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: May 2, 2011 – Console deals!

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Listen, people. The Internet really wants you to buy some consoles. Not only has the Wii seemed to have dropped to $169.99 (at least, black and white consoles on Amazon still are), but now there’s also a $50 promotional credit on the 160 GB PlayStation 3 consoles. On top of that, there’s a deal on Xbox 360 consoles – buy any of the new generation Xbox 360s and get $50 in promotional credit and 1600 Xbox Live points for free. This is a really great time to get that console you don’t have!

Let’s see, what else… Mortal Kombat is still $39.99 (and the Kollector’s Edition is $85.99), Portal 2 is still $34.99 on PS3 and Xbox and $29.99 on the PC, and today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Sega of America’s Aliens vs Predator for the Xbox 360, which is just $19.99. That’s a lotta good deals!

No game-related shirts today, but as a dinosaur lover, I feel like I should share the love of today’s Qwertee:

Too adorable. <3

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

Daily Scoop: May 1, 2011 – May I?

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s May 1, and there are some good deals going on this Sunday. May I offer you some of these delicious deals?

There are two big deals for today – one of the big ones is Mortal Kombat! Get it today on Amazon for just $39.99 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Valve’s Portal 2, another recent release. It’s $29.99 for PC and $34.99 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It’s also on the cheap over at GameStop, where it’s $29.99 for PC and $39.99 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – and it also comes with GameStop exclusive custom bots. I loved Portal 2, and I recommend you buy this game immediately – with extreme prejudice!

In addition to this awesome Lost Boys t-shirt, there’s a great video game shirt, adorably entitled “How to Catch Your Dragon,” available over at Ript:

CUTE.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Daily Scoop: April 29, 2011 – TMI edition

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Nicole Kline

For all of those not in the know, TMI means Too Much Information, and that’s what you’re about to get. I got my endoscopy today! An endoscopy is a test where they stick a tube down your throat to check out your stomach to make sure everything is a-ok. I’m happy to say the test results were all clear! And I even got some cool pictures of my innards, which I’d be glad to post for the curious.

ANYWAY! Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is EA’s Shift 2 – Unleashed. It’s $39.95 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and $29.95 on PC. Our own Adam Woolcott really enjoyed it, so I’d say pick it up if you have a need for speed!

Nothing good on the daily shirt circuit, but this Penny Arcade shirt, affectionately titled It Only Does, is most likely selling like hotcakes:

Do you remember where you were, when the Playstation Network went down? I was riding a tortoise through an automatic car wash.

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

Daily Scoop: April 28, 2011 – I hope Sony catches ’em all

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Nicole Kline

The ApocalyPS3 has gotten a lot of press lately, and Sony made a new announcement, now saying that our credit card information may not have been compromised. They’re working to rebuild and restore the PSN and Qriocity, and they’re working with law enforcement to find the parties responsible for this. I hope Sony makes like a Pokemon trainer and catches ’em all. Maybe the hackers will evolve into normal humans.

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is HORI’s PS3 Wireless Fighting Stick 3 for $59.99 down from $79.99. With up to 400 hours of battery life, you can button mash until your fingers bleed. Amazon also announced Ten Days of Free Games, with today’s game being Chicken Invaders: The Next Wave. Promising!

No daily t-shirts today, but one of the new Portal 2 shirts had me ROFLing when I saw it:

And no, it’s not too late to get me a birthday present.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Daily Scoop: April 27, 2011 – Princess Games!

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s Wednesday, yay! And Amazon’s having a sale on Princess games! Disney’s Tangled is $13.99 on the DS and $19.99 on the Wii, and Disney Fairies: Tinkerbell and The Lost Treasure is $13.99. As the page says, “It’s noble entertainment at commoner prices.” Who writes this stuff???

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Square Enix’s Bust-A-Move Universe for the 3DS. It’s $19.99 from $29.99, and is a “whole universe of fun!” Can’t beat that!

Amazon’s got loads of other deals, today, too, like the black Wii hardware bundle for $149.99 and 3D Dot Game Heroes for $13.16. Check out the whole video games clearance section for more hot deals.

No game-related shirts, but Qwertee might make you weepy today:

D:.

Posted in 3DS, Daily Scoop, DS, Etcetera, News, PS3, Wii |

Portal 2 Review: Buy it. For Science. You Monster.

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Nicole Kline

When Portal 2 was announced, the question wasn’t whether or not it would be good, but whether or not it would be successful. As a sequel to a short game that was added in as an extra on The Orange Box, many people wondered if it could live up to the original and if it was worth making a sequel. But Valve has done it again – they’ve given us a game rich with story and full of new and interesting gameplay. It still remains within the Aperture Science universe, and it still has that same self-contained story, but now it’s been expanded further. Portal 2 is a monumental success, and should be an example for how sequels can succeed under the right guidance and passion. (more…)

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

Daily Scoop: April 26, 2011 – It’s not a Crysis

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Today is a beautiful day! The weather people keep saying it’s going to rain, but I am at a point where I don’t think I trust them anymore. They’ve lied about the snow, they’ve lied about the rain…if they lie about the sunshine, then I’ll start getting belligerent!

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is EA’s Crysis 2 for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It’s on sale for $39.95 down from $59.95, which is a damn good deal. (Someone should probably ask Mike Gutierrez if he thinks it’s worth spending even that much after his review.)

Amazon’s also got some Kinect games on sale – three of them are $10 off, but Kinectimals is over $20 off! Now is a good time to pick it up if you’re Kinect-ed.

There are tons of awesome t-shirts today, including a great Shaun of the Dead one, as well as a heart-wrenching Serenity reference. But my favorite by far is at Ript Apparel:

Game over, man! Game over.

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

Hydrophobia Prophecy announced for PC, PSN; Episode 2 still in the works

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Dark Energy Digital has announced Hydrophobia Prophecy, which they’re referring to as the “ultimate version” of Hydrophobia and Hydrophobia Pure – “It’s Hydrophobia 1.5, really,” managing director Deborah Jones told Eurogamer. They’ve opted not to just port the game, instead creating something new. “The game includes new levels – around 70 per cent of the game is new – and existing levels have been reworked,” Eurogamer reported.

That’s not all Dark Energy Digital said. This “comprehensive reinvention” will include “upgraded graphics, brand new gameplay mechanics, exclusive new levels, a reworked back story, a dramatic new ending, recast voice acting and much, much more.” Much of this is thanks in part to the Hydrophobia Listening Post, in which the voices of the gamers were heard and their opinions and suggestions were taken directly to heart. This means great news for PlayStation Network and Steam gamers, who will be reaping the benefits of all of these changes.

Another new feature is Darknet, which is an in-game feedback system that will allow players to be heard immediately right as they are in the action. Creative Directory Pete Jones said, “In the modern, interconnected world we think there should be better lines of communication between players and developer, which is exactly what Darknet delivers. Gamers have shown us how much they appreciated being involved in the development process and we have responded.”

So does this mean they’re dropping the episodic concept of their original scope? We contacted Senior Creative Designer Rob Hewson, who said they haven’t abandoned the idea of episodes, but instead fleshed out the story here, since the original ending didn’t feel complete. “The new ending resolved the first episode properly and fully (you even get to use Hydro Kinetic ‘water powers’ in the main campaing now), but the wider story arc is still there for future episodes,” Hewson said. “Let me put it another way… you now get to destroy the Death Star but you still don’t know who your father is!”

There you have it! Hydrophobia Prophecy will be out on May 9th for Steam, and should launch shortly after for the PSN, according to Eurogamer. The PSN version will also have Move support, which has a lot of potential. As for whether or not the game will come to XBLA, Pete Jones said it’s up to Microsoft, but that they intend for XBLA players to be able to play it. The full list of new features can be seen after the jump. (more…)

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