We were all over the map this past September here at Warp Zoned. We played everything from mobile games, to sweeping PC betas, to games we nearly forgot were in our backlog. There’s everything from indie to AAA, from Alphabear to Skyrim. Read on to see what kept our hands busy this past month.
John Scalzo
Editor-In-Chief
I think it’s time that I finally make peace with the fact that I don’t much care for today’s AAA offerings, especially not when I spent a good portion of my September playing Mega Man Legacy Collection. I burned out the connectors on more than more than one Mega Man cartridge back in the early 90s, and the rush of nostalgia that the Legacy Collection produces is undoubtedly why I love it so much. Who needs new games when the classic styles still feel so fresh?
Nowhere is that more apparent than in the two other side-scrollers I took for a spin in September. Golden Ruby’s Extreme Exorcism is a single-screen arena game that doesn’t alter the formula established by Mario Bros. all that much. But its zany arsenal of ghostbusting tools and its often fast-paced fights make it the perfect afternoon companion (which I mention in my review). On the other hand, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows is a simple expansion to Yacht Club’s first game, but the inclusion of Plague Knight as a playable character changes everything. Even though the platforms look familiar, Plague Knight’s bomb-tossing style turns the whole game on its head, making it feel like a completely new experience.
However, modern games do still have their place. One that’s taking up plenty of my time is the Gigantic beta on the Xbox One. Even in its unfinished state, the 5v5 arena shooter/brawler has a unique personality. I’m still amazed at how developer Motiga was able to seamlessly meld together so many different gameplay styles in the Gigantic arena.
Nicole Kline
Senior Editor
This month was a great one for me! I played my typical mobile games – a lot of Words With Friends, Alphabear, and Twenty – but I spent a lot of time on bigger games as well. I got into two games on my Vita – the PS+ freebie, Xeodrifter, which is a criminally hard platformer, and Gravity Rush, a game I’ve been meaning to play for years. I also played both Armello and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime quite a bit, and I’m super into the latter, which is also criminally hard, but in a totally different way than Xeodrifter.
On consoles, we’re still chopping away at Diablo III: Reaper of Souls on the PS4, and I started playing Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker on my Wii U. And, of course, we had company the other night, and after playing some board games, we decided to play a few rounds of both Super Pole Riders and TowerFall: Ascension, because what better way to wind yourself down than to shout while riding poles and firing arrows?
Andrew Rainnie
UK Correspondent
I am still slogging my way through the epicness that is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and little else. I don’t even think I played Splatoon this month, as the battles, while still enjoyable, were becoming a little stale. Nintendo really needs to think about having three or four levels per mode, as playing the same two makes it get old fast, especially when you are stuck with Salt Spray Rig.
I’ve also been popping in to visit Vault 342 in Fallout Shelter, of which I am Overseer, and the proud chief of over 120 citizens!
Mike Ryan
Staff Writer
I didn’t really get into a whole lot this month… I played I Am Bread, which was fun, and really cracked me up. I also played Pac-Man 256 on my phone, and man, am I addicted to that one. It’s free, so you have no reason not to pick it up. Finally, I got a really good deal on Destiny, so I started playing that with a buddy. That’s another great game; I’ll definitely pick up The Taken King expansion when I’m done with the main game.
