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
Batman: Arkham Origins Review: Arkham Awful
After the previous two installments in the Batman: Arkham franchise were critically lauded, the pressure was on new studio Warner Bros. Montreal to make a third title that hit the highs of Asylum and City and closed out the generation with an awesome action-adventure extravaganza. However, the pressure must have been too much for them to bear. What was actually released, in the form of Batman: Arkham Origins, was a twisted, soulless mess that feels like little more than a shameless cash-in. (more…)
Wolfenstein: The New Order will have a Nazi-Pop soundtrack of 1960s-style songs
Bethesda and MachineGames are definitely going the extra mile to ensure that Wolfenstein: The New Order‘s alternate timeline is as authentic. And naturally, a 1960 where the Nazis won World War II is going to be a very different place. For the game’s E3 2013 trailer, they mocked up images of German soldiers walking across Abbey Road and an astronaut giving the “Sieg Hiel!” to a Nazi flag on the moon. The pop music landscape is going to look completely different, but thankfully, they’ve got that covered too.
Instead of just ignoring the American Bandstand set entirely, MachineGames has commissioned a complete 1960s-style pop soundtrack (“We conquered the world, we conquered the moon, and we conquered rock and roll!”) for Wolfenstein: The New Order.
The song snippets found in the Neumond Recordings “commercial” above are great, but Bethesda has gone one better and created a website that includes full versions of eight songs. The Beatles are represented with “Mond, Mond, Ja, Ja” (a parody of “She Loves You”) and The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville” has been repurposed as “Zug Nach Hamburg.” But my favorite might be “Weltraum Surfen,” which is clearly a superior version of The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ Safari.”
Wolfenstein: The New Order will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 20. And don’t forget, if you pre-order now, you’ll be guaranteed access to the Doom 4 beta.
Square Enix @ PAX East 2014: Hitman Go, Murdered: Soul Suspect, Nosgoth
Square Enix will be bringing a trio of upcoming games to this year’s PAX East expo and not a single one has the words “Final,” “Fantasy,” “Dragon,” Quest,” “Kingdom,” or “Hearts” in its title. From April 11 through April 13, Square Enix will set up shop in Booth #548 with the following games:
Hitman Go – Hitman Go is a turn-based strategy game where you will strategically navigate fixed spaces on a grid to avoid enemies, infiltrate well-guarded locations and take out your target on beautifully rendered diorama-style set pieces. You really have to think about each move and all the Hitman tools of the trade you would expect are included; disguises distractions, sniper rifles and even 47’s iconic Silverballers. Developed by Square Enix Montreal, Hitman Go is set to arrive soon on mobile.
Murdered: Soul Suspect – A new take on the action/adventure genre, players take the role of Ronan O’Connor, a detective with a checkered past, whose life is brought to an untimely end by a brutal and relentless killer. Unable to move on and stuck in the limbo world of Dusk, he won’t find peace until he can bring his killer to justice from the afterlife. Set for release on June 3, Murdered: Soul Suspect will be available for PC, as well as current and next-gen consoles.
Nosgoth – Developed by Psyonix, Nosgoth is a unique team-based third person PvP title pitting a variety of brutal Human and Vampire characters in a fight for survival. The two races have very different play styles: Humans have an arsenal of devastating raged weaponry and lethal devices while Vampires specialize in visceral close-up melee attacks augmented by their inhuman abilities. Nosgoth is set in the dark fantasy world of the Legacy of Kain series and is currently in Closed Beta.
If you plan to attend PAX East and want to learn more about Nosgoth and Murdered: Soul Suspect, Square Enix will also host a pair of panels showcasing each game. The Murdered: Soul Suspect panel will take on Friday, April 11 at 6:00 PM while the Nosgoth panel, “Nosgoth: Vampire vs. Human Action,” will be held on Sunday, April 13 at 12:00 PM.
Kickstart This! The Guinness Aftermath Edition
While most of Ireland went about their business as usual on March 17th, many parts of the world decided to paint themselves green and drink several pints of the black stuff to commemorate the man who drove the snakes from the Emerald Isle. It doesn’t matter that these people are not really Irish, that St. Patrick probably didn’t drive out the snakes (as there were no snakes to begin with), or that the saint’s real colour is blue. The true meaning of St. Paddy’s Day is less about the man and his legend, and more about the celebration and enjoyment of life.
So, with our Guinness hangovers having well and truly dissipated for another year, let us turn our attentions to the viper pit that is Kickstarter, plucking some worthy cobras and prize-winning pythons from the wriggling mess. Hot on the heels of Goat Simulator‘s launch comes a campaign for Bear Simulator. Next is pixel exploration adventure Spirit, followed by 2D point-and-click game Dead Synchronicity. Things get very serious in 2D interactive novel The Seed, before we enter the fantasy realm of Chaos Reborn. Last, but not least, is the beautiful and ambitious turn-based RPG Earthlock: Festival of Magic.
Remember, a snake is for life, not just for St. Paddy’s Day. (more…)
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