The Games of December 2014

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Warp Zoned Staff

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The year rolls to a close this month with a handful of new games and the promise of an absolutely massive 2015. December’s release calendar may not typically be packed with the kinds of games that get gamers chattering, but there a few standouts will be available on store shelves (and digital store shelves) over the next 31 days. Games like Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which more than a few members of the Warp Zoned staff have their eyes on. What else are we looking forward to? Read on to find out…

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

Daily Scoop: December 2, 2014 – Still can’t believe it’s December already

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Nicole Kline

This year has flown by way too fast, and I’m kind of in denial that it’s December already. Christmas is in 23 days? It’s almost 2015? Seriously what is happening here??? I need like another month. Slow down, time!

There are a couple of sales happening at the Humble Store right now. You can get Albedo: Tales from Outer Space for $5.99, Blades of Time – Limited Edition for $19.49, and Aliens: Colonial Marines for $2.99.

The Midweek Madness over at Steam is the Red Faction Collection, which is $8.99. You can also buy the individual pieces on sale if you want, but why would you do that? Of course you want the whole thing! Just gift out the pieces you already have. The Daily Deal is Star Wars Empire at War: Gold Pack, which is on sale for $6.80.

I found four video game shirts today – hit the jump to check them out!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Insert Quarter: Unreleased Games and the People Who Trade Them

Posted on December 2, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

Unreleased games will always be of interest to gamers. Who among us wouldn’t be interested in Nintendo’s 64DD version of Mother 3 or Free Radical’s late, lamented Star Wars: Battlefront 3. But these games have managed to live on thanks to a shadowy network of collectors and archivists who trade and preserve the neglected pieces of gaming history. Kotaku UK’s Leon Hurley sought out some of these amateur historians to get the complete story on the trading of unreleased games:

You’ve probably seen videos of unannounced or cancelled games. Not necessarily the older retro stuff, but more recent things like Star Wars Battlefront 3 or Stranglehold 2. Did you know there’s a keen, and occasionally zealous, culture of collectors and traders passing these things around?

[…]

There are many levels to all this. Some simply collect and play the games, others code and and hack, extracting fresh info from old files or reinstating missing features. There’s even a community quite happily extracting and modding Halo maps. For others it’s about preserving the often transient world of video game history.

The full article is available at Kotaku UK.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Insert Quarter, Mobile, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Peggle Blast launches on mobile devices today

Posted on December 2, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Electronic Arts has announced that Peggle Blast, the first Peggle game built exclusively for mobile devices, is now available to download from the iTunes App Store and the Google Play store. In addition to a brand new vertical screen orientation, Peggle Blast will add a handful of new features to the franchise’s formula. At least, that’s the line that the EA Blog is selling:

1. Ready, Aim, Pop!: Easy to learn, fun to master – each level challenges you to clear all the orange pegs, rack up bonus points, and hit style shots. Earn at least one star on each round to progress to the next level.
2. Meet the Masters: In Peggle Blast, you progress through the magical Peggle world, meeting new Peggle masters along the way. Old favorites like Bjorn the Unicorn join a whole new cast of playful masters including Kablooey the Peacock and Pearl the Octopus, who are here to help you aim for greatness!
3. Devious New Challenges: Gooped pegs, time bombs, and Gnomes are all-new challenges in Peggle Blast! You’ll have to learn new techniques to overcome these obstacles.
4. Explosive Boosts: Brand-new boosts give players even more ways to spread joy – from the Egg Net and Ring of Fire, to Extra Balls and the Super Guide, peg-blasters have never had so many options!
5. Anytime, Anywhere: Peggle Blast is the first Peggle game built from the ground up for mobile. Whether you’re looking for an intense marathon session on your couch or a quick hit of fun while standing in line, it’s never been easier to get Peggleicious!

That said, it won’t cost anything to buy into their ideas as Peggle Blast has been released as a free-to-play game. But if you need additional convincing, you can find the game’s launch trailer after the break.

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Posted in Mobile, News |

First episode of Resident Evil Revelations 2 will launch on February 17

Posted on December 2, 2014 by John Scalzo

Capcom has released a new trailer for Resident Evil Revelations 2 that gives us our first look at the game’s second playable character (former STARS officer Barry Burton) and its release date. Or rather, release dates, as Revelations 2 will be released episodically before getting a retail disc compilation:

He’s back! Fan favorite and classic STARS member Barry Burton will be returning in Resident Evil Revelations 2. Headed for the remote prison island in search of his missing daughter, Moira Burton, Barry meets brand new character Natalia Korda, a little girl who has a strange power that allows her to sense enemies and hidden items. Using this skill alongside Barry’s proven combat abilities, players will need to alternate between the two to survive the mysterious island and find Moira.

The first episode will be available on February 17, 2015 for PS3 and PS4 owners in America. PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One owners (as well as PlayStation users in Europe) will get it a day later. Four episodes will be released in total with a new episode scheduled to launch every week thereafter until March 10. Each episode has been priced at $5.99 apiece, but a Complete Season pass will also be available for $24.99.

The Complete Season pass includes all four main episodes as well as two spinoff episodes focusing on Barry Burton’s daughter Moira Burton and the mysterious Natalia Korda. Everybody’s favorite Umbrella employee, Hunk, will also be included in the game’s Raid Mode. If you opt for the retail disc version, you’ll receive all that as well as four alternate costumes, the option to play as Albert Wesker in Raid Mode, and the Raid More Throwback Stage Pack.

Not surprisingly, the retail disc version will be released on March 10 as well.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Daily Scoop: December 1, 2014 – Return from break

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Nicole Kline

The break is over, and I survived both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I only bought a handful of games on sale, which I’ll probably get to some time in 2015. How about you, readers? What did you pick up this weekend?

There are plenty of deals today, especially at Humble! The Flash Bundle is Paradox Interactive Giving Tuesday with charity: water. Pay what you want for two copies of War of the Roses: Kingmaker, March of the Eagles, Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game, and Sword of the Stars II: Enhanced Edition. Beat the average to get Cities in Motion 2 and Warlock: Master of the Arcane. Pay $16 or more to unlock Crusader Kings II, plus the Russian and Norse Unit Packs.

There’s also a new Humble Weekly Bundle, which is Zen Studios 2. Pay what you want for Pinball FX2 – Star Wars Pinball: Balance of the Force Pack, Pinball FX2 – Excalibur Table, Pinball FX2 – Mars Table, Pinball FX2 – Doctor Strange Table, Pinball FX2 – Captain America Table, and Pinball FX2 – Civil War Table. Pay $6 or more to unlock Pinball FX2 – Deadpool Table, Pinball FX2 – Marvel Pinball Vengeance and Virtue Pack, and Pinball FX2 – Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within Pack. That is a buttload of Pinball!

There are loads of deals at Steam right now, including Child of Light for $5.99, Alien: Isolation for $24.99, Tomb Raider for $3.99, and many, many more. In addition, there’s a brand new Indie Royale bundle – this one is called the Mystery 2 Bundle. Beat the average to get Dreaming Sarah, Vanguard Princess, Steel & Steam, C-Rush, Grimind, and Rhythm Destruction. More games will be added soon.

Finally, let’s check out today’s t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Threes creator will bring Close Castles to PS4 in 2015

Posted on December 1, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Asher Vollmer, the creator of the mobile game sensation Threes, has announced that his next game, Close Castles, will be released for the PS4 in 2015. According to the developer, Close Castles is a real-time strategy game for people who hate real-time strategy games:

The premise of Close Castles is simple: You and your greatest rival have built your castles WAY too close to each other. Your job is to build up your kingdom (despite the cramped quarters) while simultaneously sending out your loyal citizens to tear down the enemy’s vulnerable castle. We plan to have an amazing, harrowing story that somehow justifies the fact that all these castles were built in such proximity.

You can read a bit more about how to play Close Castles (as well as Vollmer’s deep-seated hatred for RTSs) at the PlayStation Blog. And if you plan to attend the PlayStation Experience this weekend in Las Vegas, you’ll be able to play Close Castles for yourself.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged ,

Warpback: What We Played in November 2014

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Warp Zoned Staff

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November is always a big month for new game releases and the Warp Zoned staff dove in face first, trying our hands at games such as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, LittleBigPlanet 3, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, and the Evolve “Big Alpha.” And, of course, there’s the October spillover and our gigantic backlogs to consider. Want to join our conversation? Then I suggest you take a gander at everything we played after the break.

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Posted in Features, Top Story |