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
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- 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)
Most Recent: PS3
The Cross and The Controller: Mass Effect’s Picture of Faith
SPOILER WARNING: This article will talk about the death of a major character in Mass Effect 3 that takes place about a third of the way through the game… unless, of course, that character died in your playthrough of Mass Effect 2.
Prayer is a very strange thing. It takes numerous forms, from the recitation of memorized words, often ancient, to the spontaneous utterances of exuberant or anguished hearts. It can be practiced in deep silence, and it can be as informal as a muttered word for help before a surgery or a battle. Prayer flows out of human beings; we seem to be hardwired for it, either by some quirk of natural selection or through deep enculturation. The old saying “there are no atheists in foxholes” suggests the fact that, at our core, humanity is a praying species.
It’s important to note that none of this is an apologetic for the existence of God. One needs a particular understanding of the bare facts to interpret them in any particular way. Our penchant for prayer may be a quirk of genetic mutation; it may be a result of millennia of conditioning. Neither suggests that there is anyone listening to our prayer. So, while I do believe that our prayers are heard, I do not think the fact that we pray is somehow proof of that. (more…)
BioWare co-founder comments on Mass Effect 3 backlash, hints at new ending DLC
Developers at BioWare can’t stop talking about Mass Effect 3 and the fan backlash concerning the ending. They preface each new comment with some variation of “we’ll talk about it later” and then they proceed to talk about it right now in that diplomatic PR-speak that artists and entertainers use when they’ve screwed up: “I’m sorry, the team was great, I’m sorry, everybody else seems to like it, I’m sorry…”
The latest person to join the backlash bandwagon is BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka, who took to the BioWare Blog to praise the development team, crow about the very positive critical response, and to again admit that answers to fan complaints are coming in “a timely way.”
But Muzyka also spoke about BioWare’s post-release plans for Mass Effect 3 including “a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions [of the ending], providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey.” While he didn’t come right out and say it, it seems likely that a “new ending” DLC pack is in the works as these content initiatives will join several additional Mass Effect 3 expansions the team was already developing. The developer promised that more information about these content initiatives will be revealed in April.
The BioWare General Manager also confirmed that the Mass Effect franchise will continue with “new full games” in the series. So let’s hope the launch of Mass Effect 4 (or whatever it’s called) goes much smoother.
Muzyka closed by thanking fans for their feedback and, once again, tried to assure them “we are listening.”
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers are #1 seeds in Madden NFL 13 cover bracket
The votes from the “play-in round” have been tabulated and the 32-man Madden NFL 13 cover bracket is now live at ESPN’s SportsNation site.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers were seeded by EA Sports in the number one slots. New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski and Victor Cruz of the New York Giants are nipping at their heels as the number twos.
By scheduling the “play-in round” before the beginning of free agency, several teams won’t be represented in the final bracket while others have multiple players in the tournament. Brandon Lloyd was selected as the player from the St. Louis Rams, but he’ll don a Patriots jersey this Fall and Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets just minutes before the bracket was unveiled.
You can check out the complete bracket after the break and remember to vote in Round One of the Madden NFL 13 Cover Vote, which runs from today until March 28. (more…)
First Walking Dead trailer, pricing details shamble into focus
After months of teasing, Telltale Games is finally ready to satisfy the hunger of gamers everywhere looking for details about The Walking Dead. The first episode of the five-part series will be available for the PC, Mac, iOS, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade. PSN, XBLA, and iPod/iPad owners will be able to purchase it for $5 (or the Microsoft-approved equivalent) while PC/Mac players will have to pre-purchase the entire series for $24.99.
However, those that pre-order the PC game before it’s release will receive a 10% discount and be entered into a contest to become a character in the game. According to Telltale, “they will be modeled as a human survivor before being killed and then returned to life as a ravenous zombie.” Kick ass!
In addition to a release window, pricing information, and the first trailer, Telltale has also released a story synopsis:
An untold story following convicted criminal Lee Everett; a man given a second chance at life in a world gone to hell. With danger around every corner, protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine may offer him redemption in a world of true horror.
Dan Connors, Telltale’s co-founder and CEO is understandably excited: “This trailer really shows off how our artists have managed to take the 2D art style of the comic books and create a 3D world allowing fans to truly interact with Robert Kirkman’s world for the very first time. We hope that fans will like what they see and be excited by the chance to join the cast of the game; we promise they’ll die horribly!”
That better be a promise, Mr. Connors!
PSN Today: Rayman 3 HD, Sumioni: Demon Arts, more
Tuesday is ticking to a close and Sony has updated the PlayStation Store with a quartet of new games. There’s the inky Vita adventure Sumioni: Demon Arts; Tecmo Koei’s demon brawler, Warriors Orochi 3; an HD remake of a classic platformer, Rayman 3 HD; and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, THQ’s action spinoff of the tabletop game.
Details (and pricing) for all of these titles can be found right here with a full list of new game add-ons at the PlayStation Blog.
PSN Games
Warriors Orochi 3 ($49.99)
Years after the battle against Orochi, the Serpent King, the heroes of the Three Kingdoms and Warring States face a new threat. A terrible and colossal monster casts its shadow across the land and defeats most of the brave warriors.
Rayman 3 HD ($9.99)
Embark on a fantastic and humorous journey with Rayman and Globox to save the Crossroad of Dreams.
PS3 Full Games
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine ($39.99)
Step fearlessly into the heart of combat as Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, unleashing visible violent death against the enemies of mankind in the first 3rd person action shooter set in the dark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
PS Vita Games
Sumioni: Demon Arts ($19.99)
Take control of Agura, a Sumioni, or “Inkdemon”, who’s been called upon to white out a blot of evil upon feudal Japan. Guide him through 2D side-scrolling levels and unleash his powers by drawing brush strokes on the touchscreen.
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Rayman 3 HD, Warhammer 40000: Space Marine
Daily Scoop: March 20, 2012 – Whew!!
It has been quite a busy few days for me, dear friends! I went to Game Fest this weekend at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It was an amazing little festival to kick off their newest exhibit, “The Art of Video Games.” It was a weekend full of Pac-Man cookies, celebrity sightings, and video games. I couldn’t have asked for more! Keep checking back here for my articles about the event.
Also, I’ve got a bunch of deals for you today! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Ubisoft’s The Black Eyed Peas Experience. It’s $29.40 on the Wii and $30.02 on the Xbox 360. They’re also running an awesome deal to buy Final Fantasy XIII-2, get Final Fantasy XIII free! Seriously hop on that. If you’ve already got the first game, they’ve also got the Collector’s Edition of the sequel for $59.99 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
That’s not all. There’s also the Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition on sale for $29.99 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This includes the original game, plus Undead Nightmare, as well as all the other DLC available for the game. This is a must-buy if you don’t already have this game! And last up is $50 off the Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle, bringing it down to $249.99. This is a pretty good deal for the 250 GBs of space, plus two games, a controller, a headset, and three months of Xbox Live. Considering that Star Wars one I want is nearly twice the price, this one is awfully tempting…
No game-related shirts today, but there’s a repeat up that I promised myself I would buy if I ever saw it again… (more…)
BioWare cancels Dragon Age II expansion, asks for fan feedback on franchise’s future
Dragon Age II was released more than a year ago and while many players were disappointed in the new direction the series took, the adventures of Hawke still had plenty of fans. However, it looks it wasn’t enough as Executive Producer Mark Darrah has confirmed (via Twitter) that an expansion for the game, titled Dragon Age II: Exalted March, was recently canceled.
Afterwords, Darrah ventured into the BioWare Forums (a scary place nowadays) and revealed a little more about the future of the franchise. According to the developer, Dragon Age II won’t be completely forgotten as BioWare will try to complete Hawke’s tale in a future game.
He also confirmed that the Dragon Age team will be listening very closely to fan feedback and incorporating it into Dragon Age III:
We’ll be attending a number of conventions and gatherings, including PAX East in April. The most valuable thing we can get out of those meetings is to hear from you on those same topics – what does Dragon Age mean to you, and where would you like to see it go? We’re excited to hear what you have to say!
Interesting. Was this the plan all along or did the Mass Effect 3 backlash rewrite BioWare’s entire culture?
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Disney brings Brave to consoles, DS, PC this Summer
Pixar’s next movie, Brave, opens on June 22. As you’d expect for one of the Summer’s biggest blockbusters, it’ll receive a tie-in game published by Disney Interactive.
Brave will be available for the DS, PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 sometime this Summer (probably in early June). The game asks players to “run, jump and battle their way through the rugged landscape of mythical and mysterious Scotland” as the movie’s main character, Merida:
A third person action-adventure, Brave: The Video Game expands the tale beyond the movie’s storyline. Gamers can play as Merida, an expert archer and heroine, and in the console versions, players can also play as other entertaining characters from the film. In addition, they will be able to go on quests through a magical world and solve puzzles to uncover secrets.
If that doesn’t convince you to give Brave a shot, how about this: the PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 versions will include a Bear Mode where you, yes, play as a bear.