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
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.
Game of Thrones: Sons of Winter will be available next week
Telltale’s video game adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones continues with the release of the fourth episode, Sons of Winter, next week. Depending upon which platform they prefer, players will be able to dig into the latest episode on the following dates:
- Tuesday, May 26: PC (Windows, Mac) and PlayStation Network (PS3, PS4)
- Wednesday, May 27: Xbox Games Store (Xbox 360, Xbox One)
- Thursday, May 28: Mobile (iOS, Android)
So what sorts of intrigue and deception will the denizens of House Forrester experience in Sons of Winter? Here’s what Telltale had to say…
In Episode 4, the fate of the scattered Forresters hangs in the balance, and no one allied with the family is safe. An unexpected meeting offers Rodrik a new opportunity to free Ironrath from its Whitehill stranglehold, but with young Ryon Forrester still held prisoner, his next moves are critical. Gared must abandon Castle Black and venture beyond the Wall in search of the mysterious North Grove, risking encounters with Wildlings and worse. In King’s Landing, the population is reeling from a recent royal death, and Mira must step carefully in an increasingly complex game of politics where secrets are traded as currency. Far away in Essos, Asher infiltrates the slave city of Meereen at the behest of Daenerys Targaryen, but will the friendship he holds dear break under the strain of a mission that raises memories best forgotten?
Unlike the typical Telltale game series, their Game of Thrones adaptation will stretch out across six episodes. So be on the lookout for Episode 5 (A Nest of Vipers) and Episode 6 (The Ice Dragon) in the coming months.
Activision cranks up the hard rock for second batch of Guitar Hero Live tracks
Last week, Activision unveiled the first 24 songs that’ll make up the final tracklist for Guitar Hero Live. The tracks covered a wide range of musical styles including blues (Gary Clark Jr.), pop (Ed Sheeran), pop punk (Fall Out Boy, Green Day, My Chemical Romance), alternative (The Killers), and even some techno (Skrillex).
But for this week’s “Tracklist Tuesday,” Activision wanted to go a little harder with ten selections from the hard rock and heavy metal acts that’ll be included on Guitar Hero Live’s soundtrack:
- Bring Me the Horizon – “Shadow Moses”
- Deftones – “Diamond Eyes”
- Killswitch Engage – “In Due Time”
- Marilyn Manson – “Disposable Teens”
- Marmozets – “Move Shake Hide”
- Mastodon – “High Road”
- Of Mice & Men – “Bones Exposed”
- Royal Blood – “Little Monster”
- Trivium – “Strife”
- Vista Chino – “Sweet Remain”
Most of these bands are unknown to me, but I think I was most surprised to learn that Marilyn Manson is still a thing. Guitar Hero Live will be released this Fall for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U.
Kickstart This! CCTV Nation, Overdosed, Power Drive 2000
While my own Kickstarter campaign, The Illuminant Midnight Project, didn’t reach its funding goal, the first big crowdfunding story of 2015, Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee, zoomed past its initial funding goal of £1,000,000 in less than 24 hours, and met its “final” stretch goal a few days later, pushing Playtonic to add further stretch goals. The campaign still has a little less than a month left to run, so there is little doubt it will reach the £2,000,000 goal of free DLC for everybody. The campaign’s success has been built on months of anticipation, coupled with a sweet price point for backers. I pledged £15 to get the game on Wii U, which is insanely good value for the money.
Of course, the former Rare employees have two decades worth of nostalgia to help them succeed, whereas other developers must rely on more modest means to help them complete their gaming projects, bringing us to this week’s Kickstart This! We start with the curious augmented reality game CCTV Nation, before plunging into the depths of hell with top-down shooterOverdosed. Finally, there is stunning sci-fi racer Power Drive 2000.
Where we’re going, we don’t need roads… (more…)
Catlateral Damage will be released on Steam, Ouya next week
Have you ever wanted to become a cat? Now you can… in Catlateral Damage. The game, from developer Chris Chung, will be released for the PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) via Steam and the Android-powered Ouya microconsole on May 27.
