Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Another Big Night and Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2025-2026 DICE Awards
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- The Game Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Racks Up Nine Wins, Including “Game of the Year”, at the 2025 Game Awards
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
- Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history – Design Room (2025)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
Most Recent: Wii U
Rumor: Batman: Arkham Origins to have a multiplayer mode
According to reports on Kotaku, the third instalment of the Arkham series, Batman: Arkham Origins, will include a multiplayer mode which will allow players to take on the role of the game’s villains.
Kotaku says that “two independent sources” contacted them, of which one of them had contacted them before with some “pre-reveal tips” about the game that proved to be accurate.
The report states that you will take control of Bane’s and the Joker’s goons. In at least one of the multiplayer modes, players will be given the task of killing The Dark Knight and his sidekick, Robin. The villains said to be included in the multiplayer mode are Killer Croc, Deadshot, Firefly, Black Mask, Deathstroke, and “some kind of Electroman character” – who will possibly end up to be revealed as Electocutioner.
Batman: Arkham Origins will will swoop down for the Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 25.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s Wii U features are declassified in this new trailer
The latest trailer for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist showcases some of the in-game abilities that have been made easier to execute using the Wii U GamePad.
Marking targets and drone piloting are just two things that you can expect to use the Wii U GamePad for in Blacklist. It really looks like Ubisoft has enhanced the gameplay experience by using the Wii U GamePad instead of giving the system a straight port.
Ubisoft is targeting a release date of August 20 in North America, August 22 in EMEA regions, and August 23 in the UK for Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Nintendo continues to take steps to become the indie developer’s best friend
The fact that some major games are not coming to the Wii U has been making headlines recently, although in the case of the poorly reviewed Dead Island: Riptide and Aliens: Colonial Marines, this may prove to be a blessing. However, the lack of third party titles heading to Nintendo’s new console, whether they be amazing or awful, has meant many people are dredging up Nintendo’s past reputation for having poor relations with other developers. The company is clearly aware of this, and is taking steps to ensure their future by aiding indie developers who wish to produce titles for the Wii U eShop.
At the Full Indie Summit in Vancouver last week, Dan Alderman, Nintendo of America’s Manager of Business Development, explained the steps Nintendo is taking to ensure developing for the Wii U is an easier process than the stringent steps companies had to follow for its predecessor. Back in the days of WiiWare, developers were required to have a business office, rather than the bedroom some games are born from. They would also only receive payment if the game managed to sell above a certain target and concept approval was required. Developers were often encouraged to use the Wiimote’s motion controls.
All of this red tape has been thrown out, replaced with an easy questionnaire that studios can fill out if they are interested in attaining a license to develop for the Wii U. There are no other charges in developing for the eShop beyond obtaining a business license. In fact, Nintendo will gift the Unity Pro 4 engine to developers free of charge, something that could be very beneficial to the many Kickstarter projects who budget for the engine in their donation target.
Many critics have already ruled the Wii U out of the next generation race. Yet it seems that rather than worry about the AAA titles not coming to their console, such as EA’s Battlefield 4, Nintendo is fostering relations with the next generation of developers and programmers. This move may manage to spell success for its home console at a grass roots level, while larger developers buckle under the pressure of making games with overblown budgets.
[Source: Destructoid]
BioShock Infinite is exceptional atop the March 2013 list of bestselling games
Good news everyone! The NPD Group (via Game Informer) has released their report on the best-selling games of March 2013 and they’ve confirmed that total game sales saw a 2% increase over March 2012. That’s the first year-over-year increase since November 2011. So good job game-buying public!
BioShock Infinite was the top-selling game of the month, just ahead of Square Enix’s Tomb Raider reboot. New games dominated the list as eight of the top ten titles were released in March. Only Call of Duty: Black Ops II and NBA 2K13 managed to fight through the new release wave to earn a spot in the top ten.
Here’s the complete list of the top ten best-selling games in March 2013:
1. BioShock Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
2. Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PS3)
3. Gears of War: Judgment (Xbox 360)
4. God of War: Ascension (PS3)
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U)
6. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
7. MLB 13: The Show (PS3, Vita)
8. NBA 2K13 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
9. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U)
10. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Wii U Release Dates: Pikmin 3, Game & Wario
They missed the Wii U’s “launch window,” but Pikmin 3 and Game & Wario finally have release dates, courtesy of yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation.
Game & Wario will be available in stores and on the Wii U eShop on June 23, just in time for Summer vacation. The first trailer for the minigame collection can be viewed above.
Pikmin 3, which was originally in production for the Wii, will finally make its way onto store shelves (and the Wii U eShop) on August 4.
With new release dates for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Shin Megami Tensei IV also announced yesterday, it’s shaping up to be the Summer of Nintendo.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Game & Wario, Pikmin 3
EarthBound is FINALLY coming to Wii U Virtual Console this year
EarthBound, the Super NES RPG known in Japan as Mother 2, has become the stuff of legend among Nintendo fans. And in no small part due to the way Nintendo has jerked the series around over the years. First, the game’s sequel, EarthBound 2/Mother 3, never left Japan. And then, the publisher refused to add the Super NES game to the Wii’s Virtual Console despite repeated requests from fans.
But good things come to those who wait. As part of today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, the Big N has announced that EarthBound will be available on the Wii U Virtual Console this year.
All is not forgiven, Nintendo, but this is a start.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged EarthBound
Injustice: Gods Among Us will add Lobo as its first DLC character
NetherRealm Studios boss Ed Boon hinted at it last month, and now, it looks like Lobo has been all but confirmed as the first downloadable addition to Injustice: Gods Among Us. The concept art you see to your right featuring the alien bounty hunter and the game’s logo leaked online recently.
Lobo is a larger-than-life personality and will likely add some comic relief to Injustice as a DLC character. NetherRealm is planning to add four characters to the game over the next few months, each of which has bee priced at $5 apiece. You can also get all four at a discount if you pre-purchase the Injustice Season Pass, which is available on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace for $15.
Injustice: Gods Among Us was released for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U yesterday.
UPDATE: NetherRealm has confirmed Lobo will be Injustice’s first DLC character.
Posted in News, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Injustice: Gods Among Us
The Wii U: It’s All Just A Little Bit of History Repeating
Bashing Nintendo’s new console has quickly become a troll’s favourite pastime. Not a day has gone by in 2013 without a cluster of articles marked with the words DOOM and GLOOM in big bold letters, attracting fanboys from all sides of the fence like moths to a flame, caught in an endless argument of whose favourite manufacturer is better. Then news came that Deep Silver would not be publishing Dead Island: Riptide or Saints Row IV on the Wii U. It all reached a fever pitch during the GDC, when DICE confirmed that Battlefield 4 would not appear on the platform either. You could hear the carving knives being sharpened, with many asking how would Nintendo’s new console survive without major third-party support? Later in the week, Kotaku’s Kirk Hamilton asked Epic co-founder Mark Rein if the Wii U would run their brand spanking new Unreal Engine 4. His response, one of laughter, was hastily clarified on Twitter as Epic sought to smooth their relations not only with Nintendo, but gamers in general, who hounded Rein’s account. Giving Epic the benefit of the doubt, I could not help thinking that we’ve heard these arguments before.
Then I realised we had. (more…)