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
THQ Nordic announces release dates for Battle Chasers, ELEX, and SpellForce 3
THQ Nordic has announced release dates for three of their upcoming games. Battle Chasers: Nightwar and ELEX will make their debut on the PC and consoles in October, while PC-exclusive SpellForce 3 will follow in December:
- First will be Battle Chasers: Nightwar on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch console on October 3rd, 2017.
- Next up is ELEX, the new open world RPG from Piranha Bytes will hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 17th, 2017.
- Last but not least, SpellForce 3 – the unique mix between RPG and RTS – will be out exclusively on PC on December 7th, 2017.
THQ Nordic is expected to showcase all three of these games at this month’s E3 Expo. So we should learn more about Battle Chasers: Nightwar, ELEX, and SpellForce 3 in about a week and a half.
And in addition to announcing a trio of release dates, the publisher also unveiled a brand new trailer for ELEX. You can find it after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Battle Chasers: Nightwar, E3 2017, ELEX, SpellForce 3
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Director says it takes place “long after” the rest of the games in the series
With its mixture of high technology and decaying Hylian ruins, it’s obvious that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes place in some kind of post-apocalyptic future, and many fans believe it should replace Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as the chronologically last game in the official timeline. But while Nintendo has previously been mum about where the game sits on the timeline, this theory gained some considerable support earlier this week when Game Rant spoke with Breath of the Wild’s Director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi.
In a short interview, Fujibayashi confirmed that Breath of the Wild does indeed take place “long after” the other games in the franchise:
It takes place in an age long, long after any of the titles released to date. It is the most recent age. And because of this we believe players will be able to easily immerse themselves in the game. Of course, regardless of the time period, the story does unfold in Hyrule so for those who’ve played other titles in the series there will be a lot of recognizable places to enjoy.
Fujibayashi’s comments confirm what many fans already believe, but it’s also important to remember that the franchise’s chronology splits into three distinct branches after the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. So while we now know that Breath of the Wild is set “long after” the rest of the games in the series, we still have no idea which branch it sits on.
So we got an answer… but we also got more questions. At this point, I expect nothing less from Nintendo.
Posted in News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo details Switch online service and Netflix-like subscription for classic games
Late last night, Nintendo unveiled the first concrete of the Switch’s online service… which will be known as Nintendo Switch Online.
Set to launch sometime in 2018, Nintendo Switch Online’s main purpose is to give Switch owners the ability to play online multiplayer matches against other people. But until Nintendo Switch Online launches, the consoles’s online multiplayer options will be available for free.
However, Nintendo will also offer a variety of eShop Deals to Switch Online subscribers, as well as access to the Classic Game Selection, a Netflix-like selection of downloadable classics. The first batch of games will include Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario, and Switch owners will also be able to play Classic Game Selection titles online with their friends. More titles will be added to the service after it launches.
Nintendo later clarified to Kotaku that Switch owners will have “ongoing access” to the retro titles in the Classic Game Selection, and that, “Users can play as many of the games as they want, as often as they like, as long as they have an active subscription.”
Voice chat and friend list features for the Nintendo Switch Online will be handled through a dedicated mobile app. Switch owners will be able to try out a “limited version” of Nintendo’s new communication tool this Summer.
If this all sounds very similar to Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, I’m sure that’s by design. But Nintendo’s Switch Online service will be considerably cheaper. Players will be able to sign up for a full year for $19.99, and short-term tiers offering one month ($3.99) or three months ($7.99) of service will also be available.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo Download: Farming Simulator 18, Last Resort, more
It’s Thursday, and that means Nintendo has updated the Nintendo eShop with this week’s new releases…
First up, Hamster Corporation has brought another NeoGeo re-release to the Switch. Last Resort is a side-scrolling shooter that was originally released in 1992. The game includes multiple weapon types, several very big bosses, and local multiplayer.
And coming up this Tuesday, June 6, Focus Home Interactive and Giants Software will release Farming Simulator 18 for the 3DS. Players will be able to simulate all aspects of the farming life on Nintendo’s handheld with the option to raise livestock or plant crops, as well as operate more than 50 farming vehicles.
You can learn more about both of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Review: Grab Some Coins, Race to the Store, and Buy it Again
Aside from a rather shoddy Battle Mode, Mario Kart 8 set the gold standard for Nintendo’s venerable franchise when it launched for the Wii U back in 2014. The racing game was already bursting at the seams with characters, courses, and customizable kart parts before the consolemaker expanded it with two DLC Packs and added crossover characters like Link and Animal Crossing‘s Villager. However, the public’s poor reception to the Wii U lead to the sad realization that three times as many people had purchased Mario Kart Wii versus its sequel. So Nintendo has decided to re-introduce the game to a new audience on the Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe… and with a real Battle Mode, too! (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Switch, Top Story
Tagged Mario Kart 8
Kyrie Irving will be the cover athlete of NBA 2K18’s Standard Edition
e very interesting. To add a little more spice to the proceedings, 2K Games announced today that Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving will be the cover athlete for the Standard Edition of NBA 2K18. Shaquille O’Neal was previously announced as the cover athlete for the game’s Legend Edition.
“It is well known that I’m an avid player of this series and I am honored to be the cover athlete of NBA 2K18,” said Irving. “It’s surreal to be featured on the cover and I can’t wait to dominate on the virtual court with all of my fans this Fall.”
“It’s obvious that Kyrie isn’t disappearing from the spotlight anytime soon, so we’re thrilled to have him as our cover athlete, alongside Shaq for the NBA 2K18 Legend Edition,” said Alfie Brody, the Vice President of Marketing for NBA 2K. “He’s a more-than-worthy recipient of this honor, and joins so many other greats who were cover athletes before him.”
The NBA 2K18 Standard Edition will come packed with a variety of in-game content including 5,000 Virtual Currency, 10 Weekly MyTeam Packs, a Kyrie Outfit Pack, and more. Players who pre-order the game will also receive the game four days early thanks to 2K’s “Early Tip-Off Access” program.
NBA 2K18 will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 19.
Square Enix partners with People Can Fly on a brand new game for PC and consoles
Square Enix and People Can Fly have announced that they’ve entered into a collaborative partnership to work together on a brand new “high-end original title” for the PC and consoles. No other details were revealed about the game (we don’t even know which consoles it might appear on), but Square Enix confirmed that it won’t be included in their E3 2017 lineup.
Even though it’s still got quite a ways to go, executives at both companies are excited about the partnership:
“We’re massively excited to be working with the talented team at People Can Fly in Warsaw, a studio filled with people who really know their craft,” said Lee Singleton, the Head of Studio at Square Enix London Studios. “We’re building a game we all want to play which will be the perfect addition to our portfolio.”
“It’s an exciting time,” said Sebastian Wojciechowski, the Studio Head at People Can Fly. “We’ve got a great and experienced team in place, and it’s incredible to be working with Square Enix, a world-class publisher who shares our passion and excitement for the project.”
People Can Fly is based in Warsaw, Poland, and they’re currently hiring new developers to help work on this collaborative project with Square Enix. If you’re interested in applying, you can visit their Career page for more information.
Sega will release Sonic Mania on August 15
Sega has announced that Sonic the Hedgehog’s side-scrolling return, Sonic Mania, will be released for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on August 15. Sega has assembled a “supergroup” of developers for Sonic’s most recent foray into the second dimension including Christian “Taxman” Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games.
In addition to the release date, Sega also released a brand new trailer for Sonic Mania (featuring animation by Tyson Hesse and music from Hyper Potions), and confirmed that it’ll be priced at $19.99 on all digital storefronts. A Collector’s Edition that includes a download code, a 12″ Sonic statue, and a replica Genesis cartridge is still available from most retailers.