Sony reveals Gran Turismo 6 pre-order bonuses

Posted on June 24, 2013 by John Scalzo

granturismo6-logoWith all this talk about the PS4 and Xbox One, it’s important to remember that there still a handful of major (and exclusive) current-generation games on track for release this Fall. If you caught the bad “on track” pun, you know that one of the games I’m talking about is Gran Turismo 6.

Sony announced the game’s pre-order incentives this morning and all buyers who pre-purchase Gran Turismo 6 will receive a special “4-Car Pack” consisting of:

  • 2011 BMW Z4 GT3
  • 2013 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3
  • 2013 Tesla Model S Signature Performance
  • 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7)

And if you want a retailer-specific pre-order bonus on top of that, you can head over to Amazon and pre-purchase the game, which includes “$1 Million In-Game Credit” or you can buy it from GameStop and receive the 16-car “15th Anniversary Edition Upgrade Pack.” In addition to a whole fleet of high-performance vehicles, the 15th Anniversary Edition includes “customized paint chips, race suit, helmet, PSN Avatar, and a copy of Beyond the Apex II app.”

Hit the jump for the complete list of cars available in the “15th Anniversary Edition Upgrade Pack.”

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Star Wars Pinball will be added to Wii U eShop on July 11

Posted on June 24, 2013 by John Scalzo

starwarspinball-logoThe Force will be with owners of Nintendo’s Wii U on July 11 when Star Wars Pinball is added to the eShop.

Priced at $9.99, the Zen Studios-produced pinball compilation will include three tables set in the iconic Star Wars universe: “Star Wars Episode V : The Empire Strikes Back,” “Boba Fett,” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” The Wii U version will include two GamePad options: Off-TV play or a game information screen that includes “dot matrix, scores, and challenge information.”

Star Wars Pinball was originally released for the PC, PSN, and XBLA in February.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Ellie from The Last of Us looks like Ellen Page and Page doesn’t appreciate it

Posted on June 24, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Can we all agree that the character of Ellie, from The Last of Us, looks a lot like actress Ellen Page? It might be slightly unfair, but the developers at Naughty Dog pretty much stole her face. A loving homage this was not. For proof, take a look at the 2011 Spike TV VGAs trailer (fast-forward to 0:52) and the 2012 Spike TV VGAs trailer (especially the scene at 0:45).

So what does Ellen Page, star of Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls, think about all this? She answered the question during an Ask Me Anything on Reddit last night:

MozeoSLT: “This has almost certainly been made clear to you several times, but are you aware how much you look like Ellie from “The Last of Us,” a video game which came out about a week ago. She even sounds like you. So much so that almost everyone assumed it was you playing the role.

Have you seen any footage of “The Last of Us” and would you have taken the role as Ellie if approached?”

Page (iamatinycanadian): “I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness, but I am actually acting in a video game called Beyond Two Souls, so it was not appreciated.”

My apologies if you were expecting fire and brimstone. But Ellen Page is, after all, a very polite (and apparently “tiny”) Canadian.

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Weekly Warp-Up: Microsoft Back to Square One With the Xbox One

Posted on June 23, 2013 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

With the 2013 E3 Expo in our rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward to when all of those new games and systems will be available on store shelves. But before we can drive off into the sunset, Microsoft’s Don Mattrick wants us to know that he’s had enough of these whining kids and is turning this car around. In an open letter to the community, Mattrick announced the Xbox One won’t feature any used game restrictions or include a daily online check-in.

This pleased many gamers, but the US government still has a few problems with the system’s Kinect requirement. Problems of a legal kind. Problems that require the proposal of the “We Are Watching You Act.” It probably won’t go anywhere, but when even the government is against a feature in your video game system, you’ve got to wonder.

More news from the (typically slow) week after E3 can be found after the break.

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New Releases: Ouya, Deadpool, Company of Heroes 2, More

Posted on June 23, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Finally, some variety in the new release schedule!

In fact, there’s so much variety available this week that we’re getting a new console: the Android-powered, Kickster-funded Ouya Console. If you’d prefer to stick with games on platforms you already own, this week also sees the release of the first game starring the “Merc With the Mouth,” Deadpool (PC, PS3, Xbox 360).

A trio of niche titles round out this week’s major new releases including the Sega-published PC strategy game Company of Heroes 2 (it used to be part of THQ’s stable), minigame collection Game & Wario (Wii U), and the insane crossover Project X Zone (3DS).

More new release can be found after the break.

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

Halo “Reclaimer Trilogy” is now considered a “Saga” by Microsoft

Posted on June 21, 2013 by John Scalzo

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During PAX Prime 2011, Creative Director Josh Holmes referred to Halo 4 as the start of the “Reclaimer Trilogy,” mapping out the Master Chief’s future in the then-upcoming game and two further adventures: Halo 5 (due in 2014 for the Xbox One and officially known as “The Next Halo Game”) and Halo 6. According to a Microsoft representative (speaking to GameSpot), “trilogy” is no longer the correct word for the next two games in the Halo franchise:

“While we originally said trilogy, we’ve actually expanded this to more of a saga, so we don’t want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy.”

Will the “Reclaimer Saga” include more than three AAA console shooters? Or is Microsoft counting things like the recently announced Halo: Spartan Assault for mobile devices as part of the saga? The Microsoft representative didn’t clarify, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about Halo 5 (and Halo: The Television Series, which may also be part of the saga) in the coming months.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z announced

Posted on June 21, 2013 by John Scalzo

Are you ready for another Dragon Ball Z game? Well, good news! Namco Bandai plans to release Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Vita soon.

Are you a team player with the crazy skills and cool composure needed to triumph in massive cooperative battles? If this sounds like you, then Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z has just what you need, with revolutionary team battling for up to 4 players together in cooperative play against a host of fearsome opponents or in a giant 8-player battle royale. Found his weak point? Push your advantage and take him down together in a flurry of fur!

Namco Bandai didn’t announce how soon “soon” is, but I’m going to take a wild guess and say that Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z will probably be available by the end of the year.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360 | Tagged

NBA Live 14 will be exclusive to PS4, Xbox One

Posted on June 21, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Executive Producer Sean O’Brien wants you to know that NBA Live 14 will be different. Different from the two previous games in the series that were canceled due to quality issues. And different from 2K’s NBA 2K series.

How different will it be? NBA Live 14 won’t be released for the PS3 or Xbox 360 and will instead be exclusive to next-generation platforms, specifically the PS4 and Xbox One.

“There has been a lot of talk the last few years about how great NBA Live was going to be. The “talking” is over. The vision is a simple one: To create a great basketball game exclusively for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4,” O’Brien said.

You can read the rest of his manifesto at EASports.com.

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