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
Xbox 360 has record week after Black Friday
The Xbox 360 has been out for seven years now, and a long and great seven years it has been. But with rumors of the upcoming “Xbox 720,” you would think that sales of the system would start to drop off. Well, as the Black Friday sales numbers show, this isn’t even close to true.
Xbox 360 community rep Major Nelson reported on his blog that the Xbox 360 had it’s biggest sales week EVER, selling a grand total of 960,000 consoles, 800,000 of which were sold within a 24 hour period, presumably on Black Friday.
“Xbox 360 was among the best-sellers at Best Buy this Black Friday, and is a testament to the continued popularity of the gaming category this holiday,” said Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager of Home Entertainment at Best Buy.
Another impressive sales figure was the amount of Kinect sensors, bundled or otherwise, that were sold. A grand total of 750,000 sensors were purchased last week.
This is all exemplified by the news that at a Walmart in the Southern California area, a lady used pepper spray to get through a large crowd in order to reach the last of some Xbox 360 systems, so it seems Microsoft’s system has some life left in it after all, enough life to clear out a Walmart, at least.
The Sly Collection added to PlayStation Store
Sony has slyly updated the PlayStation Store with all three games from The Sly Collection, available individually and as a three-game bundle.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves are available to download for $9.99 each and include Trophies, high definition graphics, and a 3D viewing option. At $29.99, The Sly Collection bundle is actually more expensive (by two pennies!) than buying all three games separately.
Also available this week is a multiplayer action game based on Voltron: Defender of the Universe, the theatrical trivia of Scene It? Movie Night, and two more “PS3 Full Games”: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and De Blob 2.
Finally, this week sees the release of the PSone Classic Darkstalkers (vampire fighting, woo!) and the PS2 Classic Tak 2: Staff of Dreams.
For more information on all of these titles (and this week’s new game add-ons), check out the PlayStation.Blog.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged The Sly Collection
Ubisoft deploys new Rainbow 6: Patriots details
Ubisoft has dropped some new intel on the multiplayer mode and campaign for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots. Promising to “[capture] the reality of modern-day terrorism,” the game will require players to make “tough ethical decisions in order to stop this new breed of terrorists.”
Ready for those new details now? Here you go…
Unprecedented Narrative – Patriots’ storyline explores an ultra-realistic what-if scenario inspired by real events and characters. The game will allow players to experience events from multiple perspectives creating an unprecedented level of immersion.
A New Threat For A New Team – Terrorism has evolved and Team Rainbow must face an organized militia of home-grown insurgents. As the leader of a new squad, players will wrestle with difficult ethical decisions and determine if the doing-whatever-it-takes mentality is needed to stop the enemy.
Enhanced Squad Management – At the press of a button, the Rainbow squad will perform the most efficient and deadly tactic given the context of the situation. When extreme measures are required, or when players call for it, you can take full control of your squad to plan the perfect assault.
Evolved Combat – The game’s combat techniques have been pushed to the next level with cover and weapon systems redesigned to accommodate every combat situation. New Rappel and Breach mechanics are now enriched with multiple new techniques including Wall & Ceiling Breach, Fast Rope Rappel, inverted ‘Aussie Style Rappel’, Infiltrate & Subdue, to name a few.
Intense Multiplayer Experience – Players will be rewarded for working as a team and mastering the game’s new features that enhance communication and tactical execution between teammates. Once such feature found in the pre-game online lobby is the Sandtable, a holographic display that helps acquaint players with the level maps before they jump into the action. This will help players strategically coordinate attacks and add a new dimension to squad tactics.
Surprise And Overpower Enemies – Utilize the game’s new Scan mode to strategically breach and infiltrate areas. This new tool will provide a thermal read on the situation, allowing you to determine the squad’s best course to overwhelm and defeat enemies.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Patriots will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2013.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots
Team Bondi to develop Mad Max: Fury Road game, Whore of the Orient
It looks like the staff of Team Bondi won’t be able to escape their former “brutal” boss. Brendan McNamara, the controversial studio head who forced his team to work a “perpetual crunch time,” has been hired by George Miller’s KMM Interactive, the same studio that hired most of the former Team Bondi team members.
And the newly expanded KMM Interactive already has two ambitious projects on their plate. First up, they’ll be developing a game adaptation of Mad Max: Fury Road. Miller has been trying to get the movie (and the game) off the ground for over a decade, but it looks like shooting will finally begin next year. Warner Brothers is helping to produce the film and their interactive division, WB Games, will publish the game adaptation.
KMM Interactive also secured the rights to McNamara’s next project, Whore of the Orient. No details about the game were revealed (though we do know “Whore of the Orient” is a nickname for the city of Shanghai), but McNamara told Eurogamer that “It’s one of the great untold stories of the twentieth century.”
Let’s hope he doesn’t cause another group of developers to go crazy to tell it.
[Source: The Australian Financial Review]
Posted in News
Tagged Mad Max, Whore of the Orient
Rumor: Lego Batman 2 also includes Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman
Warner Bros. President Martin Tremblay confirmed that Lego Batman 2 is in development for a 2012 release last month. But it looks like the Brick Knight’s next adventure will include some help from a few of his super friends.
Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice…
A teaser poster for the game has appeared on Lego fan site BrickTuts showing the title as Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. The poster features the Caped Crusader and his Batmobile battling The Joker alongside Superman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman.
BrickTuts doesn’t cite a source for the poster, but this rumor is likely no joke as Lego has already announced plans to release a DC Super Heroes line of Lego sets in 2012.
Rumor Twin powers activate!
Posted in News
Tagged Lego Batman 2
Cyber Monday Game Deals 2011: Amazon
The Black Friday frenzy may be over, but Amazon has typically saved their best deals for Cyber Monday, and this year is no exception. Their complete list of game deals is brimming with major new releases such as Batman: Arkham City, Madden NFL 12, Gears of War 3, and many, many more.
Hit the jump for a look at some of the best deals at Amazon on this Cyber Monday and don’t forget about those Lightning Deals. (more…)
Weekly Warp-Up: Tryptophan Hangover 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…
Get Warp Zoned!
A lot of gamers are thankful for Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The massive RPG has managed to soak up nearly every gamer that’s not playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. And there are a lot of us out there that are playing more than one of those games at the same time. Whoa!
But like the Pilgrims in search of a new place to call home, one Skyrim player adventured beyond the borders of the game. There he found the lands of Morrowind and Cyrodiil, already available in Skyrim. Is this Bethesda’s plan for future Skyrim expansions? Or is it just a fun Easter Thanksgiving egg for the most dedicated players? Whatever it is, it certainly made for some lively discussion around the dinner table during the holidays.
Hit the jump for the rest of the Weekly Warp-Up. (more…)
Posted in News
New Releases: Mario Kart 7, Assassin’s Creed Revelations for PC, NatGeo Challenge
With December upon us, the Fall gaming rush has come to a close as only a handful of titles are left to be released in 2011. But one of those games is also one of the biggest games of the year, Mario Kart 7. The first “numbered” Mario Kart sequel also adds a number of other new features to the series including karts with hang gliders, underwater tracks, and first-person tilt controls.
Also available in stores this week is the PC version of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and the PS3/Wii/Xbox 360 trivia contest National Geographic Challenge!
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Mario Kart 7