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)
Most Recent: News
New Releases: CoD Black Ops II, Lego Lord of the Rings, Paper Mario Sticker Star, More
It’s the second week of November and that means that Activision is finally ready to release Call of Duty: Black Ops II for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. A Vita-exclusive spinoff, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, will also be available in stores this week.
If the future warfare of the biggest first person shooter series on the planet doesn’t sway you, there are plenty of other family-friendly options this week including Lego Lord of the Rings (PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360), Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS), Scribblenauts Unlimited (3DS), and Wonderbook: Book of Spells (PS3).
And if you’re looking for something as far removed from Call of Duty as possible, might I suggest the Midway Arcade Origins compilation for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It contains over 30 games, including classics such as Rampage, Joust, and Smash TV, which was cruelly pulled from the Xbox Live Arcade a few years back and is now available on HD systems once again.
Even more new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
GTA5 has three playable characters, bigger than San Andreas, RDR, GTA4 combined
It looks like the rumors are true. Game Informer‘s cover story is now live for digital subscribers and we’ve learned that Grand Theft Auto V will include three playable characters that players can switch between at any time.
Michael is a retired bank robber who has gotten back into the game to prop up his upper middle class lifestyle. On the opposite side, Trevor is a low-life criminal who lives in a “desert ghetto.” The third character, Franklin, is a young guy who works as a repo man, using his job to steal from the citizens of Los Santos. Each character will have different strengths and skills and when you’re not using them, they’ll go on with their lives.
They will live these lives in a world that is said to be bigger than Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas combined. In addition to the streets and alleyways of Los Santos, GTA5 will also include underwater locations and a bevy of activities (yoga, triathlon, jet-skiing, BASE jumping, tennis, and golf). Finally, like Red Dead Redemption, hitchhikers will offer you missions if you pick them up.
Grand Theft Auto V will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Spring 2013. A new trailer will be released next week.
[Source: G4TV]
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Grand Theft Auto V
NBA 2K13 slams it home as the bestselling game of October 2012
The NPD Group has released their report on the bestselling games of October 2012 and NBA 2K13 has come out on top. The basketball sim’s lack of competition from the now-canceled NBA Live 13 surely pushed it to greater heights and enabled it to hold off other October releases like Resident Evil 6 (#2), Pokemon Black 2 (#3), Dishonored (#4), and Pokemon White 2 (#5).
New releases performed very well in October as Medal of Honor: Warfighter (#8) and Skylanders Giants (#10) also cracked the top ten even though game sales dropped 25% from October 2011. Of course, things like that happen when you’re competing with the one-two punch of Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City.
The full top ten for October 2012 can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2, Dishonored, FIFA Soccer 13, Madden NFL 13, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, NBA 2K13, NPD, Pokemon Black 2/White 2, Resident Evil 6, Skylanders Giants
Development begins on Mass Effect 4 and BioWare wants your opinion
Casey Hudson wants to know what you want to see in Mass Effect 4. The Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series has taken to Twitter to confirm that development has begun on the title (which actually won’t feature Commander Shepard) and to ask fans for feedback on a game that is likely nothing more than scribbles on a piece of paper right now:
We’re in early stages of designing a completely new Mass Effect game. What would you want to see in it?
— Casey Hudson (@CaseyDHudson) November 8, 2012
So let’s see… is this an honest attempt at engaging the community in the creation of the game or is this a preemptive strike against endless complaints about the ending? The world may never know.
Posted in News
Tagged Mass Effect: Andromeda
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm pushed back to early 2013
Perhaps its unfair to say that StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm has been delayed, as Blizzard never promised a 2012 release for the highly-anticipated expansion. But it definitely won’t be out before the end of year as Mike Morhaime, the company’s President and CEO, has confirmed that Heart of the Swarm won’t make it into stores until the first half of 2013:
Next on the slate for Blizzard will be Heart of the Swarm, the first expansion to StarCraft II. With six million copies of Wings of Liberty sold to date, we have a large community of players eagerly awaiting the next installment of StarCraft. Beta testing for Heart of the Swarm is well underway, and the development team has been collecting great feedback from the community. Just last week, we made a major content update to the beta in order to test some important community features, which have been well-received by players. These features are designed to improve the social aspect, as well as the overall user experience for StarCraft players. We’re working hard towards a first half 2013 launch for Heart of the Swarm.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick previously confirmed that Blizzard would release “at least two titles in 2012,” and with Diablo III and World of Warcraft: Mists of Panderia already available, there was no room (and no time) for Heart of the Swarm.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Final boss from PlayStation All-Stars revealed as game goes gold
I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the logic of creating a “mascot fighter” when the majority of your mascots are hyper-realistic human beings. That said, the newly released opening cinematic for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale is hugely entertaining. And it reveals the game’s final boss (original PlayStation mascot Polygon Man!).
On the third hand, Nathan Drake shooting at a prancing Sly Cooper is still pretty ridiculous.
The people of the world will get a chance to judge PlayStation All-Stars for themselves on November 20, when the game is released for the PS3 and Vita. Sony has announced that it’s officially gone gold and will be available at retail stores and on the PlayStation Network as a PS3/Vita Cross-Buy title.
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale
Blizzard announces Diablo III expansion after it sells 10 million copies
Diablo III has stirred up some serious emotions in people since its release back in May. From complaints about the “always-on” DRM requirement to concerns about the end game to a virtual slapfight between the developers and the creator of the first Diablo, the community has seen it all. But that hasn’t stopped people from buying it in droves as Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently revealed the game has sold over 10 million copies:
“Year-to-date, Diablo III is the top-selling game overall based on an estimated digital and retail sales in North America and Europe. Diablo III has already sold an excess of 10 million copies, proving once again that investing in key talent and our top franchise is worth the wait.”
Mike Morhaime, Blizzard’s President, was particuarly pleased with the sales figures. He even went so far as to announced an expansion for the game during the Q&A portion of Activision’s quarterly financial report:
Stephen Ju, Analyst from Credit Suisse AG: “[T]he prior iterations of Diablo seem to have had an expansion pack released about 1 year after the game itself came out. So wondering if you have anything you can share in terms of whether or not you have a similar plan for Diablo III to keep your users engaged.”
Morhaime: “[W]e do have a plan — an expansion planned for Diablo. I don’t have any timeline to talk about. I think that the most important thing for us always comes down to the quality of the expansion and the gameplay, and so that will be a big factor in terms of driving our schedule.”
As with all things Blizzard, the Diablo III expansion will be officially announced when they’re good and ready.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Diablo III
Daily Scoop: November 8, 2012 – Mega Pals
Hello there, friends! You’re going to be sad and disappointed again today when I reveal that I don’t have any new deals to share with you. I’m sure most of you are playing the Mass Effect Trilogy, or Halo 4, or LittleBigPlanet Karting, or you’re just grinding your prestige levels to dust in older Call of Duty games as you prepare for Black Ops II. You don’t even NEED deals, amirite?
Well, in case you do, you should check out the clearance games at Amazon. Dungeon Siege III is under $14, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is under $22, and, well, this Wii Soft Football is a weird looking thing and you should look at it.
But here’s the real reason you love me: the shirts I find! (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News