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 One
Xbox Store Today: Phantom Dust, Injustice 2, The Surge, more
Visitors to the Xbox Games Store today will be greeted by a blast from the past, the latest from NetherRealm Studios, and a new action RPG from Deck 13.
Phantom Dust was originally released for the Xbox in 2004, and was one of Microsoft’s first attempts to cater to the Japanese market. Microsoft’s push didn’t go as planned, but Phantom Dust became a cult hit that is available to download for free on the Xbox One and Windows 10. The re-release features the same gameplay that hooked fans more than a decade ago, as well as cross-device multiplayer, Achievements, and a new 16×9 presentation.
Also available to download today for the Xbox One is Injustice 2, the latest one-on-one fighting game from NetherRealm Studios. With Superman in prison and his Regime in disarray, players will once again be able to jump into its completely unpredictable alternate universe.
Finally today, Focus Home Interactive and Deck 13 will bring The Surge to the Xbox One. This action RPG features a futuristic setting involving augmented soldiers doing battle with dismemberment guns… no, really.
More information on all of these games (and the rest of today’s new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Injustice 2, Phantom Dust, The Surge
South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be released on October 17, 2017
As promised, Ubisoft will indeed release South Park: The Fractured But Whole before the end of the year. Today, the megapublisher confirmed that the RPG will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 17, 2017.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, Ubisoft has also unveiled a brand new trailer for the game, and offered up a refresher on the game’s satirical take on superheroes:
With crime on the rise in South Park, the streets have never been more dangerous. As the sun sets on the quiet Colorado town, havoc and chaos unleash a reign of terror and the seedy underbelly of the city comes alive. The town needs new heroes to rise! Eric Cartman seizes the opportunity to save the town and create the best superhero franchise ever, his own Coon & Friends with himself as the leader, The Coon.
Every superhero has an origin, and Coon & Friends are no different. Continuing in their role as the New Kid, players will discover their backstory, assemble their unique costumes, and harness their fart-based powers from numerous hero classes to create their own original hero. An all-new combat system offers unique opportunities to master space and time while on the battlefield, and a revamped looting and crafting system gives players the freedom to craft their own equipment to aid them in battle.
Ubisoft also reconfirmed that players who pre-order South Park: The Fractured But Whole will receive a free download of South Park: The Stick of Truth and “Towelie: Your Gaming Bud,” an in-game assistant that’ll provide “helpful and hilarious advice and commentary to players at key locations throughout the game.”
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged South Park: The Fractured But Whole
CoD: Black Ops III’s Zombies Chronicles DLC launches on PS4 with two gameplay trailers
The Zombies Chronicles expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III is now available to download through the PlayStation Store, and PS4 players are able to relive eight remastered Zombies maps from World At War, Black Ops, and Black Ops II.
To celebrate, Activision has launched an “8 Days of the Undead” event, which gives players the chance to compete in a Headshot Challenge to unlock new Zombies Calling Cards. Participants will also receive new Weapon Camos and GobbleGums, as well as a week’s worth of Double XP Rewards. A grindhouse-style trailer for the “8 Days of the Undead” event, complete with some new gameplay footage, is embedded above.
Finally, Treyarch partnered with PlayStation Underground to unveil an expanded 16-minute gameplay walkthrough of Zombies Chronicles’s remastered maps. You can find it after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown delayed to 2018… but Bandai Namco is planning an E3 2017 showcase for the game
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown won’t fly onto store shelves this Fall as originally planned. According to Bandai Namco, Ace Combat 7’s launch has been pushed back to 2018 to give Franchise Director Kazutoki Kono, and his team, more time to create the best game they can.
Kono offered an explanation for the delay, and an apology to fans, on Bandai Namco’s official website:
We would have loved to launch Ace Combat 7 at the end of 2017 as we originally intended, but doing so would compromise our goal for the game. We take our art very seriously and that means we have instead chosen to devote additional time and effort to perfect and optimize this newest chapter of the Ace Combat saga.
But don’t worry, Bandai Namco has promised that we’ll learn more about Ace Combat 7 during this year’s E3 Expo. A playable demo of the aerial combat simulation will be available on the show floor for E3 attendees and the rest of the world will get to view a brand new trailer and screenshots.
Ubisoft confirms that a new Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry 5, The Crew 2 will appear at E3 2017
It’s beginning to look a lot like E3…
Ubisoft has announced plans to showcase Far Cry 5, The Crew 2, and a brand new Assassin’s Creed game at this year’s E3 Expo. However, that’s all the publisher was willing to announce, as we don’t know much of anything else about any of these games. That said, Ubisoft did give us a look at a pair of new logos for Far Cry 5 and The Crew 2.
The 2017 E3 Expo will open its doors on June 13.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed Origins, E3 2017, Far Cry 5, The Crew 2
New trailer shows how players can customize their own character and in Sonic Forces
Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic will be receiving some help in this Fall’s Sonic Forces. Sega has announced that players will also be able to dash through the game’s levels as their own “powerful gadget touting” customizable character.
Players will be equipping their custom Hero Character with one of a variety of powerful unique gadgets called Wispons. Wispons are an evolution of the Color Powers from Sonic Colors and double as both offensive abilities and as a way to platform through levels quickly. Along with the Wispon, the Hero Character will have a grappling hook they can utilize to quickly traverse across zones. Players can also customize the Hero Character’s looks by choosing and swapping between hundreds of accessories and outfit options to change the character’s appearance as they play through the game.
In addition to changing their look, players can also choose the species of their Hero Character:
Animal Types in Sonic Forces
- Wolf – Automatically draws in rings when near them
- Rabbit – Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
- Cat – Keeps one ring after being hit
- Dog – Restarts with five rings after the player dies
- Bear – Blows away enemies with a homing attack
- Bird – Flies high with double jump abilities
- Hedgehog – Collects rings when getting damaged
And in case you were worried, Hero Characters won’t be walled off in special areas of the game. According to Sega, they’ll be “a key part of the story” and appear alongside Sonic in cutscenes and throughout his adventure.
Sonic Forces will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One this Fall. A new gameplay trailer featuring a customizable character with a grappling hook and fired-based Wispon can be found after the break. (more…)
Sega’s future plans include a focus on PC development and “revival of major IPs”
Sega fans have been on a wild roller coaster ride since the company’s early 90s heyday. Every time Sega hits it out of the park, they seem to crash back down to Earth in short order. But the publisher has started to turn things around lately, especially after their merger with Atlus.
Fresh off the launch of Persona 5, Sega has issued a “Road to 2020” report as part of a presentation to investors. In addition to disclosing financial details, the report talks about short-term goals (such as “aim for big hits”), as well as longer-term plans on how to keep this recent bit of momentum going.
The first part of Sega’s plan involves expanding their reach on the PC by developing more titles based on existing properties and obtaining new properties in deals with outside developers. The publisher has already begun to follow through with this promise by re-launching Bayonetta and Vanquish through Steam.
But Sega also wants to bring back some of their classic game franchises and are planning a “Revival of major IPs” in the future. The report didn’t delve into which properties Sega is looking to revive, but the company’s back catalog offers a nearly unrivaled selection of characters to choose from. Personally, I’d love to see another chapter in the House of the Dead saga.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Sega’s plans for the future soon.
Phantom Dust re-release will be available for free beginning tomorrow, May 16
Well this is a surpise.
Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg has announced (via Twitter) that Phantom Dust will be available for the Xbox One and Windows 10 on May 16… also known as tomorrow. Best of all, the re-release will be free to download on both platforms as a thank you to fans.
Phantom Dust was originally released for the Xbox in 2004 as part of a push to help the console appeal to Japanese gamers. It’s card-based combination of strategy and action eventually lead to it becoming something of a cult classic. The 2017 re-release will offer improved resolutions, better framerates, and slightly tweaked gameplay.
Microsoft is keen to bring back the Phantom Dust franchise and even announced a sequel/reboot in 2014. However, it was plagued by development difficulties and was put on hiatus in 2015. Perhaps a successful launch for the re-release will bring it back to life…
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Phantom Dust