Author: Nicole Kline

Nicole Kline is Warp Zoned's Senior Editor. She first began preparing for the job by climbing a milk crate to play Centipede in an arcade. You can find her on PSN under the name toitle or you can email her at nicole AT warpzoned DOT com.

Atlus picks up North American publishing rights to Code of Princess

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Your 3DS is about to get a little more risque: Atlus announced that they’ll be bringing the scantily clad Code of Princess to North America this Fall. Developed by Agashima Entertainment, Code of Princess is an action RPG brawler with both competitive and cooperative multiplayer options.

With both the character development of an in-depth RPG and the fun gameplay of an old-school side-scrolling beat-em-‘up, Code of Princess promises to bring a fun new experience to the 3DS.

Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Atlus, said:

Developed by an all-star team of industry veterans, Code of Princess is unlike anything else available for Nintendo 3DS. Fans of action will savor the game’s combat, which is loaded with satisfying chain attacks and plenty of depth-both in terms of attack options and also quite literally in the sense that battlefields employ a three-railed design, letting players move forward and back as tactics dictate. Fans of RPGs will relish the ability to level and improve their characters, converting their gained experience into boosts for the stats that best suit their play style and tactics. This appealing amalgam of game designs is wrapped in a beautiful package, boasting lovingly rendered and animated characters and eye-catching flurries of punches and kicks. With something for virtually every kind of old-school gamer and with an esteemed pedigree to draw upon, Code of Princess is certain to be one of the most anticipated Nintendo 3DS games of the year.

That’s quite an ambitious claim. In true Atlus fashion, those who pre-order the game will receive the Sound & Visual Book, with artwork from designer Kinu Nishimura, as well as music from ACE’s soundtrack. Start clicking that pre-order button, collectors.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

Dead or Alive 5 fights its way into stores on September 25

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Tired of waiting for your busty babe brawler? Well there’s good news for you: Dead or Alive 5 now has a release date, and it’s September 25. That’s just a little over three and half months away. Then you’ll be able to bounce boobs on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

[Source: Game Informer]

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

The Community video game is now a real thing

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Nicole Kline

If you’re a fan of the show “Community,” you’ll be thrilled to learn that the 8-bit game you saw in the episode on May 17th, “Digital Estate Planning,” is now a real video game. The game, Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne, allows players to choose from a plethora of characters, including Jeff, Britta, Abed, Annie, Troy, Shirley, Pierce, Pillow Man, Constable Reggie, or Brittasaurus Rex.

However, the game is still a work in progress and the team is asking anyone with coding skills (and a love of “Community”) to pitch in.

So what are you waiting for? Download the game and get started! You can find more details on the game’s site, or over at reddit.

Posted in News, PC |

SCEA CEO Jack Tretton comments on PS4: “We’ve never been first”

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Nicole Kline

SCEA CEO Jack Tretton was interviewed by Geoff Keighley the day after the big Sony press conference. When asked about the PlayStation 4, and being the last out of the gates in the most recent generation of consoles, Tretton spun it perfectly:

I think, if you look back at history, we’ve never been first, we’ve never been cheapest. It’s about being best. And I think if you can build a better machine and it’s going to come out a little bit later, that’s better than rushing something to market that’s going to run out of gas for the long term. I think, ideally, in a perfect world, you want the best machine that ships first, that’s the cheapest. But the number one goal is to have the best machine, and that’s what we’re always focused on.

They’re all about the core gamers at Sony – “At the end of the day, I look at the core gamer, and if they’re happy, I’m happy.” He also said the proof is in the pudding with Sony games, indicating E3 darlings The Last of Us and Beyond.

I’m happy, Jackie T. I’m happy.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Sony @ E3 12: The Last of Us is brutal and gritty

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Naughty Dog was on hand to show the first gameplay demo for The Last of Us, which feels like a grown-up version of Uncharted. Not that Uncharted isn’t grown up, but The Last of Us can be downright brutal. The realistic fight scene stretched over several rooms, starting with the main characters trying to stealth, but then being forced into battle.

Your pint-sized companion jumps in at just the right moment to distract one of your assailants, helping you to take him out. She also jumps on top of another enemy and stabs him in the back. You then wrap it up by shooting him in the face with his own shotgun.

Like I said – it’s brutal. I couldn’t see Nathan Drake being quite so cold-hearted, no matter how many dudes he’s tossed over cliffs.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged ,

Sony @ E3 12: God of War: Ascension has a new release date

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

There’s really not much new about God of War: Ascension (except for the multiplayer, of course). Well, there is a new ability where you can put things back together, but that’s about the only thing. OK, that is pretty rad. But really, it’s just another God of War game. Why isn’t the Sony Santa Monica team working on a new IP? Or at least a new mythology?

Either way, the game still looks awesome, regardless of how many times we’ve seen Kratos pull a dude’s head off. God of War: Ascension will smash your PlayStation 3 on March 12, 2013.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged ,

Sony @ E3 12: Wonderbook is a new AR for your living room

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Dust off your PlayStation Eye: Sony announced Wonderbook, an interesting augment reality experience for your living room. Andrew House came onstage to announce this strange and innovative new product. It’s a physical book that has AR capability, and it actually looks pretty darn neat. Moonbot Studios is working on the first Wonderbook, Diggs Nghtcrawler, inspired by film noir.

House also announced that J.K. Rowling will be working with Sony. The first book will be called Wonderbook: Book of Spells. Sony will be developing a relationship with Pottermore, Rowling’s massive online presence.

Sony then went on to demo Wonderbook right then and there. The crowd seemed very quiet – either surprised at being, well, surprised, or simply unsure about the product in general. At least, that’s how I was feeling. The demo itself was a little buggy – one of the spellcasters couldn’t quite get her spell to work perfectly. All in all, this seems like some pretty good stuff aimed at kids… and rabid Harry Potter fans.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged , ,

Sony @ E3 12: Far Cry 3 will have four-player co-op

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Dan Hay has been a busy man today. He came out on stage at the Sony press conference to announce that the team at Ubisoft wasn’t just working on one Farcry game, but rather they were working on two. He then dropped a bomb on the crowd: Far Cry 3 will have four-player co-op. There’s a dedicated four-player campaign, and, of course, a map editor.

It looks beautiful in co-op, but I’m confused. At its heart, the Farcry games are based around isolationism and paranoia. While you did have your buddies in Far Cry 2, there was really no one you could trust. How are they going to overcome an environment they’ve worked so hard to build and maintain?

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged ,