Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Xbox One
Playtonic will release Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair later this year
Playtonic Games has announced that their platforming duo of Yooka and Laylee will return in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.
The second game in the franchise will mix things up a bit, swapping out the original game’s 3D platforming for a side-scrolling adventure that also includes a puzzle-filled overworld to explore. The developer had quite a lot to say about this change on their official website:
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a 2D Platforming Adventure Hybrid. Master Yooka and Laylee’s medley of moves and traverse through charming and challenging 2D levels packed to the brim with collectibles, vibrant environments, and a bumbling batch of baddies to battle. Then, pull up your adventuring boots and explore a sprawling 3D overworld that boasts a wealth of puzzles, game-changing secrets, special challenges and a cast of colourful characters to chat to. You’ll meet some familiar faces, and some new ones, as you help Queen Phoebee restore order to the Royal Stingdom.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair will be on display at next week’s E3 Expo, and Playtonic plans to announce more details about it then. In the meantime, the developer has uploaded an Announcement Trailer for the game (which we’ve embedded above) and confirmed that it’ll be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One later this year.
Overwatch: The Official Cookbook will be released in October
Have you ever wondered what a gorilla with a genius-level intellect eats? We might finally get an answer in Overwatch: The Official Cookbook.
Written by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel (the same author behind World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook and Hearthstone: Innkeeper’s Tavern Cookbook), and published by Simon and Schuster’s Insight Editions imprint, the cookbook will honor Overwatch’s international background with “authentic recipes inspired by the game’s diverse heroes”:
Based on Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon Overwatch, this official cookbook is packed with scores of authentic recipes inspired by the game’s diverse heroes hailing from all corners of the universe.
Building from the game’s compelling narrative and variety of characters, this cookbook features international food and drink recipes from each hero’s homeland. Each recipe includes straightforward step-by-step instructions, mouthwatering full-color photos, pairing suggestions, and more.
Overwatch: The Official Cookbook will include more than 100 recipes and it’ll be available to purchase this October.
Destroy All Humans! remake will be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2020
Lock up your cows… Destroy All Humans! is back. THQ Nordic has announced that players will once again get to lead the Furon invasion of 1950s America in this remake of the PS2/Xbox-era classic.
Developed by Black Forest Games, players will take control of gray-skinned alien Crypto-137 as he attempts to take over Earth one small town at a time. Using a unique of arsenal alien weaponry (including the Anal Probe Gun), Crypto can blast any soldiers that get in his way, but he’ll also be able to disguise himself as a nondescript to sneak into restricted areas, or use brand new psychokinesis abilities to send enemies flying.
THQ Nordic has said the game’s humorous dialogue will remain intact, but fans should expect to see an updated visual presentation and the restoration of the cut “Area 42” mission in the remake:
What are we keeping just the way it was and should be? The unique 50s alien invasion story and legendary dialogues full of quirky humor.
What are we carefully updating? Crypto is more agile than ever, his aerial combat skills improved, his psychic skills can now be used in glorious unison with his guns. And the new Psychokinesis… ever wondered what’d happen if a Jedi had a love child with the Goat Simulator? You’re welcome for that mental image.
Destroy All Humans! will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in 2020. The VERY WEIRD first trailer for the remake (which is, believe it or not, soundtracked by Rammstein) has been embedded above.
Darksiders Genesis is a top-down action RPG from Airship Syndicate
THQ Nordic teased an upcoming announcement for the fourth game in the Darksiders franchise last week… but they confirmed today that it’s not the Darksiders 4 that many fans were expecting.
Instead, the publisher has teamed up with Joe Madureira’s Airship Syndicate to create Darksiders Genesis, a top-down action RPG set within the Darksiders universe. Madureira co-created the Darksiders franchise for Vigil Games back in 2010, and this Diablo-inspired spinoff will finally give players the chance to play as the last Horseman, Strife:
In Darksiders Genesis, the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse, Strife, is called upon to save humankind from certain destruction at the hands of Lucifer. True to its roots, Darksiders Genesis will feature intense combat, exploration, puzzle-solving, epic boss battles, and serpent holes from heaven to hell. The game marks the first, full-scale Darksiders adventure played from the top-down perspective.
Darksiders Genesis will be playable at next week’s E3 Expo and it’ll be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Google Stadia later this year. In the meantime, a pretty fantastic new Announcement Teaser has been embedded above.
Ubisoft will unveil Watch Dogs Legion at E3 2019
Thanks to a new tweet on the official Watch Dogs Twitter account, we now know that Ubisoft will unveil the third game in the franchise at the E3 Expo next week. Featuring the tagline, “God Save the NPCs,” it’s a safe bet that Watch Dogs Legion will be taking the franchise to London.
This mini-announcement jibes with a recent report from Kotaku about Watch Dogs Legion. According to Jason Schreier, the game’s tagline is quite literal, as players will be able to take control of any character they find on the streets of London:
Watch Dogs Legion is set in London, as we confirmed a while ago, and here’s the really interesting gimmick: You can play as any NPC you recruit in the game. From the product description:
“Play as anyone, Every individual you meet in the open world, has a full set of animations, voice over, character traits and visuals that are generated and guided by gameplay systems.”
