Warp Zoned Podcast: Episode 7

Your favorite podcast has returned this week with Episode VII: Advent Children! Mike Gutierrez, Nicole Kline, and Ryan Littlefield talk your ear off again. They talk about what games they’re playing and what they’re reviewing focusing on Crysis 2 and the feedback Mike got on his review They discuss the somewhat surprising concept of a quality storyline in a first-person shooter – and why people shouldn’t settle for less. They also give their opinion of how the first quarter of 2011 went – the disappointments, the delights, and the downright dastardly.

Download Episode 7 Now

And be sure to check back in two weeks for Episode 8!

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The Agency canceled; SOE reconfirms EverQuest 3, PlanetSide 2

Sony Online Entertainment has announced has they’ve laid off over 200 employees at studios in Denver, Tuscon and Seattle. Due to these cutbacks, the publisher has also confirmed the cancellation of The Agency, the long-in-development espionage MMO that was planned for the PC and PS3.

In a public statement, SOE said these layoffs would not effect current games like the recently released DC Universe Online. They also reiterated that EverQuest 3 and PlanetSide 2 are still in development.

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4/1: StarCraft Kinect NOT coming to the Xbox 360

Ever since Kinect has been known as Project Natal, gamers have dreamed of using the peripheral like a high-tech general would… moving units into position with a flick of the wrist and raining destruction down on an inferior foe from a comfortable (and fortified) command center. A lone warrior fighting all of the aliens by himself would just be a lone (and very dead) nutcase in real life.

Thankfully, Blizzard has heard our cries and has announced their return to console development, StarCraft: Motion Overdrive for the Xbox 360. Playable exclusively with Kinect, the real time strategy game will offer “the exciting strategy gameplay of StarCraft II,” but now with motion controls!

Gag Reflex: Very funny, but this is just salt in the wound for players that still hold out hope that StarCraft: Ghost will one day rise from the ashes.

Posted in News |

Duke Nukem flings feces in latest DNF trailer

We interrupt your April Fool’s Day shenanigans to bring you the latest gameplay trailers from Duke Nukem Forever.

In the first (which you can view above), Duke drops a deuce and then decides to indulge his primate instincts by flinging that feces all around the level. Face it, this is more outrageous than most of today’s gags and it’s 100% real.

The second trailer features less feces, but much MUCH more awesome. After the break, watch Duke Nukem punch an alien’s head clean off and use his jetpack to ride the bloody torso to a beautiful three-point landing inside a building.

I bet you don’t care about the delay anymore. Duke Nukem Forever will be released on June 14 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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

4/1: Kama Sutra Connected will NOT bring naughty minigames to your console

In a world where We Dare encourages gamers to swap spouses, a title like Kama Sutra: Connected was inevitable.

X-Rated Studios may be a new developer on the scene, but they have lofty aspirations. They want to offer “practical advice on sexual intercourse and behaviour” to gamers everywhere through a series of minigames that they hope will remain true to the spirit of the classic Hindu text. Available in late 2011 for all consoles and handheld systems, Kama Sutra: Connected will make use of your favorite motion controller to bring gamers “closer to the action than ever before.”

Edmund Rechtion, the Creative Director at X-Rated Studios, said: “We found through our research that there is an increasing audience for video games that offer more than is being serviced through the hardcore action or casual game markets. There is a market for a title that targets a mature audience who are looking for far more from a shared interactive experience than bowling or dancing, and we dare to provide just that.”

Gag Reflex: I have to admit, I was convinced this LunchPR stunt was real until I looked closer at the name of X-Rated Studios’ Creative Director… Edmund Rechtion… E. Rechtion. A tad crude, but since when do gamers shy away from dirty jokes?

Posted in News |

4/1: Master Chief is NOT busting a move in Halo Dance Central

So you’ve danced your heart out in Dance Central, but where do you go next? The answer is obviously Halo Dance Central.

1UP got a sneak peek at the 343 Industries/Harmonix team-up and helped the Master Chief put the moves on noobs and campers across the world.

Gag Reflex: Like most of 1UP’s April Fool’s jokes, there are probably a lot of people who would buy this if it were real. Impressive, but not nearly as funny (or believable) as last year’s Pokemon Kart.

Posted in News |

4/1: EA is NOT working on a Mature-rated Harry Potter game

All the books have been written. All the movies have been filmed. All the video games have been developed. The Harry Potter series has reached the end. Or has it?

IGN is reporting that FX is working with “The Shield” producer Shawn Ryan on a gritty reboot of the franchise that is tentatively known as “The Aurors.”

Naturally, the network has enlisted EA to create a video game tie-in, in this case a Mature-rated affair that’ll include “‘dynamic rooftop spell battles’ and an interrogation system similar to the one seen in Rockstar’s L.A. Noire.”

Gag Reflex: Bravo IGN. Mocking both the culture of “gritty reboots” while simultaneously riffing on the Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short makes this a classic prank.

Posted in News |

Dead Presidents Battle Monsters in The Undead States of America

UPDATE: As you may have guessed by the publication date, The Undead States of America is an April Fools’ Day gag and not a real game. But if any developers out there in the great, wide world are interested in turning it into a real game, I’d love to hear about it.

The original article begins here:

With the continued success of Call of Duty: Black Ops and the recent release of new maps for the game’s online multiplayer, Activision has discovered the joy of American history. They’ve also realized that everything is better with zombies. And it looks like that trend will continue next year.

Warp Zoned has learned, from a source close to the development team, that the publisher has acquired the rights to create a game adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The game will be released alongside the novel’s film adaptation, which is currently on track for a June 22, 2012 opening. We’ve also learned the game will feature more than President Lincoln’s battle with the bloodsuckers in the 1800s.

The current working title of the game is The Undead States of America and Honest Abe’s story will be just one of seven chapters, covering multiple eras in US history, that will appear in the game. It is also, in a small way, a retelling of some of the publisher’s best moments in gaming.

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Posted in Features |