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.

Daily Scoop: June 1, 2011 – It’s Wednesday!

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means! It’s D&D encounters tonight! Woo! Even in this blistering heat, there are things to look forward to…

… Like deals! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is EA’s The Sims Medieval for PC/Mac. It’s just $29.99 today, and probably smells better than the Renaissance Faire. Scoop it up today!

Lots of great stuff on the bonus offer list as well, including a $50 promotional certificate when you order a 250 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect. I’m currently building up my promotional credit and gift cards to get an Xbox. So far, I’m about 1/3 of the way there! Go me!

Today’s Tee Fury is just called “Shiny,” and with good reason:

Let’s be bad guys!

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

L.A. Noire Review: The Extra ‘E’ Stands For Exemplary, Princess

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nicole Kline

On the surface, L.A. Noire is an open-world detective game, in which you solve cases by gathering clues and interrogating suspects, working your way through the ranks of the various departments. But the game goes beyond that, allowing you to establish relationships with some characters while making rivals out of others. And underneath it all boils the subplot of their shared past, building a tension that froths through scene after scene. In a time when many argue over whether or not video games are art, or whether many have viable plots at all, L.A. Noire delivers a gripping story without sacrificing gameplay – and does all of this while feeling like a high-quality movie. (more…)

Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Nintendo DS Lite price drops to $99.99; Mario games “go red”

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nicole Kline

The Nintendo DS Lite is getting a price cut down to $99.99, making it ridiculously affordable. If there are any people left on this planet without a DS – aside from Jack Tretton – they should seriously consider this the best time to hop in with both feet. All five of the people without a DS already, that is.

On top of that, Nintendo will also be changing the packaging of six of the Mario games that “represent some of the best-selling fan-favorite Nintendo DS games of all time.” The games will now come in red packaging, making them easy to identify. Those six games are:

  • Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
  • Mario Kart DS
  • Mario Party DS
  • Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
  • New Super Mario Bros.
  • Super Mario 64 DS

No word on whether or not the red packaging will also come with a price drop as well. As for me, well, I’ve got a DS… and a DS Lite… and a DSi… errr, and a 3DS. But if there was any way I could get this beauty for $99.99, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Posted in DS, News | Tagged , , , ,

L.A. Noire DLC plans detailed by Rockstar

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Rockstar Games formally announced their plans for L.A. Noire‘s DLC today, detailing information on new cases, collectibles, and challenges. All of the content will be available on both the PlayStation Network (whenever the Store returns) and Xbox LIVE. The cases are priced at $4.00 (PlayStation Network)/320 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE).

The four new standalone cases are:

  • The Naked City (Vice) – available today
  • A Slip of the Tongue (Traffic) – available today
  • Nicholson Electroplating (Arson) – coming 6/21/11
  • Reefer Madness (Vice) – coming 7/12/11

There’s also The Badge Pursuit Challenge for $2.00/160 Microsoft Points and the Sharpshooter/ Broderick detective suits for $1.00/80 Microsoft Points.

A unique way to pay for all of this is to purchase the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass, which costs $10.00/800 Microsoft Points and gives you access to all the DLC as it comes out. So the total without the pass is $16, saving you a big $6 – but the discount is only for a limited time, after which the pass will go up to $12.

Well, that’s not confusing at all. In addition to all of the paid items, Rockstar Social Club members will be getting a freebie – the Chicago Lightning Detective Suit – and everyone will have access to the Chicago Piano machine gun for free. Hit the jump for the full release schedule. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: May 31, 2011 – You know the drill

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Nicole Kline

So we didn’t make it to the beach this weekend, but I did manage to play a ton of video games, do lots of food shopping, sleep a bunch, and did some cleaning! All things I really needed to get done. So even though I don’t have a tan, at least I ate delicious food and caught up on sleep. It all worked out!

Time for deals… Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is the Tritton TRIAX-180 AX 180 Universal Gaming Headset by MadCatz. It’s just $50.00 down from $69.99, and has a “Stereo Analog Connection” as well as an “Inline Audio Controller with Independent Chat Volume Control.” Not as cheap as I’d like it to be, but still a pretty decent deal!

Amazon’s also having a Dads & Grads promotion right now. Week One is from 5/29 to 6/4 and it’s all Wii deals, which includes games as well as accessories – get the NHL Slapshot Bundle for $29.99 or the Nintendo Wii – Controller Bundle for $21.99.

Today’s Tee Fury has good timing, considering I spent a good portion of my weekend playing BioShock 2. It’s called “Petty Morality” and it brings us back to Rapture:

BioShock Infinite is too far away…

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Daily Scoop: May 27, 2011 – The long weekend awaits

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Nicole Kline

I’m so looking forward to this long weekend! Part of it is going to the beach, but most of it is catching up on video games, sleep, and food shopping. So exciting, I know!

Hmm, what’s going on today? Amazon Deal of the Day in video games today is Activision’s Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 with Top Shot Elite for the Wii. It’s $39.99 down from $59.99. Oh, and that get an Xbox 360 free with a PC purchase deal is now live on Amazon as well. Scoop it up!

What else…oh! Portal 2 is $39.99 on consoles and $29.99 on PC, Mortal Kombat is $39.99 (and $79.99 for the Kollector’s Edition!), and Crysis 2 is $39.99 on consoles. Memorial Day weekend brings with it some decent sales!

No video game t-shirts, but today’s “Web Maker” at Tee Fury made me chuckle:

How do I shot web?

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Resistance 3 pre-order bonus lets you play as Nathan Hale

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Wait, what?

That’s right…you can run around in multiplayer as needs-his-medication Nathan Hale in the final hours of his life. That is, if you pre-order Resistance 3 from Best Buy. The multiplayer skin features Hale looking awfully haggard, struggling through his final hours of being a human…and, it turns out, being alive. This whole paragraph is making me weepy.

The PlayStation Blog has a full list of pre-order bonuses (shout out to the awesome David Bull!). Amazon is giving you a No. 60 Air Fuel Grenade, while Wal-Mart’s offer is five custom name titles – including the elite Sentinels. I’m going to have a terribly hard time choosing between playing as Hale in multiplayer… or pre-ordering from GameStop, which is offering a replica of the necklace Joseph Capelli wore. Yeah, I’m referring to the necklace of Chimera teeth.

I guess I’ll have to make my decision before September 6th, when Insomniac Games finally lets this beast out into the wild.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: May 26, 2011 – E3 frenzy

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Everywhere you look, it’s nothing but craze over the upcoming E3. Lineups are being announced, games are being revealed, and speculations are being…speculated. Warp Zoned won’t be there, but we will be covering it from afar as soon as the news hits our brains!

Deal-wise, today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games today is the WWE All Stars Brawl Stick and the WWE All Stars Wireless Brawl Pad with The Rock and Triple H for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The sticks are $59.99 and the pads are $29.99, and they’re all made by MadCatz. Also, don’t forget to check out all the hot bonus offers!

Today’s t-shirt is from the awesome Thirtee.com and is called “Flawless Victory:”

Check out the spine on Toad!

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |