of our day) has decided to update Shadow Warrior and its main character, Lo Wang, for the 21st with a rebooted version of the game in development at Flying Wild Hog.
Blending the viciously over-the-top gunplay of its predecessor with the elegant precision of the powerful katana, Shadow Warrior is an imaginative take on the classic arcade-style shooter.
Follow the offbeat tale of Zilla Enterprise’s corporate shogun, Lo Wang, who is ordered by his employer to track down and acquire a legendary blade known as the Nobitsura Kage. Forced into a timeless battle, Lo Wang learns of the blade’s connection to ancient gods from another realm, pushing our world to the brink of destruction. Aided by Hoji, a banished spirit from this mysterious world, Lo Wang must use a masterful combination of gun, blade, magic and wit to discover the truth behind the demonic invasion and banish the encroaching forces back into the darkness.
Shadow Warrior is in development for the PC and will be released this Fall. A version for “next-gen consoles” will be released in 2014.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Shadow Warrior
Kevin Conroy is Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins (UPDATE: HE’S NOT)
“I am vengeance… I am the night… I am Batman!”
Hearing those words in Kevin Conroy’s voice still gives me chills and when a rumor was floated a few weeks back that he wouldn’t be starring in Batman: Arkham Origins, my heart sank. Thankfully, none of it was true.
Appearing at this weekend’s Dallas Comic Con, Conroy took the stage and told fans he has been working for the last “nine or ten months” on Batman: Arkham Origins and that “it’s an ubelievable game.” He couldn’t say any more due to signing a non-disclosure agreement (and it’s why it took him so long to confirm his participation in Origins), but he’s very excited about the game.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on October 25.
[Source: Arkhamverse]
UPDATE: Conroy was apparently referring to a completely separate Batman game and WON’T be voicing the character in Arkham Origins.
Activision posted a 7-second Call of Duty: Ghosts teaser on Vine
If that’s a thing you care about, here’s a quick snippet of some wireframe development work being done on Call of Duty: Ghosts at Infinity Ward.
We’ll learn more about the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise this Tuesday, May 21, at Microsoft’s “Next Xbox Reveal.” In addition to the Xbox 720/Durango version, Call of Duty: Ghosts is also in development for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Versions of the game for the PS4 and Wii U are also expected to be announced soon.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Ghosts, Next Xbox Reveal
Weekly Warp-Up: More Pre-E3 2013 Moves Edition
No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…
The “big three” (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) are positioning their pieces for next month’s E3 Expo. With Microsoft and Sony launching new consoles and Nintendo shifting into phase two of the Wii U’s launch, it’s likely going to be one of the most competitive shows ever.
On Wednesday, Sony officially unveiled Gran Turismo 6 as a PS3 exclusive. However, they were quick to point out that a PlayStation 4 version would likely be released down the line.
Nintendo took over Friday and posted another Nintendo Direct video for all the world to see. During the half-hour presentation, the consolemaker confirmed that Sonic: Lost World will be released exclusively on the Wii U and the 3DS, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is in development, New Super Luigi U will be available as a DLC expansion and a boxed game, and that The Wonderful 101 will be released on September 15. Though Electronic Arts did rain on their parade a bit and confirmed that they have no Wii U games in development.
Third-party publishers are even getting in on the act. Konami announced their “Pre-E3 Show” lineup, which includes Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.
Microsoft stayed quiet in preparation for next week’s “Next Xbox Reveal.”
What else happened in the game industry this week? Hit the jump to find out. (more…)
Posted in News
New Releases: Resident Evil Revelations, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, More
This week’s might seem a bit familiar to you, and that’s because we’ve seen most of them before.
Resident Evil Revelations gets the full HD treatment on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U. The game will also be available for the PC through your favorite digital download services, including Steam. In addition to the Wii U-exclusive features included with Resident Evil Revelations, three of this week’s re-releases are specifically targeting Nintendo platforms including Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D on the 3DS and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and Sniper Elite V2 on the Wii U. This week’s last re-release, Worms Collection for the PS3 and Xbox 360, brings together three games (and six DLC expansions) previously only available as downloads: Worms, Worms 2: Armageddon, and Worms: Ultimate Mayhem.
If you’re looking for something new, Activision has taken the sixth Fast and the Furious film and turned it into a video game. Fast & Furious: Showdown will be available for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U. A portable version is also coming to the 3DS.
Finally this week, Ubisoft and Techland have come together again to release a new game in the Call of Juarez series. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a downloadable title that’ll be available for the PC, as well as from the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Donkey Kong Country Returns, Resident Evil Revelations
Electronic Arts has no games in development for the Wii U
A day before Nintendo revealed a massive new partnership with Sega, an Electronic Arts spokesman told Kotaku that the company is currently not supporting Nintendo’s newest console. In fact, that was company spokesperson Jeff Brown’s complete statement: “We have no games in development for the Wii U currently.”
EA’s then-CEO, John Riccitiello, shared the E3 2011 stage with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata to help promote the Wii U. Riccitiello promised to support the system with “great EA content” and, to date, the publisher has released four games on the Wii U: Mass Effect 3, Madden NFL 13, FIFA Soccer 13, and Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
This isn’t the first time EA has withheld support from a system. The publisher famously kept its games away from the Dreamcast. Many have speculated that this move lead to the Dreamcast’s early demise. EA also refused to add online play to their Xbox titles for two years after the launch of the Xbox Live service.
While Brown’s comment to Kotaku were of the “It’s just business” variety, a Software Engineers at EA Canada got personal. Bob Summerwill used his personal Twitter account to call the Wii U “crap” and state that it’s “Less powerful than an Xbox 360. Poor online/store. Weird tablet.” Twisting the knife deeper, Summerwill also wrote, “Nintendo are walking dead at this point” and “It is an utterly intentional decision to focus our resources on markets which actually matter.”
The tweets have since disappeared (but have been preserved at Kotaku), but it’s an interesting window into the thoughts of one EA employee. If he’s still an EA employee come Monday morning remains to be seen.