Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Meet the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025: Quake, GoldenEye 007, Defender, and Tamagotchi
- The BAFTA Games Awards Polled the Public and Shenmue is “The Most Influential Video Game of All Time”
- 2024 GOTY Scoreboard: Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, More
- The Strong Museum of Play Acquires Prototypes and Development Documents from Volition’s 30-Year History
- Minecraft’s Volume Alpha Soundtrack Has Been Added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- It’s beginning to feel like gaming isn’t for everyone – Digital Trends (2025)
- 22 years later, modders are keeping SimCity 4 alive – The Verge (2025)
- The B-movies of Paul W.S. Anderson double as acts of devotion to his muse, Milla Jovovich – The AV Club (2025)
- Breakout, Ripoff, Genre: How Fiction Outgrows Originality – Uncanny Magazine (2025)
- ‘I Could Make “Fart Fart Boobie Fart: The Game” and Maybe It Would Eventually Get Taken Down’ – Devs Reveal Why the Consoles Are Drowning in ‘Eslop’ – IGN (2025)
Most Recent: Wii U
2012 Spike TV Video Game Awards nominees announced
It’s hard to believe that Spike TV has been handing out their Video Game Awards for ten years, but that’s exactly what will happen when the 2012 edition of the awards shows airs on Spike TV (and simulcast on Xbox Live) this December.
Once again hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this year’s “Game of the Year” will come from a list that includes Assassin’s Creed III, Dishonored, Journey, Mass Effect 3, and The Walking Dead. Journey actually scored seven total nominations, making it one the most honored games at the 2012 VGAs (an honor it shares with Halo 4 and Borderlands 2).
This year’s slate of “Spike TV VGA World Premiere Trailers” (always the highlight of every VGA show) will include several unannounced projects as well as hugely anticipated 2013 releases like The Last of Us, Gears of War: Judgment, and South Park: The Stick of Truth.
The 2012 Spike TV Video Game Awards will take place on Friday, December 7. The complete list of nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Dishonored, Gears of War: Judgment, Journey, Mass Effect 3, South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead
The Pinball Arcade added to Wii U launch window
Did you catch our interview with Rob Mann, the Community Manager at FarSight Studios? He discussed the company’s most recent project, The Pinball Arcade, including the upcoming Wii U version.
During the conversation, Mann revealed that FarSight plans to release the Wii U version of The Pinball Arcade during the console’s launch window, likely in late November or December:
WZ – Mike: Are you hoping to have [The Pinball Arcade] out at launch?
Mann: We don’t think we will make it to the launch date, but we are striving to get as close to that date as we can.
The Pinball Arcade is currently available for the PlayStation Network, Vita, Xbox Live Arcade, iOS, and Android.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged The Pinball Arcade
The Pinball Arcade: An Interview With Community Manager Rob Mann
In February of this year, FarSight Studios released The Pinball Arcade, their most ambitious pinball simulation game yet. For those unaware, The Pinball Arcade is a collection of real-world pinball tables, painstakingly digitized to the smallest detail and available on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and mobile devices. Every month since release, new tables have been added as DLC. And, as a major accomplishment, licensed tables such as “The Twilight Zone” and “Harley-Davidson” were obtained with a little help from the game’s dedicated fan base. Just this past Tuesday, “Elvira and the Party Monsters” and “No Good Gofers” were added to the PlayStation store
As a diehard pinball fan, and a fan of FarSight’s pinball offerings in general, I was eager to learn more about The Pinball Arcade. Therefore, I recently chatted with FarSight Studios User Community Manager Rob Mann to inquire about The Pinball Arcade’s present, and what we can look forward to in the future. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Features, Interviews, Mobile, PS3, Top Story, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged The Pinball Arcade
Nintendo brings 5,000 Wii U demo kiosks to stores
Nintendo has announced that they’ve completed their rollout of Wii U demo kiosks, installing over 5,000 of the machines at Target, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, and Toys R Us.
Not every kiosk will feature the same titles, but playable demos of the Nintendo-published Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Sing Party will be included at most kiosks. Some will also feature demos of Ubisoft’s ZombiU and Rayman Legends. Other games will be available in video form. I tried the demo kiosk at my local Target this weekend and the Wii U GamePad was already broken.
The Wii U console and at least two dozen launch games will be available on November 18.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Rayman Legends, ZombiU
Agni’s Philosophy might be a real next-gen game, will reappear next June
Square Enix debuted Agni’s Philosophy, a technical demo showcasing the power of their next-gen Luminous Engine, at E3 2012. The mini-movie was heavily based on themes found in the Final Fantasy series and was a glorious display of graphical power. Go on, watch it again, I’ll wait.
Ready? Good. Usually, these tech demos from Square Enix don’t amount to anything. Just think back to the HD rendition of Final Fantasy VII‘s introduction they presented at E3 2005. But comments from Julien Merceron, Square Enix’s Worldwide Technology Director, point to a better future for Agni’s Philosophy.
He told French site Final Fantasy Dream: “So, around June of next year, there will indeed be something different around Agni’s Philosophy, which will perhaps be presented on different platforms than those which have been used before. I cannot tell you more, but I can tell you that it will not run on PC only.”
Wow. So, Agni’s Philosophy might be a real game and it’ll make a return appearance next June. It’s possibly in development for more than the PC and on platforms we haven’t seen before. Which means it’s very possible Merceron is referring to the Wii U, PS4/Orbis, and Xbox 720. I’ll say it again, wow.
Or it could be nothing, like all of Square Enix’s other tech demos.
Nintendo’s Wii U advertising campaign begins in US
We’ve already had a look at how Nintendo plans to advertise the Wii U in the United Kingdom. But today, the consolemaker has unveiled the commercial that American audiences will soon see on their TV screens.
I think the idea we’re supposed to take away from this is that the Wii U is futuristic… like Jetsons style.
Buy Wii U Deluxe Set, get cash back from future eShop purchases
When Nintendo revealed the bundle details and release date for the Wii U back in September, they also confirmed that the Wii U Deluxe Set would come packaged with a special discount on Wii U eShop content. Today, they’ve announced a few more details for the promotion.
Officially known as the “Deluxe Digital Promotion,” it’s not really a discount program at all. Instead, it’s a rewards program. According to Nintendo, Wii U owners will receive a point for every 10 cents they spend on the Wii U eShop between November 18, 2012 and December 31, 2014. After they’ve accumulated 500 points, the points can be exchanged for a $5 eShop credit. So, for example, if you purchase New Super Mario Bros. U for $59.99, you’ll receive 599 points.
“From day one, we want Wii U owners to experience the full breadth of great downloadable games and content available for the console,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The Deluxe Digital Promotion is our way of encouraging Wii U Deluxe Set owners to explore the Nintendo eShop and discover how Wii U offers an incredible combination of fun, innovation, convenience and value.”
Sadly, those who purchase the Wii U Basic Set will be ineligible to join the “Deluxe Digital Promotion,” and Wii Shop, DSi Shop, and 3DS eShop purchases cannot be used to accumulate points. But you have to admit, this is still a pretty good deal.
Nintendo details more New Super Mario Bros. U features
With the launch of the Wii U less than three weeks away, Nintendo has pulled back the curtain on a few more features found in New Super Mario Bros. U.
Like the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, U will feature several bonus modes. Challenge Mode tasks players with completing a level (either by themselves or with a friend) while meeting a variety of objectives such as “clearing a course without touching a single coin or touching the ground.” Coin Battle is a multiplayer-only mode that, you guessed it, makes players compete to collect the most coins in a course.
Nintendo is also boasting that New Super Mario Bros. U will feature a world map “for the first time since 1991’s Super Mario World. Now, I don’t want to tell the biggest video game publisher in the world their business, but that is just wrong. What they meant to say is that every game side-scrolling Mario game since 1991’s Super Mario World has included a world map and U is no exception.
Finally, Nintendo is bringing back the rabbit chases from Super Mario 64. The rabbit now has a name, Nabbit, and he’s wearing a purple bodysuit, but catching him will net Mario a powerful P-Acorn, “which will allow them to fly continuously through an entire stage.”
Want to know more about all these new features? Hit the jump for a complete description, straight from Nintendo. New Super Mario Bros. U and the Wii U console will be available on November 18. (more…)
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged New Super Mario Bros. U