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
Rhianna Pratchett announced as lead writer on Tomb Raider reboot
The gay tortoise-owning, tea-loving, goddess of game writing that is Rhianna Pratchett was revealed by Crystal Dynamics to be the lead writer of their Tomb Raider reboot. The game scribe has had a hand in crafting the stories for several well-regarded games in the past including Heavenly Sword and cult classic Mirror’s Edge.
“I grew up playing Tomb Raider, uncovering the world’s secrets and unearthing its treasures; I have lived and died as Lara Croft, but nothing comes close to the challenge of re-writing her,” Pratchett said. “Seldom do we get the opportunity to reimagine and reinvent a legend, so getting my narrative hands on Miss Croft was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. It was going back to the genesis of video game action heroines and exploring how to make such an iconic character meaningful and relatable for gamers today.”
The announcement was made during this past weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con, where Pratchett appeared at the Tomb Raider panel alongside the new voice of Lara Croft, Camille Luddington, creative director Noah Hughes, global brand director Karl Stewart and narrative designer John Stafford.
Creativity certainly runs in the Pratchett family as Rhianna’s father is Discworld writer Sir Terry Pratchett.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Comic-Con 2012, Tomb Raider
Battlefield 4 beta access included with Medal of Honor: Warfighter pre-order
I know what you’re thinking… “EA hasn’t even announced Battlefield 4 yet, how can they be talking about a beta?” And it’s true, the game hasn’t been officially announced. But yet, the advertisement shown above appeared on their Origin download service late last night before disappearing earlier this morning.
While the publisher still plans to support Battlefield 3 with additional DLC packs throughout the rest of 2012 and into 2013, the idea of a sequel isn’t that far-fetched. Battlefield 3 sold tremendously well after it’s release last Fall and was still present in the NPD’s top ten for June 2012. EA and developer DICE would be crazy not to make a sequel.
While no other details about Battlefield 4 were leaked (including the important detail of when a beta would place and for what platforms other than the PC), we know that DICE is hard at work on a next-gen game. Could it be Battlefield 4? Maybe.
[Source: IGN]
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Battlefield 4, Medal of Honor: Warfighter
New Releases: Heroes of Ruin
I’ll understand if you want to skip this week’s new release report, especially since only a single new game will make it’s way into stores on Tuesday.
That game is Heroes of Ruin, a dungeon crawling RPG from Square Enix for the 3DS. A demo has been available on the 3DS eShop for a few weeks now, so if it sounds like something you might be interested in, be sure to give the demo a look this weekend.
And It’s not a new game, but a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Collection (PC) will be released this week as well.
A few new downloadable games are also scheduleded for release this week including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD on the Xbox Live Arcade, the continuation of Nintendo’s 8-Bit Summer, and whatever Sony has planned for the PlayStation Store.
Posted in 3DS, News, PC
Tagged Heroes of Ruin
CoD Elite content for July detailed: three Multiplayer maps, one Spec Ops mission
Activision has unveiled the four new maps that Call of Duty Elite subscribers will be able to download next week. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 players will be treated to two Multiplayer maps and a Spec Ops mission as the standard “Elite Drops,” along with a special bonus Multiplayer map that’ll make longtime fans of the series happy.
All of the maps will be available to download for Xbox 360 subscribers on Tuesday, July 17. Elite subscribers will also be able to download “Terminal,” the Russian airport map that was a favorite of Modern Warfare 2 players. “Terminal” will stay exclusive to CoD Elite for only one day as all Xbox 360 players will be able to download it on July 18.
The other three maps (which will be available for PC and PS3 players “soon”) include…
Decommission (Multiplayer): A graveyard of rotting [or add decommissioned here] ocean liners has not only given birth to a shantytown of locals, but a mid-sized Multiplayer Map populated in chokepoints; providing the perfect setting for shoreline-based combat.
Offshore (Multiplayer): Trapped on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean, you have nowhere to go but directly at your enemies in this new Multiplayer map boasting helipads, cranes, and countless perches for snipers eager to pick off the competition. Did we mention to look down or else you may fall off?
Vertigo (Spec Ops): The luxurious “Oasis” hotel in Dubai hosts the latest Special Ops mission, in which players must use laser-guided RPG’s to dispatch waves of helicopters. Utilize rooftop advantage to defend from waves of enemies, before parachuting to a ground-level exfil point.
PS3 Elite subscribers will gain access to last month’s content on Thursday, July 19. So if you’re a PS3 player, get ready to tackle the Multiplayer maps “Vortex,” “U-Turn,” and “Intersection” as well as the Spec Ops mission “Arctic Recon.”
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Lego Batman 2 rises to the top of the June 2012 bestsellers list
With editions on seven different platforms, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes rose to the top of The NPD Group’s monthly list of bestselling games. The remainder of the list was split between new releases, May holdovers, and Fall 2011 games that are still popular.
There were only a handful of new games available in June with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (#2), Pokemon Conquest (#7), and The Amazing Spider-Man (#10) all earning spots in the top ten. Grasshopper’s Lollipop Chainsaw didn’t make the cut, continuing Suda 51’s lack of success at the register.
An astounding four games from Fall 2011 continue to sell strongly enough to make the top ten: NBA 2K12 (#5), Batman: Arkham City (#6, boosted by the newly released Game of the Year Edition), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (#8), and Battlefield 3 (#9). I’m sure it helps that all were among the best-reviewed games of last year.
As a whole, game and hardware sales are down 29% from June 2011, according to Joystiq.
A complete list of last month’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo III, Lego Batman 2, Max Payne 3, NBA 2K12, NPD, Pokemon Conquest, The Amazing Spider-Man, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Mass Effect 3’s Extended Cut: A Thank You Letter To BioWare
Dear BioWare,
You received a lot of negative publicity from fans over Mass Effect 3, the last entry in your space-faring trilogy, not least of all from me. Although I have only come to the world of Commander Shepard recently, I embraced it fully. For me, it was the first time I played a game of such scope and detail that matched the feeling I got from my favourite science fiction films and TV shows: Star Wars, Star Trek, and Firefly/Serenity.
However, the initial endings left me feeling like a duped customer, through their lack of difference, and their rushed abruptness. As a screenwriter, I found it in bad taste that you had taken all the threads and emotions of two games (I am a PlayStation 3 owner) and tied them into a brusque finale. While I wished for alternative endings, I certainly did not lead the pack calling for them, although I did voice my opinion when the movement gained traction. I am glad there were fans who felt like me, enough for you to hear them, and give us what we wished for. (more…)
In the jungle, a new Borderlands 2 trailer revealed tonight
In the jungle… the mighty jungle… I love Gearbox tonight. Wimoweh! Wimoweh! Wimoweh! Wimoweh! Wimoweh!
Yup, the little ditty that made The Lion King such a hit with the kiddies (Elton who?) has turned up in the latest trailer for Borderlands 2. Naturally, there’s plenty of mayhem and monsters and guns, lots of guns! Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.
Borderlands 2 will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on September 18.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2
First Expendables 2 game trailer will punch you in the face
Terry Crews and Dolph Lundgren aren’t screwing around. They want you to know that a game based on The Expendables 2 is in the works and that you can watch the debut trailer above. All the action of the movie, and none of the veiny arms.
And it’s a good thing Chuck Norris wasn’t in this trailer, or else we’d all need new monitors.
The Expendables 2 will be released on July 31 on the PlayStation Store as part of the 2012 PSN Play promotion. PC and Xbox Live Arcade gamers will be able to download it on August 17.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged The Expendables 2