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: Switch
New Retail Releases: Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Fade to Silence
Just a pair of new titles will make their way to retail shelves this week.
After bringing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age to the PS4 in 2017, Square Enix will now give Switch and Xbox One owners the chance to relive the acclaimed RPG. The remaster includes several improvements over the original PS2 release, including enhanced visuals, 7.1 surround sound, and an Auto Save option. Meanwhile, the new Zodiac Job System features more customization in leveling up characters and the punishing Trial Mode asks players to survive 100 consecutive battles.
Elsewhere on store shelves this week, THQ Nordic will bring Fade to Silence to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The post-apocalyptic survival game will feature wintry environments and massive monsters as players gather resources in the hopes of “balancing short term needs versus your long term goals” while unraveling “a puzzling story.”
That’s it for this week’s retail releases, but you’ll find plenty of other new games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop this week.
Play as Thanos for a limited time in Fortnite’s new Avengers: Endgame event
After what seems like an impossible wait, Avengers: Endgame is finally in theaters… but Marvel has also made sure that Thanos the Mad Titan made his way back to Fortnite in a new limited time event that begins today.
The “Fortnite X Avengers: Endgame” event will split players into two teams: the Chitauri and the Heroes. The Chitauri invasion squad has been tasked with searching for Infinity Stones, and according to Epic’s official website, the first player to find a Stone will transform into Thanos and receive a massive power boost:
Each time an Infinity Stone is claimed, Thanos’ abilities grow more powerful and the Chitauri gain health.
- Reality Stone (Red) – Heath and Shields doubled
- Soul Stone (Orange) – Siphon activated
- Mind Stone (Yellow) – Jump Height doubled
- Space Stone (Blue) – Ground Pound AOE size tripled and damage X6
- Time Stone (Green) – Big Knockback added to each hit and damage X3
- Power Stone (Purple) – Laser Damage X6
But the Heroes will also be able to obtain more powerful implements of destruction during the event, including Thor’s Stormbringer, Hawkeye’s Bow, Captain America’s Shield, and Iron Man’s Repulsors. With these Mythic Weapons, they’ll be able to take the fight straight to Thanos and possibly prevent the supervillain from collecting all six Infinity Stones and performing a “Snap Royale” on the universe.
New Marvel-branded gear will also be available during the “Fortnite X Avengers: Endgame” event. Players will be able to unlock free rewards (such as Sprays, Banners, and a Quinjet Glider) by completing challenges, and two Outfit Sets (one featuring Black Widow and a mystery set coming next week) will be available for purchase through the Fortnite Store.
Super Mario Maker 2 will be released on June 28
Nintendo told us that Super Mario Maker 2 would be launching this June when they first announced the game a few months ago. Today, the consolemaker got even more specific and confirmed that Mario’s next course creator will be available for the Switch on June 28:
This full-fledged sequel to the original groundbreaking Super Mario Maker game for the Wii U system lets your imagination run wild as you make and play your own Super Mario courses using new tools, items and features.
With an incredibly intuitive toolset ready to be explored and experimented with, including the new ability to create slopes for the first time, nearly anything is possible in Super Mario Maker 2.
We still don’t know if courses from the original Super Mario Maker will be compatible with the sequel, but be sure to rewatch the otherwise-very-informative Announcement Trailer from February if you’ve got the time.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Super Mario Maker 2
Mortal Kombat 11’s Launch Trailer teases an epic new storyline for the franchise
Mortal Kombat 11‘s launch is less than a week away and now NetherRealm Studios has capped their months-long media barrage with a new Launch Trailer that teases the epic events ahead. Promising massive battles and multiple versions of your favorite characters, the time-hopping two minutes of this trailer are a must watch for all fans of the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Mortal Kombat 11 will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on April 23.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 will be available exclusively for the Switch on July 19
We are officially in a post-Reggie world, but Nintendo isn’t wasting any time to took about their future plans for the Switch. Earlier this morning, the consolemaker confirmed that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order will be released exclusively for the Switch on July 19.
While the game doesn’t take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 looks to be heavily influenced by Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and all the films that came before:
While iconic characters like Iron Man, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Hulk and Captain America are back, newly announced heroes like Black Panther, Deadpool, Spider-Gwen and Doctor Strange also join the action, each with individual abilities or special moves.
In this new story, Super Heroes unite in a race across iconic locations in the Marvel Universe to find the Infinity Stones before Thanos and The Black Order use them to unleash cosmic chaos. Up to four people can play together in local or online co-op, with the ability to drop in and out at any time.
Continuing their partnership from Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is currently in development for the Switch at Team Ninja.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Star Wars Pinball will blast onto the Switch on September 13
Star Wars fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order began making their pilgrimage to Chicago today for the first day of the 2019 Star Wars Celebration. But while we have to wait until Saturday to learn more about Respawn’s project, a small bit of game-related news emerged from the Windy City earlier today.
Zen Studios announced today (via their official website) that Star Wars Pinball will make its way to Switch on September 13. The game will contain 19 tables based on the expansive sci-fi saga (including seven film adaptations and tables themed around Han Solo, Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian, and Boba Fett), as well as HD Rumble support, a vertical orientation display, and the brand new Galactic Struggle and Career modes:
The Star Wars Pinball Nintendo Switch collection will offer unique gameplay modes only available in this edition. You can take up arms in a community-wide Galactic Struggle, which allows you to contribute points to the Light or Dark Side, depending on your preference.
Likewise, a new Career mode will allow you to join the ranks of the Jedi or Sith through 50 Career Ranks. Simply playing any table unlocks special Force Power bonuses that can be applied toward bigger scores to maximize your true potential, Padawan.
Star Wars Pinball will be available on retail shelves and as a digital download through the Nintendo eShop. The first trailer for the pinball collection has been embedded above.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Star Wars Pinball
Nintendo’s second Tetris 99 Maximus Cup tournament will switch up the rules this weekend
Nintendo has announced that Tetris 99‘s second Maximus Cup event will take place this weekend… but dedicated players of the puzzle battle royale will need to do more than chase victories if they want to come out on top.
Unlike last time, this weekend’s Maximus Cup is a “Point Stacking Challenge,” and Nintendo will reward points for finishing a match anywhere in the Top 80. Naturally, a win will net you the most points (100), but earning 2nd Place (50) or 3rd Place (30) will also add a hefty bump to your tournament tally. Additional points will be awarded for finishers in the 4th-10th range (20), as well as 11th–30th (10), 31st–50th (5), and 51st–80th (2). Any player KOed below that threshold will receive 0 points for the match.
The 999 players who score the most points in the “Point Stacking Challenge” will receive 999 My Nintendo Gold Points (equal to $9.99 in credit on the Nintendo eShop).
This weekend’s Tetris 99 Maximus Cup will begin on Friday, April 12, at 9:00 AM (Eastern Time) and conclude on Monday, April 15, at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time).
New Retail Releases: Nintendo Labo: VR Kit, Dangerous Driving, More
Nintendo will finally dip their toe into the virtual reality waters this week with the launch of Nintendo Labo: VR Kit for the Switch. The consolemaker’s latest Labo set will include instructions to construct several new cardboard controllers including Toy-Con VR Goggles, a Toy-Con Blaster, a Toy-Con Elephant, a Toy-Con Camera, a Toy-Con Bird, and more.
While Nintendo is busy asking their players to pretend to be elephants, the team at Three Fields Entertainment will finally get the chance to give the public a look at Dangerous Driving, their spiritual successor to the Burnout franchise. Set to be released for the PS4 and Xbox One, Dangerous Driving will let players drive with “speed” and “aggression” as they tear up the track. A digital release for the PC will also be available exclusively through the Epic Games Store.
Finally this week, a pair of specialist publishers will release some new games that might have flown under your radar. Spike Chunsoft will launch their latest RPG, Zanki Zero: Last Beginning, for the PS4 (and with a digital release on the PC through Steam). Meanwhile, NIS America will bring their exploration sim, Neo Atlas 1469, to the Switch for the first time.
That’s it for this week’s new retail releases, but you can expect a wide variety of new titles to also make their way to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop (including Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain, and the Switch debut of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice) over the next seven days.
Posted in News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Nintendo Labo: VR Kit