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
Tony Hawk talks up Pro Skater 2015 at CES 2015
Tony Hawk wants to remind all of us that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2015 is still in development. Taking the stage during Sony’s CES 2015 keynote, the famed skateboarder confirmed that the next Tony Hawk game is currently in development for the PS4.
But if you’re an Xbox One owner, fear not, Hawk told TMZ that the game is also in the works for Microsoft’s new-gen console back in November.
Hawk will once again be working with Activision to develop the console game, as well as a currently unnamed mobile spinoff to replace the previously announced Tony Hawk’s Shred Session, which was recently canceled (excuse me, “indefinitely postponed”). The last Tony Hawk game for consoles, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, was released in 2012.
[Source: CVG]
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
First issue of Mortal Kombat X comic available today
DC Comics has announced (via their Read DC Entertainment portal) that the first issue of the Mortal Kombat X miniseries will be available digitally beginning today.
The comic series will serve as a bridge between 2011’s Mortal Kombat and this April’s Mortal Kombat X. Old favorites (Scorpion, Raiden, Kenshi), new friends (Cassie Cage), and characters that fit into neither category (Hsu Hao, Daegon) will all appear within its pages. Hopefully this is a hint that Kenshi will soon be announced as a playable character in Mortal Kombat X, but we know the comic series will include non-playable characters as well.
Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon recently shared a few preview images from the comic through his Twitter account.
Iron Galaxy will add the ghostly Omen to Killer Instinct soon
Iron Galaxy has announced the next character to join Season 2 of Killer Instinct will be Omen, the “Herald of Gargos.” For players who have been following along with Killer Instinct’s growing mythology, Omen is the demonic presence that previously possessed Shadow Jago. According to a post on the game’s official forums, Omen “has drawn enough power through his battles as Shadow Jago to manifest physically on the mortal plane.”
Like Season 1’s release of Shadow Jago, Omen will be released as a bonus character and will only be available to players who purchased Season 2’s Ultra Edition or Combo Breaker bundle. And like Shadow Jago, Omen will not be sold as a separate download. Iron Galaxy has promised to host a livestream introducing the character this week and release a full trailer next week. Omen will be available to download sometime after that (likely in mid-January). Until then, here’s what Iron Galaxy has to say about his movest:
His moveset has some familiar normals from Jago, some new ones, and his specials are either all-new or ones that you only the boss version of Shadow Jago used. We’ll talk more about his repertoire in detail next week, so until then, here are some quick highlights:
- 3 shadow stocks!
- Shadow-powered ability to cancel any action, turn into shadow, and move a short distance in any direction
- Multi-hitting close-range kick special
- Powerful projectile zoning with some radical projectile options
- A special move that burns all 3 stocks!
- Aerial movement options
- Slide
A fleeting glimpse of Omen’s arm and bat-like wings can be found at the Ultra-Combo Forum.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Killer Instinct
Inafune confirms that development on Mighty No. 9 is almost done in this New Year’s video
Keiji Inafune has posted a short “New Year’s” video to update fans of Mighty No. 9 on the game’s progress. According to the Mega Man creator, full development on Mighty No. 9 is almost complete and the only step left is porting the game to all the platforms it’ll be available on this Spring. But that’s a pretty important step as Inafune and his team at Comcept (and co-developer Inti Creates) plan to bring Mighty No. 9 to a boatload of platforms including the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, 3DS, and Vita.
Hats off to the latest kombatant added to Mortal Kombat X… Kung Lao
GamesMaster, one of the United Kingdom’s most popular gaming magazines, had promised to reveal a brand new Mortal Kombat X character on or around the first of the year. But it’s very possible that Pelaaja, a Finnish gaming magazine, has scooped them by a single day.
According to Pelaaja (as translated by Test Your Might), the man with the razor-rimmed hat, Kung Lao, will take part in Mortal Kombat X’s far-future fight for the fate of the realm. Owing to the game’s time skip, this Kung Lao will be considerably older than the one that gamers are used to. Though how NetherRealm will explain away Kung Lao’s death during the events of 2011’s Mortal Kombat remains to be seen. But that didn’t stop Perlaaja from discussing Kung Lao’s three variations:
The differences between Kung Lao’s “Tempest,” “Buzz Saw” and “Hat Trick” variations happen to be the biggest ones yet. With “Tempest” Kung Lao uses more spinning attacks and has the ability to set his hat to spin around him as a shield of sorts. In his “Buzz Saw” variation his hat is sharpened with razor blade edges and allows the player to control his hat throws more. “Hat Trick” is the most experimental of the three, because you can throw and call back your hat at any point you want. This keeps the opponent on their toes, because the hat can extend combos.
The article also contains the first details about the game’s online faction system and the return of the Challenge Tower. Players will choose a faction when they first launch the game (Lin Kuei, White Lotus, Brotherhood of Shadows, Special Forces, or Black Dragon) and the system will control how the menus look based on the number Battle Points earned by players. How you earn Battle Points, and if they’ll have any impact on the game beyond the menus, is unknown. And as for the Challenge Tower, Pelaaja reports that “the towers and their challenges change constantly, even by the hour.”
Mortal Kombat X will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on April 14.
Insert Quarter: Publishers Need to be More Upfront About DLC
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
Downloadable Content. If you didn’t consider it the scourge of the gaming industry before, you probably do now. With games like Assassin’s Creed: Unity and DriveClub shipping to stores in a less-than-playable state, the downloadable content that publishers have planned begins to lose its luster. But that hasn’t stopped these publishers from asking for your money in the form of season passes. Sometimes, like in the case of 2K’s Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, without detailing exactly what content these passes will include.
Game Informer’s Mike Futter believes that it is time for publishers to be more upfront with their DLC plans in an effort to rebuild a level of trust with the gamers of the world. Even though DLC has become a very important part of the business side of the industry:
I am guilty. I have pre-ordered games. I have purchased season passes without full details of the contents. I have done these things based on my enthusiasm for the medium and faith in the publishers. That time has passed.
The full article is available for your perusal at Game Informer.
Posted in Insert Quarter, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Halo 5: Guardians special editions announced as beta begins
The Halo 5: Guardians beta test begins today, but Microsoft also wants you to know that the game is now available for pre-order through your favorite (and not so favorite) retailers. To that end, the consolemaker has also announced (via Xbox Wire) that the game will be available in three different pacakges:
Standard Edition ($59.99) – A copy of Halo 5: Guardians plus an exclusive poster, only available to those who pre-order.
Limited Edition ($99.99) – Everything in the Standard Edition plus new digital content to enhance Spartan combat and exclusive items wrapped in a uniquely designed steel book.
Limited Collector’s Edition ($249.99) – Everything in the Limited Edition as well as additional content such as a commemorative numbered statue designed by 343 Industries. More details on the design to be shared at a later date.
Halo 5: Guardians will be released exclusively for the Xbox One this Fall (a final release date has yet to be announced), but you can join the multiplayer beta now through January 18 (as long as you own a copy of Halo: The Master Chief Collection).
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Halo 5: Guardians
Insert Quarter: 2014’s Interesting Achievements and Trophies
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
I’m not going to lie, I love Achievements/Trophies. It just makes me giddy to hear that little ding after I’ve completed some endeavor. Especially if it’s a difficult one. Game Informer’s Kyle Hilliard feels the same way and he compiled a list of ten games released this year that include great Achievements/Trophies. He and I also agree that the weird ones are the best:
I fall into the love camp, and these are some of my favorites from 2014. The achievements and trophies I find most interesting aren’t the ones that mark your progress in a storyline or reward you for attaining a certain number of headshots. I like the ones that force you to think outside of the normal functions of the game or reward you for doing something weird.
The full article is available for your perusal at Game Informer.