Industrial Toys set to launch their iOS FPS Morning Star in Spring 2013

Posted on December 11, 2012 by John Scalzo

Mobile developer Industrial Toys, which was co-founded by Halo Executive Producer Alex Seropian, has announced their “ambitious” first title, Morning Star.

In Morning Star, players will take on the role of a soldier aboard the Joplin, a research ship that has just received the first confirmed communication from an alien civilization. After exploring a strange alien artifact, these aliens transport the Joplin across space “to take part in an epic war that is not their own.”

Industrial Toys has recruited science fiction author John Scalzi to write Morning Star’s story and they’re striving to create a unique Unreal Engine-powered first person shooter experience on the iOS. To that end, they’ve removed the standard “virtual stick” control scheme for something specifically built for a mobile platform from the ground up.

“With Morning Star, we’re looking to change expectations for what kind of experience core gamers get from their mobile devices,” said Seropian. “We’re breaking new ground on everything from the visuals to the story to the ongoing support we’ll provide in the way of content, events and player involvement. It’s gonna be nuts.”

Morning Star is currently scheduled for a Spring 2013 release.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Daily Scoop: December 11, 2012 – Gold Box Event!

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Good morning, everyone! I decided to take the plunge last night and start playing The Walking Dead. I played the entire first episode in just under two hours. It was really intense! I’m looking forward to playing the other four as well.

But the real news today is that it’s an all-day video game Gold Box event at Amazon! The deal of the day is Assassin’s Creed III for $33 as well as 3 $3 Amazon credits (say that three times fast!). Here are the rest of the deals:

  • 12:00 AM PST/3:00 AM EST – Tera for $5.00!
  • 5:00 AM PST/8:00 AM EST – The ultimate Grand Theft Auto IV game experience! – Grand Theft Auto IV & Episodes from Liberty City: The Complete Edition for $17.99!
  • 7:00 AM PST/10:00 AM EST – Groove with Raphael through the City of Light – it’s Rhythm Thief for $19.99!
  • 8:00 AM PST/11:00 AM EST – Cheese it, the fuzz! – This one’s Need for Speed Most Wanted for $24.99-$34.99
  • 10:00 AM PST/1:00 PM EST – This headset puts you in the middle of the action with Dolby surround sound and a stunning 3D audio environment. – Turtle Beach Ear Force X42 Wireless Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset for $99.99
  • 12:00 PM PST/3:00 PM EST – Sneak or slash your way to revenge and redemption. – It’s Dishonored for $29.99!
  • 4:00 PM PST/7:00 PM EST – Headset built for both the new GamePad controller and multiplayer online environments of the Wii U
  • 6:00 PM PST/9:00 PM EST – Saddle up for this Western epic! Could it be Red Dead Redemption?
  • 8:00 PM PST/11:00 PM EST – Save the Garbage Princess! Yay, Adventure Time!
  • 9:00 PM PST/12:00 AM EST – This 7.1 Dolby wireless surround headset is a truly wireless Xbox 360 surround sound headset.

I was just complaining about the lack of post-Black Friday deals. Thanks for helping me out, Amazon!

And now, for the t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Giveaway: Best of Bond CD Set + 007 Legends (Xbox 360)

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Warp Zoned Staff

Our friends at EMI have passed along two great prizes for everyone with an interest in the history of the world’s greatest spy, James Bond!

First up is the 50-track, two-disc CD set, Best of Bond… James Bond. Best of Bond features highlights from the entire 50 year history of the Bond franchise including every theme song from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace as well as bonus tracks such as Moby’s “James Bond Theme.”

The prize pack will also include a copy of 007 Legends for the Xbox 360. The game was released in October and follows Bond through six previous adventures cilminating in a DLC chapter based on the latest Bond film, Skyfall.

TO ENTER: Head on over to our Facebook page and reply to the contest post with your favorite Bond theme song. We’ll pick a winner on Tuesday, December 18 at 12:07 AM (Eastern Time) or… as they say at MI6… 0:07.

Contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Angry Birds Star Wars Review: I’ve Got A Bird Feeling About This

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Holly Scalzo

Angry Birds Star Wars comes on the heels of the less-than-stellar puzzle-solving fiasco that was Bad Piggies, and is the next game in the Angry Birds Series (which also includes Angry Birds, Angry Birds Space, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Magic) from Rovio Entertainment. After that Bad Piggies episode, not only do we have our slingshot back, but we have a Lightsaber, too! How is that not amazing?

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Posted in Mobile, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

Daily Scoop: December 10, 2012 – Go Sportsfriends!

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Well, there’s great news in the independent game community – Sportsfriends got funded! This collection, which includes the quirky Johann Sebastian Joust, was successfully funded on Kickstarter today, its last day. Don’t know anything about it? Go click on that link and be amazed!

There are a few clearance deals, including Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Game of The Year Edition for $17.91, Wii DJ Hero Renegade Edition Featuring Jay-Z and Eminem for $79.38, and Dungeon Siege III for $18.31. Not bad!

There are quite a few awesome t-shirts today, including one that I might end up purchasing…

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Gabe Newell says Steam-powered living room PC coming next year

Posted on December 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

Valve starting dropping hints about a “Steam Box” that connects to your television like a console back in April. Over the weekend, the company’s founder and CEO, Gabe Newell, confirmed to Kotaku that the device will be released next year.

“[O]ur hardware will be a very controlled environment,” he said. “If you want more flexibility, you can always buy a more general purpose PC. For people who want a more turnkey solution, that’s what some people are really gonna want for their living room.”

Making use of Steam’s Big Picture Mode, Newell wants the currently unnamed “Steam Box” to compete with next generation consoles from Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. He even hinted at the availability of different packages from several different PC manufacturers, in addition to a Steam-branded box.

I’ve said it before, but E3 2013 is going to be very interesting if even half of the rumored new consoles and innovations make an appearance.

Posted in News, PC |

PopCap is working on a Frostbite-powered AAA console game… seriously

Posted on December 10, 2012 by John Scalzo

PopCap Games, the development team behind games such as Peggle, Bejeweled, and Plants vs Zombies, is about to embark on something a bit more ambitious.

According to superannuation’s Twitter feed, the developer’s next project will be a “AAA console game” built using the Frostbite 2 engine. The Frostbite 2 engine has been used by several teams with EA Games over the last few years to create games like Battlefield 3, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, and Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

PopCap’s involvement in the “AAA console game” game comes from a job opening at the company, which also confirms that the title will include “PopCap’s signature humor and charm.”

It’s probably not going to be a first person shooter starring Snackers, but I can dream can’t I?

Posted in News |

Weekly Warp-Up: Strange Things Are Afoot At the VGAs

Posted on December 9, 2012 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…

I don’t want to say that the Spike TV Video Game Awards have finally become a good showcase for the game industry, but I think they’ve reached the point where they’re no longer an embarassing one. The two-hour runtime was still mostly filled with “World Premiere” trailers (read: commercials) and the class of celebrity they trot out usually doesn’t have much to do with gaming or geekiness, but they’re trying. Look no further than this year’s Game of the Year selection, The Walking Dead, a point-and-click adventure.

Of course, the true highlight, as always, was those “World Premiere” trailers. This year, we got our first glimpse at The Phantom Pain, an intense action game that may or may not be related to the still-shrouded-in-mystery Metal Gear Solid 5. Personally, I think the dragon we saw at the end of the trailer puts the kibosh on that theory. But you never know with Hideo Kojima.

We also got new trailers for The Last of Us, Tomb Raider, BioShock Infinite, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Gears of War: Judgment, and Halo 4’s Spartan Ops campaign. Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington made its debut in trailer form and Dark Souls II was announced to the shock of everyone.

One 2013 game that didn’t make an appearance at the show was Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. But we’re so excited for the Studio Ghibli/Level-5 mashup that we just couldn’t wait to reveal our hands-on impressions.

Hit the jump for more news from this past week, none of which happened at the Spike TV Video Game Awards.

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Posted in News |