First trailer for Bandai Namco’s Code Vein shows off its post-apocalyptic world

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Dark Souls trilogy may have come to a close, but Bandai Namco is back with Code Vein, an action RPG that looks to carry on its legacy. After an official announcement last week, the publisher unveiled its first trailer earlier today.

In Code Vein, players will take control of vampire-like creatures known as Revenants. These monsters have traded their memories in exchange for “Gifts of power” and “a thirst for blood,” but they’ll need to use both to unlock the secrets at the center of the game’s story:

In the not too distant future, a mysterious disaster has brought collapse to the world as we know it. Towering skyscrapers, once symbols of prosperity, are now lifeless graves of humanity’s past pierced by the Thorns of Judgment. At the center of the destruction lies a hidden society of Revenants called Vein. This final stronghold is where the remaining few fight to survive, blessed with Gifts of power in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood. Give into the bloodlust fully and risk becoming one of the Lost, fiendish ghouls devoid of any remaining humanity.

Code Vein will be released in 2018 for “major home consoles.”

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THQ Nordic is officially bringing Darksiders III to the PC, PS4, Xbox One in 2018

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Amazon might have spilled the beans a few hours ago, but the official “Reveal Trailer” for Darksiders III is still a sight to behold.

As expected, the sequel is in the works at Gunfire Games, a development team that split off from Vigil Games (the original creator of Darksiders and Darksiders II) after it closed down in 2013. Players will take control of Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and battle with physical manifestations of the Seven Deadly Sins:

Return to an apocalyptic Earth in Darksiders III, a hack-n-slash Action Adventure where players assume the role of Fury in her quest to hunt down and dispose of the Seven Deadly Sins. The most unpredictable and enigmatic of the Four Horsemen, Fury must succeed where many have failed – to bring balance to the forces that now ravage Earth. Darksiders III is the long-anticipated, third chapter in the critically-acclaimed Darksiders franchise.

The earlier leak, which we now know is completely legitimate, also includes a handful of screenshots and a list of features expected to be included in Darksiders III.

Darksiders III will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2018.

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Warpback: What We Played in April 2017

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Warp Zoned Staff

The Nintendo Switch isn’t just setting sales records, it continues to dominate any discussion about video games. The Warp Zoned staff were no different, as most of us spent the month of April firmly ensconced in Link’s quest to save Hyrule. But there are other games for the Switch besides Breath of the Wild, and Persona 5 might just steal your heart on the PS4 or PS3.

What else did we play last month, audience? Read on to find out…

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

GameFly listing points to standalone release for CoD: Modern Warfare Remastered next month

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Back when it was first announced, Activision said that fans would only be able to obtain Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered if they purchased Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Legacy Edition. At the time, many of us assumed that Activision would cave and eventually release Modern Warfare Remastered as a standalone game.

It looks like that day is coming soon.

A new post on Charlie Intel, a Call of Duty fansite, has uncovered PS4 and Xbox One pages for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered on GameFly. According to the game rental service, the game will be released for the PS4 on June 20, and an Xbox One launch will follow on July 20. It might seem strange, but these separate release dates mirror the 30-day exclusivity window that all Call of Duty downloadable content has operated under since 2015.

GameFly has since removed both pages from their database, and Activision has yet to make an official announcement about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered’s future, but it makes sense that the popular remaster will receive a standalone release someday. It’s really only a matter of when.

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

Darksiders III screenshots, plot details leaked in new Amazon listing

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

THQ Nordic (back when they were still known as Nordic Games) confirmed that Darksiders III was in development nearly three years ago. The continuation of Vigil’s apocalyptic saga was always a high priority for the publishing company, but they wanted to do it right, and even released a Deathinitive Edition of Darksiders II and a Warmastered Edition of the original Darksiders for current-generation platforms.

But since then, the publisher hasn’t been in any rush to make further announcements about the sequel… so I guess Amazon has to do it for them.

This morning, a listing for Darksiders III appeared on the retailer’s site for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. But rather than post a simple placeholder page, Amazon revealed a full plot description for the game:

Return to an apocalyptic Earth in Darksiders III, a hack-n-slash Action Adventure where players assume the role of FURY in her quest to hunt down and dispose of the Seven Deadly Sins. The most unpredictable and enigmatic of the Four Horsemen, FURY must succeed where many have failed – to bring balance to the forces that now ravage Earth. Darksiders III is the long-anticipated, third chapter in the critically-acclaimed Darksiders franchise.

A feature list, detailing Fury’s powers and her primary opponent, was also revealed:

  • Play as FURY – a mage who must rely on her whip and magic to restore the balance between good and evil on Earth!
  • Harness FURY’s magic to unleash her various forms – each granting her access to new weapons, moves and traversal abilities
  • Explore an open-ended, living, free-form game world in which FURY moves back and forth between environments to uncover secrets while advancing the story
  • Defeat the Seven Deadly Sins and their servants who range from mystical creatures to degenerated beings
  • Darksiders signature art style – expansive post-apocalyptic environments that take the player from the heights of heaven to the depths of hell, dilapidated by war and decay and overrun by nature

Finally, the Amazon listing teases Gunfire Games as the developer. You may not have ever heard of Gunfire, but they helped THQ Nordic develop the Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, and they’re one of the many teams to emerge from the ashes of Vigil.

Unless this is a massively well done hoax, I think THQ Nordic will officially unveil Darksiders III any day now (or possibly at this year’s E3 Expo). In the meantime, you can view a batch of leaked screenshots and concept art after the break.

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

Can you smell the plot description The Rock is cooking up for the Rampage movie…

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Rampage is the beloved arcade classic about giant monsters destroying city after city as they crisscross the globe, though we haven’t seen a new entry in the franchise since 2006’s Rampage: Total Destruction. That’ll all change in a year from now, when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returns to the big screen as the star of a Rampage film adaptation.

Brad Peyton, who previously teamed with Johnson on San Andreas will direct Rampage, and filming began earlier this week in Georgia. But rather than issue a bland press release, Warner Bros. let Johnson deliver a plot description to fans through his Instagram account.

It sounds absolutely bonkers (just like the game) and it looks like the special effects will be handled by WETA (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong). Also, you don’t see the phrase “I will not lick them” in enough plot descriptions:

Goin’ primal.

Good to finally have boots on the ground here in Georgia for production of #RAMPAGE.

I head up an anti poaching unit out of Rwanda. My best friend is a rare albino gorilla named, George. Very bad people infect George, an alligator and a wolf with a serum. All three animals grow at an unprecedented rate. Their size, speed, agility and violent aggression is off the charts. They go on a deadly rampage and want to destroy the world.

George not happy. Me not happy. When animals like you, they lick you. When they don’t like you, they kill you. I will hunt down the bad people who did this to my best friend. And when I find them, I will not lick them.

We have the best VFX monster making team (WETA) on the planet. Our actors and crew have been working very hard to raise the monster genre bar.

As always, let’s have some fun. Let’s shoot. #PrimalDNA #George #Lizzy #Ralph #RAMPAGE

Rampage will open in theaters on April 20, 2018.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro |

Nintendo offers up a few details about Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s first DLC expansion

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continuing to burn up sales charts around the world, Nintendo is also hard at work on two downloadable expansions for the massive open world adventure. Late last night, the consolemaker revealed more information about the first of these add-ons, The Master Trials, which will be available this Summer.

The expansion will add a handful of new features to the game, including a horde mode (“Trial of the Sword”), a more challenging Hard Mode, a new map tracker (“Hero’s Path Mode”), costumes and equipment inspired by earlier games in the series (including the snazzy “Tingle’s Outfit” seen above), and more:

New Features in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – The Master Trials
Trial of the Sword: By accessing this location, players can challenge the new Trial of the Sword (previously known as “Cave of Trials Challenge”), where enemies appear one after another. Link starts without any armor or weapons, and if he defeats all of the enemies in the room he can proceed to the next area. Trial of the Sword will include around 45 total rooms for players to complete. When Link clears all of the trials, the true power of the Master Sword will awaken and always be in its glowing powered-up state.

Hard Mode: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is already considered one of the most thrilling games in The Legend of Zelda series, and fans looking for a challenge are in for a treat with the new Hard Mode. In Hard Mode, the “ranks” of enemies in the game are increased (i.e. Red Bokoblins change to Blue), and players might even encounter higher-ranking enemies they wouldn’t find through normal play. Enemies will also slowly recover health in battle, forcing you to defeat them more quickly. They will also more easily spot Link as he approaches them, making these enemies tougher to sneak up on. In addition, floating planks held aloft by balloons will be scattered around Hyrule. By successfully reaching these planks, players can battle enemies and collect treasure.

Hero’s Path Mode: Exploring Hyrule is exciting, but with such a large world it’s sometimes hard for players to remember where they’ve been. To help with tracking progress, the new Hero’s Path Mode will document every step players take, and mark their path in green on the map. The route taken will be tracked for the player’s last 200 hours of play time, with an included slider to track footsteps on a timeline. This even works retroactively, so players that have already put many hours into the game will be able to see where they have traveled. This feature will help in identifying the locations they haven’t visited in this vast world, and may help players find those Shrines they haven’t encountered yet.

Travel Medallion: There will be a new treasure chest somewhere in the game world which contains the Travel Medallion. With the Travel Medallion, players can create a temporary new travel point on the map where they are currently standing. Link can then transport himself to that point at any time. Only one travel point can be registered on the map at a time.

Korok Mask: By finding the new Korok Mask, players will have a much easier time finding Korok locations in the game. When equipped, the mask will shake, indicating that a Korok is hidden somewhere nearby.

New Equipment: Eight new pieces of equipment inspired by previous characters and games in the series will be added to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild after downloading the first DLC pack. Once discovered by the player, they will yield equipment themed after fan-favorite games and characters such as Midna, Tingle, Phantom, and Majora’s Mask.

Nintendo has bundled together both expansions to Breath of the Wild as the Expansion Pass, which is now available through the Nintendo eShop for $19.99 on the Switch and the Wii U. Unfortunately, there’s no way for players to purchase each expansion separately.

We’ll learn more about the untitled second expansion, which will be available this Fall, at a later date.

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

Grand Theft Auto IV: Nine Years Later

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Brittney Williams

The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV hit store shelves on April 29, 2008.

I was a sophomore in high school, and I remember it quite well. My mother totally disapproved, so if I wanted to play violent games, I’d have to ask my dad or grandfather to purchase them for me. In the months leading up to Grand Theft Auto IV’s release, I practically drooled over the latest news coverage and store ads (especially the Special Edition with its neat duffel bag, art book, soundtrack CD, and safe deposit box). I never did get the Special Edition, but my dad did purchase Grand Theft Auto IV for me.

My mother had relocated for work, so I had moved in with my father and grandfather in order to finish out the school year. A few months prior, my dad had made the jump from PlayStation 2 to Xbox 360. So on most days, I’d spend the evenings holed up in my grandfather’s basement, with an extra large bag of Peanut M&M’s in my lap, a bottle of Coke at my feet, and a bulky white Xbox 360 controller nestled between my slender teenaged hands. I’d sift through my dad’s video games, randomly popping in anything that appeared interesting, playing until either my dad came home from the NIH Power Plant, or my grandfather yelled down the stairs for me to turn off the TV and go to bed.

But on that Tuesday in April, my dad came home with a surprise… he’d purchased Grand Theft Auto IV! I finished my dinner, grabbed my go-to gaming snacks, and headed for the basement. I’ll never forget those opening scenes of Niko Bellic stepping off of the Platypus, waiting for his cousin Roman to arrive and indoctrinate him into the American way of life.

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Posted in Features, PC, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 |