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 Studios adds Black Canary (and her Canary Cry) to Injustice 2

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

After listening to the cries of their fans, NetherRealm Studios has added Black Canary to Injustice 2 as a playable character.

The latest gameplay trailer for Injustice 2 gives us a pretty good look at Black Canary, and the comics character seems to have a very similar moveset to Mortal Kombat‘s Sonya Blade. In addition to a variety of flips and kicks (a few of which seem to really work the groin), Black Canary also deploys her famed Canary Cry to pummel her opponents with sound waves.

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

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, Fire Emblem Heroes, Gradius, more

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Some of your favorite video game characters (and one semi-famous spaceship) are featured in this week’s Nintendo Download…

Nintendo will add Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, a portable re-release of Yoshi’s Woolly World, to the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow. Players will be able to “unravel” secrets and “weave” platforms through all of the stages found in the Wii U original, as well as several 3DS-exclusive areas starring Poochy.

But starting today, Nintendo fans who own a smartphone or tablet will be able to try out their second mobile game… Fire Emblem Heroes. Available to download on iOS and Android devices, Fire Emblem Heroes is a free-to-play strategy RPG that includes characters from across the Fire Emblem universe.

Finally this week, a pair of classic games originally released for the TurboGrafx-16 are available to download on the Wii U. In Gradius, players will pilot the Vic Viper and fight back against an alien invasion. And in Bomberman ’94, players will use their bombs to blast away at everything else on the screen.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Madden NFL 17’s Super Bowl LI prediction picks the Patriots to win it all

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

The digital prognosticators at EA Sports have delivered their official Madden NFL 17 prediction for this year’s “Big Game.” It may not be the result everyone wants, but according to EA, the New England Patriots will defeat the Atlanta Falcons 27 to 24 in Super Bowl LI.

According to the simulation, the Patriots will trail the Falcons 24 to 20 with just a few seconds left on the clock. From an unenviable 4th and 4, and with no timeouts remaining, Tom Brady will drop back and hit Julian Edelman for the game-winning touchdown.

But before that bit of last-second magic, EA’s simulation of Super Bowl LI plays out pretty much how you’d expect. Atlanta’s running back committee of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman will each score a touchdown, while the always-impressive Julio Jones will add 89 receiving yards. But the Patriots will get the chance to spread the ball around and Brady’s pair of touchdown tosses to Dion Lewis and Chris Hogan (along with the game-winning score) will earn him the Super Bowl MVP trophy.

Is it likely that any of these controller-aided conclusions will come to pass on Sunday? Your guess is as good as mine, but EA’s Madden-powered Super Bowl prediction is usually a pretty accurate barometer of Super Bowl Sunday. Last year, Madden NFL 16 predicted the Carolina Panthers would win Super Bowl 50 in a nail-biter, but they actually lost a lopsided game to the Denver Broncos.

Patriots fans would probably rather look to the Madden NFL 15 simulation from two years ago, which perfectly predicted Super Bowl XLIX’s final score of 28-24.

Whatever happens, I’m sure the commercials will be good.

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

Nintendo’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial will feature the Switch

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has existed as a company for more than 127 years, and in all that time they’ve never produced a Super Bowl commercial. Though to be fair, the Super Bowl has only been held since 1967, and the world only really started to embrace the spectacle of it all in the early 90s.

But this is 2017, and Nintendo’s Switch console will be available on store shelves in just four weeks. So what better way to sell it to the public than with a splashy Super Bowl LI ad?

“The most anticipated video game system and video game of the year will be seen on the biggest stage of the year,” said Nicolas Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Marketing. “Nintendo Switch will change how, when and where people play games. It’s only fitting that we’re changing how, when and where we advertise those games.”

The commercial uses the same “Play Anywhere” style of marketing that Nintendo has used for the Switch so far, and features clips from a wide variety of games including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Arms, 1-2-Switch, Just Dance 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers. And in case you were wondering, the Switch’s Super Bowl ad was soundtracked by “Believer,” the new single from Imagine Dragons.

The Nintendo Switch will be released worldwide on March 3, and if you hurry, you might still be able to secure one for launch day. A 30-second version of Nintendo’s Switch commercial will air during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI.

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

EA Sports will release Madden NFL 18, FIFA 18, NHL 18, NBA Live 18, UFC 3 this year

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

There’s no need to panic… EA Sports will indeed release a full slate of sports simulations in 2017.

CEO Andrew Wilson shared the completely unsurprising news during EA’s quarterly financial report earlier this week, and he seems particularly proud of the enhancements planned for FIFA 18, including an expanded new storyline for “The Journey”:

FIFA 18 will build on the foundation we created with Story Mode this year, bringing players back to “The Journey” with Season 2, featuring new characters and new storylines. Our development team in Vancouver is delivering deeply innovative new experiences across this year’s game, including an Ultimate Team, and creating the most emotionally immersive and connected FIFA we have ever produced.

Wilson also announced that development of the Madden franchise will finally transition to the Frostbite Engine with Madden NFL 18:

Our Madden NFL franchise will transition to the Frostbite Engine with Madden NFL 18, unlocking major visual advancements and new gameplay experiences that will excite dedicated Madden players, football fans, and sports fans overall.

The executive closed the EA Sports portion of his report with confirmation that EA Sports UFC 3 is set to be released sometime in 2017, while NHL 18 and the “all new” NBA Live 18 will be released in the Fall.

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

BioWare will deliver the first entry in a brand new franchise in Early 2018

Posted on February 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

During EA’s quarterly financial report earlier this week, CEO Andrew Wilson gave investors and fans alike a sneak peek at the year ahead for the megapublisher, and he even peered out into 2018 for one brief moment.

After discussing Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Need For Speed 2017, Wilson turned his attention to BioWare and confirmed that the developer’s next project after Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released in Early 2018. But rather than return to Dragon Age or Jade Empire, BioWare will release the first entry in a brand new franchise that’ll feature “new concepts, new game play mechanics, and new stories.” According to Wilson, the title will also include an “exhilarating” multiplayer component:

At the end of the fiscal year, our BioWare studio will be delivering an all new IP. A clean-sheet design with new concepts, new game play mechanics, and new stories, set in a unique new universe. This game has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the way people think about an action title, bringing friends together to play in an exhilarating new way. We’re very excited about the future of this new franchise and its ability to attract a large global audience.

Later, Wilson added that the game will have “greater action and greater adventure” than any of BioWare’s previous games, though it’ll also contain “the great RPG character development and storyline progression” that has become the developer’s trademark:

[BioWare’s next game is] action-adventure, not RPG. So, what we’re starting to see more and more in game genres is kind of genre melding, which is great components of a number of different genres really kind of coming together into single games. And so, when you think about this game, you should be thinking about the great RPG character development and storyline progression that BioWare is known for, but in a world of greater action and greater adventure, which is growing to be one of the larger categories in games. It will be a wholly-owned IP. We’re very excited about it, and we’ll share more in the year to come.

While BioWare’s next project remains unannounced as of today, it’s likely in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Expect to learn more about it during this year’s E3 Expo.

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

Xbox Store Today: Candleman, Subject 13, Kill the Bad Guy, Wells

Posted on February 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store all seem to feature heavily stylized worlds and characters…

First up is Candleman, a platformer where players control a candle who can burn for only ten seconds. Now available to download for the Xbox One, players will use this unique ability to explore Candleman’s and attempt to reach the distant light.

Also available to download this week is Subject 13, a new adventure game from Paul Cuisset, the creator of Flashback: The Quest for Identity and Fade to Black. Co-developed by Microids, Xbox One owners will take on the guise of Franklin Fargo, a teacher held against his will in an underground lab and referred to be his captors only as “Subject 13.” The black-and-white world of Kill the Bad Guy is equally unique, as Xbox One players plot to rid the world of “Bad Guys” through inventive assassin attempts and puzzle mechanics.

Finally today, Xbox One owners will get to explore a steampunk world in the side-scrolling shooter Wells.

You can learn more about these games after the break thanks to complete descriptions from the Xbox Games Store. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers, Double Dragon IV, Knee Deep, more added to PS Store

Posted on February 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

This week’s PlayStation Store update appears to be brought to you by the letter D…

Koei Tecmo starts things off with the launch of Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers, a new tactical RPG in the long-running series. Available to download now for the PS4 and Vita, Godseekers depicts the “chaotic end days of the Han dynasty,” which is “a period in Chinese history when ancient China was overwhelmed by uprisings and internal strife within its imperial court.”

From ancient China to post-apocalyptic Japan comes Double Dragon IV, the first new entry in the franchise created by the original development team in more than a decade. Billy and Jimmy, the Lee Brothers, make their PS4 debut in a retro-styled side-scroller that serves as a direct sequel to Double Dragon II: The Revenge. The slightly-less-apocalyptic landscape of Florida serves as the setting for Knee Deep, a PS4 adventure game that uses a theatrical style to engage the audience with its murder mystery.

Finally this week, a pair of anime adaptations will be released for the PS4 including Digimon World: Next Order and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Road to Boruto.

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

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