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.

PSN Update: Journey for PS Plus users, MotorStorm RC, lots more

Sony unleashed another packed PlayStation Store update yesterday, but the biggest prize is reserved for PlayStation Plus subscribers. If you plunked down the extra cash to become an elite PS3 owner, you’ll receive early access to thatgamecompany’s Journey. Sweet!

Us mere mortals merely have to choose between the adorable RC cars of MotorStorm RC (PSN and Vita versions); Zipper’s Vita debut, Unit 13; the baseball sim, MLB 12: The Show; and a whole lot more.

Hit the jump for a full rundown of this week’s new releases and be sure to visit the PlayStation Blog for details on this week’s game add-ons.

And don’t forget, MotorStorm RC for the Vita is a free download for a limited time. Double sweet! (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PSP, Vita | Tagged ,

Sony awards 2012 PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards

The votes are in and Sony has announced the winners of the 2012 PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards. Unlike all those hoity-toity award shows with their red carpets and fancy clothes, the PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards has something even better. All of the winners are 30% off on the PlayStation Store this week (and PlayStation Plus subscribers get 50% off the original price).

So, with our introductions completed, on to the winners…

Best PSN Exclusive
InFamous: Festival of Blood

Best PSN Game
Resident Evil 4

Best PSN Game Playable Online
Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition

Best PS3 Full Game
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Best PlayStation Move Game
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance

Best 3D Game
God of War: Origins Collection

Best PlayStation Classic
Chrono Trigger

Best Mini Game
Angry Birds

Best PSP Game
Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy

PlayStation Community Award (Best Indie)
Limbo

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Dead or Alive 5 kicks high this September

Tecmo Koei has informed Joystiq that Dead or Alive 5 will be released this September. The fifth entry in the series will be the first in the series to launch on two systems simultaneously (the PS3 and Xbox 360, naturally), along with the first game in the series without input from series creator Tomonobu Itagaki.

But you’ll actually be kicking high sooner than you realize as Tecmo Koei is adding a Dead or Alive 5 demo to the Xbox Live Marketplace (and very likely, the PlayStation Network too) on March 19. A demo will also be included with copies of Ninja Gaiden 3, which will be available in stores on March 20.

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Madden NFL 13 Cover Nominees: NFC North

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

And we’ve reached the end. With this batch of nominees, the Madden-maker has revealed every division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the NFC North:

Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler or Matt Forte

Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson or Matthew Stafford

Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers or Clay Matthews

Minnesota Vikings
Jared Allen or Percy Harvin

It looks like EA saved the best for last as the NFC North nominees may be, on the average, the best eight chosen. Especially when that list includes players like Aaron Rodgers (one of the best quarterbacks in the league), Calvin Johnson (one of the best wide receivers in the league), and Matt Forte (one of the best running backs in the league).

So that’s it. We’re done. Get ready to vote on the play-in matches tomorrow and be sure to review all the other nominees. The Madden Curse is hungry!

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

Ridge Racer Unbounded is bound for a delay

Ridge Racer Unbounded was originally scheduled to be released today. But if you visited your local game store this morning, you know that’s not entirely accurate anymore.

According to Namco Bandai, that’s because the game has been delayed until “later in 2012.” The publisher fell back on the typical “additional development time” reason for the delay saying “[we want] to pack the disc with features that will truly make the game sing.” Typical, sure, but they did manage to say it in a really unique way, didn’t they?

Namco Bandai also said that a new release date for Ridge Racer Unbounded (along with pre-order incentives and a full list of features) will be announced “shortly.”

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

Lollipop Chainsaw reaches the center of store shelves on June 12

Just how many licks would it take to get to the center of a zombie? The world may never know. (And… eww… gross).

But what we do know is that WB Games has set a June 12 release for the Grasshopper Manufacture-developed Lollipop Chainsaw. The sunny and sparkly action game will be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 and it’s sure to make this one of the hottest Summers on record.

[Source: Joystiq]

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Mass Effect 3 launch trailer gets you ready for tomorrow

Have you already begun lining up at GameStop for their Mass Effect 3 midnight launch? If not, be sure to check out the official launch trailer above to get you even more pumped for the return of Shepard and crew.

Mass Effect 3 will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in t-minus seven hours, 30 minutes. Are you ready?

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

Assassin’s Creed III tomahawks 2012 with first trailer, new details

As promised, Ubisoft has revealed the first details of this October’s Assassin’s Creed III. And that’s not all, the publisher also unveiled the game’s debut trailer, which you can find after the break.

Assassin’s Creed III will star Ratohnhaké’ton, an Assassin with Native American and British blood. Ratohnhaké’ton adopts the name Connor and takes the fight to the Templars from “the vibrant, untamed frontier to bustling colonial towns [to] the intense, chaotic battlefields” of the Revolutionary War.

Gamers expecting another yearly addition to the Assassin’s Creed canon will be in for a surprise as ubisoft confirmed that Assassin’s Creed III will be powered by a brand new engine. Dubbed Ubisoft AnvilNext, the engine is said to include “breakthroughs in visual quality, character models and artificial intelligence.” That’ll surely come in handy when Assassin’s Creed III launches for the Wii U as well, which Ubisoft also confirmed today.

Now then, on to that trailer. (more…)

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