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
- 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
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
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)
All Articles: PC
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
Pass Go and collect $200 with Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook
If you’ve been feeling depressed lately, you can take solace that we have finally achieved the pinnacle of Western civilization: EA and Hasbro have launched today Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook. The social game provides a new take on the classic board game franchise, allowing players to develop the sophistication of their own boards which their Facebook friends can then play on. Mechanics of the game itself have also been supplemented, with a deeper process for developing properties, such as turning on the electricity to get more money. A new progression system allows you to get better at the game as you play it; hopefully these don’t result in game-breaking advantages for players.
I checked out the game for a minute on Facebook and it seems to have both the accessibility of the source material as well as the social and progression aspects to keep you addicted for a long time. Monopoly Millionaires is available now, further exposing how much downtime there is at the American workplace.
Deep Silver brings Dead Island back from the grave
Developer Techland had a lot of interesting projects in the pipeline, but most seemed to be put on hold, seemingly indefinitely after the Call of Juarez series began. Fortunately, one of those projects, Dead Island, is being brought back by independent publisher Deep Silver. IGN had a lengthy preview of the game, which will still be open-world, first-person, and having a heavy focus on melee combat. You play on a resort island, so there’s not really caches of military weapons lying around. You’ll have to rely on everything and anything you can get your hands on, which is certainly reminiscent of Dead Rising. However, Techland sets its game apart with a physics engine that makes every strike you land result in a very specific injury to the undead, taking off a certain piece of skin or breaking bones.
When I first heard of Dead Island, it was billed as a PC/360 title as Techland’s Chrome 4 engine apparently didn’t support PS3 back then. That seems to have been cleared up, as the game’s now on track for release on the three main high definition platforms and slated for a 2011 release. Hit the jump for the new teaser trailer. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged Dead Island, PC, PS3, Xbox 360