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.

New Releases: Diablo III, Max Payne 3, Game of Thrones, More

Posted on May 12, 2012 by John Scalzo

It’s finally time to give the devil his due, Diablo III will be available in stores this week. With a whole mess of big releases, this marks the end of the “new game drought” that has been plaguing gamers all throughout the month of April. And Diablo III isn’t even the only long-awaited return this week…

  • Max Payne is back for another round of stylized neo-noir action in Max Payne 3 for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360.
  • George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones makes the jump to the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 courtesy of Atlus.
  • The Test Drive series returns to its roots in Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends (PS3, Xbox 360).
  • Rising Star Games makes it US debut with Cave’s sidescrolling shooter Akai Katana (Xbox 360).
  • And there’s Battleship, the game-based-on-the-movie-that-was-based-on-the-board-game is now available for the 3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360.

This week is so chock full of new releases, there’s even more after the break! (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

Face Off brings 1v1, 2v2 maps to CoD MW3 on May 16; Content Collection 2 coming May 22

Posted on May 12, 2012 by John Scalzo

Do you miss the olden days of FPS multiplayer when it was limited to 1v1 and 2v2? Well, Infinity Ward wants to bring those days back with Face Off Mode, the latest addition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Two Face Off maps, “Erosion” and “Aground,” will be made available to premium Call of Duty Elite subscribers with an Xbox 360 on May 16. Face Off maps are designed to be “smaller, super-concentrated maps specially designed to encourage strategy, skill, and teamwork like never before.” All Xbox 360 owners will be able to try out these more intimate maps as part of Modern Warfare 3’s Content Collection #2, which will be added to the Xbox Live Marketplace on May 22. Two more Face Off maps, “Getaway” and “Lookout,” will also be included in Content Collection #2.

Five more maps will be included in Content Collection #2: three multiplayer maps (“Sanctuary,” “Foundation,” and “Oasis”) and two Special Ops missions (“Kill Switch” and “Iron Clad”). “Oasis” and the two Spec Ops missions aren’t available for CoD Elite subscribers yet, so it looks like the length of time that regular Modern Warfare 3 players have to wait to play these maps is shortening.

As always, PC and PS3 players will receive all of these maps at a later date.

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

Rumor: Lego Lord of the Rings game set for this Fall

Posted on May 12, 2012 by John Scalzo

When Lego sets based on the Lord of the Rings movies were first revealed, the collective Internet naturally assumed that a Lego Lord of the Rings video game wouldn’t be far behind. That assumption is one step closer to becoming a reality as Lego fansite BrickUltra has discovered a teaser poster for Lego Lord of the Rings: The Game.

The poster includes minifig versions of Frodo, Aragorn, and Gandalf along with logos from developer TT Games and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Several platform logos are also listed on the poster including the 3DS, Wii, Xbox 360, and a generic “PlayStation” logo. A Kinect trademark appears in the fine print along the bottom, so expect Kinect support as well.

Lego Lord of the Rings: The Game will likely be released this Fall, which will put in stores just in time for the Christmas rush and the opening of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

Posted in 3DS, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Skullgirls Review: Replace This Title With a Boob Joke

Posted on May 11, 2012 by John Scalzo

Skullgirls is a weird beast. The game was created by Mike Zaimont, a tournament-level fighting game player, and Alex Ahad, an artist who specializes in a “dark deco” aesthetic. Together, they formed Reverge Labs, and their talents resulted in a hardcore 2D fighter that features a roster of bosomy girls that inhabit an absolutely insane anime-inspired world. This kitchen sink approach produces an interesting experience, but not necessarily an interesting game. (more…)

Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Bethesda’s Dishonored will honor store shelves on October 9

Posted on May 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

Bethesda has announced that Dishonored, their steampunk-inspired first-person assassination game, will be released on October 9. The PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game is in development at Arkane Studios, where they are surely toiling away at the title right now.

Has Dishonored snuck under your radar until now? Here’s a new plot summary from Bethesda:

Dishonored is set in Dunwall, an industrial whaling city where steampunk- inspired technology and otherworldly forces coexist in the shadows. You are Corvo, the once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress who has been murdered. Framed for the crime, you become an infamous assassin, known by the disturbing mask that has become your calling card. In a time of uncertainty, when the city is besieged by plague and ruled by a corrupt government armed with frightening technologies, dark forces bestow supernatural abilities upon you – but at what cost? The truth behind your betrayal is as murky as the waters surrounding the city, and the life you once had is gone forever.

Dishonored will also be on hand at this year’s E3 Expo, ensuring we won’t have to wait until October to get our next look at a masked avenger smashing a walking skeleton with a Victorian gentleman inside.

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

Give me an Assassin’s Creed III gameplay trailer or give me death!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

“Give me _____ or give me death!” is never going to get old. Sorry about that.

Anyway, here’s the first gameplay trailer from this October’s Assassin’s Creed III. Being a fan of tomahawk kills isn’t required, but it certainly helps.

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

Avengers: Battle For Earth coming to Wii U, Xbox 360 Kinect

Posted on May 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

Well that didn’t take long.

Three days after Marvel confirmed that an Avengers game was in the works, Ubisoft has gone and announced The Avengers: Battle For Earth. The game will be released this Fall as a Kinect-required Xbox 360 game and for the Wii U as part of its launch lineup.

“We are excited to team up with Marvel Entertainment to bring some of the most iconic comic book characters from the Marvel line-up to life in motion-gaming,” said Geoffroy Sardin, Ubisoft EMEA Marketing and Sales Director at Ubisoft. “Fans of the Marvel universe and superhero games are going to love the extensive combinations of characters, motion-controlled moves and competitive gameplay.”

The Avengers: Battle For Earth will take its storyline from 2008’s “Secret Invasion” arc and star 20 different Marvel characters including Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, and Thor… in other words, The Avengers.

Posted in News, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Prototype 2, Kinect Star Wars lead April 2012 NPD report

Posted on May 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

Activision’s Prototype 2 took the top spot in the latest NPD report of bestselling games. Another new release, the Xbox 360-exclusive Kinect Star Wars, “did the Han Solo” all the way up to #2.

The remainder of the list is overflowing with familiar faces from last Fall including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (#3), NBA 2K12 (#5), and Just Dance 3 (#9). It wasn’t a Fall release, but Mass Effect 3 continues to hold strong at #8 now that the controversy over the game’s ending has come to… an end.

In terms of dollars made, the game industry suffered a 32% drop in overall sales from April 2011 ($630.4 million versus $930.9 million) when Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat ruled the charts.

You can check out the NPD Group’s complete list of bestsellers for April 2012 after the break. (more…)

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