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
Dontnod partners with Focus Home for Vampyr RPG
Focus Home Interactive has announced they’ve teamed up with Dontnod Entertainment to publish a new role playing game known as Vampyr. Presumably, it’ll have something to do with vampires, but for now, all we’ve got to go on is this Twitter tease:
With @DONTNOD_Ent and @FocusHome, the blood will drip! #FocusHome pic.twitter.com/N8P7T8HlVt
— Focus Interactive (@FocusHome) January 20, 2015
Dontnod is a relatively new developer and they released their first game, the futuristic beat ’em up Remember Me, in 2013. The first episode of their most recent game, Life Is Strange, will be available on January 30.
Nintendo is bringing the New 3DS XL (and Zelda: Majora’s Mask) to PAX South 2015
Nintendo has announced their PAX South 2015 plans and if you’re itching to try out the New 3DS XL, you’ll be very happy.
The consolemaker will have their new handheld on hand at the convention, as well as two games that take advantage of its increased horsepower… The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. And in case you missed it last Fall, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS will also be playable on the show floor. Best of all, congoers who are dressed up as any character from Majora’s Mask will be able to skip the line and start playing right away.
The inaugural edition of PAX South will take place this weekend (January 23-25) in San Antonio, Texas at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Tickets are still available if you’re interested in going and Nintendo has also promised a real-life replica of the Majora’s Mask that you can get your picture with. Sounds like a good time.
Nintendo will end Club Nintendo in June; New loyalty program to launch “at a later date”
A few months ago, we suggested how Nintendo could fix the Club Nintendo program to better appeal to their fans. Rather than heed our advice, it looks like the consolemaker has decided to scrap the whole thing and start over with a new loyalty program later this year.
Announced earlier this morning, Nintendo has revealed that Club Nintendo will shut down for good in June. Wii U and 3DS owners may still collect Coins by registering products or completing surveys through March, but all Coins must be spent by June. To help deplete your virtual bank account, Nintendo plans to add a ton of new physical rewards and game downloads to the Club Nintendo program beginning in February.
“We thank all Club Nintendo members for their dedication to Nintendo games and their ongoing love for our systems and characters,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “We want to make this time of transition as easy as possible for our loyal Club Nintendo members, so we are going to add dozens of new rewards and downloadable games to help members clear out their Coin balances.”
As a further thank you to users of the program, Nintendo has announced that every Club Nintendo member will be able to download Flipnote Studio 3D for free. The free game offer will be available in February and must be redeemed by March 31.
Nintendo will announce plans for a new loyalty program “a later date.”
Bandai Namco’s Amusement division unveils first Time Crisis 5 “Dual Pedal” trailer
Who says the arcade is dead? Definitely not the organizers of the European Amusement and Gaming Expo, which was held in London last week. Bandai Namco was there and they presented Time Crisis 5 and its Dual Pedal system for the first time. The latest game in the light gun series is currently in development and will be available internationally soon. A console release has yet to be announced, but hopefully we’ll get lucky.
This newly released trailer showcases many of Time Crisis 5’s new features. The game’s Dual Pedal system allows players to sneak around to the left or the right to get a better shot at the terrorists attempting to pump them full of lead. In another first for the series, the Weapon Toggle button on the light gun will let players switch between four different weapons. Time Crisis 5 will include three stages, which will expand to six once development on the “True Mastermind Edition” is complete. For now, players will be able to blast their way through a tropical resort, sit in the gunner’s seat of a helicopter, and take part in a high speed motorcycle chase.
Time Crisis 5 should be available at an arcade near you (if there is an arcade near you) sometime this Spring.
Posted in News
Sid Meier’s Starships promises turn-based space combat on PC and iPad
Sid Meier and his team at Firaxis Games have announced that they’re going back into space with Starships, a turn-based strategy game in development for the PC (Windows and Mac) and iPad. But we won’t have to wait too long to try it out as the game will be released sometime in “early 2015.”
“When designing Starships, I was intrigued by the idea of exploring the next chapter in the story of Civilization: Beyond Earth. What happens after we colonize our new home and eventually build starships to take to the stars? What has become of our long-lost brothers and sisters from the planet Earth?” said Sid Meier, Drector of Creative Development at Firaxis Games. “My goal was to create an experience that focuses on starship design and combat within a universe filled with interstellar adventure, diplomacy, and exploration.”
