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
- 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: Mobile
Max Brooks is writing an “Official” Minecraft novel for Mojang
There are lots of novels based on Minecraft on the shelves at your local bookstore, but Mojang has announced they’ve partnered with Max Brooks to produce a series of official novels based on the blockbuster game.
Brooks is best known as the author of World War Z, an “Oral History of the Zombie War” that was recently adapted into a movie starring Brad Pitt. But Brooks is also the author of The Harlem Hellfighters (which features many of the same events and people as this Fall’s Battlefield 1) and The Zombie Survival Guide. He’s also the son of legendary parodist Mel Brooks and Oscar-winning actress Anne Bancroft.
The first novel will be titled Minecraft: The Island, and according to Mojang Blog, readers should expect “cuboid Robinson Crusoe, but madder: a hero stranded in an unfamiliar land, with unfamiliar rules, learning to survive against tremendous odds.”
“I’m very excited to be part of this new venture,” Brooks said. “Finally I can justify all those hours I’ve spent playing Minecraft.”
“From our first meeting with Max, we knew he would be a perfect fit for our first foray into novels based on Minecraft,” said Lydia Winters, the Brand Director at Mojang. “His enthusiasm and understanding of all things related to the game bring out the sense of wonder and possibility that so many players love about Minecraft… ourselves included.”
We don’t know when Minecraft: The Island will be released, but we do know it’ll be published by Del Rey Books.
Seen At PAX West 2016: Crashlands
Let me start out by saying that Crashlands is not my kind of game. Resource collection and building, even when accompanied by quests, just don’t draw me in. But St. Louis-based Butterscotch Shenanigans has done the unthinkable and gotten me to play a crafting game, largely thanks to Crashlands’ charming art style, delightful soundtrack, and witty dialogue. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, PC, Previews, Top Story
Tagged Crashlands, PAX West 2016
Shigeru Miyamoto shows us his favorite ways to play Super Mario Run in new trailer
When Shigeru Miyamoto stepped onto the stage during last week’s Apple Week, he joked that Super Mario Run could easily be played one-handed, freeing up your other hand to hold onto a subway handle or, more importantly, a tasty hamburger.
Naturally, Nintendo went ahead and actually made a video of Miyamoto playing Super Mario Run while riding a subway, eating a hamburger, and performing other activities…
Watch as Mr. Miyamoto reveals his favorite ways to play #SuperMarioRun on the go! pic.twitter.com/MboONwsdsw
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 12, 2016
Never change, Mr. Miyamoto. Super Mario Run will be available to download for the iPhone and iPad this December, with an Android launch planned for 2017.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Super Mario Run
Get your first look at Telltale’s Batman: Episode 2 – Children of Arkham right here
Telltale’s five-part Batman tale will continue next week in Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 2: Children of Arkham. Today, the developer unveiled a brand new trailer that seems to be pushing Gotham City even further towards insanity:
With Gotham City’s first family mired in corruption, and an old friend now a dangerous adversary, the life of the Dark Knight is turned upside down. What was Thomas Wayne entangled in, and why was he killed? Determined to learn the truth about his father, Bruce sets out to question those involved in Gotham’s criminal past. But which mask will he wear – The billionaire, or the bat? Huge decisions will forever change the Batman and the lives of those around him, as he meets the Children of Arkham.
Who are the Children of Gotham? Is that really The Penguin behind that bird mask? And could that pale, lanky fellow be The Joker? We’ll all get to find out together on September 20, when Children of Arkham launches for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The second episode in Batman: The Telltale Series will also be available at a later date for the PS3, Xbox 360, and mobile devices.
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment expansion will be available in Spring 2017
Yacht Club Games had previously expected to launch the Shovel Knight expansions starring Specter Knight and King Knight by the end of the year. However, that’s no longer in the cards as the release of both add-ons has been pushed into 2017.
But to make up for this scheduling snafu, Yacht Club unveiled an amazing new logo for Specter Knight’s campaign, which is now officially known as Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment. In a blog post on their official website, the developer confirmed the free expansion will be released in Spring 2017 and that it is, “a HUGE game with even more new content than Plague of Shadows.”
Shovel Knight, and the Plague of Shadows expansion, is currently available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8 is here… and so is the Launch Trailer
Jesse and friends will ride off into the sunset this week with the release of the final episode in Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode. Players will be introduced to “The Old Builders” in Episode 8: A Journey’s End?, which might mean a way home for the adventurers:
With Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8: A Journey’s End? is now available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices. Players can purchase it as part of the Adventure Pass ($14.99) or as a standalone download ($4.99).
Titanfall franchise comes to mobile devices with strategy card game Titanfall: Frontline
Your Titan will soon be ready on your smartphone. Respawn Entertainment and Nexon have announced that Titanfall: Frontline will be available this Fall for iOS and Android devices. Developed by Particle City, Titanfall: Frontline is a free-to-play strategy card game where players will “face off in head-to-head combat with other players in real-time.”
Featuring hundreds of Pilots, Titans, and special ability Burn Cards, Commanders will collect and upgrade their units and build their own unique decks. Players can build their IMC or Militia squad according to their play style, whether they prefer to assemble a dropship of fast, light Pilots and Titans to deal quick damage or wear out their opponents with the addition of strong defensive units, installations, and support personnel.
“We’ve worked hand-in-hand with Respawn to weave in card battle strategy and collectibility with the iconic gameplay elements that make Titanfall so unique and that will help evolve the genre,” said Larry Pacey, Particle City’s Co-Founder. “From dropping a Titan onto the field of play to turn the tide of battle to using a combination of Parkour and Rodeo Burn Cards to take a Titan down, Titanfall: Frontline is unapologetically intense and utterly Titanfall.”
Nexon and Particle City will follow Titanfall: Frontline with a series of additional mobile games based on the franchise as part of a multi-year agreement. A small batch of screenshots and more details about Titanfall: Frontline can be found at its official website.
Pokemon Go reaches 500 million downloads; Plus accessory coming next week with Apple Watch support later in 2016
Are you still Pokemon Go-ing like a maniac? As of today, the mobile app has dropped to #27 on the iOS App Store Chart, so it’s not quite as popular as it once was. But plenty of people are still obsessed with catching ’em all. So yesterday’s flurry of Pokemon Go announcements should definitely please fans of the game.
First, Niantic has announced that Pokemon Go has exceeded 500 million downloads worldwide since launching in July. The developer followed up this milestone by confirming that the Pokemon Go Plus will be available beginning next week, on September 16. The Plus is a wristwatch-shaped companion device that pairs with your smartphone and vibrates and and lights up when you approach a PokeStop or a Pokemon hiding nearby. And speaking of watches, Niantic’s final announcement was that Pokemon Go will receive Apple Watch support later this year.
“The globally loved Pokemon brand paired with Niantic’s platform and game design that encourages exploration, exercise and making real world social connections has inspired millions of people of all ages to go outdoors together,” said John Hanke, Niantic’s CEO. “We are encouraged by the fast adoption of the game and are pleased to see so many people walk and play every day. Pokemon Go for Apple Watch will be another way people can incorporate the game into their daily lives, even more seamlessly.”
Those 500 million Pokemon Go players have done a lot of walking since the game’s launch. Niantic’s last announcement revealed that players have collectively walked 4.6 billion kilometers, “which is the distance from Earth to Pluto.”
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Pokemon Go