More gaming news came out of this year’s NY Comic Con than ever before. We brought you all kinds of previews, developer interviews, and even showed off some of the more eccentric people at the show. In case you missed any of it, here’s all of our coverage:
Loot Ninja got some hands on time with the upcoming MMORPG, Champions Online, at the recent NY Comic Con. This game allows you to create your own hero from scratch and do whatever you can think of. The game play is similar to many MMO’s where you map all of your powers to certain keys and attack accordingly. Some the powers that you are privy to are fire, water, mind, weapons, you name it. The beauty in Champions Online is the total control you have in creating your own hero. You choose from the clothes you wear to the powers you will eventually harness to make you a force to be reckoned with.
The demo level we got to play allowed us to roam around a park and fight several low level baddies. The demo was pre-alpha so the background textures were not finished but the game play was far enough along to beat some ass. You charge up your “mana” level and you can then allocate it to the powers you choose. Also, attacks can be linked together depending on how much charge you have left and the strength of the attack. The demo was short, so there is not much of actual game to discuss, but there are plenty of pertinent details remaining.
The game, like all MMOs, want you to play in a group. There are no villains here, just heroes, so you are a good guy whether you want to be or not. Furthermore, the game does not have crazy high CPU requirements: 3 gb of RAM, 9200 video card, 3 ghz processor, etc. Again, nothing insane but not WoW levels of hardware. The game right now is slated to just be on the PC, but they claim that they are shopping for a console version. This may be tough with MS’s Marvel Online and Sony’s DC Universe. The game will also have a subscription, probably around $15, although that is not set in stone. With at least 3 hero based MMORPG’s coming out in the upcoming year, Champions Online will have to do something drastic to differentiate itself from the other console iterations to make some noise.
Sega’s The Conduit could easily be the most anticipated title of the year for the Wii, at least from the core gamer perspective. Too long have we been forced to wade through mini-game compilation after mini-game compilation. I’m not saying we need an M-rated game for it to be good, but something that appeals to core gamers instead of the cutesy and gimmicky games that are making up the majority of the Wii’s release schedule is sorely needed.
At Comic Con, I got to spend a good deal of time with The Conduit. Right off the bat, I can say it’s one of, if not the best looking game I’ve seen on the Wii. The amount of textures, destructible environments, normal mapping, and shaders that High Voltage pushed through the platform is intense. I can’t speak too much for the sound, since we were on the show floor.
Who you gonna call? Even though I want to punch myself in the face for saying that, how can you not start off a Ghostbusters game preview without that classic line? Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what you really care about, the game. Atari picked up the license for the Ghostbusters game and ran with it. What they spit out the end is somewhat impressive.
The biggest news is that the game is being fully written by Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis, so you can fully expect a high level of comedic action. All of the original cast members are voicing their respective characters, which is huge for keeping the true to the films.
When the PS2 first hit store shelves, the first game I bought was Ready 2 Rumble 2. I played the shit out of that game and loved every minute of it. When I heard that Atari was bringing the series to the Wii, my pants got a little tingly. Yeah, that’s right, I said it.
We spent a good deal of time with the game at NY Comic Con this past week and I got to whoop Al’s ass in the ring. The controls were very fluid as you punched with the Nunchuk and Wii Remote, with the ability to use the various buttons to act as modifiers to allow you to throw body punches, hooks, and uppercuts. Build up your “RUMBLE” meter and press the A button to unleash the fury of your Rumble Gloves. During this time, your punches are more powerful and you can easily knock your opponent out or even blow him out of the arena. Al had me knocked down twice in one round, but unleashing my Rumble Gloves proved I was the better boxer. Sucker.
The first Godfather game was just okay. I played it for a while, but just couldn’t get into the game. At the time, I was too into GTA: San Andreas to hop into another sandbox style crime game. With The Godfather II, EA looks to have improved on some of the qualms I had with the original as well as add a few cool new features.
The biggest change to the game is the Don’s View, a 3D representation of the city that allows you to see what gangs or families have control are various areas. Tom Hagan, your consigliere, will walk you through expanding your family’s reach and aid in your power gains.
One of the most anticipated Wii titles of 2009 is Sega’s The Conduit. The development team over at High Voltage have pulled more out of the Wii than anyone else to date. Check out our interview with the game’s Chief Creative Officer, Eric Nofsinger, and read our full preview coming soon.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was a huge sleeper hit on the Xbox. It had some of the earliest and best hand to hand fighting for a “FPS”. The game allowed you explore very interactive environments where the lighting was as impressive as the graphics. The controls were tight, the aiming was spot on, and the overall game play was fantastic. Oh by the way, the story kicked ass. Where can the developers go from here? Enter: Assault on Dark Athena. We got some hands-on experience at the NYCC this weekend and to say that we are very happy and excited is an understatement.
Even though DC Universe Online was pre-alpha, it still looked damn good. Check out our full preview of the game then watch our interview with the game’s art director.
I heart Ghostbusters, always have. After the game was announced, I was a bit skeptical. Proton packs might not translate well to video games. We got some hands on and spoke with the game’s lead artist, Glen Gamble, at Comic Con. I think it could definitely be a winner. See what Glen has to say and check out our full preview soon.
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