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.

Battlefield 1, Batman: Return to Arkham, Lego Harry Potter 1+2, more added to PS Store

“Come on, boys!” EA and DICE are heading back to the frontlines in Battlefield 1, which launches this week for the PS4. The game will be available to download this Friday, but PS4 owners can get it early if they’re willing to spring for the Early Enlister Edition, which includes bonus downloadable content, or the Ultimate Edition, which comes bundled with the post-launch Premium Pass.

Also available to download this week is a pair of re-releases that will give PS4 players a chance to relive two of WBIE’s PS3-era successes. Batman: Return to Arkham will collect Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City as a single package with “fully remastered and updated visuals” and all previously-released downloadable content. And the Lego Harry Potter Collection brings together Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 with newly redone graphics.

Over on the PS3 side of the PlayStation Store, players will be able to continue Batman: The Telltale Series with this week’s launch of Episode 2: Children of Arkham.

Finally this week, Harmonix will launch the Rivals expansion for Rock Band 4. Players will be able to tackle a brand new campaign mode known as “Rockudrama,” and battle it out with others online in “Rivals Mode.”

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And a complete listing of this week’s new add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

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

Watch Dogs 2 on PC: Launch pushed back to November 29, System Requirements revealed

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Ubisoft has revealed that they’re taking special care with the PC version of Watch Dogs 2, with plans to support full 4K Resolution with “Ultra Textures” and “Extra Details” options and an uncapped framerate. But to squeeze this kind of performance out of the game, they’ve also announced that the PC version will be available on November 29… two weeks after the launch on the PS4 and Xbox One.

In the meantime, publisher Ubisoft unveiled Watch Dogs 2’s System Requirements through the UbiBlog:

Minimum System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1/8.1/10 (64-Bit Version)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 2400S @ 2.5 GHz | AMD FX 6120 @ 3.5 GHz
  • RAM: 6GB
  • Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 (2GB) | AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB) or Better
  • Hard Disk Space: 50 GB
  • Peripherals: Windows-Compatible Keyboard and Mouse | Microsoft Xbox One Controller | DualShock 4 Controller
  • Multiplayer: 256 Kbps or Faster Broadband Connection

Minimum System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7 SP1/8.1/10 (64-Bit Version)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHz | AMD FX 8120 @ 3.9 GHz
  • RAM: 8GB
  • Video Card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3GB) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 (4GB) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) or Better | AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB) or Better
  • Hard Disk Space: 50 GB
  • Peripherals: Windows-Compatible Keyboard and Mouse | Microsoft Xbox One Controller | DualShock 4 Controller
  • Multiplayer: 256 Kbps or Faster Broadband Connection

A complete listing of Watch Dogs 2’s PC-exclusive features is also available at the UbiBlog.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Rockstar officially announces a Fall 2017 release date for Red Dead Redemption 2

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It’s official… Rockstar Games will release Red Dead Redemption 2 for the PS4 and Xbox One in Fall 2017. Like a stoic cowboy, Rockstar didn’t say much else about the game, but in addition to a new adventure in the old west, Red Dead Redemption 2 will also include a multiplayer-focused “Red Dead Online” mode:

Developed by the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland. The game’s vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.

“With Red Dead Redemption 2, the team is working hard to push forward our vision for interactive entertainment in a truly living world,” said Sam Houser, the Founder of Rockstar Games. “We hope to deliver players an epic experience that builds upon everything we’ve learned making games.”

The first trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 will make its debut this Thursday, October 20, at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time).

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Rumor: Beyond Good & Evil 2 is a “standalone reboot” that’ll launch in 2018 exclusively for the Nintendo NX

beyondgoodandevilMany people already suspected that Beyond Good & Evil 2 might drop the numeral and go the prequel route after Director Michel Ancel uploaded an image from the recently-announced game of Uncle Pey’j as a young piglet. A new rumor report from Let’s Play Video Games seems to confirm that suspicion and a number of other details about the long-in-the-works followup.

Citing an anonymous source “familiar with the negotiations on the project,” Beyond Good & Evil 2 will actually be a “standalone reboot” that expands on the cliffhanger ending from the first game while also delving deeper into the backstories of Pey’j and main character Jade:

According to our source, the currently planned direction for the game is that it will partially retell Jade’s origin tale from Beyond Good & Evil, flesh out Peyj’s backstory, then continue to extrapolate on the ending of the original game. The intention is that players who have not played the original will be able to jump into the new game, which will feature a subtitle rather than a number at the end of its title, and understand both who Jade is and what drives Pey’j. It also seeks to provide closure to fans of the original wondering what the cliffhanger at the end meant for the series’ ongoing plot.

Several other tipsters have also informed Let’s Play Video Games that Ubisoft will release Beyond Good & Evil 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) exclusively for Nintendo’s NX console in Summer 2018. A new trailer is supposedly being prepared to deliver the news, and it’ll likely make its public debut alongside Nintendo’s unveiling of the NX.

But… all together now… we still have no idea when Nintendo will announce its plan for the NX.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Here’s another image Rockstar might be using to tease Red Dead Redemption 2

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Rockstar Games was back at it this morning, delivering another tantalizing tease about a project that may or may not be related to Red Dead Redemption 2. This second image is even more Western-themed than the first, with seven magnificent gunmen striding below a blazing red sky while a mountain looms in the background.

We have no idea how long Rockstar plans to make fans wait until they show their cards, but October 26th is the 135th anniversary of the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

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Rockstar is painting their social media channels a nice shade of Red Dead Redemption

rockstarlogoRockstar’s most recent game, Grand Theft Auto V, originally launched for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013. Since then, the famed developer has brought the open world favorite to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and developed an extensive slate of add-ons and additions for the game’s popular “Grand Theft Auto Online” mode. But is that really how they’ve been spending all their time?

Back in August, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said Rockstar was “hard at work on some exciting future projects that will be revealed soon.”

We might not have to wait much longer, because this morning, Rockstar uploaded a new version of their logo to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and their official website. The distressed style and bold color scheme are very reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption, and with a sequel believed to be in development, we could be looking at a countdown to Red Dead Redemption 2:

There’s no guarantee that Rockstar’s redecorating will lead to a Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement, but it is certainly an encouraging sign.

Posted in News | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Final Fantasy XV on the Nintendo NX???

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

Sony launched their PlayStation VR headset earlier this week, but the hottest new tech in gaming might have already been overshadowed by a new selection of Nintendo NX rumors.

According to insider information from multiple sources, Nintendo has remasters of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, and Splatoon in the works for the NX. We’ve heard this story before, but the tipsters also heard that a number Nintendo 64 and Wii remasters are in development as well.

Nintendo isn’t the only publisher working hard on NX games. According to the latest rumors, Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake are in development at Square Enix, as is a new Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell game and a Yoshi/Rabbids Crossover at Ubisoft, along with untitled new games from Platinum Games and Capcom.

More news from the previous seven days can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News |

New Retail Releases: Battlefield 1, Civilization VI, Skylanders Imaginators, More

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While the Call of Duty franchise continues to push further and further into the future, EA and DICE are taking the Battlefield franchise back to The Great War for Battlefield 1. The shooter will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this week, and Microsoft is even offering a special Xbox One S + Battlefield 1 Bundle in two sizes… 500 GB and 1 TB.

Firaxis Games and 2K will return with a different sort of trip through time this week with Civilization VI. The strategy game will be released for the PC, and it’ll once again ask players to battle it out with famous world leaders and grow their civilization.

Skylanders fans will get the chance to try out a new entry in the franchise, as Activision will bring Skylanders Imaginators to the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One this week. For the first time, players will be able to design their own Skylanders characters with the brand new Imaginators system.

In what has become a regular occurrence in the New Retail Releases report, another batch of games will get the re-release treatment this week. WB Games will swoop down to save the day in Batman: Return to Arkham, a PS4 and Xbox One compilation featuring Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The publisher will also package together Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 in Lego Harry Potter Collection, exclusively for the PS4. WayForward will give 3DS owners another chance to pick up Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, this time in a new Retail Edition. Finally, Harmonix will release the Rivals expansion for Rock Band 4 this week, and launch a special Rock Band 4 + Rivals Expansion pack for the PS4 and Xbox One.

A complete look at this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , ,