By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/14/2016
The day before E3 officially kicks off, or as some call it “Media Monday”, always boils down to a competition of sorts between two of the gaming industry’s titans; Microsoft vs. Sony. Every year this battle’s gravity can’t be compared to anything less than a heavyweight prizefight in Vegas. Unlike boxing, it’s ever rarely a draw. […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/12/2016
Telltale Games, with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment, today unveiled the first look at BATMAN – The Telltale Series ahead of its worldwide debut this summer. The game will see footage debut this week at E3 in LA. “We’ve been hard at work at Telltale creating an all-new iteration of the iconic Batman […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 3/25/2016
What started as a game for the PlayStation 2 is now a movie spawning the same game for the PlayStation 4. When it comes to paradox no characters have had bigger ones than the furry lombax named Ratchet and his tiny robot friend Clank. Games, comics, and now a movie; Wondercon was treated to a […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 3/14/2016
![2145416_LEGO_Marvel_Avengers_Logo[1]](http://www.comicsbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2145416_LEGO_Marvel_Avengers_Logo1-150x52.jpg){kind=logo}
With Marvel Studios Civil War just around the corner, Lego Marvel’s Avengers game released their own versions of the characters we’ll see in the film. This add on content is free for fans who own the game. Included in the pack are new versions of Captain America, Iron Man, War Machine, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/5/2016
Rey may not have made it onto Hasbro’s Boardwalk but next week she’ll be front and center as video game pinball developer Zen Studios releases a pair of new tables based on the mega blockbuster, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. First, the Force Awakens table sees Rey, the breakout character of the new Star Wars […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/15/2015
After reports surfaced earlier today about Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima officially leaving Konami and starting a new game studio; the final word came down when PlayStation worldwide CEO Andrew House announced the news alongside a slightly more bearded Kojima. Check out the big reveal below: The new studio (officially named KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS) will […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/15/2015
2015’s saga of the Kojima/Konami controversy appears to finally be at an end. Konami’s drama began earlier this year with rumors, the cancelation of Silent Hills, and even Kojima’s name being removed from box art of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Most recently at The Game Awards we all learned Kojima had been prevented […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/11/2015
Lego Marvel's Avengers was the best game of PSX and here's why.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/10/2015
Comics are the forefront of what we love here at the Beat, but when Marvel delays its latest event you need something more to pass the time. That’s where gaming comes in. At this year’s PlayStation Experience, we went hands on with tons of new and upcoming games. Here’s our impressions of some of the most […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/9/2015
What's the secret to Sony's convention success?
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 12/3/2015
Just a short time ago at The Game Awards we got the surprise announcement about Telltale Games taking on the world of Batman in 2016. Now they’ve debuted footage from the highly anticipated The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series. “We’ve been hard at work on this very special exploration of The Walking Dead universe that will […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 11/6/2015
Fallout 4 parties like it's 2099
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/16/2015
Today over on the WB Games Community forums the remainder of Batman: Arkham Knight‘s downloadable content rollout was announced. In addition to new story episodes featuring Robin and a slew of Batman’s villains it was also mentioned that the Catwoman episode originally set for October is delayed to November. The troubled PC version of the game […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 10/3/2015
Telltale Games rolls out the redstone carpet for the Minecraft Community in LA
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 9/22/2015
New Arkham Knight DLC drops today to help season pass holders chip away at that feeling of throwing away $40
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/17/2015
Valiant Entertainment are bring their comics to your PlayStation menus.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 7/9/2015
Vampirella is a raven-haired heroine who remains, even after 45 years of publication, one of the comic industry’s leading ladies, due in no small part to Dynamite Entertainment’s stewardship of the character. Since Vampirella’s very healthy resurgence in 2010, Dynamite has published two volumes of a monthly series, several miniseries and one-shot specials, and crossovers with multimedia brands and comic book peers. The Vampirella franchise is a haven for writers and artists with a penchant for the macabre.Red Sonja, known also as “The She-Devil with a Sword,” is renowned as fantasy fiction’s most prominent female character, formerly a swashbuckling ally of the Robert E. Howard character, Conan. Her early adventures in the Marvel Feature comic book series led to a successful ongoing Red Sonja solo series, a celebrated run of comics from 1976 through 1979. Dynamite Entertainment acquired the Red Sonjalicense in 2005 as their second-ever published title, arriving on newsstands to critical acclaim and a very receptive audience. Dynamite has since published over one hundred Red Sonja comic books, including crossovers with popular characters including Conan, Dejah Thoris (of Warlord of Mars), Vampirella, Spider-Man, and more.The Red Sonja and Vampirella themes for PS4 allow users to view amazing art each time they boot up their game systems, and are available for purchase here:
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/21/2015
The kiosks are torn down, the free shirts are all gone, and the YouTubers are in editing. Yep, another E3 is finally in the books. Now the hard part of waiting for the games on the show floor to find their way to our homes begins. Now that the gauntlet of bouncing from appointment to appointment is done, you can read about all the games we got hands on time with.
For now I want everyone to take a peek at a slice of our week through the eyes of independent film maker Ricardo Ramirez.
All photos by Ricardo Ramirez
Thanks for the photos and that’s it for us from E3, read the E3 Wrap Up for a chance to win a prize pack from the show and we’ll do more at SDCC in a few weeks.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/21/2015
Before we move on to the next big show here at Comics Beat, I wanted to talk a little about the E3 2015 that was and the shape of two industries post show.
E3 2015 is done. Now the hard part of waiting for everything we saw to be in our actual hands begins. No wait, Arkham Knight comes out Tuesday. I happen to agree with what popular gaming site Kotaku said about this year’s show. Sure in the moment, you can’t help but feel anything except excitement for the future. Then shortly after the show when I walked down Figueroa and saw the giant Batman banner. It suddenly dawned on me, I’m actually glad it’s over cause I get to play that next week. We knew Halo and Fallout would be coming this year, but every surprise we saw seemed to be for a much later date. In a world of bacon wrapped pizzas, you don’t know if you have that kind of time.
On Monday, I gave the overall E3 victory to Xbox. Once Tuesday rolled around and we saw longer versions of what Sony showed during their press event; the victory was still the same but the margin by which Microsoft came out victorious was smaller. “We won’t charge you to play the games you already own”, backwards compatibly was the announcement of the show and such a consumer friendly move. It’s a jab directly at Sony that states Microsoft’s intent. It might not be the top feature you look for in a console, but it’s certainly one worth putting in bold on the box. While it remains to roll out, if Xbox can pull off free backwards compatibility it gains them back so much good will they lost early on. For all I love about PlayStation including the Vita and PS Plus, its entire ecosystem is like the newer Terminator movies they just don’t speak to each other very well and that leaves an opening for Xbox.
What happens post show, well Sony has a chance that Microsoft won’t. Because of the punches that PlayStation took this time around, they’ll have another huge PlayStation Experience event like they did in Las Vegas. It’ll be the opportunity for them to regroup and sell fans on Morpheus, perhaps also backtrack on the PS Now. The event’s crowd will undoubtedly be biased in favor of Sony, so much so that even if PlayStation literally admitted charging their customers to stream old games they already own was a mistake, it would still be met with thunderous applause that drowns out media criticism. It’ll also be the point where Sony can either cancel Morpheus or drop a focused presentation that ends with major price news. With multiple VR headsets scheduled to come out in 2016, Sony has to do something to ensure the early adopters will be on their side. Let’s face it, this unproven technology doesn’t leave financial room for gamers to have multiple headsets. Just like Highlander, “there can only be one”… well in our homes anyway.
That’s the thought of the overall show. Now I want to talk about what we’re all about here… comics! Mostly how they relate to the gaming industry after E3. The volume and direction of how comic books traverse the world of gaming speaks to the state of both mediums. One thing that particularly stuck out to me was how many games are being licensed by comics publishers as opposed to video games licensing comics. Such a gap leaves opportunity for comics publishers to make better inroads with gaming audiences.
Look at all the books, either recently in stores or coming soon, that are based on video games. Halo: Escalation, Tomb Raider, Plants Vs Zombies, Mirror’s Edge: Exordium, Skylanders, Metal Gear and Persona 4 are just some that come to mind. Most of those titles are the result of deals where Marvel or any comics publisher approach studios with hopes of producing a book or two based on the most popular games. And why wouldn’t they, gaming has the largest captive young audience of any medium. It would almost be foolish not to.
There’s also a flip side to that coin. Lately, most video game publishers aren’t in a hurry to license comics. Major exceptions are becoming more rare these days. Batman: Arkham Asylum was the first true quality Batman comic game. It came at a critical time when WB needed to capitalize on comics. We got Watchmen a few years after getting the taste of Superman Returns out of our mouths, but WB was on it’s way to producing a bad Green Lantern movie. With some of their major properties coming to an end in film, WB needed comics to be consistently viable in other places. Their game’s division was a perfect catalyst for something big and they had the right studio in Rocksteady. The rest is Arkham history.
Can you remember a big comic book based game that didn’t come from the in-house parent company? Probably the best, most recent example would be Telltale Games The Walking Dead. Telltale is a studio with a rich licensed game library like Sam & Max and Back to the Future to name a few, but they weren’t on the map of mainstream media. That attention didn’t come till they crafted one of the best Walking Dead stories ever with Lee and Clementine. At this year’s E3 they announced a new project based in the comic book world of Walking Dead which features fan favorite character Michonne. Telltale themselves are a great developer and made fantastic story driven games before Kirkman, but I don’t believe they’d be where they are today without Walking Dead.
Games carry a similar curse to film. Just because a studio taps a property doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll ever get to play that game. Some time ago there was talk of Aspen Comics’ Fathom being a game but that never happened and even though 2K’s partnership with Top Cow gave us back-to-back games based on The Darkness; the second ended on a cliffhanger that left us wanting a third we’ll never see.
When you look at things objectively, the video game industry certainly doesn’t need comics. It’s emerged as the dominant form of entertainment and rightfully so. Comics just can’t match that level of volume sales and distribution, but there is room to grow through gaming. It just needs the flow to change. Marvel and DC didn’t accomplish this on the level it intended to with film. Moviegoers who don’t read comics are older and less likely to go from the theater to the comic shop. The immersive nature of gaming is a better primer for this in its younger audience. Sure the Arkham and Injustice books do well because their known properties, but there’s a significant percentage of their buyers that never picked up a comic book until they saw those titles and were easily accessible through digital platform.
Yes, it’s easier said than done but comic creators need to focus less on getting that movie deal and more on who would make a kick-ass game out of my comic. You could argue that only the major books from the big two have a chance at crossing into games, but then how you you explain The Wolf Among Us based on Fables or The Darkness. Both of those games are stellar examples of what could be accomplished with properties that aren’t part of the mainstream.
I know that neither industry is as simple as I just made it seem, and sure there’s tons of legal meetings people must have behind close doors before something can even get off the ground. We just aren’t as in the dark as we think. One of the benefits of the social media age is having access to the people who make your favorite games. Part of why more comics aren’t games is because we don’t tweet out things such as “hey I loved this game, and this comic would be awesome in that style” enough. Most of Image Comics line up would be awesome in gaming. I love what Dark Horse Comics did with The Last of Us, but I think a Hellboy game based on the comics and made by Ninja Theory would be a winner.
In order to achieve the growth in comics readership we’d all love to see; gamers have to be exposed to Superman (better than before), Saga, and even Archie. Bringing games over to comics isn’t a bad start, but the flows can’t be as lopsided as in recent years. Why is Batman: Arkham Knight the only, based on a comic book, blockbuster game coming out this year. The goal should be at least two or three a year. Comic industry, instead of saying hey let us make a comic based on Mortal Kombat, it’s time to say have you thought about making a game based on our Teen Titans book!
If you’ve read through this then thanks and you definitely deserve a prize. So let’s giveaway a bunch of E3 stuff first person that follows @Comicsbeat on instagram and tags us in a shot of their favorite comic book game wins this and a few other pieces from E3 and it includes a shirt given away by the folks at Batman: Arkham Knight.
If you aren’t on instagram, then follow and tweet the same thing at me.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/16/2015
Midday Tuesday, the Los Angeles Convention Center will open its exhibit hall doors and over 125,000 gamers, press, and VIPs will spend three days talking about and playing video games. Monday was the traditional press conference filled day before the show where each major publisher gets an hour or so in the media spotlight (except Nintendo which happens Tuesday morning). Over the last few years it’s become the unofficial start of E3 and today the latest chapter of console wars was waged.
These lavish presentations full of bright lights, fog machines, and the occasional video game trailer have become a competition between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. Sure a case could be made for Bethesda after their take no prisoners flurry of Doom and Fallout 4 on Sunday night, but for now we’ll only examine two of the big three (Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation).
Every year this day has the feel of a heavyweight prize fight in Vegas but with less scripted stuff, and for the most part it’s worth paying to see. This year could be summarized as the year of distinction. Rather than trade jabs or brag about how many units they’ve moved, both Sony and Microsoft stuck to what puts butts in their seats… games. In doing so each showed a shifted focus on different aspects of the market.
When Xbox opened their presentation this morning they did so by having a female lead from 343 Industries take the stage. For those who don’t know 343 Industries are the current developer of Halo games and the unquestionable massive blockbuster in the making Halo 5: Guardians. Huge step for female leaders in the gaming industry. Now as to where Xbox has focused their energy and resource, well it’s easy to see; they’re after the Summer popcorn flick audience.
Halo 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears 4, Forza 6; all these exclusive experiences coming to the Xbox One and all are created on the premise of generating revenue in excess of 3 times what it cost to produce. You know what? They’ve got a legitimate shot of doing so. Look at Gears 4:
It’s over the top action, it’s entertaining violence, it’s a sequel, it’s Hollywood. The same could be said for the other big titles shown by Xbox.
Sure ID@Xbox exists to keep the footprint of independent creation at Microsoft, but nothing has emerged exclusively out of that camp as a contender for a game of the year award. There are some promising titles coming soon from it, particularly the Cuphead game, but it’s far from a “game changer”.
Xbox’s current strategy is focused on opening wallets with adrenaline rushes to the eyes, and along the way they managed to be first to give console gamers the thing they’ve been clamoring for, Backwards Compatibility! Monday they dropped information on the first true version of this feature we all believe is so simple you’d think it should have been there all along. It’s not a service you’ll have to pay for, nope, Xbox simply wants you to put in an old 360 game and play it on your new Xbox One. There’s still a lot of details to work out including; if the day comes where every game is backwards compatible but has online multiplayer servers that were shut down, what then. But this is a step in the right direction for Xbox and will certainly help them get the audience who haven’t made the transition from Xbox 360 to Xbox One for fear of losing their library.
Remember when we all wanted to burn Xbox at the stake and everyone groaned at DRM protected games and a console that always had to be connected to the Internet. Then when it came in $100 more than its competition everyone all but wrote off Microsoft. They’ve come a long way since those days. Now consider that Phil Spencer was the first corporate face in this new era of consoles to come out, and by focusing on games, say this is why you bought an Xbox One. While Xbox hasn’t fully recovered from their mistakes which led to an almost insurmountable uphill PR battle; they have managed get back up before the count of 10. Xbox is actually giving gamers what we want, deal with it!
Now don’t get things mixed up. PlayStation is my jam! The warm feels you have about that old 8-bit Nintendo where you had to blow in the cartridges, throw salt over your shoulder, and sacrifice a chicken in order to make it work (not sure about those last two); that’s how I feel about the original PS one. I’ve stuck with Sony through all their missteps and those E3 press events where you keep yelling at the screen begging them to stop showing a demo of a book. This year Sony put up one hell of a show, especially when going in it appeared they might not have much to talk about.
What they did demonstrate on Monday is how radically different their focus is from that of the competition. PlayStation, more than Microsoft, has an uncanny affirmation to the art of video games. Sure, we saw one presentation for their triple-A exclusive planet destroyer of a blockbuster, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Mind blown!
When it arrives, Uncharted 4 will be a contender for game of the year. The only other triple-A title to make an exclusive appearance for PlayStation was Guerrilla Games finally revealing the project they’ve been working on in secret. This world looks epic to say the least and the setting is definitely unique, take a look at Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Both these games are said to be coming in 2016, leaving Sony without a 2015 exclusive blockbuster game. Star Wars Battlefront is available on Xbox One, and if No Man’s Sky were to come out this year it’s still “console debut” on PlayStation. This means it may see a release at the competition.
Where Sony is really leading the charge is in indie games. Their resume in these stylish artistic experiences is unparalleled; Unfinished Swan and Journey just to name a few. While Sony have yet to put out true killer apps that remind us why we bought the PS4, they’ve managed to add real value using games considered too experimental by big publishers. PS4 gets Everyone’s Gone to Rapture, Devolver, and Killstrain; all nice additions to the PlayStation library.
Sony isn’t stopping there. Just look at what Little Big Planet architect Media Molecule is bringing to the table at some point.
Dreams is a game that taps into the artistic zeitgeist of the gaming community. I can’t wait to see what twisted beautiful creations players come up with using the game.
While 2015 is a holding year for Sony they reminded everyone that even though the big games of the year won’t be exclusive to Sony, some of their bonus content will be. For comic fans there’s no bigger game this year than Batman: Arkham Knight. Part of their presentation was showing off the exclusive Scarecrow Nightmare Missions for the game. It was a level of insanity not yet seen in the Arkham franchise, a level of experimentation perfect for PlayStation. You fired a gun in first person view! You fired a gun in a Batman game!
Yes, we finally saw The Last Guardian again. It’s been 7 years and whole console cycle but the game is still in the works. Though for as long a wait as fans have endured, it just didn’t feel like a PS4 game… at least visually it didn’t. It’s still early with much left to be revealed about the game and it will certainly be a part of the PlayStation Experience this year.
Perhaps Sony’s biggest pop came from another long awaited return.
PlayStation and Final Fantasy have always gone hand-in-hand. It’s one of the many reasons for Sony’s loyal fan base over the years. We saw this game announced some time ago with cheap place holder graphics but seeing how next-level this title looks in its CG trailer; you couldn’t help but be filled with glee.
Sony’s media presentation managed to not bore me when the talk shifted to PlayStation Vue‘s a la carte TV service. It’s a feature that, while not on my wish list, has an appeal for anyone who hates paying 50 bucks a month for cable TV.
Massive kudos to PlayStation for not totally forgetting the Vita. Sony’s handheld is a great piece of hardware that’s never received its due. Many of the games shown during the press conference have Vita ports on the way or remote play functionality.
Also personal note, Sony gets extra points for giving me an excuse to tweet @beckycloonan during their baller a** pre-show. Any time that happens it’s a win for everyone. Now go read Gotham Academy #7.
So while it was far from a bad outing for PlayStation, it did reinforce the fact that the company’s best year is not 2015. In a culture that demands instant gratification, teasing what you’ll be playing in 2016/2017 doesn’t win you the battle.
Ultimately, these companies are on two different paths to lead the industry. Xbox is here to blow sh** up and take your money now. Meanwhile, PlayStation has become the artistic torch bearer of gaming; they’re inventing new types of experiences using the technology at hand… just not for us to use right now.
Who won E3 2015 media day? Well by what we saw from both camps today, it’s apparent Xbox took the win. It’s really the first year they can make that claim. Microsoft showed big games for this year, new ideas, and gave the crowd something we wanted from both systems, first. I’m a PlayStation guy through and through so it’s with a heavy heart I had to give Xbox the W. However, judging by the path Sony laid out for gamers today; I expect E3 2016 to be the biggest year PlayStation has in recent memory. Hopefully by then our cyborg bodies built by robot overlords will be ready.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/10/2015
Last year, tons of comic book publishers made major announcements to avoid being drowned out in the noise that is Comic-Con. Looks like gaming is following suit. In the last few days we’ve had major gaming news surprise audiences and things we speculated would be revealed at the show be announced days before. Tonight, let’s talk about Star Wars Battlefront, Ratchet & Clank, and The Walking Dead. Let’s Go! ( Secret Wars books at the bottom)
DICE, the developer behind this November’s highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront game, released a new screen shot in anticipation of their showing at E3 next week.
The image reveled through the game’s twitter account shows rebels fighting off the empire on what looks to be the ice planet, Hoth. A planet that was revealed to be one of the Battlefront’s 12 multiplayer maps alongside locations like Endor and Tattoine.
Our Thought:
With Titanfall 2 being kept quiet, Battlefront will have a strong presence possibly showing off a nearly ready for launch version of the game. With Star Wars happenings announced for SDCC, this could be the beginning of a tour that will see Battelfront hit locations like D23, SDCC, and Gamescom. And why not… with the movie to come out shortly after EA’s Star Wars there’s never been a greater opportunity more quality synergy between different mediums. With Sony’s presentation being light on first party exclusives we could see some gameplay during EA’s event and an announcement about more exclusive content during the PlayStation press conference.
In 2016, Insomniac Games partners with animation company Blockade to bring a feature length Ratchet & Clank movie to the big screen. Today on the PlayStation Blog, the developer released a trailer for the original Ratchet & Clank game re-imagined for the PS4.
The game will feature new planets, boss fights, and gameplay not seen in the original PS2 title. This might be the first time we’ve seen a game, based on a movie, based on a game. Ratchet & Clank the game comes exclusively to the PS4 in Spring 2016 alongside the film coming to theaters at the same time.
Also for any LA area readers, PlayStation Blog also announced plans for their E3 meet up:
E3 Community Event
If you’re lucky enough to live in SoCal, we’ve got a treat for you. You’re invited to swing by the San Diego Studios E3 Community Meetup located outside of the West Hall entrance of the L.A. Convention Center (at Figueroa and Pico) on Wednesday, June 17th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm — it’s free and open to the public! Just look for the MLB The Show “Trophy House” tent.
You’ll meet San Diego Studios developers and be among to first to play:
- MLB 15 The Show
- Drawn To Death
- Guns Up!
- Killstrain
There will be opportunities to give feedback to developers, too, including a gentleman by the name of David Jaffe. You won’t wanna miss that!
Nearby, you’ll also be able to go hands-on with Star Wars Battlefront, try out the Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing Experience, and pick up PlayStation gear from the merchandise store. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon!
Our Thought:
The original PS2 platformer was one of the experiences that allowed PlayStation to overtake Nintendo and Xbox in the early console wars. Loaded with off the wall weaponry, action, and comedy; R&C is regarded by many as one of the best games of all time. I’ve consistently complained about companies porting over old games, but this is different for various reasons. Sony isn’t bringing over a game consumers already bought as recently as 2012, it’s been 13 years since the original game came debuted on the PS2. Additionaly, Insomniac isn’t handing over anything to another developer. Insomniac is giving fans more than just a visual upgrade, they’re loading this old favorite with a buffet of new additions. While the developer has promised to keep the beats of the story intact, they’ll be delving much deeper into the characters to be on par with the upcoming film. I believe it when they say it isn’t just a remaster. While we’ll see a ton of the game next week, it’s still too early to talk about price.
Global videogame publisher 505 Games today announced its line-up of titles and announcements that will be showcased at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles. Notably, they’re working with Overkill. If you played the ultra violent first-person shooter Payday you know their work well. Payday put you in the shoes of a team of bank robbers as you staged heist and went to war with the police.
While the company is concurrently working on another Payday title, they’ll also be showing off their new game based in the world of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comics.
OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD marries two of the most vibrant and rabid fan-bases in the world to create a true co-op, first person shooter experience. OVERKILL has conceived new characters, plots and story-arcs that will live in the ever expansive world of The Walking Dead graphic novel series.
OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD is in development by OVERKILL – a Starbreeze studio, along with Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead graphic novel series. The game will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in 2016.
Our Thought:
Activision’s Walking Dead Survial Instinct wasn’t quite what we were hoping for out of an action themed game in Kirkman’s universe. With limiting Overkill’s game release to the newer consoles, the studio has a chance to create an action experience worthy of the stories told in Walking Dead. This was the last thing we saw about the game a year ago, and I for one can’t wait to see what where they’re at a year later.
Monday, we’ll be on the ground at the Xbox, EA, and PlayStation events. Then as the show opens Tuesday we’ll be getting hands on time and talking to developers for:
In the meantime enjoy some of this week’s Secret Wars comics from Marvel
Marvel.com/redeem (1st come 1st served)
Ghost Riders #1: FMCR9WSS7AT0
Mrs.Deadpool & the Howling Commandos #1: FMC48U99AM1X
Captain Marvel & the Carol Corps #1: FMCSE0FKIRYR
Marvel Zombies #1: FMCN6X442PXV
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/7/2015
We’re just a little bit over a week from one of the biggest video game trade shows around, E3. Publishers and developers are readying snipitets of their upcoming games for a select few to go hands on with. Before the madness ensues, Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls, Skyrim) took it upon themselves to make a major pre-show announcement earlier this week. Meanwhile, Telltale Games revealed they won’t have much to demo at E3, but teased something big for Walking Dead fans. Finally, Microsoft wants to bring the general public a slice of E3…Let’s Go!
The creative force behind popular games such as Skyrim and Elder Scrolls confirmed the long rumored next chapter of the Fallout game series. This past Wednesday Bethesda Softworks officially announced Fallout 4 and dropped the game’s first teaser.
The only things certain about Fallout 4 is that it won’t be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360. This one will be a modern console and PC only game. But from the trailer we can deduce for certain a return to Vault 111 with some good ol Nuka Cola, oh and it’ll have a dog and well that’s about it. More details about the game will be revealed during Bethesda’s E3 showcase on June 14 at 7pm PST. Fans can watch it live on the developers YouTube channel here.
Our thought:
Since the trailers debut the Internet has given Fallout 4 the scrutinizing response many a film and celebrity have enjoyed. Some have said “it doesn’t look as good as it should”, while others have made fun of the Baahston setting with Fenway Park. Bethesda’s previous entry, Fallout 3, was a technical and visual achievement for previous gen consoles. In this current shiny 4K era, visual achievements are few and far between. The room left for evolutionary leaps rests in the gameplay mechanics. If you enjoyed Skyrim on a PS3 or Xbox 360, then it’s fun to imagine what Bethesda’s mind could do with the power of this new generation of consoles, maybe even giving the game an online capability it’s never seen before.
What’s most interesting about the rumors still swirling around Fallout 4 is its possible release date. The Bethesda online store suggest it could be this year. Its estimated ship date is listed as “TBA 2015,” both before and after Fallout 4 is added to your cart. This could certainly just be a placeholder date because “dates subject to change” is always a thing. If gamers do indeed see the next chapter of Fallout in 2015 then it means Bethesda have pulled off something rare in today’s spoiler filled world. They’d have to have been working on Fallout since 2012 and kept it a secret from the public and press, something I didn’t think possible this day in age. Which will also mean we’ll see a heavy PR campaign bombard mainstream media and your favorite convention this Summer.
How mind-blowing would it be if Bethesda went on stage and said “pick up Fallout 4 this August”? The only thing that could top this is if Gabe Newell from Valve came to an E3 press conference and said Half-Life 3 is on STEAM today, then he Gallagher mallets an old Atari and walks off. Man I could go for some watermelon right now.
Just when we think we’ve got all the answers; Telltale Games changes the questions. While the award winning developers of story driven game adaptations such as Fables, Borderlands, and Game of Thrones won’t have a large presence on the E3 show floor; it doesn’t mean they won’t make waves. This past Tuesday the company’s Director of PR, Job J Stauffer, tweeted the following.
While they’ve previously made it clear their Walking Dead series would not get a season 3 in 2015; they haven’t said what fans will get in its place this year. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman will be on the official E3 YouTube live stream to help make whatever this announcement is. You can watch it go down here Monday morning.
Also, fans of Minecraft expecting details on Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode game will have to wait till Minecon in London, this July 4-5.
Our Thought:
Kirkman has always spoken highly of simply having Telltale come up to him with the story and letting the developer run with it. With Robert on hand for the official announcement it could mean the developer’s first move into synergy with other Walking Dead properties. With AMC well into production on the upcoming Fear The Walking Dead spin-off we could see a game prequel that leads into the show’s debut.
Also, some have criticized Telltale for not showing Minecraft: Story Mode at E3. It’s actually far from a mistake. Minecon is the perfect setting to build a media frenzy with fans who are all but guaranteed to go crazy for the game in a market that often needs more push than the US. Telltale have been more questions than answers as of late but when they do peel back the curtains they have a knack for picking the most opportune time.
While we all knew Sony is sure to show more Uncharted 4 at their upcoming press event. PlayStation let leak the expected news of an Uncharted PS3 collection port for the PlayStation 4. Bluepoint Games, a studio with a portfolio full of stellar ports is tasked with bringing Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection to the PS4 on October 9, 2015.
In addition to the full 1080p 60FPS and texture upgrades, the game not only brings the story modes but includes all the previously available multiplayer goodness. Buying the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection grants you exclusive access to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End multiplayer Beta version.
Our Thought:
Sony has put too much of its resources on ports. The ratio of good new PS4 experiences to ports is dismally lopsided. I love my PS4, but when I go long periods of time without turning it on… I start to wonder why I even bought it in the first place. Admittedly, when you consider that the PS4 console sales lapped the PS3 within its first year; it translates to an audience of Xbox 360 converts who might not have previously played Uncharted. In a way it makes them a necessary evil towards the success of a triple-A title like Uncharted 4 by removing any kind of high wall putting a #4 on the end of a game might place in consumers minds.
On a side note, Sony would be wise to include the six issue mini-series published by DC Comics as part of the Uncharted collection. Either as a bonus or on disc digital. Cause you know… comics!
Electronic Entertainment Expo or as it’s commonly known, E3, is the biggest trade show in gaming. It takes up the entire Los Angeles Convention Center and overwhelms the senses more so than SDCC ever could. So many have growled about it not being open to the public, but most trade shows typically aren’t for fans. While that’s not likely to change anytime soon, many developers and publishers that contribute to the spectacle of the show throw orbiting events the public CAN attend. Microsoft is taking full advantage of this.
Xbox want to bring Los Angeles gamers as close to the action as possible. While their social media guru, Major Nelson and company, will be delivering content from the show floor all week on the Xbox YouTube channel, the company is also putting together Xbox FanFest: E3 2015.
Xbox will give 500 lucky fans a one-of-a-kind ticket for E3 week, the gaming industry’s biggest showcase. The Xbox FanFest Ticket will include:
To be one of the lucky 500:
Fans can begin lining up at Microsoft at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, starting at 10 p.m. PDT on Saturday, June 13. This Microsoft store is located at 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, though the line will start near the LensCrafters on Avenue of the Stars.
Tickets will be distributed on a first come first served basis beginning at 11am on June 14 at the Microsoft Store at Westfield Century City.
In order to be eligible, fans need to be at least 21 years of age with a valid Xbox Live gamertag (Gold Membership not required)
Our Thought:
Want to know a bit of insider info? Jeff Rubinstein of the Xbox team is a former part of Sony’s PlayStation Blog team. If you previously followed their E3 events, he was primarily responsible for all the run of the mill gamers getting into E3 every year they threw an event. Sony’s followers would line up like it was SDCC in front of the LA Sports Area to try and ensure their entrance into the press conference and be rewarded with a complimentary exhibits pass to E3. How the man did it, I have no clue.
So to anyone considering trying to be one of the 500, do it. Last year those at the Microsoft event had to go through a lottery to try and win their way in. From what I heard, 200 Xbox fans were granted entrance to the Xbox press event and access to the E3 show floor. Jeff’s highest number with Sony was 250, could he top that this year with Xbox? If you’re an LA area SDCC Hall H veteran, you’re no stranger to this and the loot is worth spending a summer night in an LA mall to find out.
With one week left till E3 don’t expect much in the way of major announcements in the next few days. If you’re one of those people that kills time on social media follow @Comicsbeatlive on twitter for some of the sights and free energy drinks of E3. Follow the Instagram account as well for blurry pics from the show as my finger partially covers cameras all week. How can I get fire on this iPhone again?
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/2/2015
It’s June! Summer! Batman!
The game gamers and comic fans alike have been waiting for releases on June 23rd. Rocksteady, the studio behind Batman: Arkham Knight aren’t going to make waiting easy. Today they’ve released a special trailer showcasing the pre-order Harley Quinn content.
Harley gets her own unique skill set complete with her own version of the game’s “detective vision” and takedowns. In addition, her content will also have story missions that add a sliver to the game’s narrative. The current DC Comics digital weekly prequel series Batman: Arkham Knight has seen the character scar Lucius Fox and align herself with the Penguin to invade Wayne Enterprises, if her in-game story missions have anything to do with this remain to be seen.
The Harley Quinn DLC pack is available free for anyone who pre-orders Batman: Arkham Knight from any retailer. Various other bonuses are available depending on which retailer you choose to order from, such as Gamestop offering the exclusive Red Hood pack.
With all the early bonus content and the optional $40 season pass add-ons, Arkham Knight is looking to pour a gallon of comic goodness into the shot glass of our attention spans. So set aside some time away from loved ones to play it.
Batman: Arkham Knight launches worldwide on June 23, 2015 for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 5/18/2015
We’re just a month away from the super comic-con bowl of video games, E3. Soon the entire Los Angeles Convention Center will be filled with creative giants, CEOs, journalists, “models” tempting you with cheap sunglasses or free T-shirts, and those fortunate enough to get into the show.
