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
- 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)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
Most Recent: PC
Will EA release Mass Effect: Andromeda on March 21, 2017? Probably…
Over the weekend, Dark Horse unveiled The Art of Mass Effect: Andromeda at the New York Comic-Con. While collecting unpublished concept art and pairing it with a behind-the-scenes look at the development process has become a common tie-in for many blockbuster games, but fans are paying particular attention to this one because Dark Horse’s promotional efforts for the book may have revealed the game’s release date.
According to the Amazon listing for The Art of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the next entry in BioWare’s RPG franchise will be released on March 21, 2017, the same day as the book:
The award-winning Mass Effect series captured the renegade hearts and paragon souls of gamers everywhere with it’s memorable characters, stunning visuals, and visceral combat! Now, journey to a new galaxy with Dark Horse’s The Art of Mass Effect Andromeda- featuring never-before-seen art of the hotly anticipated game’s characters, arsenal, locations, vehicles, and more! This deluxe hardcover is an essential addition to any gamer’s collection!
Dark Horse will release The Art of Mass Effect: Andromeda simultaneously with the game!
Exclusive never before seen concept art from the making of Mass Effect Andromeda!
The comprehensive companion to the wildly anticipated Mass Effect Andromeda!
It’s certainly possible that Dark Horse isn’t using “simultaneously” to mean “the exact same day,” but it seems likely that Mass Effect: Andromeda will launch sometime around March 21. Especially since EA has already told fans that the PC, PS4, and Xbox One game will be available in “Early 2017.” To make that deadline, the game has to be out by the end of March.
So will Mass Effect: Andromeda be released on March 21, 2017? Probably… but we’re still waiting on an official announcement from EA and BioWare.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Mass Effect: Andromeda
New Retail Releases: PlayStation VR, Gears of War 4, Dragon Quest Builders, More
The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launched the “Great VR Arms Race” a few months ago, but virtual reality enthusiasts will get a much more affordable option this week with Sony’s release of PlayStation VR.
More than two dozen games will launch alongside the PS4’s VR headset, and there looks to be a little something for everybody including the superheroics of Batman: Arkham VR, the high octane racing of Driveclub VR, the robotic combat of RIGS Mechanized Combat League, and the gory stealth of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Square Enix will also bring Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition to the PS4 this week, and the game’s PS4 debut will receive “Blood Ties,” a unique VR-compatible chapter.
Rather than shy away from Sony’s juggernaut, Microsoft is charging into the fray head-on with the launch of the “Standard Edition” of Gears of War 4 for the PC and Xbox One. While this version of the game doesn’t include the Season Pass, it does feature the same action-packed co-op campaign for JD Fenix and friends.
Square Enix will deliver a game that’s a bit more colorful than Gears of War 4… but no less post-apocalyptic… to store shelves this week with the PS4 launch of Dragon Quest Builders. Players will return to the time of the original Dragon Warrior and rebuild Alefgard (using a Minecraft-like crafting system) after the destruction caused by the Dragonlord’s monstrous allies.
Rather than dwelling on the cage match between Sony and Microsoft, we could turn our attention to WWE 2K17, which will be available this week for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360. 2K’s latest wrestling sim stars Brock Lesnar, and it features a major focus on the popular NXT promotion.
Finally this week, Konami will package Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain together on the PS4 and Xbox One in Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience.
A full look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Xbox Store Today: Gears of War 4 Ultimate Edition, Mafia III, Rogue Stormers, more
Happy Friday everyone! Four new games were added to the Xbox Games Store today, and the quartet includes one particular title that Xbox fans have been waiting for for a long time.
Gears of War 4: Ultimate Edition is the first new game in the Gears of War franchise completely under Microsoft’s control and it is now available to download for the Xbox One. Taking place a generation after the war with the Locust, players will follow JD Fenix and his friends as the battle “a monstrous new enemy.” In addition to Gears of War 4, the Ultimate Edition will include the game’s Season Pass and other downloadable content. And everyone who downloads the game through the Xbox Games Store will also receive access to the game on Windows 10 PCs.
Monsters also exist in the world of Mafia III, and while they don’t have fangs or tentacles, they’re no less dangerous. Developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games, Mafia III is an Xbox One that stars Lincoln Clay, an orphan and Vietnam veteran who battles the organized crime families of New Bordeaux (a stand-in for New Orleans) in the late 60s.
Clay and his crew often employ a heavy arsenal of guns, just as the stars of Rogue Stormers do. Available to download now for the Xbox One, Rogue Stormers is a steampunk-styled side-scrolling shooter with roguelike elements from Black Forest Games, as players try to vanquish “the ultimate evil threatening Ravensdale.”
Finally this week, One Hundred Ways is puzzling game for the Xbox One where players have to guide a ball to its goal.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Gears of War 4, Mafia III, Rogue Stormers
Turn-based strategy Dungeon of Zaar is now on Kickstarter for the PC and Nintendo NX
The Nintendo NX is coming to Kickstarter! Don’t get too excited, the consolemaker isn’t funding the creation of their mystery console on the crowdfunding site. But a young development team has given prospective backers the option to select an NX copy of their upcoming project, Dungeon of Zaar.
Dungeon of Zaar is a turn-based strategy game in development at Kurb, a development studio located in France. Looking to Final Fantasy Tactics, Advance Wars, and Pokemon for inspiration, Dungeon of Zaar will feature 5v5 battles that focus on lightning fast decision-making to win the day. Multiple multiplayer options are also set to make the game stand out from the traditional solo-only genre.
Kurb is seeking €25,000 ($27,828) to help fund Dungeon of Zaar’s creation through Kickstarter, and they hope to release the game on the PC in Summer 2017. The Nintendo NX launch for Dungeon of Zaar is planned for a few months after that. Their pitch video, which explains quite a bit more about their dreams for the game, is embedded above.
Oculus Touch motion controller will be available on December 6 for $199
Oculus has announced that the Oculus Touch motion controller will be available on December 6. Pre-orders for the Oculus Rift accessory will open on October 10, and you should probably start saving now, because the controller will be priced at $199.
While the Oculus Touch turned out to be pretty pricey, the box will include more than just the motion controller. Players will also receive an additional Sensor and two games… VR Sports Challenge and The Unspoken. VR Sports Challenge will be developed by Sanzaru, and it’ll include VR recreations of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. Meanwhile, Insomniac’s The Unspoken is a magic dueling game where players will wave their hands around to perform arcane spells and summon unfathomable monstrosities in one-on-one battles.
Players interested in pairing the Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch with a “Full Room” experience will have the chance to purchase a third Oculus Sensor, which will also be available on December 6 for $79.
The Oculus Touch will support 35 games at launch, and you can get a quick glimpse at a lot of them in a new trailer that was released by Oculus earlier today.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged The Unspoken
Salvation DLC Pack is now available for Call of Duty: Black Ops III on PC and Xbox One
Call of Duty: Black Ops III‘s fourth, and final, downloadable expansion is now available to download on the PC and Xbox One. The Salvation DLC Pack includes four additional multiplayer maps and “Revelations,” the final episode of Treyarch’s Zombies Saga:
Multiplayer Maps
- Citadel: Once home to a powerful medieval army, this ancient castle now sits broken and abandoned. Tight corners force close-quarters engagements, while the moat and drawbridge allows for unique player movement opportunities in this mid-sized map. The last trespassers didn’t make it out alive – maybe you’ll have a better shot.
- Micro: What’s better than a BBQ on a hot summer day? A miniaturized war zone that takes place on a well-stocked family picnic table, that’s what! Navigate this bite-size battlefield for a larger-than-life experience.
- Outlaw: Gear up for a showdown in Outlaw; a western-style re-imagining of the fan favorite map Standoff from Call of Duty: Black Ops II. This rough-and-tough medium-sized map brings classic engagements, flanking routes and strategic positions for long and medium ranged combat.
- Rupture: The Call of Duty: World at War classic Outskirts is re-imagined as a high-tech facility, designed by a futuristic society desperate to repair the Earth’s atmosphere.
In “Revelations,” we meet up with the Origins characters after they’ve taken an epic journey through space and time – all of their struggles lead to this very moment. In this, the final chapter of the Zombies experience, Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai finally come face to face with the mysterious Doctor Monty in The House. Confronted by an ancient evil, our heroes must fight the zombie horde once more in the final battle to save their immortal souls.
The Salvation DLC Pack is available as a free download for owners of the Black Ops III Season Pass, but it’s also be available as a standalone download for $15.
The next game in the franchise, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 4. Fans who pre-order the Legacy Edition or Digital Legacy Edition will also receive a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Gears of War movie adaptation announced on the eve of Gears of War 4’s launch
Epic Games tried to bring a Gears of War movie to the big screen nearly a decade ago, but as things often do in Hollywood, things fell apart and the adaptation was ultimately canceled. But it looks like Microsoft wants to take another chainsaw stab at the idea…
Announced yesterday during a massive Gears livestream, The Coalition’s Rod Fergusson said that Microsoft is teaming up with Universal to distribute the film. Production will be handled by Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark of Bluegrass Films, who have previously worked on dozens of films including Ted and the upcoming Patriots Day.
While it was too early to speculate about who would play Marcus Fenix, Fergusson did say that the film won’t necessarily be based on the storyline from the games:
When you do a movie like this, you have to… realize that it’s a different medium with a different audience. I think if you were to go in and say, like, “OK, it’s got to be completely 100% faithful to the game canon,” or the story of the game, like, what’s going to end up happening is… it’s not going to be the best movie. The big thing we’re really trying to focus on is making the best Gears movie possible, as opposed to the one that’s the most closest to the game.
The developer later expanded on his plan to create a great movie that’s not wedded to the game’s plot in an interview with Variety:
“I think you have to let the movies be the movies,” Fergusson said. “They’re two different mediums, and two different audiences in some cases, and I think some video game movies in the past have failed because they tried to make a movie for gamers. If you have this great IP with a deep backstory and lots of lore that you can make interesting stories out of it’s great, but if you just go after the gaming audience then it isn’t going to be a successful movie.”
We don’t know when Gears of War will hit theaters, but Gears of War 4 will be available for the PC and Xbox One on October 11 (or four days earlier if you sprung for the Ultimate Edition).
Outlast II Hands-On Preview: Red Barrels Returns With More Unsettling Found Footage Horror
Outlast garnered a lot of attention and praise back when it was released in 2013. Inspired by what Penumbra: Black Plague and Amnesia: Dark Descent did so well, Outlast was basically a first-person hide and seek simulator set within an insane asylum. With no means of fighting off the deranged patients and mutants that hunted you, there was a lot of hiding inside lockers and under beds while eluding capture. Does the sequel hold true to that formula? I played the recently released demo to find out. (more…)