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Alter Ego: Issue #3 - DCUO's Streets of Fear
Previously in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical suited up with a little help from Oracle and learned to harness his new exobyte powers after escaping from Brainiac's deadly harvester ship. Now, he must assist the Gotham vigilante known as Batman as he tracks the nefarious Scarecrow through the city's East End. Can Kid Critical and the Bat family stop Scarecrow's deadly fear gas before it blankets the entire city? Find out in Alter Ego #3: Streets of Fear.
Report: Lego Marvel Super Heroes won't appear at Xbox One launch
Initially slated for release on November 22 to coincide with the Xbox One launch, Lego Marvel Super Heroes has been delayed, reports MCV. Though it's still expected to appear reasonably soon, publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is currently unable or unwilling to offer a new release date for the game. "We will provide a release date for Lego Marvel Super Heroes on Xbox One as soon as possible," the company told MCV, after confirming that it would not be ready in time for the Xbox One launch. The key question now is whether this delay is global or if it only affects the UK, where MCV is located. We've attempted to contact Warner Bros. Interactive for clarification on when North American gamers can expect to see Lego Marvel Super Heroes on Microsoft's next console, but have so far received no response.
DC Universe Online 're-launches' on PS4, remains compatible with PS3 game
When Sony Online Entertainment launches the PlayStation 4 incarnation of DC Universe Online on November 15, the game will look shiny and new, even if under the hood it's largely the same adventure. As you'd expect, the PlayStation 4 game will look much better than its predecessor. According to senior creative producer Jens Andersen, the DC Universe Online team has reworked much of the original game's art for the new platform. "We're targeting 1080p at 60 frames per second," stated Andersen. Most crucially, players on either the PS4 or PS3 side of DC Universe Online will be able to play alongside one another. No new content is being added to the PS4 game that's not already available in its predecessor, so this cross-compatibility shouldn't throw off the game's balance. Further, Andersen mentions a number of tweaks to core game systems that should make the learning curve less daunting while also rendering the game as a whole more intuitive to new players. You can find more details on what to expect when DC Universe Online hits the PlayStation 4 at Sony's official PlayStation.blog.
Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical escaped from Brainiac's dastardly clutches and -- aided by the Man of Steel -- brought down one of the evil overlord's deadly harvester ships. But Brainiac still has designs on digitizing Earth and all its inhabitants. And both supervillains and petty criminals alike are leveraging the chaos to cause big trouble for the Justice League and its new exobyte-powered allies. Now, Kid Critical returns home to Gotham City, struggling with his super powers and at the mercy of a mysterious hacker called Oracle. Will he master his exobytes in time to help save the city? Or will he end up as another grease spot on Gotham's mean streets? Find out in Alter Ego #2: Learning to Fly.
Pre-order Injustice Ultimate Edition on Steam, earn 10% discount
The PC version of Injustice: Gods Among Us is a bit late to the party, but to convince would be Batmen - Batmans? - to grab a copy, Steam is now offering a discount to any who pre-order the fighter. Being an Ultimate Edition, the PC game includes all of the heroes, villains, costumes and STAR Labs missions included in the initial release of Injustice: Gods Among Us, as well as the game's copious DLC additions. In sum, that's six additional characters, 30 new costumes and 60 extra missions to test your crime fighting (or causing) abilities. This 10 percent discount is currently available to any Steam user, though keep in mind that it's only valid for a limited time. Once Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition launches on November 12, it will return to its standard $50 price point.
PSA: The Last of Us comic paperback version out now
The Last of Us: American Dreams from Dark Horse Comics is now available for purchase in paperback form. Set a short time before the events of The Last of Us, American Dreams gives fans a chance to learn more about Naughty Dog's fungi-infected world. The comic focuses on Ellie and her friendship with a girl named Riley. Although Riley never appears in the game, the two girls' friendship provides important context for Ellie's behavior. American Dreams is co-written by Faith Erin Hicks and Neil Druckmann, while Hicks also provides the artwork for the comic. If you want to take a sneak peek, you can read the first six pages of the comic on the Dark Horse website.
