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.

THQ: Saints Row 4 in development, “wilder” than The Third

Posted on November 9, 2011 by John Scalzo

While it took Rockstar more than three years to announce a sequel to Grand Theft Auto IV, THQ is not wasting any time when it comes to the Saints Row series. Danny Bilson, the publisher’s Executive Vice President of Core Games, will appear on G4’s X-Play today where he will announce Saints Row 4. For those keeping score at home, Saints Row: The Third won’t be in stores until next week!

According to Bilson, “I already know what Saint’s Row 4 is about, and it is wilder than [Saints Row: The Third]. It’s a good example of how you take what you have and you say, ‘What can happen in the next?'”

Remember, Saints Row: The Third is a game where a fighter jet chases a porn star on a hoverbike (see the screenshot to your left) through the streets of a city controlled by pro wrestling mobsters… who use dildo-shaped baseball bats when they want to send a message.

Wilder than that? Hello “Adults Only” rating.

[Source: G4’s The Feed]

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Activision announces Call of Duty 9, multiple Blizzard titles for 2012

Posted on November 9, 2011 by John Scalzo

As Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches to huge sales and nearly unanimous critical praise, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is ready to announce the next entry in the series.

Speaking to investors today, Kotick said, “As we focus on 2012, we have a strong product pipeline which features a minimum of two highly-anticipated new titles from Blizzard Entertainment, including Diablo III, and a new Call of Duty game from Activision Publishing.”

As you can see, Kotick also confirmed that Blizzard will release several games in 2012, a rarity for them. And considering the developer’s full production plate, there are several possibilities for this second title including World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and the free-to-play Blizzard DOTA.

I’m going to go out on a limb and “confirm” that Call of Duty 9 will be developed by Treyarch (it’s their turn as Modern Warfare 3 was an Infinity Ward game) and released in the first week of November 2012. Obviously, I’m a gambling man.

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

Chrono Cross, Dead Space 2, Fight Night Champion added to PS Store

Posted on November 9, 2011 by John Scalzo

After a month of highlighting games that are “Only On PSN,” the PlayStation Store takes a turn backwards in November by focusing on classics both new and old.

The most classic of the classics is Square Enix’s Chrono Cross, a bona fide PSone Classic that is now available to download from the Store for $9.99. A pair of PS2 Classics have also been added to the PSN: the military training sim Full Spectrum Warrior and the wild driving of Stuntman Ignition.

As for original PS3 games, Sony has taken three disc-based games (all published by EA) and given them PSN digital releases. Dead Space 2, Fight Night Champion, and Monopoly Streets can now be downloaded direct to your PS3.

Finally, PSP owners will get a chance to download something new this week as well as Sony has added Cars 2: The Game to the PlayStation Store.

More details on all of this week’s new releases and game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation.Blog.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP | Tagged ,

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Review: If I Could Turn Back Time I’d Play Shattered Dimensions

Posted on November 8, 2011 by John Scalzo

The recent Spider-Man games have had their own J. Jonah Jameson in Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Just as Jameson tries to turn New York City against the friendly neighborhood hero by painting him as a menace, Kotick has poisoned players against the wallcrawler’s recent video game adventures by saying “they sucked.” Last year, Beenox reinvigorated the franchise with the universe-hopping Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. The title was well-received by players, critics, and Kotick himself, so the developer has returned to the comic book crossover event with this year’s Spider-Man: Edge of Time. (more…)

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

2012 Zelda Symphony Tour begins January 10 in Dallas

Posted on November 8, 2011 by John Scalzo

After a successful world premiere in Los Angeles last month, Nintendo has announced that the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses 2012 tour will begin on January 10 in Dallas.

Produced by Jason Michael Paul Productions, the concert tour will feature music from Zelda’s 25 year history, including the program’s signature piece, a full four-movement symphony that will guide fans through a musical retelling of key chapters from The Legend of Zelda franchise. Each concert will also feature music from the newest game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which is scheduled for a November 20 release.

“The love that fans feel for The Legend of Zelda series cannot be overstated,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “In 2012, we want to give people across the country a chance to come together and enjoy the music from the games that mean so much to so many.”

Tickets for the Dallas concert are now available through the Dallas Symphony Orchestra website with a range in price from $19 to $115 (Club Nintendo members receive a 15% discount if they order by November 30). Additional tour dates will be announced soon.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Wii | Tagged

BioWare’s next game features off-road vehicles… wait, really?

Posted on November 8, 2011 by John Scalzo

The image to your left (click to enlarge it) is the first screenshot from BioWare’s upcoming, untitled game.

The unnamed game will make its worldwide debut at next month’s Spike TV Video Game Awards. Spike TV and MTV2 will broadcast the awards show on Saturday, December 10 beginning at 8 PM (Eastern Time).

So what exactly are we looking at? It appears to be a collision between two off-road vehicles in a dusty environment not unlike Borderlands/Fallout/Rage. It’s safe to say that this is not Dragon Age III or Jade Empire 2. Instead, we’ve just been given our first glimpse of a brand new BioWare franchise developed by a brand new BioWare studio (possibly BioWare Montreal).

So what exactly is it? Beats me.

[Source: Game Informer]

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Justin Verlander no-hits Major League Baseball 2K12 cover

Posted on November 7, 2011 by John Scalzo

With the World Series still fresh in everyone’s mind, 2K Sports has announced that Major League Baseball 2K12 will be comimg to the DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 6, 2012. They’ve also announced that Justin Verlander, the Detroit Tigers ace and probable AL Cy Young winner, will appear on the cover.

“Justin’s amazing performance this season speaks for itself,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “Between his second career no-hitter and leading the league in virtually every pitching category, I can’t think of anyone else but Justin Verlander to serve as the face of Major League Baseball 2K12.”

“It’s a dream come true to be on the cover of Major League Baseball 2K12,” said Verlander, who pitched the second no-hitter of his career this season. “I’ve worked closely with 2K Sports on the MLB 2K series since 2007, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue my relationship with such a great baseball game.”

Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies was the cover athlete of Major League Baseball 2K11.

Posted in DS, News, PC, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Do A Barrel Roll Edition

Posted on November 6, 2011 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…

Get Warp Zoned!
As the calendar turns from October to November, we begin gearing up for the biggest month of new releases in the entire year. But we also decided to look back at the What We Played in October in the most recent Warpback and we examined the Games of November in the latest edition of The Next Level.

Hit the jump for the rest of the Weekly Warp-Up. (more…)

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