This special late Sunday night edition of WTGB comes sponsored by my DayQuil binge followed up with NyQuil chasers to even me out and an apology for not being able to write wrap ups for Marvel’s Secret Wars. With E3 and a few other shows fast approaching, there’s just no time to do it justice after that fantastic second issue came out last week. I will be posting digital codes of all the May tie-in and spine series issues at the bottom of Game Beat, starting with this one. Enjoy!
For now let’s turn the focus to all the things we want to see at E3 2015. Which means I can officially confirm Comics Beat will be on the show floor and the press events covering all the comics related games and more… but mostly to collect free bags, shirts, and magazines to level out my coffee table with.
From indies to first party exclusives, E3 2015 will be about games, games, and more games. Being in the middle of a new hardware cycle, the focus for this E3 will be soely on the games coming to the consoles and PC.
Batman: Arkham Knight is the first big release post E3, having a full on playable version at the show is a bit of a no brainer, though I wouldn’t expect any new announcements concerning its content. The boys at Rocksteady are already doing an excellent job of teasing the public, they’ve even released a new Arkham Insider video showing off the “dual play” system.
Ever since Lego announced their toy based game, Dimensions; it’s been radio silent on the Lego Marvel Avengers game coming this Fall. While it won’t be part of anyone’s presentations, the game should be playable on the show floor and word of a hard release date seems like a good bet. I’m curious to see if it will still have all the open world goodness of Lego Marvel Super Heroes.
With the recent word of Telltale Games not releasing Season 3 of their Walking Dead game in 2015, the developer has been vocal about announcing something big to come soon for Walking Dead fans. Telltale usually like to keep things intimate and off the exhibit floor at E3, it stands to reason they’ll be showing a brand new Walking Dead one-shot game that doesn’t tie directly into Clementine’s story behind closed doors once again. Perhaps some art, a teaser; but whatever they show will most likely be their September release.
Then there’s the Secret Wars event going on at Marvel. We know there’s going to be a toy line coming to Toys R Us in conjunction with it . Word has been quiet on how the Marvel’s current buffet of mobile titles or a new game would play off the Battleworld. Remember Marvel Super Heroes, the fighting game on PS1?
It was more or less the Infinity Gauntlet game. While we probably won’t get anything close to that for Secret Wars, we’re sure to hear about at least some kind of add-on content for one of these games tying into Secret Wars.
As for the big three…
Per usual, Microsoft will start the round of June 15 press events. Xbox head, Phil Spencer, brought a strong showing in 2014 that translated to boosted sales for the Xbox One. He’s certain to follow the same game centric formula as last year. On the non-gaming front, we don’t expect them to waste valuable time going over all the services, however a demonstration of the Xbox One’s long talked about DVR functionality might be in order. Could we also see a redesigned version of the Xbox One? While the 360 went through some variants in its lifetime, it never happened as quickly as this one would, should it be part of Microsoft’s announcements for E3.
Where Halo 5: Guardians places in the Xbox presentation will be very telling in terms of aces up Microsoft’s sleeve. The game’s hard release date of October 27 is just a few months away. We’ve seen a ton of art and pieces of the story thanks to its viral “Hunt the Truth” campaign. If Xbox’s presentation opens with Halo, weather it’s campaign gameplay or multiplayer, it would indicate Microsoft will end with the official announcement of the new Gears of War game for Xbox One, maybe even alongside footage from the original GOW remake coming to the new console. With, Quantum Break delayed to 2016 and original unproven IPs set to be announced; closing their press event with a new installment of a proven franchise makes the most sense.
Sony PlayStation will close E3 Media Monday at the LA Sports Arena. We’re sure to hear a lot of bragging about the millions of units PS4 has sold to date during their presentation. As for what they’ll show and announce during their time in the media’s eye… Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a given. Even though it’s been moved to 2016 and an extended preview was previously shown during PlayStation Experience in Vegas; Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann will be onstage to tell us something we don’t know about the game that will make the wait feel that much longer.
If Druckmann is indeed on stage, what better time than having the eyes of the world watching to bring out Sam Rami and show the first clip of The Last of Us movie. Sure it’s a long shot, but E3 has a history of huge surprises. Could we also get the Uncharted trilogy remastered for PS4? So far the PlayStation 4 has been all about porting Sony’s previous system classics to the new one with The Last of Us Remastered and the next up God of War remaster. PlayStation has a ton of things they need to update consumers on such as their VR Project Morpheous, backwards compatibility, and the other big game of PS Experience No Man’s Sky. They could have an out of the blue announcement, but with so much they’ve previously confirmed yet not put in our hands they simply don’t need one.
There’s also the PlayStation Originals which brought us the polarizing Brian Michael Bendis adaptation of his creator owned book, Powers. Because of the season 2 announcement, it stands to reason the debut series was a success on some level for Sony. Why else would they be willing to invest further money in more episodes. If it exceeded their expectations expect solid viewer numbers to be part of their humble brag and some art or still from season 2 to be included. One of the few surprises Sony could have waiting in the wings might be an expansion of PS Originals content, maybe other adaptations of popular comics. Personally, I’m rooting for Matt Fraction’s Sex Criminals mainly due to my wanting to see Chip Zdarsky awkwardly appear onstage during another big presentation.
Nintendo is actually the gray area of the show. Their Tuesday June 16 digital press conference has already dropped news ahead of itself. According to Nintendo, we won’t be seeing the delayed Legend of Zelda for Wii U. They are however bringing the Nintendo World Championships to the show from the –long long long– ago film The Wizard. Would there really be much of a point to having Fred Savage and the Power Glove appear during a press event that no one will physically be in attendance for? Mario Maker will also be available that week for the general public to try at select retailers during E3.
The Wii U and DS are likely to have announcements about new Pokemon, Metroid, and Animal Crossing but those would probably be leaked a bit before the show. Nintendo also has the slim possibility of being the only console company showing off hardware with their rumored new “NX” system in development. Currently no details are known about the system. Nintendo wouldn’t want to deter any future Wii U sales by even talking about new hardware that isn’t coming out this year so the possibility that we’ll see it at the show is highly unlikely.
What do you want to see during E3 2015? Who do you think will win this year’s E3? What size shirts do you all use?
Also here’s codes for digital copies of Secret Wars 1-2, Magneto, and Mighty Avengers. (First come first served) We’ll also be giving away physical copies of all the May Secret Wars books at the end of the Month thanks to my LCS and if you’re in the LA or Long Beach, CA areas go buy your Secret Wars at Pulp Fiction. All this month they’re selling every new Secret Wars issue (and tie-ins) 50% off.
Marvel.com/redeem
Magneto 18- FMC1M3NNXDX8
Mighty Avengers 18 – FMDUEP80DYIR
SECRET WARS 1- FMCJG76UTQDV
SECRET WARS 2- FMD7GMLM7F4B
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 5/14/2015
Between convention planning, watching season finales, and a little thing called Secret Wars; this week’s gotten away from me real fast. Oh, AND I got hands on a bit with a major September game release. We can’t talk about it for a few more weeks but I will say Fall can’t come fast enough. Today we’ll gab a bit about Telltale Games remaining 2015 plans and some exciting stuff for the DCUO faithful. Let’s Go!
Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, Tales From The Borderlands) recently released a statement clarifying something it implied at SXSW. Looks like we won’t be seeing Walking Dead Season 3 the game in 2015. Although the developer did tease something from the Walking Dead universe would be coming this year. No word on if this would be part of their new “Supershow” project that merges TV and games or if it would be something like TWD: 400 days which was a standalone game released between seasons 1 &2 of the franchise. Telltale Games current projects include stories based on HBO‘s Game of Thrones, Gearbox Software‘s Borderlands, and Minecraft.
Our thought:
Telltale may not produce the most cutting edge games on the market, but they’ve amassed a library of excellent stories. With recent hirings on the development side along with partnerships that include Lionsgate and Marvel, Telltale’s footprint in the industry has grown immensely. Naturally some projects will have to slow down to make room for others. Now we know Walking Dead is going to be one of them, but The Wolf Among Us also deserves to have its story continue in gaming. Hopefully we’ll hear more about that one soon.
We recently took part in a walkthrough of the latest DC Universe Online content addition, Halls of Power Part II. The studio behind DCUO, Daybreak Games, showed off the iconic DC Comics worlds of Apokolips and New Genesis. Comic fans will no doubt recognize them from Jack Kirby’s New Gods. Settings weren’t the only treat for long time fans, many of your favorite characters from Kirby’s creation make appearances in the game, such as Orion, Steppenwolf, Granny Goodness, and Mister Miracle. DCUO’s newest content adds solo player missions, duos, alert-sized parties, and even raids. This DLC drop will also coincide with the new new loot choice feature, DC Universe Online players can choose from a table of loot after defeating a boss. Once a selection has been made, the loot choice and any other loot the boss dropped will be delivered to the player.
DC Universe Online is about creating your own hero to be part of the publisher’s mythology and the game’s Design Director Jesse Benjamin and Sr. Creative Director Jens Andersen demoed new items to customize characters with which utilize elements like the fire pits of Darkseid’s kingdom, Apokolips. The hellish planet was also where the devs walked us through one of the game’s new missions. Players will face –pass or fail– trials consisting of some puzzle solving and combat against Parademons just before confronting brainwashed Mister Miracle and Big Barda and even Superman.
Halls of Power content has been teasing a confrontation with one of the DC Universe’s most heinous threats, Darkseid. Part II continues to tease the villain from the shadows and his quest for anti-life.
DC Universe Online is free to download and play on PC and PlayStation systems. The Halls of Power Part II DLC is available now for membership subscribers to download for free while non-members can purchase the content separately for $9.99 starting on May 16, 2015.
Our thought:
DC Universe Online has managed to carve out it’s own niche in an oversaturated market of MMO’s like World of Warcraft. Since it’s initial release in 2011, the game has delighted comic book fans and been a true to its source material bridge between the world of gaming and comics. The Halls of Power DLC joins such comic nods in the game as its War of the Light content. The publisher’s current event, Convergence, has become unreadable. DCUO and its new content are a welcome time stealer to hold my DC Comics needs till the books come back in a few weeks.
Cosplayers, comic book adaptation fans, gamers; rejoice! Ubisoft has announced a new Assassin’s Creed game.
Set in London in 1868, the game will feature two playable protagonists, twins Jacob and Evie Frye. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will strictly be a single player affair. This decision was made to give the development team the resources to create the biggest map the series has ever seen. In fact from initial statements, the size of the game will be 30% bigger than Assiassin’s Creed Unity. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will release worldwide on PS4 and Xbox One on October 23rd, with a PC version to follow later in Autumn.
Our thought:
Another year another AC. Though I have to admit this one has a bit of a steampunk feel to it that feels at home here. The series has a mixed bag of highs and lows, but the franchise has yet to make that one entry that earns a place in the legendary pantheon of gaming. This one’s even going to have appearances from Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir in old timey English bareknuckle fight club type sequences. If you put in steampunk Paul Heyman, then Ubisoft has sold a copy. Also I wouldn’t mind seeing another comic based on the series. The book written by Brenden Fletcher was one of the better adaptations based on a franchise.
What’s your favorite Assassin’s Creed game? Is DC Universe Online better than Convergence? Did you kill Kenny? Let us know here or on the social pagers and come back this weekend for the Secret Wars wrap up week 1.
Why not both? I choose both.
Already have both and a Wii U, thankyouverymuch