Most Recent: Wii

Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3 trailers to premiere during NBA playoffs

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

As video games become further enmeshed in pop culture, we’re seeing a lot more marketing campaigns tied to some of the biggest sporting events of the year. The NBA postseason is coming to its climax, and some of the biggest games this year are looking to capitalize on the excitement.

Modern Warfare 3 has had little info on it other than the teaser we posted last week and a sparse official website. The Facebook page promises that will end soon, advising us to tune in for the “World Premiere” during game four of the Western Conference Finals on May 23 on ESPN. This is fairly late in the year for a CoD game to debut, but hopefully the wait will be worth it.

Epic Games is also shooting for a NBA-attached reveal, as Gears of War 3‘s newest trailer debuts a couple days later on May 28 during Game 6 of the NBA playoffs on TNT. The new trailer “offers a riveting look at the epic-scale campaign.”

We’ll have to see if these trailers live up to the hype, but if one thing’s certain, it’s that Xbox 360 owners are going to have a packed holiday season this year.

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

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 comes to every console this holiday

Posted on May 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

When WB Games announced the title of the first Lego Harry Potter as Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, you know that a followup was inevitable. And now, on the cusp of the final movie, the publisher has officially announced Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7.

The game has been scheduled for release this holiday season, presumably alongside the Blu-ray/DVD release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. As you might expect from a Harry Potter game, it’s in development for every platform imaginable: 3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 and Sony’s Next Generation Portable (NGP).

Once again developed by TT Games, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 will feature all the magic found in The Boy Who Lived’s last years at Hogwarts:

Based on the last three Harry Potter books and final four films, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 takes players through Harry Potter’s heroic adventures in the Muggle and wizarding worlds. From Privet Drive in Little Whinging to Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and Hogwarts – plus new locations including Grimmauld Place, the Ministry of Magic, and Godric’s Hollow – players will encounter new faces, new challenges and new magic, preparing them for the ultimate face-off against Lord Voldemort.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Netflix on video game consoles is the leading bandwidth usage in America

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Independent researcher Sandvine has concluded that Netflix accounts for more downstream and overall bandwidth usage than all other sources, at 29.7 and 24.71 percent, respectively. Of all devices, video game consoles account for nearly two thirds of that figure, making Netflix usage on consoles alone accounting for 19.7% of all downstream usage. That’s bigger than the next highest usage – web pages.

The PlayStation 3 leads the pack in that figure, responsible for 30.57%. The Xbox 360 comes next, representing 24.94%, followed by PCs at 19.55%, while the Wii, with the highest install base of current gen consoles, comes in last with only 10.75%. Looks like someone may have been right about that whole closet/living room dichotomy.

One thing is for certain: game consoles are usurping cable providers. With the 3DS getting Netflix a later date and Sony’s NGP probably to do the same, expect this trend to continue in the future.

Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny coming this year to PS3, Wii; more details at E3

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

With so many RPG series’ going portable, it’s great to see one coming to new home consoles. Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, released as Rune Factory: Oceans in Japan, will be released on the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii in North America later this year. The first official details will be unveiled during E3 from June 7th to 9th.

This marks the first Rune Factory title (and Harvest Moon affiliated game, for that matter) to be released on the PlayStation 3. As it’s also coming for Wii, the game will have full PlayStation Move compatibility. In addition to three titles on the DS, Rune Factory: Frontier was released on the Wii in 2009.

I had no idea if this game was going to get an English release and I’m particularly overjoyed to see it coming. The original Rune Factory was one of my first and favorite Nintendo DS titles, so let’s hope this one doesn’t disappoint. You can check out the Japanese website, with some cool music, here. Also, be on the lookout for Harvest Moon: A Tale of Two Towns coming this summer to Nintendo DS and 3DS.

Posted in News, PS3, Wii | Tagged ,

What To Expect From E3 2011

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Warp Zoned Staff

E3 is just three weeks away E3 begins tomorrow! As we gear up for the biggest event on the gaming calendar, it’s easy to forget what exactly it is we’re gearing up to see. So that’s where Warp Zoned’s handy guide of “What To Expect From E3 2011” comes into play. We’ve gathered together a list of every game that’s been confirmed for E3 2011 as well as every game that’s expected to be at E3 2011 along with a few rumored titles that just might make an appearance at the big show.

We’ll update this article regularly as the opening of the E3 Expo grows nearer. Be sure to check back often! (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Features, PC, PS2, PS3, Top Story, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Atari preparing five-game lineup for E3

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

All your favorite publishers and developers will have their chance to let the world know about their upcoming projects at next month’s E3, and Atari has narrowed down the selection it will be bringing. Their presence will consist of five games, two yet to be announced, and three of which we already know about: TERA, Warlords, and Centipede: Infestation.

TERA (PC) looks to shake up the MMO scene a little bit, bringing in a sense of urgent action combat to what is traditionally a point-and-click endeavor. The game will be powered by Unreal Engine 3.

Warlords (PSN, XBLA) will bring the arcade classic into the modern day, with both co-op and competitive modes for both local and online multiplayer.

Finally, Centipede: Infestation (3DS, Wii) will be another iteration of one of the most beloved arcade games of all time, featuring 40 levels, 20 power-ups, five boss battles, and a slew of monsters. A co-op feature will be included in this 3DS reimagining, as well as Street Pass features.

We’ll have more informtion on what the other two games are come E3.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

New Releases: L.A. Noire, The Witcher 2, Fable III PC, More

Posted on May 14, 2011 by John Scalzo

Put on your detective hat as we go searching for clues to this this week’s new releases.

The biggest new game of the week is Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire. An ambitious story of murder and traffic violations in 1940s Los Angeles, L.A. Noire has been a long time in the making and has the makings of changing the way we look at games with its facial cues game mechanic.

To counteract the juggernaut that is L.A. Noire, two major PC games are also being released this week: CD Projekt’s RPG The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and the PC version of Peter Molyneux’s Fable III.

Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,

Activision: No Diablo III in 2011, Call of Duty 8 will be awesome

Posted on May 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Activision held their quarter financial call yesterday and laid out a few more details about their 2011 slate of games. The company’s executives stressed that any real information about these titles would have to wait for E3, they did reveal a few juicy tidbits of information.

First off, it looks like it’s unlikely that a new Blizzard game will be released in 2011. That means no Diablo III and definitely no StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Instead, the publisher’s COO, Thomas Tippl, said to expect both games in 2012: “[O]ur outlook at this time does not include a new game from Blizzard in 2011. Should Blizzard not release a major title this year, we would expect, for planning purposes, to launch a minimum of 2 Blizzard titles in 2012.”

Mike Morhaime, the CEO of Blizzard, was a tad more optimistic, saying the team wants to release Diablo III in 2011, but that they’re not ready to confirm an official release date yet: “The development team is working hard to try and launch Diablo III this year. But I want to be clear that we do not have an official release date or window yet. As always, we will not compromise the quality of the game in order to hit a window.”

While a 2011 release date is still a question mark, A Diablo III beta is being planned for the Summer.

One Activision title that does have a confirmed 2011 release date is the currently unannounced Call of Duty 8. The publisher still hasn’t shared any new information about the next entry in the mega-selling series, but Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, is pretty convinced it’ll be awesome: “By any measure, Call of Duty is one of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world and we expect this year’s game will set a new standard for this incredible franchise. The creative excellence and sheer scale of the game we are making and the unprecedented online universe that will accompany it will reset the bar for this genre, giving players a new level of immersion, connectivity, community and of course epic action. The game today has exceeded every internal milestone and we look forward to sharing this with you soon.”

Hirshberg also confirmed that a new James Bond game is in the works for 2011. But again, it looks like we’ll have to wait until E3 to learn more about it (and all of these titles).

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