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
NBA 2K17 predicts a Cavs-Warriors rematch (and a Warriors win) in 2017 NBA Finals
The 2017 NBA Playoffs kicked off late last week, and 2K’s NBA 2K17 was there to provide a simulation of this year’s bracket.
If you’ll recall, last year, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They eventually lost the series in Game 7, and LeBron James was able to hoist his third NBA Championship.
But if NBA 2K17’s simulation comes to pass, this year’s NBA Finals will end in a rematch that once again goes the distance… and this time the Warriors will emerge victorious in Game 7.
So how do we get from here to there? According to the simulation, the Warriors will easily roll over their opponents in the first three rounds with wins over the Portland Trail Blazers (4-0), Los Angeles Clippers (4-1), and Houston Rockets (4-1). The Cavaliers will have a tougher time to reach the Finals, ultimately pushing past the Indiana Pacers in five games, the Toronto Raptors in six games, and the Washington Wizards in seven games. Cleveland’s more brutal schedule might be the reason behind their eventual defeat in the Finals.
In the real world, the Warriors and the Cavaliers are both doing their part to accurately reflect the action in NBA 2K17s crystal ball, as each team won their first playoff game this weekend. But we’ll have to wait until June 1st, and the start of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, to see if the game’s full simulation is on the mark.
New Retail Releases: Dark Souls III Fire Fades Edition, The Silver Case, Deformers, More
It looks like the Easter Bunny is skipping over your favorite retail establishment… just a handful of new games will be available on store shelves this week.
Starting things off is Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition, a re-release of the trilogy-capping action RPG for the PS4 and Xbox One. Originally released last year, the Fire Fades Edition will add both downloadable expansions (Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City) to the package.
Another re-release will make its way to store shelves this week, as NIS America launches The Silver Case for the PS4. The Silver Case was the first game developed by Goichi “Suda51” Suda’s Grasshopper Manufacture, and it was originally released in Japan in 1999. The adventure game made its North American debut last year on Steam, but this PS4 re-release is the first time console players will get the chance to play it.
Elsewhere, GameStop’s GameTrust label will team up with Ready At Dawn to launch another exclusive game for the retailer this week. Deformers is a multiplayer brawler that’ll be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Finally this week, ATV Renegades is a new off-road racing game for the PS4 and Xbox One from Nighthawk Interactive.
That’s it for this week’s New Retail Releases report, but we’ll be back with an update or two on several high-profile new games that’ll be available to download soon through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Dark Souls III
EA unveils first Star Wars: Battlefront II trailer, the single-player campaign, and November 17 release date
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Electronic Arts unveiled Star Wars: Battlefront II during today’s festivities at the Star Wars Celebration, and the game’s first trailer gave us our first look at its Empire-centric single-player campaign.
Iden Versio is an Imperial special forces officer who was on the forest moon of Endor when the second Death Star was destroyed. As the commander of Inferno Squad, Versio escapes from custody and vows to avenge her Emperor. Players will follow Versio from Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens as she battles the Rebels over a span of 30 years.
In addition to the single-player campaign, EA has major ambitions for Battlefront II’s multiplayer modes, which will include “intense dogfights in space” for the first time. The game’s “galactic-scale space combat” will be developed by Criterion, and they are adding “refined handling, weapons, and customization options” to every ship in the game.
Battlefront II will also include ground-based maps from all three eras of Star Wars including “Yavin 4’s jungle canopies, the spaceport town of Mos Eisley, and Starkiller Base.” And players will be able to play as iconic characters like Yoda and Darth Maul (or regular ground troopers) in these 40-player skirmishes.
Star Wars: Battlefront II will be jointly developed by DICE, Criterion, and Motive Studios, and will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17. Fans who pre-order the Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition will be able to get the game three days earlier, and unlock upgraded versions of all four trooper classes, bonus weapons and modifications, and exclusive skins for Rey and Kylo Ren based on their costumes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
EA has also opened the doors to Star Wars: Battlefront II’s official website, which includes a glimpse at more concept art from the game.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Battlefront II
Xbox Store Today: Sengoku 2
The Xbox Games Store grew by one today as SNK and Hamster Corporation launched another NeoGeo re-release through their “Arcade Archives” banner.
