Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Reviews
Alien: Isolation Review: A Beautiful, Beautiful Butterfly
I consider myself quite the survival horror veteran. I was fifteen when I cut my teeth on Resident Evil. In college, my roommate and I had to take turns playing Silent Hill, and Clock Tower has me wary of all things scissors-related to this day. More recently, I tried Dead Space with the lights off… for about the first two chapters. Point being, while most of these games scared the bejesus out of me (and yes, bejesus is a word – I looked it up), they put more of an emphasis on the “horror” aspect of the game than the “survival.” By the time I reached the end of some of these games, I had enough weaponry and ammo to mow my way through countless legions of evil. When I first heard about Alien: Isolation, I thought I was in for another familiar romp through the annals of the survival horror genre. Boy, was I wrong.
And I wasn’t just wrong, but wrong wrong. The kind of wrong that bludgeoned me over the head with its wrongicity (not a word). Like the kind of wrong I was when I thought Green Lantern would be a fantastic movie. Yes, I was that misguided. And quite honestly, I couldn’t be any happier to be wrong about my preconceptions of Alien: Isolation. Because not only is this an amazing adventure, but it also truly redefines what it means to be a survival horror game. (more…)
Ascension: Deckbuilding Game Review: Docking at the Port of Sadness
Let me just get this out of the way: Ascension is my favorite deckbuilding game of all time. There are lots of fun deckbuilders out there, but nothing compares to Ascension. I’ve played the original tabletop version and I’ve also played it on my iPad. And now that it’s available on the PC, I’ve played that version as well. Sadly, I have to say that the PC version, titled Ascension: Deckbuilding Game, is my least favorite way to play the game. However, despite the performance issues I had with the game, playing it on your PC might be the easiest way to gain access to the world of Ascension. Short of spending tons of money on the tabletop version or playing it on your mobile device, that is. (more…)
Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Ascension: Deckbuilding Game
The Walking Dead Season 2: No Going Back Review: Darling Clementine
The two adaptations of The Walking Dead produced by Telltale have been nothing short of amazing. Some of the best storytelling I’ve ever experienced in a video game has come from these titles. That’s why it makes the finale of Season 2 so bittersweet… it means I’ll have to wait another year (at least) to see what happens in Season 3.
Last season, this wasn’t much of a problem: I purchased the full season when it was on sale, but it stayed in my backlog until Season 2 was announced. Then, I blazed through the first set of episodes in a five-day emotional rollercoaster. Once it was completed, I only had to wait a few months for the next chapter in Clementine’s struggle for survival.
But for now, I must wait. And it will be excruciating. Because chapter five of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead Season 2, No Going Back, marks the conclusion of one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. (more…)
Mario Kart 8: The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack Review: Now With Link
Nintendo has been late to the party with regards to adding DLC to their games, but in Mario Kart 8 they have managed to tackle my biggest gripe since the term “DLC” rose its monstrous head and became an ugly word that meant a new way for developers to rip-off gamers… and that’s the amount of content. The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack comes with eight new tracks, as well as a few new characters, karts, and customisations. Another DLC pack based around Animal Crossing is due out in May 2015. Both DLC Packs are individually priced at $7.99 each or you can buy both together for $11.99, which means you are getting half the game’s original content at a quarter of the price. Value for the money, indeed! (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii U
Tagged Mario Kart 8
Hyrule Warriors Review: A Dynasty Warriors Mod, But In A Good Way
Ever since Ocarina of Time, the Legend of Zelda franchise has been near and dear to my heart. When the first trailers for Hyrule Warriors were released, I didn’t know quite what to think about it. It wasn’t quite a Zelda game, really, at least not in the traditional sense. However, as Link bombastically destroyed huge waves of enemies with increasingly over-the-top weapons, I found myself intrigued. Nintendo doesn’t often trust its most popular franchises to parties outside the company, although that has changed in recent years as Retro Studios continues to release solid titles like Donkey Kong Country Returns and Metroid Prime. However, aside from the much maligned CD-i games (that would eventually become fuel for countless YouTube parodies) and Capcom’s handheld entries, Nintendo has rarely trusted another company with the Zelda franchise. In that sense, Hyrule Warriors is a unique animal, and I couldn’t wait to try it out. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii U
Tagged Hyrule Warriors
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Review: The Natural Evolution of Retro Evolved 2
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions had a lot to live up to. The last game in the series, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, dethroned Smash TV as the standard bearer of the twin-stick shooter genre. And the first game in the franchise, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, was considered by many to be the Xbox 360’s killer app for the first year. But Lucid Games proved to be more than up to the task with an excellent new entry in the series. After the closure of Bizarre Creations (the creator of Retro Evolved and Retro Evolved 2), Lucid became the new home for multiple members of the Geometry Wars development team. So we probably shouldn’t have been worried at all. (more…)
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Review: Literally Borderlands 1.5 in Every Way
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Borderlands franchise. I’ve played the first two games for hundreds of hours, and I briefly considered getting Borderlands 2 for the Vita. I was thrilled to find out that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel would fill the gaps between the two games, allowing you to play as Handsome Jack’s cronies and detailing how he came to power. 2K Australia took over on development, working with Gearbox to create the game, and it shows.The Pre-Sequel was rife with glitches, had a weak storyline, and was generally not as fun as the second game. Quality-wise, it felt more like the first, and, at best, could be considered a giant DLC pack. And it’s definitely not worth 2K’s $60 asking price. (more…)
Angry Birds Transformers Review: Another Crass Crossover? Nope, Rovio’s Latest Is More Than Meets the Eye
Most crossovers exist somewhere on a spectrum that reads “Logical, But Boring” on one side and “This Makes ABSOLUTELY No Sense” on the other. When Rovio mashed together their Angry Birds with the furious fowl from Rio, the pieces fit together perfectly. On the surface, Angry Birds Transformers definitely seems to slide towards the latter option. How do you mix birds, pigs, and Robots In Disguise? I’m still not sure it makes any sense, but Rovio was somehow able to take these disparate elements and create a pretty good game.
I know, I’m as surprised as you are. But I probably shouldn’t be. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Angry Birds Transformers