Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Gutierrez
Double Fine begins acquiring the rights to Psychonauts
The exclusive rights to publish Psychonauts, the first game from Tim Schaeffer’s Double Fine Productions, have now reverted to the developer. Although this resulted in a celebratory OMG Tweet from Senior Gameplay Programmer Anna Kipnis, the studio still has a few more deals to work out before they can resume working on the IP. Schaeffer told Gamasutra, “[A]fter that’s all squared away, we will have some fun stuff to announce! (And no, it’s not Psychonauts 2.)”
Released in 2005 for PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, Psychonauts is revered for its unique story and sense of humor that has since become synonymous with Double Fine. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on what those announcements end up being.
Posted in News, PC, PS2
Tagged Psychonauts
Leaked photo details Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack #3
Black Ops 24/7 reports that a leaked photo, possibly from promotional materials, has outed some of the details of a third DLC map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The poster lists four multiplayer maps in a similar style to the Escalation pack: Hanger 18, Hazard, Drive-In, Silo, and an unreadable new Zombies level. The advertisement seems to be one of GameStop’s, as the text “downloadable content is better at GameStop,” can be seen above the map captures.
This would continue the precedent set in Call of Duty: World at War, making Treyarch the CoD studio that supports its games with three healthy doses of DLC. I imagine it’ll be hard to top Call of the Dead, but I’m excited to get into the new multiplayer maps.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops
Third Dragon Age novel coming later this year
Fans of BioWare’s newest fantasy franchise will rejoice in knowing that Lead Writer David Gaiter will be providing a third novel about the world of Thedas, in Dragon Age: Asunder. The story takes place after Dragon Age II, with a killer loose in the templar stronghold of the White Spire.
Dragon Age: Asunder will be available late 2011 at a bookstore near you. And Amazon.
Mortal Kombat Skarlet DLC on 6/21; Rain, Kenshi, unnamed third character confirmed
Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios confirm that the new Mortal Kombat DLC featuring Skarlet, the character who once was a glitch, will be available for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on June 21. The trailer above gives her character a little background and teases what’s in store for her (or anyone getting in her way). Also, the ending confirms Rain, Kenshi, and an unnamed third kombatant will be joining the roster in further DLC updates this summer.
We loved Mortal Kombat in our review, and can’t wait to jump back into the action with these new characters.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Mortal Kombat
Mark Hamill NOT retiring as Joker after Batman: Arkham City
Last year, Mark Hamill said, regarding his role as The Joker in the upcoming Batman: Arkham City, “this will be my last, there’s no question about that. But it’s the last hurrah.” Hamill clarified his thoughts on the matter last night on Twitter, explaining, “only said Arkham Asylum would be hard to top, not that I was quitting.”
Hamill has been voicing the character since 1992 across nearly every medium possible. Much like his counterpart Kevin Conroy’s portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne, Hamill’s performance is held to be more in line with the comics than the movies have been.
But this new announcement likely means that Rocksteady is already prepping Batman: Arkham Asylum 3 or DC is working on a new Joker-centric Batman cartoon. Either way, woohoo!
Posted in News, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham City
Outland, Planeswalkers 2012 arrive on PSN
Another big update of games and sales has landed on PSN. From the creators of Super Stardust HD and Dead Nation comes Outland, a unique 2D platformer looking to shake up your digital library. Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 brings all new decks and modes for players who have been sucked into this video game version of one of the most popular card games on the planet. PlayStation Plus subscribers can get it for a few bucks off. Midnight Club: Los Angeles – Complete Edition gets a downloadable release for $19.99, and the new game section is rounded out by Greg Hastings Paintball 2 and city-builder Akimi Village.
Also, if you’re a Plus subscriber, and haven’t played Braid yet, the game is on sale for $3.75. Yes, you read that right. The full PlayStation Store update can be found here.
Posted in News, PS3, PSP
Tagged Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Outland
PlayStation Store brings you the “best” from E3
It’s nice to be having PlayStation Store updates again, and just in time for all the E3 updates. The E3 section has HD videos for stuff we’re all excited about at the expo, like Street Fighter x Tekken, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and, of course, the PlayStation Vita. There’s also a decent amount of E3 sales for games like Assassin’s Creed 2 and Warhawk. It may have something to do with a certain sequel in the works, but all of the Modern Warfare (1 & 2) map packs are about half off, so check them out if you haven’t already.
As far as new games, there’s New Adventure Island and Soldier Blade for both PS3 and PSP at a friendly $5.99 price point, and episode four of Telltale’s Back to the Future: The Game has just dropped. While it’s not a full game, a demo for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is out, and I strongly urge you to play it right now.
That’s about it aside from the usual suspects, although there are a couple dynamic L.A. Noire themes that I’m sure are super fancy. You can find the full update list here.
PS Vita getting… yep… Ridge Racer!!!
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing when SCEA President & CEO Jack Tretton took a jab at Kaz Hirai for his infamous Ridge Racer line from a past E3. Truthfully, we still love Kaz, and we love Ridge Racer as well, which makes today’s news even more juicy. Cellius, a joint venture between Namco and Sony, will be bringing a new Ridge Racer title to the PlayStation Vita. No information on title, release date, or specific features has been given, but players are promised, “high-speed drifting at break-neck speeds in high-performance racing machines with new exciting new gameplay additions.”
I was already leaning towards getting a Vita at launch due to the reasonable price and impressive software line up, but now that it has Ridge Racer? Day one purchase.