By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/12/2016
Lots of news coming out of the just wrapped EA press event for several highly anticipated titles like Mass Effect, FIFA and Battlefield; but perhaps the publishers developing crown jewel is the partnership with Lucas Film which has already given fans Star Wars Battlefront. During the Electronic Arts pre E3 press conference today, fans got […]
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 8/16/2015
D23 gives gamers tons of Star Wars to cheer about on its last day.
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 6/20/2015
The original Mirror’s Edge was one of those games you might have missed. It wasn’t based on anything, nor was it part of a movie franchise. Mirror’s Edge was a new idea from a big company, and that can often times leave consumers more skeptical than something from a little known publisher. Admittedly, I never played the original game till it was offered free maybe really cheap on Steam or PS Plus. After playing it, I regret not jumping on sooner. Mirror’s Edge is a great metaphor for technology trapping humanity in hell. We got some hand’s on time with DICE’s follow up Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst at E3, not only does it have us more excited for the game, but the upcoming Dark Horse published comic as well.
The Mirror’s Edge mini theater inside the EA booth hypes you up for playing this small piece of the game with an introduction video outlining your objectives and how to use the game’s emphasis on “free run” to have the best experience.
This video also gives us an insight into the story of Catalyst. After the events of the original game, the whereabouts of our hero Faith and Kate are unknown, so DICE is going back to the beginning to tell an origin story. We’ll dive deep into the rebellious beginnings of Faith as a simple runner over the rooftops of the City of Glass.
As the doors in the back of the theater opened we were staged inside the EA booth to take on the first part of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. A portion that consisted of Faith walking through processing on her way to jail when she receives a message that tells her to make a run for it. This part is here strictly to get you accustomed to the game’s controls and tease a bit of the intense story.
The second part of the demo sees players complete three objectives in the free roaming City of Glass. We first took on a courier mission that sees Faith use her fighting skills to take down enemy patrols. To say “flow” is important in this game is an understatement. Much like the Flash, Faith’s greatest weapon is speed. The smoother players can make her movements the more dangerous her attacks. As we ran from roof top to rooftop, when we could fluidly parkour our way across; enemies could be taken down with one hit. On the off times where movement was clunky from not timing obstacles right, hand to hand combat was our only recourse.
While some have been vocal about the problems with combat in the first game, here it’s easier to get the hang of. They’ve taken a few pages from the Arkham series, strikes are easy to chain among multiple enemies and the execution of finishing moves is spectacular.
Our second objective was a time trial of getting from one point on the map to the other under a specific time. Sprinting, leaping from ledge to ledge, seamlessly sliding through vents, and busting through locked doors; You’ll need to time these all just right to make the objective points in record times. In other games these objectives feel like after thoughts. In Mirror’s Edge it feels like a reward. There’s something gorgeous about the feeling of running from building to building in first person. As intense as it is on screen, publishers need to bring the Mirrors edge to their VR experiences. I can’t imagine how much my heart would pound in my chest from seeing something like that.
We didn’t get a chance to complete the third objective before our time was up. The only thing more disappointing is knowing we have to wait until February 23, 2016 to play the game. Fortunately, Dark Horse Comics is bring Faith’s story to comics in the six issue mini series, Mirror’s Edge: Exordium. We’ll only have to wait till September for comics to explore a part of Faith’s story.
Fans have waiting seven years for the return of Mirror’s Edge and this feels like a game that used the time away to build an experience worthy of the new generation of gaming hardware. The City of Glass will be somewhere we want to visit come February.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst comes out February 23, 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. See more of the game on their official website and find out more about the upcoming Dark Horse Comics series here.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/15/2015
Xbox kicked off Monday with high octane announcements and the epic news of backwards compatibility for Xbox One from the Xbox 360. Now it’s EA’s turn in the spotlight as they take over the Shrine Auditorium in LA.
Expect new info on Mass Effect, Star Wars Battlefront, and Plants Vs Zombies 2. Last week Dark Horse Comics announced a new limited series set in the world of Mirror’s Edge; today we should see new footage from the game. Everything starts in about 15min, so if you’re hinding in your cubicle check back as the conference starts and we’ll update this post with news as it comes out.
Mass Effect Andromeda will be released Holiday 2016.
First up the return of Need For Speed. The video package shows off some intense cops and robbers car chases. This new game is intended to be the definitive experience built on all of the franchises previous entries. In runs on the same Frostbite tech that powers the Battlefield and Star Wars games.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 6/14/2015
One last check of the recent comics x gaming news before E3 officially gets underway. Let’s Go!
Starbreeze Studios, the developer behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons announced its dive into the Virtual Reality hardware pool and promises the widest field of view available. StarVR boasts a 210 degree horizontal field of view and 5120×1440 resolution, thanks to dual 5.5-inch displays. The company took over the House of Blues in Hollywood last night with a star studded event to show off the new headset just before E3.
StarVR is set to compete against Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus, but it’s brining Overkill’s The Walking Dead and a literally a VR shotgun as part of its arsenal. Check out the presentation video:
No word of pricing or release window, but the Walking Dead game will be hands on demoed for attendees at E3 this week on the hardware.
Our Thought:
The VR market is quickly filling up before the first hardware even hits consumers Cheeto dusted fingers. With Oculus and Sony’s hardware set to launch next year, Starbreeze better be along quick if they hope to capitalize on early adopters. Is there an appeal for everyone out there to see what it’s like to get eaten by a zombie?
Published this September by Dark Horse Comics in partnership with Electronic Arts and DICE, creators of the Mirror’s Edge franchise, Mirror’s Edge: Exordium will grant fans special insight into the origin of Faith, the protagonist of the new Mirror’s Edge Catalyst video game. Written by Christofer Emgård, narrative director at DICE, with art by Mirror’s Edge in-house artists Emgård, Mattias Häggström, Robert Sammelin, Henrik Sahlström, and Erik Persson, ME: Exordium is a six issue limited series that aims to dive deep into the complex bouncing off buildings world of Mirror’s Edge.
“Set in a world as iconic as it is visually stunning, with one of the most compelling and unique protagonists in popular culture, Mirror’s Edge is tailor made for great comics,” said Dark Horse senior editor Dave Marshall. “It’s an awesome opportunity to be able to kick off our partnership with DICE with this series!”
Mirror’s Edge: Exordium #1
Christofer Emgård (W) Mattias Häggström, Robert Sammelin, Henrik Sahlström, Erik Persson (A)
Robert Sammelin (Cover)
$3.99, 32 pages
On sale September 9
Our Thought:
The first Mirror’s Edge game was a rare new idea from EA, a publisher not typically known for breaking away from sequels and sports. While not a blockbuster, the game did well enough to green light a sequel. GO US! A small miracle when you consider today’s landscape where we all complain about there not being anything new, yet refuse to support new IP. What has me a bit worried though is the creative team on the new book is all from video game developer DICE. While it might not necessarily be a bad thing, we’ll have to wait and see what the end result is. However, the reason Dark Horse has success both financially and artistically with The Last of Us: American Dreams is due to the creative partnership between Neil Druckmann and Faith Erin Hicks. Both are storytellers in different mediums, but they worked together to translate the vastly different languages of gaming and comics in order to create something that felt right in both worlds. I’ll remain optimistic for the time being since the book is at Dark Horse and now they’ve got the resume of quality adapted from video game books (Halo, Last of US, Witcher) which gives them license to try just about anything.
Today, Nintendo dropped big news for fans of the party brawling game Super Smash Bros. During a special video presentation focused on Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, the game’s director, Masahiro Sakurai, unveiled a smashing amount of new content for the games, including two new playable characters: Ryu from the Street Fighter series and Roy from Fire Emblem. They both join Lucas from Mother 3 as new playable fighters, and are available for download now! This additional paid content lands alongside a major software update that launched today for both systems, which also includes three new stages and many new costumes for Mii Fighters, including outfits from classic fighting series Virtua Fighterand Tekken. With these new characters, stages and costumes, top fighting game franchises Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter and Tekken unite for the very first time.
Here’s the complete rundown of content straight from Nintendo:
Ryu from Street Fighter®: For the first time in Super Smash Bros. history, a character from the fighting game series Street Fighter® joins the battle. Iconic character Ryu, whose look in the game is based on Street Fighter II®, brings a new fighting style and feel to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. Ryu’s traditional Light, Medium and Heavy attacks can be used depending on whether players tap, press or hold the buttons. Classic Street Fighter®moves like Hadoken and Shoryuken can be activated with just a one-button press, but players who enter the original button combinations from the Street Fighter® series will perform the same actions with higher damage. Ryu can be purchased in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U or Nintendo 3DS for $5.99 each, or both game versions together for $6.99. Purchase includes the bonus Suzaku Castle stage from the Street Fighter® series. This classic environment provides stable footing on the right side and a series of platforms on the left. It can also be played in Omega form, giving the stage a look and feel much like in the Street Fighter II® original.
Roy from Fire Emblem: A fan-favorite from his last appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo GameCube, Roy from the Fire Emblem franchise returns to the series more powerful than ever before. Unlike Marth, Roy’s sword is stronger closer to the hilt, so he works better in close range. Roy also now has a Final Smash move in the form of a devastating sword blow. Roy can be purchased in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U for $3.99, or both game versions together for $4.99.
Lucas from Mother 3: As previously announced, Lucas is also available to purchase as a new downloadable character. Originating in the Japan-only Game Boy Advance RPG Mother 3, Lucas primarily uses lightning attacks to smash his opponents. Lucas can be purchased in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U or Nintendo 3DS for $3.99, or both game versions together for $4.99.
New Mii Fighter costumes: Multiple video games and characters from the past and present are represented in a new set of Mii Fighter costumes now available through the new update. Two costumes from classic fighting game Virtua Fighter are based on the Akira and Jacky characters, with Akira even maintaining his blocky polygonal look from the original game. Tekken fighter Heihachi (and his amazing hair) serves as inspiration for one costume, with additional costumes based on Isabelle from Animal Crossing, MegaMan.EXE from Mega Man Battle Network, ZERO from Mega Man X, the Inkling Girl and Boy and the squid hat from Splatoon also available. All costumes – eight in total – can be purchased in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii Ufor $6, or both game versions together for $9.20. Costumes can also be purchased individually for $0.75 in either Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, or both game versions together for $1.15 each.
Dreamland stage: Based on the first Dreamland stage from the original Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64, this stage returns with a few tweaks. The Dreamland stage can be purchased in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U for $1.99, or both game versions together for $2.99.
Everything: Players who want every fighter, stage, outfit and accessory featured among today’s DLC releases can buy them all at once. The whole DLC pack can be purchased in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U for $21.96, or both game versions together for $29.16.
Miiverse stage: Available now to download for free, this new stage for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U features Miiverse posts created by players all over the world. During matches while connected to the Internet, players will see Miiverse posts appear that cheer specific fighters on from the background. These messages will be pulled from individual Miiverse communities that just opened for each Super Smash Bros. character.
Tourney mode: Scheduled to launch as part of a free update in August, two new Tourney modes are coming to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Community Tourneys let players compete for the highest points in a certain amount of time, while regular Tourneys have a specific set of rules and only happen at select times.
YouTube replays: Coming exclusively to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U at a later date, this free new feature allows players to post replay videos of their matches on YouTube. To use this feature, players must possess a Google account. Please visit http://www.smashbros.com/us/ for additional details.
Additional Super Smash Bros. amiibo: Mii Fighters are getting their own amiibo figures! When used in the game, the Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner amiibo characters can be configured with custom faces and players’ collected accessories and costumes. Four additional Super Smash Bros. characters are also getting amiibo: R.O.B., Duck Hunt, Mr. Game & Watch and Falco. These new amiibo will be available this September, except Falco who will be available this holiday season. Eventually, all playable characters in Super Smash Bros. will have corresponding amiibo figures, including Mewtwo, Lucas, Roy and Ryu.
Bonus Trophies: After downloading the update, in-game bonus trophies based on Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter®, Roy, Lucas and Splatoon will be available to unlock in play. Players can collect these trophies by completing All-Star mode in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.
Our Thought:
Yeah, $30 for all this content is a bit steep. On the other hand, Ryu in Smash Bros! Great job by Nintendo of not forcing gamers to buy this all in one bundle and making each piece available a la carte.
Tomorrow, everything begins. So get ready for a flood of news and happenings.
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 5/4/2015
What a weekend it’s been. Between Avengers, “Fights of the century”, Free Comic Book Day, the Suicide Squad reveal, and the Batman: Arkham Knight DLC info; some of us didn’t even get a weekend. On the Monday night edition of WGB we’ll talk about some of the tidbits that slipped through the cracks in the last few days such as Star Wars Infinity, and The Last of Us. This week doesn’t show signs of slowing down either as we got a full trailer look at Jason’s appearance in Mortal Kombat X, plus a Legend of Zelda graphic novel hits stores this Wednesday. Let’s Go!
This past Thursday, a retail leak fueled speculation that the upcoming Disney Infinity 3.0 would feature Star Wars characters. The 3.0 set leaked by retailer Saturn shows a set that includes toys based on both Anakin Skywalker and Clone Wars star Ahsoka Tano. No word on when the new 3.0 Infinity game would launch or what systems it would be available for.
Our Thought:
The first Disney Infinity featured characters from classic Disney films while 2.0 brought Marvel characters into the toy box. It seems logical that the next phase of Infinity would feature Star Wars. With the slew of new comics and upcoming movies, every division of the Disney machine should have a way to pry open wallets all over the world. While no official announcements have been made, it seems a safe bet that the new Disney Infinity would follow their incumbents model of releasing on all the major platforms. Over the last year not only has Disney Infinity had to compete with the popular Skylanders game toy franchise, but Nintendo also made a splash in the market with their Amibos. Most recently, Lego announced they would also release their own version of this with Lego Dimensions. All this adds up to Disney Interactive needing to do something huge to gain a hold on market share, which means consumers could see the biggest Infinity line up yet. With gamings biggest week, E3, right around the corner you can expect the official word to come sooner rather than later.
The Last of Us: Left Behind, the single player downloadable add-on chapter to developer Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed PlayStation game, The Last of Us, was released more than a year ago. Since then the PS3 classic has seen a full 1080p remastered edition bundled for the PS4, now the DLC chapter comes standalone and will be available on both PS4 and PS3 starting May 12th for only $9.99. Left Behind is the story of Ellie and her best friend Riley as they sneak out to an abandoned mall to enjoy their last night together. It also touches on a key battle for Ellie not seen in the main story campaign that takes place right before you briefly play as her in the Winter.
Those who purchase the standalone version of Left Behind will also get a two hour trial of the factions multiplayer mode.
Our Thought:
Yes, most of you who’ve owned or currently own a PS3/4 have already played The Last of Us and most likely its DLC chapter. However, there are quite a few gamers out there who may have been caught in the next-gen transition that didn’t want to pay another $49.99 for the remastered edition just to play the DLC. This move seems to be geared toward that part of the audience. If you haven’t played either of the games, you’re missing out on one this generations best stories. Left Behind especially makes a bold stand for diversity with its characters not only as female protagonists, but as voices for young teens who might be struggling with their own identities.
If you want to go even deeper into the world of TLOU, then check out the Dark Horse Comics published companion series, The Last of Us: American Dreams. The book was written by the game’s mastermind himself, Neil Druckmann in collaboration with the incredible Faith Erin Hicks. You can find it in shops and online.
We’ve known for months now that Mortal Kombat X‘s Kombat Pack downloadable content would include the Predator and horror film icon Jason Vorhees. Now more has been revealed about Jason’s appearance including all three of his style variations players can choose before the fight.
Players who purchased the Kombat Pack will be able to download the character starting tomorrow. If you don’t own the Kombat pack you’ll have to wait until May 12 to purchase the Jason pack for $8 which also includes the “horror pack” skins for Melina, Ermac, and Reptile.
Our Thought:
MKX has been a great time for gamers. I’ve yet to complete the classic towers with every character. Now the addition of the movie franchise characters we were teased gives me more reason to dive back into combat. Monday’s Netherrealm live stream (archived here) also teased what we’ll see when the Predator comes to the game. Some out there might think having these licensed characters might be cheeky, but they don’t have any real barring on the MKX story. They’re just there for a cheap pop and there’s sure to be more incoming fighters from previous Mortal Kombat games, maybe even a DC Villain.
Mortal Kombat X is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC with Ps3 and Xbox 360 versions to launch this Summer.
Monday also marked “May the fourth be with you” a holiday for lovers of Star Wars. To celebrate EA and DICE posted a look at the planet Sullust in the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront game. The game’s developer, DICE, traveled to Iceland to base an unexplored planet in the legendary sci-fi series’ mythos. In their chronicles which you can view on the game’s site, fans will see the developers travel to locations used in the original film for planets such as Endor.
Our Thought:
For anyone who looked at the game’s trailer during Star Wars celebration and said it’s nothing special, take in to account just how much detail DICE is stretching to put into this game. Star Wars: Battlefront is poised to become the new standard by which all future Star Wars games will be measured. You know, as long as they don’t include the prequels.
Star Wars: Battlefront will come to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 17, 2015.
Before we get to this Wednesday’s new comic releases. I wanted to mention that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past graphic novel will be in stores. Originally published as a 12-issue comic in Nintendo Power magazine, this reprinting captures the original story by Shotaro Ishinomori as it was told back in the 90’s.
Our Thought:
We’ve read it and it’s a must have for any Zelda fans. When I first read the Shotaro Ishinomori story in Nintendo Power, I couldn’t appreciate just how spot on this tale nails some of my favorite characters of the game. It pays tribute to Zelda’s core themes of adventure and good versus evil, plus it’s pretty damn gorgeous.
By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 4/17/2015
Yesterday the earthquake felt around the world was from the millions chanting “Yes!” in unison after the reveal of the new Star Wars film trailer. Today at Celebration, the aftershock came in the form of a game footage reveal for EA’s new Star Wars Battlefront game. Since it’s reveal at E3 last year, not much had been seen or revealed from the game. Now we know most of the crucial details. Look at the astonishing new video below along with info from the game’s developer, DICE (Battlefield) :
Here’s the rundown:
With all the new canon from shows like Rebels and the new Marvel published comics, the game could have a bottomless well of additional elements and content to turn Battlefront into a massive world that takes away our need to go outside on the weekends.
Are you excited about Battlefront? If you haven’t already, does the announcement want to make you buy a PS4 or Xbox One?
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 5/5/2010
EA targets skaters and gamers (in a campaign that hopes to speak to both the core market, "letting it create community buzz" while emphasizing "the broader appeal of team play" for gamers. Also College Humor wins big at the Webbys) (MediaPost, reg.... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 8/20/2009
Claire's & EA partner (for big-time product placement in EA's CHARM GIRLS CLUB game for tween/teen girls. Plus World of Warcraft launches a magazine…in print! And a preview of Habbo's coming strategy) (Business Insider) (arstechnica)... Read the rest of this post
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By: Gail Maki Wilson,
on 9/10/2008
Have you seen what's cooking over at Book Roast yet? There's a great line-up this month. Starting off the week, you'll find the following agent, editor roasts. Questions will be answered throughout the day and books will be given away!
Mon, Sept 8: Evil Editor
Tues, Sep 9: Editorial Anonymous
Wed, Sep 10: Mystery Agent
Thurs, Sep 11: Moonrat
Fri, Sept 12: Janet Reid
Talk about links! Be sure to check in at Cynsations this week too. I always find tons of great information on her blog. Cynthia Leitich Smith is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her website with more great interviews, and a 10th anniversary giveaway. Love those interviews! Congratulations and thank you Cynthia!
First Books is running their What Book Got You hooked? literacy awareness campaign again this year. You can cast a vote, share a memory of the first book that made reading fun for you and help get more kids hooked. They will be giving away 50,000 new books for children in need to the state that receives the most votes. (Voting ends Sept. 15th.) Last year I wrote about the book that hooked me here.
GOH doesnt have every corner. Legends characters should be in it too.
And the Ben Skywalker game should still be made.
#GiveUsLegends
I’m a huge Uncharted fan, so this Henning/Visceral game should be pretty awesome. 2018 though…