Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Another Big Night and Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2025-2026 DICE Awards
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- The Game Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Racks Up Nine Wins, Including “Game of the Year”, at the 2025 Game Awards
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- 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)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
Most Recent: Etcetera
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 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
Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV is an anime prequel series to the game and the first episode is available now
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…
Final Fantasy XV is one of the biggest games that Square Enix has ever produced, and the publisher plans to create an entire connected universe to go along with it. The first of these side projects is Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV, a five-episode anime series that will serve as a prequel to the game. The first episode is available on YouTube now, and embedded above, and the remaining four episodes will be released throughout the Spring and Summer.
Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV is a new anime series that consists of five standalone episodes that delve into the extraordinary friendships between crown prince Noctis and his three comrades, setting the stage for the adventure players will set out upon in the action-packed RPG.
The Announcement Trailer for Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV can be found after the break, but to get the whole story, you’ll need to see the exclusive sixth episode, which will only be available in Final Fantasy XV’s “Ultimate Collector’s Edition.” (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Daisy Ridley is “in talks” to play Lara Croft in rebooted Tomb Raider film franchise
Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of famed video game explorer Lara Croft is iconic. But, if you can believe it, almost a generation has gone by since the first Tomb Raider film and a reboot of the film franchise has been in the works since 2011. While there hasn’t been much done in the way of pre-production (there’s no script yet), Daisy Ridley told The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday at the Empire Awards that she has been (to use Hollywood lingo) “in talks” to potentially headline the new movie. That’s right, Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens might be jumping into another popular franchise. Not bad for an actor who until recently was relatively unknown.
Her costar in The Force Awakens, John Boyega (maybe better known as rogue Stormtrooper Finn), even endorsed the idea of Ridley portraying Lara Croft after allegedly playing the most recent Tomb Raider game, 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and immediately envisioning her in the role. “She should be [Lara Croft],” he said Sunday.
While this is pretty cool news, keep in mind it’s all still up in the air. Ridley stressed she had not been offered the role, so fans of hers should keep their fingers crossed but maybe not hold their collective breath just yet. Things in Hollywood do have a way of falling apart even when there are more concrete plans on the horizon. I’m still holding out for a Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man 4. (Not really, but you know. It’s one of the great tragedies of recent cinema, is it not? I ask you!).
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Tomb Raider
The top Game Design programs in 2016 are at University of Utah, University of Central Florida
With the Game Developers Conference in full swing, the Princeton Review recently published their annual evaluation of Game Design programs for 2016. More than 150 schools were examined by the group, which awarded top honors to the University of Utah (undergraduate) and the University of Central Florida (graduate).
“For students aspiring to work in game design, the 58 schools that made one or both of our 2016 lists offer extraordinary opportunities to learn and to hone one’s talents for a successful career in this burgeoning field,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Senior Vice President/Publisher. “The faculties at these schools are outstanding. Their facilities are awesome. And their alumni include legions of the industry’s most prominent game designers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs.”
In addition to earning the top spot on the undergraduate list, the University of Utah also qualified as the third-best graduate program for Game Design this year. A number of other schools appeared in the top ten on both lists, including the University of Southern California, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Drexel University, and New York University.
The Princeton Review’s complete ranking can be found after the break. And more information about their survey methodology and how to apply to each of these programs can be found at their website. (more…)
Hardcore Henry’s second trailer is even more video game-y
I still don’t know what to make of Hardcore Henry, the Sharlto Copley-starring action movie that uses a first-person perspective for its entire runtime. But I do know that it’ll be released on April 8 and that the second trailer gives off an even stronger “VIDEO GAMES!” vibe than the first one.
Watch as Henry mutely… parkours through a construction site… punches out several nameless mooks… cinematically equips a number of different weapons… drops a grenade into a moving vehicle… and rides a motorcycle into a van while spraying machine gun fire in every direction.
I… I got nothing else to say.
Hardcore Henry is a first-person action film that was probably inspired by video games
I think we can all agree the best part of Doom‘s 2005 film adaptation was the short first-person scene towards the end. Don’t believe me? By all means, watch it again.
This sequence lasts just a few minutes, but could a feature-length film be shot entirely in a first-person perspective? First-time director Ilya Naishuller accepted that challenge in 2014, ultimately raising over $250,000 as part of a successful Indiegogo campaign, and premiering his completed film to rapturous applause at last year’s Toronoto International Film Festvial. Over the weekend, distributor STX Entertainment unveiled a new theatrical trailer and announced that Hardcore Henry will open in theaters on April 8.
Following in the proud tradition of Link, Samus Aran, and Doomguy, the Hardcore Henry of the title is completely mute. Thankfully, his mysterious sidekick, Jimmy (played by Sharlto Copley), is always quick with a quip. And it just gets crazier from there:
You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just been brought back from the dead by your wife (Haley Bennett). She tells you that your name is Henry. Five minutes later, you are being shot at, your wife has been kidnapped, and you should probably go get her back. Who’s got her? His name’s Akan (Danila Kozlovsky); he’s a powerful warlord with an army of mercenaries, and a plan for world domination. You’re also in the unfamiliar city of Moscow, and everyone wants you dead. Everyone except for a mysterious British fellow called Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). He may be on your side, but you aren’t sure. If you can survive the insanity, and solve the mystery, you might just discover your purpose and the truth behind your identity. Good luck, Henry. You’re likely going to need it…
A robotic resurrection… a hero with amnesia… a kidnapped wife… … Hardcore Henry hits all the familiar story beats from some of your favorite games. It also looks ridiculously entertaining. We’ll find out for sure when it opens on April 8.
TitanFall 2 is very likely getting “a dedicated single-player campaign”
TitanFall 2 still hasn’t received its official unveiling yet, but Lead Writer Jesse Stern shared some more details about the game with Forbes this past weekend.
First, Stern (or someone connected to Respawn) told Forbes that TitanFall 2 will have “a dedicated single-player campaign” (the original TitanFall was multiplayer-only) and then he delved a bit deeper into the story of “global colonial warfare” that Respawn wants to tell:
“So we are doing our best to deliver a vision of grand global colonial warfare retelling the story of the American Revolution and the American Civil War in space. We imagined the next generation of immigrants moving out to the new frontier of an inhabitable planet. Rather than taking a traditional sci-fi approach to that we wanted to look at how that would happen practically, what the ships would look like and with machines that were designed for excavation and construction, demolition and working the land, and what happens when they are turned into instruments of war.”
In addition to his work on the game, Stern also admitted he’s working with Lionsgate to turn the TitanFall franchise into a television series. “We are trying to find a way to tell a story in the worlds we want to be in and produce in the TV model,” Respawn’s CEO, Vince Zampella, added. Any show with skyscraper-sized mechs duking it out on the battlefield will be very expensive to produce, so it might be a while before we see it.
But if all goes well, EA expects to release TitanFall 2 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One later this year or sometime in early 2017.