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
Harmonix has a “Lust For Life” for this week’s Rock Band 4 DLC Update
Harmonix has taken the stage to announce this week’s DLC Update for Rock Band 4, and its another trio of songs that should be familiar to fans of classic rock.
The highlight of this week’s update is clearly Iggy Pop’s “Lust For Life.” The song, which was co-written by David Bowie, pushed Iggy into the spotlight for the first time. Also available this week is “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” from The Hollies and “Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)” from Robert Palmer. As always, each song can be purchased for $1.99 apiece.
Harmonix also announced that a new version update for Rock Band 4 will be available today that will “introduce some new features, broaden legacy instrument support, and address various other issues.” The full list of new features and bug fixes can be found at the developer’s official website.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Rock Band 4
Red Barrels has announced that Outlast II will be released for PC, PS4, Xbox One in Fall 2016
Red Barrels delivered one of the most terrifying games of the decade when they unleashed Outlast on an unsuspecting populace in 2013. Taking control of an investigative journalist named Miles Upshur, players explored the mysterious Mount Massive Asylum through their fingers. Yesterday, the developer announced the game’s story will continue next Fall in Outlast II:
No conflict is ever black and white. But once the dust has settled, the victors get to decide who was right and who was wrong. Who is good and who is evil. Human nature pushes us to extremes of violence and depravity, which we then justify by divine inspiration and a promise of paradise to come. Horror rises from desperation and blind faith. Outlast II will test your faith, pushing players to a place where going mad is the only sane thing to do.
Aside from the teaser trailer embedded above, we don’t know much else about Outlast II. However, Red Barrels did say that their “twisted new journey into the depths of the human mind” is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Rise of the Tomb Raider launch trailer includes Karen O’s theme song, “I Shall Rise”
Rise of the Tomb Raider will make its Xbox One and Xbox 360 debut next week, so now’s the perfect time for Microsoft and Square Enix to release the game’s launch trailer. The three-minute video is a deep dive into Lara Croft’s next adventure, which cribs from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with its paternal quest for immortality (and a watery escape is borrowed wholesale from Temple of Doom). While they might feel familiar, the stunning environments that Lara visits should be enough to entice fans of the franchise.
However, if they’re not, the trailer is also soundtracked by Karen O, the lead singer of Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She told Rolling Stone that her song, “I Shall Rise,” is about the exact moment that Lara Croft: Young Archaeologist transforms into Lara Croft: Tomb Raider…
“It all sounded really tasty. They wanted drama and high-stakes and melodrama. That was very appealing to me because I love making music connected to a storyline. It was all stuff I loved like having the theme song to [Lara Croft] becoming an icon and the creation myth to the moment she becomes Lara.”
You can listen to “I Shall Rise” in its entirety after the break. (more…)
Knight Squad, a Gauntlet/Bomberman hybrid, will be released on November 16
Chainsawesome Games has announced that Knight Squad, their two-to-eight-player party game that combines elements from Gauntlet and Bomberman, will be released for the PC and Xbox One on November 16. Xbox One owners will even be able to pick it up for free at launch as part of Microsoft’s Games With Gold program.
Players will compete in nine different game modes ranging from free-for-all deathmatches to capture the flag to playing soccer with a giant ball. But whichever mode is selected, all combatants will get the chance to wield a wide range of medieval weaponry as well as a few more modern implements (laser pistols, machine guns, etc). Knight Squad will also include a single-player Challenge Mode.
Best of all… if you previously purchased through Steam’s Early Access program, you’ll receive the Extra Chivalrous pack at launch. The Extra Chivalrous pack will include four new game modes (“Prison Break,” “Arms Race,” “Soul Hunter,” and “Serial Killer”) and three additional Knights.
Still not convinced? Check out the launch trailer above and you will be.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged Knight Squad
New Releases: Call of Duty Black Ops III, Need For Speed, Yo-Kai Watch, More
Are you ready to answer the call of duty? Right on schedule, Activision and Treyarch will release Call of Duty: Black Ops III for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week. Taking place in a near future where technologically-augmented soldiers form the backbone of modern war, the game will also be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360, though it won’t include the single-player Campaign Mode. Players in the market for a PS4 will also be able to pick up a 1 TB PS4 + Call of Duty: Black Ops III Bundle this week.
This week’s other major new release is Need For Speed, the latest entry in the long-running racing franchise. Developer Ghost Games considers the PS4 and Xbox One game a complete reboot of the series and has packed Need For Speed with five overlapping storylines and dozens of cars.
The kids will get their chance to play as well as Nintendo and Level-5 will release the Pokemon-like Yo-Kai Watch for the 3DS, while Little Orbit will launch Snoopy’s Grand Adventure for the 3DS, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Finally, a number of games are getting special edition re-releases including Evolve: Ultimate Edition (PS4, Xbox One), Lords of the Fallen: Complete Edition (PS4, Xbox One), and Shovel Knight (3DS, PS4, Wii U).
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Evolve, Lords of the Fallen, Need For Speed, Shovel Knight, The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure, Yo-Kai Watch
Xbox Store Today: Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
Just one new entry to the Xbox Games Store today, but it’s one that fans of action RPGs and post-apocalyptic settings should be excited for… and no, I’m not talking about a surprise early release for Fallout 4.
Instead, I’m referring to Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, an updated and enhanced Xbox One re-release of a game originally available for the Xbox 360 in 2012. The definitive Deathinitive Edition includes all the previously-released downloadable content and was even developed by Gunfire Games, a company founded by several members of the now-defunct original developer, Vigil Games.
Are you ready for the End of Days? Here’s more information on Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition from publisher Nordic Games:
Xbox One Games
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition ($29.99)
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition features Darksiders II with all DLC included and integrated into the game which offers a total playtime of more than 30 hours. Become the terrifying force which everything fears but nothing can escape. Awakened by the End of Days, Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen embarks on a quest to redeem his brother’s name. Along the way, the Horseman discovers that an ancient grudge may threaten all of Creation. Death lives!
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Darksiders II
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst delayed as DICE pushes the release date back to May 24, 2016
Bad news for all the Runners in the audience… Electronic Arts and DICE have delayed Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. The first-person free-running game, which was previously scheduled to launch on February 23, will now be released on May 24. Writing on the game’s official website, Producer Sara Jansson blamed DICE’s “ambitious vision” for the delay:
Years ago, we set out an ambitious vision for Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. Achieving that vision and delivering the best possible experience is equally inspiring and challenging. And it takes time. We set out to create a vast city to explore, full of stunning vistas, majestic skyscrapers, and mysterious tunnels. We’re building the most immersive action-adventure game with fluid movement and combat in first person. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst will be an all-new playground with a deeper and more engaging story – and we want to accomplish all these goals to the highest quality possible.
So we’ve made the decision to bring Mirror’s Edge to the world starting May 24, 2016. We will use these few extra months to make sure that when you step into the massive City of Glass and experience the rise of Faith, it’s as entertaining, impressive, and memorable as it can be.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is currently in the works for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
Tekken 7 officially announced for PS4 and other home consoles
After being available in arcades since early this year, Bandai Namco has finally announced that Tekken 7 will soon be available for “home consoles.” Sony later followed up their announcement with confirmation (via the PlayStation Blog) that the game’s first destination will be the PS4.
Tekken 7 will use Epic’s Unreal Engine 4 and it’ll include “numerous modes and enhancements beyond its arcade counterpart.” The 1v1 fighting game also promises to reveal the fate of the Mishima clan and serve as a conclusion to the franchise’s sprawling storyline:
Tekken 7 is currently in development at Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.’s Tokyo, Japan studio under the leadership of franchise director, Katsuhiro Harada. Powered by Unreal Engine 4, Tekken 7 sets a new standard in graphics quality for the series, featuring highly detailed characters and dynamic environments. In its first appearance on home systems, Tekken 7 will feature numerous modes and enhancements beyond its arcade counterpart, including an in-depth story mode that lets players fully experience the canon storyline. Players will also be able to check out new fighters Kazumi Mishima, Claudio, Josie, Shaheen, Katarina, Lucky Chloe, Gigas, and more for the first time outside of the arcade.
As exciting as this news is for PS4 fans, we don’t yet know what other “home consoles” Tekken 7 is in development for. The Xbox One is always a possibility in situations like this, as is Nintendo’s NX, which could be released as early as next Summer. Bandai Namco didn’t announce a release date for Tekken 7’s PS4 debut, but hopefully we’ll learn more about it soon.