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
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- 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”
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- 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)
Most Recent: Articles
Daily Scoop: October 7, 2013 – Tornado
It’s a rainy, blustery Monday here in Philadelphia. In fact, it’s so blustery that we’ve been given a tornado watch until later tonight. If we could maybe just not have a tornado, that would be super. I mean like, really super.
So, what are today’s deals? Amazon’s having a deal on all versions of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist – it’s just $39.99 on PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, and the special edition is $99.99 on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. You can also save 50-60% on The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, which is $29.99 on PC and $39.99 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Scoop ’em up!
Two terrific video-game related t-shirts up for you today: (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News
Injustice Ultimate Edition coming to PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, PC, Vita on November 12
ORIGINAL STORY: Injustice: Gods Among Us has been quite the success for NetherRealm Studios. The Mortal Kombat makers branched out (slightly) and produced a memorable fighting game featuring many of our favorite characters (and Aquaman) from DC Comics lore. So what can they do for an encore? I don’t know, but we’ll all find out together sometime this week. Ed Boon, the developer’s founder and current Creative Director, tweeted the following news last night:
Big INJUSTICE news next week? Perhaps.
— Ed Boon (@noobde) October 6, 2013
So what’s the big news? A PS4/Xbox One/Vita port is a possibility. As is another downloadable character or a “Game of the Year” edition containing all of the previously released DLC. But as I said, we’ll add find out together soon.
UPDATE: Seconds after this story was posted, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment confirmed that an “Ultimate Edition” of Injustice: Gods Among Us will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 12. It will include all six DLC characters as well as additional character skins and S.T.A.R. Labs missions. The game is also coming to the Vita (thanks to Armature Studios), the PC (thanks to High Voltage), and the PS4 (thanks to NetherRealm themselves). Touch controls will be added to the Vita/PS4 versions and a soundtrack will be included with all editions of the game.
Nintendo Direct News: New Mario 3D World trailer, Kirby 3DS announced, more
Just when everyone had ruled them out, last week’s Nintendo Direct announcement showed the company still has the fiery fighting spirit that has kept them going since the days of the NES, showing their plans for the remainder of 2013 and beyond.
The biggest knockout blow was the new trailer for Super Mario 3D World (which you can view above). While Nintendo had already teased one new power-up, the Cat Suit, during its E3 video presentation, it turns out this was just the tip of the ice-berg. As well as the welcome return of the Tanooki suit from Super Mario Bros 3, Mario now has access to a Hammer Bros. Suit, a Bullet Bill Suit, and uses items like soccer balls and baseballs to strike enemies. He can ever carry knocked out enemies, such as Pete the Piranha Plant. But the most interesting of these new suits was the Cherry Clone item, which made a duplicate Mario. Later in the trailer, there are three Marios, all moving in sync. How this will work in the game remains to be seen, but it seems Nintendo may have another sterling system seller on its hands.
In more Mario news, the company unveiled two new Wii remote Plus designs based on the infamous Bros. One will be Mario Red and sport an ‘M’ on the central speaker, while the other will be Luigi Green and have a similar ‘L’ adorning it. The company also announced new downloadable content and mission mode stages for Pikmin 3 for the reasonable price of $1.99, although the British and European prices are almost double at £1.99 and €1.99 respectively. Finally, Nintendo unveiled ambitious plans for the online multiplayer elements of Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. While the majority of events will focused on localised multiplayer, four of these will be playable against gamers around the globe, with points going towards that player’s country tally if they win. In essence, players will be able to compete for their contry online.
Looking forward to 2014, it was also announced that Nintendo’s bubblegum pink mascot Kirby will be getting a new platformer game on 3DS. And games will be able to enjoy the Square Enix RPG Bravely Default in early 2014. However, European 3DS owners will see the game on this side of Christmas when its released on December 6 across the Atlantic.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Bravely Default: Where the Fairy Flies, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World
Weekly Warp-Up: Calm Before the Pokemon 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…
Nintendo will release two of the biggest games of 2013 this week: Pokemon X and Pokemon Y. But before the pocket monsters invade the 3DS for the first time in a “main series” Pokemon game, the publisher some of their plans for the rest of 2013… and beyond. For example, they’ve confirmed that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will now be released in February 2014. And they’ve also added Toon Link and Sonic the Hedgehog to Super Smash Bros. 4.
By the way, Beyond: Two Souls will also be released next week and we went hands-on with Quantic Dream’s next title. You might say it’s beyond awesome (so far).
In non-new release news (sort of), the staff of Warp Zoned took at look back at What We Played in September 2013 and selected our Games of October 2013.
You can find more news from the week that was after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
New Shovel Knight trailer heralds Winter 2013 release
Yacht Club Games has released a new trailer for Shovel Knight, their upcoming side-scrolling action title that features a level select style similar to Mega Man. The trailer is very similar to the game’s reveal trailer, which was released a few months ago, but I’m happy whenever we get new Shovel Knight information.
The developer has also confirmed that the game’s official release date is “Winter 2013” and a pre-order page for the PC/Steam version is now available at their official website. The game will also be released for the 3DS and Wii U but, obviously, you can’t pre-order it yet.
And if you’re at this year’s IndieCade, which concludes today, be on the lookout for Shovel Knight at the Nintendo booth.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged Shovel Knight
New Releases: Beyond: Two Souls, Pokemon X/Y, Just Dance 2014, More
All you Pokemaniacs can rejoice, for it is time. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, the first “main series” Pokemon games for the 3DS, will be released this week.
If you’d prefer something a little more out there (and you own a PS3), there’s Quantic Dream’s latest action/adventure game, Beyond: Two Souls. The supernatural Saga of Jodie (played by Ellen Page) and her doctor (played by Willem Dafoe) is sure to feature plenty of the developer’s signature weirdness and grandeur.
And if you want to go REALLY out there, NIS America will release Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness for the PS3. The latest game in the insane strategy RPG franchise is a direct sequel to the to the first game in the series, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, which should please its many fans.
This week’s last “new” releases is Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2014. The dancing franchise will boogie its way (again) onto the PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360 this week. PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game are set to be released in November.
Finally, a trio of re-releases should keep budget hunters happy as 2K Games/Gearbox will release Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition, Bethesda/Arkane will release Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition, and Capcom will release the Capcom Essentials collection (which contains Dead Rising 2, Devil May Cry 4, Mega Man 10, Resident Evil 6, and Super Street Fighter IV).
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Beyond: Two Souls, Borderlands 2, Disgaea Dimension 2, Dishonored, Just Dance 2014, Pokemon X/Y
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Review: Amazing At Any Resolution
Nintendo is no stranger to remakes and reimaginings. Super Mario Bros. Metroid. Mario Kart. Donkey Kong. In fact, most of the company’s key franchises have been recycled with every console generation. And yet, somehow, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD feels different. Perhaps it is because the Wii U is under intense pressure to pick up sales, and needs a knockout game. Or maybe it is the fact that certain critics see Nintendo’s stable of characters as stale and overused, relying too much on the charity of nostalgic gamers. Or it could just be that it is the first Zelda game in high definition.
Whatever made Nintendo decide to re-release this title, it has proven to be a brilliant choice. It’s like meeting an old friend after a ten-year gap. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Valve reveals the hardware specs of the Steam Machines beta units
Valve has released the hardware specifications of the SteamOS-powered Steam Machines beta units they’re working on. The prototype box is meant to replicate a high-end desktop, though Valve’s Greg Coomer has reassured fans that Steam Machines “designed to cost less, or to be tiny, or super quiet” will also exist. But here’s what you’ll find under the hood of the prototype box, which will also be fully customizable by the user.
Steam Machines Prototype Specifications
GPU: NVidia Titan OR GeForce GTX780 OR GeForce GTX760 OR GeForce GTX660
CPU: Intel i7-4770 OR Intel i5-4570 OR Intel i3
RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB DDR5 (GPU)
Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
Dimensions: Approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9
And don’t forget, Valve plans to enlist 300 beta testers to put the Steam Machines prototype through its paces. If you want to qualify to join their ranks, there’s still time.