Author: John Scalzo

John Scalzo is Warp Zoned's Editor-In-Chief and resident retro gaming expert. You can email him at john AT warpzoned DOT com.

Quantum Conundrum comes to PSN, XBLA on July 10/11

Posted on June 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

Quantum Conundrum, the multidimensional puzzle game published by Square Enix and developed by Airtight Games, was made available to download from Steam today.

But what about the promised PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade versions of the game? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Square Enix will add Quantum Conundrum to those console download services on July 10 (PSN) and July 11 (XBLA), which is well within the promised “Summer” timeframe.

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

Kojima confirms Solid Snake will return in Metal Gear Solid 5

Posted on June 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

Even though he’s hard at work on the non-Metal Gear-related Project Ogre, Hideo Kojima just can’t stop himself from talking about Metal Gear Solid 5. Speaking to IG, a French gaming magazine, he said:

About Metal Gear Solid 5, I can tell you two things. There will be much question of infiltration, espionage, and convincing people to give you “a favor” like in the last Metal Gear Solid.

The Metal Gear games have always been known for their stealth gameplay. So for Kojima to say that the next proper entry in the series will also include those elements isn’t exactly a shock.

Much more interesting were Kojima’s further comments on the matter including, “There will be a Metal Gear Solid 5 with the new Fox Engine,” and this news concerning Solid Snake’s further future with the franchise:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance never claimed to be a Metal Gear Solid. This is not a game about our beloved Solid Snake. It is a spinoff that tries something different. We have not yet finished with Solid Snake, despite the fact that I wanted to let him die at the end of Guns of the Patriots.

It’s important to remember that Konami has yet to officially announce Metal Gear Solid 5, so it’ll likely be a long time before we get to play it.

[Source: CVG]

Posted in News | Tagged ,

Nintendo Download: Double Dragon II, Order Up!!, more

Posted on June 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

Few games hooked me in my formative years like Double Dragon II: The Revenge for the NES did. Now, a new age of gamers will be able to experience it because Nintendo added it to the Wii’s Virtual Console shop today. OK, I doubt a “new age of gamers” even knows who the Lee brothers are, but I can dream can’t I? If nothing else, it’ll be a good warm-up for this Summer’s Double Dragon: Neon.

Here’s what else Nintendo has added to their trio of download services on this sunny Summer day:

Order Up!! (3DS eShop) – Experience the dizzying life of a top-notch chef and restaurateur. Prepare all manner of exotic food on your way to building your own restaurant empire from the ground up.

Slitherlink by Nikoli (3DS eShop) – Slitherlink is a puzzle in which you connect dots with a line according to the rules. The greatest attraction is the fact that there exist an unlimited number of set sequences known as “theorems.”

Jewel Legends: Tree of Life (DSiWare) – Using building materials, jewels and other valuables, switch two adjacent tiles to make a row of three or more matching tiles!

Lola’s Fruit Shop Sudoku (DSiWare) – Lola Panda does it again… making it fun to develop logical thinking! Now kids can enjoy the fun and challenge of Sudoku in a form especially designed for them.

Save the Furries (WiiWare) – Help Save the Furries across 60 levels in this puzzle-adventure! Furries are cute green creatures that like to visit strange planets and then stroll about oblivious to the dangers around them.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii |

XBLA Today: Magic: The Gathering 2013

Posted on June 20, 2012 by John Scalzo

Here’s you Xbox Live Arcade update for the week… Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013. Available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10), it brings the collectible card game to life on your Xbox 360 in new and exciting ways:

Face a greater challenge in the latest version of this hit franchise. Play with friends or the AI, take on new encounters and opponents, and face up to three other players in the Planechase multiplayer format. Featuring ten customizable decks, Magic 2013 offers new game items to unlock and introduces the option to choose what lands to tap when you cast your spells.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

XBLIG version of Penny Arcade 3 delayed for a very retro reason

Posted on June 20, 2012 by John Scalzo

Zeboyd Games was all set to release Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 for the PC (through Steam) and the Xbox 360 (through Xbox Live Indie Games) on June 25. They even pushed up the game’s release by two weeks because it was done early. But I guess the XBLIG version needed a few more days to cook.

Apparently, if you’re using a Memory Unit and you pull it out at the exact moment your game is saving, your Xbox 360 will crash. The whole thing is giving me “Hold Reset While You Press the Power Button” flashbacks. Which I guess is more-or-less fitting due to Penny Arcade 3’s pixelated flavor.

But as retro cool as a buggy Memory Unit is, it means that Penny Arcade 3 won’t make its June 25 release date on the Xbox 360. A new release date wasn’t announced, but the XBLIG service requires a seven-day waiting period after a failed Community Peer Review.

So hopefully Penny Arcade 3 will be released on the Xbox 360 sometime in July.

[Source: Penny Arcade]

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Summer of Arcade 2012 begins July 18; all games priced and dated

Posted on June 20, 2012 by John Scalzo

We already knew that Deadlight, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Hybrid, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, and Wreckateer would be included in this year’s Summer of Arcade. But now, thanks to Major Nelson, we know the promotion will begin on July 18 as well as the release schedule and how much each game will cost.

Ready? Here we go…

  • July 18: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (1200 Microsoft Points)
  • July 25: Wreckateer (800 Microsoft Points)
  • August 1: Deadlight (1200 Microsoft Points)
  • August 8: Hybrid (1200 Microsoft Points)
  • August 15: Dust: An Elysian Tail (1200 Microsoft Points)
Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

First CoD Black Ops Declassified details outed by Walmart

Posted on June 20, 2012 by John Scalzo

Sony gave gamers their first taste of Call of Duty on the Vita during this year’s E3 Expo when they announced the game’s full title, Call Of Duty: Black Ops Declassified. But for those of you looking for more than the name, a product listing on Walmart.com has revealed a few more details on the game. For example, apparently, Declassified is being designed as an original game within the Call of Duty fiction with an “all-new campaign.” It’ll also include “multiplayer combat tailored for the PS Vita.”

Here’s the full product description:

Before the future could be won, history had to be written. Exposing that story exclusively on PlayStation Vita, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified explores original fiction in the Call of Duty Black Ops universe with an all-new campaign of Special Ops missions. Optimized for gamers on-the-go, Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified delivers the most intense handheld Call of Duty experience to date, including both Special Ops Story mode and multiplayer combat tailored for the PS Vita.

Official announcements? We don’t need no stinking official announcements!

Posted in News | Tagged ,

THQ handcuffs Saints Row: Enter the Dominatrix expansion to Saints Row 4

Posted on June 20, 2012 by John Scalzo

First, the bad news… THQ has cancelled Saints Row: The Third – Enter the Dominatrix.

Now, the good news… THQ cancelled Saints Row: The Third – Enter the Dominatrix so they could incorporate the content from the standalone expansion into Saints Row 4, which was given a 2013 release date!

THQ’s new President, Jason Rubin, had some very interesting things to say about the decision: “I asked the team what it could achieve given more time, more resources, and a broader scope for the project. We all agreed we wanted to play that game. When it comes to Saints Row, it’s clear our fans want bigger, better, and even more over the top.”

That is quite the reversal for Rubin who, just a little over a week ago, told reporters that he thought Saints Row: The Third was “embarrassing.”

Another major question has emerged from this news, and that’s the fate of Volition’s Insane. The first part of Guillermo Del Toro’s video game trilogy was originally scheduled for a 2013 release, but with Volition hard at work on Saints Row 4, will they have time to finish the horror title too?

Of course, considering Rubin’s comments last week, Insane may already be cancelled.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged