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.

Gamer Types: Jocks, Casual, Hardcore… Where Do You Fit In?

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Ever been in a room with a group of so-called gamers and find yourself judging each one based on gamer stereotypes? No? Well that’s fine, because I’ve taken the time out to categorize them all for you. Here are the most basic of gamer types, stripped down to their bare essentials. Know of, or belong to, a gamer type not listed here? Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments! (more…)

Posted in Features, Top Story |

Daily Scoop: March 3, 2011 – I feel the need…

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Nicole Kline

…the need for speed, as the saying goes. And that’s what today’s Amazon Deal of the Day is all about, in EA’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. It’s $39.99 down from $59.95, for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. This is the game that brings the franchise “back to its racing/chasing roots” and touts itself as a “revolutionary addition,” so if you’re into this series, it sounds like this is a must-have game. If you’re feeling that need, you might want to grab this one up.

Also on sale today at Buy.com are Xbox Live 12-Month Gold Subscription Cards for $39.99 from $59.99. Jump on this quick, as these are known to sell out fast!

No video game-related shirts today, sadly. Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you’re my wallet), there are plenty of other good ones around. And, as always, I’m a total sucker for any and all Star Wars t-shirts, and today’s Tee Fury is tempting me in a bad way:

Someone please call me when they make this into a bumper sticker.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Dead Space: Ignition Review: Devilishly Puzzling

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Visceral Games has been really busy lately with the release of Dead Space 2, the port of Dead Space: Extraction, and the development of their recently released DLC entitled Dead Space 2: Severed. Back in October, they released Dead Space Ignition, which came free with Amazon pre-orders of Dead Space 2. I finally had a chance to play this devilish puzzler, and while it was short, it was enjoyable and gave yet another viewpoint of the Dead Space universe. (more…)

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

Daily Scoop: March 2, 2011 – We can’t stop here

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Nicole Kline

There’s so much good to say about Wednesday. It’s the infamous humpday, the day of the week that everyone gets into a good mood because they’re halfway to the weekend. I think a lot of people are happy, too, due to the fact that it’s just two days until the next Warp Zoned Podcast. But you all know my real agenda: I want to get over this hump already so I can play Radiant Historia all weekend!

I’m a little overwhelmed today. Not by today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games, which is THQ’s Megamind: Mega Team Unite for the Wii. It’s half off at $14.99, but still – some days I feel like Amazon’s not really even trying. What a snoozefest.

No, what I’m overwhelmed by is today’s Tee Fury, simply titled “Koopa Country:”

I am speechless, so I’ll let the description do the talking:

As a child, I was always suspicious Mario had a serious power-up problem. Given their similar habits, it just made sense to mash him up with everyone’s favorite gonzo journalist.

As your attorney a lover of both video games AND Hunter S. Thompson, I’m not sure if my wallet’s going to last the day. Add to my temptation this amazing Mario Kart shirt, and I’m already in the can upwards of $25.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Daily Scoop: March 1, 2011 – Bejeweled Crazy!

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s March, HOORAY! Time for spring to get here already. And with Dead Space 2: Severed DLC and PixelJunk Shooter 2 coming out today, you bet that March is coming in like a lion. RAWR!

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is a nice long list of PopCap Games: there’s Bejeweled 3 for PC and Mac, Bejeweled Twist for the Nintendo DS, Bejeweled Blitz and Bejeweled Twist for the PC, and Bejeweled 2 with Peggle for PC and Mac. All of the games are $12.99 down from $19.99, and will feed any Bejeweled addiction you might have. And for those Pac-Man fans out there, Pac-Man CE DX is 50% off on the XBLA. Seriously, March is starting off right!

Also of note today is the cool new website, The Mary Sue, “A Guide to Geek Girl Culture.” I was skeptical at first – many sites claiming to be friendly to girl geeks mostly just try to prove that they are the geekiest girls out there and create a strange sense of competition instead. But this site is legitimately awesome, and their articles – like “Real Comic Book Superheroes Who’d Be Better In the Sack Than Cosmo’s Fake Ones” – are ingenious. (Also, they were totally prepared for my skepticism, as their description says, “skeptical geek women, we know where you are coming from.” See? Awesome.)

The daily t-shirt scene is full of guns today – Tee Fury has a cool diagram of a Blaster (you know, that gun Han used to shoot Greedo first), and Ript Apparel has a kick-ass steampunk gun:

I’m partial to the steampunk revolver myself, even if it does bring up memories of that horrible game, Damnation. *twitch*

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Daily Scoop: February 28, 2011 – GDC!

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s GDC week, kids! Hopefully we’ll see some great announcements coming out of this week. Keep your eyes on Warp Zoned for news and updates as soon as we get them!

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is EA’s NCAA Football 11 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It’s got football, and sports stuff, and something called “An All-New Locomotion System” which just makes me wonder how much I really don’t know about football. It’s also got ESPN broadcast package integration, which sounds really serious. It’s $39.99 today down from $59.95, so if you’re a big fan of football games and haven’t had a chance to pick this up yet, this could be your lucky day.

The t-shirt of the day goes to Ript Apparel, whose “Street Water” gave me a good laugh this morning:

Initially I wondered if there was some Wonder Twins joke going on here, but since Zan isn’t forming out of that bucket of water to deliver a liquidy punch, I’m going to assume I added too much geek to it. Still, it’s an awesome shirt, and if you’re into Street Fighter, I’m guessing it’s worth the $10.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Daily Scoop: February 25, 2011 – It’s Friday, I’m in love

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s Friday, YAY! And I’m in love…with Radiant Historia. This JRPG by Atlus has two of my favorite things: time travel and steampunk. Need I say more?

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Hori’s Xbox 360 Real Arcade Pro EX. This “hi-end next generation arcade style controller” even has an expansion port for your headset so you can still chat with your buddies. It’s $84.99 down from $129.99, which is a pretty good deal.

Also awesome today is that John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War is being adapted for the big screen. Scalzi’s book series is heavily influenced by video games (and is super awesome), so this is definitely something gamers can start getting excited about.

Not much else going on today, but I love this t-shirt from Snorg Tees:

I know zombies are, like, so hackneyed these days, but whatever. I think it’s hilarious!

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Daily Scoop: February 23, 2011 – Amazon Gold Box Edition!

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s my favorite Amazon Gold Box day… Video Game Gold Box all day! YAY!

The all-day deal is Ubisoft’s Michael Jackson: The Experience for the Wii. It’s $29.99 down from $49.99, so if Billie Jean is not your lover you want to get some choreographed moves going on in your living room, now is the best time.

Other deals coming up are:

6:00 AM PST: Zombie Alert!
7:00 AM PST: Play as a living, breathing, precision instrument of war.
9:00 AM PST: Hook up your keyboard to Rock Band 3
10:00 AM PST: Another Classic Nintendo RPG
11:00 AM PST: Blast your way through a Nerf research facility.
1:00 PM PST: The latest Rock Band bundle for your Wii
2:00 PM PST: Hit the gridiron in the latest installment of this storied franchise.
4:00 PM PST: Enhance your Wii Sports Experience
5:00 PM PST: Dance Dance Dance with your Nunchuk
7:00 PM PST: Welcome to Sid’s world
9:00 PM PST: Play the Pro Mode in RB3 with this guitar

Ryan Littlefield also wanted me to tell the world that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is $19.99 today on Amazon. It’s a good day to be a cheap gamer.

Posted in Daily Scoop |