If you ever wanted to channel your inner Admiral Kirk, Firaxis has revealed that Starships will include a series of turn-based space battles and players will be required to manage an entire armada of starships:
Sid Meier’s Starships challenges players to build a planetary federation by exploring the galaxy, expanding its influence and domain, researching futuristic technologies and engaging in deep, turn-based tactical space combat with an armada of uniquely customizable starships. Each new campaign will feature its own distinctive galactic strategy map of worlds with dynamically generated tactical combat missions that will enhance the game’s replay value.
Finally, Starships will connect with Civilization: Beyond Earth in some way and players who own both games will discover some form of “cross-connectivity” between the two games that will “enhance and expand the depth of both game experiences.”
Posted in Mobile, News, PC
Tagged Civilization: Beyond Earth
DMi acquires NASCAR license; NASCAR 15 and NASCAR 16 announced
The NASCAR license has changed hands several times over the last decade, and now it looks like it’s pulling into a new garage for 2015 and 2016. After being parked at Eutechnyx since 2010, the next NASCAR game will be produced by DMi Games. DMi was founded by Ed Martin, who was formerly employed at Eutechnyx and Papyrus (another former NASCAR developer).
As part of the announcement on their official website, DMi has confirmed that they are hard at work on NASCAR 16 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This is just the first of many projects from the developer, which also has “several new games” in the works.
But what if you want to play a new NASCAR game this year? Good news, DMi also announced that NASCAR 15, developed by Eutechnyx, will launch for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this Spring. NASCAR 15 is being referred to as a “season update” and will be released exclusively as a digital download.
It’s currently unknown if DMi will work with an outside publisher to release their NASCAR games. Eutechnyx partnered with Activision for NASCAR 2011, NASCAR: Inside Line, and NASCAR 2013 before signing a deal with Deep Silver to publish NASCAR 14.
Amplitude has been delayed, will now take the stage this Summer
Harmonix turned to Kickstarter last year to seek funding for a PS4/PS3 reboot of Amplitude. They reached their goal, and then some, thanks to backing and support from some of the industry’s biggest names. But now it looks like the game won’t make it’s planned March 2015 launch.
In an update to their Kickstarter page, the developer has revealed that they’ve hit a bit of a snag developing for the PS4 and have the game’s release back to sometime this Summer:
This is our first time working on PlayStation 4, and it’s been a big learning experience for the team. We’ve put a lot of work into our proprietary engine to support some of the new, awesome content we’re bringing to the reboot. These factors combined have bumped production out a few additional months.
[…]
With Amplitude and our promise of open development, you’ve given us the opportunity to create the game we want to make and, more importantly, make the game that you want. In order to meet that goal, we don’t want to cut any corners, and we want to stay true to our vision and deliver the best Amplitude experience possible.
Harmonix has also confirmed that Amplitude will make a playable appearance at this year’s PAX East convention, so if you weren’t able to make it last month’s PlayStation Experience, you’ll get another chance to play it this March… but not the full game, that won’t be out until this Summer.
Posted in News, PS3, PS4
Tagged Amplitude, PAX East 2015
This Saints Row IV: Re-Elected + Gat Out of Hell infomercial doubles as a launch trailer
Deep Silver and Volition will release a special “Re-Elected” version of Saints Row IV for the PS4 and Xbox One this week alongside the Gat Out of Hell expansion. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected aims to be the ultimate Saints Row IV package and will include every piece of downloadable content released for the game. And if you’re a PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 owner, don’t worry, Gat Out of Hell will be available as a standalone download/retail release on those platforms.
But don’t let simple facts sell you on this game, let Deep Silver’s infomercial-style launch trailer (and an accompanying toll-free number… 1-866-573-6626) do it for:
Fly like a majestic hell angel. Hang out with historical figures like Vlad the Impaler, Blackbeard the pirate, and fictional ones like William Shakespeare from all those movies about poems and love! Use dozens upon dozens of Hell-related weaponry, neat-o super powers, and brutal takedowns inspired by real martial art moves.
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell will be available this Tuesday, January 20.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Saints Row IV, Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell