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.

Microsoft confirms subscription-subsidized $99 Xbox 360

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

It appears the rumors are true. Starting today, Microsoft has begun selling a subscription-subsidized Xbox 360 bundle for $99. Currently available only at the 21 Microsoft Store locations in the U.S., potential buyers are required to sign up for a two-year contract (at $14.99 a month) to Xbox Live Gold as part of the purchase agreement.

But after you plunk down your initial $99, you’ll receive a brand new 4GB Xbox 360 system and a Kinect sensor. It’s actually not a bad deal, but few people will be able to take advantage of it as most of the country lives hundreds of miles from the nearest Microsoft Store.

But as a predictor of things to come in the console space, this kind of subsidized system sale could make the “future generation” console wars very interesting.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Marvel confirms multiple Avengers games in development

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

With over $200 million in box office business, The Avengers has scored the biggest theatrical opening ever. So where’s the video game adaptation? According to Marvel, it’s coming. Scratch that, according to Forbes, multiple Avengers games are coming.

“We launched Marvel: Avengers Alliance on Facebook; which is just the tip of the iceberg,” said TQ Jefferson, Vice President of Games Production for Marvel. “This is the first in a much larger effort to support the Avengers franchise across not just one but multiple video game touch points. The Avengers are bigger than just one game, and we’re planning to allow consumers to enjoy The Avengers regardless of their preference in gameplay style or platform. Look for more announcements in the weeks to come.”

What happens in a few weeks? The 2012 E3 Expo, of course. It’s likely that an Avengers game will be announced at the big show, possibly for a Fall launch alongside the Blu-ray/DVD release of The Avengers. The first game based on The Avengers film/comic book will likely be titled Avengers: Battle For Earth, as Internet sleuths recently discovered a domain registration for AvengersBattleForEarth.com by Ubisoft.

Other Avengers action will hit your platform of choice in 2013 and 2014 as the Forbes report also confirmed that Disney’s video game arm is hard at work on projects based on Iron Man 3, Captain America 2, and Thor 2.

Avengers assemble!

Posted in News | Tagged ,

Activision officially announces Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse

Posted on May 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

After being outed over the weekend by Amazon, Activision has officially announced that Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will be available this Fall.

“Fans of Family Guy will love that we’ve taken some of the series’ most iconic and memorable moments and built them into an impressive and uncensored video game,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President, Activision. “Anyone who watches the show will appreciate how much we have adhered to its rich and twisted universe and characters.”

Activision promised that more details from Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse would be revealed soon, but for now, that’s it. However, the Amazon listing included a September 25 release date for the game, which the retailer claims is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Always Bet on Black (Ops II)

Posted on May 6, 2012 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

After all the teasing and all the rumors, Activision officially announced Call of Duty: Black Ops II this week. The details were slow to trickle out, but we did get an intense reveal trailer, confirmation that Zombies Mode will return, and an in-depth analysis of the reveal trailer courtesy of GameTrailers.

It was also a big week for Sony’s God of War: Ascension. The prequel dueled Black Ops II for the hearts and minds of gamers this week with confirmation that the it’ll include a multiplayer mode (a first for the series), new story and gameplay details, and a full-fledged developer discussion about both.

Aside from those major reveals, we set out to look back as well as forward with the latest edition of Warpback, or What We Played in April 2012. But who am I kidding? The video game industry is all about moving forward, and we did that with our look at The Games of May 2012.

And speaking of “The Games of May 2012,” we put the biggest game of the next four weeks through its pace last month and we’re finally ready to report on our Diablo III Beta Impressions. Looking a little further out to the next great RPG, we also went hands-on with Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3.

You want more? Well hit the jump for more of the week that was. (more…)

Posted in News |

Nintendo reveals new Pokemon Conquest details

Posted on May 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

When Nintendo first announced a Pokemon and Nobunaga’s Ambition crossover, I just chalked it up to the Japanese game industry and their love of bizarre crossovers. But I’m still in shock that the game will be making it to America on June 18 as Pokemon Conquest. I guess I shouldn’t be though. After all, I think it was Einstein who first posited the mathematical proof “Pokemon + DS = $$$$$.”

So to continue getting fans hyped for a game featuring mythical monsters taking part in feudal Japanese warfare, Nintendo has released a ton of new details on the story and gameplay mechanics of Pokemon Conquest, which you can find after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News | Tagged

New Releases: Starhawk, More

Posted on May 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

In just one more week this seemingly never-ending Spring drought will be over. But until then, there’s still one big release to talk about this week and it’s Starhawk, Sony’s spacefaring spiritual sequel to Warhawk.

Also available this week is a quartet of PC games: Warlock: Master of the Arcane, a turn-based strategy game; Nexuiz, a team-based first person shooter that was originally due out last week; Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen, the latest game starring everyone’s favorite sleuth; and House of 1,000 Doors: The Palm of Zoroaster, an adventure game.

Posted in News, PC, PS3 | Tagged ,

New Hell Yeah! gameplay trailer brings you “Full Frontal Violence”

Posted on May 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Arkedo Studio is hard at work on Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit, their action/platformer/jetpack driller simulator, and they’ve released the above gameplay trailer to prove it. How can you say “no” to a game that promises “Full Frontal Violence… In Your Face”?

Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this Summer.

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

Cave’s Akai Katana gets a European release date

Posted on May 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Rising Star Games has announced a European release date for Cave’s latest “bullet hell” shooter, Akai Katana. The Xbox 360 game will be available to purchase by our friends across the Atlantic on May 11.

“Cave are world renowned for creating the biggest and best arcade shooters around, and we’re delighted to add Akai Katana to that list, come May 11,” commented Martin Defries, the Managing Director at Rising Star Games. “No other arcade shooter offers the same explosive entertainment and wanton destruction as Akai Katana, and we can’t wait to let this loose on the public.”

Rising Star Games also plans to publish Akai Katana in North America (their first title for the region), but no release date has been announced.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged