The actual topic of discussion was whether hardcore gamers should fear the Wii. The answer? Good luck getting a definitive one from this vid. You could read it as a "No" with a "but" or a "Yes" with a "well" – your choice.

The bottom line for Levine and Howard is clarifying whether or not a Wii or DS release is by definition a non-hardcore game. Game developers aren't out to make games based on the platform; they're out to make games period, Levine says.

The highlight of the panel for me is the Teddy Ruxpin references. Anybody remember that toy? Why doesn't Levine make a game about him? For the Wii, of course.

Ken Levine And Todd Howard On Whether Hardcore Gamers Should Fear The Wii

Namco brought, well, everything from their Club Namco online store to the show. I really, really wanted one of those Pac-Man plushy hats, but it turns out I have to eat this week. Bummer. I also saw some glorious looking Katamari shirts as well.

While there wasn't the amount of free gaming crap that you can find at, say, E3 or TGS, there was still plenty of stuff to fill your bag. Rockstar Games had the most, with stickers, flyers, and t-shirts for Chinatown Wars. Sega had shirts for The Conduit, Mad World, and House of the Dead: Overkill. EA even put up the cash and gave everyone a cardboard poster carrier with a strap!

But my favorite piece of swag has to be the autographed Mad World game cover by Shigenori Nishikawa and Atsushi Inaba from Platinum Games. Closeup after the jump!

What Is it?
It's the same Bomberman Live game that was released for XBLA, but now for PSN and with all the extra download packs included.

What we saw?
The demo they had featured a few different selectable maps for anyone to come up and jump right into. There were Hudson staff on hand to help out anyone who was confused about why people were supposed to blow each other up.

How Far Along Is it?
The game is done and comes out at the end of February.

What Needs Improvement?
Well...: At this point in Bomberman's life cycle, it's hard to fine ways to make the game even better.

What Should Stay The Same?
Customization: The say you can customize your own Bomberman with over 150,000 possible combinations. I couldn't examine the extent of the customization at the demo, however.

Pick-Up and Play Approach: The game is really easy to jump right into. I noticed several people, mainly kids, just come up and pick up a controller and get right into it.

Final Thoughts
Uh, it's Bomerman. I can't say I've experienced the multiplayer before in a way that people would be jumping in and out. It was quite fun. I could see this maybe making an excellent party game just to have out.

What Is it?
That's what I wanted to know, too. You play as Han Tao and you're looking to reclaim you Star of Destiny. It's a 2D brawler where main objective is to battle waves of enemies before moving onto the next stage. It takes after those 70's Kung-Fu flicks, so it's purposely very campy in that way. There's even a film grain overlay (which is hard to see) which gives it a bit more authenticity. It's suppose to be over-the-top in not only their moves, but their actions and animations.

What We Saw
Namco Bandai was showing off two early stages on at their booth for the XBox 360. The demo took about 10 minutes to complete.

How Far Along Is it?
I'm told it is "close to beta," but the expected release date is this Summer.

What Needs Improvement?
Inside Levels: For now it seems most of the time you're either fighting outside or inside this cave area, but not inside any temples or places of worship.

Trophies?: What is with developers not being able to confirm trophy support? There will be achievements, but trophies? Namco Bandai still doesn't know. How hard is it to simply take the Achievements and move them over to PSN for Trophies?

Co-op?: Still not confirmed, but I imagine some type of multiplayer will be added.

What Should Stay The Same?
Tight/responsive controls: The controls feel good. Real good.

Level interactivity: Han Tao can interact with the level by swinging on tree branches or picking up barrels. These are all indicated by turning a faint red when standing nearby.

Final Thoughts
It's a fun little game. It would be even more fun with your buddies. The difficulty is what I'm mainly interested since the demo was a little on the easy side.

Click the jump for the rest of the batch!

What Is It?
Red Faction: Guerrilla is the third game in the series from Volition. This is a somewhat substantial change to the series has the first two games have been from the first-person perspective. The story takes place about 50 years after Red Faction 1 and 2, and takes place completely on the surface of Mars. Not in the mines. It's more of an open-world game where you can walk or drive anywhere at anytime. The big hook in this PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 game is that every single building and environment piece can be destroyed.

What We Saw
I timed 10-minute single player demo on the New York Comic Con show floor.

How Far Along Is it?
The demo was in alpha form with the full gaming coming this June to the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

What Needs Improvement?
Emptiness inside you: Since all the buildings are destructible, they aren't really filled up with anything. Most of the rooms are completely empty of furniture. In fact everything I noticed that can be blown up is basically hollow.

No Digging: Unlike previous games in the series where you could burrow a hole for seemingly ever and ever, Guerrilla makes it so you can't get down and dirty.

Jumping: While the controls in general are fine, I found the jumping to be just a little wonky, especially when going up alongside a steep incline.

What Should Stay The Same?
Geo Mod 2.0 – The level of destruction is just awesome. Nothing really implodes the same way twice. Ever. I spent most of my time simply throwing remote mines on different areas of structures and detonating them to see the varying result.

Stay down!: What I love probably more than anything else about this game is that anything you blow up stays so the entire game. The only buildings that reform after time are story-based ones. But everything else stays in pieces.

Graphics – You might not notice it right away, but the look of this game is really crisp and colorful. Volition did a great job with this.

Final Thoughts
Probably my surprise game of the show, if I had to pick one. I like the changes they did to the series and it seems like I could spent a lot of time blowing stuff up! Oh, there's a pretty good game here, too. I really hope Volition decides to do a demo before its release.

I saw plenty of homemade Master Chief costumes this weekend that looked just as good and at probably 1/10 of the cost.

I just hope none of you actually bought one of these.

What Is it?
Velvet Assassin is a third-person heavily stealth focused PC and Xbox 360 game from Reply Studios. The story follows Violette Summer, a World War II spy who's actually in a coma in a hospital. You're sort of re-living her past events in her mind trying to piece her story back together.

What We Saw
The first two introductory levels for the Xbox 360 on the New York Comic-Con floor. The demo itself took between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.

How Far Along Is it?
The demo was from an alpha build. The game is coming out April 14th for the Xbox 360 and PC.

What Needs Improvement
Gunplay: Aiming and shooting can be a hassle. While I was told they're still making some tweaks for the final game, it seems like it should be an entire overhaul. Violette aims slower than a jar of molasses and it's very hard to aim specific areas of enemies.

Stealth Positions: For a stealth game, there sure aren't a whole lot of options. Violette can only crouch and crouch-run. You can't lie down fully, hug walls, or even crawl.

What Should Stay The Same?
Glow: Violette will have an outer blue-ish glow emit from her as she nears cover. This adds a nice visual touch and will help stop you from constantly thinking if you're in someone's detection line.

Realism: You will die. A lot. You only get a few hits before you drop and most close-range attacks kill you instantly. Don't expect to charge at the enemy and live.

Environments: The environments in this early demo were really full and lush looking. Lots of great color and dynamic lighting can be seen through each area.

Final Thoughts?
There aren't a ton of heavy stealth focus games made anymore. The Velvet Assassin levels I played weren't very complex and more pretty straightforward. Hopefully the final game sees more variety in the way you can approach sneaking around and taking out enemy guards rather than being forced down one path.

What Is It
Sonic and the Black Knight is a fast-action Wii game that mixes going really really fast with some action mixed in. It's basically an on-rails shooter where you have to mix acceleration with dodging and attacking. The story picks up after Sonic and the Secret Rings.

What We Saw
I played the first level of the game on the show floor of the New York Comic Con. The demo was from the final build and the total time to complete the stage was around 5 minutes.

How Far Along Is it?
The game is done. Gold, actually, and comes out this March.

What Needs Improvement?
Difficulty: Maybe I'm just really good at video games, but I never ran into an issue with dying. I don't even think I even played very well. I didn't get a good handle on the controls and was running into almost everything and still managed to take out the end boss without dying once.

Stage variety: There's 13 cities, each with three or four levels. Will they play differently? There will be new obstacles to dodge, such as spikes, shooting lava, and rocks, but what else?

What Should Stay The Same?
Sense of Speed: Sonic goes really fast in this game, and luckily so does everything else. The framerate is quick and up to snuff.

Controls: There's not a ton of waggle movement going on here. A simple swipe slashes your sword to thwart upcoming traffic. Since it's mostly on rails, you only really need to hold up. Very simple.

Final Thoughts
I obviously would have loved to play this more. The demos they were running didn't last very long. It's clear from not only playing this, but talking to the Sega people as well that this game, and series, is for a different, younger generation of Sonic fans.

I have a few favorites. I like the Wreck-Gar mask for the fact that it's Wreck-Gar. Probably one of the most unpopular Transformers ever. I also liked the guy dressed up as Hulk walking on stilts. Speaking of things I dislike, you know how many Keyblades I saw over the weekend? Far too many!

Click the jump for the first batch.

What It Is
Infamous is an open-world Playstation 3 game geared towards a more adult audience. The premise of the game focuses around the character, Cole McGrath, who is given eclectic super powers after an unexplained explosion occurs in Empire City. This is being developed by Sucker Punch, the same team that brought us all those great Sly Cooper games over the years.

What We Saw
I went hands-on with the second tutorial mission in the game. The other level shown, a prison sequence, was played by a Sony rep. This demo took place at a Sony preview event, not at the New York Comic-Con, and lasted about 30 minutes.

How Far Along Is It?
The demo I saw was a pre-alpha build. The game is scheduled for release in May.

What Needs Improvement?
Good Cop, Bad Cop?: One key element in InFamous is being able to do good or bad deeds throughout the city, ether helping citizens or punching them in the mouth. This changes the type of powers you acquire throughout the game, but how (or if) this affects the overall main storyline is still in question.

Heads Up!: This is a bit nitpicky (actually it's really nitpicky), but I'd like to see a fading HUD (a la Gears of War) for this game. Not because I own a plasma television and am scared of image-retention, but because the game is so expansive looking and pretty, it would be nice to be able to clear the screen of the icons and static graphics when not in combat. It would make an already great looking game pop even more. This is actually something I want out of every game released from now on.

What Should Stay The Same?
Climbing: It's fun and easy to climb! I was told Sucker Punch has two people dedicated to making sure every area of the game that looks climbable, was climbable.

Enemy Design: One mid-sized enemy they showed from the prison featured a man encapsulated in this giant metal body that was made out of junk and being held together by this telepathic energy. You just have to see it. I have high expectations for the look of the enemies in this game.

Graphics: I don't know what it is about this game, but I just like the way it looks. Maybe it's because it was built from the ground up and the team could focus on developing for only one platform? Not just the geometry, but also the style in the textures. Really looks like nothing else out there.

Final Thoughts.
The game is coming around nicely. However, I'm starting to get to the point where I just want to see the whole thing rather than getting these little bite-sized chunks every few months. They said there will be a 2-minute or so install with this game. Also, Sucker Punch just loves demos, so while they wouldn't confirm one, I would get my hopes up if I were you.

Champions Online will be an vastly action-oriented MMO — the brief clip screened featured battles with exploding forcefields and clashing katanas. Unlike games where a single enemy is encountered, Champions will have its heroes fighting off squads of attacking henchmen at first, with new strategies and tactics introduced as gameplay progresses and your advancing character comes into contact with hardcore villains and supervillains. The game is especially interested in elevating the level of personalization and character-building, allowing for unique modification of powers and putting more power than ever in the hands of players.

What's special about this game?

—Customization! A huge part of what they're excited to bring to Champions Online is enabling players to have hands-on creativity within the game's world. The game will be classless, featuring pre-defined themes and power sets, but your character will be defined by the skills and talents you choose, entirely self-constructed. There will be opportunity for hybrid characters that can switch between offense and defense capabilities, and characters in general will be able to temporarily take over the action role of a team member if they go down. You'll be able to select various roles, switch up your build, and learn about more powers than you'll be able to use at once. The mobility of switching between active and supporting roles is an exciting development, meaning no one team member will feel forced into a box by their chosen skill-set.

—The Nemesis System — the creators seem the most excited about this new, extensive feature. You'll be able to build your own villain that you can fight once you build up your reputation. You can customize your villain entirely, choose their power sets and minions, even create a background and mythology for them. The game's creators suspect that as much time if not more will be pored into villain-creation than into heroic character-building. You'll be able to invite people to fight with you, then show off your nemesis-constructing skills when your personal villain attacks. This element of being able to create and share the result with friends is one of the features creators wanted most for Champions Online. By the time you're creating your own nemesis, you'll be very well-acquainted with the game, and your own villains will likely be the most difficult enemies you encounter.

—Action-oriented MMORPG — There will rarely be static fights and there will always be somewhere interesting to go. You'll be able to constantly move around, with lots of interaction in many different environments. There will be constant activity on the game, marked at first by fighting off swarms of lower-level minions. If you've always wanted to take on a ring of bad guys and show them how it's done, this will be your chance. It'll feel heroic to battle coordinated attackers, feel even better when you reach more challenging solo opponents.

—A Variety of Vistas — Champion Online's creators wanted to bust out of just being set in city-scapes. Millennium City (set in the ruins of a very old Detroit) will be the hub of adventuring, but there will be a ton of different places in the world to visit and find new challenges. Every area will have a strikingly different feel. A few of the settings the panel let slip featured a desert, a location in Canada, and Monster Island. While "everything and the kitchen sink" is in Millennium City, there will be many types of neighborhoods/genres within the disparate cites sites. Each place will look and feel distinct, and offer a different type of gameplay, from typical showdowns to espionage to crime-solving.

—Complex Storylines — One writer shared that "the amount of dialogue and scripting is insane." He had recently submitted 29 pages of dialogue for one neighborhood of one setting. Although there are several overarching storylines threaded throughout, there willl be tons of stories and missions that mingle horror and comedy with heroism.

Info from the Q & A:

—The stats operation system will be unique, and you'll be able to use items, talents, and "perk rewards" to alter your status.
stat operation: use items and talents and perk rewards, able to alter your stats

—Will there be unusual weapons? (The questioner wanted a guitar). There will be a lot of unusual weapons on top of more than 200 "mundane" weapons, plus we are promised "crazy fun cool new stuff."

—You'll be able to band together with other players to form "supergroups."

—Can you punch people through plate glass? There'll be breakable surfaces, along with interesting things to pick up and hurl (the biggest at the moment is a tank, but they hinted there may be an F-14 jet to throw at some point).

—Do you have to grind out levels with the daily grind so many other games require? Certain levelling-up is a feature of most MMOs, but the creators believe that Champions Online is unique because there are no limitations to where superheroes can go and what they can do; the genre gives more freedom, and players will be involved in creating their own content.

—Will there be super-vehicles? The game's creators are starting to work on vehicle tech, aware that some players are interested in "supercars and motorcycles and superpogo sticks," and are in development stages with those ideas. Super-vehicles aren't guaranteed for launch.

—What happens at the max level? Work is progressing on the endgame now. Items will continue to mean upgrades to your character, and they're working on having an arena-like fight club. The game is built to be in the hands of the players, and the endgame will grow with player suggestion and input.

During yesterday's Cryptic panel, we got a sneak peak at the highly-anticipated Star Trek Online MMO game. This absolutely gorgeous-looking game is set in the year 2409, 30 years past the events of the ST:TNG film "Nemesis." Klingon compromises have fallen apart, with the Klingon Empire on the verge of all-out war. There will also be "an ancient threat from the past." You'll be able to play as either a Starfleet officer or as a member of the Klingon Defense, with both choices at Captain rank. Yes, you will be a Captain of your own starship. You'll be able to select your bridge crew and command them, as well as pilot the ship yourself.

Early on you'll choose your career path — either tactical, engineering or science-based. But the game seeks to bring to the fore what the creators feel to be the fundamentals of Star Trek: space, shipboard and ground exploration. Gameplay will be focused on beaming down to planets for a variety of missions, mastering shipboard concerns and, of course, exploring the final frontier.

You'll be able to have "total customization" of your own alien races, with the ability to modify characters down to the slightest skin-textures and features. While you'll also be able to choose from all of the "known and loved Trek races" to play, if you've ever wanted to father your own alien species, this will be your chance. The brief glimpses and stills we were given of the actual game look extraordinary. The graphics are detailed, rich and look better than the space scenes in most movies. We got to see the character-design elements in action, and the level of detail will please even the most exacting of fans.

After the panel, I asked game producer Craig Zinkievich whether we could expect a high level of social interaction to be available between players along with missions and character-building. He confirmed that character interaction would be very present in the game — just as it is in the Star Trek universe — with sites like space stations offering places to congregate. "And pleasure planets?" I suggested, to which he laughed and skirted the issue — but implied that it could be a possibility, and definitely isn't ruled out. See you all on Risa?

Howard dropped the news of pursuing Apple's portable platform during today's "Vs. Mode Live" panel, in which he, BioShock lead Ken Levine, Newsweek's N'Gai Croal and MTV's Stephen Totilo flapped their gums about games to the delight of Comic Con masses. Croal dropped word of the reveal on his Twitter, offering no further info.

For all we know, it could be Fallout Touch. Bethesda is no stranger to portable development, publishing The Elder Scrolls Travels for Java-enabled cell phones and Nokia's N-gage.

Additional highlights from the panel can be reviewed at MTV's summary of the roundtable.

Ken Levine, Todd Howard Highlights From Our Comic Con Panel [MTV Multiplayer]

What It Is
Battlefield 1943: Pacific is a download only, multiplayer game for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. The game, while new, is essentially a high-def remake of Battlefield 1942, and focuses more on pickup and play style gameplay. This is the first public demo available for fans to play.

What We Saw
One multiplayer map on the New York Comic-Con show floor at the EA booth. Gordon Van Dyke, associate producer at Dice, was on hand to first show me through some of the new features for the game before I messed around with it.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is scheduled for release this summer with an expected price point between $15 to $20. The download size of the game will be around 350MB

What Needs Improvement
Unlike previous Battlefield games, Pacific only has three unit classes: Infantry, Riflemen, and Scout. Gone are the Medics and Heavy weapons classes. Van dyke explained they wanted every class to be able to fight in every situation. Every class has weapons to fight against the biggest tanks and armor. I would like to have seen more classes with varied abilities and risks.

Also, players have auto-health and unlimited ammo. I find auto-health to be too simple and easy and unlimited ammo means players will be firing without thinking. That will probably mean no more knife fights.

What Should Stay The Same
The destructible environments were a breath of fresh air for me. As someone who played a ton of the original 1942, nothing was more infuriating that driving into a tree and getting stuck. Now, I can run them all over and blow chunks of buildings away. Van Dyke said the game has about the same amount of destruction depth as Bad Company.

I also liked the upgraded graphics. While the original 1942 was fine graphically, 1943 Pacific adds more detail, physics, shadowing, and overall effects. It's very clean looking and stays true to the original maps.

Final Thoughts
I really had no idea what to expect from this game. I was presently surprised to see my favorite online game ever get a much-needed upgrade. The one concern I have is that this won't seem like a completely new, full Battlefield game. There won't be as many maps in the final game and the focus on casual play has me worried. Van Dyke wouldn't specify, but he said if this Battlefield gets a good reaction from fans, Dice might consider adding more and more content down the road.

Confused about our previews? Read our FAQ.

In this Bad Company sequel, B company fight their way through snowy mountaintops, dense jungles and dusty villages. With a heavy arsenal of deadly weapons and a slew of vehicles to aid them, the crew set off on their mission and they are ready to blow up, shoot down, blast through, wipe out and utterly destroy anything that gets in their way.

OK, so Electronic Arts really isn't telling us much about the game at all. They do say it will be built on DICE's next-gen Frostbite engine. There's that and this fancy quote:

"Bad Company 2 takes everything that players liked in the original and ups the ante – more vehicles, more destruction and more team play," said Karl Magnus Troedsson, Executive Producer Battlefield Franchise, DICE. "Battlefield 1943 is a new take on a blast from the past classic coming to life with brand new technology that we're eager to get into players hands."

Yeah, still got nothing.

The details for Battlefield 1943 are a bit more in focus, with EA telling us that it to will use the Frontbite engine and supports 24 multiplayer games over three classic and tropic locations: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.

Fans eager to see how the Grand Theft Auto saga plays out across two tiny screens need look no further that this weekend's New York Comic Con. Rockstar will be there throughout the weekend at booth #1563, allowing players to put Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS through its paces, stealing a few cars, shooting some hookers, and possibly selling some drugs. Fun! Of course you'll have to be 17 or older to play, so be sure to bring along photo identification, unless of course you're underage, in which case you should just mug someone who looks like a slightly older you. You're a minor who enjoys violent video games, so it should come natural!

That was a joke. Please do not mug anyone. It should go without saying, but I'll say it, just in case.

The two will be talking with Fallout 3's Toff Howard and BioShock's Ken Levine in what they're calling Vs. Mode Live. The one hour discussion and debate will center on the current generation of video games and what's to come.

You can also expect, according to Totilo, a "freewheeling exchange" which is much better than those other kinds.

We'll be on hand at Comic Con, though it's still unclear whether we made the list to get into this unprecedented event.

Announcement: Todd Howard, Ken Levine Will Be MTV’s Featured Guests At NY Comicon Panel