Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Meet the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025: Quake, GoldenEye 007, Defender, and Tamagotchi
- The BAFTA Games Awards Polled the Public and Shenmue is “The Most Influential Video Game of All Time”
- 2024 GOTY Scoreboard: Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, More
- The Strong Museum of Play Acquires Prototypes and Development Documents from Volition’s 30-Year History
- Minecraft’s Volume Alpha Soundtrack Has Been Added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- Inside the ‘Dragon Age’ Debacle That Gutted EA’s BioWare Studio – Bloomberg (2025)
- Fight Club, The Game David Fincher Didn’t Want You To Play – Time Extension (2025)
- It’s beginning to feel like gaming isn’t for everyone – Digital Trends (2025)
- 22 years later, modders are keeping SimCity 4 alive – The Verge (2025)
- The B-movies of Paul W.S. Anderson double as acts of devotion to his muse, Milla Jovovich – The AV Club (2025)
Most Recent: PS2
Nordic Games wins big at THQ auction: Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, more
An unlikely winner has emerged in the second round of the THQ sweepstakes: Nordic Games. The small publisher, located in Austria, bid $4.9 million to obtain the majority of THQ’s remaining properties including Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs ATV, Destroy all Humans!, Summoner, Titan Quest, Frontlines, Juiced, Full Spectrum Warrior, and over 150 other titles. A full list of Nordic’s acquisitions will be unveiled soon, probably sometime after the purchase hearing current set for May 13.
But now the question becomes, what happens next? What does Nordic Games, best known for publishing the Painkiller series, plan to do with all of these properties? According to Lars Wingefors, Nordic’s CEO, the company plans to embark on an in-depth analysis of each property and will eventually move forward with sequels to many of them.
“First and foremost we are very happy about this deal which also turns over a new leaf for the entire Nordic Games Group. In the long term, we either want to cooperate with the original creators or best possible developers in order to work on sequels or additional content for these titles,” Wingefors said.
To that end, Nordic Games has set up a special section in their official forums to solicit fan feedback on how to proceed with their new toys.
The first half of the THQ auction was held in January, with Deep Silver, Ubisoft, Crytek, Take-Two Interactive, and Sega participating.
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Darksiders, Darksiders II, Destroy All Humans, MX vs ATV Alive, Red Faction: Armageddon
THQ plans to sell off Darksiders, Red Faction, Homeworld, more in May
The THQ sell-off will continue this Spring as the publisher has announced that four major franchises will go up for auction as well as two compilations of lesser franchises.
Darksiders (which went unsold at the initial THQ auction), Red Faction, Homeworld, and the MX racing franchise have all been put on the block by THQ. The company will also sell the rights to a package of original properties (including Big Beach Sports, Destroy All Humans!, Summomner, and others) and a package of licensed games (Marvel Super Hero, Supreme Commander, Worms, and others). A new owner for each franchise will be chosen sometime in May.
If you’ve ever wanted to own a formerly top-selling video game franchise, you should get in touch with THQ by emailing them at auction@thq.com by April 1. But be aware, you’ll be expected to show proof of funds in case your bid is selected by the creditors committee.
Of course, how much could something like Destroy All Humans! (which, admittedly, I love) actually go for?
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Darksiders, Darksiders II, Destroy All Humans, Homeworld, Homeworld 2, Red Faction: Armageddon
Jamie Fristrom’s Swingin’ Career, From Spider-Man to Energy Hook: An Interview
Jamie Fristrom is a name that you might not be familiar with, but you’ve certainly experienced his work. In 1996, Fristrom became part of the original team at Treyarch and had a hand in many of their earliest hits. But his biggest claim to fame is the creation of the webslinging engine found in Spider-Man 2 (and used in nearly every Spider-Man game since). In that dark period between GoldenEye 007 and Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fristrom’s work on Spider-Man 2 proved that licensed games could still be fun.
After his days at Treyarch ended, he went the indie route and created the acclaimed XBLA game Schizoid and founded his own one-man-studio, Happion Labs. His first game under the Happion Labs banner will be Energy Hook, a game that attempts to recapture the fun we all found in aimlessly webslinging around Manhattan.
