Weekly Warp-Up: Surreal Edition

Posted on March 18, 2012 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…

Maybe Mass Effect 3 really is the first sci-fi epic from the video game industry? It certainly brings out the crazy in its fans the way Episode I, Kingdom of the Crystal Skill, and Alien 3 do in theirs. It’s gotten so bad that our staff discussion about the game’s “From Ashes” DLC in The Good, The Bad and The Day One DLC has been completely overshadowed by the controversy over the ending.

But for all the people who have claimed March as Mass Effect month, the Silent Hill franchise has staked out an even bigger portion of the calendar. So with three news games in the series now (or soon to be) in stores, we take a look at Silent Hill: The Terror Engine, an academic analysis of the series that will definitely make you look at Pyramid Head in a new light.

And we’ve got more of the biggest stories of the week after the break.

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Posted in News |

PBS thinks Super Mario Bros. is a surreal work of art

Posted on March 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

PBS launched their latest online venture, the PBS Idea Channel, on Wednesday. Hosted by Mike Rugnetta, the channel attempts to answer all those crazy questions you get in your head. And believe it or not, the debut question was “Is Super Mario Bros. a piece of surrealist artwork?”

Rugnetta makes the point that when viewed from outside the influence of the series, a flower that lets you spit fire after you eat it, giant walking mushrooms, and a dinosaur that lays eggs is just INSANE! Except, it’s not…

“Spitting” fire was just a euphemism we kids came up with in the 80s. The canon depiction of a Fire Flower has always shown Mario throwing fireballs after touching it. Weird sure, but not as weird as Rugnetta wants to claim. Goombas (and other made up species that the host cites like the Hammer Bros. and Latiku) can be traced back to the zaniness found in Looney Tunes cartoons and Dr. Seuss books. I mean, is a Goomba all that different from The Lorax? As for Yoshi and his egg-laying, well, dinosaurs do lay eggs! It was even a major plot point in Jurassic Park.

Rugnetta does make one good point, and that is that surrealism is everywhere nowadays. Mario is a bit surreal, but most of the weirdness in the Mushroom Kingdom makes perfect sense… except for Birdo.

Posted in Etcetera, News | Tagged

New Releases: Kid Icarus Uprising, Ninja Gaiden 3, RE Operation Raccoon City, More

Posted on March 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

It’s taken more than 20 years, but Pit is finally back in Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS. Hallelujah! (Cause he’s an angel, get it?).

Also available this week is Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden 3 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It’s the first game in the series without input from former studio head Tomonobu Itagaki and it comes with a sweet Dead or Alive 5 demo.

Rounding out the rest of the new releases is Capcom’s multiplayer shooter, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PS3, Xbox 360); From Software’s next Armored Core, Armored Core V (PS3, Xbox 360); and Konami’s compilation of the second and third Silent Hill games, the Silent Hill HD Collection (PS3, Xbox 360).

A complete list of this week’s new releases, including a Kinect game starring Pixar’s greatest characters, can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

Portal 2 wins “Best Game” at 2012 BAFTAs

Posted on March 17, 2012 by John Scalzo

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts handed out the 2012 BAFTA Video Game Awards in merry old England last night. And like most other award shows this year, Portal 2 came away with “Best Game” honors. Valve’s teleporting sequel also won the “Design” and Story” awards.

Other big winners include Batman: Arkham City (winner of the the “Action” award and a “Performer” award for Mark Hamill’s role as The Joker), LittleBigPlanet 2 (which took home the “Family” and “Game Innovation” awards), and Battlefield 3 (which won the “Online – Multiplayer” and “Audio Achievement” awards). Battlefield 3 was also selected by fans as the winner of this year’s GAME Award, which is sponsored by the British retailer. But with all their financial troubles, this might be the last GAME Award ever awarded.

Hit the jump for the complete list of winners.

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NeoGeo X handheld, with 20 games, coming this Spring

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

This isn’t your momma’s NeoGeo Pocket.

North American video game distributor Tommo and European console maker Blaze today announced plans to release a limited edition NeoGeo handheld console sometime in the Spring of this year, following the 20th anniversary of the NeoGeo AES.

The “NeoGeo X”, as it will be called, will come with 20 officially licensed NeoGeo titles, including classics like Metal Slug, The King of Fighters ’94, and Fatal Fury. It will also feature an SD card expansion slot, a 3.5″ LCD screen, A/V output, internal speakers, and a headphone socket.

Jason Cooper, Founder of Blaze, hopes to “Re-ignite the excitement many of us felt twenty one years ago, in a more affordable manner, to a much wider audience.”

Visit NeoGeoX.com to register your interest in the handheld ahead of its Spring release. And start saving, rumors peg the UK price of the system at £500 (almost $800, or roughly the same price as a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, and Vita combined).

Hit the jump for a complete list of the included games.

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Teaser site for new El Shaddai project opens

Posted on March 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron excited a lot of people last year with its unconventional art style and a storyline based on the apocryphal Book of Enoch. Well, prepare to resurrect your excitement as Ignition has launched a Japanese website teasing a new entry in the El Shaddai story.

The teaser site features five new characters drawn in an anime style along with the tag line “Who is the ultimate angel God is speaking about?”

Takeyasu Sawaki, the designer of the original game, appears to be involved as his company, Crim, is included in the site’s footer. But at this point, it’s impossible to tell if this is El Shaddai 2, just a new anime series, or something else entirely.

God willing, we’ll find out more soon.

[Source: Siliconera]

Posted in News |

Activision announces Transformers Prime game

Posted on March 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

The Fall’s Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is only in development for the PS3 and Xbox 360, so 3DS, DS, and Wii owners won’t get a chance to finish the Cybertronian Civil War. But transform that frown upside down as Activision has announced that Transformers Prime will appear on those platforms instead.

Transformers Prime will be based on the animated series of the same name. In the game, players will be able to control Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Arcee, Bulkhead, and more as they attempt to defeat the Decepticons once and for all.

“We are collaborating closely with the series creators to capture all the adventure, humor and friendships from the show to create an authentic action experience for Transformers fans of all ages to enjoy,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President at Activision Publishing.

All three versions of the game will be out later this year with Now Productions handling the 3DS/Wii version and Altron Corporation developing the DS version.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii |

BioWare will discuss Mass Effect 3 ending “when they can”

Posted on March 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

The uproar over the ending of Mass Effect 3 just will not die down. The movement has quickly gone from fanboy whining to organized petitions to a charity drive to convince BioWare to create a new ending.

Yesterday, developers at BioWare responded to these complaints through their official forum. And while the company isn’t yet ready to deal with the backlash (they want more people to reach the end first), they say they are listening:

We understand there is a lot of debate on the Mass Effect 3 ending and we will be more than happy to engage in healthy discussions once more people get to experience the game. We are listening to all of your feedback.

I guess that’s as good an answer as any right now.

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