comic-con 2010
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Google TV demo shows off Dish Network integration, universal search (video)
For those still wavering over the possibility of dropping a few Ben Franklins on something rocking the Google TV logo this fall, maybe the best idea is to get to know this new flavor of Android a bit better. StuffWeLike grabbed video of a Comic-Con 2010 demo that showed off its universal search in a level of detail we hadn't previously seen. Our earlier hands-on with Google TV partner Logitech (also included after the break) focused mostly on its ability to control other devices, but this has a decided emphasis on the user interface and what Google brings to HDTVs, particularly when fully tied in to Dish Network's DVR, and its ability to shift seamlessly from internet to live or recorded TV and back. The second half of the video shifts the focus to the Google Queue, a single menu for DVR recordings and podcasts (video or audio.) The camera's a bit jerky, but there's plenty of info in those menus flashing by including icons for previously announced apps from Netflix and Pandora and an inadvertent cameo from vlogger RayWJ about two and a half minutes in.
James Phinney discusses Guild Wars 2 classes, events, and combat at Comic-Con
Comic-Con may be over, but the news keeps rolling in. The newest video over at GameTrailers is of a chat with ArenaNet's Design Director James Phinney. James gave a brief rundown of what we know about Guild Wars 2 so far, explaining the combat roles of the classes we know: elementalist, warrior, and ranger. He also covered the dynamic event system that we've heard so much about, as well as the reasoning behind it. Finally, he addressed the burning question of "When?" Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to wait for that coveted date a bit longer: "When it's ready." For now, you can look after the jump to see the video for yourself.
Nexon grows as MapleStory hits 7 million registered users
It must be said that Nexon is having a good year. A very, very good year indeed. As free-to-play titles are on the rise in the MMORPG genre, Nexon is reaping the benefits of this trend as more people flock to its titles like Mabinogi. As a result, the company has seen a 26% jump in revenue for the second quarter this year, and its profits are trending up compared to the same time last year. Even for F2P MMOs, Nexon's games boast impressive numbers: MapleStory has crossed the seven million registered user line, Combat Arms four million and Mabinogi one million. "Our player base and revenues continue to expand, which tells us that gamers find that our free-to-play business model fits their play needs," said Nexon America CEO Daniel Kim. Nexon is also looking forward to releasing Vindictus, a promising title that we most recently previewed at San Diego Comic-Con last month.
Preview: City of Heroes: Going Rogue
I got to play the new Going Rogue expansion for City of Heroes at Comic-Con. I haven't played the six-year-old MMO in a while, so I was out of the loop -- since I'd last played it, Paragon Studios has updated the graphics, added a mission editor, and put out a host of other upgrades and features. But Going Rogue's big feature is something players have been asking about for a while: For the first time in the game, heroes and villains will be able to switch sides with an interesting set of morality quests. Paragon Studios senior producer Jesse Caceres and the game's art lead, David Nakayama, told me that the alignment change is a natural evolution from all of the other customization choices they've given to players in the past. "One of our strengths is the character creation system," says Caceres, "and with the Mission Architect, players could custom create and craft their own stories, create their own villain groups. We want to give players more options, so with this expansion, we're giving them the freedom to change their alignments from Hero to Villain" (and vice versa).
SDCC 2010: Part two of our DCUO panel report
Today we have more from the question-and-answer portion of the DC Universe Online panel at the San Diego Comic-Con last week. (Part one of the panel was posted earlier this week.) Panelists included Creative Director Jens Andersen, Game Director Chris Cao, legendary comic book writer Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee, and the voice of the Joker, Mark Hamill. Will there be a mechanic for switching from hero to villain or vice versa? No. You make the choice of hero or villain at character creation, and it can't be changed after that. This is so it is clear to other players in PvP who is on what team. Will current storylines in the DC comic universe affect the MMO? The game will launch "pristine"; that is, the DC Universe in the game will be the popular, well-known one. Wonder Woman will be in her classic costume; Bruce Wayne will be Batman; etc. From there, storylines from the comics may start altering the MMO universe, but at least from the get-go, the game will start with a clean slate. DCUO will be getting its own bi-weekly comic as well.
Splatterhouse producer talks blood, guts and paying homage
Controversy is not new to games, but few tend to attract it as eagerly as the upcoming Splatterhouse remake. Following our E3 preview of the game, we were unsure if Namco Bandai's effort would be little more than fodder for your local news looking to stir up viewers. I chatted with producer Dan Tovar at Comic-Con last week to find out if there's more to Splatterhouse than blood, guts and a sensational headline. "I was a huge fan of Splatterhouse since as far back as I could remember," Tovar told me. "Played the crap out of all three of the original games back in the '80s and '90s, and so when I came to Namco years ago, they were looking for concepts to get going in the next couple of years. I asked them, 'Are we going to be able to do old properties?' and they said yes. Splatterhouse was on the top of my list, so we just went to work trying to get a concept together, and it just snowballed from there." %Gallery-96412%
inFamous 2 Comic-Con panel acknowledges Cole's fear of fences
Sucker Punch Productions' Comic-Con 2010 panel offered a fairly comprehensive look at the past, present and future of the inFamous franchise, discussing a variety of topics ranging from protagonist Cole McGrath's creative origins to the inspirations behind his new crimefighting venue, New Marais. Of course, the biggest revelation came at the end of the panel, when the development team was forced to address Cole's biggest oft-criticized weakness: his selective inability to climb chain link fences. Will our hero be able to conquer these sinister, interwoven palisades in the upcoming sequel? Answers await in PlayStation.Blog's video wrapup of the panel, posted just after the jump.
World of Warcraft currency becomes real-world coins
We can easily wrap our minds around the hobby of coin collection -- after all, coins are pretty awesome, and at the end of the day, you're really just spending money on money, making it a relatively low-cost endeavor. However, DC Direct's recently pressed World of Warcraft-themed currency -- which comes in a set of one bronze, silver and gold coin, each featuring a faction leader and major city from the MMO on both sides -- is a bit beyond our understanding. According to G4, these three coins were on sale at Comic-Con for $69.99, though their real-life spendability is negligible at best. Heck, even if you wanted to use them to purchase your Artisan Riding skill and mount, you'd have to shell out well over $350,000 in order to do so. Then again, those things ... aren't real. But these coins are! And, as we've said, coins are awesome. We're so conflicted!
Preview: DC Universe Online 'Play as Iconic' arena battle mode
We've seen DC Universe Online several times now over the course of its development, and it's failed to much impress us. Still, the game continues to generate interest, if only because Sony Online Entertainment is bringing it to the PS3, and many gamers have been waiting for a new console MMO, polished or otherwise, for a long time. Last week at Comic-Con, SOE showed off the latest build of DCU and spotlighted a new feature with the awkward name "Play as Iconic." ("Iconic" is what the licensed DC comics characters are referred to as in the game.) In the main game, you will play as your own custom characters, getting guidance and help from established veterans like Batman and Superman. But, as you've probably deduced, in the Play as Iconic bonus mode, you'll get to play as DC heroes (or villains) in a 2-on-2 PvP match.
Felicia Day premieres The Guild music video and Xbox Live Avatar items at Comic-Con
Felicia Day was one of the biggest gamer stars at this year's Comic-Con -- she premiered the trailer for her Syfy movie Red, sat on a panel about "Girls Gone Geek" and made two announcements to the packed room during The Guild panel on Saturday afternoon: First, the gang has put together its second music video, dubbed "Game On" (which you can watch online or on Xbox Live); and second, Microsoft (which posts The Guild videos in HD on Xbox Live every Tuesday) will be releasing Guild-related Avatar skins this fall, so you can dress up your Xbox Live Avatar as your favorite Guild member. In between her busy schedule of panels and signings, I caught up with Day to chat about what she's been playing, the new music video and about whether or not The Guild webseries, currently in its fourth season, has outgrown its gamer roots. Find our conversation posted after the break. [Image credit: YGX]
Preview: The Behemoth's Battleblock Theater (Comic-Con build)
Indie gaming studio The Behemoth was an unexpected surprise among the video game booths at Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego. We haven't heard much about its upcoming Battleblock Theater since it was announced, making the brand new build on the show floor all the more enticing. Like the previous version we played, gameplay revolved around little blockheads battling it out in a deathmatch ... put on for the entertainment of large cats.
The plot thickens: More on Enslaved's inspired journey to the West
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was one of my favorite titles at E3 this year. It's got a terrific story foundation upon which Ninja Theory has built rock-solid combat, jazzed up by great art direction. This past week at Comic-Con, I spoke with Namco Bandai brand manager Laili Bosma, who filled in the background behind the game and fleshed out more of the gameplay mechanics that shape this promising action adventure. The game's key aspect is the relationship between its two main characters. While their names and basic personalities have been taken from the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, Bosma stresses that Enslaved is "very, very loosely based" on the famous tale. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic future where Trip, a fragile 19-year-old redhead, embarks on a perilous journey to return home. In order to survive, she recruits the player-controlled Monkey, a brutish slave, bound to Trip by a deadly, magical headband. %Gallery-97232%
Preview: Dragon Age 'Golems of Amgarrak' DLC
"We just brought it down," the marketing guy from BioWare told me while waiting in line. The company was already bringing a bunch of computers to Comic-Con to let visiting fans preview Dragon Age 2, so they figured why not bring some PCs down all loaded up with unreleased DLC to play, too? Other companies hold secret sneak previews and require pages of NDA agreements to see their unreleased games for the first time, but BioWare just brings them to Comic-Con. So yes, alongside the public, I got a chance to see the upcoming DLC. And the first thing I heard about it is that it's hard. Really hard. Dragon Age: Origins is already a game that requires some thinking, but BioWare has apparently turned up the difficulty on this one -- there's lots of big enemies, I was told, that will provide a challenge even on the easiest setting.
Red Faction: Armageddon and the balance of open-world versus story-driven
THQ and Volition brought Red Faction: Armageddon to Comic-Con last weekend, and even though the demo on display was the same one we saw behind closed doors at E3, we threatened to collapse their headquarters with a Nano Forge if they didn't tell us something new about the game. Volition producer Dan Sutton and writer Drew Holmes gave us a little insight on what they're planning to do with the story of Darius Mason, Alec's grandson. Let's get the important stuff out of the way first: The sledgehammer is coming back, so don't worry about that. As for the Ostrich, I didn't get confirmation so much as laughter from the developers, but they said that there would probably be something silly in the game this time around, depending on what the community came up with. "It's up to NeoGAF," joked Holmes. "Someone will photoshop something, and then we'll be stuck." %Gallery-97741%
Dead Space 2 producer reflects on the changes and challenges of the sequel
First on the agenda for my meeting with Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis at Comic-Con was an earnest request: better tutorials, please. After all, I had played through the entire first game without realizing that I could press a button to use a medkit -- that I didn't have to open up the onscreen inventory, while being attacked, to heal. "You're not alone," Papoutsis said laughing. "We're currently focus testing some of our tutorials, and believe you me, we've got two that remind you to do that, because you're not alone." "That was a feature that we were in hot debate over," Papoutsis added, "and many of us, myself included, really pushed for it." Similar discussions have carried over into the development of the sequel, as Visceral Games continues to refine the gameplay. "We're taking it a step further," Papoutsis said of Dead Space 2, "so now, when you're not in combat or aim mode, you'll use one of your stasis recharge items. We've got health and stasis mapped" to a button. %Gallery-97881%
Hey, check out this Claptrap toy, everybody -- it's dancing, it's dancing
Everyone's favorite character from Borderlands is getting a toy, courtesy of NECA. No, we're not talking about a Scooter action figure (though that sounds like an excellent idea), we're talking about bounty board attendant supreme, CL4P-TP -- Claptrap, for short. NECA was on-hand at Comic-Con this past weekend, showing off the prototype above. The final version, which will be able to recite lines from the game, is slated for release this October. Frankly, we can't wait to get our own, mostly because we've always wondered what kind of loot our house has been hiding.
Woz coming to the Big Bang Theory
Our own Steve Wozniak is scheduled to appear on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory sometime later this year, the cast and crew told an audience at their Comic-Con panel this weekend. Woz is already no stranger to television, of course, but I think this is the first time he's appeared on a non-reality show, so we'll get to take a look at the guy's acting chops. There weren't any details on who he'd be playing (presumably himself), or how he came into contact with the show's four nerdy scientists and/or their pretty neighbor. I like the Big Bang Theory -- while it does succumb to the sitcom genre's usually corny conventions, it's a pretty smart show, and the nerd references are sincere and constant (geekstar Wil Wheaton has also appeared on the show a few times, and I remember seeing Firefly's Summer Glau and BSG's Katee Sackhoff on there as well). Plus, it's always great to see Woz out and about -- we'll keep an eye out for his appearance on the show's season four this year.
THQ's Danny Bilson reveals the universe of Red Faction media
THQ's Core Games VP Danny Bilson contributed to a panel with a few Syfy execs this past weekend at Comic-Con, along with Andrew Kreisberg, writer for the upcoming Red Faction: Origins movie. The panel was about "transmedia" in general and Red Faction specifically, with THQ being a prime example of a company trying to tell (and sell) a universe's stories across multiple platforms and media. The way it's all going to work is that Red Faction Guerilla starred Alex Mason, Red Faction: Origins will star his son and daughter Jake and Myra, and then Red Faction Armageddon will star Darius Mason, Alex's grandson. Kriesberg revealed that the movie will feature "three sort of main factions," and that "they're all sort of right. Everyone thinks this is their planet, and that's what makes the drama." Kriesberg shared one line from the movie that he believes wraps up a major theme: "It's hard to win a war, because the winners have to clean up." Bilson also mentioned the upcoming downloadable game, and said that one of the factions from the movie, the White Faction, will have "elements" in the XBLA and PSN title. Bilson said that THQ's got "two more of these" transmedia properties "in the hopper" -- we presume he means Saints Row and de Blob, both previously revealed to be in progress.
Suicide Squad game in production, says DC's Geoff Johns
During a DC Universe panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns revealed plans for a game adaptation of the .... less than well-known Suicide Squad. According to Comics Alliance, Johns revealed as much during a panel on the ever-expanding DC Universe, only saying that the game would be "hardcore violent." Comics Alliance believes it could be released alongside the film of the same name, currently in-production. Unfortunately, Johns didn't give any further details, or even an idea of when we might hear more about it. Given that DC Comics HQ isn't too far from our offices, though, we might assemble a Suicide Squad of our own and head over to find out more. We've already said too much!
Decorate your Front Mission Evolved robot with logos from ... Metal Gear?!
During Comic-Con, Square Enix revealed what Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa were up to when they visited the company last month: Metal Gear-themed decals for use in Front Mission Evolved. You won't exactly be able to make your Wanzer look like a Metal Gear, but you will be able to festoon it with logos from FOXHOUND, Militaires Sans Frontieres, and other in-game factions. Kojima even signed autographs at Square Enix's Comic-Con booth to celebrate the announcement. The surprise (!) brought with it another nice bonus: the stylish Front Mission Evolved trailer after the break.
