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.

Rockstar head honchos re-sign with Take-Two

Posted on May 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sam Houser, Dan Houser and Leslie Benzies, the brain trust behind Rockstar Games’ creative success, have agreed to renew their employment contracts with Take-Two Interactive. According to Take-Two, the deal featured “substantially similar economic terms” to their current contract.

This is great news for Take-Two as Rockstar has released an unprecendented string of critically acclaimed and bestselling titles over the last few years. And with L.A. Noire practically redefining what a video game can be, locking them up for a sequel was a smart thing to do.

Rockstar Games currently has several titles in development including Max Payne 3 and the PS3-exclusive Agent. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has also very strongly implied that the developer will release Grand Theft Auto V in 2012.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 |

Take-Two CEO hints at Grand Theft Auto V in 2012

Posted on May 24, 2011 by John Scalzo

He probably didn’t mean to, but Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick just confirmed that Grand Theft Auto V will ship sometime between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013.

During the company’s quarterly financial briefing, the executive had this to say: “While it is still very early to discuss fiscal 2013, we have a very strong pipeline of titles in development and currently expect to achieve substantial earnings growth, including Non-GAAP earnings per share in excess of $2.00.”

This bit of Wall Street speak may not have the words “grand”, “theft” or “auto” anywhere in it, but the earnings per share number speaks volumes. You see, the last time Take-Two could claim earnings per share in excess of $2.00 was back in 2008, right after the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

You can play games with journalists, but you don’t mess with the SEC. Consider GTA5 in 2012 as good as confirmed.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

EA unveils E3 2011 lineup; includes multiple unannounced projects

Posted on May 24, 2011 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts has caught the E3 fever and the only cure is an hour-long show on Spike TV!

Geoff Keighley of GameTrailers TV will host “Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview,” a live broadcast of EA’s 2011 E3 press conference. The photogenic game journalist will be joined by EA CEO John Riccitiello and several of the publisher’s development teams to unveil their E3 lineup:

  • Experience an explosive, never-before-seen demo of Battlefield 3
  • Travel across the galaxy for a look at Commander Shepard’s final voyage in Mass Effect 3
  • Hit the pitch for a first look at FIFA Soccer 12
  • Discover what’s new in Madden NFL 12
  • Shred the mountains in the world premiere look at SSX
  • Experience the high-speed thrills of Need For Speed: The Run
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic and multiple “unannounced projects” will also be revealed during the broadcast

Gamechangers will air live on Spike TV on Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM (Eastern Time).

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sony’s E3 2011 showcase to include at least four surprises

Posted on May 24, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sony has launched their official E3 2011 website with the tagline “It Just Keeps Getting Better.” While most people expect Sony to be in damage control mode at this year’s expo, the console-maker does have a pretty stellar lineup of stuff planned for the big show:

  • The Next Generation Portable (NGP)
  • Infamous 2 (PS3)
  • Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PS3)
  • Resistance 3
  • Twisted Metal (PS3)
  • Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

Sony also plans to surprise gamers with at least four additional announcements. We can only speculate what they might be but the publisher has plenty of other games in the pipeline including the recently announced Starhawk, The Last Guardian, the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection and Sly 4.

It could be all of them. It could be none of them. We’ll find out for sure on Monday, June 6.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged , , , , ,

Finally! Scorpion vs Sub-Zero in episode 7 of Mortal Kombat: Legacy

Posted on May 24, 2011 by John Scalzo

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Scorpion versus Sub-Zero in Kevin Tancharoen’s Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Ian Anthony Dale returns as Hanzo Hasashi in this two-part vignette that’ll be concluded next week. Also be on the lookout for Quan Chi and another appearance by Shang Tsung.

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

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 revealed in first full-length trailer

Posted on May 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

As promised, Activision and Infinity Ward have unveiled the first full-length trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The trailer confirms the game’s November 8th release date and shows World War III raging across America, England, France and Germany.

It is, in a word, epic. We’ll no doubt learn more about the third Modern Warfare game at E3.

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

Double Fine discusses Trenched in developer diary

Posted on May 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

We haven’t heard much about Trenched since it was announced back in March. Today, Double Fine broke their silence about the alternate history World War I game in the developer diary seen above.

Sharing a virtual beer with the viewer, Project Lead Brad Muir and several other members of the Trenched team discuss the Xbox Live Arcade game’s origins and their hopes for its future.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Puzzle Quest added to DSi Shop today

Posted on May 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

As is their Monday custom, Nintendo has announced the latest downloadable games for the DSi and Wii today.

Leading today’s pack is a DSi Shop version of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. The puzzle/RPG hybrid joined by 3D Twist & Match, another puzzler; and 99Bullets, a retro-tinged overhead shooter.

The Wii Shop received one game today, the Pipe Dreams-like Overflow. What? I’m the only person that remembers Pipe Dreams? Sounds about right.

More information on all four of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, Wii |