Author: John Scalzo

John Scalzo is Warp Zoned's Editor-In-Chief and resident retro gaming expert. You can email him at john AT warpzoned DOT com.

The Last of Us Part II will be released on February 21, 2020

After nearly three years worth of teases and trailers, Sony and Naughty Dog have finally confirmed a launch date for The Last of Us Part II. The post-apocalyptic sequel will be released exclusively for the PS4 on February 21, 2020.

As part of today’s State of Play presentation, the publisher and developer also unveiled a brand new trailer for The Last of Us Part II, which reveals more about the game’s story, and a very-alive-looking Joel (so much for the “He’s a Voice in Ellie’s Head!” theory).

Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann also shared a bit about what this announcement means for everyone at Naughty Dog on the PlayStation Blog:

We began working on this game over five years ago. It’s hard to describe the immense pressure of following up the first game. We know how much you love this world and its characters — especially Ellie and Joel. Believe me, we’re fans as well. We love them. Which is why we spent years crafting a game that we feel will do them justice, telling a nuanced story that deals with the core question: how far would you go to exact justice against the people that hurt the ones you love?

It’s a highly emotional story with complex themes that befit the world of The Last of Us. What we realized pretty early on is that we were putting together Naughty Dog’s most ambitious and longest game in our 35 year history. To tell this kind of story the game needed to be massive. Without spoiling too much, at the top of this post you can watch the brand-new trailer that we debuted earlier today on State of Play, which just scratches the surface of what the game has in store.

More information about The Last of Us Part II will be revealed later this week on September 26, which is “the day the cordyceps fungus reached critical mass” (better known as “Outbreak Day”) in the game.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Square Enix evokes classic PSone design for Final Fantasy VII Remake’s box and unveils a new gameplay trailer

Square Enix gave fans a glimpse at the box art for Final Fantasy VII Remake earlier today, and it should bring back fond memories for those of us who were around when the original game was released back in 1997:

The package art, reminiscent of the North American cover of the original Final Fantasy VII, features protagonist Cloud Strife with his iconic buster sword, staring down the headquarters of the shadowy enemy he has agreed to help take down.

In addition to the artwork announcement, Square Enix also unveiled a brand new gameplay trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake that pits Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith against Abzu. You can find the video after the break:

Furthermore, a new gameplay video is now available, in which Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith go head to head with a ferocious beast, Abzu. The exhilarating fight [highlights] each characters’ unique battle style.

Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released for the PS4 on March 3, 2020. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

New Retail Releases: FIFA 20, Code Vein, Contra Rogue Corps, More

The month of September is rolling to a close with a bevy of new retail releases, including FIFA 20, the latest launch for EA Sports’s soccer simulation series. FIFA 20 will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One, and a Legacy Edition of the game will be released for the Switch.

Monsters and mayhem are also on the docket for this week, as Bandai Namco will bring their vampire-centric action RPG, Code Vein, to the PS4 and Xbox One. It’ll be joined by Konami’s latest bizarro take on the Contra franchise, the twin-stick shooter Contra: Rogue Corps, for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Speaking of the Switch, several big titles will finally make their way to Nintendo’s console. Square Enix’s epic RPG Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition will be released for the Switch, as will Behavior Interactive’s multiplayer survival game Dead by Daylight and THQ Nordic’s apocalyptic action game Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition.

Elsewhere on store shelves this week, Focus Home Interactive will publish their futuristic action RPG, The Surge 2, for the PS4 and Xbox One. And Spike Chunsoft will also go the sci-fi route for their latest adventure game, AI: The Somnium Files, on the PS4 and Switch.

And finally, Natsume wants to get players invested in the fast farming of Harvest Moon: Mad Dash on the PS4 and Switch.

A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Batman Day comes to Fortnite for the next two weeks

Today is Batman Day, DC’s annual celebration of the Caped Crusader and everything that makes him one of the great comics characters of all time. So naturally, they decided to team up with Fortnite for a special “Fortnite X Batman” crossover.

Beginning today an running through Sunday, October 6, the event will give players access to some of Batman’s most famous gadgets (the Batman Grapnel Gun and an Explosive Batarang), as well as a pair of costumes (the Batman Comic Book Outfit and The Dark Knight Movie Outfit). A Catwoman costume will also be available.

According to Epic’s official website, part of Gotham City will also be recreated on the map:

A Rift Zone has brought Gotham City to Fortnite. Of course, it wouldn’t be Gotham City if villainy didn’t come along with it. This POI lets you be the hero the citizens of Gotham City need by giving you your own Batman cape and the power of Glider Redeploy!

More details about the Fortnite X Batman crossover can be found on the Patch Notes page.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged

Dodge Roll launches Exit the Gungeon as timed-exclusive for Apple Arcade… so here’s a Launch Trailer

Apple launched their Apple Arcade subscription service earlier this week, and among the dozens of new games from high profile publishers and developers is Exit the Gungeon, a sequel/spinoff to Enter the Gungeon from Dodge Roll Games and Singlecore Games.

Unlike Enter the Gungeon, Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling shooter that tasks players with escaping from the titular catacomb after the past has been erased. Yikes. Thankfully, players will be equipped with plenty of ammo to make this less of a problem, as you can see from the Launch Trailer embedded above.

Exit the Gungeon is currently available to download for iOS devices through the Apple Arcade, but according to the developer (via Reddit), it will eventually make its way to other platforms. Dodge Roll is also planning to release multiple free updates for Exit the Gungeon, so the game it is today won’t be the game it is eventually.

Hopefully we’ll learn more about Exit the Gungeon’s update schedule soon. But in the meantime, you might be interested to know that even though the side-scrolling shooter is “just” a mobile game, it has full controller support on Apple Arcade.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged

Terminator: Resistance will be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on December 3

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton will be back this October in Terminator: Dark Fate, and now Reef Entertainment has announced that they’re going to release Terminator: Resistance for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on December 3.

Based on The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Reef Entertainment’s Resistance is a first person shooter that takes place during the Future War. The game’s story follows a Resistance soldier named Jacob Rivers as he leads a team to smash Skynet’s Defense Grid, and if you remember your Terminator lore, you know that Kyle Reese was part of that mission before being sent back in time by John Connor:

About Terminator: Resistance
This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, nearly 30 years after Judgement Day, and stars a brand new hero in the Terminator universe, Jacob Rivers, a soldier in the Resistance led by John Connor. Despite the fact that Jacob is just a lowly private, he’ll soon discover that he’s been specifically targeted by the latest threat from Skynet and marked for termination!

Skynet may be destined to lose the war, but at what cost to Jacob? Experience the events leading up to the decisive final battle for the fate of mankind in the war against the machines!

Features

  • Resist the machines! Fight against a selection of iconic enemies from the films, including the T-800, as well as a host of enemies that are brand new to the Terminator universe.
  • Equip an arsenal of plasma weaponry to run and gun or sneak and hack through sprawling environments! The world isn’t as forgiving as it used to be so you’ll need to search for scraps to trade and craft.
  • Choose the kind of hero you want to be by levelling up your skills while exploring post-Apocalyptic Los Angeles. Complete story missions to rise through the ranks of the Resistance as well as side-quests to help your friends.
  • Change the fate of mankind! Protect a motley crew of survivors, each with their own motivations and backstories. The actions you take throughout the game will impact their survival and change the ending you get.

While we’re just officially learning about Terminator: Resistance now, the game has actually been in development in one way or another since 2013, when Reef Entertainment first acquired the rights to create games based on the franchise.

Then known as Terminators, the publisher said they were “studying all aspects and influences of the Terminator universe” to create a game that “does great justice to the motion pictures.” We’ll find out if developer Teyon managed to crack the code in just a few months.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Play this weekend’s Tetris 99 Maximus Cup to unlock a Theme based on Super Kirby Clash

Nintendo has scheduled this month’s Maximus Cup for Tetris 99, and it looks like the puzzle royale’s latest competition will begin on Friday, September 20, at 3:00 AM (Easten Time) and conclude 96 hours later at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, September 24. This time, Tetris 99 competitors who amass 100 Event Points will unlock a new Theme based on Super Kirby Clash.

Super Kirby Clash is the latest starring role for Nintendo’s pink puffball, and the free-to-play game is now available to download for the Switch. Nintendo is encouraging Tetris 99 players to try it out by also offering 99 Gem Apples (it’s in-game currency) to anyone who accumulates 100 Event Points in this weekend’s Maximus Cup:

Gem Apples are the in-game currency in Super Kirby Clash, which let players craft and obtain new items. Qualifying players will receive their 99 Gem Apples via a Nintendo eShop code that will be emailed to the address associated with their Nintendo Account within one week after the event ends. In the multiplayer mode of the Super Kirby Clash game, players choose from four unique Roles and join up to three other players to take down tough bosses.

As always, more information about this weekend’s Maximus Cup can be found at Tetris 99’s official website.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Single-stick shooter Deathstate is now available for the Switch

Deathstate was originally released for the PC in 2015, and later made its way to the PS4 in 2017. Today, developer Bread Machine announced that their single-stick shooter, which was inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, is now available to download for the Switch:

Deathstate is a roguelike bullet hell action RPG set in a bizarre world of dimensional exploration. Play as a number of unique characters trying to discover the fate of Professor Elinberg who opened a portal to the void. Are you ready to venture deep into the abyss?

Featuring a wildly colorful neon palette and multiple playable characters, Deathstate also supports Cloud Saves on the Switch.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged