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.

Ed Boon is taking your suggestions for Mortal Kombat DLC

Posted on January 14, 2011 by John Scalzo

Ed Boon and his team at NetherRealm Studios have been talking about downloadable characters for Mortal Kombat for a long time. The developer really wanted to release DLC character on Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, but Midway’s money troubles prevented any from ever seeing the light of day.

But Boon is nothing if not persistent and he has taken the question of which Mortal Kombat characters should be included in DLC to the fans. On Monday, he posted the following messages to his fans via Twitter:

Seriously guys. Tell me your order of preference for a DLC character. Rain, Shinnok, Kenshi, [Robo-Smoke], or new character?

Ooops…forgot one. Or Tanya.

So it’s probably safe to assume that Rain, Shinnok, Kenshi, Tanya and Smoke in his robot form won’t be included in the retail release of Mortal Kombat. But if I’m getting a vote, I’m going for Kenshi and Robot-Smoke. They were badass.

Mortal Kombat will be available on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in April and I’m counting the days.

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Shift 2: Unleashed races to stores on March 29

Posted on January 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts has released a new trailer for the Need For Speed-less Shift 2: Unleashed, which you can check out above. And if you stick around until the end, you’ll get a glimpse of the game’s newly announced release date: March 29.

Shift 2: Unleashed is being developed by Slighty Mad Studios and will be available on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

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Activision taps Beenox to develop future Spider-Man games

Posted on January 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

As Spider-Man Uncle Ben always said, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” So it seems rather fitting that Activision is about to bestow great power and great responsibility on Beenox, the developer of last Fall’s Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

The megapublisher has announced that Beenox has been named the primary developer on upcoming games starring the superhero. While Activision didn’t go into specifics about the wallcrawler’s next video game adventure, an investor’s call in November revealed a new Spider-Man game is in the works for a 2011 release.

For their part, executives at Beenox and Activision seem excited about the arrangement.

“Beenox’s creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions,” said Patrick Kelly, Senior Vice President, Activision Studios. “We can’t wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future.”

“We are thrilled with this opportunity to continue our close, collaborative relationship with Activision, Marvel and everyone’s friendly, neighborhood hero, Spider-Man,” said Dee Brown, Studio Head, Beenox. “Being able to map out Spider-Man’s interactive future gives us the creative freedom to really craft the best gaming experience for the fans.”

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

Hard Corps: Uprising priced at $15, new screens released

Posted on January 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Konami’s Hard Corps: Uprising, a high definition sequel to 1994’s Contra: Hard Corps, will lead off this year’s Xbox Live House Party. The game will be added to the XBLA on February 16 and will carry a pricetag of 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). A PlayStation Network version is also planned, though Konami hasn’t given it a release date yet.

To celebrate the release date announcement, Konami has released a bunch of new screenshots (including that awesome one featuring The Base above). You can see them all after the jump. (more…)

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Doritos Crash Course Review: John Henson Would Be Proud

Posted on January 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

Doritos Crash Course is, unsurprisingly, this year’s Doritos-sponsored Xbox Live Arcade freebie (along with Harm’s Way, a driving game/tower defense hybrid). The game takes the form of an extreme obstacle course that mashes together elements of Wipeout, Nickelodeon’s Guts and The Eliminator from American Gladiators. Best of all, the character you control on this side-scrolling course is your own Avatar. (more…)

Posted in Reviews, Top Story | Tagged ,

Limbo, Red Dead Redemption lead 2011 Game Developers Choice nominees

Posted on January 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

The nominees for the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be handed out on March 2 during the Game Developers Conference, have been announced.

The monochromatic XBLA puzzle-platformer Limbo took seven nominations, more than any other game. But Rockstar’s cowboy opus Red Dead Redeption was close behind with six while BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 received five.

Other big nominees include God of War III, Heavy Rain and Minecraft, all of which received three nominations. Minecraft’s inclusion among the nominees marks the first time a game has received a GDC Award nomination and was selected as a finalist in the Independent Games Festival.

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees. (more…)

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FEAR 3 runs away from March release date

Posted on January 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

FEAR 3 has already scared away several release dates during its development and it looks like the game won’t be released on March 22 either. Instead, the game will make its way to stores sometime in May.

The news of the delay comes from FEAR_Tot, an administrator on the official FEAR forums:

The F.E.A.R. 3 launch date will now be in May 2011, as we look to deliver the best possible game for our fans.

Thanks for the patience, I promise it will be worth it.

So basically, he’s saying don’t fear the delay, the game will still be great.

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Battlefield 3 to be unveiled at GDC

Posted on January 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

When Electronic Arts released a Limited Edition of Medal of Honor last year, the box included a multiplayer beta invite for the upcoming Battlefield 3. While technically unannounced at the time, the publisher plans to lift the lid on the third game in the Battlefield series during a March 1st event at this year’s Game Developers Conference.

Besides Battlefield 3, the entire all of EA Partners’ 2011 releases will be on hand at the show including Spicy Horse’s Alice: Madness Returns, Easy Studios’ Battlefield Play4Free, Crytek’s Crysis 2, 38 Studios’ Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning and Grasshopper Manufacture’s Shadows of the Damned.

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