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
The Force is free with this one… Star Wars: The Old Republic goes Free-To-Play this Fall
After months of rumours and a dwindling subscriber base, BioWare has finally announced that their MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, is rolling out a Free-To-Play option this Fall.
Jeff Hickman, the game’s Executive Producer, took to the SW:TOR blog to explain how the team had arrived at this decision:
“Since launch, our team has spent a lot of time trying to find new ways to be able to bring the Star Wars: The Old Republic experience to as many potential players as possible. We quickly became aware that our subscription only model was a major barrier for a lot people who wanted to become part of The Old Republic universe. In fact, many players who have left the game said they would happily come back if they could play without the commitment of a monthly fee.We feel that flexibility and choice in playing our game is important for all current and future players. For that reason, we began the exploration of expanding the game to include a Free-to-Play option.”
But what does it all mean? Essentially, anyone who is a current subscriber can switch to the Free-to-Play option when it rolls out this fall. However, the option does limit a number of the games features. For example, Free-To-Play members will have restrictions on character customization, and certain species will not be available. There will be an as yet unspecified cap on the number of Space Missions you can embark on, as well as limited access to the Warzones and Flashpoints and no access whatsoever to Operations. Current subscribers will also be showered with gifts in the form of Cartel Coins, while Free-To-Play gamers will have to whip out the old credit card should they wish to make in game purchases. A complete comparison between the Free-To-Play option and a monthly subscription can be found at the game’s official website.
So what do you think readers? Is this a move for the good of the galaxy, or a step towards the Dark Side?
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Star Wars: The Old Republic
FIFA 13 announced for Wii U, first details revealed
Not only has EA Sports’ heavyweight soccer title, FIFA Soccer 13, been announced for Nintendo’s upcoming console, but it seems that it will not simply be a port of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Rather, EA Sports are looking to utilize the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen in a variety of ways.
Players will be able to carry out numerous actions via the touchscreen, including tackling, passing and shooting. With tackling and defensive options, you will be able to quickly and fluidly assign men to mark attacking players. When the shoe is on the other foot, you can press the shoulder button or L3 to bring up the goals on the touchscreen when you are in a shooting position. You can then place your shot with pinpoint accuracy. This mode is also used when taking penalties or free kicks; the player will essentially inhabit the footballer and see through his POV, and can use the GamePad to look around to see where his players are in a similar style to Nintendo’s Panorama demo at this years E3 Expo.
Off the field, players will be able to check and analyse player ratings, be it for the whole team or one individual player. Ratings which can be changed can now be done with the simple touch of a finger. When playing as the manager, the GamePad will also allow users to give half-time pep talks to their embittered team if need be.
FIFA Soccer 13 will be available sometime during the Wii U’s “launch window.”
[Source: Official Nintendo Magazine]
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged FIFA Soccer 13
Deadlight Review: Undead or Unalive?
What better way to mark the midpoint of the 2012 Summer of Arcade than with a game where you chop up zombies? Deadlight aims to satisfy your undead killing desires, wrapped up in a side-scrolling action platformer. Overall, the game plays well and offers some fun entertainment, but some questionable design choices and a shaky story mar what could have been something greater. (more…)
Rockstar’s Agent still in development; Take-Two CEO has nothing to announce
Agent, Rockstar’s PS3-exclusive secret agent period piece, was left off Take-Two Interactive’s latest update to their upcoming games list. The game was first announced during E3 2009, but Take-Two and Rockstar have been reluctant to speak about it since then. But that didn’t stop Arvind Bhatia, a financial analyst from Sterne Agee & Leach, from asking Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about the game during the company’s most recent quarterly conference call.
Arvind Bhatia: Last question, is Agent still going to be in the pipeline for, I guess, in the next 12 to 18 months? Or should we not consider that as a factor? Kind of where are you on that title?
Strauss Zelnick: Yes, we haven’t announced anything about the title yet.
While it sounds like Agent is still in development, Zelnick’s quick dismissal of the question means it may be a long time before we actually get to play it.
Gearbox talks authenticity for Aliens: Colonial Marines
The big guns at Gearbox Software have released their first developer’s diary for Aliens: Colonial Marines, entitled “Authentic Aliens.” The interview subjects (including CEO Randy Pitchford) mostly talk about their desire to create a game that is worthy of Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens, but in the process, they show off plenty of new footage from the game as well.
Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on February 12, 2013. A Wii U version will also be released sometime next year.
Jay-Z named Executive Producer of NBA 2K13; soundtrack announced
2K Sports has announced that Jay-Z, the biggest name in rap and a part owner of the Brooklyn Nets, will serve as the Executive Producer of NBA 2K13. It would be easy to dismiss this partnership as nothing more than a simple soundtrack gig. But, according to 2K, “Jay-Z’s artistic vision and style will permeate the [entire] experience.” This will include “the overall look and feel of the game” as well as interactive in-game menus, and yes, the soundtrack.
NBA 2K13’s soundtrack will include 24 tracks hand-picked by Jay-Z. The collection includes multiple tracks from the man himself as well as his frequent collaborator, Kanye West. Coldplay, Daft Punk, The Dirty Projectors, Nas, Phoenix, Santigold, and many others also made the cut.
You can check out the complete soundtrack listing after the break or you can head over to 2K’s Facebook page to preview some of tracks. (more…)
Daily Scoop: August 1, 2012 – I miss Encounters
I haven’t been to D&D Encounters much this season because… well… it was really terrible. At my table, we had five deaths in four weeks – yikes! And I mean actual deaths. My character went from single digits to negative bloodied in one hit. That should never even be a thing that happens! Anyway, the next season will be starting up soon, so here’s hoping it’s a better one!
There are no good deals for you today. In fact, there’s nothing interesting at all going on at Amazon, unless you count the recommendations it’s been making me (trust me, you don’t want to know). But there is one awesome thing going on, and that’s the Ukiyo-e Heroes Kickstarter, an amazing Japanese woodblock print project. It’s a mashup of that old art style with – you guessed it – video games. It’s incredible and you should totally throw money at it.
Just one t-shirt today, but it’s a pretty good one… (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News
XBLA Today: Deadlight
Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade 2012 promotion reaches its mid-way point with Deadlight, today’s addition to the Xbox Live Arcade. Deadlight is available for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) and is a puzzle platformer with a unique visual look (excuse me, it’s a “Cinematic Survival Platformer”)… and zombies.
The world has ended. There is no hope. No new beginning. Only the survivors. Deadlight follows the journey of Randall Wayne, a man searching for his family across Seattle during the aftermath of a 1980s event that has decimated life on earth. This visually stunning Cinematic Survival Platformer will challenge you to run, jump, climb, and struggle for your life as you look for answers and the ones you love.
Where’s a Fire Flower when you need it?