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.

Capy delays Below, but it’ll have a “firm release date” the next time we hear from them

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Below was one of the first major indie titles announced for the Xbox One, but it looks like Capybara Games needs a little bit more time to complete their roguelike adventure game. Writing on their official website, the developer confirmed that Below won’t make it out this Summer as originally planned.

However, Capy has decided not to announce a new release date, and instead, have vowed to have a “firm release date” ready to go the next time we hear from them:

We did a lot of soul searching. We knew we wanted to get it into your hands as soon as possible. We knew the game was there, and we’re super proud of it, but we also knew it needed more time to make sure it lives up to our studio’s standards, and the quality that you expect from our games. From the very beginning, BELOW has been our most ambitious undertaking, and we’re just not quite done excavating its depths, or polishing all of its facets.

Instead of giving you a new, loose release window, we will be going dark while we take the time that we need to complete BELOW without compromise. The next time you see a major BELOW update, that means our game has a firm release date, which we’ll share.

Capy closed by thanking fans for their support and promised to see all of us “on the other side.”

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Metroid Prime Federation Force, Style Savvy 3, Pokemon Ranger 3, more

Make your 3DS is charged, because Nintendo is releasing two new games for their handheld on the Nintendo eShop this week.

Samus Aran won’t star in Metroid Prime: Federation Force, and the art style is a bit on the cutesy side for a Metroid game, but players will be able to take control of a Federation Force Marine as they battle Space Pirates and Metroids on a mysterious planet. Up to four players can join the adventure, which will be released tomorrow, or they can take part in the included minigame, Blast Ball.

Also available to download for the 3DS tomorrow is Style Savvy: Fashion Forward, the latest game in Nintendo’s boutique management franchise. Players will be able to stock thousands of items in their boutique or “design clothes fit for a fashionista, style some wicked hair, master the art of make-up, and even become the next top model.”

Finally this week, the third game in the Pokemon Ranger series, Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs, will be available to download through the Wii U eShop. Originally released for the DS in 2010, players battle it out with the “Pokemon Pinchers” in this finale to the Pokemon Ranger trilogy.

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

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

Metanet will release N++ for PC on August 25

Metanet Software has announced that N++ will be available to download for the PC (through Steam) beginning on August 25. The brutally-difficult platformer originally launched for the PS4 last year and it’ll bring the same side-scrolling action to the PC… and I mean that literally. N++’s Level Editor is cross-platform compatible, so PC players will have more than 10,000 custom levels to choose from next week. That’s on top of the 2,360 levels designed by the developers themselves.

“We’re so thrilled to bring N++ to the PC where the series began,” said Mare Sheppard, Metanet’s Programmer, Designer, Artist and Creative Lead. “We’ve already seen some impressive user creations, and can’t wait to see what creativity the PC-gaming community has up their sleeves.”

The developer also released a new trailer highlighting the Level Editor, which can also be used to design levels for N++’s Co-Op Mode and Competitive Mode (both of which support up to four players).

N++ will be available through Steam for $14.99, but if you purchase it within the first week, you’ll receive a 20% discount.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Get a box of tissues ready for the latest Overwatch short… “The Last Bastion”

Bastion is a fairly divisive character in the Overwatch community. While the robot has a lot of fans, other players are less than thrilled to be matched up against a character that’s basically just a walking machine gun.

But Blizzard wants to rehabilitate his reputation with the latest animated short, “The Last Bastion.” Taking a few cues from The Iron Giant, “The Last Bastion” shows the robot rebelling against its programming and becoming something more than a living weapon. It’s a little manipulative, but it also totally works.

Overwatch is now available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And in case you missed them, be sure to check out Blizzard’s other animated shorts for Overwatch: “Recall,” “Alive,” “Dragons,” and “Hero.”

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

EA VP says a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster is “most likely” in the works at Gamescom

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Believe it or not, but Electronic Arts is the only major publisher yet to release a remaster of one of their games from the PS3/360 era on the PS4 or Xbox One. But that might all change very soon.

Speaking to Game Informer at a pre-Gamescom event, Patrick Soderlund, EA’s Executive Vice President, revealed the company will “most likely” release a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster in the near future:

Game Informer: One of the things I asked you last year when we sat down at E3 was about Mass Effect. At the time, there were two publishers that hadn’t really dipped into the remaster world: you and Activision. Activision has since released a number of remasters or ports, and now they are working on a full-on remaster for MW. Revisiting this as the last man standing on remasters, has anything changed? Like a Mass Effect trilogy remaster?

Soderlund: What’s changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it, maybe more than there was when we spoke. There were some that did it before, but I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can’t announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully.

Obviously, Soderlund didn’t officially announce a remastered re-release of the Mass Effect Trilogy just yet. In an impressive display of verbal gymnastics, he even managed to sidestep the entire franchise by not actually using the words “Mass Effect” in his statement. However, with Mass Effect: Andromeda set to launch in early 2017, now would be a great time to revisit the franchise’s first three chapters.

Mark me down as someone who won’t be surprised if a remastered edition of the Mass Effect Trilogy is released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime soon.

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

Konami resurrects Metal Gear franchise with Metal Gear Survive

After Hideo Kojima and Konami parted ways, the famed developer hooked up with Sony for Death Stranding, an original game that once again explores deep political and intellectual themes within the framework of a video game. Meanwhile, Konami took the Metal Gear franchise and quite literally added zombies to it from thin air.

Announced earlier this week at Gamescom, Metal Gear Survive takes place in the immediate aftermath of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, but instead of following Snake, players will take control of four characters attempting to survive an invasion of Motherbase by interdimensional zombies.

And no, I’m not kidding…

Metal Gear Survive picks up from the ending of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, to an alternate timeline caused by unexplained wormholes forming in the sky. Players find themselves on distorted desert landscapes full of massive half-formed structures, living biological threats, and the remains of a once strong military force now litter the landscape.

In a struggle to stay alive on this harsh terrain filled with deadly creatures, soldiers who were previously on Motherbase now must work cooperatively in order to survive. Metal Gear Survive continues the pedigree of Metal Gear Solid V’s highly praised gameplay design, with a unique blend of stealth and co-op play mechanics. Players can strategically manage massive threats with the help of four-player online cooperative play. New weaponry will also be introduced to combat charging creatures and lethal environments as well.

Metal Gear Survive will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in 2017.

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

36 more wrestlers added to WWE 2K17 including “Macho Man” Randy Savage

Oh yeah! Randy Savage, better known as “The Macho Man” to wrestling fans the world over, will be joining the WWE 2K17 roster this October. His inclusion was announced as part of this week’s “Suplex City Census” update, which also featured 35 other WWE superstars who are now officially part of the game:

  • AJ Styles
  • Alexa Bliss
  • Alundra Blayze
  • Arn Anderson
  • Bam Bam Bigelow
  • Becky Lynch
  • Bo Dallas
  • Bubba Ray Dudley
  • Bushwhacker Butch
  • Bushwhacker Luke
  • Christian
  • Curtis Axel
  • Dana Brooke
  • Dolph Ziggler
  • D-Von Dudley
  • Emma
  • Eva Marie
  • Fandango
  • Kofi Kingston
  • Lita
  • “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig
  • Naomi
  • Natalya
  • Neville
  • “Macho Man” Randy Savage
  • “Ravishing” Rick Rude
  • Rikishi
  • Shawn Michaels
  • Stardust
  • Sting
  • Summer Rae
  • Tamina
  • Tatsumi Fujinami
  • Trish Stratus
  • Tyler Breeze
  • Xavier Woods

This week’s update features a lot of names from the WWE’s late 80s heyday including “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Shawn Michaels, and Bam Bam Bigelow. But this is balanced out by a large batch of current WWE superstars including AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, and Stardust.

2K Games will release WWE 2K17 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 11. We can expect to get another “Suplex City Census” update next week, but in the meantime, check out a new entrance video from the game featuring The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E).

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

Xbox Store Today: Uno, Grow Up, Valentino Rossi, more

I’ve heard people make the case that Uno was the Xbox 360’s first “must-have” game, and in a lot of ways, they’re right on the money. The Xbox 360’s library was fairly sparse in Spring 2006, so jumping online and playing a few hands of Uno was great fun. Today, Ubisoft is bringing Uno back for another go-round on the Xbox One.

Also available from Ubisoft this week is Grow Up, a new platformer for the Xbox One. Grow Up stars a lovable robot named BUD and he has to collect the missing pieces from his “parental spaceship” and make it back to the moon.

Finally this week, Milestone is back with Valentino Rossi, another game in their growing stable of racing simulators. This time, Xbox One owners will be able to take part in the entire 2016 MotoGP season, while also reliving the high points from Rossi’s career.

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 | Tagged