One of the most exciting features at Comic-Con are all the amazing toys and game exclusives made available to all. We here at Comic Booked were lucky enough to get several unique experiences with them over the course of the Con and here are my personal interviews Darksiders 2, Dark Horse’s amazing toys, and the awesome Disney releases at the Funko Toy Booth…

Darksiders 2 looks to be utterly amazing, and Joe Madureira was delight to interview. Joe and I had actually missed our opportunity to interview earlier in the day but when we got to chatting he remembered my name from the list and we interviewed right there at Darksiders 2′s smashing party at the Analog Bar. I am particularly stoked about events unfolding this way as I had the delight of watching the full demo displayed and then seeing our on site video game correspondent my cousin Matt experience it firsthand. Matt and I pretty much played the entirety of the first Darksiders from start to finish together and are very excited about it’s release. Even moreso after the party.

 

 

You can learn more about Darksiders 2 by checking out both their site here, and Matt’s incredibly detailed review here. Thank you again gentlemen, and thank you for providing Matt and I with those fabulous extra images.

 

The next interview in my lovely adventure line-up took place on Preview Night, just after their fantastic Fall reveal, which I will go more into come Part 2 on Monday. David Scroggy saw me snapping pics and his passion for his work was immediately obvious as he began explaining to me what I was documenting, impressed I asked if he’d like an interview so that I could share this awesome information with all of you. You can find out more about all Dark Horse Products here as they’re released, and here as they are up and coming. I also of course will continue to keep you guys appraised in my weekly Wednesday Dark Horse Release Lists.

 

 

Lastly, I had the wonderful opportunity to pop by the Funko Toy Booth for all sorts of awesome Disney goodness, including of course my interview with John Balen. Besides giving me a lovely bag complete with my own limited edition POP! Maleficent…

 

They also sent me home with some amazing images to share with you all.

So cute, thanks so much guys! More info can be found on these awesome collectibles here.

 

 

Well that wraps up Part 1 of my Adventures in Comic-Con! We’ll be back on Monday with a fresh new episode for you all! Thank you so much Aidan Casserly for hooking me up with your amazing flash animation skills. Aidan is dear friend and  a lovely artist along side the rest of my friends at Hyaena Gallery. Like all starving artists, he is always up for commissions. – N

 

 

About the Author

Written by Nicole Sixx

I’m a writer who loves to entertain and be entertained. My motto for life is the geekier the better!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/niccis-adventures-in-comic-con-part-1/

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for yet another installment of Gamer Pulse. It’s been an interesting week in the industry. We’ve got some good and some troubling news bits about Nintendo, sad news for Red Faction fans, new info about the future of the Resident Evil franchise, and a dancing robot.

Trouble is, my brain is fried from a week of reading on my fancy, new Kindle and playing video games, so I can’t think of a catchy title. For now, we’ll just stick with “T.B.A.” and see what happens.

It worked out well for the Bluth family, didn’t it?

- Nintendo announced that, effective August 12th, the 3DS will sell for a M.S.R.P. of $169.99 (an $80-price cut for those of you playing the home game). If you’ve already purchased the system at the original, $249.99 price tag, then don’t be so quick to grab your pitch fork. If you log into the Nintendo eShop before the price drop hits, then you’ll be enrolled in the “Nintendo 3DS Ambassador” program, which, over the next few months will entitle you to twenty classic games (as chosen by Nintendo). The move comes in light of the system’s underwhelming performance in the market, which many have attributed to its high price tag.  Nintendo is obviously hoping that such a drastic price cut will encourage holiday shoppers to invest in the system.

- In light of their public acknowledgment of the 3DS’ underwhelming performance, Nintendo executives will reportedly be taking pay cuts, with CEO Iwata, who took the blame for the system’s lackluster sales, saying,

“For cuts in fixed salaries, I’m taking a fifty percent cut, other representative directors are taking a 30 percent cut, and other execs are taking a 20 percent cut.”

Nintendo also announced a reduced profit forecast and earnings statement, mostly due to the 3DS. Imagine that, corporate bosses taking the blame for a mistake, and acting accordingly. Doesn’t Japan sound like such a lovely place?

- A bit of sad news for you Red Faction fans: THQ doesn’t have any plans to “carry forward with that franchise in any meaningful way.” This doesn’t come as much of a shock. The last two outings haven’t performed well with critics or shoppers. THQ considers the franchise to be a “niche” game and doesn’t see a very successful future. Maybe some time on the shelf will get the creative juices flowing, and Red Faction can rise again.

- Capcom had a big presence at San Diego Comic Con, especially with Resident Evil, which is now fifteen years old (obligatory “I feel old” moment.) During a franchise-centric Q A, a teaser image was flashed that seems to hint at a major announcement for September 15th.

As a loyal fan of the franchise, I’m excited to see what the next major installment will bring to the table. In the meantime, you can see what else is brewing within the survival-horror franchise by reading up on the Resident Evil Q A from SDCC.

- Batman: Arkham City was among the legion of games to be featured at SDCC, and we were teased with some new information about who’s making an appearance in the upcoming title. Solomon Grundy and the Penguin were announced as characters in the game, joining the fray alongside returning villains The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Killer Croc. If you’re dying for some news about this highly-anticipated title, you can sate your appetite with this transcription of the Arkham City Q A from SDCC.

- Earlier this week, I gushed about the arrival of the third Humble Indie Bundle. It’s my pleasure to bring you two exciting updates about the latest bundled sensation. Any purchaser of H.I.B. #3 will receive free access to indie sensation Minecraft until August 14th. If you’ve been itching to see what all the fuss is about, now is your chance to get your feet wet in the world of Minecraft and acquire a few new, awesome, indie games in the process. My prediction about the success of H.I.B. #3 is becoming a happy reality: within the first seventeen hours, H.I.B. #3 broke $500,000 in sales. You have another week-and-a-half to get in on the fun!

- Speaking of lovable bundles, a Star Wars/Kinect XBOX 360 bundle was announced at SDCC. Retailing at $449.99, the bundle will include an R2-D2 themed console, with a 320 GB hard drive and special R2-D2 console sounds, a C-3PO themed controller, Star Wars Kinect, and Kinect Adventures. No official release date was announced alongside the bundle.

- As most of you are unaware, I’m a former Dance Dance Revolution addict. I played for about two years (and was pretty damn good, while we’re on the subject). Then, Guitar Hero and Rock Band came out, and I realized that I could hear better music and relax (and gain weight at the same time – what a bargain!) That being said, I still have a special place in my heart for that series. So, when I saw a video of a robot who plays DDR, I just couldn’t resist sharing. “Darwin-OP” is able to respond to motions input by a user. The robot’s designer says the next step is to incorporate visual recognition. After that, the robot’s road to global domination will be littered with the corpses of military generals and mall-dwelling teenagers alike. See Darwin in action below:

That’ll do it for us at Gamer Pulse this week. As always, thanks for reading, and stay tuned to Comic Booked!

Tags: 3DS price drop, Batman: Arkham City, comic booked, Dance Dance Revolution Robot, DDR Robot, Humble Indie Bundle 3, Kyle Black, Minecraft, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Red Faction, Resident Evil 6, Satoru Iwata, SDCC, THQ

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

Follow me on Twitter | Find me on Facebook

Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/gamer-pulse-t-b-a/

In the past year, gamers have been treated to three “Humble Indie Bundles” – #1, which featured World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Penumbra: Overture, and Lugaru, #2, which featured Braid, Cortex Command, Machinarium, Osmos, and Revenge of the Titans, and the Frozenbyte-centric bundle, which featured Trine, Shadowgrounds, and Shadowgrounds: Survivor. Earlier today, the Humble Indie Bundle roared back to life, proudly displaying “Humble Indie Bundle #3.” Included in this new bundle are:

Crayon Physics Deluxe

Cogs

VVVVVV

Hammerfight

And Yet It Moves

The deal will expire in about two weeks, so you have plenty of time to get in on the fun.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Humble Indie Bundle concept, then allow me to explain it. The H.I.B. is a pay-what-you-want package that delivers five DRM-free games on your platform-of-choice (Mac, Windows, and Linux are all supported). You also receive a key to redeem all of the games on Steam and Desura. Another neat feature of the H.I.B. is the ability to choose who receives your money. There are four possible beneficiaries for your generosity: the games’ respective developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (or EFF, a forward-thinking, electronics advocacy group), the Humble Tip (which helps pay for the costs of operating the H.I.B. service), and Child’s Play (a rather famous, and quite active, gamer charity operation). You can allocate your entire donation to one beneficiary or split it across them in any percent you’d like.

The H.I.B. program has been a roaring success in the past. H.I.B. #1 broke the $1-million dollar marker, as did H.I.B. #2, which finished with roughly $1.8- million. The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle broke $700,000 in sales as well.

Based on the strength of some of those titles, especially Cogs, VVVVVV, and And Yet It Moves, and the generosity of the gaming community, I’m sure this third installment in the H.I.B. program will be a rousing success. Even if you’re just contributing a dollar or two, you’re still helping three great causes (indie game devs, gaming advocacy, and a child-centered charity) and receiving five brilliant, innovative titles in the process.

“Humble Indie Bundle #3″ is available here, where you can make your donation and choose your beneficiaries.

 

Tags: And Yet It Moves, Cogs, Crayon Physics Deluxe, Hammerfight, Humble Indie Bundle 3, Kyle Black, VVVVVV

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/humble-indie-bundle-3-now-available/

I know we usually use this space to preview and review video games; but as gaming continues to grow and permeate even more facets of our culture, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at a different aspect of gaming influence – video games in the classroom.  At first this idea might sound ludicrous to some, but the concept isn’t new. Video games have been utilized as educational tools in the past. Does anyone remember The Oregon Trail series, or the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego series of educational video games? These games were not very sophisticated by today’s standards, but they were widely used to help teach children in classrooms around the world. Obviously kids respond well to video games. If you offer most kids the choice between a game and a book, it is fairly obvious which they will choose. Maybe, however, there is a way for tech companies and educators to use that knowledge to their advantage. In an announcement made last week, it looks like Microsoft is ready to find new ways to bring video games, or “immersive learning technologies,” into the classroom – in a big way. Microsoft has pledged a $15 million contribution towards researching new methods to educate kids through the power of video games.  Vice President of Microsoft Education, Anthony Salcito, released the following statement as part of a blog post:

“Around the world, every day, students are engaged in playing games. These digital exercises provide us insight into their motivations and passions. And yet, our classrooms and content take little advantage of this information. With this new investment, Microsoft will support research and development in understanding and creating learning environments that integrate the characteristics of gaming that kids are passionate about. Just imagine…every day a child will fail at a game, and yet keep coming back to try again. But in our classrooms, for most, once a child experiences failure, they shut down. We need to bring the same passion they bring to their digital lives into our classrooms. This investment will help our partners and educators do just that.”

Microsoft has pledged part that of the money will be used to train 150,000 teachers nation-wide, to utilize these emerging technologies for use in the classroom. In addition to the money, research, and teacher training, Microsoft and other industry leaders met with President Obama to discuss education reform (and presumably technology’s role in that reform).

I think this is an interesting concept, but one that needs to be carefully evaluated. Obviously as technology evolves, it is our duty as a society to find innovative new uses and applications for these advancements. Done with care, the rewards can be great. It is also our duty to scrutinize said technologies and protect our children. We must be sure to exercise caution when it comes to pushing new technologies into the classroom, to be sure that the motivation is not an early branding technique with ulterior “marketing to a captive audience” aspirations. It is hard not to foresee parallels between the debate that erupted over Channel One News in the classroom and the upcoming debate that video games in the classroom is sure to inspire. On one hand, these pushes into the education system can provide access to to technologies that underfunded schools may not have been able to afford on their own.  On the other hand, young and impressionable children may be subject to unwanted marketing.  It is a very controversial concept.  I am not a Luddite; I love technology and have been a gamer my entire life. I have also read enough science fiction to approach new technological developments with cautious optimism.

However the debate shakes out, there is no denying the potential of video games as a leaning tool. One doesn’t have to look far these days to find evidence of new applications of technology holding great potential. I offer the example of iPad applications that are currently being used to treat and educate autism and Asperger’s syndrome patients, as a promising new development. Let us as a society hope that, like players of Oregon Trail, technology in the classroom can lead our party to the promised-land, and not down a truncated and dysentery-plagued metaphorical path best left untaken.

Tags: Asperger’s syndrome, autism, Channel One News, classroom, classrooms, Debate, edu tech, education, IPad, Microsoft, news, Oregon Trail, reform, Robb Orr, Social Networking, teachers, teaching, tech, technology, treatment, Video Games, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego

About the Author

Written by Robb Orr

Robb Orr is a comic bibliophile and game aficionado from the “Emerald City” of Seattle, WA. He hopes to win enough favor to gain pet status after the upcoming and inevitable monkey apocalypse comes to fruition.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/video-games-in-the-classroom/

IDW in collaboration with Capcom have announced Dead Rising: Road to Fortune for release in October 2011. Road to Fortune will follow Dead Rising Characters Frank West, Chuck Green, and Rebecca Chang among others and will explore the events that took place between Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2: Case Zero. This four issue series will be penned by Tom Waltz with art duties being tackled by Kenneth Loh.

Dead Rising® Expands into Comics

IDW Publishing and Capcom® Partner to Bring Mega-hit Zombie Game to Comics

Starting in October

As San Diego Comic-Con kicks off this week, IDW Publishing and Capcom Entertainment, Inc. announced today a new partnership to create a comic book series based on the hugely popular zombie survival game franchise, Dead Rising®. Deeply entrenched in the world of this best-selling game universe, IDW Publishing’s DEAD RISING™: ROAD TO FORTUNE four-issue series will take place between the original Dead Rising and Dead Rising® 2: Case Zero, and feature many well known characters from the franchise.

Telling the story of what happened to Frank West following the events of the Willamette incident, DEAD RISING: ROAD TO FORTUNE will be written by IDW Senior Staff Writer and Editor, Tom Waltz (Silent Hill: Past Life, Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastard), with art by Kenneth Loh (Killing Machine). Outside of the games themselves, IDW’s DEAD RISING: ROAD TO FORTUNE series will offer the only official story of the Las Vegas outbreak and what happened to Frank West, Chuck Greene, Rebecca Chang, and other popular Dead Rising characters during that time period in the Dead Rising story canon.

“When I learned IDW would be working alongside Capcom to create Dead Rising comic books, I jumped at the opportunity to write them,” said Waltz. “I love the property and all the games, and to have the chance to add to Dead Rising’s amazing official canon is an absolute thrill for me as both a creator and a fan. We’ve got big plans for Frank, Chuck, and the rest of the gang, and I can’t wait for folks to see what we’re up to!”

San Diego Comic-Con attendees who visit Capcom’s booth #4844 will be able to play the forthcoming Dead Rising® 2 Off The Record. Starring Frank West and scheduled for release this fall, Dead Rising 2 Off The Record is a full reimagining of Dead Rising 2 adding a new storyline and content including the crazy attractions of the “Uranus Zone” theme park. Fans are encouraged to look for other Dead Rising events at the Capcom booth.

Jason Leigh, Executive Producer at Capcom Vancouver, commented, “The Dead Rising franchise lends itself perfectly to the comic book world and partnering with IDW will allow a whole new audience to experience the thrills and (blood) spills of this iconic series, while existing fans will get to discover what took place after Frank’s Willamette scoop.”

In addition to regular covers by Loh, readers are encouraged to ask their local retailers about the variant Dead Rising concept art team cover.

DEAD RISING: ROAD TO FORTUNE #1 (of 4, $3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comics stores in October 2011.

Tags: Chuck Greene, Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2 Case Zero, Dead Rising: Road to Fortune, Frank West, IDW, Kenneth Loh, Rebecca Chang, Rob The Wrecker, Tom Waltz

About the Author

Written by Rob The Wrecker

Born and Raised in Northeast Philadelphia, Rob likes to refer to himself as an ‘omni-nerd’. Comics, Video games, RPGS, and CCGs are all among the things that can be found on his person, at any given time. When not being a total nerd Rob The Wrecker will usually be found working his Loss Prevention day job or tearing it up in the nearest mosh pit.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/idw-announces-dead-rising-road-to-fortune/

 Mortal Kombat changed the fighting game scene back in 1992. The graphic depictions of gore and the brutal fatalities were amazing. Nearly 20 years later, and over 10 games of insane combat and they are still finding new ways to intrigue their fans. After briging in the DC Uinverse to battle for their lives, and having the God of War himself, Kratos, battle in the tournament, they have finally outdone themselves.

They’ve reached deep into our nightmares and brought out the boogeyman himself, Freddy Krueger!

I am officially sold on this and have yet to even play as Krueger. I have been a fan of his since the fist movie slashed it’s way up the box office back in 1984. Krueger has slashed his way through a 7 film series, an awesomely bad TV show, a crossover extravaganza and even suffered a remake. Krueger even has his own line of comic books, ranging from adaptations of the movies, to their own original stories. Now he is slashing his way into our video games! His moves look amazing, with some great play on his supernatural ability, and what looks like some really kick ass fatalities. The design and voice are modeled after the new Krueger from A Nightmare On Elm Street remake that came out last year. Although not a fan of the film, the design wasn’t too terrible, and honestly I’m just happy to be able to play as my favorite psychopath.

 

Krueger will be available for download starting August 9th and will probably run you about $5.00 on the PSN or 400 Microsoft Points. Here’s hoping they add more horror killers to the mix, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, hell even the  little Leprechaun would be at home in the Mortal Kombat world! Check out the super sweet trailer for the release of Freddy Krueger.

Tags: dlc, Downloads, extras, Freddy Krueger, mortal kombat, news, Nightmare on Elm Street, SDCC, Video Games

About the Author

Written by James Victor Von Halstead

When not battling the forces of the undead you can find James at the local cinema watching whatever comic book inspired film that was just released, for the third time.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/freddy-krueger-enters-the-mortal-kombat/

I haven’t checked the thermometer yet today (out of fear, mostly), but judging by my walk from my car to the building where I work, it’s pretty damn hot out. While I regain a slightly less fluid form, I figured it would be prudent to get a Gamer Pulse up, just in case I melt at some point today. As I’m sure you’re well aware, San Diego Comic Con is this weekend, so I’m sure there’ll be a ton of info about the fall lineup pouring out of the convention center. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what happened in the industry this week.

- It gives me such great pleasure to say this: Comic Booked broke some exclusive Batman: Arkham City news this week. In an interview with Batman’s longstanding voice actor, Kevin Conroy, our own Will C. Franklin discovered that there will be a future lineup of downloadable episodes for the upcoming title. This also comes hot off the unveiling of the Arkham City Collector’s Edition bundle. It’s a great week to be a Batman fan.

- In other Collector’s Edition news, a special bundle for the Bioware’s upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic was leaked this week.

The bundle comes with a host of special items (both physical and digital), as well as a 30-day time card. There’s a bit of confusion over the price-point, though. IGN speculates a roughly $220 price tag, while Amazon has it listed at$300. Other sites have it listed as low as $149.99. There’s bound to be some clarification out of SDCC this weekend, so stay tuned. It’s also important to note that no official release date has been given for the The Old Republic yet, though the following hypothetical situation is currently fueling me nightmares (lovingly borrowed from the gaming sub-reddit).

 

- The previously-reported on Call of Duty Elite service will not be available for beta-testing to PC gamers. This means that PC fans of the franchise will have to cold-purchase the service when it launches with Modern Warfare 3 in November.

- A bit of sad news for you Mega Man fans: the latest installment in the franchise, Mega Man Legends 3, was officially cancelled this week. Capcom claimed that the title did not meet “the required criteria” that would have warranted full production of the game. They also confirmed that, at this time, there are no plans to revisit the project in the future.

- Gaming in Australia may suck less now. This week, the Australian state and federal governments (with the exception of New South Wales) reached a tentative agreement to establish an R-18+ rating for games. This is good news, not only for Australian gamers (who have been receiving some overly-censored [albeit rather hilarious] versions of games for years now), but for game developers as well.

- 1…2…Freddy’s coming for you, Sub-Zero. Freddy Krueger was officially unveiled as the fourth downloadable fighter for the recently-released Mortal Kombat reboot. Officially due out August 9th, players can expect a frenzy of claw-slashing and nightmare-inducing moves from the iconic villain.

That’ll do it for Gamer Pulse this week. We have a bunch of team members out on the floor at SDCC, so stay tuned to Comic Booked for all kinds of coverage from the event!

Tags: Arkham City DLC, Australia, Batman: Arkham City, Bioware, Call of Duty: Elite, capcom, Collector’s Edition, comic booked, Freddy Krueger, Gamer Pulse, Kevin Conroy, Kyle Black, Mega Man Legends 3, mortal kombat, R-18 rating, San Diego Comic Con, SDCC, Star Wars, The Old Republic, Will C. Franklin

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

Follow me on Twitter | Find me on Facebook

Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/gamer-pulse-walking-on-the-sun/

There are few things as inviting as the call of warm food, warm atmosphere, and warm friends. If the food, atmosphere, and friends in question also happen to include cupcakes, FEAR 3, and a brilliant Birthday-Boy Steve Niles, then you know it’s really a party.

FEAR 3 hit stores nationwide at midnight, June 21st 2011 with many faithful fans to ring it in at the Burbank Game Stop. Cousin Matt and I arrived early as always, to greet wonderful friends and their fans and staff.

 

 

Like always there was delicious food…

 

Including a special fetus cake from “Alma” just for the Birthday boy himself.

 

There were also fabulous decorations, some even handcrafted in duct tape.

 

 

And of course, Steve Niles.

 

You can find out more about Steve Niles contribution to FEAR 3 and my love of cupcakes in the interview here by our new wonderful friends at Padinga.

 

As for the game, well my dear Cousin Matt had his chance to play it all night and here’s what he had to say about it.

 

***

Funny, when I first heard about Steve Nile’s party, I had thought that it was going to be just the release party for FEAR 3.  When I finally heard, I was a little surprised really, but amused that both would be on the same day.  I figured that I would get to meet Steve Niles and tryout the game.

Now, I will admit that the FEAR series is something that I did enjoy, mostly from a perspective point of view than actually playing it.  Mostly because I jump easier than a cat under a rocker when games have things just jump out at you.  So yeah, I figured I’d hold off until I found myself a game that might prepare me to handle the jumping.  

Still, this was Steve Niles, a guy who’s work I’ve enjoyed quite a few times.  So finding out that he had his hand in the creation of FEAR 3, I figured ‘what the heck, might as well’.

So there I was, meeting Steve Niles for like a few moments, made a joke or two to him, then proceeded to do what I normally do under these circumstances…mumble a bit and stand around, wondering what I should be doing.  

I figured I’d wait until FEAR 3 starts, and let a few people play the game…but then nobody wanted to start and it ended up being me and one fellow to whom I sadly never got the chance to register his name.  I found out a few things about myself during this game.

One, I’m still the unorthodox player, running like an idiot headlong into danger, then proceeded to slide my way back after I got shot down by a few soldiers.

Two, Co-op is awesome to have, especially since the other player is really good with his character.  You see, I played as Point Man, the main character of F.E.A.R. and one of the two main characters of F.E.A.R. 3.  Point Man is very much like a regular shooter, able to strike down the enemies with as many weapons as you can use, with the ability to slow down time…which my only issue with that is with Point Man’s supposed incredible speed, would time slow down for everyone but him?  But I digress, I was having fun as Point Man

My partner was Paxton Fettel, the villain of the first game and the second of the main characters in F.E.A.R. 3.  He is a spirit, thus able to steal bodies, levitate them and even make them explode!  There were countless times when my partner levitated the enemy, and I shot him down.

All through the night the same guy and I continued to play, trying multiple times to hand it off to a number of people who weren’t interested.  Sometimes somebody managed to start and play, though they once more handed it off to me and the other guy.  Soon enough we were on level…if not at the end of Level 4, then the beginning of Level 5, where we were battling soldiers in a local neighborhood.  By that time I could figure out what my partner wanted me to go, or  be able to figure out what he was going to do (such as him levitating people into the air and me shooting them down, thus earning co-op points)  It was at that point when we both looked back and noticed ‘everyone’ staring at the screen, a full crowd.  Once more, they weren’t interested in playing, but honestly it was running near midnight by that point.  So we both quit when we both got killed by a single grenade.  By then the room started to empty, with only a few people left.  

So, after nearly four and a half campaign levels, I will tell you that I will buy the game, and it is worth the buy.  It has enough to where something silly can indeed happen, where other times it you will be on the edge of your seat.  Heck, I just loved the fact that in Co-op play, instead of ‘dying’ right away, you go down, and have a meter that will go down slowly much like Gears of War.  My favorite part was that when my partner was asking me to go to him, I had a pistol I could use, and gunned down the two guys that were keeping him from coming over.  I may be more interested in the Co-op part of the game, but I’ll have to try it a few times on Single mode to see how my feelings are on that part.  Still, great game!  Great party!  It was all fun!

***

So there you have it, we are loving FEAR 3 around here and you all know how darn picky I am about my video games!! Almost as picky as I am about my creators and friends.

Luckily, great creators like Steve Niles make it easy to not only be their friend, but buy their games as well. – N

 

Tags: Cousin Matt, f3ar, fear, Nicole Sixx, padinga, Steve Niles, Video Games

About the Author

Written by Nicole Sixx

I’m a writer who loves to entertain and be entertained. My motto for life is the geekier the better!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/steve-niles-rings-in-his-birthday-with-f3ar-and-cupcakes/

If you’re an avid reader of Comic Booked, then there’s a good chance that you’re one of the countless fans who have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Batman: Arkham City, the sequel to 2009′s critically-adored Batman: Arkham Asylum. Developer Rocksteady Studios has been hard at work on the sequel, due out October 18th, for the last two years. Details about the game have slowly been leaking out about the game in the past few months, but today, Warners Bros. game division finally announced just what gamers can expect to find inside Arkham City’s Collector’s Edition bundle.

For $99.99, Batman enthusiasts will receive the following goodies:

- A Batman statue, designed by the artsits at Kotobukiya

- An art book (Which is pretty much a given in collector’s editions these days.)

- Access to the “Iceberg Lounge Challenge Map”

- A skin/theme (depending on your system-of-choice) for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (no clarification on whether or not this refers to the Frank Miller series)

- A voucher for a digital download of the Batman: Arkham City album (a similar bonus was included with the Mortal Kombat Collector’s Edition, also from Warner Bros.)

- An animated Batman movie, Batman: Gotham Knight (which served as a bridge between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight)

This bundle is sure to be available in limited qualities, so (speaking as someone who used to work in video game retail) trust me when I tell you to pre-order this as soon as possible if you really want it. If you just can’t wait until October 18th, then check out all of Comic Booked’s awesome coverage on this upcoming game: playable Robin, E3 demos, how the hype for Arkham City is stacking up against the rest of the fall line-up, and a detailed look at some of the game’s new features. You can bet that everyone on staff is going crazy waiting for this title. Once it releases, we’ll have a review up of the game, as soon as the writers finish rochamboing for dibs, of course.

Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham City, Collector’s Edition, comic booked, Kotobukiya, Kyle Black, Rocksteady, Video Games

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/batman-arkham-city-collectors-edition-details/

It’s kind of funny when you first think of it, Volition can be a developer company that can be very known, or very unknown depending upon who knows anything about them.

At first, Volition was a part of Parallax Software, which was created in 1993 by Mike Kulas and Matt Toschlog.  This was the company that created Descent…which to all of you who don’t know is a 3D first person shooter game that gave you the ability of moving in six degrees, compared to the four degrees of most first person shooter.  It was released in 1995 and won a great many awards.

A year later, Descent II was released, and in November, Parallax split to form Outrage Entertainment and Volition Inc.  From 1998 they proceeded to create a number of games yearly, pausing twice between 2003 to 2005, where they created the Punisher, a Playstation 2 loose adaption to the movie that was made a year prior.  Their top hits included:

 

The Decent/FreeSpace Series
The Summoner Series
The Red Faction Series
The Saints Row Series

Their only game that seemed to have a lesser rating was the Punisher, and even then it was mediocre at best.  Still, when you have games that are that well known throughout the game community, then it is very much an awesome company.

Why did I bring up all this history on Volition?  Because I’m going to be the special correespondant that will keep tabs on the works of Volition for Comic Booked!

If you’ve read my Red Faction: Armageddon article, you know that I am a fan of Volition’s works.  My favorite series above all else being Saints Row, especially the second of the series.   It was a glorious game that I never thought I’d truly get into, but it carried all three of the things that I need to enjoy the game:

 

1. I like to create things, so a decent character generator.
2. I love to have a cute eye candy
3. I love to laugh, just doing random things in a video game that can get me to laugh is win.

Volition has proven to me it has a lot of my tastes, especially when it came to Saints Row 2 (not my vid, but I did stuff like this).  I made myself a very silly looking girl with mime make up, I could make a girl that I liked from the character generator, and if not there was Shaundi (played by the magnificent Eliza Dushku), and kept doing constant things that even after two years of play, I still keep finding things that make me laugh.

But, to point all that out, Volition has the stuff that I enjoy, and as of current, they have two games that I am equally looking forward to in the future:

Saints Row 3

I caught wind of this a month late, sadly, during the first day of E3.  Heck, I wouldn’t have picked up any info on the game because a good portion of people that were sending word out of games coming out didn’t bring it up, even when Volition had a large event there!  Still, when I bumped into this video late at night, I cried in happy glee and vouched that I will buy this game, which is coming out November 15th of this year.

InSANE

This was suggested back during Spike TVs video Game Award Ceremony.  The first thing that got my attention was when they introduced the collaborator, Guillermo del Toro, the director of Hellboy 1 and 2, and Pan’s Labrynth.  A Director I liked working on a Video Game, I thought that was pure awesome.  Then they told me the creators was Volition…..Wow, this *is* going to be awesome!

Here’s the link for what I saw during Spike TV, but upon my research, I found out it won’t be until 2013.…well, y’know what my first game of 2013 will be :3.  Still, I got the patience,  I mean, it’s Del Toro doing a game…I promise not to play this all alone in the dark…I promise…

Secret Project Y

…..well, sadly it’s a secret.  It may or may not come out before InSANE, but I’ll keep tabs on it to see what this is all about

Either way, Volition is the company that I find myself liking the most, due to the fact that even if you can’t call them original, you can call them creative.  I can spend hours to days playing one of their games, and figured I’d give you any heads up on anything that Volition is creating. For those who want the occasional update on Volition’s activities, check ComicBooked Forums, as I will be writing a bit more on each of the games the more I find out about them.

Tags: Descent, Guillermo del Toro, Outrage Entertainment, Parallax Software, Red Faction: Armageddon, Saints Row, Saints Row 2, Saints Row the Third, Video Games, Volition Inc

About the Author

Written by Cousin Matt

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/cousin-matt-keeping-tabs-on-volition/