Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Mike Ryan
Candy Crush creators King officially abandon their “Candy” trademark
In a move that makes all the sense in the world, King, creators of the massive mobile hit Candy Crush Saga, withdrew their trademark for the word “Candy,” per the US Patent and Trademark Office. When word got out last month that the developer had filed a trademark application for the word, it sparked a furor in the gaming community. Is this sudden change of heart due to all the bad press King has received due to their actions? They aren’t willing to say, but they did release this statement to Kotaku:
King has withdrawn its trademark application for Candy in the U.S., which we applied for in February 2013 before we acquired the early rights to Candy Crusher. Each market that King operates in is different with regard to IP. We feel that having the rights to Candy Crusher is the best option for protecting Candy Crush in the U.S. market. This does not affect our E.U. trademark for Candy and we continue to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP.
Our long national nightmare is over (for now).
Posted in Mobile, News, PC
Tagged candy crush saga
Twitch streaming hits Xbox One on March 11
Microsoft’s own Major Nelson announced today that Twitch streaming will finally make its way to the Xbox One in two weeks. Using the Kinect camera, players can also broadcast picture-in-picture, as is common among streamers.
The Xbox One’s Twitch app also allows you to view other’s streams regardless of where they happen to be streaming from. To make things even easier, a simple vocal command, “Xbox. Broadcast,” is all that is needed to start showing off your skills to the world.
Defuse a bomb with Oculus Rift in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Pop quiz, hotshot: you’ve got three minutes to defuse a bomb, and the only way to do so is to listen to your friend’s suggestions as they try to make sense of the puzzling instruction manual.
What do you do?
A new cooperative game for the Oculus Rift, aptly named Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, looks like it’s an absolute riot – and more than likely will cause quite a few arguments. No concrete information has been released on the title, but the video pretty much speaks for itself.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
It’s ‘Personarama’ as Atlus announces four Persona games for North America
Atlus today revealed that four new titles in the highly popular Persona universe will be making their way to the North America over the next two years.
First on the list is Persona 5, set to hit the PlayStation 3 in 2015. Persona 5 will be a traditional RPG, but details are slim. The game’s director, Katsura Hashino, only provided us (via the PlayStation Blog) with one cryptic hint of what to expect: “The storyline will be about throwing off the chains of oppression to find one’s true self.’
Second is the next installment of Persona’s fighter, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. A direct sequel to last year’s Persona 4 Arena, Ultimax will host several new features, including new characters, story, and fighting modes. Expect P4AU to hit the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in Fall 2014. You can take a look at Ultimax in motion on Atlus’ YouTube page.
Next, Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a rhythm action game, using tunes from the series. This PlayStation Vita title features 30 tracks, along with a full story mode. Not many details were given about this title, other than that instead of traditional attacks, characters combat each other with dance moves. Hey, why not? It’s worked before. Hold on to your dance shoes, though; this one won’t hit the Vita until 2015.
Finally, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will unite the Persona users across space and time on the 3DS this Fall. A teaser trailer is available through Atlus’ YouTube page.
Outlast Review: House on Haunted Thrill
For a few years, I worked at a haunted house during the Halloween season. My job was, as one would expect, to scare the patrons. It was a great gig, and I have some fond memories of really freaking people out. But it wasn’t all about standing in a corner and jumping out at the most opportune time. There’s a real science behind the perfect scare. You need to be meticulous in your planning by first creating a sense of uneasiness, then instilling dread and fear, and finally, delivering the scare.
Horror games follow a similar process. For example, the dog jumping through the window in Resident Evil is one of the most famous video game scares. Things were already very spooky when you first stepped into that mansion. As you continued, fear crept in, as you knew that something was waiting for you around that corner. Then, when that zombified doberman finally crashes through the glass, it really hits you hard. Some of the better survival horror games follow this formula pretty religiously, creating some pretty intense experiences.
Outlast already has a pretty faithful following among the PC crowd. As a console-specific gamer (my PC can barely run The 7th Guest), I’ve only heard a few things about the game on various gaming forums. The sentiment was almost universal – this is one of the scariest games ever made. Now that I finally got a chance to play through the console version, I can say that I definitely agree with those sentiments. (more…)
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Review: Amazing, Spectacular, and Fantastic
I’m normally not one to get into the Lego games. I played Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Lord of the Rings, but I usually found myself moving on to other games after a few hours of play. But not so with Lego Marvel Super Heroes. I’ve been playing this game nonstop, without touching any of my other PS4 titles. It’s that much fun. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a huge Marvel fan or if I have a serious case of OCD, but I’ve put over sixty hours into this title – and I’m still only at 85% complete. And most importantly, it has kept my interest the entire time. (more…)
2K Games will not produce Major League Baseball 2K14
In a move that’s just as heartbreaking as the strike of 1994, 2K Games has confirmed they will no longer continue their MLB 2K line of games. Furthermore, all online outposts for the series are gone… the Facebook page has been taken down, and the 2K website features no mention of the series (though the actual webpages remain, for now). The games have also been pulled from Steam and the Xbox Games Store.
2K told Polygon earlier today that they chose not to renew their license to produce games with Major League Baseball:
“We have decided not to renew our MLB 2K series for 2014. We are very proud of the achievements made by the MLB 2K team and look forward to their contributions to our future titles, including NBA 2K — our industry’s #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise.”
Without Major League Baseball 2K14, this leaves Xbox and Wii U gamers with no baseball title for 2014. As well as any PlayStation owners looknig for an alternative to Sony’s MLB 14: The Show, which is is set to be the only major player this season.
Game Informer reveals Evolve, a new game from the creators of Left 4 Dead
Today, Game Informer revealed the cover subject of their latest issue: Evolve, a new cooperative multiplayer game from Turtle Rock Studios, the minds behind Left 4 Dead.
The next-gen title, hitting stores this fall, follows the same basic premise as its zombified brethren. But instead of four survivors taking on an entire zombie horde, Evolve pits four alien hunters against one extraterrestrial creature. Before you start thinking, “Where’s the challenge in that?” keep in mind that this is one powerful alien. Not only that, but as the game progresses, your foe gets increasingly larger, and much stronger.
In addition to the standard cooperative mode, the game also features a cooperative/competitive mode, where one gamer plays the role of the alien. Like Left 4 Dead, the game is designed to be played again and again, with slight changes every time you play. More details on Evolve will be included in Game Informer’s February 2014 issue.
Evolve was originally set to be published by THQ, but when they went under the project was scooped up at auction with an astonishing $10.8 million bid by 2K Games. If the Turtle Rock’s previous outings are any indication, it’s going to be money well spent and one hell of a ride for gamers. Evolve will be available for the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 this Fall.