Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Meet the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025: Quake, GoldenEye 007, Defender, and Tamagotchi
- The BAFTA Games Awards Polled the Public and Shenmue is “The Most Influential Video Game of All Time”
- 2024 GOTY Scoreboard: Astro Bot, Balatro, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, More
- The Strong Museum of Play Acquires Prototypes and Development Documents from Volition’s 30-Year History
- Minecraft’s Volume Alpha Soundtrack Has Been Added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- Fight Club, The Game David Fincher Didn’t Want You To Play – Time Extension (2025)
- It’s beginning to feel like gaming isn’t for everyone – Digital Trends (2025)
- 22 years later, modders are keeping SimCity 4 alive – The Verge (2025)
- The B-movies of Paul W.S. Anderson double as acts of devotion to his muse, Milla Jovovich – The AV Club (2025)
- Breakout, Ripoff, Genre: How Fiction Outgrows Originality – Uncanny Magazine (2025)
Most Recent: Articles
New Releases: Bayonetta 2, Civilization: Beyond Earth, Just Dance 2015, More
The third phase of Nintendo’s attempt to dominate the Fall gaming season arrives this week in the form of Bayonetta 2 for the Wii U. Platinum’s stylish witch has been given a second life by The Big N and the developer returned the favor by packaging the original Bayonetta with the sequel. Nintendo will also release a pair of smaller 3DS titles this week: Fantasy Life, an RPG/life simulation hybrid, and Pokemon Art Academy, a drawing game starring Pikachu.
Also available this week is the futuristic Civilization: Beyond Earth for the PC. Firaxis designed the game as a spiritual successor to the popular Alpha Centauri, which is something fans of the franchise have been asking for for a long time.
Speaking of franchises we haven’t seen in a long time… Ubisoft will bring Just Dance 2015 to the PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this week. That “long time” comment was a joke, by the way. What’s not a joke is the return of Harmonix, who are back with a new music game of their own, the Disney-inspired Fantasia: Music Evolved for the Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Finally this week, Telltale Games will release The Walking Dead Season 2 for the PS4 and Xbox One. Get your cleaning cloth ready, those tear-stained controllers won’t clean themselves.
A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Bayonetta 2, Civilization: Beyond Earth, Fantasia: Music Evolved, Just Dance 2015
Daily Scoop: October 17, 2014 – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has arrived… for me!
Well, it only took them three straight days and more than a few emails, but Gearbox finally sent me an “Appreciation” code for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Hopefully the code works, and I’ll be able to lay down and play some tonight! The bad news is, I’ve got an awful headache, which may mean no gaming for me. Time (and Tylenol) will tell!
The Humble Store is having a huge sale on Devolver Digital games this weekend! Shadow Warrior is $9.99, Hatoful Boyfriend is $4.99, Hotline Miami is $2.49, and Luftrausers is $4.99, among others. And the Steam Daily Deal is one of my favorite PC games – The Stanley Parable! Pick up this wacky indie game for just $5.09.
Let’s wrap this up like we always do: with some t-shirts!
Posted in Daily Scoop
Gearbox’s “Customer Appreciation” Debacle: A Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Non-Review
This is where my review of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel would be, if I had received the game on time. I received a free code for the game – a “Certificate of Appreciation” – from Gearbox when I went to their panel at PAX East. PAX Prime attendees of their panel also got Certificates. But many people who received these Certificates are just now getting game codes – or still waiting for them – three days after the game was released. (more…)
Project CARS release date moves to March 17, 2015 to avoid holiday competition
In order to avoid the stiff competition from this Fall’s “household names,” Slightly Mad Studios and Bandai Namco have announced that the release of Project CARS has been pushed back to March 17, 2015. This new release date will allow the developer to provide an extra layer of polish to the game.
“Our goal has always been to deliver a landmark title that encompasses the wishes and desires of racing fans from all around the world; something with features and content powered by the community that provide a truly unforgettable and pioneering experience” said Ian Bell, the Studio Head at Slightly Mad Studios. “Whilst a tough decision to make, the change in release date allows the game the greatest chance of success and visibility, and the opportunity to polish the game even further to the high standards that both ourselves and our community demand and expect. We’re eager for you all to see what we’ve been working on in just a few months.”
Project CARS’ new release date applies to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One editions of the game. It is also in development for the Wii U, and will be released for Nintendo’s console sometime in 2015.
Insert Quarter: Why Developers Still Make 2D Games… Because They Love Them
Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.
Why do developers still love to make 2D games? In this installment, USgamer’s Tyler Ohlew examines the relationship between developers and the two-dimensional worlds they create (often by hand). Speaking to developers behind modern 2D classics such as Shovel Knight, Guacamelee!, and SteamWorld Dig, he discovered that this relationship actually comes down to a love of the style and a universality that goes beyond simple nostalgia.
3D development is easier than ever now, with tools like Unity and Unreal Engine 4 available for very little cost or even free. So, in a landscape dominated by these 3D games, what compels a developer to look back and continue the work that was forced to take a back seat? Why does any developer work in 2D anymore?
You can read the rest of the article at USgamer.
Posted in 3DS, Insert Quarter, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Guacamelee, Shovel Knight, SteamWorld Dig
Destiny was destined to be the best-selling game of September 2014
After selling more than five million copies in its first week of availability, Bungie’s Destiny easily took the top spot as the best-selling game of September 2014. New releases ruled last month as The NPD Group’s latest report revealed that seven games cracked the top ten.
At #3, EA’s FIFA 15 challenged Destiny for the crown, but came up short. It was followed by Super Smash Bros. For 3DS (#4), Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (#5), NHL 15 (#6), The Sims 4 (#8), and Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (#9). The only holdovers were Madden NFL 15 (#2), Minecraft (#7), and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (#10).
According to Joystiq, despite Destiny’s massive success, game industry sales only grew by 2% over September 2013. Of course, September 2013 featured the release of Grand Theft Auto V, a singularly special event, and downloadable titles are constantly eating into retail’s market share. But good luck getting The NPD Group to admit to that.
This months top ten can be found in a handy list format after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Destiny, Diablo III, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, FIFA 15, Madden NFL 15, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Minecraft, NHL 15, NPD, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, The Sims 4
Guilty Gear Xrd Sign comes to PS4, PS3 in December
Aksys Games has announced that the Arc System Works-developed Guilty Gear Xrd Sign will be released for the PS4 and PS3 on December 16.
The publisher’s Director of Production, Frank “Bo” DeWindt II, signed onto the PlayStation Blog today to talk a bit about the game’s roster and the upcoming Limited Edition. I have to admit, Bedman sounds absolutely demented in the best possible way:
The character roster also has a lot of familiar faces, from the widely known Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske, two beacons of the Guilty Gear franchise, all the way to someone as cute and adorable as the Jellyfish pirate, May!
Some of the newer characters include the unique and cunning, Bedman, who, like his namesake, is attached to and fights using nothing else but… A BED! And of course the monotone and lovely Ramlethal Valentine, whose swords, if used correctly, can really dish out some punishment on your opponent.
The Guilty Gear Xrd Sign Limited Edition will include a variety of goodies, all housed in a box depicting the game’s “Backyard” locale. Inside the box, players will find the Vocal Collection soundtrack CD, the Guilty Gear Codex art book, and a keychain modeled after Sol Badguy’s “Free” belt buckle.
The PS3 version of the Limited Edition will be priced at $69.99, while the PS4 Limited Edition will set you back $79.99.
Posted in News, PS3, PS4
Tagged Guilty Gear Xrd Sign
Nintendo Download: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Ballpoint Universe: Infinite, more
The Castlevania series continues its slow takeover of the Wii U eShop with today’s addition of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance to Nintendo’s digital storefront. Harmony of Dissonance was the second game in the series released for the Game Boy Advance and is one of the few where the player doesn’t confront a resurrected Dracula.
Also available on the Wii U eShop today are two titles that take their inspiration from pen-and-paper drawing. Ballpoint Universe: Infinite is a shooter derived from “ballpoint-pen sketches,” while Paper Monsters Recut features a “living world made out of paper.”
Over on the 3DS eShop, players will be able to download the Game Boy Color classic Harvest Moon 2 GBC for the first time. More than a dozen titles have been released in the franchise since Harvest Moon 2 GBC’s release, so this one is truly a blast from the past.
More details on all of these games, as well as a few more new releases, can be found after the break. (more…)