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.

PlayStation Plus subscribers to receive “Instant Game Collection”

Posted on June 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

Between all the free games and the ridiculously awesome sales, PlayStation Plus has always been a better subscription service than Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold. But with its latest gambit, Sony is going for the throat.

Announced last night during their E3 2012 Press Conference, starting today, PlayStation Plus will receive an “Instant Game Collection” of 12 PS3 titles. And these aren’t the dregs of the PlayStation Store either. This is good quality, amazing stuff.

Just take a look at the list of free games you’ll receive as long as you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber:

  • Choplifter HD
  • InFamous 2
  • Hard Corp: Uprising
  • Just Cause 2
  • Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
  • Little Big Planet 2
  • Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
  • Saints Row 2
  • Sideway: New York
  • Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
  • Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone

Downloading all of these games individually from the PlayStation Store would cost over $260. So purchasing a PlayStation Plus subscription for $49.99 per year is a much better option. Especially when you add in all the other monthly bonuses a Plus subscription includes.

Your move Microsoft.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

EA @ E3 12: Need For Speed: Most Wanted coming in October

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Criterion has just left the stage at EA’s E3 2012 Press Conference where they showed off Need For Speed: Most Wanted, their open-world take on one of “the best games in the franchise.”

Need For Speed: Most Wanted will be available on October 30 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

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

EA @ E3 12: EA Sports secures UFC license in “multi-year, multi-product” deal

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks like THQ’s money troubles have killed the UFC Undisputed franchise. Joined by Dana White, an EA Sports executive just announced a “multi-year, multi-product” deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship during the company’s E3 2012 Press Conference.

No release date was given, and no platforms were announced, but EA Sports UFC (a working title) will surely be available sometime in 2013.

Posted in News | Tagged ,

EA @ E3 12: SimCity coming to PC in February 2013

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

EA showed off some gameplay footage of the upcoming SimCity at their E3 2012 Press Conference. The game Promises an whole world of possibilities for your Sims and an entire world of cities with the game’s new multiplayer mode.

EA also announced a February 2013 release window for the game and we’ll have that trailer soon.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged ,

EA @ E3 12: Madden NFL 13 has a new engine, Connected Careers mode

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

It won’t be the same old Madden when Madden NFL 13 launches this August. The latest football sim from EA will include a brand new engine, the Infinity Engine, which is a brand new run-time physics engine. According to EA’s Cam Weber, “No two plays will be the same.”

Collisions will be affected by a player’s size, their speed, and how the hit begins. If a player is hit on the arm, they could lose the ball, but tackle animations are no longer the end of the play. Players will be able to “regain balance after contact to fight for a few more yards.”

Former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin also took the stage to showcase the game’s RPG-like Connected Careers mode. In Connected Careers, players will select a current player, a created player, a legendary player, or a coach in a story-based mode. Completing goals will earn XP that can be used towards a Canton career. Goals can also be shared on Twitter and Facebook.

Madden NFL 13 will launch on August 28.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Here’s the Gears of War: Judgment E3 2012 trailer

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

As promised, here’s the Gears of War: Judgment trailer that Microsoft debuted at their E3 2012 Press Conference. It’s being developed by People Can Fly and it’s full of all the explosions and big, muscular guys in power armor you could ask for.

Gears of War: Judgment will be available for the Xbox 360 next year, and judging by the tags applied by Microsoft to the YouTube video, it may arrive with Kinect support.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

MS @ E3 12: Call of Duty: Black Ops II DLC coming to Xbox 360 first

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Microsoft closed out their 2012 E3 Press Conference with some gameplay footage of Call of Duty: Black Ops II. As someone who doesn’t play Call of Duty games, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking at. But the graphics and sounds were certainly impressive from a technical standpoint.

But the big news is that the Xbox 360 will once again be the home for Call of Duty: Black Ops II downloadable content before any other platform in 2013. This also means another year of deciphering the DLC release schedule for six different audiences: CoD Elite subscribers on Xbox 360, regular people on Xbox 360, CoD Elite subscribers of PS3, regular people on PS3, CoD Elite subscribers on PC, and regular people on PC.

Way to go Microsoft.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

MS @ E3 12: Dance Central 3 stars Usher, coming this year

Posted on June 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Usher is on stage at Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference showing the dance moves from his latest single, “Scream,” in Dance Central 3. According to Usher, he designed the choeography himself with Harmonix. The game will also include another Usher song, “OMG,” as well as hits from the 70s, when it launches later this year.

He actually performed “Scream” on stage in its entirety. I think. I may have dozed off because the excessive padding was so soft.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,