Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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
- “Animal Crossing” and Undertale” Lead the Way for New Book Series About Games at University of Chicago Press
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
Dark Edition of Skylanders SuperChargers will make its debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2015
The 2015 San Diego Comic-Con kicks off tomorrow (with a Preview Night tonight), and Activision has announced the Dark Edition of Skylanders SuperChargers will make its debut during the show.
The Skylanders SuperChargers Dark Edition will include special variant figures with a “Dark” twist. Priced at $99.99, players who opt for the Dark Edition on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, or Xbox One will receive figures figures (Dark Spitfire, Dark Hot Streak, Dark Super Shot Stealth Elf, Dark Sea Shadow), a two-sided collector’s poster, and the Kaos Trophy (which unlocks exclusive Kaos content).
But if you’re an Amiibo hunter, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for the Wii U’s Dark Edition. Also priced at $99.99, it’ll also include the Dark Spitfire and Dark Hot Streak figures, but the other two will be replaced by Dark Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Dark Barrel Blaster. And that’s not all… the Dark Edition for the Wii-exclusive Skylanders SuperChargers Racing will come packed with Dark Hammer Slam Bowser and Dark Clown Cruiser. Because of a Skylanders/Amiibo switch in the base, both Dark Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Dark Hammer Slam Bowser are considered official Amiibo figures by Nintendo.
Gamers who will be attending this week’s San Diego Comic-Con will get a chance to test out the Dark Edition characters on a Skylanders SuperChargers demo station at Activision’s booth (#121), the Xbox Lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, or at the Nintendo Game Lounge at the Marriott Marquis and Marina. Everyone else will have to make do with scoping out a few Dark Edition screenshots at the Activision Games Blog.
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Comic-Con 2015, Skylanders SuperChargers, Skylanders SuperChargers Racing
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: Post-E3 2015 Update
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, 2017, or unannounced release date.
This year’s E3 Expo was, by almost any measure, one of the biggest ever. It was so big that we’re still sorting through all the announcements, trailers, and gameplay demos. But time marches on and the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog must be updated. So in case you missed them, here’s a few important dates to circle on your calendar:
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is real and its spectacular. It’ll also be available on the Xbox One on August 25 and on the PC sometime in the future.
- Forza Motorsport 6 will race on to the Xbox One on September 15.
- Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live will battle it out on October 6 and October 20, respectively.
- Fallout 4 will blow up the world on November 10.
- Just Cause 3 will blow up the world in a slightly different way on December 1.
- Xenoblade Chronicles X will make the Wii U a more RPG friendly place on December 4.
- Hitman is targeting a December 8 release on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
And that’s just games we can expect to see this year. Even more new release dates from this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)
Jason Derulo, Mark Ronson, Lady Gaga, and more will dance all night in Just Dance 2016
I’ve lost count of the exact number of titles in Ubisoft’s Just Dance series, but like clockwork, the publisher announced another one at this year’s E3 Expo. Just Dance 2016 will include more than 40 new songs when it launches on October 20, 13 of which were announced during the show:
- The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
- Buraka Som Sistema – “Hangover (BaBaBa)”
- Calvin Harris (Featuring John Newman) – “Blame”
- David Guetta (Featuring Nicki Minaj, Afrojack, and Bebe Rexha) – “Hey Mama”
- Equinox Stars – “Let’s Groove”
- Hatsune Miku – “Ievan Polkka”
- Jason Derulo – “Want to Want Me”
- Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”
- Mark Ronson (Featuring Bruno Mars) – “Uptown Funk”
- Martin Garrix – “Animals”
- MAX – “Gibberish”
- Meghan Trainor – “All About That Bass”
- Rossini – “William Tell – Overture”
For the first time, players will also be able to subscribe to Just Dance Unlimited, a service that will provide access to the “best tracks” from previous Just Dance games, as well as a variety of exclusive songs. Just Dance Unlimited will launch with more than 150 songs and more will be added to the service throughout the year. The subscription service will be available only on the PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One, alongside three new game modes:
- Dance Party Mode: In the Dance Party mode, players can dance along with their friends and family in the classic rival mode or dance together to get the highest collective score as a group in the first ever co-op mode.
- Dance Quests Mode: Players can unlock dance quests for a chance to “beat the game” for the first time ever. In each quest, players will play a series of three songs for a chance to advance to the next set of dance quest challenges.
- World Video Challenge: The all-new World Video Challenge allows players to send videos of their performances to challenge friends from all around the world and dance to their scores as if they were in the same room!
Just Dance 2016 is also keeping the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 alive as the game will be released for those platforms in addition to the PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One this October.
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: Pre-E3 2015 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, 2017, or unannounced release date.
The 2015 E3 Expo will kick off in just a few days with the first-ever E3 Press Conference from Bethesda. The publisher has promised a first look at Fallout 4, as well as Doom 4. Both games currently have “TBA” release dates, but that will likely change this Sunday. As I dive into the rest of the new release dates in this Pre-E3 2015 Edition of our Video Game Release Calendar Changelog, I can’t be sure I got them all. Dozens of games have release dates (or, at the very least, release windows) that didn’t before.
So here’s a few more games we can start looking forward to…
- Until Dawn, Sony’s “kids in the woods” horror game for the PS4, will be released on August 25.
- Skylanders SuperChargers will bring its “interactive game toys” (we need a better name for this genre) to nearly every platform on September 20.
- The Mega Man Legacy Collection will collect the first six games in the series on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Summer.
- Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection will bring the three PS3 games to the PS4 on October 9.
- Square Enix will release Dragon Quest Heroes on the PS4 on October 13.
- Bandai Namco’s Tales series will expand on October 20 with Tales of Zestiria on the PC, PS3, and PS4.
- And the next Tales game after that, Tales of Berseria, has been officially announced, but it’s release date is currently “TBA.”
Even more new release dates from this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. And check back with us after E3 when we’ll surely get the chance to pencil in even more release dates. (more…)
World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 is Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Pong, Doom, WoW, Pac-Man
The World Video Game Hall of Fame, which is administered by the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and The Strong in Rochester, New York, has announced its inaugural list of inductees. Drum roll, please.
The 2015 Class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame includes…
- Doom, id Software’s pioneering first person shooter.
- Pac-Man, the dot-eating, ghost-chasing hero of every 80s arcade.
- Pong, one of video gaming’s earliest arcade hits.
- Super Mario Bros., the side-scroller that put the NES on the map and made Mario a household name.
- Tetris, the falling block puzzler that’s surely invaded your dreams at least once.
- World of Warcraft, Blizzard’s MMO made the genre what it is today and is still going strong after a decade.
While all of the games are at least ten years old, it’s amazing how important they still are to video gaming’s current climate. Bethesda will pull the curtain back on the next game in the Doom series at this year’s E3 Expo. Pac-Man recently celebrated his 35th anniversary and will star in a new mobile game this Summer. Super Mario Bros. is also celebrating a big anniversary this year and will influence this September’s Mario Maker. The Tetris Company, and Alexey Pajitnov, continues to license new version of Tetris and the latest, Tetris Ultimate, was released last year. Finally, Blizzard released World of Warcraft’s fifth expansion, Warlords of Draenor, in November and a sixth is already in the works.
These six games represent gaming at its greatest and are excellent choices for the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. As part of their selection, the inductees will be on permanent view (and in playable form) at The Strong’s “eGameRevolution” exhibit.
Nine other finalists were considered for inclusion by the international committee including Angry Birds, FIFA International Soccer, The Legend of Zelda, Minecraft, The Oregon Trail, Pokemon Red/Blue, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until all of them are enshrined in the Hall of Fame. But if you want to campaign for your favorite game, nominees for the Class of 2016 are currently being accept at the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s website.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Retro, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Doom (1993), Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, World of Warcraft, World Video Game Hall of Fame
Skylanders SuperChargers adds vehicles to the series this September
Activision has announced Skylanders SuperChargers, the fifth game in the franchise, will be available this September. As rumored earlier this year, SuperChargers will add land, sea, and air vehicles, more than 15 in all, to the Skylanders experience.
Developed by Vicarious Visions, Skylanders SuperChargers will be available on September 20 for the iPad, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. A “unique Skylanders SuperChargers experience” will also be released for the 3DS and Wii on the same day.
Activision will bring Skylanders SuperChargers to this year’s E3 Expo and the publisher plans to reveal quite a bit more about the game during the big show. For now, an extensive “Everything You Need to Know” guide for the game is available after the break and at the Activision Games Blog. (more…)
The Strong announces finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015
The Strong National Museum of Play and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games have announced the finalists for the inaugural class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. More than a dozen classic games passed this first test on their way to video game immortality, which were selected from thousands of nominations that poured in from gamers all across the world. Nominations for the Class of 2015 were accepted from February 17 through March 31, but in case you missed out, the Hall of Fame is already accepting games for next year’s class.
This year’s inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be chosen from the finalist pool by an “international selection committee” made up of journalists, scholars, and other individuals. The inaugural class will be announced on June 4 at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time) during a ceremony at The Strong.
The finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 include:
- Angry Birds
- Doom
- FIFA International Soccer
- The Legend of Zelda
- Minecraft
- The Oregon Trail
- Pac-Man
- Pokemon Red/Blue
- Pong
- The Sims
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Space Invaders
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tetris
- World of Warcraft
“The 15 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame span decades, gaming platforms, and geographies… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on popular culture and society in general,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be selected based on the following criteria: “Icon Status,” “Longevity,” “Geographical Reach,” and “Influence.” All 15 finalists certainly qualify, but I know I’ll be rooting for Tetris.
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Angry Birds, Doom (1993), Minecraft, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, The Legend of Zelda, World of Warcraft, World Video Game Hall of Fame
Insert Quarter: Should Mega Man Make a Comeback? Maybe We Don’t Need Him…
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
With Shovel Knight, 20XX, and the upcoming Mighty No. 9 giving the gaming populace their fill of homages/spiritual successors to Mega Man, some people have started to wonder if a new game starring the original Blue Bomber is even necessary. GameRadar’s David Roberts is one of those people.
According to Roberts, Capcom is so handcuffed by the Mega Man formula that we might just be better off with the imitators. I’m not sure I agree, but he makes an interesting case:
It’s been nearly five years since Capcom released the last official Mega Man game. Mega Man 10 was just like all the other Mega Man games (Mega Mans?) that came before it; crunchy 8-bit graphics, a series of themed robot bosses, and soul-crushing difficulty. Since then, Capcom has released a fan-made Street Fighter/Mega Man crossover and let the Blue Bomber fight against a stable of Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. That’s all Mega Man has to show for the last five years; everything else has been cancelled. And you know what? Maybe that’s for the best.
The full article is available for your perusal at the GamesRadar.