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.

GTA5 has three playable characters, bigger than San Andreas, RDR, GTA4 combined

Posted on November 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks like the rumors are true. Game Informer‘s cover story is now live for digital subscribers and we’ve learned that Grand Theft Auto V will include three playable characters that players can switch between at any time.

Michael is a retired bank robber who has gotten back into the game to prop up his upper middle class lifestyle. On the opposite side, Trevor is a low-life criminal who lives in a “desert ghetto.” The third character, Franklin, is a young guy who works as a repo man, using his job to steal from the citizens of Los Santos. Each character will have different strengths and skills and when you’re not using them, they’ll go on with their lives.

They will live these lives in a world that is said to be bigger than Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas combined. In addition to the streets and alleyways of Los Santos, GTA5 will also include underwater locations and a bevy of activities (yoga, triathlon, jet-skiing, BASE jumping, tennis, and golf). Finally, like Red Dead Redemption, hitchhikers will offer you missions if you pick them up.

Grand Theft Auto V will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Spring 2013. A new trailer will be released next week.

[Source: G4TV]

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

NBA 2K13 slams it home as the bestselling game of October 2012

Posted on November 9, 2012 by John Scalzo

The NPD Group has released their report on the bestselling games of October 2012 and NBA 2K13 has come out on top. The basketball sim’s lack of competition from the now-canceled NBA Live 13 surely pushed it to greater heights and enabled it to hold off other October releases like Resident Evil 6 (#2), Pokemon Black 2 (#3), Dishonored (#4), and Pokemon White 2 (#5).

New releases performed very well in October as Medal of Honor: Warfighter (#8) and Skylanders Giants (#10) also cracked the top ten even though game sales dropped 25% from October 2011. Of course, things like that happen when you’re competing with the one-two punch of Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City.

The full top ten for October 2012 can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Development begins on Mass Effect 4 and BioWare wants your opinion

Posted on November 9, 2012 by John Scalzo

Casey Hudson wants to know what you want to see in Mass Effect 4. The Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series has taken to Twitter to confirm that development has begun on the title (which actually won’t feature Commander Shepard) and to ask fans for feedback on a game that is likely nothing more than scribbles on a piece of paper right now:

So let’s see… is this an honest attempt at engaging the community in the creation of the game or is this a preemptive strike against endless complaints about the ending? The world may never know.

Posted in News | Tagged

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm pushed back to early 2013

Posted on November 9, 2012 by John Scalzo

Perhaps its unfair to say that StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm has been delayed, as Blizzard never promised a 2012 release for the highly-anticipated expansion. But it definitely won’t be out before the end of year as Mike Morhaime, the company’s President and CEO, has confirmed that Heart of the Swarm won’t make it into stores until the first half of 2013:

Next on the slate for Blizzard will be Heart of the Swarm, the first expansion to StarCraft II. With six million copies of Wings of Liberty sold to date, we have a large community of players eagerly awaiting the next installment of StarCraft. Beta testing for Heart of the Swarm is well underway, and the development team has been collecting great feedback from the community. Just last week, we made a major content update to the beta in order to test some important community features, which have been well-received by players. These features are designed to improve the social aspect, as well as the overall user experience for StarCraft players. We’re working hard towards a first half 2013 launch for Heart of the Swarm.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick previously confirmed that Blizzard would release “at least two titles in 2012,” and with Diablo III and World of Warcraft: Mists of Panderia already available, there was no room (and no time) for Heart of the Swarm.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Final boss from PlayStation All-Stars revealed as game goes gold

Posted on November 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the logic of creating a “mascot fighter” when the majority of your mascots are hyper-realistic human beings. That said, the newly released opening cinematic for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale is hugely entertaining. And it reveals the game’s final boss (original PlayStation mascot Polygon Man!).

On the third hand, Nathan Drake shooting at a prancing Sly Cooper is still pretty ridiculous.

The people of the world will get a chance to judge PlayStation All-Stars for themselves on November 20, when the game is released for the PS3 and Vita. Sony has announced that it’s officially gone gold and will be available at retail stores and on the PlayStation Network as a PS3/Vita Cross-Buy title.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged

Blizzard announces Diablo III expansion after it sells 10 million copies

Posted on November 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Diablo III has stirred up some serious emotions in people since its release back in May. From complaints about the “always-on” DRM requirement to concerns about the end game to a virtual slapfight between the developers and the creator of the first Diablo, the community has seen it all. But that hasn’t stopped people from buying it in droves as Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently revealed the game has sold over 10 million copies:

“Year-to-date, Diablo III is the top-selling game overall based on an estimated digital and retail sales in North America and Europe. Diablo III has already sold an excess of 10 million copies, proving once again that investing in key talent and our top franchise is worth the wait.”

Mike Morhaime, Blizzard’s President, was particuarly pleased with the sales figures. He even went so far as to announced an expansion for the game during the Q&A portion of Activision’s quarterly financial report:

Stephen Ju, Analyst from Credit Suisse AG: “[T]he prior iterations of Diablo seem to have had an expansion pack released about 1 year after the game itself came out. So wondering if you have anything you can share in terms of whether or not you have a similar plan for Diablo III to keep your users engaged.”

Morhaime: “[W]e do have a plan — an expansion planned for Diablo. I don’t have any timeline to talk about. I think that the most important thing for us always comes down to the quality of the expansion and the gameplay, and so that will be a big factor in terms of driving our schedule.”

As with all things Blizzard, the Diablo III expansion will be officially announced when they’re good and ready.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Paper Mario Sticker Star (on Sunday), Pokedex 3D Pro, more

Posted on November 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Welcome to your weekly dose of new Nintendo Downloads. Here’s what you’ll be able to download today (and one game on Sunday):

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS eShop) – Available Sunday, November 11. When an accident scatters stickers across the land, Mario sets off on an adventure to repair a torn world. Searching Forests, Deserts and Mountains, Mario collects stickers to solve puzzles and battle monsters. Flatten characters, roll out towns and walk through living, breathing dioramas.

Pokedex 3D Pro (3DS eShop) – The Pokedex 3D Pro application is an upgraded version of the original Pokédex 3D application, exclusively available in the Nintendo eShop for $14.99. It includes detailed information about more than 640 Pokemon from the Pokemon video game series. The Pokedex 3D Pro application also includes in-depth sorting, comparison and ranking tools, as well as comprehensive details about the moves each Pokemon can learn, and how and when each Pokemon evolves.

Johnny Hotshot (3DS eShop) – After being warped into the world of one of Johnny’s favorite arcade games, Cowboy Hotshot, Johnny must take on the role of sheriff and purge the town of the bandits led by Mr. Wang!

Dress To Play: Cute Witches! (3DS eShop) – Make a little witch and design her outfit in the dressing room. When you finish, get ready to set off on an adventure as your character flies away on her broomstick to a peaceful world inhabited by fantasy characters.

A demo of Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion has also been added to the 3DS eShop ahead of its November 18 release. Be sure and check it out along with the rest of this week’s Nintendo Download, which can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

XBLA Today: ToeJam & Earl Collection, Karateka

Posted on November 7, 2012 by John Scalzo

A pair of remakes come to the Xbox Live Arcade today.

First up is the Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl, which collects the Genesis classics ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron for the nice price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10):

Join aliens ToeJam and Earl in their adventures across space in classic titles ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron! This classic journey of two funky aliens has been updated for release on Xbox Live Arcade! Earn all new Achievements, complete challenging new game trials, and take on zany Earthlings with a friend in two player co-op across Xbox Live!

Also available this week (and also priced at 800 Microsoft Points) is Karateka, a remake of Jordan Mechner’s first game:

From Prince of Persisa creator Jordan Mechner, the original side-scrolling karate classic comes to XBLA with art by Jeff Matsuda (The Batman) and music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin (Civilization IV). Fight to save the lovely Mariko from the evil warlord Akuma and reunite her with her True Love!

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,