Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Gutierrez
New Batman: Arkham City screenshots give bad guys something to lose sleep over
I am totally ready to mess up those dudes to the left. A few new screenshots have leaked for Batman: Arkham City coming sometime in the fourth quarter of 2011. In addition to the quick glimpse into predator mode to the left, they also show Bruce stalking a helicopter, Harley looking hot as ever, and Two Face doing his (or, um, “their”) best Uncle Sam impression. Hit the gallery below for the pics in their full size. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham City
New Tactics Ogre video brings the love you’ve been missing
Before the team formerly known as Quest made Final Fantasy Tactics, before they even needed the “formerly” in their name, a group of dedicated Japanese RPG developers churned out the masterpiece known as Tactics Ogre. The game focuses on the nation of Valeria, and the Liberation Army’s struggle to bring freedom to an oppressed people. A big part of the game’s attraction, apart from being an entry in the awesome Ogre Battle series, is that it is the spiritual predecessor to Final Fantasy Tactics, with a similar art style, combat system, and interface. After releasing only in Japan on the Super Famicom and Sega Saturn, a limited North American release for the PlayStation, and no fan translation in sight, many RPG fanatics gave up on playing this game. But finally, the game will see an all-new re-imagining and it’s coming later this month.
The trailer shows a few animated scenes from the game, some in a normal animation style, others in a kind of story book mode. The iconic artwork of Akihido Yoshida is brought to life by the trademark sounds of Hitoshi Sakimoto, who went on to work on the newest big player in the Strategy RPG sub-genre, Valkyria Chronicles. If you’re even remotely a fan of RPG’s, Final Fantasy, or just own a PSP, this is a spectacle you don’t want to miss. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together will release for the PlayStation Portable on February 15, 2011.
Posted in News, PSP
Tagged Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
New Resistance 3 and Ratchet & Clank: All-4-One videos surface
The good folks at Insomniac spent the day today in London showing off their two new PS3 games to the press, and were kind enough to let everyone in on the action with two new videos. The Resistance 3 trailer shows human forces battling Chimera in Haven, Oklahoma in all the glory of Insomniac’s new engine for the game, as a terraformer draws closer to the city. I assure you, this is absolutely nothing like terraforming on Dune. The effects are really off the charts this time; as the terraformer gets closer to annihilating the city, the winds really pick up, making it totally bad-ass when the Chimeran Brawler pictured left shows up.
The Ratchet & Clank: All-4-One trailer shows the co-op insanity that will ensue once the game launches this fall. The game looks like a lot of fun with all the wacky characters and guns the series is known for and at one point the players appear to be on jet skis evading a monstrous cross between a blow fish and a giant squid. It’s hard to believe Insomniac is releasing both its marquee franchises in the same year, but they appear to be handling both better than ever. You can find both trailers after the jump. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Resistance 3
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection releasing April 19
In a big day for Square Enix PSP release dates, the company has also announced Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection will arrive at retail (again: no PlayStation Store) on April 19, 2011. The game combines Final Fantasy IV with updated graphics and sound in the style of the FFI & II PSP remakes, as well as the first retail packaging of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. It would’ve been nice to have the style and expanded story of the Nintendo DS remake of FFIV, but hopefully this version will be a little more true to the original experience.
2011 also marks the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy IV, first released in 1991 for the Super Nintendo (and under the confusing name Final Fantasy II in the United States). The game is widely recognized as a milestone for storytelling in RPG’s and video games.
Posted in News, PSP
Tagged Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Celebrate The 3rd Birthday on March 29, 2011
The long awaited third entry in the Parasite Eve franchise, The 3rd Birthday, will be coming to U.S. retailers on March 29, 2011 for the PlayStation Portable. Players will assume the role of series protagonists Aya Brea as she seeks to rid 2012 Manhattan of the hideous creatures known as the Twisted. Square Enix has also announced that Yvonne Strahovski of the NBC series “Chuck” will voice the heroine. And in other voice cast news, the mysterious Kyle Madigan will be played by Jensen Ackles of “Supernatural.”
“I was immediately interested when Square Enix approached me with the opportunity to play Aya Brea in The 3rd Birthday,” said Strahovski. “I love Aya – she’s strong, driven and ready to take on the world.”
Unfortunately, no mention of a downloadable version for the PlayStation Store has been announced, leaving PSP Go owners like myself out of luck. I have no idea why Square Enix, one of the biggest partners to PlayStation in the past, releases almost none of their PSP games digitally; I guess it’s just a sign of the times.
Posted in News, PSP
Tagged The 3rd Birthday
Killzone 3 full Trophy list revealed
With Guerilla Games’ latest sci-fi adventure only three weeks away, and a multiplayer beta available for download tomorrow, you may be overwhelmed by the proximity of the launch of Killzone 3. Feel free to satiate your fix by checking out the full Trophy list, courtesy of the bold heroes at PS3Trophies. There’s no more crazy requirements for placing in the top x% of the weekly multiplayer leaderboards, but you do need to finish the game on Elite to get the Platinum. The rest are your run of the mill challenges for individual levels and multiplayer, but be careful of spoilers in the hidden trophies at the end of the list. I’m hoping this will be my second platinum trophy from the Killzone series.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Killzone 3
New details emerge for From Software’s Project Dark, officially titled Dark Souls
At the last Tokyo Game Show, From Software revealed their next game, tentatively titled Project Dark. As the spiritual successor to their last big hit Demon’s Souls (which was the spiritual successor to King’s Field), it should come as no surprise that the game is now officially titled as Dark Souls. The game will have familiar aspects from Demon’s Souls’ characteristic co-op and versus online play, as you can feel the “gentle presence” of others playing the game and leave behind messages. Instead of a set of classes to choose at the beginning, players will be able to develop their own characters, utilizing an even wider selection of equipment and magic. Also gone is the concept of a central hub connecting the various levels, as this time they will all be seamlessly connected; when you step out of a cave and see a castle in the distance, you’ll eventually be able to get inside the walls and see what’s hidden within. The one thing definitely carrying over from Demon’s Souls is the grueling difficulty and immensely satisfying sense of achievement through learning from your mistakes.
I burned lots of hours on an imported version of Demon’s Souls before it came out in the states, and I’m embarrassed to say I still haven’t finished the game. Looks like I’ll have some grinding to do. Dark Souls comes out later this year on PlayStation 3 in Japan, with Namco Bandai publishing the game in the west for both PS3 and Xbox 360.
Source: Siliconera
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Dark Souls
Jane McGonigal to keynote PAX East 2011
Developer, visionary, and optimist Jane McGonigal will be kicking off this year’s PAX East in Boston with her keynote “to inspire gamers to create a better world,” no doubt inspired by her recent book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. McGonigal is a games developer and researcher focusing on collective gaming and how our experience with the medium can help us solve our real life problems. Most gamers will recognize her as Community Lead on I Love Bees, the viral marketing alternate reality game for Halo 2. Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade said, “every gamer knows the kind of passion and dedication we bring to the games we love. The idea that we can take this and direct it outward to the real world is something we’ve always believed in. Jane’s message is something that will inspire and hopefully provoke us all toward greater action.”
I’ve been to the last three Penny Arcade Expos but never attended a keynote. As games are usually getting in the way of my motivation, this talk may get me to finally attend one. PAX East will take place in Boston Massachusetts from Friday March 11 to Sunday March 13, 2011. Be on the lookout for your favorite Warp Zoned writers running loose in the wild.
Posted in News
Tagged PAX East 2011