Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Reviews
Batman: Arkham Origins iOS Review: Swiping Your Time With Another Free-To-Play Fighter
Even though NetherRealm Studios was only formed a few years ago, they have a long history in the video game industry. Originally known as Midway Chicago, they developed the original Mortal Kombat and its many sequels before their parent company went bankrupt in 2009. In the ensuing legal dealings, the development team was scooped up by WB Games, renamed themselves NetherRealm, and pushed out a fantastic reboot of the Mortal Kombat series.
But did you know that a small team resides within NetherRealm to pump out free-to-play mobile versions of some of WB’s biggest games? They did it last year with Batman: Arkham City. They did it earlier this year with Injustice: Gods Among Us. And now they’ve done it again with the recently released Batman: Arkham Origins. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Batman: Arkham Origins
The Bridge Review: Fun Over Puzzled Waters
You gotta love small, independent developers. Like previous critical darlings Braid, Limbo, and Fez, The Bridge is a stylistic and innovative puzzle game that will keep you engrossed in its unique, exquisite, and mind-bending world. (more…)
Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged The Bridge
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus Review: One Last No Frills Ride
It can be a little intimidating to jump into the epilogue of a series when you’ve only sparingly dabbled in the franchise throughout the years. But Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus offers everything one would expect it to; steady gameplay with outlandish upgradeable weapons and some wise-cracking humor to go with a no frills sci-fi adventure. A few new mechanics have been added to spice up the mix to make Into the Nexus a solid but brief final entry that doesn’t go out of its way to be great as Ratchet and Clank ride off into the sunset with the PS3. (more…)
Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus
Girl Fight Review: Wham, Bam, No Thank You Ma’am
“Sex sells,” Edward Bernays, the father of Public Relations, once told the world. In Girl Fight, it’s the “same sex” that sells. Eight hot, scantily clad women duke it out in Kung Fu Factory’s downloadable brawler. While it may do nothing for the ongoing and much-needed debate about women within the games industry, its borderline misogyny makes the game feels like it is stuck in its own narcissistic past. (more…)
Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Girl Fight
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Review: Amazing At Any Resolution
Nintendo is no stranger to remakes and reimaginings. Super Mario Bros. Metroid. Mario Kart. Donkey Kong. In fact, most of the company’s key franchises have been recycled with every console generation. And yet, somehow, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD feels different. Perhaps it is because the Wii U is under intense pressure to pick up sales, and needs a knockout game. Or maybe it is the fact that certain critics see Nintendo’s stable of characters as stale and overused, relying too much on the charity of nostalgic gamers. Or it could just be that it is the first Zelda game in high definition.
Whatever made Nintendo decide to re-release this title, it has proven to be a brilliant choice. It’s like meeting an old friend after a ten-year gap. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii U
Tagged The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Flashback Review: Like the Old Guy at the Disco
Delphine Software’s Flashback: The Quest for Identity, originally released in 1992, was a critical hit due to its smooth rotoscoped animation, hand-drawn backgrounds, and challenging gameplay. So it is not surprising that fans were excited about the HD remake, especially since members of the original team – including lead designer Paul Cuisset – are involved. So is the updated Flashback worth going back to the future past? (more…)
The Wonderful 101 Review: Another Golden Hit From Platinum Games
With its crazy sense of style, colorful worlds, and oddball humor, The Wonderful 101 feels like Director Hideki Kamiya’s spiritual successor to Viewtiful Joe. As the title suggests, instead of controlling just one masked superhero, you take charge of a 100-strong battalion as the 101st member of the squad. So how does controlling an army of shape-shifting warriors handle?
In a word? Viewtifully. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii U
Tagged The Wonderful 101
Divekick Review: Kick, Jump… It’s All in the Mind
Longtime readers of this site should know that I love fighting games. From back in the days when putting a quarter on an arcade’s monitor meant “I got next,” to the online communities of today, I’ve tried to get my hands on as many fighting games as possible. Yes, even War Gods. And I’m certainly not the only one. Just ask anyone who’s a card-carrying member of the “Fighting Game Community” (FGC). This group of gamers has turned their love of fighting games into a full-fledged Olympics of sorts. While I consider myself a fan, the folks you see at EVO and the like are on a completely different level. Fighting games have become a mental chess match, where knowledge of even the most miniscule aspect of a character’s size, shape, and moveset can mean the difference between victory and defeat. And as the FGC gained more members and became more close knit, the inside jokes inevitably followed.
This is where Divekick comes in. (more…)