Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Meet the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025: Quake, GoldenEye 007, Defender, and Tamagotchi
- The BAFTA Games Awards Polled the Public and Shenmue is “The Most Influential Video Game of All Time”
- 2024 GOTY Scoreboard: Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, More
- The Strong Museum of Play Acquires Prototypes and Development Documents from Volition’s 30-Year History
- Minecraft’s Volume Alpha Soundtrack Has Been Added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- It’s beginning to feel like gaming isn’t for everyone – Digital Trends (2025)
- 22 years later, modders are keeping SimCity 4 alive – The Verge (2025)
- The B-movies of Paul W.S. Anderson double as acts of devotion to his muse, Milla Jovovich – The AV Club (2025)
- Breakout, Ripoff, Genre: How Fiction Outgrows Originality – Uncanny Magazine (2025)
- ‘I Could Make “Fart Fart Boobie Fart: The Game” and Maybe It Would Eventually Get Taken Down’ – Devs Reveal Why the Consoles Are Drowning in ‘Eslop’ – IGN (2025)
Most Recent: Mobile
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Episode One free to download on iOS for a limited time
Telltale Games announced today that the iOS version of “Ice Station Santa,” the first episode of Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space, is free to download for a limited time.
In addition, all of the follow up installments in the collection are available for $2.99, or 40% off their original price.
If you’re a fan of the series, and have been wondering if getting Sam & Max on your iDevice is worth it, remember that there’s a ton of iOS-specific content like a competitive Whack-Da-Ratz minigame, and a sound board that allows you to create your own mix of words straight from the game.
To download it now, be sure to check out the Sam & Max: Beyond Space and Time page on the iTunes Store.
Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 Hands-On Preview: Resurrecting a Zombie in More Ways Than One
When the third episode of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness was canceled in 2010, I have to admit, I was a bit shocked. The first two games in the series provided plenty of RPG thrills and all the Penny Arcade-style humor I could ever ask for.
I was equally shocked when the RPG series was reborn under the slightly less laborious title, Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3. Now in the hands of Zeboyd Games, an indie development house known for their love of 16-bit RPGs, the game was playable for the first time at last month’s PAX East expo. And play it I did. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, PC, Previews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged PAX East 2012, Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
John Scalzi teams up with Industrial Toys to make mobile games for core gamers
Your hero and mine, John Scalzi, has revealed that he’s working on his first video game with mobile developer Industrial Toys.
Details are still scant, but Scalzi is the world-renowned author the Old Man’s War series, Fuzzy Nation, The God Engines, and the upcoming Redshirts. So naturally, he’s working on the storyline for this untitled game as well “other things.” The video game world is a natural fit for the author as he’s an unabashed fan of first person shooters and uses video game themes in a lot of his work (for example, The God Engines is built on a world that is just ripe for an RPG conversion).
Industrial Toys is a new team, but they’ve dropped a few hints on what their Scalzi collaboration could entail in the latest edition of their online newsletter. First of all, their motto appears to be “mobile games for core gamers,” so don’t expect any birds or words or fruit. There will also be guns. Hmm, I guess that’s it. Helpful bunch, ain’t they?
However, it was also revealed Scalzi won’t be done dabbling in this world after he creates it. Maybe that means a book, who knows? But this is from the above-mentioned newsletter:
Welcome Hugo-Award-winning science fiction author, John Scalzi. […] Cuz next, he’ll be turning his high-powered imagination on the storyline of our first game, and it won’t just manifest itself IN the game.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Morning Star
New iPhone app allows anyone to build their own games, no coding required
Today, Engineous Games released a free game creation tool for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad called Sketch Nation Studio that allows you to create your own iOS game with no technical background required.
The five “genres” of games you can make currently are Up-Jumping, Down-Jumping, Horizontal Jumping, Horizontal Running, and Horizontal Flying. But who or what will be doing all this jumping or flying?
You can draw your own characters using in-app drawing tools, or take snapshots of drawings on paper with your device’s camera and import them. You can share your art with other players within the game, which allows you to collaborate with friends if you’re into that.
There are three modes, with varying degrees of depth. Simple Mode allows you to quickly create a basic game. Advanced Mode gives more control, and allows you to customize wvery aspect of gameplay. Stand Alone Mode allows you to actually sell your game on the App Store for a small profit.
Sketch Nation Studio is free, but downloading user-generated games and art costs virtual currency called Sketch Bucks. You earn these Sketch Bucks if a game or art you created is downloaded or if you play games. There’s also the option of purchasing them in-app if you don’t want to upload content.
rComplex Review: Intrigue and Mystery on the Go
For someone who doesn’t play a lot of games on her iPad, I’ve been doing a lot of gaming on my expensive little toy. One of the games that I’ve been playing a lot of is rComplex, a fun and mysterious game that tests your reflexes… or your patience, depending on your reaction time. Are you the kind of gamer who would enjoy the challenge? Read on to find out if this game is worth your time and money. (more…)
Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1 + 2’s player character is dead
Or possibly only mostly dead, no one’s too sure.
We talked to Robert Boyd at PAX East this past weekend and he confirmed that the rake-wielding player character of Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1 and Episode 2 will not be making an appearance in Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3. Officially, the character’s location is unknown, so maybe if we bug the boys at Zeboyd enough, he (or she) will make a return engagement.
Boyd revealed that he wanted to kill off the character in the opening moments of Penny Arcade 3, but the idea was nixed by Jerry “Tycho” Holkins himself. Considering the fact that we were standing in a giant convention center dedicated to his greatness and talking about a game bearing his pixelated likeness, I guess he had some pull.
As a compromise, Boyd assured us that one of the character classes players will be able to choose is “Gardener,” so as to “satisfy the need for rake-based attacks.”
Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 will be out this Summer on the Xbox Live Indie Games Channel, PC, and mobile devices.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged PAX East 2012, Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 to be revealed at PAX East 2012
Zeboyd Games, the creators of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII, recently took up development of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness – Episode 3. Original developer Hothead Games left the project to work on other projects, but Penny Arcade’s artist Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and writer Jerry “Tycho” Holkins are ready to show off the redone game at this year’s PAX East. Zeboyd has also signed on to develop a fourth installment in 2013.
Con-goers can get a first look at the game in Zeboyd’s booth on the Expo floor, and can also attend a panel with Jerry Holkins, game producer Jeff Kalles, and game leads Robert Boyd and Bill Stiernberg at 9:00 on Friday, April 6th to get some details on the game’s development.
The game, now rechristened Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is slated for a Summer release on the PC, Mac, the Xbox Live Indie Games channel, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android, so if you own any kind of gaming technology, odds are you can find a way to play this one.
If you can’t make it to Boston this weekend, check out the official website or an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the game’s genesis at Joystiq.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Xbox 360
Tagged PAX East 2012, Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3
Zynga acquires Draw Something developer
Zynga, the ubiquitous juggernaut behind FarmVille, CityVille, Words With Friends, and a lot of other Facebook timewasters has acquired OMGPop, the developer behind the newest iOS sensation, Draw Something.
“The OMGPop team has created a game that’s fun, expressive and engenders real social interaction,” said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. “Draw Something has captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. We love the way they’ve worked playful and relevant culture into their games from Devo to Daft Punk, from Lin to Beckham. We’re honored to have the opportunity to partner with and support such an innovative team of creative inventors.”
Just how big is the Draw Something phenomenon? The game has been downloaded 35 million times (to be fair, it is free) and players have created over one billion drawings in the last week alone. So, that big.
Or in other words, if OMGPop CEO Dan Porter is ever asked to draw “fat stacks of cash,” he just draws a picture of himself.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Draw Something