Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Top Story
Titanfall 2 Technical Test Impressions: A Heart-Pounding, Pilot-Crushing Good Time
I didn’t play much Titanfall when it came out, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I bought it on sale for PC and played it a little, but not as much as I would have liked to, as I’m just not really a PC gamer. But when I heard Titanfall 2 was coming to the PlayStation 4, I was thrilled. And I was even more excited to hear the developer was hosting an “Open Technical Test” this weekend. I logged in this weekend and I have to admit – Titanfall 2 was way more fun than I thought it would be. I’d say I’m hooked, but it’s more than the grappling hook – it’s the whole package. (more…)
Mighty No. 9 Review: Mega Meh
When I was eight years old, there was only one place I wanted to go after school on Fridays: Gas City. Yes, a gas station. Not that I enjoyed the place or anything… rather, it was what was inside the station that intrigued me. See, back in the 80s, movie and game rental stores were everywhere. Pizza places had their own rental corner, grocery stores had theirs, and yes, even gas stations. The reason I kept going back to Gas City was because they had one game that no other rental store had: Mega Man. I remembered the exhilaration of staying up all night playing the game, and the sadness of having to return it on Sunday. I was never able to find the game for sale, so renting it was my only means of playing it.
I also distinctly remember having a meltdown once at the Record Town in the mall. My birthday had just passed, and my grandma gave me a check. To a small child, that was all the cash in the world. I was at the mall with my family, and we stopped so my dad could look at cassettes. But behind the clerk’s counter, stacked up to the ceiling, were Nintendo games for sale. I remember just staring at the games until one caught my eye: Mega Man 2. I had to have that game, and with a fresh $20 check in my pocket, my young mind figured that was all I needed. My mom had to break the news to me that I couldn’t just hand the check over to the cashier and get the game. Oh man, did I lose it. Here I was, about to own one of the greatest NES games ever made, only to be shot down by something as meaningless as financial insolvency? That did not sit well. Luckily, my mom took me out to cool off while my dad got it as a Christmas present, so all was not lost.
Point being, I’ve been a diehard Mega Man fan for as long as I can remember. Thus, when I heard that the Blue Bomber’s creator, Keiji Inafune, was making a spiritual successor to the franchise that I adore so much, I felt like a kid again. I could not wait until I was able to get my hands on another game, even if it was just Mega Man-ish. With the exception of Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, Capcom has been mind-baffling stingy with releasing proper titles for this game. So even though I wasn’t getting an actual Capcom game, I was happy enough to get something similar. Unfortunately, Mighty No. 9 is not the robot I was looking for. (more…)
Dangerous Golf Review: Par For the Course
The late comedian Mitch Hedberg once said: “I’m not good at golf. I never got a hole in one, but I did hit a guy. And that’s way more satisfying. You’re supposed to yell ‘Fore,’ but I was too busy mumbling, ‘There ain’t no way that’s gonna hit him.’”
I’m the same way. I suck at real-life golf, but when it comes to virtual golf, I’m a regular Lee Carvallo (for putting challenges, at least). From 1990’s PGA Tour Golf, to the original Xbox’s Microsoft Links 2004 and the more recent The Golf Club, I’ve always found video game golf to be a relaxing break from the usual running and gunning that is so prevalent in gaming.
Which brings us to Dangerous Golf, the debut title from new studio Three Fields Entertainment. The small team of ex-Criterion developers set about to combine two of my favorite things to do virtually that I can’t get away with in real life: play golf and break stuff. At its core, this is what Dangerous Golf is about. And while the game is a satisfying and humorous experience, it isn’t very deep, and is at its best when played in spurts. (more…)
Kickstart This! Eliosi’s Hunt
Top-down shooters are like buses… you wait for ages, and then two come at once. The first one I found when looking for this week’s Kickstart This! candidate was When It Hits The Fan, which evoked memories of Smash TV with its 32-bit arcade style. Its simple style leads to some fast-paced mayhem, and had I not found Eliosi’s Hunt, I may have delved a bit deeper into its campaign. The latter game has a harder sci-fi slant, but its visuals are mind-blowingly beautiful. So let’s find out what Brazilian-based TDZ Games is hoping to achieve with this project. (more…)
The Big List of Nintendo NX Games
To say it’s a tad unusual to know nothing about an upcoming console that’s roughly seven months away would be an understatement. But somehow, that’s the exact position we’re in with Nintendo’s NX console. Is it really a console/handheld hybrid with detachable controllers? Your guess is as good as mine.
But we do know a few things. We know that the NX will be at least as powerful as the Wii U, and probably on par with the PS4 and Xbox One. We’ve also heard about a handful of game announcements, as well as a few more projects rumored to be in the works.
And that’s where this list comes in. We’re going to keep track of all the NX announcements (and rumors) in one place so you don’t have to. (more…)
The Games of August 2016
While there are lots of games we’re eager to play in August, there’s one game we can agree on, and that’s No Man’s Sky! The hype behind this game is strong and has been long-coming, and we here at Warp Zoned are super interested to see if it delivers. Other than that, we have a few games here and there we’re excited about. Read on to find out what we’ll be playing for the month of August! (more…)
Warpback: What We Played in July 2016
We had a lot of fun here at Warp Zoned playing games in July! While we did hit up quite a variety, we had one game in common: Hyper Light Drifter! Other than that, it was new games, old games, and all the games in between. Read on to see what we were getting into during this hot month! (more…)
Kickstart This! Columnae: A Past Under Construction
As I was discussing last time around on Kickstart This! with regards to Mighty No.9, nostalgia can be a powerful thing, but also something that potentially cripples any chance of success should it not rekindle that warm fuzzy glow from your childhood memories.
So when Nightdive Studios launched a Kickstarter campaign for a remake of classic horror FPS System Shock, I was of two minds whether to recommend it or not. It has enough fans to have passed its hefty $900,000 target, but will it be as good as promised? I’m more than hopeful. For one, Nightdive released a demo to persuade people to back the game, but the pitch video takes a very satirical approach, and the dark humour makes me believe it may just live up to expectations. Go check it out, especially if you are thinking of launching a campaign, as it is well crafted.
But System Shock has its money in the bag, so I wanted to recommend something that needs your cash to succeed. I originally thought about Prey for the Gods, which looks like a close sibling to Shadow of the Colossus with the added benefit of a grappling hook to help you climb the giant gods that you must destroy. It looks amazing, and worthy of the comparisons to Shadow of the Colossus as well as your donations. However, it is getting a lot of global press, and is well on its way to reaching its $300,000 goal, so I wanted to highlight a little gem from the Belgrade-based Moonburnt Studio that may need more help to hit its target. (more…)