Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Has Another Big Night and Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2025-2026 DICE Awards
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- The Game Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Racks Up Nine Wins, Including “Game of the Year”, at the 2025 Game Awards
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- 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)
- In 2005, games started rewiring our brains – The AV Club (2025)
All Articles: PC
Hail to Duke Nukem Forever’s Mature rating
Every game that has ever been threatened with an Adults Only rating from the ESRB is an amateur next to Duke Nukem Forever. As expected, the ESRB has awarded the game a Mature rating. And the reasons behind the rating have likely got every member of the “Won’t someone think of the children!” brigade salivating at the chance to denounce it in public.
According to the ESRB, Duke Nukem Forever was given a Mature rating for “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol.” That mouthful is topped by the game’s Rating Summary, which reads like a laundry list of every complaint Fox News has ever lobbed against video games (and then some).
So who wants some? Hit the break to find out exactly why the ESRB gave Duke Nukem Forever a Mature rating. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged Duke Nukem Forever, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
June release scared up for Alice: Madness Returns, Shadows of the Damned
This June is going to be a scary time, that is if EA has anything to say about it. The megapublisher used the Game Developers Conference to reveal when two of their scariest games will be in stores.
Shadows of the Damned is the brainchild of Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) and Suda 51 (No More Heroes), so you know it’ll be pretty disturbing. We also now know that the PS3 and Xbox 360 game will be released on June 7.
A week later, on June 14, EA will push Alice: Madness Returns out the door. The PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sequel to the classic American McGee’s Alice is being developed by Spicy Horse under McGee’s supervision. It also has the freakiest trailer I’ve seen this year.
Posted in News
Tagged Alice: Madness Returns, PC, PS3, Shadows of the Damned, Xbox 360
Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo out today on PC, back on 360, PS3 long forgotten
The multiplayer demo for Crysis 2 that launched a few weeks ago on Xbox Live is back, and this time the invasion has spread to PCs as well. You can download the demo for Windows here. In addition to the Skyline map, this version includes Pier 1 Imports 17, with the same two modes of Team Deathmatch Instant Action and Crash Site. Unfortunately there’s still no confirmation of the demo heading to the PS3 anytime soon, which is disappointing for many. Either Crytek is stuck in the 2007-thinking that only the 360 crowd likes shooters, or they’re scared to compete with another outstanding multiplayer offering.
In any case, it would be nice for a PSN demo to hit before the March 22 release date. Crysis 2 was a recurring game on Warp Zoned’s inaugural The Next Level as we looked ahead to the games of March 2011.
Serious Sam 3 goes boom this Summer
Croteam has been doing serious work on the third game in the Serious Sam series since 2009. Today, they unveiled the first screenshots of their labor and announced that Serious Sam 3: BFE would be released on consoles and the PC this Summer. There’s no word yet on what the BFE stands for.
Serious Sam 3 will actually be a prequel to the first game in the series and it’ll tell the tale of how Sam Stone first became “Serious” battling Mental’s forces back in 22nd century Egypt. While the game is powered by a brand new engine and sports a more realistic look, Serious Sam 3 is still all about the boom… or in the words of Croteam: “No cover systems, no camping – it’s just you and them. All of them.”
But that’s not to say there won’t be a few new tricks up Sam’s sleeveless shirt. This time around Sam will be able to perform melee attacks and take on the campaign mode with 15 of his closest friends. A variety of Versus Modes and new enemies round out Serious Sam 3’s big package.
When asked about the sales prospects of Serious Sam 3, the game’s publisher, Devolver Digital was very excited: “Holy crap, I am going to make a boatload of cash of this game,” said Fork Parker, chief financial officer at Devolver Digital, the Serious Sam 3: BFE publisher. “I mean that’s what this is all about, right? If this thing comes out in the summer my wife is totally getting the tit job she’s been asking for.”
Serious Sam was originally created to fill the void left by the continuing delays of Duke Nukem Forever, so it’ll be very interesting to see the two titans of the “gratuitous gunplay” genre go head-to-head in the marketplace this year.
Check out the first screenshots of Serious Sam 3: BFE after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged PC, PS3, Serious Sam 3: BFE, Xbox 360
Robot Entertainment announces first original game, declares ‘Orcs Must Die!’
Many of you may recognize Robot Entertainment as formerly Ensemble Studios, creators of Halo Wars and the legendary RTS series Age of Empires. They’re still supporting those titles, but today have announced their first new IP, Orcs Must Die! As you may have guessed from the title, this game invites you to slaughter as many of the green fiends as you can. The game combines elements of tower defense and action games, as you set traps to wipe out oncoming waves, or jump into the action yourself.
“Robot exists to make great games that our fans love. Orcs Must Die! is our first original title, and we’re counting on players to do what must be done: drive the orcs into oblivion!” demanded Robot CEO Patrick Hudson.
Orcs Must Die! will be showcased at PAX East in Boston from March 11 to 13, so expect more information here on Warp Zoned. The game is scheduled for a summer downloadable release on PC and consoles.
Posted in News
Tagged Orcs Must Die!, PAX East 2011, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Radical Entertainment draws on Penny Arcade for new Prototype 2 teaser
Fans of Penny Arcade may remember this comic where Gabe gave some nice consumer advice on whether to buy the original Prototype. Recognizing the logic of the strip, Radical Entertainment has incorporated it into a special teaser expounding on the complementary nature of karate kicks and helicopters. The short trailer was created to promote the game’s appearance on the cover of the April 2011 issue of EGM.
Unfortunately, we have about a year to go before we can get in on the helicopter-kicking action with Prototype 2 sometime in 2012.
Posted in News
Tagged PC, Prototype 2, PS3, Xbox 360
F.3.A.R.’s Paxton Fettel playable in single player
There’s already so much awesome going on with F.3.A.R. that I’m groaning over the delay from March to May. Now there’s even more to look forward to, as Warner Bros. has announced that Paxton Fettel will be playable in the single player as well as through co-op. The original plan was that he would be playable only with his brother, Point Man, opening up new avenues for both characters with his supernatural abilities. But now, after finishing a chapter as Point Man, you can go back and play it solo as Fettel.
I’ve had the chance to play this game twice already, and it’s absolutely awesome. Playing as Fettel is a completely brand new experience, as you can inhabit the bodies of your enemies to mow down other foes and even wreak more havoc than ever before from mechs. It looks like they’ve made him a bit more formidable as well – previously he depended more on his brother for the more powerful attacks, but now he seems to be kicking ass all on his own. Hit the jump for a killer video. (more…)
Champions Online grows 1000% after going free, gives back special XP boost
Atari and Cryptic took a bold, if not contemporary venture when they launched Champions Online: Free for All last month, nixing the required subscription for the ambitious MMO and moving to an a la carte model for premium content. It seems to have paid off immensely, as the game’s “online concurrent user, unique login and revenue totals” have increased by over 1000%. As a way of saying thank you, the developers have released an XP boost for all players which you can activate from the C-Store tab or here. CEO John Needham said “we’re extremely proud of what the Champions team has accomplished with the Free for All launch. It’s a pleasure to thank our fans and welcome new ones with this gift.”
It’s always interesting to see new pricing trends emerge in gaming, and certainly delightful when semi-altruistic endeavors like this pay off for the developers. If you haven’t checked out the game, now would be a better time than ever to do so.
Posted in News
Tagged Champions Online, PC