Daily Scoop: October 2, 2013 – Fun times with Humble Bundles

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Nicole Kline

Happy Wednesday! I keep thinking it’s Tuesday, which is bad, because I thought all day yesterday was Monday, and I feel like I’ve lost a day somewhere. It’s good because I’m closer to the weekend than I thought, but bad because I’m a day behind in my after-work activities!

Let’s talk about deals, shall we? Specifically, let’s discuss the latest Humble Bundle, which is the Humble Mobile Bundle 2. It started with Star Command, Time Surfer, Punch Quest, and Bloons TD 5, with Ravensword: Shadowlands and Carmegeddon unlockable if you paid more than the average. But today, they’ve added three more games if you pay more than the average: Karateka Classic (with digital copy of the book Making of Karateka), QWOP, and God of Blades. You’ve got less than a week left, so scoop it up!

Check out today’s t-shirt round up!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

XBLA Today: A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX

Posted on October 2, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Today’s addition to the Xbox Live Arcade is A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX, a side-scrolling platformer where players have to battle deadly machines within the Minos Space Station.

A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX, an action-packed side-scrolling game from Extend Studios, takes players on a thrilling sci-fi adventure! Take control of combat specialist Ares, or the new playable character, Tarus, to battle deadly machines with a variety of powerful weapons and armor. Your goal: Save Minos Space Station’s survivors and uncover the nefarious Zytron’s extinction agenda!

A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX has been priced at $14.99.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Valve applies for Half-Life 3 trademark in Europe

Posted on October 2, 2013 by John Scalzo

valveguyUPDATE: Nevermind, it was all a hoax.

ORIGINAL STORY: Oh boy, here we go again.

After pointedly NOT announcing Half-Life 3 during last week’s flurry of SteamOS/Steam Machines announcements, Valve has gone and applied for a “video game software” trademark for “Half-Life 3” with the Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union. The application was filed on September 29 and it’s currently listed as “under examination.” While this doesn’t confirm that a third Half-Life game is in development, it is a good sign that Valve is finally moving forward on a new chapter in their most famous franchise.

On the other hand, a search for “Half-Life 3” through the US Patent and Trademark Office did not return any results.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Check out the Crossed Purposes podcast, featuring Warp Zoned’s Nicole Kline

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Nicole Kline

crossedpurposesGood morning, Internet! I’ve been doing a weekly podcast with one of our former writers, Joshua Wise, and our friend, Ian Riley, over at Crossed Purposes. It’s called No Avatars Allowed, and it’s a good one! We discuss what we’ve been playing, the news (especially our reactions to the Steam announcements last week), and brand loyalty. Things get pretty intense when Josh starts talking about Sega and Yakuza. You won’t want to miss it!

You can listen to the episode here. At the very least, you can hear me use a lot of expletives, and discretely eat Chinese food, while Josh and Ian rave about how great Steam is.

Posted in News |

Bungie will release Destiny in Spring 2014; early 2014 beta planned

Posted on October 2, 2013 by John Scalzo

It is your destiny to watch this brand new Destiny trailer, dubbed “The Moon,” and to learn that Bungie plans to release their ambitious new shooter in Spring 2014 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

But first, the developer plans to hold a beta test in the first few months of 2014 for the game’s online features and (almost) everyone who pre-orders is invited. The beta will be available on all platforms, but you have to pre-order the game from a participating set of retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, or Walmart) to receive your access code.

Harold Ryan, Bungie’s President, is very excited about the beta’s possibilities: “From day one Destiny has been an incredibly bold vision that Activision shares with Bungie. Destiny is a massive universe that is populated by the players, and for that reason we need fans to get their hands on the game, fans all around the world. We can’t wait!”

Even though the beta was announced yesterday, everyone who has already pre-ordered Destiny from the list of approved retailers will receive beta access.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Rain, NBA 2K14, Flashback, more added to PS Store

Posted on October 2, 2013 by John Scalzo

nba2k14-boxThe rain has begun to fall on the PlayStation Store as Sony Japan’s PS3 adventure game, Rain, is now available to download. The story of two invisible children who have to find their way out of a city, Rain has received considerable attention for its moody and atmospheric visuals. Also available this week is NBA 2K14 (PS3), the latest game in the popular basketball franchise.

What else is available this week for the PS3? Well, there’s Flashback, Ubisoft’s HD remake of the renowned side-scrolling; Pro Foosball, a video game version of everyone’s favorite bar game; and Skydive: Proximity Flight, a skydiving sim. Finally, PS3 owners will get a chance to download the PS2 Classic Fatal Frame III: The Tormented.

Over on the Vita side, this week sees the release of Atelier Meruru Plus: The Apprentice of Arland. The RPG is now available in portable form and with all of its previously released DLC expansion content. And last, but not least, we’ve got Die! Die! Die!, a game that asks players to invade the human body to destroy malicious microbes. Because that’s totally how being a doctor works.

As always, more information about all of these games can be found after the break and a full rundown of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog.

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Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged , ,

The Games of October 2013

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Warp Zoned Staff

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The Fall is finally upon us, and with it, the influx of fantastic games truly begins! We here at Warp Zoned are all over the map in what we are anticipating, although we’re all in agreement about one thing… Batman: Arkham Origins. Read on to find out what else we plan on playing while we get ready for Halloween!

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

Pac-Man is a finalist for the National Toy Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013

Posted on October 1, 2013 by John Scalzo

strongtoyhalloffamefinalists-13The National Toy Hall of Fame, which is part of the National Museum of Play at The Strong, has announced the 12 finalists that are up for induction this year. Two toys will be selected as part of the class of 2013 and the classic ghost-chomper Pac-Man is among the contenders.

Pac-Man will be competing against bubbles, Chess, Clue, Fisher-Price Little People, Little Green Army Men, Magic 8 Ball, My Little Pony, Nerf toys, the Rubber Ducky, scooters, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure line for the right to be called a Hall of Famer. A national committee will choose the two inductees, which will be announced during a special ceremony on November 7.

If Pac-Man makes the cut, it will join Nintendo’s Game Boy (2009) and the Atari 2600 (2007) as the only other representatives of the video game industry in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Posted in News, Retro | Tagged