Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Reviews
Hybrid Review: When Scribblenauts Attack!
Developer 5th Cell is best known for fun, family-friendly games like Drawn to Life, Lock’s Quest, and the truly innovative Scribblenauts. So it was quite the surprise when they announced their next project would be a violent third-person shooter, with Maxwell going postal after collecting one too many of those damn starites. Well, not quite (though that would be awesome); instead, they have created the sci-fi-themed Hybrid, featuring unique cover and mobility mechanics that differentiate it from the crowded shooter genre. (more…)
Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad Review: Creating Dust Storm Warnings
Jeremy McGrath is no stranger to video games, having starred in a series of motocross titles in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Over a decade later, his name has resurfaced with Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad. However, rather than taking place on two wheels, this game places you in rally cars, trophy trucks, and buggies – it’s more akin to Dirt than anything bearing McGrath’s name in the past. Developed by Rainbow Studios spinoff 2XL Games, this $10 downloadable title delivers a racing experience you don’t see much of these days – straight up off-road racing. (more…)
Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Jeremy McGrath's Offroad
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends Review: Encyclopedia Ferrarica
The last time we saw Atari’s Test Drive franchise, it was racing through the streets of Ibiza in Test Drive Unlimited 2. Since then, TDU developer Eden Games has run into some troubles, and the franchise as a whole seemed to be on the ropes. However, 2012 has brought us a very different use of the brand, with Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends. Developed by Slightly Mad Studios – the brains behind the short-lived Need For Speed: Shift franchise – this installment drops the open-world motif for a more traditional and narrowly focused racing experience, showcasing the lengthy history of one of the most exotic automobile manufacturers in the world. (more…)
Deadlight Review: Undead or Unalive?
What better way to mark the midpoint of the 2012 Summer of Arcade than with a game where you chop up zombies? Deadlight aims to satisfy your undead killing desires, wrapped up in a side-scrolling action platformer. Overall, the game plays well and offers some fun entertainment, but some questionable design choices and a shaky story mar what could have been something greater. (more…)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard Review: Skyrim, Bloody Skyrim
It’s been roughly seven months since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hit store shelves, and chances are most players of the game have not seen everything there is to offer in it. However, that’s not stopping Bethesda from plopping the very first “expansion” into our laps… and no, it’s not horse armor related this time. Dubbed Dawnguard, this content adds a new wrinkle to the overall plight of Skyrim and puts even more of an emphasis on one of the more popular aspects of the franchise: the supernatural. (more…)
Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Pokemon Conquest Review: Teaching An Old Eevee New Tricks
Ever wonder what would happen if you took the historical accuracy of Dynasty Warriors, mixed it with the characters and style of Pokemon, and turned it into a strategy RPG akin to Nobunaga’s Ambition? You’d get Pokemon Conquest, the latest addition to the popular Pokemon franchise. It’s time to fight your way through the 17 kingdoms of Ransei and unite them all under one banner. The real question I found myself wondering before playing it was: will this be a fun deviation from the typical Pokemon gameplay? Or will this eclectic attempt be a total dud? (more…)
Posted in DS, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Pokemon Conquest
Quantum Conundrum Review: Fluffy, Frustrating, Fun
There are some heavy expectations when your name is preceded by the informal title of “Portal co-creator,” but Kim Swift has proven she can handle the pressure. Her new game, Quantum Conundrum, is a fun brain-twisting puzzler reminiscent of her more famous previous work. However, a few significant issues keep it from achieving GLaDOS-level heights. (more…)
The Walking Dead: Episode 2 Review: A Satisfying Second Course
The strength or weakness of an episodic series is its ability to keep the player interested in doing the same things in new situations after a significant break. Enabling the player to care about the characters is another important factor as well. These are things previous episodic Telltale games have stumbled at a bit. Sam & Max don’t exactly change, nor are we embroiled in their dramatic arcs. Marty and Doc seem to be fairly static characters as well who are on a mission specifically to prevent or reverse any change that might occur. But the characters in The Walking Dead are involved in a drama that pulls the player forward in a way that Sam & Max and Back to the Future never quite managed. (more…)