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
World of Warcraft’s Lead Designer, Rob Pardo, forms Bonfire Studios
As the Lead Designer on World of Warcraft, Rob Pardo was part of the team that profoundly changed the video game industry as we know it. Now, he’s struck out on his own and formed Bonfire Studios, a new game development house located in Irvine, California.
Writing on the company’s blog, Pardo said Bonfire hasn’t started work on their first project yet (or even decided on a platform), but his desire is to to let his team stay small while still being able to create blockbuster games:
Game developers live the dream scenario where passion meets work. We don’t view our week as something to get through so we can really live on the weekend. But often, developers must compromise and decide — do I work on a blockbuster game where I have less personal impact or the gutsy indie studio that struggles to get noticed? Our vision is to create a studio that doesn’t require them to choose.
Bonfire also has close ties with Riot Games, the development team behind League of Legends. “Riot’s aspiration to be the most player-focused game company in the world, aligns very nicely with our vision to build friendships through our online games,” said Pardo. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Bonfire’s first project turns out to be an online-focused multiplayer game.
“Narrative and Creation are Sacrosanct” in MetaArcade’s Text Adventure Creation Tool @ PAX West 2016
PAX West 2016 was full of innovation, creativity, and, of course, fun. One of the best intersections of these three assets was at the MetaArcade booth, where they were demoing Tunnels & Trolls: Naked Doom.
“Wow, Nicole. What exactly is Tunnels & Trolls: Naked Doom?” you might be asking yourself right now. Let me start by explaining a little more about MetaArcade and their vision for the future of text adventures. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story
Tagged PAX West 2016
Two new Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 trailers ask… “Are you a Hunter or a Runner?” and “Can you beat the Giant Ghost?”
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 will gobble up your freetime in a just a few days, but in the meantime, Bandai Namco released two new trailers for the game to get players ready for the return of video gaming’s first star.
First, the publisher asked players how they prefer to play in the “Hunter Vs Runner” trailer. If you’re someone who chases Ghosts for maximum points, that makes you a “Hunter.” But you’re a “Runner” if you like to smoothly munch on Dots while studiously avoiding the Ghosts.
All this hunting and running leads into the game’s brand new boss battles, and Bandai Namco also released a second trailer asking players how they’d defeat “The Giant Ghost.” If you said, “With an army of Pac-Men,” then you’re on the right track.
Both trailers can be found after the break, and don’t forget, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on September 13. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
New Retail Releases: NBA 2K17 Early Tip Off, ReCore, BioShock Collection, More
Ladies and gentlemen, it has begun. The “Fall Gaming Season” begins now, and publisher are flooding store shelves with more than a dozen new titles this week.
With the NFL season kicking off today, let’s start with this week’s sports offerings. EA Sports released Madden NFL 17 three weeks, but the publisher is back this week with NHL 17 for the PS4 and Xbox One. If you’re more of a basketball fan, 2K Games will release the NBA 2K17: Early Tip Off Edition this week for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Soccer supporters will also get a new simulation this week with the release of Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. And the checkered flag goes to NASCAR Heat: Evolution, which will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One this week.
Far away from Earth’s athletic fields is the planet of Far Eden, an interstellar colony that’s been overrun by villainous robots in Microsoft’s ReCore. Developed by Armature Studio, with additional idea work by Keiji Inafune, ReCore lets players fight back as Joule Adams, a resourceful woman who has her own team of robotic helpers. ReCore will be released for the Xbox One and it’ll also be available digitally for the PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
You know who else has access to a lot of gadgets? Batman. And Telltale Games will put the World’s Greatest Detective through the ringer this week with their Batman: The Telltale Series – Season Pass Disc for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The disc will include the first episode from Telltale’s Batman series and digital access to every subsequent episode released (the second is scheduled to launch on September 20).