Batman: Arkham Origins bugs prompt Warner Bros. apology
Following its recent launch, Batman: Arkham Origins greeted players with a number of game-breaking glitches - so many that publisher Warner Bros. Interactive has issued a public apology. The lengthy missive does its best to reassure players before outlining the three issues causing the most problems: players falling through the game's geometry, a vanishing "Continue" option on the main menu and an odd bug that removes FreeFlow Focus combat mode once a player has attained a third rank in the Shadow Vigilante skill. Helpfully, Warner Bros. claims to be working diligently to fix these problems. "The team has been working around the clock to review, validate and pinpoint the problems that have been reported and we have identified three main issues which we are tackling first, and are listed below," reads a message added to the official Arkham Origins forums. "For these issues, we expect the software update to be available within the next week."
Long-time WI reader/comics writer brings WoW back to his panels
Remember John Zakour? You'll be forgiven if you don't -- it's been a while since we first met the sci-fi and comics writer in a 15 Minutes of Fame feature back in 2009. John went on to become one of our reader judges in the commentated era of Two Bosses Enter, One Boss Leaves, perfectly dividing his insights between the pointed observations of a seasoned player and a certain pulp fiction snark. Now that WoW has once again sucked the intrepid mage back into its clutches, the characters in his regular online comic have WoW on their minds again, too. Hop over to Maria's Day and Working Daze for a quick smile from an old WoW friend. We expect Maria's recent tangle over WoW with her mother won't be her last!
Alter Ego: Issue #1 - Kid Critical in DC Universe Online
Some intergalactic psychopath called Brainiac covets the Earth. He's trying to digitize the lot of us, see, only his exobyte technology has some... unforeseen side effects. At the risk of going all science whiz on you, I'll just say that these nanite exobyte gizmos transformed hundreds of humans into uber-powerful ubermensch. Mutants or even metahumans, if you'd prefer. We're superheroes, really, when you get right down to it. It's a good thing, too, because Earth's real superheroes couldn't stop Brainiac. Superman, Batman, the Justice League, all of them failed. Even supervillains attempted to save mankind, for a time at least. Before long, though, they did what villains do: They leveraged chaos and exploited disorder for their own selfish ends. So, yep, it's pretty much business as usual but for the meglomaniacal space invader bent on destroying both sides. Me, I'm just a soldier in this new war, one of a fortunate few gifted with the power of Brainiac's buggy exobytes. Before all this I was a nobody. A minor game critic or some such silliness. Now, my friends just call me the kid. You can call me Kid Critical. Every two weeks, Kid Critical and his Alter Ego, mal-mannered game journo Jef Reahard, take you for a whirlwind tour of DC Universe Online. Join the dynamic duo as they explore PvE, PvP, story content, and more!
Lego Marvel Super Heroes PC demo swings into action
PC-owning fans of both comic books and sharp, angular blocks can now find a free demo of Lego Marvel Super Heroes on the game's official website. As Eurogamer points out, the demo is relatively short look at the game's virtual Manhattan but does include playable Iron Man and Hulk sections as well as appearances by Sandman and the Abomination. Developer TT Games announced the PC demo release during last weekend's New York Comic Con, alongside similar demos for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which should arrive later this week. Lego Marvel Super Heroes is slated for retail release on November 15, at which point you can find it on the Nintendo DS and 3DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Vita, Wii U and Windows platforms. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Lego Marvel Super Heroes are slated to be released as launch titles for those consoles.
The Witcher rides a Dark Horse into the comic book world
The Witcher series developer CD Projekt RED have teamed with comic publisher Dark Horse to bewitch the American comic store with a comic series set in the Witcher universe. The series will be penned by Eisner Award winner Paul Tobin, with art by Joe Querio, and available starting March 19, 2014. A press release described the story as one with mystery and horror: "Travelling near the edge of the Black Forest, in the land of the Angren, monster hunter Geralt meets a widowed man whose dead and murderous wife resides in an eerie mansion known as the House of Glass." It was unclear at what point in The Witcher series' timeline the comic will take place. In an interview with Newsarama, Tobin teased "monsters and pretty women." On a DeviantArt page attributed to Querio, a journal post reads "Monsters and women... What better combination can there possibly be!?" It sounds like the comic might, just maybe, feature monsters and women.
Infinite Crisis introduces new customization options
Lead designer Ryan Bednar offers an introduction to "amplifiers," item sets scheduled to join Infinite Crisis in the MOBA's October update which offer players a simple way to alter the abilities and stats of their DC Comics superhero of choice.
3000AD partners with DC for Line of Defense comic
Derek Smart-led Line of Defense developer 3000AD announced this week that it has partnered with DC Comics to create a digital comic book set in the Line of Defense universe. The comic, built as a 12-part miniseries, will cover four separate stories from both factions of the game's core conflict. One story will launch each quarter, with the first hitting shelves this month and the final set due in July of 2014. While the Line of Defense comic is mostly stuck in the digital world, a limited edition printing of the first story, Payback, will be available as a free giveaway at DC Comics' booth during New York Comic-Con. Ten thousand copies will also be distributed to comic book stores; Line of Defense fans who can't make the con can pick up a free copy October 16th at their local nostalgia dungeon. The Line of Defense game, meanwhile, continues its cruise through a very extended beta. [Thanks to Saucelah for the tip!]
DC Comics and Vertigo graphic novels arrive on Google Play, Sandman and all
If you've looked up to Google Play and DC Comics and shouted "save us money" without hearing any whispered responses, there's a reason: they were waiting. Today, DC Entertainment announced that it's brought a whole slew of its comics and Vertigo graphic novels to Google's online storefront in the form of collected editions. This "extensive lineup" is available now and includes Watchmen, Sandman and a chunk of the recent DC Universe. ComiXology is getting the same deal, but unlike Google Play's previously sparse selection, a lot of what's listed after the break was already available within the digital comics app. It may not be as comprehensive of an offering compared to what's available on other marketplaces, but hey, it's a start.
Batman: Arkham Origins Season Pass adds skins, story expansion
Those of you planning to pick up Batman: Arkham Origins may want to earmark an extra $20 for the game's Season Pass, as it includes a host of bonus content and even additional story. Included are the Millennium and Infinite Earths Skin Packs, which each feature five new costumes for Batman and one for Robin. The Gotham By Gaslight and Brightest Day packs deliver two additional Batman skins, while the Initiation DLC pack allows players to battle the forces of evil as Bruce Wayne. Most notably, the Season Pass also grants access to an as-yet unnamed expansion pack which is said to expand the plotline found in Batman: Arkham Origins. Batman: Arkham Origins debuts on the PlayStation 3, PC, Wii U and Xbox 360 on October 25. The Season Pass should appear at the same time.
Superman meets his match in Scribblenauts Unmasked launch trailer
Scribblenauts Unmasked is now available to the public and to celebrate, publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released a trailer proving that not even Superman can compete with the powers of an imaginative child.
Batman: Arkham Origins goes retro in Knightfall DLC
The Sony-exclusive Knightfall DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins features five new challenge maps as well as two character skins: Inexplicably muscular Adam West circa 1963, and Jean-Paul Valley, the angry guy who replaced Bruce Wayne as Batman for a blessedly short period in the mid-90s.
The end has come for this issue of WildStar's webcomic
WildStar's Victor Lazarin and Mondo Zax have interesting surprises in store for one another, according to the latest update to Carbine's Tales from Beyond the Fringe: Mystery and Mayhem Issue #001. This update marks the end of Issue #001, with the next issue likely to begin next week. Mystery and Mayhem follows the experiments of Lazarin and Zax, both leading innovators for their particular factions, as they create horrible creatures and generally do mad scientist-type things. Check out the exciting conclusion to Issue #001 over on the official site.
Meet Arcane Green Lantern in new Infinite Crisis trailer
The next hero slated to join Turbine's MOBA Infinite Crisis is the Arcane Green Lantern, a superhero variation who boasts a suite of defensive abilities and the best Warhammer cosplay this side of a Warcraft sequel.
The Nexus Telegraph: WildStar Comix
I am a really big fan of comics. If this comes as a shock, possibly one that invites shock and horror, I apologize. But I love comics. We have bookshelves filled with comics in my house, I spend a lot of my free time reading comics, and I know a fair bit about comics. Not even close to everything, though, which is half the fun of comics in general. There's always more to learn, always something great that you've never heard of. The point I'm slowly getting to here is that I was pretty excited when WildStar started up a comic. I think this is something that more games should do because comics lend themselves to MMOs pretty naturally. So what's good, what's mediocre, and what's bad in the comics that are running thus far? Even with just two weeks of comics I've already formed some pretty strong opinions about this stuff.
