Gauntlet returns as a PC-exclusive this Summer

Posted on March 17, 2014 by John Scalzo

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment plans to reboot another popular Midway franchise this Summer with the release of Gauntlet. In development at Arrowhead Game Studios exclusively for the PC, Gauntlet will bring back the top-down dungeon-crawler in the most faithful way possible:

Gauntlet innovates on past titles while staying true to the brand’s legendary format. Players select from four classic fantasy-based characters: Warrior, Wizard, Valkyrie, or Elf. Each character has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Warrior does the most damage in melee combat, the Wizard has the most powerful magic, the Valkyrie has the most armor and the Elf moves the fastest. Distinctive play styles, procedural dungeons and an impressive art style keep the gameplay fresh.

Gauntlet will include a local or online four-player multiplayer mode as well as support for SteamOS and the Steam Controller. If you’re in San Francisco for the 2014 Game Developers Conference, WB Games and Arrowhead will have a playable version of the game on display at the convention all week.

Finally, we can expect more classic reboots from WB Games in the near future as Gauntlet will mark the first release from the WB Games Vault, which will reimagine “popular Warner Bros. and Midway brands” as brand new downloadable games. I hereby request a new Smash TV, please!

Posted in News, PC | Tagged ,

Here’s what the Steam Controller looks like as of March 2014

Posted on March 17, 2014 by John Scalzo

steamcontroller-march2014Valve revealed the first version of their Steam Controller back in September and the company’s initial vision for a PC controller featured a few unorthodox choices, such as a touchpad instead of face buttons. After undergoing a beta test in late 2013, Valve dropped the touchpad and added face buttons in a new version of the controller that debuted during the Steam Dev Days convention in January. And now, the papier-mache mockup is a real controller, as you can see to your right.

Valve plans to let developers and the media play with the prototype during this year’s Game Developers Conference, which begins today in San Francisco. And don’t go thinking this is the final, Valve’s Eric “Axiom” Hope said, “We will be posting more updates very soon about the continuing testing, development, and refinement of the controller.”

[Source: Steam Universe]

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Snowmapocalypseageddon 2014 Edition

Posted on March 16, 2014 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…

After being blanketed by nearly two feet of snow on Wednesday, my little corner of the northeast is almost completely snow-free this Sunday morning. Weather is werd. Thankfully, there were plenty of games to talk about this week as Mike Ryan reviewed the second episode of Telltale’s new Walking Dead series, The Walking Dead Season 2: A House Divided. And Nicole Kline tackled the final release in Level-5’s “Guild01” series, Weapon Shop De Omasse.

And over in Hollywoodland, Andrew Rainnie is once again musing about the Uncharted movie. This time he looks at 10 Actors We Think Could Play Victor “Sully” Sullivan in the Uncharted Movie.

More news from the week that was can be found after the break.

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Posted in News |

New Releases: MGS5: Ground Zeroes, InFamous: Second Son, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, More

Posted on March 16, 2014 by John Scalzo

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TitanFall made a huge splash last week, but a new set of publishers are ready to compete for your gaming dollar this week with a new set of games. Are you ready? Here we go…

Konami and Kojima Productions will release Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes for next-generation consoles (PS4 and Xbox One) and current-generation consoles (PS3 and Xbox 360) this week. The game will serve as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which does not currently have a release date, and will serve as an introduction to the franchise’s brand new open world mechanics.

Also available this week is the next major PS4 exclsuive from Sony, InFamous: Second Son. With Second Son, the InFamous series gains a new protagonist and a new city to wreak havoc in. And speaking of havoc, Tecmo Koei will release Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, a wild collaboration between Team Ninja, Spark Unlimited, and Keiji Inafune’s Comcept, for the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week.

Finally, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will bring the beloved pair of games to the PS3 and Vita this week. It will be joined the week’s lone Wii U release, the kart racing game Hello Kitty Kruisers.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , ,

A new trailer explores the combat and narrative of Hyper Light Drifter

Posted on March 15, 2014 by John Scalzo

A new trailer for Hyper Light Drifter has been posted to the PlayStation Blog along with more details about the game’s combat system and narrative style.

On the topic of combat, developer Alex Preston had this to say about how enemies will attack The Drifter:

Creating intelligent and tactical scenarios with enemies is key, rather than stacking cannon fodder that waits gleefully in line to get their heads chopped off. Some enemies dodge projectiles, others deflect attacks, some (the poison wolves) attack you and vulnerable enemies as a pack. We even have enemies that command weaker types in order to gain an advantage. Each encounter should feel different, and remain challenging.

And for the narrative, Preston will attempt to tell the story of Hyper Light Drifter using no dialogue:

We are wary of endless blocks of text, poorly designed UI, and explicit hand­holding, which can often dilute a great experience. These leave a player frustrated, or worse, disinterested. Instead, we want players to uncover the rich mythology along with the Drifter in a more organic way, with a narrative that’s not explicit. We chose to recognize that players are smart.

Dialogue and quests are presented in storyboard­like sequences, which convey a specific mood without the use of text or voice­overs. This also allows us to keep the game as visually lush as possible and break past language barriers.

If you’re interested in one of the most interesting Kickstarter success stories of 2013, the remainder of the PlayStation Blog post is a recommended read. Hyper Light Drifter will be available for PC platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) by the end of the year with PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Ouya versions coming later.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U | Tagged

Creative Assembly makes the Alien scary again in Alien: Isolation

Posted on March 14, 2014 by John Scalzo

In a new developer diary, Al Hope, the Creative Director at Creative Assembly, details his team’s goal for your extraterrestrial adversary in Alien: Isolation: “We wanted to make the Alien scary again.” Hope will attempt to make good on his promise by creating a Xenomorph that is unpredictable and very scary. Gary Napper, one of the game’s designers, laid it all out for us:

“Depending on how cautious players are, we’ve seen encounters in Alien: Isolation last over 30 minutes in some cases. And this just can’t be done with scripted behavior. As soon as the player can predict a pattern in the Alien, it stops being scary. It doesn’t follow any prescribed path or set of behaviors that are telling it to do specific things. It’s just reacting to the player’s presence and the choices that the player makes.”

We’ve heard these kinds of promises before in relation to a game based on the Alien films. But the atmosphere and mood that Hope, Napper, and the rest of the Creative Assembly team have packed into this video’s few minutes is incredible. They deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Alien: Isolation will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One towards the end of the year.

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

Daily Scoop: March 14, 2014 – Yoshi’s New Island!

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Nicole Kline

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty excited to throw some eggs in Yoshi’s New Island this weekend! I just finished up the original not long ago – mainly because Anthony Amato told me it was one of his favorite games and that I just had to play it. So I’m really in the zone!

There’s a new bundle over at Indie Royale – the Debut 11 Bundle. It’s got Spice Road, 8-Bit Commando, Project Night, Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends, Tropical Stormfront, Trap Them, KarBOOM, and 99 Waves to Die, all for whatever the current minimum is.

There are a couple of new game deals happening over at the Humble Store. KickBeat is $7.49, Doorways: Chapters 1&2 is $2.49, and Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse is $19.99.

Finally, there’s a new Weekend Deal at Steam, as well as a new Daily Deal. The Kalypso Strategy Pack is happening all weekend, loaded with awesome sales. The Daily Deal is amazing as well – it’s Counter Strike: Global Offensive for just $3.74. Scoop ’em up!

I know you’ll be excited about these t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Crazy Taxi: City Rush will collect fares on mobile platforms this year

Posted on March 14, 2014 by John Scalzo

Sega’s unforgettable Crazy Taxi franchise will return later this year… but not in the way you’d expect. Hardlight Studios, Sega’s premier mobile development team, has joined forces with Kenji Kanno, the developer of the original Crazy Taxi arcade cabinet, to create Crazy Taxi: City Rush, a new entry in the series developed exclusively for iOS and Android devices.

“I’m very excited to finally be able to share with you the first news of Crazy Taxi: City Rush,” Kanno said. “We are delivering a truly fun game that captures everything our fans love about the original and infusing it with several new features to create an even more fantastic and memorable experience.”

In City Rush, players will swipe to change lanes in an all-new city setting. Our first introduction to the game, courtesy of a handful of screenshots, can be viewed at the Sega Blog:

Crazy Taxi: City Rush will launch with a wide variety of adrenaline-fueled missions, wild challenges – and unique areas to unlock, explore, and master as you progress through the campaign. Customize your cab to increase its power and visual appeal with a wide variety of over-the-top upgrades. Take your friends for a ride and blaze a trail through the city, sidewalks, and alleyways for special rewards.

Sega has “soft launched” Crazy Taxi: City Rush in several regions across the globe as a free-to-play title with a worldwide launch scheduled for later this year. In the meantime, Sega is giving players a free ride in the original Crazy Taxi. For a limited time, The game is available as a free download on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Posted in Mobile, News |