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.

Tecmo to unmask Ninja Gaiden III at E3

Posted on February 28, 2011 by John Scalzo

Publisher Tecmo Koei and developer Team Ninja have unsheathed the first teaser for Ninja Gaiden III. The very short video is actually a POV shot from the eyes of a rival ninja that has just been skewered by series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa. As he thrusts again and again, more and more blood fills the screen causing Ryu to reach for his mask. The video then cuts to the words “Unmask E3 2011″… where Tecmo Koei no doubt plans to reveal more about Ryu’s next adventure.

Ninja Gaiden III will be the first game in the series not developed by Tomonobu Itagaki, who left Team Ninja in 2008.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Weekly Warp-Up: Everybody Loves Shooters

Posted on February 27, 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…

In case you missed it earlier in the week, there’s still one more day until our Comic Jumper giveaway is over. You can’t win if you don’t enter, so if you want a chance to play one of the funniest games ever, hit the link.

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Ah, March. You’re coming in like a lion, all right… but you’re going out like one, too. Not only are there a ton of awesome games coming out, but there’s also the highly anticipated arrival of Nintendo’s new handheld hardware, the 3DS. More than a few franchises are getting new chapters this month, too. The Warp Zoned staff got together to share what games and tech they’re most looking forward to during the month in The Next Level: The Games of March 2011.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you definitely know that the Call of Duty franchise has taken the gaming world by storm, breaking records and bringing very strong opinions about what makes a good CoD game into the mix. So Mike Gutierrez asks the eternal question, Modern Warfare 2 vs Black Ops, in his latest G-Spot column.

Finally, Sega is prepping the latest adventure of Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 4, for a stateside release. Our hands-on preview explores all the fighting styles of Kazuma’s clan and should get you excited for the game’s March 15th release.

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

Posted in News |

Activision declares Modern Warfare 3 countdown a hoax

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

In hindsight, the images used on findmakarov.com may have been a bit too obvious for a reveal that was still five days away.

An Activision spokesperson has told Joystiq that they have no plans to make an announcement about the future of the Call of Duty franchise and that any information claiming otherwise is a hoax:

There seems to be a great deal of speculation about the next Call of Duty project. Let me be clear that we are not revealing yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax.

I still think this might be the real deal. Activision executives have constantly reinforced the belief that a new Call of Duty game is coming this Fall. They have to announce it eventually and the Game Developers Conference is a good place as any.

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

Sony drops PSP price to $130

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

Effective February 27th, Sony will be dropping the price of the PSP-3000 to $129.99. This move is no doubt the start of the publisher’s preparation for the release of their Next Generation Portable, which should be out by the end of the year. To go along with the price drop, Sony has added a bunch of new titles to the PSP’s $19.99 Greatest Hits line and $9.99 Favorites line. So if you’re in the market for PSP games, here’s what you’ll be able to pick up for cheap very soon:

New Greatest Hits Titles ($19.99)

  • Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines
  • Dissidia: Final Fantasy
  • LittleBigPlanet
  • Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
  • Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
  • Resistance: Retribution
  • Toy Story 3

New Favorites Titles ($9.99)

  • Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
  • Daxter
  • Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
  • Killzone: Liberation
  • SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fire Team Bravo
  • Tomb Raider Anniversary
Posted in News, PSP |

God of War III, Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2 become Greatest Hits

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sony has added a quintet of new titles to the PlayStation’s Greatest Hits line and it’s hard to argue about the greatness of any of them.

The latest Greatest Hits include God of War III, Heavy Rain, ModNation Racers, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Game of the Year Edition (which includes a voucher for all of the game’s downloadable contenst) and THQ’s UFC Undisputed 2010. All of the games will now retail for the insanely great price of $29.99. As you can see on the left, the games look pretty snazzy in red with their new Greatest Hits cases.

Sony has promised that more games will be added to the Greatest Hits lineup as 2011 progresses.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged , ,

New Releases: Pokemon Black/White, Fight Night Champion, Rift, More

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

Released in Japan last Fall, Pokemaniacs in North America have been anxiously awaiting the day that Pokemon: Black Version and Pokemon: White Version would make the jump across the Pacific. And, with the 3DS less than a month away, that day is finally upon us. Let’s hope you’re ready to catch ’em all.

If catching them all doesn’t hold any appeal for you, there are several other non-Pokemon options among this week’s new releases. There’s Fight Night Champion (PS3, Xbox 360), EA Sports’ latest reinvention of their boxing franchise; there’s Rift (PC), the first MMORPG from Trion Worlds; and there’s Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Retribution (PC), the newest expansion in the strategy series.

The full list of the rest of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Days of Thunder Arcade races onto XBLA

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

Did you think that games are only added to the Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesdays? Well think again!

Days of Thunder Arcade (which is based on the 1990 Tom Cruise movie and already had one game adaptation back in the NES days) was added to the XBLA in a surprise Friday update. Developed by Piranha Games and published by Paramount Digital Entertainment, the game is available to download at a price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

While Paramount/Piranha Games missed the movie’s 20th anniversary, they definitely want gamers to remember that “rubbin’ is racin'”:

Days of Thunder Arcade is a high adrenaline stock car arcade racer. Coached by Rowdy Burns himself you can relive the intensity of the film while you race to the top of the leaderboards. Watch out for Cole Trickle and Russ Wheeler though! Race on Oval and road tracks to prove that you’ve got what it takes.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Activision counting down to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

UPDATE: An Activision spokesperson has declared the countdown site a hoax. The original story follows.

It sure looks that way after viewing the countdown clock at findmakarov.com (which comes complete with Modern Warfare 2-inspired sights and sounds).

The URL of the site was imprinted on dogtags that were sent to several game sites today by viral marketing firm VVO Media. Besides Makarov (who was one of the terrorists from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2), the tags also include the phrase “End the War” and the name Lt. General Shepherd (another villain from MW2).

The countdown will end on Wednesday, March 2 at 7 AM (Pacific Time). That’s smack dab in the middle of the Game Developers Conference, where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 made its worldwide debut two years ago.

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