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.

Scarygirl coming to PC, PSN, XBLA courtesy of Square Enix

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Square Enix announced today that they’re bringing Nathan Jurevicius’ graphic novel, Scarygirl, to the PC, PSN, and XBLA. The game, developed by TikGames, is an action platformer, and will be available January 18 for the XBLA, January 24 for the PSN, and “early 2012” for the PC.

Scarygirl, which won the 2009 Aurealis Award for Best Illustrated Book/Graphic novel, features a tough girl who dresses like a pirate and has a tentacle for an arm. A strange man haunts her dreams, and Scarygirl sets out on a journey to find him. Blister the giant octopus and Bunniguru the mystical, kung-fu rabbit help her on her quest against dangerous monsters.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like one of the most ridiculously adorable games I have ever heard of. Ever.

Want to see how adorable it can be? Check out the trailer after the break. (more…)

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

Borderlands: The Fallen Review: Spend Some More Time on Sunny Pandora

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Nicole Kline

John Shirley – whose name you might remember from my scathing review of the BioShock novel – is at it again, this time with a novel entitled Borderlands: The Fallen. As you can guess, it’s a novel based on Pandora in the world of Borderlands. It follows Roland, the Soldier, on a mission (see what I did there?) to find an alien ship. After spending several hundred pages with Shirley, I was wary to dive into yet another tepid tie-in. But in a surprising turn of events, the book actually turned out to be not as bad as I’d feared. (more…)

Posted in Etcetera, Reviews, Top Story |

Rumor: PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 to be announced at this year’s E3

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Nicole Kline

E3 2012 is gearing up to be a big one. According to The Market for Computer and Video Games (more popularly known as MCV UK), Sony and Microsoft are going to be announcing their next generation of consoles at this year’s big video game expo.

The two companies will be close on the heels of Nintendo’s Wii U announcements, determined not to let a competitor get too far ahead of them this time. The article also expressed surprise that Sony will be making an announcement so soon, adding “Execs at the PlayStation firm have made it clear to third-parties that they will not be left behind this time.” This sounds like a great move for the two companies, but an expensive one for gamers, who are already straining under high prices of consoles.

Since there have been rumors this year about both Microsoft and Sony starting production on the new consoles, this doesn’t really come as that much of a surprise. Earlier rumors put the consoles at a 2013 release, with another rumor saying that the new Xbox will be out in 2014, and yet another saying the new Xbox will release alongside the Wii U. No one seems to know the truth, but hopefully we’ll get some answers in June.

Posted in News | Tagged , ,

Daily Scoop: January 6, 2011 – A Friday arrives!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Nicole Kline

It’s Friday, and I couldn’t be more grateful! What games are you looking forward to playing this weekend? I’m going to try to play more Assassin’s Creed or Final Fantasy XIII tonight, and then it’s Dungeons & Dragons the rest of the weekend for me, maybe with a smattering of Blood Bowl… oh, who am I kidding? I’ll probably watch episodes of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and read comics in my underwear.

Not much going on today with deals. Amazon’s having a sale on Disney games, including Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. Now you can get it on every platform imaginable!

Two more gaming t-shirts today, woohoo! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Mario Kart 7 Review: More Tracks, More Fun, More Blue Shells

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Nicole Kline

With the initial announcement of Nintendo’s 3DS, there was a flurry of obvious guesses as to what franchises would be brought to the new, revolutionary console. Chief among those was the Mario Kart series, which has leapt from one platform to the next with popularity and success. When the trailers first started pouring out for the latest game, titled only Mario Kart 7, fans were not disappointed. Having spent quite a bit of time behind the wheel, I can say that – while blandly titled – Mario Kart 7 lives up to all the hype built around it. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

Daily Scoop: January 5, 2012 – Give me a snow day!

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Well, it snowed here last night, but it was pretty pathetic. And I didn’t get to do any of those things I mentioned yesterday, other than read more Dresden Files, because I was working on some reviews for you, my dedicated followers. The things I sacrifice…

Anyway, what deals do we have today? Over at Amazon, the Deal of the Day in video games is all about being active! You can save up to 33% on their “New Year, New You” sale, which includes Just Dance 3 for $29, Michael Jackson: The Experience for $29.99, and… the Little Big Planet 2 Special Edition Move Bundle for $99.99? Sure, Amazon! Ok! Sackboy definitely makes me, um, sweat.

I’ve got two video game-themed t-shirts for you today: (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Super Mario 3D Land Review: An Innovative Way to Have Vintage Fun

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

I’ll just say this right off the bat and get it out of the way: Super Mario 3D Land is a ridiculous amount of fun, but there is also a ridiculous amount of frustration. Are you ready for levels that are so innovative and adorable they make you gasp in delight? Are you also ready for levels that make you want to hurl your (in my case, ludicrously expensive) 3DS against a wall? Chances are, if you’re even reading this review, Super Mario 3D Land is a game you want to play – and should. Just be sure you have a stress ball – and the charger for your 3DS – handy. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

Daily Scoop: January 4, 2012 – How is it this cold?

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Seriously, it’s 23 degrees right now, feels like 13. How is that even a number that is applied to the weather? That should be against the law of nature. I am so cold! All I want to do is go home and snuggle up with my kitties under a blanket, either reading more Dresden Files or playing more Assassin’s Creed while sipping on some miso soup. Oooh, miso soup makes me think of Cousin Miso… now I want to play Katamari…

*shakes head* Stay the course, Nicole! This is a scoop, not your daydreams. Today’s Deal of the Day is the same as what GameStop is offering – a $75 promotional credit when you buy the Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle, which comes with Fable III and Halo Reach. Now is a good time to pick up an Xbox, or replace your Xbox that red ringed over the holidays!

Today’s Tee Fury t-shirt is a must-have for those of you with the new Kid Icarus game on pre-order: (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, Xbox 360 |