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Barely Related: Marvel's Civil War, DC movies galore
Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Marvel Heroes introduces Mr. Fantastic and a boost weekend
He's the leader of the first super team in the Marvel Universe, he's a brilliant scientist, and he has perhaps the most egotistical name in the entire franchise. He's Mr. Fantastic, and he's now available in Marvel Heroes for players to enjoy. Launching with two costumes, Richards has access to all of his usual tricks, including forming giant fists, stretching to insane lengths as a travel method, and presumably blasting his friends and family members with untested inventions just to see what happens. If you can't wait to get your (normal human-sized) hands on the FF's leader, you'll be well served by the bonus event running this weekend. All players will receive a 100% bonus to experience, SIF, and RIF gained during the weekend. Players will also have access to A.R.M.O.R. Research Drives, which can be turned in to Jocasta for A.R.M.O.R. Bounty Boxes as well as rewards from the previous bounty event. No better time to get stretching, in other words.
Silver Surfer hangs ten into Marvel Heroes
Is more than one color for a superhero costume maddening to your sensibilities? Do you look at caped crusaders and wonder, "If only they used beach sports equipment for physics-defying purposes?" Are you the sole die-hard fan of the second Fantastic Four movie? Then today, my friend, is your day. Marvel Heroes has added the Silver Surfer to its in-game hero roster. The Surfer is an alien who used to work for the planet-eating Galactus but has since defected to the forces of good. The new hero has two costume options, including the Savage set, and is available to purchase either with money or Eternity Splinters.
Marvel Heroes rolls out first episode of Chronicles of Doom motion comic series
When Marvel Heroes launches on June 4th, it will begin a super story that finds Doctor Doom wielding a fair share of power. But what about the story behind that story? To reveal just how Doctor Doom rose to power, Gazillion is releasing a short series of motion comics entitled "Chronicles of Doom." Penned by Brian Michael Bendis, well-known for his work creating the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the adventure begins with the villain infiltrating the sanctuary of the Fantastic Four. Watch the first installment of the four-part series after the break. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]
Marvel Universe Online reveals Thing as newest playable character
Watch out, Marvel Universe Online fans. It's clobberin' time! The Fantastic Four's Ben Grimm has been announced as the latest addition to the MUO cast. For those of you who are keeping count, Thing's arrival brings the total playable character count up to five. So keep the guesses comin', folks. Whom do you want to see next?
Fantastic Four table for Marvel Pinball and Pinball FX 2 in May
Zen Studios will add a Fantastic Four table to PSN's Marvel Pinball and XBLA's Pinball FX 2 on May 17 and 18, respectively. Why Fantastic Four? To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Fantastic Four #1, of course. No price was announced for the ball-out superhero surface, but it should be $3 (240 MSP) or under. We've contacted Zen Studios for confirmation. The table features 3D models of Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, Thing and Human Torch, along with the type of intricate details fans of the series have come to expect. Check out the video after the break for some flippin' action.%Gallery-122660%
Hero up! Hands-on with Marvel Super Hero Squad Online
Back in May, I scored Massively's first real look at Super Hero Squad Online, the Marvel-flavored, kid-friendly MMO from Gazillion Entertainment and The Amazing Society. I was smitten with the game at the time, and so when Gazillion offered me the opportunity to take a peek at the newest build earlier this week, I jumped at the chance. Who can resist some hands-on time with such an adorable toy! (Answer to rhetorical question: no one, which is why you should go sign up for beta right now.) Plus, if I learned anything the last time, it was that I have a duty to relentlessly inquire about Squirrel Girl. Am I right? Gazillion PR Manager Keith Mutzman and The Amazing Society's Director of Games Jay Minn wasted no time bringing me up to speed on the progress of the game as the team heads to PAX this weekend, so I'll pay that forward -- join me after the break and we'll dig in and hero up!
Jack Emmert emphasizes story in Champions Online
You might be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) to know that some of us here at Massively are comic book geeks. You know, the types who look forward to Wednesdays because that's the day comics come out each week -- yeah we're practically prisoners in a comic book-build jail. So you can imagine our lingering excitement for a massively game like Champions Online -- which has Cryptic promising a lot of features above and beyond what City of Heroes is capable of providing.One particular feature is a stronger emphasis on the characters that populate the world of Champions Online. It's a promise that has made us skeptical, to be sure, but a recent post by Jack Emmert as assuaged or worries slightly. It's a long post so if you don't have the time or patience to read it -- there's a fairly good way to sum it all up.
Fox sets release dates, specs for Fantastic Four 2 & Die Hard 4
Last year Fox made a major splash in the Blu-ray market with its lineup of feature-laden titles, now its announced more details on the special features to expect on Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Live Free or Die Hard. Both of these MPEG-4 encoded flicks will release on 50GB dual-layer discs with DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio soundtracks, D-Box motion support and BD-J powered strategy games. What isn't there, is any kind of BD-Live internet functionality, but it looks like we'll be waiting to take our Blu-ray discs and players online just a bit longer. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is due October 2, while the fourth Die Hard will release November 20th, alongside the Blu-ray box set of the first three movies in the series.
Shipping this week: scary silver ninjas edition
Oh how far we have come. Only two weeks ago we had high profile games like Shadowrun and Forza Motorsport 2 descending on our Xboxen. Hell, we even had the Halo 3 beta. This week we get, um, Tenchu Z, Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia, and yet another movie tie-in (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, if you must know). We pretty much had our minds made up about Tenchu Z since our Japanese buddy let us try out its Japanese counterpart, Tenchu Senran, nearly a year ago. It wasn't spectacular then, and it's not made any better with the addition of English subtitles. It's possible that Monster Madness has made significant strides since its demo released (and after a few delays), but we're not holding our breath. And then we have a game based on a sequel to a mediocre movie.Call us conspiracy theorists, but we think the releases over the last few weeks are part of a maniacal Microsoft plot to sell more copies of Shadowrun and Forza 2.
DS releases for the week of June 11th
Well, it looks like the time has come for everyone to decide whether or not they want to give Zendoku a go. Also this week, it looks like gamers everywhere will have a chance to go up against the Silver Surfer if they so desire. Do you? Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer Time Ace Zendoku Hit the jump to see what the rest of the world is in store for this week!
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of June 11th
Ready to discover Sony's release plans for this week? Us too. Let's get started. US Games Fantastic 4 Rise of the Silver Surfer EU Games Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer Asian Games Call of Duty 3 (Japan) Ninja Gaiden Sigma (Japan) Amored Core 4 (Korea) Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom (Korea) Hooray. Another movie tie-in. Just what we English speakers have been waiting for. At least the Japanese will be having some fun this week with Ninja Gaiden. Knowing their mad skills they'll have completed it by the time it's released in the west in a couple of weeks. If you need something to occupy you until then, then you might want to pick up my new book - How to generalise an entire nation in a single sentence: It's easy with my three step program.. If you're particularly language savvy, or you can deal with just looking at the pretty pictures and not the words, then feel free to import any of the Asian releases. You may not be able to read those funny squiggles, but your PS3 can. Release dates are subject to constant change, so check with your retailer just in case.
Fantastic 4 game has a fantastic trailer, not really
What happens in this trailer? Not very much -- our use of the word "fantastic" should have read more sarcastically. That's the problem with this series of tubes known as the internet ... you can't read sarcasm quite as well as when hearing it. Luckily, we qualified the sarcasm with a "not really" so you knew that the trailer isn't all that interesting except for the pretty nice graphics. A pixelated Jessica Alba is always welcome. Anywho, the game will come out alongside the movie in the middle of June and will probably be as good as any other video game based off a movie. I've actually got high hopes for this movie -- it seems more interesting than the first, but it's not going to be a smash hit. Entertaining, at least. Thoughts?
Fantastic Four: ROTSS preview is ... fantastic!
1UP posted an optimistic preview of Marvel's upcoming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer game for the Xbox 360. In talking with the senior producer we learn that Fantastic Four: ROTSS will incorporate a fleshed out team system that uses "fusion attacks". These fusion attacks will allow characters in the game to team up and dish out the pain. We also know that the story will be 50% original and 50% from the movie sequel. We don't learn much more than that, as we'll just have to wait to see if the game is what 2K promises it to be. Until then, we have a few screenshots to keep your belly full and nothing but optimism on our end.[Thanks, Jonah]
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 3
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesDownload MP4 (7.86MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, 300, Fred Claus, Chili Con Carnage (PSP).
Metareview - Marvel Ultimate Alliance
The ongoing debate over which superhero universe reigns supreme may never be settled, but Marvel Comics is looking like the clear winner in the gaming space with Activision's release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. There's no Incredible Hulk (he's in Vivendi's game), but just about everyone else from the House of Ideas makes an appearance, which amounts to at least 20 playable characters on each platform. Where Ultimate Alliance really shines over Justice League Heroes is in the stronger focus on teamwork, not to mention a more impressive cast of villains. <Your team name here>, assemble! Game Informer (93/100) likes the new transparent rejuvenation system: "In this game, you no longer need to stock potions. When an enemy is slain, there's a chance that the fallen will gift you with a cluster of healing orbs that automatically zoom to your character. This change not only removes the clunky system of healing, it makes you feel more like a hero. Your focus is always on the battlefield, not a meter." GamePro (90/100) appreciates the challenging enemy AI: "The major boss battles are head and shoulders above anything you've seen in the past. The roster of villains changes with such frequency that you never get a chance to get sick of them. Stronger ones boast talents like healing and immunity to certain attacks, while others carry shields that force your active crew of four to work as a team." TeamXbox (88/100) was dazzled by the production quality: "The opening cinematic by Blur Studios is perhaps the finest I have witnessed in a videogame...but it's worth mentioning that the in-game footage cut scenes by Raven are no slouches either. Raven's in-game work is really nice too. Characters all have that comic book look, but have been updated to have their own edge. The backgrounds are just as sweet, flexing a bunch of post-production effects and lots of animations."
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance to feature unexciting controls
Though the many Marvel characters duking it out in Ultimate Alliance frequently find themselves doing somersaults, hurling punches and generally super-spazzing out, it's not an accurate expectation for the players of the game to perform similar feats. Speaking at the recently concluded Comic-Con, Activision's Chris Palmisano commented that the Wii version of the game would not have major changes implemented to its control system."The basic game controls like the camera and the movement and stuff like that -- you can do that on the Wii with left side in most cases. Then there are standard combo moves, which you can also do with the Wii controller." After this rather vague statement (do combo moves with the controller, you say?!), Palmisano goes on to curtail the level of input you might have expected from a Wii game. "I don't know how many games you're going to see where people are jumping around -- our game is an RPG so it's really hard to require that much physical energy to play a game for 30 hours." Though we have yet to think of any Wii game that actively requires you to jump around, we suspect the lack of physical energy required to play Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is tied into a lack of mental energy when attempting to explain why your game will have a bog-standard control scheme. This is an issue that will come up again and again: a multi-platform game that fails to take advantage of the Wii's controller risks not only being surpassed by graphically superior versions (why buy the Wii version?), but the rest of the games in the Wii lineup (why buy this game that doesn't use my system fully?). Of course, shoehorning a game into an inappropriate controller scheme is just as undesirable, as is certainly the case with an action RPG largely built upon repetition. We'd rather just press the A-button, thanks.
