Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Jordan Minor’s “Boss Fight Books: Super Mario Galaxy” is Now Available for Pre-Order
- 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
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
10 Actors (and Actresses) We Think Could Play Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Movie
BioWare’s Mass Effect series has proven so difficult to bring to the big screen that, according to Screen Rant, it turned screenwriter Mark Protosevich from ever attempting to tackle a video game adaptation again. Legendary Pictures producer Avi Arad has hinted the film could still be five years away. His boss, Legendary CEO Thomas Tull, explained to Ain’t It Cool last summer, “If you’ve played it and you know the universe, you know it is not uncomplicated. To try to hone that, to bring that down to a place that will translate into screen storytelling… we’re pretty close, closer than we’ve ever been. We’re committed to it, but it has to be great or we’re not going to do it. We’re treading on sacred ground. We’re not going to be the guys to screw up Commander Shepard.”
Yet, who could the filmmakers cast in such a highly respected role? They’ll need someone with Shepard’s rugged gravitas. Someone who can carry the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Someone who can sleep with half the universe.
While we wait ever-so-patiently for Legendary to pull its metaphorical finger out of its alien orifice, we thought we would scour the galaxy for an actor worthy of donning the N7 Armour. But just imagine for a moment that some bright producer within Legendary had an idea, an idea that blossomed into something unprecedented in the history of film: they film the same film twice. One version would include a male lead, while the other would place a woman (popularly known as “FemShep”) in charge of the Normandy. I’m not talking about a sci-fi version of Sliding Doors here. I want them to actually release two versions of the same film, and the audience can choose which gender of Shepard they wish to watch, just as they do in the game. How many fans would go see both?
This, I’m afraid, is likely the only way we will ever see a cinematic version of FemShep. Yet, if the producers set the casting directors to task in finding the right actress for the role, who would they choose? Bearing in mind that the character’s appearance is fully customisable, it could really be anyone, but taking the game’s FemShep alternate cover as a template, let’s also have a look and see which starlet could save the galaxy.
So here we go, two Sheps (and two films) for the price of one. (more…)
Wolfenstein: The New Order will take 20 hours to complete and include an “alternate timeline”
Jens Matthies, the Creative Director of Wolfenstein: The New Order at MachineGames, opened himself up to the world this morning as part of an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. The developer refused to answer multiple questions asking if Mecha Hitler will be part of the game, but he did have several very interesting things to say.
On the subject of the campaign’s length, Matthies said that the game is about 20 hours long “if you collect everything and explore everywhere.” But the developer also revealed that the “vibe of the story” can go in radically different directions depending upon a choice the player is forced to make early in the game. Matthies didn’t want to spoil it, but if you’re interested in knowing, please highlight the black bars below:
During the 1946 prologue, B.J. Blazkowicz and his squad (Scottish commanding officer Fergus and a young private named Wyatt) are captured by General Deathshead. Offering a devil’s bargain, The General tells Blazkowicz that he must choose whether Fergus or Wyatt will die, which will allow the other to live. Attempting to defy Deathshead results in the execution of both prisoners while Blazkowicz is brutally beaten to death (which you experience through a first person view). As Blazkowicz, you MUST choose which character is murdered by Deathshead. It’s an absolutely horrifying moment in game that is already pretty horriffic.
Matthies said that the team considers each playthrough from this moment as an “alternate timeline” but it does more than just change the closing cinematic. In addition to the “vibe,” it “affects the tone of the whole game a little bit” and “alters the gameplay somewhat.” Of course, if Wolfenstein: The New Order does well, Matthies and his team will have to choose one ending as the official one as he also said, “We would love to do a sequel and we have lots of ideas.”
Ideas like… Mecha Hitler? Wolfenstein: The New Order will released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 20.
The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 3 will be available next week
Thanks to the trailer embedded above, Telltale Games has announced the third episode of The Walking Dead Season 2, “In Harm’s Way,” will be available to download next week…
- Tuesday, May 13: PC (Steam, Telltale Store, Other Download Platforms) and PS3 (US Only)
- Wednesday, May 14: PS3 (Europe Only), Xbox 360
- Thursday, May 15: iOS App Store
As with previous episodes in the series, “In Harm’s Way” will be available download individually for $4.99 or as part of the $19.99 Season Pass. According to Telltale, release dates for “In Harm’s Way” on additional platforms (including the Vita) will be announced at a later date.
Continue Countdown #3 – CoD Advanced Warfare, MS @ E3 2014, Mario Kart 8, More
The film industry uses the opening of blockbuster season to signify the start of Summer. Meanwhile, the video game industry sets its seasonal clock by Activision and the announcement of the next Call of Duty game. This year’s entry stars Kevin Spacey and the staff of Warp Zoned took the time to debate his inclusion in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in the latest episode of “Continue Countdown.”
After that, the trio of Editor-In-Chief John Scalzo, Staff Writer Mike Ryan, and special guest Adam Woolcott talked about the expunging of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and the unearthing of Atari’s E.T. landfill. Next, they examined Microsoft’s Xbox Originals film production plan and their possible E3 2014 announcements before turning to Nintendo and Fatal Frame 5‘s Japanese exclusivity, Mario Kart 8‘s free game deal, and Super Smash Bros. 4‘s Best Buy debut. Finally, we say goodbye to Bob “Mario Mario” Hoskins.
9 Topics… 30 Minutes… And Go!
Posted in Etcetera, PC, Podcast, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, E3 2014, Fatal Frame 5, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U
TitanFall sells 925K; EA signs deal with Respawn for “new TitanFall experiences”
Everyone loves TitanFall. During their quarterly financial report yesterday, EA revealed that the game sold 925,000 copies in its first three weeks of availability, according to the NPD Group. With all of April and the first week of May uncounted, it’s surely crossed one million by now.
And if you’ve already begun thinking about TitanFall 2, don’t worry, you’re not alone. EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed that the publisher has signed a new deal with developer Respawn Entertainment to bring “new Titanfall experiences to players worldwide.”
So let the speculation begin! And let’s hope that TitanFall 2 makes it to the PS4.
EA will unveil 6 new projects, including a Frostbite 3 game coming this Fall, at E3 2014
Electronic Arts has big plans for this year’s E3 Expo. The megapublisher will showcase “at least six projects” during their E3 2014 Press Conference, which they’ll present on Monday, June 9.
Andrew Wilson, EA’s Chief Executive Officer, has confirmed that one project we’ll definitely get a closer look at during E3 2014 is DICE LA’s Star Wars: Battlefront. Speaking yesterday during the company’s quarterly financial report, the CEO said that Battlefront is “coming along very, very well.” But he was quick to reiterate that the game is still a ways off and that “there’s lots and lots of work to go.”
Another one of EA’s big E3 reveals is a bit closer to release as Wilson also confirmed that a brand new Frostbite 3-powered game from “some of our most talented teams” will be on display during this year’s Expo. The game is scheduled to be released this Fall and could be Havana, the police-themed Battlefield game from Visceral that was hinted at back in February.
EA has a very full pipeline of projects in development and the remaining four games could be anything from games we’ve seen (including The Sims 4, which will be released this Fall) to things we haven’t (including Visceral’s Star Wars game, which will launch in 2015 at the earliest). Thankfully, the E3 Expo is only a little more than a month away.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Battlefield Hardline, E3 2014, Star Wars: Battlefront
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark will transform into a released game on June 24
Activision will release Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark on June 24, three days ahead of the fourth film adaptation, Transformers: Age of Extinction. Rise of the Dark Spark won’t be a traditional tie-in game and will instead merge the movieverse with the High Moon-developed War For Cybertron/Fall of Cybertron games.
Even though Rise of the Dark Spark is just seven weeks away, we still don’t know much about it. But that hasn’t stopped GameStop from beginning to take pre-orders for the game. If you pre-purchase Rise of the Dark Spark, the game retailer will grant you access to the Weathered Warrior Pack, which includes two characters (Skywarp and Thundercracker) and two weapons (the Glass Gas Cannon and the Electro Bolter) for use in the game’s Campaign and Escalation Mode.
The Weathered Warrior Pack will be included with pre-orders of the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One editions of Rise of the Dark Spark. The game will also be available on June 24 for the Wii U and 3DS.
Telltale releases first Tales From the Borderlands screenshots
Today, Telltale Games released the first five screenshots from Tales From the Borderlands, their upcoming collaboration with Gearbox Software. Taking place after Borderlands 2, Tales From the Borderlands isn’t Borderlands 3, but it is considered “official canon” by Gearbox. The episodic series will star two brand new characters who will cross paths with several franchise favorites including Zero, Sir Hammerlock, and, possibly, Handsome Jack himself:
Featuring two playable characters, the story is told from two unique perspectives that will alternate as the story progresses. These characters include Rhys, a scheming, low-level data-miner within Hyperion who’s plotting his own grand ambitions; and Fiona, a clever and classic fast-talking con-artist born and raised on Pandora out to pull off the grift of a lifetime.
Each episode of Tales From the Borderlands will be priced at $4.99, with a Season Pass discount available to those who buy all five episode up front. The game will be available for PlayStation and Xbox platforms, though Telltale hasn’t said if that means PS4 and Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360, or both sets of systems. Considering Telltale’s history, a PC and mobile release is also likely.
You can find Tales From the Borderlands’ first five screenshots after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Tales From the Borderlands