Oh Cable … the memories your armor wearing super-hero self brings back. I can still remember preordering 10 copies of X-Force #1 as a kid back in the early 90’s. Well rounded nerds (in their late twenties/early thirties) will not only feel my pain (those issues aren’t worth the paper they are printed on) but know that the first issue of X-Force prominently featured the Rob Liefeid illustrated Cable character on the cover.

Don’t know who Rob Liefeid is? Hit the jump for an early 90’s Levi’s commercial and more info, as well as a trailer, on the downloadable Cable character in the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 video game.

Go figure, you actually can make a living off of drawing men, women, and sometimes furry animals in tights … that is until you have a mental breakdown (sorry Rob). Anyway, Activision announced that the futuristic Cable (or as I like to call him ”Doc Brown on roids”) will be available as a downloadable character in their upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 video game. Check out the trailer below.

Destructoid reports that the full XBLA release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will happen on none other than July 29, 2009. The PSN release is not known at this point, although it is likely to be a very similar date. The game is also set to be sold at a price of 1200 MS Funbux™, and likely a similar price on the PSN but in actual Dollars/Pounds/Euros/Yen/Your currency.

I remember seeing this game in the shops when I was a kid. At the time, I wanted to buy it because it had Marvel characters in it. Now, I want to buy MvC2 because it has Capcom characters in it. Time changes things, especially the relative coolness of Ryu in my mind.

Marvel fans rejoice! No seriously, this clip of Deadpool straight up kicking ass in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is dope! After seeing this, Deadpool fans just might get goosebumbs. Check it out!

For a couple of years now, we’ve been hearing rumors of Capcom and Marvel rereleasing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 online, but had never heard anything substantial, due to Capcom keeping a tight leash on any info they had. Well too bad, Capcom- an hour ago, in one fell swoop, Marvel announced Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes for XBLA and PSN, and even post a trailer to go with it.

While the original Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the Xbox and Dreamcast are considered rare because of their extremely limited print- even used copies in stores can run you upwards of $80- fans have been waiting for a reprint of the game for five years. As one of the most popular crossover fighting series of all time, people have even been holding their breath for a MvC3 announcement, even though Capcom has promptly shot down those dreams. Well they can’t shoot down this one- Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is back this summer, with the same menus, characters, fighting styles, that so many of us maybe a few of us know and love.

It’s 2012.

There’s no point in me building up suspense, only to reveal that you’re going to be waiting at least three more years to play as your favorite superheroes online. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Marvel president of consumer products, Simon Phillips, revealed the date, along with an explanation.

“It sounds like a long way away, but it’s not,” Philips said. “We’ve got to create, together with [game publisher] Gazillion, that environment that is going to be a totally immersive experience and a perpetual storytelling experience as well.”

Well, truth be told, I’m willing to wait. In the meantime, hit the jump for a list of things that will have occurred in the time before the Marvel MMO comes out.

• Duke Nukem Forever will have been delayed… 7 times.
• GameSpot will go out of business once a suspicious 10/10 review is posted for Imagine: Bloggerz 2.
• Poland will adopt the Euro, and the recession it will ultimately bring.
• The Jonas Brothers will have played at Super Bowl XLIV. In a strange coincidence, suicide rates amongst middle-aged football fans will spike to unparalleled highs on this date.
• President Obama will have lost his life.In Super Mario Bros. I mean. Probably should have said that first.
• Conflict between South and North Korea will cease, once Kim Jong Il and Lee Myung-bak share a broment.
• A famous scientist will find a cure for his cancer- only to die by choking on the medicine.
• Cloverfield 2 will have been released. The monster will be revealed as Trogdor the Burninator.
• Activision will have run out of ideas, and begin selling games via digital distribution. Their first attempt is Guitar Hero: The Best of Oasis. The setlist is empty.
• The National Funk Congress will have finally settled the Get Up/Get Down dilemma.
• Due to the effects of the economic recession, three letters of the alphabet will be cut back. Congress will decide to remove A, I, and G.
• Resident Evil 7 will have come out. You play as a white man, shooting white zombies. But it’s set in Nigeria. Sooooo racist.
• Carrot Top will pass away in late 2010. No one will notice until “society’s worst” are shot into the sun in 2112 and the government can’t find him.
• PSN’s Fat Princess will have recieved three sequels- Fatter Princess, Even Fatter Princess, American Princess.
• SpikeTV will acquire G4 and turn it back into TechTV. (I can dream…)

Source: Destructoid

Tired of the constant nerf fest that is Blizzard’s World of Warcraft? Or maybe you are just looking for a break from Azeroth that doesn’t involve getting a job or anything remotely related to life in the “real world”.

Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions and at one point in your life pictured yourself in tightly fitting spandex, then Marvel and Gazillion Entertainment quite possibly have just the thing in store for you.

The two parties agreed on a ten year deal to create a Marvel Universe based Massive Multiplayer Online extravaganza. That’s right – Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and many others will soon be masquerading as quest givers in a game near you.

If quality is your concern, fear not. Gazillion is adequately equipped to create Marvel branded crack as their team of big wigs boast time spent at corporations such as Apple, Blizzard, Microsoft, and Pixar.

So forget those tired old exclamation points you are used to seeing and get ready to let your spider sense point you in the direction of the next quest giver — it’s bound to happen. Read more about the updated deal announcement over at marvel.com and check back with Ripten for more updates.

Marvel producer guy Avi Arad, the dude behind such fine adaptations as the Iron Man, Spider-Man, and X-men movies, has recently snatched up the rights to Bioware’s awesome story-driven RPG Mass Effect.

I personally think Mass Effect is already a movie, but the idea of slicing off all the running around and repetitive alien-squishing to concentrate more on the story certainly could make for a decent two-hour entertainment experience.  Oh yeah, and no load screens, though if they made a joke about an extremely long elevator ride, that could be pretty humorous.

I’m curious to see what the plans are for the license.  Will they simply just remake the trilogy of games into movies, will they incorporate the books into the films, or is there going to be a whole new story that just happens to take place in the Mass Effect universe?  Time will tell on this one… or not.

At this point, there is no other information on the project other than the rights being sold.  Considering the multitude of Marvel movies already slated for production by Avi Arad and crew in the next few years, Mass Effect doesn’t seem like it’s going to be hitting the theaters anytime soon unless it gets put on the fast-track.  There also exists the possibility that Mass Effect was picked up simply because it’s a popular game and nothing will actually become of it.

Avi Arad’s newly formed production company is currently working on another videogame movie that you may or may not have heard of — Lost Planet (which is being written by Solid Snake himself, David Hayter).  We’ll see how that turns out and let that be the gauge for how excited we should be about this Mass Effect movie news… unless it has hot blue alien lesbian scenes, in which case I will totally see it no matter how lame it is.

Source: Variety

As E3 approaches and I find myself frantically trying to prepare by reaching out to as many publishers as I can before they simply insist that I stop calling, I found myself today spending a few minutes on Sega’s website. As I clicked around, taking it all in, I kept thinking to myself “GO SEGA!”

Back in 2006, brandchannel.com called Sega “played out” adding that their web presence was “dull and disappointing”. To be fair, the last time I remember seeing their site it was dark and not very appealing at all, but looking at it now from a pure design standpoint it is bright, clean, inviting, and has me genuinely rooting for their success. Sega bandwagon — here I come!

Yes, I grew up playing Sega games, so I may be a tad bit impartial when I say this, but in my opinion a video game industry with Sega cranking out blockbuster titles is a win for all gamers.

As a gamer with an extensive background in branding, I am glad to see the efforts of a successful rebrand paying off for Sega. Everything from their website, which changes themes as you cycle through their featured games on the homepage, to the company’s new logo animation and revamped audio branding — it all just seems to work.

Sega’s site with the Incredible Hulk skin applied

Of course they have room to improve in terms of their games, but with a promising Sonic Unleashed title on the horizon, a Marvel deal secured, and some potentially great original games lined up, I am excited about Sega’s future.

Forget about logistics for a moment and ask yourself this –  would you welcome a Dreamcast 2 into your home? I sure as hell would.

Marvel and Activision are asking gamers to vote on the cover for the upcoming “Spider-Man: Web of Shadows”. As a big fan of Spider-Man, and someone who has very high hopes for this game, I want things to get off to a good start. So if that means offering my two cents when asked, I am ready to do so.

