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.

NFL Blitz is back thanks to EA Sports

Posted on October 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

EA Sports resurrected the NBA Jam series last year after a seven year absence (and they just released a semi-sequel, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, last week). Now, the publisher is bringing back another arcade classic, NFL Blitz.

The team at EA Tiburon revealed their latest (re)creation exclusively to the guys at EGM. And from the sound of it, they’ve managed to capture everything that made Blitz one of the biggest hits of the 90s:

Aside from 30-yard first downs and 2-minute quarters, you’ll see post-play elbow drops, players launching themselves across the field like missiles to make unbelievable tackles, and guys just getting the ever-loving stuffing beaten out of them without a single yellow penalty flag in sight.

In addition to the arcade feel of yore, the new Blitz will add a ton of new features, including play-by-play commentary from NBA Jam announcer Tim Kitzrow. The new Blitz will also feature online multiplayer, customizable teams, “Mario Kart–like power-ups,” mascot teams and a whole lot more. Seriously, read the EGM preview, you won’t be sorry.

NFL Blitz will be available to download from the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network just in time for the NFL playoffs (that’s January for those not up on their NFL schedule).

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

PS Vita penciled in for a February 22, 2012 launch

Posted on October 18, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sometimes, it’s nice to be right. Sony President & CEO Jack Tretton used the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco to announce the North American, Latin American, and European release date of their Vita handheld. While the venue of the announcement doesn’t make much sense to me either, we now know that the Vita will be available in stores on February 22, 2012.

The Vita will be available in two different versions, a Wi-Fi only edition (priced at $249.99) and a Wi-Fi/3G version (priced at $299.99). They weren’t ready to talk specific launch titles, but they did let us know that there are over 100 Vita games in development including Sound Shapes, Resistance: Burning Skies, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Capcom’s Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Vita, and Activision’s Call of Duty Vita.

Whew.

Posted in News, Vita |

Two new Xbox 360 bundles for the holidays

Posted on October 18, 2011 by John Scalzo

Microsoft has revealed this Fall’s new Xbox 360 bundles and, as expected, they feature some of last year’s most popular games.

The Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle features an Xbox 360 system with a 250GB hard drive and a wireless controller. The package also includes Fable III, Halo: Reach and a three-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. The Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle will retail for $299.99.

Next up is the Xbox 360 Kinect Holiday Bundle. This box also includes an Xbox 360 system with a 250GB hard drive and a wireless controller. A three-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold is also included. The Kinect package includes a Kinect sensor and two Kinect-powered games: Kinect Adventures and Carnival Games: Monkey See Monkey Do. The Xbox 360 Kinect Holiday Bundle will retail for $399.99.

Both bundles will be available in stores starting today.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,

WB doing The Hobbit, Lego Batman 2, more in 2012; Mortal Kombat 10 on track for 2013

Posted on October 18, 2011 by John Scalzo

Have you caught Batman: Arkham City fever yet? The Los Angeles Times sure has as the newspaper’s business section interviewed Martin Tremblay, the President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, to coincide with the game’s release today.

While Tremblay talked a bit about Bruce Wayne’s battle against the denizens of Arkham City, the real focus was on WB’s future, including their 2012 slate of games. Currently, the publisher plans to release The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey right around the same time as Peter Jackson’s movie of the same name, Lego Batman 2 and a game starring an unnamed DC Comics superhero.

Tremblay said he couldn’t talk about the game just yet, but who wants to start guessing who might be WB’s next video game star… Will it be Superman? The Flash? Wonder Woman? All of the above (AKA a Justice League game)? Your guess is as good as mine, but my money’s on Wonder Woman, she’s due for a gritty video game adaptation (plus, Rocksteady already has the whip animations down thanks to Catwoman’s appearance in Arkham City).

Oh, and a sidebar to the article revealed that the next Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 10, is expected to be released in 2013. Flawless news!

Posted in News | Tagged , ,

Devil May Cry HD Collection confirmed for 2012

Posted on October 17, 2011 by John Scalzo

Rumors of a Devil May Cry HD Collection have been circulating the Intertubes for the better part of forever a year. Today, Capcom made it official and announced an HD compilation containing Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2 and Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening – Special Edition will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in early 2012. The package will retail for a wallet-friendly $39.99.

Remember that kids, Dante hates demons but loves stylish wallets.

You know what else is stylish? The first screenshots of the Devil May Cry HD Collection, which are available after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Radiant Silvergun Review: Better Late Than Never

Posted on October 17, 2011 by John Scalzo

For shoot ’em up fans (or shmups if you prefer), no developer is held in higher esteem than Treasure. The Japanese geniuses behind Ikaruga, Sin & Punishment, Gradius V, and others have been producing hit after hit since breaking away from Konami in the early 90s. Most of Treasure’s games would go on to be released in America, but one of their earliest successes, Radiant Silvergun, never made it across the Pacific… that is, until now. For years, dedicated fans flocked to eBay and spent several hundred dollars to obtain a copy of the Sega Saturn game. The rest of us continued to wait for the port we knew was coming, and now that day has arrived, courtesy of the Xbox Live Arcade. (more…)

Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Gotham City Comic-Con Edition

Posted on October 16, 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…

New York City should just officially change their name to Gotham. Think of what it would do for tourism! And doubly so since the New York Comic-Con was this weekend. Who wouldn’t want to go to the Gotham City Comic-Con? Nerds who haven’t even been born yet just had a brain meltdown over that thought.

While the NYCC is typically more low-key than the much better known San Diego Comic-Con, there was still plenty of big announcements:

Oh, and there’s a very good chance Capcom goofed and revealed the Vita’s North American release date.

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

Posted in News |

Halo Anniversary Kinect controls detailed

Posted on October 16, 2011 by John Scalzo

We always knew that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary was going to be more than a straight port. Yesterday, at the New York Comic-Con, the development team at 343 Industries detailed the game’s new Kinect functionality.

Like Mass Effect 3, Kinect users will be able to use voice commands in-game. For example, yelling “Grenade!” will chuck out a grenade while yelling “Reload!” will reload your current weapon.

The Kinect add-on will also enable an Analyze Mode within Halo Anniversary. Yelling “Analyze” will scan the surrounding area and add any enemies encountered into a database dubbed The Library. That’s neat and all, but games have been doing the beastiary thing for decades now. Why is this a Kinect-only thing?

[Source: Joystiq]

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged