Here at Warp Zoned, we really enjoyed E3, so much so that we recorded a whole podcast about it. It really invigorated us to get gaming, and we played a ton this month. Some of us played some new games, like Mario Kart 8 and Shovel Knight, but mostly we just kept digging away at our backlogs (Get it? Digging? Shovel?). We laughed, we cried, we played some online multiplayer, and most of all, we documented it all so you could hear about it. Read on to find out what the Warp Zoned crew played in June.
John Scalzo
Editor-In-Chief
The E3 Expo sucked the wind out a big portion of June, but two of my most anticipated games of 2014 were released in the last few weeks, so I am in gaming heaven right now.
Mario Kart 8 wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but it’s still an amazing new entry in the original karting series. The high definition graphics (a first for a Mario Kart game) are gorgeous, some of the new tracks are pretty great, and the racing is as fun as ever. It’s Mario Kart, what more can you say?
On that note… what can you say about Tetris? In honor of the puzzle game’s 30th anniversary, I dug out my Xbox 360 copy of Tetris Evolution and downloaded Tetris Blitz on my iPod. Tetris is Tetris is Tetris and it’s the greatest game of all time for a reason. While Evolution isn’t one of the more noteworthy entries in the series, it felt good to drop blocks once again.
Finally, I spent the last week of June digging into Shovel Knight. Yacht Club’s debut game, a glorious throwback to the side-scrolling days of the NES, turned out to be everything I hoped it would be. Shovel Knight works as an homage (I could not keep track of all the Mega Man references) and as an excellent game in its own right. And its off-kilter sense of humor is exactly what I’m looking for in the dog days of Summer.
Nicole Kline
Senior Editor
I finished up Tearaway this month and, in honor of the announcement of the sequel, played, beat, and continued to play Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy. That game is adorable and addictive! Anthony Amato and I played a ton of TowerFall: Ascension – quest mode together and versus with friends – as well as plenty of Sportsfriends. I’m really excited about the release of PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate Edition, which I downloaded to my PS4 and started re-playing right away. And I went back to both Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light this month, chipping away at them both.
As John mentioned, one of the highlights of last month was Shovel Knight, which is a game that brings sheer nostalgic joy and frustration all at the same time. I also played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and Transistor from start to finish, and started up Contact, which is a joy. Oh, and let’s not forget the short-lived Destiny Alpha! That was a complete blast, and definitely made me a believer that this is going to be a fantastic game.
Andrew Rainnie
UK Correspondent
After literally months of playing it, I finally managed to complete Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on the Wii U, warts and all. Of course, I had taken a break from it to play my current Game of the Year contender, Mario Kart 8. After investing so much time and energy in a number of games recently, like Black Flag or GTA5, it’s so nice just to pick up a game that is pure, unadulterated fun. Taking part in online races and sharing the highlights on YouTube is just a sheer joy.
I’ve also been slowly crawling my way through a backlog of old games, and have submerged myself in the depths of BioShock on the PS3. It’s showing its age, but even seven years on, it can scare the heebie jeebies out of you, and prove to be insanely, frustratingly hard. Last, but not least, I have been playing Dakko Dakko’s Scram Kitty and His Buddy On Rails, which I’ll talk more about later!
Mike Ryan
Staff Writer
Is everyone getting sick of my constant playing of Animal Crossing: New Leaf yet? Well, I’m not, as I played that title for a good majority of the month. I finally found the last fossil, only to be devastated to learn that that is not how you earn a golden shovel. All that digging for nothing. I also played some War Thunder, the free-to-play dogfighting game on the PS4. Now that game is a lot of fun. Chasing and shooting down other gamers is so exhilarating. I’m normally not one for competitive multiplayer – I’m more of a co-op guy – but these team-based matches are just so much fun. It’s definitely worth the price. Get it?
I also purchased an older Wii game for three dollars at GameStop – MLB Power Pros. OK, why did I not buy this game when it first came out? This is an awesome title! It’s a perfect combination of a hardcore baseball game and an arcade game. If you want, you can take your custom-made character across multiple seasons and increase their abilities. Or, if you prefer, you can play a quick six-inning exhibition game. It plays great, and really reminds me of classic titles such as RBI Baseball or Bases Loaded. If you’re a fan of the sport, I highly suggest picking it up.
