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
The Behemoth headlines a list of 65 new developers added to ID@Xbox program
After single-handedly kickstarting the movement to bring indie developers to the console space with the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft seriously dropped the ball with their attempts at indie outreach on the Xbox One. Initially, indie developers were expected to partner with an established publisher to bring their games to the next-generation console. In 2005, this was a reasonable policy. But with Sony and Nintendo’s more open approach to indie developers in recent years, Microsoft has to change. So last year, they removed the publisher requirement and allowed indie developers to self-publish their games on the Xbox One through the ID@Xbox program. The first ID@Xbox games should be released over the next few weeks, but Microsoft has no plans to stop there.
Today, the consolemaker confirmed that over 200 developers have signed up to be a part of the ID@Xbox program. In recent days, 65 indie developers have received Xbox One development kits and the list includes some big names. The Behemoth (of Alien Hominid, Castle Crashers, and BattleBlock Theater fame) leads the way and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for the Xbox One.
A few other big names stand out including FarSight Studios (makers of The Pinball Arcade), Heart Machine (who are currently working on Hyper Light Drifter), Humble Hearts (the team behind Dust: An Elysian Tail), Playdead (the developers of Limbo), and Ska Studios (who created the recent Charlie Murder). The complete list of all 65 indie developers recently added to the ID@Xbox program can be found after the break. (more…)
Trials Fusion will be released on April 16
Ubisoft has just announced that the next entry in the beloved Trials series will be released on April 16.
Trials Fusion will be available to download on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam for $19.99. A $39.99 disc-based retail version, which will include the base game and a Season Pass, will also be made available for the next-generation consoles. The Season Pass will be available to purchase separately for $19.99, giving player access to new tracks, bike parts, rider gear, and other items in six packs that will release between now and April 2015. The packs will be available without the season pass, but without the savings of 30%.
If you’re new to the Trials series, here’s what Ubisoft and developer RedLynx had to say about some of the new features found in Trials Fusion:
Trials Fusion builds on the same maddeningly addictive physics-based gameplay as its predecessors while incorporating brand new features, including the FMX tricks system. Players will be able to create tracks that stretch both their imagination and skill, and put their friends to the ultimate Trials test by sharing online with the bustling Trials community, made possible by the fan-favorite Editor Mode.
You can watch the latest trailer for Trials Fusion above.
XBL Store Today: Thief, Castlevania: LoS2, PvZ: Garden Warfare, Pac-Man Museum
The Xbox Live Game Store is now home to four new games, and two of them will be available for the Xbox One in addition to the Xbox 360.
Thief, for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, marks the return of the stealthy Garrett. The adventures of the titular thief have been rebooted by Eidos Montreal, the developer that gave the Deus Ex franchise a similar makeover in 2011 with Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, the conclusion to Mercury Steam’s Lords of Shadow 2 saga, has also been added to the Xbox 360 section of the store today. And if getting bloody with Dracula isn’t your thing, there’s also PopCap’s cartoony shooter, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, which is available on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Finally, Bandai Namco has compiled many of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man’s earliest adventures in Pac-Man Museum for the Xbox Live Arcade. But the collection doesn’t just highlight their 80s heyday, the pack also includes newer releases such as Pac-Man Championship Edition and the never-been-released Pac-Man: Battle Royale. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Pac-Man Museum, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, Thief
PS4 version of Octodad pushed back to April; Xbox One version a possibility
If you’re waiting to play Octodad: Dadliest Catch on the PlayStation 4, you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer. The game has been pushed back to an April release, according to tweets from the game’s Twitter account.
The good news is that there might be an Xbox One version of the game in the works. Again, according to Twitter, “Our word on the Xbox One version is, ‘We’re thinking about it.'”
The other good news is that, if all else fails, you can always play it on PC.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Xbox One + TitanFall Bundle will be available on March 11
TitanFall is, without question, this Spring’s most anticipated new game. All apologies to the glorious platforming found in Shovel Knight or the majestic difficulty of Dark Souls II, but it’s true. Microsoft, naturally, wants to promote the Xbox One’s big exclusive and they plan to do that by offering a special Xbox One Console + TitanFall Bundle.
Available on March 11, the Xbox One console in the bundle won’t feature a TitanFall-themed paint job, but it will be priced at $499.99 and include a free Xbox Live download code for the game. The Xbox One Console + TitanFall Bundle will be available in limited quantities, and pre-orders are now open at Amazon.
The most interesting thing about this announcement is that it confirms a rumor that began floating around at the end of last month. The TitanFall bundle was mentioned alongside white, 1TB, and discless consoles. So we might be in for a few more of these announcements before the end of the year. And a part of me is very interested in what a discless Xbox One would be like.
New Releases: Thief, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Layton: Azran Legacy, More
Square Enix Montreal will attempt to go two-for-two in the reboot department this week with the release of Thief for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. After masterfully resurrecting the Deus Ex franchise a few years ago with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, gamers are optimistic about the first Thief game in a decade.
Also available this week is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), the concluding chapter in the “Lords of Shadow” saga. Know one knows what’s next for the Castlevania franchise, but its future looks bright on home consoles once again. Over in the handheld realm, another final chapter will be written as Nintendo and Level-5 will release Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy for the 3DS. The Layton series will live on, but Azran Legacy will be the last game to star the good Professor himself.
Jumping from lasts to firsts, PopCap Games will release their first shooter game this week, the Xbox One/Xbox 360-exclusive Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare. Finally this week, a pair of classic game collections will be available to purchase with your gaming dollar, both from Bandai Namco: Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (PS3) and Pac-Man Museum (PC, PS3, Xbox 360).
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Pac-Man Museum, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, Tales of Symphonia, Thief
Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut coming to PS4, Xbox One in March
In Born Ready’s trailer for Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut, there are three simple steps to winning: “Pilot the Strike Suit. Obliterate the enemy. Save Earth.” That’s easy enough, right? The Director’s Cut, which is referred to as the “definitive version of the game,” has “a restructured campaign… with an adapted story and all new dialogue,” according to Born Ready’s announcement. This restructuring allows players to man the Strike Suit even sooner, jumping right into the action.
Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One in March, and Born Ready will be announcing a PC version “later this spring.”
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut