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
Disney has added Lightsabers to Disney Infinity
Almost from the day it was announced, fans have been begging Disney Interactive to add Star Wars characters to Disney Infinity. While we’re not there quite yet, the publisher has revealed that a Lightsaber, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age, can be found in the game. The specific steps you need to take to unlock the Lightsaber can be found at the Disney Infinity Wiki.
So if you’ve ever wanted to watch Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie from Toy Story, Mr. Incredible, Dash, and Elastigirl from The Incredibles, The Lone Ranger, Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc., Rapunzel, Jack Skellington, Wreck-It Ralph, Jack Sparrow, Elsa from Frozen, and several others wield a Lightsaber, I recommend checking out the trailer above.
As for actual Star Wars characters, we’ll probably have to wait for Disney Infinity 2.
3D Realms officially responds to Gearbox’s Duke Nukem lawsuit
The baffling Gearbox Software/3D Realms lawsuit continues to baffle. When we last left the litigants, Interceptor Entertainment had purchased 3D Realms after 3D Realms was sued by Gearbox over an unauthorized contract to allow the Duke Nukem character to be included in Interceptor’s Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. Now, 3D Realms has publicly responded to the lawsuit and they’re acting like the last three years never happened:
On March 17, 2014, 3D Realms filed its answer to the complaint by Gearbox Software in Dallas, Texas. 3DR denies all allegations set forth in the complaint. In its answer, 3DR has submitted evidence showing that Gearbox at no point intended to enter into good faith negotiations but instead sought to force former owners, Scott Miller and George Broussard, to improperly surrender what rightfully belonged to 3DR.
It is our position that 3DR retains the right to develop the tentatively titled “[Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction]” game for specific platforms. This game was previously licensed for development to Interceptor Entertainment. Furthermore, it is our position that the Trademark for “Duke Nukem” was never assigned to Gearbox, but remains the sole property of 3DR.
So let’s recap. 3D Realms believes that Gearbox somehow forced them to hand over the rights to Duke Nukem. But they also state that this deal never actually happened even though the two companies jointly announced the acquisition at the time. Oh, and don’t forget that Gearbox still holds a letter from Miller and Broussard stating that the Duke Nukem character belongs to Gearbox.
In a separate statement, Interceptor Entertainment said they were “quite shocked” that Gearbox would choose to sue and that they believe they entered into a legal deal with 3D Realms to license the Duke Nukem character. And again, the company entered into this deal after the very public sale of the character to Gearbox in 2010.
Can’t we just settle this with an old-fashioned Duke Nukem 3D deathmatch?
[Source: Polygon]
Alien: Isolation release date to be announced this weekend
Creative Assembly has confirmed they will announce the official release date for Alien: Isolation this weekend, during Eurogamer’s EGX Rezzed convention. The developers plan to bring 60 demo stations for the game to the Birmingham, UK show, so if you’re in the neighborhood, and you’re confident you won’t wet yourself, you might want to check it out.
Developers from Creative Assembly will also host two separate panels on the game’s development on Saturday, March 29. Creative Lead Al Hope will lead a discussion on “Fear and Horror in Games” at 1:00 PM (Greenwich Time). At 3:00 PM, several other members of the development will host an Alien: Isolation-specific panel that will reveal more details about the game’s creation. A (hopefully) spirited Q&A session will follow.
Alien: Isolation is in development for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It should be out by the end of the year and we’ll know exactly when by Monday morning.
Ubisoft bringing Watch Dogs, The Crew, Child of Light, Trials Fusion, more to PAX East 2014
Several big name publishers won’t be in attendance at this year’s PAX East convention, but you definitely shouldn’t count Ubisoft among their number. The French publishing powerhouse will have a massive booth featuring eight different games at this year’s show:
- Watch Dogs – Con-goers will be able to view a before-seen demo of the game as well as participate in an “eye-opening Watch Dogs experience that lets fans see themselves through the lens of a hacker and get a look at how they could potentially be targeted.”
- The Crew – Ubisoft’s upcoming driving game will be playable on the show floor as “players will be able to the own the road in a massive, open-world re-creation of the United States that is brimming with exciting challenges.”
- Trials Fusion – Scheduled for release on April 16, attendees will get their first chance to play the first next-generation game in the Trials series. In addition to the hands-on demo, professional BMX riders will perform stunts in Ubisoft’s in-booth skate park.
- Child of Light – Players will be able to take control of the game’s main character, Aurora, in a new hands-on demo: “Players will use an active turn-based fight system to uncover mythical dragons and other enchanting creatures, as well as explore the gorgeous watercolor-painted 2D environments in a poetic journey inspired by fairy tales.”
Ubisoft also plans to showcase a playable demo for an unannounced downloadable title as well as a trio of free-to-play titles: online shooter Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Phantoms, hack and slash The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, and collectible card game Might & Magic: Duel of Champions.
PAX East 2014 is less than three weeks away and it’ll be held in Boston, Massachusetts from April 11-13.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Child of Light, PAX East 2014, The Crew, Trials Fusion, Watch Dogs
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two is now available to download
“Burial at Sea – Episode Two,” the final expansion to BioShock Infinite (and the final game produced by Irrational Games), is now available to download for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The expansion gives players the chance to play as Elizabeth for the first time as they explore Rapture in a film noir-style story.
“I think the work the team did on this final chapter speaks for itself,” said Ken Levine, Creative Director of Irrational Games. “We built something that is larger in scope and length, and at the same time put the player in Elizabeth’s shoes. This required overhauling the experience to make the player see the world and approach problems as Elizabeth would: leveraging stealth, mechanical insight, new weapons and tactics. The inclusion of a separate 1998 Mode demands the player complete the experience without any lethal action. BioShock fans are going to plotz.”
I gotta say, I love Levine’s use of the word “plotz.” “Burial at Sea – Episode Two” can be downloaded as part of the BioShock Infinite Season Pass or it can be purchased separately for $14.99.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged BioShock Infinite
Rumor: Far Cry 4 to be set in the Himalayas and release in 2015
Development of the Far Cry franchise shifted to Ubisoft Montreal (the team behind the original Assassin’s Creed) after the first installment, and if there’s one thing we know about Ubisoft, it’s that they know how to keep a franchise going. Names like Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy have become as recognizable in the gaming world as Call of Duty, and each sequel just seems to make each franchise better. So it should come as no surprise that, after the success of Far Cry 3, another installment in the series is well underway. This time, however, the tropical setting will be notably absent.
Eurogamer is reporting that Far Cry 4 will take place among the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. Players will be able to interact with the region in a number of ways, perhaps the most notable of which is the ability to ride an elephant.
Far Cry 4 is expected to be in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, though its possible a version for current-gen consoles is also in the works. According to Eurogamer’s source, Far Cry 4 will make its official debut at the upcoming E3 Expo in June with Ubisoft planning to release the game in early 2015.
Blizzard @ PAX East 2014: Heroes of the Storm, Diablo III PS4, Hearthstone, WoW: Draenor
Blizzard will have plenty to showcase at this year’s PAX East expo, including playable demos of the PS4 port of Diablo III, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor.
Players who get a chance to visit booth #848 will be able to play as The Crusader in Diablo III’s “Ultimate Evil Edition” with a DualShock 4 controller for the first time. If they slide over to the WoW: Warlords of Draenor demo, they will experience “updated character models” and the expansion’s “intro experience.” A brand-new demo of Heroes of the Storm will also be on hand, with never-before-seen heroes to try out. And finally, the iPad edition of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft will be playable at Blizzard’s booth.
As always, PAX East will be held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. This year’s expo will begin on Friday, April 11 and run through Sunday, April 13.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4
Tagged Diablo III, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, PAX East 2014, World of Warcraft
New Releases: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, Deception IV, Witch and Hundred Knight, More
Are you ready to dive back into Sanctuary to do battle with pure evil? If not, you better get ready as Blizzard will release Diablo III: Reaper of Souls for the PC this week. A PS4 version is also in the works and will be available later this year. But if you’re a PlayStation gamer who wants a new dungeon-crawler now, NIS America plans to release The Witch and the Hundred Knight for the PS3 this week.
If dungeon-crawling RPGs aren’t you thing, this week also sees the release of BlazBlue: Chronophantasma (PS3), the latest fighting game from Arc System Works, and Deception IV: Blood Ties, the latest game in the cultish trap-filled strategy series.
And if you’re looking for more games, a few more new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged BlazBlue: Chronophantasma, The Witch and the Hundred Knight