Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- 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)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
Most Recent: PC
Creative Director of Uncharted: Lost Legacy joins Crystal Dynamics to lead Avenger Project
Crystal Dynamics is continuing to make progress on their Avengers Project, and today the developer confirmed that they’ve hired Shaun Escayg as the game’s Creative Director. Escayg was previously employed by Naughty Dog, where he served as the Creative Director on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, as well as the Animation Supervisor on The Last of Us in addition to his role.
Of course, because this is an Avengers project, it’s possible that Escayg allowed himself to be captured so that he could then unleash his diabolical scheme from inside Crystal Dynamics. It’s what Loki would do.
“We’re committed to delivering an incredible, completely original Avengers experience to our gamers, and that means we are always looking to add amazing developers to our existing best in class studio talent,” said Scot Amos, the Co-Head at Crystal Dynamics. “As development progresses, our studio continues to grow. The tremendous progress we’ve made on The Avengers Project further drives us toward our goal of crafting something all Marvel fans will be proud of, and will play for years to come. We can’t wait to show you what we mean in the future.”
Crystal Dynamics added a total of 15 new faces to the Avengers Project team, and in addition to Escayg, they also hired Stephen Barry (formerly of Visceral Games), as well as veteran developers from Eidos Montreal and DICE.
“We recently hired fifteen world-renowned industry veterans, spanning production leadership, animation, design, art and engineering, who have previously worked on games such as Batman: Arkham Origins, Dead Space, Star Wars: Battlefront, and many more.” said Ron Rosenberg, the Co-Head at Crystal Dynamics. “Their AAA experience adds to an already deep roster, making us well-positioned to deliver on the ambitious goals we’ve set for ourselves with The Avengers Project. It’s a stellar addition of many people who fit incredibly well into our wheelhouse of building game experiences we all love.”
If all goes according to plan, we should learn more about The Avengers Project later this year.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged The Avengers Project
John Cena might star in a Duke Nukem movie
Duke Nukem’s brash and cocky persona (which was borrowed wholesale from Bruce Campbell’s appearance in Army of Darkness) made him the quintessential 90s hero. But even though we’re more than two decades removed from the character’s heyday (Duke Nukem 3D was released in 1996), Hollywood has finally come calling for Duke.
A film adaptation is currently in the works at Paramount, and The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the WWE’s John Cena is in talks to play the intergalactic alien hunter:
The wrestler-turned-actor is negotiations to star in Duke Nukem, a big-screen adaptation of the popular video game franchise featuring the politically incorrect action hero that is set up at Paramount.
Platinum Dunes, the company run by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller, will produce the movie.
Cena certainly looks the part, I’ll give them that much. But giving Duke the same outdated shtick in 2011’s oft-delayed Duke Nukem Forever definitely didn’t win him any new fans.
That said, any Duke Nukem movie adaptation is likely years away because there’s currently no script or director attached to the project.
Wulverblade will launch next week for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One
Darkwind Media and Fully Illustrated have announced that Wulverblade, a side-scrolling brawler that originally launched for the Switch in 2017, will soon be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. PC and PS4 players will be able to download the game on January 30, while Xbox One owners will have to wait a day longer until January 31.
Whichever version you buy, the developers have spruced up Wulverblade’s (the game now runs at 60 Frames Per Second) and added Online Leaderboards to the feature list:
Story
The Roman Empire is about to take control of the north of Britannia and quash the last remaining tribes… and you must stop them dead in their tracks! Play as either Caradoc, Brennus, or Guinevere… members of a family originating in the northern tribe of the Caledonii. This family of warriors have been the guardians of the most northerly tribes of Britannia for generations. The Romans have invaded Britain and conquered all that lies before them… until now.Features
- Bathe in the enemy’s blood in glorious 60 Frames Per Second.
- Add your name to the Online Leaderboards and earn some bragging rights!
- Immerse yourself in breathtaking 2D Cinematic Artwork.
- Explore Eight Incredibly Detailed Levels set around northern Britannia.
- Battle the enemy using a Refined Combat System.
- Experience a rich historical and cultural storyline told through stunning Animated Shorts.
- Take in a powerful Soundtrack from sound designers who worked on The Dark Knight Rises and Wrath of the Titans.
A new trailer for Wulverblade has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Wulverblade
New Retail Releases: Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Monster Hunter World, The Inpatient
A trio of new games will be available on store shelves this week, and all three should provide plenty thrills for players.
Bandai Namco and Arc System Works will team up to release Dragon Ball Fighter Z for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on Friday, January 26. The 2D fighter will include dozens of characters, as well as a graphical style that attempts to recreate the signature look of the popular anime franchise.
