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.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s ridiculous pre-order program has been canceled

Posted on October 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Remember that rather baffling “Augment Your Pre-Order” program that Square Enix announced for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided a month ago? Well, you can forget it now. The publisher has seen the error of their ways and canceled the whole thing.

In addition to a wide variety of in-game items, Square Enix also offered to release the game four days early if enough players pledged to pre-order the game. With the cancellation of the “Augment Your Pre-Order” program, this offer is now off the table too. In an attempt to apologize for their blunder, Square Enix has decided to give all the “Day One” content to anyone who pre-orders the game. Writing on the official Deus Ex website, a spokesman for Eidos Montreal described the reason behind this decision:

We quickly noticed that this approach created even more frustration than before, resulting in a resounding amount of negative feedback.

We’ve spent a lot of time reading through all of your comments, working to understand how we can try to make things right for you.After much thought and reflection, we decided to close down the program and make of the incentive content available to anyone who pre-orders Deus Ex: Mandkind Divided or purchases a Day 1 Edition of the game. Additionally, the release date will no longer be changed in accordance with pre-order numbers, and everyone will gain access to the game on February 23, 2016.

But don’t forget, a Collector’s Edition featuring a 48-page Titan Art Book, a nine-inch Adam Jensen figurine, and a limited edition Steelbook case is still available for pre-order. Sadly, we’re not getting that for free.

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

Charisma makes you S.P.E.C.I.A.L. in newest Fallout 4 educational video from Bethesda

Posted on October 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

“Following total atomic annihilation, the rebuilding of this great nation of ours may fall to you. Study these materials carefully to ensure your survival and to discover what makes you S.P.E.C.I.A.L.”

Believe it or not, but the newest entry in Bethesda’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. series of educational videos for Fallout 4 proves that the spirit of Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli is alive in the Wasteland. In Charisma, players are encouraged to get others on their side with a very Fonzie-esque double thumbs up and an “Ayyy!” Naturally, it works. But it makes you wonder, are there jukeboxes to slap into shape in the future?

Astute Vault-Tec students will also learn that Charisma is great for making friends… even with that mutant bear that wants to eat your face off. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise, Vault Boy!

Fallout 4 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 10.

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

Worldwide sales of Super Mario Maker have surpassed one million copies

Posted on October 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

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According to Nintendo, games from the Super Mario franchise have sold more than 310 million copies since Mario stomped his first Goomba back in 1983. Today, they can add another million to that total as Super Mario Maker has become the latest entry in the series to reach platinum status.

“For Mario fans around the world, including myself, Super Mario Maker was a dream 30 years in the making,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “The game has captured and unlocked the imaginations of gaming fans of all ages and brought their dedication to Nintendo to a whole new level.”

Super Mario Maker’s million-selling milestone is based on worldwide sales of the game through the Wii U eShop and retail outlets (including the various Super Mario Maker bundles) since its release in mid-September. In that time, the average Super Mario Maker player has created at least two levels as more than 2.2 million levels have been uploaded to the game’s servers.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Activision and Treyarch deliver a Story Trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Posted on September 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

Gun to my head, I’m not sure I could tell you how the technologically enhanced soldiers of last year’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare differ from the ones found in this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III. But Activision and Treyarch want to explain it to us with the release of this brand new Story Trailer for the game.

The nearly three-minute video gives us a taste of Treyarch’s vision of 2065, along with a villainous enemy that is performing human experimentation on unwilling test subjects and a squad of augmented soldiers that is losing their grip on reality. Oh, and a sorrowful Christopher Meloni shows up for some too.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be released on November 6, but you might not have heard that the story campaign will only be available on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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

Xbox Store Today: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, NBA 2K16, NBA Live 16, more

Posted on September 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Four big games (and several smaller ones) are now available to download through the Xbox Games Store.

This week’s biggest game has to be the return of the Birdman as Activision and Tony Hawk have teamed up once more for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 (Xbox One). Developed by Robomodo, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 goes back to the franchise’s roots with ten pros and more than 80 unique missions.

Also available this week is a double-double of new basketball games from 2K Games and EA Sports. NBA 2K16 (Xbox One, Xbox 360) reinvents 2K’s MyCareer with a new experience written, directed, and produced by Spike Lee. On the other side of the court, EA Sports has added an upgraded player customization mode to NBA Live 16.

Finally this week, Mouldy Toof and Team17 have teamed up with Robert Kirkman to merge The Escapists with The Walking Dead. The result, The Escapists: The Walking Dead (Xbox One), features the patented pixelated presentation of the original game with the undead hordes from the world’s most famous zombie series.

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

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

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5, Journey, Mega Man Legends, more added to PS Store

Posted on September 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Prepare to fly high in this week’s PlayStation Store update.

Activision has brought back Tony Hawk for the 13th time in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. While some players would quibble with the numbering system employed by Activision, both the publisher and Tony Hawk himself have said that the new game is meant to be a throwback to the franchise’s late 90s roots.

Of course, you don’t need a skateboard to fly high… you could just be a seven-footer who has some skill with a basketball. Both 2K Games and EA Sports are back with new basketball simulations this week as NBA 2K16 (PS4, PS3) and NBA Live 16 (PS4) are now available to download. 2K16 wants to capture what it really feels like to be an NBA player with a Career Mode written and directed by Spike Lee. Meanwhile, Live 16 wants to capture what it really feels like to be an NBA player by offering an upgraded player customization engine.

Also, players will explore the highest reaches of critical acclaim with two games that have found new homes this week. Journey: Collector’s Edition brings the wordless adventure experience from thatgamecompany to the PS4 for the first time, while Mega Man Legends is a PSone Classic that’s finally available to download through the PlayStation Store. Mega Man Legends is such a “get” for the PlayStation Store that even its publisher, Capcom, thought it would never be re-released. But they appear to have settled whatever contracts needed to be settled and we can all play Mega Man’s first 3D outing once more.

Finally this week, if you own a PS Vita, I hope you feel like dancing, as Atlus has released Persona 4: Dancing All Night for Sony’s handheld. I’m also being told that the publisher expects you to boogie, so there’s that too.

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

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged , , ,

Nintendo will serve Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash into stores on November 20

Posted on September 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Serving up a release date for one of their last Fall 2015 games without one, Nintendo has announced that Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will be released for the Wii U on November 20:

We haven’t heard much about Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash since its E3 2015 announcement, but Nintendo loves releasing games in the last two weeks of November. And after Star Fox Zero vacated its November 20 spot on the calendar, the publisher needed a new game to fill out the pre-Thanksgiving period. This E3 Trailer will have to do for now.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Xbox One Holiday Bundle will (technically) include 36 free games

Posted on September 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

xboxone-logoGamers who receive an Xbox One 1TB Holiday Bundle under the tree this Christmas will also receive a gargantuan gaggle of free games from Microsoft.

Available beginning in October for $399, the Holiday Bundle will also include physical copies of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Rare Replay, as well as a download code for Ori and the Blind Forest. A three-game bundle is already a pretty great deal, but it gets even better when you realize that Rare Replay is a collection of 30 of Rare’s most popular titles. Battletoads, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct Gold… they’re all here (a complete list of Rare Replay’s contents can be found right here). And if we keep counting, we can add four more Gears of War games as the Ultimate Edition includes a download code for the Xbox 360 editions of Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, and Gears of War: Judgment.

And when you add it all together you get 36 games in a single bundle. That’s actually pretty impressive. More details about the bundle can be found at Xbox.com.

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