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
Treyarch reveals more details about the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta
I’m sure you’ve already scoped out the trailer promoting next week’s beta test for Call of Duty: Black Ops III. But late last night, developer Treyarch dropped some additional details about the test on their Community Blog.
Initially, the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta will feature three maps: “Hunted,” “Combine,” and “Evac.” Others will be available during the course of the test, but here’s what we can expect from the first three:
- Hunted: This big game hunting lodge is situated beneath a waterfall in the lush mountains of Ethiopia, where rugged terrain opens up to long sightlines and a stealthy underwater pathway.
- Combine: Set in the remote Egyptian Sahara, this vertical farming and sustainability research facility plays fast and frenetic with tight interiors, an open middle and a dangerous flank path.
- Evac: An abandoned emergency evacuation zone atop an overgrown rooftop in the middle of Singapore’s flooded quarantine zone.
Treyarch also confirmed the test will include “a range of fan favorite game modes,” such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, Demolition, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy.
Finally, the developer talked a bit about the eight Specialists, characters with their own “look, personality, voice, and battle-hardened weapons and abilities,” who will be available in the beta. Each Specialist will have a unique backstory and they might even add a kind of narrative to Call of Duty’s often chaotic multiplayer mode.
The Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta test will begin on August 19 for players who’ve pre-ordered the game on the PS4. PC and Xbox One owners will be able to join the fun beginning on August 26.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Leakers have uploaded a video of Fallout 4’s Gamescom demo to Pornhub
The exclusive Fallout 4 demo shown off at Gamescom this year hasn’t yet found its way online through Bethesda’s official channels. This has left fans who weren’t able to attend the show justifiably angry. And they’re so angry that they’re willing to go to the most unlikeliest of places to view some of the footage.
It’s not YouTube or Vimeo or Vine… It’s actually Pornhub, so let’s try to keep this somewhat professional.
The seven-minute video, and yes it really is footage from Fallout 4’s Gamescom demo, is titled “Hidden Camera Shows Audience Teased by Big Butt Man in Tights Live.” It’s not great footage, even as far as leaks go. Befitting its title, the person in the audience is clearly holding up their camera to the screen, trying desperately not to be seen. The video that’s been uploaded is grainy, shaky, and most of the time the camera is positioned between two people seated in front of the cameraman, which obscures most of the screen.
What we can see of the video though is a full, unedited playthrough of what appears to be this game’s version of the Super Duper Mart. We also see the dog in action, as well as the new shooting mechanics.
We also see ghouls for the first time, which have been completely redesigned. They now move and act like zombies. You can shoot off their arms and they’ll lunge forward to bite, or you can shoot off their legs and they’ll still crawl after you. Unfortunately, once they do reach you, it seems they still just stand there and swipe at you until you kill them. I would have liked to have seen close quarters combat become more dynamic, maybe have them latch on to you, like the “Blood Bugs” shown off in the E3 trailer.
Also, for better or worse, the lockpicking and terminal hacking minigames haven’t changed in the slightest. They’re still exactly the same as they were in Fallout 3.
That’s about all I can ascertain from this short leak. Apparently, the demo was longer, and (believe it or not) there weren’t two guys blocking most of the video. But those of us who didn’t get to see the demo firsthand might never find out, as Bethesda still hasn’t officially released Fallout 4’s Quakecon demo either.
Here’s the link to the video…
…but be warned, the site ISN’T SUITABLE IN THE LEAST FOR WORK OR PUBLIC VIEWING. Unless that’s what you’re in to, which is fine. I would have made a porn joke at some point, but I’m afraid it would have sucked.
Indie Megabooth announces massive PAX Prime 2015 presence
It’s that time gain! Those beautiful, brilliant minds behind the Indie Megabooth have announced the PAX Prime 2015 lineup, and it certainly IS mega! I see a lot of personal favorites in there, including Armello, Death Road to Canada, Hyper Light Drifter, Mushroom 11, Cinelinx: A Card Game For People Who Love Movies, Pleasant Dreams, Skiptrace, and two games I can’t keep my hands off of: Monikers and Mini Metro! And let’s not forget that this might be your best chance to check out Funomena’s Wattam!
If you’re in Seattle the last weekend in August for PAX Prime, trust me: you do not want to miss the Indie Megabooth. These are traditionally some of the best games on the show floor, and I don’t just say that because my own game (Resistor) has been part of the Tabletop Area. OK, maybe that might sway my opinion a little. But the team behind the IMB carefully curates some of the most amazing games, not just for your enjoyment, but as an installation of the best and brightest developers in indie gaming right now.
Enough of my gushing. Watch the trailer and hit the jump for the full list of developers and games (more than 70 in all)! (more…)
New CoD: Black Ops III trailer gives us a glimpse at the beta test
Activision gave us a sneak peek at what the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta will contain in a new trailer released this afternoon.
Beta participants can expect to test out at least seven multiplayer modes, at least three maps, eight Multiplayer Specialists, and weapon customization with the game’s “Paintshop” tool.
Do you want to be part of the beta? First thing you have to do is pre-order a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops III on the PC, PS4, or Xbox One. Then you’ll get an invite to join the beta on August 19 (PS4) or August 26 (PC and Xbox One).
Call of Duty: Black Ops III is in development at Treyarch and will be released on November 6.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III
PS Plus subscribers who pre-order Rock Band 4 will receive bonus pack containing 10 songs
Rock Band 4 is less than two months away, and PS4 owners are now able to pre-order the game through the PlayStation Store. Harmonix also announced that all PlayStation Plus subscribers who pre-order the game will receive a special bonus pack at launch containing ten songs:
- All That Remains – “Divide”
- Blitz Kids – “Run For Cover”
- Bring Me The Horizon – “Throne”
- Dead Sara – “Mona Lisa”
- Duran Duran – “The Reflex”
- Janis Joplin – “Move Over”
- Of Mice & Men – “Would You Still Be There”
- Oh Honey – “Sugar, You”
- Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell” (Live from Monsters In Moscow Festival)
- Seasick Steve – “Summertime Boy”
PlayStation Plus members will also immediately be able to download an exclusive Rock Band 4 theme with their pre-order.
Rock Band 4 will be available for the PS4 (and the Xbox One) on October 6. It’ll be compatible with most wireless music game controllers and microphones, as well as the vast majority of previously-purchased music from the Rock Band Store.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Rock Band 4
Grand Theft Auto V has sold 54 million copies; Single-Player DLC is still MIA
Take-Two Interactive didn’t have much to talk about during their quarterly financial report yesterday. Because XCOM 2, Battleborn, and Mafia III are still many months away, company executives mostly used the presentation to boast about the continued success of Grand Theft Auto V.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said that the game has sold more than 54 million copies since it was released in 2013. That number includes GTA5’s initial launch on the PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as its subsequent release on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s quite an impressive achievement for everyone involved, which is probably why Zelnick didn’t sound very appreciative when an analyst tried to compare Mafia III to a Rockstar-developed project during the Q&A portion of the presentation:
Mafia III is a completely different experience. I wouldn’t compare it to anything else out there. The reveal was great, but it stands alone. And no, we don’t use any other game in the same sentence as Grand Theft Auto. It is the industry’s standard bearer. It’s not up for comparison. So no, I think, it’s flattering to even think that may be the case, but it’s not.
I love Zelnick’s “take no prisoners” attitude and the defense of his developers, but there was also some bad news for GTA fans during the presentation as well. Karl Slatoff, the President of Take-Two Interactive, confirmed the publisher has no information to share about a single-player expansion for Grand Theft Auto V, telling one analyst, “[W]e really don’t have anything to say about that today.”
New Releases: Toy Soldiers: War Chest, XBlaze Lost: Memories
If history is any guide, we’ll see a big uptick in new releases towards the end of August. However, since we’re still in the middle of the month, only four new games will be available on store shelves this week…
Toy Soldiers: War Chest is the third Toy Soldiers game from developer Signal Studios and the first to be published by Ubisoft. The special “Hall of Fame Edition” of the strategy game will feature four fictional toy armies doing battle with iconic characters from He-Man: Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and Assassin’s Creed II. Toy Soldiers: War Chest will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Also available this week is XBlaze Lost: Memories, which will be released for the PS3 and Vita. Published by Aksys, XBlaze Lost was developed by Arc System Works and is the second prequel to the BlazBlue series of fighting games. Not only that, but the publisher and developer consider XBlaze Lost the first “RPG-style visual novel.” So I guess that’s something.
Finally, a pair of children’s games, Garfield Kart and Paddington: Adventures in London, will be released for the 3DS.
Several other new releases will be available this week through the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Steam, and Xbox Games Store.
Activision adds 16 songs to Guitar Hero Live to bring its total to 100 (and counting)
Earlier this week, Activision announced another batch of songs that will be included in Guitar Hero Live, bringing the total number of tracks to 100. That triple-digit number means that Guitar Hero Live will have the largest selection of on-disc of any music game when its released this Fall. The previous record holder, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, topped out at 93.
And Activision isn’t looking to beat the Babe by a single home run like Roger Maris in 1961. They want to really push the disc capacity of the new-generation systems and the publisher plans to announce even more songs for Guitar Hero Live in the future. But for now, here’s a list of all 16 songs that are part of this announcement:
- Blink-182 – “The Rock Show”
- Boston – “More Than a Feeling”
- Charlie XCX – “Famous”
- Dream Theater – “The Looking Glass”
- Echosmith – “Cool Kids”
- In Flames – “Deliver Us”
- James Bay – “Hold Back The River”
- Kasabian – “Club Foot”
- Kings of Leon – “Sex on Fire”
- Megadeth – “Hangar 18”
- MGMT – “Time to Pretend”
- Panic! At the Disco – “Girls Girls Boys”
- Passion Pit – “Take a Walk”
- Royal Blood – “Come on Over”
- Rush – “Limelight”
- You Me at Six – “Lived a Lie”
Guitar Hero Live, and its brand new six-button controller, will be released for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 20.
Posted in Mobile, News, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2015, Guitar Hero Live