Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: E3 2012
Nintendo @ E3 12: Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition announced
Reggie has ceded the stage to WB Games and Rocksteady Studios to announced Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition.
The game will include new Wii U GamePad-exclusive features (specifically relating to Batman’s Utility Belt such as Batbombs and a remote control Batarang) and special “Armored” suits for Batman and Catwoman.
The Armored suits will tie in to B.A.T. Mode, a Dark Knight-take on rage mode.
Basically, Batman Beyond: The Game is a reality.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Batman: Arkham City, E3 2012
Nintendo @ E3 12: New Super Mario Bros. U announced
We already got a small taste of it during Sunday’s Nintendo Direct presentation, but Reggie Fils-Aime just officially announced New Super Mario Bros. U.
The side-scrolling platformer will be heavily integrated with the Miiverse social network and include four-player play.
The graphics are gorgeous and show Mario running and jumping through a vibrant Mushroom Kingdom full of baby Yoshis, Koopa Troopas, Goombas, and underwater swimming. The video also showed Mario’s new wingsuit.
Reggie also confirmed that the player with the Wii U GamePad will be able to drop blocks along the map to help the other players advance.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2012, New Super Mario Bros. U
Nintendo @ E3 12: Wii U will support two GamePads
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime just announced that some games on the Wii U will support two Wii U GamePads.
However, this week at E3, the company plans to focus on “single-GamePad experiences.”
Nintendo @ E3 12: Pikmin 3 shown for the first time
Pikmin 3 was first announced several years ago for the Wii. But Shigeru Miyamoto wasn’t able to create the game he wanted with that hardware. But, he says, with the higher resolution available on the Wii U, he can.
New Pikmin types including “Rock Pikmin,” which can be used to break hard objects.
Basic controls with Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk. Playing with the Wii U GamePad adds an interactive map to the tablet controller’s touchscreen for quick movement.
Pikmin 3 will offer the ability to control four leaders, but “Captain Olimar is not among them. Why is a secret.”
Summer of Arcade 2012 includes Tony Hawk HD, Hybrid, Wreckateer, Dust, Deadlight
Microsoft has announced the games that will make up this year’s Summer of Arcade and the fifth iteration of the annual promotion is already looking like a contender as one of the best:
Deadlight (Tequila Works/Microsoft Studios): Deadlight is a puzzle platformer, where the player must take advantage of the main character’s agility to solve obstacles, and dodge zombies, manipulating the many interactive elements of the scenery. With more walking corpses than bullets, the feeling of danger is constant.
Dust: An Elysian Tail (Humble Hearts/Microsoft Studios): As the mysterious warrior, Dust, your action-packed journey will take you from peaceful glades to snowy mountaintops and beyond. Battle dozens of enemies at once with an easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master combat system, and uncover the story of an ancient civilization on the brink of extinction as you fight to uncover your own past in a gorgeous hand-painted world.
Hybrid (5th Cell/5th Cell): Hybrid is a pioneering third person shooter set in the near future, where global conflict exists between a species known as the Variant and a rebel human faction known as the Paladins. 5TH Cell strives to give players a completely new gameplay experience never seen before in the genre.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (Robomodo/Activision): Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD takes the best elements of the classic THPS games and gives them a fresh update to create an all new skateboarding experience. Tapping into fans’ muscle memories, and combining sharp visuals with the best controls ever in a Tony Hawk game, the feel is cutting edge yet timeless.
Wreckateer (Iron Galaxy/Microsoft Studios): Wreckateer uses Kinect to put you in control of a massive castle-wrecking ballista. With the help of Wreck and Tinker, travel the land and destroy 60 castles using six magical projectiles, and explore the infinite ways you can wreak havoc with Wreckateer’s fully-dynamic destruction.
A release schedule wasn’t announced yet, but Microsoft typically starts the Summer of Arcade by mid-July. As in years past, if you purchase multiple Summer of Arcade titles, you’ll receive a bit of a rebate. This year, players who purchase three or more Summer of Arcade titles will receive 400 Microsoft Points.
Hit the jump to see the funky Summer of Arcade 2012 trailer. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox 360
Tagged Deadlight, Dust: An Elysian Tail, E3 2012, Hybrid, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, Wreckateer
Persona 4: Arena gets August 7 release date, dual language support
Atlus has announced that the Persona fighting game, Persona 4: Arena, will include dual language support when it’s released in North America on August 7. Players will be able to toggle between the original Japanese dialogue and a brand new English language track on both the PS3 and Xbox 360.
“While it remains a feature we are unable to add in every one of our releases due to any number of factors, we are incredibly excited to be able to offer our fans the frequently requested dual language option in as highly anticipated a title as Persona 4: Arena,” said Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Atlus.
Fans of the Persona series are no doubt thrilled at this news, and hopefully they get even more giddy after viewing the new E3 trailer above.
Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged E3 2012, Persona 4: Arena
PlayStation Plus subscribers to receive “Instant Game Collection”
Between all the free games and the ridiculously awesome sales, PlayStation Plus has always been a better subscription service than Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold. But with its latest gambit, Sony is going for the throat.
Announced last night during their E3 2012 Press Conference, starting today, PlayStation Plus will receive an “Instant Game Collection” of 12 PS3 titles. And these aren’t the dregs of the PlayStation Store either. This is good quality, amazing stuff.
Just take a look at the list of free games you’ll receive as long as you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber:
- Choplifter HD
- InFamous 2
- Hard Corp: Uprising
- Just Cause 2
- Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
- Little Big Planet 2
- Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
- Saints Row 2
- Sideway: New York
- Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
- Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone
Downloading all of these games individually from the PlayStation Store would cost over $260. So purchasing a PlayStation Plus subscription for $49.99 per year is a much better option. Especially when you add in all the other monthly bonuses a Plus subscription includes.
Your move Microsoft.
Lord of the Rings is next franchise to get Lego treatment
After Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Batman, the Lego Group, along with Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and TT Games, have announced the rather clumsily worded Lego The Lord of the Rings.
Surely they should have taken the definitive article out of the title? Regardless, the new game will encompass all three films from the trilogy, and will be released for all current consoles, including the 3DS, PS Vita, DS, PC, Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. In a break from the traditional “Lego Something” format, the game will also feature voiced dialogue.
Tom Stone, Managing Director at TT Games, expressed the company’s enthusiasm for the game: “We are huge aficionados of The Lord of the Rings franchise and are incredibly excited to put our special Lego family-friendly touch on this classic fantasy adventure. We’ve taken what fans are familiar with and love about The Lord of the Rings films and combined it with the playful Lego style, which makes the story and gameplay accessible to gamers of all ages.”
Perhaps it is just me, but it is hard to get excited about yet another Lego transformation of a licensed film series. What’s next? Lego Fast and the Furious? Or maybe a move into TV with Lego Game of Thrones and Lego Sex and the City? The toy brick company has a number of original franchises, such as the Lego Hero Factory or Bionicle, the latter made into a mediocre game by Argonaut and EA and therefore in need of a decent reboot. I find I am much more excited by the upcoming Lego City Stories for Wii U.
Nevertheless, cutesy brick versions of Gandalf, Frodo and Legolas will be winging their way to you in the Fall.