Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Gutierrez
3DS stocked aplenty at retailers
Gamer interest in Nintendo’s 3DS has been off the charts and no one was overly surprised when the entire initial shipment in Japan sold out. Indeed, Nintendo may have had another case of the Wii on their hands, which has been scarcely available at many times over the last few years.
That won’t be the case in North America, as retailers are reporting they have plenty of units to sell to consumers. GameStop, Target, and Toys R Us reported to GameSpot that they’ve been able to meet pre-orders and have plenty of units to go around. This doesn’t necessarily mean the system isn’t selling well, instead a Toys R Us representative pointed towards “a very strong partnership with Nintendo” that has allowed them to meet demand.
What about the games? Super Street Fighter IV, Pilotwings Resort, and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars have been cited as the top selling titles so far. I know Senior Editor Nicole Kline got her 3DS and Podcast Producer Ryan Littlefield is about to get his, so hopefully we’ll have some impressions from launch titles incoming.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Pilotwings Resort, Street Fighter IV
Crysis 2 Review: Not All It’s Cried Up to Be
“Can it run Crysis?” For years, this question was the hallmark of determining the mettle of a PC’s prospects as a gaming machine and the bar was so high that the Xbox 360 and even the PlayStation 3 were said to be incapable of running it. Looking to broaden their audience (and possibly clients who license game engines), Crytek unveiled the CryEngine 3, the escort that would bring Crysis to consoles. It’s actually been done; Crysis 2 runs and runs well, but despite its astounding emphasis on visuals, the game fails to stack up well against the FPS heavy hitters of today. (more…)
F1 2011 races to stores in September; coming to 3DS, NGP
Fans of the Formula 1 breed of motor sport can rest easy knowing that F1 2011 has narrowed its release date down to this September. Developed by Codemasters Birmingham, this comprehensive sim features every racer, team, and circuit from the 2011 Fia Formula One World Championship. The game is currently slated for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, but Codemasters also confirmed the game is in development for the Nintendo 3DS and Sony’s Next Generation Portable (NGP/PSP2). These versions may be more than gimped ports, as each will “take advantage of the new platforms’ unique capabilities.” No official date for the handhelds has been confirmed.
You can get a chance to preview the game early by uploading a video on YouTube asking a question for the development team. Tubers submitting the best questions, as judged by the team, will be invited out to Birmingham in May to check out the game and be taped for a developer diary. Sounds like a pretty great opportunity.
The Witcher: Versus available on iPhone
Fans of the PC RPG series can now take their adventures with them on the go. This mobile installment comes courtesy of Chillingo, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, known primarily for publishing Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. The game is described as a “dark and fierce” turn based battle RPG where players hoard weapons, skills, and abilities and take on powerful opponents in combat. Tight.
Capcom continues outsourcing – Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City announced
Over the last few years, Keiji Inafune vehemently demanded that Japanese game developers blindly imitate what Western developers are doing, so they can make the money. A few months ago, he left Capcom. I can’t tell if it’s because of his demands, or because all their key game directors keep leaving, but Capcom seems intent on giving away all of its classic franchises to their friends in the West.
The world was shocked, absolutely shocked, as Capcom handed the reigns of Devil May Cry over to Ninja Theory when they unveiled their hideous, regurgitation-inducing (at least to DMC fans) makeover of protagonist Dante. Now, Official Xbox Magazine has confirmed that the next title in Capcom’s premier survival horror franchise, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is underway at Slant Six Studios for the PlayStation 3 and (of course) Xbox 360. Slant Six just did a stint with PlayStation’s SOCOM franchise, working on last year’s SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 (which was awesome) and SOCOM: Confrontation before that (which wasn’t so awesome). Stick Skills has tons of bullet points about the game on its site, and you can get even tons more from OXM. If you’re wondering what a western dev is going to do to this franchise, I believe this quote will satisfy your curiosity:
This is not a one-versus-one game where you’ve got one clip full of ammo and zombies on you. If you’ve ever thought of those times in an RE game when you thought, ‘I’d wish I had a big gun’, that’s what this game is.
There you have it. I’ll be sure to let you all know when Phoenix Wright: Space Marine is announced for the Xbox 360.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Lead and Gold on Steam gets free to play weekend, patch, DLC, and massive sale
If you missed out on last year’s excellent class-based, wild west multiplayer shooter, now’s a great time to get into Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West, particularly on Steam. The game is now 75% off and you can play without paying for it as part of this free to play weekend. The new Appendoah Valley – The Crops of Wrath map makes its debut in versus. Like the PS3 version got earlier this month, the game has been patched for numerous bugs on Steam.
Final Fantasy IV: Interlude is around 15 hours, maturity returns to original FFIV
The Super Nintendo. The PlayStation. The Game Boy Advance. The Nintendo DS. Going on its fifth platform, Square Enix is still giving you reasons to buy Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection. One such reason is Final Fantasy IV: Interlude, an all new game set to connect the original IV with its WiiWare sequel, The After Years. The PlayStation Blog revealed that this new connected story will be “weighing in at 15-odd hours of new gameplay.” I’d be happy if a downloadable game gave me 15 hours, so it’s excellent for this episode to be more like a full game.
Another feature may be of more note to RPG purists: the PSBlog portrays this version of the game as its “pure, uncensored form,” specifically denoting skimpy outfits and mature references. This is actually a big deal. For example, Final Fantasy VI directly translated is almost a completely different game than American players were used to, dealing with issues of prostitution, teen pregnancy, and suicide. No word if “Spoony Bard” will return (it did), but expect a nice package when FFIV: The Complete Collection releases for PSP on April 19.
Posted in News, PSP
Tagged Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters arriving in 3D on June 7
Ryan Reynolds’ latest film is generating a lot of excitement, but you can get your own taste of the Green Lantern, even in 3D if you wish, before the film comes out on June 17. Warner Bros. Interactive announced today that Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters will release in 3D for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS on June 7, along with a Wii version in standard 2D. This will be Warner Bros. first game for the Nintendo 3DS.
The PS3 and 360 version are actually kind of interesting – no expensive 3DTV is needed. The 3D effects are compatible with any standard or high definition television, all you have to do is wear the glasses that come with the game. With all this talk of 3D being the new direction for gaming, it’s great to see developers finding alternate, cheaper ways to deliver it to us.