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
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm sells 1.1 million in 48 hours
Blizzard’s Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, released on March 12th, sold about 1.1 million copies in the first 48 hours according to the company. On top of that, more than 1.1 million viewers watched the 21-hour launch event (with peak concurrent viewership of over 125,00).
Heart of the Swarm wasn’t done yet though. Last weekend, more than 1.1 million viewers (with peak concurrent viewership of over 157,000) tuned in to watch the Heart of the Swarm tournament taking place at the Major League Gaming Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas.
Major League Gaming was thrilled, “StarCraft II has been a premier game at Major League Gaming events since Wings of Liberty was released,” said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO of Major League Gaming. “Heart of the Swarm has generated even more excitement, and we’re all looking forward to what the future brings for StarCraft II eSports.”
So yeah, I guess StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is popular.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Kickstart This! The Post-Veronica Mars Edition
Kickstarter has been receiving a lot of attention in the press this week, mostly due to cult TV show Veronica Mars. Rob Thomas’ 24-hour success story (currently sitting at 175% funded) has been perceived by some as a wake-up call to the film industry, and by others as the end of Kickstarter’s indie innocence. The latter group highlighted the fact that Warner Bros. still owns the rights to the franchise, and that the multi-million dollar company will reap the benefits of the charitable donation of others. Those who have donated will have unprecedented access to information on the film during production, and fans donating over $35 will receive a digital copy of the film. While my own opinion on the positives and negatives of this project fluctuate, there was one detail that seemed very worrying. All of the reward levels come with a disclaimer saying “AVAILABLE TO US AND CANADA (NEW!) BACKERS ONLY.”
Thomas does acknowledge the fact, saying “there are hoops to jump through” in order to include other territories. It could be this is inherent in the dangers of crowdfunding a project where the rights are held by an entity whose aims are not wholly aligned with the spirit of Kickstarter. We have seen this in the past with rewards that required attendance to an event, but even then, people were still allowed to donate, and had the option to travel. For a show that aired globally, this seems like a worrying, xenophobic trend, one that I hope does not translate to other industries.
In light of this, I thought this month I would focus more on smaller indie projects, including classic side-scrolling action-adventure Shovel Knight, euphoric exploration game SoundSelf, first-person survival horror Pulse, retro pixel-art adventure Bik, surfing sim Kahuna Surfer, and last but not least, sci-fi RPG Reflux: The New World. (more…)
Grimm Bros. plans to bring a darker mentality to PC/tablet RPGs
Grimm Bros. is on a mission. They want to bring the darker notions of Grimm, Chaucer, Tolkien, Stoker, and many others to the world of PC/tablet RPGs. The studio, which plans to showcase their first title at next week’s Game Developers Conference, was started earlier this year by Ash Monif, the former COO of Human Head, and artist Randis Albion.
Speaking to the Cogswell Polytechnical College blog, Monif said, “I have always been a fan of complex subject matter. I grew up reading the classics Grimm, Chaucer, Tolkien – and I feel that today’s games gloss over a lot of the richness that can be found within these great works. Our goal is to build a community of core and mid-core gamers who are seeking out a redefined RPG experience.”
The Cogswell blogger pitched the team’s sensibilities as “Evil Dead meets Monty Python.” You hear that? That’s the sound of a gaggle of geeks just shrieking in joy.
Shrieks of joy (and terror) will also be produced when you view the Albion-created concept art (which may or may not be representative of Grimm’s first project) based on Little Red Riding Hood, Dracula, The Golem, and others after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC
Tagged Dragon Fin Soup, GDC 2013
Dollar Dash Review: No Honor Among Thieves
Candygun’s Dollar Dash owes a massive debt to the long-running Bomberman series. Instead of cartoony robots blowing each other to bits with comically large bombs, it features cartoony robbers blowing each other to bits with comical weapons to obtain large stacks of cash. This wholesale borrowing of Bomberman’s main theme isn’t highway robbery, but don’t expect Dollar Dash to make you an offer you can’t refuse. (more…)
NinjaBee bringing new game Nutjitsu, A World of Keflings to PAX East
A few days after announcing that Windows 8 and Wii U versions of A World of Keflings, NinjaBee has confirmed that both versions of the world builder will be available to play on the PAX East show floor this weekend. The developer also plans to let gamers get their hands on Nutjitsu, their next original game.
If the idea of playing an unreleased game doesn’t get you excited, how about receiving a free game after you play the unreleased one? While supplies last, NinjaBee will give away a free copy of the PC version of A Kingdom For Keflings to anyway who tries out Nutjitsu or A World of Keflings.
The developer will also be holding a Nutjitsu high score challenge (two winners a day will receive 1600 Microsoft Points) and a fully-stocked merchandise booth.
Posted in News, PC, Wii U
Tagged A World of Keflings, Nutjitsu, PAX East 2013
Civilization V: Brave New World announced for Summer 2013 release
Sid Meier’s Civilization fans, your day to celebrate has come. 2K Games and Firaxis have announced that the second expansion of the critically acclaimed Civilization V, Civilization V: Brave New World, will be released this Summer on Windows PC by 2K and on the Mac by Aspyr Media.
“Civilization V: Brave New World continues the strong tradition of ambitious expansion packs that fans have come to expect from the Civilization franchise,” said Sarah Anderson, senior vice president of marketing for 2K. “Brave New World is destined to continue the strong Civilization lineage that already includes massive expansions such as Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword and Civilization V: Gods & Kings.”
Brave New World will focus on culture and diplomacy as well as introducing international trade. Prepare to do a lot of nothing this Summer, Civ Fans! A complete list of key features for Brave New World, straight from 2K, can be found after the break. (more…)
EA’s acceptance of SimCity situation includes free download of one of these games
The end is near for the SimCity launch debacle as Electronic Arts has finally worked their way through the five stages of grief:
- First came denial… “There’s nothing wrong with our game, it’s just too popular!”
- Then the anger… “No, you can’t have a refund.”
- This was followed by the bargaining… “What if we add more servers?”
- Then wallowing in depression… “It’s supposed to be an MMO!”
- Finally, acceptance and the promise of a free game for all of our troubles.
If you’ve purchased SimCity or plan to activate it by March 25 (that’s right, this offer is good even if you haven’t bought the game yet), you’ll also be given the opportunity to select one of eight games as a free download from EA’s Origin service. Your selection must by made by March 30 and the selection page will open by March 22. The eight games are:
- Battlefield 3
- Bejeweled 3
- Dead Space 3
- Mass Effect 3
- Medal of Honor: Warfighter
- Need For Speed: Most Wanted
- Plants vs. Zombies
- SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition
If you’re on the fence about SimCity, perhaps a free game to go with it could sweeten the deal. But I guess that means EA has slipped back to the bargaining stage.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Battlefield 3, Bejeweled 3, Dead Space 3, Mass Effect 3, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, SimCity
Don’t watch this Saints Row IV teaser trailer at work
I know it’s Monday and I know you’re probably unhappy with being at work, but I beg you, wait until you get home to watch this teaser trailer for Saints Row IV.
The insane open-world heads to outer space for its fourth installment and this trailer includes a first look at the new superpowers your Saints will employ as they take on all comers. There’s also plenty of scantily clad women, dancing hot dogs doing the “Harlem Shake,” a lot of poor dudes getting punched across the screen, and some full frontal nudity (of the male variety). Seriously, don’t watch this trailer at work.
Saints Row IV will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on August 20. And don’t forget, new publisher Deep Silver is debuting the game this weekend at the PAX East convention. Don’t miss it.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged PAX East 2013, Saints Row IV