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)
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Nintendo Download: Lovely Planet, Mario Super Sluggers, Pokken Tournament demo, more
After launching Miitomo, the Nintendo Account service, and the My Nintendo rewards program, this week’s Nintendo Download is a bit on the slim side. But 3DS and Wii U owners will be able to browse a completely revamped Nintendo eShop through Nintendo.com starting this week, so I guess that’s something.
Leading things off this week is Lovely Planet, a speedrunning first person shooter for the Wii U that takes place in a colorful world that bears a slight resemblence to the Katamari Damacy franchise. Developed by QuickTequila, Lovely Planet may look cute and cuddly, but it’s said to include a “brutal” interior that players may be surprised to discover.
Also available this week, just in time for Opening Day, is Mario Super Sluggers. Originally released for the Wii back in 2008, Wii U owners will be able to download it now and play the grand old game with Mario and all his friends.
Finally this week, Wii U owners who haven’t tried Pokken Tournament yet can grab a downloadable demo of the game from the Wii U eShop.
A few other games were added to the Nintendo eShop this week and a complete look at all of them can be found after the break. (more…)
Daily Scoop: March 31, 2016 – Last day for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold free games of March
It’s the last day of the month, which means it’s the last possible day to get your free PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold games! On PlayStation, you’ve got Broforce and Galak-Z on PlayStation 4, Flame Over and Reality Fighters on Vita, and The Last Guy and Super Stardust HD on PlayStation 3. On Xbox, Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment on Xbox One and Borderlands on Xbox 360 are both expiring today.
There are some great games on sale at the Humble Store. Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked is $4.49, Ashes of the Singularity is $44.99, and Minecraft: Story Mode is $21.24.
The Weekend Deal at Steam is Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition, which is on sale for $19.99. Alternatively, you can get the Collector’s Edition for $34.99. The Daily Deal is Knights of Pen and Paper 2, which is just $3.19.
There are some great t-shirts today! (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop
Second Call of Duty: Black Ops III DLC Pack, Eclipse, will launch for PS4 on April 19
Activision and Treyarch have announced the second downloadable expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III will launch next month. The Eclipse DLC Pack will include four new multiplayer maps (including one based on CoD: World At War‘s “Banzai”) and a new chapter in the Zombies saga:
- Spire: Spire takes Multiplayer combat to a futuristic sub-orbital airport terminal set high in the clouds. Multiple levels and open areas promote intense, mid-range combat around a clean, high-tech civilian environment. Watch your step, because one wrong move could send you plummeting back through the stratosphere.
- Rift: Head to the core of a harsh futuristic military complex, set high above an active caldera. Rift funnels and forces tight, intense engagements, where the only way through is forward. Utilize the unique core movement opportunities to outsmart and outplay enemies as you traverse the suspended rail system.
- Knockout: Housed in a traditional Shaolin Temple with a retro twist, Knockout sets the stage for a bloody Kung Fu tournament. This mid-sized map showcases a sharp contrast between the mid-range engagements of the traditional exterior architecture and the tight close-quarters of an eclectic 1970’s styled interior.
- Verge: In this re-imagination of the classic Call of Duty: World At War map, “Banzai,” Verge drops Multiplayer combat into the center of a distant post-apocalyptic future, where two warring factions are entrenched in constant battle. Take control of the key bridge, fortresses, tunnel systems and waterfalls as you engage in high-speed action through this medium-sized map.
Eclipse also sets the stage for “Zetsubou No Shima,” the highly-anticipated, all-new entry in the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies storyline that spans the four DLC Map Packs for Black Ops III this year. The Origins characters continue on their mission to stop the zombie apocalypse not only in this universe but in all universes. Our heroes find themselves stranded on a remote Pacific island which is home to the Division 9 facility: a secret biological research lab whose experiments with Element 115 and its effects on human, animal, and plant biology has created horrors beyond belief. “Zetsubou No Shima” features a foliage rich island map including new terrifying zombie enemies, a variety of innovative transport mechanics, more devastating traps and classic Zombies side quests.
The Eclipse DLC Pack will be available for PS4 owners on April 19 as part of the Black Ops III Season Pass or as a standalone download. And if Activision follows their standard operating procedure for Call of Duty DLC, PC and Xbox One owners should be able to download the new maps sometime in late May.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Two new Dark Souls III trailers reimagine the game as an animated short and 80s Direct-To-Video schlock
With less than two weeks to go before Dark Souls III‘s launch, Bandai Namco has decided to have a little fun with their marketing materials.
First, the publisher commissioned Eli Roth (the director of Cabin Fever and Hostel) to produce an animated short based on the game’s lore. In “The Witches,” a “lonely knight” comes face-to-face with three witches and attempts to repel their attacks. If you’re at all familiar with the Dark Souls franchise, you can guess how well that goes.
