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
Microsoft: Fall 2015 is “so crazy” that we might delay some games
Like every other publisher in the game world, Microsoft doesn’t only have to promote new releases. They also always have to be thinking about what comes next. And as Phil Spencer, the Head of the Xbox Division, recently told Major Nelson, that might involve delaying one or more Xbox One games from 2015 to 2016:
“Looking at production schedules and how things are lining up, next Fall is just crazy. I mean, this Fall from a first party/third party standpoint is great. Next Fall, I don’t… Honestly it’s not hype at all, I honestly don’t know that we can actually ship all the stuff that thinks it’s trying to ship next Fall. It just might be too crowded and we might purposely try to move some things out to spread it. You have to [give them some breathing room], you have to do that.”
We learned quite a bit about Microsoft’s 2015 release schedule during this year’s E3 Expo. Halo 5: Guardians and Rise of the Tomb Raider are both currently penciled in for a “Fall 2015” release while Remedy’s Quantum Break will launch sometime next year. And then there’s Crackdown 3, Platinum’s Scalebound, and Phantom Dust 2, all of which are in development and may launch in 2015. Black Tusk’s Gears of War 4 is also in development and it’s mysterious nature likely already points to a 2016 release.
So which ones will get the boot? Possibly none of them as Spencer also told Major Nelson that he is a strong believer in a year-round release calendar:
“I think as publishers and first parties have success at multiple points of the year it’s just a good thing for us, because having three/four great games ship all in the same week at the end of October, while maybe on some forecast somewhere it feels like that’s the right thing to do, just as an industry I think it’s much more healthy if we have more beats throughout the year where people can ship great games.”
As of right now, Screamride is the only 2015 game with a known release date. It’ll be available for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 in the Spring.
Atari: Game Over documentary will premiere on November 20
Director Zak Penn has confirmed (via Twitter) that the Atari: Game Over documentary will make its Xbox Live debut on November 20:
Atari: Game Over premiering Nov 20 on XBOX #ataridoc
— Zak Penn (@zakpenn) October 31, 2014
Atari: Game Over will tell the story of the game company’s downfall, with a particular focus on E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which was the subject of a massive dig in an Alamogordo landfill back in April. During the dig, Penn and his team discovered a treasure trove of Atari 2600 titles under the dirt, confirming a long-held belief that the company trashed thousands (perhaps millions) of copies of unsold games.
With the recent closure of Xbox Entertainment Studios, the film has the distinction of being one of the first (and one of the last) film productions created by Microsoft.
Get a look at three classes from BattleCry in this new trailer
Bethesda showcased three character classes from BattleCry in a second gameplay trailer of the game released during this year’s PAX Australia expo.
“The Enforcer” is, not surprisingly, a melee character with the most hit points. He will carry a large sword that can also transform into a durable shield. I gotta admit, that is pretty cool. “The Tech Archer” delivers death from above with a long-range bow and other projectile weapons. However, she is vulnerable in up-close combat. Finally, “The Duelist” is a stealth melee character that also has “some of the lowest hit points in the game.” But his fanciful mustache should count for something, right? Other planned classes includes “The Brawler” and “The Gadgeteer,” we’ll likely learn more about these character types in a future video.
BattleCry’s beta will begin in 2015 in Australia and New Zealand before opening up to players throughout the rest of the world.
Weekly Warp-Up: Xbox One Price Cut 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…
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft blinked first in offering a price cut on their new-generation console. The system already received a pseudo-discount earlier this year when Microsoft began unbundling the Kinect sensor and now a further $50 price cut begins today. As of right now, the Xbox One price cut is considering “temporary” by Microsoft, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes permanent by 2015.
Microsoft wasn’t just reacting to Sony’s dominance with the PS4, but also a surging Nintendo. The Japanese giant revealed new sales figures for the Wii U that place it well ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox One in the console sales race. Nintendo also reiterated that they have at least a dozen Wii U games planned for release in 2015 including a new Legend of Zelda, a new Star Fox, and Xenoblade Chronicles X.
Elsewhere on Warp Zoned, Nicole Kline filed a review of Level-5’s bizarre soccer/RPG hybrid, Inazuma Eleven, while John Scalzo (hey, that’s me) reviewed Rovio’s latest free-to-play game, Angry Birds Transformers.
Looking for more news? Then I suggest you look for it after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
Handsome Jack will join Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel as fifth playable character
Admit it, ever since Borderlands 2 came out, you’ve wanted to play as Handsome Jack. Well, you’ll get your chance (sort of) in the “Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack,” the first downloadable content pack for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Available on November 11, players will be able to take control of Jack’s Doppelganger, who is able to summon multiple Jack clones to aid him in battle:
As “Jack,” you’ll be able to summon multiple Digi-Jacks, which will join you in battle to mow down enemies and earn you more sweet, sweet loot. Depending on how you spec out your Skill Trees, these Digi-Jacks can earn you bonuses or even get you a Second Wind in Fight For Your Life. “Jack” can also shoot enemies with wrist lasers, get buffs every time he picks up money (in typical CEO fashion), or even get upgrades for using guns made by specific manufacturers.
The Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack will be the first piece of content available through the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass (which is available for $29.99) and can also be purchased separately for $9.99 on the PC, PS3, or Xbox 360.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
New Releases: CoD: Advanced Warfare, Wolf Among Us, Harvest Moon: Lost Valley, More
It’s the first full week of November, so you know what that means, don’t you? Activision is rolling out the latest entry in their Call of Duty franchise, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Starring Kevin Spacey as Jonathan Irons, the head of a massive Private Military Contractor, the near-future shooter will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Naturally, this also means that all of the other publishers are ducking Advanced Warfare and holding their big November games until later in the month. Sometimes Nintendo bucks the trend with a big game, but not this year. Instead, we get the 3DS game Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (the first in the series to be developed in-house at Natsume) and Telltale’s collected edition of The Wolf Among Us (PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One). And speaking of collections, 2K Games bundled together BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition for the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week.
The full list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged BioShock Infinite, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, The Wolf Among Us
Current GTA V players will receive bonus content if they upgrade to PC, PS4, or Xbox One
Image from VG247
Rockstar is getting ready to release Grand Theft Auto V on next-gen consoles, and with that, it’s also delivering a lot of extras as loyalty rewards to those who upgrade from their old PS3 and Xbox 360 editions. These rewards come as new items and activities, including a Murder Mystery (which lets you unlock two “Noir Style Filters”), weapons, vehicles, and the ability to photograph a bunch of Monkey Mosaics. Hit the jump for full details on all of the rewards, or check out Rockstar’s announcement.
Grand Theft Auto V will be released on November 18 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and will be coming to PC on January 27, 2015. (more…)
Adam Sessler takes you behind the scenes of Evolve’s development
Adam Sessler is hosting a new miniseries about Evolve, called “The Evolution of Evolve.” He sits down with Design Director Chris Ashton and Creative Director Phil Robb from Turtle Rock Studios and discusses the development and design of this enormous game. “Part 1: Asymmetric Multiplayer Design and Big Alpha” takes a look at the way the game throws balance on its head, as well as what the developers hope to gain from the Big Alpha.
Evolve is scheduled to launch on February 10, 2015 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.