Players will have all the freedom of their favorite feline as they embrace their cat’s uncaring nature and completely wreck the house without any sense of remorse or shame. Catlateral Damage will include a wide variety of procedurally-generated levels including an entire suburban home, a supermarket, and a museum. Knock dishes off the counter! Tear up unread magazines! Destroy priceless family heirlooms and antiquities! The choice is yours!
Act now and you can also view the brand new “Informercial” trailer for Catlateral Damage, which has been embedded above.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC
Tagged Catlateral Damage
2K has NBA 2K16, WWE 2K16, Battleborn, and a “new triple-A title” on tap for 2015
Take-Two Intereactive CEO Strauss Zelnick announced a trio of new titles during the company’s quarterly financial report yesterday. But two we already knew about and the third will remain under wraps until this year’s E3 Expo.
First, Zelnick confirmed that both of 2K’s annual franchises would receive new entries in 2015. WWE 2K16 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 27 while NBA 2K16 will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile platforms sometime in the Fall, though NBA 2K titles typically launch in early October.
The CEO also revealed the company will release a “new triple-A title” during their current fiscal year:
Throughout the coming year, we will continue to execute our proven strategy of launching a select array of the highest-quality titles, led by new annual releases of NBA 2K and WWE 2K; Battleborn, a groundbreaking new intellectual property from Gearbox Software; and a soon-to-be announced new triple-A title from 2K.
This unannounced game is likely in development at Hangar 13, Take-Two’s newest internal studio. Rumor has it that Hangar 13 is working on Mafia III, but we won’t find out for sure until next month. And we may not get to play it until early next year as Take-Two’s fiscal year officially ends on March 31, 2016.
Finally, Zelnick confirmed that Gearbox’s latest, Battleborn, will also be released during the current fiscal year. More details on the colorful (and character-ful) shooter will be revealed ahead of the E3 Expo and during the show itself.
So your big takeaway from this announcement should be that Take-Two Intereactive is going to have a big presence at the 2015 E3 Expo.
UPDATE: 2K Games has confirmed that their “new triple-A title” is actually XCOM 2, which is currently in development at Firaxis.
First Wii U trailer for The 90s Arcade Racer drifts into view
The 90s are alive on the Wii U. Developer Antonis “Pelikan13” Pelekanos and publisher Nicalis have released a new Wii U gameplay trailer for The 90s Arcade Racer, giving us a new look at the Daytona USA-inspired title. In addition to the de rigueur jungle course, the game will also include a track modeled after a slot car set. Pay attention to the background as the car whizzes around the very 90s bedroom for a host of Easter eggs including a television with an NES underneath it.
The trailer closes with a glimpse at Pop Dat!, a minigame embedded in The 90s Arcade Racer. Players will control a gun-toting mouse who has to shoot down a series of balloons. Yup, that’s pretty 90s.
The 90s Arcade Racer is also in development for mobile devices (iOS and Android) and PC platforms (Windows, Mac, and Linux), and should be available sometime this year.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged 90s Super GP
Telltale will release Game of Thrones Episode 4: Sons of Winter “soon”
Telltale Games began teasing the fourth episode of their Game of Thrones adaptation on Twitter last night. One tweet promised the game’s next episode, Sons of Winter, would be released “soon” for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices:
.@GameOfThrones: A @TelltaleGames Series – Ep 4 of 6: Sons of Winter – Download It Soon on Consoles, PC, Mac & Mobile pic.twitter.com/jM05RI5ntC
— Telltale Games (@telltalegames) May 17, 2015
Telltale followed up the tease with a stream of new screenshots featuring Daenerys, Beskha, a meeting between House Forrester and House Whitehill, a Wildling with a spear, and Gared Tuttle talking to Frostfinger.
As is Telltale’s MO, a trailer for Game of Thrones: Sons of Winter should appear sometime this week alongside an official release date.