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
New Releases: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, Mario Party 10, Battlefield Hardline, More
If you don’t count Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (and I don’t think I do), Square Enix will bring the Final Fantasy series to the PS4 and Xbox One for the first time this week with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. The action RPG was first released for the PSP in 2011, but it never escaped Japan. Now available in English for the first time, the game will also include access to a playable demo of Final Fantasy XV.
In another first this week, Nintendo’s Mario Party 10 is the first Mario Party game available for the Wii U. The popular party game will also bring with it a new wave of Amiibo figures, so I hope you’re prepared for the thrill of the chase. And speaking of chases, Visceral Games will release their cops-and-robbers action game Battlefield Hardline this week. The game will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Finally this week, Capcom will collect their episodic game, Resident Evil Revelations 2, into a retail release for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Battlefield Hardline, Final Fantasy Type-0, Mario Party 10, Resident Evil Revelations 2
Dragon Age: Inquisition wins “Game of the Year” at 2015 SXSW Gaming Awards
BioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition won “Game of the Year” at the 2015 SXSW Gaming Awards, but 2014’s other big releases walked away with the rest of the categories.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and The Last of Us: Left Behind were the only multi-award winners. Shadow of Mordor collected trophies for “Excellence in Gameplay,” “Excellence in Animation,” and “Excellence in Design and Direction,” while Naughty Dog’s expansion to The Last of Us was awarded with the “Most Valuable Add-On Content” trophy as well as “Most Valuable Character” (for Ellie).
The full list of winners (which also includes Destiny, Far Cry 4, Alien: Isolation, Transistor, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, and many others) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Alien: Isolation, Child of Light, Destiny, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Far Cry 4, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, Tabletop Games, The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Left Behind, The Wolf Among Us, Transistor
Nintendo Download: Code Name: STEAM, 3D Out Run, F-Zero: GP Legend, more
Nintendo’s alien-busting team led by Abraham Lincoln himself, Code Name: STEAM, will be available for the 3DS tomorrow. The colorful strategy game is a bit of a departure for Nintendo, but we should probably be used to that by now. Since the 3DS launched in 2011, the publisher has often zigged when everyone else thought they would zag.
One of their earlier sharp turns, F-Zero: GP Legend, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. The final game in the F-Zero series was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 alongside a companion anime series. The Wii U eShop is also home to Trine: Enchanted Edition this week. Trine 2 is already available for the Wii U, but its predecessor is also considered a classic by the puzzle platformer crowd.
And speaking of classics, another classic racing game will be available on the 3DS eShop this week as Sega has recreated and re-released the 80s arcade staple Out Run as 3D Out Run.
More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Code Name: STEAM
Launch flag for Project CARS won’t wave until mid-May 2015
A caution flag has been raised on Slighty Mad’s Project CARS once again as the racing sim has suffered another delay. Instead of the previously announced April 7, 2015 release date, Project CARS will now be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in mid-May. The Wii U and SteamOS versions of the game are still on track for a “TBA 2015” launch.
Ian Bell, Slighty Mad’s Studio Head, penned an explanation for the delay on the developer’s official website. According to Bell, a few nagging issues and bugs still need to be squashed:
Despite our long heritage and pedigree in making critically-acclaimed racing games, Project CARS is by far the grandest and most intricately detailed of them all. Despite therefore the game being 99.9% complete, the remaining 0.1% attending to small issues and bugs has been tricky to anticipate. We’re absolutely dedicated to delivering a ground-breaking experience and by targeting mid-May fans can be assured that’s what they’ll receive.
To make amends for this delay, Bell also revealed that Slightly Mad will produce special bonus content that will be available to download at launch:
Since the gaming community is our primary focus and has always been at the heart of the project during development, we would like to offer some free content to all players as compensation for this short delay and as acknowledgement of how grateful we are. This gift, that we’re sure is going to excite fans, will be available from day one and revealed shortly.
This is the fourth confirmed release date for Project CARS. The game was originally scheduled to launch in November 2014 before being pushed back to March and then April.
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog #2: Post GDC/PAX East Edition
Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, or unannounced release date.
Even though there’s still a lot of snow on the ground in most places, both of video gaming’s Spring showcases came and went last week. New release dates aplenty were announced at the Game Developers Conference and PAX East, along with a few dozen more since our last Video Game Release Calendar Changelog. Players with a love for AAA blockbuster will want to pay close attention to September 1, as WB Games staked out that spot on the calendar for Mad Max on the same day that Konami attempted to reserve it for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
If you’re looking for games about to be released in the more immediate timeframe, Sony’s Spring Fever promotion has locked in eight of indie gaming’s most interesting titles over the next two months culminating with Shovel Knight‘s April 21 launch on the PS3, PS4, and Vita (it’ll also be available for the Xbox One). Working backwards, April 14’s Titan Souls, April 7’s Bastion, and March 31’s Axiom Verge should also be on your radar if you enjoy retro-styled games.
Moving forward, other big games with confirmed release dates include the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V (now scheduled to launch on April 14), Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (May 5), and the PS4 version of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (May 12). Microsoft and Square Enix also confirmed that, respectively, Forza Motorsport 6 and Just Cause 3 will be out by the end of the year.
Finally, a few games slid into “TBA” slots after not being announced at all. Harmonix announced that Rock Band 4 will be released sometime this year while Square Enix did the same for the North American launch of Dragon Quest Heroes. Capcom strongly hinted that Street Fighter V will be in Spring 2016, but wouldn’t officially commit to any specific date. It’ll be joined in 2016 by Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch, which will definitely cross the Pacific next year.
The full list of games from the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog Update #2 can be found after the break. (more…)
The Sonic-like Freedom Planet will be available on the Wii U this year
“It’s what you’d get if Treasure made a Sonic game.”
That’s how creator Stephen DiDuro described Freedom Planet to me as I was playing it this past weekend at the PAX East expo. And it’s obvious that he’s not just blowing smoke. The game’s art style is very reminiscent of Sega’s red-sneakered mascot and the sense of speed will feel very familiar to gamers who grew up with the Genesis. But there is also a heavy focus on platforming and exploration, with a little shooting thrown in for good measure. It’s like Sonic, but it is also it’s own thing.
DiDuro also wanted everyone to know that the game will be out for the Wii U by the end of the year. And in case you couldn’t make it to Boston this year, he shared the good news with the world through Twitter on Sunday:
Thanks #PAXEast2015 for sharing great things with us! Now it's time for us to share something great! #Nintendo #WiiU pic.twitter.com/zGKcWuW58J
— Stephen DiDuro (@galaxytrail) March 8, 2015
Freedom Planet was originally released for the PC last year, and currently available through Steam.
Posted in News, PC, Wii U
Tagged Freedom Planet, PAX East 2015
Kickstart This! Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse, Glitch Hunter, Sneaky Ninja
Recently in the UK, pressure has been building against HSBC Bank after the shoddy dealings and tax evasion tactics of their Swiss subsidiary. The US Government has previously brought the bank to account for its association with Mexican drug cartels, but so far the British government has only charged one person with tax evasion.
What has this to do with gaming? On the surface, nothing. But if all these ultra-rich people were paying their taxes instead of working so hard to avoid them, our fragile economy may have recovered quicker, wages may have risen, and more people would have spare money to spend on things they want, like funding games. It’s hard not to be bitter when developers work so hard to try and get a project off the ground, while some shady businessmen and shadier criminals pay dodgy banks to hide their money.
I digress. This week’s Kickstart This! features a trio of smashing titles, starting with action adventure game Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse, digital cyberpunk collectible card game Glitch Hunter, and stealth 2D platformer Sneaky Ninja.
Let’s sneak right in. (more…)
Nintendo Download: Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, OlliOlli, more
Nintendo tries its had at a Cross-Buy program this week with two titles that are available on both the 3DS and Wii U with a single purchase.
Purchasing Nintendo’s Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars on the 3DS will entitle you to the Wii U version (and vice versa) while the same deal is in place for Roll7’s OlliOlli. Tipping Stars is the latest Mario vs Donkey Kong game, where the plumber in the red overalls must contain a marching army of “Mini” toy Marios. In the wake of Amiibo fever, this series was just begging for a return. And OlliOlli is a side-scrolling skateboarding game that first found success on PlayStation platforms last year. It’s jump to the 3DS and Wii U will surely tweak memories of Skate or Die in long-time Nintendo fans.
It’s unknown if Nintendo plans to continue their Cross-Buy program beyond these two games. But I’ve got my fingers crossed that any future expansion will include the Virtual Console.
More details on both of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)