The second video reimagines Dark Souls III as the kind of ridiculous Direct-To-Video flick that haunted the shelves of Blockbuster in the 80s and 90s. You can check out a faux commercial for this “VHS release” after the break.
Dark Souls III will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 12. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dark Souls III
Indie Megabooth will showcase 87 games at PAX East 2016
The Indie Megabooth has announced they’ll provide space on the PAX East show floor for more than 80 developers during this year’s convention.
The PAX East 2016 lineup includes 87 titles, and several of them have previously appeared in our twice-yearly Best of PAX roundup. This year’s PAXpocalypse alumni include 20XX from Batterystaple Games (PAX East 2015), Refactor from NextGen Pants (PAX East 2014), Scale from Cubeheart Games (PAX Prime 2013), and Tumblestone from The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild (PAX East 2014 again). Graceful Explosion Machine, a semi-sequel to Vertex Pop’s We Are Doomed (a PAX Prime 2013 selection) also has a spot in the Indie Megabooth’s Minibooth this year.
Personally, I’m also a huge fan of single-stick shooter Deathstate and heady puzzler Gnog, so be sure to check those two out if you’re attending this year’s PAX East convention, which will be held April 22nd through the 24th.
A complete list of titles included in the PAX East 2016 Indie Megabooth is available after the break. And more information on every one of those games can be found at the group’s official website. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged 20XX, Graceful Explosion Machine, PAX East 2016, Refactor, Tabletop Games, Tumblestone
Hear Florence Welch talk about her cover of “Stand By Me” for Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine can write a bombastic-sounding song in her sleep (just listen to “Dog Days Are Over,” “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up),” “Drumming Song,” “Heavy in Your Arms,” “What Kind of Man,” and “Ship to Wreck” for proof). But what happens when Square Enix asks her to produce a cover of one of the most famous songs of all time? In that case, you get Noctis riding a Chocobo and looking sad with his comrades/bros while Welch belts out the chorus to Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
The musician talked about her contribution to Final Fantasy XV’s soundtrack in the video embedded above.
“I’ve always seen Final Fantasy as mythical, beautiful and epic,” said Welch. “’Stand by Me’ is one of the greatest songs probably of all time and you can’t really improve on it, you just have to make it your own. For me it was just about bringing the song into the world of Florence and the Machine and the world of Final Fantasy.”
Final Fantasy XV will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 30. You can more of Florence + The Machine’s cover in the game’s “Reclaim Your Throne” trailer.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix will release a Final Fantasy XV pinball game for mobile devices soon
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
The final piece of the Final Fantasy XV transmedia experience is Justice Monsters Five, a pinball game for mobile devices (iOS, Android, and Windows 10).
According to Square Enix, Justice Monsters Five is the favorite pastime of Final Fantasy XV’s main character, Noctis. In fact, he loves Justice Monsters Five so much that Final Fantasy XV players will even be able to man the flippers themselves during breaks in the RPG’s story on the PS4 and Xbox One. In the middle of a war, Noctis somehow finds time for pinball.
Thankfully, in the real world, the mobile version of Justice Monsters Five won’t require players to dodge a warzone. The pinball game will “combine role-playing elements with some of the franchise’s most iconic monsters” and the first trailer has been embedded above.
Square Enix will release Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV animated film this Fall
Square Enix’s epic Final Fantasy XV “Uncovered” event took place a few hours ago, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get right to it…
Square Enix is getting back into the movie business this Fall with the release of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, a CG animated film that serve as a prequel to the Final Fantasy XV game and as a sequel to the Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV anime series.
The film will star Sean Bean as King Regis, Lena Headey as Princess Luna, and Aaron Paul as Kingsglaive soldier Nyx:
The magical kingdom of Lucis is home to the hallowed Crystal, but the menacing empire of Niflheim will stop at nothing to make it theirs. War has raged between the two for as long as most can remember.
King Regis of Lucis commands an elite force of soldiers dubbed the Kingsglaive. Wielding their king’s magic, Nyx Ulric and his fellow glaives stand before the crown city of Insomnia, fighting to stay the inexorable advance of Niflheim’s imperial army.
Before the overwhelming military might of the empire, King Regis can only salvage his kingdom by accepting an ultimatum— he must cede all lands outside the crown city, and see his son, Prince Noctis, wed to Lady Lunafreya, the former princess of Tenebrae now captive of Niflheim.
As the war of wills rages, the machinations of Niflheim transform Insomnia into an awe-inspiring battleground, pulling Nyx into a struggle for the very survival of the kingdom.
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV will be available sometime this Fall on Blu-ray and as a digital download. A Blu-ray copy of the film will also be packaged with the “Deluxe Edition” or “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” of the game.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV