January was cold, but our gaming time was on fire! We spent a ton of time on our backlogs, though some of us managed to play a few new games. Read on to see what the Warp Zoned staff did to fight the winter temperatures!
John Scalzo
Editor-In-Chief
I don’t think I’ve thought about the Double Dragon franchise in years… probably not since the release of WayForward’s Double Dragon: Neon. But Arc System Works brought back all those sitting-cross-legged-on-the-floor memories with Double Dragon IV, which launched last month for the PC and PS4. Double Dragon IV feels like a lost sequel to the original NES trilogy (complete with some rather stiff controls), and it’s everything that’s great and frustrating about retro-styled reboots in a single package.
I continued my side-scrolling ways in January by playing Metrico+, an infographics-themed puzzle platformer from Digital Dreams. It’s a bit on the short side, and the puzzles get very non-intuitive by the end, but I rather liked it. On the other hand, I might be the only person who still likes Super Mario Run. I fire up the mobile game’s Toad Rally mode whenever I’ve got a spare moment.
Finally last month, I played a ton of Splatoon after Nintendo’s Switch Presentation. Even with the sequel less than six months away, Splatoon’s online modes are still overflowing with players looking for a match.
Nicole Kline
Senior Editor
I’ve still been steadily chipping away at my three Pokemon obsessions: Pokemon Go, Pokemon Moon, and Pokemon Picross. I beat my main console game I was playing, Dishonored, but haven’t had time to get to the DLC yet, sadly.
Anthony Amato and I are still working on Chariot and Magicka 2, and whenever I’m wasting time, I’ve been playing the insanely addictive Ruzzle on my phone. We’ve also had a lot of social time this month, for which we bought Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime on the PS4 when it was on sale and played it four player, which is a blast! We also went back to TowerFall Ascension and Super Pole Riders, as well as one of our party favorites… Jackbox!
Andrew Rainnie
UK Correspondent
I had been looking forward to tackling some of my backlog and clearing some shelf space for the incoming Nintendo Switch. I returned to the world of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate for all of ten minutes, but compared to the likes of Black Flag, it is a rather tepid, dull affair.
Facebook reminded me that it has been 15 years since the first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy appeared at the cinema, so I finally got round to playing Shadows of Mordor on the PS4. It is a fairly decent game, although I am not a fan of the much-lauded combat system compared to, say, Batman: Arkham Asylum.
I also managed to download Firewatch during Sony’s January Sale, but I am saving it for a rainy day.
Mike Ryan
Staff Writer
I’ve been playing a lot more Destiny, but now I’m starting to feel that fatigue. Maybe I’ll put that on hold for a spell.
Later, I played the Amnesia Collection, and had to change my undergarments a few times. The PS4 version of Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 also took a good chunk of my January, as I never get tired of that one. And aside from some more dabbling in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS, those games were my mains for this chilly month.
