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.

New Tomb Raider comic and game sequel confirmed

Posted on July 20, 2013 by John Scalzo

tombraiderrebootartDark Horse Comics hosted an “Art of Video Games” panel yesterday in which they revealed a brand new Tomb Raider comic for 2014. The first issue is currently scheduled to be released on February 26 and it’ll be written by Gail Simone (who has also recently worked on Wonder Woman and Batgirl). In an interview with Kotaku, Simone revealed that the comic will pick up after the end of this year’s Tomb Raider reboot and lead directly into a game sequel:

Kotaku: When does this series take place with respect to the events of the new game? Will this still be a new Lara who’s just starting out as an adventurer?

Simone: Very much so, we start just a few weeks after the end of the game, and this is all in continuity, it will be Tomb Raider canon, and lead DIRECTLY into the sequel. This is what got me excited; we get to be part of Lara Croft history.

Even though the Tomb Raider reboot sold exceptionally well, there were reports that Square Enix was unhappy with the game’s retail performance. I for one am thrilled they’re moving forward with a sequel.

Posted in Etcetera, News | Tagged , ,

Ace Combat: Infinity takes to the skies with a PS3 destination

Posted on July 19, 2013 by John Scalzo

Nacmo Bandai has announced that Project Aces has a new Ace Combat game in development: Ace Combat: Infinity. The latest Ace Combat game takes place in the year 2019, and concerns a series of asteroids plummeting towards Earth. It’s a teaser trailer, so that’s all the information we can expect for now.

Currently, Ace Combat: Infinity has only been confirmed for a PS3 release. This might be distressing to Xbox 360 owners, but they should remember that the last two games in the series, Fires of Liberation and Assault Horizon, made their way to Microsoft’s console.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

The Last of Us is first among June 2013’s best-selling games

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

thelastofus-header

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us cashed in on years of hype and some of the best reviews for a PS3 game ever (including a 7/7 from our own Andrew Rainnie) to emerge as the best-selling game of June 2013. Last month’s report from The NPD Group featured plenty of other new faces including Animal Crossing: New Leaf (#2), Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (#3, the first time its been available for retail sale), and Deadpool (#8).

Call of Duty: Black Ops II, NBA 2K13, and Battlefield 3 continue their lengthy runs as they sold enough copies to land at, respectively, #4, #5, and #9. The complete list of June 2013’s top ten best-selling games can be found after the break.

According to the NPD’s monthly report (via Game Informer), total retail sales of games, consoles, and accessories amounted to $593.3 million, a 15% decline from June 2012’s $700.6 million total. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Firefly Online announced for Summer 2014 release on mobile platforms

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

Get ready for the shiniest Comic-Con news in the last ten years… Fox is bringing back Firefly!

But now for the inevitable betrayal… the franchise is coming back as Firefly Online, a mobile game in development at QMx Interactive and Spark Plug Games. Of all the ruttin’ luck!

Firefly Online is an online role-playing game that will initially be available for iOS and Android devices in Summer 2014. Players will “assume the role of a ship captain as they hire a crew and seek out adventures, all the while trading with and competing against the millions of other players to try to survive in the Verse: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.”

The mechanics of the game are still a secret and without a reader around, they’re going to stay that way. As a mobile game with “unique social features,” Firefly Online could turn out to be closer in style to “FarmVille in Space” than the epic space opera we want it to be. But maybe QMx and Spark Plug Games will surprise us.

You can get a jump on the competition and register your account at the official site for the game now.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged ,

Nintendo brought 20 playable games to Comic-Con 2013

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

nintendologo

This year’s San Diego Comic-Con kicked off today and Nintendo wants you to forget about superheroes and spandex and focus on their massive lineup of playable games.

The Big N will have a playable demo of Pikmin 3 on the show floor at the company’s booth (#235). But they’re saving their big push for the special “Nintendo Gaming Lounge” they’ve erected at the adjacent San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina hotel. Kiosks within the Lounge will feature 20 playable titles for the Wii U and 3DS:

Wii U

  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Nintendo)
  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo)
  • Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo)
  • Pikmin 3 (Nintendo)
  • New Super Luigi U (Nintendo)
  • Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo)
  • Rayman Legends (Ubisoft)
  • Skylanders Swap Force (Activision)
  • Disney Infinity (Disney Interactive)
  • Sonic Lost World (Sega)
  • The Wonderful 101 (Platinum Games)
  • Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games)
  • Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft)

3DS

  • Yoshi’s New Island (Nintendo)
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo)
  • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Nintendo)
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (Nintendo)
  • Sonic Lost World (Sega)
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus)
  • Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

The last day of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is Sunday, July 21.

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

Nintendo Download: EarthBound, Shantae, Attack of the Friday Monsters, more

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

earthbound-boxIt’s here! It’s here! It’s here! Nintendo’s fantastic Super NES RPG, EarthBound, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. Another bygone classic makes its way to the 3DS eShop this week as WayForward’s Arabian Nights-inspired platformer, Shantae, has been added to the digital storefront.

The 3DS eShop also received a trio of original games this week:

  • Robot Rescue 3D, a puzzler where you rescue robots.
  • Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, the final game from Level-5’s “Guild02” collection.
  • Undead Bowling, a bowling game starring z-z-z-zombies.

Finally, Ubisoft will add the Wii U adaptation of The Smurfs 2 to the Wii U eShop on July 23. More details about all of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

EA Sports WILL release a College Football game in 2014

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

EA-logoYesterday, the NCAA announced the end of their licensing agreement with EA Sports. The end of this agreement means that if the publisher wants to release a college football game in 2014, its title cannot be NCAA Football 15.

A few hours later, Andrew Wilson, the Executive Vice President of EA Sports, confirmed that the company is working on an unnamed college football game for release in 2014. The currently untitled “College Football 15” is in development for next-generation consoles and it sounds like it will look very similar to this year’s offering:

EA Sports will continue to develop and publish college football games, but we will no longer include the NCAA names and marks. Our relationship with the Collegiate Licensing Company is strong and we are already working on a new game for next generation consoles which will launch next year and feature the college teams, conferences and all the innovation fans expect from EA Sports.

So far, the lack of NCAA branding seems to be the only real major difference between NCAA Football 14 and the in-development “College Football 15.”

[Source: The Beat – EA’s Blog]

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

Angry Birds Star Wars flies onto consoles, handhelds this October

Posted on July 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

Activision and Rovio are teaming up again to bring Angry Birds Star Wars to consoles and handhelds this Fall (hmm… which one is the Emperor and which one is Darth Vader?). The “saga” of birds batting pigs continues on the 3DS, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360 this October.

In addition to high definition graphics, the console/handheld version of Angry Birds Star Wars will add 20 new levels to the game as well as new new competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes.

Angry Birds Star Wars will be released for consoles and handhelds on October 29.

Posted in 3DS, News, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged