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.

Duke Nukem Begins, Fable IV rumored, even though both have already been announced

Posted on August 22, 2011 by John Scalzo

Who wants some?

The October 2011 issue of Official Xbox Magazine (via CVG) is spreading the rumor that Fable IV and Duke Nukem Begins are in the works at, respectively, Lionhead and Gearbox. Awesome news for fans of those franchises, but neither game is actually rumored to be in development, they’ve already been confirmed by the creators themselves.

According to OXM, Fable IV will appear in 2013 with a “proper, controller-based” game. But series creator Peter Molyneux already confirmed a “proper” Fable sequel back in March. Another Fable title, the Kinect-powered Fable: The Journey was announced at E3 and will be released in 2012.

Duke Nukem Begins has an even stranger saga. OXM relays the rumor that Gearbox will reboot the Duke Nukem franchise after they complete Aliens: Colonial Marines. But the game, then known as Duke Begins, was first revealed in a court filing when Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms sued Take-Two. According to the court filing, the game was canceled, but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick and Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford have both confirmed more Duke Nukem games are on the way. So why not start with the already begun Duke Nukem Begins?

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

Dragon Age III will be “the best from Dragon Age and Dragon Age II”

Posted on August 21, 2011 by John Scalzo

Speaking to PC Gamer, BioWare CEO Dr. Ray Muzyka has revealed the first bit of news about Dragon Age III. Quizzing the developer about the franchise’s split fandom after Dragon Age II (our own Adam Woolcott awarded it a four out of five), the magazine asked Muzyka what direction the threequel would take.

He could have spouted the obvious “we’re going back to the basics” line that you would expect, but instead, Muzyka confirmed that Dragon Age III will combine “the best from both games, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II.”

“What we need to do as developers is take that feedback from both sets of fans to heart and see about marrying that in future games in the Dragon Age franchise. I think that the team has actually got a great plan. I think the team is going to have some things that are going to surprise both sets of fans, both core fans and new fans with a marriage of these… the best from both games, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II. And we look forward more to talking about that in the future.”

Dragon Age III has yet to be officially announced, but it will likely be released sometime in 2012.

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

Weekly Warp-Up: Gamescom is Over, Onto PAX Prime

Posted on August 21, 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…

August’s two big gaming expos happen one right after the other and just as Gamescom comes to a close in Germany, PAX Prime is readying itself for the big time in Seattle. The gaming world had more than that this week as all sorts news that is both thrilling and chilling spilled out onto the Interwebs this week.

Get Warp Zoned!
This week, our focus remained on the awe-inspiring Borderlands 2. We got a look at the game’s first teaser trailer, a few screenshots and capped it off with a wish list detailing What We Want From Borderlands 2. Take a ride!

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

Posted in News |

Gears of War 3 opening cinematic is Hollywood-riffic

Posted on August 20, 2011 by John Scalzo

Gears of War 3‘s September 20 release date is exactly a month away and Microsoft has unveiled the game’s cinematic. Taking its cues from a big budget Hollywood blockbuster, the game dishes out the storyline so far thanks to an audio diary being recorded by Anya Stroud.

It looks, in a word, epic.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

New Releases: Deus Ex Human Revolution, Tropico 4, Devil Survivor 3DS, More

Posted on August 20, 2011 by John Scalzo

The driest August ever (both weatherwise and gamewise) continues this week as just a handful of new releases will make their way onto store shelves.

The biggest release is the long-awaited Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which will be available on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Eidos Montreal has been hard at work on the third Deus Ex game since before the company was purchased by Square Enix. The only other completely new game available this week is Tropico 4. El Presidente’s latest conquest is coming to the PC now and to the Xbox 360 sometime in the future.

The rest of this week’s new releases are all re-releases in some way. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked is a 3DS remake of the DS game of the same name while Nintendo has the second wave of their Nintendo Selects budget line (Mario Strikers Charged, Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario) set for release this week.

Slim pickings to be sure (though Punch-Out!! is a complete steal at $19.99), but the big autumn game avalanche is coming soon. So be patient.

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

Three Resident Evil Revelations trailers lurch out of Gamescom

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

You might call them a horde of zombie trailers. Or perhaps they’re a pack. Though I was always partial to a murder of zombies myself.

Whatever you call it, Capcom has unveiled a new story trailer for Resident Evil Revelations along with two trailers devoted solely to gameplay. Like a zombie going for your jugular, it’s a gusher of goodies today!

You can check out the story trailer above. Both gameplay trailers are after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

Blizzard “very, very serious” about bringing Diablo III to consoles

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

The PC version of Diablo III still doesn’t have a release date, but Blizzard has dropped their biggest hint yet that the game is coming to consoles as well.

Speaking at Gamescom, Lead Designer Josh Mosqueira revealed that Blizzard is “is very, very serious about bringing the Diablo III experience to the console.”

This is good news by itself, but Mosqueira would go on to practically confirm the existence of a console version of the game, even going so far as to declare it awesome:

“Today, we’re trying to build the best console team at Blizzard. We’re looking for programmers, designers, artists who think their dream job would be to bring Diablo to the console. Trust me, it is a dream job. All I can say is it’s going to be awesome. Stay tuned.”

Blizzard’s last foray into console development, the stealth action game StarCraft: Ghost, is still officially on “indefinite hold,” but it’s been as good as dead for the last five years.

[Source: Eurogamer]

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2K fills out “NBA’s Greatest” roster in NBA 2K12

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

After teasing NBA 2K12‘s new “NBA’s Greatest” mode at the beginning of the month, 2K Sports is ready to announce the full roster of 15 basketball greats:

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1986-87 Lakers vs. 1986-87 Celtics)
  • Larry Bird (1985-86 Celtics vs. The 1985-86 Hawks)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (1971-72 Lakers vs. 1971-72 Knicks)
  • Julius Erving (1984-85 76ers vs. 1984-85 Bucks
  • Patrick Ewing (1994-95 Knicks vs. 1994-95 Magic)
  • Magic Johnson (1990-91 Lakers vs. 1990-91 Blazers)
  • Michael Jordan (1992-93 Bulls vs. 1992-93 Hornets)
  • Karl Malone (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Spurs)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94 Rockets vs. 1993-94 Nuggets)
  • Scottie Pippen (1995-96 Bulls vs. 1995-96 Sonics)
  • Oscar Robertson (1970-71 Bucks vs. 1970-71 Lakers)
  • Bill Russell (1964-65 Celtics vs. 1964-65 Lakers)
  • John Stockton (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Lakers)
  • Isiah Thomas (1988-89 Pistons vs. 1988-89 Bulls)
  • Jerry West (1970-71 Lakers vs. 1970-71 Hawks)

“Fans across the country were ecstatic to see Jordan, Bird, and Magic on the cover of NBA 2K12, and have speculated for weeks about who would fill out the rest of the ‘NBA’s Greatest’ roster,” said Jason Argent, Vice President of Marketing for 2K Sports. “These 15 legendary athletes will allow sports fanatics to create the NBA’s most storied matchups – and lock in bragging rights for their favorite teams in NBA 2K12.”

Players who pre-order NBA 2K12 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 will receive access to two additional teams/players in NBA’s Greatest mode. The bonus babies include the 1990-91 Golden State Warriors (with Chris Mullin) and the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings (with Chris “Timeout!” Webber). According to 2K, these teams will only be available to those who pre-order NBA 2K12.

NBA 2K12 will be released for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.

[Source: ESPN]

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