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
New Releases: Dishonored, XCOM Enemy Unknown, Just Dance 4, More
This week’s new releases will sneak up on us like a ghostly assassin in a steampunk setting. If that analogy seems oddly specific to you, might I point you towards Dishonored (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), a stealth game that has more than a few gamers giddy with anticipation.
Speaking of stealth, this week also sees the release of 2K’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) reboot. Developed by Firaxis, sneaking up on some aliens and giving them the “Welcome to Earth” treatment should be a hoot.
Also available this week is the dancefloor shenanigans of Just Dance 4 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) and a trio of Kinect adventures for the Xbox 360: Harry Potter For Kinect, Dragon Ball Z For Kinect, and Fable: The Journey. Maybe I’m just not seeing the big picture, but why would publishers release four of the biggest Kinect games of the Fall on the same day?
Finally, for those looking for a little handheld excitement, Atlus is bringing the action RPG Code of Princess to the 3DS.
Hit the jump for more of this week’s new releases. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Code of Princess, Dishonored, Fable: The Journey, Harry Potter For Kinect, Just Dance 4, XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Actor who plays Kevin Butler is being sued by Sony
If you watched TV last month, you likely saw Sony’s fictional spokesman, Kevin Butler (AKA actor Jerry Lambert), in a commercial for Bridgestone’s “Buy Four Tires, Get a Wii” promotion. While “Kevin Butler” was never a real person, he’s become the closest thing to a mascot Sony’s had this generation. So it was rather chuckle-worthy to see him, even indirectly, shilling for Nintendo.
But Sony doesn’t think it’s a laughing matter. The consolemaker has decided to sue Lambert, through his company Wildcat Creek, and Bridgestone for trademark infringement. And they’ve likely got a pretty good case too as Lambert’s portrayal of a Bridgestone pitchman (which began on August 27) overlaps with the most recent updates on the “Kevin Butler” Twitter feed (the last one was on August 31).
As of this writing, GameStop is still offering the “Kevin Butler DLC Pack” as a pre-order bonus for gamers who purchase LittleBigPlanet Karting.
[Source: Kotaku]
XBLA Yesterday: Sonic Adventure 2, Nights Into Dreams
Microsoft has been so consistent with their “Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays” thing that it’s easy to forget they occasionally do Friday updates as well. Yesterday was one such Friday, as two Sega classics were added to the XBLA.
Sonic Adventure 2 is now available in glorious high definition for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). However, if you’re also looking for the special Battle Mode bonus content that was created for the GameCube re-release, that’s part of a separate DLC pack.
In the fight between heroes and villains, will you choose to save the world or conquer it? The hunt for the Chaos Emeralds is on and battle lines have been drawn between Hero and Dark. Experience two unique adventures featuring both long-time heroes and new and returning villains as they battle for the fate of the world! Sonic Adventure 2 makes its return on Xbox LIVE Arcade with a full cast of playable heroes and villains, exciting two-player competitive modes, Chao Gardens, and more than 30 action-packed stages, all remastered in HD!
Also available this week is Nights Into Dreams. The Saturn cult classic has been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and includes the Christmas Nights expansion. Oh Sega, so greedy and so generous at the same time.
Slip off into the dream world and go on an aerial adventure as Nights in this classic Saturn remake. Collect Ideya (colored orbs), rack up points, and battle bosses to help Elliot and Claris save Nightopia from Wizeman the Wicked. With all seven original dreams, enhanced graphics, achievements, leaderboards, and playable content from Christmas Nights, this beloved title is back and better than ever.
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Nights Into Dreams, Sonic Adventure 2
Some kind of Angry Birds/Star Wars crossover is in the works
Rovio has opened an official Tumblr blog for Angry Birds and, if the image of the Red Bird in a Jedi robe wielding a Lightsaber is any indication, some kind of Angry Birds/Star Wars mashup is in the works.
According to the blog, a formal announcement is scheduled for Monday, October 8 at 10 AM (Eastern Time) at the Toys R Us in Times Square. Fans are encouraged to begin gathering at the New York City location by 8 AM.
With the participation of Toys R Us, it’s likely that this Star Wars/Angry Birds thing is just a new line of toys and not a game. But I can’t be the only one who wants to smack those blasted swine with a Lightsaber, can I?
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Angry Birds Star Wars, Tabletop Games
Part one of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn webseries is here
We’ve been waiting for the debut of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn for a long time, April, to be exact. But after a Summer of teasing, the first episode of the webseries is finally here.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn follows UNSC Cadet Thomas Lansky during the early days of the human and Covenant war. Lansky will play a major role in Halo 4 and Forward Unto Dawn will give gamers their first glimpse at the character.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn will play out over five episodes, with a new episode popping up online every Friday between now and November 2. An extended 90-minute version of the webseries is set to be included with the Halo 4 Limited Edition, which will be available on November 6.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Xbox 360
Tagged Halo 4, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
Curt Schilling may be forced to sell “Bloody Sock” due to 38 Studios bankruptcy
Curt Schilling lost his shirt when 38 Studios declared bankruptcy in June. Now, he might lose his sock too.
The Boston Globe is reporting that Schilling may be forced to sell the “Bloody Sock” he wore during the 2004 World Series to pay back a loan he took out to bankroll his failed game studio. The sock is currently on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and is viewed by many as a symbol of Boston’s 2004 World Series win, their first in 86 years. A sports collectibles expert consulted by the Globe estimated the sock would sell for $25,000 at auction.
In addition to the famous sock, Schilling has put a cap worn by Lou Gehrig, his collection of World War II memorabilia, and his stake in the StepStone Capital Partners equity firm up as collateral.
In the months since the closure of 38 Studios, EA has expressed an interest in creating a Kingdoms of Amalur sequel without Schilling and the game’s developer has reformed as Impossible Studios.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Amalur MMO, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
MyAchievements “birthday gift” is literally 25 cents
When Microsoft revealed the MyAchievements program for Xbox Live Rewards members, they also revealed that members would receive a “birthday gift” worth 25 cents. Many assumed it would be an Avatar accessory like a party hat or something. Not quite.
Since my birthday is next week, Microsoft has given me my gift and it’s… drum roll please… 25 cents!
That’s right, Microsoft’s big birthday gift is 20 Microsoft Points, which will be deposited into my Xbox Live account on October 15. I’ve also been encouraged to “use it toward anything you wish in the Xbox Live Marketplace.” Gee, thanks Microsoft, you shouldn’t have.
Assassin’s Creed III Season Pass takes on Tyranny of King Washington
Assassin’s Creed III is jumping on the Season Pass bandwagon with an alternate-alternate history of the American Revolution told in three downloadable parts.
“The Tyranny of King Washington” posits what the fledgling nation of America would be like if George Washington decided that a more royal reputation was in order for the office of the President after being elected in 1789. In addition to the three episodes of “King Washington,” the Assassin’s Creed team at Ubisoft will release new multiplayer content including “new maps and characters.”
The Season Pass will be available for $29.99 (or 2400 Microsoft Points) on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Wii U owners will also receive access to “The Tyranny of King Washington,” but the packs will have to be purchased separately.
“History is our playground – and AC teams have always loved playing with historical facts and their consequences as a way to better understand a time period,” said Sebastien Puel, Executive Producer at Ubisoft. “While Assassin’s Creed III concentrates on history as it happens, we wanted to take some liberties with this DLC and tell you how things ‘could have happened.'”
No timetable was announced for the Assassin’s Creed III DLC, but Season Pass owners will be able to download the DLC one week before the general public.