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
WildStar introduces “play-to-pay” subscription model
If you haven’t yet heard of WildStar, I’d highly suggest visiting the game’s official website and just watching the “Flicks” introducing the two factions. It can sometimes be hard to get invested in the pre-release media and hype that developers try to throw at you, but I haven’t been this impressed by a trailer for an MMO since Illidan Stormrage informed me that I was not prepared.
It’s hard to quantify what is so good about the WildStar videos, but the best way to put it is simply that they’re overflowing with personality. Similar to Borderlands, this game has character rarely seen in modern titles, which have a propensity to take themselves entirely too seriously. Carbine Studios has opted for a more humorous approach, aided by good voice acting. I was pretty much done by the end of Kit’s explanation of the Exiles when she punched the camera man in a fit of emotion.
Of course, with the amount of MMOs going from subscription to free-to-play (or “pay-to-win”), one of the most important questions for any new MMO is what the business model will be. According to a recent announcement from Carbine Studios, WildStar will be a hybrid, with both a monthly subscription model and a “play-to-pay” option. The model is centered around an in-game item called C.R.E.D.D. (an acronym for “Certificate of Research, Exploration, Destruction, and Development”). C.R.E.D.D. can be purchased online with real money and sold for in-game money, which allows players wishing to play for free to grind out a pile of cash and purchase extra game time, effectively “playing to pay.” Meanwhile, players who want to save their in-game gold and can afford C.R.E.D.D. can simply pay a subscription fee. In fact, for extra in-game gold, players can buy C.R.E.D.D. and sell it to others and increase their own stash.
It’s a model that seeks to cater to both audiences who have disposable income but little time (such as people with jobs and/or families) and also players with little disposable income but lots of free time (such as high school or college students). Additionally, by offering C.R.E.D.D. to players who want extra in-game gold for legal purchase via Carbine Studios themselves, the developers hope to cut back on gold farming that is so prevalent in other MMOs. Whether this business model is going to work for WildStar or not, this is definitely a game to watch for in the future.
The closed beta is already underway, and if all goes well, WildStar will be released sometime in Spring 2014.
New Releases: Saints Row IV, Disney Infinity, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, More
This week’s new releases take us to infinity and beyond.
The “infinity” is taken care of by Disney’s massive companywide crossover, Disney Infinity, is ready for release on the 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360. The game’s “Starter Pack” will come complete with three figures (Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles, and Sulley from Monsters Inc.) with additional figures available for purchase separately.
That brings us to the “beyond,” which is ably covered by Volition’s Saints Row IV. The insane antics of the Third Street Saints have found a new home at Deep Silver, but the latest game is available for three familiar platforms: PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. And if you’ve got the scratch, why not spring for Saints Row IV’s luxurious (and ridiculous) “Million Dollar Pack.”
Also available this week is the latest adventure of Sam Fisher, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360); the 1960s-set adventures of an anti-alien task force, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (PC, PS3, Xbox 360); and the standalone release of Luigi’s latest starring effort, New Super Luigi U (Wii U).
More new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Disney Infinity, New Super Luigi U, Saints Row IV, The Walking Dead, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, XCOM
Infinite Crisis adds Atomic Wonder Woman (and her chainsaw)
For those of you who don’t play many PC games, MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas) have turned into the weeds of the gaming industry. It seems like for every new MOBA that pops up, two more follow it the next day. In addition to League of Legends and DOTA 2, we’ve now got the upcoming Dawngate from EA, Core Masters from Rock Hippo, Strife from S2 Games, and… you get the point. One of the strongest contenders entering the MOBA ring is the DC Comics-inspired Infinite Crisis. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Turbine (The Lord of the Rings Online), the game takes the MOBA formula and puts a DC coat of paint on it. Players battle in classic cities like Gotham and Metropolis, taking control of a cast of beloved superheroes and villains.
WB Games has announced that Atomic Wonder Woman is the latest addition to the game’s roster. You can see her in action in the trailer above.
Hailing from an alternate timeline during which World War III left the world in nuclear ruin, Atomic Wonder Woman seeks to restore the planet she failed to save. Atomic Wonder Woman is a melee assassin (with a chainsaw) who specializes in dealing high burst damage and moving quickly around a fight. Her passive allows her to use more powerful version of her basic attacks, resulting in a decent amount of area damage, and her ultimate allows her to pick a target and charge full force at them. This is not the first time Infinite Crisis has released alternate versions of well-known characters. Already playable in the beta are Gaslight Batman and Nightmare Batman, as well as Gaslight Joker. For those of you who have never heard of these strange, alternate identities, fear not, as Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Joker are all available in their original forms as well.
