October is almost over and that means imminent November releases! The first one I’m looking at here is Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Surprisingly, this title hasn’t received much hype as of yet. It is an action RPG and, with the LotR fanbase as vast as it is, I would think the proverbial puddle of saliva at this title’s feet would be the size of Lake Tahoe! On the contrary, I’ve heard barely a peep.  I can understand the hesitation, if that’s what it is. There have been many LotR games made since the movies came crashing down on our pop culture and more still since their aftershock abated. Only a few were honestly worth a fan/gamer’s time. This title may well turn the tide. Lord of the Rings: War in the North is not only an action RPG that takes place during the war of the Ring, but it follows the story of new characters in settings that didn’t get a lot of air time in the movies. There’s more – this is co-op. Yes, that’s right. This is a co-op action RPG. Check it out.

The inevitable Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes out on November 8th. Same book, different cover? Likely. What I will say about this series of games is the graphics provide the player with a visceral experience. You think they’re top notch, but they just keep getting better and better. This is also definitely a go-to title for quick and loud action. Just jump in the game, and jump online and you’ve got high-adrenaline, heart attack action. These things are always good on a weeknight after all of the cyclical crap. I could summarize the storyline of the campaign, but honestly, who plays these games for the story?

November 13th sees the release of Super Mario 3D Land for (of course) the 3DS. Besides the fact that Nintendo made handheld 3-D gaming a reality is perpetually blowing my mind (and will continue to do so until holotechnology is made nonfiction), nearly every Super Mario title in the main franchise is solid and has been since the jolly Italian plumber’s debut, and I don’t anticipate that this title will break that tradition. I am personally excited to experience this particular title.

 

Tags: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, comic booked, Elizabeth Hourigan, Gamer Pulse, Lord of the Rings War in the North, Super Mario 3D Land

About the Author

Written by Elizabeth Hourigan

Though eclectic in her interests and hobbies, Elizabeth is best known for her passionate interests in science fiction, music, and video games. She was raised on both Star Wars and Star Trek and she was holding an NES controller since before she could remember; one could imagine where things went from there. She has always experienced anything sci-fi or fantasy as both an emotional catharsis and a creative stimulant. She is a social creature and answers the call of the nightlife but also enjoys sitting in a cafe, quietly reading a book and secretly people-watching; always hoping for scintillating conversations with passersby.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/gamer-pulse-a-few-things-to-be-thankful-for/

Alas, we come to the last of this month’s horrific Throwback Thursdays. I’ve had a lot of fun revisiting Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3. Chronologically, Resident Evil: Code Veronica should be next, but I’m just going to move along to Resident Evil 4 for two reasons. One, my inner obsessive-compulsive needs satisfying. More importantly, Resident Evil 4 was a total game-changer.

Capcom basically started from scratch with RE4. There were major overhauls to the camera, inventory, and combat systems (more on these later, though). Character models also received a drastic redesign. In summation, RE4 was basically an in-continuity reboot. The Umbrella/T-virus plotline was stale by the end of RE:CV, so Capcom took a big risk and tried some new ideas. And, boy, did they hit the jackpot.

Plot Characters – 10/10

RE4‘s plot goes like this: Leon Kennedy, long-removed from the events of RE2, is now an NSA agent tasked with finding the President’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley. Following a lead, Leon arrives at a small village in rural Spain and things go incredibly well promptly go bananas. Along the way, Leon encounters some old friends and a religious cult led by the menacing Lord Saddler.

Leon is one of RE’s most reliable and beloved leads. His return in this game was received enthusiastically by fans. He leads an absolutely ace cast this time around as well. RE4 also introduced my favorite one-and-done character in the series: Jack Krauser, an old “friend” of Leon’s.

RE4‘s plot is arguably the strongest of any game in the series. There’s a tangible air of mystery that can be found in the introductory chapters. The potential energy build-up from the early chapters explodes brilliantly in the game’s climax, which leads to a fantastic, high-energy, race-to-the-finish. Overall, I can’t find anything serious to complain about regarding the plot and characters.

Sound – 9.0/10

The voice-acting was top-notch. A strong cast delivered a wonderful, dramatic performance that really sucks you in. Leon has a lot of great dialogue, particularly with Krauser and another character whose identity I’ll withhold in the interest of keeping this free of spoilers. The only thing really missing is more  of a musical presence. The moody background tracks are mostly replaced by diegetic sounds. There are still the usual musical queues, and the game’s most dramatic encounters and scenes have some backing, but still, most of the things you hear inn the game are the rustling of trees or rambling Spanish curses being heaved at you by the villains.

Graphics – 10/10

The entire visual atmosphere of this game was a complete departure from its predecessors. The bleak rural village in the opening acts is contrasted brilliantly by the more lavish environments from the later acts. Characters are way more detailed and animated than in previous games as well, which definitely helps you get more attached to them.  The visual atmosphere in RE4 is fully developed and just absolutely fantastic.

Gameplay – 10/10

RE4 is a rare case in gaming: so many of the developers ideas about gameplay translated perfectly from idea-to-realization. A redesigned camera system allowed players to explore environments with greater freedom than in previous titles. The new inventory system gave you more freedom in preparing your arsenal. The updates to the combat system increased maneuverability and gave players more opportunities for crowd control.

Leon gained an awesome counter-attack system that allowed you to kick away dazed enemies (sometimes causing their heads to violently explode). This is one of the game’s best additions. It allows you to move back enemies and really reposition yourself when you get stuck in a tough situation. RE4 also explored a concept that the remake of the original RE touched on: reanimating the undead. After a certain point in the game, all regular enemies have the chance to fully manifest the parasite inside their bodies. As is always the case with parasites taking over the host: the process ain’t pretty. An enemy’s head will violently explode after taking a few shots and out from the bloody mess will emerge a writing, screaming parasite.

RE4 also came with a revamped version of The Mercenaries which featured most of the game’s cast and a few old favorites (Hunk and Wesker) as playable characters. It was a timed, kill-all-the-zombies event much like its predecessor from RE3. One big difference this time around was that each character handled incredibly differently. There were a lot of really cool scenarios and very tough moments in RE4‘s The Mercenaries mode.

I can’t finish this review without discussing RE4‘s crowning gameplay achievement: boss fights. There are a respectable amount of boss fights in RE4 and, honestly, each of them is unique and memorable. The developers really did a great job with creating a series of fantastic and intuitive encounters that really challenge you. Some are strictly-combat encounters, while others are more based on an environment or, in some cases, puzzle solving. I don’t really want to spoil anything, so I won’t include a video of my favorite boss fight; however, one of the most discussed boss fights is the lake fight, which is also one of the first. Check it out below:

Overall – 10/10

I’ll forgive the small blemish with the soundtrack, since that’s mostly a trivial complaint compared to just how spectacular everything else was in this game. Critics also heaped massive amounts of praise on the game. According to GameRankings, the original Gamecube version is the second-highest-rated game of the year, the highest-rated Gamecube game of the year, the overall third-highest-rated Gamecube title of all time, and the current eighteenth-highest-rated game of all time. It has been re-released several times. A PS2 version added in some new weapons and a “Separate Ways” campaign mode that follows one of the supporting characters through their exploits. A Wii version took everything from the PS2 version and added motion controls. The recently-released PSN and XBLA HD versions reframed the game in an HD-friendly aspect ratio and added online leaderboards. RE4 was a massive moment of gaming. Every RE game since has been modeled after the changes implemented in RE4.

Thanks for keeping up with this month’s special Throwback Thursdays. We’ll get back to more general reviews next week. Thanks for reading, and, as always, stay tuned to Comic Booked!

 

Tags: capcom, comic booked, Kyle Black, Leon Kennedy, RE, RE 4, RE4, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, Throwback Thursday

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/throwback-thursday-12-resident-evil-4/

Released Oct. 4, Spider-Man: Edge of Time is the latest release from Activision. The same company that brought us the last Spidey game on console, Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. Miguel O’Hara makes a return to video games as someone from his time (the year 2099) goes back to remake time as he sees fit. Of course our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Peter Parker, is needed to help stop this crime and save his own life!

The cinematic aspect of the game is spectacular. You watch as Spidey battles Anti-Venom in front of a standard Stargate-style portal; no credits or loading. Instead those are blended into the scenery as you follow Spider-Man 2099 crawling through ducts and across overhangs. The camera angles and narration feel more like they’re into to a feature film than a game.

The story unfolds to reveal Peter’s actions have an instant result in 2099. So the two spider men must work together to reach locations, defeat enemies, and set time right again.

The game play is like Shattered Dimensions. Beating groups of enemies up with combinations of dash and web attacks. Web swinging and wall crawling are done mostly for time and when obstacles present themselves along the way. The free fall dive mode from shattered dimensions also returns.

In total the game is very much like Shattered Dimensions, but with fewer changes in scenery and suits. Only the present and 2099 times are involved. A very liner path with little exploration options. Many items are hidden in plain site behind a force field with a hidden control or shaft to gain access them.  This makes the game a bit repetitious. The same types of tasks need to be performed over and over again each time. And the beat-everyone-up strategy is always in effect. Even the story is not so different. Written by Spider-Man 2099 co-creater Peter David, it’s another time and another Spidey needing to set things right on the grandest of scales.  Substitute the word time for dimensions and it’s not too far off.

There are some optional challenges you can undertake, in the form of timed portions of the course.

Even with the repetition, it’s hard not to like wall crawling and web slinging. Classic Spidey characters such as Doc Ock, Mary Jane, and even Eddie Brock in his new white Anti-Venom symbiote is included in the fun.

Plenty of jokes from both wallcrawlers referencing the Marvel universe and great alternate costumes like the Identity Crisis costumes Peter wore in the 90’s and the all new Ultimate Spider-Man Morales suit are all in there. The voice acting is great. Veteran Spider- Men  Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes, along with former Batman Val Kilmer star. All great acting.

While this game may not have been a leap forward for Spider-Man games, it has enough Spidey charm to make it a worthwhile addition.

Tags: Marvel, Spider-Man, Video Games

About the Author

Written by Ortegatron

I daily dispel the common misconception that comic book nerds are all handsome and charming.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/review-spider-man-edge-of-time/

Fans have been itching for the newest proper installment in the Grand Theft Auto series for some time now, and it looks like their wish should be coming true in the near future. Rockstargames.com is currently displaying the logo for Grand Theft Auto V and a promise of a trailer on November 2, 2011. There’s currently no other information available, but the Internet has been positively ablaze with speculation. Rumors of the game’s development have been cycling for well over a year now (since the last DLC pack for GTA IV was released), but Rockstar has kept mostly quiet about it – until now. Stay tuned to Comic Booked – we’ll be dissecting the trailer the moment it becomes available next week!

Tags: comic booked, Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 5, GTA IV, GTA V, Kyle Black, Rockstar 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/gta-v-trailer-coming-on-november-2nd/

So you love a video game a whole lot. You have it, you’ve probably beaten it multiple times, and maybe you even own some merchandise from the game.  Perhaps you’ve even gone as far as cosplaying one of the characters at a convention, or participating in internet discussion boards? This is all within the realm of normal fandom.  Sometimes, though, a game is more than just a good time, or something to talk about with your friends.  Sometimes, a game sparks to life an inspiration and imparts a desire to create. Such was the case with director/producer Daniele Bellucci and screen writer Bryan Schulz.

Allow me to provide a bit of context. A few weeks back something very interesting appeared on the official Left4Dead facebook page; a Youtube video. Cut to an ancient radio, an old man cutting his face, and then a helicopter view of…Mercy Hospital!?  A fan created Left 4 Dead movie. A spark of inspiration. But why? I spoke to Daniele and Bryan to find out.

It’s pretty obvious you must love Left 4 Dead even more than I do! What inspired you to start work on this project?

Daniele Bellucci:   Well, for sure Marco [who is no longer with this project] and I loved this game.  All the campaigns in the game are movie structured and presented as such. Marco and I used to work together for a long period,  and pretended to be movie makers since we were children. Both of us were interested in cinema and wish to work in that field. One day we said this thing to each other, “Why can’t we make our own movie? We can, we know how, it would be very interesting to create a Zombie movie that would recall the sytle of the movies in the 80′s.” In a minute the idea of a zombie movie translated into a Left 4 Dead fan movie. We had two thoughts in mind when doing this. The first one was to honor a videogame that we loved, and seeing it come to life in a live action movie would be great for us. The second one was that making a movie based on a hit videogame would interest lots of people. We thought the four survivors from Left 4 Dead were incredible characters for a screenplay, even if the game doesn’t go deeply into their back stories.

Bryan Schulz:  I found out about this project on a L4D modding forum.  I’m a huge fan of the game.  I’ve played as Zoey from pretty much day one and Ellis from day 1 of L4D2.  I have my co-op team of 4 friends that have played countless hours in both 1 and 2, have played the best of the 3rd party stuff out there, and continue to enjoy what the community is releasing.   I have always wanted to write a Zombie movie and when I saw this project, I had to try and see if they’d let me write it.  I emailed them on 5.21.09 about the movie, the size and scope they were going to take on, their take on how things should be from video game to movie screen and overall vision for what this short could be.  After that we came up with a general outline together and after a few drafts of that, I went off to write the pages.

Valve made an amazing game in Left 4 Dead, the one thing of course is that it was not that in-depth story wise.  Along the way we would hear this and that about the characters, but I wanted to know more.  This short allowed me to enter this world and explore some of those ideas.  I love the dynamic of these 4 strangers being thrown in together and trying to survive, not only the zombie outbreak, but their own quirky personalities as well.  In the real world with no outbreak, they probably would have never met, but because of this disaster, they are forced to deal with each other whether they like it or not.  That is conflict, and conflict is drama.  Without conflict there cannot be story.

Has it been challenging , thus far, to adapt a video game with very little in the way of plot into a movie? What do you consider the biggest challenge?

Daniele Bellucci:  When we started this project in Spring ’09, the idea in the beginning was to create a sort of maxi trailer; about 6-10 minutes of clips, to be used as a fund raiser for a full length movie. But when we launched our first blog on Splinder, we received a lot of word of mouth around the web. During this period a fantastic guy sent an email to us, and proposed to work on the screenplay for the movie: Bryan Schulz, who is a really skilled writer at the beginning of his career. We took this opportunity and ask him to write a 40-45 minutes long screenplay for us.  I’ll never  be able to thank him enough for been so patient with us. We asked him for a lot of changes and he always worked with us, even if he was busy with his own work. In the end, we decided to go with a 40 minute short, hoping to find funds during the way, and starting with our own money. Honestly the game has no particular plot, so with Bryan we decided to make a completely new storyline, that would let us to get into the depth of the characters. Any more than that would ruin the surprise!

One of the biggest challenges, though, and perhaps the greatest, is dubbing. We are based in Italy, our actors speak Italian.  Not all of them are fluent in English, and playing a role in English would be highly difficult for them. After shooting we have to find actors who give their voices to the 4 survivors. It’s a really hard task, even because dubbing is expensive work and few dubbers would work for free. I fear that the post-production of the movie will take a really long time due to this factor.

Bryan Schulz:  Adapting was easy for me.  I know these characters because they are me and my friends.  I’m sure each player out there feels the same way.  By Valve not having much back-story and character embedded in the game, it allowed the user to create this on their own.  The issue will come up that not everyone will see them the same way I do.  A perfect example is the L4D comics Valve released.  My L4D characters that I know so well were not those people in those comics.  I enjoyed them for what they were but it will not change the way I view my L4D universe.

Of all the Left 4 Dead Universe, what were you looking forward to write the most?

Bryan Schulz:  My personal favorite bit? It might not be something that’s 100% in the game, but I love the Zoey-Bill dynamic.  I see them having this bond,  a father-daughter type connection.  Bill is always there and will always be there.  He can be strong when she is weak.  But at times she can be the optimist when everyone else is seeing nothing but negatives.  Zoey is young and she’s needs this family dynamic more than any of the others.  They really complete each other and will enable the other to survive.  I always felt that without Zoey and maybe the other 2, Bill wouldn’t have anything left to fight for and might just throw in the towel and call it day.

What is the most rewarding part of this project for you?

Daniele Bellucci:  There are lot of reasons for working on this project. First and foremost,  is turning into real life, something that existed only on paper or as pictures; this, to me is an incredible thing. I feel a similar sensation at the end of a shooting day, when I go back home, feeling really tired, but knowing that we have  done something great. These are the “moral” rewardsI can obtain from these kind of projects. Then, having seen all the fans loving and keeping up with this project I also consider it as an opportunity for my professional path.

And finally, any parting words? 

Daniele Bellucci:  The movie will be about 40 minutes long, but I can’t actually estimate a release date. To other film makers, I can only say to follow what you like to do, till the end, even when things are at their worst. Continue to be creative. Don’t stop, because people will always need entertainment. To Valve, who posted our Pre-Outbreak File #A on the Left 4 Dead official facebook page: We were very happy to see that!

Bryan Schulz:  I don’t have much to say to the others that might be making their own movie except for good luck.  Any labor of love, such as these fan films, is worth-while in my eyes.  I do have something to say to the movie going audience as a whole.  Ive been behind the curtain and have seen how movies get made.  If we want to stop some of the garbage that gets made today, stop going to see it.  Bashing it later online, giving poor reviews, or what have you, it’s all too late at that point.  They already got your money.  You all have a vote as to what gets made.  It’s very simple.  Vote with your money and vote for the good stuff!

Tags: Bill, Boomer, Comic, comic booked, Comics, Fan, Film, Francis, Game, Games, interview, L4d, Left 4 Dead, Louis, movie, Steam, Valve, video, Zoey, zombies

About the Author

Written by InfaPlat

As an avid writer, gamer, and dungeon master, it would be hard to classify Jessica Lynn as anything but a geek. Her favorite past times involve raining unholy fire upon her enemies, devising the next great way to kill her party, and figuring out just how far she can push a PC before it explodes. When not taking out her nerd rage on fantasy characters or inanimate objects, she can be found toiling away in the dungeon known as the IT department. If you’re wondering; InfaPlat is short for Infamous Platypus.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/loving-fans-killer-zombies/

Don’t lose your head! …Well, okay, maybe just this once – but only to bloody up your opponent! You read that right; in this awesome upcoming game, Skullgirls, one of the characters has the unique capability of REMOVING HER HEAD and utilizing it as a projectile and even as a remotely controlled weapon of frightening implications! What else is awesome about this up and coming game? LOTS! After playing this game at New York Comic Con, I have an intense need to gush about it. I love fighting games. Ever since my brother and I duked it out in NES’s Wrestlemania and Sega Genesis’ Virtua Fighter 2 and inevitably discovered Mortal Kombat, arena fighting games have been an utterly hopeless infatuation of mine. I mean, what’s not to love? There are sweet backgrounds, fun music, scantily-clad ladies, inhumanly muscular gentlemen, and laughable backstories. Skullgirls, however, is different. Don’t get me wrong; it still has the typically campy stuff that makes fighting games great, but it seems somehow richer. It’s a unique improvement over the familiar formula.

I believe this is due in large part to the animation, which is hand drawn. In our current generation of technology, everyone seems constantly preoccupied with CGI renderings and making video game characters look as human (or accurately alien, as the case may be) and as life-like as possible. While that’s tons of fun and awesome, whatever happened to the fun we had with cartoons? Whatever happened to the fascination we had with images procured from the mystical marriage of pencil and paper? Riddle me that! The animation in Skullgirls is freaking gorgeous.

Another thing that contributes to the high distinctiveness of this title is the sheer passion behind the entire project. As someone who personally spent high school math classes writing poems and stories rather than taking notes on algebra and geometry, I can understand having a dream – of something beyond the quiz on Friday. When Alex Ahad first came up the concept of Skullgirls, he was just a highschooler with a dream. Many of us can understand that . The game exists now and will be released in the near future! When I finally have the game on my PS3 or Xbox360, I will feel a sense of validation both for myself and for the game’s creators. This is definitely not an assembly line game, It is a special one; a richly American underdog tale.

Tags: comic booked, Elizibeth Hourigan, Fighting Games, New York Comic Con, NYCC, Skullgirls, Video Games

About the Author

Written by Elizabeth Hourigan

Though eclectic in her interests and hobbies, Elizabeth is best known for her passionate interests in science fiction, music, and video games. She was raised on both Star Wars and Star Trek and she was holding an NES controller since before she could remember; one could imagine where things went from there. She has always experienced anything sci-fi or fantasy as both an emotional catharsis and a creative stimulant. She is a social creature and answers the call of the nightlife but also enjoys sitting in a cafe, quietly reading a book and secretly people-watching; always hoping for scintillating conversations with passersby.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/skullgirls-this-aint-your-grandpappys-tekken/

Back in 2009, gamers everywhere were lucky enough to be able to experience the definitive Batman gaming experience with Batman: Arkham Asylum from Rocksteady Games and DC Comics. This year fans are even luckier, as we’re getting a sequel in Batman Arkham City! I was lucky enough to interview Dax Ginn, Rocksteady’s Marketing Game Manager while I was at New York Comic Con last weekend! Without further adieu, here is the interview for your reading pleasure!

Jordamus Prime- So I’m here with Dax Ginn, Marketing Game Manager for Rocksteady Games, who are behind one of the hottest games of the year, Batman: Arkham City! Now Dax, this game is the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, which was one of the hottest games of 2009 and is definitively the best Batman game ever made! Arkham City looks to blow that game completely out of the water and a lot of people are really excited for it. So, I guess the question is, what would you say was the biggest inspiration for this game?

Dax Ginn- I’d say that the biggest inspiration for Arkham City was that feeling that we got when Batman fans and gamers were saying they wanted to get out of the Asylum and into Gotham itself! Arkham Asylum was very intense and atmospheric, but it’s off the mainland. It wasn’t Batman in his natural environment, so we wanted to take Batman onto the streets of Gotham, and that made all sorts of changes to the game and to the navigation and even the combat, so we really had to start over from the ground up.

JP- Great! So I know I’m being a little preferential here, but I love Robin, and I know a lot of people are really excited that you guys announced that he will be playable in the game, what made you guys reach the decision to make Robin playable, and will he available outside of the challenge maps and in the campaign?

DG- Unfortunately he is just in the challenge maps, but we’ve also just recently announced the Nightwing will also be playable! I feel like when we announced that it was going to be Tim Drake as Robin, people were kind of expecting us to throw Nightwing into the mix. In terms of playable characters in the main story, it’s just Batman and Catwoman. Playing as Batman, you feel like you’re the righteous arm of justice, and playing as Catwoman you get to be a thief within Arkham City. The reason why we chose the two of them is that they both feel really different when you play as them. Their genders and their bodies are just very different feeling, whereas if you’ve got Batman and Robin you feel kind of similar.

JP- I know this is a bit of a stretch because you guys are just wrapping up on Arkham City, but do you think there is any chance that we will be seeing some kind of co-op multiplayer mode in the campaign in further sequels?

DG- Man, I can’t wait for the future! It’s going to be awesome stuff! We’re just going to go to sleep now and wake up in the middle of November and just get started!

JP- So was co-op multiplayer looked into at all for Arkham City?

DG- Well we thought about it for Arkham City, and then after a bit of experimentation and some product tests we thought “You know what? Let’s just focus on making the most awesome Batman experience”. All of the risk for us came from building an open world game. We made a huge map that details the whole of Gotham!

JP- So we know from the trailers that we’ve got the Joker back from the last game, can we expect to see many more familiar faces from the last game?

DG- Yeah! Bane is in, Poison Ivy is in, and so is Harley Quinn, but we’ve also added a whole load of awesome new characters! We’ve got Two-Face, Hugo Strange, Solomon Grundy, Talia Al Ghul, it’s massive!

JP- Oh wow! I actually just heard about the addition of Solomon Grundy to the game! Can we expect to see any other non-Batman specific villains like Grundy in the game?

DG- No, I can’t really say that you’ll see too many more. In this game at least. At Rocksteady, we like to keep a few surprises! I know the Scarecrow stuff worked really well in Arkham Asylum…

JP- Is Scarecrow back this time around?

DG- I’m not able to say just yet, you’ll have to check out the game for yourself!

JP- Fair enough! Getting back to playable characters, I know that we’ve got Nightwing and Robin playable on the challenge maps. Can we expect to see any other playable characters to show up in the future via downloadable content?

DG- Well right now the only DLC we’re offering is Robin and Nightwing, but we’ve got some more announcements to make later.

JP- Awesome! I see that you guys have quite a few Arkham City toys on display here at New York Comic Con, are you guys heavily involved with the production process?

DG- Well working with DC and Warner, there are always sorts of  things going on behind the scenes outside of Rocksteady, so it’s kind of cool to have it all here at Comic Con! You see stuff that you’ve kind of heard about, but never really seen before like the Titan-Joker figure over there, which looks awesome! We’re really stoked to see these characters that we’ve designed deployed like this as toys!

JP- Speaking of designs, I know there has been a little bit of an outcry here and there about some of the character redesigns in the game, what really goes into the process of recreating these characters?

DG- We work really closely with DC and everything we do is done with their blessing and guidance. We’re got a really collaborative relationship with them on every aspect of the game. The design is really all about what makes sense for these characters within the game that we’ve created. Arkham City itself is kind of this sprawling super-prison! It’s a dangerous place and it’s a hostile environment to be in, so everyone in there needs to be armed and ready for action! Whether people like the designs or not, I think everyone can understand how someone like Catwoman would dress like that in order to survive in a place like this.

JP- So what can you actually tell us about the story of Arkham City?

DG- I can tell you that it picks up about eighteen months after the end of Arkham Asylum. Quincy Sharp, who was the Warden at Arkham Asylum, is now elected to be Mayor of Gotham City! He had this whole crazy plan about shutting down Arkham Asylum and Blackgate prison and creating this kind of fortified wall within the center of Gotham! He appoints Hugo Strange as the Warden of Arkham City, and Hugo Strange knows Batman’s true identity! Strange controls everything that goes on in Arkham City, and Batman just knows he is in for disaster! He needs to go in there and take care of business!

JP- Now the last thing I want to address… there have been rumors going around about the possibility of a Batmobile level? Is there any truth to that?

DG- Nope! We put so much work into Batman’s glide and grapple, and everything we do we want to make sure it feels like Batman. If you put Batman in the Batmobile, it’ll just feel like a driving game! It’s not uniquely Batman and that isn’t what we wanted to do!

JP- A lot of people said that you guys re-invented the superhero game genre with Batman: Arkham Asylum; do you think you’ve re-invented it again with Arkham City?

DG- Definitely! Being honest, Arkham City is better than Arkham Asylum in every conceivable way! It’s great! I think the review scores that we’ve received over the past few days really reflect that!

Batman Arkham City is in stores now for the X-Box 360, Playstation 3 and PC! Buy your copy today!

Tags: Arkahm Asylum, Arkham City, Bane, Batman, Batmobile, Bruce Wayne, Catwoman, Dax Ginn, DC, DC Comics, Dick Grayson, dlc, Harley Quinn, Hugo Strange, Interviews, Joker, Nightwing, PC, playstation, Quicny Sharp, Robin, Rocksteady, Scarecrow, Tim Drake, Two Face, Video Games, xbox

About the Author

Written by Jordamus Prime

Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia, Jordan DesJardins is what many would call a “Geek”. An avid collector of both comic books and action figures, Jordan can often be seen at comic conventions or scouring the city for the latest Transformers to hit the shelves. Contact Jordan at jordamusprime@comicbooked.com

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/behind-batman-arkham-city-at-nycc/

It really is hard to believe the wait is finally over. Just two short days ago (yes, I went to the midnight release party) I picked up my copy of Batman: Arkham City and holy crap, this game is amazing. Developed by Rocksteady Games, DC‘s favorite Dark Knight has exploded back into the video game spotlight. The follow up sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, this game takes everything that was great about the first one, which was quite a lot, and expands on it immensely. I’ve lost tack of time repeatedly staying up all night playing this game. The best analogy I can muster is, this is like going from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight. Where to even begin with this amazing game?

I’ll start with the voice cast which is near perfect. Kevin Conroy is back as the man behind the cowl, Bruce Wayne/Batman. He voiced the titular hero in Asylum but seemed to be on cruise control. He was good, but nothing spectacular, but in this game he is fearsome. He embodies the voice perfectly, matching his work from the show. Mark Hamill is back as the villainous Joker and again he steals the show every chance he gets. His voice truly is perfect for Joker.  Nolan North voices Penguin and I swear I thought he was Bob Hoskins at first. Wally Wingert brings the Riddler to life, Grey DeLisle adds a sultry style to Catwoman, Troy Baker is Two-Face, Corey Burton is Hugo Strange, and Maurice LeMarche is Mr. Freeze. Each one does an amazing job in the role, with North really trying to one up Hamill as the most badass in the game. One notable omission is Arleen Sorkin who did not return to voice the twisted Harley Quinn, instead she was replaced by the talented Tara Strong.

The graphics are stunning, just beautiful. The city is alive and flourishing. Several characters can be present in the game, and I mean so far I’ve seen 50 on-screen characters at once, with no clipping or lagging taking place. The costumes look more crisp and the background constantly has things going on. From subtle cues as to who is talking, helicopters flying overhead, and thugs just roaming around. The biggest improvement is the facial expressions. One thing that was a little off putting with Asylum was that the close ups on the characters were always met with dead eyes. Well no more mannequin characters here! These people are alive and breathing in this city.

The sound is amazing. The music is on par with that from a great motion picture, reminiscent of Hans Zimmer. I’ve already stated how great the voice acting is, but another great sound quality is the subtlety. You hear the smallest details, from thugs talking down the block to alarms sounding several buildings away.

The game play is epic. The plot starts six months after Asylum, continuing the storyline with a new prison being opened in the middle of Gotham. Of course many citizens are not pleased with this decision, including Bruce Wayne. Well things don’t go well for him and he ends up being arrested and sent to the new City. After a quick escape and wardrobe change, Batman is now on the scene and he learns that Dr. Hugo Strange has a plan for the new prison primed to go down in 10 hours. But that is not the only plot, oh no not in the least. Each villain seems to have their own goal going on, from Two-Face to the Joker, they all have some property staked out in the city, and plans to end Batman in their own way. The fighting mechanics have been enhanced greatly, with new combos introduced, new gadgets, and new special take downs introduced. I’ve had to fight about 30 opponents at one time and let me say that was one of the greatest moments so far. Seeing Batman go from one thug to another, delivering a punch to the face, kick to the stomach, grapple hook to the face – epic take downs. Speaking of, one of my favorite take downs involve a thug’s head and a slab of concrete.

The puzzles have been revamped greatly, with some that I still haven’t figured out how to solve. The Riddler really wants to drive you insane in this game.

The characters are astounding. Batman is pissed off and angry. He storms the city looking for answers and takes no prisoners. The Joker is as diabolical as ever but he is being rivaled by the Penguin. Seriously, they seemed to have totally revamped his character and make him just a ruthless, blood thirsty tyrant. Catwoman is as sexy and fiendish as ever. She is a playable character in the game during the story mode and is really fun to use. The Riddler is pretty cutthroat in this game as well. I don’t want to reveal too many characters and spoil the surprise of playing. I had a friend ruin a twist in the game and now I dread reaching that moment, although I hope he was lying.

It’s been a great two days playing this game and I’ll probably lose more sleep as my PS3 just turned on and is calling to me. This is easily one of the best games of the year, in a year that is filled with great games. Definite must buy, so far with only 9 percent complete, I can already say this game is a solid “10.” Sound off in the comments and let us know how you like it!

Tags: Arkham Asylum, Batman, Batman: Arkham City, Batman;Arkham Asylum, books, Comic, comic booked, Comic Books, Comics, DC, gaming, Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, tara strong, 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/ive-moved-to-a-city-of-madness-arkham-city/

Dark Horse Comics, along with Games Digital, are collaborating on bringing a fan favorite super hero back into the mainstream in a big way. Just announced are plans to release Ghost into her own video game. Ghost was a character who first appeared in Comics’ Greatest World, and was a breakout hit. In 1995 she got her own comic book that  ran for a total of 55 issues with a variety of talent working on the titles, including Eric Luke who started writing the series, and Mike Kennedy who wrote the final books. The art has been covered by numerous talented people, including Matt Haley, Adam Hughes, and Ivan Reis. Over the years Ghost would guest star in a variety of other titles from Dark Horse, including Hellboy and even a crossover with DC’s Batgirl.

“Fans of the Dark Horse Comic’s Ghost will enjoy the game and its story arc. Ghost fits perfectly within the comic book’s pantheon and provides fans with a satisfying experience from beginning to end. For gamers new to the intellectual property, Ghost will provide a mysteriously engaging storyline mixed with detective elements that any super sleuth would love to solve,” said Scott Zerby, president of Gamers Digital.

The game will be available early 2012 for PC, Mac and iOS. It will be a downloadable, first-person mystery that will center on Elisa Cameron, a woman who comes back as a ghost who must solve her own murder. Filled with multiple quests and challenging mini-games, players will travel the land of Arcardia through Elisa’s eyes and walk in a realm of existence between the living and the dead. Her sister Margo is the only one who can sense her, and the two set off on an adventure to solve the horrible crime and possibly save the world.

Some very cool news, makes you wonder if they are planning anything new for Ghost past the game, maybe a relaunch of the comic series, maybe some other hidden surprises? Here’s hoping we will be seeing more of her in the future.

http://www.darkhorse.com/

Tags: Adam Hughes, Bat Girl, comic booked, Comic Books, Dark Horse, Eric Luke, Games Digital, Ghost, hellboy, Matt Haley, 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/dark-horse-resurrects-ghost/

InfaPlat, [one?] of your resident World of Warcraft nerds here. As much as I’d love to pretend that I’m writing this from BlizzCon, the harsh reality is that I’m penning the news from my desk in the I.T. dungeons.  Who cares though?! The fourth expansion to the world’s most popular Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game was announced at Blizzard’s opening ceremonies. Welcome to Mists of Pandaria.Here’s what we know:

• There has been a level cap increase. Players can now reach level 90
• The new continent is called Pandaria, and its design has a distinctly east Asian flair. It has been magically hidden since the Cataclysm. Pandaria will have five areas and is a single , unified continent. There will be no flying over Pandaria until max level, and the areas are huge.
• The Pandaren, a race of you guessed it, panda people, will be playable as either Alliance or Horde characters, a WoW first!
•  A new class has been added for this expansion; the Monk.  Monks will use chi as a resource (instead of energy or rage) and will have different ‘stances’.
• PVE “Scenarios” have been added. More on this later
• A ‘pet battle’ system has been added with details forthcoming. (Insert the obligatory Pokemon joke here)
• Lastly, a new “challenge mode” has been added for dungeons. It’s a race against the clock!

Here’s a trailer!

For more, see Blizzard’s official World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria page , and share your thoughts below!

Tags: Alliance, Blizzard, Blizzcon, Horde, monk, Pandaren, Pandaria, Warcraft, World of Warcraft

About the Author

Written by InfaPlat

As an avid writer, gamer, and dungeon master, it would be hard to classify Jessica Lynn as anything but a geek. Her favorite past times involve raining unholy fire upon her enemies, devising the next great way to kill her party, and figuring out just how far she can push a PC before it explodes. When not taking out her nerd rage on fantasy characters or inanimate objects, she can be found toiling away in the dungeon known as the IT department. If you’re wondering; InfaPlat is short for Infamous Platypus.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/world-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandaria-announced/