Finally this week, a trio of re-releases will reintroduce gamers to a few beloved franchises. BioShock: The Collection will bring BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite together in a single package for the PS4 and Xbox One (and digitally on the PC) with improved graphics and exclusive commentary by Ken Levine and other developers from Irrational. Meanwhile, Capcom’s Dead Rising also makes the leap to the PS4 and Xbox One (and, again, digitally on the PC) with improved graphics. And Square Enix and Nintendo collaborated on a brand new localization for the 3DS release of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Koji Igarashi delays Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s launch to the First Half of 2018
Koji “Iga” Igarashi delivered some bad news last night to fans of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The famed developer revealed that progress on the game isn’t going as smoothly as he would have hoped. To make sure it’s “done right the first time,” Igarashi announced that Bloodstained will miss its planned March 2017 launch. Instead, the game be released in the first half of 2018 for the PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One:
“The last thing I want to do is keep our backers waiting, but after receiving such incredible support, I feel responsible for delivering the best product I possibly can. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies.”
To help maintain his vision, Igarashi also confirmed that he’ll add a new development team so he can keep development of Bloodstained “fully on track.” Inti Creates is currently working on the game for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One (Armature is handling the Vita and Wii U port), but it’s unknown if this second team will work alongside them, or replace them.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1: Realm of Shadows Review: Create Your Own Legend of the Dark Knight
Sometimes, it’s a boring night at the opera, but most often, the story begins with a small boy asking his parents to make an early exit from a screening of The Mark of Zorro. And like every other second from that night, the masked vigilante on the silver screen makes an impression on young Bruce Wayne. It’s this story that Telltale Games has decided to retell with Batman: The Telltale Series. (more…)
Just Shapes & Beats tentatively scheduled for January 2017 release
Berzerk Studios’ Just Shapes & Beats was in the Indie MEGABOOTH at PAX West, and I got a chance to get destroyed by that incredibly addictive game. You’re Shapes, and you’re trying to evade bullets and lasers and other Shapes, and you’re doing it all to the Beat of some amazing chiptunes – in this case, the beats were by Danimal Cannon. I had a chance to ask the developers a few questions while I was getting wrecked, and they said that the game could be coming out as soon as January 2017.
Wondering how the game plays? Think the frenetic, can-I-blink insanity of Super Hexagon, but as a bullet hell that is full of neon and the best chiptunes. That’s Just Shapes & Beats. If that sounds like it’s for you, then be on the lookout for this to be released in January on PC.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Just Shapes and Beats, PAX West 2016
Capcom delivers the scoop on Urien… Street Fighter V’s final DLC character from Season 1
The first “Season” of downloadable content for Street Fighter V will come to an end this month, so Capcom has unveiled a trailer for Urien, the final DLC character of 2016. The Illuminati fighter made his debut in Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, but according to the Capcom-Unity blog, he’s still at odds with Shadaloo:
About Urien
Urien returns to Street Fighter V, donning a pinstriped suit and is often seen with a sinister smile when he hits opponents with his powerful limbs and violent combos. He uses his slow moving projectiles to pressure opponents and get them to do his bidding. A master of manipulating ki, his signature Aegis Reflector, one of the 66 Illuminati secret arts, is back and allows him to control the pace of the match.V-Skill: Metallic Aura
Urien laughs maniacally while enveloping his body with his Metallic Aura. Once charged, his skin tone darkens and the next forward-propelling special move can temporarily absorb one attack.V-Trigger: Aegis Reflector
Urien opens his arms and creates an energy barrier in front of him. The barrier will reflect projectiles back at the opponent and the direction held when activating the V-Trigger determines where it appears. Opponents who touch the barrier without blocking will take damage and be knocked back. With a full V-meter, Urien can project two barriers.Critical Art: Dominate Crush
Urien channels energy into his arm and slams it into the ground, striking his opponent with a pillar of destruction.
A release date for Street Fighter V’s September Update (including Urien) will be announced during this year’s Tokyo Game Show, which will be held next week, beginning on Thursday, September 15.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Street Fighter V, TGS 2016