Infinite Crisis is in closed beta right now, but you can register for access at the game’s official website.
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse materializes on September 3
Now that DuckTales Remastered is available to download, it’s time to turn our attention to 2013’s other Disney remake: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.
Sega has announced that Castle of Illusion will be released for the PlayStation Network on September 3. The game will be available to download from PC download services and the Xbox Live Arcade a day later, on September 4. All three versions will be priced at $14.99, but if you pre-order the game through the PSN, you’ll receive a free download of the original Genesis version of Castle of Illusion, an exclusive dynamic theme, and three avatars.
You can view a trio of new Castle of Illusion screenshots at the Sega Blog.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Castle of Illusion
Square Enix will release Thief on February 25
Square Enix has shared a trailer for Eidos Montreal’s Thief reboot ahead of next week’s Gamescom convention. The trailer showcases some of Garrett’s stealthy style as well as the game’s rebellious storyline.
Best of all, the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One game now has a release date. The end of the trailer informs us that Thief will be available in stores on February 25, 2014.
Arkane Studios is likely working on Prey 2… for real this time
Back in May, it was reported that Bethesda had taken Prey 2 away from Human Head and handed it off to Arkane’s Austin studio. The rumor stated that Arkane was being given free reign to throw out the entirety of Human Head’s work and start over. The new project, which may still carry the “Prey 2” name, was said to resemble System Shock.
As is their habit, Bethesda denied these rumors. But a new report on Kotaku purports to show a leaked email from the company confirming Arkane’s involvement and the cancellation of Human Head’s version of Prey 2.
In light of this new information, rather than issue another denial, Bethesda declined to comment:
When reached by Kotaku for comment today, Bethesda sent over a statement: “We aren’t talking about what Arkane is working on and we have no new information to share on Prey 2.”
Why are they being so vague? Why mislead the public like this? Maybe there are legal issues involved here—the relationship between Bethesda and Human Head is still very bizarre—but it’s an unusual and unfortunate situation.
It may be a long time before we hear anything new about Prey 2, but we’ll let you know when we do.
NCAA Football 14 finds the endzone as July’s best-selling game
The July 2013 best-selling games chart has been released by The NPD Group and EA’s NCAA Football 14 has gone to the head of the class. It will be the last game to carry the “NCAA Football” moniker as the NCAA has ended their licensing agreement with the game publisher.
A mixture of recent and older titles populates the rest of the top ten, which you can view right here:
1. NCAA Football 14 (Xbox 360, PS3)
2. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (Xbox 360)
3. The Last of Us (PS3)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
5. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
6. Far Cry 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
7. Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
8. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U)
9. NBA 2K13 (Xbox 360, PS3 ,Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
10. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS3, 3DS, Wii U, Vita, PC)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Far Cry 3, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Lego Batman 2, Minecraft, NBA 2K13, NCAA Football 14, NPD, The Last of Us
Longtime Valve voice actor claims Half-Life 3 delay is because mo-cap tech is lacking
John Patrick Lowrie is a voice actor who has lent his pipes to many of Valve’s recent games including Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, and DOTA 2. He is also married to GLaDOS, or rather, Ellen McLain, the voice actress behind the popular Portal character. Needless to say, Lowrie has a pretty good “in” with the people at Valve. So when he talks about Half-Life 3 development on his blog, specifically, why it’s taking so long, we should listen.
According to Lowrie, the game’s long development cycle is due to Valve’s dislike of the current state of motion capture technology. Basically, the developer wants to do more with mo-cap than is currently possible. Lowrie writes on his blog:
Here is the biggest challenge with bringing out HL3: the big thing now with FPSs is motion capture, or mo-cap. One of the great things about HL2 is that all of the characters that you meet actually look at you when they talk to you no matter where you go or stand. With mo-cap you can’t do that, at least not yet. Once you film the actor doing something and capture that motion, that’s what the character is going to do. This works great in movies, but when you make something interactive it gets way less interactive with mo-cap. So that’s one of the things they’re working on.
But the actor doesn’t stop there. In attempting to clarify his remarks, he reveals that Valve isn’t even currently working on Half-Life 3:
As far as I know they are not developing HL3 now for several reasons, among them the mo-cap issue. Sorry for any confusion. What they might decide in the future depends on lots of different factors. I hope they do, personally, but it has to make sense for them.
I never thought about it before, but “Valve isn’t working on Half-Life 3” is probably the most logical answer to the question, “Why is Half-Life 3 taking so long?”
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Half-Life 3