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
- 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
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- 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)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
Most Recent: News
Activision will release Variety Map Pack for CoD: Modern Warfare Remastered on PS4 on March 21
Activision has announced plans to expand Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered with four additional multiplayer maps later this month. Available to download for the PS4 on March 21, the Variety Map Pack will be priced at $14.99 and also include 10 Rare Supply Drops. PC and Xbox One owners interested in the Variety Map Pack will likely get a chance to download it beginning sometime next month.
If the previous nine years have dulled your memories of the Variety Map Pack, don’t worry, Activision revealed a few more details about the expansion’s four multiplayer maps on the Activision Games Blog:
Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered’s Variety Map Pack
- Broadcast: Based on the TV station from the campaign mission “Charlie Don’t Surf”, this map provides a unique blend of confined corridors and wide-open spaces. Outside the station, the parking lot contains long sightlines, but once inside, cramped hallways and a computer-cluttered broadcast room provide ample close-range combat opportunities.
- Chinatown: Set in a foggy downtown district, this nighttime map is lit up by flickering neon signs and a full moon. A re-imagining of the original Call of Duty multiplayer map “Carentan”, players will need to be careful on these streets, as almost every building in the map can be occupied, providing perfect cover for enemies waiting for a chance to line you up in their sights.
- Creek: Set in a wide-open village ravaged by combat where concealment is the difference between life and death, a gaping ravine divides this map into two. Open clearings with sheer cliff faces and ample forested cover make this map ideal for snipers and long-range firefights.
- Killhouse: A small training warehouse filled with various building mock ups that feature soft and hard cover points. Expect fast-paced and fierce firefights for maximum close-quarters chaos.
Access to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered was included as a bonus in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Legacy Edition, and it remains to be seen if Activision will ever release the remake as a standalone game in the future.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Outlast II will be released on April 25 alongside a retail collection of both games
Red Barrels announced yesterday that Outlast II will be available to download through digital storefronts on April 25. The developer also revealed that they’re partnering with WB Games on Outlast Trinity, a special retail collection for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One that includes the original Outlast, its Whistleblower expansion, and the sequel.
The original Outlast was absolutely terrifying, and Red Barrels has been working hard to make sure Outlast II is just as scary. But the developer is also taking the survival horror sequel in a new direction with a new protagonist and a new locale:
The sequel to the original critically acclaimed game, Outlast II is a twisted new journey into the depths of the human mind and its dark secrets. Blake Langermann, a cameraman working with his wife Lynn, must take risks and dig deep to uncover the stories no one else will dare touch. As the two follow a trail of clues that started with the seemingly impossible murder of a pregnant woman known only as Jane Doe, the investigation leads them miles into the Arizona desert to a darkness so deep that no one could shed light upon it, and a corruption so profound that going mad may be the only sane thing to do.
“We’ve been lucky to have such an amazing fan base, and none of this would have been possible without their support,” said Philippe Morin, a Co-Founder of Red Barrels. “Ever since we released Outlast in 2013, a physical version has been one of the top requests, so we’re obviously thrilled to finally give people the entire series in one bundle of terror.”
Voodoo Vince Remastered will be released for the Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 18
Even though gamers immediately embraced Halo: Combat Evolved, the Xbox struggled to find an identity in the early 2000s. Microsoft released a mish-mash of titles for their first console over the years, and even tried to challenge Mario with several different mascot platformers. None of them stuck the landing, but oddities like Blinx: The Time Sweeper and Grabbed By the Ghoulies still have fans today.
Voodoo Vince was also part of this fraternity, and Microsoft announced today they’re going to re-release the puzzle platformer for the Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 18 as Voodoo Vince Remastered. Originally developed by Beep Industries, Voodoo Vince’s 2003 debut was a quirky adventure that took the title character through the “magical underbelly of New Orleans.” You can reacquaint yourself with the wisecracking voodoo doll in the Announcement Trailer embedded above.
Voodoo Vince Remastered will receive a full graphical makeover, running in 60 FPS at 1080p resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio. The game will also include an updated soundtrack from original composer Steve Kirk, as well as Xbox Play Anywhere support.
If you can’t wait until April, Voodoo Vince Remastered will be available for fans to try out at this weekend’s PAX East convention in the ID@Xbox booth.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged PAX East 2017, Voodoo Vince
Sign up now for the Quake Champions Closed Beta… and play it this weekend at PAX East
Bethesda and id Software have announced that a Closed Beta for Quake Champions will begin “in the coming weeks.” So if you’re interested in re-entering the Arena, head over to Quake.com right now and sign up for the chance to participate.
However, if you’re shipping up to Boston to attend this weekend’s PAX East convention, you’ll also get a chance to play the game in Bethesda’s booth (#18007 and #20007).
