Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Gutierrez
PlayStation Store update for 1/18/11 brings Mass Effect 2 to the PSN
This week’s PlayStation store update brings a ton of great content, most notable of which is the digital version of Mass Effect 2. Coming in at 12GB, the game is accompanied by a load of free and priced downloadable content, as well as a free game trial for PSN Plus Subscribers. Other notable releases include Modern Combat: Domination at a reasonable $7.99 (with a demo if the low price point isn’t enough for you to give it a shot) and a handful of Neo Geo games now available on PSP, including Alpha Mission II and The King of Fighters ’94. Hit the jump for the full list of new downloadable content, courtesy of Grace Chen of the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PSP
Tagged Mass Effect 2
Nintendo 3DS liveblog starting now
Nintendo is currently holding a U.S. preview of the 3DS in New York City right now. The launch event started at 9 a.m. EST and will answer most of the questions still surrounding the purportedly magical handheld device. Reggie Fils-Aime himself is hosting and plans to give details on the U.S. launch date, pricing, initial library and other news.
The President of Nintendo America has already made some bold claims, that the current era of gaming began with playing Mario in 3D (apparently referring to Super Mario 64) and that this is “the next big step in the modern era of video games, Nintendo 3DS.” Other announced details are that the system will launch in aqua blue and cosmo black, and that the top screen will be 10% larger than it is on the DSi. The announcements are pouring out, so you best head over to Kotaku for their ongoing liveblog of the event.
Valve details PS3 Portal 2 Steam functionality… and it’s good
When Gabe Newell announced at Sony’s E3 press conference that Portal 2 would be bringing Steam over to the PS3, gamers familiar with the service knew something special was going to happen. We just didn’t know which features were being carried over. Today, Valve released a press release detailing exactly which ones: cross-platform multiplayer among PS3, PC, and Mac users; cross-platform chat and game invites; PS3 saves stored on the Steam cloud server; and linking your PSN and Steam accounts will allow you to play your copy on PC and Mac as well, via Steam Play.
This is a major step forward for cross-platform gaming, the first notable development since Epic Games released Unreal Tournament III on the PS3 and PC with cross-platform multiplayer back in 2007. Personally, I want to see a lot of games in the Steam store available for purchase on PS3. If they allow keyboard & mouse support, I’d be all over playing Counter-Strike source in surround sound on my HDTV.
Final Fantasy Versus XIII stays PS3 exclusive in seven glorious minutes
UPDATE: Square Enix has pulled the trailer from YouTube. The publisher has promised to post an official version on January 27, which you can see right here.
Many gamers in RPG circles have been calling Final Fantasy Versus XIII “our last hope.” We’re banking it all on this game, that it’ll be what Final Fantasy XIII should’ve been: the mind-blowing cinematic JRPG that defines a generation. I really don’t want to jinx this, but it’s looking like Versus XIII will be that game. In this trailer revealed at the Square Enix 1st Production Department Premier (I love typing that), Tetsuya Nomura and crew lay it all on the line, showing exploration, combat, and beautifully-rendered cut scenes that look substantially better than the original trailer from 2006. It seems to be a real-time action RPG; the combat plays like a third person shooter when controlling party members with guns; you can get into turrets and even mechs to fight enemies; players will fight hordes of monsters at a time in massive, open environments; and Noctis can be seen fighting enemies on platforms flying through a city as terrifying velocities. This last scene seems to corroborate that there will be a lot of interactive set pieces to get the blood pumping – another scene shows the protagonist running from a Behemoth vomiting fireballs apparently in-game, and the windows crash in suddenly at a party, catching everyone off guard.
The end also confirms that the game will still be PlayStation 3 exclusive, and it shows from just how stunning the graphics are in the cutscenes. The only tragedy in this whole matter is that no release date has been pinned down. Many of the aspects of the game appear to be finalized, though, so hopefully we can get our hands on it soon.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix reveals all at 1st Production Department Premier
I’m not sure who came up with the name for this event, but Square Enix is delivering the goods on their biggest titles today at their 1st Production Department Premier event. Happening this morning (or night) in Tokyo, the event has come with goodies like an incredible new Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer, and the announcement of, yep, Final Fantasy XIII-2 (which is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360). Japanese game blog Andriasang liveblogged the event and has all the details on those games as well as Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and Final Fantasy Type-0 (the PSP game formerly known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII).
This is going to be a powerhouse news day for fans of JRPGs and Japanese games in general, so be sure to stay tuned.
Posted in 3DS, News, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360
Tagged Final Fantasy XIII-2, Final Fantasy XV
Dead Space 2 launch trailer dismembers the imagination
To the left you will find a candid photo of our very own Senior Editor Nicole Kline, utterly blown away in awe at just how awesome Dead Space 2 gameplay is. The picture was taken as she played the demo at PAX Prime last September, and you can expect it on every piece of coverage here at Warp Zoned on Visceral Games’ latest entry in their sci-fi odyssey. EA has released a new trailer depicting some of the jaw dropping moments you can expect from the sequel, as well as quotes from popular gaming media outlets on just how great it is. Even if you haven’t played the first one, you should absolutely check the video below. As I said in our initial podcast, I truly believe this is going to do for Visceral Games what Uncharted 2 did for Naughty Dog.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Dead Space 2
Motorstorm Apocalypse imploding store shelves on April 12
Off-road racing fanatics and PlayStation 3 owners can rejoice that MotorStorm Apocalypse has met its Spring release date and will be on sale April 12, 2011. From Monument Valley, to The Island, to the Arctic Regions, this fourth installment in the over-the-top series takes us to a city as structures collapse all around us and frantic looters run the streets. The game aims to be more action-packed than ever before with spur of the moment destruction and stereoscopic 3D. Having played the game myself at PAX Prime, I can assure the skeptics that this game is one of the best arguments as to why 3D can take gaming to the next level.
Sony has also unveiled the game’s final boxart, which you can spy to your left. Personally, I think it looks a little cheesy next to the awesome European art. But then, isn’t that always the case?
I’ve been a big fan of the series since it launched on the PlayStation 3 and MotorStorm Arctic Edge is still frequently in my rotation of PSP games. If the final product is anything like the demo, we can expect this one to not only live up to expectations, but completely blow them away.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged MotorStorm Apocalypse
Modern Warfare 2 hacked to shreds on PS3
Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 may have been a smashing success, but it has also become a paradise for players looking to exploit online multiplayer games. Although Javelin glitches and leaderboard tampering may have seemed like world-ending catastrophes at the time, these are minuscule compared to how broken the game is now on the PlayStation Network. In Spectator Mode, players can be seen opening up “VIP” menus which include God Mode, wall-hacks (shooting through walls), and some kind of aimbot as large red boxes appear around enemies who attract every bullet. I even witnessed a “Drug Mode” activated where the gameplay is displayed through alternating purple and grey filters and damage seems to be completely negated. After finishing a match with hackers, many players report their Clan Tags being changed; all emblems, titles, and equipment are unlocked; and Infinity Ward’s ticker displays “YOU GOT F****** OWNED!!!” in red along with the player’s kill and score ranks. This appears similar to challenge lobbies online (private matches where players can access a menu to unlock everything in the game), except it’s being used in public matches and accounts are being tampered with by other players.
Users in Infinity Ward’s forums have been reporting these issues since just before the new year, but the community moderators do not seem to have acknowledged the situation. Many have reached out to community manager Robert Bowling on Twitter, but his responses vary little from the usual rhetoric responding to reports of hacking. These issues may be a consequence of the recent hacks on the PlayStation 3’s security measures.
A video showing some of the issues can be seen after the break. Jump to the 2:00 mark to see some of the hack menus being used. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2