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
ZombiU drops the “U” and will be available to download on PC, PS4, Xbox One on August 18
Ubisoft has announced that ZombiU, one of the best games available during the Wii U’s launch window, will be available to download on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One beginning August 18. While it’s the same ZombiU that Wii U players fell in love with, the game’s new destinations have necessitated a name change to Zombi.
After being one of the Wii U flagship titles in 2012, Zombi returns to challenge gamers on multiple new platforms to find out how long they can survive in the dilapidated, infected London. For the second time in history, a great plague has shrouded the city in a fog of death and thousands have died, or worse, been infected by a sickness more gruesome than death. Once again, this fear-fueled first-person shooter invites all players to dive into the horror, chaos and tension found in the best of the genre.
Zombi’s permadeath mechanic will once again force players to think strategically to survive (or to risk it all to regain their loot if they don’t). The “bug-out bag,” which was only accessible through the Wii U GamePad, will also be back in some form. Probably through a pause screen that doesn’t pause the action or a second screen app.
London Bridge is falling down…
Xbox Store Today: King’s Quest Chapter 1, Life Is Strange Episode 4, more
Four new games were added to the Xbox Games Store today. Without further adieu, here we go…
- King’s Quest: A Knight to Remember (Xbox 360, Xbox One) kicks off The Odd Gentlemen’s reboot of the classic adventure game. Return to the middle ages as King Graham reminisces on his journey from a young teen to the most powerful man in all the land.
- Meanwhile, Life Is Strange: Dark Room (Xbox 360, Xbox One) is nearing its end as Chloe finds out exactly why time travel is a bad idea. And not just because of all the runaway open-air manure trucks.
- World of Tanks: Xbox One Edition will, not surprisingly, bring the World of Tanks franchise to the Xbox One for the first time. Players will be able to pilot a wide variety of mid-century tanks and battle both Xbox One and Xbox 360 players in this free-to-play game.
- Finally, Squid Hero For Kinect (Xbox One) asks players to smash ice with motion controls.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged King's Quest, Life Is Strange
It’s Always Blocky in Minecraft… because Rob McElhenney is directing the movie
Have you heard? Word on the Internet is that there’s going to be a Minecraft movie coming out… sometime. There’s really no information on it just yet. But here’s one thing we do know, the director of the film has been announced to be It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Rob McElhenney.
McElhenney has mad credits on Sunny for creating, writing, producing, directing, and starring as Ronald “Mac” McDonald… not to mention snagging colleague and funny lady Kaitlin Olson. The announcement was made in a succinct blog post from Mojang, which offered no other information about the project. While McElhenney’s ascension to the position remains a temporarily confusing but delightful mystery, we have noticed some fun similarities between Minecraft and several recurring Sunny characters.
Minecraft aficionados will certainly remember the Creepers, which are very reminiscent of the infamous Green Man (Charlie Day’s Charlie, high out of his mind, in a full-body green spandex suit), who first debuted in the season three episode “The Gang Gets Invincible.” And who can forget Day Man and the creepily suggestive Night Man, which viewers may recall from Charlie’s weird musical, “The Nightman Cometh,” from the end of season four. Both characters seem to parallel the protagonist “Steve” and the mysterious Enderman.
With these concurrent elements in mind, McElhenney now seems like a natural fit for the film. It almost begs the question, was Notch just a huge Sunny fan all along?
Go Set A Watchbird… and watch the first gameplay trailers for Angry Birds 2
Fresh from Rovio’s mystical ice castle comes a new addition to the Angry Birds roster. Angry Birds 2 arrives in app stores for iOS and Android devices tomorrow, July 30th, and two new trailers released late last night give a glimpse at some of the action. Fans of the franchise will see some par-for-the-course gameplay that looks fairly similar to the original game. Some slight variations on the formula can be seen in the trailers including giant inflating pig heads, different lush scenery, new fortifications that the pigs are hunkered down in, lots of dynamite, and what looks to be some wheeled contraptions a la Bad Piggies, also known as the franchise’s Bad Spinoff.
Fans of the slingshot genre will know what to expect, while those new to society who have just been released from prison will be confused that although there have been about 37 incarnations of Angry Birds, this one is entitled number two. (It is thus because it is a direct sequel of sorts to the original, and the other games all have different wacky themes which make them different somehow.)
Anyway, as I am the Senior Angry Birds Correspondent, I think it’s my place to just throw in here that if they’re still so angry, they should probably seek counseling. It’s just not healthy to hang onto that rage, you guys. You can find both gameplay trailers after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Angry Birds 2
Players will be able to unlock Premium Show DLC in Guitar Hero Live by completing songs
Like Street Fighter V and it’s two-tiered “Fight Money/Zenny” system, Activision is also planning to give players the opportunity to unlock paid DLC in Guitar Hero Live with in-game currency.
Players will be able to purchase Hero Cash, which can be exchanged for “Premium Shows” in Guitar Hero Live’s GHTV mode. But if you’d prefer to skip all that and just buy the DLC content with cold hard cash, that’s an option too. Activision’s Matt Clark drummed up a rundown of the system at the Activision Games Blog:
When a new Premium Show launches on the GHTV service, players will have the ability to unlock it by completing a set challenge. To gain access, you’ll have to complete songs and hit a certain star level—Guitar Hero’s system for measuring your performance. So, if you do a great job playing a particular song, you’ll gain admission to new Premium Content, such as live concert videos and more. But if you want to save time and get instantaneous access, you can also unlock Premium Content immediately with a simple purchase via Hero Cash. Premium Content also offers unique prizes, like Note Highways, player cards, and more.
Guitar Hero Live will be available for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices on October 20.
Japanese Super Mario Maker gameplay trailer gives us a look at Amiibo guest characters
Nintendo uploaded a new Japanese gameplay trailer for Super Mario Maker this morning. While several sections seem rather familiar, the majority of the video looks brand new.
The gameplay trailer, and Nintendo Japan’s newly-opened Super Mario Maker website, also includes a brief look at some of the game’s Amiibo-powered guest characters. Link, Wii Fit Trainer, and Bowser get a few fleeting moments to shine in the trailer and five more guest characters (Isabelle, Kirby, Marth, Peach, and Yoshi) made their debut on the website. But believe it or not, Nintendo plans to include support for 99 guest characters, available instantly via a tap of the corresponding Amiibo or unlockable in the game through the 100 Mario Challenge mode.
Even if the trailer isn’t entirely original (or in English), if you’re meticulously counting down the days until the Super Mario Maker’s September 11th launch like I am, it’s definitely a good way to spend part of your morning.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario Maker
PS Store Today: N++, King’s Quest Chapter 1, Life Is Strange Episode 4, more
Sony’s PSN Play 2015 promotion continues this week with the release of N++ (PS4), a minimalist side-scroller where players take control of a gold-seeking ninja. Leap wide chasms, avoid obstacles, and watch out for those rockets! N++ is packed with hundreds of hand-crafted levels and an extensive level editor to create and share even more.
Also available this week is new entries in a pair of episodic adventure games. Life Is Strange: Dark Room (PS3, PS4) is the fourth episode in Dontnod’s apocalyptic tale and Max finally gets an eyeful of just how dangerous time travel can be. But danger is the name of the game in King’s Quest: A Knight to Remember (PS3, PS4), the first episode in The Odd Gentlemen’s reboot of the classic adventure series. Though I doubt a game described as “whimsical” and “charming” by its developers deals with the end of the world.
But speaking of the end of the world, another group of teenagers will have to stop a monstrous evil, actually named “The End,” from destroying the world in Atlus’s Lost Dimension. The twist this time is that the 11 kids at the center of the story are psychics and at least one is a traitor. You’d think a group of psychics wouldn’t have a problem with that kind of treachery…
Finally this week, we end with another dash of “whimsical” and “charming” with Legend of Kay Anniversary (PS3, PS4). A remaster of a ten-year-old PS2 game starring a feline samuari, Legend of Kay Anniversary is nothing if not adorable.
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. And a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita
Tagged King's Quest, Legend of Kay Anniversary, Life Is Strange, N++
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will be available through Steam on August 18
Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will be available for the PC (through Steam) on August 18. More than a mere port, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD on the PC will include “an improved in-game battle camera, full Steam Achievements and trading cards, scalable motion blur settings, and a customizable dynamic screen shot mode.” Expanded resolution options will also make the game’s graphics better than ever before.
The publisher has also teamed up with Valve to offer a special pre-order promotion that will reward DOTA 2 players with some Final Fantasy-inspired gear. All players who pre-order Final Fantasy Type-0 HD before its release will receive a Master Chocobo Courier and Moogle (Class Zero) Ward in DOTA 2. A special Final Fantasy Type-0 HD loading screen for DOTA 2 will also be included.
Square Enix has also released the minimum and recommended system requirements for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, which are available after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Final Fantasy Type-0