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: Tour De France 2016, Bard’s Gold

Posted on June 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

xboxgamesstore-logoThe 2016 Tour De France will pedal into view in just two weeks, so Cyanide Studio is back with their latest adaptation of cycling’s biggest event in today’s Xbox Games Store update. Tour De France 2016 for the Xbox One includes all 21 stage from this year’s event and players will need to become proficient in attacking, sprinting, and counter-attacking to claim the yellow jersey.

Also available this week is Bard’s Gold, a side-scroller for the Xbox One that serves as an homage to 90s platformers such as Rainbow Island, Rick Dangerous, and Alex Kidd.

More information on both of these games can be found right here, courtesy of the Xbox Games Store:

Xbox One Games

Tour De France 2016 ($49.99)
Embody the greatest cycling champions competing to conquer the yellow jersey along the 21 official stages of a Tour De France 2016, packed with exciting new features! Experience the emotions of a pro-rider by attacking, sprinting, counter-attacking; picking the best trajectories and taking the best tactical decisions to lead your teammates to victory. Take to the road in solo, compete against your friends, or play in co-op on the same screen.

Bard’s Gold ($4.99)
Bard’s Gold is a challenging platformer that let’s you explore eerie worlds in a quest for a Goblin that stole your gold. Help the Bard to overcome the dungeon’s many dangerous perils and use your new-found treasures to improve your character and to buy new weapons and gear!

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy will be added to PlayStation Store on July 18

Posted on June 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

fahrenheitindigoprophecy-header

In addition to further revealing Detroit: Become Human, Qunatic Dream had something else to talk about during this year’s E3 Expo. The cinematic developer revealed that Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy will be released for the PS4 next month as part Sony’s PS2-On-PS4 program.

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy is a mind-bending adventure game that was originally released for the PS2 in 2005. Like all PS2-On-PS4 upgrades, the re-release will include visuals remastered in 1080p and full Trophy support. Priced at $14.99, the game will be available worldwide on July 18 as a downloadable title through the PlayStation Store:

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy was originally released in an “uncut” version internationally, and slightly edited for its North American release. It’s currently unknown which version of the game will be added to the PlayStation Store next month.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged ,

Shigeru Miyamoto talks about “a new kind of Mario” at E3 2016

Posted on June 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

mario-saluteDuring the waning hours of this year’s E3 Expo, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto told IGN, “We’re always challenging ourselves to create something new, so hopefully you’ll see a new kind of Mario in about a year or two.”

For longtime fans of Nintendo, any kind of new Mario game is cause for excitement, but a “new kind of Mario” game is something else entirely. And if it’s still a year or two away, does that mean it’s in development for Nintendo’s new NX console?

Mario’s video game career has allowed him to take up a number of different vocations over the years, but Miyamoto believes that the core principles of any Mario game must be grounded in “approachability and accessibility.” This has made it difficult for the developer to stray too far from the traditional Mario formula, but younger employees have helped him “[look] at the conventions with fresh eyes.”

It’s much too early to speculate on what Miyamoto is cooking up within Nintendo’s headquarters, but it goes along with what Super Mario Maker co-creator Takashi Tezuka said back in November, when he told reporters the consolemaker has “interesting things” planned for the character.

Wherever Mario goes next, it might be a while before we hear about it. Miyamoto finished his chat with IGN by saying, “Maybe next E3 we’ll be able to share something.”

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

Nintendo Download: Rhythm Heaven Megamix, Terraria, Super Paper Mario, more

Posted on June 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

Even though it was E3 week, Nintendo has loaded this week’s Nintendo eShop update with a great new (and classic) games.

Leading things off is Rhythm Heaven Megamix, which received a surprise launch for the 3DS earlier this week. Rhythm Heaven Megamix collects more than 70 challenges from the series and asks players to match the absolutely bizarre beat of goats eating turnips, viruses speeding around a body, a hungry bear, and more.

Also this week, a Super NES classic is now available to download for Nintendo’s handheld. Mega Man 7 isn’t as well-known as the NES sextet that preceded it, but fans have started to come around on the original Blue Bomber’s only 16-bit adventure.

Over on the Wii U, players are able to download Terraria today, which is two weeks earlier than expected. The side-scrolling exploration game has added a touchscreen interface for its Wii U debut, along with online and splitscreen multiplayer. Finally, Nintendo added the Wii-era adventure Super Paper Mario to the Wii U eShop.

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 ,

Sony will install PlayStation VR demo units at a limited number of retailers this Friday and Saturday

Posted on June 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

playstationVRThe 2016 E3 Expo is slowly winding its way down, but Sony wants to bring a small part of the experience to fans across the country this weekend. Starting tomorrow, and continuing on Saturday, Sony will install PlayStation VR demo units at a limited number of retailers across the country.

The demo units will be installed at more than 30 Best Buy and GameStop stores, and a complete list of locations can be found at PlayStation.com. Fans who get the chance to strap on a PlayStation VR headset this weekend will be able to try out demos for PlayStation VR Worlds, Eve: Valkyrie, Headmaster, Battlezone, and SuperHyperCube.

If a store with a demo unit isn’t located anywhere near you (and that seems to be true for most of the country), don’t worry, Sony plans to expand the PlayStation VR demo program to about 300 locations across the US and Canada on June 24.

And don’t forget, the PlayStation VR will be available on store shelves on October 13.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Marcus Fenix returns in Gears of War 4’s E3 2016 trailer and Windows 10 launch confirmed

Posted on June 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

Introduced on the E3 2016 stage by series co-creator Rod Fergusson, Microsoft’s latest Gears of War 4 trailer features a wild night on Sera with JD Fenix and friends as they battle a never-before-seen enemy. And be sure you watch until the end for the return of JD’s “old” man, Marcus Fenix.

Here’s what the Xbox Wire had to say about the new gameplay trailer:

The demo features JD Fenix and his friends Kait and Del as they fight for survival against ferocious new enemies amidst violent wind flares that bring new dynamic gameplay as they rip through the lands of Sera and alter the battlefield.

Gears of War 4 takes place in the course of one night as JD, Kait, and Del embark on a desperate mission to rescue the ones they love and discover a monstrous new threat. It’s a game that’s more intimate, but at the same time more epic and intense than any previous Gears game.

Gears of War 4 will be available on October 11 for the PC and Xbox One as part of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere program. That means player will receive both versions of the game with a single purchase, and be able to jump back and forth between versions with the same cloud save. Microsoft also promised to include cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 users for all co-op modes and 4K support on Windows 10.

Oh, and Horde Mode will return in Gears of War 4 with “new classes, skills and abilities tied to cards and more.”

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Nintendo announces Mario Party: Star Rush at E3 2016

Posted on June 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

Hey Nintendo fans, remember those new “Super Mario” Amiibo figures the company revealed a day ago? Well, they’re going to launch alongside a new entry in the Mario Party series on November 4… Mario Party: Star Rush.

The “Rush” part of the title is quite apt, as every player in Mario Party: Star Rush will be able to take their turn at the same time, a first for the series. Players will also recruit familiar Nintendo characters to help them conquer the map:

This new Mario Party game for Nintendo 3DS takes the fan-favorite series in new directions to make it more fast-paced and portable friendly. The main mode, “Toad Scramble,” uses a new open style of map that allows up to four players to move around freely instead of traditional linear space movements. Also, because the four players roll dice at the same time, players no longer have to wait for others to finish their turns. Players pick different-colored Toad characters to navigate the game map, and familiar characters from the Super Mario series are scattered all over the map. As players encounter these characters, they will help the player throughout the game.

Mario Party: Star Rush is in development for the 3DS, and you can watch an extended gameplay demonstration with from Nintendo Treehouse team after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

Nintendo slaps an October 7 release date on Paper Mario: Color Splash

Posted on June 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

The Paper Mario series will return this Fall in Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U. During this week’s E3 Expo, Nintendo announced that the game will be available on October 7. They also revealed the Koopalings will appear in the series for the first time as Mario tries to restore the missing colors to Prism Island:

In this new Paper Mario game, the story begins as Mario and friends arrive on Prism Island and need to solve the mystery surrounding Toad characters that have lost their color. Mario and his new partner Huey join forces to learn more about what is happening on Prism Island, and also to collect missing Paint Stars.

Nintendo’s Treehouse Live series took a deeper look at Paper Mario: Color Splash yesterday, and you can check out the entire 40-minute video after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged ,