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
DayZ developer reveals plans to start his own studio
Dean Hall, the game designer from New Zealand who brought us the ArmA II mod DayZ, told Eurogamer he will be stepping down as the leader on the game. He plans to return home to New Zealand and create a game studio there, where he will “keep trying to create that elusive, perfect multiplayer game.” He knows the process won’t be overnight, so his people are going to “start it cooking” now.
It doesn’t hurt that Hall already has five ideas for games – three that are already written, and two that are rough. “‘A lot of them have similar DNA [to DayZ],’ he said, because he’s ‘fascinated’ by multiplayer games and because he’s ‘very interested’ in survival games.” But with DayZ, he feels like it’s “kind of like cooking in someone else’s kitchen: I don’t want to be constantly telling Bohemia that this is how I do it and this is the way we do it.” He’s not going to screw them over, though:
Much can change in a year, of course. Is Hall’s mind set? “Oh, it’s set. Definitely,” he nodded. But he won’t leave DayZ in the lurch – won’t leave at a crucial time. “I would extend my involvement here as long as Bohemia wanted – needed – me,” he stressed. In other words, there’s flexibility.
Check out the full interview over at Eurogamer.
Oculus Rift production will temporarily cease as company searches for new components
Oculus Rift is suspending production of Dev Kit 1 due to a lack of materials, the company posted on their subreddit. Andres Hernandez, the company’s Community Manager, explained the situation:
Certain components used in the Oculus Rift developer kit are no longer being manufactured, meaning they are no longer available to us for production. As a result, we don’t have the necessary materials to produce additional kits. We still have some stock available, but we’re quickly running out. We are looking into alternate sources for the needed components, and we don’t yet have a timeline for when additional units will be available. We’ll be sure to keep everyone posted.
He went on to say that the only locations they are selling and shipping to are the United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway.
Finally, he thanked the supporters of Oculus, saying it couldn’t have been done without them – trying to put a positive spin on this obviously negative situation.
Over at Road to VR, Ben Lang speculates that the missing component is most likely the screen:
The screen is the most likely bet for the component Oculus is missing. The Rift developer kit (DK1) was originally planned to use a 5-inch panel. When it was discontinued before Rift production, Oculus moved to the current 7-inch 1280×800 panel. I can’t imagine that such a panel, previously found in devices like UMPCs, draws much demand in 2014.
He goes on to make the most important point: “High demand for the developer kit is a good problem to have, but suspended sales is not one that you want to have for long; the Rift would be dead in the water without content made by developers by the time it hits the consumer market.” Hopefully there will be news soon on Dev Kit 2.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate descends on PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360 on April 1
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate – Deluxe Edition brings the handheld content to high definition, replete with 2.5D graphics. It will also have 5.1 surround sound, voice acting, a new map, and a new hint system as well.
The storyline, in case you missed it the first time around, is pretty typical Batman fare: Blackgate Prison, a place full of baddies Batman put there, is having a rebellion, and the only man who can stop it is the caped crusader. Those who played Batman: Arkham Origins can continue the story of that game here.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate – Deluxe Edition will be released for the PC (through Steam), PlayStation 3 (through the PSN), Xbox 360 (through the Xbox Live Marketplace), and Wii U (through Nintendo’s eShop) on April 1 for $19.99.
Dark Souls II’s “Hollow Lullaby” trailer sings you to the eternal sleep
“This isn’t about death… this is about what you learn from death. This is about doing what you were meant to do.”
Dark Souls II is ready to destroy your free time, your soul, and your will to play video games. No, that’s not true – it’s ready to challenge you, and to weed out those who are weak at heart. Do you have what it takes to face death down?
Dark Souls II will be out on March 11 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Dark Souls II
PS4 version of Octodad pushed back to April; Xbox One version a possibility
If you’re waiting to play Octodad: Dadliest Catch on the PlayStation 4, you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. The game has been pushed back to an April release, according to tweets from the game’s Twitter account.
The good news is that there might be an Xbox One version of the game in the works. Again, according to Twitter, “Our word on the Xbox One version is, ‘We’re thinking about it.'”
The other good news is that, if all else fails, you can always play it on PC.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Someone is making an Oculus Rift version of The Legend of Zelda
Did you ever want to play The Legend of Zelda with a first person viewpoint? I’m sure a few people are saying to themselves, “that could be fun,” while a few others are nodding their heads in vigorous fashion. If you’re one of the latter, then ZeldaVR is for you.
What is ZeldaVR? It’s a first person conversion of the NES adventure that uses the Oculus Rift to drop players into Link’s pointy elf shoes:
This is a VR clone of The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The gameplay and artwork are virtually identical to the original NES classic, however in this version you see the world through Link’s eyes, in all of it’s virtual 3D 8-bit glory. Explore the world, find weapons, kill enemies, collect items, discover secrets, buy upgrades, delve into dungeons, defeat bosses, restore the Triforce, and rescue Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon.
ZeldaVR, which was created by a developer known as “Ubiquitron,” definitely gives off a strong Minecraft vibe to me. If you want to try it out for yourself, the game is currently available as a beta release with the full version set to be released next month at VirtualReality.io.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged The Legend of Zelda
Harold Ramis, the man who gave the world Ghostbusters, has died
This is only tangentially related to video games, but it would be a huge disservice for Warp Zoned to ignore today’s passing of one of the greatest comedic minds of the 1980s and 1990s: Harold Ramis. Ramis died this morning due to complications from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease that affects the blood vessels. He was 69.
Ramis is best known to film fans for his appearance in 1984’s Ghostbusters as Dr. Egon Spengler. He also co-wrote the film and reprised the role in 1989’s Ghostbusters II. In 2009, he and writing partner Dan Aykroyd would team up again to resurrect the paranormal scientists in Atari’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Once again slipping into the character’s signature deadpan delivery, Ramis provided vocals for Egon in the game.
In addition to the Ghostbusters franchise, Ramis was responsible for more than a few movies you may have heard of. He wrote and starred in Stripes, wrote National Lampoon’s Animal House, directed National Lampoon’s Vacation, and wrote and directed Caddyshack and Groundhog Day. If you took a regular Twinkie and said that it represented the career of your average writer/director/actor, Harold Ramis’ Twinkie would be 35 feet long and weigh approximately 600 pounds. In other words, that’s a big Twinkie.
Our thoughts go out to the Ramis family.
Gearbox suing 3D Realms over Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction
3D Realms famously sold the franchise rights to Duke Nukem to Gearbox Software in 2010. And yet, earlier this month, a teaser website promoting a new Duke Nukem game co-developed by 3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment began counting down to a reveal planned for February 25. The game, an action RPG for the PC and PS4, is expected to be called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. So what’s Gearbox’s connection to all of this?
It looks like they’re suing 3D Realms for attempting to make a new Duke Nukem game without their permission. The complaint reads:
“Apparently, after selling its Duke Nukem IP rights to Gearbox in 2010, 3DR sought to privately convince others that the sale never happened. The result is the unauthorized development effort that reportedly exists between 3DR and Interceptor.”
In addition to the copyright infringement claim, Gearbox also released a signed declaration from 3D Realms’ George Broussard and Scott Miller stating that they are aware that Gearbox is the rightful owner of all intellectual property related to Duke Nukem.
So with all this evidence (again, the Duke Nukem IP sale in 2010 was very public), it makes you wonder exactly what 3D Realms and Interceptor were thinking. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction countdown expires tomorrow…