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
New Releases: Beyond: Two Souls, Pokemon X/Y, Just Dance 2014, More
All you Pokemaniacs can rejoice, for it is time. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, the first “main series” Pokemon games for the 3DS, will be released this week.
If you’d prefer something a little more out there (and you own a PS3), there’s Quantic Dream’s latest action/adventure game, Beyond: Two Souls. The supernatural Saga of Jodie (played by Ellen Page) and her doctor (played by Willem Dafoe) is sure to feature plenty of the developer’s signature weirdness and grandeur.
And if you want to go REALLY out there, NIS America will release Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness for the PS3. The latest game in the insane strategy RPG franchise is a direct sequel to the to the first game in the series, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, which should please its many fans.
This week’s last “new” releases is Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2014. The dancing franchise will boogie its way (again) onto the PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360 this week. PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game are set to be released in November.
Finally, a trio of re-releases should keep budget hunters happy as 2K Games/Gearbox will release Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition, Bethesda/Arkane will release Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition, and Capcom will release the Capcom Essentials collection (which contains Dead Rising 2, Devil May Cry 4, Mega Man 10, Resident Evil 6, and Super Street Fighter IV).
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Beyond: Two Souls, Borderlands 2, Disgaea Dimension 2, Dishonored, Just Dance 2014, Pokemon X/Y
Valve reveals the hardware specs of the Steam Machines beta units
Valve has released the hardware specifications of the SteamOS-powered Steam Machines beta units they’re working on. The prototype box is meant to replicate a high-end desktop, though Valve’s Greg Coomer has reassured fans that Steam Machines “designed to cost less, or to be tiny, or super quiet” will also exist. But here’s what you’ll find under the hood of the prototype box, which will also be fully customizable by the user.
Steam Machines Prototype Specifications
GPU: NVidia Titan OR GeForce GTX780 OR GeForce GTX760 OR GeForce GTX660
CPU: Intel i7-4770 OR Intel i5-4570 OR Intel i3
RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB DDR5 (GPU)
Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
Dimensions: Approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9
And don’t forget, Valve plans to enlist 300 beta testers to put the Steam Machines prototype through its paces. If you want to qualify to join their ranks, there’s still time.
Treasure wants to bring Ikaruga to Steam
There is a fairly large contingent of gamers who believe that Treasure’s Ikaruga is the greatest vertically-scrolling shooter of all time. Currently available only through the Xbox Live Arcade (though originally released for the GameCube), Ikaruga might be available on Steam in the very near future.
The PC version of Ikaruga is in development at Treasure and will be based on the XBLA version. Because the company has yet to publish a game through Steam, Ikaruga’s Steam Edition will have to go through the Greenlight process. But the “Yes” votes are already pouring in because it’s the greatest vertically-scrolling shooter of all time (obviously, I’m part of that large contingent).
Forced pre-release tournament chock full of awesome prizes
Forced is a new cooperative action RPG in development at BetaDwarf Entertainment, a small company in Denmark. You and up to three other players are being held captive, and you must fight against monsters in the arena and work together to survive. To celebrate their upcoming launch, BetaDwarf is teaming up with Alienware, Intel, SteelSeries, Twitch, and Valve to hold a tournament to show off their debut game and deliver some great prizes, including hard drives, keyboards, and mice.
We got to play Forced at PAX Prime, and had fun experimenting with the various weapons and tactics. You should definitely take a look at the tournament, which runs from October 11 to October 13. For more information, check out their tournament page.
Forced launches for the PC on October 24, with releases on other platforms to be announced.
Learn more about “Squads” in this Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer
Activision has released a new trailer detailing the “Squads” feature of Call of Duty: Ghosts‘ multiplayer. Check it out:
Squads introduces a whole new level of competition to Call of Duty: Ghosts. Combining the unrivaled Multiplayer experience with cutting edge AI, Squads lets you play a variety of new game modes with your customized squad-mates. Play solo against another player and their squad, or cooperatively with friends, competing versus an AI-controlled squad. Best of all, the XP earned in Squads is directly connected to your Multiplayer progress!
Call of Duty: Ghosts will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on November 15. A PS4 edition will follow on November 15 and an Xbox One version will be available on November 22.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut will be released on October 22
The Square Enix name has taken an undeniable hit in credibility over the last few years. A significant amount of the company’s titles are simply re-releases of much older games (Final Fantasy VII for PC, Final Fantasy III for PSP, etc.). In amongst all of these titles was a game developed by Square’s Eidos Montreal studio, Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game received widespread critical acclaim and spawned a number of extended universe installments in other media (such as books, comics, action figures, and a mobile game called Deus Ex: The Fall). CBS Films has even acquired the rights to create a film adaptation of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Of course, true to form, an improved version of the game is being re-released later this month: Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut.
Originally announced as a Wii U exclusive title, it was revealed ahead of the game’s originally release date (May 2013) that the Director’s Cut would go multiplatform for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 as well. The Director’s Cut will feature updated visuals, overhauled boss fights, refined game balance and combat, and over eight hours of developer commentary. Additionally, the bonus content, “Tong’s Rescue” mission and the entire “Missing Link” chapter, has been integrated seamlessly into the narrative flow of the Director’s Cut. The game will also offer a great deal of exclusive second screen features for the Wii U GamePad, Microsoft’s SmartGlass, and the PlayStation Vita.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut will hit shelves on October 22nd, and it’s quite clear that Square Enix hopes the game can recreate its original success.
Valve applies for Half-Life 3 trademark in Europe
UPDATE: Nevermind, it was all a hoax.
ORIGINAL STORY: Oh boy, here we go again.
After pointedly NOT announcing Half-Life 3 during last week’s flurry of SteamOS/Steam Machines announcements, Valve has gone and applied for a “video game software” trademark for “Half-Life 3” with the Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union. The application was filed on September 29 and it’s currently listed as “under examination.” While this doesn’t confirm that a third Half-Life game is in development, it is a good sign that Valve is finally moving forward on a new chapter in their most famous franchise.
On the other hand, a search for “Half-Life 3” through the US Patent and Trademark Office did not return any results.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Half-Life 3
Mighty No. 9 is coming to PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, Vita too
With a little over ten hours left in their Kickstarter campaign, Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept have announced several huge developments for Mighty No. 9. The total pledge amount currently sits at $3.4 million, which means that a PS4 and Xbox One version of the game is a go. And rather than waste any time, they’ve gone ahead and unlocked the 3DS/Vita stretch goal as well. So for those scoring at home, Mighty No. 9 will be released for the PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, and Vita sometime in 2015. That’s amazing.
But rather than rest on his laurels, Inafune has revealed new stretch goals. If Mighty No. 9 reaches $3.8 million, the team will add an optional retro-style chiptune soundtrack to the game’s Settings menu. Finally, if the campaign reaches $4 million, Mighty No. 9 will include an Online Battle Race Mode.
What does that mean? Well… “You and a friend compete online, racing to the end of slightly customized versions of single-player stages. You can see your rival as a “ghost” image in your game, but you can’t affect each other… save for the enemies you defeat being sent over to impede your opponent’s progress!”
Wow. Time to up my pledge again.