Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Top Story
Calzones For No One: How Mayfair’s Cones of Dunshire Kickstarter Campaign Flopped
As we reported in January, Mayfair Games, the publisher of Settlers of Catan, took to Kickstarter with the dream of making Cones of Dunshire, a fictional board game from the Parks & Recreation universe, into a real game. Fans of the NBC show and of intricate and/or confusing cooperative board games rejoiced. It seemed like an impossible task to raise $300,000 to create a deluxe version of the game… and it was. So Mayfair canceled their original campaign and relaunched it in early February with some adjustments, including a lowered project goal ($125,000) and reworked pledge levels and rewards.
Even at the reduced levels, it still took at least $400 (and a dream!) to reserve a copy of the game. As before, additional goodies and enhancements to the game were available at higher pledge levels. For example, backers would receive the game at $400, but at $550 they would receive the game with metal “Hero Bases,” and at $700 they would get the game with metal figures.
During the original campaign, pledges were slow to come in and it did not appear that Mayfair would meet its goal in the 60 days allotted. The second Kickstarter, which after a 30-day run ended on March 12th, fared no better. At its conclusion, Mayfair had raised $48,696 from 194 backers, only reaching 39% of its goal.
So how did it all go wrong? (more…)
Posted in Opinions, Top Story
Tagged Tabletop Games
10 Actresses We Think Could Play Zelda in The Legend of Zelda TV Series
The three corners of the Triforce are now complete as we’ve come to end of our Casting Ideas for Netflix’s rumored adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. This time we shine a spotlight on the titular character, Princess Zelda, after previously posting our picks for Link and Ganondorf. Zelda has had an interesting development arc during the saga, from being the damsel in distress to becoming a woman of action, notably through her alter ego Sheik, one of the legendary Shiekah (“Shadow Folk”).
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to begin. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, Features, Top Story
Tagged The Legend of Zelda
10 Actors We Think Could Play Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda TV Series
A good hero is only as good as his villain, and Link has had many, but Ganondorf (or Ganon), is his greatest nemesis, seeking out the pieces of Triforce which Link and Zelda strive to protect time and time again. How Ganondorf will be imagined on screen in Netflix’s rumored Legend of Zelda series is anyone’s guess. while Link and Zelda have largely remained the same throughout all the games, he clothed in a green tunic, she dressed in a regal dress (or prancing about in a ninja outfit as Shiek), Ganondorf’s appearance has undergone regular transformations. The one possibly best suited for TV is the humanoid Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, where he is a leader of desert bandits known as the Gerudo. They might lose the green skin and bright ginger hair as well, but whoever they choose to play him will have to embody his power-hungry desire and brooding, dark presence.
With our picks for Link already locked in, we focus on the King of Thieves next. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, Features, Top Story
Tagged The Legend of Zelda
Kickstart This! Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse, Glitch Hunter, Sneaky Ninja
Recently in the UK, pressure has been building against HSBC Bank after the shoddy dealings and tax evasion tactics of their Swiss subsidiary. The US Government has previously brought the bank to account for its association with Mexican drug cartels, but so far the British government has only charged one person with tax evasion.
What has this to do with gaming? On the surface, nothing. But if all these ultra-rich people were paying their taxes instead of working so hard to avoid them, our fragile economy may have recovered quicker, wages may have risen, and more people would have spare money to spend on things they want, like funding games. It’s hard not to be bitter when developers work so hard to try and get a project off the ground, while some shady businessmen and shadier criminals pay dodgy banks to hide their money.
I digress. This week’s Kickstart This! features a trio of smashing titles, starting with action adventure game Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse, digital cyberpunk collectible card game Glitch Hunter, and stealth 2D platformer Sneaky Ninja.
Let’s sneak right in. (more…)
The Games of March 2015
March is a crazy month. Some of us are excited about the new releases, while others are not very impressed at all. How do you feel about March? Read on to see if you agree with the Warp Zoned crew as they talk about what they want to play this month! (more…)
Warpback: What We Played in February 2015
The Warp Zoned crew was all over the place in February! The only thing we could agree on was how much we love Pokemon. Well, two of us, at least. It was a good month to dip into backlogs, though, because most of us were pretty snowed in. We’re looking forward to the Spring thaw, but until then, read on to see what we played in this icy month! (more…)
10 Actors We Think Could Play Link in The Legend of Zelda TV Series
Marvel must have thought they had the gong for news of year all sewn up when they announced their deal with Sony to finally allow Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And then rumours started swirling that two mighty Ns, Netflix and Nintendo, were possibly going to collaborate on a TV adaptation of Nintendo’s long-running RPG series, The Legend of Zelda. Suddenly, Spider-Man was yesterday’s news. After all, we have already had two versions of the wallcrawler spanning five movies. But ever since the trainwreck that was the Super Mario Bros. movie, Nintendo has been hesitant to allow its characters to star in a live-action film.
Until now. Hopefully. Though there has been no official statement from either party, so the news that set the Internet aflame is currently nothing more than rumour and conjecture. Yet, it has not stopped many, including myself, from wondering what shape or form it may take – a more family friendly Game of Thrones? Or Lord of the Rings for the streaming masses?
Before we go spending our rupees on a Netflix membership, let us have a look at which actors and actresses would be best suited for the trio of main characters, starting with the hero, Link. Will they cast an adult in the role, a boy, or maybe even both, as Link has appeared as many different ages throughout the years (sometimes even in the same game). Given the age we live in, where everything is reimagined with gritty realism, I imagine Link will be a teenager/young man, at least for the majority of the series. (more…)
Posted in Etcetera, Features, Top Story
Tagged The Legend of Zelda
Nicole’s IndieCade East 2015 Diary
Last weekend, IndieCade East was held once again at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. For three (extremely cold) days, I spent my time attending talks, playing games, and, of course, interacting with some amazing indie talent. Promoted as “IndieCade Festival’s sarcastic, all-black-wearing cousin,” IndieCade East had keynotes, talks, panels, workshops, an eSports showcase, Show & Tell, a curated showcase (entitled “Love & Rejection, Gesture, and Horizons”), and my personal favorite, Night Games. There was so much to do that even after three days, I hadn’t done it all. (more…)