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
BioWare bringing Mass Effect 3’s “FemShep” to the masses
When promoting the Mass Effect trilogy, BioWare has never strayed far from the default look for the game’s protagonist, Commander Shepard. And that default has always been the male default, meaning players who like to play as “FemShep” never got a chance to see her in action in the game’s many trailers. According to David Silverman, Director of Marketing at BioWare, that’s all about to change for Mass Effect 3.
In a series of recent tweets, Silverman has confirmed that a trailer starring a female Shepard is in the works. “FemShep” will even get a chance to be a cover girl as the Mass Effect 3 Collector’s Edition will feature both versions of Shepard on the box.
Here’s what Silverman had to say about the future of “FemShep”:
there will be a #FemShep trailer. We actually had a meeting on her yesterday. We are working on the look now.
– June 14the CE of #ME3 has both #FemShep and male Shepard on the box.
– June 12
Mass Effect 3 will be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 6, 2012.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mass Effect 3
Activision unveils Annihilation map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops
Confirming everything from yesterday’s leak, Activision has announced that the third map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops will be available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace on June 28. As always, the pack will be priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).
The CoD: Black Ops Annihilation Map Pack will consist of four multiplayer maps (Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo and Hazard) and a new “Zombies experience” known as Shangri-La.
“Shangri-La [is] an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring zombie hunters,” said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia.
If you plan on picking up the map pack, you might also want to know Activision plans to pair it with a Double XP Weekend beginning Friday, July 1.
The Annihilation Map Pack will also be released for the PC and PS3 at a later date.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops
Official Batman: Arkham City box art released
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has unveiled the official box art for Batman: Arkham City. Continuing the whitewashed aesthetic that has been the game’s trademark since it was announced, the cover shows Batman ready to dispense some Gotham City justice on some poor soul’s face. And he’s got the bloody knuckles to prove it. If you want a closer look at the box art, just click on the image to your left.
Batman: Arkham City will be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 18. A Wii U version is also in the works.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham City
Leaked photo details Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack #3
Black Ops 24/7 reports that a leaked photo, possibly from promotional materials, has outed some of the details of a third DLC map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The poster lists four multiplayer maps in a similar style to the Escalation pack: Hanger 18, Hazard, Drive-In, Silo, and an unreadable new Zombies level. The advertisement seems to be one of GameStop’s, as the text “downloadable content is better at GameStop,” can be seen above the map captures.
This would continue the precedent set in Call of Duty: World at War, making Treyarch the CoD studio that supports its games with three healthy doses of DLC. I imagine it’ll be hard to top Call of the Dead, but I’m excited to get into the new multiplayer maps.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops
Third Dragon Age novel coming later this year
Fans of BioWare’s newest fantasy franchise will rejoice in knowing that Lead Writer David Gaiter will be providing a third novel about the world of Thedas, in Dragon Age: Asunder. The story takes place after Dragon Age II, with a killer loose in the templar stronghold of the White Spire.
Dragon Age: Asunder will be available late 2011 at a bookstore near you. And Amazon.
Brink Review: Broken Promises
There is never a worse feeling than when someone promises you the world, but ends up giving you a nickel and a shrug. It is even worse when a game that has been hyped for months as the future of the first person shooter turns out to be an unfinished heap of unexplored ideas. It is like the awful relationship that starts with such high hopes. You think that this will change my whole life! And it does… for the worse. Brink… why did you have to go and break my heart like this? (more…)
L.A. Noire tops NPD chart in May
Rockstar Games’ detective procedural L.A. Noire has topped The NPD Group’s list of bestselling games in May. The PS3/Xbox 360 game was followed by several other new releases including Brink at #2 and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean in the third slot.
The remainder of the top ten is a mix of recently games (Portal 2 at #4 and Mortal Kombat at #5) and holdovers from last Fall’s game rush (Call of Duty: Black Ops at #6 and NBA 2K11 at #8).
The complete top ten can be seen here:
1. L.A. Noire (PS3, Xbox 360)
2. Brink (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
3. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360)
4. Portal 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
5. Mortal Kombat (PS3, Xbox 60)
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
7. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
8. NBA 2K11 (PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360)
9. Just Dance 2 (Wii)
10. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Brink, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Just Dance 2, L.A. Noire, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Mortal Kombat, NBA 2K11, NPD, Portal 2, Zumba Fitness
The A-Z of E3 2011
This year’s E3 Expo was probably best characterized by the nearly complete lack of surprises that emerged from the show floor. Nearly every game on display had been announced ahead of time and the ones that weren’t (like Super Smash Bros. 4 for the Wii U) are just words in a press release. And speaking of the Wii U, Nintendo’s next system lost some of its luster after the console’s entire feature set leaked online before E3… but the tablet controller certainly has potential.
And here’s a bunch of other games that have potential too. (more…)