To celebrate the Closed Beta, Bethesda has released a brand new gameplay trailer, and they plan to unveil two more gameplay videos (one focusing on a Champion named Nyx and another featuring the “Blood Covenant” Arena) later this week.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged PAX East 2017, Quake Champions
Sony will bring 26 playable PS4 games to PAX East 2017
Sony has announced (via the PlayStation Blog, naturally) that they’re bringing 26 PS4 games to this year’s PAX East convention.
By giving attendees more than two dozen demo options, Sony will be able to showcase a wide variety of titles at their booth including AAA blockbusters (Gran Turismo Sport and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy), highly-anticipated indie offerings (Cosmic Star Heroine, Tooth & Tail, and What Remains of Edith Finch), and a few PlayStation VR curiosities (Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin and Farpoint).
Here’s a full look at the 26 PS4 games Sony will bring to PAX East 2017 (though a few of them are also in development for the Vita):
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The 2017 PAX East convention will open its doors this Friday, March 10, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Developer Boomfire Games goes for nostalgia with Furwind
A surefire way to grab the attention of a retro gaming enthusiast is by presenting them with either a new way to play their classic games, or a new game designed with old school graphics and gameplay in mind. Development studio Boomfire Games attempted to do the latter when they announced Furwind, their latest game.
Furwind was recently added to Steam Greenlight, and Boomfire described the game as “a very classic approach, with colorful pixel art and a gameplay for everyone.”
Inspired by Rayman and Super Mario Bros., Furwind has an interesting premise, with a cute fox protagonist on a quest to defeat an evil menace who has been awakened by a diabolical cult that aims to disrupt the balance of nature. Along the way, Furwind must appease his ancestors in order to unlock additional powers that he can use on his journey to restore the worlds balance.
Truth be told, developers latching onto the nostalgia of those who grew up during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras are a-dime-a-dozen these days. A developer who creates a retro-styled game has to find that certain… hook… that reels the prospective player in, and converts them to a paying and playing customer.
Furwind is currently in development, and Boomfire expects to release it for the PC later this year. In the meantime, check out some adorable screenshots after the break. (more…)
Atlus released a new “Sizzle Trailer” today for Persona 5
Persona 5, the first numbered entry in the series since the PlayStation 2 era, is less than a month away from its arrival on the shelves of your local game retailer. To celebrate the impending launch, Atlus released a brand new trailer for the game today.
The “Sizzle Trailer,” as Atlus is calling it, provides prospective players with a bit more insight than previous trailers have, as fans will get the chance to see additional combat, classroom scenes, cutscenes, and skill building. Those who watch the trailer will even learn a little more about Persona 5’s storyline.
From what we’re able to gather, the game’s Protagonist will be a high school transfer student with a troubled reputation. Distancing itself from the countryside setting of Persona 4, Persona 5 takes place in the vibrant and bustling city of Tokyo, where the troubled youths form a group called the Phantom Thieves in an effort to change the world. However, stepping away from previous narratives, we can conclude that the incidents unfolding throughout the game will have a greater impact on things outside of Japan. What that will be, and how it will impact the storyline, remains to be seen.
But like previous entries in the Persona franchise, we know for certain that Persona 5 centers around a group of Japanese students who unlock the powers of their Persona by removing their social masks and embracing their true “self.”
Atlus has announced that they have more promotional material slated for release ahead of Persona 5’s launch for the PS4 and PS3 on April 4th. But for now, you can enjoy the above trailer and focus on finishing up Persona 4… if you haven’t already.
Weekly Warp-Up: Nintendo Finally Launched the Switch…
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…
After a few months of teasing, Nintendo has officially unleashed the Switch on the world. The console/handheld hybrid seems to have had a successful launch, and the company is prepping fans for a second wave of titles with a new Nintendo Direct that confirmed more than 60 “Nindies” are in development for the machine, including SteamWorld Dig 2, Runner 3, Yooka-Laylee, and more. Capcom also announced that Ultra Street Fighter II will be released for the Switch on May 26.
Microsoft will attempt to compete with Nintendo’s latest console (and Sony, of course) with the launch of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service this Spring. This kind of “all-you-can-eat” download service has never been tried on a console before, and it should be very interesting to see how gamers react to it.
With all this talk about new games and new consoles, let’s not forget the Video Game History Foundation was founded to create a digital record of the industry’s past.
Elsewhere on Warp Zoned this week, we reviewed Double Dragon IV, and the staff got together to discuss What We Played in February and The Games of March.
Andrew Rainnie, UK Correspondent extraordinaire, sat down with the owner of Super Bario, the owner of Glasgow’s first arcade bar, for a conversation about Joysticks, Pints, and Kickstarter. And finally, the Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time rolls on with #3, Super Mario 64, and a look at the launch of the Nintendo 64.
Everything comes full circle, and the rest of the of the news from this past week can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News