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.

See 12 minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay in new trailer

Posted on July 3, 2011 by John Scalzo

This 4th of July weekend, it’s important to remember that if there’s one comic book character who stands for truth, justice and the American way… it’s Batman!

Wait… I don’t think that’s right…

Anyway, WB Games and developer Rocksteady have released over 12 minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay footage including Catwoman taking down a bunch of thugs, getting captured by Two-Face and Batman’s rescue mission. And trust me, there’s no shortage of fireworks when those three get together.

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

Weekly Warp-Up: The Futurist Edition

Posted on July 3, 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…

Today was a good week to be a gamer as the Supreme Court struck down the California anti-game bill. It wasn’t so good a week for Jon Stewart as his favorite target retired and then he went on an old man rant about them evul viddygames.

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Besides an argument over the future of the “violent video game” debate, this week was also a general look into the future. We took a stab at predicting the future of the 3DS in Nintendo’s 3DS: Looking Into the Next Dimension and we spun into Sonic’s future with a hands-on preview of Sonic Generations.

With the end of June in sight, we also published the latest edition of Warpback, better known as “What We Played in June 2011.” Naturally, this was followed up by our report detailing The Games of July 2011.

Finally, on Episode 12 of the Warp Zoned Podcast, Senior Editor Nicole Kline and Podcast Producer Ryan Littlefield are joined by West Coast Editor Adam Woolcott. They talk about the latest news (what’s up with Nintendo’s refusal to localize games we are dying to play???) and then move into our big topic: game reboots.

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

Posted in News |

New Releases: Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon, More

Posted on July 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

The Summer slowdown is here. Just five games are scheduled to be released this week. But as a wise (and animated) man once said: “Celebrate your country’s independence by blowing up a small part of it.” And that’s just what I plan on doing with D3 Publisher’s Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (PS3, Xbox 360), the closest thing we’ll ever get to a Starship Troopers video game.

Also available this week is a quartet of games that couldn’t be more diverse:

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

Jon Stewart rips SCOTUS on CA game bill decision; forgets he starred in The Faculty

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

No matter how depraved and disgusting a comedy gets, it only becomes “offensive” or “inappropriate” when the creators attack something you love. Even a comedy show as respected as The Daily Show can fall into this trap. There are few men in America that are as beloved among young adults as Jon Stewart, but he just questioned the wisdom of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Brown vs EMA…

Jon Stewart is dead to me now.

The Daily Show host made his point by splicing clips of the latest Mortal Kombat game in with his own reactions to the gratuitous violence. But before showing the clip, he prefaced it with the following warning: “It’s like an interactive, animated snuff film.”

That’s just going too far Mr. Stewart! Why, I’ll have you know, the Mortal Kombat series is a historic and… (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

ESRB says Crysis is coming to PS3, Xbox 360

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Even though it was released back in 2007, Crysis still sets the benchmark for graphically intensive PC games. Developer CryTek has flirted with a console release for the game before, but nothing has ever come of it.

Until now, that is.

Today, a rating for a PS3/Xbox 360 version of Crysis appeared on the ESRB’s website. The Korean Rating Board also outed a console version of Crysis in the last few days. It’s not quite confirmation, but PS3/Xbox 360 owners got a chance to play Crysis 2 back in March and it seems very likely like its predecessor will be joining it soon.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Kenshi’s story told in new MK DLC trailer

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Kenshi, the blind swordsman, was the best character introduced to the Mortal Kombat mythos in the Deadly Alliance trilogy. So it’s only fitting that he’s the first returning character to be offered as DLC for the Mortal Kombat reboot on the PS3 and Xbox 360. NetherRealm Studios has released a new trailer that tells the tale of Kenshi and you can watch it above.

Kenshi will be available to download from the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace on July 5 for $5 (or 400 Microsoft Points).

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Halo: Glasslands novel set for October

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Tor Books and their Halo fiction factory continues to roll with Halo: Glasslands this October. Glasslands was written by Karen Traviss and is the beginning of a new trilogy that sets the stage for Halo 4 in the aftermath of Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.

“Although Karen’s novel deals with the characters and events from ‘Ghosts of Onyx,’ it’s the wonderful new characters and scenarios that she brings so vividly to life that will excite Halo fiction fans,” says Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director for 343 Industries. “We get an incredible opportunity to explore the Halo universe in the aftermath of the Covenant war, and unveil some mysteries and storylines that will connect readers to a compelling corner of the Halo universe. I can’t wait for readers to enjoy this book as much as we have.”

Halo: Glasslands will be available in stores in paperback and on compact disc on October 25, 2011.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Call of Duty XP 2011 “fan experience” set for September 2-3

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

The Call of Duty franchise is Activision’s billion-dollar baby and it’ll be celebrated this September in the very first CoD “fan experience.” Call of Duty XP 2011 will be held on Labor Day Weekend, September 2nd and 3rd, in Los Angeles. For two days, the festival will immerse 6,000 fans in all things Call of Duty, including an announcement of the full feature for Call of Duty Elite and the world premiere of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer mode.

“From the high production values of our live, immersive events – all the way to the smallest details in every design and activity – we’re pulling out all the stops to make Call of Duty XP the ultimate gathering for the global community of Call of Duty fans,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “The celebration will immerse attendees in a Call of Duty experience unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. Over the course of two days, gamers can trade Call of Duty war stories, experience the official unveiling of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and the full feature functionality of Call of Duty Elite, as well as enjoy world-class entertainment and compete head-to-head for some serious cash prizes.”

Attendees at Call of Duty XP 2011 will experience a ton of other exciting events as well:

  • $1 million Call of Duty: Black Ops tournament
  • Discussion panels and Q&A with Call of Duty developers
  • Onsite Call of Duty armory and museum
  • Paintball matches on a life-sized Call of Duty multiplayer map
  • Speed-run attempts for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s legendary “The Pit”
  • More attractions to be announced

Tickets for Call of Duty XP 2011 will be available July 19 for $150 apiece. All proceeds will benefit The Call of Duty Endowment, Activision’s organization that helps soldiers transition to civilian life.

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