I’ve heard the same, and also that you’ll see different things at different points in the game depending which NPC you’re playing as.
We’ll learn more about Watch Dogs Legion during Ubisoft’s E3 2019 Press Conference on Monday, June 10.
Blasphemous is a wild-looking gothic MetroidVania from The Game Kitchen
Spanish Developer The Game Kitchen has teamed up with Team17 to unveil Blasphemous, a gothicly-themed MetroidVania that pits a sword-swinging badass against a neverending cavalcade of eldritch abominations.
Showcasing themes and locales that wouldn’t look out of place in Castlevania, Bloodborne, and God of War, Blasphemous’s Reveal Trailer invites viewers to soak in the stylishly grotesque atmosphere of its unique world:
Prepare for a descent into a dark and punishing MetroidVania world where fast-paced, skilled combat combines with a deep and evocative narrative core. You will play as The Penitent One, a sole survivor of the massacre of the Silent Sorrow. Exploring the nightmarish world of Cvstodia and unlocking the hellish secrets within, only you can free it from a twisted fate and reach the origin of your torment.
- Explore A Non-Linear World: Overcome fearsome enemies and deadly traps as you venture through a variety of different landscapes and search for redemption.
- Brutal Combat: Release the power of the Mea Culpa, a sword born from guilt, to slaughter your foes. Acquire devastating new combos and special moves as you purge those who stand in your path.
- Executions: Unleash your wrath and relish in the gory dismemberment of your adversaries – all in beautifully rendered, pixel-perfect animations.
- Customize Your Build: Discover and equip Relics, Rosary Beads, Prayers, and Sword Hearts to give you new abilities and stat boosts to help you survive. Experiment with different combinations to suit your playstyle.
- Intense Boss Battles: Hordes of gigantic, twisted creates stand between you and your goal. Learn their attack patterns, strike them down and more importantly, survive.
- Unlock the Mysteries of Cvstodia: The world is full of tormented souls. Some offer you aid but may ask you for something in return. Uncover their stories to gain rewards and delve into the deep lore of the land.
Blasphemous is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and it’ll be released “soon.”
Mortal Kombat 11’s Kombat Pack includes Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Sindel, Spawn, and two more special guests
Since the launch of Mortal Kombat in 2009, NetherRealm Studios has been packing their fighting games with a bevy of post-launch content, and that will not change now that Mortal Kombat 11 is available on store shelves. The developer unveiled the contents of the Kombat Pack today, giving fans a closer look at Shang Tsung, and confirming that Nightwolf, Sindel, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, and two more guest characters will be added to the game later this year.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa memorably portrayed Shang Tsung in 1995’s Mortal Kombat movie (and the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries), and NetherRealm has given him the chance to reprise the role in Mortal Kombat 11. Hearing Tagawa bellow “Your soul is mine!” at the end of the expansion’s trailer was thrilling.
But before that, we got to see the sorcerer put on quite the show, morphing into multiple ninja characters (Rain, Ermac, Noob Saibot, Reptile, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion) and flinging fireballs with abandon. It appears that Shang Tsung is also able to use his magic to temporarily turn a fight into a mirror match. Oh, and stick around for his Fatality, it’s a good one.
Shang Tsung will be available to download on June 18, and he’ll be followed by Nightwolf, Sindel, and Spawn. The two remaining guest characters are currently a mystery, though SOMEBODY is revving a chainsaw at the end of this trailer and I’d like to believe it’s Bruce Campbell as Ash.
Beamdog will bring Interplay’s classic D&D RPGs to consoles this Fall
A few months ago, publisher Skybound Games and developer Beamdog announced plans to bring Interplay’s classic range of RPGs based on Dungeons & Dragons to consoles for the first time. Today, we learned a bit more about how they plan to release those games this Fall.
The two companies will kick things off on September 24, with the launch of Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition. Both RPGs will be available to download individually for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. They’ll also be packaged together as a retail compilation (The Baldur’s Gate Pack) on all three platforms. The Tales of the Sword Coast and Siege of Dragonspear expansions will be included with the first game, as will the Throne of Bhaal expansion with the sequel.
Planescape: Torment – Enhanced Edition and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition will also be available to download for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One that same day. Though they’re not part of the same franchise, both games will be collected together in a retail release, and Icewind Dale will come packaged with both of its expansions (Heart of Winter and Trials of the Luremaster) whether you buy the disc or a digital download.
Finally, a Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will make its PS4, Switch, and Xbox One debut on December 3. Containing the original game and all ten of its expansions, players will be able to explore the city of Neverwinter in co-op and online multiplayer.
The developer has added a number of new features to each Enhanced Edition, including “support for high-resolution widescreen displays, optimized controls for console controllers, new standalone content, new characters and classes, new voice sets, expanded character creation options, improved multiplayer functionality, redesigns of the UI and UX, bug fixes, balance changes, and more.”
A trailer offering up some new gameplay footage of each Enhanced Edition has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment