Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 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
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: PS3
Rockstar will release next-gen game by March 2015 after shipping 33 million copies of GTA5
Rockstar Games had a pretty good year. The developer’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, presented their quarterly financial report yesterday and announced that more than 33 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V have been shipped to stores since its September 2013 release. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick didn’t specify how many copies of the game have been purchased by gamers, but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume it’s somewhere between “a lot” and “a metric crap-ton.”
However, one piece of information Zelnick was interested in sharing was the news that Rockstar plans to release their first game for next-generation consoles sometime between today and March 31, 2015. While Rockstar still has 70s spy story Agent officially in development and hinted at Bully 2 in the past, this new game is most likely a PS4/Xbox One port of Grand Theft Auto V. Zelnick would only say that “we are excited about what they have in store for the new generation of systems for this fiscal year.”
Rockstar Toronto began hiring developers to work on a project for “next-gen consoles” last year, so whatever it is, it’s been in the works for quite a while now.
Zelnick confirmed that Take-Two would reveal more about Rockstar’s next-generation game at a later date. Presumably, he’s referring to the upcoming E3 Expo.
PS Store Today: Borderlands 2 Vita, Walking Dead Season 2: In Harm’s Way, more
Welcome to yet another weekly PlayStation Store update. The PS4 sits out this week, but there’s still a few big offerings now available for the PS3 and Vita.
Almost first appearing on the PC in 2011 and on the Xbox 360 in 2012, old school FPS Serious Sam 3: BFE lands on the PS3. He is joined by In Harm’s Way, the third episode of Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 2.
And over on the Vita, Gearbox has brought Borderlands 2 to Sony’s handheld after winning more awards and releasing more downloadable content than any game in living memory on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. It’s joined by Soul Sacrifice Delta, an enhanced version of Keiji Inafune’s action RPG.
More details on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Borderlands 2, Serious Sam 3: BFE, The Walking Dead Season 2
10 Actors (and Actresses) We Think Could Play Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Movie
BioWare’s Mass Effect series has proven so difficult to bring to the big screen that, according to Screen Rant, it turned screenwriter Mark Protosevich from ever attempting to tackle a video game adaptation again. Legendary Pictures producer Avi Arad has hinted the film could still be five years away. His boss, Legendary CEO Thomas Tull, explained to Ain’t It Cool last summer, “If you’ve played it and you know the universe, you know it is not uncomplicated. To try to hone that, to bring that down to a place that will translate into screen storytelling… we’re pretty close, closer than we’ve ever been. We’re committed to it, but it has to be great or we’re not going to do it. We’re treading on sacred ground. We’re not going to be the guys to screw up Commander Shepard.”
Yet, who could the filmmakers cast in such a highly respected role? They’ll need someone with Shepard’s rugged gravitas. Someone who can carry the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Someone who can sleep with half the universe.
While we wait ever-so-patiently for Legendary to pull its metaphorical finger out of its alien orifice, we thought we would scour the galaxy for an actor worthy of donning the N7 Armour. But just imagine for a moment that some bright producer within Legendary had an idea, an idea that blossomed into something unprecedented in the history of film: they film the same film twice. One version would include a male lead, while the other would place a woman (popularly known as “FemShep”) in charge of the Normandy. I’m not talking about a sci-fi version of Sliding Doors here. I want them to actually release two versions of the same film, and the audience can choose which gender of Shepard they wish to watch, just as they do in the game. How many fans would go see both?
This, I’m afraid, is likely the only way we will ever see a cinematic version of FemShep. Yet, if the producers set the casting directors to task in finding the right actress for the role, who would they choose? Bearing in mind that the character’s appearance is fully customisable, it could really be anyone, but taking the game’s FemShep alternate cover as a template, let’s also have a look and see which starlet could save the galaxy.
So here we go, two Sheps (and two films) for the price of one. (more…)
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition comes to PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One this August
Blizzard has announced that Diablo III‘s “Ultimate Evil Edition,” which includes the original game and the Reaper of Souls expansion, will be released on August 19. Before today, the Ultimate Evil Edition was officially only in development for the PS4, but Blizzard has confirmed the compilation will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Xbox One as well.
“The Ultimate Evil Edition brings Reaper of Souls to console gamers for the first time, and wraps all of the content, features, and updates we’ve released for Diablo III into one epic package,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Whether you’re a veteran of the crusade against the forces of evil on PC or are just stepping foot into Sanctuary for the first time, there’s never been a better time to experience Diablo III from the comfort of your couch.”
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition adds a sixth character class, The Crusader, to the main game as well as a fifth Act that pits players against the Angel of Death, Malthael. Other new features added to the game courtesy of the Ultimate Evil Edition include Adventure Mode (“A new game mode that gives players the freedom to go anywhere and slay anything”), Bounties (“Randomized objectives that reward players in new ways for exploring Sanctuary”), Nephalem Rifts (“Fully randomized dungeons offering endless replayability and heaps of loot”), The Mystic (“A powerful new artisan who provides heroes with loot-customization options”), and a raised Level Cap.
