Warp Zoned Presents
Author: John Scalzo
Bandai Namco will bring Pac-Man Party Royale to Apple Arcade before the end of the year
Bandai Namco has announced that the Pac is coming back later this year. Today, the publisher confirmed that they’ll launch Pac-Man Party Royale for iOS devices before the end of the year.
As you might expect, the multiplayer muncher will be available as part of Apple’s Apple Arcade subscription service:
Players will be able to challenge their friends in this brand-new Pac-Man experience, mixing the instant fun of retro arcade fun and modern multiplayer gameplay. In Pac-Man Party Roayle, four players will battle to determine who’s the best Pac-Man left chomping at the end of the stage.
The rules are simple, players eat pellets to gain speed or munch on the Super Pellet that will turn them into an unstoppable chomping machine, eating foes and friends alike. Eaten players will turn into ghosts, but they can come back to life by catching other players. The most famous video game bug of all time will also make its way to the new game, so beware of the 256 Glitch! If a winner isn’t crowned within a certain time, the maze will start to collapse until there is only one Pac-Man left!
It’s unknown if Pac-Man Party Royale will eventually make its way to other platforms, but Bandai Namco did promise that the game will expand after its release with “more mazes and game modes.”
See The Terminator deliver a cybernetic smackdown in Mortal Kombat 11
The Mortal Kombat franchise is just rife with cyborgs (and humans with cybernetic enhancements), but it’ll soon welcome the original killer cyborg into the fold as Kombat Pack owners will be able to download Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Terminator in Mortal Kombat 11 on October 8.
This new trailer gives us a glimpse at The Terminator’s powerful punches, as well as his personal Time Displacement Sphere (that acts as a teleporter), and the exploding power pack from Terminator 3. But this T-800 pulls most of his moves from The Terminator and Terminator 2, including a preference for a shotgun and the ability to keep fighting as just an endoskeleton after being exposed to fire.
All Mortal Kombat 11 players will be able to purchase the standalone version of The Terminator beginning on October 15, and don’t forget, Terminator: Dark Fate (starring Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Edward Furlong) opens in theaters on November 1.
An animator is making a game based on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show with his kids
Jesus Lopez is a game animator with an extensive resume of impressive titles, including DuckTales Remastered, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. But the projects he works on in his spare time (with his kids) are equally impressive, as YouTube user SwankyBox recently discovered.
In the video embedded above, SwankyBox delves into Lopez’s hobby of remaking World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. in the hand-drawn art style of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. The late 80s/early 90s cartoon was well-loved partly because of each episode’s live-action introduction from Captain Lou Albano (as Mario) and Danny Wells (as Luigi). But the weird and wild animation of the main story segments also created new corners of the Mushroom Kingdom that the games would never explore, such as the Pasta Land that Mario and friends visit in the first episode.
It’s this locale (with its “trees” made of forks and spaghetti) that Lopez is attempting to recreate, and he’s been documenting his progress sporadically over the years in a five-part video series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5). While the game hasn’t progressed beyond World 1-1 just yet, Lopez would like to create a series of original levels after he perfects the animation.
Lopez has been working on this project (again, with his kids as co-developers) for the past three years and he has no plans to release it for public consumption. But I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.
Dig into the Opening Cinematic from Minecraft Dungeons right here
Minecraft fans got a small window into the future of the franchise during today’s MineCon Live livestream, and the development team at Mojang dug deep to deliver the first look at the Opening Cinematic from next year’s Minecraft Dungeons. Featuring an evil overlord and a mysterious object of immense power, this new video certainly sets the mood for what fans can expect from the fantasy-themed epic:
When a lonely, outcast Illager stumbles upon a mysterious object with terrifying powers, his entire existence is turned upside down. Before long, he finds himself on a path of evil, causing mayhem across the Overworld. Who can stop him?
Minecraft Dungeons will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in Spring 2020, and a Closed Beta for the dungeon-crawling spinoff will be available sometime between now and then. You can sign up now for a chance to receive an invitation at the game’s official website.
Bumblebee’s Travis Knight is the latest director to sign on for the Uncharted movie
Sony Pictures has spun the Wheel of Fortune one more time and come up with another new director for their film adaptation of the Uncharted franchise.
Dan Trachtenberg, who is best known for directing 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane, previously occupied the director’s chair for Uncharted: The Movie, but according to a report on Deadline, he has decided to step down. Thankfully for Tom Holland, who will play a younger version of Nathan Drake in the film, Sony Pictures has already recruited a replacement… Travis Knight, the director of 2018’s Bumbleebee and 2016’s Kubo and The Two Strings.
As long as nothing else goes wrong with the Uncharted adaptation, filming is still expected to begin early next year. But the movie’s previously-announced December 18, 2020 release date will most likely have to change.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, PS4
Tagged Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
God of War, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Gran Turismo Sport, more will join expanded PlayStation Hits lineup on PS4 this Fall
Sony’s PlayStation Hits line will expand this Fall on the PS4 thanks to an influx of some of the console’s latest and greatest titles.
Sony Santa Monica’s God of War leads the new additions, and it’ll be joined by two other Sony-published games, Gran Turismo Sport and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Several popular Ubisoft titles will round out this Fall’s expansion of the PlayStation Hits, including The Crew, Far Cry 4, Rayman Legends, and the original Watch Dogs.
The newest additions to the PlayStation Hits lineup will be priced at $19.99, and they’ll be available in stores beginning on October 4.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Far Cry 4, God of War 4, Gran Turismo Sport, Rayman Legends, The Crew, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Watch Dogs
Dauntless’s 1.0 Update and Aether Unbound expansion are now available
Dauntless, a free-to-play brawler about hunting giant monsters from Phoenix Labs, has shed its Early Access designation on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One thanks to the launch of the game’s new 1.0 Update:
Dauntless 1.0 is a new beginning for the Behemoth-hunting game, delivering an expansive live gameplay experience that takes into account years of feedback from the game’s passionate community. Dauntless will continue to grow and expand with new content and features, keeping Slayers sharp and entertained with new weapons, Behemoths, in-game events, stories and much more for years to come.
In addition to launching the full version of Dauntless, the developer has unveiled a brand new seasonal expansion for the game, Aether Unbound. The expansion gives players the option to engage in fast-paced hand-to-claw combat with the game’s towering Behemoths, as well as participate in a new Bounty System:
The next seasonal expansion, Aether Unbound, adds a powerful new way for Slayers to hunt: the Aether Strikers. The combo-heavy strikers transform Slayers into living weapons with the ability to unleash fast-moving attacks and powerful techniques. This update also adds the savage new Dire Behemoth, Tempestborne Stormclaw, a new Bounty system, and a Hunt Pass packed with special challenges and in-game rewards. The new Bounty system replaces weekly quests and Hunt Pass part breaks, empowering Slayers to pick and choose which bounties they are most interested in pursuing. Phoenix Labs also squashed more than 500 bugs on the road to its 1.0 launch, making this patch one of Dauntless’ most polished to date.
These updates arrive just as Dauntless’s playerbase has reached more than 15 million players, and just before its launch on the Nintendo Switch later this year.
“Today is the celebration and culmination of the past five years of the development of Dauntless, and the amazing community of Slayers that have supported the game, provided feedback and ultimately helped us craft the experience of the Shattered Isles.” said Jesse Houston, the CEO and Co-Founder of Phoenix Labs. “As we cross the 1.0 milestone and 15 million players, we as a studio could not be more excited to set our sights on the future of Dauntless.”
A trailer for Dauntless’s 1.0 Update and the Aether Unbound expansion has been embedded above.
New trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduces us to “Cal’s Mission”
Respawn Entertainment will get their next chance to wow gamers with a sprawling space saga this Fall with the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Today, the developer unveiled a new trailer for the game that hints at what else protagonist Cal Kestis will be up to besides evading the Empire:
In the Galactic Empire, the Inquisitorius has only one mission: seek out and destroy all remnants of the Jedi Order. Learn more about what Cal Kestis is searching the galaxy for and why the Empire will stop at nothing to bring him down.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 15.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order