New Releases: Deus Ex Human Revolution, Tropico 4, Devil Survivor 3DS, More

Posted on August 20, 2011 by John Scalzo

The driest August ever (both weatherwise and gamewise) continues this week as just a handful of new releases will make their way onto store shelves.

The biggest release is the long-awaited Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which will be available on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Eidos Montreal has been hard at work on the third Deus Ex game since before the company was purchased by Square Enix. The only other completely new game available this week is Tropico 4. El Presidente’s latest conquest is coming to the PC now and to the Xbox 360 sometime in the future.

The rest of this week’s new releases are all re-releases in some way. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked is a 3DS remake of the DS game of the same name while Nintendo has the second wave of their Nintendo Selects budget line (Mario Strikers Charged, Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario) set for release this week.

Slim pickings to be sure (though Punch-Out!! is a complete steal at $19.99), but the big autumn game avalanche is coming soon. So be patient.

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

Daily Scoop: August 19, 2011 – Philly Geek Awards

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Nicole Kline

So tonight is a pretty special night around these parts – it’s the first annual Philly Geek Awards! I’ll be wearing a snazzy black dress and some heels, running around the Academy of Natural Sciences. If you’re there, say hello!

Today’s Deal of the Day in video games over at Amazon is Steelseries’ Xbox 360 Spectrum 4xB Gaming Headset in white for $41.99. And don’t forget – Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is still $14.99 for PS3 and Xbox 360!

Today’s Tee Fury is called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Troopas” and it’s awesome:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360 |

Three Resident Evil Revelations trailers lurch out of Gamescom

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

You might call them a horde of zombie trailers. Or perhaps they’re a pack. Though I was always partial to a murder of zombies myself.

Whatever you call it, Capcom has unveiled a new story trailer for Resident Evil Revelations along with two trailers devoted solely to gameplay. Like a zombie going for your jugular, it’s a gusher of goodies today!

You can check out the story trailer above. Both gameplay trailers are after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

Blizzard “very, very serious” about bringing Diablo III to consoles

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

The PC version of Diablo III still doesn’t have a release date, but Blizzard has dropped their biggest hint yet that the game is coming to consoles as well.

Speaking at Gamescom, Lead Designer Josh Mosqueira revealed that Blizzard is “is very, very serious about bringing the Diablo III experience to the console.”

This is good news by itself, but Mosqueira would go on to practically confirm the existence of a console version of the game, even going so far as to declare it awesome:

“Today, we’re trying to build the best console team at Blizzard. We’re looking for programmers, designers, artists who think their dream job would be to bring Diablo to the console. Trust me, it is a dream job. All I can say is it’s going to be awesome. Stay tuned.”

Blizzard’s last foray into console development, the stealth action game StarCraft: Ghost, is still officially on “indefinite hold,” but it’s been as good as dead for the last five years.

[Source: Eurogamer]

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2K fills out “NBA’s Greatest” roster in NBA 2K12

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

After teasing NBA 2K12‘s new “NBA’s Greatest” mode at the beginning of the month, 2K Sports is ready to announce the full roster of 15 basketball greats:

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1986-87 Lakers vs. 1986-87 Celtics)
  • Larry Bird (1985-86 Celtics vs. The 1985-86 Hawks)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (1971-72 Lakers vs. 1971-72 Knicks)
  • Julius Erving (1984-85 76ers vs. 1984-85 Bucks
  • Patrick Ewing (1994-95 Knicks vs. 1994-95 Magic)
  • Magic Johnson (1990-91 Lakers vs. 1990-91 Blazers)
  • Michael Jordan (1992-93 Bulls vs. 1992-93 Hornets)
  • Karl Malone (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Spurs)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94 Rockets vs. 1993-94 Nuggets)
  • Scottie Pippen (1995-96 Bulls vs. 1995-96 Sonics)
  • Oscar Robertson (1970-71 Bucks vs. 1970-71 Lakers)
  • Bill Russell (1964-65 Celtics vs. 1964-65 Lakers)
  • John Stockton (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Lakers)
  • Isiah Thomas (1988-89 Pistons vs. 1988-89 Bulls)
  • Jerry West (1970-71 Lakers vs. 1970-71 Hawks)

“Fans across the country were ecstatic to see Jordan, Bird, and Magic on the cover of NBA 2K12, and have speculated for weeks about who would fill out the rest of the ‘NBA’s Greatest’ roster,” said Jason Argent, Vice President of Marketing for 2K Sports. “These 15 legendary athletes will allow sports fanatics to create the NBA’s most storied matchups – and lock in bragging rights for their favorite teams in NBA 2K12.”

Players who pre-order NBA 2K12 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 will receive access to two additional teams/players in NBA’s Greatest mode. The bonus babies include the 1990-91 Golden State Warriors (with Chris Mullin) and the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings (with Chris “Timeout!” Webber). According to 2K, these teams will only be available to those who pre-order NBA 2K12.

NBA 2K12 will be released for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.

[Source: ESPN]

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CNN: 90% of video games go unfinished

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

Think about that. Nine times out of ten… Bowser gets to run off with the Princess, Mother Brain rules the galaxy, we never discover the cake is a lie and the terrorists win.

In a special report on CNN, game journalist Blake Snow attempted to find the root cause of why 90% of games go unfinished.

“What I’ve been told as a blanket expectation is that 90% of players who start your game will never see the end of it unless they watch a clip on YouTube,” says Keith Fuller, a longtime production contractor for Activision.

Believe it or not, that number was never very high as ten years ago only 20% of so-called “hardcore” gamers would finish a given game, according to John Lee, VP of marketing at Raptr and former executive at Capcom, THQ and Sega.

So why aren’t we finishing these games? Apparently, it’s because we’re all too damn old and have social lives and jobs and kids and chores that we didn’t have when Toad would taunt us with “Our Princess is in another castle.” I know I wanted to beat Bowser just to silence that smug shroom.

So what’s the solution? Fuller thinks its shorter games: “They’re lucky to find the time to beat a 10-hour game once or twice a month. They don’t feel cheated about shorter games and will just play a longer game for as many hours as their schedule allows before moving on to another title.”

So if games are getting shorter, shouldn’t they be getting cheaper? Maybe that’s a discussion for another time.

Posted in News |

Warp Zoned Wish List: What We Want From Borderlands 2

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Nicole Kline

When Borderlands first came out back in October of 2009, I was smitten. I got it, played every single mission alone, and basically just devoured the game. Playing it on the PS3 was what some saw as my major handicap; most of my friends had it for the Xbox 360. However, I had a fantastic time playing the game alone. I played as Lilith the Siren, friendless and badass; I made that game my bitch, and then set it aside to move onto the next one. By the time the DLC came out, I was involved in other games.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when Borderlands was on sale for $14.99 – with all of the DLC – for PlayStation Plus subscribers. I gobbled it up, lent my hard copy to a friend, and dove right back in again. Podcast Producer Ryan Littlefield and I beat the game in just two short weeks, and as we approached the vault, he told me he’d found a copy of the GOTY edition at Target for $8 in the clearance section. “Of course you did,” I laughed, “they’re probably doing all this to gear up for the announcement of Borderlands 2.” That night, the rumor broke on Eurogamer; the next morning, Borderlands 2 was officially announced by 2K Games.

What this means is that there is massive potential here for a sequel that goes off the charts. There’s so much awesome in the first game, but there’s so much that could be adjusted to make the sequel even better. If they find the right balance, Borderlands fans will have much to rejoice about – and many more players to rejoice with. What follows is a detailed list of what I think should be included, discluded, and just plain married to Borderlands 2.

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Posted in Opinions, PC, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: August 18, 2011 – I’m a sucker for screenshots

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Tons of news is pouring in from gamescom, and one of those news items holds some screenshots from Borderlands 2. This is torture to me. Seriously. Hurry up, PAX!

Let’s see, what have we got today? Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Sony’s Ultimate Combo Pack: Little Big Planet Game of the Year Edition. For $39.99, you get the LBP game of the year edition as well as a DualShock controller. That’s a good price, even just for the controller alone!

No gaming t-shirts today, but there’s a pretty cool War Games shirt over at Ript:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3 |