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
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will be released on March 25
Blizzard has announced that the first expansion for Diablo III, Reaper of Souls, will be released for the PC and Mac on March 25. The expansion will include a battle against Death himself as well as an increased Level Cap and the Crusader, an all-new character class.
Reaper of Souls will be released in three different packages, a $39.99 standard edition and two special editions. The $59.99 Digital Deluxe Edition will include the game and a variety of in-game bonus items:
- Exclusive Helm and Weapon-Transmogrification Recipes: Players can distinguish their characters among the champions of Sanctuary.
- Spectral Hound Minion: Players can summon Spectral Hound to keep their adventurers company on their epic journey
- World of Warcraft In-Game Companion Pet: The Treasure Goblin, ready to compete in Pet Battles
- Three Additional Character Slots
- StarCraft II Crusader-Themed Battle.net Portraits and Malthael-Themed Decals
Finally, the retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition will include the game, all of the in-game items from the Digital Deluxe Edition and a “gorgeous full-color hardcover art book, a behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD two-disc set, and a mouse pad bearing the impenetrable visage of Malthael, the Angel of Death.” The Collector’s Edition has been priced at $79.99.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is also in development for the PS4 as part of the Ultimate Evil Edition bundle. It will be released later in 2014 and Blizzard has promised they will release more details soon.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Diablo III
DayZ standalone is now available through Steam Early Access
After an Everest ascent and multiple development delays, Dean “Rocket” Hall’s standalone version of DayZ is now available through Steam. But there’s a catch, the game is still in the alpha stage and has been released through the online storefront’s Early Access program.
The Early Access version of DayZ has been priced at $29.99 and Hall estimates that the game will reach the beta stage in about a year. In the alpha version, players will have access to 40-player online play, customizable weapons and clothing, and a 230 sq. km game map known as “Chernarus.” Hall has big plans for DayZ and, as development on the Early Access version continues, he and his team at Bohemia Interactive plan to add drivable vehicles, a wide variety of native animal life, player-constructed buildings, upgraded graphics, and mod support.
But all of these additions will take time and Bohemia has cautioned: “DayZ Early Access is your chance to experience DayZ as it evolves throughout its development process. Be aware that our Early Access offer is a representation of our core pillars, and the framework we have created around them. It is a work in progress and therefore contains a variety of bugs. We strongly advise you not to buy and play the game at this stage unless you clearly understand what Early Access means and are interested in participating in the ongoing development cycle.”
You can get a taste of the Early Access version by viewing the “Launch Trailer” at the top of this post.
Borderlands 2: How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day DLC coming tomorrow
It’s great to see that some games are still getting new content over a year after their release. Borderlands 2 was released in September of last year, and has since seen almost a dozen DLC options including full-size expansions like “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt” and “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” and smaller downloads such as the “Krieg the Beserker” character and this Fall’s bite-sized “Headhunter Packs.”
Speaking of Headhunter Packs, the latest one, “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day,” was recently revealed by Gearbox.
The downloadable content is the third installment in Gearbox’s Headhunter series, which also includes the Halloween-inspired “T.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest” and the Thanksgiving-themed “Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler.” The newest Headhunter Pack will take place in a snowy town called Gingerton where players will explore Frost Bottom in an all-new mission, complete with unlockable heads and skins.
Best of all, “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day” will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC (and Mac) tomorrow, December 17th.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2
Interview: Deep in the [Stuff] With Bullet Bros’ Jason Stokes
From the bold opening line of the trailer that immediately articulates the level of excrement the brothers-in-arms constantly reside in, Bullet Bros wears its guts on its sleeve. The game features two mercenaries who can link together for some outlandish and original manoeuvres, as well as hook cars, choppers, and other vehicles together for maximum devastation. Unfortunately, the project did not find much love on Kickstarter, collecting pledges for only a third of its $80,000 target. Warp Zoned caught up with creator Jason Stokes in the bloody aftermath of his criminally-overlooked campaign. (more…)
Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, Previews, Top Story
Stan Bush’s “The Touch” gets remixed for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Last year, Stan Bush released a redone version of his iconic Transformer theme, “The Touch,” alongside High Moon’s Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Over the weekend, Bush released a brand new music video for the song featuring some of the biggest moments from the game. The “Power Mix” actually isn’t too bad and Stan wants you to know it’s also available on iTunes.
Of course, if you’d prefer to revel in the 80s awesomeness of the original version from Transformers: The Movie, you can find that music video after the break. (more…)
Lego The Hobbit’s first trailer is here and back again
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug cruised to the top of the box office heap this weekend with a total ticket take of $73 million. So now seems like a perfect time for Warner Bros. Games to unveil the first trailer for Lego The Hobbit, which is due to be released in 2014.
After watching this trailer, I think it’s official, Martin Freeman and Ian McKellan need to be in everything. Lego The Hobbit will be released for (deep breath) the PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, and 3DS.
Oculus raises $75 million to produce consumer version of Rift headset
As popular as the Oculus Rift is with developers, it’s easy to forget that the consumer version of the virtual reality headset has yet to be released. But we’re one step closer to that goal as the company has revealed that they’ve recently obtained more than $75 million in venture capital.
The bulk of the funding comes from Marc Andreessen’s Andreessen Horowitz venture capital firm. Andreessen spent the early 90s devloping Mosaic, the world’s first web browser, so he knows a little something about technological innovations.
“Over the past 16 months, we’ve grown from a start-up to a company whose virtual reality headset is poised to change the way we play, work and communicate,” said the CEO of Oculus VR, Brendan Iribe. “Forty thousand developers and enthusiasts, as well as a number of great partners, have joined our cause and helped us bring the seemingly impossible to life. This additional infusion of capital, as well as the leadership and experience of Marc Andreessen, will help us take the final steps toward our ultimate goal: making virtual reality something consumers everywhere can enjoy.”
If you’re itching to check out the Oculus Rift right now, Oculus VR sells a development kit through their website for $300. It’s currently unknown when the consumer edition will be released or how much it will cost.
[Source: GamesBeat]
Operacraft, not surprisingly, brings opera to Minecraft
“Are Games Art?” It’s a question that everyone loves to ask, but one that nobody can really answer. There are strong arguments on both sides, but I think everyone can agree that you can have art within a game, even if the whole thing isn’t “art.” This side discussion is all just a way to introduce “Operacraft,” an opera performed within Minecraft by Virginia Tech students, with an assist from several area high school students.
In Operacraft, two children are forced to live underground after an apocalyptic event destroyed the surface world and separated them from their parents. The opera chronicles their search for their parents and Emperor Xavier’s desire to stop them:
Starting with music borrowed from Mozart operas and a specific number of characters, the project inspires K-12 students to create a story and then the libretto; create the virtual set through a custom version of ubiquitous Minecraft video game/ sandbox; create avatars for each character; and control said avatars within the confines of the virtual world, including body gestures, lip-syncing with real singing soloists, as well as multiple real-time camera feeds akin to that of a live video production.
It’s only a matter of time before people create movies and TV shows within Minecraft, isn’t it? Unless they already have…