beenox
Latest
Go behind the scenes of Spider-Man: Edge of Time
You love Mary Jane, but have you ever wondered what Laura Vandervoort, the actress playing her in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, thinks about playing the beloved redhead? ... No? ... Oh. Well, in that case -- what's that behind you? *smoke bomb* *grappling hook*
Spider-Man goes to the Edge of Time in Comic-Con video
Here's a new Spider-Man: Edge of Time video so fresh from the floor of Comic-Con that its heart is still racing a bit from meeting Garth Ennis. In it you'll find more than your fair share of web hammers, well-orchestrated falling and, puzzlingly, exploding punches. Enjoy. %Gallery-128878%
Spider-Man: Edge of Time dated at Comic-Con, Spidey is Mr. October
What better place to drop some info on the latest Spider-Man game than Comic-Con? While Spider-Man: Edge of Time doesn't have the Mirror's Edge-style gameplay we didn't know we wanted until seeing the Amazing Spider-Man trailer, it does have something far more concrete: a release date of October 4. The date was announced during an Activision event at San Diego Comic-Con today, along with the release date of Prototype 2, though Activision already dropped that info earlier today. There was a lot to like about Beenox's first swing at Spidey with last year's Shattered Dimensions, but our review criticized the game for feeling "rushed." Is just one year enough time to make sure Edge of Time doesn't feel similarly rushed? We'll get some hands-on time with the title at Comic-Con and let you know how what our Spidey-sense says.
Spider Man: Edge of Time E3 screens, trailer crawl in
Spider-Man: Edge of Time, not to be confused with Johnny Depp in Nick of Time, swings in with its E3 gallery and trailer.
What's In A Name: Beenox
Dee Brown, Studio Head at Spider-Man: Edge of Time developer Beenox, gave us the origin story of the Quebec-based studio's name. Were any radioactive spills or gamma rays involved? "When I was in high school, I was already thinking about creating my own games and starting my own development studio and I was already writing programs that I would publish on the internet. I was always using my real name at the time and everyone else was using a label or a comic hero name or something else. "I was in a chemistry course one day and I was really bored, so I started thinking about my future game company. I was writing stuff in my book and I thought of a bunch of names but, for some reason, I really wanted an 'X' in my name. So I was writing a whole bunch of names with an X in them and eventually I wrote 'Beenox.' "I thought to myself, 'That kinda sounds cool' so I kept it and started using it. I then incorporated the name and started googling and found it was free; it was available." Beenox is currently working on Spider-Man: Edge of Time, which is slated to launch on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS and 3DS. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
Spider-Man: Edge of Time preview: Timeline teamwork
The hook of Spider-Man: Edge of Time, the next Spidey game from Shattered Dimensions developer Beenox, is that two heroes must work together to change the future. As Peter Parker dashes through a corridor, a pop-up picture at the bottom of the screen shows a troubling situation developing in the world of Miguel O'Hara (also known as Spider-Man 2099). Spider-Man 2099 is being man-handled by an enormous robot, which prompts Parker to trash the robotics lab of Alchemax, the city-sized mega corporation in which the entirety of the game takes place. Classic Spider-Man hopes that some aggressive vandalism, early in the timeline, will undo the 2099 predicament.%Gallery-120355%
Spider-Man: Edge of Time tells the tale of two Spideys this fall
After doing a fine job with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, developer Beenox is taking another swing (see what we did there?) at our favorite webhead in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, due out this fall on unannounced platforms. In Edge of Time, Spider-Man classic and Spider-Man 2099 will work together to avoid personal catastrophe (read: Peter Parker's demise) in a story crafted by 2099 co-creator Peter David. The game's hook is that the actions of one Spider-Man will alter the timeline of the other. This, of course, is the moment where we point out that Marvel 2099 is technically the future of Earth-928 and not Earth-616, where Spider-Man classic exists. Therefore, the actions of one wouldn't impact the other, so we're hoping some sort of interdimensional machinations will be involved as well. Obviously.
New Spider-Man game swinging to WonderCon
As promised, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions dev Beenox will be handling the next entry in the Spidey franchise. Moreover, the as-yet-unnamed title will make an appearance at this year's WonderCon, according to the event's website. A listing for the Activision/Spider-Man panel, to be held Saturday, April 2, details a presentation that will involve both "post-launch reactions" to Shattered Dimensions and "exclusive details, screenshots and videos of the next Spider-Man game." For all you hardcore Peter Parker fans in the crowd, Spider-Man 2099 co-creator Peter David and voiceover artist Josh Keaton will both join Beenox devs on the panel, along with Marvel veep of game production TQ Jefferson. Given the relative awkwardness of Keaton's placement on the panel, we're guessing he'll once again be voicing Spidey in the forthcoming game. Though details are guaranteed to show up at the panel, we'd also keep an eye on gaming magazines to unceremoniously announce it by name with a cursory text mention on the cover. Hey, you never know!
Heroic sacrifices: The companies behind Guitar Hero
The Guitar Hero series touched many people, and not just by strapping plastic guitars to them. As the series reached its absurd heights of success, it caused more game developers to enter into the service of note charts and extreme rocker-dude 3D models. And now that Activision has stopped production on the Guitar Hero series and closed that business unit, we can look back at how it affected the people who made it -- the companies who either moved on or were chewed up and spat out by the Guitar Hero monster.
New Spider-Man game coming in 2011, Acti prepping two TV license titles
That future where Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions dev Beenox will be Activision's go-to studio for Marvel's franchise we reported on last month? It's officially this year. The publisher revealed during its Q4 2010 financial call that a new Spider-Man game is in development and will be released by the end of the calendar year. No further details were divulged. It was also announced in the call that 2011 will see the release of licensed titles from Activision based on Family Guy and Wipeout. The latter's the "obstacle course" style game show, not Sony's futuristic racing franchise.
Future Spider-Man games to be developed by Beenox
Activision today announced that Shattered Dimensions developer, Beenox, will be in charge of the publisher's future Spidey efforts. "Beenox's creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions," Activision senior VP Patrick Kelly said in the announcement, "We can't wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future." If you're puzzled by Kelly's statement about Shattered Dimensions "reinvigorating" the down-and-out Spidey license, we're right there with ya. It's like we're living in two different worlds! Regardless, we've got a good idea about where Beenox could take the franchise in the coming years: Creative director Thomas Wilson expressed interest in focusing on the Noir or 2099 Universe from Shattered Dimensions for a spin-off game. Just think: an entire Spidey game based in the Noir dimension? He'll basically have to don a trench coat at some point!
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions on PC is Walmart exclusive for Thanksgiving weekend
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is getting a PC release right around Thanksgiving this year -- kind of. According to the game's official Facebook page, the North American PC version will only be available at Walmart over the Thanksgiving weekend, which means if you want it, you'll have to brave the unwashed crowds to get it (or just send the scariest member of your family). After that first weekend, it'll presumably go on sale elsewhere, so you can wait the extra week if you so choose. The rest of the world doesn't have to deal with any exclusivity agreements -- the PC version will be on sale in Australia and Asia on November 24, and in Europe on November 26. [Thanks, Steve]
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions 'Cosmic' costumes coming this month
During the still-in-progress Marvel Games panel at New York Comic Con 2010, Beenox creative director Thomas Wilson revealed that the previously GameStop-exclusive (with pre-orders) "Cosmic" costumes for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be made available as paid DLC sometime before the end of the month. Wilson didn't make any announcements regarding price, but we can't imagine the costume pack costing too many Spider-Cents.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions review: Mo' spiders, mo' problems
It's lonely out here. I'm one of a handful of game critics that will, with little provocation, defend most of Activision's Spider-Man series (Friend or Foe can eff right off). We are not a well-liked or understood group, united only by our love of swinging through a virtual New York and our ability to forgive punishingly repetitive gameplay. With Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Beenox has closed off Spidey's world, containing him to strict levels rather than an open city. It may make for a better game, but those like me -- who are interested only in doing whatever a spider can -- may find Shattered Dimensions has broken what they loved about the series. %Gallery-89427%
Spider-Man shatters the PC dimension later this year
PC gamers may have noticed their collective Spidey senses tingling earlier this week, as Activision quietly announced that the PC version of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions would not be releasing alongside its console counterparts. According to the launch press release, the PC version will arrive "soon." Speaking to Big Download, an Activision rep revealed that "soon" apparently means later this year. Stay strong, true believers, ol' Webhead will swing in eventually.
Shattered Dimensions creative head interested in Noir or 2099 Spider-Man game
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is like a Costco-size sample platter of four different Spidey universes, but Beenox Creative Director Thomas Wilson wouldn't mind focusing on just one of the wall crawlers for a game. During Gamescom the developer told us that if he could, he would want to focus on Noir or 2099 spidey, but immediately followed it up by saying, "That's not up to us to decide. We're looking with Activision at what's next." "They're interesting, they're different, they're new," Wilson told us on why he'd choose the lesser-known dimensions. He continued, "I think it would definitely be something interesting." Pssst, Activision -- we agree.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' Vulture to be extra super creepy
Out of all of Spidey's nemeses, Vulture is unarguably the least threatening. He's an old dude in a feathered, bright green suit. Not exactly menacing, is it? Well, in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' Noir universe, he's turned a new, upsetting leaf, as evidenced by the vignette below.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions goes behind the scenes with Stan Lee
It's impossible to hate Stan Lee. No, trust us, we've tried -- it's like the dude's superpower is charisma or something. And in this latest video for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, we get a glimpse at Lee loosing some of his sultry sounds.
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions' other costumes revealed
You didn't think that Peter Parker's wardrobe would only contain four outfits in his upcoming outing, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, did you? No, no sir. Revealed during Marvel's Comic-Con panel were a handful of new costumes that will be unlockable in-game -- a few of which will be instantly unlockable as pre-order bonuses from select retailers: Scarlet Spider (unlock code included with Kmart pre-order) Negative Zone Spider-Man (unlock code included with Best Buy pre-order) Spider-Armor (pictured) Mangaverse Spider-Man Additionally, the previously revealed GameStop-exclusive Cosmic costume (which includes variants for each dimension) and the Iron Spider-Man suit featured in the 2099 universe (and immediately unlockable with an Amazon pre-order) were also shown at the panel. It's as yet unclear if the newly announced costumes will be tied to certain dimensions within the game or wearable throughout, like the Cosmic getup. [Update: Clarified details about the nature of the pre-order bonuses and previously announced costumes.]
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions cast loaded with Spidey veterans
Activision has announced that Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will play host to a cavalcade of Spidey-related voice talent when it's released on September 7. The Spider-Men of each universe will be voiced by actors who have played the web-slinger in the past. Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Keaton, Christopher Daniel Barnes and Dan Gilvezan will voice the Amazing, Ultimate, Noir and 2099 variants, respectively. Harris originally voiced the wall-crawler in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series; Keaton had the role in The Spectacular Spider-Man; Barnes played the part in the 1994 Spider-Man animated series; and, finally, Gilvezan voiced ol' web-head in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends way back in the early '80s. If that's still not enough for the true believers out there, Stan Lee himself will serve as the game's narrator. Meanwhile, Jim Dooley, composer for several games and films (The Da Vinci Code, inFamous), will provide the soundtrack. Now, if only someone at Beenox could find a way to squeeze in Bruce Campbell ... Find the press release after the break.
