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
Weekly Warp-Up: Wii U Launch Day 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…
Ladies and gentlemen, the Wii U has arrived! I understand if you’re a bit too busy playing brand new games on your brand new console, but it’s also important to note that Black Friday is only five days away. So if you’re looking to pick up some new games or consoles (though not a Wii U, because those are sold out), you might want to check out what Target, Best Buy, and Toys R Us will have on offer. Spoiler alert: Toys R Us is having a big sale on Wii U games.
The rest of this week’s news recap can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
New Releases: Wii U, Hitman Absolution, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, More
The Wii U is finally here! If you managed to pre-order one, you’re likely playing it right now. And you also probably know that 29 games will be available on day one including New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, ZombiU, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Assassin’s Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and Mass Effect 3. Wow.
In non-Wii U release news, Square Enix will release Hitman: Absolution, the first game in the series in over six years, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Also available this week is Sony’s PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale (PS3, Vita), Activision’s Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), and Sega’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3, Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U).
Disney Interactive and game development legend Warren Spector have teamed up again to bring a second Epic Mickey title to stores. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360) is available today, along with its 3DS spinoff, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion.
Finally, Atlus plans to release Persona 4: Golden for the Vita this week.
Looking for more new releases? You can find them after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Epic Mickey 2, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse, Hitman: Absolution, Mass Effect 3, New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed, ZombiU
Next Borderlands 2 DLC is Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage
Gearbox has revealed the next downloadable expansion for Borderlands 2 and it’s going to be called “Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage.”
The expansion focuses on weapons dealer Mr. Torgue and his Badass Crater of Badassitude. Just like the Captain Scarlett DLC, it’s been given a price of $9.99 (1200 Microsoft Points) on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Best of all, “Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage” will be available next week… November 20 to be exact!
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2
Black Friday Game Deals 2012: Toys R Us
Are you a Toys R Us kid? If you’re looking for an amazing Black Friday bargain, you better be.
The country’s biggest toy retailer has tagged more than 60 games for inclusion in a special “Buy 1, Get 1 For $1” promotion. The discount covers DS, 3DS, Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 games including major new releases such as Dishonored, Sleeping Dogs, Madden NFL 13, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. Toys R Us is even discounting Wii U games with a “Buy 1, Get 1 40% Off” deal. The Toys R Us Black Friday sale actually begins on Thanksgiving Day at 8 PM, so you may have to leave dinner early for this one.
Hit the jump for the complete list of Toys R Us game deals (and a sale on almost all Skylanders figures). (more…)
Call of Duty: Black Ops II sets single-day sales record
For the fourth year in a row, a new Call of Duty game has set some kind of sales record. This year, Activision is proud to announce that Call of Duty: Black Ops II has set the new standard for the first day sales of an “entertanment launch.”
According to Activision’s internal estimates and retail costumer information, Call of Duty: Black Ops II earned more than $500 million in worldwide sales on Tuesday, November 13. At $60 a game, that averages out to over 8.25 million copies sold. This bests the previous one day sales record, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which scored $400 million in worldwide day one sales last year.
The previous holder of the “biggest game launch of 2012” title only managed to hold the record for seven days. Halo 4 debuted to $220 million in worldwide sales on November 6 and would go on to add an additional $80 million throughout its first week of availability. But all those statistics are only good for second place now.
While Black Ops II may have made the most money for an “entertainment launch” in a single day, it failed to reach as many people as 2011’s most popular movie. In North America alone, over 11 million tickets to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 were sold on July 15, 2011, giving it a one-day box office total of $91 million and an edge of three million people over Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
2012 Spike TV Video Game Awards nominees announced
It’s hard to believe that Spike TV has been handing out their Video Game Awards for ten years, but that’s exactly what will happen when the 2012 edition of the awards shows airs on Spike TV (and simulcast on Xbox Live) this December.
