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
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- 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)
Most Recent: Xbox 360
EA Sports Season Ticket now available
Leave it to Electronic Arts to take the “online pass” idea to places you never thought it would go. Today, the publisher launched the EA Sports Season Ticket, a new service that’ll provide “premium benefits” in five EA Sports titles (Madden NFL 12, NHL 12, FIFA Soccer 12, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 and NCAA Football 13).
The Season Ticket carries an annual fee of $24.99 on the PlayStation Store (or 2000 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live), subscribers will receive four benefits: the chance to download an EA Sports title three days before the retail disc version is available for sale, a 20-percent discount on in-game DLC, premium web content and membership recognition (a small icon next to your username in the game).
So after EA separates you from your $25, you’ll have access to discounts, a snazzy icon for your PSN username/Gamertag and web content like the premium Creation Center packs for FIFA Soccer 12. According to EA, “these packs provide a deeper set of customization tools and abilities within Creation Center to build your own teams and tournaments.”
But the real meat of the program appears to be the ability to download an EA Sports game three days before the regular folks who have to wait for the disc version. But buyer beware, according to EA, the downloadable version of the game will cease to work after the disc version is available in stores.
Come on EA, what is the point of that?
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged FIFA Soccer 12, Madden NFL 12, NCAA Football 13, NHL 12, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
Catherine Review: Do Cheaters Dream of Neurotic Sheep?
Catherine is the latest game from the twisted minds over at Atlus, who are responsible for the Persona series as well as a plethora of other bizarre games. An amalgam of strange and uniquely Japanese concepts and story twists, I assumed Catherine would either go down in the history books as a revolutionary game, or fall short and be simply categorized as weird. It turns out to be more of the latter than the former, but still has many redeeming qualities – and compelling reasons to play. (more…)
True Crime: Hong Kong back in the game, thanks to Square Enix
It seems True Crime: Hong Kong is being given a new lease on life. Square Enix acquired the rights from developer United Front Games, who had ceased development after publisher Activision cancelled the game. The game will be managed by Square Enix London Studios and will continue to be developed by United Front Games, who is based in Vancouver.
Square Enix did not acquire the True Crime IP, and is currently working on re-branding the game. There’s also no word on when the game will be released, or what formats it will be released on. But one thing is clear – Square Enix is very excited about the game. Square Enix London Studios General Manager Lee Singleton said, “It’s one of those games where you don’t want to put the controller down; it’s what we call ‘sticky,'” and also mentioned the “incredible new game engine, rich new story with deep and complex characters, and gameplay features which have simply never been seen at this level in an open world game.”
This is great news. I got a chance to see True Crime: Hong Kong at last year’s E3, and frankly, I was completely blown away by it. I was shocked when Activision cancelled it and said it wasn’t good enough. I am eager to see what Square Enix and United Front Games are going to do with it.
[Source: Gamasutra]
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Sleeping Dogs
Ice-T unveils “Gears of War (Horde 2.0: Five Against All)” music video
As promised at E3, Ice-T and Body Count have reunited to bring the world “Horde 2.0 (Five Against All),” a new song inspired by Gears of War 3. The song was released alongside this awesome new gameplay trailer for the game’s Horde Mode.
So listen to the song, watch the trailer and get ready to experience Gears of War 3 on September 20.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Xbox 360
Tagged Gears of War 3
The Next Level: The Games of August 2011
Just 31 more days. That’s all that remains between the doldrums of August and the dam-breaking flood of new games coming this Fall. But that’s not to say that August doesn’t have a few important titles of its own. And the Warp Zoned staff is ready to dive into this month’s new releases and find those hidden gems (oh, and the juggernaut that is John Madden). (more…)
The Witcher 2 delayed into 2012 on Xbox 360; PC DLC announced
Were you all set to get witchy on the Xbox 360 this Fall? Well, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer as CD Projekt has announced that the Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will now be released sometime during the first three months of 2012.
Production delays were cited in the developer’s official statement:
“As was previously announced, The Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2 is an adaptation of the game to the new platform. This means that the process involves significant changes and improvements for the Xbox 360 console version – not a typical port of the game, which is usually much simpler and faster. The move of the release date allows the team to spend more time expanding and polishing certain elements of the gameplay.”
CD Projekt revealed that their ongoing legal battle with Namco Bandai also played a small role in The Witcher 2’s delay.
But some good news also witched its way out into the world. CD Projekt has confirmed that a DLC expansion of some kind is in the works for the PC version of The Witcher 2. But more information on that won’t be released until the Gamescom show.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox 360
Tagged The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
EA enlists ex-SAS operator to write Battlefield 3: The Russian novel
Electronic Arts has announced Battlefield 3 will be getting a tie-in novel this October that’ll help fill in the game’s backstory. The novel, titled Battlefield 3: The Russian, is being written by ex-SAS operator (and Battlefield 3 military consultant) Andy McNab and co-author Peter Grimsdale.
In the game, the single-player storyline is revealed through a series of flashbacks as Marine Staff Sergeant Henry Blackburn races to prevent an attack on New York City by a deadly force known as the PLR. As Blackburn recalls key events leading up to the attack, players take control of several characters in heart-pounding missions across land, sea and air. One of these characters is Dmitri “Dima” Mayakovsky, a legendary and pragmatic GRU operator in the twilight of his Special Forces career. Known as a “cleaner,” Dima is the sort of person that does whatever it takes to get the job done. The book picks up where the game leaves off, allowing McNab and Grimsdale to give a thrilling new perspective into Dima’s own personal quest as well as the events of Battlefield 3.
“It is impossible for any single medium to fully capture the emotion and intensity of war. The Battlefield 3: The Russian novel is one window into the experience, and the game is another. They complement each other perfectly,” McNab said. “Working with DICE has been a fantastic ride. Battlefield 3 is going to surprise people this autumn. The story, the characters, the world and the intense action come together to create a resonant, memorable experience.”
Battlefield 3: The Russian will be published by Grand Central Publishing on October 25. Battlefield 3 will be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on the same day.
Gimme a W! Gimme a B! WB Games bringing Lollipop Chainsaw to America
When Suda 51 revealed Lollipop Chainsaw in the pages of Famitsu two weeks ago, he strongly hinted the game already had a US publisher. Today, WB Games announced that they’ll be the ones to bring Suda’s latest oddity to America.
“Our exciting partnership with Kadokawa Games [Lollipop Chainsaw’s Japanese publisher] allows us to try something new by bringing a very unique game like Lollipop Chainsaw to Western markets,” said Martin Tremblay, President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Grasshopper Manufacture’s games have shown tremendous success with gamers around the globe and we are delighted to expand our portfolio of Japanese-developed games.”
In addition, Warner Bros. has hired Hollywood screenwriter/director James Gunn to adapt the game’s script for Western audiences. Gunn has previously mixed horror and humor in his work with the Dawn of the Dead remake and the awesomely underrated Slither, so I have high hopes for Lollipop Chainsaw’s script.
Lollipop Chainsaw, the tale of cheerleader Juliet Starling and her chainsaw-fueled crusade against the zombie meance, will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2012.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Lollipop Chainsaw