Sengoku 2 is the game in the spotlight this time, and it’s a side-scrolling beat ’em up that was originally released in 1993. Players control of a pair of time-travelling warriors who will punch and kick their way through history to save the world from an evil warlord.
Coming straight from SNK and Hamster Corporation, more information about Sengoku 2 is available right here:
Xbox One Games
Sengoku 2
Sengoku 2 is a side scrolling action game released by SNK in 1993. Take on the role of a warrior summoned by a shrine princess, and fight over various historical periods in order to defeat the dark monarch. Players can enjoy new tactical features such as charge attacks and defensive abilities.
Scarecrow is frightening in the newest Injustice 2 trailer
In the various Batman comics and cartoons, The Scarecrow isn’t usually portrayed as an offensive powerhouse. Just look no further than the tasering he receives during the finale of Batman Begins. But NetherRealm Studios has different plans for the “Master of Fear,” which are on full display in the character’s “Introducing Scarecrow” trailer.
In Injustice 2, Scarecrow will become a hulking beast (in the eyes of his opponents) thanks to a dose from his Fear Toxin. And after his transformation, the character will deliver a stinging series of blows from his whip-like scythe. It’s going to take a lot more than a stun gun to drop this version of Dr. Jonathan Crane.
Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on May 16.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Injustice 2
Get a quick glimpse at a side-scrolling stage from Sonic Forces right here
Sonic the Hedgehog only got a few seconds to shine during yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation, but Sega delivered by showcasing a side-scrolling stage from Sonic Forces during that time.
If you’re more of a fan of “Classic Sonic,” don’t worry, the publisher used the remainder of their time to show off a little more gameplay from the retro-styled Sonic Mania.
Sonic Forces will be released this Fall, while Sonic Mania will be available exclusively as a digital download this Summer. Both games are in development for the Nintendo Switch, as well as the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania
Xbox Store Today: Yooka-Laylee, MX Vs ATV 2017, The Sexy Brutale, more
Relive the late 90s with today’s Xbox Games Store update, as Playtonic Games has released Yooka-Laylee for the Xbox One. Most of Playtonic’s employees are veterans of Rare, and they’ve brought the same “collectathan” style of platforming to their latest game. In Yooka-Laylee, players will guide a giant chameleon and a wisecracking bat through the jungle as they hop on floating platforms and attempt to stop the nefarious Capital B from destroying the world’s books.
Also available to download for the Xbox One today is MX Vs ATV 2017 Official Track Edition, an update to MX Vs ATV Supercross Encore that includes all 16 official tracks from the 2017 Supercross Championship Season. Why don’t more sports games do this?
Finally today, Cavalier Game Studios and Tequila Works teamed up to bring the mysterious and intriguing The Sexy Brutale to the Xbox One. Players will waltz through the titular casino mansion as they attempt to solve a murder… and escape the neverending time loop they’ve found themselves trapped in.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged MX vs ATV: Supercross, Yooka-Laylee
Here’s your first look at the new multiplayer maps from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Continuum DLC Pack
After previously teasing fans with “Shaolin Shuffle,” a 70s-set new chapter in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Zombies Mode, Activision and Infinity Ward have returned with a look at the Continuum DLC Pack‘s multiplayer maps.
All four new maps are on display in the new trailer, which also encourages players to tackle them using a variety of different tactics (including “Run and Gun,” “Sniper,” “Stealth,” and “Heavy”):
Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Continuum DLC Pack
- Turista – A plush spa and resort, “Turista” is nestled in the middle of a giant skeleton of an ancient creature. With sniper spots scattered across a majestic, central waterfall, Turista also boasts tight interiors for fans of close-quartered combat and a three-lane design that caters to a variety of play styles.
- Scrap – Set in an abandoned junkyard on the Moon, “Scrap” features a combination of extended sightlines and tactical pathways that reward players who engage in both long and short range combat.
- Archive – Fast, frenetic engagements set the pace in “Archive,” a post-futurist art gallery where tight engagements contrast with open exterior battlegrounds in this wide three-lane style map.
- Excess – Perched atop a gilded penthouse in a sprawling future metropolis, “Excess” is a small, circular map re-imagined from the classic Modern Warfare 2 map, “Rust,” that retains the intense, fast-paced combat from the original.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Continuum DLC Pack will be available to download for PS4 players on April 18. But PC and Xbox One owners will have to wait until sometime in May for a chance to purchase the expansion.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare