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
- 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
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
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: PS4
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: September 2015 Update
Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find that’s scheduled for release in 2015, 2016, 2017, or beyond.
We have officially turned the calendar over to September and that means the Fall gaming rush is right around the corner. Thankfully, that means a number of publishers have nailed down final release dates for many of their major releases. Nintendo has been especially busy filling in their monthly planner, announcing release dates for Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (October 22), The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (October 23), Yo-Kai Watch (November 6), Star Fox Zero (November 20), and Devil’s Third (December 11).
Looking beyond the end of the year, 2016’s Winter/Spring period is also filling up fast including a launch date for Lego Avengers in January (January 26) and a bevy of titles in February (XCOM 2 on February 5, Battleborn on February 9, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on February 23). A few weeks later, Nathan Drake makes his PS4 debut in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on March 18. Microsoft has also staked a Spring claim with the release of Quantum Break on April 5.
Finally, we circle back around to Nintendo with the announcement of an official launch window (“Spring 2016”) for the Wii U version of Pokken Tournament. We all knew it was happening, so I’m not sure what took them so long.
Even more new release dates from this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)
Tetsuya Nomura says that development on Kingdom Hearts III’s “basic systems” is done
Kingdom Hearts III was officially announced more than two years ago and it doesn’t feel like it’s any closer to release now than it was then. However, Director Tetsuya Nomura recently sat down with Games Radar and revealed that the “basic systems” of the game are complete:
“For the most part we’ve established the ground foundations, like the basic systems and mechanics of what’s going to go in the game. Development of that is pretty much close to complete.
But don’t rush out to your favorite game store just yet, Nomura also said that creating the fine details of the game (environments, minigames, and other smaller items) will still take a considerable amount of time:
“But of course, since this is an HD title, it’s now building the resources, and development of the ‘mass’ elements of it, like mass production of the areas and the actual things that are going into the game. Other elements, including the mini-games and other various smaller items; their progress is very varied… some of them are polished and very close to final state, but at the same time some elements are still in the planning phases and I haven’t laid out the groundwork yet. But the basic structure of what’s going to go in the game is set, it’s now a matter of mass production of the different elements.”
Kingdom Hearts III is in development for the PS4 and Xbox One… and it’ll likely be a very long time before we get to play it.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Kingdom Hearts III
New Releases: Super Mario Maker, Tearaway Unfolded, Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX, More
Nintendo is finally ready to let fans unleash their inner Miyamoto this week with the release of Super Mario Maker for the Wii U. The course creator will let players design and upload a neverending stream of Mario levels, along with being able to play the dozens of courses already on the disc. Players will even have the ability to bring characters like Link and Samus Aran into a Mario game for the first time through an Amiibo tap or by unlocking the character through the Challenge Mode. Super Mario Maker may be the last video game we ever need.
However, if the idea of Super Mario Maker as the last video game you’ll ever play isn’t appealing, there are a few other new releases this week. Chief among them is Tearaway Unfolded, Media Molecule’s PS4 adaptation of their puzzle platformer, which was originally released for the Vita in 2013. Players can jump back into Atoi’s papercraft world to solve puzzles using the unique features of the DualShock 4 such as illuminating a dark room with the Light Bar or whipping up a windy storm with the controller’s built-in motion sensor.
Finally this week, we have a pair of brand new 3DS games… Sega plans to release Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX, an idol/maker/rhythm game, for the handheld. Meanwhile, Jeff Foxworthy will host another interactive adaptation of his game show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?
CoD: Advanced Warfare’s Reckoning Pack is now available on the PC, PS3, PS4
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare owners on the PC, PS3, and PS4 will finally get their chance to try out the game’s final downloadable expansion as the Reckoning Pack is now available on non-Xbox platforms. With the Reckoning Pack, Activision and Sledgehammer Games added four more competitive multiplayer maps to Advanced Warfare:
- Overload: Enjoy the grand view of downtown New Baghdad from this exotic compound, complete with fountains, gardens and decorative plasma lamps. The map’s multiple levels and long perimeter site-lines highlight medium to long-range combat, and firing a shot at the lamps will send enemies flying in a burst of energy.
- Quarantine: Following a deadly viral outbreak, the island has been converted into a biological testing center. This medium sized map’s tight corners dial up the speed and open areas combine to allow for any style of gameplay. Activate the map-based scorestreak to unleash a devastating ship-fired missile strike.
- Fracture: Discover what secrets are locked in the ice in this arctic excavation site. Take refuge behind wind turbines and heavy equipment through large combat areas cradled on the shelf of a glacier. Stay alert as the timed event cracks the ice sheet, sending one lane sinking to the depths.
- Swarm: Reconstruction is underway in Seoul, South Korea, congesting narrow corridors of this small to medium sized map with vehicles and equipment. Take position in war-scarred storefronts that provide plenty of cover over the streets or flank the enemy through close quarter interiors in the center of the map.
The Reckoning Pack also includes “Descent,” the final chapter in the Exo Zombies co-op campaign. John Malkovich’s Oz has risen from the dead to do battle with Bill Paxton, Bruce Campbell, Rose McGowan, and Jon Bernthal as they escape from the Atlas aircraft carrier.
This is the last time PlayStation players will be forced to wait for their Call of Duty add-ons. Beginning this Fall, PS4 and PS3 players will receive access to every downloadable expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III a month earlier than their Xbox counterparts.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4
Tagged Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
NetherRealm will add four new characters to Mortal Kombat X in 2016
Creative Director Ed Boon, and the rest of NetherRealm Studios, have been teasing a second Kombat Pack of downloadable characters for a while now. And after filling our Summer with Jason Voorhees, Tanya, The Predator, and Tremor, they’re finally making good on their promise.
Officially announced today, though still shrouded in shadow, the second Kombat Pack will include four new characters, a number of new costumes for existing characters, and a new Arena. The content will be released in the first half of 2016, though publisher WB Games didn’t say if it would appear all at once or over the course of a few months. We’ve got plenty of time to play “Guess the Silhouette” thanks to the teaser image above, but the one on the left is clearly a ninja (Rain? Smoke?) and I’d wager my soul that the one on the right is Baraka.
Mortal Kombat X was released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One back in April. Believe it or not, it’s currently the best-selling game of the year, and I’m pretty sure that WB Games is assuming some new blood will keep it selling right into 2016.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Mortal Kombat X
Transformers: Devastation gets pre-order bonuses, new trailer, Peter Cullen BTS video
As Summer transforms into Fall, Activision has released a ton of new information and gameplay footage about Transformers: Devastation, the Platinum-developed brawler that’ll be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 6.
Let’s start with a pair of pre-order bonus packs, which the publisher announced recently. All players who pre-order the game will receive a trio of Character Skins (Nemesis Prime, Red Alert, and Goldfire) alongside several side several powerful weapons:
- Dark Star Sabre: A fearsome sword which radiates waves of dark energy with every swing.
- Photon Disruptor: A cannon for huge damage at short range.
- Golden Hunter: Twin blaster pistols, which causes enemies to drop credits when attacked.
I have no idea if these weapons are on display in Devastation’s latest gameplay trailer, but it has been embedded above for your viewing pleasure… especially if you’re interested in the combo-heavy combat that Platinum is preparing for the game. Finally, a behind-the-scenes interview with Peter Cullen (the one-and-only voice of Optimus Prime) is available after the break. Only an unfeeling Decepticon can ignore the pride he feels for the character, even after portraying him for three decades. (more…)
Extreme Exorcism busts its way to release on September 23
Ripstone Publishing and Golden Ruby Games have announced that Extreme Exorcism will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One on September 23.
The retro-styled side-scroller follows ghostbuster Mae Barrons as she ventures into a haunted house to clean up a band of offending spirits. Armed only with her unique expertise (and a huge arsenal of guns), Mae will have to dodge ghosts that mimic her own movements from the previous round. According to the developer, “players are their own worst enemy and the longer they survive, the more chaotic the game becomes.”
In addition to Extreme Exorcism’s single-player Story Mode, the game will include a Challenge Mode with 50 challenge and local multiplayer (both Co-Op and Deathmatch) for up to four players. The game’s latest trailer has been embedded above.
MGS5: The Phantom Pain, Mad Max, Disney Infinity Star Wars, more added to PS Store
The Fall gaming season has arrived on the PlayStation Store as Sony added more than a dozen games to their digital storefront yesterday. The biggest name is most definitely Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, (presumably) the final game in the franchise developed by Hideo Kojima. Kojima and Konami still have yet to make an official announcement concerning his future with the company, but it looks like Kojima got to go out on his terms with another epic military stealth shooter for the PS3 and PS4.
Speaking of the word “epic,” also available this week is Mad Max (PS4), Avalanche’s open world adaptation of George Miller’s post-apocalyptic hero. Players will be able to find gas, explore the Wastleand, and stare down War Boys as they attempt to rebuild Max’s beloved car. It’ll probably be less exciting than Mad Max: Fury Road, but nearly everything else you can think of is less exciting than Mad Max: Fury Road.
But for the kids out there, the idea of adding Star Wars characters to the Disney Infinity formula surely ranks pretty high on the “epic” scale. So I guess it’s a good thing that Disney Interactive released Disney Infinity: Star Wars for the PS3 and PS4 earlier this week. Obviously, Disney Infinity figures are sold separately.
Finally this week, a number of smaller releases are now available to download including Armello, a tabletop-style game for the PS4; Super Time Force Ultra, a side-scrolling shooter that lets players rewind time for the PS4 and Vita (Cross-Buy); and Xeodrifter, a metroidvania from Renegade Kid for the PS4 and Vita (also a Cross-Buy title).
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita
Tagged Disney Infinity: Star Wars, Mad Max, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Super Time Force