Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books Gets a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
- GDC Awards: All the Winners from 1996 to Today
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins “Game of the Year” at 2025-2026 GDC Awards
- Silent Hill, Dragon Quest, Skyrim, and More Announced as Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
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: PSP
First Madden NFL 12 details emerge
While most of us were pulling our hair out at how atrociously bad the Black Eyed Peas were last night, Ian Cummings, Creative Director of Madden NFL 12 (yes, Madden games have those) took some time out for the fans during half time to blog about some of the game’s new features. One was the input shown above where A, A, B on the 360 controller executes a surprise onside kick. The other major feature is “Tuner Sets” – gameplay balances that were previously featured in past NHL and NCAA games that allows the developers to tweak the gameplay without the cumbersome process of getting Sony and Microsoft to approve a patch. This will probably save all of us a lot of time and go a long way in keeping online play fun and free from exploits.
More Madden NFL 12 information can be found at the Madden NFL developer’s blog.
With the exception of the NBA Elite debacle last year, EA Sports has really been impressing game critics with their last few rounds of iterations. Expect Madden NFL 12 to do the same when it releases later this year.
New Tactics Ogre video brings the love you’ve been missing
Before the team formerly known as Quest made Final Fantasy Tactics, before they even needed the “formerly” in their name, a group of dedicated Japanese RPG developers churned out the masterpiece known as Tactics Ogre. The game focuses on the nation of Valeria, and the Liberation Army’s struggle to bring freedom to an oppressed people. A big part of the game’s attraction, apart from being an entry in the awesome Ogre Battle series, is that it is the spiritual predecessor to Final Fantasy Tactics, with a similar art style, combat system, and interface. After releasing only in Japan on the Super Famicom and Sega Saturn, a limited North American release for the PlayStation, and no fan translation in sight, many RPG fanatics gave up on playing this game. But finally, the game will see an all-new re-imagining and it’s coming later this month.
The trailer shows a few animated scenes from the game, some in a normal animation style, others in a kind of story book mode. The iconic artwork of Akihido Yoshida is brought to life by the trademark sounds of Hitoshi Sakimoto, who went on to work on the newest big player in the Strategy RPG sub-genre, Valkyria Chronicles. If you’re even remotely a fan of RPG’s, Final Fantasy, or just own a PSP, this is a spectacle you don’t want to miss. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together will release for the PlayStation Portable on February 15, 2011.
Posted in News
Tagged PSP, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
First trailer for Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
The MTV Multiplayer blog has an exclusive first look at Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. You can follow the link to view it or you can just play the video right here.
In the video, you’ll be treated to a Lego-ized version of Jack Sparrow’s grand entrance from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The game will include levels from all three current Pirates movies as well as the upcoming On Stranger Tides.
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean will be released for the DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 this May.
Disney Interactive cuts jobs
Disney Interactive is currently downsizing, apparently in a pretty substantial way, as nearly half of its 700 member staff may be getting the boot. Disney calls the layoffs a “restructuring process” in its statement. Variety reports that many were anticipating the layoffs as many key players left the division last year, including Graham Hopper, who spent the last eight years building the studio into a formidable entity in the gaming industry. New talent is coming in to upper management, including John Pleasants, CEO of Playdom, which Disney acquired last year. Disney’s current CEO Bob Iger said Pleasants would “focus on turning those businesses into profitability” and “diversifying our presence in the business, so we’re not reliant on one platform that’s obviously facing challenges.”
While terms can have multiple connotations in the business context, he may be referring to last year’s Epic Mickey, which released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, a console that is notoriously difficult for third party developers to find success on. Epic Mickey was panned critically, but is apparently the fastest selling game in Disney Interactive’s history, pushing 1.3 million copies last December.
Hulk Hogan runs wild on WWE All-Stars box
THQ has released the official boxart for WWE All-Stars and it features eight of the biggest wrestlers of yesterday and today.
Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior will be joined by “Macho Man” Randy Savage and The Rock on the legends side of the box while John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston represent the modern-day superstars.
The best part of this news is that THQ hadn’t announced Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior as part of the game’s roster, so this is a welcome surprise.
WWE All-Stars (and Hulkamania) will run wild on the PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP this March.
Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy coming March 22
The title of Dissidia 012 [duodecim]: Final Fantasy has been giving gamers the fits ever since it was announced. But now we finally know when we’ll get to play it as Square Enix has revealed the PSP fighter will be released on March 22.
The prequel will feature the return of every character from Dissidia: Final Fantasy along with new characters Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII), Kain (Final Fantasy IV) and Tifa (Final Fantasy VII). Square Enix has promised that “many other new faces” will also make an appearance in Dissidia 012, possibly in the game’s new “Assist” feature.
Among the characters we already know about, many of them will be voiced by some familiar names as the cast includes Rachael Leigh Cook as Tifa, Keith David as Chaos, Steve Burton as Cloud Strife, George Newbern as Sephiroth and Ali Hillis as Lightning. According to Square Enix, they won’t be the only ones as “numerous past voice actors have also returned to once again bring their characters to life.”
Posted in News
Tagged Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy, PSP
Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved, God of War III lead 2011 AIAS nominees
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced the nominees for the 14th annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs). As expected, Red Dead Redemption lead the way with nine nominations including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design and Game of the Year.
God of War III and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (a title that is already being considered one of the best games you’ve never played) shared the second-most nominations with six apiece. Other games up for multiple awards include Call of Duty: Black Ops, Heavy Rain, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Mass Effect 2 (five nominations apiece) along with Dance Central, Limbo and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (four apiece).
The awards will be handed out by Jay Mohr at the 2011 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit on Thursday, February 10. The hour-long show will be broadcast on G4 two days later, February 12, at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time) with a webcast scheduled for 7:30 PM (Eastern Time) at G4tv.com/DICE.
A complete list of nominees can be on the AIAS website, but the “Game of the Year” will come from this list of five: Angry Birds HD, Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War III, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption.
Can you dig these WWE All-Stars trailers?
OOOOOOOHHHHH YYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!
THQ is taking the WWE to the arcade this March (March 29 to be exact) with WWE All-Stars, a wildly over-the-top wrestling game that brings together two generations of the WWE’s finest.
Check out the game’s debut trailer above and hit the jump for a special message from “Macho Man” Randy Savage on why he’s the greatest superstar in the PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP game. At 58, the former Slim Jim spokesman is still more awesome than any wrestler working today. (more…)