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.

Hello Games brought No Man’s Sky to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Posted on October 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

After three weeks on the air, Stephen Colbert has chatted with a stunning variety of guests on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Besides the familiar cadre of actors and musicians, Colbert has sat down with CEOs, politicians, activists, and whatever category you want to cram Donald Trump into. And starting with Friday’s edition of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, you can add game designers to the list.

Appearing after Morgan Freeman, Sean Murray of Hello Games met with Colbert to talk about No Man’s Sky, his upcoming space exploration game for the PC and PS4. While the game’s release date is still a mystery, Murray was able to demonstrate a handful of the game’s 18 quintillion (18,000,000,000,000,000,000) planets for Colbert. The host even got to land on “Colbert Prime” (which is in the “Colbert System”) and lend his name to the “Stephenus Rex” and the “Molebert.”

It’s unknown if these names will remain in No Man’s Sky when it’s officially released, but I certainly hope they do.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Ubisoft will release Just Dance: Disney Party 2 on October 20… here’s the complete tracklist

Posted on October 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

The Disney Channel loves creating song-and-dance shows for today’s tweens. In addition to having a popular television show, Disney’s musical aspirations also gives them the chance to create a ton of licensed tie-in merchandise. Just look no further than Ubisoft’s Just Dance: Disney Party 2.

Just Dance: Disney Party 2 is scheduled for an October 20 release on the Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It’ll feature 24 songs from the Disney Channel’s lineup of shows and movies such as Descendants, Violetta, Girl Meets World, and more.

“Some of our most passionate fans are also avid fans of the Disney Channel, so we wanted to deliver a tracklist that fuses Just Dance with Disney Channel music,” said Tony Key, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ubisoft. “With Just Dance: Disney Party 2, our development team worked closely with Disney to create gameplay that is true to the shows and movies our fans love to watch on TV.”

The complete tracklist for Just Dance: Disney Party 2 can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Weekly Warp-Up: Is It Fall Yet? Edition

Posted on October 4, 2015 by John Scalzo

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…

Maybe it’s just me, but this Fall seems downright quiet compared to some years. Sure, there’s still a lot of new games coming out between now and the end of the year, but it doesn’t feel quite as overwhelming as it has in years past. Many of this Fall’s biggest titles were delayed into 2016, so maybe this is just the calm before the big storm in Spring 2016.

However, that hasn’t stopped the Warp Zoned staff from keeping up with the latest games. Due to the recent calendar turnover, we compiled a selection of What We Played in September 2015, as well as examined The Games of October 2015. It might be a slower-paced Fall gaming season, but there is still plenty of interesting titles in the pipeline.

Even more news from this week can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News |

New Releases: Rock Band 4, Uncharted Collection, Transformers Devastation, More

Posted on October 4, 2015 by John Scalzo

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It’s time to rock the world once more as Harmonix will release Rock Band 4 for the PS4 and Xbox One this week. In addition to the standard “Game Only” edition, the developer is also planning to replenish your stock of plastic instruments with a Rock Band 4: Guitar Bundle and a Band-In-A-Box Bundle.

Another big franchise that we’ll remember for centuries is coming back this week thanks to Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on the PS4. Also available as part of a 500GB PS4 + Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection Bundle, the collection brings together Drake’s first three adventures and also includes an access code for the upcoming Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End beta.

And speaking of characters that have been popular for centuries, Activision and Platinum have teamed up to produce Transformers: Devastation, a cel-shaded action game based on the franchise’s “Generation 1” era. It looks gorgeous and it’ll be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Finally, somebody told me that people love Nintendo’s adorable Chibi-Robo and NIS America’s Disgaea series of strategy RPGs. Fans are in luck this week, as new entries in both franchises are set to be released this week. Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash is a side-scrolling platformer for the 3DS, while Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance brings the series to the PS4 for the first time.

A complete list of this week’s new releases is available after the break. (more…)

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

Xbox Store Today: Fat City, Polychromatic

Posted on October 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

xboxgamesstore-logoTwo new Xbox One games are now available to download through the Xbox Games Store…

Fat City is a heist game from Heavy Iron Studios that asks players to steal the big bucks from the sleepless citizens of New York City. Meanwhile, Polychromatic is a twin-stick shooter that comes with “a pop of color,” according to developer Brushfire Games.

More information about both games is available right here:

Xbox One Games

Fat City ($18.49)
Chris Knox is the leader of a crew of former special ops personnel and highly skilled hustlers. Players will use their cunning and brain power to plan raids and execute getaways to pull in the big bucks in the city that never sleeps. With 60+ targets spread throughout the five boroughs of New York City. 
Mission events are driven by how players plan and execute each heist, which inherently creates replay-ability and ample opportunities for completionists.

Polychromatic ($9.99)
Polychromatic is a physics-based arcade shooter with a pop of color. Take on waves of enemies in multiple game modes while competing for a top spot in the leaderboards against your friends or the entire Xbox Live community. With dynamic gameplay, a unique flat geometric art style, and exhilarating soundtrack, Polychromatic is the arcade shooter experience players have been waiting for.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Nintendo will release Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival on November 13

Posted on October 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Alright all you Amiibo Hunters… this one’s for you… on your marks… get set… go!

Nintendo has announced that Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival will be available for the Wii U on November 13. The minigame collection will carry a retail price of $59.99, but it’ll come packed with two Amiibo figures (Isabelle and Digby) and three Amiibo cards (Stitches, Goldie, and Rosie).

But wait, it gets better. Nintendo also has plans to release six more Animal Crossing-themed Amiibo figures in November. Things kick off on November 13 with the release of an Amiibo 3-Pack that features K.K. Slider, Reese, and Cyrus. Two solo figures, Tom Nook and Mabel, will also be available that day. Finally, Nintendo will release an Amiibo figure for the “fashionably late” Lottie on November 22.

The solo figures will be priced at the standard $12.99 rate, while the 3-Pack will set you back $34.99.

Interested Amiibo Hunters can get a good look at all six figures and the Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival bundle on Nintendo’s Twitter page.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Zangief is a beast in his Street Fighter V reveal trailer

Posted on October 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

Everyone’s favorite bear wrestler, Zangief, has piledrived his way into Street Fighter V. The Russian giant is the 13th character to be added to the game, which still leaves three empty character slots (though Blanka will likely fill one next week).

In addition to the Reveal Trailer embedded above, a few more details about Zangief were confirmed by the Capcom-Unity blog… like the fact that Zangief can harm his opponents just by flexing! Here’s what else we’ve learned about Zangief, and if you somehow find yourself in Moscow this weekend, a Street Fighter V demo featuring the big Russian will be available on the show floor at the IgroMir expo:

About Zangief
When it comes to raw strength, not many of the World Warriors can compete with Zangief. Training day and night, he believes that the only way to victory is to have a body complete with perfect muscles. Due to his intense training, which includes wrestling bears, Zangief is able to lift even the heaviest opponents with ease! In Street Fighter V, Zangief shows off the results of his training through his newfound V-Skill (Iron Muscle) and V-Trigger (Cyclone Lariat). But, these are just the tip of the iceberg, as Zangief has many more new tactics in store for any opponent that challenges him and his raw power.

V-Skill: Iron Muscle
Zangief shows the true power of his body when he activates Iron Muscle. During Iron Muscle, Zangief can absorb one attack, which leaves him with recoverable health. If players hold down Medium Punch and Medium Kick and then press a direction on the joystick, Zangief will begin to slowly close in on the opponent. Upon release from the walk, Zangief flexes his muscles and hits the opponent if close enough.

V-Trigger: Cyclone Lariat
Zangief lives up to his name “The Red Cyclone” as he spins with high speed and velocity, pulling the opponent in close. If the player taps the V-Trigger activation buttons, Zangief will quickly spin and pull in the opponent. If the player holds the V-Trigger activation buttons, Zangief will continue to spin and hit the opponent multiple times.

Street Fighter V will be released for the PC and PS4 in Spring 2015.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Freedom Planet, River City Ransom, The Rivers of Alice, more

Posted on October 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

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It’s Thursday, so it’s time to check in with the new releases on Nintendo’s eShop once again.

After a delay or two, Wii U owners will finally get their chance to try out Freedom Planet, a Sonic-like side-scroller that is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Whatever your opinion is of Sonic’s more recent outings, I think it’s safe to say that Galaxy Trail nailed the look of the character’s 16-bit heyday. Also available as part this week’s Nintendo Download is a Virtual Console re-release of River City Ransom. Now available for the Wii U, River City Ransom is one of the finest beat ’em ups to ever grace the NES.

Finally this week, we have The Rivers of Alice: Extended Version, a dreamy adventure game for the Wii U. Sporting a unique graphical style that combines watercolors, ink, and graphite, The Rivers of Alice asks players to guide Alice through a dream world that has been overtaken by her fears.

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

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged