Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Previews
Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour Hands-On Preview: Disturbing For the Wrong Reasons
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Resident Evil 7 has officially been announced. The reveal itself wasn’t that surprising… it was pretty much assumed the game would be announced at this year’s E3 Expo… but I don’t think anyone could have guessed it would look like this. With a new first-person perspective, a total absence of familiar characters, and no immediate ties to the previous games in the series, the seventh game in the series seems like a fresh start altogether. (more…)
Perception Hands-On Preview: Not Just Another Haunted Mansion
When your resume includes critically-acclaimed classics like BioShock and Dead Space, it’s hard for a fledgling studio’s debut title to stand on its own. Unfortunately, those are the high standards The Deep End Games, a studio that counts developers from both Irrational Games and Visceral Games, is being held to. Thankfully, their first offering, Perception, has a unique visual design and an irresistible narrative hook to pull potential players in. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story
Tagged PAX East 2016, Perception
Cuphead Hands-On Preview: A Shoot-Shoot-A-Hoot
There was no Cartoon Network when I was a little kid. Instead, a sugary haze of Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and G.I. Joe filtered into my home via regular broadcast channels on Saturday mornings. And after they turned the day over to programming for adults, I’d turn my attention to nearly six hours of non-stop Looney Tunes on TNT.
I loved the Looney Tunes, but occasionally, TNT programmers would slip in an older 20s or 30s short that didn’t have anything to do with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, or Foghorn Leghorn. I never knew what to make of those earlier attempts at animation, but I always felt like there was something unsettling about them. Brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, of Studio MDHR, saw the same sinister edge in these cartoons, and they tapped directly into it for their upcoming side-scrolling shooter, Cuphead. (more…)
Doom Beta Impressions: Hell Yes!
The Doom franchise has spent the last decade going through Hell, but the recent Closed Beta for Doom has given me hope that a heavenly ascent is just around the corner. The game’s multiplayer battles are fast-paced and filled with wall-to-wall action. And being able to turn into a demon is just the kind of twist that all modern shooters need. (more…)
Tom Clancy’s The Division Beta Impressions: Fear and Loathing in New York City
After watching Ubisoft’s E3 2015 playthrough last year, I started up the weekend-long beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division with some vague memories of a very traditional looking third-person shooter with an online mode designed to encourage uneasy alliances. Now that I have played The Division, I can confirm that it does indeed play like most other third-person shooters, and yes, it looks about as uninspiring as most of them, too. Fortunately, The Division’s hook, “The Dark Zone,” does occasionally deliver great, tense moments in which you’ll be wondering which member of your hastily-assembled team is going to try to kill everyone and make off with the loot. And who knows? Sometimes, it might even be you. (more…)
Splatoon Global Testfire Impressions: Painting the Town Red… or Green… or Purple
I have to admit, I didn’t pay much attention to Splatoon when it was first announced. It’s not that the game looked bad, it’s just that the competitive gamer in me went into hibernation a while back. I understood the concept of the game, and I thought it looked great, but there was nothing that really drew me in. Not even the thought of adding more Amiibo figuress to my ever-growing collection was enough to warrant a second look. But after having an opportunity to play Splatoon during Nintendo’s open beta this past weekend, I must say it has my attention now. (more…)
Interview: Crossing Swords in Knight Squad with Chainsawesome’s Jean Simon Otis
We played a ton of Knight Squad at PAX East. Read our Hands-On Preview here.
Every year at PAX East, there’s always one game that attendees begin to whisper about as they’re chatting with strangers while waiting in one of the many lines. This year, that game was Knight Squad from Chainsawesome Games. All weekend long, crowds were pushed towards their little booth to play their eight-player game that very closely resembles the love child of Gauntlet and Bomberman. This left the developers, including Lead Programmer Jean Simon Otis, completely exhausted, but also excited.
Both feelings were very present when we sat down to talk with Otis at the show. (more…)
Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, Previews, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Knight Squad, PAX East 2015
Knight Squad Hands-On Preview: (Gauntlet + Bomberman) x Knights = Awesome
Cramming eight people around the television set in my living room for a night of gaming seems like the worst idea of all time. For one, I’ve only got enough couch space for about four-and-a-half people, so an unlucky few would be regulated to the floor. I guess they could ask my beast of a dog to share her floor pillow, but she’s a drooler and a licker. That’s bad, though most of my sympathies would lie with the poor sucker who has to wedge himself in the fireplace. But you know what, having a full complement of players for Knight Squad might make it worth it. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Knight Squad, PAX East 2015