Kotaku: comic con 07

Power Rangers: Super Legends Hands-On Impressions

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:20:04 MDT

Tired of answering the question "You were at Comic Con? What did you think of Power Rangers: Super Legends?!" upon my return from San Diego, I decided that the best way to avoid recounting my experience again and again was to post hands-on impressions of the PlayStation 2 game from Disney Interactive—also publishing Turok, another potential sleeper hit from a Canadian developer—on Kotaku.

What some have been referring to as "the next Power Rangers console game to be released after Power Rangers: Dino Thunder", I will forever remember as the one game at Comic Con that disappointed me most.

After waiting in an extremely short line—no player stood taller than 4 feet—I got an opportunity to get my hands on the warm DualShock still sticky from juice box run-off for a chance to take out whatever enemy it is the Power Rangers normally battle.

Getting a grip on the Power Rangers mythos wasn't an easy task, but seemed essential to understanding my pink ranger's motivation to hit stuff. My research consisted of eavesdropping on a conversation between what appeared to be a grown man and Disney Interactive rep, both of whom seemed to know a lot about the show. It is just a TV show, right? One that's about punching and kicking things? Armed with that knowledge, I was ready to have at it.

Having watched my 6 and 7-year old peers struggle to play the game's co-operative mode, I began to fantasize about playing an undiscovered gem of a 2.5D brawler. Could this be the next Viewtiful Joe? It was cel-shaded after all. Plus, I just assumed that these children, barely able to wrap their longest digits around to the L1 and R1 buttons, simply didn't understand what I envisioned to be a deep fighting system.

There was wall-jumping, gun play, finishing moves, speed dodging and what appeared to be solid fisticuffs. Power Rangers: Super Legends also had what seemed like plenty of item collecting bonuses, with hidden power ups and collectibles that would take expert platforming skills to reach. I simply couldn't wait to be the one to dust off this diamond in the rough.

After dispatching a handful of bad guys, it became clear that the nuances of the fighting engine would take some time to unravel. Would it take timing? Creative button combinations? Pressing X more? It certainly wasn't challenging, so I experimented.

Yet I failed to truly enjoy myself.

With a few dozen (hundred?) brawls under my pink ranger's belt, I couldn't quite grasp what I had initially presumed to be so enjoyable about the title. Was I missing something? The graphics were clean, the animation fluid, the mechanics potentially workable—so why did Power Rangers: Super Legends not succeed in maintaining my interest through countless rounds of karate kicking, gun blasting and crate smashing?

Turns out the game actually just sucks.

Halo Laser Pursuit Weapons Photographed, Explained

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:00:04 MDT

As previously mentioned, Jasman Toys has found an unoccupied seat on the Halo merchandising bandwagon, bringing replicas of the Covenant plasma rifle and Pistol to a Hot Topic near you this fall. A Covenant energy sword replica will also be available sometime in 2008. The details were clearly spelled out in our previous update on the subject, but a recent Q&A with Jasman Toys reveals more about the guns and their laser tag gameplay.

Following rules similar to the Halo video game, players will have "shields" that can be recharged with the guns mimicking the Covenant weapons' tendency to overheat with excessive use. Each comes with a wearable sensor that will register hits as well as inform players of when their table at Chili's is ready.

No word on how the energy sword will factor into the real-life gameplay, but I foresee plenty of broken swords and wounded LARPers.

Bungie Weekly Update [Bungie]

Star Wars Battlefront II Action Figures? Why Not?

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:40:58 MDT

I suppose that the team at Hasbro has a real rough go of it, grunting out new sculpts of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Darth Vader—now with Force choke pinch!—year after year. The marketing department must therefore shudder with glee every time a no-brainer like releasing a pair of Star Wars Battlefront II specific multi-packs gets tossed their way. Timed to coincide with the release of the Lucasarts PSP game Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron, the dual six packs will come in two flavors, a Battle Droid pack and a Clone Trooper pack, each for $29.99.

As a recovering Star Wars toy collector, I feel great sympathy for anyone out there feeling the sub dermal creeps that can only be quelled by spending sixty bucks on twelve repainted action figures. You poor bastards.

Meet Ken Penders!

Michael McWhertor — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 17:30:29 MDT

He's the artist for Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic book and he made his only public convention appearance at the San Diego International Comic Con this weekend. Ken was selling Sonic the Hedgehog stuff and ONLY Sonic the Hedgehog stuff, including limited edition art prints, signed Sonic the Hedgehog comic books, Sonic the Hedgehog toys and original Sonic the Hedgehog comic book artwork. Ken was even wearing a Sonic the Hedgehog t-shirt based on his painting for the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon DVD collector's set.

Actually, Ken was selling some of his Star Trek artwork and The Lost Ones material, too, but I wanted to make sure this gets linked from UK: Resistance. [Note to Cmdr. Zorg - I have plenty of other pictures of Ken Penders and the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books he was selling if you're interested.]

The Littlest Chocobo

fdemarco — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 17:00:00 MDT

Busty Booth Babes vs homemade costumes aside, I think even Mr. Mc Whertor will have to agree that this is just about the cutest thing seen on the Comic Con floor. No doubt this is a store bought costume, but it doesn't take any points of the cuteness factor. Chocobo costume + baby=WIN!
[via GayGamer]

Comic Con Cosplay Cornucopia

Michael McWhertor — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 15:30:09 MDT

Y'know, Flynn, i was just kidding about those Sony Online Entertainment booth babes winning the cosplay-off of Comic Con this year. There were plenty of contenders, but I'm not ready to reward anyone yet with the coveted Kotaku No-Prize For Achievements In Outstanding Cosplay and those two were clearly disqualified for not having made their own outfits.

Most of the cosplay leaned heavily toward Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, and Street Fighter, but there were few stand outs. Take the Typing of the Dead cosplayer for instance. Not much to the costume, but a welcome change from all the Narutos. There was a great pink Spartan warrior that I missed getting a snap of him. Maybe next year.

Valkyrie Profile Lenneth Figure

fdemarco — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 15:00:00 MDT

On the Comic Con floor, Square Enix rolled out the first of the merchandise that will be soon be available on their upcoming U.S. online store, some for sale, some for preview. There were plenty of Kingdom Hearts figures to be seen and of course, any Final Fantasy character you could think of ranging in price from fairly cheap to you-better-take-out-a-bank-loan. This particular one from Valkyrie Profile really caught my eye because of the amount of detail involved. It's not just a figure, it's an entire scene. Something about the ones like this always make me giddy. I certainly could never afford it and I'm not even sure that it's something I'd particularly want to own, but it sure is pretty to look at.

Counter-Counter-Point: What Makes Good Cosplay

fdemarco — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:00:00 MDT

Yesterday I posted what I thought to be the best game related cosplay at Comic Con, which were the awesome Lego Star Wars costumes. Later in the day my esteemed colleague Mr. Mc Whertor posted an image of these booth babes dressed as a pirate and a gorgon. While I agree that these are both fine costumes, I must respectfully disagree with his assessment of them being the best cosplay. These ladies, lovely as they may be, were being paid to appear at the event in costumes that while they may be nice, were provided to them by Sony Online and were made professionally. In my mind, true cosplay is created by dedicated fans with a lot of hard work and done for the love of of costuming and not for a paycheck. So bearing that in mind I still stick with my original vote and say that costumed booth babes may be nice to look at, but cosplay is for the fans. Feel free to argue this point ad nauseum in the comments.

The Gametap Yacht Party

fdemarco — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 08:00:00 MDT

Friday night I had the good fortune to be invited to Gametap's Comic Con party which took place on a very nice yacht docked behind the San Diego Convention center. Gametap, of course, is the online game download service that works along the lines of XBLA or the Virtual Console except you pay a monthly fee and you can download any of their library of games at any time. Their booth at Comic Con featured some stations with the service plus a big push for their new project, ReVisioned which features popular game franchises re-imagined by various famous illustrators and animators.

The party was set for 7:30 and as I arrived I was greeted by the ship's captain and soon after, a waitress bearing a tray of drinks all in Gametap's colors of orange, green and blue. I chose one of the orange concoctions and made my way to the upper decks. There was a terrific spread of food and a DJ spinning some fun tunes and after stuffing my face I went outside to enjoy being on the water. After about an hour at the dock, the ship finally set sail for an two hour cruise around San Diego Bay. It was great fun and being on the open water was quite a relaxing break from the crush of the Comic Con floor.

Gametap certainly knows how top throw a soiree and I look forward to seeing how their service progresses over the next year. With new games every week including rarities like Neo Geo titles as well as getting some games the same day they hit retail, they will be quite a force to be reckoned with, especially for those who prefer PC gaming to the expensive world of consoles.

Counter-Point: This Is The Best Cosplay At Comic Con

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:30:45 MDT

Sorry, Flynn, but I'm going to have to disagree with you that LEGO Star Wars versions of Darth Maul and Princess Leia win the prize for "Best Game Related Cosplay" as you wrote earlier. I'm going to have to issue that award to the lovely costumed booth babes at Sony Online Entertainment's booth. These two receive the Comic Con cosplay award, as far as I'm concerned.

The medusa reps Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising and the pirate girl was... inspired by Pirates of the Burning Sea. Okay, okay, I realize that this is a total cop-out and that having two outfits created by professional costume makers kind of disqualifies these two. Plus, I realize there are reasons why these two won't appeal to you—I'm referring to your predilection for console gaming, of course.

Also, boobs.

Anyway! I'll have a full gallery of Comic Con cosplayers later, but in the meantime, check out these gloves!

Konami Gives American Gamers Hope For Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Package

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:00:33 MDT

Speaking with Konami reps at Comic Con today, I pestered marketing VP Anthony Crouts about Konami USA bringing over the Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Collection. Crouts confirmed that they're "considering it" with the sales team talking to retailers about potential interest in selling such a package. "Would it be the same package?" I asked. "Very similar," he responded.

That package, which contains the original Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops and DVDs Metal Gear Saga and The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 is now available in Japan and runs a very modest 6250 yen.

Interested? Then demand (or ask politely) that Konami USA bring the package overseas at all costs. Even if you're not interested, just lie. Your Metal Gear loving peers will appreciate your support.

The Halo Product Madness Won't Stop

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 17:30:45 MDT

Halo fans with a little walkin' around money will need to start talking to building contractors, like, yesterday, as the amount of Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3 licensed everything is going to require it's own room. At Comic Con, Kotobukiya, Wizkids, McFarlane Toys and Gentle Giant showed off a ridiculous amount of Master Chief stuff coming this year and the next. Pics of nearly everything in the gallery below.

Best Game Related Cosplay

fdemarco — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:00:46 MDT

I just got back from roaming the Comic Con floor, saying hello to Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade and the guys from Red vs. Blue when i noticed an odd phenomenon There seems to be a surprising lack of cos-play at this year's event, not that there isn't any, but certainly not as much as I was expecting, even with my buddy David and I adding to the fray as The Venture Bros. In our journeys so far we've ran into two Dr. Girlfriends, The Monarch, Dr. Venture and The Manic Eight Ball . (embarrassing photos to follow)

But when I saw these awesome Lego Star Wars costumes, they instantly won my heart and I hereby award them Best in Show.

Kratos, Croft and Creed

fdemarco — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 12:00:00 MDT

NECA doesn't just make crappy Castlevania figures, they also have a large assortment of some pretty amazing work as well. This shelf was particularly impressive featuring her ladyship Lara Croft, the soon to be released Assassin from Assassin's Creed and of course, taking center stage, God of War's Kratos in his Ares armor. Unfortunately, this photo doesn't half do these pieces of art justice, but trust me when I say that live and in person they are some of the most finely detailed statues I've seen on the show floor.

Oh yeah, Did I mention I was at comic Con?

New Marvel Fighting Won't Be Def Jam ICON With Spandex

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:40:36 MDT

At Comic Con today, executive producer Kudo Tsunoda from EA's Chicago studio shined a bit more light on his team's just announced, still untitled Marvel fighting game. After Tsunoda took the opportunity to make a few lighthearted jabs at EA's coolly received Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects, the man partially responsible for Fight Night Round 3 and Def Jam ICON vowed that the team would do its best to break the fighting game mold with their head-to-head brawler.

Tsunoda—wearing sunglasses indoors—told the crowd that EA Chicago wouldn't simply be retrofitting an established fighting engine for the game, instead focusing on using the game's environment as a key component for battles. That doesn't mean that you'll see the beat bouncing, cracking environments from Def Jam ICON, though. Tsunoda said "ICONs a totally different game, but the basic premise in trying to incorporate the environment is a good one. I don't think we'll be going with a "Marvel beats" soundtrack, obviously. We're trying to open up the environment."

He also revealed that characters will be balanced in a fashion true to their Marvel Comics heritage, not simply "using three dials to balance them out." I assume that means that, in a one on one fight, Spider-Man would probably get his ass handed to him in a fight with the Hulk, but taking advantage of his surroundings will determine who is more powerful. "Debris", he says, "will need to be used in creative ways."

Visually, Tsunoda said of the game "We want high end next gen detail, but we want to have its own unique Marvel art style" adding that it "it's not going to look cel-shaded or anything like that." Expect "plenty of detail", but with a Marvel comic book art flair.

Asked by an attendee if the game would be similar to the PlayStation 2 game War of the Monsters, Tsunoda said that that "was a good analogy" but that the giant-monster scale of the new Marvel fighting game didn't apply. Instead, we'll see more street level battles populated with normal bystanders.

Jaffe Speaks About Eat Sleep Play

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:20:03 MDT

David Jaffe's big news wasn't as shocking as some might have been expecting, possibly even disappointing when you consider his new dev studio is first tasked with porting a PSP game to the PlayStation 2. At the very least, I'm happy David's happy. It's clear that Jaffe won't be going back to work on God of War III, defining his relationship with the franchise as "severed." I personally enjoyed Calling All Cars, so I look forward to the new team's future work.

Square-Enix Sets Up Shop At Comic Con

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:40:12 MDT

Square-Enix's Comic Con store is open for business, ready to push attendee credit cards to their limit (break). Much of the wares for sale at Comic Con 07 were on display at the company's E3 booth, but now you can finally buy all this high quality fan service. Keyblades, statues, super deformed action figures, jewelry, $400 Sephiroths and even plush Cactuars are all on-hand, waiting to be carried home in an oversized PlayStation bag.

Sadly, there was not a single piece of Dragon Quest themed silverware at Comic Con, but a Square-Enix rep hinted that it could be coming to the U.S. in the fall. Comic Con is saved! Check out a photo gallery of all the gorgeous licensed junk below.

How To Get A Job In The Games Industry

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:20:12 MDT

I sat in on a panel at Comic Con titled "FTW!: Breaking Into The Video Game Industry" featuring Foundation 9's Chris Charla, Christian Svensson of Capcom, Jon Middleton of Mad Catz, Mark Vitello at Sony and journalist Gary Whitta. They had great insight and amusing anecdotes about getting into the gaming industry. It spanned the course of an hour, but I'll give you the whole thing in a one-minute read.

The bullet points:
Start writing. If you're not technical, try getting a job in the gaming media. Gary Whitta says it requires no real talent.
Make a friend in the industry. Talent matters, but who you know can get you in the door.
Go to GDC. If you can't get in, ask someone else for their badge or harass developers on their smoke breaks.
Drunk hunt. Buy developers drinks at GDC! A little shmoozing can go a long way.
Be a pest. Bug them until they hire you or at least look at your reel.
Start small. If you're not getting a response from the HR department at THQ, find a developer without an HR department.
Staple your resume to a donut. It really works!
Be creative. One Foundation 9 employee made a mock "Mike Salmon Fishing" box with his resume on the back. Cheesy, but he got the job.
Don't stalk. Seriously, be a pest, but don't stalk.
Improvise. If you've got a bad portfolio, leave your journal. One aspiring artist lost his portfolio, showing up with only photocopies. He "accidentally" left his personal journal, filled with sketches, which made a great impression.

Furthermore, if your talents lie outside of the programming or artistic fields, you can still work for a developer or publisher in other capacities. If you're a law students, database programmer or marketing type, there are plenty of opportunities in the industry.

Bungie's Comic Con Shhhhhedule

Brian Crecente — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:00:10 MDT

I know Comic-Con officially started a day and three hours ago, but Bungie just posted up their showing at the event, and I suspect there are some of you who would like to know what sort of Halo goodies will be on hand.

Hit the jump for the break down and make sure to check back throughout the day for our coverage of the biggest Comic show with video game stuff too.

Friday
Topps Presents: A Halo Universe Panel, Friday, July 27, 2:15-3:15 Room 6A
John Williams, creative director for Topps will preview the Halo trading cards and Mark Tuttle, the WizKids brand manager for Halo ActionClix will present the Collectible Miniature game via Powerpoint. Then, Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev and Halo editor Ruwan Jayatilleke will present details from the upcoming Halo: Uprising comic miniseries, due in August.

Saturday
Joseph Staten and Eric Nylund Signing, WizKids Booth (#2743), Saturday, July 28, 3:30-4:30
Bungie Writing Director Joseph Staten and bestselling author Eric Nylund will put their fake rivalry aside for an autograph session at the Wizkids booth. Staten will sign a limited number of cover flats from his upcoming novel "Halo: Contact Harvest" and Eric Nylund will sign copies of his books, Fall of Reach, First Strike and Ghosts of Onyx.

Toys and such
McFarlane Toys, Booth 2601: McFarlane Toys are making action figures for Halo 3, due in September 2008.

Master Replicas/Cogri International Booth #3229: These companies are presenting a series of scaled replicas based on UNSC and Covenant weapons, this fall's lineup includes the BR55 Battle Rifle and the Covenant Carbine.

Kotobukiya, Booth #2301: These guys will be showing the ARTFX Halo 3 Master Chief statue, an incredibly detailed figure, complete with multiple bonus parts for additional poses.

Gentle Giant, Booth #3515: Look for a Master Chief mini bust and Halo Kubricks at this booth.

Jasman Toys, Booth #1116: Jasman toys will introduce their line of electronic Halo 3 Covenant weapons using Laser Purist technology.

Acme Archives Booth #529: Halo limited edition art pieces.

EA Chicago Working On Marvel Fighter

Mike Fahey — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:40:32 MDT

From the "pretty sure we already knew this but here's a press release" department, Electronic Arts has officially announced that their EA Chicago team is hard at work on a new Marvel Super Hero fighting game for the PS3 and Xbox 360, due out next year. The Chicago branch of EA is best known for its fighting games, having created Def Jam: Icon as well as the Fight Night series. Hopefully they'll be doing a much better job than Nihilistic did on EA's first marvel fighter, Rise of the Imperfects, the name of which is an ironic statement about the game's release.

"We looked at past comic-based games to find out what was missing and what was needed to successfully translate the intensity, excitement and fiction from comics into fighting games," said Kudo Tsunoda, General Manager and Vice President, EA Chicago. "We're challenging ourselves to make a game that delivers on the Super Hero promises of past top-tier fighting games."

I have my doubts your team will succeed, Kudo Tsunoda. It's not you, per se. It's just that after scores of crap licensed Marvel character games, Activision's screwing up Spiderman despite the fact that had they just released a prettier version of the same game they released for the second movie and I would have been perfectly happy, and EA's own failed attempt at making the promise you just made a reality, the only developers I trust with the Marvel license right now is Cryptic, and even them I am keeping a close eye on.

Kudo Tsunoda will be on hand at Comic Con today from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. at a panel discussing the future of Marvel video game titles. Feel free to drop by and tell him I said that if his team manages to pull it off I will kiss him full on the lips - with tongue if Moon Knight is involved. Loves me some Moon Knight.

EA CHICAGO TO HEAD DEVELOPMENT ON AN ALL NEW MARVEL SUPER HERO FIGHTING GAME
Leading EA Development Team Takes on Marvel License to Deliver an Authentic All Marvel Super Hero Fighting Game for PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360
CHERTSEY, UK. - July 27, 2007 - At Comic-con 2007, Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced that EA Chicago will develop a brand new Super Hero™ fighting game franchise using the Marvel license. The acclaimed studio is recognized for specializing in the fighting game genre. Launching on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, EA Chicago's Marvel fighting game will be released in 2008.

EA Chicago, the leading development team on top fighting franchises including EA SPORTS™ Fight Night series and DEF JAM: ICON™, is using their talent and expertise to take on an elusive game development challenge - to deliver an authentic Super Hero fighting experience that has been promised for years but never truly been delivered.

"We looked at past comic-based games to find out what was missing and what was needed to successfully translate the intensity, excitement and fiction from comics into fighting games," said Kudo Tsunoda, General Manager and Vice President, EA Chicago. "We're challenging ourselves to make a game that delivers on the Super Hero promises of past top-tier fighting games."

"Marvel Super Heroes are a natural fit in the fighting game genre, so we're excited to have Kudo and his team of fighting game experts put these characters toe-to-toe against each other on next generation consoles," said Justin Lambros, Vice President of Interactive, Marvel Entertainment. "This is a game that will deliver to both comic book fans and to fighting game diehards."

"Featuring a great all-star line-up of Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains with incredible powers that are authentic to the fiction, huge environments and a living world that keeps the gameplay fresh, every battle will be unique; every battle will be like a first edition," added Tsunoda.

Tsunoda will be appearing at Comic-con on Marvel's video games panel to discuss the future of fighting and comic-based titles. The panel is on Friday, July 27 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. PT. Comic fans and gamers will meet the creators of their favorite Marvel video games and hear the inside scoop on the upcoming line-up of console, PC and handhelds games featuring the mighty Marvel Super Heroes.

Comic fans and gamers can also tune-in to Spike TV GAME HEAD on Friday, August 31 at 1:00 a.m. ET/PT for the worldwide unveiling of the EA Chicago/Marvel game and a behind-the-scenes look into EA Chicago development.