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
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Most Recent: PC
CoD: Infinite Warfare’s Zombies Mode goes back to the 80s with “Zombies In Spaceland”
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s single-player campaign is blasting off for outer space, so it seems rather fitting that the game’s co-op Zombies Mode is going to Spaceland. Revealed today in a brand new trailer (which is embedded above), Infinity Ward is putting their spin on the famed Zombies Mode with an 80s-set adventure titled “Zombies In Spaceland.”
And to help set an appropriately 80s mood, Paul “Pee-Wee Herman” Reubens and David Hasselhoff will make an appearance in “Zombies In Spaceland” alongside a comedic ensemble cast, as confirmed by the Activision Games Blog:
Zombies in Spaceland tells the story of four aspiring actors who come upon a mysterious movie theater for an audition. They’ve been invited by director Willard Wyler, portrayed with voice and likeness by Paul Reubens, who was once the shining star of the horror genre. Unbeknownst to the actors, they will be transformed into the movie characters onscreen and transported straight into Wyler’s film to fight against an all-new variety of zombies in an 80s theme park.
You’ll play as one of four 80s movie-inspired characters: The Jock, The Nerd, The Valley Girl, or The Rapper. The characters are voiced by a comedic ensemble cast, including Seth Green, Ike Barinholtz, Jay Pharoah, and Sasheer Zamata.
To guide you through the onslaught of the undead (while providing a killer soundtrack as you battle), you’ll want to keep an eye out for the Spaceland DJ, portrayed with voice and likeness by David Hasselhoff. He’s sure to be an invaluable resource to help you get you out of this horror movie alive.
Players who pre-order Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will receive a bonus package of zombie-hunting gear courtesy of the Zombies In Spaceland Pack, which will contain a Zombies Weapon Camo and Reticle, an Animated Zombies Playercard, and a Fate & Fortune Card Pack. But if you want to get a good look at “Zombies In Spaceland” before you put your money down, tune in to Activision’s reveal stream tomorrow at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time) on Twitch.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 4.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Gamescom 2016
Microsoft will host Pre-PAX Open House for ID@Xbox games on September 1
Microsoft has announced they’ll throw open the doors to their corporate campus once again to help kick off (the newly renamed) PAX West with another ID@Xbox Pre-PAX Open House event. The event, which is free and open to the public (a PAX West badge isn’t required), will take place on Thursday, September 1, at 5:00 PM (Pacific Time). Parking is also free and buses will shuttle people in need of a ride from the Washington State Convention Center to the Microsoft Campus.
Attendees will be able to check out playable demos for more than 50 ID@Xbox titles, including several never-before-seen surprises, and the Xbox Wire has a look at some of the games that’ll be playable at the ID@Xbox Pre-PAX Open House event:
|
|
It’s likely that most, if not all, of these titles will also be playable on the PAX West show floor.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged PAX West 2016
Nordic Games fully rebrands themselves as THQ Nordic
THQ is back (sort of)!
After acquiring the company’s trademark in 2014, Nordic Games has announced a plan to rebrand the entire company as THQ Nordic. The publisher has issued a surprisingly amusing statement about the name change, which also looks back to their humble beginnings and rather bright future:
It all started out in Sweden in 2008 as a mini-venture to self-publish such illustrious titles like Dance Party Club Hits, Kart Racer, and Truck Racer (just to name a few) on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii. The following year, we landed We Sing, a million-plus selling karaoke franchise for Nintendo Wii. In 2011, with our first of many acquisitions to come, Nordic Games began its transformation from small scale, two-platform games publisher to a multi-platform, multi-genre global player.
One could say the most defining moment for our company happened in 2013, grabbing headlines like; “Who the FUCK is Nordic Games?”, “Darksiders Gets Bought By… Nordic Games?”, and “Nordic Games explains who the F they are, plans for THQ assets”. Funny enough, back then, this was so true. Until that point, we had been a low profile publisher uttering expletives of our own along the way, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in the international gaming media spotlight. We knew then, with great certainty, that we’d just made the best deal in our company´s history.
THQ Nordic currently has 23 games in development, “the majority of [which] are based on former THQ owned IPs and franchises.” More than a dozen of these games have yet to be announced, but its possible they may make an appearance at this year’s Gamescom convention. THQ Nordic will have a large presence at the event, which kicks off next Wednesday, August 17.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III Descent DLC Pack now available for PC, Xbox One
Just in case you forgot, Call of Duty: Black Ops III‘s Descent DLC Pack is now available to download for the PC and Xbox One. Originally released last month for the PS4, the downloadable expansion adds four more multiplayer maps and a new Zombies episode to Treyarch’s shooter:
- Empire: Treyarch adapts its Black Ops III movement system to the Call of Duty: Black Ops II fan favorite map Raid. The re-imagining of this classic, medium-sized map features an authentic Roman villa that has been “recreated by a modern-day eccentric billionaire,” where a classic map structure mixes with the new gameplay mechanics of Black Ops III.
- Cryogen: Located far off the coast in the Dead Sea, an isolated compound holds some of the world’s most dangerous criminals in frozen isolation. Sentry towers keep watch over the small map’s circular design as frenetic combat is funneled around the prison’s cryogenic tubes, where opportunities for wall running attacks abound.
- Berserk: Ancient sentinels from a lost civilization guard the entrance to Berserk, a Viking village frozen in time. Players will fight through blizzards, and control the center bridge as they navigate this medium-sized map’s wooden buildings, deadly rocky outcroppings, and tight chokepoints.
- Rumble: Gamers battle amongst larger-than-life mechanized warriors in Rumble, a stadium where giant robots battle to the roar of the crowd. This medium-sized map funnels high-speed combat to the central arena, where players battle their way through fallen mechs and pyrotechnics.
Descent also thrusts players to an alternate universe of Nikolai’s motherland, the 1940s Soviet Union, in the next highly-anticipated chapter of the Origins Zombies saga, “Gorod Krovi.” Players face-off against a swarm of mechanized zombie infantry and dodge hell-fire from aerial dragon assaults, all in the middle of a raging battle within the remnants of Stalingrad. “Gorod Krovi” delivers the most exciting Zombies experience yet, filled with horrifying new enemies, exciting new gameplay mechanics and an epic set of Zombie annihilating weapons.
The Descent DLC Pack is included as part of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s Season Pass, or it can be purchased as a standalone download for $14.99.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Please rise and watch the 1992 Dream Team challenge the 2016 Men’s Olympic Basketball Team in NBA 2K17
After all the panic and worry, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio kicked off without a hitch and Team USA seems to be doing pretty well on the basketball court. Their 3-0 record includes a 98-88 victory over Australia, and they’ll take on Serbia this Friday, before closing out the Group Phase with a contest against France on Sunday. But first, 2K Games wants everyone to get excited for NBA 2K17 with this new trailer pitting the current National Team against the 1992 Dream Team.
So please rise for the “Star Spangled Banner” and watch as virtual versions of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird take on Kevin Dyurant, Carmelo Anthony, and NBA 2K17 cover athlete Paul George.
NBA 2K17 will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 20. However, the 1992 Dream Team is only available in the game as a pre-order bonus. But on the plus side, you’ll receive NBA 2K17 four days early in a special “Tip-Off Edition” that’ll be released on September 16.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition will be available on August 30
We all knew it was in the works, but CD Projekt made it official today by announcing that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition will be released on August 30. The Game of the Year Edition is the most complete version of The Witcher 3 and it’ll include the epic original game, every update, and both downloadable expansions (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine):
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition offers over 150 hours of open world adventures and sees players take on the role of professional monster slayer Geralt of Rivia, as he seeks out the child of prophecy in Wild Hunt, faces off against a ruthless bandit captain in Hearts of Stone, and unravels the terrifying secret of the beautiful region of Toussaint in Blood and Wine.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition will priced at $49.99 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. You can pre-order now from your favorite game retailer or watch the brand new announcement trailer embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Kickstart This! Eliosi’s Hunt
Top-down shooters are like buses… you wait for ages, and then two come at once. The first one I found when looking for this week’s Kickstart This! candidate was When It Hits The Fan, which evoked memories of Smash TV with its 32-bit arcade style. Its simple style leads to some fast-paced mayhem, and had I not found Eliosi’s Hunt, I may have delved a bit deeper into its campaign. The latter game has a harder sci-fi slant, but its visuals are mind-blowingly beautiful. So let’s find out what Brazilian-based TDZ Games is hoping to achieve with this project. (more…)
Rive will be released for PC, PS4 on September 13; Xbox One edition will be coming later
Two Tribes has announced that Rive, their upcoming side-scrolling shooter, will be available for the PC and PS4 on September 13. In case you’re unfamiliar with Rive, you can introduce yourself to the game’s many colorful characters in the new trailer embedded above, and bask in the retro simplicity of this plot description from the developer:
Blast your way through a mysterious starship as space scavenger Roughshot, who suddenly finds himself trapped with only his badass canons and hacking skills to help him escape.
With 360 degrees of pixel-pumping destruction, brutal attacks like Falcon and Tesla bursts, voice acting by Mark Dodson (Gremlins, Star Wars), and multiple game modes such as Single-Credit and Speedrun, Rive deserves an explosive spot on any action fan’s radar.
Rive is also in the works for the Xbox One, and it’ll launch on Microsoft’s console at a later date.