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.

God of War and Spider-Man lead the way as 2019 DICE Awards nominees announced

Posted on January 12, 2019 by John Scalzo

I have a feeling it’s going to become a familiar refrain this awards season, but the DICE Awards have announced this year’s nominations, and Sony’s God of War and Spider-Man are leading the way. Both games will be competing for the “Game of the Year” award against Subset Games’s Into the Breach, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, and Lucas Pope’s Return of the Obra Dinn.

All told, God of War nabbed 12 total nominations while Spider-Man secured 11 nominations (and both are up for many of the same awards including “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Game Design,” and “Game Direction”).

The winners in all categories will be announced during the DICE Awards ceremony (which will take place during the DICE Summit) on February 13. A complete list of this year’s nominees can be found after the break. (more…)

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Sneak up on this Launch Trailer for Hitman HD Enhanced Collection

Posted on January 11, 2019 by John Scalzo

In case you missed it, IO Interactive brought 2006’s Hitman: Blood Money and 2012’s Hitman: Absolution to the PS4 and Xbox One today as part of the Hitman HD Enhanced Collection. The developer also unveiled a new Launch Trailer for the compilation, which has been embedded above.

IO Interactive has remastered both games for their next-generation debut with enhanced visuals (4K Resolution and 60FPS) and updated control options.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age will come to Switch, Xbox One in April

Posted on January 11, 2019 by John Scalzo

Square Enix is filling out their 2019 calendar with official release dates for a pair of Final Fantasy re-releases for the Switch and Xbox One.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster will be released for both platforms on April 16, and it’ll be followed two weeks later by Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age‘s launch on April 30:

Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster
Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster contains Final Fantasy X and its sequel Final Fantasy X-2, renowned as some of the most popular titles in the whole Final Fantasy series for their emotional stories and stunning graphical quality.

Final Fantasy X follows the story of superstar athlete Tidus, whose fate intertwines with the beautiful summoner Yuna as they embark on a pilgrimage to save the world of Spira. Final Fantasy X-2 takes place two years later, following the stories of Yuna, Rikku and Paine in their exciting adventures to uncover ancient secrets and overcome powerful enemies. Having shipped over 14 million units worldwide to date, Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster invites new players to discover a stunning RPG adventure you will never forget.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Based on the 12th numbered entry in the smash hit Final Fantasy series that has sold over 6 million units worldwide, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age has re-worked the game’s design and re-mastered their visuals in full-HD, making full use of current generation hardware capabilities to improve the graphical and audio quality for the ultimate play experience.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age takes place in the breath-taking world of Ivalice, where magic is commonplace and airships fill the sky. The small kingdom of Dalmasca is caught between warring empires Archadia and Rozarria, and the lone heir to the Dalmascan throne, Princess Ashe has devoted herself to forming a resistance to liberate her homeland. The story begins when Ashe meets Vaan, a young thief who dreams of flying free in the skies, as their adventure changes the destiny of the world’s greatest nations.

To commemorate the announcement, Square Enix also decided to release new artwork for Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age from artist Akihiko Yoshida. It’s been embedded above.

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Atlus and Sega snuck Catherine onto Steam earlier today

Posted on January 10, 2019 by John Scalzo

Atlus and Sega have announced that Catherine, a wild puzzle platformer originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, is now available to download for the PC through Steam. Known as Catherine Classic on the PC, the game will now feature 4K visuals, an unlocked framerate, customizable keyboard and mouse controls, and a Japanese voiceover option.

A trailer for Catherine’s PC debut has been embedded above, and you can get a small taste of its delightfully demented story right here:

Explore the pleasures and horrors of love as Vincent, a man with a hard choice to make: marry his long-time girlfriend Katherine or move on to the incredible blonde he just woke up next to — named Catherine! But beware! Make the wrong choice, and you could end up dead. Delving into themes of free will and the delicate nature of relationships and the choices we make, this action-adventure-puzzle game is an experience unlike anything else.

And in case you missed it, be on the lookout for Catherine: Full Body, a full remake of Catherine that Atlus plans to release for the PS4 sometime this year.

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The Textorcist will be released on February 14

Posted on January 10, 2019 by John Scalzo

Headup and Morbidware have announced that The Textorcist will be available to download through Steam on February 14.

The Textorcist looks like your typical twin-stick shooter, but instead of wielding guns or melee weapons, players will be required to type out the necessary spells (one letter at a time) to banish demons from the Earthly plane as they dodge a relentless barrage of hellfire.

Your mission is to rid the world of every evil spirit and send them back to hell. You banish them by typing out the (un)holy passages from his exorcism book, down to the last letter.

Any spelling mistake you make will set you back; but to make things really interesting you also have to dodge your enemies’ relentless bullet barrage at the same time. Welcome to (Bullet) Hell! But obviously this is still not enough of a challenge for you, which is why later on in the game the texts will be in Latin, as is proper for such a (un)holy man of the church as Ray Bibbia.

Don’t worry, if all this sounds like too much of a challenge, a controller-based “Rhythm Mode” will also be included in The Textorcist. And in case you missed it, be sure to check out the game’s Announcement Trailer from back in November.

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Nintendo will bring Yoshi’s Crafted World to the Switch on March 29

Posted on January 9, 2019 by John Scalzo

Nintendo first unveiled the cardboard-and-paper-styled “Yoshi” at E3 2017, and fans were excited to get the chance to play the platformer sometime in 2018. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But just a week into 2019 the consolemaker has confirmed that Yoshi’s Crafted World will be released for the Switch on March 29.

In the game, you play as an adorable Yoshi exploring a big world crafted from household items like boxes and paper cups, journeying through each themed stage to solve puzzles and find hidden treasures. On the flip side, stages can be played backward, providing new perspectives to explore and the challenge to find Poochy-Pups that are hiding around the course. You can even join up with a friend to play through the game in two-player co-op.

In addition to a release date, Nintendo also unveiled a ridiculously adorable new Story Trailer for Yoshi’s Crafted World, and it’s been embedded above.

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Kirby’s Epic Yarn will make its way to the 3DS on March 8

Posted on January 9, 2019 by John Scalzo

Kirby’s Epic Yarn was originally released for the Wii in the waning days of 2010… but it’s about to get a whole bigger (and slightly shrink down) this Spring. Nintendo has announced that they’ll bring Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn to the 3DS on March 8.

The enhanced re-release retains the original game’s unique yarn-based graphical style, but now Kirby will be able to use Ravel Abilities to complete the game’s challenges and tackle an even harder version of the game known as Devilish Mode:

In this enhanced version of the acclaimed Kirby’s Epic Yarn game that originally launched for the Wii system, Kirby is transported into a world made of cloth and yarn to unravel enemies, unzip secret passageways and transform into powerful vehicles. Every stage in the original Wii version is stitched in, but this Nintendo 3DS version has some new features, like Ravel Abilities that power up Kirby in fun ways, new mini-games featuring familiar faces King Dedede and Meta Knight, new furniture to personalize and decorate Kirby’s Pad, and a new Devilish Mode that adds an extra layer of challenge to each stage.

Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn will also include Amiibo support, giving players the chance to tap compatible Kirby Series figures to unlock a variety of hats and abilities.

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Nominees for the 2019 Writers Guild Award for Videogame Writing have been announced

Posted on January 8, 2019 by John Scalzo

The Writers Guild of America has announced the nominees for this year’s “Writers Guild Award for Videogame Writing.”

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Telltale’s Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 5: Same Stitch, Sony’s God of War, Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, and Insomniac’s Spider-Man will all be competing for the honor, and the winner will be revealed on February 17.

The complete list of nominated writers can be found after the break. (more…)

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