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.

Madden Simulation was right! Giants win Super Bowl XLVI

Posted on February 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

The Madden NFL 12 Super Bowl XLVI simulation has proven to be quite prophetic as the New York Giants have defeated the New England Patriots in a thrilling 21-17 win.

EA’s Super Simulation listed the Giants as a 27-24 victor thanks to a last minute field goal. And while it didn’t play out exactly like that, several of EA’s predictions did come true including touchdowns from Victor Cruz and Ahmad Bradshaw. Eli Manning was named the Super Bowl MVP, also just like in the simulation.

After fumbling last year’s Super Bowl winner, this is a welcome return to form for EA’s simulation. In the last nine years, the Madden series has predicted the winner seven times. I guess after picking New England in the first Patriots-Giants Super Bowl (which the Giants also won), the Madden simulation engine learned its lesson.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

First screenshots, details of The Last of Us in Game Informer

Posted on February 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

Game Informer plans to extensively preview Naughty Dog’s PS3-exclusive The Last of Us all month long. While they’ve yet to answer to big question of whether those crazed dudes in the trailer are zombies or merely “infected,” the magazine did let us in on some of Naughty Dog’s secrets.

The Last of Us will take place in Pittsburgh, but not the Pittsburgh we know. Massive vegetation and urban decay have spread throughout the city in addition to the zombies/infected. Battling the crazed citizens of Pittsburgh will require players to use both melee attacks and guns. But like everything in the now ruined world, weapons will break and new ones will have to be found to replace them.

Finally, players will control Joel and not his teenage partner, Ellie. But Naughty Dog was quick to point out that the game is “not one long escort mission” with Game Informer adding “she always managed to keep up, yet stay out of the way.”

But enough chatter, check out these absolutely gorgeous (and in-game) screenshots at Game Informer.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Squishee Hangover Edition

Posted on February 5, 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…

Woohoo! The Simpsons Arcade Game, which was only released for the PC back in the early 90s, has finally made it’s way to home consoles. This is great, great news for all of us who not only remember the early days of “The Simpsons,” but also arcades as well! In fact, the release of The Simpsons Arcade Game was such a big deal, it was added to the XBLA as a special Friday update and will be available for free for PS Plus subscribers this coming Tuesday.

But this week also saw our continued coverage of some of the year’s biggest games. After a quick trip back into last month with a look at What We Played in January, we skipped ahead with a look at the biggest Games of February. One such game, EA’s Syndicate reboot, was even the subject of a rather angry Hands-On Preview. And skipping ahead even further, we also took the Starhawk beta (and its jetpack dispenser) for a spin.

Hit the jump to read the rest of the Weekly Warp-Up while I sleep off this Squishee hangover from playing too much of The Simpsons Arcade Game. (more…)

Posted in News |

New Releases: Resident Evil Revelations, Kingdoms of Amalur, The Darkness II, More

Posted on February 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Some ambitious games that have been a long time coming will be available in stores this week.

Chief among them is Resident Evil Revelations, Capcom’s second zombie-killing game for the 3DS, but the first to tell a new tale in the franchise’s lengthy saga.

Also available is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the first game from Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios. The game has been in development practically since Mr. Bloody Sock retired back in 2007. It’ll be interesting to see what his dream team of developers came up with when it releases for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this week.

2K’s The Darkness II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is neither the start of a new franchise nor is it the latest entry in a long-runner. But fans have been clamoring for a sequel to the 2007 shooter and now they’ll finally get it.

If you prefer your “new” games in collected form, two new ones round this week’s major releases: the PS3-exclusive Jak and Daxter Collection (which brings together the first three games in the series) and the Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition (which collects the main game and all of the DLC in a PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 package).

You can check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

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

GameStop has playable Vita demo stations

Posted on February 3, 2012 by John Scalzo

Are you counting down the days until the PlayStation Vita is available? For those not keeping track, it’s 12 days for the First Edition Bundle and 19 days for the standard package.

But if you must get your hands on Sony’s next handheld right now, head on down to your local GameStop as they’ve announced they’re the first retailer to offer Vita demo stations. 3,300 GameStop stores have constructed the demo stations, which contain the following eight games:

  • Escape Plan
  • Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
  • Little Deviants
  • FIFA Soccer
  • ModNation Racers: Road Trip
  • Uncharted: Golden Abyss
  • Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition
  • Wipeout 2048

To further entice you to purchase the handheld, GameStop plans to sweeten the pot by giving an additional $25 in credit when you trade-in a DS, 3DS or PSP system towards the purchase of a Vita.

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

Download the Mass Effect 3 demo and get a three-week XBL Gold subscription

Posted on February 3, 2012 by John Scalzo

The Mass Effect 3 demo will be available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace on February 14. It’s also said to include a pretty hefty chunk of the game’s new online multiplayer mode, which will require Xbox Live Gold. Thankfully, Microsoft will upgrade your Xbox Live Free account to Gold if you download the demo.

The upgrade will last from February 14 until Mass Effect 3 is released on March 6. And it’s the full Xbox Live Gold package, which means access to Gold-only features like online multiplayer across all games and the XBLA Deal of the Week as well as entertainment apps like Netflix, ESPN, and Hulu Plus.

Let’s hope the XBL servers can handle it.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Game of Thrones gets May 15 release date, new details, new trailer

Posted on February 2, 2012 by John Scalzo

“Winter is Coming;” so says George R.R. Martin and so says Punxsutawney Phil. In honor of six weeks more weeks of Winter, Atlus has unveiled a huge update for their upcoming Game of Thrones game.

This update includes the “Riverspring” trailer above and a whole host of new features at the Game of Thrones official website including new character profiles, “juicy” story details, new screenshots, and interactive content.

They’ve also updated the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game’s release date from “sometime this Winter” to May 15, 2012.

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

Atari will park Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends in stores this Spring

Posted on February 2, 2012 by John Scalzo

Atari has announced they plan to publish the next game in the long-running Test Drive series, Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this Spring. Focusing exclusively on Ferris Bueller’s favorite type of automobile, Ferrari Racing Legends is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios, the same team behind the Shift series.

“Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends is a landmark chapter of the iconic Test Drive saga” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari, “Ferrari has been an essential partner throughout the history of the Test Drive franchise, and the opportunity to celebrate the unrivaled Ferrari Racing Team and the legendary Ferrari brand promises a one of a kind experience for all driving enthusiasts.”

Ferrari Racing Legends will include a Campaign Mode that traces the history of the Ferrari brand through unlockable tracks and cars. More than 50 cars will be featured in the final game along with 36 circuits. A multiplayer mode for up to eight players will also be included.

Oh Yeah… (chick chicka chicka).

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