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: Wii U
Ubisoft announces October 30 release for Assassin’s Creed III
No more spinoffs and no more side stories, Ubisoft has officially announced that Assassin’s Creed III will be available on October 30.
And if you’re looking for more information, you can keep looking, as a release date was all the publisher was willing to share. However, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot did have this to say:
“Assassin’s Creed 3 is the true next generation of both the Assassin’s Creed brand and interactive entertainment/storytelling in general.”
“[It will be] the biggest launch in Ubisoft history.”
“We will push the title a lot because it’s a fantastic product that the team has been working on for three years. What we have seen is just fabulous.”
PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions of Assassin’s Creed III are likely, but currently unannounced. An Assassin’s Creed game is also in the works for the Wii U, so don’t be surprised to see the third entry in the series on Nintendo’s next system as well.
[Source: Kotaku, Joystiq, Game Informer]
Make contact with this Aliens: Colonial Marines cinematic trailer
There’s no gameplay. There’s no dialogue. There’s not much of anything except for a super classy look at the Colonial Marines doing their thing in Sega’s upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines.
I’d still rather be playing this game this Spring, but this trailer is a nice consolation prize for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and prospective Wii U owners everywhere.
Spring release for Aliens: Colonial Marines nuked from orbit
Apologies for the headline, but it was the only way to be sure you’d read this update on the release date for Aliens: Colonial Marines as the oft-delayed squad shooter has been delayed by Sega again.
Speaking to Game Informer, the publisher has confirmed that the delay was due to a desire to make sure the game is as polished as a Xenomorph’s head.
OK, not really, but Sega (and developer Gearbox Software) did cite a need for more development time as the primary reason for the delay:
Aliens: Colonial Marines is a process of creativity and invention and those don’t necessarily follow the structure of an assembly line. While setting clear goals, deadlines and predictions is helpful, they are often subjective. We don’t want to sacrifice the creative process just for the sake of following a blue print. We prefer to have the creative discovery shape that blue print because our goal is to make a great game, and we are prioritizing this goal over the previously targeted date.
Aliens: Colonial Marines will now be available in the Fall for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. A Wii U version will also be available sometime this Fall or whenever it is Nintendo’s new console will launch.
Pachter predicts Wii U launch will have poor third party support
My love for this graphic overrides my hatred of Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, so here’s another article where “The Pach” says something stupid…
Speaking to Industry Gamers, Pachter has once again spouted off on his predictions concerning the Wii U. Not surprisingly, Pachter is betting against Nintendo’s next console. This time, he cites his belief that the Wii U is “all but assured of limited third party launch support,” which will, in turn, lead to poor hardware sales for the system.
By trying to be ‘different’ with the tablet controller, they have complicated game design for developers, who can’t figure out if the Wii U will ultimately support only one or multiple controllers. Nintendo made the device sufficiently different that they are all but assured of limited third party launch support, which ultimately will lead to modest hardware sales.
To be fair, Pachter isn’t the only person questioning the logic of Nintendo’s Wii U launch strategy. And the company’s typical tightlipped tactics aren’t helping that impression any. However, the third party software that’ll be available at the Wii U’s launch makes me wonder if Pachter was paying attention during E3 11.
He goes on to say that Nintendo is in for a rough time if they treat the Wii U the same way they treated the Wii:
They should stop relying upon the strategy that got them here, as it appears to no longer be working. I think their resolution should be to look outside of Nintendo for leadership in the areas of digital downloads, a user-friendly online interface and multiplayer gaming.
Really? Forgive him Saint Miyamoto, he knows not what he says.
Rumor: Wii U tablet controller will double as an e-reader
I think you can file this rumor under “painfully obvious,” but Forget the Box is reporting that the Wii U’s tablet controller will do more than play Wii U games. Gamers will also be able to use it as an e-reader for books, magazines, newspapers, comics, and strategy guides. While the report cites an unnamed friend at a New Year’s party, it sounds too plausible not to be true. After all, we already know Nintendo plans to offer iPad-like apps that can be played independently of the Wii U system.
Forget the Box’s source also revealed this service will migrate to the 3DS when it’s ready for primetime.
In going toe-to-toe with Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Apple’s iBooks, and Amazon’s Kindle, the Wii U tablet will use Nintendo nostalgia as its trump card. Besides a standard array of books, magazines, and newspapers, Nintendo will offer back issues of Nintendo Power, classic NES/SNES/N64-era instruction booklets, and the ridiculously awesome Player’s Guides they published back in the 90s.
Again, while Nintendo hasn’t officially announced e-reader capabilities for the Wii U tablet controller, this just sounds right. But we’ll have to wait until this year’s E3 Expo to find out for sure.
The Official Mega-Super-Awesome Video Game Release Calendar for 2012
Dick Clark is in Times Square and the big ball will drop in less than 36 hours. That’s right folks, 2011 is coming to an end. But all that means is that 2012 is (quite literally) right around the corner. And with it comes a huge new year of gaming. In 2012, we’ll witness the launch of the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Wii U. We’ll also welcome back the bullet-time action of Max Payne, the knee-cracking excitement of NFL Blitz, and a rousing return to the world of BioShock. There’s also the tomb raiding rebirth of Lara Croft, another count of Grand Theft Auto, the first Kid Icarus game in over two decades, and the gravity-defying feats of Inversion.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s what else we’ll be playing in 2012 (Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments)… (more…)
Confirmed: Wii U, new Vita games to appear at CES 2012
CNET has begun their Consumer Electronics Show coverage with a report detailing two supposed (and very surprising) game-related additions to the show floor.
According to CNET, CES 2012 (which will be held in Las Vegas from January 10-13) will include an appearance by the Wii U and multiple “new” Vita games.
Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment have typically shied away from attending CES, and a quick check of the Exhibitor Directory came up empty for both consolemakers. So it seems unlikely they’ll make an appearance at this year’s show as well.
I’d love to learn more about the Wii U in a few weeks, but it looks like this news is still a rumor for now.
UPDATE: Speaking to Joystiq, Nintendo confirmed that the Wii U will appear at CES 2012 in a special showing hosted by CES management:
Nintendo of America, working with the 2012 International CES management, will offer demos of the upcoming Wii U console to members of the media who did not see the system at the 2011 E3 Expo. Nintendo will not have a booth at CES, nor does it plan to include any games, experiences or information beyond what was available at the 2011 E3 Expo.
“Death Lives” in new Darksiders II trailer; Summer 2012 release date confirmed
“What Began With War… Ends With Death”
A new Darksiders II trailer is here, and with it, comes confirmation of the game’s Summer 2012 release on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Darksiders II is also being planned as a Wii U launch title, so 2012 is going to be a good year to be the Grim Reaper.
Or is the Death that’s a part of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse a different scythe-wielding skeleton? Demonology is hard.