Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Mobile
“Game over, man! Game over!” Alien vs. Predator: Evolution released
With the dust still settling on the disastrous development woes of Aliens: Colonial Marines, it seems odd timing for Fox Digital Entertainment to release a new game featuring everyone’s favourite phallic xenomorphs. Not only that, but the game is based on the bastardised cross-bred franchise everyone would rather forget, Alien vs. Predator. The new title, Alien vs. Predator: Evolution, has been developed by Angry Mob Games for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, and is on sale for the rather hefty price tag of $4.99. Angry Mob previously developed the mobile game tie-in to Robert Rodriguez’s film reboot Predators.
Rick Phillips, Senior Vice President, Fox Digital Entertainment was quoted as saying, “Angry Mob Games has outdone itself with AVP: Evolution, creating compelling gameplay and a graphically stunning experience that lives up to the Alien vs. Predator pedigree.”
To the game’s credit, the graphics generated by the Unity engine are prettier than Sega and Gearbox’s dismal efforts last month. Playing as either the Alien or Predator, you have to battle and brawl through 18 main missions and 11 side quests.
Writer Rumble Review: Let’s Get Ready to… Actually, No
Writer Rumble is the first game that GameFly, the video game version of Netflix, has produced. The premise of the game is very simple: choose a character and get ready to play Boggle (or Scramble With Friends) as a variety of monsters make their approach. Sticks and stones won’t break their bones, but words do have the power to destroy them. As you quickly search for words in the board area, keep an eye up top as well where the “action” is taking place, and make sure you’re keeping pace with all the ghouls headed your way. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Writer Rumble
Kickstart This! Don’t Throw Rogue System Omega With Your Enemy Golem Mind
Welcome to our monthly trek into the tumultuous world of crowdsourcing donations that is Kickstarter. As always, we have picked a handful of new gaming projects that we feel are worthy of your hard-earned cash. You could master how to manipulate the world with your brainwaves in Throw Trucks With Your Mind, or spread the bubonic plague in Death Inc. Perhaps you would rather fly trading missions through space in Rogue System, or play as an elemental wolf in Omega. If that does not whet your appetite, you could also play a mash-up of old games in Enemy, or delve into Jewish folklore to take on The Golem. (more…)
The Witness coming to PC/iOS… but probably not Xbox 720 or Wii U
One of the highlights of Sony’s PS4 announcement was the whimsical, Myst-like trailer for Jonathan Blow’s upcoming puzzler The Witness. The developer has since expanded on its unveiling to Kotaku, and confirmed what other platforms it will appear on.
“Our deal with Sony is a limited-time exclusivity that applies only to competing console platforms. Basically it is that you will see the game on the PlayStation 4 before you will see it on the Wii U or the next Microsoft console, if the game ever appears on either of those.”
In other words, he is free to launch it on the PC and iOS regardless of his deal with Sony. In fact, Blow states that if he and his team were able to develop those versions in time for the PS4 launch, “The ideal situation for us is to release everything simultaneously or close to simultaneously.” The outspoken developer was very forthcoming when discussing why he had chosen the Playstation 4 as the right console for The Witness, and revealed that Sony did not give him money for the exclusivity.
“The real situation is that, because we are a small developer, we only have the ability to launch on a small number of platforms at once. We liked the idea of being on a console, and originally we thought we might be on the PS3 or Xbox 360, but eventually we decided not to target either of those due to the relatively low system specs… The Wii U still has pretty low system specs, so it came down to a choice between the next Microsoft console or the next Sony console.”
In typical Jonathan Blow fashion, he had a lot more to say about The Witness. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One
Tagged PlayStation Meeting 2013, The Witness
Journey, The Walking Dead lead 2013 BAFTA nominations
Journey and The Walking Dead continue to rack up nominations in the remaining “Best Games of 2012” competitions.
This time, the two titles have dominated their peers during the nominations phase of the 2013 BAFTA Awards. “The British Oscars” have been handing out their Games Awards since 2003 and thegamecompany’s Journey leads the pack this year with nine nominations. Telltale’s The Walking Dead wasn’t far behind with seven nominations.
Both games are up for the coveted “Best Game” award, along with Dishonored, Far Cry 3, FIFA Soccer 13, and Mass Effect 3.
They might not have earned a spot in the “Best Game” category, but many of 2012’s other big hitters scored multiple nominations at the BAFTAs. Borderlands 2 received four nominations while Assassin’s Creed III and Call of Duty: Black Ops II both received three.
The 2013 BAFTAs will be handed out on March 5. You can find the complete list of nominees after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360
Tagged Assassin's Creed III, Borderlands 2, Dishonored, Far Cry 3, FIFA Soccer 13, Halo 4, Journey, Mass Effect 3, The Walking Dead
Nicalis picks up Kickstarter project The 90s Arcade Racer
Nicalis is well known for bringing VVVVVV, NightSky, and Cave Story to Nintendo platforms over the past three years. And they’re likely going to to continue their goodwill streak with their first Wii U project, The 90s Arcade Racer.
The 90s Arcade Racer started life as a Kickstarter project that was originally headed to the three PC platforms (Windows, Mac, and Linux). Nicalis stepped in and offered to back the developer, Antonis Pelekanos, with additional resources and the ability to publish the game on iOS and Android devices as well as the Wii U eShop.
As you can see from the trailer above, The 90s Arcade Racer takes its cues from the classics of the 90s arcade including Daytona USA, Sega Super GT, and Indy 500.
Blending the best bits of those three games together, The 90s Arcade Racer will include stock cars, supercars, and open-wheel racers in a game that features three tracks and “a nice blend between reality and fantasy. All while keeping with the 90s theme.”
The 90s Arcade Racer is expected to be available in November or December of this year.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Wii U
Tagged 90s Super GP
Journey, The Walking Dead clean up at 2013 DICE Awards
A pair of downloadable games came away with almost half of all the awards handed out at last night’s D.I.C.E. Awards show. Journey, developed by thatgamecompany exclusively for the PS3, was the big winner of the night, nabbing eight awards including Game of the Year. Telltale’s The Walking Dead was also a multiple award winner, collecting four trophies.
Halo 4 (Visual Engineering and Connectivity) and XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Gameplay Engineering and Strategy/Simulation) were the only other games to win in more than one category.
Congratulations to the developers at thatgamecompany and Telltale Games. You can find a complete list of winners in all 25 categories after the break. (more…)
Star Wars Pinball strikes back on digital platforms this month
Zen Studios will be bringing three Star Wars-themed pinball tables to a download service near you this month. Star Wars Pinball will be available as a standalone app on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Android Store. It’ll also be released as downloadable content for Pinball FX 2 (Xbox Live Arcade, Windows 8), Zen Pinball 2 (PlayStation Network, Vita, Mac App Store), and Zen Pinball (Apple App Store, Google Play).
“It’s been over 30 years since Star Wars, videogames, and solid state pinball all burst onto the entertainment scene, and their popularity endures today. We’re excited to be combining all three for the very first time,” said Neil Sorens, Zen Studios’ Creative Director. “Our designers are huge Star Wars fans, and you can expect every detail in every table to reflect their passion for the Star Wars universe.”
The three tables will be based on three of the biggest names in Star Wars history: The Empire Strikes Back, Boba Fett, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Screenshots and more details can be found at the game’s official site, StarWarsPinball.com.
Approve of this, I do.
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Star Wars Pinball, Zen Pinball 2