An absolutely gorgeous month of May, among other things, kept the gaming time of the Warp Zoned staff to a minimum recently. But they still got in a little screen time before the insanity of the upcoming E3 Expo. So read on to see who was playing Watch Dogs, who was playing Mario Kart 8, and who was digging into their backlog.
John Scalzo
Editor-In-Chief
My May was dominated by two games as I put a ton of time into: R.B.I. Baseball 14 and Mario Kart 8.
As I wrote in my review, R.B.I. Baseball 14 is a lot of fun, but it’s severely bogged down by its devotion to the baseball sims of the mid 80s. I wanted a game designed in the style of those old classics, not one that attempts to recreate them, warts and all. R.B.I. Baseball 14 was also a constant reminder that my beloved New York Mets are this close to being a good team. Maybe both will be better next year.
Mario Kart 8 is the latest entry in the Mario Kart franchise… and that’s all you really need to know. The game’s high definition graphics (a first for the franchise) are spectacular, and the karting is as fun as ever. It’s not going to offer up any surprises (well, one: What happened to Battle Mode?), but it’s the same solid racer we’ve all been playing for decades now. If you need me, I’ll be dodging Blue Shells on Rainbow Road.
Nicole Kline
Senior Editor
In May, I did a lot of catching up on my backlog! I finished up Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All, and dove back into Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch. I also finally opened up Theatrythm Final Fantasy and Tearaway, giving me loads of handheld options.
Of course, with the release of Sportsfriends, I spent a ton of time playing local multiplayer – there’s been a lot of “BaraBariBall” and “Super Pole Riders” on the menu Along with a little bit of TowerFall: Ascension (of course). I’ve spent more time than usual on my iPad as well, playing my share of 2048, Intake, and Queen of Space. I love playing local Philly games as well – my favorite this month was Stompster: The Apologetic Monster.
So many great games, so little time!
Andrew Rainnie
UK Correspondent
It seems like all I have been playing for months now is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on the Wii U (although it’s getting ejected now for Mario Kart 8). With the onslaught of more open world ginormous games like Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs, I wonder if games are getting too big, or whether I just enjoy sailing the seven seas too much while singing along to sea shanties.
Mike Ryan
Staff Writer
I didn’t get a lot of chances to game this month due to work-related stuff, but I did manage to get a few sessions in regardless. I’m still keeping up with my town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I finally learned how to get my town to have the Walmart-style department store, so I’ve been stocking up on clothes in order to impress this diva giraffe. I also played Moon Chronicles, an awesome 3DS eShop game from the minds behind Mutant Mudds. As awesome as it is, the title upsets me because it’s proof positive that the 3DS needs more first-person titles. But I digress.
I also played The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – the game based on the movie based on the comic. To be honest, it really isn’t as bad as a lot of these reviews are saying. It’s not a fantastic game, but it’s not unplayable. Well, some parts are.
