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
- 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”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
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: Xbox 360
XBLA Today: Flashback
Back in 1992, the sci-fi platformer Flashback won over legions of fans due to its stylish graphics and fantastic gameplay. Paul Cuisset, one of the original developers behind the game, enlisted his new team at VectorCell to produce a high definition remake of Flashback and the resulting game is now available to download from the Xbox Live Arcade. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), the Flashback remake is the latest addition to Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion.
Take on the role of Conrad B. Hart of the G.B.I. and uncover a vast and deadly alien conspiracy that threatens everything it means to be human. But before you can save the human race you must rediscover who you are, as you desperately search for the missing data files containing your memory to piece the puzzle together. 20 years after the original game’s launch, Conrad is enlisted back to active service for the triumphant return of one of the best adventure-action games ever created. It’s Flashback re-imagined by its creators.
Flashback will also be available on PC download services and the PlayStation Store later this Fall.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 whips its way into stores on February 25
Everyone expected Konami to officially push Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2‘s release into 2014 eventually and they’ve done just that at this year’s Gamescom expo. Dracula’s modern day epic will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on February 25 in North America, February 27 in Europe, and February 28 in the UK.
Developer Mercury Steam has always claimed that Lords of Shadow 2 would be the finale for their take on the Castlevania mythos. And with the addition of open world gameplay, new weaponry, and a wider range of demons to slay, they plan to make their mark on a video game landscape that will now include the PS4 and Xbox One.
“[N]ow we come to the conclusion of the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow story,” said Producer Dave Cox. “As such, we have gone all-out to create a fitting climax to one of the most warmly-welcomed series resurrections to date. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is bigger, more epic and more challenging – and tells a tale that will live on in video game lore forever.”
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Gamescom 2013
The criminals have “Nowhere to Run” in the latest Batman: Arkham Origins trailer
Batman wasn’t always The Dark Knight. In the beginning he was, in Alfred’s words, “a young man with a trust fund and too much anger.” But Batman: Arkham Origins wants to tell the story of how the brash and reckless Caped Crusader became the World’s Greatest Detective. It wants to tell the story of Jim Gordon coming to terms with Gotham’s need for a nighttime protector. And it wants to tell a ripping yarn about Batman battling eight assassins on Christmas Eve. I think this new trailer, released to coincide with this year’s Gamescom event, makes the case that it does.
“I am the reason the criminals breath easier when the sun rises.”
Tell him, Batman! The trailer, titled “Nowhere to Run,” also introduces us to another assassin, Firefly, and the delves into the Batcave for the first time. Developed by WB Games Montreal, Batman: Arkham Origins will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on October 25.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham Origins, Gamescom 2013
Castlevania: Mirror of Fate HD coming to PSN, XBLA in October
Earlier this year, 3DS owners got the chance to battle demons and vampires as part of the Belmont clan in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate.
This October, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will get their turn as Konami has announced plans to bring Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate HD to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on October 29. The publisher has yet to announce a price for the game.
A Play-Asia listing for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (The Collection) (which includes the original game and both of its DLC updates) indicates that Mirror of Fate HD may be available as a retail release as well.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
Grand Theft Auto V Achievements give a closer look at life in Los Santos
Xbox360Achievements has done their thing again and discovered the complete list of Achievements for Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V. The game will include a total of 49 Achievements, though 11 are currently hidden behind the Secret Achievement text. Of the 38 remaining Achievements, 17 can only be earned through the game’s online mode, Grand Theft Auto Online.
Looking over the list, few of the Achievements seem to be story-based. Instead, Rockstar has given us a quick glimpse at what life in Los Santos will be like for Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. You can live the American dream by joining a cult, investing in the stock market, hunting sharks, becoming a bounty hunter, or exploring the San Andreas countryside outside Los Santos. You can channel your inner Fox Mulder and seek missing spaceship parts and return them to their extraterrestrial owners. You can even buy car insurance. Truly, the world of Grand Theft Auto V is just like our own.
Presumably the Trophies in the PS3 version will be the same as their Xbox 360 counterparts. You can see the complete list of Grand Theft Auto V’s Achievements after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Grand Theft Auto V
Disney Infinity cost $100 million to develop
Disney Infinity, Disney Interactive’s attempt to clone the success of Skylanders, is now available in stores. But you’ll never believe how much it cost to produce and just what effect is has had on Disney’s video game division.
The wall Street Journal recently published a behind-the-scenes look at Disney Infinity and, according to their sources, the game (and its associated toy line) cost more than $100 million to produce. Only Star Wars: The Old Republic can boast a higher production budget.
But this gargantuan project comes at a cost for Disney Interactive. Internal development within the company has ceased and all of their future projects (Fantasia: Music Evolved, Star Wars: Battlefront, the Visceral Studios Star Wars game, and Kingdom Hearts III) are co-productions with other publishers. According to The Wall Street Journal’s report, devotion to Disney Infinity also caused the axe to fall on several other titles including a tie-in game based on this Summer’s Iron Man 3 and an interanlly-developed Star Wars game.
But I think Robert Iger, Disney’s CEO, best summed up the importance of Disney Infinity’s launch: “If Infinity does well, it bodes very well for the bottom line of this unit. If it doesn’t do well, the opposite will be the case.”
Well said, Bob.
New Releases: Saints Row IV, Disney Infinity, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, More
This week’s new releases take us to infinity and beyond.
The “infinity” is taken care of by Disney’s massive companywide crossover, Disney Infinity, is ready for release on the 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360. The game’s “Starter Pack” will come complete with three figures (Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles, and Sulley from Monsters Inc.) with additional figures available for purchase separately.
That brings us to the “beyond,” which is ably covered by Volition’s Saints Row IV. The insane antics of the Third Street Saints have found a new home at Deep Silver, but the latest game is available for three familiar platforms: PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. And if you’ve got the scratch, why not spring for Saints Row IV’s luxurious (and ridiculous) “Million Dollar Pack.”
Also available this week is the latest adventure of Sam Fisher, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360); the 1960s-set adventures of an anti-alien task force, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (PC, PS3, Xbox 360); and the standalone release of Luigi’s latest starring effort, New Super Luigi U (Wii U).
More new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Disney Infinity, New Super Luigi U, Saints Row IV, The Walking Dead, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, XCOM
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse materializes on September 3
Now that DuckTales Remastered is available to download, it’s time to turn our attention to 2013’s other Disney remake: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.
Sega has announced that Castle of Illusion will be released for the PlayStation Network on September 3. The game will be available to download from PC download services and the Xbox Live Arcade a day later, on September 4. All three versions will be priced at $14.99, but if you pre-order the game through the PSN, you’ll receive a free download of the original Genesis version of Castle of Illusion, an exclusive dynamic theme, and three avatars.
You can view a trio of new Castle of Illusion screenshots at the Sega Blog.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Castle of Illusion