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
Xbox Store Today: Shovel Knight, State of Decay: Year-One Edition, Project Root, more
Steel thy Shovel, gentle knave, for Shovel Knight is now available to download on the Xbox One. Yacht Club’s retro-inspired platformer will also include an appearance by the long-lost Battletoads, who will challenge Shovel Knight in a special boss battle hidden somewhere on the game’s map. And here’s something else you’ll dig… the game will receive a free expansion, Plague of Shadows, in the coming weeks, as well as two more updates before the end of the year.
Also available for the Xbox One this week is State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition, an updated and enhanced version of Undead Labs’ zombie survival simulation. In addition to a fancy new graphical presentation, the package also includes both of the game’s downloadable expansions.
One last Xbox One release this week is Project Root, a shoot ’em up developed by OPQAM.
Finally, Ubisoft has added a video game adaptation of Risk on the Xbox 360 side of the Xbox Games Store. Players will be able to use the 2010 rules as they attempt to crush their opponents in the game of “Global Domination.”
More information about all of these new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Project Root, Shovel Knight, State of Decay
Mighty No. 9 gets September 15 release after Comcept signs publishing deal with Deep Silver
Some mighty news today for Comcept’s Mighty No. 9. Keiji Inafune originally planned a “Spring 2015” release date after his spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise found great success on Kickstarter. But with the unofficial end of Spring looming, Inafune has confirmed what we all feared… Mighty No. 9 has been delayed.
But there’s good news too. Comcept has partnered with Deep Silver to publish the game worldwide with a digital download and a retail disc. Both versions of the game will be available on September 15 for the PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One. The PC version will also be released on that date for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as a digital-only game. Sadly, the promised 3DS and PS Vita versions have been further delayed to a to be announced date.
In addition to having more time to complete the main game, Comcept will use this delay to produce some additional content for Mighty No. 9. A special bonus stage featuring a battle with Ray, Mighty No. 9’s rival, will be included. After besting Ray, players will unlock the robot, who has unique skills and all-new gameplay mechanics, as a playable character for the entire main game. New Japanese and French language tracks are also planned alongside eight subtitle tracks.
Even though Deep Silver will publish Mighty No. 9, Comcept will retain all rights to the characters and any future sequels.
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
Minecraft on consoles gets female character; Sony platforms receive Simpsons Skin Pack
Mojang made three big Minecraft-related announcements today…
First, Mojang has announced that all console players will be able to play as Alex, a female character, beginning Wednesday. According to Mojang’s Owen Hill (writing on the company’s official website), Alex was added to the game because “jolly old Steve doesn’t really represent the diversity of our playerbase.” All eight “Alex” skins will be available as a free update on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Alex has been available for PC players since last year.
Today’s second big announcement is that The Simpsons Skin Pack will be available to download on PlayStation platforms this Wednesday. It’ll be priced at $2.99 and include 24 of your favorite Springfieldians.
Finally, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition will receive 30 additional Achievements that were introduced to the game in Minecraft: Xbox One Edition. A few extra music tracks will also be included in this update.
NBA 2K15 says the Golden State Warriors will win this year’s NBA Championship
Sportswriters across the country are getting ready to anoint Stephen Curry as the best basketball player in the NBA. NBA 2K15 publisher 2K Games won’t argue with their, as the publisher predicts Curry’s Golden State Warriors will win the 2015 NBA Championship.
Using an NBA 2K15 simulation, 2K Games believes that Golden State will emerge victorious over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a six-game series. Their path through the playoffs will take them past the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trailblazers, and the San Antonio Spurs (in a series that will go the full seven games). If the Cavaliers play their part, they’ll defeat the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks to reach the Finals. Real-life is currently cooperating as both Golden State and Cleveland each enjoy 3-0 leads in their respective first round matchups.
According to 2K’s simulation, Stephen Curry and Lebron James will clash in the Finals, with each putting up multiple 30-point games. In the end, the Golden State Warriors will hoist the trophy with Curry also walking away with the Finals MVP.
If you’ve yet to play NBA 2K15 and you’re an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, you’ll be able to try out the game for free all weekend on your Xbox One. According to Xbox Wire, the free download will be available beginning today at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time) and will be operational through Monday, April 27 at 3:00 AM (also Eastern Time).
UPDATE: It got lost in the E3 shuffle, but 2K’s prediction turned out to be incredibly accurate as the Golden State Warriors did indeed win this year’s NBA Championship over the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. Stephen Curry wasn’t able to claim the MVP award (that went to Andre Iguodala), but he did lead the Warriors in scoring in five of the six games.
Jason Voorhees will join Mortal Kombat X (for Kombat Pack owners) on May 5
NetherRealm Studios used the latest Kombat Kast to announce that owners of the Mortal Kombat X Kombat Pack will be able to download Jason Voorhees on May 5. The rest of us mere mortals (though, isn’t everyone “mortal” in Mortal Kombat?) will have to wait until May 12 to purchase the character as part of the Ultimate Horror Pack, which will also include scary skins for Mileena (Vampiress), Reptile (Kraken), and Ermac (Pharaoh).
The developer plans to stream a special Kombat Kast this Monday, May 4, to celebrate Jason’s introduction to the world of Mortal Kombat X. If you’re not sure Jason is worth the money, don’t worry, NetherRealm’s Ed Boon said you’ll be able to try out the horror icon (for free) in a Jason-themed Living Tower.
Three other characters will eventually be added to Mortal Kombat X as part of the Kombat Pack including The Predator, Tanya, and fan-favorite Tremor.
An adventure game based on Adventure Time is in the works
Little Orbit has announced they will publish an “action-oriented” adventure game based on Adventure Time this November. Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is in development at Vicious Cycle and will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. In retrospect, an adventure game based on Adventure Time seems so obvious that I can’t believe it didn’t happen sooner.
Calling it “a complete departure from previous Adventure Time games,” Little Orbit’s Matt Scott is thrilled with the puzzle-solving and people-talking opportunities present in Finn and Jake Investigations:
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is an all-new, real-time, fully 3D action-oriented twist on the classic story-driven graphic adventure game. Finn and Jake decide to carry on the profession of Finn’s foster parents, who were Professional Investigators. Confronted with mysterious Land of Ooo disappearances and strange events, players will interrogate colorful inhabitants, dispatch evil doers in fast-paced combat, solve mind-bending puzzles, explore new and familiar locations, and genuinely feel as if they have stepped into their own personal episode of Adventure Time.
Adventure Time‘s sixth season is currently airing on Cartoon Network.
Nordic Games will release Legend of Kay Anniversary this Summer
For an action platformer starring a samurai cat, Legend of Kay is one of the more amazing underdog stories in all of gaming. Initially released across Europe in early 2005, the game eventually made its way to America thanks to Capcom almost a year later. Five years after that, the game was resurrected by DreamCatcher Games, who elected to give it a DS port. Now, it looks like the game is coming back once more as Nordic Games has confirmed they will release Legend of Kay on a number of new platforms this Summer.
Now known as Legend of Kay Anniversary, German developer Kaiko has been tapped to bring the game to the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox 360. Nordic plans to release Legend of Kay Anniversary as a budget title, but if it does well enough, it could finally spawn a sequel or two.
“Legend of Kay was a true gem on the PlayStation 2 platform,” said Reinhard Pollice, the Business and Product Development Director at Nordic Games. “Our strategy is to focus on our IPs and make them available to as many players as possible and also on the current generation of consoles. We [will] keep our options open to expand on the Legend of Kay franchise in the future.”