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
Catch a ride to the theater… a Borderlands movie is in the works
Gearbox Software, Take-Two Interactive, and Lionsgate have announced they are teaming up with producers Avi and Ari Arad to create a Borderlands movie. The fivesome’s current plan is to go big with Borderlands and turn it into a “tentpole” film that’s befitting of the Borderlands name.
For a better reference point, it might be helpful to look at some of the past projects that Avi and Ari Arad have been responsible for. The executives got their start in the comic book realm, producing Blade for New Line, X-Men for Fox, and Spider-Man for Sony. They’ve also helped guide those franchises through multiple sequels and even a reboot or two (yes, they’re also responsible for X-Men: The Last Stand and The Amazing Spider-Man 2). More recently, the duo has branched out into video game adaptations, with plans to produce films based on Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid.
Lionsgate also sees the potential in a Borderlands film, with Co-Chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger quoted as saying: “The Borderlands games don’t pull any punches, and we’ll make the movie with the same in-your-face attitude that has made the series a blockbuster mega-franchise.”
That said, the adaptation is currently lacking actors, writers, and a director… so it might be a long time before we get to see it. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about the Borderlands movie during the “Inside Gearbox Software” panel, which will be held at PAX Prime later today.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands, PAX Prime 2015
Minecraft: Story Mode will be playable at PAX Prime 2015
The 2015 PAX Prime expo begins in just a few hours, and if you’re in Seattle waiting to get in, you might be pleased to learn that Telltale Games will have a playable demo of Minecraft: Story Mode at their booth (#3117) this year. According to the developer, this is the first time the game will be playable by anyone outside their office, so this is quite the opportunity for PAX Prime attendees.
A lucky few will also have the chance to acquire an expo-exclusive Minecraft: Story Mode t-shirt. And actually, there will be four different shirt designs, one for each day. Telltale has also said there’s a chance some could collect all four:
[F]rom Saturday onward we’ll have a limited number of the day’s t-shirts reserved each morning for people who visit us wearing one of the previous day’s designs. No need to play the beta again, just wear the shirt! So if you play on the first day and are quick getting to our booth each morning thereafter, you might just manage to collect all four designs.
Minecraft: Story Mode will follow Jesse (Patton Oswalt) and his friends as they attempt to revive the Order of the Stone and save the world from an Ender Dragon. The first episode (of five) is expected to premiere this Fall on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices (iOS and Android).
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Minecraft: Story Mode, PAX Prime 2015
Night Dive will remaster Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2 for modern PCs
If you were a teenager in the late 90s, you probably spent a lot of time playing Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil for the Nintendo 64. That’s because the pair of games, which were developed by Acclaim, were two of the biggest first person shooters available at the time. Eventually, both titles were also released for the PC as well. And as of right now, they’re going to be re-released on the PC in “modernized” versions, courtesy of Night Dive Studios.
According to the developer, they plan to restore both games by adding enhanced graphics and making other improvements to the nearly 20-year-old Turok titles. These tweaks will make Dinosaur Hunter and Seeds of Evil more accessible to modern players, with both eventually scheduled to be available exclusively through digital distribution platforms like Steam, GOG, and the Humble Bundle Store.
Here’s what Stephen Kick, CEO and Founder of Night Dive Studios, had to say about the announcement: “When Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was first released it was nothing short of revolutionary. To that point, no game had ever offered the combination of graphics and an open world environment that Turok featured. We are very excited to have the opportunity to bring this great franchise back to life and to be able to share these great titles with today’s gaming audience.”
Night Dive is perhaps best known for their restoration of System Shock 2. Hopefully, they’ll use the same amount of care in remastering Turok for a new generation of players, though a release date hasn’t been announced yet.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Rainbow Mika joins Street Fighter V and will be playable at PAX Prime this weekend
Capcom has announced that Rainbow Mika, or R. Mika as she’s more commonly known, is the latest character to be added to Street Fighter V. Not only that, but the wrestler will be included in Street Fighter V’s playable PAX Prime demo, which will available in Capcom’s booth (#3103) this weekend in Seattle. If you’re unfamiliar with R. Mika (her only previous appearance is in Street Fighter Alpha 3), here’s what Capcom had to say about her on the Capcom-Unity blog:
As an aspiring young wrestler, Mika dreamed of one day becoming a star in the ring, much like her idol Zangief. Training under the strict tutelage of her coach, she traveled the world engaging in random matches with street fighters in order to spread her name and popularity. R. Mika’s wrestling prowess will be on full display in Street Fighter V, as she dazzles opponents with a wide variety of high-flying moves. This time around, her wrestling tag-team partner Nadeshiko assists in the fight! By calling Nadeshiko at the right time using R. Mika’s V-Trigger ability, players will be able to set up sneaky attacks and punishing command grab mix-ups that are sure to deliver devastating amounts of damage. Players who enjoy putting on a stunning display of fear-inducing close-combat guessing games will find R. Mika a colorful and rewarding way to play.
