Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Gutierrez
New Shift 2 Unleashed screenshots bring the Pagani Zondas out of the garage
Slightly Mad Studios and EA released a couple shots today of the Pagani Zonda R and F models that will be appearing in the next game of their racing sim franchise, Shift 2: Unleashed. It’s no Gran Turismo, but you can expect this to be what the cars will actually look like during gameplay, and the cockpit view is impressive as always. Shift 2 will be available at retail on March 29.
Hit the jump to see all the screenshots. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Shift 2: Unleashed
Final Fantasy III flying via The Invincible to iPhone
Amidst a sudden burst of uncharacteristic coherence, Square Enix recently announced that Final Fantasy III is joining Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions as being currently in development for the iPhone. No further details were given, and many are curious if this will be in the style of the FFI & II iPhone games or if it’ll be a port of the Nintendo DS version. The latter would be considerably delightful, as the entire game was designed to be playable using the touchscreen. Expect FF3 to join the App Store later this year.
Oh, The Invincible is the name of the airship from FF3, in case you didn’t realize.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Final Fantasy III
Pigs learn to fly, Xenogears coming to US PlayStation Network
It seems Square Enix is really starting to get it. Buried in the PlayStation Blog’s The Drop, surname-sharing Rey Gutierrez revealed that Xenogears will be this week’s addition to the PSOne Classics section of the PlayStation Store, when the digital service updates tomorrow. Xenogears came at the height of Square’s golden age on the original PlayStation, and is cited by many enthusiasts as the greatest RPG of all time. It also went on to serve as the template for Monolith Soft’s Xenosaga series on the PlayStation 2, after the core members of the original left Square in 1999.
This comes as a major blow to the second-hand market, where Xenogears can go for up to $150. After Tactics Ogre released last week as Square Enix’s first digital PSP title in what seems like forever, it appears the company may finally be in touch with its fan base again after years of superfluous remakes and bad Xbox 360 titles. Well, kinda.
Killzone.com launches career progression videos for Killzone 3’s classes
The PlayStation Network is set to be engulfed in the flames of war (or should I say Warzone) as Killzone 3 prepares for its North American launch tomorrow. To get players comfortable with the very deep class system of the game’s multiplayer, Killzone.com’s blog is hosting a series of videos on each class. The first one is the engineer, master of turret bots and the keyholder to emplaced weapons and ammo stockpiles. Guerilla’s Multiplayer Designer Dan Nanni explains the supportive nature of the engineer, detailing each of the class’ weapons and game-changing abilities. The rest of the classes should be up in the coming days so stay tuned for some intel that’s sure to come in handy out there.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Killzone 3
Bizarre Creations says “goodbye” to its fans
Episode 4 of the Warp Zoned podcast is scheduled to go up shortly, and one of the topics we deal with is the unfortunate closure of development studios, particularly the ones going on right now at Activision. Eamon Urtone, the company’s creative director, has been especially saddened by the closure of Bizarre Creations and has made the excellent farewell video featured above. Strangely, the video seems to only include footage from titles this generation, despite acknowledging the studio has been around since 1994, but it’s still a great tribute nonetheless. As you’ll gather from our podcast, as difficult as studios folding can be, the only thing you can really do is say:
“Goodbye.”
Yes, in the voice of the AOL guy. Or Bobby Kotick.
Posted in News
Infamous 2 dated June 7, Hero Edition detailed
In a year with a new LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted, Resistance, and MotorStorm, it can be easy to forget about the sequel in Sony’s other new IP this generation, Infamous 2. Now’s the time to start remembering because it’s coming soon. The PlayStation Blog announced the June 7 release date for the game (almost two years exactly since the first one (and a day before my birthday, thank you very much)), and even got into the inevitable premium retail option – the Infamous 2 Hero Edition.
For a picture of Ben Franklin, this package gets you the game, a replica of Cole’s messenger bag, the first issue of the DC comic, an 8.5″ figureine of Cole, the game’s soundtrack, and a super voucher including a player skin of the first game’s antagonist Kesller (!), a 24K Amp to melee with, and powers for electrocution grenades and lightning hook. Ironically, all the items in the super voucher are being divided up among retailers as pre-order bonuses, so if you get the Hero Edition you might want to get it from a non-participating retailer for a few bucks cheaper, or just give your extra code to a friend.
It’s almost hard to believe it’s been two years since the release of Infamous. This might be a good time to head back to Empire City to get hyped for the new one.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged InFamous 2
January 2011 NPD report: We all just got served
I always considered sales to be the lowest possible form of gaming conversation, but with NPD eliminating numbers from their public reports, it’s more like a pure representation of what the popular trends are in gaming.
And that trend is dance. Four games in the software top ten for January were dance games: Just Dance 2 (#2), Zumba Fitness (#5), Dance Central (#8), and Michael Jackson: The Experience (#9). While peripheral rocking may be on the way out, the music genre as a whole is alive and well, in fact you could argue that the dance games of today are the new band games of yesteryear, grossing exorbitant revenue and achieving a massive base. However, it signals that our medium of interactive entertainment is being taken over by genres we would not traditionally call video games and titles that simply don’t appeal to us. As the Japanese say, “it can’t be helped,” and I guess it’s a good thing overall if cores games are still financially healthy.
And indeed they are. Dead Space 2 (#3), Little Big Planet 2 (#4), and DC Universe Online (#10) made their debut in the top ten the same month as launching. Michael Jordan’s tongue-lashing exploits in NBA 2K11 (#6) returned, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (#7) snuck around and Call of Duty: Black Ops claimed the top spot, nearly three months after launch. This figure is augmented as all platforms are combined into one figure, so I can’t comment on how much that Nintendo DS port contributed.
Also absent are console figures, but that didn’t stop Microsoft from their customary spin installment. While both the PS3 and Xbox 360 are performing better than this time last year, Microsoft revealed 381,000 units sold, proclaiming the 360 as “the leading game console in 2011,” a statement which is pretentious after only January, unsubstantiated without any regional qualifier, and probably wrong considering the Nintendo DS is very much a game console, regardless of what Aaron Greenberg wishes you believed.
Trailers, Screenshots, and Artwork, oh my! Media blowout on PSN/XBLA title Moon Diver
Strider Hiryu, regrettably absent from Marvel vs. Capcom 3, starred in some of the best 2D sidescrolling action games of the 90’s, and now game designer Kouchi Yotsui is returning to redefine the genre with Moon Diver (which you may remember as Necomachina, the name it had when it was announced). Developed by Feelplus and published by Square Enix, the game centers around a group of specially trained ninjas as they attempt to take back the planet from a boy who has given life to inanimate objects, including bridges, trains, and entire cities, which now besiege the globe. Players engage in insane platforming and combat either solo or with up to four friends in co-op to vanquish their enemies. The game even incorporates elements of the Faust legend, (the boy’s name is Faust and he got his powers from Mephistopheles) which pleases my counter-Enlightenment sensibilities.
Hit the break for a full media blowout, including screenshots, artwork, and the visceral gameplay in action with a trailer. There’s no announced release date, but you can bet Moon Diver will be one to watch. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Moon Diver