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
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- 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
Ubisoft reveals new details about Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s modern day
SPOLIERS for Assassin’s Creed III ahead! You’ve been warned…
We have known for a while that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag would feature pirate rogue Edward Kenway, father and grandfather to Haytham and Conner Kenway, the previous game’s villain and hero. However, Ubisoft has managed to keep a lid on the present day shenanigans, especially since the previous present day protagonist, Desmond Miles, met a grim end at the hands of Juno.
In the continued trickle of information before the new game launches this October, lead writer Darby McDevitt recently took to Twitter for a Q&A session with fans to address some burning questions about the present day gameplay. McDevitt revealed that previous characters, such as William Miles, Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, would make a return, and said that “the story is ongoing, but from a different perspective now.” Asked if Subject 16 would return, McDevvit answered, “No, but Subject 17 may… in a roundabout way.” Could Desmond be making his way back from the grave through the Animus?
The different perspective seems to be an unnamed employee of Abstergo Entertainment, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (coincidentally, Black Flag is in development at Ubisoft Montreal). McDevitt was quick to clarify that this does not necessarily mean you play as a Templar, as many employees at the company are unaware of the lengthy war between the two factions. Yet, when asked if the relatively new Abstergo employee was aware of Assassins, Templars, or Juno and her race, McDevitt replied, “Yes, we will slowly reveal the existence of Assassins, Templars, and…” leaving fans hanging on the conjunction.
He also revealed you would have a desk in the Abstergo Entertainment offices, posting a screenshot that showed shelves with various action figures on it, one of which is dressed in assassin’s clothing. It seems the desk will act as a sort of hub for the present day mission, which McDevitt said would have a clear story arc. While not answering whether the new character was related to the Miles clan, McDevitt did note that “Abstergo’s tech has improved. They have genetic memory cloud servers that allow anyone to dive into another’s memories.” This allows the writer some breathing space in creating a completely new character, but raises further questions regarding the syncing of memories to the genetic code. He also mentioned that the fan favourite glyph puzzles would return in some form, possibly as hacking side missions.
[Source: UbiBlog]
Honor Watch Dogs by watching this “E3 Honors” trailer
Like every other trade show/convention it’s been a part of, Watch Dogs swept into E3 2013 on a wave of hype and swept out with an armful of awards and accolades.
According to Ubisoft, the game received over 90 “Best of E3” awards and nominations from a wide variety of publications including Machinima, Kotaku, IGN, The Escapist, and many more. They’ve compiled some of the kind words into the new gameplay trailer above. Like every other Watch Dogs trailer, it’s definitely worth your time.
Watch Dogs will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on November 19. PS4 and Xbox One editions will also be available before the end of the year.
Bethesda delays Wolfenstein: The New Order into 2014
Bethesda’s Vice President of Marketing, Pete Hines, has tweeted that Wolfenstein: The New Order has been delayed. The latest game in the series, in development at Sweden’s Machine Games, had previously been set for a Fall 2013 release. Due to a need for more polish, the game will now be released in 2014:
We have confirmed today at QuakeCon that Wolfenstein will ship next year, all platforms. Felt it deserved some additional time for polish.
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) August 1, 2013
When it does finally make its way to stores, Wolfenstein: The New Order will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Hines has specifically ruled out a Wii U version, so Nintendo fans are out of luck.
Ubisoft plans to bring a brand new next-gen IP to Gamescom 2013
Ubisoft plans to make a big splash at this year’s Gamescom expo, which kicks off on August 21 in Cologne, Germany. The publisher will have nine games playable on the show floor (including Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, The Crew, and more). They also plan to debut a “new next-gen IP currently in development.”
“This year’s Gamescom is particularly exciting because it’s the first time players can really get their hands on the next-gen consoles and games they have been waiting for,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO, Ubisoft. “Gamescom is a unique opportunity for us to connect face-to-face with our fans and listen to their feedback, and we think they’ll love what we’re bringing to this year’s show.”
A complete rundown of Ubisoft’s Gamescom lineup can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Gamescom 2013, Rayman Legends, The Crew, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Watch Dogs
EA expects to release Star Wars: Battlefront in 2015
In the run-up to this year’s E3 Expo, Electronic Arts broke our hearts and confirmed that the DICE-developed Star Wars: Battlefront wouldn’t be released this year. It looks like it won’t be released next year either. The publisher held their Annual Meeting of Stockholders yesterday and CFO Blake Jorgensen told the assembled crowd that EA plans to release the next Battlefront alongside the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode VII in 2015:
“We have partnered with Walt Disney and LucasFilm to develop a whole new generation of Star Wars games for the console as well as for mobile and handheld devices. The first game that we’re focused on is Battlefront. It’s a traditional game that’s done extremely well and this will most likely come out around the same time as the Star Wars movies start to come out, probably in the Summer of [2015].”
Jorgensen didn’t mention the company’s other Star Wars project, an untitled game in the works at Visceral, but presumably it’ll be released after Battlefront.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars: Battlefront
Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer reveal set for August 14
Activision and Infinity Ward have announced that gamers around the world will get their first glimpse at Call of Duty: Ghosts‘ multiplayer mode on August 14 at 10:30 AM (Pacific Time). The Los Angeles-based event will be livestreamed through the official Call of Duty website, so be sure to bookmark it now.
Call of Duty: Ghosts will be available for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on November 5. The game will also be available for the PS4 and Xbox One during each system’s launch.
Madden NFL 25 brings together the the best players of the last 25 years with All-25 Team
Boom! John Madden will return to the sidelines of an NFL game next month in Madden NFL 25. The bombastic coach (and turducken fan) will manage the All-25 Team, a collection of the best players of the last 25 years.
EA Sports plans to unveil the All-25 Team over the next two weeks on the official Madden website. So far, only two players have been revealed as part of the All-25 Team: running back Marshall Faulk (formerly of the St. Louis Rams) and fullback Mike Alstott (formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
Madden NFL 25 will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 27. The All-25 Team will also strut their stuff on the PS4 sometime this Fall and on the Xbox One this November.
NBA 2K14 soundtrack handpicked by Lebron James… listen to it now!
In a first, cover athlete Lebron James has been tapped by 2K Sports to select the songs that will appear on NBA 2K14‘s soundtrack. The soundtrack to last year’s game, NBA 2K13, was handpicked by Jay-Z, that title’s honorary “Executive Producer.” The world’s most famous sports agent also raps occasionally, and James has included Jay-Z’s “The Ruler’s Back” amongst this year’s selections.
“2K is letting me take control of some important elements in NBA 2K14, including this year’s soundtrack,” James said. “I love that I’m the first NBA 2K cover athlete to choose the soundtrack.”
So what other songs did King James choose? You can listen for yourself at Spotify or you can check out the complete soundtrack listing after the break. Actually, feel free to do both. (more…)