Xbox One will launch on November 22

Posted on September 4, 2013 by John Scalzo

xboxone-logoMicrosoft is sticking with the familiar and has announced plans to launch the Xbox One on November 22, 2013 (if you remember, the Xbox 360 launched on November 22, 2005). The initial rollout will take place in 13 territorities: The US, Canada, The UK, Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, and Spain.

In addition to a solid release date, Microsoft has announced that the Xbox One will be getting a power boost. Yusuf Mehdi, the Xbox Division’s Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Business, has confirmed the CPU will now clock in at 1.75GHZ, an almost 10 percent increase in CPU performance over the original CPU announced speed (1.6MHZ). What does this mean for gaming? According to Medhi, “It means that the Xbox One will have that much more power for developers to make their games and entertainment really shine.”

Alright then. The Xbox One: Day One Edition has been priced at $499.99 and, in addition to an increased CPU, will include an updated Kinect sensor and a redesigned controller with “40 improvements” over the Xbox 360 controller.

[Source: Xbox Wire]

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Diablo III, Rayman Legends, Castle of Illusion, more added to PS Store

Posted on September 4, 2013 by John Scalzo

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The devil is in the details with this week’s PlayStation Store update as Blizzard has finally released Diablo III for the PS3. The downloadedable edition of the game is now available, day-and-date with the retail release.

Also available this week is a pair of acclaimed platformers. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse brings a high definition makeover to the beloved Genesis platformer and Rayman Legends brings the limbless hero back to the PS3 and Vita in a game that was originally slated for an exclusive release on the Wii U.

But wait, there’s more. There’s the unqiue puzzler Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (now available on the PS3 for the first time), Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (the definitive edition of the game), and many more. You can find more information about all of these games after the break. And, as always, you can visit the PlayStation Blog for a full list of this week’s new game add-ons.

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Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged , ,

Divekick Review: Kick, Jump… It’s All in the Mind

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Mike Ryan

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Longtime readers of this site should know that I love fighting games. From back in the days when putting a quarter on an arcade’s monitor meant “I got next,” to the online communities of today, I’ve tried to get my hands on as many fighting games as possible. Yes, even War Gods. And I’m certainly not the only one. Just ask anyone who’s a card-carrying member of the “Fighting Game Community” (FGC). This group of gamers has turned their love of fighting games into a full-fledged Olympics of sorts. While I consider myself a fan, the folks you see at EVO and the like are on a completely different level. Fighting games have become a mental chess match, where knowledge of even the most miniscule aspect of a character’s size, shape, and moveset can mean the difference between victory and defeat. And as the FGC gained more members and became more close knit, the inside jokes inevitably followed.

This is where Divekick comes in.

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Posted in PC, PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Vita | Tagged

Metro: Last Light Tower Pack now available

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Zackery Cote

metrolastlight-towerpackDeep Silver’s Metro: Last Light has enjoyed a great deal of commercial and critical success. How great? The game sold more copies in its first week than its predecessor, Metro 2033, has in three years of being on shelves. The first DLC pack, the Faction Pack, also received a great deal of critical acclaim for it’s exploration of characters beyond the main storyline as well as new weapons and free roaming aspects. Deep Silver hopes to keep the momentum of their game’s success, with three more DLC packs planned for Last Light in the future.

For those of you who have been waiting patiently for the next adventure in post-apocalyptic Russia, the wait is now over. As of today, the second piece of add-on content for Metro: Last Light, the Tower Pack, is officially available on Steam, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live.

The Tower Pack is catered to all you fighters out there who love to get down and dirty with your enemies. It features a combat simulator in which players must fight their way up through a heavily guarded tower. The assault becomes more difficult with each level, forcing players to master Last Light’s unique weapons and deep combat mechanics to reach the highest level. The DLC will also feature leaderboards which will allow gamers to compare their progress and success with other players. The Tower Pack will cost $4.99 / £3.99 / €4.99, but players who have purchased the Season Pass will get a discount on all four planned DLC packs.

The upcoming Developer Pack will feature a fully stocked Shooting Gallery, an AI Arena, and the Metro Museum, as well as a bonus solo mission called “The Spiders’ Nest,” which will offer some new tools for fighting Spider mutants. The Chronicles Pack will consist of three original single player missions that explore the stories of three characters from the original game: Pavel, Khan & Ulman, and Anna. The Chronicles Pack will explore these characters’ side-stories away from Artyom’s adventure.

The Season Pass can be purchased for $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99 to give players access to all of the Metro: Last Light DLC, as well as an exclusive weapon, the Abzats.

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

Square Enix will bring enhanced version of Bravely Default to US/Europe

Posted on September 3, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Bravely Default: Flying Fairy‘s development saga is almost worthy of a Square Enix RPG of its own. The 3DS RPG was originally released in Japan in October 2012 and, earlier this year, Nintendo and Square Enix confrimed that the game would be released in the US and Europe as Bravely Default: Where the Fairy Flies. However, a few weeks ago, Square Enix also confirmed that an enhanced version of the game, Bravely Default: For the Sequel, would be released in Japan by the end of the year.

But it looks like those of us in the US and Europe should relax, Square Enix has confirmed that the changes and enhancements created for Bravely Default: For the Sequel will be included in Bravely Default: Where the Fairy Flies.

Now, if only they’d do something about that title.

[Source: Destructoid]

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Gearbox is working on two original games for next-gen consoles

Posted on September 3, 2013 by John Scalzo

gearbox-logoThe developers at Gearbox Software are just busy little bees aren’t they? In addition to even more downloadable content for Borderlands 2 (the “Ultimate Vault Hunters Upgrade Pack 2” will be available tomorrow and the “Headhunter Pack” drops in October), the company has confirmed they have two original games in the works for next-generation consoles.

One of those games is surely Furious 4, the developer’s Tarantino-esque World War II shooter. Originally announced as Brothers In Arms: Furious 4, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford confirmed (at last year’s PAX Prime, it turns out) that the game would drop any connection to the Brothers In Arms series and go it alone as a brand new franchise.

Pitchford wouldn’t say what’s in the hopper after Furious 4, but my guess is it’ll be funny. Only time will tell if it’s intentionally funny (Borderlands) or not (Duke Nukem Forever, Aliens: Colonial Marines).

[Source: Eurogamer]

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The Games of September 2013

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Warp Zoned Staff

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The dog days are over and the Fall gaming avalanche is here. A few key titles dominate the September release schedule (Grand Theft Auto V and Diablo III, mostly) but there’s a ton of quirkier fare out there for those who are willing to look for it. And you can tell that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas with all the re-releases of old favorites that dot the schedule. What is the Warp Zoned staff most excited for in September? Hit the jump and find out.

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

Warpback: What We Played in August 2013

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Warp Zoned Staff

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The dog days are over and the Fall gaming avalanche is here. Before we dive in to September and two new consoles, the Warp Zoned staff attempted to whittle down their backlogs for one last month. Were we successful? Sure. But there’s always a new game to add to the backlog.

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Posted in Features, Top Story |