Daily Scoop: June 15, 2015 – E3 is upon us!

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Nicole Kline

It’s one of the most exciting weeks in video gaming – E3!! So much information is already pouring in, and it hasn’t even really begun yet. Stay tuned to Warp Zoned for tons of news all week!

Humble Bundle has a sweet E3 Digital Ticket deal happening right now! Pay what you want for WildStar Standard Edition, Warframe 7-Day Credit and Affinity Booster Packs, Ghost Recon Phantoms E3 Avatar and Starter Packs, Twitch Turbo 30-Day Subscription, World of Warships Closed Beta Key, Magicka Wizard Wars Exclusive Staff and Blade, Psychonauts (includes a coupon for 30% off Grim Fandango), Payday 2 Electarodent and Titan Masks, Company of Heroes, Age of Empires II HD Edition, Smite Loki Pack and Xbox One Closed Beta Key, and a coupon for 10% off at the Humble Store. Beat the average to unlock Medieval II: Total War plus a coupon for 25% off Total War: Attila, guaranteed beta access to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, and Cities in Motion 2 plus a coupon for 10% off Paradox Games. Finally, pay the average plus $2 to get Payday 2. Whew. That’s a ton of stuff!

The Steam sale is still going strong. Pick up Dishonored for $4.99, early access to The Long Dark for $9.99, Dragon Age Origins for $6.59, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for $1.49, and the ludicrously fun Gang Beasts for $13.39, among tons of other great games.

No day would be complete without t-shirts to buy!

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Get your first look at Gears of War 4, which will be available Fall 2016

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

Microsoft gave fans their first look at Gears of War 4 during their E3 Press Conference. In development at The Coalition under the guidance of Rod Fergusson, the nearly seven-minute gameplay trailer embedded above introduces us to two new characters, JD and his unnamed female partner. They’re looking for something… before they’re attacked by something… and then they find something (which turns out to be slimy pods)… before the something from before comes back to bite them with its many teeth.

Aside from all the somethings, what we do know is that Gears of War 4 will feature incredible graphics and an arsenal brimming with fan-favorites (the chainsaw-equipped Lancer, the Snub Pistol, and the Gnasher Shotgun).

I wish I could say more, but the trailer is very dark and very mysterious. Which makes sense when you realize that Gears of War 4’s Fall 2016 release is still a year-and-a-half away.

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Rare Replay collects 30 classic games including Battletoads, Perfect Dark, a lot more

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

Rare has produced a huge number of classics over the years, beginning with their first game, Jetpac, in 1983. That title lead to dozens of others over the next 30 years including R.C. Pro Am, Battletoads, Killer Instinct Gold, Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie, and many others. Rare has developed for it all, but now, nearly their entire history will be collected in one place.

Rare Replay, which will be released exclusively for the Xbox One on August 4, will compile 30 games developed by Rare for the low, low price of $30. It won’t include games that Rare created while under contract with Nintendo such as GoldenEye and Donkey Kong Country, but the number of games it will include is pretty staggering. Even Rare’s Xbox 360 games will be part of Rare Replay.

Boasting more than “700 hours of gameplay” (clearly, this number doesn’t take the Battletoads “Turbo Tunnel” into account) and Achievements worth 10,000 Gamerscore, Rare Replay will keep any gamer busy for a long time.

So just what will the collection include? A complete list can be found after the break.

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New trailer confirms Gigantic beta for PC/Xbox One will begin in August

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

Motiga has announced that a multiplayer beta test for Gigantic will take place this August. Gigantic is in development for Windows 10 PCs and the Xbox One and the team is looking for testers on both platforms. You can sign up for a chance to join the closed beta test at GoGigantic.com.

Motiga also released a new trailer, during Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference, that shows off many of the unique personalities available in their 5v5 team-based action game (Motiga hates it when you call it a MOBA). And with 16 different characters to choose from, Motiga is hoping to create enough options to fit every player’s style. If you prefer to go in guns blazing, you can. But if you’d rather hang back and set traps, you can do that too. The developer wants players to feel like the choice is theirs.

The full version of Gigantic should be available for the PC and Xbox One sometime later this year.

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Fullbright’s followup to Gone Home, Tacoma, is coming to the Xbox One

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

Fullbright has announced that Tacoma, their followup to the critically-acclaimed Gone Home, will be released for the PC and Xbox One in 2016. Like Gone Home, Tacoma is all about exploration. But instead of a Clinton-era suburban home, Tacoma takes place 200,000 miles from Earth inside a massive space station:

Discovery. Exploration. Isolation. What is life like 200,000 miles from Earth? Uncover the mysteries held by Lunar Transfer Station Tacoma and its crew, living at the edge of humanity’s reach.

According to Microsoft, Tacoma will be released for the Xbox One “first,” implying it’ll come to other platforms later. So don’t despair if you don’t own a capable gaming PC or an Xbox One, you’ll eventually get your chance to play it.

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The Walking Dead: Michonne continues the story of Season 2 this Fall

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

walkingdeadmichonne-header

During today’s Pre-E3 festivities, Telltale Games announced that The Walking Dead Season 2 isn’t over. Players will be able to continue their adventures within Robert Kirkman’s zombie-plagued world with The Walking Dead: Michonne, a three-episode miniseries that will begin this Fall:

The Walking Dead: Michonne stars the iconic character from the comic book series haunted by her past and coping with unimaginable loss and regret. The story explores her untold journey during the time between issues #126 and #139. Through this Telltale Games mini-series of 3 episodes, players will discover what took Michonne away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of her trusted group… and what brought her back.

“In many ways, Michonne herself is a reflection of the world of The Walking Dead. She is brutal and cold on the outside, but deep beneath what is broken, she remains hopeful, trying to claw her way out of the darkness that surrounds her,” said Kirkman. “In our effort to bring the world of the comic and the world of the Telltale series closer together, there is no greater character than Michonne to help bridge that gap.”

The Walking Dead: Michonne will serve as an expansion to The Walking Season 2, so players will have to own the first episode of Season 2 to play Michonne. But if that’s not too big a hurdle, you’ll be able to purchase the first episode this Fall for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, or compatible mobile devices (iOS and Android).

And don’t forget, Telltale is hard at work on The Walking Dead Season 3, but it likely won’t be released for a long time.

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Download playable demos for upcoming Wii U “Nindies” all this week

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

nindiesathome-e32015While very few civilians get to attend the E3 Expo, Nintendo is doing their best to bring the big show to their fans.

In addition to the Super Mario Maker demo kiosks that will be available at Best Buy this week, Nintendo has also made demos of nine upcoming “Nindies” available to download through the Wii U eShop.

Here’s a complete rundown of all nine games, many of which qualified for our Best of PAX East 2015 list:

Extreme Exorcism
Publisher/Developer: Ripstone
Scheduled Launch: Summer 2015
In this paranormal Wii U platformer, every move players make comes back to haunt them. After each round players survive, a ghost will appear to mimic their every move from the round before. The longer a player survives, the more extreme the game becomes. The game offers 20 ghostbusting weapons, 50 challenges and co-op or deathmatch battles for up to four friends.

Forma.8
Publisher/Developer: Mixed Bag
Scheduled Launch: Fall 2015
In a distant future, the small exploration probe Forma.8 is stranded alone on the surface of an alien planet. Players must explore a huge open world to help the probe acquire 10 different power-ups and recover a powerful energy source deep under the surface. The game includes an area exclusive to the Wii U version.

Freedom Planet
Publisher/Developer: GalaxyTrail
Scheduled Launch: August 2015
Players fight their way across the celestial world of Avalice, where cats are green, motorcycles drive up walls and monster girls do most of the butt kicking. This cartoony, combat-based platform Wii U adventure pits a spunky dragonoid and her friends against an alien attack force.

Lovely Planet
Publisher/Developer: Tinybuild and QuickTequila
Scheduled Launch: December 2015
This first-person shooter gun ballet for Wii U is set in a cutesy abstract world. Players jump and shoot their way through five worlds full of treacherous enemies with your trusty semi-automatic. The game offers 100 levels to master and five worlds to discover, with multiple secrets hidden deep within each world.

Mutant Mudds Super Challenge
Publisher/Developer: Renegade Kid
Scheduled Launch: Summer 2015
This platformer picks up right where the original Mutant Mudds left off. The game, which is exclusive to the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, includes 40 new dimension-bending levels and epic boss fights designed for super players.

Rive
Publisher/Developer: Two Tribes
Scheduled Launch: November 2015
This metal-wrecking, robot-hacking Wii U shooter combines old-school gaming values in a new-school execution. With intense 360-degree shooting and platforming action, players learn to alter the behavior of their robotic enemies by collecting and uploading hacks.

Runbow
Publisher/Developer: 13AM Games
Scheduled Launch: Summer 2015
Up to nine players can join in the colorful chaos in this Nintendo eShop exclusive. The world transforms before players’ eyes with each swipe of color, so think fast to stay alive. Go head to head in Run, Arena and King of the Hill, or play as the ColorMaster and manipulate the environment on the Wii U GamePad controller. Players can take on challenges alone or with friends in Runbow’s Adventure Mode. The full game also features guest characters from other Nintendo eShop titles.

Soul Axiom
Publisher/Developer: Wales Interactive
Scheduled Launch: December 2015
Soul Axiom is a haunting cyber-thriller, combining elements of exploration and puzzle solving with a compelling storyline. In first-person, the player will explore more than 40 unique locations, using powers to interact with cryptic logic puzzles and making psychological decisions to unlock the secrets of your identity, your story, your mystery.

Typoman
Publisher/Developer: Headup Games and Brainseed Factory
Scheduled Launch: Summer 2015
Change Words, Change Worlds! Typoman is a two-dimensional puzzle platformer distinguished by a unique game world. Be the HERO and set out on the journey to become whole and gain the powers you need to defeat the giant evil demon that rules the world you are trapped in.

The demos are available to download now, but act fast, they’ll be pulled from the Wii U eShop on Monday, June 22 at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time). Wii U owners will also receive a 15% discount on the full version of any demo they download when its released later this year.

Trailers for all nine titles can be found after the break.

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Rev up that chainsaw and be sure to watch Doom’s 20-minute debut

Posted on June 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

Bethesda pulled off their first-ever E3 Press Conference without a hitch last night, and while Fallout 4 was clearly the highlight of the evening for most folks, I was on the edge of my seat during the debut of Doom.

The Doomguy (or Doomgirl, we never see the character’s face) can jump, climb, perform “finishing moves,” and plug a dozen shotgun shells into a demon’s face. OK, the character could always do that last one, but the other three are brand new and they look great. Of course, it wouldn’t be Doom without Shotguns, Super Shotguns, Imps, Pinky, Revenants, Zombie Soldiers, exploding barrels, ridiculous gibs, and so much more. And they’re all present and accounted for. The gameplay video embedded above is full of moments that will make fans ooh and aah, but it never feels like fan service.

Executive Producer Marty Stratton also gives fans a look at Doom SnapMap, an editing tool that will allow players to create their own maps and customized game modes. It looks very easy to use while offering a ton of complexity.

Doom will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Spring.

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