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
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the best-selling game of February 2014
Call of Duty: Ghosts was the best-selling game of the month in November, December, and January. Today, the NPD Group released their list of the best-selling games in February and, once again, Ghosts has taken the top spot. Ghosts has had an impressive run, but I have a strong feeling that major new releases like TitanFall and Dark Souls II will prevent Infinity Ward’s military shooter from winning one for the thumb next month.
Amongst new releases, the game adaptation of The Lego Movie and a trio of games from Square Enix (the Thief reboot, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and Bravely Default) all broke into the top ten. Amazingly, the boxed version of Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is still hanging on at #9.
The battle of the next-generation consoles continues to be almost a wash as the PS4 slightly squeaked ahead of the Xbox One in February. According to Microsoft, 258,000 Xbox One systems were sold during the month with the NPD Group reporting that Sony sold 10% more PS4 systems. Due to the Xbox One’s premium price tag, it technically brought in more sales dollars in February. As I said, the whole thing is almost a wash.
A complete look at last month’s top ten best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
The Last of Us takes home Best Game at 2014 BAFTA Awards
The 2014 BAFTA Awards were handed out yesterday in London and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us was crowned the big winner of the night. The Last of US was declared “Best Game” by the British Academy and also took home four additional awards: “Action and Adventure,” “Story,” “Performer” (for Ashley Johnson’s portrayal of Ellie), and “Audio Achievement.”
The Last of Us, an American game, shared the spotlight with two distinctly British titles. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V (“Best British Game,” “Game Design,” and “Multiplayer”) and Media Molecule’s Tearaway (“Mobile & Handheld,” “Family,” and “Artistic Achievement”) won three awards apiece.
The remainder of the awards were split between a handful of games and you can check out the complete list of winners after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360
Tagged BioShock Infinite, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, FIFA 14, Gone Home, Grand Theft Auto V, Tearaway, The Last of Us
Shovel Knight digs into a slight delay and will miss March 31 release date
There’s no joy in Shovelville, for Yacht Club Games has delayed Shovel Knight. Originally scheduled to be released on March 31, the developer has confirmed (via Kickstarter) that a slight delay has befallen the game. Don’t worry, it’s just a few weeks:
So, we hemmed and hawed, and made a Super Important Executive Decision. This update is to let everyone know that Shovel Knight will be missing March 31 by a few weeks to make sure it’s a world class experience, and can release on all platforms simultaneously. This isn’t a major delay, or a long one; it’s simply a stretch of time to get everything polished and aligned. While major development is quickly drawing to a close, there are still some external factors, like submission preparation, which need a little bit more breathing room before the game goes live.
In order to ensure a simultaneous release on the 3DS, Wii U, and PC, Yacht Club has decided to hold off on a new release date announcement until once they get a certification go-ahead from both Nintendo and Valve.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged Shovel Knight
The Elder Scrolls and Theology to be released next month
Former Warp Zoned Contributor Joshua Wise has been plenty busy over the last year. In addition to working on his PhD, Wise found time to edit Past the Sky’s Rim: The Elder Scrolls and Theology. As you may have guessed from the title, the book explores the religious underpinnings of the Elder Scrolls series, giving particular emphasis to Bethesda’s 2011 smash hit, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:
The Elder Scrolls series has entranced gamers for two decades with its deep mythology, complex history, and intriguing locations. Players have explored a world in The Elder Scrolls rich with kings, demons, heroes, magic, and gods. Past the Sky’s Rim: The Elder Scrolls and Theology engages with the world from the perspective of academic theology and religious studies. Within these pages, scholars ask what it means to become a god, to die alone in the solitude of Vvardenfell, and to live in a world with different afterlives for different people. Attempting to move beyond a shallow engagement, Past the Sky’s Rim considers video games as serious media capable of transmitting important ideas to those who engage with them and invites readers to think more deeply about what games can say about ultimate realities.
Past the Sky’s Rim: The Elder Scrolls and Theology will be available through your favorite bookseller (including Amazon) on April 15.
Get to know Diablo III: Reaper of Souls’ new character class: The Crusader
Diablo III‘s first expansion, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls, will be available exclusively for the PC at the end of the month. In addition to a higher level cap and several new gameplay modes, the expansion will give players the option of a new character class: The Crusader.
The Crusader’s origin, and his/her ability to dole out divine justice, is explored in a new trailer for Reaper of Souls that was released today by Blizzard.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will be available for the PC on March 25. The expansion will also be released for the PS4 sometime this year as part of the “Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition” bundle.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged Diablo III
CD Projekt pushes the release of The Witcher 3 into 2015
CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of the first games announced for the (then nameless) next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Originally scheduled to launch for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in late 2014, CD Projekt RED confirmed today that the release of The Witcher 3 has been delayed.
In an open letter to fans and shareholders, the Managing Board of CD Projekt RED has revealed that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will now be released in February 2015. The development team believes that the delay will give them enough time to create the game that gamers expect from them:
We recently reexamined what we had achieved thus far, and faced a choice about the game’s final release date. The decision we made was difficult, thoroughly considered, and ultimately clear and obvious. We could have released the game towards the end of this year as we had initially planned. Yet we concluded that a few additional months will let us achieve the quality that will satisfy us, the quality gamers expect from us. Consequently, we have set the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for February 2015.
The full text of the letter can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Walking Dead Season 2: A House Divided Review: Strength In Numbers
Telltale’s Walking Dead games can be tough to review. The series is so heavily focused on story that it becomes increasingly difficult to write a review without giving away some of the finer plot details. In the Walking Dead universe, characters you’ve grown attached to are taken away in the blink of an eye, and if you know what will happen beforehand, the emotional impact is greatly lessened. In that regard, I’ve opted to provide a separate, spoiler-free review of The Walking Dead Season 2: A House Divided. That way, those of you who haven’t played the game can read on, knowing that nothing will be ruined. I promise to avoid any specific information or plot points throughout the rest of the review, so you can still feel confident in reading the entire review without learning too much.
Spoiler-Free Review: The game is amazing – go buy it right now!
OK, now that we have that out of the way, on with the review. (more…)
Double Fine treats us to a Costume Quest 2 announcement
Double Fine has begun development on their first sequel as the Tim Schafer-led studio announced today that Costume Quest 2 will be available for the PC and consoles this October. The developer has partnered with Midnight City, Majesco’s indie publishing label, to bring gamers back to the world of one of their first hits:
In Double Fine’s triumphant return to Auburn Pines, our candy-crazed crusaders Wren and Reynold must once again protect Halloween from untold horrors, and grown-ups! Your favorite trick-or-treaters will come armed with a new batch of costumes they wear to transform into giant super powered fantasy Hallowarriors. Yeah, we totally just made that up. Fans of the original can look forward to a sweet upgraded battle system and a story that is unmistakably Double Fine.
Tim Schafer is absolutely thrilled about the return of Costume Quest: “Whenever Halloween came around, I felt like something was missing. No matter how many pumpkins I carved, apples I bobbed, or candy I ate, it just couldn’t fill the big spooky hole inside of me. But then I realized what was missing: I needed more Costume Quest. And also, I really wanted a T-Shirt with glowing skulls on it.”
While it doesn’t include any glowing skulls, I recommend checking out Costume Quest 2’s wacky “Announcement Trailer” above.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Costume Quest 2