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
THQ’s Rubin: We’re going to cancel games, not cut jobs
Barely a fortnight into his new role as THQ President, Jason Rubin is already showing how he intends to progress with the company’s new direction. In a recent interview with Joystiq, he managed to allay fears within the various studios owned by THQ of further job cuts.
“We have the appropriate number of teams and the appropriate number of people working on products, and we’re not going to be continuing to cut teams. But as far as product goes, I think we’ll have to find out exactly where that’s going,” Rubin said.
However, he does recognise that changes will have to be made, and several of THQ’s titles are on the chopping block as the company seeks to streamline their business. This process actually began last month when the company announced plans to sell off the publishing rights to Tomonobu Itagaki’s Devil’s Third.
While he comments that Insane, a planned trilogy of games from award winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro is “still in the slate,” other games such as a new FPS from Turtle Bay, a wholly new IP at THQ Montreal, and ex-Assassin’s Creed developer Patrice Desilets’ new project, rumoured to be called 1666, will have to wait for an official verdict from Rubin.
“I have to go around and look at everything over the next few weeks, next month, and I have to then decide which of the titles are the titles we’re gonna focus on based on what I believe our future should be.”
It is nice to hear Rubin talk so confidently, and will no doubt put THQ in a better position in the months and years to come.
Daily Scoop: June 12, 2012 – In which I explain my absence
My apologies for disappearing for the last few weeks, everyone. My dear friend Bailey Adams passed away suddenly, and life has been very sad and strange. I was on vacation for a week and a half shortly after that, and now I’m getting back into my daily routine. So, without further ado, welcome back to the Daily Scoop.
Amazon’s got a pretty good downloadable deal this week – Risen is on sale for just $5.99. They’ve got a few other deals as well – you can get Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 for $39.99 on PS3 or Xbox 360, Star Wars: The Old Republic for $19.99 on PC, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm for $19.57 on PC, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for $39.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360, and just $9.99 for Bethesda’s Rage on all three platforms.
You might also be interested in this sweet sale on Nintendo DS games and stuff. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is $15.23, Bakugan Battle Brawlers is $7.92, and WarioWare D.I.Y. is $17.42. Check it out!
Two good gaming shirts up for sale today: (more…)
Diablo III Review: Welcome Back to Tristram
It was a long time coming, but the mythical day finally arrived: Diablo III was released on May 15 to much fanfare. Over the ensuing weeks, I’ve poured less time than I wanted to into the game, deterred by my inability to sign into the servers and play the game. You must be online at all times and signed into Battle.net in order to play, so when servers crash, even your solo campaign is brought to a grinding halt. In spite of the constant server maintenance, annoying lag, and abrupt changes made to gameplay, I still had plenty of fun. But the question remains: was Diablo III worth the long wait? (more…)
Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Diablo III
IO Interactive apologizes for Hitman: Absolution’s “Assassin Nuns” trailer
My question is, apologize to who?
Hitman: Absolution Game Director Tore Blystad spoke to IGN during this week’s E3 Expo and the subject of the “Attack of the Saints” trailer naturally came up. It’s true, Blystad did apologize, but it was the kind of non-apology apology that the public usually finds infuriating. However, in this case, I think it was the right thing to say.
“We’re sorry that we offended people – that was truly not the intention of the trailer,” Blystad said.
Of course that wasn’t the intention of the trailer. Yes, they were nuns. And yes, they were wearing stripper heels and leather bodysuits underneath their habits. I can understand how that could offend someone. But the fact that the discussion looped around to “IO hates women,” when the scene is clearly aping imagery Quentin Tarantino has been putting in his films for decades was just bizarre. Blystad even says as much later in the interview:
“The Hitman games as a series has always been extreme in many ways. The religious themes have been there from the very beginning, along with outlandish party scenes. And there are a lot of movie influences in Hitman: Absolution, like Tarantino and Rodriguez. The grindhouse theme is something that we’re using throughout the game. It tends more towards sixties exploitation movies – these were a fascination [for us] because they were so extreme.”
