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
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Most Recent: News
TIGA accuses EU commission of hindering UK games industry
It has not been a great time for the UK games industry, losing the likes of Blitz Games in 2013 and, more recently, Ghost Games UK being hit by a number of layoffs. Activision has also revealed it is considering closing its Leeds-based games studio Blast Furnace.
Now, the trade association known as TIGA (The Independent Game Developer Association) has firmly pointed the finger at a European Commission investigation into planned tax breaks for the industry. The new legislation was introduced to move the UK more in line with other countries where the games industry is flourishing, such as France and Canada. However, Joaquin Almunia, the EU competition commissioner, thwarted the plans introduced in 2013, which would have offered 25% tax relief on up to 80% of a game’s budget if the money was spent in the UK. Almunia argued that there was no need for aid to be given to the industry as there was, according to an EU report, “no obvious market failure.” The competition commissioner conceded he was also worried that if the UK plans were pushed through, it could start a chain reaction across Europe.
TIGA shot down Almunia’s comments, and TIGA’s chairman, Dr. Richard Wilson, said, “We have strong anecdotal evidence that this is now harming our industry.” He also lambasted the European Commission for dawdling on the matter, with no definitive deadline or time schedule for a decision to be made on tax relief. “They could reply tomorrow, next month, in six months or 12 months,” he added. “This has really gone on for a long time now.”
For the sake of Blast Furnace and other UK studios, it had best be sooner rather than later.
[Source: BBC]
Posted in News
XBL Store Today: Wolf Among Us Episode 2, Fable Anniversary, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z
For those looking for new content on the Xbox Live Store today, here’s what you’ll find:
- The Wolf Among Us: Smoke & Mirrors, the second episode of Telltale’s Fables adaptation continues the story of Bigby the Big Bad Wolf.
- Fable Anniversary, everyone’s favorite Xbox RPG, complete with the “Lost Chapters” expansion.
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, a multiplayer brawler and the latest game in Bandai Namco’s long-running series of Dragon Ball Z adaptations.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, Fable Anniversary, The Wolf Among Us
Outlast, Ace Combat: Infinity beta, Wolf Among Us: Episode 2 added to PS Store
Red Barrels’ creepy horror hit, Outlast, is now available on the PS4. The game is available as a free download for PlayStation Plus subscribers while the rest of us will have to play $19.99. A variety of other games are also included in this week’s PlayStation Store update. They include:
- The second episode of Telltale’s Fables adaptation, The Wolf Among Us: Smoke & Mirrors (PS3).
- Dustforce (PS3 / Vita), a side-scroller from Capcom that asks players to clean up.
- Trapt, a PS2 Classic in the cult favorite Deception series.
- Gex: Enter the Gecko, a platformer favorite original released for the PSone.
PS3 owners will also be able to give the Ace Combat: Infinity beta a try this week. The free download is available across the world… except in publisher Bandai Namco’s home country of Japan.
More information on all of these games and a few others can be found after the break. And a complete list of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita
Tagged Ace Combat: Infinity, Outlast, The Wolf Among Us
Rumor: Disney developing Marvel and Star Wars expansions for Disney Infinity
Nestled into an incredibly depressing Wall Street Journal article about upcoming layoffs at Disney Interactive was this comment:
New versions of [Disney Infinity] featuring characters from Disney’s Marvel superhero unit and the Star Wars universe it acquired along with Lucasfilm in 2012 are being developed.
Disney Interactive – which has about 3,000 employees – will be letting go of several hundred of them. “The cuts at Disney Interactive, which has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years as it struggled to reach profitability, are expected to begin after the media giant releases its quarterly financial results Wednesday.” Disney Infinity’s success “was considered critical for its continuing videogame efforts after a number of failures.”
While it’s exciting to hear about possible Marvel and Star Wars expansions, it’s difficult to hear about more layoffs in the industry. Hopefully the layoffs are just a rumor.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes
The 90s Arcade Racer development is going well; Summer 2014 launch planned
There’s been an update about The 90s Arcade Racer over at Nicalis news blog. The developer is excited to announce that porting the game from PC to Wii U is going well, despite having its “fair share of challenges.” There are a few things that aren’t translating to Wii U (and likely won’t be able to work on other consoles, either).
However, the developers have emphasized that “fidelity, image quality and a smooth framerate are our priorities,” and they are happy so far. The main goal for them is to make a “fun arcade experience,” and they want for there to be 30 cars you can race against in each race.
There’s no release date yet, but Nicalis’ goal right now is a mid-2014 release for The 90s Arcade Racer on the PC and the Wii U.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged 90s Super GP
NIS America has released a new trailer for The Witch and the Hundred Knight
In The Witch and the Hundred Knight, you play as the Hundred Knight whose goal is to spread the swamp for your witchy master. You explore the world, fight enemies, and spread the swamp, all while making sure your calorie count stays up. There are a few ways to do that, but so far it looks like the best way is by eating your enemies.
The wacky Witch and the Hundred Knight will be published by NIS America on the PlayStation 3 on March 25, 2014.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged The Witch and the Hundred Knight
Steam version of Ikaruga will include side-scrolling mode and other additions
Treasure, the developers of classic game Ikaruga, will be bringing their much-loved game to the PC soon with some extra goodies. This announcement comes in the wake of their reveal about a new PC game they’re working on. While we wait for that, we get to play Ikaruga with a few changes.
The PC version of the game will have “a new mode with a horizontal screen orientation,” according to Siliconera. It also has a new Double Play Mode, in which you can use one controller to control two ships.
Ikaruga will also take advantage of Steam’s ranking and Cloud features, among others. It will be available on Steam “soon” at the price of $9.99. You probably won’t have any trouble running it, but if you’re worried, here are the system requirements.
Square Enix teaches you how to stay stealthy in “Thief 101” trailer
The Thief series is one of the premier stealth-action game franchises of all time. The first installment, Thief: The Dark Project, revolutionized the genre by adding light and sound mechanics to the stealth elements. The game spawned two sequels, but after Thief: Deadly Shadows was released in 2004, fans began to wonder if the series was gone for good.
Nearly a full decade later, gamers are finally going to get their hands on the next Thief game, which seeks to reboot the franchise and bring it into the next generation of gaming. A trailer was released earlier today that details a number of different gameplay mechanics, including use of the bow, an overview of the stealth aspects, and character progression. While the game is being developed by Eidos Montreal (Deux Ex: Human Revolution), it’s nearly impossible not to compare the upcoming title to Bethesda’s recent release, Dishonored.
Of course this isn’t a bad thing. Dishonored proved that there is still a large market for successful stealth action games, and there is no bigger name in stealth action than Thief. It looks like Eidos is doing a wonderful job with the reebot, and I’m sure gamers everywhere are expecting great things when its released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on February 25.