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
Rumor: A new Guitar Hero game will be released this Fall for PS4, Xbox One
Last week, an anonymous source revealed to Bloomberg that Harmonix is looking to revive the Rock Band franchise. Right on cue, another round of rumors have revealed that Activision might bring back the Guitar Hero franchise as well.
Two separate sources recently spoke to Kotaku UK and both are saying the same thing: Guitar Hero 7 (or whatever it ends up being called) is in development for a Fall release on the PS4 and Xbox One. Though before that happens, Activision plans to publicly unveil the game during the 2015 E3 Expo alongside “new guitar peripherals” and a “more realistic” graphical style.
Kotaku UK’s sources also said that Guitar Hero 7 is in development at a west coast studio, which rules out the New York-based Vicarious Visions, the previous home of the franchise. However, Infinity Ward, which absorbed Guitar Hero III developer Neversoft in 2014, is located in California. Interesting… very interesting.
Activision would not confirm the rumors, but they did tell Kotaku UK: “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation, but have previously said, that as one of the most beloved entertainment franchises, we would only bring Guitar Hero back if we developed the right innovations to usher the franchise into the new generation of gaming.”
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, Guitar Hero Live
GTA5 PC release slips again as Rockstar synchronizes a March 10 launch for Heists
Just when you thought Grand Theft Auto V was ready to come out for the PC… Rockstar pulls it back in.
Today, the publisher announced that Grand Theft Auto V’s PC edition will miss its previously announced March 24 release date and will launch on April 14 instead. According to Rockstar, the delay is due to the fact that “a bit more time is needed to ensure that the game is as polished as possible, and to make certain that both Heists and the GTA Online experience are ready to roll out on day one for PC.”
But speaking of Heists, Rockstar has also announced that the Heat-inspired multiplayer mode will be ready to go for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on March 10. You can steal a glance at some new screenshots from GTA5’s Heists mode at the Rockstar Newswire.
The ESRB has slapped Batman: Arkham Knight with a Mature rating
IGN is reporting that Rocksteady Studios has informed them that Batman: Arkham Knight has received a Mature rating from the ESRB. I wonder if this means he’ll tell someone that he’s “the goddamn Batman.”
Arkham Knight’s Director, Sefton Hill, told IGN that he was surprised by the ESRB’s ruling, especially after a Teen rating was granted to both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. Hill added that the team never specifically added content to the game in an effort to earn a Mature rating, but that he’s aware of how it may hurt the game at retail:
“I’m not blind to the fact that [the M rating] does mean some fans will miss out… I don’t want to be oblivious to that fact. It would have been wrong to water down the game and deliver a story we didn’t believe in to keep the game ‘mass market’ or enable it for more people. We feel that’s the wrong way to go about it. We said we love the story and we don’t want to jepoardize that.”
As of this writing (10:00 AM Eastern Time), the ESRB has yet to make the Batman: Arkham Knight’s “Rating Summary” available to the public.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Knight
PAX East 2015 Indie Megabooth lineup has been announced
The people behind the Indie Megabooth have announced this year’s PAX East 2015 lineup, which includes 79 games from 76 developers. The mazelike network of booths and carpet will feature a variety of eclectic games including previous PAXpocalypse selections such as Broforce (East 2014), Catlateral Damage (East 2014), Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (Prime 2013), Tumblestone (East 2014), and We Are Doomed (Prime 2013).
Trailers for every game are viewable at the Indie Megabooth official site and after taking in the short teasers, I’m sure a few other games will catch your fancy. I know I’m already planning to line up for Black Ice, a neon-coated beat ’em up/first person shooter; One More Line, a mobile game that feels like a Spider-Man simulator; and Titan Souls, a “Zeldalike” from Acidnerve.
In the interests of journalistic integrity, I’d also like to mention that Warp Zoned’s own Nicole Kline and Anthony Amato have earned a spot in this year’s Indie Megabooth Tabletop Area with their game, Resistor. I know I’m biased, but you should check it out.
You should also check out the complete list of games you’ll find within the Indie Megabooth at PAX East 2015, which is available after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Broforce, Catlateral Damage, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, PAX East 2015, Tabletop Games, Tumblestone, We Are Doomed
Monsters have a slight edge in Evolve after the first week (and other stats)
Turtle Rock and 2K Games launched Evolve on February 10 and they’ve been busy collecting statistics on all the Monster versus Hunter action since then. Through February 18, nearly six million rounds pf Evolve have been played with the Monster emerging victorious 51.9% of the time. While the Monsters have a slight advantage in total victories, a 52-48 ratio proves that Evolve is an incredibly well-balanced game.
All told, those six million matches tallied 58,461,472 total minutes of playtime with the shortest round lasting a Tyson-esque 60 seconds. The longest round clocked in at 43 minutes with the average sitting at nine minutes and 43 seconds.
Turtle Rock has produced a beautiful infographic depicting these stats and more (including the most popular Hunters and Evolve’s Twitch popularity). You can find it after the break. (more…)
New Releases: Dragon Ball Xenoverse, DW8: Empires, Homeworld Remastered, More
The final week of new releases in February includes a few familiar faces and a few that are… let’s go with less familiar.
Dragon Ball Z is definitely in the very familiar category as the popular anime series has spawned at least two dozen games over the last 20 years. Dragon Ball Xenoverse, the latest game in the series, will be released this week for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. And speaking of long-running franchises, Koei Tecmo will release Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires for the PS4 and Xbox One this week as well.
But the most familiar face might be one that we haven’t seen in a very long time as Gearbox Software is gearing up to release Homeworld Remastered Collection on the PC this week. A compilation containing revamped versions of Homeworld and Homeworld 2, the Collection will also include the original versions of both games in all their turn-of-the-millennium glory.
Finally this week, Maximum Games and HB Studios will bring Rugby 15 to the PS3, PS4, and Xbox One this week. Rugby 15 is the first rugby title to be released in North America in four years and will feature a variety of officially licensed leagues including Aviva Premiership Rugby, Pro 12, Top 14, and Pro D2.
The full list of this week’s new retail releases (including games on the PC, PS3, and Vita) can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Homeworld, Homeworld 2
Iron Galaxy reveals Killer Instinct’s “War Golem,” Aganos, in a new trailer
We knew that Killer Instinct‘s next downloadable character had been nicknamed “Golem” by the development team at Iron Galaxy. And now we know why… “Golem” is actually a massive rock warrior known as Aganos. Aganos is the largest character to ever be included in Killer Instinct and he delivers a ridiculous amount of punishment to what looks like the game’s entire roster in the trailer above. You can also get a more in-depth look at the rocky fighter by viewing Iron Galaxy’s recent developer stream.
But I’d recommend sticking with this trailer all the way until the very end. If you do, you’ll get a fleeting glimpse at Killer Instinct’s next character, a Japanese ghost girl that bears more than a passing resemblance to Samara from The Ring.
Aganos will be available to download by Ultra Edition owners on February 27 while Combo Breaker Edition owners will have to wait until March 5.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Killer Instinct
Xbox Store Today: Roundabout, IHF Handball Challenge 14
I don’t even know how to compare the two games being added to the Xbox Games Store today.
First up is Roundabout, a top-down limousine sim that’s set in the 70s and also includes live-action interludes of the passengers in the interior of the limousine. And did I mention the limousine is constantly spinning and that you have to gently nudge it around obstacles like a puzzle game? Because it is and you do. Roundabout is now available to download on the Xbox One.
Also available to download today is IHF Handball Challenge 14, which might be the first officially licensed professional handball game ever released in America. Handball is incredibly popular in Europe, but in America its typically relegated to that sport you play in gym class after basketball but before floor hockey. But if you’ve ever had aspirations of becoming a professional handball player, IHF Handball Challenge 14 is now available to download on the Xbox 360.
More details on both games can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Roundabout