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
Freddy and Jason WON’T be appearing in Mortal Kombat
The Mortal Kombat reboot has been available for one day, and rumors of secret characters have already arisen. Those rumors state that NetherRealm Studios will add horror icons Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees to Mortal Kombat in a future DLC package. But as awesome as that would be, it’s just not true.
The basis for this rumor appears to be a misreading of Ed Boon‘s recent tweets. The Mortal Kombat creator has taken to Twitter over the last few days offering congratulations and kind words to the Mortal Kombat team for a job well done on the latest game in the series. It looks like it was this message that sparked the Freddy vs Jason vs Mortal Kombat rumors:
You know who animated Smoke’s X-ray move? That would be Senior Animator Freddy Palma. Maybe we should put Freddy in the game as DLC?
Deleted: Boon is clearly referring to Freddy Palma, and not Freddy Krueger, in the tweet and then overeager fans filled in the rest. But the idea of Freddy and Jason in Outworld isn’t so crazy. In addition to publishing Mortal Kombat, Warner Bros. owns the rights to both Krueger and Jason. So legally, there’s no barrier to this happening if Warner Bros. wanted it to happen.
Attention WB Games… As a longtime fan of Mortal Kombat, the Friday the 13th films, and (some of) the Nightmare on Elm Street films, I would very much like to see this happen.
UPDATE: Wow. Freddy Krueger was just announced as the final DLC addition to Mortal Kombat.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mortal Kombat
Daily Scoop: April 20, 2011 – Portal 2 hangover
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a ferocious gaming hangover. And, much like a regular hangover, what I need is some hair of the dog to set me right. Going home and playing more Portal 2 is obviously the only way I’m going to feel better right now.
The world seems to be on a video game sale hangover as well. Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Activision’s NASCAR The Game 2011. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are $39.99 down from $59.99 today only.
There are no good daily t-shirts, and while there are lots of other sales this week, there’s really not much new to report. Not like anyone really needs anymore games after yesterday. Whew. I’m spent.
Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Check out CoD: Black Ops Escalation Map Pack trailer
Treyarch has unveiled the first trailer for the second Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, Escalation. The developers discuss what gamers can expect from the four new maps: “Zoo,” an abandoned Russian zoo; “Hotel,” a 1960s-style vacation spot that is also abandoned; “Convoy,” an abandoned truck stop (am I sensing a theme here?) and “Stockpile,” an abandoned weapons depot (yup, definite theme).
Treyarch was less forthcoming about “Call of the Dead,” the new Zombies experience included with Escalation. Apparently, more details of the flesh-eating variety will be revealed in a few days.
The Escalation Map Pack will be available for download first on the Xbox Live Marketplace on May 3rd with PC and PSN availability coming later.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops
Mark Ingram scores NCAA Football 12 cover
With all the hoopla over the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote, it’s understandable if you had no idea that EA Sports was holding a second vote to determine the cover athlete for NCAA Football 12 as well. Rather than a massive 32-player tournament and a partnership with ESPN, the NCAA Football 12 cover was determined by a simple poll on the game’s Facebook page.
Four players were in the running: Auburn University defensive lineman Nick Fairley, University of Alabama running back Mark Ingram, University of Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray, and University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker. After 140,000 votes were cast, 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was selected to be the game’s coverboy.
According to developer EA Tiburon, the game he’ll be endorsing is the most authentic college football experience yet (of course, they say that every year):
NCAA Football 12 takes the journey of the college athlete to the next level of depth and authenticity. Experience the pride and pageantry of gameday Saturday like never before as players go from high school superstar to top college player to head coach in the Road to Glory and Dynasty modes. With an enhanced in-game presentation, new traditions, and an all-new collision system, players make an impact by leading their team to the National Championship in NCAA Football 12.
NCAA Football 12 will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on July 12.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged NCAA Football 12
Telltale Games working on Law & Order: LA
In the video game industry, the best film and TV crossovers are developed by an elite team known as Telltale Games.
These are their stories.
That’s right. Hot off of Back to the Future: The Game and the incoming Jurassic Park: The Game, arguably the best studio for the job is handling NBC’s legendary crime and courtroom drama.
“Law & Order: LA fits very well with the style of episodic entertainment experiences Telltale has been building since our very first days,” said Dan Connors, CEO and co-founder of Telltale Games. “The talents and skills that we’ve been building at Telltale are ideally suited for the structure and storytelling approach of televised procedurals like ‘Law & Order.’”
Each episode will focus on criminal investigations with a strong focus on interrogation, as well as the tension that can flare up in the courtroom. According to Telltale, the first episode will debut sometime this year and will be available for PCs, Macs, consoles, mobiles, and tablets. You can visit the official site for more information at LawAndOrderLAGames.com.
Jax, Sonya, Kano kontinue the fight in second Mortal Kombat: Legacy episode
Have you got your copy of Mortal Kombat reboot yet? If you’re still waiting on the mailman, then spend a few minutes of your time with the second episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, which was also released today. The new episode focuses on the aftermath of the assault on the Black Dragon compound, including the fates of Jax (Michael Jai White), Sonya Blade (Jeri Ryan) and Kano (Darren Shahlavi).
Something interesting also appears in the early seconds of this video, a TV-style rating of “TV-MA.” These ratings are self-determined by the production company before a television broadcast, so perhaps we’ll be seeing Mortal Kombat: Legacy on the boob tube in addition to YouTube.
The third episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy will be available next week.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Shift 2: Unleashed Review: Getting the NFS Out
It might be difficult to believe, but Need For Speed began as a racing sim. While the franchise might be known for high-speed police chases, loose physics, cheesy stories, and the immortal Razor Callahan, the original game (for the 3DO, no less) was a realistic take on driving a car at high speeds. While EA attempted to return NFS to its roots once before – 2007’s Need For Speed: Pro Street was something that could be described as a racing sim – 2009’s Need For Speed: Shift was the first time they’d really tackled the genre in such a forceful manner. The result was a game that couldn’t quite hang with Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, but managed to carve a niche that wasn’t really around – a realistic racer that wasn’t bogged down in endless menus and needless complexities. It was something to build upon, and with Shift 2: Unleashed, they’re doing just that. (more…)
Sonic Generations brings back “Classic Sonic” this Fall
Sega plans to celebrate Sonic’s 20th anniversary in style with Sonic Generations this Fall. As expected, the PS3 and Xbox 360 title will bring together “Classic Sonic” (the pot-bellied speedster of the Genesis era) and “Modern Sonic” (the sleek Sonic from the 3D games):
Sonic’s universe is thrown into chaos when a mysterious new power creates ‘time holes’ which pull him and his friends back through time. As a result, he encounters some surprises from his past history including Classic Sonic, Sonic as he was in 1991.
This time-bending adventure will allow the two Sonics to run through the classic Zones in both 2D and 3D. You can check out one of the remastered levels in the trailer above. Each incarnation of Sonic also comes complete with his trademark special move, Spin Dash and Spin Attack for Classic Sonic, and the Homing Attack and Sonic Boost for Modern Sonic.
You have to admit, Sonic Generations is a canny move by Sega. Fans have been complaining that the new Sonic games don’t measure up to the Genesis classics, so remaking those same classics for the HD age seems like a can’t miss prospect.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Sonic Generations