Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Previews
Starhawk Beta Impressions: Building a Better Warhawk
Starhawk is an upcoming third-person shooter set to be released on May 8. This PlayStation 3 exclusive is the spiritual successor to Warhawk, a multiplayer-only third-person shooter from 2007. Starhawk is being developed by LightBox Interactive, which is composed of several former members of Warhawk developer Incognito Entertainment. Starhawk aims to be like Warhawk, except in space, and with an included single player campaign. Will Starhawk be able to bring everything together and exceed what Warhawk was? (more…)
Syndicate Hands-On Preview: From Bullfrog To BS
There is a certain level of irony in the amount of hype, press and videos EA has been spewing out about their new iteration of Bullfrog’s 1993 classic Syndicate, in that it is very similar to some of the ‘hype’ lauded by gaming guru and Bullfrog co-founder Peter Molyneux in his heyday. And by ‘hype’ I mean bullshit. Not to discredit the man who also brought us Theme Park, Theme Hospital, and Populus, but he does have a habit of overegging what was included in his games, like the confession that the now-cancelled Project Milo demo video at 2009’s E3 was tightly scripted.
But he doesn’t even work at EA anymore, who bought Bullfog in the late 1990s and integrated the company into its massive domain (again, the irony that this game is about massive rival companies running the world is not lost). Most of the other Bullfrog developers went on to found the now defunct Mucky Foot. And yet EA did not think to call them when reviving one of their old games.
They might wish they had. (more…)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Hands-On Preview: The Elder Fable of War Effect
Imagine, if you will, that there was an action RPG that incorporated elements from games such as God of War, Fable, The Elder Scrolls series, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. Now imagine that the development of this game involved Ken Rolston, the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the lore of fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore, and the art of Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn. Well, imagine no longer! Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is on its way and is ready to drown you in an amalgam of role-playing goodness. (more…)
Resident Evil Revelations Hands-On Preview: In Which We See A Lot of Jill’s Rear End
The Resident Evil franchise reaches back a long way, all the way back to the original PlayStation era. Resident Evil Revelations is yet another addition in this long line of Capcom’s survival horror games. It is the eighth game in the main series, and the second overall on the 3DS. It handles smoothly on the handheld, looks great in 3D, and shows off Jill Valentine’s better assets. But is it actually an enjoyable experience? (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Previews, Top Story
Tagged Resident Evil Revelations
Final Fantasy XIII-2 Hands-On Preview: What’s Old, What’s New, and What’s Fantastic
There’s a lot to love about what Square Enix has shown us so far in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Many fans complained about the linearity of the first one, as well as the fact that there were no towns (in a Final Fantasy game? Sacrilege!). Fans didn’t like the Paradigm Shift system and thought the Eidolons were pointless. I tend to disagree with much of what’s been said – I love Paradigm Shifting, and enjoyed the story and the aesthetic of Final Fantasy XIII. Much of what made the first game strong is still there, but there are a lot of new features that may reignite faith in what some consider to be a hackneyed franchise. (more…)
Posted in Previews, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Final Fantasy XIII-2
Asura’s Wrath Hands-On Preview: A Frenetic, Fun Experience
Asura’s Wrath is the latest game from Capcom and developer CyberConnect2. This absurdly over-the-top action game features everything from intense Quick Time Events to anime-esque “commercial break” loading screens. The frenetic action, varying gameplay elements, and extreme cinema scenes combine together to make something that, while it’s not unique, is still fun. Be sure to get a bag of ice ready, though, because you’re going to have what I like to refer to as “God of War elbow” in no time. (more…)
Posted in Previews, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Asura's Wrath
Need For Speed: The Run Hands-On Preview: Cannonballing Through the Snow
The last time EA Black Box handled a Need For Speed game, it was the poorly received Need For Speed: Undercover. The product was such a bust that Electronic Arts gave the long-time series developer a lengthy break, placing the future of the franchise in the hands of folks like Criterion, the makers of the Burnout games, and newcomers Slightly Mad Studios. In the time since Undercover, titles like Need For Speed: Shift and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit have restored the legacy of the once-popular brand. However, while all this was going on, Black Box has been hard at work on this year’s Need For Speed game, dubbed Need For Speed: The Run. Due about a month from now, The Run is a departure from past games in the series, but at the same time, it matches the kind of “storyline-based” racing experience that the developer has been playing at since the days of Need For Speed: Underground. (more…)
Driver: San Francisco Hands-On Preview: Tanner the Body Snatcher
The Driver franchise has struggled mightily in the years since its 1999 debut. While the original game was a bonafide PlayStation classic, the successors to that title have ranged from decent (see Driver: Parallel Lines) to atrocious (the infamous Driver 3, take a bow!). For 2011’s Driver: San Francisco, developer Reflections and new publisher Ubisoft are going back to basics — it’s a straight up open-world driving game with racing, chases, and… post-coma body shifting. There’s a lot of interesting ideas at hand here, and after spending time with the brand new demo, I’m very curious as to how the final product will turn out. This could be the fresh start the series has needed for over a decade. (more…)