Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Features
Kickstart This! The Cautionary Tale of the Pelda Pro
Regular readers of Warp Zoned will know that I’ve been covering crowdfunded game projects for just over five years now, and through most of it I have had a wholesome, positive outlook on the path that it takes. Someone has an idea, and they have the skill, talent, and (above all else) passion to make their dream a reality, but what they don’t have is money. So people give them money in exchange for the finished product and some other cool extras. Everyone wins. The person can sell their idea-made-whole to the masses, while those who contributed to its creation can bask in the glory of its success knowing that they, in part, made it possible.
But what happens when it goes wrong? (more…)
Bot Gaiden Is A Side-Scrolling Platformer With Style: An Interview With Doug Pohl of SwordSwipe Studios
MetroidVanias rose to fame in the 80s and 90s thanks to the popularity of the Metroid and Castlevania franchises, but the genre went dormant in the 2000s as developers pushed pixels aside for polygons and aspired to create sprawling 3D worlds. After being rediscovered and remixed by the indie community, the MetroidVania is finally having its moment here in 2018.
But what if you’re looking for something else from a side-scroller? What if you want the fast action and self-contained levels that characterized the Ninja Gaiden and Contra franchises? Enter SwordSwipe Studios, and their upcoming game, Bot Gaiden.
The gameplay style and artistic inspirations for Bot Gaiden came to us straight from the 80s, but unlike most side-scrollers now on the market, SwordSwipe’s platformer doesn’t look like it came from the 80s. We sat down with Doug Pohl, one of the developer’s co-founders, to find out exactly how he’s bringing back the fast action and precision platforming of those classics in a new package. (more…)
The Games of October 2018
The Fall is in full swing here in Warp Zoned’s northerly headquarters, and that means Apple Cider, Pumpkin Spice, a lot of talk about the leaves, and plenty of new video games. There are so many games set to launch this month, but one stands out head and shoulders above all the rest… I’m talking, of course, about Just Dance 2019.
Nah, it’s actually Rockstar’s latest magnum opus, Red Dead Redemption 2. You know you’re doing something right when you’re a developer with multiple magnum opuses (opusii?). And that is definitely the case with Rockstar and their newest trip back to the American West.
But there are other games we’re excited for this month, and you can read all about them after the break. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Switch, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Grim Fandango, Mega Man 11, Red Dead Redemption 2, Starlink: Battle For Atlas
The Games of September 2018
It’s Labor Day here in the US, but we’re busy working hard to catalog all of September’s biggest upcoming game releases. And there are a lot of them.
Like everyone else, the Warp Zoned staff is very much looking forward to Sony and Insomniac’s new take on Spider-Man. But we’re also excited to get our hands on Square Enix’s massive new RPG, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age; Team17’s alien adventure, Planet Alpha; Crystal Dynamics’s “Young Lara Croft” finale, Shadow of the Tomb Raider; and Nintendo’s standalone RPG expansion, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country.
You can find out why each of these games has us so excited after the break. (more…)
The Games of August 2018
The Summer’s almost over, but game publishers have decided to fill these final school-free days with a steady stream of re-releases and a few side-scrollers that look very interesting.
We’re very excited for the console debut of Motion Twin’s Dead Cells, which looks to combine a retro-inspired look with roguelite elements and a MetroidVania style. Bread Machine will also try their hand at reimagining a popular genre on consoles, the party brawler, with Slam Land. Featuring a hand-drawn art style, Slam Land wants players to slam their friends to impress a mysterious Giant Blue Man.
Also this month, a few classic games will make their way to new locales, including Zeboyd’s Cosmic Star Heroine and Sega’s beloved Shenmue I & II. We may have missed them the first time around, but that’ll soon change.
You can find out exactly why the Warp Zoned staff is interested in these titles after the break, and take a gander at August’s full release schedule, which also includes WarioWare Gold, Madden NFL 19, Overcooked! 2, We Happy Few, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and many more. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Switch, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Cosmic Star Heroine, Dead Cells, Shenmue, Shenmue II, Slam Land
Kickstart This! Guide to Getting Your Game Funded (Part 4)
Before we even dive into this final chapter of the “Kickstart This! Guide to Getting Your Game Funded,” I would suggest reading the Kickstarter Handbook on rewards, as well as the Kickstarter Blog post detailing 96 ideas for rewards if you are struggling to think of any. (more…)
Posted in Features
The Games of July 2018
What can you say about the month of July? Game publishers routinely put their biggest releases on ice for the Summer months, and gamers are forced to pair hot dogs and fireworks with a handful of B-grade offerings. But there’s always a few titles that rise above the rest, and this July is no different. Whether it’s a new RPG from Square Enix, or a big batch of re-releases on new platforms, there’s actually plenty to discover this month.
What;s the Warp Zoned staff looking forward to this July? You can find out, and view the release schedule for all of this month’s new games, after the break. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged 20XX, Flashback, No Man's Sky, Octopath Traveler
Kickstart This! Guide to Getting Your Game Funded (Part 3)
Launching a crowdfunding campaign without a video is like climbing Mount Everest in a mankini. Video helps tell your story to those who would prefer not to read lots of text, and if someone is hooked by the video, then you are halfway to getting them to back you.
Crowdfunding projects that do not feature a video not only appear unprepared, but also untrustworthy. Kickstarter and Indiegogo have not been without their share of crooks trying to shill people out of money. However, industry veterans have also used the platform with lofty goals, only to fail to deliver on what was promised. And because of their position, these fails were heavily publicised. (more…)
Posted in Features