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: PC
Dauntless’s 1.0 Update and Aether Unbound expansion are now available
Dauntless, a free-to-play brawler about hunting giant monsters from Phoenix Labs, has shed its Early Access designation on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One thanks to the launch of the game’s new 1.0 Update:
Dauntless 1.0 is a new beginning for the Behemoth-hunting game, delivering an expansive live gameplay experience that takes into account years of feedback from the game’s passionate community. Dauntless will continue to grow and expand with new content and features, keeping Slayers sharp and entertained with new weapons, Behemoths, in-game events, stories and much more for years to come.
In addition to launching the full version of Dauntless, the developer has unveiled a brand new seasonal expansion for the game, Aether Unbound. The expansion gives players the option to engage in fast-paced hand-to-claw combat with the game’s towering Behemoths, as well as participate in a new Bounty System:
The next seasonal expansion, Aether Unbound, adds a powerful new way for Slayers to hunt: the Aether Strikers. The combo-heavy strikers transform Slayers into living weapons with the ability to unleash fast-moving attacks and powerful techniques. This update also adds the savage new Dire Behemoth, Tempestborne Stormclaw, a new Bounty system, and a Hunt Pass packed with special challenges and in-game rewards. The new Bounty system replaces weekly quests and Hunt Pass part breaks, empowering Slayers to pick and choose which bounties they are most interested in pursuing. Phoenix Labs also squashed more than 500 bugs on the road to its 1.0 launch, making this patch one of Dauntless’ most polished to date.
These updates arrive just as Dauntless’s playerbase has reached more than 15 million players, and just before its launch on the Nintendo Switch later this year.
“Today is the celebration and culmination of the past five years of the development of Dauntless, and the amazing community of Slayers that have supported the game, provided feedback and ultimately helped us craft the experience of the Shattered Isles.” said Jesse Houston, the CEO and Co-Founder of Phoenix Labs. “As we cross the 1.0 milestone and 15 million players, we as a studio could not be more excited to set our sights on the future of Dauntless.”
A trailer for Dauntless’s 1.0 Update and the Aether Unbound expansion has been embedded above.
New trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduces us to “Cal’s Mission”
Respawn Entertainment will get their next chance to wow gamers with a sprawling space saga this Fall with the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Today, the developer unveiled a new trailer for the game that hints at what else protagonist Cal Kestis will be up to besides evading the Empire:
In the Galactic Empire, the Inquisitorius has only one mission: seek out and destroy all remnants of the Jedi Order. Learn more about what Cal Kestis is searching the galaxy for and why the Empire will stop at nothing to bring him down.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 15.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Madden NFL 20 goes back-to-back as the best-selling game of August 2019
The month of August was fairly light on new releases, so naturally, it looks like the game industry went through a lighter period on the business side of things as well.
According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), EA Sports’s Madden NFL 20 topped the list the best-selling titles for the month, repeating its victory from July (I guess you could say the developer went for two). The rest of the Top 20 was littered with repeat entries, but most surprisingly of all is that Minecraft earned the #2 spot, more than seven years after its retail debut.
The other big story to come out of the Top 20 was Nintendo’s continued dominance of the Summer. The consolemaker placed nine Switch games in the Top 20, including Platinum’s latest project, Astral Chain, at #10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (#4), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#5), Super Mario Maker 2 (#6), Mario Kart 8 (#7), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#12), Super Mario Party (#16), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (#17), and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#18) were the other Nintendo titles to crack the list.
However, the overall industry felt a bit of a dip in August 2019, totaling $666 million in sales, an 18% drop versus August 2018.
You can find a full list of best-selling games from last month after the break. (more…)
Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling spinoff of Enter the Gungeon… and it’s coming to iOS devices
Apple has signed up a few high-profile developers to deliver content for their upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service, and today they locked up another one as Dodge Roll Games has announced that Exit the Gungeon will be available to download for Mac, Apple TV, and iOS devices soon.
Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling spinoff of Enter the Gungeon that eschews the overhead dungeon crawling of its predecessor and embraces a new focus on vertical combat as the world’s first “dungeon climber”:
Exit the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon climber immediately following the adventures of the misfit “Gungeoneers” and their journey for personal absolution in Enter the Gungeon.
Spoilers: The Gungeon has become a paradox and is collapsing. Armed with an ever-changing weapon, an insatiable need to loot, and a signature trusty dodge roll, each of our heroes must ascend and escape via their own unique route of increasingly perilous elevators. Battle against the last and most bitter of the Gundead at a frantic pace, slowing down just long enough to chat with some familiar faces… and a few new ones. Shifting rooms, enemies, bosses, bizarre weapons, and items all combine to ensure that no two attempts to finish Exit the Gungeon play out the same.
Devolver Digital will publish Exit the Gungeon, which will be co-developed by Singlecore Games. Presumably, it’ll make it’s way to other platforms after some period of exclusivity on Apple Arcade.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC
Tagged Exit the Gungeon
Kickstart This! Elysian Fields, Badminton Warrior, and Zombie Golf
That’s right, folks. Kickstart This! is back with a vengeance after some time away while I completed my own Kickstarter project for The Water Rat, which is hopefully coming soon to a film festival near you. Running a campaign and delivering something to a number of backers is a rich and rewarding experience, and I cannot recommend it enough.
It also takes a massive amount of work, dedication, and the kindness of strangers. Around half of our backers are people I have never met, and that in itself is quite humbling. So why not make a game developer’s day and contribute to their campaign?
This edition of Kickstart This! sees us farming in space with Elysian Fields, smacking shuttlecocks in Badminton Warrior, and slicing the undead in Zombie Golf. (more…)
Square Enix will release Trials of Mana on April 24, 2020
Nintendo just blew away the Internet with possibly their biggest Nintendo Direct ever. Front and center during the presentation was Trials of Mana, an upcoming RPG from Square Enix. The publisher confirmed that Trials of Mana, which is a modern-day remake of Seiken Densetsu 3 (AKA Secret of Mana 2), will be released for the PC, PS4, and Switch on April 24, 2020.
Originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, and later making its debut in the West with the Collection of Mana on Nintendo Switch earlier this year, Trials of Mana is a full, high-definition remake of the third entry in the classic Mana series, seamlessly bringing the beloved story and characters to a new, modern era of fans with real-time combat, beautiful 3D graphics and updated gameplay. The game tells the story of six heroes as they battle against the forces of evil that threaten a world where Mana has been weakened. Players will craft their own experiences by selecting a party of three from these unique characters as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime to protect the very essence of Mana itself.
Naturally, a new trailer for Trials of Mana has made its way online, focusing on the game’s upgraded visuals, new combat system, character classes, and the brand new English voiceover. Square Enix produced an expanded version of this video for next week’s Tokyo Game Show, and it’s been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch
Tagged Trials of Mana
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is here… and so is a new Launch Trailer
Square Enix launched Final Fantasy VIII Remastered for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One today, and the publisher also produced a new Launch Trailer for the re-release, which has been embedded above.
While the RPG was a massive hit in 1999, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered marks the first time its been actively available in more than 20 years (save for a short PC print run in 2000). So it’s possible that fans won’t be as familiar Squall as they are with other Final Fantasy protagonists:
About Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered celebrates its 20th anniversary by bringing the cherished RPG to modern platforms, featuring newly rendered visuals that bring the game’s beloved characters to life like never before. Players step into the shoes of SeeD recruit Squall Leonhart and resistance fighter Rinoa Heartilly as they work together to save the world from the military nation of Galbadia.Final Fantasy VIII Remastered’s Enhancements
- Battle Assist: The ability to always have maxed out HP and ATB, and trigger Limit Breaks at any time.
- No Encounters: An enemy encounter option that allows players to enjoy the storyline uninterrupted. While enemy encounters are turned off, players can still enjoy the story event battles.
- 3x Speed Boost: Play through the game with three times the speed.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is available to download now and it’s been priced at $19.99 on all platforms.
Capcom will unveil Resident Evil: Project Resistance at Tokyo Game Show 2019
Capcom has announced that they plan to unveil Resident Evil: Project Resistance (which is probably just a working title) at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.
The official website for Project Resistance promises that the first teaser trailer for the game will be available to view online at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time) on September 9th. The site also said that fans attending this year’s Tokyo Game Show (which runs from September 12th through the 15th) will be able to watch a gameplay demonstration at Capcom’s booth, as well as pre-register for a chance to test out the demo for themselves at the show.
Resident Evil: Project Resistance is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and we’ll learn more about it next week.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Resident Evil: Project Resistance