If you’ve already got Diablo III on the PS3 or Xbox 360, you’ll be able to transfer your previously created characters into the Ultimate Evil Edition. PS3 owners can make the jump to the PS3 or PS4 versions while Xbox 360 owners can likewise transfer to the Xbox 360 or Xbox One editions.
New Releases: Borderlands 2 Vita, Minecraft: PS3 Edition
The remainder of May will be a treasure trove of great new releases, but first we have to get through one of the slowest weeks for new releases in a long time. Especially when you realize that neither one of these games is new.
The slimmer and lighter PlayStation Vita was shipped to stores last week as part of the Borderlands 2 Vita Bundle, but if you want to play Gearbox’s shooter on the go and you already own a Vita, perhaps you’ll be interested in the standalone version of Borderlands 2 for the Vita.
And over on the PS3, the retail release of Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition will be available this week. The game has been available as a downloadable title through the PlayStation Store since the end of 2013, but if you want a disc, here’s your shot.
OK, that’s it. Be sure to check back later this week for a roundup of new releases on the digital storefronts.
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Borderlands 2, Minecraft
Wolfenstein: The New Order will take 20 hours to complete and include an “alternate timeline”
Jens Matthies, the Creative Director of Wolfenstein: The New Order at MachineGames, opened himself up to the world this morning as part of an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. The developer refused to answer multiple questions asking if Mecha Hitler will be part of the game, but he did have several very interesting things to say.
On the subject of the campaign’s length, Matthies said that the game is about 20 hours long “if you collect everything and explore everywhere.” But the developer also revealed that the “vibe of the story” can go in radically different directions depending upon a choice the player is forced to make early in the game. Matthies didn’t want to spoil it, but if you’re interested in knowing, please highlight the black bars below:
During the 1946 prologue, B.J. Blazkowicz and his squad (Scottish commanding officer Fergus and a young private named Wyatt) are captured by General Deathshead. Offering a devil’s bargain, The General tells Blazkowicz that he must choose whether Fergus or Wyatt will die, which will allow the other to live. Attempting to defy Deathshead results in the execution of both prisoners while Blazkowicz is brutally beaten to death (which you experience through a first person view). As Blazkowicz, you MUST choose which character is murdered by Deathshead. It’s an absolutely horrifying moment in game that is already pretty horriffic.
Matthies said that the team considers each playthrough from this moment as an “alternate timeline” but it does more than just change the closing cinematic. In addition to the “vibe,” it “affects the tone of the whole game a little bit” and “alters the gameplay somewhat.” Of course, if Wolfenstein: The New Order does well, Matthies and his team will have to choose one ending as the official one as he also said, “We would love to do a sequel and we have lots of ideas.”
Ideas like… Mecha Hitler? Wolfenstein: The New Order will released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 20.
The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 3 will be available next week
Thanks to the trailer embedded above, Telltale Games has announced the third episode of The Walking Dead Season 2, “In Harm’s Way,” will be available to download next week…
- Tuesday, May 13: PC (Steam, Telltale Store, Other Download Platforms) and PS3 (US Only)
- Wednesday, May 14: PS3 (Europe Only), Xbox 360
- Thursday, May 15: iOS App Store
As with previous episodes in the series, “In Harm’s Way” will be available download individually for $4.99 or as part of the $19.99 Season Pass. According to Telltale, release dates for “In Harm’s Way” on additional platforms (including the Vita) will be announced at a later date.
EA and ESPN launch a scaled-down Madden NFL 15 Cover Vote
After last year’s mammoth 64-man bracket in honor of Madden’s 25th anniversary, EA Sports and ESPN are scaling down this year’s Cover Vote for Madden NFL 15. Just 16 names, including some of the NFL’s youngest stars, are battling it out for the right to be cursed crowned as the game’s cover athlete.
Voting will once again take place at ESPN.com/maddenvote with a new round beginning every Thursday. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 6 during the 6:00 PM (Eastern) edition of SportsCenter. Richard Sherman, the outspoken face of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and Cam Newton, Carolina’s Pro Bowl quarterback, are the number one seeds. Here’s a complete look at the Madden NFL 15 Cover Vote matchups:
Left Bracket
(1) Richard Sherman (CB, Seattle Seahawks)
(8) Alshon Jeffery (WR, Chicago Bears)
(4) Jimmy Graham (TE, New Orleans Saints)
(5) Eddie Lacy (RB, Green Bay Packers)
(3) Demaryius Thomas (WR, Denver Broncos)
(6) Luke Kuechly (LB, Carolina Panthers)
(2) Colin Kaepernick (QB, San Francisco 49ers)
(7) Nick Foles (QB, Philadelphia Eagles)
Right Bracket
(1) Cam Newton (QB, Carolina Panthers)
(8) Antonio Brown (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)
(4) Jamaal Charles (RB, Kansas City Chiefs)
(5) A.J. Green (WR, Cincinnati Bengals)
(3) LeSean McCoy (RB, Philadelphia Eagles)
(6) T.Y. Hilton (WR, Indianapolis Colts)
(2) Andrew Luck (QB, Indianapolis Colts)
(7) Alfred Morris (RB, Washington Redskins)
Madden NFL 15 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on August 26.