Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: PC
FIFA Soccer 13 will bring the innovation this Fall
EA Sports has officially announced that FIFA Soccer 13 will be available this Fall on the… deep breath… 3DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360, and iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad.
The latest addition to EA’s footie franchise promises to take a few revolutionary steps forward with an improved Career Mode, improved online play, and more than 500 officially licensed teams (clubs in soccer-speak).
The publisher has also revealed that big changes are coming to the on-field action, which you can read more about after the break. (more…)
Prototype 2, Kinect Star Wars lead April 2012 NPD report
Activision’s Prototype 2 took the top spot in the latest NPD report of bestselling games. Another new release, the Xbox 360-exclusive Kinect Star Wars, “did the Han Solo” all the way up to #2.
The remainder of the list is overflowing with familiar faces from last Fall including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (#3), NBA 2K12 (#5), and Just Dance 3 (#9). It wasn’t a Fall release, but Mass Effect 3 continues to hold strong at #8 now that the controversy over the game’s ending has come to… an end.
In terms of dollars made, the game industry suffered a 32% drop in overall sales from April 2011 ($630.4 million versus $930.9 million) when Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat ruled the charts.
You can check out the NPD Group’s complete list of bestsellers for April 2012 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Just Dance 3, Kinect Star Wars, Mario Party 9, Mass Effect 3, MLB 12: The Show, NBA 2K12, NPD, PC, Prototype 2, PS2, PS3, PSP, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360
NCAA Football 12 is the valedictorian of July’s NPD chart
The NPD Group has revealed the top ten bestselling games for the month of July and NCAA Football 12 jumped to the head of the class. None of the rest of the month’s new releases managed to crack the list (including the awesome Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon or the alluring Catherine). Even the heavily-hyped Duke Nukem Forever was unable to maintain its place in the top ten.
With few new releases, only 17 titles were released during the month, gamers spent their money on other things in July. According to The NPD Group’s Anita Frazier, July was the “lowest month [for game sales] since October 2006.”
Maybe that’ll show publishers that the gaming community is pretty desperate for new games in the Summer. So maybe they shouldn’t backload every worthwhile game into the September-November period. In the meantime, check out the full top ten after the break. (more…)
Posted in News
Tagged 3DS, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Cars 2, DS, Fallout: New Vegas, Just Dance 2, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, Major League Baseball 2K11, Mortal Kombat, NCAA Football 12, New Super Mario Bros., NPD, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360, Zumba Fitness
Jordan, Bird, Magic triple-team NBA 2K12 cover
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. 2K Sports has chosen those three legends to grace the three different covers that’ll be available for NBA 2K12. The basketball sim will be available for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.
After the huge success of last year’s Jordan-infused NBA 2K11, expanding the game’s repertoire of hoops legends is a great idea. The looming NBA lockout probably influenced 2K’s decision to stay away from active players as well.
However, I wouldn’t get too attached to the artwork of His Airness. If you look close you’ll see that, instead of his familiar “23” (or even his short-lived “45”), the number on Jordan’s jersey is a “3.” (A second look reveals that the “2” in “23” is there, just pushed all the way to the left.)
Whoops! Hit the (fast) break for a look at all three covers. (more…)
Double Fine begins acquiring the rights to Psychonauts
The exclusive rights to publish Psychonauts, the first game from Tim Schaeffer’s Double Fine Productions, have now reverted to the developer. Although this resulted in a celebratory OMG Tweet from Senior Gameplay Programmer Anna Kipnis, the studio still has a few more deals to work out before they can resume working on the IP. Schaeffer told Gamasutra, “[A]fter that’s all squared away, we will have some fun stuff to announce! (And no, it’s not Psychonauts 2.)”
Released in 2005 for PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, Psychonauts is revered for its unique story and sense of humor that has since become synonymous with Double Fine. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on what those announcements end up being.
Posted in News
Tagged PC, PS2, Psychonauts
EA unveils E3 2011 lineup; includes multiple unannounced projects
Electronic Arts has caught the E3 fever and the only cure is an hour-long show on Spike TV!
Geoff Keighley of GameTrailers TV will host “Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview,” a live broadcast of EA’s 2011 E3 press conference. The photogenic game journalist will be joined by EA CEO John Riccitiello and several of the publisher’s development teams to unveil their E3 lineup:
- Experience an explosive, never-before-seen demo of Battlefield 3
- Travel across the galaxy for a look at Commander Shepard’s final voyage in Mass Effect 3
- Hit the pitch for a first look at FIFA Soccer 12
- Discover what’s new in Madden NFL 12
- Shred the mountains in the world premiere look at SSX
- Experience the high-speed thrills of Need For Speed: The Run
- Star Wars: The Old Republic and multiple “unannounced projects” will also be revealed during the broadcast
Gamechangers will air live on Spike TV on Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM (Eastern Time).
Posted in News
Tagged 3DS, Battlefield 3, E3 2011, FIFA Soccer 12, Madden NFL 12, Mass Effect 3, Need For Speed: The Run, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, SSX, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Wii, Xbox 360
Mortal Kombat decapitates the competition in April NPD report
It’s no secret that the video game community has responded to NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat reboot with a resounding “I love it.” But like Shao Kahn taunting a clearly inferior kombatant, the game also emerged on top of The NPD Group’s April 2011 sales report. And according to a tweet from Kombat creator Ed Boon, the game sold over 1,000,000 copies during the month. Flawless victory indeed.
April 19’s other big release, Portal 2, teleported its way to the top of the list with a strong #2 showing. Of course, it’s important to point out that a good portion of Portal 2’s sales were digital downloads through Steam, which isn’t counted by the NPD.
But the biggest surprise from last month’s top ten might be the absence of Sony’s SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs. The online shooter was also released on April 19th, one day before hackers took down the PSN. The service has yet to return and its offline status definitely contributed to SOCOM 4’s lackluster sales.
Hit the jump for the complete top ten of April’s bestselling games. (more…)
Lady Gaga teams up with Zynga, FarmVille players get first listen to new album
In the latest of bizarre moves the eccentric artist is known for, Lady Gaga has teamed up with Zynga to celebrate her new album, Born This Way. This partnership will encompass special events in two of the developer’s biggest games: FarmVille and Words With Friends. “I want to celebrate and share Born This Way with my little monsters in a special way that’s never been done before,” said Lady Gaga.
The first listen of Born This Way will take place in FarmVille, when you visit the neighboring GagaVille farm. This space comes decked out with unicorns, crystals, and un-released songs from the highly anticipated album.
Words With Friends, the popular Scrabble knock-off on iOS and Android, will host a series of contests where you can win prizes like tickets for one of her upcoming concerts and a signed copy of Born This Way.
Lastly, you’ll be able to grab a free download of the album when you purchase a $25 Zynga game card at Best Buy. You gotta admit, this shows just how big gaming has become when the most popular artists are doing game deals, with exclusive first listens nonetheless.