Once again hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this year’s “Game of the Year” will come from a list that includes Assassin’s Creed III, Dishonored, Journey, Mass Effect 3, and The Walking Dead. Journey actually scored seven total nominations, making it one the most honored games at the 2012 VGAs (an honor it shares with Halo 4 and Borderlands 2).
This year’s slate of “Spike TV VGA World Premiere Trailers” (always the highlight of every VGA show) will include several unannounced projects as well as hugely anticipated 2013 releases like The Last of Us, Gears of War: Judgment, and South Park: The Stick of Truth.
The 2012 Spike TV Video Game Awards will take place on Friday, December 7. The complete list of nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Dishonored, Gears of War: Judgment, Journey, Mass Effect 3, South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead
Capcom USA Exec: You haven’t seen the last of Mega Man
It’s been a bad few years for Mega Man. Mega Man Legends 3 and Mega Man Universe were both canceled by the powers that be at Capcom. In fact, the Blue Bomber hasn’t actually appeared in a new game since 2010’s Mega Man 10. He didn’t even make the cut in Marvel vs Capcom 3 or its Ultimate update.
But don’t tell that to Christian Svensson, Capcom USA’s Senior Vice President. He told Nintendo Power (via Rockman Corner) that the company definitely isn’t done with Mega Man just yet…
Nintendo Power: What does the future hold for Mega Man?
Christian Svensson: I can say with certainty that you’ve not seen the last of the Blue Bomber on consoles and handhelds, and, with luck, we’ll be celebrating his 50th anniversary, including all of the games you’re going to enjoy over the next 25 years. That said, an issue we’ve had in the past has been talking about games and announcing them before we’re certain they’re going to come out, which unfortunately has lead to profound disappointment for many fans. So for now, I’m going to have to stay mum about any details.
Encouraging news, but bear in mind, this statement is coming from a Capcom USA executive. Regardless of what Svensson says, we really don’t have any idea what Capcom Japan has planned for Mega Man’s future.
Posted in News
Tomb Raider Collector’s Edition announcement washes ashore
If you’ve ever wanted to manhandle Lara Croft, Crystal Dynamics plans to give you the chance when Tomb Raider is released on March 5, 2013.
To get a bit more specific, the developer recently announced a Collector’s Edition for the game that’ll contain a fully posable 8″ action figure (which is definitely not a doll) of Ms. Croft. The Collector’s Edition will retail for $99.99 and come packed in a “survival tin.” Other items in the Collector’s Edition include:
- Endurance Survival Kit Packaging: A survival tin salvaged from the ill-fated Endurance. The tin houses a copy of the game.
- Play Arts Kai Lara Croft Figurine: Fully posable figurine with over 40 points of articulation. The dirt on her body and clothes has been realistically recreated to tell the tale of Lara’s fierce fight for survival on a desolate island. Comes with alternate set of three (3) hands, bow and arrow, shotgun, handgun, and climbing axe. Figure Size: Approx 8.0” Tall.
- 15” x 19” Double Sided Island Map and Poster: Discover key landmarks from the mysterious island of Yamati, where Lara Croft and her fellow castaways were marooned after the Endurance shipwreck. On the reverse is a poster size image of the box art that epitomizes Lara’s origin story.
- Lithographic Print: 5” x 7” heavy stock lithograph print with matte frame, designed by Crystal Dynamic’s Senior Art Director, Brian Horton. Painting by Brenoch Adams.
- Experience Shields: Three Iron-on badges of the game’s key icons: Animal Instincts, Climbing Axe, Fire Arrow.
- CD Soundtrack: Tomb Raider Original Soundtrack ‘Survivalist cut’: A collection of 10 tracks totaling over 60 minutes of music from the game.
- Downloadable Content: Weapons Pack – A selection of weapons to help Lara survive against the island’s inhabitants.
The Collector’s Edition is only available for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The pricepoint and bonus content for a download-only PC Special Edition will be announced soon.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Tomb Raider