As of the time of this post, the race is close with 51% support behind cover # 1 (Spidey holding the city in his hands) and 49% behind cover #2 (funky illustrated forearms crossed). My money is on cover #1. It reminds me of an old John Romita cover, and that is never a bad thing. Cover #2 however lacks the depth needed to draw your eye in and just doesn’t work in my opinion.

The full press release as well as the two covers are available in a larger format after the jump. Have a look at them and add your vote to the mix.

Cover 1

Cover 2

SPIDER-MAN FANS SEIZE CONTROL OF MARVEL AND ACTIVISION’S
SPIDER-MAN™: WEB OF SHADOWS VIDEOGAME PACKAGING

Consumer Control Campaign Arms Community Members to Make Final Choice

Santa Monica, CA – July 1, 2008 – The future of New York City will be in gamers’ hands this fall and starting today Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is allowing them to determine the Spider-Man™: Web of Shadows package image. Starting today, members of the Spider-Man consumer VIP community can go to www.SeizeControl.com to vote for their favorite videogame package options, all featuring the heroic web-slinger as he prepares to confront a devastated Big Apple. The consumer control campaign will continue through launch, giving fans the opportunity to vote on various aspects of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows marketing campaign.

To date, members have already helped Activision cast voice actors for actual roles in the final game, based on auditions that were held at this year’s New York Comic Con. Voting has also commenced to find the perfect models to portray fan favorites Black Cat and Mary Jane in the Activision booth at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Fans will continue to have unprecedented control over the campaign with upcoming votes including gifts for pre-sell, gameplay content to be posted on the community website, packaging layout, and more.

Comic book hero games are a curious thing. Tied in more often than not with a summer blockbuster movie release, these games normally suffer from being an afterthought, made to cash in on the whole summer blockbuster experience.

Although Iron Man does struggle under its own weight, it’s Sega who must be kicking themselves, for missing a great opportunity to release a polished game built around a genuinely great gaming idea– a hero in an iron-clad, rocket-booted suit of destruction.

OK, It’s not all bad. The game does a reasonable job of representing the various historical versions of Tony Stark’s pride and joy, the Iron Man suit. And yes, you do spend the majority of game time in one these guises or another, but the experience is offset by the poor combat structure, unwieldy flight mechanics, and unimaginative cutscene sequences that do little to develop the poorly executed storyline.

The first of these cutscenes show Tony Stark already a captive to the terrorists, but with no backstory of why he was out in Afghanistan in the first place, and with him already finishing his first Iron Man suit ready to plan his escape! This lack of tension in the story does nothing for the players association with Tony Stark, and is a criminal mistake that pans out throughout the entire game.

Combat, from the earthbound first level to flying combat later in the game, is hindered by a badly-managed set of controls. Flying as Iron Man is made frustrating by the overly sensitive reaction to each pitch or yaw action made, with the suit itself supplying very little in the way of a center of gravity. While Iron Man does fly, he reacts more like a helium balloon than weighty weapon of destruction.

Missions are one of the games biggest disappointments. They are far too linear, with repetitive goals of the seek and destroy kind. Faint rewards come in the guise of new Iron Man suits from the history of comic, or suit upgrades that can modify certain weapon and defensive mechanics. But this still allows you to have very little advantage over the faceless enemies while you’re engaged on yet another average mission.

The gloss of the franchise takes a hit from this Iron Man game. There are no two ways about it. Too much has been seemingly rushed through in this game to meet the demands of the movie release date, which is a real shame.

We should remember that comic book heroes are held close to the heart, by many of the gamer generation. Comic books and video games have held hands on numerous outings previous, with many mistakes being made in the process of this ongoing courtship. Sega and Secret Level have to some degree ignored the past mistakes made, only to repeat them again.

Although I can’t speak for all those who love both games and comic books, the Iron Man game I would have loved to see on the shelves right now would have been sounded out with these focal points in mind: the utilization of all the aspects of the numerous Iron Man suits, a multiplayer element and at least a co-op mode that could feature War Machine, a strong storyline (via cut scenes) that could be held up transparently to the movie/comic book story lines, and enough diverse missions so to feel part of a complete Iron Man gaming experience.