Hitman: Absolution will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on November 20.
In case you missed it, this is Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs
Did Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs steal E3 2012? Depending on who you talk to, yes, yes it did. The PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game currently doesn’t have a release date, but it does offer an interesting hook for an open world game: A hero who does more damage with his hacking skills than with a gun.
But he definitely also knows how to handle a machine gun, as you can see in the extended gameplay demo above. Want more Watch Dogs? Hit the jump to view the game’s rather stylish announcement trailer. (more…)
New Releases: Lollipop Chainsaw, Gravity Rush, Dirt Showdown, More
I’m sure E3 week has left you ready for all the games coming out this Fall (and beyond), but don’t forget, we’ve got a whole Summer of new releases ahead of us!
New releases like Suda 51’s crazy cheerleader/zombie/rock and roll mash-up, Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3, Xbox 360).
Also available this week is Sony’s stylish action platformer, Gravity Rush (Vita); Codemasters’ offroad racer, Dirt Showdown (PS3, Xbox 360); and the Vita version of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection.
And there’s a few more new releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Xbox 360
Tagged DiRT Showdown, Gravity Rush, Lollipop Chainsaw, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Film actors join Star Trek game, battle lizard aliens The Gorn
Paramount Pictures, along with video game publisher Namco Bandai and developer Digital Extremes have revealed the enemy of their much anticipated game based on the rebooted universe of the new Star Trek films: the lethal, lizard-like species known as The Gorn. The alien race, originally designed by artist and prop designer Wah Chang, first appeared in the famous “Arena” episode of The Original Series. Although they have made subsequent appearances, including a laughable CGI version in the last TV iteration, Star Trek: Enterprise, they are seen as an iconic villain, especially for Captain Kirk, by those working on the game.
While perhaps not as famous as the Klingons, who J.J. Abrams has confirmed will be the antagonists of the sequel film, The Gorn are every bit as battle-thirsty. The game will see several distinct types of Gorn, from infantry Rushers to hardened Brutes, while the females of the species will be more cunning, able to climb walls with stealth.Carlson Choi, VP of Marketing at Namco Bandai Games America, sees The Gorn as the perfect villain for this new title:
“Great villains give our favorite characters a chance to become heroes in the process of attempting to eliminate a powerful threat, and Star Trek fans have been eagerly anticipating the moment when the antagonists of the game would be revealed. This is one of those moments and we couldn’t be more excited to give gamers a glimpse at the challenges that lie ahead for Kirk and Spock.”
Speaking of the infamous Starfleet Captain and his pointy-eared second-in-command, it had previously been revealed that the likenesses of actors Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto would be incorporated into the game, but now it has been confirmed that the actors will also lend their voices as well. Pine and Quinto will be joined in the game by the entire crew of the Enterprise: Zoe Saldana (Lieutenant Uhura), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Dr. Bones McCoy), John Cho (Mr. Sulu) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov). They will all be bringing their vocal talents to the game’s script, which was written by Marianne Krawczyk (God of War), with input from the films’ writers and producers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
Set your phasers to stun and be prepared to beam me up in early 2013 on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360!
Nordic Games resurrects Painkiller franchise
Nordic Games is bringing back the Painkiller franchise with a new installment called Painkiller Hell & Damnation. The game is being developed by Polish studio The Farm 51, and will be developed with the Unreal Engine 3.
Expect lots of fast-paced gameplay and big boss fights with an “old school FPS ideology.”
Reinhard Pollice, who is responsible for Business and Product Development at Nordic Games, said player skill will be the most important part of the game, and that they will be putting “tremendous emphasis on the game’s multiplayer component.”
A first build is being shown at E3 2012, and Nordic Games promised that more information is forthcoming!
Posted in News, PC
Tagged E3 2012, Painkiller Hell & Damnation