Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- 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
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC 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: Xbox 360
Gather round the campfire on October 13 for the release of Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 1
Telltale Games has announces that Minecraft: Story Mode, their episodic adventuring adaptation of Mojang’s Minecraft, will kick off on October 13 with the release of Episode 1 (The Order of the Stone) for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and iOS/Android mobile devices. A special Season Pass Disc will also be available on October 27, which will include the first episode on the disc and online access to subsequent episodes as they’re released.
“Developed in partnership with our friends at Mojang, this all-ages adventure series kicks off a thrilling story full of many elements essential to the world of Minecraft, combined with Telltale’s trademark choice-based gameplay,” said Kevin Bruner, the CEO and co-founder of Telltale Games. “There are plenty of exciting details we’ve been keeping under wraps, and we’re thrilled that players will soon be starting their own adventure through the Nether to the Farlands and beyond with Jesse and The Order of the Stone.”
In other exciting news, Minecraft: Story Mode will also be available for the Wii U and Vita at some future date. This is the first time a Telltale adventure game, or any version of Minecraft, will appear on the Wii U… and just in time for the console’s likely replacement by the NX next year.
WB Games spared no expense when hiring the voice cast for Lego Dimensions
If Richard Attenborough were still alive, I think WB Games would have hired him to gleefully exclaim that the publisher spared no expense when assembling the voice cast for Lego Dimensions. Unfortunately, the great actor passed away last year. But just try to picture the giant sacks of money it must have required to secure the services of this talented ensemble anyway…
Michael J. Fox (as Marty McFly) and Christopher Lloyd (as Doc Brown) will reprise their roles from the Back to the Future trilogy. Several actors from another 1980s favorite, Ghostbusters, will also get a chance to cross the streams and interact with the rest of the cast. And speaking of g-g-ghosts, Matthew Lillard (as Shaggy) will ride with Scooby-Doo in the Mystery Machine.
Chris Pratt will pull double duty in the game as Emmet from The Lego Movie and Owen Grady from Jurassic World. He’ll be joined by Elizabeth Banks (as Wyldstyle), Alison Brie (as Unikitty), and Charlie Day (as Benny) from The Lego Movie, but don’t think his Jurassic World co-stars turned down this chance. Bryce Dallas Howard (as Claire Dearing), Irrfan Khan (as Simon Masrani), Nick Robinson (as Zach, one of the kids), and Ty Simpkins (as Gray, the other kid) will fight dinosaurs one more time.
“Who” else could be joining the game? How about Peter Capaldi (as the Twelfth Doctor), Jenna Coleman (as Clara Oswald), and Michelle Gomez (as Missy) from Doctor Who… Best of all, they’re not coming alone. Every actor who has played the Doctor (including David Tenant, Matt Smith, Christopher Eccleston, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton, and William Hartnell) will lend his voice (or archival audio for the deceased actors) to Lego Dimensions.
The DC Universe will be represented by Troy Baker (as Batman), Tara Strong (as Harley Quinn), Laura Bailey (as Wonder Woman), and Travis Willingham (as Superman). Meanwhile, WB Games has recruited two members of the Fellowship from The Lord of the Rings: Tom Kane (as Gandalf) and Sean Astin (as Samwise Gamgee). Several cast members from The Simpsons will also drop by as part of the game’s trip to Springfield.
Lego Dimensions includes a lot of portals, so Stephen Merchant (as Wheatley), Ellen McLain (as GLaDOS), and J.K. Simmons (as Cave Johnson) from Portal 2 should fit right in. Nolan North is also around (in a currently unknown role) because you can’t assemble a video game voice cast in 2015 without including Nolan North. I think it’s a union rule or something…
Finally, two original characters, Joel McHale (as your robotic guide, X-PO) and Gary Oldman (as the villainous Lord Vortech), will help propel the plot of Lego Dimensions forward.
Lego Dimensions will be released for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 27.
New Releases: Destiny: The Taken King, Forza 6, Skylanders SuperChargers, More
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in this week’s new release report, so let’s get right to it…
Destiny’s “Year One” slate of content will come to a close as Activision and Bungie will release the last major update Destiny: The Taken King for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360. The expansion will add a variety of missions and tweaks to the team-based shooter, but the biggest is likely Nolan North’s replacement of Peter Dinklage as the voice of Ghost.
Microsoft and Turn 10 will release their latest automotive simulator, Forza Motorsport 6, for the Xbox One. It astounds me that while Sony continues to struggle with DriveClub and the seemingly non-existent Gran Turismo 7, Microsoft has developed and published two critically-acclaimed Forza games.
If you’re looking for something for the kids, Activision will release Skylanders SuperChargers this week. The popular game franchise has a racing theme this time out for the Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360… and dozens of new Skylanders action figures have begun appearing on store shelves. A Dark Edition will also be released and a spinoff game, Skylanders SuperChargers Racing, will be available for the 3DS and Wii U (complete with an exclusive Skylanders/Amiibo hybrid figure for each platform).
To close out the week in new games, a pair of popular sports simulations will also be available. EA Sports will bring NHL 16 to the PS4 and Xbox One (and NHL: Legacy Edition to the PS3 and Xbox 360), while Konami will publish Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Finally this week, a number of new console bundles will be released. Sony will launch a 500GB PS4 + Destiny: The Taken King Limited Edition Bundle, while Microsoft is prepping a 1TB Xbox One + Forza Motorsport 6 Limited Edition Bundle. Both feature custom case designs (the Forza Blue color scheme is particularly nifty), one controller, and bonus downloadable content for their respective games. A 1TB Xbox One + FIFA 16 Bundle will also be available, but it doesn’t feature a custom paint job.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Destiny, Forza Motorsport 6, NHL 16, Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, Skylanders SuperChargers, Skylanders SuperChargers Racing
BOOM! Madden NFL 16 is the best-selling game of August 2015
Whatever your opinion of Tom Brady and Deflategate (for the record, I agree with Tony Kornheiser, the suspension was “completely unjust”), it looks like nobody can take the air out of EA’s Madden NFL franchise. And don’t just take my word for it. The latest entry in the series, Madden NFL 16, topped the NPD Group’s newest monthly report and was declared the best-selling game of August 2015.
Madden NFL 16’s ascendance to the top of the list was a foregone conclusion, but August was an unusually quiet month for new releases. Just look at the three remakes/re-releases that broke into the top ten. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition chainsawed its way into the #3 spot, while the 30 games in the Rare Replay compilation collectively landed at #6. Finally, a Combo Pack containing Call of Duty: Black Ops + Call of Duty: Black Ops II claimed the #8 position (two spots ahead of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at #10, I might add). The only other new release to crack the top ten was Sony’s Until Dawn at #7.
But the real story of the month might be that Minecraft continues to sell. Even though its been available on the PS4 and Xbox One since last year (and another year on the PS3 and Xbox 360), the game continues to sell month after month. Only Madden NFL 16 was able to outpace Mojang’s creation in August as Minecraft is sitting at #2 on the best-sellers list.
A complete look at August 2015’s top ten is available after the break. (more…)
Guitar Hero Live goes to 110 as Activision adds ten more songs to the game
After a few weeks of radio silence, Activision announced today that ten more songs will be added to Guitar Hero Live‘s gargantuan setlist. Once again, the selections run the gamut from radio friendly pop (Passenger’s “Let Her Go”) to indie favorites (Haim, Wavves) to the hard stuff (Lamb of God’s “Ghost Walking”). If you’re looking for all ten new tracks, they can be found right here:
- 36 Crazyfists – “Also Am I”
- Gerard Way – “No Shows”
- Haim – “The Wire”
- Lamb of God – “Ghost Walking”
- Orianthi – “According to You”
- Passenger – “Let Her Go”
- Pearl Jam – “Sirens”
- Surfer Blood – “Demon Dance”
- Tonight Alive – “The Ocean”
- Wavves – “Demon to Lean On”
Guitar Hero Live will be released for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile platforms on October 20.
Prepare yourself for Destiny: The Taken King with this Cinematic Trailer
The launch of Bungie’s Destiny: The Taken King is exactly one week away, so Activision has released a new Cinematic Trailer to get players up to speed on the expansion’s story. The Taken King, Destiny’s third major expansion after The Dark Below and House of Wolves, serves as the finale to “Year One” of Destiny. Hoping to rule the galaxy as father and son, Oryx is none too happy about the death of Crota, the main baddie from Destiny:
Oryx is here. He’s hellbent on revenge, and he’s brought an army of Taken with him. Infiltrate his fortress, fight through his army, and Face The Taken King.
I’m not too well-versed in Destiny’s lore, but it all looks very Star Wars-y to me. Destiny: The Taken King will be available for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 on September 15.
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: September 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 that’s scheduled for release in 2015, 2016, 2017, or beyond.
We have officially turned the calendar over to September and that means the Fall gaming rush is right around the corner. Thankfully, that means a number of publishers have nailed down final release dates for many of their major releases. Nintendo has been especially busy filling in their monthly planner, announcing release dates for Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (October 22), The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (October 23), Yo-Kai Watch (November 6), Star Fox Zero (November 20), and Devil’s Third (December 11).
Looking beyond the end of the year, 2016’s Winter/Spring period is also filling up fast including a launch date for Lego Avengers in January (January 26) and a bevy of titles in February (XCOM 2 on February 5, Battleborn on February 9, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on February 23). A few weeks later, Nathan Drake makes his PS4 debut in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on March 18. Microsoft has also staked a Spring claim with the release of Quantum Break on April 5.
Finally, we circle back around to Nintendo with the announcement of an official launch window (“Spring 2016”) for the Wii U version of Pokken Tournament. We all knew it was happening, so I’m not sure what took them so long.
Even more new release dates from this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)
Xbox Store Today: Evolve Free Weekend, Rugby World Cup 2015, Super Toy Cars, more
Evolve didn’t quite land with the blockbuster boom that Turtle Rock had hoped for, but it has sold almost three million copies and a lot of people seem to enjoy it. Publisher 2K Games is hoping to increase that number this weekend with a special “Free Weekend” promotion for the game, which kicks off today at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time), on the Xbox One and PC. Best of all, players will get the chance to battle alien monsters for an extra day as the promotion doesn’t end until Tuesday, September 8 at 3:00 AM.
If you enjoy your time with Evolve, you might also like to know that it’ll receive a temporary price drop next week as part of Microsoft’s Deals With Gold.
Elsewhere on the Xbox Games Store today, owners of Microsoft’s consoles will get the chance to dive into a scrum in Rugby World Cup 2015 on the Xbox One or Xbox 360. Also available on the Xbox 360 is an overhead shooter from Moss known as strong>Caladrius.
And if you’re looking for Xbox One exclusives, today marks the release of Super Toy Cars, a “tabletop arcade combat racing game” featuring penny racers; Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse, a murder mystery set within a Paris gallery; Quest of Dungeons, a procedurally-generated turn-based roguelike; and Nightmares From the Deep: The Cursed Heart, a “classic adventure game” about undying love.
More information about all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)