Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Jordan Minor’s “Boss Fight Books: Super Mario Galaxy” is Now Available for Pre-Order
- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- 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
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- With Grand Theft Auto 6 poised to take over the world, I reached out to Jack Thompson and it did not go well – PC Gamer (2026)
- Vib-Ribbon: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- Diablo IV PC Cooled With Real Human Blood Is Still Going Strong Two Years Later, Says Guy Who Won It – Aftermath (2026)
Most Recent: Xbox One
See how ridiculously gory the new Doom is before its Spring 2016 release
I should probably stop calling it Doom 4… and that’s because Bethesda and id Software have finally blown the lid off their Doom reboot, which will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring 2016. Doom is ridiculously fast and ridiculously gory, and you can see it for yourself in the new trailer embedded above. But this is just a small taste of what’s in store for the new Doom, as Bethesda also include about 20 minutes of gameplay during their E3 Press Conference earlier tonight.
We’ll have that for you soon, but for now, watch the trailer above and catch a glimpse of the Shotgun, the Super Shotgun, the Plasma Rifle, the Chaingun, the Chainsaw, Imps, Pinky, and gallons upon gallons of blood. If you look close, you’ll see a variety if “finishing moves” that are new to the franchise.
The new Doom will also include a game editor known as Doom SnapMap. With SnapMap, players will be able to fully customize their own maps or gameplay modes using a very extensive set of tools. Players will also be able to share these creations with the world.
Spring 2016 can’t come soon enough, but remember, if you pre-ordered Wolfenstein: The New Order, you’ll be able to join the upcoming Doom multiplayer beta.
Insert Quarter: Are the E3 Press Conferences a Waste of Time?
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
The first E3 Press Conference for 2015 will begin in just a few minutes. Bethesda’s first-ever presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo is sure to be amazing with gameplay reveals for Doom 4, Fallout 4, Dishonored 2, and probably a bunch of other stuff. We’ve got a new player in the AAA space and that’s exciting. But will Bethesda’s Press Conference (and Microsoft’s… and Sony’s… and Nintendo’s… and Square Enix’s… and EA’s… and Ubisoft’s…) be a huge waste of time? In between all the glitz and the horrible jokes, won’t there be precious little time actually devoted to games?
At least, that’s what Vice’s Dan Maher believes. He remembers the horrible gaffes (middle-aged executives that have no idea how to talk to regular people), the horrible lies (what Sony promised the PS3 could do) and the horrible people (Jamie Kennedy, good god, Jamie Kennedy). He makes the case that all this pomp and circumstance is more at home during a graduation ceremony than the showcase event for a multi-billion dollar industry:
It shouldn’t be difficult. The last time I checked, video gaming was still a festival of colour and noise and excitement and dakkadakkadakka-pweeeeeee-kaboom. Chuck them up on a screen bigger than your house, crank up the volume to unbearable, bar the doors. Done. And yet, somehow, what we inevitably end up with leaves the audience feeling like stakeholders at the world’s most extravagant board meeting.
The full article is available for your perusal at Vice.
New Releases: Payday 2: Crimewave Edition, Xbox One 1 TB Bundle, More
The 2015 E3 Expo will unofficially open its doors in just a few hours with Bethesda’s Press Conference (their first ever), so the big publishers are mostly taking this week off. But that won’t stop 505 Games and Overkill from releasing Payday 2: Crimewave Edition on the PS4 and Xbox One. Payday 2: Crimewave Edition will come packaged with improved graphics and a wide variety of downloadable content that Overkill previously made available for the cooperative heist simulator on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
If you haven’t upgraded to an Xbox One yet, this week might be the perfect time as Microsoft will release a new Xbox One 1 TB + Halo: The Master Chief Collection Bundle. In addition to a bigger hard drive, the console comes with an improved controller that Microsoft will also sell separately as the Xbox One “Covert Forces” Controller.
In other new release news, the upcoming Tour De France has inspired Focus Home Interactive and Cyanide Studio to release Pro Cycling Manager 2015 for the PC (Download Only). Insert your own “performance enhancing drug” joke here.
Enjoy this week’s E3 Expo folks, it looks to be a good one!
Leak reveals Platinum’s secret E3 2015 announcement is Transformers: Devastation
Thanks to Best Buy Canada, Platinum Games’s secret E3 2015 announcement is now a little less secret. According to the retailer, Platinum is teaming up with Activision to produce Transformers: Devastation, a cel-shaded brawler that takes place during the beloved “Generation 1” era of the cartoon franchise. If the listing is accurate, Activision is planning to release the game for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 6.
Players will get the chance to take control of five Autobots during the game: Optimus Prime, Bubblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, and Grimlock. Best of all, original voice actors Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Dan Gilvezan (Bubblebee), and Frank Welker (Megatron and Soundwave) will return to lend the story a sense of authenticity. Here’s what else fans can expect from the game:
Autobots face off against the Decepticons when Megatron discovers a way to harness the enormous power of plasma energy to cyberform Earth.
Face off against Megatron and battle it out with the Decepticons in Transformers: Devestation. Equipped with fast action capabilities, this game allows for instant robot to vehicle attacks, slam downs, counterattacks, and infinite combos for a unique master combat system. Five difficulty levels also deliver hours of intense gameplay.
Believe it or not, Transformers: Devastation will actually be the first time American audiences will get to control “Generation 1” characters in a video game. A handful of games based on the series have been created, but none have ever been released outside Japan. The most recent was Transformers, which was released for the PS2 in 2003.
You can relive the 80s with the first screenshots from Transformers: Devastation after the break. And don’t forget, the first gameplay trailer will be unveiled during IGN Live on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:00 PM (Eastern Time). (more…)
Electronic Arts will display a dozen games during E3 2015 Press Conference
Sports! Sports! Sports!
When you think of sports video games, you think of Electronic Arts (or, more specifically, EA Sports). The powerhouse publisher loves sports so much that they plan to feature five athletic adaptations (FIFA 16, Madden NFL 16, NBA Live 16, NHL 16, and Rory Mcllroy PGA Tour) at the 2015 E3 Expo. However, the company’s E3 Press Conference will have plenty of other non-sports games on display, including Star Wars: Battlefront, Need For Speed, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and the world premiere of Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. But wait… there’s still more. The publisher plans to showcase “a dozen” games during their Press Conference, which means an additional three games will be have to be announced on stage. That said, we have a pretty good idea what EA’s internal studios are working on…
- Visceral is developing another Star Wars game, possibly starring Han Solo.
- Criterion is experimenting with some kind of wild transportation game.
- PopCap is making a “bigger and bolder” Plants vs Zombies game for consoles.
- BioWare is developing a Mass Effect game with a “MASSIVE” single-player campaign.
- And DICE is hard at work on Battlefield 5, which will launch in Fall 2016.
It’s likely that all of these titles will get at least a cursory mention during EA’s E3 Press Conference. And you can watch the presentation in the comfort of your own home as EA plans to broadcast the Press Conference live at LiveToPlay.EA.com on Monday, June 15 at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time). More details about all of this year’s previously-announced titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, FIFA 16, Madden NFL 16, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, NBA Live 16, Need For Speed, NHL 16, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: The Old Republic
Video Game Release Calendar Changelog: Pre-E3 2015 Edition
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 with a 2015, 2016, 2017, or unannounced release date.
The 2015 E3 Expo will kick off in just a few days with the first-ever E3 Press Conference from Bethesda. The publisher has promised a first look at Fallout 4, as well as Doom 4. Both games currently have “TBA” release dates, but that will likely change this Sunday. As I dive into the rest of the new release dates in this Pre-E3 2015 Edition of our Video Game Release Calendar Changelog, I can’t be sure I got them all. Dozens of games have release dates (or, at the very least, release windows) that didn’t before.
So here’s a few more games we can start looking forward to…
- Until Dawn, Sony’s “kids in the woods” horror game for the PS4, will be released on August 25.
- Skylanders SuperChargers will bring its “interactive game toys” (we need a better name for this genre) to nearly every platform on September 20.
- The Mega Man Legacy Collection will collect the first six games in the series on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Summer.
- Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection will bring the three PS3 games to the PS4 on October 9.
- Square Enix will release Dragon Quest Heroes on the PS4 on October 13.
- Bandai Namco’s Tales series will expand on October 20 with Tales of Zestiria on the PC, PS3, and PS4.
- And the next Tales game after that, Tales of Berseria, has been officially announced, but it’s release date is currently “TBA.”
Even more new release dates from this edition of the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. And check back with us after E3 when we’ll surely get the chance to pencil in even more release dates. (more…)
Xbox Store Today: Lego Jurassic World
After years of fevered anticipation, Jurassic World opened to some pretty amazing reviews this morning. Stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will no doubt be running away from dinosaurs all weekend long, but the original Jurassic Park will be hard to top. No one says “Must go faster!” (or “That is one big pile of s—.”) quite like Jeff Goldblum. And Sam Neill was so awesome that I watched Event Horizon just because he was in it (a mistake, in retrospect). Thankfully, gamers will be able to bring Lego versions of these actors together in Lego Jurassic World, a new game that spans the storyline of all four films.
Lego Jurassic World is available to download now from the Xbox Games Store for both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. And in case the “Lego _____” series of games is completely unfamiliar to you, here’s what you can expect if you download either version of the game today:
Xbox One Games
Lego Jurassic World ($59.99)
Following the epic storylines of Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Jurassic Park III, as well as the highly anticipated Jurassic World, Lego Jurassic World is the first videogame where players will be able to relive and experience all four Jurassic films. Reimagined in Lego form and told in TT Games’ signature classic Lego humor, the thrilling adventure recreates unforgettable scenes and action sequences from the films, allowing fans to play through key moments and giving them the opportunity to fully explore the expansive grounds of Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna.Xbox 360 Games
Lego Jurassic World ($49.99)
Lego Jurassic World is the first videogame to let players experience all four Jurassic films in humorous Lego form. The thrilling adventure recreates unforgettable scenes and action sequences from the films, allowing fans to play through key moments and giving them the opportunity to fully explore the expansive grounds of Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna.
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Lego Jurassic World
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 will be released on September 15
As promised, Konami officially announced Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 today and revealed a ton of new details about the soccer simulation. First things first, Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 will be released on September 15 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Developed using Konami’s proprietary Fox Engine, PES 2016 will make a variety of major changes to the series:
- New Master League – The famous and hugely popular Master League enjoys a total revamp, allowing users to immerse themselves in the managerial world of soccer. Every element has been redesigned or reworked, from the vibrant and involving menus to the new and exciting player transfer system, PES 2016 see one of the series most integral modes redefine the single-player experience.
- New Visuals – Incorporating the many advancements of the Fox Engine, the visuals have seen a huge upgrade. See the rain splash as players slide in to win possession, or the turf kick up as you strike the ball into the top corner. New night-time lighting and real turf textures are among some of the many improvements.
- Dynamic Weather – For the first time in the PES series, dynamic weather has been introduced, with the chance of rain starting during the game. Combined with the ever more realistic ball physics, the rain changes how the game can be played with passes speeding up, and less skilled players likely to struggle with trapping. The defender taken by the 1-on-1 will also be more likely to slip and fall due to incorrect studs or blades. This feature is applied to all offline modes including the Master League, and is an important element to decide the outcome of the match.
- Human Motion – Seeking to humanize player movement, 3x new animations have been added to bring the in-game superstars to life. Goalkeepers have seen an abundance of save animations added, while outfield players shoot, pass, dribble and tackle with incredible variety depending on the situation. Players complain when a foul isn’t given, or lament a teammate when a pass isn’t made when in open space. The new 1v1 control also benefits from this, with players being able to fool their opponents with shimmies and feints that can result in causing the opposing player to lose his balance and fall in the wrong direction!
- New Ball Physics – The past few years has seen the series make huge advancements in ball physics, and for PES 2016 new levels of realism have been reached. Each spin, bobble and ricochet has been calculated using real ball physic data, helping keep every moment in every game unique and unpredictable.
These additions and enhancements are only the beginning of Konami’s plan to rework PES 2016. The developer will also include a significantly improved collision system, a “aerial battle” experience, improved 1v1 player control, more intelligent player AI, individuality in performance for goalkeepers, and “Celebration Control” prompts. That’s right, PES 2016 gives players the chance to input a series of button presses to create their own unique celebration.
Konami will reveal even more information about Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, along with the first screenshots, during next week’s E3 Expo.