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
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt brings out Conan O’Brien’s wild and sexy side
CD Projekt will release The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next week, but first, they brought the RPG to Conan O’Brien for an appearance in the latest “Clueless Gamer” segment. After bashing dozens of monsters and being subjected to the game’s rather intricate backstory, the Conan host got the chance to have an “erotic adventure” atop a stuffed unicorn. You read that right, a stuffed unicorn. Really, what more needs to be said?
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be available on May 19 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Ark: Survival Evolved will let you ride dinosaurs on the PC, PS4, Xbox One
Newcomer Studio Wildcard has announced its first game, Ark: Survival Evolved, will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in early 2016. Set on a mysterious planet brimming with futuristic technology and prehistoric dinosaurs, players will be forced to survive, and then thrive, by taming the wild beasts:
Powered by Unreal Engine 4, Ark: Survival Evolved takes on the survival genre with a unique blend of emergent multiplayer cooperation and competition. Players awake naked and starving on the beach of a mysterious island among a herd of other confused humans. On Ark, they must then hunt, harvest, craft, research technology, and build shelters to protect against scorching days, freezing nights, volatile weather systems, dangerous wildlife, and potential enemies.
In addition to domesticating dinosaurs, players will be able to band together with other players to form villages and challenge other survivors for resources and land. Players will even have the chance to wander the game’s fully open world to discover the secrets of Ark. For example, why are there dinosaurs, dragons, and UFOs in the trailer? I’d like that question answered please. And while you’re at it, what other “prehistoric beasts” will the game throw at us:
Tame one of 60 amazing dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts, including gargantuan creatures on a scale never before seen in video games! Fly a Pterodactyl squadron over the snow-capped mountains, race through the deep jungle with your pack of trained Raptors, tromp through a fortified enemy base along a convoy of gigantic Brontosaurus, or chase down prey on the back of a raging T-Rex. Players will quickly learn that dinosaurs aren’t the only dangerous creatures on the island.
Before its full release early next year (which will include Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus support), Ark: Survival Evolved will be available through Steam’s Early Access program. Its coming to the platform on June 2, so we’ll get our hands on it a lot sooner than you’d think.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Ark: Survival Evolved
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.