Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
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
The Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote is down to the “Elite 8”
The third round of the Madden NFL 25 Cover Vote is in the books and the top-seeded players continue to rumble towards the deciding round. But there were a few upsets of note.
Over on the “New School” side, the fourth-seeded Arian Foster ran over 49ers quarterback (and number one seed) Colin Kaepernick. To be fair, Kaepernick probably wasn’t deserving of the number one seed in a fan-voted contest. In another upset, Third-seeded Russell Wilson pushed past Andrew Luck, the two seed. On the “Old School” side, things are as they should be with Joe Montana (#1), Jerry Rice (#1), Barry Sanders (#3), and Deion Sanders (#2) all advancing to the quarterfinals.
You can the remaining matchups below. And don’t forget to vote for your favorites in quarterfinals at ESPN.com/MaddenVote. Voting is open now through April 10.
Old School
1 Joe Montana vs 3 Barry Sanders
1 Jerry Rice vs 2 Deion Sanders
New School
4 Arian Foster vs 3 Russell Wilson
1 Robert Griffin III vs 2 Adrian Peterson
Madden NFL 25 will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 27.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Madden NFL 25
GameStop CEO calls Xbox 720 “a very hot, compelling device”
Somewhere in the bowels of Big Redmond is a prototype version of Microsoft’s next console, the Xbox 720/Durango. The whole world (OK, maybe not Japan) is waiting to get a glimpse of the console and the next-generation games that it’ll support.
One person who doesn’t have to wait is GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines.
Speaking to GamesIndustry International, the leader of North America’s largest game retailer has revealed that not only has he seen the Xbox 720, but that he’s very impressed with it:
“We’ve been spending a lot of time with Microsoft, but we have to let them take the lead on this, but it will be a very hot, compelling device. They are doing some really cool stuff, and I’m eager to hear them start their announcements because I think the world is going to stand up and take notice,” Raines commented.
Microsoft has yet to confirm when they’ll take the wrapping off the next Xbox, but many in the industry expect the system to launch before the end of the year.
Disney closes LucasArts; Star Wars 1313 may be licensed to third party
The writing has been on the wall ever since Disney acquired the massive Lucas empire last year, but today it became official as the House of Mouse closed LucasArts. Speaking to Game Informer, a LucasArts representative repeated the official statement from Disney:
“After evaluating our position in the games market, we’ve decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company’s risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games. As a result of this change, we’ve had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles.”
So while this is the end for LucasArts, this isn’t the end for Star Wars video games. But what about Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, the two Star Wars games currently in development? Another LucasArts representative spoke to Game Informer and revealed that both of those games may be passed on to third-party developers to finish:
“It is worth noting that we are looking for proven external partners who can help us provide video games to our fans. We still believe in the video game industry, we still will provide Star Wars games, we’re just looking at different models rather than internal production… They’re evaluating everything. There’s always a possibility that [Star Wars 1313] can still come out via licensing.”
LucasArts was something special for a lot of different people and the video game landscape is going to be a very different place without it.
Posted in News
Tagged Star Wars 1313, Star Wars: First Assault
XBLA Today: BattleBlock Theater, Capcom Arcade Cabinet: 1985-II Pack
The Behemoth is not the first company to come to mind when you hear the words “prolific developer.” Since The Behemoth was founded in 2003, they’ve only released two games (although, to be fair, they’ve ported those two games to every platform that’ll take them). But even with just a pair of titles to their name, they’ve built up a reputation for quirky platformers that continues with their third game, BattleBlock Theater, which is available today on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), BattleBlock Theater is a bizarre tale of talking cats, magic hats, and a cursed theater that expects a “killer” performance from its captive performers:
Shipwrecked. Captured. Betrayed. Forced to perform for an audience of cats? Wait, what?? You’ve just unlocked the door to BattleBlock Theater! There’s no turning back once you’ve started on your quest to free your imprisoned friends from evil technological cats! Immerse yourself in this mind bending tale of treachery as you battle your way through hundreds of levels in order to discover the puzzling truth behind BattleBlock Theater.
Also available this week is the latest Capcom Arcade Cabinet update. The “1985-II Pack” includes Commando, The Speed Rumbler, and Savage Bees and has been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged BattleBlock Theater, Capcom Arcade Cabinet
PSN Today: Defiance, GTA Vice City Stories, GTA Liberty City Stories, More
Today’s PlayStation Store update has good timing. Not only is it available before the sun goes down on the east coast, but two new additions to the store sync up nicely with today’s Grand Theft Auto V cover art reveal.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories are two forgotten PS2 classics (especially since they began life as PSP games), but today they’re officially PS2 Classics as Sony has added the pair to the PlayStation Store.
They’re joined by Trion Worlds’ multiplayer shooter Defiance, PSN shooter Ion Assault HD, and the Capcom Arcade Cabinet: 1985-2 Pack (which includes Commando, The Speed Rumbler, and Savage Bees).
More details on all of these games can be found after the break and a complete listing of this week’s new game add-ons can be found, as always, at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition’s Title Update 9 will be released on April 5
4J Studios has revealed that Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition‘s Title Update 9, which includes “The End,” has passed certification and will be available this Friday, April 5:
TU9 has passed Cert testing! The Microsoft LIVE team has scheduled the TU9 roll out for Friday 5th April. The End is nigh :)
— 4J Studios (@4JStudios) April 1, 2013
A disc-based, retail version of Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, which will also include Title Update 9, will be available in stores on April 30.
Doritos Crash Course 2 is free-to-play and coming soon
Doritos Crash Course was an advergame that mixed a Wipeout-like obstacle course with constant advertising for Doritos brand chips (I mean, it’s right there in the title). Yet, it was also beloved by the Xbox Live community and is one of the most popular Xbox Live Arcade games of all time.
So the announcement of a sequel, Doritos Crash Course 2, is enough to make me celebrate with a Doritos Locos Taco from Taco Bell and some Cool Ranch Doritos for dessert! On second thought, I think I’ll just stick with the game as its actually fun and WON’T cause horrible intestinal pain.
According to Microsoft, Doritos Crash Course 2 is “coming soon” and will appear on the XBLA as a free-to-play title. Players (and their Avatars) will be able to run and jump through four new locations and challenge their friends’ best times with downloadable ghosts.
If you’d prefer to skip the whole free-to-play thing, Doritos Crash Course 2 players will be able to buy “coins” that they can use to unlock new courses, power-ups and vanity items.
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Doritos Crash Course 2
Grand Theft Auto V official cover art released
The cover art for the Grand Theft Auto games has officially risen to the status of “art.” The images have been praised for their composition and originality going all the way back to Grand Theft Auto III, but for Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games is going a step further. The publisher has commissioned a 30-foot high painted mural on a building in New York City.
If you don’t live in Rockstar’s backyard, you can check out a much smaller version of the official cover art to your right (click to enlarge).
Grand Theft Auto V will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Grand Theft Auto V