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.

Get your first look at CoD: Advanced Warfare’s Ascendance Pack in a new trailer

Posted on March 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

Activision has released a trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s Ascendance Pack, giving gamers their first glimpse at four brand new multiplayer maps (“Perplex,” “Site 244,” “Climate,” and “Chop Shop”), the next Exo Zombies episode, and a bonus new grappling ability. We wrote all about the new content found in the Ascendance Pack in case you need a refresher course.

And don’t forget, Activision will host an extended gameplay walkthrough of the Ascendance Pack on March 29 during the Call of Duty Championship.

Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will be able to download the Ascendance Pack on Tuesday, March 31. Because of Activision’s exclusivity agreement with Microsoft, Advanced Warfare players on the PC, PS3, and PS4 will get the DLC a month later.

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

The Evil Within: The Consequence will be available on April 21

Posted on March 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

The Evil Within‘s first downloadable expansion, The Assignment, launched just two weeks ago. Today, Bethesda confirmed that they aren’t wasting any time and revealed plans to release the second expansion, The Consequence, in April.

The Evil Within: The Consequence will continue Juli Kidman’s adventures in and around Beacon Mental Hospital. Bethesda has released a teaser trailer to promote the expansion that is short on details so as not to spoil the surprise. But if you’ve got 19 seconds to kill, give it a watch.

The Consequence will be available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on April 21.

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

USC is the top school for Game Design in Princeton Review’s 2015 ranking

Posted on March 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

The Princeton Review recently published the 2015 update to their annual review of Game Design programs and the University of Southern California has once again emerged as the top Undergraduate Program. The school ranked fourth in the list of best Graduate Programs, behind the University of Utah, the University of Central Florida, and Southern Methodist University.

Each school was graded on “curriculum, facilities, technology, and career services” when compiling the rankings and many of the top programs were held over from previous years.

“For students aspiring to work in the burgeoning field of game design, these are truly the ‘cream of the crop’ institutions from which to launch a career,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Senior Vice President. “Some are nationally-known universities; others have well-deserved reputations within their regions. All are renowned for their exceptional faculties and awesome, state-of-the-art facilities. Collectively, these schools have graduated legions of the industry’s most successful video game designers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs.”

The Princeton Review’s 2015 rankings can be found after the break. And if you’re interested in applying to one of the ranked schools, Princeton Review has published in-depth profiles of each program on their website. (more…)

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Raven Software teases Singularity sequel

Posted on March 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

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A lot of people really loved the time-hopping insanity of Raven Software’s Singularity. Originally released in June 2010 to above average reviews, the game sold poorly and Activision quietly reassigned Raven to Call of Duty DLC duty. But after working on Black Ops, Modern warfare 3, Ghosts, and Advance Warfare, it looks like Raven might be able to give the Singularity series another go. Yesterday, the words “We’re going back” and a picture of the game’s box were posted to Twitter by Raven:

While this isn’t confirmation that Singularity 2 is in development, it’s pretty close. And I would be utterly shocked if an official announcement isn’t made in the very near future. Hmm… maybe if I time-hop to the future I can find out for sure…

UPDATE: Raven has spent much of the year tweeting about their other games in similar fashion and the words “We’re going back” are probably just a reference to Singularity’s time travel plotline and not a tease for a sequel.

Posted in News |

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is here and here’s a launch trailer

Posted on March 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

It’s here… Gearbox Software and 2K Games have released Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for the PS4 and Xbox One. To get gamers pumped for the Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel compilation, they’ve also unveiled a launch trailer that highlights some of the new features found in the Handsome Collection, including:

  • Four-Player Couch Co-Op
  • Every Piece of Downloadable Content for Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel
  • Faster Frame Rates
  • 1080p Visuals
  • Cross-Save Compatibility (PS3-to-PS4 and Xbox 360-to-Xbox One only) to Carry Your Saves Forward

I still don’t understand why the original Borderlands wasn’t included in this package, but for those who need more another dose of Borderlands, the Handsome Collection is just what the doctor ordered.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Video Game Release Calendar Changelog #3: Spring Madness Edition

Posted on March 23, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, or unannounced release date.

Spring is in the air… well not literally as it’s still pretty cold out there in the northeast. But I hear it’s pretty crazy all over the place. Some kind of insanity has infected the populace and its scheduled to last throughout the month of March. A “March Madness” if you will. It’s a good thing we’ve got a new batch of release dates to round up.

Perhaps people are mad over the many delays that were recently announced including Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Fall 2015 to Spring 2016), Homefront: The Revolution (TBA 2015 to TBA 2016), the console version of Hyper Light Drifter (TBA 2015 to TBA 2016), the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Mortal Kombat X (April 14 to sometime in the Summer), and Batman: Arkham Knight (June 2 to June 23).

Other new release dates of note include 3DS-exclusive Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (May 22), Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (June), and God of War III Remastered (July 14).

The full list of games included in our third Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Jaws of Hakkon is first Dragon Age: Inquisition expansion and its coming to PC, Xbox One first

Posted on March 23, 2015 by John Scalzo

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BioWare has confirmed that Jaws of Hakkon, the first expansion for Dragon Age: Inquisition, will be available soon. But first, the developer will upload a trailer for the add-on, which will be released for the PC and Xbox One “first” as part of a timed exclusivity agreement. According to BioWare’s Twitter feed, we won’t have to wait long for the trailer, as it should be available tomorrow:

It’s unknown when the PS4 will receive the Jaws of Hakkon expansion, but if Microsoft’s contract with Electronic Arts is anything like their Call of Duty deal with Activision, it’ll probably follow along in a month or so.

While any hint as to the actual content of the expansion will have to wait until tomorrow’s trailer premiere, XboxAchievements has unveiled the four Achievements/Trophies that’ll be added to the game:

  • Firestarter (15) – Destroy all the Winter Shards and light all the fires in the Old Temple
  • Legend-Marked (30) – Impress the Avvar of Stone-Bear Hold and gain their friendship
  • Historian (30) – Uncover the secrets of a legendary figure
  • Winter’s End (90) – Dispel a myth of ancient days

Presumably, expansion plans for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Inquisition will be announced at a later date, but it’s very possible EA and BioWare will leave the previous generation behind with Jaws of Hakkon.

UPDATE: BioWare just tweeted that the Jaws of Hakkon expansion will released tomorrow for the PC and Xbox One alongside the trailer.

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

Nintendo President says Legend of Zelda Netflix series isn’t happening

Posted on March 23, 2015 by John Scalzo

legendofzeldaLast week, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata sat down with Time Magazine to discuss the company’s future plans for mobile game development. This morning, Time published the rest of the interview, wherein they asked Iwata about the rumored Legend of Zelda series on Netflix.

Even though fans were excited about the prospect of a live-action Legend of Zelda (Warp Zoned’s Andrew Rainnie even created fantasy casting sheets for Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf), Iwata told Time that the series is definitely not happening like the Wall Street Journal described:

In early February, the Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix was developing a live-action series based on Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise. But Mr. Iwata says those rumors are inaccurate.

“As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information,” says Iwata.

Of course, a Legend of Zelda series could still be in the works as there’s a lot of wiggle room in Iwata’s reply. For starters, Nintendo’s President only put the kibosh on the Wall Street Journal report. For all we know, Iwata shot down the rumor because some other entity, and not Netflix, is adapting The Legend of Zelda. Or perhaps Nintendo is lying in order to preserve their surprise. They’ve done it before.

So fingers crossed that the Legend of Zelda series still has a green light, but it’s very likely the whole thing is deader than Link facing off against Ganon with a single Heart Container.

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