Most Recent: PC

Cliff Bleszinski is shutting down Boss Key Productions to focus on his family

Posted on May 15, 2018 by John Scalzo

Cliff Bleszinski, gaming’s original “DudeBro” and the creator of the Gears of War franchise, has announced (via Twitter) that he is stepping away from game development to spend more time with his family.

The legendary developer got his start in the early 90s at Epic Games, and he would use his time at the company to produce a variety of hits, including Jazz Jackrabbit, Unreal, and Unreal Tournament. “CliffyB” would eventually take the reins to Gears of War, and he served as Lead Designer on the first three games in the franchise before leaving Epic in 2012.

Bleszinski would return as the face of Boss Key Productions in 2014. His team took a stab at the “Hero Shooter” genre in 2017 with LawBreakers, and they followed it up with Radical Heights, a free-to-play “Battle Royale” game, earlier this year. Both games “failed to gain traction” with players, and this likely lead to Bleszinski’s current sabbatical from the industry.

According to his statement, Bleszinski hopes to “someday” return to game development, but Boss Key Productions as an entity is “effectively no more”:

In a final message to his fans, Bleszinski thanked them for all their support over the years and said that the servers for Radical Heights will remain available for the near future.

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Bethesda officially announces Rage 2

Posted on May 14, 2018 by John Scalzo

After a spate of rumors pointed to an impending announcement for Rage 2, Bethesda has thrown up their hands and officially announced that the game is in development at id Software for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A short Teaser Trailer has been embedded above, and a longer Gameplay Trailer will be unveiled tomorrow. If the Teaser Trailer is any indication, the next Rage will be considerably sillier than its predecessor.

Rage ended on a huge cliffhanger, and while it wasn’t as well-loved as Doom or Quake, fans have been hoping that the developer would return to the game’s post-apocalyptic world in a sequel. Bethesda has also recruited Avalanche Studios, the team responsible for 2015’s Mad Max game, to assist in the creation of Rage 2.

The announcement of Rage 2 also ups the possibility that the rest of the games included in the recent Walmart Canada leak (as reported by Polygon) are real. So don’t be surprised when game publishers start announcing Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 6, Lego DC Supervillains, Gears of War 5, Assassin’s Creed 2018, and Just Cause 4 over the next few weeks.

A release date for Rage 2 has yet to be announced.

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Blizzard adds “Pink Mercy” Skin to Overwatch until May 21 to support Breast Cancer research

Posted on May 11, 2018 by John Scalzo

For the next two weeks, the Heroes from Overwatch will do battle against Breast Cancer thanks to a new partnership between Blizzard and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

A brand new “Pink Mercy” Skin is now available to download for $14.99 on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. All proceeds from sales of the Skin will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as will 50% of all proceeds from sales of a “Pink Mercy” T-Shirt at the Blizzard Gear Store. Both the in-game Skin and the real-world T-Shirt will be available until May 21.

You can hear Game Director Jeff Kaplan talk a bit more about the “Pink Mercy” campaign in the new Developer Update episode embedded above.

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Launch Trailer for Trailblazers shows off its Splatoon-inspired futuristic racing style

Posted on May 8, 2018 by John Scalzo

The Launch Trailer for Supergonk’s Trailblazers has been embedded above, and as you can see, it mixes the futuristic racing of the F-Zero franchise with Splatoon’s team-based painting mechanic to create a type of game we’ve never really seen before. But how does it work? Glad you asked…

Experience vibrant visuals, mesmerizing track designs, and the scorching sensation of speed where players use the on-track game mechanic of painting the track to create boosting lanes for each team. Racing together in teams of up to three racers, gamers will cover key areas of the racing line as well as painting over opponents’ painted paths to gain the advantage. Racers who drive with flair and style will also amass skill points to blaze their way to victory!

Trailblazers will feature a variety of procedurally-generated tracks that take players through “mountain ranges, lush forests, and arid desert valleys.” And you’ll be able to tackle these locales by taking control of multiple characters and race cars, each with their own unique stats and skills. A Campaign Mode, featuring story elements and Single-Player Challenges, as well as local splitscreen multiplayer and online play, will be available in the game.

Trailblazers will be published by Rising Star Games, and it launched today on the PC and PS4. It’ll also be available to download for the Xbox One beginning tomorrow.

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Treyarch will unveil Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Zombies Mode at E3 2018

Posted on May 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

While Activision has yet to confirm the existence of a Zombies Mode for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, it’s looking more and more likely that Treyarch will resurrect the popular cooperative multiplayer mode for the sequel.

That’s because, earlier today, the official Twitter account for the E3 Expo announced that the developer will discuss the history of the fan-favorite feature during an “E3 Coliseum” panel, as well as provide a glimpse at its future in Black Ops 4:

If you can’t wait for the E3 Expo to get a closer look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, don’t worry, Activision and Treyarch are planning a “Community Reveal Event” for the game on Thursday, May 17. And the newest entry in the franchise will launch earlier than ever, with an October 12 release date being readied for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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New Retail Releases: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Conan Exiles, Megadimension Neptunia VIIR, More

Posted on May 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

The month of May trudges on as a quintet of new games make their way to retail shelves this week…

Leading the short parade is Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, an isometric RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. Set to launch this week for the PC, Deadfire adds “vastly improved graphics” and “deeper game mechanics” to the franchise, as well as giving players the opportunity to customize and pilot a ship.

Swords and sorcery are also at the center of Conan Exiles, which will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One this week courtesy of Funcom. In this adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, players will fight for survival in a harsh world, while also building a home and waging war against enemies.

Speaking of weird worlds, Idea Factory will revisit their Neptunia franchise with the release of Megadimension Neptunia VIIR this week. VIIR is a VR-enhanced re-release of Megadimension Neptunia VII for the PS4 with a new engine and a renovated battle system.

Finally, WayForward will release Shantae: Half-Genie Hero – Ultimate Edition for the Switch, a bundle featuring the original side-scroller along with both of its expansions. And Red Hook will do the same on the PS4 for their roguelike RPG with the Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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Final Fantasy VII, ​Tomb Raider, Spacewar!, and John Madden Football are the newest inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame

Posted on May 3, 2018 by John Scalzo

Earlier this morning, The Strong Museum and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games announced this year’s inductees to the World Video Gamed Hall of Fame. The Class of 2018 includes Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix’s beloved RPG; ​Tomb Raider, Eidos Interactive’s introduction to Lara Croft; John Madden Football, EA Sports’s first football simulation; and Spacewar!, an early game created by the Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT in 1962.

“Spacewar! was not a commercial game, but it helped to launch the multi-billion-dollar video game industry,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “It also spurred computer users of all types to think about creative new uses for computers and helped turn the computer into the most powerful plaything ever created.”

“John Madden Football’s action-oriented gameplay has changed the way we play and consume sports video games… and even the way actual sports games are broadcast,” said Jeremy Saucier, The Strong’s Assistant Vice President for Interpretation and Electronic Games. “It’s yearly, updated release of the game has modeled the path to success for franchises in other sports such as soccer, hockey, baseball, and basketball.”

“The Guinness Book of World Records cites Lara Croft as the ‘Most Recognizable Female in a Video Game’ of all time,” said Curator Shannon Symonds. “The character is not without controversy for her early status as a sex symbol, but she’s evolved with the franchise to become the epitome of a strong female hero.”

“Final Fantasy VII is widely acclaimed as the game that broke Japanese role-playing games into mainstream popularity across the globe,” Symonds added. “In addition to its technical achievements, it also introduced the world to memorable characters… such as protagonist Cloud and villain Sephiroth… who have appeared in other game franchises and myriad media.”

Eight other games were finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, including Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Minecraft, and Ms. Pac-Man. I’m sure they’ll all get a chance next year, as Nominations for the Class of 2019 are already open.

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The Games of May 2018

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Warp Zoned Staff

Game publishers are launching just a handful of “new” games this month, but Switch owners should be pleased with a slew of big re-releases from Nintendo, Capcom, and Nicalis.

You might not agree with all our choices, but the next four weeks are going to be great if you’re looking forward to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Ikaruga, and many others. It’s almost a shame that Dark Souls Remastered‘s Switch launch was pushed out to the Summer, but at least PC, PS4, and Xbox One players will get to stay on theme.

You can find out exactly why the Warp Zoned staff is looking forward to these games, and view the release schedule for all of this month’s new games, after the break. (more…)

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