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
Get a sneak peek at the Doom closed alpha test with this new gameplay trailer
Bethesda and id Software will host the Doom closed alpha test this weekend. For those lucky few who got in, you’ll get a chance to bust some heads in 6v6 Deathmatch battles on the “Heatwave” map. The rest of us will have to make do with a brand new gameplay trailer that Bethesda released late last night.
Players will descend on what is essentially a big foundry and blow it (and each other) to pieces with Rocket Launchers, Plasma Rifles, Super Shotguns, Repeaters, Vortex Rifles, and Static Cannons. Players will also have to contend with the Revenant, a demon with a jetpack and twin Rocket Launchers. I have to admit, it looks pretty epic.
More details about the closed alpha test are available at Doom’s official website. If you didn’t get in this time, it looks like Bethesda plans to hold at least one more alpha test before the game’s beta period, which will be open to everyone who pre-ordered Wolfenstein: The New Order.
And don’t forget, Doom (it’s so hard not to call it Doom 4) will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring 2016.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Doom (2016)
Fallout 4’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. series of videos comes to an end with a visit from Lady Luck
“Following total atomic annihilation, the rebuilding of this great nation of ours may fall to you. Study these materials carefully to ensure your survival and to discover what makes you S.P.E.C.I.A.L.”
Bethesda’s series of educational videos highlighting the seven attributes players need to survive Fallout 4‘s Wasteland has finally come to an end with a look at Luck. After mastering six other S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skills (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, and Agility), players will need Lady Luck on their side if they hope to randomly find treasure or defeat enemies with a magic bullet. But watch out, the finger of fate is fickle and it may just squash you like a bug (or, you know, send a colony of mutant bugs to eat you).
Thanks to Bethesda (and to Vault-Tec) for producing the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. series of videos. I feel much better informed on life (and Luck) than I did during the Summer. There’s just a little more than two weeks to go before Fallout 4’s November 10th launch on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One… so there’s plenty of time to watch these videos over and over again. After all, knowledge is a wonderful thing.
Telltale’s Game of Thrones series will conclude on November 17
Telltale’s Game of Thrones adaptation will come to a bloody conclusion (I’m assuming) on November 17. That’s when the game’s final episode, The Ice Dragon, will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
“The epic conclusion to the season is the most ambitious and diversely presented episode we’ve ever produced,” said Kevin Bruner, CEO and Co-Founder of Telltale Games. “The fate of House Forrester has been in the hands of players all season long, and the finale will be tailored to provide a uniquely harrowing conclusion for each and every player based on the decisions they’ve made in the game thus far.”
If you missed out on Telltale’s adaptation of HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s expansive series of novels, don’t worry, a retail disc collecting all six episodes will also be available on November 17 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The developer will even let you try before you buy as the first episode, Iron From Ice, is now free to download on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
To get players excited for the final episode of their Game of Thrones adaptation, Telltale has produced a featurette starring the show’s cast chatting about their experiences with the game.
Sony’s “Official Holiday 2015” commercial for Star Wars: Battlefront is Force Pushing the nostalgia hard
Sony is a multibillion-dollar company, a member of the prestigious Forbes 500, and yet, their advertising for the PlayStation brand has been absolutely abysmal over the last 20 years. Even ignoring the (multiple) accusations of racism levied against the consolemaker’s commercials, they’ve also attempted to use demon babies, drug-induced hallucinations, and other baffling weirdness to sell the brand to gamers.
Which is why it’s so surprising that Sony’s “Official Holiday 2015” commercial gets it so right. Eschewing the company’s first party lineup, the commercial instead turns its focus on Star Wars: Battlefront and the joy we all felt growing up in the shadow of a galaxy far, far away. From late night Lightsaber fights to ridiculously elaborate cosplay to an X-Wing outside your window, this 60-second spot zeroes in on your nostalgic love for Star Wars like a T-16 bulls-eyeing a womp rat.
Star Wars: Battlefront will be released for the PS4 on November 17. A Limited Edition bundle featuring the game and a Darth Vader-themed PS4 will also be available. PC and Xbox One owners won’t need to feel left out, as Star Wars: Battlefront will also be available for those platforms as well.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Battlefront
New Releases: Guitar Hero Live, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, More
Are you ready to rock? I said… are you… Ready. To. Rock? Activision is certainly ready to rock as they’ve brought back the Guitar Hero franchise this week with the release of Guitar Hero Live . Scheduled for launch on the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in a Standard Edition and Two Guitar Bundle, Guitar Hero Live will include more than 100 songs on the disc and an ever-changing lineup of artists available through its GHTV mode.
But Guitar Hero Live isn’t the only arena act looking to put on an encore this week. New entries in four of gaming’s biggest franchises will soon be available in stores:
- Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (PS4 and Xbox One) brings the Templars-versus-Assassins saga to Victorian England. And you better believe that Jack the Ripper is involved (though not until the downloadable expansion).
- The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is yet another multiplayer Zelda game, this time for the 3DS.
- Tales of Zestiria is the latest Tales game from Bandai Namco and the first to appear simultaneously on the PC, PS3, and PS4.
- Just Dance 2016 (PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One) and Just Dance: Disney Party 2 (Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One) will have you beboppin’ and scattin’ all over your living room one more time.
Finally this week, Microsoft is releasing Halo 5: Guardians a week early if you’re willing to pay extra for it (sort of). The Limited Collector’s Edition includes a digital download of the game, but it won’t unlock until next Tuesday, October 27. You can also spring for the 1 TB Xbox One + Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition Bundle, which features a Halo-themed Xbox One system, along with a digital download of Halo 5 that won’t unlock until next Tuesday.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Guitar Hero Live, Halo 5: Guardians, Just Dance 2016, Tales of Zestiria, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
Overwatch beta will begin on October 27
Blizzard has announced that the long-promised beta for Overwatch will begin on October 27, a little less than two weeks from now. Players in the Americas will gain access to the beta first (with Europe and Asia following soon after) and if you’re interested in taking part in the test, be sure to sign up at Battle.net.
The developer plans to employ a two-tiered structure for the Overwatch beta. A constantly available “Closed Beta” will offer a limited number of players access to every map and every hero to test every nook and cranny of their team-based shooter:
Closed Beta
The Closed Beta will be composed of a small number of testers who will have regular access to our public beta test. Our goal for the Closed Beta is 100% gameplay feedback, and we’ll be encouraging participants to discuss and dissect every hero, map, ability, and other aspect of the game on our upcoming beta forums.In order to get the most meaningful and constructive feedback possible, the total number of players in the Closed Beta will be extremely limited… though we’ll be adding more people from time to time to make sure we have the right number of heroes actively engaged.
Meanwhile, a much larger player pool will be invited to take part in “Beta Test Weekends,” which will feature a more restricted set of maps and modes:
Beta Test Weekends
From time to time, we’ll also need to open up the floodgates and call upon an army to overwhelm our hardware. The goal: get as many heroes playing as we can, all helping us “stress test” our servers to ensure they can withstand the assault.These larger-scale Beta Test Weekends will be brought online occasionally for a limited time, generally over a weekend, and will run concurrently with our ongoing Closed Beta test. Because Beta Test Weekends are primarily hardware- and tech-focused, the number of heroes, maps, and gameplay modes will be restricted—but feedback on everything will definitely be welcome.
If you’re unable to get into the beta, Blizzard also plans to bring a playable version of Overwatch to this year’s BlizzCon, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center on November 6th and 7th.
Gun Media resurrects Summer Camp as Friday the 13th: The Game
Absolutely nothing can kill Jason Voorhees. In fact, not even a starring role in a terrible NES game from 1989 can keep the machete-wielding monster down. So it should come as no surprise that Gun Media has announced a brand new Friday the 13th game, which is slated to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in October 2016.
Friday the 13th: The Game is actually an expanded and reworked version of Gun Media’s previously announced horror game, Summer Camp. Friday the 13th creator Sean S. Cunningham offered the license to the developer (and stealth announced it) earlier this year after Gun Media secured the services of special effects wizard Tom Savini, composer Harry Manfredini, and stuntman Kane Hodder. Now, the developer and their who’s who of horror have turned to Kickstarter to help fund the most authentic Friday the 13th game possible.
Gun Media isn’t “starting from scratch” and a lot of what made Summer Camp interesting will also be present in Friday the 13th. The game is being designed as a 7v1 asymmetrical multiplayer title. Up to seven players will be able to control the counselors, each of which has their own personality and special abilities. But one player will be able to slip into the hockey mask of Jason Voorhees and stalk these teens throughout a semi-open world version of Camp Crystal Lake. A single-player campaign where players can control either Jason or the counselors in scenarios based on scenes from the classic film series will also be included.
A lot more information on exactly how Friday the 13th will work is available on the Kickstarter page. Gun Media is seeking $700,000 to fund the game, and as of this writing, they’ve already received pledges totaling $111,000.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Friday the 13th