SteinsGate will be released for PS3, Vita in US on August 25

Posted on June 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

1911868_1512706932345292_2782179389374038158_nSteinsGate is one of the most famous “visual novels” ever to be released in Japan. After successfully launching the game in Europe for the PS3 and Vita earlier this month, publisher PQube has now set their sights on America. According to the publisher, the PS3 and Vita version of SteinsGate will be released in the US on August 25.

I know what you want to ask… what if I don’t know anything about SteinsGate? And I’m glad you did, because here’s what PQube had to say about the game:

SteinsGate follows a rag-tag band of tech-savvy young students who realize they can alter the past by using a microwave coupled with a mobile phone. Their experiments into how far they can go with their discovery begin to spiral out of control as they become entangled in a conspiracy surrounding SERN, the organisation behind the Large Hadron Collider, and John Titor, a mysterious forums poster who claims to be from a dystopian future ruled by that very same organization.

Players interested in SteinsGate will be able to choose between the standard edition and the limited El Psy Kongroo Edition, which includes a 126-page art book, a two-pin badge set, an exclusive Metal Upa Replica, and a special presentation box.

If you want to get your hands on SteinsGate before anyone else, PQube will bring a playable demo of the game to the Anime Expo, which will be held this weekend, July 2 through July 5, in Los Angeles.

Posted in News, PS3, Vita | Tagged

Daily Scoop: June 29, 2015 – It’s Monday again

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Nicole Kline

Greetings, faithful Warp Zoned fans! Anthony and I spent our weekend at Too Many Games showing off three games, and the reception was amazing! I was so busy that I didn’t even get a chance to play anyone else’s games! In fact, we were chosen as the Best Developer AND the Best Game (Kobolds!) by the Caffeine Crew! We are so honored and excited.

Let’s check on the deals this week, shall we? There are new games in the Humble Weekly Sale, including a lot of collections! You can get the BioShock Triple Pack for $13.99 (which includes BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite), Spec Ops The Line and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified for $9.99, and Duke Nukem Forever and The Darkness II for $9.99.

Over at Steam, there are 102 new Weeklong Deals! Get GRAV for $13.99, The Inner World for $7.49, and episodes three and for of Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness for the ludicrously low price of $0.47. The Daily Deal is all about the Hitman franchise. Pick up the Hitman Collection, which includes a boatload of stuff, for just $7.99.

Not too many shirts today…

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Visceral’s Star Wars game is “along the same lines” as Star Wars 1313

Posted on June 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilms cruelly cut down Star Wars 1313, a mature-themed action-adventure game slated to star Boba Fett, before it had a chance to shine. But its possible the spirit of that game will live on in Visceral’s upcoming Star Wars game.

The man of many voices, Nolan North, attended MetroCon in Tampa, Floria two weeks ago and spilled a few details about the game. One of his panels (which was recorded and uploaded to YouTube) quickly veered into questions about Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and any story changes that may have occurred after Creative Director Amy Hennig left to join Visceral. North couldn’t go into details about that, but he did talk up Hennig’s contribution to her new home:

“If you’re a big fan of Amy Hennig and her style of story, she’s gone to EA and is going to reboot a brand new Star Wars franchise in the style of Uncharted. I happen to know a lot about it and it’s going to be awesome.”

Star Wars 1313 was famously reminiscent of the Uncharted franchise and an audience member even asked, “Is it Star Wars 1313?” North chuckled and replied, “it’s different,” but added, “it’s along the same lines.”

Visceral has yet to officially discuss their Star Wars game, but we know it’ll be an open-world title and will likely star Han Solo. Han Solo may not be a ruthless bounty hunter, but he was a scoundrel and a smuggler in his younger days, and a game starring the character could definitely be considered “along the same lines” as Star Wars 1313.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Ubisoft CEO says its “too early” to talk about Beyond Good & Evil 2

Posted on June 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is one of the more outspoken executives in the entire video game industry, which is why The Guardian tracked him down at the 2015 E3 Expo to ask about Beyond Good & Evil 2.

Beyond Good & Evil was released in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim and the support of a fervent fan following. In 2008, a sequel was revealed during Ubisoft’s then-annual Ubidays show, but development updates have been slow to materialize since then. Fans got their hopes up in 2011 when Ubisoft released Beyond Good & Evil HD for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but four long years passed before they got their next glimpse at the game, when developer Michel Ancel showed a piece of concept art featuring series protagonist Jade.

Upholding this tradition, Guillemot was enigmatic with The Guardian, but also encouraging. According to the CEO, the game (which he never refers to by name) is still in development, but it’s too early to talk about:

However, the Guardian met Yves Guillemot, who co-founded Ubisoft in 1986, at the E3 expo in Los Angeles, and asked directly whether Beyond Good and Evil 2 was still in development. He replied: “I can’t say the name, but there is a team working with Michel Ancel on a project that is… very interesting.”

When pressed on the connection between this new project and Beyond Good and Evil, Guillemot said: “It’s a game I’m sure you will like very much, and we can’t say more.”

Ancel previously told reporters that development began on Beyond Good & Evil 2 in 2007, so if Guillemot is telling the truth, our decade-long wait may be just the beginning.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Come to the Dark Side… and sign up for a Star Wars: Battlefront alpha test on the PC

Posted on June 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Electronic Arts has announced they will host a closed alpha test for the PC version of Star Wars: Battlefront beginning on July 2. Applications are currently being accepted at the game’s official website through tomorrow, June 30. The publisher plans to randomly select a group of testers from the applicant pool. Maybe you can use The Force to improve your odds.

Star Wars: Battlefront will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Beamdog’s Baldur’s Gate Interquel will be unveiled on July 9

Posted on June 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Beamdog is currently counting down to something on the official Baldur’s Gate website… whatever could it be? Oh right, it’s probably that Baldur’s Gate Interquel (codenamed Adventure Y) they announced back in January. As long as the countdown clock is accurate, the game’s unveiling will take place on July 9 at 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).

The Baldur’s Gate Interquel is an original game that will bridge the gap between Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition. At the very least, Beamdog is expected to announce a release date for the untitled game.

Beamdog also has a second secret project in the works. Adventure Z (AKA Project: Beartrap AKA Project: Sharktrap) will be revealed in full later this Summer.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: End of June 2015 Edition

Posted on June 28, 2015 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 this year’s E3 Expo now just a memory, we move on to the great Summer drought that takes over the video game industry every year. For further proof, just look at all the hoopla that surrounded the news that Nintendo once asked Criterion to make an F-Zero game for the Wii U. Obviously, the game never happened, but the very act of asking (all the way back in 2011, I might add) made it a big deal in these post-E3 days.

Of course, the week’s actual biggest story is that WB Games has suspended future sales of Batman: Arkham Knight‘s PC version because of a ridiculous series of performance issues and graphical glitches.

But if you miss the E3 Expo, our own Andrew Rainnie opines that a part of him Wishes Sony Had Let The Last Guardian Fade Away.

You can find a few more news stories from the week that was after the break.

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Posted in News |

New Releases: J-Stars Victory Vs+, BlazBlue Chronophantasma, GTA San Andreas, More

Posted on June 28, 2015 by John Scalzo

grandtheftautosanandreas-logoRemember a year ago when Rockstar inexplicably added an Xbox 360 edition of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to the Xbox Games Store to celebrate its tenth anniversary? Now the publisher has decided to inexplicably publish a retail disc version… and it’s coming out this week! It’s been a slow Summer season, so sure, why not?

Also available this week are a trio of Japanese imports…

  • J-Stars Victory Vs+ (PS3, PS4), a crossover fighting game that features characters from Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece, and more.
  • BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Extend (PS3, PS4, Xbox One), the latest update to the popular fighting game (and first on current-generation consoles) from Arc System Works.
  • HyperDimension Neptunia ReBirth 3: V Generation (Vita), a handheld port of Idea Factory’s third JRPG parody of the video game industry.

If none of these games interests you, remember that the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop will receive a few new titles this week as well.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,