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.

Xbox Store Today: Bulletstorm Full Clip Edition, Galaxy Fight Universal Warriors

Posted on April 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Xbox One owners will be able to download two new games through the Xbox Games Store today…

People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm: Full Clip edition is a remastered re-release of the unique shooter. First released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, the Full Clip Edition includes all of Bulletstorm’s previously-release downloadable content, enhanced graphics, and an appearance from Duke Nukem (courtesy of publishing partner Gearbox).

Also available to download today is Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors, a one-on-one fighting game that was originally released for the NeoGeo in 1995. Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors features eight characters and an authentic 16-bit aesthetic.

You can learn more about both of these games after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Candy Crush developer King is working on a new Call of Duty mobile game

Posted on April 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

King, the prolific developer best known for Candy Crush Saga, has revealed they’re working on a new Call of Duty game for mobile devices.

The untitled game was confirmed via a Recruitment page on King’s website, which describes the game as “a Call of Duty experience on mobile that will strive to transform the best console experience fans know and love, while also breaking new ground for mobile and redefining the genre”:

We are a new King team, located in Stockholm, Sweden, and we’re working on an exciting new project. The team is adapting one of the most iconic game franchises of all-time: Call of Duty, to become a mobile experience. This is a rare and exciting opportunity. Our challenge as a team is to create a Call of Duty experience on mobile that will strive to transform the best console experience fans know and love, while also breaking new ground for mobile and redefining the genre.

Our approach and ambition is to be fresh, social, and highly accessible, while providing a very authentic game experience. The team will prototype extensively, have the freedom to think outside the box, and be encouraged to stretch their expertise in ways to create surprising results.

Activision has released multiple mobile games in the Call of Duty franchise over the years including Call of Duty: Zombies (2009), Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies (2011), Call of Duty: Strike Team (2013), and Call of Duty: Heroes (2014). It’s unknown when King’s mobile game will make its debut, but the next Call of Duty game on PC and Consoles will be released this November.

Posted in Mobile, News |

Rising Star Games will serve up Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop for the 3DS on May 16

Posted on April 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Cooking Mama is back… and this time, she’s bringing dessert.

Set to be published by Rising Star Games and in development at Office Create, Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop will be available for the 3DS on May 16, and dozens of recipes and more than 160 minigames will be on the menu:

With over 60 different recipes to create, spread throughout 160 different minigames, players use the stylus to slice, stir, bake and decorate their creations – you can even use the microphone to blow and cool your delicacies! Create a wide assortment of delicious looking sweets and puddings, and serve customers in the shop to keep them happy. The more sweets you create and complete, the more your shop expands. You may even trigger a special event! Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop also features a competitive multiplayer mode for two to four players… challenge your friends and see who can make the tastiest treats. And just like always, don’t worry if you make a mistake… Mama will fix it for you!

For an appetizer, the first trailer for Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop has been embedded above.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End named “Best Game” at 2017 BAFTA Games Awards

Posted on April 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nathan Drake is going to ride off into the sunset with one last “Game of the Year” award. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosted the ceremony for the 2017 BAFTA Games Awards last night, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was selected as the year’s “Best Game.”

Playdead’s Inside didn’t win the big prize, but the indie game scooped up four BAFTAs including “Artistic Achievement,” “Game Design,” “Narrative,” and “Original Property.” Ghost Town’s Overcooked (“Best British Game” and “Family”) and Campo Santo’s Firewatch (“Debut Game” and “Performer” for Cissy Jones) also managed to collect multiple awards as part of the festivities.

A whole slew of titles were able to pull out a win in one category last night, and they include That Dragon Cancer (“Game Innovation”), Rocket League (“Evolving Game”), Overwatch (“Multiplayer”), Pokemon Go (“Mobile & Handheld”), The Last Guardian (“Audio Achievement”), and Virginia (“Music”).

A complete list of winners and nominees from the 2017 BAFTA Games Awards is available at Video Game Canon.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , ,

Nintendo Download: Lego City Undercover, Graceful Explosion Machine, Vroom in the Night Sky, more

Posted on April 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

Four new games are now available to download for the Nintendo Switch… and three of them will offer players plenty of explosions.

Lego City Undercover is an open-world action game that takes the gritty “cops and robbers” genre and gives it a family-friendly makeover. Players will take control of Chase McCain, an undercover officer who has been ordered to take down notorious criminal Rex Fury. But they’ll also be able to keep themselves busy with “more than 20 unique districts to investigate, car thieves to bust, hilarious movie references to discover, vehicles to drive, and hundreds of collectibles.” Oh, and an explosion or two.

As you’d expect, Graceful Explosion Machine is also packed with fiery detonations. In this side-scrolling shooter, Switch owners will pilot the Graceful Explosion Machine, using its quartet of weapons to blast a bunch of aliens. If you prefer your shooters to scroll vertically, Alpha Mission II, which was originally released for the NeoGeo in 1991, is also available to download today.

Finally this week, Switch owners will be able to download Vroom in the Night Sky, which doesn’t appear to include explosions of any kind. Instead, players will fly through the night collecting Stardusts to unlock the Magical Gate.

You can learn about this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (which also includes several 3DS and Wii U games) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged ,

The Society emerges as a threat to the Injustice 2 universe in “Shattered Alliances Part 4”

Posted on April 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

After Superman’s Regime came to power in Injustice: Gods Among Us, they managed to end all crime on Earth by executing any supervillain that fought back.

Naturally, this lead to some sore feelings, and now that the Man of Steel is in prison, the supervillain community has roared back in Injustice 2 as a terrorist organization known as “The Society.” Gorilla Grodd is leading Bane, Cheetah, Catwoman, Captain Cold, Deadshot, Scarecrow, and others against Batman’s forces, and it’s going to be a bloody confrontation.

You can learn all about Grodd’s machinations by viewing the “Shattered Alliances Part 4” trailer embedded above, and catch up with the rest of Injustice 2’s story in “Part 1,” “Part 2,” and “Part 3.”

Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on May 16.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Graceful Explosion Machine Review: Colorful Arcade Shooter Pops On Nintendo’s Switch

Posted on April 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

When your brand new console launches with a single marquee game, you need to do something in the ensuing weeks and months to hold the interest of all those early adopters. Most Nintendo Switch owners (approximately 89%, according to GameStop) are busy exploring every corner of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but the consolemaker’s “Nindies” program has also given the eShop a boost in these early days thanks to exclusive and semi-exclusive software like Snipperclips, FAST RMX, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, and Blaster Master Zero.

Available today, Vertex Pop’s Graceful Explosion Machine is the latest title to join this steady stream of smaller Switch launches. (more…)

Posted in Reviews, Switch, Top Story | Tagged

Activision is working on at least three movies in a connected Call of Duty Cinematic Universe

Posted on April 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

Activision first began discussing the possibility of a “Call of Duty Cinematic Universe” shortly after opening their film division, Activision Blizzard Studios, a few years ago. Earlier this week, a new profile in The Guardian has revealed that the studio is already working on three separate films:

“We have plotted out many years,” [Co-President Stacey] Sher tells the Guardian. “We put together this group of writers to talk about where we were going. There’ll be a film that feels more like Black Ops, the story behind the story. The Modern Warfare series looks at what it’s like to fight a war with the eyes of the world on you. And then maybe something that is more of a hybrid, where you are looking at private, covert operations, while a public operation is going on.”

According to The Guardian, Activision would like to start filming the first entry in the “Call of Duty Cinematic Universe” sometime next year, with a theatrical premiere planned for “a couple of years after” that.

Sher and her Co-President, Nick Van Dyk, also have ambitions beyond traditional motion pictures. The pair has already partnered with Netflix to produce Skylanders Academy, and they’re also envisioning a Call of Duty-branded series that focuses on historical conflicts such as World War II and the Vietnam War.

Sher also wants fans to know that, above all else, Activision Blizzard Studios wants to make good movies: “If you just chase the empty blockbuster, and have nothing to say in the genre, forget about it.”

Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,