Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Retro
Nintendo Download: Lego City Undercover, Graceful Explosion Machine, Vroom in the Night Sky, more
Four new games are now available to download for the Nintendo Switch… and three of them will offer players plenty of explosions.
Lego City Undercover is an open-world action game that takes the gritty “cops and robbers” genre and gives it a family-friendly makeover. Players will take control of Chase McCain, an undercover officer who has been ordered to take down notorious criminal Rex Fury. But they’ll also be able to keep themselves busy with “more than 20 unique districts to investigate, car thieves to bust, hilarious movie references to discover, vehicles to drive, and hundreds of collectibles.” Oh, and an explosion or two.
As you’d expect, Graceful Explosion Machine is also packed with fiery detonations. In this side-scrolling shooter, Switch owners will pilot the Graceful Explosion Machine, using its quartet of weapons to blast a bunch of aliens. If you prefer your shooters to scroll vertically, Alpha Mission II, which was originally released for the NeoGeo in 1991, is also available to download today.
Finally this week, Switch owners will be able to download Vroom in the Night Sky, which doesn’t appear to include explosions of any kind. Instead, players will fly through the night collecting Stardusts to unlock the Magical Gate.
You can learn about this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (which also includes several 3DS and Wii U games) after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U
Tagged Graceful Explosion Machine, Lego City Undercover
Activision is working on at least three movies in a connected Call of Duty Cinematic Universe
Activision first began discussing the possibility of a “Call of Duty Cinematic Universe” shortly after opening their film division, Activision Blizzard Studios, a few years ago. Earlier this week, a new profile in The Guardian has revealed that the studio is already working on three separate films:
“We have plotted out many years,” [Co-President Stacey] Sher tells the Guardian. “We put together this group of writers to talk about where we were going. There’ll be a film that feels more like Black Ops, the story behind the story. The Modern Warfare series looks at what it’s like to fight a war with the eyes of the world on you. And then maybe something that is more of a hybrid, where you are looking at private, covert operations, while a public operation is going on.”
According to The Guardian, Activision would like to start filming the first entry in the “Call of Duty Cinematic Universe” sometime next year, with a theatrical premiere planned for “a couple of years after” that.
Sher and her Co-President, Nick Van Dyk, also have ambitions beyond traditional motion pictures. The pair has already partnered with Netflix to produce Skylanders Academy, and they’re also envisioning a Call of Duty-branded series that focuses on historical conflicts such as World War II and the Vietnam War.
Sher also wants fans to know that, above all else, Activision Blizzard Studios wants to make good movies: “If you just chase the empty blockbuster, and have nothing to say in the genre, forget about it.”
Posted in Etcetera, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops
Cars 3: Driven To Win will be released for every available console on June 13
WB Games and Avalanche Software have announced that the Cars 3 video game, Cars 3: Driven To Win, will be released for the PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on June 13.
Taking place after the events of Disney/Pixar’s upcoming film, Cars 3: Driven To Win will ask players to master advanced racing abilities such as “Drifting, Turbo, Two-Wheel Driving, Driving Backwards and Side-Bash” as they rise through the ranks of the Piston Cup. Naturally, the game will also feature splitscreen multiplayer for competitive and cooperative modes:
Picking up after the final big race in the film, Cars 3: Driven to Win extends the storyline of Cars 3 with all-new action packed adventures and takes players through a high-speed competition that is filled with both familiar and new faces. Players will be able to join Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez as they prepare to take on rival racer Jackson Storm. The game features more than 20 customizable playable characters including popular heroes from the Cars franchise and next generation racers. Players can also select their favorite race environments from a series of iconic settings from the film, such as Radiator Springs and Florida International Speedway, with over 20 unique tracks to choose from across 13 different locations.
We also got a glance at the first trailer for Cars 3: Driven To Win, and its been embedded above.
Persona 5, Drawn to Death, PaRappa the Rapper Remastered, more added to PS Store
After nearly a decade of waiting, Atlus has delivered Persona 5 to fans. The RPG is now available to download for the PS4 and PS3, and it gives players the chance to live a double life… first as a regular high school student by day, and then as a member of the heroic Phantom Thieves at night.
Speaking of long-awaited returns, developer David Jaffe is back with his latest game on the PS4 this week. Featuring an art style culled from the notebooks of weirdo teens everywhere, Drawn to Death is a multiplayer shooter that also mixes in “the nuance of a fighting game.” Best of all, it’s a free download for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Finally this week, the PlayStation Store is now home to a trio of PS4 re-releases that’ll bring old favorites to a new group of gamers. First up is PaRappa the Rapper Remastered, Sony’s attempt to rebuild one of the world’s first rhythm games. It’s joined by People Can Fly’s weird and wild first person shooter, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, and Lego City Undercover, a family-friendly open-world action game from WB Games.
You can learn more about all of these games (and the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store) after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4
Tagged Bulletstorm, Drawn to Death, Lego City Undercover, PaRappa the Rapper, Persona 5
New Mega Man series headed to Cartoon Network in 2018
Capcom, in collaboration with DHX Media, Dentsu Entertainment, and Man of Action Entertainment, have announced that their in-development Mega Man animated series will debut on Cartoon Network in 2018.
The series will go into production this Summer, and it’s designed to introduce Mega Man to a new and much younger audience. The Mega Man series appears to be in good hands, as all three companies have proven themselves in children’s entertainment before. Dentsu Entertainment is responsible for localizing the popular Yo-Kai Watch series, and DHX Media has a long history of producing successful kid’s shows such as Degrassi and Teletubbies. Meanwhile, Man of Action Entertainment is most famous for the creation of Ben 10 and characters from Big Hero 6.
However, Mega Man fans have already taken issue with the upcoming show, citing Mega Man’s new aesthetic, and his “Aki Light” alter ego. According to DHX Media, Aki Light is a happy-go-lucky robotic child, who discovers that he has secret protocols that allow him to transform into Mega Man (basically, a robotic schoolboy version of nearly every mainstream superhero). Throughout the series, Mega Man will struggle with saving Silicon City from imposing threats, while trying to maintain his day-to-day life, and preserve his secret identity.
While this is definitely a break from the traditional Mega Man storyline, including that of the popular Mega Man cartoon from the mid 90s, it’s still an interesting reboot. Given the success of the companies involved with the new show’s production, this latest Mega Man cartoon is worth keeping on your radars, even if just to check it out once.
It looks like Udon will publish a Shovel Knight: Official Design Works artbook in August
We’re still waiting patiently for the release of those children’s books based on Shovel Knight (they’re currently scheduled to arrive in stores on April 18), but it looks like you’ll be able to purchase yet another tome featuring the titular knight later this Summer.
According to a new listing on Amazon, Udon Entertainment will publish Shovel Knight: Official Design Works on August 29. The artbook will include 184 pages of images from the game, as well as new information about Shovel Knight from the development team at Yacht Club Games:
Shovel Knight: Official Design Works collects the fun and original artwork behind this landmark title. Inside you’ll find key art, character concepts, enemy designs, sprite sheets, unused ideas, and an all-new Shovel Knight tribute art gallery! This epic tome is also packed with creator commentary, as well as exclusive interview with the Yacht Club Games team.
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, the newest expansion to Shovel Knight’s side-scrolling adventure, will be available to download for the PC beginning tomorrow. If missed its Nintendo Switch launch last month, you might not know that it’s an AMAZING addition to the franchise.
New Retail Releases: Persona 5, Lego City Undercover, Bulletstorm Full Clip Edition, More
Persona 4 became one of the last major launches for the PS2 when it was released in 2008 by Atlus. It’s long-in-the-works sequel, Persona 5, will do the same when it launches this week for the PS3. Thankfully, the RPG will also be released for the PS4, so all PlayStation players will get the chance to save the world as a member of the Phantom Thieves.
A pair of re-releases will also make their way to store shelves this week, giving players a second chance to try out two unsung titles from the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii U era. First up, the family-friendly open-world action game Lego City Undercover will make its debut on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Also this week, Gearbox and People Can Fly will bring Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition to the PS4 and Xbox One with an extra does of Duke Nukem.
Finally this week, an aerial combat sim (Air Conflicts: Secret Wars) and a deckbuilding RPG (ArmaGallant: Decks of Destiny) will be released for the PS4.
That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with an expanded look at the latest additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Bulletstorm, Lego City Undercover, Persona 5
4/1: AMC and the creators of Breaking Bad are NOT working on a Grand Theft Auto TV show
It’s April 1st, which means you shouldn’t believe everything anything you read on the Internet today. For example… AMC did not hire the creators of Breaking Bad to develop a television adaptation of Grand Theft Auto V.
The trailer making the rounds today was actually created by IGN, but the narration from Steven Ogg (he played Trevor Phillips in GTA5) gives it that extra jolt of authenticity and might help fool a few people.
While this trailer is just an April Fool’s Day prank, Take-Two Interactive might actually be working on a film adaptation of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Earlier this year, CEO Strauss Zelnick told MCV that his company has “licensed a couple of titles for motion picture production.” The executive didn’t name Grand Theft Auto as one of the titles, but prolific film director Roger Corman has repeatedly claimed that a settlement he signed with Take-Two more than a decade ago prevents the publisher from adapting Grand Theft Auto for the silver screen.
Corman produced Ron Howard’s directorial debut, 1977’s Grand Theft Auto, and he’s been trying to remake it for years. But instead of a gangland drama like The Godfather or Scarface, Howard’s film is a road comedy more closely related to something like The Blues Brothers. But if Corman is holding up the creation of a Grand Theft Auto film, it’s never been publicly acknowledged by Take-Two.