Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: PC
Jamestown+ Review: Get Your Bum to Mars
Final Form Games is a small developer based out of Philadelphia, and they originally released Jamestown, a vertically-scrolling “neoclassical” shooter, for the PC in 2011. Three years later, they brought their game to the PS4 as Jamestown+, adding a pair of bonus levels and several new ships.
But here we are in 2019 and it looks like the game is finally ready to reach its “final form” (or rather, how the developer “originally intended” to release it). That’s because the development team will bring Jamestown+ to the Switch this week with even more updates and improvements. (more…)
NetEase will unveil Naraka: Bladepoint at the 2019 Game Awards
We’re getting closer and closer to the 2019 Game Awards, and host Geoff Keighley continues to tease the World Premiere Trailers he has lined up for this year’s show.
Last night, he revealed that Naraka: Bladepoint, a new game from publisher NetEase Games and developer 24 Entertainment, will be announced during the ceremony.
Where cold steel collides and blood runs dry, Souls BLOSSOM.
Tune in for the World Premiere at #TheGameAwards to witness the Soulbloom in #NARAKATHEGAME pic.twitter.com/NtaX3fE2O4— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 10, 2019
Naraka: Bladepoint is still shrouded in mystery, but artwork found on the game’s official Twitter account points to a game about warring groups in Ancient China. And though publisher NetEase is famously known for working in the mobile space, they’ve recently provided funding to console developers such as Quantic Dream and Bungie, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Naraka’s destination just yet.
Thankfully, we won’t have much longer to wait, as the 2019 Game Awards will be held this Thursday, December 12.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Game Awards 2019
Super Crush KO will bring pastel punches to the PC and Switch on January 16, 2020
Vertex Pop has announced that Super Crush KO, their upcoming ultra-colorful brawler, will be released for the PC and Switch on January 16, 2020. If you’re unfamiliar with Super Crush KO, the development team also sent over this handy primer for the game’s pastel post-apocalypse:
Combining beat ’em up and run and gun action, Super Crush KO, has players take control of Karen, a tough and fashionable brawler in a colorful world overrun by frantic robot enemies. Karen must wipe them out using punches, kicks and long-range combat in fluid combos on the way to save her cat Chubbz and (while she’s at it) humanity. Featuring delightful hand-drawn graphics, a pastel color palette and a catchy soundtrack, this is a feel-good action game complemented with bright and stylish aesthetics.
“We are very excited to announce that Super Crush KO will soon be available on Nintendo Switch and Steam, packing fast-paced thrilling fights, intuitive controls and colorful aesthetic,” said Game Designer Mobeen Fikree. ”Super Crush KO is easy to pick up yet hard to master, but no matter the player level, everyone will have a great time smashing hordes of robot enemies in style.”
To celebrate the release date announcement, Vertex Pop also unveiled a brand new Gameplay Trailer, which has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, Switch
Tagged Super Crush KO
Kickstart This! Radical Chess, Guinea Pig Parkour, and Endless Memories
Kickstarter is like a devil’s playground of goodies just waiting to be funded. I’m currently toying with the idea of spending $1,000 on the Raine One Electric Scooter, if only for its glowing wheels and similar name to my own.
But the crowdfunding site is also one of the best ways for solo developers and small indie studios to present their project to an audience directly, which is what I love about it. Make a trailer that oozes passion and originality for a game that also looks cool, and I will throw my money at you like I’m in a strip joint.
So which games have caught my eye recently? In this edition of Kickstart This!, I will face off with Radical Chess, roll and jump in the 2D platformer Guinea Pig Parkour, and battle my way through the 2D action adventure Endless Memories. (more…)
Kickstart This! The Sad Tale of Knite and the Ghost Lights
Long time readers of Kickstart This! may recall Knite and the Ghost Lights by Mobot Studios. The gorgeous side-scroller was one of the first games we featured in this column and one of the first Kickstarter projects that I backed personally.
Even now, I have fond memories of discovering the game on the crowdfunding site way back in October of 2013. It was pitched as a stop-motion RPG built with a strong sense of early Tim Burton. Knite and the Ghost Lights was going to be delivered by July 2014 on the PC and Wii U (Nintendo’s previous console is another thing I have fond memories of).
However, the delivery deadline was missed, and that’s when things started to go wrong for the game, which has been limping along and languishing in development hell ever since. At the time, Lex Plotnikoff, the lead artist and creative force on Knite and the Ghost Lights, found himself unable to return to America. The Russian national was mired in red tape, which threw a proverbial spanner into the works, and brought development on the game grinding to a halt. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, Wii U
Tagged Knite and the Ghost Lights
Valve officially unveils Half-Life: Alyx… and a March 2020 release date
Rise and shine, Valve, rise and shine.
The operators of Steam have finally returned to large-scale game development… and to the Half-Life franchise. The developer unveiled the first trailer for Half-Life: Alyx earlier today, along with confirmation that we won’t have to wait very long to play the VR-focused title. According to Valve, Half-Life: Alyx will launch in March of 2020, making an already-packed month for new releases even more crowded.
Set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2, Half-Life: Alyx puts players into the literal gloves of Alyx Vance as she searches for something known as “The Vault”:
Valve’s return to the Half-Life universe that started it all was built from the ground up for virtual reality. VR was built to enable the gameplay that sits at the heart of Half-Life.
Immerse yourself in deep environmental interactions, puzzle solving, world exploration, and visceral combat.
Lean to aim around a broken wall and under a Barnacle to make an impossible shot. Rummage through shelves to find a healing syringe and some shotgun shells. Manipulate tools to hack alien interfaces. Toss a bottle through a window to distract an enemy. Rip a Headcrab off your face and throw it out the window.
Half-Life: Alyx will be compatible with all major VR headsets, including the Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality. But all Valve Index owners will receive a copy of the game for free when it’s ready.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Half-Life: Alyx
Geoff Keighley has announced the nominees for the 2019 Game Awards
We’re getting closer and closer to the end of the year, and that’s means that it’s finally time for the Game Awards. The nominations for the annual awards show were announced earlier today, and Remedy’s Control, Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding, Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds, Capcom’s Resident Evil 2, From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will all be competing for “Game of the Year.”
Host Geoff Keighley isn’t involved in the nominating process, but it still feels strange to realize that he actually appears as a non-player character in Death Stranding. Hideo Kojima’s latest game, and first as an independent developer, ultimately received nine nominations across eight categories (both Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen were nominated for “Best Performance”).
Fans are once again encouraged to vote for their favorite games at the award show’s official website, and fan votes will have a real effect on the outcome, as they’ll count for a 10% share of the voting jury.
The 2019 Game Awards will be held on Thursday, December 12. In addition to all the winners, we can also expect to see a lot of World Premiere Trailers for upcoming games, some of which will be announced in the coming days.
In the meantime, you can find a complete list of all the nominees after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Control, Death Stranding, Game Awards 2019, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, The Outer Worlds
Valve will unveil Half-Life: Alyx this Thursday
Half-Life.
Even saying those words is enough to conjur a variety of emotions in your average. Awe at the first two games in the franchise. Disgust at Valve for their decision to drop the almost-mythical Half-Life 2: Episode 3. And a wistful sense of longing that maybe someday the developer will bring the goateed Gordon Freeman back from the dead.
While that last one is still just wishful thinking, it looks like Valve is finally ready to return to the world of Half-Life:
We’re excited to unveil Half-Life: Alyx, our flagship VR game, this Thursday at 10am Pacific Time.
Can’t wait to share it with all of you! pic.twitter.com/BupFCxSrTw
— Valve (@valvesoftware) November 18, 2019
Meet Half-Life: Alyx… or rather… check back on Thursday at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time) to get your first look at Valve’s “flagship VR game” for the PC.
As of now, we don’t know anything about Valve’s mysterious new project, but it more than likely stars Half-Life 2‘s Alyx Vance and, oh yeah, it’s the first new entry in the Half-Life saga in over ten years.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Half-Life: Alyx