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
Nintendo of America Needs To Fix Club Nintendo
Nintendo confuses me at times. On one hand, their studios are among the best. Nobody can deny that when an official Nintendo game is released, it will likely be a great title. On the other hand, some of their internal practices are questionable at best. Case in point: Nintendo of America’s handling of Club Nintendo. Many diehard fans (myself included) have been left scratching their heads at some of the Big N’s decisions. What started off as an amazing way to get Nintendo swag has devolved into a barren wasteland of repeating digital games and greeting cards.
That’s not to say it’s all bad. The digital offerings we get every month are appreciated (although I would like to have more third party Virtual Console titles), and they are reasonably priced. The limited-edition freebies, such as the Smash Bros. soundtrack and Hyrule Warriors DLC are a step in the right direction, but with Nintendo’s merchandising partners and deep pockets, one wonders why the physical rewards are near non-existent. Do they not feel physical rewards are economically viable? Are they just liquidating old inventory before bringing out a new wave of products? Did they run out of ideas, or do they just not care anymore? The truth is that we’ll never know why Nintendo is giving their North American fans the cold shoulder. We may never see an actual renaissance of Club Nintendo rewards, but here are a few ways Nintendo could fix Club Nintendo in the eyes of many gamers. (more…)
Daily Scoop: September 30, 2014 – Last day of September
Tomorrow is the first day of October, and you know what that means – time to really start putting together the Halloween costumes! Anthony Amato and I have known what we’ve wanted to be for a while, but we just have to actually get all of the components. Then it’s just time to party!
You’ve still got some time to pick up all those bundles at Humble Bundle, some of which are ending soon. You’ve still got plenty of time for the PC and Android 11 Bundle and the Humble Mobile Bundle 8, but time is running out for the Leading Ladies Weekly Bundle and the 11 Bit Studios Flash Bundle.
As always, Steam has lots of specials that you’ll want to keep your wallet far away from. Duke Nukem Forever is $4.99, Dragon Age: Origins – Ultimate Edition is $7.49, and my personal favorite, Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Edition, is on sale for a measly $9.99. Scoop ’em up!
Not many t-shirts again today…
Posted in Daily Scoop
Oh my god… somebody is making a Tetris movie
And that somebody is Larry Kasanoff, the same producer behind 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s less-impressive Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Kasanoff told The Wall Street Journal that his production studio, Threshold Entertainment, has signed a deal with The Tetris Company to produce the film as a theatrical release.
There’s no word yet on who will star in the film or when it’ll open in theaters, but Kasanoff believes that Tetris: The Movie should take the form of a massive sci-fi blockbuster:
“It’s a very big, epic sci-fi movie,” Threshold’s CEO Larry Kasanoff tells Speakeasy [a WSJ blog] exclusively. “This isn’t a movie with a bunch of lines running around the page. We’re not giving feet to the geometric shapes.”
Kasanoff’s sci-fi take on the game’s story isn’t the first time Tetris has looked to the stars for inspiration. The “plot” of 2002’s Tetris Worlds involved rescuing a race of intelligent machines from a dying planet through the power of “Tetrion Gates.” Each gate was unlocked once the player lined up a series of Minos (Tetris pieces) along the bottom of the well.
Personally, I hope it’s like the Captain N episode, “The Trouble With Tetris.”
Harmonix shares first gameplay video of Amplitude HD
Four months after the completion of their wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, Harmonix is ready to give gamers their first look at the upcoming Amplitude reboot.
The video was unveiled within the game’s latest Kickstarter update and it is definitely an early look. Things are so preliminary that the levels don’t even have backgrounds yet. But for Amplitude fans, it’s an exciting look into the future of the franchise on the PS3 and PS4.
If all goes well, the Amplitude reboot should be released in Spring 2015.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Online now available on iOS App Store
If you’ve ever wanted to play a Pokemon game on your iPad, now’s your chance. As of today, Pokemon Trading Card Game Online is now available through the iOS App Store as a free download.
Pokemon TCG Online includes everyone you’ll need to get started with the game. Players will be able to compete in player-versus-computer and player-versus-player battles as well as deal with deck building, card trading, avatar customization, and more. For those who are completely new to the card game, Pokemon TCG Online also features an extensive tutorial. New cards can be earned after winning battles and they can also be unlocked with the purchase of “physical theme decks, booster packs, and other Pokemon TCG products.”
“The iPad version of Pokemon TCG Online makes it even easier for fans to pick up the game and begin playing immediately,” said J.C. Smith, director of Consumer Marketing at The Pokemon Company International. “We want to provide players with various access points to play and enjoy the Pokemon TCG, whether it’s the traditional tabletop game, PC and Mac version, or the iPad and iPad mini app.”
Daily Scoop: September 29, 2014 – Flash Sale!
Monday is back with a vengeance, and we’re all mourning the wonderful weekends we had. In our case, we went to Ratha Yatra, created characters for a 5e D&D game, and played tons of board games. Oh, and we did a lot of work on RESISTOR_, which is unsurprising. Heck, I even got a chance to play a little First Light!
Speaking of all the games, there’s a brand new Flash Bundle happening at Humble Bundle right now. Pay what you want for Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Anomaly: Warzone Earth Mobile Campaign, Sleepwalker’s Journey, and Funky Smugglers. Pay $6 or more to unlock Anomaly Korea, Anomaly 2, and the bonus content for Anomaly 2. Finally, pay $10 or more to unlock SPACECOM.
Steam has a new Daily Deal as well. It’s everyone’s favorite Surgeon Simulator 2013, which is on sale for $2.49. You should scoop it up!
Just a few t-shirts today…
Posted in Daily Scoop
F.E.A.R. Online will be released on October 17
Aeria Games and WB Games have announced that F.E.A.R. Online will be available to download through Steam on October 17. Interested players can also sign up for an open beta, which begins October 8, on the game’s official website.
F.E.A.R. Online is a free-to-play shooter set within the F.E.A.R. universe where players will cooperatively do battle with the “unsettling experiments” created by Armacham Technology Corporation:
In F.E.A.R. Online, tensions reach a boiling point as the F.E.A.R. task force investigates Armacham Technology Corporation’s unsettling experiments. With several team combat modes spanning more than ten ominous maps, the game is packed with chilling details. The storyline continues in cooperative scenarios that detail the terrifying occurrences surrounding the F.E.A.R. team, in parallel to the events of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Up to four players can team up and fight for their lives against both hostile Armacham personnel and hideous monsters lurking around every corner.
F.E.A.R. 3, released in 2011, was the last game in the F.E.A.R. franchise.
Joe Madureira and other ex-Vigil developers form Airship Syndicate
Joe “Joe Mad” Madureira is a pretty big name in the comics industry, having worked on multiple titles in the Marvel universe such as Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Avenging Spider-Man, The Ultimates, and Savage Wolverine. He was also one of the founders of Vigil Games, which developed Darksiders and Darksiders II for THQ before the publisher closed its doors in 2013. Since then, many of Vigil’s developers have found homes at Gunfire Games and the now defunct Crytek USA. Madureira himself (along with Ryan Stefanelli, Steve Madureira, and other ex-Vigil employees) has also set sail for new pastures… specifically that of Airship Syndicate.
Airship Syndicate is located in Austin, Texas and is currently gearing up to begin work on their first project. Details are pretty sparse right now, but the developer did say on their official website: “RPG? Metroidvania? Battle Chasers Open World Kart Racer? You never know. Any way you shake it, adventure is the name of the game.”
Howwever, Stefanelli told Game Informer that the team will be small, and that they plan to create, “classic experiences with a modern edge.” That’s a common refrain for indie teams these days. Stefanelli added that Airship’s first game is currently in development for the PC and consoles with Madureira chiming in to say, “the game we’re working on now isn’t [Darksiders III].”
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Battle Chasers: Nightwar