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.

No UMD Passport for Vita in US

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Buying a PlayStation Vita in a week or two? Excited about the prospect of playing your UMD games on it? If you live in North America, that dream has just been shattered. Sony told Kotaku that they will not be bringing the UMD Passport Program to North America.

The UMD Passport Program in Japan allowed Japanese users to pay a small fee to download their UMD games on their Vitas. North American customers will still be able to access their digital purchases through the PlayStation Network – but that pile of UMDs you have will be more useless than ever before.

The Vita will be out February 15 for early adopters and February 22 for gamers who have smaller wallets and more sanity.

Posted in News | Tagged

Medal of Honor 2 to be unveiled at GDC 2012

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nicole Kline

EA has sent out an invitation confirming the announcement of a sequel to 2010’s Medal of Honor, according to GameSpot.

The invitation indicates that EA’s announcement will be on Tuesday, March 6, at 8 PM PST. This puts it right smack in the middle of the 2012 Game Developer’s Conference, which is in San Francisco from March 5 to March 9.

I personally am thrilled to hear that they’re releasing a sequel – I loved Medal of Honor and played a ludicrous amount of it. Also, my birthday is on March 8, so I can’t think of a better present EA could give me. Thanks, guys!

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

D3 Publisher teams up with Dreamworks Animation

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nicole Kline

D3 Publisher and Dreamworks Animation SKG have announced a publishing agreement for games based on Dreamworks’ next three feature films. The three films are Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Rise of the Guardians, and The Croods.

D3 and Dreamworks are excited about the publishing agreement. Chris Hewish, head of global interactive for DreamWorks Animation, said, “D3 Publisher has a wealth of experience in both the creative development and marketing of family friendly licensed games. This, along with their proven track record, makes them an ideal interactive partner for our next three films.”

Bill Anker, vice president of business development and licensing, at D3, said, “The upcoming video games based on the DreamWorks Animation films truly fit our commitment to making fun games that are enjoyable and accessible for the whole family across many platforms and handhelds. We look forward to working closely with the DreamWorks Animation team to deliver an authentic and compelling gameplay experience that will take the adventures in exciting new directions inspired by the films.”

Madagascar 3: The Video Game will be out in June along with the film. The game based on Rise of the Guardians will be out this holiday season, while The Croods game and movie are scheduled for release in spring 2013.

Posted in News |

“Gamers At Work” book released

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Ever want to know about the entrepreneurial history behind the start of the video game industry? Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play is a book you might be interested in.

Written by Morgan Ramsay, the founder of Entertainment Media Council, this book brings the history of the video game industry to light through interviews with some of gaming’s most successful – and notorious – names. Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, is on the list, along with Warren Spector (founder of Junction Point Studios), Ted Price (founder of Insomniac Games), and, of course, Nolan Bushnell, the infamous cofounder of Atari… and the founder of Chuck E. Cheese.

The book takes readers – presumably gamers – on a journey through the turbulent history of the creation of the video game industry as we know it today, following the stories of these men and others through their successes and failures. After reading The Ultimate History of Video Games, I don’t think anything can surprise me, but I’m definitely going to read this book anyway, because I’m a sucker for books about the industry.

To find out more about the book, check out the website at gamersatwork.org.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

Eat Sleep Play downsizing, Jaffe leaving

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Eat Sleep Play, the video game company David Jaffe co-founded, has laid off eight employees, and announced that they will be shifting their focus to mobile games. Jaffe himself is leaving the company to “also pursue casual games,” according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

This surprising announcement comes a week before the company is releasing Twisted Metal, their first – and last – triple-A title. Hopefully Jaffe has something crazy up his sleeve.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Complex picks “The 25 Best Video Game Coffee Table Books”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Complex made an awesome list of the 25 best video game coffee table books. The list includes novels based on video games, art books, and even guides. It’s got my favorite novel based on a game, which is Ico: Castle in the Mist, and another I’ve been meaning to pick up: all of Valve’s Dark Horse comics, collected together in Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories.

Two more I’d love to get my hands on are The Art of Uncharted 2 and the whimsical Valkyria Chronicles Design Archive. Be sure to check out the article at Complex for the full list of all the books I wish were on my coffee table.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

Kinect Stars Wars/R2-D2 Xbox 360 bundle coming April 3

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for – or at least, the moment I’ve been trying to patient wait for. Microsoft’s Major Nelson has announced on his blog that Kinect Star Wars and the R2-D2 Xbox 360 bundle will be released on April 3.

Microsoft also released some more details about the game itself. In addition to the three previously announced modes – Jedi Destiny: Dark Side Rising, Podracing, and Rancor Rampage – there are also two new modes, Galactic Dance Off and Duels of Fate. The Galactic Dance Off mode has me nervous, because it’s described thus: “loaded with Star Wars-themed pop tunes where those still honing their Jedi skills can take a break to battle Darth Vader on the dance floor or bust a move ‘Solo style.'”

I don’t know what Solo style is, and I don’t want to know. I do know that the system bundle will include an exclusive unlockable C-3PO for Galactic Dance Off mode. The game will have full 3D support, and you can get a sneak preview of it at select AMC theaters on Saturday, February 11, to coincide with the 3D release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

I don’t want anything to do with any of that. I just want the system and the controller. Sorry, Han – I just can’t handle your solo style.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: February 6, 2012 – Deals, deals, deals

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Wow! This weekend was full of lots of fun gaming – of every kind. I played some Silent Hill and Chrono Trigger, some 4e Dungeons & Dragons, and topped it all off with some Pandemic. A little something for every kind of gamer in me…

Amazon’s got about a billion deals going on today. First, their Deal of the Day is a lightning deal, and it says: “The limited edition bundle of this popular strategy RPG is a true collector’s item for the Sony PS3!” I’m hoping it’s a deal on the Final Fantasy XIII-2, but I’m not going to hold my breath. It’ll go off at 5 PM EST.

Amazon’s also got Aksys’ Fate/Extra LE for $29.99 on the PSP, as well as the following PC downloads by Kalypso Media:

  • Dungeons for $7.49
  • Dungeons: Map Pack – DLC for $0.75
  • Dungeons – Into the Dark – DLC Pack 1 for $0.99
  • Dungeons: The Dark Lord for $7.49
  • Tropico Trilogy for $7.99
  • Airline Tycoon 2 for $11.99
  • Disciples III – Resurrection for $7.49

On top of that, they’ve also got all new weekly deals going on as well. They’ve got special deals on Cabela’s games; a buy one, get one deal on select Sims 3 games; and 25% off Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. They’re also offering a deal on select Disney games – if you buy buy Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, you get 50% off a Disney game on that list. And don’t forget there’s still a deal going for $50 off the Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle with Kinect, and if you’re still behind on your Call of Duty games, you can get the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops for $14.99 used in the warehouse.

No video game shirts today, but it’s ladies-only week on TeeFury (they’re calling it “She-Fury!”) and today’s shirt is pretty awesome: (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, DS, Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 |