Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Chris Urie
Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection has some extra goodness
If it already wasn’t awesome enough that two of the greatest PS2 games are being remade in splendid high def, Sony and Team Ico decided to sweeten the pot with some bonus content right there on the disc. September 27 is going to be a great day.
When you get your copy of the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection for a bargain $40, you will be treated to a code for two XMB dynamic themes (one for each game) as well as a host of video content squeezed in right there beside both games on one Blu-ray disc. This includes an extended look at the upcoming The Last Guardian.
This remastered collection will give people a chance to play two amazing games that may have slipped under their radar. How can they fit so much awesome on one disc?!
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
Behind the scenes of Gears of War 3 at Comic-Con
The conclusion of the Gears of War trilogy is approaching. Come September 20, you will once again join Marcus Fenix and his team to fight hoards of the Locust. But this time around, the Gears team at Epic Games is going for a whole new feel for the story.
Epic’s Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski said, “Gears was really about a battle. Gears of War 2 wanted to make you feel like you were a part of a war. With Gears of War 3 we wanted to take the scale of the story down, make it personal.”
See just what they are talking about in the behind-the-scenes video above that premiered at this year’s San-Diego Comic-Con.
In addition to the video, Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson of Epic Games hosted a 60-minute panel. They touched on the emotional insight that they poured into the the final Gears game. Evidently, Gears of War 3 will be the longest and meatiest single player campaign Epic has ever produced. You will get to dive deeper into the characters you have spent countless hours with and join them as their story comes to a close.
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Comic-Con 2011, Gears of War 3
Blockbuster isn’t dead… yet
It seems that Blockbuster isn’t going down without a fight. The company has emerged from bankruptcy protection and will continue to operate over 1,500 stores nationwide that would have been closed during the liquidation.
“We’re pleased that we will continue to operate more than 90 percent of the stores that were offered at auction in April,” said Michael Kelly, the president of Blockbuster.
With a new lease on life, Blockbuster is taking the fight to Netflix with a new and improved Total Access package that includes something for everyone (even us gamers): new releases 28 days before Netflix, unlimited in-store exchanges, games for PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 and no additional charge for Blu-ray movies.
So don’t be too sad yet. That familiar big blue movie ticket marquee may not be going anywhere. At least until Netflix purchases Gamefly and stops fooling around with the prices.
Posted in News
Fruit Ninja Free now on Andriod Marketplace
For those of you who don’t have an iPhone, you can now get Fruit Ninja for free on the Android Marketplace.
Have a vendetta against fruit? Look at it all just sitting there in the supermarket. It needs to be taught a serious lesson. That’s what the developer Halfbrick thought when they created Fruit Ninja, the wildly popular mobile app centered around ninjas and visceral sprays of juice. With unlockable backgrounds and blades, the fun and zen like trance you can receive is unending.
Free is good. Free is nice. Thanks, Halfbrick.
Legend of Zelda Symphony Concert set for Oct. 21; nationwide tour in 2012
Break out those ocarinas and Wind Waker wands! To celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo is hosting a symphony concert, which will be held October 21 at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Tickets are $35 and will be available beginning August 1st.
All of the songs will be hand-picked by Nintendo composer Koji Kondo and his team. This is sure to be a compilation of some of the most iconic music in gaming history. But we all remember the swelling feeling of adventure the first time we stepped out onto Hyrule Field in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and in 2012 we’ll all get to experience that lovely music live as Nintendo plans to follow up the Los Angeles concert with a nationwide Legend of Zelda Symphony Concert tour!
Tour dates will be announced soon, but for the time being, you can get your Zelda kicks on the 3DS with Ocarina of Time 3D.
These are the Special Editions of Star Wars: The Old Republic you’re looking for
The dawn of BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic is upon us, and we get lots of tasty editions to pre-order from, even if there still isn’t a solid release date.
Beta testing for the game starts in September, and hopefully it will highlight the new ideas that BioWare and Lucasarts have brought to the MMO game. The Old Republic is supposed to have a deeper focus on story rather than herding X amount of Nerf.
The pre-orders will get you first access to the game and an in-game color stone to change up your weapon. The launch supply of the game will be limited in order to keep transition to the servers nice and smooth. If you are cuddling with your Darth Maul pillow in anticipation, you might want to ante up some cash.
The three editions of Star Wars: The Old Republic are:
The Collector’s Edition – It includes a ton of real and in-game swag. You get a Darth Malgus Statue, the journal of Jedi Master Gnost Dural, The Old Republic soundtrack, a security key and a map of the in-game Star Wars galaxy. Virtual items include a Flare Gun, Training Droid, personal HoloDancer, HoloCam, the STAP vehicle and access to the Collector’s Store, an in-game store with new in-game items exclusively for owners of the Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition will also include 30 days of game time and will set you back a resounding $149.99.
Digital Deluxe Edition – This edition includes 30 days of game time and five virtual items, including the Flare Gun, Training Droid, personal HoloDancer, HoloCam and the STAP vehicle. It is a little bit cheaper, weighing in at $79.99.
Standard Edition – You get the game and 30 days to play it. This one will cost you a reasonable $59.99.
In true George Lucas fashion, we get many editions of the game. Hopefully they won’t feature any updated special effects, extra scenes, or Jar Jar Binks.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Star Wars: The Old Republic
Zombies and Miniskirts: Suda 51 announces Lollipop Chainsaw
No, it isn’t a Highschool of The Dead video game, but it is damn close. Lollipop Chainsaw is a new trip in the works from Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture, the same people that brought you No More Heroes, Killer 7, and Shadows of the Damned. Although there is no release date yet, the game is evidently in the fine tuning stages and the studio has secured a publisher to release the game in English for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Juliet Starling is a cheerleader at San Romero High School (I get what you did there Suda, you clever mouse, you) whose whole school becomes zombified and she needs to teach those brain hungry flesh munchers a lesson with a chainsaw and a miniskirt.
“Actually I’ve wanted to do a crazy horror-action game like this set in a school for a while now,” Suda told Famitsu magazine. “Something where the classrooms, corridors, gymnasium and so on are suddenly transformed into something completely different. I was also working on a game concept centered around using a chainsaw as a weapon, and once the idea for the Juliet character began to form, it was just a perfect fit.”
Surprisingly, Lollipop Chainsaw aims to be a somewhat cute game. It will evidently be trading in gushing sprays of blood for bursts of pink light. And Akira Yamaoka, the man behind the sound and music for Silent Hill and Shadows of the Damned, has been hard at work on creating bubbly pop tunes for Lollipop Chainsaw.
Looks like all that cheerleading practice will help you survive the slavering hoards of undead. And let’s hope Fox doesn’t decide to headshot Lollipop Chainsaw with a lawsuit due to its rather obvious similarities to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
[Source: Andriasang]
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Lollipop Chainsaw
Prototype 2 gets dated with a first look at Comic-Con
Alex Mercer, that other gravelly voiced super-anti-hero, will be back for another round (this time as the bad guy) against a new starring character, Sgt. James Heller, in Prototype 2. We also know when this showdown will take place as Activision has tagged Prototype 2 with an April 24, 2012 release date.
Radical Entertainment will be on hand at the Activision booth at the San Diego Comic-Con to unveil a first look at the new game. They will be hosting 15 minute stage presentations to showcase parts of the wild shape shifting action as well as to give out some Prototype branded goodies like Heller’s leather jacket and a custom Alex Mercer skinned Xbox 360. You can get a taste of the Comic-Con reveal in the trailer above.
For this new jaunt into the Prototype universe you will be assuming the role of Sgt. James Heller. You will need to use all the genetic and shape shifting weapons in your arsenal to take down Alex Mercer. But don’t worry, you will be slurping down people to assume their identities again in no time!
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Comic-Con 2011, Prototype 2