Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Top Story
It’s In Your Blood: A History of Horror Games (Part Four)
We’ve all been scared at one time or another. While “normal” people may try to avoid it at all costs, the rest of us actively seek out that primitive, guttural thrill. Horror movies do this well enough, but why bother watching when you can participate? There’s nothing like a good survival horror game, from Dead Space to Alien: isolation — but diehard fear junkies know the genre began much earlier. If that’s news to you, it’s okay! Just sit down and quiet yourselves, boys and girls, because class is in session.
After looking back at the birth of survival horror, the rise in popularity, and a huge wave of sequels, today, we’ll cover the next chapter in the genre’s evolution — one some would even describe as the death of true survival horror video games. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, PS2, Retro, Top Story
Tagged Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Pit People Hands-On Preview: Playing Co-Op Pit People at PAX West 2016
It’s no secret that we’re fans of The Behemoth here at Warp Zoned. So, of course, I made my way to their booth at PAX West as early as I possibly could. I was hoping to get a chance at their most recent game, Pit People, previously known as the very descriptive Game 4. I sat down with a buddy, grabbed my (surprisingly heavy) custom arcade stick, strapped on some headphones, and got down to cooperative business. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged PAX West 2016, Pit People
“Narrative and Creation are Sacrosanct” in MetaArcade’s Text Adventure Creation Tool @ PAX West 2016
PAX West 2016 was full of innovation, creativity, and, of course, fun. One of the best intersections of these three assets was at the MetaArcade booth, where they were demoing Tunnels & Trolls: Naked Doom.
“Wow, Nicole. What exactly is Tunnels & Trolls: Naked Doom?” you might be asking yourself right now. Let me start by explaining a little more about MetaArcade and their vision for the future of text adventures. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story
Tagged PAX West 2016
The Big List of Nintendo NX Games: September 2016 Update
I think we’ve reached the point in the pre-release hype cycle where Nintendo fans believe they can make the consolemaker reveal more information about the NX through sheer force of will. And with PAX West happening literally in Nintendo’s backyard, it seemed like a great time to officially pull back the curtain. But the west coast’s biggest gaming convention came and went without a peep from Nintendo (though they had a lot to say about Nindies on the 3DS and Wii U).
So now those same desperate fans turn their attention towards next week’s Tokyo Game Show. Surely, the company must be planning a blowout presentation for Japan’s premiere gaming convention… right? They have to; there’s only six months to go! But Nintendo’s presence at the Tokyo Game Show, if they attend at all, has always been low-key, and there’s the distinct possibility that most of the NX’s secrets will remain hidden until we have it in our hands this March.
Those secrets were alluded to recently in a new round of rumors that focused on the console’s inner workings and its controller. According to several “inside sources,” the NX Controller will closely resemble a Wii Remote, with motion control features and force feedback. However, the controller might also have a “Split D-Pad” and a Share Button, which should generate comparisons to the DualShock 4.
Much more surprising is the (second) round of rumors that state the NX will use cartridges instead of optical discs. This would be a major break from the last two decades of console manufacturing tradition, but it does lend credence to the console/handheld hybrid rumors. Or maybe it’s all a part of Nintendo’s plot to make the NX appeal to “people who like games” and “moms.”
So while we still don’t know anything new about the NX itself, at least we recently learned more about its upcoming lineup of games. (more…)
Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1: Realm of Shadows Review: Create Your Own Legend of the Dark Knight
Sometimes, it’s a boring night at the opera, but most often, the story begins with a small boy asking his parents to make an early exit from a screening of The Mark of Zorro. And like every other second from that night, the masked vigilante on the silver screen makes an impression on young Bruce Wayne. It’s this story that Telltale Games has decided to retell with Batman: The Telltale Series. (more…)
The Games of September 2016
After a seemingly endless Summer, the Fall is finally here! That means we’ll soon be treated to dozens of new games, and not enough time to play them all. Thankfully, the Warp Zoned staff is here to help you sort through September’s new releases, and that includes all the re-releases that publishers are lining up for the next four weeks. (more…)
Warpback: What We Played in August 2016
This Summer has been dry… and I’m not just talking about the weather. Last month, the NPD Group announced that Grand Theft Auto V, a game that was released almost three years ago, was July’s best-selling game. But your friendly neighborhood Warp Zoned staff still plenty of new games to play last month, including the divisive No Man’s Sky and the crime-fighting Batman: The Telltale Series.
What else did we play? Find out after the break. (more…)
Kickstart This! Ruin of the Reckless
Apologies for the lack of a Kickstart This! pick over the last three weeks, but No Man’s Sky has rekindled my love of space exploration and childhood dreams of seeking out new life and new civilisations.
Now I turn to a different type of discovery, one within the vastness of crowdfunding, where creativity oozes and begs for recognition and coin. There are plenty of games worthy of your attention, with some ridiculously fantastic titles such as Attack of the Mutant Fishcrows and Russian Subway Dogs. However, the project I eventually settled on, Ruin of the Reckless, is very reminiscent of the game I was playing prior to No Man’s Sky, Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter, as well as other recent roguelikes such as Enter the Gungeon, Deathstate, and Nuclear Throne.
Let us ascend the Ruin of the Reckless! (more…)