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
Rockstar renews trademark for Bully… but what does it mean?
It looks like yet another long-dormant series has been given a chance at new life thanks to a recent trademark application. Rockstar Games has followed up last week’s filing for Agent with another application, this time for Bully, with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Bully was originally released for the PS2 in 2006 (it was also ported to the Xbox 360, Wii, and PC in 2008) and generated controversy for some of its content. In addition to teen-on-teen violence, the game was criticized by some conservative pundits because the main character was able to enter into a same-sex relationship with another boy. In spite of, or perhaps because of, these controversies, Bully has gained a sizable cult following.
This new trademark filing doesn’t guarantee that Bully 2 is in the works, but you can count Rockstar co-founder among its fans. In 2011, he told Gamasutra, “[W]e knew that we didn’t want to start doing the Bully sequel instantly at that second with those guys — even though it is a property that, like Max, we adore and might come back to in the future.”
Rockstar’s Vancouver team was the original developer behind Bully, but they have since merged with Rockstar Toronto. The Canadian team is currently hiring for an unannounced next-generation project, so perhaps this is more than just a routine trademark extension…
Posted in News
Dragon’s Crown Review: Not Your Dad’s Beat ‘Em Up
Dragon’s Crown is a beautiful new side-scrolling beat ‘em up from developer Vanillaware and publisher Atlus. It’s garnered a lot of bad publicity due to some of the art design choices, specifically the outrageous, over-the-top character models for some of the females. While the art style does take some stereotypes to the extreme, there’s no arguing that what the developers have done here is created something gorgeous and immersive and completely original. On top of this, Vanillaware has delivered a copious amount of entertainment in a tried-and-true genre, and they’ve done it on not just the PlayStation 3 but on the Vita as well, giving you the chance to continue the experience on the go. Does the gameplay make up for what many consider to be a questionable art style? Absolutely. (more…)
Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Vita
Tagged Dragon's Crown
XBLA Today: Cloudberry Kingdom, Narco Terror
If you paid attention to yesterday’s PlayStation Store update, you should be familiar with today’s new Xbox Live Arcade offerings. First up is Pwnee Studios and their procedurally generated platformer, Cloudberry Kingdom:
Unhappily ever after. That’s how it starts. The Orb resurfaces and the classic characters return. Kobbler with his mania, Princess with her endless boredom. It’s only a matter of time before Bob, our hero, shows up to restore order back to madness. Three powers struggle for victory and the fate of Cloudberry Kingdom hangs in the balance. What will become of the retired hero, Bob? Will saving Princess one last time win her love? Could true love ever stop Kobbler and the power of the Orb?
Next we have Narco Terror, a twin-stick shooter from Deep Silver:
Dishing out justice, one grenade at a time! Narco Terror combines the good of the old and the amazing of the new in an action-packed twin-stick shooter about an over-the-top one-man war against a drug cartel. In true arcade-style, it is filled with unlimited ammo, ear-splitting grenades, huge explosions, massive tanks, armed helicopters and fast planes.
Both games have been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Cloudberry Kingdom
Batman: Arkham Origins multiplayer mode pits The Joker vs Bane vs the Dynamic Duo
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced that an online multiplayer mode will be available in Batman: Arkham Origins, courtesy of Splash Damage, when it ships this October. The team behind Enemy Territory: Quake Wars has created a unique three-faction free-for-all that pits The Joker versus Bane versus Batman and Robin.
Each rogue will be able to command a squad of three henchmen as they battle each other and our caped heroes. The henchmen can use guns, rocket launchers, melee weapons, and other implements of destruction during the fight, adding third-person shooter mechanics to the traditional Arkham-style fighting employed by Batman and Robin. But don’t think the supervillains will just be sitting on the sidelines, players can call in The Joker or Bane as the “ultimate reinforcement.”
Sadly, Wii U owners won’t be able to take the fight online as the multiplayer mode will only be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for all four on October 25. A companion game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, will be released for the 3DS and Vita on the same day.
Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer reveal set for August 14
Activision and Infinity Ward have announced that gamers around the world will get their first glimpse at Call of Duty: Ghosts‘ multiplayer mode on August 14 at 10:30 AM (Pacific Time). The Los Angeles-based event will be livestreamed through the official Call of Duty website, so be sure to bookmark it now.
Call of Duty: Ghosts will be available for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on November 5. The game will also be available for the PS4 and Xbox One during each system’s launch.
PSN Today: Cloudberry Kingdom, PixelJunk Monsters: Ultimate HD, Narco Terror, more
Welcome to another week of PlayStation Store releases, this time starring Cloudberry Kingdom, the ultra-hard procedural platformer developed by Pwnee Studios. It’s available on the PSN today alongside twin-stick shooter Narco Terror, live action lightgun game The Last Bounty Hunter, and PS2 Classic P.T.O. IV. A fixed version of another PS2 Classic, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, is also available today.
And if you own Sony’s handheld system, you’ll be happy to know that a pair of new downloadable Vita games were added to the PS Store today. There’s the tower defense favorite, PixelJunk Monsters: Ultimate HD, and another puzzle game from Nikoli, Puzzle by Nikoli V: Slitherlink.
You want more information on each of these titles? You can find that after the break. You want a list of this week’s new game add-ons? That’s at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Cloudberry Kingdom
Daily Scoop: July 30, 2013 – PlayStation 4 launch bundles
Hey everyone! It’s Tuesday, and you know what that means – board game night! I’m hoping to make it late tonight to Redcap’s Corner for some Super Dungeon Explore, which is an amazing game. It’s sort of like Gauntlet, but a board game. It even has spawn points and everything. Although there isn’t any food to shoot!
Anyway, there’s really not much going on today deal-wise, which is good and bad. Good because I’ve got so many games I already own that I need to play, but bad because there are so many games I don’t own that I want to play, too. I will tell you a secret, though – I finally pre-ordered the PlayStation 4. I ended up getting the Watch Dogs Launch Day Bundle, which is sold out again already. But don’t worry – you can still nab bundles with Battlefield 4, Killzone 4, or Knack.
There are plenty of great shirts today! (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News
BioShock Infinite DLC, Clash in the Clouds, available today
As promised, 2K and Irrational Games have announced the first details of BioShock Infinite‘s downloadable content schedule. Actually, the first DLC expansion, “Clash in the Clouds,” is available today. That’s a nice surprise.
BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds is a set of wave-based maps that “presents players with a series of unique, intense challenges and a whole new gambit of combat opportunities.” Players will be able to access four new areas in Clash in the Clouds and if they complete all 60 Blue Ribbon Challenges, they’ll be able to view a batch of new new Voxophones, Kinetoscopes, and concept art in the Columbian Archeological Society. BioShock Infinite: Clash in the Clouds can be downloaded now for $4.99 (or 400 Microsoft Points).
But Clash in the Clouds is just an appetizer before BioShock Infinite’s downloadable main course. “Burial at Sea” is a noir-like two-part expansion to the game that will bring Booker and Elizabeth to the underwater city of Rapture before its fall. Priced at $14.99 apiece, both parts of Burial at Sea are currently without release dates.
If you’re looking to save a little money, all of BioShock Infinite’s DLC can be yours as part of the game’s Season Pass, which is still available for $19.99, a significant discount over buying each piece individually.
You can find the first trailers for Clash in the Clouds and Burial at Sea after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged BioShock Infinite