Fristrom is readying a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the game, which will likely launch in a few weeks. In the meantime, I had a chance to talk to him about his career so far and where he plans to take it with Energy Hook. (more…)
Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, PS2, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Energy Hook
Just Stop! Consoles Are NOT Headed For a Crash
When the Internet decides to collectively believe something that’s just not true, we have to cry out… Just Stop! This is what’s making a Warp Zoned editor rip his computer from the wall in frustration today…
Over the last few weeks, you’ve probably seen more than a few articles bemoaning the financial health of the retail games sector. Analysts and journalists have been carrying on about how this is the end of the line. That even with a generational jump looming, the gaming community has abandoned disc-based games for their iGadgets and their free-to-play Facebook counterparts.
No! Just Stop! YOU. ARE. WRONG. (more…)
New Releases: Halo 4, LittleBigPlanet Karting, NASCAR Inside Line, More
You finished the fight, but now he’s back! The Master Chief returns to the Xbox 360 this week in Halo 4, the first game in the series not developed by Bungie (it was actually created at Microsoft’s 343 Industries).
So who will stand against the mighty Master Chief? Believe it or not, a pair of racing games. Sony is bringing LittleBigPlanet Karting to the PS3 this week and Activision will release the multiplatform NASCAR: Inside Line (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).
Also available this week is a quartet of compilations: Namco Bandai’s Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection (PS3, Xbox 360), the Rockstar Games Collection: Edition 1 (PS3, Xbox 360), BioWare’s Mass Effect Trilogy (PC, Xbox 360), and THQ’s Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package (PS3, Xbox 360).
Hit the jump for even more new releases. (more…)
The Scientifically Proven Top 100 Video Games of All Time
We greatly expanded and updated The Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time as The Video Game Canon in 2017. You should check it out!
When it comes to deciding which video games qualify as the best of all time, everyone has an opinion. And sometimes those opinions result in a violent argument over the mental faculties (or lack thereof) of the listmaker. So we thought we’d add a little science to the equation to find out exactly which games can be considered the “100 Best Video Games of All Time” and which ones have been fighting above their weight class all these years. (more…)
New Releases: WoW Mists of Pandaria, FIFA Soccer 13, Dead or Alive 5, More
The Fall is here! The Fall is here! Say it with me… the Fall is here! Your Fall gaming rush begins now and it begins with the release of the latest expansion to the biggest MMO on the planet, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.
This week also marks the beginning of the annual soccer riot between EA Sports and Konami as both companies plan to release the latest iteration of their flagship soccer titles. FIFA Soccer 13 will appear on the 3DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, and Xbox 360 while Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 go for the goal on the PS2, PS3, PSP, and Xbox 360.
A very different kind of kicking takes place in Team Ninja’s Dead or Alive 5. The latest game in the fighting franchise will punch and kick its way to the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week.
Finally this week, Rovio’s Angry Birds Trilogy flies onto the 3DS, PS3, and Xbox 360 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is being re-released in a Game of the Year Edition.
Hit the jump for the complete list of this week’s new releases. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Angry Birds Trilogy, Dead or Alive 5, FIFA Soccer 13, Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, World of Warcraft
NCAA Football 13 is the bestselling game of July 2012
The NPD Group has released their list of the ten bestselling games of July 2012 and, surprising no one, NCAA Football 13 took the top spot.
The football sim was the only new release from the month of July to crack the top ten, but to be fair, there weren’t very many games released last month. Instead, the top ten is populated by holdovers like Lego Batman 2, The Amazing Spider-Man, and two Call of Duty games (Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3). According to Joystiq, this motley crew could only manage sales of $260.7 million, a 23% drop from July 2011’s take of $338.5 million.
The full top ten is available after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Batman: Arkham City, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Dead Island, Just Dance 3, Lego Batman 2, NBA 2K12, NCAA Football 13, NPD, The Amazing Spider-Man