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
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
Shovel Knight is the first project from Yacht Club Games
Prepare to taste justice, Shovel Justice!
Yacht Club Games has pushed off shore and officially announced their first project, Shovel Knight. The former WayForward team members have cast their newest hero in a game that owes a very large debt to Mega Man and more than a bit to the cane-pogo mechanics of DuckTales:
Shovel Knight is a sweeping classic action adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic. It’s a hot mashup of new and old that may remind you of Mega Man, Castlevania, or Dark Souls! You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small knight with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this valley with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and save his lost beloved. He wields a ShovelBlade: a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages. Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight is a shining example of the code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!
But, between Shovel Knight and his beloved stands a cadre of villainous knights. These terrible foes, known as The Order of No Quarter, have been dispatched to prevent Shovel Knight from reaching the Enchantress, and will pursue their mission at any cost.
Yacht Club has organized a Kickstarter campaign to help fund development and, as of this writing, they’re a third of the way there with 27 days to go. Provided all goes well, Shovel Knight will be available for the PC in September 2013 and, if all goes really well, Yacht Club hopes to bring the game to the Wii U and 3DS sometime after that.
If you’re attending this year’s PAX East convention, you’ll be able to play Shovel Knight at Yacht Club’s booth all weekend long.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged PAX East 2013, Shovel Knight
New Releases: Lego City Undercover, GoW: Judgment, Walking Dead FPS, More
Another week, another highly anticipated prequel. Gears of War: Judgment will be available this week, exclusively for the Xbox 360.
Sidestepping to a shooter of a different kind is The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. This other game based on The Walking Dead used the television show for inspiration and stars the crossbow-wielding fan favorite, Daryl Dixon. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct will be released for the PC (download-only), PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U.
Speaking of the Wii U, this is actually a big week for new releases on Nintendo consoles as Lego City Undercover and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will soon be available for the Wii U. The 3DS will receive a pair of big new releases in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, as well as a portable version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
More new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Maxis explains always-on requirement for SimCity: It’s an MMO
When SimCity first launched, Electronic Arts and Maxis were adamant that the game required an “always-on” connection to supplement your PC with server side computing that would handle some of the game’s more demanding simulations.
Apparently, that’s a bigger lie than “I tried it, but I didn’t inhale” and “I did not have sex with that woman… Monica Lewinsky” combined. (Side note: Bill Clinton was a great President, but when you need a “lying politician” joke, he’ll forever be the go-to guy).
In a blog post titled “Straight Answers from Lucy” on EA’s official website, Lucy Bradshaw, the General Manager of Maxis, has admitted that SimCity could have shipped with a single-player option. But it didn’t because the developer’s thought of the game as an MMO:
So, could we have built a subset offline mode? Yes. But we rejected that idea because it didn’t fit with our vision. We did not focus on the “single city in isolation” that we have delivered in past SimCities. We recognize that there are fans – people who love the original SimCity – who want that. But we’re also hearing from thousands of people who are playing across regions, trading, communicating and loving the Always-Connected functionality. The SimCity we delivered captures the magic of its heritage but catches up with ever-improving technology.
This abrupt 180 comes on the heels of a modder discovering an “offline mode” within SimCity’s code. With this new information, I suspect the number of players who demand a refund from EA will continue to grow.
DICE will unveil Battlefield 4 on March 26 at GDC 2013
A little over a week ago, Electronic Arts sent out an email to members of the media inviting them to “Save the Date” for a special announcement during the Game Developers Conference. Yesterday, they sent out a second round of invitations confirming that the event, which will take place on March 26 at 7 PM (Pacific Time), will feature a first look at Battlefield 4.
Back in 2011, Battlefield 3 made its debut during a similar presentation at the Game Developer Conference. And it was available in stores less than a year later. So I think it’s safe to assume that Battlefield 4 will follow a similar schedule and we should all be playing it by Christmas.
Previously, the only we’d received of Battlefield 4 was the promise that Medal of Honor: Warfighter purchasers would be invited to take part in the game’s beta. So it’s assumed that the game will launch on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, with a PS4 port a possibility.
[Source: Game Informer]