Injustice: Gods Among Us scores another sales knockout in the May 2013 NPD report

Posted on June 18, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Yup, you can definitely tell we’re in a console transition period. Just a single new release was able to crack the list of the top ten best-selling games of May 2013.

Deep Silver’s Metro: Last Light was that game and the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 shooter was able to claim the sixth spot for the mutants of post-apocalyptic Russia. A pair of sorta-new releases helped push the profile of two titles that were originally released in years past. The 3DS version of Donkey Kong Country Returns lifted the game to #3 and the Wii U re-release of Lego Batman 2 helped the Brick Knight squeeze into the #10 slot.

According to Game Informer, sales of retail games are down 31% from May 2012 and retail sales are going to continue to drop as Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony move towards an all-digital future. Althugh, to be fair, May 2012 did include the release of Diablo III, which sold a ton of copies at retail.

The NPD Group’s complete report on the top ten best-selling games from May 2013 can be found after the break.

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

You Review: A Book I Wanted to Like

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Nicole Kline

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Austin Grossman’s latest novel, You, is a fictional story of video game developers set on solving a mystery embedded within their engine by their deceased friend. Grossman (who also wrote Soon I Will Be Invincible) has been a game designer for over 20 years, and gives readers a unique glimpse inside the world of the game developer. As Russell starts his new job at Black Arts, we get insight on the lives of developers, from how each game is developed (start to finish) to the relationships between those who create it. But in this story, we get even more – as Russell races against the clock to fix the bug that could potentially destroy the company, he goes back and forth from past to present and back, detailing his relationships with his current co-workers – and former friends.

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Posted in Etcetera, Reviews, Top Story |

Daily Scoop: June 17, 2013 – Moving is hard work

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Nicole Kline

Hello, friends of Warp Zoned! I’m sorry I’ve missed so many scoops, but I’ve been crazy amounts of busy lately. I had to miss much of E3 because we didn’t have Internet yet at our new place, which made me a sad panda! But I was able to read up on it a day later here at WZ, and boy was I even sadder after the fact about not having any ability to watch the stuff live! I mean, there have been some fantastic announcements, am I right? It’s a great time to be a gamer.

So, what deals are going on today? Well, there’s a brand new Humble Weekly Bundle happening right now, featuring games by 11 bit studios. You can pick up Anomaly Warzone Earth, Anomaly Warzone Earth: Mobile Campaign, Sleepwalker’s Journey, Funky Smugglers, and, if you pay more than the average (currently $3.02), you can also get Anomaly Korea, and the bonus content, Hell Hound.

There are also some new deals going on at Amazon right now as well. If you’re looking to grab up a PS3 or an Xbox 360 before the new consoles come out, there are some bundle deals available. The Xbox 360 250GB Spring Value Bundle is $299.00 and has the added bonus of $50 in Amazon credit, while the PS3 God of War Ascension Legacy Bundle is $299.99.

Not too many game-ish shirts up today:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

XCOM: Enemy Unknown invades iOS App Store this Thursday

Posted on June 17, 2013 by John Scalzo

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The iOS edition of XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be available to download (for a wallet-busting $19.99) this Thursday, June 20.

Perhaps that price isn’t too outrageous as Firaxis has taken the complete XCOM: Enemy Unknown experience and shrunk it down for iOS devices. XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS will include a new touchscreen control scheme, GameCenter integration, and iCloud support.

The game will be playable on the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Mini, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPod Touch 5th Generation. Finally, the multiplayer head-to-head mode will be available for the iOS edition as a free download “at a later date.”

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

iPhone getting controller support in the Fall, have a look at one made by Logitech

Posted on June 17, 2013 by John Scalzo

ipodtouch5Apple will officially be adding controller support to iPhone/iPod Touch when iOS 7 is released this Fall. While the company won’t be making an Apple-branded controller (Steve Jobs famously hated them), multiple companies will, including Logitech.

Kotaku got their hands on a picture of Logitech’s iPhone/iPod Touch controller and it will include four face buttons and a D-Pad.

It seems to turn the iPhone/iPod Touch into a PSP/Vita-style handheld, actually.

Posted in Mobile, News |

Weekly Warp-Up: The A-Z of E3 2013

Posted on June 16, 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…

Another E3 Expo is in the books and some gamers are no doubt already speculating on what 2014 has in store for gaming’s biggest showcase. But we learned a lot about where the game industry is heading this year. The PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One were fully revealed to the public… warts and all. And Nintendo showed us the second wave of Wii U software. But there was plenty more to this E3 than the big three. And you can read all about it (in handy alphabetical format) after the break.

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Posted in News | Tagged

New Releases: Jak and Daxter Collection, MotoGP 13, Knights of Pen & Paper, More

Posted on June 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

jakanddaxtercollection-boxIt’s another slow June week as we move ever closer to the Fall gaming rush and the release of the (now fully revealed) next generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. But if you’re looking for something new to play this week, your options are:

Not bad, but next week’s new release slate will be much more expansive (especially with the release of the Ouya micro-console).

Posted in News, PC, Vita | Tagged

Retro Studios will release Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in November

Posted on June 15, 2013 by John Scalzo

Donkey Kong returns again! The great ape will come to the Wii U for the first time this Fall in the Retro Studios-developed Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze:

The first Wii U installment in the franchise comes from Retro Studios. The side-scrolling platformer has beautiful HD graphics that show fine details, such as Donkey Kong’s fur. Dixie Kong joins the adventure, which features the Kongs swimming underwater and moving from the foreground to the background. This time, the camera changes perspective on certain levels to enhance the sense of motion and to deliver new experiences.

Many gamers hoped that Retro would be hard at work on an original title (or maybe another Metroid game), but they would prefer to bring us the next DKC game this November. Reward their hard work by watching the beautiful E3 2013 trailer above.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged ,