Most Recent: Interviews

The Geek Genius Behind Ready Player One: An Interview With Ernest Cline

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Here at Warp Zoned, we’re suckers for video game books. But there’s nothing quite like Ernie Cline’s Ready Player One, which I recently reviewed and completely adored. I had a chance to catch up with Cline, whose impressive knowledge of popular culture is astounding. Read on to find out what influenced him, how much research he did for the book (spoiler: a surprisingly small amount), and just how many video games he’s played. (more…)

Posted in Etcetera, Features, Interviews, Top Story |

Interview: Zipper’s Kevin Schmitt Talks SOCOM 4 Multiplayer

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

At PAX East 2011, Senior Editor Nicole Kline and I got to have a lengthy chat with Kevin Schmitt, Lead Multiplayer Designer for SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals. We got to talk extensively about the multiplayer, from game modes to progression paths, and how the buddy system plays a large role in the game. We also got some interesting insights from Schmitt, including what it’s like to be a lead designer on his first game at Zipper and the challenges and benefits of dealing with a long established fan base, whom he affectionately refers to as free labor. Playing the game got me really excited for its release and talking with Schmitt only compounded it. Hit the jump for the full interview on one of the most anticipated games of April. (more…)

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Portal 2 Interview: Valve Talks New Characters, 2 Campaigns, and… *Spoiler Deleted*

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Valve had another one of their awesome theatre-style booths at this year’s PAX East. Outside, they had demos of Portal 2 running and were giving out t-shirts; inside, they were giving fans insight into two new characters in the single-player part of the game and giving me more spoilers than I wanted to see. But as faithful journalists, News Editor Mike Gutierrez and I were determined to bring the information back home and deliver it to our readers. Afterwards, we were able to interview one of the game’s writers, Erik Wolpaw, who left me wishing April 19th was tomorrow. (more…)

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Interview: Augmenting Deus Ex: Human Revolution With Game Director Jean-Francois Dugas

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Warp Zoned Staff

One of the more high profile developers we got to interview at PAX East 2011 was Jean-Francois Dugas, Game Director on Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Eidos Montreal hopes the upcoming sequel will establish the franchise as a dominant force in gaming, but it’s been a long journey for Dugas and his team in their attempt to accomplish that. Throughout the interview we talk about the challenges of reviving an older franchise, their unique relationship with their Japanese publisher, Warren Spector’s feedback, and influences from movies to anime to Metal Gear to… Professor Layton? (more…)

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Interview: Media Molecule’s James Spafford on LittleBigPlanet 2

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Nicole Kline

With the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 just a few days away, we got a chance to chat with Media Molecule’s Community Manager, James Spafford. Hit the jump for a few words on all the new tools available in LBP2, a little bit about the game’s single-player campaign and what it’s like working for Media Molecule.

So without further ado… (more…)

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