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.

Almost every issue of Nintendo Power is now available as a free download at Internet Archive

nintendopower-firstUPDATE: All issues of Nintendo Power have been removed from the Internet Archive.

Do you consider yourself something of an amateur video game historian? Then good news… nearly every issue of Nintendo Power is now available to download (for free) through the Internet Archive. As of today, the site has digitized more than 100 issues of Nintendo Power, which covers more than half of the magazine’s complete 24-year run. So that means there’s still a few holes, but every issue from Nintendo’s NES-Super NES-Nintendo 64 heyday is just a click away.

This isn’t the first time that the Internet Archive has come to the aid of retro-minded gamers. The site also serves as a repository for playable versions of classic Atari 2600, MS-DOS, and Windows 3.1 games.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the Internet Archive and get reading. Me, I’m going to catch up on old Howard & Nester strips.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro |

Playdead’s Inside will be released for PS4 on August 23

Sony and Playdead have confirmed that Inside, Playdead’s moody and atmospheric puzzle platformer, will be released for the PS4 on August 23.

Inside has been showered with critical praise since its release in late June, and you can see all the perfect scores in a new trailer for the game embedded above.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1, Abzu, Ape Escape 2, more added to PS Store

Sony’s “PlayStation Store Play” promotion continues this week with the release of Abzu, a game from Journey Art Director Matt Nava that encourages players to explore “a vibrant hidden world bursting with color and life” as they dive deeper into the ocean.

Elsewhere on the PlayStation Store, Telltale will launch the first episode of Batman: The Telltale Series this week for the PS4. The opening chapter of this Gotham City story is titled “Realm of Shadows,” and it’ll examine the lives of both Batman and Bruce Wayne in his quest to protect the innocent and punish the guilty.

Finally this week, Sony will expand their line of PS2-On-PS4 offerings with Ape Escape 2, a forgotten classic from the PS2’s early days.

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

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged

Just Dance 2017 demo now available; Songs from DNCE, Silento, Shakira added to the game

Ubisoft will release Just Dance 2017 this October, but fans interested in a playable demo featuring Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” can download one for the PS4, Xbox One, or Wii U beginning today.

In addition to a new song from “The Biebs,” Ubisoft announced three more songs that’ll be included on Just Dance 2017’s soundtrack:

  • DNCE – “Cake By The Ocean”
  • Silento – “Watch Me (Whip/ Nae Nae)”
  • Shakira (featuring Wyclef Jean) – “Hips Don’t Lie”

Just Dance 2017 will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, and Wii U this October. The game will also be released for Nintendo’s NX console next year.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Ubisoft has multiple games in development for Nintendo’s NX

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Ubisoft is often referred to as a “megapublisher” by its fans because they typically release dozens of games a year across every conceivable platform. And it’s beginning to look like Nintendo’s NX won’t be an exception.

During this year’s E3 Expo, Ubisoft announced that Just Dance 2017 would be released for the NX next year. Yesterday, Alain Corre, the Executive Director of Ubisoft’s EMEA Division, revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that the company actually has multiple NX titles in development:

“We announced that we’re developing Just Dance for NX and we have other surprises that we will announce later, but we also believe Nintendo has the power to reinvent the way families are playing,” Corre tells me. “Nintendo is a fantastic powerhouse of brands that are really cherished by a lot of fans and families… I am still impressed by the reoccurrence of success and appetite even today for the Nintendo franchises on the current system.”

Ubisoft currently plans to release two games for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One next year… medieval free-for-all For Honor, and the cartel-busting Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands. But as of today, it’s unknown if either of these games is also in development for the NX, which will launch in March 2017.

And then there’s always the possibility that Ubisoft has something completely unique in store for the NX.

Aside from a handful of game announcements, Nintendo’s NX is still shrouded in mystery (though that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill). Besides Just Dance 2017, Nintendo will release The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for their new console in 2017, while Sega plans to publish Project Sonic sometime next Fall.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

NY governor bans registered sex offenders from playing Pokemon Go

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Local governments and police departments are very concerned with Pokemon Go. After police departments in several neighboring states issued guidelines to help ensure players catch ’em all safely, Governor Andrew Cuomo directed the New York State Department of Corrections to ban all registered sex offenders from playing Pokemon Go and similar games.

“Protecting New York’s children is priority number one and, as technology evolves, we must ensure these advances don’t become new avenues for dangerous predators to prey on new victims,” Governor Cuomo said. “These actions will provide safeguards for the players of these augmented reality games and help take one more tool away from those seeking to do harm to our children.”

Cuomo, and other state legislators, were most concerned about Pokemon Go’s unfortunately-named “Lure” module:

Additionally, a feature of the game, where, for a small fee, a “lure” can be purchased to intentionally encourage traffic to a particular location, also appears to have the potential to be abused by predators.

This recommendation by Governor Cuomo most likely will lead to similar announcements by other local and state governments, and more information about the specifics of New York State’s plan can be found at NY.gov.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Outlast II will now “scare the crap out of you” in Early 2017

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Red Barrels had planned to release their survival horror sequel, Outlast II, by the end of the year. Unfortunately, the developer recently hit a snag and has decided to push the game’s release back to Early 2017. Writing on Facebook, a member of the development team said this delay is to make sure they can create the best game possible:

We had to make a difficult decision recently. After weighing our options we’ve decided to postpone Outlast 2’s release until Q1 of 2017.

We want you to know that we listen to your feedback, we see your excitement and we know you care about our work. Our mission as an indie studio is to deliver to you the best, most terrifying, most fulfilling experiences possible. That’s why we’re taking just a little bit more time to make sure our vision for Outlast 2 is in no way compromised and is the experience you deserve.

While this news is surely disappointing, Red Barrels ended their announcement in the best possible way… by promising that Outlast II will “scare the crap out of you” when it’s finally released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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

Retro-Bit Generations is an HDMI microconsole with more than 100 built-in classic games

retrobitgenerationsLooks like the NES Classic is going to have a bit of competition this Fall. That’s because Innex Inc has announced the Retro-Bit Generations, a microconsole that will include more than 100 built-in games.

So far, the company has signed on a handful of publishers from the NES, Super NES, and Genesis era including Capcom, Data East, Jaleco, and Irem. These companies will contribute a number of emulated titles to the microconsole such as Ghosts N Goblins, Gun.Smoke, Kid Niki Radical Ninja, Kung-Fu, Captain Commando, Kickle Cubicle, Rival Turf, Super R-Type, Super Bases Loaded, Knights of the Round, Brawl Brothers, and Ring King. With at least 88 more titles still shrouded in secrecy, the full game list will presumably be revealed at a later date.

Like the NES Classic, the Retro-Bit Generations will also include HDMI support, as well two six-button controllers that seem to be patterned on the Genesis controller and an SD Card slot for game saves.

The Retro-Bit Generations will be available sometime this Fall, and it’ll retail for $59.99.

Posted in News, Retro |