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.

Hydrophobia creators announce “Listening Post”

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Dark Energy Digital, creators of the XBLA game Hydrophobia, recently announced a new feature on their site called the Hydrophobia Listening Post. Intended to create an open communication between fans and developers, the questions are designed to help Dark Energy Digital understand what works and what doesn’t from the perspective of their fans.

This isn’t the first time they’ve been open to communication from fans. A few weeks ago, they launched Hydrophobia Pure, a patch for Hydrophobia that incorporated many changes and updates based on comments from both critics and fans. The plan is to move forward in their development with all of this in mind and keep that conduit open. Hydrophobia is an episodic game considered to be a full retail title with a digital price tag. Here’s hoping Dark Energy Digital releases the rest of their vision.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: January 26, 2011 – I surrender to winter edition

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Good morning, scoopers! Today I have waved the white flag of surrender to winter. We are currently buried under several inches of snow with no hope of getting out of here alive. Exciting!

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in Video Games is a repeat of another one we had recently. EA Sports Active 2 is $48.99 for the PlayStation 3 and the Wii, and $49.99 for the Xbox 360. That extra dollar is probably to donate to a fund for all the people who have been hurt in Kinect-related accidents. Also on sale today for the Wii is EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for the Wii for $48.99. These all retail for $99.99, so if you’ve had your eye on them and missed them recently, now’s your chance to pick them up.

I don’t have any other video game-related deals, so I’ll just post today’s w00t shirt which is seriously adorable.

lulz.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

New Resistance novel coming; Resistance 2 spoilers unavoidable

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

In case you hadn’t already had the ending of Resistance 2 spoiled for you in every single description of Resistance 3, I’m going to spoil it for you right now. Nathan Hale is dead. Now that it’s out of the way, I can tell you about Resistance: A Hole in the Sky, which fills in the gaps in the story between the end of the second game and the beginning of the third game. The book, written by William C. Dietz (who you may remember from Resistance: The Gathering Storm), will detail what Joseph Capelli was up to before the start of the third game’s story, and it will be released this summer, giving you plenty of time to read it before the game launches.

Speaking of the game, according to the PlayStation Blog, Insomniac Games is hard at work on both Resistance 3 and Ratchet and Clank All 4 One. There’s an upcoming media demo in London followed by GDC in San Francisco. There will also be screenshots, gameplay video, and…get this…some hands-on time for the press. I’ll be jealously covering it from the East Coast.

Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3 | Tagged ,

DLC already announced for Dead Space 2

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Dead Space 2 isn’t even a day old yet, but the screaming, horrifying newborn already has DLC coming. Visceral Games announced Dead Space 2: Severed, which will include two stand-alone single player chapters featuring Gabe Weller and Lexine Murdock, characters from Dead Space: Extraction. The story will run parallel to that of Isaac Clarke’s in Dead Space 2, but you will instead be in Weller’s shoes as the Sprawl Security Guard fights to get himself and Murdock to safety.

In case that wasn’t enough excitement for you, the original Dead Space also just launched for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Developed by Iron Monkey Studios in close conjunction with Visceral Games, this portable Dead Space promises to be just as terrifying as the full retail games have been. Dead Space is available now at the iTunes store.

So, let’s see… Dead Space 2 is out; DLC was announced for it; there’s an iPhone game; Dead Space: Extraction is available on the PSN and is also included in the PlayStation 3 version of Dead Space 2; the new animated movie, Dead Space: Aftermath, came out today; and the Dead Space Rig Backpack is scheduled to ship soon. It’s like a Necromorph Christmas in January.

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , ,

Daily Scoop: January 25, 2011 – Stand-Alone Software edition

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Today’s Daily Scoop is a bit on the skimpy side, I’m afraid. All I’ve got for you is today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in Video Games, which is a bunch of stand-alone software. You can get Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock for $29.99 for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3. For $24.99, you can pick up the Tony Hawk: Shred, also for each of the three consoles.

Yawn.

At least Dead Space 2 is out today! I’m patiently waiting for my Plasma Cutter to arrive. And did anyone else pre-order the Dead Space Rig Backpack? I’m less patient about that getting here.

O_o.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Daily Scoop: January 24, 2011 – Pretty much the best Monday morning ever

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s that time again! Time to bring another dose of the Daily Scoop. It’s been an awesome Monday morning so far, and I contribute it partly to one of the funniest headlines I’ve ever seen: PSP 2 Makes Pocket Bulges Almost R-rated. It’s an old article, but with all the talk about the leaked PSP 2 details, it’s still relevant.

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in Video Games is THQ’s WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 for the Wii. It’s $34.99 down from $49.99, and includes a “Road to WrestleMania” mode. If you’re excited by that, my guess is you probably already own this game.

While today’s Tee Fury shirt is not related to video games, I’m posting it anyway because it made me laugh out loud. Check out this fantastic piece of awesome:

My inner 13-year-old is freaking OUT.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

LittleBigPlanet 2 Review: It’s Sacktacular

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Nicole Kline

LittleBigPlanet 2 is the sequel to one of the PlayStation 3’s most beloved games. In the original, Media Molecule won our hearts by introducing the adorable protagonist, Sackboy. The second game continues in the same thread – it’s a platforming game in which Sackboy must play the hero and save the “world,” as it were. But in addition to all it has to offer by way of the single player, they’ve also expanded their multiplayer – in the first, you could make your own levels; now, you not only make your own levels, but you can even link them together to create entire games – and more. LBP2 touts itself as “not just a platforming game, but a platform for games,” in which you can make twin-stick shooters, shoot ’em ups, racers, and even first person shooters. But bringing such a huge amount of content to the table doesn’t come without pitfalls. (more…)

Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

PSP2 details leaked – will have 3G support, OLED screen

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Japanese newspaper Nikkei has released details on the PSP2, citing that it will have 3G support, wireless LAN, an OLED touch screen, and a new processor for handling high resolution visuals, developed by Sony. The 3G service will not allow for phone calls, but – in Japan – it will allow gamers to connect to the internet via the provider, NTT DoCoMo. Additionally, the so-called “PlayStation Phone” will use Google’s Android OS and button-based controls.

There’s no word yet on pricing, or whether or not the 3G on the PSP2 will have any kind of subscription fee – and, if so, if there will be a Wi-Fi only version made available. According to Andriasang, information about the PSP2 will be given at a press conference on January 27th, and the PlayStation Phone should be unveiled next month.

[Note: The image above is a fan-made mockup of the PSP2 and not the real thing.]

Posted in News | Tagged