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
Enter the Gungeon Review: A Few Steps Forward, More Steps Back
Strange though it may seem, in 2016, video games are an old medium. The various genres and mechanics of the medium have, over time, formed a kind of complex language that makes sense to those who are video game literate but is impenetrable to those who aren’t. Good guys are blue, bad guys are red. This is simple if you’ve played a few shooters, but is not immediately obvious. This creates a problem for the critic when describing a game’s mechanics: to some people, Red Dead Redemption is a simulation of the Old West in which you meet with people who need tasks doing; to others, it’s GTA with horses.
Enter the Gungeon is a top-down, twin-stick shooter in which you explore procedurally generated dungeon floors armed with weapons, bombs, keys, and a special item. You fight your way through each floor looking for shops and item rooms to arm yourself for the boss fight that allows you to move down to the next floor of the dungeon. It’s usually best to avoid comparisons, but if this description reminds you of The Binding of Isaac, then you’re on the right track. (more…)
Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Enter the Gungeon
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is officially coming in 2017, alongside a new original title from EA
I think it’s time to dust off your “Evil Empire” jokes, because EA executives delivered an uncanny impression of Emperor Palpatine during their quarterly financial report yesterday. According to CFO Blake Jorgensen, the megapublisher has mapped out their plan for global domination of the video game industry with a massive slate of upcoming titles that’ll take us all the way into 2020.
First, Jorgensen confirmed that Star Wars: Battlefront will be released in 2017, complete with maps based on the new series of films: “Next year we will see Star Wars: Battlefront back with bigger and better worlds, because we now have the new movies to work off of, not just the historical movies that we used before.” He added that EA will also release at least one Star Wars game per year until 2019 or 2020. That includes Visceral’s Star Wars game, which will be released in 2018, and Repawn’s recently announced game, which has no release date but should probably be penciled in for 2019.
The executive then pivoted away from Star Wars to reveal that an internal EA studio is working on an original property for 2017, and the publisher has started development on multiple action games that’ll be released 2018 and 2020:
“We do have a new IP coming next year. We haven’t yet announced it, but it’s something that you’ll see probably coming up soon.”
“We’re making broad investments that fuel the growth of the company well beyond [2017 and 2018]. Really today we’re building an action genre product that’s probably [due in 2019 or 2020]. Most of what we’re investing in that’s incremental now probably comes in [2018 or 2019]. But clearly, some of our investment is to grow out our product base for what we’re going on as well.”
It might be a while before we learn more about some of the more distant games, but there’s a good chance we could hear something about the upcoming original title at this year’s E3 Expo.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Star Wars: Visceral
Disney shuts down all console development and cancels Disney Infinity franchise
Two months ago, the Disney Infinity franchise was put on hiatus by Disney Interactive. Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company announced the end of Disney Interactive with the cancellation of all console development and the closure of the entire division.
Speaking during the company’s quarterly financial report, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said, “During the quarter, we took a charge of $147 million in connection with the shutdown of our Infinity console games business. Going forward, our console games strategy will focus solely on licensing our great portfolio of content.”
This closure extends to developer Avalanche Software, and Disney Interactive General Manager John Blackburn thanked them for all their hard work on the publisher’s official website:
Our goal for Disney Infinity was to bring the best of Disney storytelling to life in homes around the world, and with your support we accomplished that. We hope you had as much fun playing the game as we had making it.
And as we turn to the next chapter in our story, I want to thank everyone who helped bring Disney Infinity to life, particularly Disney’s Glendale-based production and publishing teams, our external development partners, and of course the incredible Avalanche team for their tireless dedication to this project.
Avalanche will complete work on the remaining Disney Infinity content that is currently in development, including three figures from Alice: Through the Looking Glass (which will be available later this month) and a Finding Dory Play Set (coming in June).
With Disney’s console development future tied up in licensing deals, we should probably expect to hear about more third-party partnerships, like the one the company struck with EA to create Star Wars: Battlefront, soon.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, Disney Infinity: Star Wars
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine expansion will be available on May 31
Prepare to ride with Geralt of Rivia one last time as CD Projekt Red has announced the Blood and Wine expansion to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be available to download on May 31.
“Blood and Wine makes The Witcher 3 complete [because] it’s Geralt’s final mission. Containing more than 90 new quests, and over 30 hours of brand new adventures, it’s something that I think gamers will remember for a long time,” said Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the Game Director at CD Projekt Red.
“There’s also a massive amount of features we’re giving gamers with this expansion like a dynamic Point of Interest system, a new Gwent deck, new endgame mutation mechanics, and even a place Geralt can call home…. And it’s all happening in a new region as big as No Man’s Land in the base game,” he added.
In addition to the absolutely massive expansion, European fans of The Witcher 3 will be able to pick up a special Limited Edition that contains a Blood and Wine download and two real-life Gwent decks (Northern Realms and Nilfgaard). More information on this rather cool extra is available at The Witcher 3’s official website.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
EA will release next Need For Speed game in 2017
Ghost Games brought the Need For Speed franchise back last November with the simply-named Need For Speed. Since then, they’ve added to the racer with a number of expansions, including the upcoming SpeedList update. But don’t worry, they’ve got big plans for the future.
Writing on the franchise’s official website today, the developer revealed that an untitled new Need For Speed game will launch in 2017:
We are now building upon the foundations that have been laid with Need for Speed and delivering our next game in 2017.
That’s not to say that we’re going quiet between now and then… far from it. We’ll be working with our community and there will be multiple opportunities to bring many of you into the studio in the coming months to get your feedback on where we’re headed.
Your passion and dedication for Need for Speed continues to motivate, inspire and drive us forward. It’s absolutely amazing. From all of us at Ghost, thank you.
It’s possible, though unlikely, that EA might discuss the next Need For Speed game during their 2016 E3 Press Conference, which will be held on June 12.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Need For Speed Payback
Mass Effect: Andromeda blasts off for E3 2016 (and an Early 2017 release date)
EA and BioWare are very excited about Mass Effect: Andromeda, and they’ve confirmed that fans will be able to share in this excitement beginning next month. Writing on the the game’s official website, Aaryn Flynn, the General Manager of BioWare said that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be a big part of EA’s E3 Press Conference, which is scheduled for June 12.
Flynn also shared some details about the team’s progress:
- More Freedom: One of our biggest ambitions is to give players an unprecedented level of freedom for a Mass Effect experience –where you’ll go, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll play.
- New Uncharted Worlds: We’re leaving the Milky Way behind and headed to Andromeda, where we’ll meet new allies, confront new enemies, and explore fascinating new worlds.
- The Next Great Mass Effect Experience: Mass Effect: Andromeda will be the first Mass Effect game for today’s consoles and the first built on the Frostbite engine. We’re pushing the technology to deliver visuals, story, and gameplay that have never been done in franchise history.
Finally, Flynn also thought he was announcing a slight delay for Mass Effect: Andromeda, but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen actually beat him to the punch a few months ago. Regardless of who said it first, the game will officially be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in “Early 2017.”
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will be available on Steam later this week
After launching on the PS4 last year, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will make its PC debut (via Steam) later this week.
The Steam re-release will include all the special features found in the PS4 version including a modern graphical upgrade, a rearranged soundtrack, and the never-befre-available bonus content from the International Editions. Steam users will also be able to access an Auto Save feature and optional “Boosters” including High Speed Mode and No Encounter Mode. A similar “Booster” system was added to Final Fantasy IX‘s Steam release back in April.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will be available to download through Steam on May 12.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Capcom is planning a “full-scale offensive” for the Resident Evil franchise this year
Brace yourself, the Resident Evil franchise is going on a “full-scale offensive” during the back half of 2016 and into 2017. Capcom announced their battle plan during a recent Quarterly Financial Report, and it’s hard to argue with their choice of words… the publisher has already released two Resident Evil games in 2016 and will push out three more in the coming months, along with the final entry in the Milla Jovovich-starring film franchise:
| Resident Evil 0 (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) | January 20, 2016 |
| Resident Evil 6 (PS4, Xbox One) | March 29, 2016 |
| Umbrella Corps (PC, PS4) | June 21, 2016 |
| Resident Evil 5 (PS4, Xbox One) | Summer 2016 |
| Resident Evil 4 (PS4, Xbox One) | Fall 2016 |
| Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Film) | January 27, 2017 |
And then there’s Resident Evil 7, which Capcom began teasing more than six months ago. Obviously, there’s no guarantee that Resident Evil 7 will be released (or even announced) this year, but the E3 Expo is right around the corner and 2016 is the 20th anniversary of the first Resident Evil game.
On top of all this, Capcom confirmed a few months back that a full remake of Resident Evil 2 is also in the works. The oft-requested doesn’t currently have a release date, but it’s very possible that it’s launch will also fall within the “full-scale offensive” period.
I guess the bottom line is that it’s a great time to be a Resident Evil fan.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Umbrella Corps