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: Jotun, Pure Chess, Emily Wants To Play, more

Posted on September 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

xboxgamesstore-logoNorse Gods, another Chess game, and spooky dolls are the highlights of today’s Xbox Games Store update…

In Jotun: Valhalla Edition, Xbox One owners will do battle with monsters in Norse Purgatory as Thora, “a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla.”

However, if you’d prefer to wage war on a different sort of battlefield, Ripstone launched Pure Chess: Grandmaster Edition today for the Xbox One. Pure Chess: Grandmaster Edition will offer online play against up-to eight friends or local play against ten different AI opponents.

Finally today, Emily Wants To Play comes to the Xbox One and brings with it the eerie suspense of being alone in an isolated house with three terrifying dolls and a strange little girl named Emily.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Koji Igarashi delays Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s launch to the First Half of 2018

Posted on September 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

Koji “Iga” Igarashi delivered some bad news last night to fans of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The famed developer revealed that progress on the game isn’t going as smoothly as he would have hoped. To make sure it’s “done right the first time,” Igarashi announced that Bloodstained will miss its planned March 2017 launch. Instead, the game be released in the first half of 2018 for the PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One:

“The last thing I want to do is keep our backers waiting, but after receiving such incredible support, I feel responsible for delivering the best product I possibly can. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies.”

To help maintain his vision, Igarashi also confirmed that he’ll add a new development team so he can keep development of Bloodstained “fully on track.” Inti Creates is currently working on the game for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One (Armature is handling the Vita and Wii U port), but it’s unknown if this second team will work alongside them, or replace them.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged

Lego Harry Potter Collection coming October 18 exclusively to the PS4

Posted on September 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

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WB Games, TT Games, and Sony Interactive Entertainment have announced that Lego Harry Potter Collection will be released exclusively for the PS4 on October 18.

The compilation will include both Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire) and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows), as well all content from the second game’s Spell Pack DLC and Character Pack DLC.

According to the publisher, the games will be remastered for their PS4 debut with “enhanced graphics, environments, lighting and visual effects.”

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged ,

Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1: Realm of Shadows Review: Create Your Own Legend of the Dark Knight

Posted on September 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Sometimes, it’s a boring night at the opera, but most often, the story begins with a small boy asking his parents to make an early exit from a screening of The Mark of Zorro. And like every other second from that night, the masked vigilante on the silver screen makes an impression on young Bruce Wayne. It’s this story that Telltale Games has decided to retell with Batman: The Telltale Series. (more…)

Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice, Jotun, Super Castlevania IV, more

Posted on September 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

Objection! You need to read all about the new games in this week’s Nintendo Download…

New to the 3DS eShop this week is Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice, the latest game in Capcom’s Ace Attorney series. This time, Phoenix Wright and his colleagues will need to explore crime scenes, dust for fingerprints, and contact the dead to win the case.

Hopping over to the Wii U, the Nindies Summer Jam continues this week with Jotun: Valhalla Edition, an overhead action game from Thunder Lotus Games. The game features hand-drawn artwork and plunges players into the world of Norse mythology as Thora tries to enter Valhalla by provig herself to the Gods. Also available to download for the Wii U this week is Mario Strikers Charged, a Mario-centric soccer title that was originally released for the Wii in 2007.

Finally this week, we drop back down to the 3DS eShop for the digital launch of Super Castlevania IV. Originally released for the Super NES all the way back in 1991, it would be the last time that Simon Belmont battled Dracula in the franchise.

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

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Pokemon Go reaches 500 million downloads; Plus accessory coming next week with Apple Watch support later in 2016

Posted on September 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Are you still Pokemon Go-ing like a maniac? As of today, the mobile app has dropped to #27 on the iOS App Store Chart, so it’s not quite as popular as it once was. But plenty of people are still obsessed with catching ’em all. So yesterday’s flurry of Pokemon Go announcements should definitely please fans of the game.

First, Niantic has announced that Pokemon Go has exceeded 500 million downloads worldwide since launching in July. The developer followed up this milestone by confirming that the Pokemon Go Plus will be available beginning next week, on September 16. The Plus is a wristwatch-shaped companion device that pairs with your smartphone and vibrates and and lights up when you approach a PokeStop or a Pokemon hiding nearby. And speaking of watches, Niantic’s final announcement was that Pokemon Go will receive Apple Watch support later this year.

“The globally loved Pokemon brand paired with Niantic’s platform and game design that encourages exploration, exercise and making real world social connections has inspired millions of people of all ages to go outdoors together,” said John Hanke, Niantic’s CEO. “We are encouraged by the fast adoption of the game and are pleased to see so many people walk and play every day. Pokemon Go for Apple Watch will be another way people can incorporate the game into their daily lives, even more seamlessly.”

Those 500 million Pokemon Go players have done a lot of walking since the game’s launch. Niantic’s last announcement revealed that players have collectively walked 4.6 billion kilometers, “which is the distance from Earth to Pluto.”

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Release of Animal Crossing Mobile and Fire Emblem Mobile pushed back to Early 2017

Posted on September 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Everyone was understandably giddy over Nintendo’s Super Mario Run announcement during yesterday’s Apple Event. However, because the publisher is prioritizing Mario’s first mobile game for release this December, two other titles in their mobile pipeline have been pushed back.

Nintendo originally announced plans to release both Animal Crossing Mobile and Fire Emblem Mobile this Fall. But yesterday they confirmed that both titles will now launch in Early 2017, and more specifically, “before the end of March 2017.”

Like this Spring’s Miitomo, Animal Crossing Mobile and Fire Emblem Mobile will be co-developed by mobile developer DeNA.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged ,

It’s Official… PS4 Slim to be released next week and PS4 Pro in November

Posted on September 7, 2016 by John Scalzo

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I’m not sure Sony was ever trying to keep the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro a secret, but today the consolemaker announced full technical specs, price, and release date for the new models.

The PS4 Slim will arrive first, and it’ll actually be available on store shelves beginning September 15. Priced at $299, the PS4 Slim will include a 500GB Hard Drive and a considerably lighter profile:

The internal architecture of the new PS4 system has been revamped, reducing its volume by more than 30% compared to the previous models and reducing its weight by 25% and 16% compared to the first (CUH-1000 series) and current (CUH-1200 series) models respectively. Also, the new PS4 system is more energy efficient, as the power consumption has been cut by more than 34% and 28% compared to the very first and current models.

But the real star of the show was the PS4 Pro, which will launch on November 10. Priced at $399, the PS4 Pro will deliver an “enhanced experience” with a 1TB Hard Drive, support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) image processing (the PS4 Slim will also include HDR support), and 4K image resolution:

By boosting the performance and capability of the system architecture including the CPU and GPU, PS4 Pro allows games to deliver graphics with far more detail and unprecedented visual precision. Users with 4K TVs will be able to enjoy all PS4 titles in higher quality, such as 4K quality resolution and faster or more stable frame rates. In addition, PS4 Pro supports 4K video playback to deliver 4K streaming video services such as Netflix and YouTube.

The PS4 Pro will upconvert all PS4 games to 1080p, and according to the PlayStation Blog, some high-profile games will be further enhanced for the PS4 Pro including Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Days Gone. But Sony was quick to reiterate that they have no plans to release any PS4 Pro-exclusive titles.

However, unlike the Xbox One S, the PS4 Pro won’t include a 4K UHD Drive for playback 4K UHD movies.

But the PS4 Pro is still an impressive package and it’ll be interesting to see if these higher-end mid-generation systems will be embraced by the gaming community.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged , , , ,