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Xperia Play launches in March, exclusive to Verizon

Posted on February 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sony’s “PlayStation Phone” was revealed earlier today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and it looks like it may be everything gamers on the go are looking for in a phone/handheld hybrid.

The Xperia Play (the phone’s official name) will launch in the US in March and exclusively be available through Verizon. No pricing details were announced, but gamers will receive a phone that comes equipped with a D-Pad, two trackpads for analog control, four PlayStation-branded face buttons and two shoulder buttons. In other words, the Xperia Play is nearly a complete portable PlayStation experience.

As the first PlayStation Certified device, the phone will run all of the PlayStation Suite software in development at Sony and at third parties like Activision, Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai, PopCap and Ubisoft. Xperia Play buyers looking to get their game on won’t have to wait long after its out of the box, the phone will come pre-loaded with Asphalt Adrenaline 6, Bruce Lee, Star Battalion, The Sims 3, and Tetris. Other games in development for the Xperia Play include Need For Speed, a world-first multiplayer version of FIFA 11, Guitar Hero, Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.

In total, more than 50 games are in development exclusively for the Xperia Play, in addition to all of the games found on the Android App Store, which are also supported by the super sexy phone.

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon game details, teaser trailer roll out

Posted on February 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

I’m sure you’re shocked, absolutely shocked, to discover that Activision is hard at work on a game adaptation of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The trilogy-capping entry in the Transformers film saga will be released this Summer and Transformers: War For Cybertron developer High Moon Studios has been hard at work on the PS3 and Xbox 360 edition for about a year now. The developer used this weekend’s New York Toy Fair to tease out a few details of the game to IGN along with that nifty trailer above.

According to Game Director Sean Miller, Dark of the Moon will feel instantly familar to anyone that played War For Cybertron as the game will feature a similar control and gameplay scheme. It will also feature an online multiplayer mode similar to War For Cybertorn, although Miller wouldn’t confirm or deny any game modes beyond Deathmatch.

Instead of following the movie’s script, the Dark of the Moon game will act as a prequel to the film, taking players through Detroit, Siberia and other locations. There will also be a third transformation option, Stealth Force, that IGN joked didn’t look very stealthy.

The Transformers: Dark of the Moon film will be released in theaters on July 1st and you can expect the PS3/Xbox 360 game to launch in a similar timeframe. A DS/3DS/Wii version is also in the works at Behavior Interactive.

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Weekly Warp-Up: Helghan Public Library Edition

Posted on February 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

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You may not realize it, but there have been a lot of books written about video games and the video game industry. We at Warp Zoned want to recognize this oft-ignored corner of the bookstore and have launch a book reviews section this week. So whether you read in your favorite chair or on the toilet (also a favorite chair actually), check out these reviews of 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die and Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.

Sony’s Killzone 3 is only a few weeks away and the console-maker has been ramping up the hype and the excitement for the game over the last few weeks. Their latest gambit was the release of an open beta and our own Mike Gutierrez locked and loaded his Beta Impressions this week. Sony wasted no time in making their next Killzone 3-related move as they released a single-player demo for PlayStation Plus users on Tuesday and plan to make it available to every PS3 owner on February 15.

Hmm… books and Killzone. I wonder what a library on Helghan would look like?

Hit the jump for the rest of the Weekly Warp-Up. (more…)

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New Releases: Marvel vs Capcom 3, Dragon Quest VI, Hyperdimension Neptunia, More

Posted on February 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

This week it’s all about RPGs, except for the return of a favorite fighting franchise…

The Marvel and Capcom universes will be colliding in a battle for one-on-one fighting supremacy again with the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds this week for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

But every other major release will be much more enticing to RPG fans everywhere including Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation on the DS. Once Dragon Quest VI makes its way into stores on the 14th, it’ll mark the final game in the franchise’s main series to make its way across the Pacific. It just took a little over 15 years.

And speaking RPGs that are hard to find in America, Square Enix is bringing Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together to the PSP this week. Tactics Ogre has always been hard to come by in collector’s circles, so this new version means that everyone who wants to play it will finally get the chance to.

Also available this week is Hyperdimension Neptunia for the PS3. The game tells the story of the console war as if it were a typical Japanese RPG. Oh yeah, and a nearly naked girl representing “Sega” is the hero. Man, how can you not love NIS America?

Finally, Frictional’s Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which was originally released in 2010, will receive a retail release this week.

The full list of the rest of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

PixelJunk Shooter 2 heating up PS3 on March 1

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

It may have taken a while since we reported on their podcast that PixelJunk Shooter 2 was nearly complete, but the game has a release date and it’s coming surprisingly soon – March 1. Mr. Dylan Cuthbert himself announced the good news on the PlayStation Blog, excited about bringing three entirely new worlds as well as the versus mode which Cuthbert describes as a “whole new game in itself.” Players will be able to choose from over 20 weapons and abilities when they square off, and Q-Games attributes this robust multiplayer offering for how long it’s taken to get the game out.

The Q-Games team is currently taking questions on the PS Blog, and you can also ask questions for their podcast, which is listed under Q-Games in our very own Guide to Gaming Videos on Youtube. Hopefully the new game will have the same $9.99 price point as the original.

By the way, we’re all being referred to as “PixelJunkies” from now on.

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Activision merges toys and games with Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

There sure are some strange people working at Activision. What’s their next move after cancelling series’ that they’ve done to death over the last few years? Announce a new entry in another one. It turns out their “all-new gaming universes that brings together the worlds of toys, video games and online play” is Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. The game will launch alongside a series of toys which you use as a kind of avatar in the game. By placing the toy on the “Portal of Power” (yes, you’re reading that right) you can bring that specific character into the game. Any achievements and experience you gain inside of the game will be embedded in the toy, which you can take with you and use on different platforms, on a mobile device, or even on the web. Placing two or more toys on the “Portal of Power” (really?) allows you to play co-op and versus modes. I have no idea how they pulled any of this off, but one thing I’m sure about is these games won’t be as fun as when Insomniac was making them on the original PlayStation.

I don’t know why Activision has this almost obsessive fixation on selling you peripherals to go with your games. First Guitar Hero, then Tony Hawk, and now Spyro. At least they’re not going overboard and releasing something completely exploitative like Call of Duty action figures.

Oh, c’mon, really???

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Sony confirms Fall 2011 release for Twisted Metal

Posted on February 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

Twisted Metal‘s PlayStation.com profile still lists a Spring 2011 release date, but a Sony spokesperson has confirmed to Warp Zoned that the game will be released this Fall.

The release date confusion is the latest bit of secrecy surrounding Twisted Metal after it was initially unveiled in the special features of Twisted Metal: Head-On. For several years after that, David Jaffe denied that the game was even in development until its splashy “reveal” at E3 2010.

So while it looks like we won’t get a chance to play Twisted Metal in the next few months, at least Sony isn’t pretending it doesn’t exist anymore.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

AIAS names Mass Effect 2 their Game of the Year

Posted on February 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 walked away with Game of the Year honors at the Interactive Achievement Awards last night.

The game, which was just recently released on the PS3 after its PC and Xbox 360 debut last year, was given the award by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. This is the Academy’s 14th year handing out the IAAs and Mass Effect 2 beat out Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War III, Red Dead Redemption and Angry Birds to win the prize.

But among the honorees, only Black Ops went home empty-handed. Angry Birds was named Casual Game of the Year, God of War III won Outstanding Achievement in Animation and Red Dead Redemption galloped away with five awards.

You can watch the entire ceremony at G4tv.com/DICE2011 or you can see the full list of winners after the break. (more…)

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