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
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance trailer released (Not in 3D)
As of this morning, a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance has been released. The trailer displays both cinematic and gameplay segments of the upcoming Square Enix game, both of which look incredibly smooth and polished – at least by the 3DS standards.
While the trailer showcases much of Destiny Island and Traverse Town, it looks like there will be a few new worlds for the player to travel in, specifically the cutscene showing Sora running through what looks like the bell tower from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Several new types of gameplay seem to be added as well, as Sora is shown tearing up turf around Traverse Town. It appears as though lamps and obstacles may not just be for show anymore, thereby incorporating more of an interactive action feel to the game.
Despite how interesting KH3DS looks, I’m not alone in saying that it’s time for a full-fledged Kingdom Hearts 3.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Sony reveals their Next Generation Portable, the NGP
As expected, Sony revealed the next generation of the PSP platform at an event in Tokyo late last night. The new system, which Sony has temporarily named the “Next Generation Portable” (NGP), looks very similar to the current PSP design. But now it includes two analog sticks and a multi-touch OLED screen. The gamemaker plans to release the NGP by the end of 2011.
Like they did with the PSP, Sony is touting the graphical capabilities of the NGP, saying the system’s “high-performance CPU/GPU” will create “rich, visually striking graphics never seen before on a portable entertainment system.” They also talked up the system’s unique multi-touch pad on the back of the handheld, which will allow “touch, grab, trace, push and pull” motions in games. Six-Axis motion sensing rounds out the control options for the NGP.
The system will also make use of two cameras (one on the front and one on the back) along with a new game storage medium. The UMD is dead (though PSP games downloaded from the PlayStation Store will run on the NGP) and in its place is a “small flash memory-based card” that will be able to store save data and add-on content. As games get bigger, Sony plans to release larger cards allowing the system to be “forwards compatible” in a way.
Sony also wants to make the NGP a social machine with two applications, LiveArea and Near, that can “trigger real-time communication” among gamers and offer an activity log of recent games played. A built-in GPS program will also aid in the social aspects of the NGP.
As you might have expected, no pricing information was announced.
PS3 firmware update 3.56 is now live
Sony released what they call a small security patch tonight, presumably to deal with the recent hacking of the console, particularly affecting Modern Warfare 2. Unfortunately, PlayStationLifeStyle.net claims hackers have already decrypted the new security keys and are working to continue homebrew. Don’t expect the download to be a quickie; it took me a few minutes just now to get it on my PS3.
Hydrophobia creators announce “Listening Post”
Dark Energy Digital, creators of the XBLA game Hydrophobia, recently announced a new feature on their site called the Hydrophobia Listening Post. Intended to create an open communication between fans and developers, the questions are designed to help Dark Energy Digital understand what works and what doesn’t from the perspective of their fans.
This isn’t the first time they’ve been open to communication from fans. A few weeks ago, they launched Hydrophobia Pure, a patch for Hydrophobia that incorporated many changes and updates based on comments from both critics and fans. The plan is to move forward in their development with all of this in mind and keep that conduit open. Hydrophobia is an episodic game considered to be a full retail title with a digital price tag. Here’s hoping Dark Energy Digital releases the rest of their vision.
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Hydrophobia
5th Cell details XBLA shooter Hybrid
5th Cell, the developers of the ultracute Scribblenauts and its equally cute sequel Super Scribblenauts, will be branching out in 2011. The developer is hard at work on Hybrid, a “revolutionary” third-person shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade.
Before today, Hybrid’s storyline was a pretty closely guarded secret. But now we know just what the game’s about:
“Hybrid is set in the post-apocalyptic year 2031, after an extinction-level asteroid collided with Earth wiping out billons. A single-celled alien bacterium buried deep within the asteroid spread into the atmosphere, infecting half of the survivors and turning them into the Variant, a genetically altered race. Six years later the Variant began a new world order and waged a massive global war against the immune populace, known as the Paladin.”
Players will be able to take up arms as a Paladin or a Variant in a “persistent online world war.” As players win battles for their faction, territories and countries on the game’s world map will turn Paladin blue or Variant red.
Hybrid will also introduce a gameplay mechanic called “Combat Focused Movement.” 5th Cell didn’t explain what that means for shooter fans, but they did promise to reveal more during the 2011 Game Developers Conference, which runs from February 28th through March 4th.
Breach out on Xbox Live Arcade today
At PAX East last year, there was a game so ill, so hot that the young fellow pictured to the left just had to steal it. Apparently, he just plugged his laptop into Atomic Games’ machine, and when the developers came over to ask what he was doing he replied “stealing your game.” What could possibly be in a game that is so mind-blowing to induce a young man to go to any depth to get it? You’ll get a chance to find out today as Breach, Atomic Games’ latest military shooter, arrives on XBLA and PC today. Using the engine built for the controversial Six Days in Fallujah, the game will run you 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) or a suggested retail price of $19.99 or less on PC.
MotoGP 10/11 launching 3/15, PSN demo coming in February
Capcom announced today the official release date for its motorcycle racing game MotoGP 10/11, and the game will be on store shelves March 15, 2011. This entry boasts completely new racing simulation physics, hoping to make this the most realistic entry in the series to date. Players will be able to take on the persona of GP heroes Danny Pedrosa or Andrea Davizioso on the Mugello circuit or try to best their own records in Time Trial. New player assist features allow users to customize their bikes and control setups. A PSN demo will be coming in February, but no firm date was given.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged MotoGP 10/11
My childhood taking over Facebook on 2/2/2011 via Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego
Darius Kazemi of Blue Fang Games recently announced on his blog that he is working on Facebook ports of Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandego?
These Edutainment classics from back in the day are being published by The Learning Company and are set to be released on February 2nd (Oregon Trail) and February 9th (Carmen Sandiego). These two titles were very formative games for an entire generation of gamers I’m proud to say I’m a part of, appearing on computers in public schools and libraries all across the country. Hit the jump for the official trailers of the games. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged PC, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?