Call of Duty XP 2011 “fan experience” set for September 2-3

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

The Call of Duty franchise is Activision’s billion-dollar baby and it’ll be celebrated this September in the very first CoD “fan experience.” Call of Duty XP 2011 will be held on Labor Day Weekend, September 2nd and 3rd, in Los Angeles. For two days, the festival will immerse 6,000 fans in all things Call of Duty, including an announcement of the full feature for Call of Duty Elite and the world premiere of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer mode.

“From the high production values of our live, immersive events – all the way to the smallest details in every design and activity – we’re pulling out all the stops to make Call of Duty XP the ultimate gathering for the global community of Call of Duty fans,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “The celebration will immerse attendees in a Call of Duty experience unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. Over the course of two days, gamers can trade Call of Duty war stories, experience the official unveiling of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and the full feature functionality of Call of Duty Elite, as well as enjoy world-class entertainment and compete head-to-head for some serious cash prizes.”

Attendees at Call of Duty XP 2011 will experience a ton of other exciting events as well:

  • $1 million Call of Duty: Black Ops tournament
  • Discussion panels and Q&A with Call of Duty developers
  • Onsite Call of Duty armory and museum
  • Paintball matches on a life-sized Call of Duty multiplayer map
  • Speed-run attempts for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s legendary “The Pit”
  • More attractions to be announced

Tickets for Call of Duty XP 2011 will be available July 19 for $150 apiece. All proceeds will benefit The Call of Duty Endowment, Activision’s organization that helps soldiers transition to civilian life.

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

Warp Zoned Podcast: Episode 12

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Warp Zoned Staff

It’s that time again! Time for you to check out the latest Warp Zoned podcast. On Episode 12, Senior Editor Nicole Kline and Podcast Producer Ryan Littlefield are joined by West Coast Editor Adam Woolcott. They talk about the latest news (what’s up with Nintendo’s refusal to localize games we are dying to play???) and then move into our big topic: game reboots. Are you a fan of game reboots? Let us know your opinion by sending a line over to mailbag AT warpzoned DOT com. We’ll even read your email on the air! You’ll be Internet famous. Pull up a chair, settle back, and relax, as you listen to Episode 12 of the Warp Zoned podcast!

Download Episode 12 Now.

And be sure to check back in two weeks for lucky Episode 13!

Posted in Podcast, Top Story |

Warpback: What We Played in June 2011

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Warp Zoned Staff

Here we are, the end of June! We were all so pumped for E3, but it came and went so quickly we barely remembered it. But we here at Warp Zoned were all kept busy with plenty of games, old and new. There’s always something for all of us, from platformers to dungeon crawlers to games with “Hot Boners.” Read on to see what we played in June!

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Features, Top Story |

Limbo dancing onto PSN, Steam very soon

Posted on June 30, 2011 by John Scalzo

Developer Playdead likely had to build a whole new wing in their headquarters to hold all the awards Limbo won last year. Now, it looks like the XBLA hit will soon be heading to the PC (via Steam) and the PlayStation Network.

Playdead CEO and co-founder Dino Patti confirmed the good news to Joystiq earlier today:

“This might be the second time around we have been waiting for,” Patti said, referencing his quote from last May in which he said, “You won’t see a PS3 or PC version this time around.” Patti said that “Limbo is in production for Steam and PSN, and is coming very soon.” With a release date of “very soon” he predictably said more details would be coming shortly.

Playdead is also hard at work on an original game, but they’re still not ready to talk about it just yet.

Posted in News, PC, PS3 | Tagged

Nintendo has “no plans” to bring Xenoblade, Last Story, Pandora’s Tower to America

Posted on June 30, 2011 by John Scalzo

Bad news, Operation Rainfall supporters: Nintendo has announced they have “no plans” to bring Xenoblade, The Last Story or Pandora’s Tower to North America. Posting on the company’s Facebook page, a spokesman wrote:

Thank you for your enthusiasm. We promised an update, so here it is. We never say “never,” but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!

I’m not sure what else needs to be said. Nintendo continues to ignore their most hardcore fans and refuses to localize their new and exciting franchises.

Wait, one other thing needs to be said… this sucks!

Posted in News, Wii | Tagged , ,

Respawn gives us a glimpse of their first game

Posted on June 30, 2011 by John Scalzo

There it is. Truly a marvel of modern game design… What? The headline doesn’t say anything about a clear glimpse at Respawn’s first game.

This image comes from Respawn Entertainment’s newly launched website, Respawn.com. It’s the virtual home of the development team started by Jason West and Vince Zampella, former co-founders of Infinity Ward and creators of the Call of Duty franchise. It has tons of details about the teams’s office space, employees and Community Manager Abbie Heppe. But if you’re looking for more details about the team’s top secret project for EA, well, I refer you to that blurry picture above.

Looks a little like a burnt out wasteland… or possibly a pastoral meadow. Hmm, I think I had better luck with those Magic Eye books.

Posted in News |

Daily Scoop: June 30, 2011 – Last day of June!

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Goodbye, June! We hardly knew ye. You gave us some good games, some good deals, and some good times. You were even pretty good with the weather. We’ll miss you now that July is here and August is looming.

As for today’s deals, Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games is Ubisoft’s Child Of Eden for the Xbox 360. This quirky game is just $34.99 today, and is “a visionary entertainment experience that synchronizes stunning graphics and innovative sound design to electrify the senses.” Also, it can help add to your Kinect library, if nothing else!

There are no good video game t-shirts today! What a bummer after yesterday’s veritable cornucopia of shirts. The best one today is shirt.w00t‘s Pie(rate) Chart shirt:

Squawk!

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

This week’s Nintendo Download includes Final Fantasy III, Kirby’s Dream Land

Posted on June 30, 2011 by John Scalzo

Are you ready to play one of the greatest RPGs of all-time in this week’s Nintendo Download?

The Wii’s Virtual Console plays host to Final Fantasy III (in actuality, the sixth game in the series) this week. The Super NES classic will be joined by the WiiWare release Big Town Shoot Out, a light gun western.

The 3DS’ eShop will receive a single game this week, Kirby’s Dream Land. Believe it or not, this Game Boy title was gaming’s introduction to the pink puffball.

DSi owners will receive a quartet of new games this week (which are also available on the 3DS eShop) including Moto eXtreme, a motorcycle racing game; Hearts Spades Euchre, a card game collection; Boardwalk Ball Toss, a bottle smashing game that’s not rigged; and The Lost Town: The Dust, an overhead zombie shooter.

More information on all of these titles can be found in Nintendo’s weekly newsletter.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | Tagged