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.

Next Need For Speed game is still on track for 2017 release

Posted on February 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

Almost a year ago, Ghost Games announced they were working on a brand new entry in the Need For Speed franchise, which would launch sometime in 2017. Yesterday, CEO Andrew Wilson offered an update on the game to fans and investors as part of EA’s quarterly financial report.

Wilson revealed that the currently untitled Need For Speed sequel will be released sometime between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018. He is also said that the team at Ghost Games is “pushing the boundaries of action driving”:

We’re also excited to have a new Need For Speed title launch in FY 2018. We’ve given the game an extended development cycle to focus on innovation, and the Need For Speed team is pushing the boundaries of action driving with what we believe is the most exciting and best looking Need For Speed game we’ve ever produced.

The next Need For Speed game will be Ghost Games’s second lap with the franchise, as they also produced 2015’s Need For Speed.

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

EA CEO promises Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will be “even bigger” than first Battlefront

Posted on February 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts presented their quarterly financial report to investors yesterday, and once again, CEO Andrew Wilson delivered a progress report for Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Wilson reiterated that the game is still on track for a Fall 2017 launch, while also promising to include “more locations” and “more heroes and characters [from] multiple Star Wars eras.”:

We’re thrilled to bring a new Star Wars Battlefront game to fans worldwide in 2017 holiday season. In the past two years, Rogue One and The Force Awakens have opened new storylines and captured the imagination of hundreds of millions of Star Wars fans. We’ve listened closely to our passionate Star Wars: Battlefront community and have expanded our existing game with more great content and experiences since its launch. As that game continues to thrive, we have also heard our players’ desire for even more depth and progression.

Our next Star Wars Battlefront will be even bigger, taking players into more locations and allowing them to play with more heroes and characters across multiple Star Wars eras. There will be new ways to play, including an all new single-player campaign and much, much more that we are excited to share with our players in the months ahead. To build a game of this magnitude, we’ve brought together three great studios, DICE, Motive and Criterion, and allowing their areas of expertise to deliver an amazing experience in the next Star Wars Battlefront.

Towards the end of the report, Wilson also said EA is actively listening to fan feedback and that he believes the new single-player campaign is “very, very exciting”:

This is going to be a big game. The first game was very well received. It was widely regarded as a game that fulfilled people’s Star Wars fantasies in ways they could never imagine. But it was also a game where people asked for a lot more, and a lot more depth and a lot more of the greatness of the game kind of embodied.

This game, again, is going to be in more locations, more game modes, more eras, more shifts, including a full single-player campaign which is very, very exciting. So, we have every reason to believe we’re delivering fans exactly what they’re asking for with respect to a Star Wars game.

With the game’s launch less than ten months away, we should be hearing a lot more about Star Wars: Battlefront 2 in the coming days.

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

PlayStation VR owners will be able to download Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin on February 21

Posted on January 31, 2017 by John Scalzo

Psychonauts launched to great reviews, but rather tepid sales, back in 2005. But the platformer slowly built up an audience over the years, which allowed Double Fine to announce a full-fledged sequel last year. But first, Raz will return in Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, which will be released next month, and bridge the gap between the first game and the upcoming Psychonauts 2:

The story will pick up exactly where it left off at the end of Psychonauts ten years ago, with Raz, Lili, Sasha, Milla, and Coach Oleander flying off to rescue Truman Zannotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts. Their mission will take them straight into the heart of the Rhombus of Ruin… a mysterious part of the ocean as deadly as two Bermuda Triangles back to back!

When the rescue party itself is kidnapped and held prisoner in the Rhombus, Raz is immobilized and must use only his psychic powers to reunite his friends, reveal the identity of the mysterious kidnapper, and free Truman before the madness of the Rhombus consumes all their minds!

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin is in development exclusively for the PS4’s PlayStation VR headset, and it’ll be available to download through the PlayStation Store on February 21. If you want to get a preview of how Rhombus of Ruin will feel in virtual reality, Double Fine has also created a special “360 View Trailer” for the game, and it’s been embedded above.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age will be released exclusively for the PS4 on July 11

Posted on January 31, 2017 by John Scalzo

Square Enix kicked off a year-long “Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary” celebration in Tokyo last night, and one of the first things they did was announce a release date for Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. Set to launch exclusively on the PS4, the remake will be available as a digital download and on store shelves on July 11.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age will be the first time that the game’s “International Edition” will be released outside of Japan. The updated RPG will include a high definition graphical makeover, along with 7.1 surround sound, a remastered soundtrack, a brand new Trial Mode where players can battle for survival against the game’s monsters, and full Trophy support. Western players in North America and Europe will also be able to play the game using the Zodiac Job System, which was exclusive to the “International Edition,” for the first time.

To mark this momentous occasion, Square Enix released a new piece of artwork from Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age by famed Character Designer Akihiko Yoshida. The publisher also opened the official website for the “Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary” celebration last night. Fans can view a calendar of upcoming events, as well as share their Final Fantasy memories with the developers.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Catch up with the story for Double Dragon IV… which is now available for PC and PS4

Posted on January 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

Double Dragon IV is now available to download for the PC (through Steam) and the PS4, and developer Arc System Works has unveiled a new trailer detailing the story and enemies found in the retro reboot.

This time around, the Black Warriors are still causing trouble for Billy and Jimmy Lee, but now they’re joined by a motorcycle gang known as The Renegades and a mysterious group in Japan that’s pulling all the strings. And even though she was gunned down in Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Marian might somehow still be alive.

Double Dragon IV was created to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary, and several members of the original development team from 1987 (including Planner Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Designer Koji Ogata, and Composer Kazunaka Yamane) helped bring the game to life.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Phantom Dust’s PC/Xbox One re-release should launch sometime before E3 2017

Posted on January 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

But in 2015, Microsoft revealed that they’d quietly put development of Phantom Dust 2 on hiatus, effectively killing the project. A year later, the consolemaker also quietly announced that a high definition remake of the original Phantom Dust, which launched for the Xbox in 2004, would be released for the PC and Xbox One in 2017.

With the calendar flipping over to 2017 a few weeks ago, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer confirmed today that Phantom Dust HD is scheduled to be released sometime before this year’s E3 Expo in June:

Hopefully, we’ll hear more about Phantom Dust HD in the coming weeks.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

CoD: Infinite Warfare Sabotage Pack launches tomorrow… preview the new maps in this trailer

Posted on January 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

PS4 owners will be able to purchase the first downloadable expansion for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare beginning tomorrow. Like every other downloadable addition to the Call of Duty canon, the Sabotage DLC Pack will contain four new multiplayer maps and a new chapter for Zombies Mode.

Activision released a trailer for the next entry in Infinite Warfare’s Zombies Mode, “Rave in the Redwoods,” last week. So it seems fighting that today they’ve given fans their first look at the four new multiplayer maps available in the Sabotage DLC Pack.

Believe it or not… the Beastie Boys don’t make an appearance on the soundtrack.

Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Sabotage DLC Pack

  • Noir – A dark, grimy city map inspired by futuristic Brooklyn at night, Noir is a classic three-lane map set against a backdrop of a dystopian future, filled with cafes and parks surrounding a brutal downtown warzone.
  • Neon – A virtual training center designed for urban warfare, Neon is a unique, digitized battle arena where cars and other structures spawn out of thin air and enemies dissolve into hundreds of pixels when defeated. Middle lane sightlines will cater to long-range players while the outsides of the map allow for quick counter-attacks in close-quarter action.
  • Renaissance – Set in Northern Italy, Renaissance pits players against each other on the narrow streets of Venice surrounded by classic architecture and buildings that promote continuous action through the canals and neighborhoods of this iconic city.
  • Dominion – A re-imagining of the classic Afghan map from Modern Warfare 2, now set on Mars, Dominion retains all the memorable landmarks and gameplay of the original, anchored by the crashed ship in the center, with a few enhancements designed to take advantage of the new movement system.

The Sabotage DLC Pack is part of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Season Pass, or it can be purchased separately for $15. The expansion will also be released for the PC and Xbox One sometime in late February or early March.

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

Nintendo reveals tech specifications for Switch including size, weight, replaceable battery

Posted on January 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

We are now less than five weeks out from the launch of the Nintendo Switch, so Nintendo UK has unveiled an official list of the technical specifications for the hybrid console. Nintendo is still keeping some of the exact specifications to themselves (the CPU/GPU is just listed as “Nvidia Customised Tegra Processor”), but now we have a much better idea about how the Switch will perform under pressure.

Probably the biggest piece of new information we were provided about the Switch’s prowess is its battery life. The console will feature a max battery life of six hours in Handheld Mode, though some games may tax the battery a bit more. Nintendo included the example of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which will be playable for three hours with a full charge. Nintendo also shared that the Switch’s battery is fully replaceable, though it must be installed by the consolemaker themselves through the Nintendo Customer Support service.

The console will also output video at 1080p (720p in Handheld Mode) and require a “Day One” update to enable the use of MicroSDXC Memory Cards.

A full rundown of the Nintendo Switch’s technical specifications can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Switch |