Daily Scoop: November 1, 2012 – After the Rain

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Hurricane Sandy sure left the East Coast in a daze. Philadelphia didn’t get too much damage – a few downed trees here and there – but all in all, we’re OK. My boyfriend and I had two days off, so we just played a boatload of Borderlands 2, watched some Venture Bros, and did some cleaning. It was pretty fantastic.

Oh, and speaking of Venture Bros, we were Hank and Dean for Halloween – pictures forthcoming.

Not a lot of deals going on today. There are some pre-order bonuses being advertised at Amazon, like Raul Mendez’s backstory and the new Nuketown map when you pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops II, or the customizable “Web” armor skin for Halo 4. Oh, and they’re also having a $50 sale on select Xbox 360 consoles, including the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 bundle. Scoop ’em up!

There are a couple of good t-shirts out there:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Nintendo’s Wii U advertising campaign begins in US

Posted on November 1, 2012 by John Scalzo

We’ve already had a look at how Nintendo plans to advertise the Wii U in the United Kingdom. But today, the consolemaker has unveiled the commercial that American audiences will soon see on their TV screens.

I think the idea we’re supposed to take away from this is that the Wii U is futuristic… like Jetsons style.

Posted in News, Wii U |

Nintendo Download: Freakyforms Deluxe, 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, more

Posted on November 1, 2012 by John Scalzo

Today’s Thursday and that means another round of Nintendo downloads:

2 Fast 4 Gnomz (3DS eShop) – Four brave gnomes venture on a journey so epic, they don’t even know where they’re going. Join Bumb, Berzerk, Speedster and Uncle Time as they run, fly, bounce, glide and break their way through the magical lands of Gnomia to reach their mysterious destiny.

Spot It! Mean Machines (DSiWare) – In “Spot It! Mean Machines”, players race the clock to find the hidden objects in cleverly arranged scenes. The puzzles are based on the popular “Spot-It!” book series published by Capstone Press. See how many objects you can spot in 10 different puzzles. Vibrant graphics make spotting objects fun and challenging.

Cake Ninja 2 (DSiWare) – Slice and dice cakes.

Nintendo also plans to add Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! to the 3DS eShop (and retail store shelves) on Monday, November 5…

Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive! (3DS eShop) – Create wacky creatures called “formees” and bring them to life on your Nintendo 3DS system to populate your very own planet. Choose from more than 600 different forms to complete your creation. The choices you make will determine what abilities your formee will have and how it will move around the world.

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Warpback: What We Played in October 2012

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Warp Zoned Staff

Well, it’s been an exciting month for Warp Zoned! It looks like we’ve been splitting our time between old games, new games, and all the game we can possibly download. The two big winners seem to be Borderlands 2 and Zombie Driver HD. But there was also some bug killing, some Pokemon collecting, and some compulsive building as well. Hit the jump to find out how a trio of Warp Zoned staffers spent their gaming time during this lovely month.

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

Supermassive says Happy Halloween with a new Until Dawn trailer

Posted on October 31, 2012 by John Scalzo

For all its rustic charm, a run-down “cabin in the woods” is definitely one of the most exciting places in the entire horror genre. From Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s recent film of the same name to the Sam Raimi-produced Evil Dead reboot, everyone is getting their own place among the trees.

Supermassive Games is attemtping to bring the “cabin in the woods” genre to gamers with their PlayStation Move-exclsuive title, Until Dawn. And we’re in for a treat as the developer has unveiled a special Halloween teaser trailer for the game:

Until Dawn puts you in control of eight teenagers, stranded in a remote location, under threat, and trying with all their might to survive ’til sunrise. When your friends are in danger, will you do everything you can to save them, or will you do nothing and watch them die?

Until Dawn is scheduled for a 2013 release.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Peter Moore wants to embrace used games and the gamers who buy them

Posted on October 31, 2012 by John Scalzo

After hearing all of these developers and executives badmouth the very idea of used games, it’s refreshing to find one that realizes they’re an important part of the industry.

In an interview with Wired, EA’s Chief Operating Officer, Peter Moore, laid down the case for why used games are ultimately good for a publisher’s bottom line:

“Used games were a bigger issue for the industry – I wasn’t resigned to it, but I recognised that it was the right of gamers and the right of our retailer.”

“Our job is to take that consumer and say, you’ve got a used game consumer and embrace that guy rather than shun him and say ‘no, not a penny of what we spent on this we get from you.'”

Moore would go on to point to the robust sales of FIFA 12 and FIFA 13‘s DLC expansions as a way to engage a consumer who may have come to a game through a used game shop like GameStop. So while his motives aren’t entirely pure, it’s nice to know that killing the used game is not on his radar screen… yet.

Posted in News |

XBLA Today: Pid, Pool Nation

Posted on October 31, 2012 by John Scalzo

Two new games have been added to the Xbox Live Arcade today, though neither one seems particularly frightening on this All Hallows Eve…

Pid is a puzzle platformer where young Kurt must use his “gravity-defying beams” to save the day:

A young boy named Kurt finds himself stranded on a peculiar planet, and he must find his way home. Finding help from unlikely allies and the curious tools in his backpack, Kurt must use gravity-defying beams to conquer every platform and solve every puzzle on this strange journey. Featuring over 12 hours of action-adventure gameplay and fully-realized co-op, players are poised to experience a beautiful world set to an evocative soundtrack. With twenty-two different locations, dozens of foes and hundreds of secrets, Pid is like your world… only different.

Meanwhile, Pool Nation is being touted as “the ultimate pixel-perfect pool game for Xbox.” Which is pretty impressive as I don’t think the graphics use pixels at all:

Pool Nation is the ultimate pixel-perfect pool game for Xbox, featuring photo-realistic graphics, real-world physics, and a wealth of game modes and rule sets. Slow down and rewind time with the unique replay system which lets you review the action close up. Take on skilled virtual opponents in the extensive career modes, unlocking new balls, locations, and cues. Play other users around the world on Xbox Live, with single matches and tournaments. Get hooked on the insanely challenging Endurance mode, a frantic pot-against-the clock game which will keep you coming back for more. Share your times, scores and Achievements with friends, family and the world through Facebook.

Both Pid and Pool Nation have been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

Kickstart This! The Fourth Dimension

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

For the fourth edition of Kickstart This! I thought I would shake things up a bit and expand the scope of our critical gaze to encompass more than just game projects seeking your support. To that end we turn our eyes toward the enhanced Evil Controllers for Xbox 360, webseries My Life as a Video Game, and also a campaign to help keep the TD Gaming Podcast on the airwaves (or bandwidth).

However, never fear, we have also examined some excellent new games in development that need your backing. There is top-down arena combat title Forced, Risk-esque conquest game Ninja Army, futuristic racer Distance, and last, but by no means least, the gorgeous cutesy world of MaK.

Money at the ready.

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Posted in Features, Top Story |