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 cartridge-based console is coming back with Shovel Knight and Retro City Rampage
The cartridge-based console shuffled off this mortal coil more than a decade ago when Nintendo discontinued the Nintendo 64. The format had a great run, but the lower cost and higher storage capacity of compact discs killed it for good. Or did it? Retro Magazine‘s Mike Kennedy recently sat down with VentureBeat to talk about the Retro Video Game System, a new cartridge-based console that he plans to release next year.
Repurposing the case mold from the Atari Jaguar, Kennedy’s Retro VGS will bring classic game design to a new generation using the time-tested delivery method of cartridges. However, the innards of the console will be brand new and the cartridges will use flash memory similar to that seen in USB sticks. The Retro VGS team has also partnered with Interworks to produce a branded controller for the system that evokes the fusion of classic and modern controller design found in the Wii U Pro Controller.
With the huge resurgence of retro-style gaming in recent years, Kennedy and his team have reached out to these developers in the hopes of bringing their games to the Retro VGS. The consolemaker cited Shovel Knight and Retro City Rampage as two games that he’s reasonably confident will be released for the Retro VGS when it’s available. At this year’s PAX East expo, Yacht Club’s Nick Wozniak told me they “very much want to” release a retail version of Shovel Knight. I imagine a retail cartridge version of the game would be a dream come true.
Kennedy considers 2D titles like Shovel Knight and Retro City Rampage “the sweet spot” for the Retro VGS. The system’s main focus will be sprite-based games from the 16-bit era, but he’s open to the idea of including enough power for developers to create polygonal PSX/N64-type games (or maybe even PS2-like games) as well.
A Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of the Retro Video Game System will launch sometime this Summer with plans to release the cartridge-based console next year if all goes according to plan.
Posted in News, Retro
Tagged Retro City Rampage, Shovel Knight
Weekly Warp-Up: Salute to the Classics 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…
It was a good week for fans of classic games this week as Bethesda has announced a Doom gameplay reveal will play a big part in its E3 2015 plans. Fans at last year’s QuakeCon expo got a sneak peek at the game, but next month will mark its big coming out celebration. However, there’s one Doom-related thing Bethesda probably hoped would stay locked up for good. And that’s this short glimpse at the Call of Duty-inspired first take on Doom 4. It’s both ridiculous and completely fascinating.
Going further back, Bandai Namco celebrated the 35th anniversary of the original Pac-Man this week. 35 years… it’s hard to believe. As part of the festivities, the publisher announced Pac-Man 256, an isometric mobile game from the makers of Crossy Road. Very interesting.
Elsewhere around Warp Zoned, a new edition of Kickstart This! focused on CCTV Nation, Overdosed, and Power Drive 2000. Do you think they’re worth your crowdfunding dollar? Let us know!
And are you looking more news? You can find it after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
New Releases: Splatoon, ArcaniA: The Complete Tale
If you plan to visit your local game shop this week, you’ll only find two new titles on the shelves, and both of them won’t be released until Friday.
This week’s big new release is Splatoon, Nintendo’s entry into the team-based shooter category. But instead of gruff military guys, Splatoon is populated by kids who have the ability to transform into squids. They use this power to literally paint the map and the object isn’t to get the most kills (though you can still do that), but to cover more of the floor with your team’s color. It’s a crazy idea, but if anybody can make it work, it’s Nintendo.
Also available this week is ArcaniA: The Complete Tale. The PS4 RPG is an enhanced remake of the PC/PS3/Xbox 360 game of the same name. In addition to prettier graphics and more detail environmental effects, ArcaniA: The Complete Tale also comes packaged with the game’s “Fall of Setarrif” expansion.
Be on the lookout later this week for posts detailing new games available on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop. Both of these titles will be available to download alongside digital-only releases like Ultra Street Fighter IV, the fourth episode in Telltale’s Game of Thrones adaptation, and more.
Meet Hanzo (and three other characters) in new Overwatch gameplay trailers
Blizzard has been hard at work on Overwatch ever since they announced it last November. Each of the heroes in their team-based shooter has their own personality and play style, which are definitely on display in a series of new gameplay trailers. The latest trailer, which has been embedded above, stars Hanzo (the bowman). But additional trailers for McCree (the gunslinger), Mercy (the healer), and Zenyatta (a robotic monk) are available after the break.
Overwatch will join the suddenly very crowded field of “hero-based team shooters” very soon as a closed beta is scheduled to launch sometime this year. (more…)
Pac-Man 256 is an endless mazer for iOS devices from the makers of Crossy Road
Hipster Whale’s Crossy Road brought Frogger into the 21st century with a nostalgic eye towards the game’s pixelated past. Seeking yet another way to honor Pac-Man during his 35th anniversary year, Bandai Namco has given the developer the keys to the franchise. The result is Pac-Man 256, an endless mazer that forces Pac-Man to escape the dreaded “Level 256 Glitch.”
Using the same isometric camera angle as Crossy Road, Pac-Man 256 traps our hero in a maze with a ton of ghosts and the “Level 256 Glitch” always looming just out of view (thus, the endless running). The first trailer has been embedded above and the free-to-play game will be available for iOS devices this Summer, though this looks perfect for a port to a platform with native controller support.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Pac-Man 256
See space battles, Lightsaber combat, pod racing in new Disney Infinity: Star Wars videos
All week long, Game Informer has been uploading gameplay videos highlighting a different facet of this Fall’s Disney Infinity: Star Wars. The most recent video, which has been embedded above, puts the spotlight on the game’s space battles, including the famous Battle of Yavin in and around the Death Star from the end of Star Wars.
An additional trailer features the game’s brand new Toy Box Speedway mode. This Mario Kart-inspired mode takes place on Tattooine, recreating the pod racing scene from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Escept this time the pod racers include Yoda and Question Boxes are all over the course.
The final trailer focuses on an elegant weapon for a more civilized age as Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Luke Skywalker show off their Lightsaber skills.
Both of these trailers can be found after the break and don’t forget that Disney Infinity; Star Wars will launch sometime this Fall (possibly as early as August) for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. (more…)
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: E3 2015 Table Setting Edition
Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, 2017, or unannounced release date.
This edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog is definitely focused on the pre-E3 table setting that happens every May. In addition to release dates for some of this Summer’s most-anticipated games (Lego Jurassic World on June 12, Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition on June 23, and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour on July 14) we were recently treated to release dates for some of this Falls big franchise titles (Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege on October 13, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate on October 23, WWE 2K16 on October 27, and Call of Duty: Black Ops III on November 6).
Looking beyond the big names, we now know that Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 will be released on September 15 (though the 3DS and Vita versions will launch “sometime later”). But even the recent surprise announcements are focused on big names including Need For Speed and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, both of which will launch this Fall.
Finally, you can’t talk about release dates without mentioning a few delays. This time, Tom Clancy’s The Division was pushed back (to early 2016) alongside Mirror’s Edge 2 and the Ratchet & Clank remake (both will be available in Spring 2016). But Dead Island 2 got the worst delay of all, going from Spring 2015 all the way to TBA 2016.
But speaking of games that are far away, let’s end this roundup with Telltale’s Marvel Game, an untitled episodic adventure game that won’t be released until sometime in 2017. Hey, gotta get that announcement out there sometime.
Even more new release dates for this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)
Pac-Man debuted in Japanese arcades 35 years ago today
Bandai Namco and Pac-Man have a lot to celebrate thanks to today’s big anniversary, but after the year he’s had, everyone’s favorite ghost-chomper isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
On May 22, 1980, exactly 35 years ago, “Puck Man” made its debut in Japanese arcades. The game and its title character would go on adopt the much better known moniker of Pac-Man a few months later because executive at Midway, its American distributor, feared that unruly teenagers would attempt to vandalize the machines. And just like that, an icon was born.
Pac-Man made the most of its simple “eat dots/avoid ghosts” gameplay model, spawning dozens of sequels, spinoffs, and successors. And its unique mazelike structure shows up again and again in games like Bomberman, The Legend of Zelda, and many others. Pac-Man has appeared on numerous “Best Games of All-Time” lists and was selected as a finalist for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
“From arcades and consoles to digital and mobile, Pac-Man has remained a fixture in our gaming lives. The endless appeal of the series’ simple but masterful design after all this time is nothing short of remarkable,” said Jeferson Valadares, the General Manager at Bandai Namco America. “But more than anything else, this is an anniversary for the fans. If you treasure any fond Pac-Man memories of your own from the past 35 years, we hope you share them with someone special today and make some new ones together.”
Bandai Namco is hosting a celebration for their most famous creation today at Level 257, a Pac-Man-themed restaurant in Schaumburg, Illinois. Pac-Man’s creator, Professor Toru Iwatani, will be on hand to present the birthday cake and I’m sure “Pac Man Fever” will be playing on a continuous loop. Mobile gamers who own Pac-Man on their iOS device will also receive a free update today that adds a “classic-inspired user interface” to the game.
Aside from starring in one of the most beloved video games of all time, Pac-Man manages to keep himself busy with a variety of side projects. Earlier this year, Bud Light borrowed the game’s familiar maze to create a “Real Life Pac-Man” commercial for Super Bowl XLIX. More recently, Google also dropped Pac-Man into the real world by offering a playable Pac-Man Street View in Google Maps. And last year the mascot got the chance to duke it out with Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man in Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and 3DS, with his very own Amiibo figure scheduled for release next week.
Let’s hope there’s also some pizza at that Pac-Man anniversary celebration.