Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Gutierrez
We’re all playing entirely too much Call of Duty: Black Ops
Activision has released another statistics graphic for Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer today and the numbers are starting to get a little astounding. In addition to the most popular weapons, perks, and killstreaks, we’ve apparently fought 161 World War II’s everyday since the game’s launch. I could go on and on about how crazy they are, but the full image is viewable above for your clicking pleasure. I recently got back to the game myself and it’s a pleasant surprise to see some of the network issues cleared up. If only some of Activision’s other studios were this dedicated…
Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia getting “Classic Trilogy HD” (and 3D) remakes on PS3
It appears that the announcement of Tomb Raider Trilogy HD not even a month ago has indeed opened up the floodgates for third party publishers to re-release older games in high definition on PlayStation 3. Ubisoft announced today Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD and Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD for Sony’s remake-friendly PS3 in the U.S. on March 22, 2011 for $39.99 at retail, or digitally on the PlayStation Store. The Splinter Cell compilation will include Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow, and Chaos Theory while the Prince of Persia package will have The Sands of Time, Warrior Within, and The Two Thrones. Both releases will consist of a single Blu-ray disc each. In what seems like a move to one up Square Enix’s Tomb Raider collection, Ubisoft has confirmed these games will be playable in stereoscopic 3D. While the Splinter Cell treatment was just announced, and the Prince of Persia collection has been out in Europe for some time, it’s still great to get a firm release date, as well as the inclusion of 3D for Splinter Cell.
As with Tomb Raider, while I’m personally excited to try out these games in high def, I can only hope this means Square Enix will be comfortable revisiting some Final Fantasy titles and Konami will man-up and re-release the Metal Gear Solid games with trophy support.
New Wii exclusive Pandora’s Tower teased
Over the weekend, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata announced Pandora’s Tower for the Wii during a financial briefing and this teaser site opened shortly after. Other than the logo you see above and some damn pleasant piano music, the site opens with a girl’s voice saying, “dying and becoming beautiful, or living though ugly. Which will make you happier?” (as nervously translated by Andriasang). The site lists a planned release date for the Spring.
I have no idea what this game is or what any of this means, but if you’ve got a Wii, you might want to keep an eye out for this one.
Posted in News, Wii
Tagged Pandora's Tower
Hydrophobia Pure half-off this week, downloading enters you in $4,500 sweepstakes
Dark Energy Digital’s Hydrophobia Pure will be half-off for only 400 Microsoft Points this week from January 31st to February 6th as part of a water-themed Deal of the Week promotion for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. In addition, anyone over the age of 18 who downloads the game will be entered into a sweepstakes sponsored by the developer. First place will be either a $4,500 cruise for a U.S. resident, or a $3,000 beach vacation and $1,500 susceptible to prize taxes and fees for a U.K. resident. 5 additional winners will receive 4,000 Microsoft Points.
Dark Energy Digital sure have been pushing Hydrophobia after it was met with mixed reviews, first by releasing a ‘Pure’ version of the game and recently with their Listening Post to gather more fan feedback. A few of us at Warp Zoned are personally rooting for the team, hopefully they’ll knock it out the park with the next episode of the series.
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Hydrophobia
El Shaddai completed, US/EU release date coming “shortly”
UTV Ignition Entertainment, Ltd. announced today that their biblical re-telling of the story of Enoch has gone gold, and will be releasing in Japan on April 28, 2011, adding that the European and American release dates “will be announced shortly.” El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron has been in development for three years under the supervision of former Clover and Capcom developers who have worked on Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Okami. Inspired by the Book of Enoch from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the game follows a priest looking for fallen angels in order to save mankind from an impending flood. The game will apparently be the first in a new series, as Game Director Sawaki Takeyasu stated “I also look forward to having time to consider the future direction of the El Shaddai franchise.”
El Shaddai certainly has a unique art style to complement its interesting source material. It’s definitely one to watch, given the track record of its developers. The game hopes to cement UTV’s place as a powerhouse publisher, representing “the first of several exciting new blockbuster gaming properties that UTV Ignition Entertainment will reveal over the coming months.”
Posted in News
Tagged El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Mega Man Gigamix Vol. 1 manga coming to North America 5/4/2011
Hitoshi Ariga, whose last Mega Man manga just released in English after ten years, will be returning to the universe of the blue bomber to bring an all new series. Published by Udon, the first volume of the all new Mega Man Gigamix will see North American shelves on May 4, 2011, promising to be “the greatest Mega Man story ever!” The full series will feature every robot master and nearly every character from the original eight Mega Man games, coming in at over 600 pages total. The first volume features Mega Man heading out into space and facing the robot masters from Mega Man 3.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the lore behind the Mega Man games, especially in the more story-driven series like Mega Man X and Legends. You can find more information on the upcoming Mega Man Gigamix on Udon’s blog.
Pokemon Global Link accompanying Black and White versions this Spring
Score one for region-free gaming, and cloud computing while we’re at it. Some time after Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version release in North America on March 6, 2011 for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo will launch their Pokemon Global Link website. This service allows players to sync their game progress to their Pokemon Trainer Club accounts and access web-only content and communication. Users can communicate with other trainers, meet new Pokemon, and climb the Worldwide Battle Ratings. Included from the start is Pokemon Dream World, where after you tuck your Pokemon into bed by syncing to the service, you can actually enter your pocket monster’s dream, customizing their home and befriending other Pokemon in minigames. Items and Pokemon you find in the dream world can then be transferred back into your game. The Global Battle Union will also be available, allowing players to see how they compare against trainers from around the world, as well as receive invitations to live tournaments as part of the Pokemon Video Game Championship series, even making their way to Pokemon World Championship in San Diego, California this August. A Pokemon Global Trading Station will also come to the service later this year.
While the DS hardware itself is for the most part region-free, not all games from different regions can communicate with each other. This provides a great solution to internationalize the latest entry in the series and bring players from all over the world together. With all of those features, the Global Link seems like a nice set of tools to strengthen the community in a way it previously couldn’t be.
Posted in DS, News
Tagged Pokemon Black/White, Pokemon Global Link
Sony Computer Entertainment introduces ‘PlayStation Suite’ on Android
Last night was a pretty insane time for gaming as Sony unveiled the next-generation successor to the PSP, codenamed NGP. But before Kaz Hirai got into details of their powerful new handheld, PlayStation Suite for Android smartphones and tablets was announced. This is a content delivery service in which devices running Android 2.3 or higher will be able to experience “PlayStation quality” titles. To maintain the good will of the brand, the “PlayStation Certified” program will provide development support and licensing. The service is set to launch within the calendar year, and although no formal lineup has been announced, PlayStation oldies like Cool Boarders 2 and Medieval were spotted at the conference last night. It looks like PlayStation-style buttons appear on the touch screen and players control the games that way.
Despite the ever-increasing relevance of Apple and its iOS in the gaming industry, many have complained about the lack of depth thus far seen on smartphones. Hopefully this service will bring more substance to the market. In addition, SCE’s own touch device, the NGP, will also support PlayStation Suite titles. So you can have PlayStation Suite on your PlayStation… sweet!