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.

NetherRealm adds some magic to Injustice 2 with addition of Doctor Fate to game’s roster

Posted on March 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

NetherRealm Studios continues to dig deep for new additions to Injustice 2, and today’s announcement that Doctor Fate will be joining the roster of playable characters is just further proof of their quest to explore the darker corners of the DC Universe.

Doctor Fate is actually Kent Nelson, a young archaeologist who learned the arcane secrets of sorcery from Nabu the Wise. You can watch him deliver a magical beatdown on Superman in the trailer embedded above.

Injustice 2 will offer a wide variety of character customization options thanks to its brand new Gear System, and NetherRealm showed it off to Sid Shuman of the PlayStation Blog at this week’s Game Developers Conference. If you’ve ever wanted to build Batman’s anti-Superman suit, Injustice 2 might just give you the chance:

Gear revolves around four main body parts — head, chest, arms, and legs — plus an “accessory” (think Harley Quinn’s pistols). Most gear you collect will buff at least one of your four base stats: Strength and Ability determine the offensive power of basic attacks and special moves, while Defense and Health dictate how much damage your superhero can absorb.

More exotic effects — resistance to environmental damage, earning XP more quickly — come via “augmentations” found on some higher-tier items. Full gear sets, such as Batman’s kryptonite-infused outfit, are likely to be especially prized because they can grant dramatic bonuses when fully assembled.

After playing dress-up, you can apply shaders to alter your hero’s color schemes in some striking ways. A purple-clad Superman? Why not! I’m expecting to see some seriously creative designs here come May.

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

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Xbox Store Today: Torment Tides of Numenera, A King’s Tale Final Fantasy XV, Ghost Blade HD

Posted on March 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

A trio of new games are now available to download through the Xbox Games Store…

InXile Entertainment was the beneficiary of one of the biggest Kickstarter campaigns ever when they first began developing Torment: Tides of Numenera, but now their spiritual successor to the beloved Planescape: Torment is ready for release on the Xbox One. Taking place a billion years in the future, the RPG asks players to explore a “extinct, hyper-advanced civilizations” as they seek the answer to life’s ultimate question.

A slightly less heady story is at the center of A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV, a retro-styled brawler set 30 years before the events of Final Fantasy XV. A King’s Tale is now available to download on the Xbox One for free, and this bedtime story stars King Regis as he battles monsters in a mysterious cave.

Finally today, Ghost Blade HD is a “bullet hell” shooter that was originally released for the Dreamcast in 2015. Redesigned for the Xbox One with a “modern graphic style and special effects,” the game also feature a two-player mode and “addictive score-based gameplay.”

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

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Microsoft brought a bunch of upcoming ID@Xbox games to GDC 2017

Posted on March 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

The 2017 Game Developers Conference is in full swing, and Microsoft is promoting their upcoming ID@Xbox lineup in a special area known as the Xbox Lobby Bar. While taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the convention, attendees will be able to play more than 20 games that’ll soon be available for the Xbox One and Windows 10.

The ID@Xbox display at GDC 2017 includes newly-announced titles from Cellar Door Games (Full Metal Furies), Lazy Bears Games (Graveyard Keeper), and Wizard Fu (Songbringer), as well as highly-anticipated games like Cities: Skylines, Tacoma, The Church in Darkness, and Mages of Mystralia.

You can learn more about Microsoft’s presence at GDC 2017 at the Xbox Wire, and you can find the complete list of games playable at the Xbox Lobby Bar after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

Ultra Street Fighter II will be released for the Switch on May 26

Posted on March 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

Capcom just announced that Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers will be released for the Nintendo Switch on May 26.

Like 2008’s Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, The Final Challengers gives players the option to use the fighting game’s original 16-bit graphics or redesigned high definition sprites from Udon Entertainment. Players will also be able to select two new characters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken), and compete in the first-person “Way of the Hado” mode using the Joy-Con Controllers.

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers will be priced at $39.99.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Horizon Zero Dawn, Torment Tides of Numenera, Suikoden IV, more added to PS Store

Posted on March 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s time to venture into a new kind of post-apocalyptic world as Sony and Guerrilla Games will release Horizon: Zero Dawn exclusively for the PS4 this week. Now available to download from the PlayStation Store, join Aloy as she explores an Earth that has left humanity behind. Between the robotic wildlife that roam the remnants of the world and the tribal warfare that threatens to snuff out the last of mankind, there are sure to be many secrets to discover in Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Several other epic adventures are available to download this week through the PlayStation Store, including Torment: Tides of Numenera, a sci-fi RPG for the PS4. Built from the ground up as a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, Tides of Numenera takes place one billion years in the future and asks players to explore a world “built on the bones of extinct, hyper-advanced civilizations.”

Also available this week is Suikoden IV, an RPG that was originally released for the PS2 in 2004. PS3 owners can now purchase Suikoden IV as part of the PS2 Classics program, and discover the origins of the Rune of Punishment.

Finally this week, Square Enix will give PS4 owners the chance to download A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV for free. Previously available as a pre-order bonus for Final Fantasy XV, A King’s Tale is a retro-styled 2D brawler that takes place 30 years before the events of the main game.

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged ,

Digital Eclipse is working on another Legacy Collection for Capcom

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Capcom and Digital Eclipse teamed up to produce the Mega Man Legacy Collection in 2015, and it was everything that fans of the Blue Bomber could hope for. In addition to perfect recreations of the first six Mega Man games, the Legacy Collection also included a brand new Challenge Mode that remixed the games into a series of bite-sized chunks.

Mega Man Legacy Collection’s Director, Frank Cifaldi, recently appeared on The Ringer’s “Channel 33” podcast, and he revealed that Digital Eclipse is currently putting the finishing touches on another Legacy Collection for Capcom, which should be announced “any day now”:

I shipped a collection called Mega Man Legacy Collection the year before last. I guess, it’s been a while. And we’ve got another one coming out soon that they’re gonna announce any day now. I don’t know when… I wish I could talk about it, but it’s really cool.

So time to place your bets… which of Capcom’s famed franchises do you think Digital Eclipse is working to resurrect? The frontrunner is likely Mega Man X Legacy Collection, but there’s always the possibility the publisher might want to give fans a second Mega Man Legacy Collection featuring the five remaining “Mega Man Classic” games. But there’s always the chance for a Final Fight Collection, or a Ghosts N Goblins Collection, or maybe even something really wild like the 194X games.

If Cifaldi is right, hopefully we’ll find out soon.

Posted in News |

Video Game History Foundation wants to create a digital record of the industry’s past

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Frank Cifaldi is a developer who has worked on Mega Man Legacy Collection and IDARB, but he is also the founder of the Video Game History Foundation, a new non-profit that seeks to preserve and digitize the history of video games.

The Video Game History Foundation launched their first “Digital Collection” yesterday, focusing on The NES Launch in 1985. Cifaldi is also seeking donations to expand the scope of the Foundation, as detailed on their “What We’re Doing” page:

The heart of the Foundation is its digital library, an online repository of artifacts related to the history of video games and video game culture. The ultimate goal is to create a searchable, organized, always-online archive of verified, high-quality material that is accessible to researchers and historians as a public education resource.

All donations to the Video Game History Foundation are tax deductible, and I can’t wait to see what collections they come up with next.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, Mobile, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Ubisoft is developing another game based on James Cameron’s Avatar

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Avatar is nearly ten years old, and practically absent from the current pop culture landscape, but director James Cameron continues to insist that he’ll release the first of four sequels to his Oscar-nominated sci-fi spectacle in 2018. Today, Ubisoft announced it’ll be accompanied by a brand new Avatar game, which is in development at Massive Entertainment.

Massive Entertainment is best known for their work on Tom Clancy’s The Division, and they plan to work closely with Cameron’s Lighstorm Entertainment to bring recreate Pandora for players:

The new game will return PC and console players to the Avatar universe, using Massive’s Snowdrop engine – also used in The Division and the upcoming South Park: The Fractured But Whole – to bring Pandora’s unique terrain and inhabitants to life. It was after seeing a Snowdrop-run game prototype, in fact, that Avatar creator James Cameron and Lightstorm agreed to the partnership.

“With the power of Massive’s Snowdrop engine, and the team’s passion and obsessive focus on detail, we know they’re the right group to bring the beauty and danger of Pandora to life,” Cameron told the UbiBlog.

Representatives from Massive Entertainment are in attendance at this year’s Game Developers Conference, and hope to hire a number of new developers to help them work on this Avatar project. You can find a list of open positions at their official website.

Massive’s Avatar game is currently without a title or a release date, however, we do know it’s in the works for “PC and consoles.”

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