Weekly Warp-Up: Hollywood Edition

Posted on November 8, 2015 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…

Overture, curtains, lights,
This is it, you’ll hit the heights
And oh what heights we’ll hit
On with the show this is it

OK, I’m not Bugs Bunny, and this is not the start of the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, but Hollywood came calling for video games in a big way this week. Or rather, the gamemakers are calling Hollywood. Activision started things off by opening Activision Blizzard Studios, a film and television production company that plans to create a Call of Duty cinematic universe and a Skylanders animated series. But they’re going to have to come out swinging if they want to create something as memorable as Metroid: The Sky Calls, a fan film that pays homage to the 60s and 70s cinema that inspired the original Metroid. Oh, and we also got a glimpse at the upcoming Warcraft film.

Finally this week, the Warp Zoned staff got together to talk about What We Played in October 2015 and The Games of November 2015.

More news from the week that was can be found after the break.

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Posted in News |

Here’s the first trailer for the Warcraft movie

Posted on November 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon convention seems like the perfect place to finally give fans their first look at the upcoming Warcraft movie. And even if you’re unfamiliar with the franchise’s expansive lore (watch as I sheepishly raise my hand), the trailer has a distinct Lords of the Rings vibe that should appeal to fantasy fans everywhere.

Warcraft was directed by Duncan Jones, a director best known for his work on Moon and Source Code. The film stars Travis Fimmel, Toby Kebbell, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, and many others. The Legendary Pictures production is expected to open in theaters on June 10, 2016.

Posted in Etcetera, News, PC |

New Releases: Fallout 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, More

Posted on November 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

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It is time. Bethesda is ready to open the Vault and unleash Fallout 4 on the world. The first-person RPG will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it’ll let players explore a post-apocalyptic New England and craft a new world to their heart’s content. And if that kind of openness and epicness doesn’t appeal to you, there’s always Super Mutants to shoot.

Bethesda has also partnered with Microsoft to offer a 1TB Xbox One + Fallout 4 Bundle in case you haven’t made your new-generation console decision yet.

Speaking of Microsoft, the consolemaker will also partner with Square Enix this week to exclusively launch Rise of the Tomb Raider for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. Lara Croft’s next adventure will eventually make its debut on the PC and PS4 in 2016, but for now, you’ll need to raid tombs and make insane archaeological discoveries on a Microsoft platform.

Stepping out of the past and rocketing into the future, this week will also see the release of Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, the finale to Blizzard’s StarCraft II trilogy. Focusing on the Protoss, the standalone game will actually “unite the three races in the ultimate battle for survival against an ancient evil threatening all life in the universe.”

Finally this week, a pair of Wii U exclusives prove that Nintendo’s little corner of video gaming is still an interesting place to be. Nintendo themselves will publish Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, a board game that is changed and shaped as Amiibo figures and Amiibo Cards are dropped into play. And NIS America will release Rodea: The Sky Soldier, another skybound adventure from Yuji Naka, the creator of Nights Into Dreams.

The complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , ,

Xbox Store Today: Call of Duty Black Ops III

Posted on November 6, 2015 by John Scalzo

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There’s just one new addition to the Xbox Games Store today, but it’s a big one as Activision has released Call of Duty: Black Ops III for the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

With the latest game in the long-running military simulation series, Treyarch decided to scale the game back on the Xbox 360, ultimately cutting the Campaign Mode from the last-gen version. The noirish “Shadows of Evil” Zombies Mode and Competitive Multiplayer are included on both platforms, but only the Xbox One edition will include the near-future Campaign involving augmented soldiers (and starring Stabler from Law & Order: SVU).

If you’ve completely tuned out on Call of Duty this year, an expanded description for both versions of the game, provided by Activision, can be found right here:

Xbox One Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops III ($59.99)
Call of Duty: Black Ops III combines three unique game modes: Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies, providing fans with the deepest and most ambitious Call of Duty ever. The Campaign has been designed as a co-op game that can be played with up to four players online or as a solo cinematic thrill-ride. Multiplayer will be the franchise’s deepest, most rewarding and most engaging to date, with new ways to rank up, customize, and gear up for battle. And Zombies delivers an all-new mind-blowing experience with its own dedicated narrative. The title ushers in an unprecedented level of innovation, including jaw-dropping environments, never before experienced weaponry and abilities, and the introduction of a new, improved fluid movement system.

Xbox One Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops III ($49.99)
Call of Duty: Black Ops III for Xbox 360 features two game modes only: Multiplayer and Zombies, providing fans with an expansive Multiplayer and an all-new film-noir inspired Zombies adventure. Multiplayer provides new ways to rank up, customize, and gear up for battle. Zombies delivers a full-experience experience with its own distinct storyline.

Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Activision will develop Call of Duty “cinematic universe” and Skylanders animated TV series

Posted on November 6, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Activision is going to Hollywood! The megapublisher has announced the formation of Activision Blizzard Studios, a new film and television studio that will create content based on their most popular game franchises. Nick Van Dyk, a former executive at Disney, will co-lead the studio along another executive who will be named later.

Not surprisingly, the first project from the studio will be an animated television series based on the Skylanders range of games and toys. A premiere date wasn’t announced, but the series is alreadyy in production and Activision has lined up an impressive voice cast including Justin Long as Spyro, Ashley Tisdale as Stealth Elf, Jonathan Banks as Eruptor, and Norm MacDonald as Glumshanks. Eric Rogers, a writer best known for his work on Futurama, will serve as the showrunner.

Activision Blizzard Studios is also hard at work on laying the groundwork for a Call of Duty “cinematic universe,” which they hope to launch with “a series of Call of Duty feature films as well as the possibility of television adaptations.” It takes guts to promise multiple movies, a television series, and an interconnected cinematic universe.

Bobby Kotick, Activision’s CEO, is confident that his new division can make it work: “Activision Blizzard is home to some of the most successful entertainment franchises in history, across any medium [and we] intend to approach film and television development with the same unwavering commitment to excellence we are known for in game development.”

Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

The Games of November 2015

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Warp Zoned Staff

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The Warp Zoned crew is all in agreement about one game for November, and that’s Fallout 4! We mention a few others, but let’s face it: we’re all excited to leave yet another vault. Read on to see what else we have to say about the coming month!

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Posted in Features, Top Story |

Metroid: The Sky Calls is a fan film that calls back to 60s/70s sci-fi like Alien and 2001

Posted on November 6, 2015 by John Scalzo

A good fan film will often result in a lot of nodding as you think to yourself, “Yes! Yes! Yes! Someone gets it!” While it’s definitely not how a major Hollywood studio would adapt Metroid today, I think Metroid: The Sky Calls might produce a few approving nods.

Produced by Rainfall Films, and starring Jessica Chobot as Samus Aran, Metroid: The Sky Calls harkens back to the science fiction from the 60s and 70s that inspired the creation of the franchise in the first place. Combining the psychedelic visuals of 2001: A Space Odyssey with the loneliness and isolation of Alien and Solaris, the short film is both very familiar and like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

Nintendo partnered with John Woo to develop a movie based on the Metroid series back in 2004. Sometime in the years that followed, the deal fell through and no movie was produced. But if they ever try again, I’d like to think that Nintendo would find some inspiration in Metroid: The Sky Calls.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro | Tagged

Fallout 4 launch trailer is here and it features plenty of gameplay footage

Posted on November 6, 2015 by John Scalzo

I know that some other heavily hyped game is now available in stores as of today, but Fallout fans are also in a tizzy over the pending launch of Fallout 4. So now is the perfect time for Bethesda to deliver the game’s epic launch trailer.

Clocking in at almost three minutes, the Fallout 4 launch trailer features a ton of gameplay footage and one very loyal dog.

Fallout 4 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 10. To further prepare yourself, I recommend watching Bethesda’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. video series (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck) one more time.

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