avengers
Latest
If The Avengers ever has a video game tie-in, we hope it's not like this
We're warring with ourselves over the lack of a movie tie-in game for The Avengers, much like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers fight with each other in the beginning of the Avengers initiative, each representing opposing yet valid spectrums of morality, society and technology. And that's the problem – The Avengers movie is so good that we can relate everything in our daily lives back to the most faint of plot points and imagined superhero thought processes. It's also the reason we're disappointed that there's no Avengers video game.But movie games are always terrible, right? It probably would have been rushed, stilted and dumbed-down for a (much) wider audience.Actually, Steve, it probably would have been fantastic, as this pre-alpha footage from a canceled THQ game demonstrates.Well, Tony, that could merely be programmers editing the computer-generated graphics with software and codes to make the game appear better than it actually is.Steve, stop quoting Bruce. You sound like a man who's been frozen for 70 years. Oh wait.Shut up. At least the humorous video at the top of this page isn't real.For once, Cap, we agree on something. And there's always this potential Ubisoft title, Avengers: Battle for Earth. But it's not called Avengers: Iron Man is Obviously the Best, so I'm ignoring that one too. Cheers....Cheers.
Super Hero Squad Online introduces Ant-Man, new Avengers costumes
Avengers, assemble! In Super Hero Squad Online, that is. The fine folks at Gazillion Entertainment announced today that in order to celebrate the upcoming release of the much-anticipated Avengers film, the latest update to the free-to-play title will allow players to assemble the original Avengers team thanks to the introduction of Ant-Man and a new World-War-II-era costume for Captain America. As comic aficionados know, the original Avengers team (unlike the team featured in the upcoming film) consisted of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, and Wasp. Now that Ant-Man has joined the fray, the entire roster of original Avengers characters is now available in SHSO, and not a second too soon. The mischievous trickster-god Loki is back in business, and it's up to players to protect Baxter Plaza and the fallen remains of Asgard from his destructive antics. So what are you waiting for? Assemble your team and get to work; humanity is depending on you, heroes. [Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]
The Avengers game in limbo as Marvel mulls over licensing
Speaking to Gamespot, Marvel has confirmed that the video game rights to "The Avengers" IP have reverted back to the company, enabling it to explore "potential publishing and licensing opportunities." Marvel's film division is on the verge of successfully concluding a multi-year plan to bring its greatest heroes, The Avengers, together in a blockbuster outing. Directed by Joss Whedon and scheduled to smash cinemas in May 2012, The Avengers is preceded and supported by films centered on each of the team's most prominent individuals. And alongside each of those films has been a tie-in game. Marvel's film strategy and culmination was mirrored by game publishers with Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and Captain America games -- right until The Avengers climax was canceled behind the scenes. Presumed to be in the hands of THQ's now-shuttered Australian studio (one of many victims in THQ's shift away from licensed titles), The Avengers looked to be a first-person action game starring an irradiated scientist, a cocky technologist, a norse god, a temporally misplaced super soldier and some guy with a bow. Whether that blueprint will survive or transfer to a new publisher is a question that won't be answered fully until Marvel confirms a new licensor. With the movie due in 2012 and the marketing guys insisting on synergy, there's very little time to start over and develop a quality game -- so, probably plenty of time to develop an average licensed game. (With an apologetic nod to the decent Captain America: Super Soldier.)
You really should have seen this amazing footage from The Avengers video game
Earlier this year THQ shuttered the Australian studio most likely working on The Avengers: The Video Game, and until now we didn't know how far along the game was, or how awesome it was turning out to be. A freshly leaked video shows The Avengers in a pre-alpha build, highlighting the game's sweet FPS mechanics -- unfortunately THQ has pulled the footage from YouTube, meaning you'll never get to see how amazing this thing was. Your life sucks. Not to rub it in your face, but we saw it and boy, was it good. The video showed the first-person perspectives of Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, all using unique fighting styles to destroy their enemies -- or get obliterated by them, as was the case against the X-Men and Fantastic Four Super-Skrulls. The art style appeared sophisticated, especially for a pre-alpha build, and it contained just the right amount of superhero violence, including an active input scene where Hulk slowly snapped the neck of a Super-Skrull. Seriously, it's a shame you'll never see this footage. Ever. Unless you see it here. We hope you appreciate it more this way.
The Avengers: The Video Game leaks, cancelled by THQ
Early last month, THQ shuttered a few Australian studios that were working on licensed titles. A leak seems to reveal what one of those titles could have been: A video game tie-in to the upcoming Avengers movie. WouldYouKindly poked around on a few websites of concept artists formerly employed by THQ, and found some concept art and even a test animation (which has since been hidden) showing off Thor, Captain America, and Hawkeye all beating up on some Skrull enemies. One concept also shows Hulk and Iron Man in the mix. The Avengers: The Video Game was at least being pitched, if not actually developed, for PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC. According to the LinkedIn profile of at least one developer, the game has been completely canceled, though we're not sure about the status of the license -- presumably, if THQ isn't making the game, Marvel could try shopping it to another developer or publisher.
Marvel Universe Online: how would it have worked?
Here's a question I haven't heard anyone ask. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Marvel Comics geek; I know what both MODOK and AIM stand for; I remember Wolverine from when he wore those silly little eye-wings and whiskers on his mask; heck, I recall Nick Fury heading up the Howling Commandos. So I was pretty excited to hear about the Marvel Universe MMO. I had fantasies of playing as my favorite character (Adam Warlock, in case anyone's interested) until I realized that the game couldn't possibly work that way.Think on it for a second: how many players would want to be Gambit, or the Hulk, or the Punisher? If even just two people, then there's a problem with identity. Even if you were to get around the problem with a suffix, i.e., Punisher213, then the brand has been diluted, and it no longer means anything. So, how would this MMO have worked?
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."
