Most Recent: Articles

Warpback: What We Played in March 2015

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Warp Zoned Staff

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The Warp Zoned crew was mostly digging into their backlogs in the cold month of March! Some of us did get to play new games at PAX East, as well as game jam games, but for the most part, we were all just hibernating. Read on to see what we played to pass the time! (more…)

Posted in Features, Top Story |

Xbox Store Today: Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones

Posted on April 3, 2015 by John Scalzo

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I think puns that follow the “Game of [Something That Rhymes With Thrones]” pattern have kinda run their course, but don’t tell that to Curve Digital. Their latest puzzle platformer, Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones, is now available for the Xbox One through the Xbox Games Store. Of course, the title is not altogether misleading. It is a game and you do play as a clone who is attempting to escape a “sinister testing facility.”

More information on Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones, straight from the publisher, can be found right here:

Xbox One Games

Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones ($14.99)
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones is a puzzle platformer where you play the role of a clone escaping a sinister and high-tech testing facility. Stealth Inc. 2 tests both your brain and your reflexes over 60 varied levels linked together by a sprawling and detailed overworld.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Insert Quarter: Axiom Verge’s Creator Talks About the Journey From Idea to Finished Game

Posted on April 3, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

Axiom Verge is Tom Happ’s baby. The developer is the Programmer/Artist/Designer/Composer on the title and he essentially put the whole thing together by himself over the last five years. Happ’s persistence paid off as the PS4 launch earlier this week was met with enthusiastic reviews (including our own) and great sales. But what was the journey from scrap of an idea to finished game like? Happ wrote about this recently on the PlayStation Blog:

I didn’t start off with Axiom Verge fully designed in my head. It really more started off as an exercise in game design. I wanted to deconstruct my favorite games from my youth and see what would happen if I took the best elements of each and put them together. The Yo-Yo weapon of Rygar and the grapple hook of Bionic Commando in the setting of Blaster Master and Shatterhand. What would fit together? What wouldn’t work?

The full article is available for your perusal at the PlayStation Blog.

Posted in Insert Quarter, PC, PS4, Vita | Tagged

Nintendo is holding a fan vote to add new characters to Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U

Posted on April 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Who do you want to see added to Super Smash Bros. For 3DS and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U? No, really, Nintendo wants to know and they plan to take a few of these fan suggestions and actually put those characters into the game.

While announcing the upcoming inclusion of Mewtwo and Lucas to the latest Smash Bros. games, Nintendo also revealed the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot. Fans are encouraged to suggest a character, list the game they’re best known for, and write up to 500 words about why you think they belong in Smash. Nintendo will continue accepting suggestions until October 3, so it might be a while before we find out who made the cut.

At least one developer has decided to use this opportunity to get one of their characters into Smash Bros. Yacht Club Games has launched the #ShovelKnightForSmash campaign on Twitter to gather votes for Shovel Knight. I don’t know if it’ll work, but they can definitely count on my vote.

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Mewtwo joins Smash Bros Wii U/3DS on April 28; Mother 3’s Lucas to follow in June

Posted on April 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has announced that Mewtwo will be available to download as a bonus fighter in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U on April 28. Players who registered both Smash Bros. games through Club Nintendo will receive the 150th Pokemon for free. The rest of us will be able to add him to either version of the game for $3.99. A 4.99 3DS/Wii U bundle pack will also be available.

Nintendo has a second downloadable character planned for release June. Lucas, from Mother 3/Earthbound 2, will be available to download on the 3DS and Wii U. Lucas previously appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl alongside Earthbound star Ness. Pricing has yet to be announced, but a Lucas trailer is available after the break.

As with any Mother 3/Earthbound 2-related announcement, it’s important to note that this does not mean Nintendo plans to finally bring the oft-requested RPG to America. But it won’t hurt if we all cross our fingers… one of these days, it might just work. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Nintendo Download: Super Mario 64 + Yoshi’s Island DS on Wii U, Story of Seasons, more

Posted on April 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Nintendo 64 and DS games have been added to the Wii U eShop… and it’s about time!

Announced yesterday as part of Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Super Mario 64 and Yoshi’s Island DS are both now available to download on the Wii U. And if you’re going to start offering games from a new platform on the Virtual Console, it’s definitely a good idea to start with a pair of critically-acclaimed titles such as these.

More N64 and DS games will follow in the future with WarioWare: Touched! penciled in for April 9 and Donkey Kong 64 for April 16.

But if you’re looking for new releases on the 3DS available this week, there’s a few of those too. First up is Story of Seasons, the next official game in the Harvest Moon series from Marvelous. If you’re wondering about the name change, it’s because the separation of developer Marvelous and former publisher Natsume. Natsume owns the “Harvest Moon” trademark and they weren’t willing to sell it to the developer or new publisher XSEED. Also available is BoxBoy!, a black-and-white puzzle platformer from the creators of the Kirby franchise.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

Daily Scoop: April 2, 2015 – Just 31 hours left in our Kickstarter!

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Nicole Kline

The Kickstarter for RESISTOR_ has just 31 hours left, and we’re on the edge of our seats! If you like card games, nuclear war, or hacking, you might be into it – check it out!

Over at Humble, there’s a new weekly bundle – it’s the Humble Weekly Bundle ARGGGHHH!! (These Games Are Hard). Pay what you want for Cook, Serve, Delicious!, QP Shooting – Dangerous!!, and Velocibox. Beat the average to get Woah Dave! and Tales of Mah’Eyal. And pay $8 or more to get Wings of Vi.

Steam’s Weekend Deal right now is a big Lego game sale! Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is $10.19, The Lego Movie Game is $4.99, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes is $4.99, among others. The Daily Deal is Grid Autosport, which is on sale for $13.59.

There are some great t-shirts today! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Quantum Break’s release date time skips into 2016

Posted on April 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Thanks to the timestream shenanigans of Quantum Break‘s story, a jokey headline just seems to write itself now that the game has been delayed. Or maybe it was delivered subconsciously from my future self to my present self. Either way, the game will miss its planned 2015 release date and will now be released sometime next year. Speaking to Xbox Wire, Remedy’s Sam Lake confirmed the delay is due to a desire to “polish and fine tune” the game.

“We’re really proud to be part of the incredible Xbox One line-up,” said Lake. “We thank our fans for their patience, and want them to know that the team is taking advantage of this opportunity to polish and fine tune the game to create the kind of standout entertainment experience they’ve come to expect from us.”

The Xbox One title joins a number of other recent high profile delays. Last week, Nintendo pushed The Legend of Zelda Wii U into 2016 and Sony did the same for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End a few weeks before that.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged