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
MGS5: Ground Zeroes gets a pre-release price cut and includes Phantom Pain DLC
Konami dropped a lot of information on us this week about Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. For starters, if you purchase the game “early on” (no time period specified), you’ll get exclusive DLC for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. In the retail version, it will be available “in the first batch;” digitally, it will be available for only a limited amount of time. The DLC unlocks additional staff for the Mother Base, introduced in Ground Zeroes, and will give players an advantage against The Phantom Pain.
There will also be unlockable content from Ground Zeroes that will carry over to The Phantom Pain. Ground Zeroes players will have a leg up with the additional staff, which will include rescued prisoners of war and VIPs. You will be able to carry over your character skins as well.
But wait, there’s more! Ground Zeroes will have a second screen iDroid app, which will be available for iOS, Android, and Xbox Smart Glass systems. This free app is a replica of Big Boss’ communicator and map, meaning you’ll be able to look at your maps, call in air support, or play the audio files (found in the form of cassette tapes) found in Camp Omega.
And finally, Konami has announced a price reduction. On the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, physical and digital copies of the game will only cost $29.99. On the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the physical game will be $29.99, while digital will be $19.99. The game will be available starting March 18, 2014, so if you want to get in on some of these special additions, you should pre-order it soon.
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Warner Bros. is making a Minecraft movie
What kind of film could you create out of a video game with no characters, no plot, and no consistent world from player to player? I don’t know, but when you’re talking about the most popular game in the world, Warner Bros. is willing to give it a try. Deadline is reporting that the movie studio has reached a deal with Mojang to create a movie based on Minecraft.
The Minecraft movie will be produced by Roy Lee, who is one of the masterminds behind this year’s massively popular The Lego Movie. Jill Messick, a producer on Mean Girls, will also help bring Minecraft to the silver screen. It is much too early to discuss writers, directors, or actors, but might I suggest Quentin Tarantino for all three? Nah, I’m only joking… I think.
Warner Bros. is no stranger to the world of video games. In addition to producing the next Mortal Kombat movie, the company is one of the few to find success in game publishing thanks to its WB Games label.
Daily Scoop: February 27, 2014 – More bundles
Another week, another set of great bundles! There’s a new Humble Weekly Bundle, and it’s all about simulators! Pay what you want for Bridge Project, Trainz Simulator 12, Euro Truck Simulator, and Wildlife Park 3. Pay $6 or more to unlock Agricultural Simulator 2013, Agricultural Simulator: Historical Farming, and Pool Nation.
There’s also a new bundle, The Pancake Bundle, over at Indie Royale. Pay more than the average for Gentlemen!, Survivor Squad, Eleusis, Gimbal, Talisman Prologue, and Bad Hotel. Pay $8 or more to unlock a bonus album from Dubmood.
Steam’s got some new deals as well, starting with their Daily Deal, which is Mass Effect 2 for $4.99. They’ve also got two new Weekend Deals: the Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army Bundle is $6.24, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst is $23.99.
And, of course, I’ve got t-shirts!
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News
Nintendo Download: Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
While the Professor Layton series will continue in some form, tomorrow’s addition of Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy to the 3DS eShop marks the end of the good Professor’s tenure as the face of the franchise. Also available on the 3DS eShop this week is Tappingo, a puzzle game of a different sort. Taking a bit of inspiration from Minesweeper, Tappingo is can be downloaded today.
Over on the Wii U eShop, Wii U owners will have a chance to download My Farm, a cartoony farm simulator.
Finally, the NES game Renegade is now available on both the 3DS eShop and the Wii U eShop. Renegade is the first game in the long-running “Kunio” series (which is better known in America as the River City Ransom series).
More details about all of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
The Behemoth headlines a list of 65 new developers added to ID@Xbox program
After single-handedly kickstarting the movement to bring indie developers to the console space with the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft seriously dropped the ball with their attempts at indie outreach on the Xbox One. Initially, indie developers were expected to partner with an established publisher to bring their games to the next-generation console. In 2005, this was a reasonable policy. But with Sony and Nintendo’s more open approach to indie developers in recent years, Microsoft has to change. So last year, they removed the publisher requirement and allowed indie developers to self-publish their games on the Xbox One through the ID@Xbox program. The first ID@Xbox games should be released over the next few weeks, but Microsoft has no plans to stop there.
Today, the consolemaker confirmed that over 200 developers have signed up to be a part of the ID@Xbox program. In recent days, 65 indie developers have received Xbox One development kits and the list includes some big names. The Behemoth (of Alien Hominid, Castle Crashers, and BattleBlock Theater fame) leads the way and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for the Xbox One.
A few other big names stand out including FarSight Studios (makers of The Pinball Arcade), Heart Machine (who are currently working on Hyper Light Drifter), Humble Hearts (the team behind Dust: An Elysian Tail), Playdead (the developers of Limbo), and Ska Studios (who created the recent Charlie Murder). The complete list of all 65 indie developers recently added to the ID@Xbox program can be found after the break. (more…)
The Walking Dead Season 2: A House Divided will be released next week
Telltale Games has announced that the second episode of The Walking Dead Season 2, “A House Divided,” will be available to download for the PC and the PS3 (from the PlayStation Store) next Tuesday, March 4. The game’s Xbox Live Arcade and iOS App Store release date will be confirmed “at a later date.” But I’d bet good money that both versions will be available sometime around March 4.
For “A House Divided,” Telltale has tapped Michael Madsen to play the mysterious Carver. What does Carver want? You’ll have to play the game to find out. Like the previous episodic editions, The Walking Dead Season 2’s second episode has been priced at $4.99. All five episodes from Season 2 can also be pre-purchased through the $19.99 Season Pass. If you plan to follow the entire story of Clementine’s survival, it’s a good deal.
Vita owners will be happy to learn that Telltale also confirmed that The Walking Dead Season 2 will be released for Sony’s handheld. The first two episodes will be available to download in late March.
Daily Scoop: February 26, 2014 – Beatbuddy added to Humble Bundle
The guys over at Threaks have been busy! Not only is Beatbuddy coming to tablets and consoles, it’s also been added to the Humble Indie Bundle 11! Pay what you want for Guacamelee! Gold Edition, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, and The Swapper. Pay more than the average for Antichamber, Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine, Fez, Starseed Pilgrim, and Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians. This was a steal before, but now it’s an absolute must-buy!
Today’s Daily Deal over at Steam is Red Faction Guerrilla, which has been marked down to $4.99. Oh, and If you were looking for something to get me for my birthday, you could buy me this bad boy, though I’m afraid I exceed the weight capacity.
And now, t-shirts!
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News
Trials Fusion will be released on April 16
Ubisoft has just announced that the next entry in the beloved Trials series will be released on April 16.
Trials Fusion will be available to download on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam for $19.99. A $39.99 disc-based retail version, which will include the base game and a Season Pass, will also be made available for the next-generation consoles. The Season Pass will be available to purchase separately for $19.99, giving player access to new tracks, bike parts, rider gear, and other items in six packs that will release between now and April 2015. The packs will be available without the season pass, but without the savings of 30%.
If you’re new to the Trials series, here’s what Ubisoft and developer RedLynx had to say about some of the new features found in Trials Fusion:
Trials Fusion builds on the same maddeningly addictive physics-based gameplay as its predecessors while incorporating brand new features, including the FMX tricks system. Players will be able to create tracks that stretch both their imagination and skill, and put their friends to the ultimate Trials test by sharing online with the bustling Trials community, made possible by the fan-favorite Editor Mode.
You can watch the latest trailer for Trials Fusion above.