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
Koji Igarashi is back with a Kickstarter campaign for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Koji Igarashi, the famed creator of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, has returned to game development. Igarashi, known as “Iga” to friends and fans, shepherded the Castlevania series as its Director until 2014, when he left Konami to form his own studio. Today, the developer announced a partenership with Mighty No. 9 developer Inti Creates to bring the gothically-styled Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to Kickstarter.
Igarashi is seeking $500,000 to develop Bloodstained, and he’s more than halfway to his goal as of this writing. With more than 30 days to go, it seems likely that this spiritual successor to Symphony of the Night (now with 2.5D side-scrolling and co-op) will reach its funding target. Interested backers will have two options to obtain a copy of the game including a $28 digital copy or a $60 retail disc (which will include bonus content). Whatever choice you make, Bloodstained is scheduled to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in March 2017.
Igarashi channels Dracula in the pitch video embedded above, but what is the game all about? Well, it’s a tale of curses and loss… also, there are swords and whips:
You are Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist curse which slowly crystallizes your skin. You must battle your way through a demon-filled castle summoned by Gebel, your old friend whose body has become more crystal than flesh.
Igarashi and his partners at Inti Creates and Fangamer have created a ton of ridiculously loaded backer tiers for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. If you love the side-scrolling Castlevania game, I definitely recommend giving the Kickstarter campaign a look.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Is Visceral working on a Star Wars: Han Solo game? Probably…
In the past few weeks, Electronic Arts and DICE have been very forthcoming about their plans for Star Wars: Battlefront, which will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17. The same can’t be said for the Star Wars game in development at Visceral Games… it’s been shrouded in mystery ever since the agreement between EA and Lucasfilm was announced. Or has it?
Game Informer has collected a number of cryptic social media posts from Visceral’s staff that all have a common theme… Han Solo. Pictures of the pilot frozen in carbonite, a Star Wars-themed pirate flag, and more than a few references to the Millennium Falcon are pretty suspicious, to say the least.
Even though Han is one of the trilogy’s most important characters, he is rarely a playable character in any of the dozens of Star Wars games that have been released over the years. OK, there was that one Xbox 360 game from a few years ago, but it is not the game you’re looking for.
So, are these teasers proof that Visceral is working on a Han Solo game? Maybe… or maybe not. I would put my money on yes, but we’ll have to wait for an official announcement from EA to know for sure.
I’m solo, I’m Han Solo. I’m Han Solo, I’m Han Solo, Solo. Yeah, I’m feelin’ good tonight.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Visceral
New Releases: Project CARS for PS4/Xbox One, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD for PS4, More
We’re keeping it short and sweet, once again, with this week’s new release report.
Project CARS, Slightly Mad’s automotive simulation, skids onto the PS4 and Xbox One this week after its PC pitstop last week. The game will also be released for the Wii U later this year.
Also this week, a pair of Final Fantasy remakes have found new homes. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will make its way onto the PS4, while Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is now available to download on the PC.
Finally, a pair of simulators will launch for the PC this. Trainz: A New Era is a… wait for it… train simulator. And Airport Firefighters: The Simulation is a simulator about… wait just a bit longer for it… a simulator about airport firefighters.
That’s it for your retail release report. As always, the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, Nintendo eShop, and Steam will pick up the slack with a variety of new downloadable titles throughout the week.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, Project CARS
Batman: Arkham Knight adds Ashley Greene, Jonathan Banks, John Noble, more to cast
WB Games has released an extended trailer highlighting the voice cast of Batman: Arkham Knight… and I suggest you watch it right now if you’ve ever wanted to hear John Noble cackle about driving the Batmobile. Yes, first things first, WB Games has finally confirmed that Noble will be voicing The Scarecrow. The Fringe and Sleepy Hollow star will be joined by a battery of new players including Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) as Commissioner Gordon, Ashley Greene (Twilight) as Barbara Gordon/Oracle, and Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights) as Dick Grayson/Nightwing. And everyone’s favorite Batman, Kevin Conroy, takes over the beginning the trailer with some quality bat-monologuing.
Tara Strong (Harley Quinn), Troy Baker (Two-Face), and Nolan North (The Penguin) will also lend their voices to the game, though they don’t appear in the trailer. Batman: Arkham Knight will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on June 23.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Knight
EA will release new Plants vs Zombies game and Need For Speed 2015 in next 12 months; Mirror’s Edge 2 coming in Spring 2016
Electronic Arts has quite an impressive array of titles planned for the next 12 months. But the publisher is also looking beyond this Fall and into 2016 with an equally interesting lineup of games.
During the company’s quarterly financial presentation last night, CEO Andrew Wilson reiterated that the publisher will release a new game in the Need For Speed series sometime in the next 12 months. A mobile version of the game is also in development.
Wilson also revealed that EA has a “bigger and bolder new console experience” for Plants vs Zombies fans in the pipeline for a late 2015/early 2016 launch. He wasn’t ready to go into details just yet, but did say that gamers will learn more about it at E3.
Less surprising is Wilson’s continued commitment to EA Sports and their yearly lineup. In addition to the previously announced Rory McIlroy PGA Tour and Madden NFL 16, the publisher plans to release FIFA 16, NHL 16, and NBA Live 16 this year. In case you’re curious, each game will feature “industry-leading gameplay, compelling new features, and fresh Ultimate Team experiences.”
Finally, Wilson announced that DICE’s untitled Mirror’s Edge sequel/reboot will be in Spring 2016. An E3 unveiling wasn’t promised, but it seems very likely at this point.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, FIFA 16, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, NBA Live 16, Need For Speed, NHL 16, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
Oculus Rift Consumer Version will launch in early 2016
After years of waiting, Oculus has finally announced that the Consumer Version of their Rift virtual reality headset will be available in early 2016. As store shelves will definitely be in short supply, Oculus plans to open up pre-orders later this year.
Writing on the Oculus Blog, the developers said: “The Rift delivers on the dream of consumer VR with compelling content, a full ecosystem, and a fully-integrated hardware/software tech stack designed specifically for virtual reality. It’s a system designed by a team of extremely passionate gamers, developers, and engineers to reimagine what gaming can be.”
The Consumer Version of the Rift will include an “improved tracking system that supports both seated and standing experiences.” It will also improve on the “Crescent Bay” prototype with a “highly refined industrial design, and updated ergonomics for a more natural fit.”
But if you’re looking for hardware specificiations or game reveals, you’re going to have to wait. Oculus said that information on the “hardware, software, input [options], and unannounced made-for-VR games and experiences” will come at a later date.
Disney Interactive officially announces Fall release for Disney Infinity: Star Wars
After being outed by a German retailer last week, Disney Interactive has gone ahead and officially announced Disney Infinity: Star Wars. As expected, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker figures will be included as part of the game’s Starter Pack (which will be priced at $64.99).
The 3.0 Edition of the popular series will once again be developed by Avalanche Software in partnership with Ninja Theory, Sumo Digital, Studio Gobo, and United Front Games. A release date wasn’t announced, but the game should be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this Fall. A version of Disney Infinity: Star Wars for mobile devices is also in the works.
Three Star Wars-themed playsets will be released alongside the game, each focusing on a different trilogy. “Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic” (which is included in the Starter Pack) will star Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Darth Maul in epic battle set in the prequel era. Meanwhile, “Star Wars: Rise Against the Empire” will feature Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader doing the Rebels versus Empire thing. A third playset based on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens will also be available sometime this Winter.
A number of non-Star Wars characters will also be part of the main game for the first time including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy, Mulan, Frozen‘s Olaf, and many others. And an enhanced Toy Box mode will add two new multiplayer Toy Box Expansion Games: “Toy Box Speedway” (kart racing) and “Toy Box Takeover” (action-adventure). Both Toy Box Expansion Games will require the additional purchase of a Disney Infinity Game Piece.
Additional playsets based on Pixar’s Inside Out and the Hulk/Iron Man battle from Avengers: Age of Ultron will be released this Fall as well.
Finally, even more Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars figures and playsets are planned for release next year. But don’t worry, Disney Infinity: Star Wars will be compatible with all figures and Power Discs from Disney Infinity and Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes.
Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Dragonslayer multiplayer expansion is out today; Jaws of Hakkon add-on available to all on May 26
Electronic Arts and BioWare have announced a new multiplayer expansion for Dragon Age: Inquisition will be available to download (for free) on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One today. The Dragonslayer expansion will add three new characters (Skywatcher, Zither the Virtuoso, and Isabela the Raider Queen of the Eastern Seas), a new location, and the opportunity to fight dragons. As part of the expansion, BioWare will also add The Black Emporium, ” four high-level stores which sell epic weapons, powerful accessories, new crafting materials and schematics and other hard-to-find items,” to the game.
More details on the Dragonslayer expansion can be found at the Dragon Age Blog or by watching a special Twitch stream hosted by BioWare, which will begin at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time) today.
In other Dragon Age news, BioWare has confirmed (via Twitter) that Inquisition’s first single-player expansion, Jaws of Hakkon, will be available to download for the PS3, PS4, and Xbox 360 on May 26. PC and Xbox One owners have been able to purchase it since March.