V-Skill: Mic Performance
R. Mika pulls out her trusty microphone and gives a heart-pumping monologue to the crowd. The longer the buttons are held down, the more powerful her normal and special throws become! During her monologue state, she is able to absorb one hit from the opponent and can also cancel the speech at any time by letting go of the buttons, causing her to fling the mic at the opponent.V-Trigger: Nadeshiko (3 Variations)
Now this is wrestling! Depending on the direction held during the V-Trigger activation, R. Mika’s faithful tag-team partner will deliver a surprising, high flying attack at the opponent from different angles: neutral (body splash from above), hold back (dropkick from the front), hold forward (dropkick from behind). The different variations keep opponents guessing and afraid to hit buttons, perfectly setting up R. Mika’s damaging command throws.
Street Fighter V will be released for the PC and PS4 in Spring 2016.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged PAX Prime 2015, Street Fighter V
Cliff Bleszinski’s Project BlueStreak officially unveiled as LawBreakers
“It happened long before I was born. Clandestine government testing on the lunar surface caused the Moon to split, creating a massive earthquake. They called it “The Shattering” and it nearly cracked our world in two. The ground broke… oceans boiled… and gravity never went back to normal. But, we rebuilt.
Memories of the old world drifted into the past and humanity turned its gaze forward. It came back stronger than ever, and for awhile, things were good. Then came the gangs. Gravity manipulation and supplement use lead to near superhuman abilities. Cartels from around the world have unified to form the Breakers. In 2105, their empire expanded onto US soil, flooding the streets with narcotics and war. Law enforcement agencies were unified to keep the peace. Sam and I signed up on the first day. There’s no sitting on the sidelines… not anymore. You either uphold the law, or you break it.”
So begins the trailer for Cliff Bleszinski’s LawBreakers, an arena shooter that will be released for the PC in 2016. Previously known as “Project BlueStreak,” LawBreakers will be Bleszinski’s first creation since leaving Epic Games to form Boss Key Productions. Best of all, we won’t have long to wait before we can try it out.
Bleszinski and the rest of Boss Key will bring a playable demo of LawBreakers to Seattle for this weekend’s PAX Prime. More specifically, they plan to set up demo stations in an undisclosed location at the expo on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30.
Presumably, this locale will become a bit less secret after they unveil the title’s first gameplay trailer on Friday, August 28 at 9:00 AM (Eastern Time).
Posted in News, PC
Tagged LawBreakers, PAX Prime 2015
Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows release date is “imminent”
Yacht Club Games has announced that Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, their free expansion to Shovel Knight, will be available to download very soon.
According to the latest Kickstarter update, development was completed on August 5 and Plague of Shadows is now going through the submission process with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. So while a final release date is still up in the air, Yacht Club is confident that the expansion’s launch can be considered “imminent.” To celebrate, they’ve released a brand new trailer for the expansion, which gives us a glimpse at some of the new areas and the wide array of potions that Plague Knight has access to.
However, if you’d prefer to hobnob with the development team on the eve of their next triumph, you can. Yacht Club Games is planning to attend Nintendo’s pre-PAX Prime party, Nindies@Night. If you’re in the Seattle area this Thursday, be sure to stop by the EMP Museum at 8:00 PM (Pacific Time) to give Shovel Knight’s Challenge Mode a whirl.
Yacht Club Games will also have a booth at PAX Prime proper as well, so you can test out Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows in Seattle all weekend long.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged PAX Prime 2015, Shovel Knight, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
Hyper Light Drifter gets a new trailer as Spring 2016 release date is confirmed
First, the bad news… Hyper Light Drifter won’t be released before the end of the year as originally planned. Instead, Heart Machine announced today that their dreamy action RPG will be released for the PC in Spring 2016 with a console release to follow “as quickly as possible” after that.
So what’s the good news? Well, the developer did release a beautiful new trailer for the game, which has been embedded above. They’ve also confirmed that a playable demo of Hyper Light Drifter will be available in the Indie Megabooth at this weekend’s PAX Prime expo.
It’s always disappointing when a game is delayed, but you can read more about Heart Machine’s reasons behind the decision in the latest Kickstarter update from Lead Developer Alex Preston.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged Hyper Light Drifter, PAX Prime 2015
Mega Man Legacy Collection Review: A Potent Mixture of Retro Perfection
The Mega Man series is built on patterns. Every time out, a robotic warrior clad in blue battles eight “Robot Masters” in an order chosen by the player. As he pushes through the game, Mega Man acquires an arsenal of new weapons from the vanquished Robot Masters. And after defeating all of them, he challenges the evil Dr. Wily in a fiendishly hard multi-leveled fortress. After delivering the final blow (usually with the game’s worst weapon), Mega Man rides off into the sunset, ready to return if the world needs him again.
I know these patterns. I first learned them in 1987 with the release of Mega Man for the NES, and I received a refresher course roughly every year thereafter thanks to the five sequels that followed. Through trial and error (and believe me, there were many, many trials), I eventually learned how to traverse each game’s set of levels with near flawless accuracy.
After ignoring the series for several years, Capcom decided to compile the first six entries into the recently released Mega Man Legacy Collection. I still know the patterns, but even two decades removed from their original release, the games included in the Mega Man Legacy Collection hold up in a way that few do. (more…)