Also set to launch on store shelves this Friday is Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World. The latest game in the monster-hunting franchise will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One, and it’ll include a massive new continent and drop-in multiplayer.
Finally this week, Sony and Supermassive Games will release The Inpatient for the PS4 on Tuesday, January 23. The PlayStation VR-powered horror title takes place more than 60 years before Supermassive’s Until Dawn and it promises to immerse players in the conspiracy-laden hallways of Blackwood Sanatorium.
That’s it for this week’s New Retail Releases, 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.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dragon Ball FighterZ, Monster Hunter: World, The Inpatient
GameStop is creating a line of Amiibo-like figures without the NFC features
It looks like GameStop is getting into the collectible figure game with the Totaku Collection.
Similar in size and shape to Nintendo’s Amiibo collection (but without any of their game-enhancing NFC features), the Totaku Collection’s first wave will be available exclusively through GameStop on March 23. According to the retailer’s website, each Totaku figure has been priced at $9.99 and seven different figures will be available as part of the first wave:
- The Hunter from Bloodborne
- Crash Bandicoot from Crash Bandicoot
- Kratos from God of War
- Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet
- Parappa the Rapper from Parappa the Rapper
- Heihachi Mishima from Tekken 7
- Feisar FX350 from Wipeout
It’s unknown how often new figures will be added to the Totaku Collection, but GameStop wants to create “a unique series of highly detailed figurines from video game franchises past and present,” so if they’re a success, the line could grow very large in the future.
Call of Duty: WWII was the best-selling game for all of 2017
Call of Duty: WWII earned a spot at the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for both November and December, and now the tracking firm has confirmed that Activision’s shooter was also the best-selling game for all of 2017.
It looks like Activision had a pretty good year, especially with Destiny 2 checking in at the #3 spot, but Nintendo was the publisher with the biggest presence on the NPD’s Top 10. The consolemaker can claim three games in the Top 10 including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#10).
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, The NPD Group also confirmed an uptick for the industry as a whole. Gamers spent $14.59 billion on their favorite hobby in 2017, an increase of 11% over 2016.
Sony’s PS4 was the best-selling console of the year, but the Switch and Xbox One have also benefited from brisk sales:
“Combined sales of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One continue on a record-setting pace,” [NPD Gaming Analyst Mat] Piscatella said. “Over the first 50 months in market for each console, the combined hardware installed base of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One now exceeds that of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by 18 percent, and that of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox by 4 percent.”
The NPD’s Top 10 best-selling games for 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
Call of Duty: WWII repeats as the best-selling game of December 2017
Activision’s Call of Duty: WWII has reenlisted for a second tour of duty as the best-selling game of the month. According to The NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), the shooter was the best-selling game in December 2017, besting Star Wars: Battlefront II (#2) and Super Mario Odyssey (#3).
The holiday season dominated last month’s list, as several games that were tailor-made for gift-giving ranked high in the Top 20 including NBA 2K18 (#4), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#5), Madden NFL 18 (#6), and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#9). But perhaps most surprisingly, the Xbox One debut of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds landed at #7 after just a few weeks on sale (PC sales weren’t included in the NPD Group’s calculations).
You can find The NPD Group’s complete list for the Top 20 best-selling games from December 2017 after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed Origins, Call of Duty: WWII, Destiny 2, FIFA 18, Grand Theft Auto V, Just Dance 2018, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, Madden NFL 18, Mario Kart 8, NBA 2K18, Need For Speed Payback, NPD, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Pokemon Sun/Moon, Splatoon 2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Sims 4, Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s Retail Edition will be available in stores on March 6
Square Enix and Deck Nine Games have announced that Life Is Strange: Before the Storm will make its way to retail stores on March 6. The prequel to the very popular Life Is Strange will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One in three different configurations including a Standard Edition ($29.99), a Limited Edition ($39.99), and a Vinyl Edition ($69.99).
All three versions of the game will include a bonus episode entitled “Farewell,” which reunites Chloe and Max, as well as their original voice actors, Ashly Burch and Hannah Telle. A new Mixtape Mode will let players score cinematic scenes with selections from the game’s soundtrack, and an Outfit Pack will add three new costumes to Chloe’s closet (“Punk Doe,” “Hawt Dawg Man,” and “Illuminati”). Finally, the first episode of the original Life Is Strange will be included with all retail versions of the game.
Players who opt for the Limited Edition will receive a physical art book and a soundtrack CD for the game. The Vinyl Edition, which will be sold exclusively through the Square Enix Store, will swap out the CD with a vinyl record and add a pair of Chloe and Rachel figurines.
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm fans who have already purchased the Digital Deluxe Edition will also be able to download “Farewell” on March 6. And in case you missed it, a behind-the-scenes video for the bonus episode can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Life Is Strange, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm