Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Jordan Minor’s “Boss Fight Books: Super Mario Galaxy” is Now Available for Pre-Order
- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- 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
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Most Recent: PS3
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth webisodes now in production
Do you remember the awesome Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short film released last year (if not, watch it again above)? Well, according to Bloody Disgusting, director Kevin Tancharoen has been given the green light by Warner Bros. to produce a series of ten webisodes based on his dark and gritty take on the Mortal Kombat franchise. The best part is that Michael Jai White will return to play Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs.
The rest of the cast is a bit of a mystery, but the Bloody Disgusting report states it’ll include Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Kabal, Kitana, Mileena, Scorpion and Durak (Goro’s brother, only seen in The Journey Begins short film). Production on the series will begin shortly, as Tancharoen plans to start shooting in Vancouver next month.
The series currently has no release date, but with the Mortal Kombat reboot planned for an April release on the PS3 and Xbox 360, my hope is that it’s soon.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
New Releases: LittleBigPlanet 2, Mass Effect 2, Mindjack, More
What this week’s new releases lacks in quantity, it makes up for it in quality.
Sony’s second Sackboy adventure on the PS3, LitleBigPlanet 2, will be released this week. The sequel will add even more level creation options as well as include an expanded single-player campaign.
As PS3 owners get their second crack at Sackboy, they’ll get their first chance to experience BioWare’s Mass Effect series with a PS3 port of Mass Effect 2. Sticking with the science fiction theme, Square Enix will be bringing their body-hopping shooter Mindjack to the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Finally, PopCap Games has shrunk down Plants vs Zombies for a DS release.
The full list of the rest of this week’s new releases can be found below. (more…)
Mortal Kombat soundtrack in the works
Not only will Mortal Kombat be returning to consoles this April, but a new soundtrack album is in the works as well. Publisher WB Games and developer NetherRealm Studios have teamed up with WaterTower Music and Teenage Riot Records to create Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors.
The first single from the compilation will be Tokimonsta’s “Mileena’s Theme,” an electronic track that evokes strong memories of the soundtrack from the 1995 Mortal Kombat film. Although, this shouldn’t be too surprising as the album was produced by Jesse “JFK” Keeler of electronic duo MSTRKRFT.
The full album will be available alongside Mortal Kombat in April, but “Mileena’s Theme” can be downloaded now from Amazon and iTunes for 99 cents. Or you can hit the jump for a short “Mileena Vignette” trailer featuring everyone’s favorite demonic clone and some snippets from the single. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mortal Kombat
Sony highlights 20 exclusive PS3 games for 2011
My head nearly exploded when I read the PlayStation Blog’s PS3 2011 preview list of their 20 exclusive games. “Nearly every major PlayStation series is making an appearance in 2011,” wrote Sid Shuman, Senior Social Media Specialist, commenting on the fact that Mortal Kombat will be featuring everyone’s favorite anger management candidate, Kratos. So just what else can PS3 owners expect? With titles like Killzone 3, inFAMOUS 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, MotorStorm Apocalypse, Resistance 3, Uncharted 3, and more, maybe this is the annual joke coming true: this could just be the mythical year of the PlayStation 3.
The post revealed some important release date information. Team ICO’s The Last Guardian has been narrowed down to Holiday 2011, and Yakuza 4 will be released on March 15th. Nothing has been set for PixelJunk Shooter 2 or Twisted Metal yet, but I’m hoping to get my hands on the Q-Games sequel sooner rather than later. There are also some quirky titles listed, like Idea Factory’s Hyperdimension Neptunia, an RPG about – what else? – the video game industry. Check out all the details at the PlayStation Blog.
Activision taps Beenox to develop future Spider-Man games
As Spider-Man Uncle Ben always said, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” So it seems rather fitting that Activision is about to bestow great power and great responsibility on Beenox, the developer of last Fall’s Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.
The megapublisher has announced that Beenox has been named the primary developer on upcoming games starring the superhero. While Activision didn’t go into specifics about the wallcrawler’s next video game adventure, an investor’s call in November revealed a new Spider-Man game is in the works for a 2011 release.
For their part, executives at Beenox and Activision seem excited about the arrangement.
“Beenox’s creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions,” said Patrick Kelly, Senior Vice President, Activision Studios. “We can’t wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future.”
“We are thrilled with this opportunity to continue our close, collaborative relationship with Activision, Marvel and everyone’s friendly, neighborhood hero, Spider-Man,” said Dee Brown, Studio Head, Beenox. “Being able to map out Spider-Man’s interactive future gives us the creative freedom to really craft the best gaming experience for the fans.”
Modern Warfare 2 hacked to shreds on PS3
Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may have been a smashing success, but it has also become a paradise for players looking to exploit online multiplayer games. Although Javelin glitches and leaderboard tampering may have seemed like world-ending catastrophes at the time, these are minuscule compared to how broken the game is now on the PlayStation Network. In Spectator Mode, players can be seen opening up “VIP” menus which include God Mode, wall-hacks (shooting through walls), and some kind of aimbot as large red boxes appear around enemies who attract every bullet. I even witnessed a “Drug Mode” activated where the gameplay is displayed through alternating purple and grey filters and damage seems to be completely negated. After finishing a match with hackers, many players report their Clan Tags being changed; all emblems, titles, and equipment are unlocked; and Infinity Ward’s ticker displays “YOU GOT F****** OWNED!!!” in red along with the player’s kill and score ranks. This appears similar to challenge lobbies online (private matches where players can access a menu to unlock everything in the game), except it’s being used in public matches and accounts are being tampered with by other players.
Users in Infinity Ward’s forums have been reporting these issues since just before the new year, but the community moderators do not seem to have acknowledged the situation. Many have reached out to community manager Robert Bowling on Twitter, but his responses vary little from the usual rhetoric responding to reports of hacking. These issues may be a consequence of the recent hacks on the PlayStation 3’s security measures.
A video showing some of the issues can be seen after the break. Jump to the 2:00 mark to see some of the hack menus being used. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Jenova Chen of thatgamecompany gives details on Journey
Jenova Chen recently sat down with Sid Shuman of the PlayStation Blog to discuss the latest game from him and the folks at thatgamecompany, Journey. The two go into details about the unorthodox gameplay, multiplayer, and antagonist in this much anticipated PSN-exclusive title. Some especially interesting parts of the interview include Chen’s thoughts on the lazy work that goes into multiplayer games today, and how Journey is trying to socially stimulate players’ brains.
Previous titles from thatgamecompany include flOw and Flower, two of the most beloved downloadable games this generation. Journey seems to be shaping up nicely to live up to the accomplishments previously set by the development team.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam Review: I Love the Smell of DLC in the Morning
Kicking off last year with the stellar Battlefield: Bad Company 2, EA closed it out by dropping the Vietnam expansion. Building upon already incredibly strong shooter mechanics, Vietnam reinforces the formula with another fantastic set of maps brought to life with the sights and sounds definitive of the era. (more…)