These points, if they ever were considered while Iron Man was in development, seemed to have been lost somewhere in translation. Instead the Iron Man game we get only delivers a shell of an idea that no self respecting hero would ever want to wear.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

Most of us have heard by now that the much-anticipated Marvel Universe Online game for the PC and Xbox 360 has been canceled. Cryptic Studios was understandably upset, but they’ve taken their work on the superhero game in an exciting new direction. Check out this new trailer for proof that change is sometimes a very good thing.

I handle my lists a little differently than many websites/magazines. I call the lists “THE X LIST”, X as in Ten, giving you a list comprised of nine hits (with Spidey as the main character or at least a featured player), and One ENORMOUS miss.

Even though Spidey may be a hero in the funny-pages and in our hearts, only a handful of his games have become full-on classics. However, if you attended high-school during the 90’s, much of this list will have a special place in your web-entangled hearts.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, in celebration of Activision’s Friend or Foe, is Spider-Man’s nine greatest video gaming hits, and unfortunately, his one biggest miss!

9. The Amazing Spider-Man (Released: 1991, Nintendo Gameboy, LJN)
There may be better games than this on the original Gameboy… or any system for that matter, but this was the first REAL Spider-Man game that began the pure onslaught of Marvel Entertainment-related simulators that would follow over the next 16 years. Gameboy was the hip, cool toy during that era and this was the game to have! Not only was this the first to feature all Spidey’s powers and popular villains, it also played the theme-song from the 1960’s animated series in stunning stereo sound! All in glorious green and green-er graphics!

8. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (1994, SNES/Genesis, Acclaim)
During the mid-90’s Acclaim was EA. They were releasing one licensed hit after another, gobbling up smaller companies (like Spidey’s LJN) in their path. Marvel was attempting to promote the bastard child of Venom, Carnage. Grooming Carnage as the next big villain/franchise event of comic books. Thus, Acclaim released Maximum Carnage (the game) towards the end of the comic-crossover event. A better than average side-scrolling Final Fight wannabe where you could play as Spider-Man or Venom. An unusual marketing scheme, Carnage fans who placed a deposit received an audio-tape music single by the band Green Jelly… god we were stupid.

7. Spider-Man (2000, PSOne/Dreamcast/N64, Activision)
Before the movies and merchandising madness that followed the films, Spidey still had to prove himself as a profitable (and fun) theme in the entertainment world. Along came Activision and Neversoft (hot off the the success of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater) with a game that gave fans what we always desired… thwipping and swinging on webs through NYC, clinging to ceilings, and thwarting the attempts of bank-robbers in a real 3-D world! Any game that features a Doc Ock /Carnage-symbiote and Stan ‘The Man’ Lee narrating is a geek-feast.

6. Marvel Super Heroes (1995, Arcades, Capcom)
First came X-Men: Children of the Atom. When Capcom realized the Street Fighter engine could milk the 2D quarter-dumping arcade geeks better with a Marvel license, and thus came a ton of cross-overs, and amalgamations. X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. Marvel Vs. Capcom. Marvel Vs. The Lochness Monster. The Capcom That Ate Chicago. With more sequels, the difficulty was continuously turned up a notch, thus alienating those who fell in love with the simplicity, grace, gorgeous 2-D sprites and fun-factor of the original classic. Released a year later on the PSOne, prepare to drop $50 on a used eBay copy. I should know, mine just arrived. Thank you PS3 backwards compatibility!

5. Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (1995, SNES, Capcom)
Despite ignoring their own abilities to bring amazing Arcade-ports to the SNES (Street Fighter Alpha 2, etc.) Capcom created a whole other (and very enjoyable, at that) Marvel game for the 16-bit home console. This side-scrolling 2-D adventure game was based more directly on the ‘War of the Gems’ comic book series. Featuring Spidey, Cap. America, Wolverine, Hulk and Iron Man (not to mention evil-clones of the Silver Surfer, Daredevil and Sasquatch). Popular due to (once again) a distinct Capcom art-style/graphics, and fun play mechanics established in X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse the year before.

4. Spider-Man (2002, PS2/Xbox/Gamecube, Activision)
Based on the Sam Raimi masterpiece… wait, that’s Evil Dead 2. Based on the Sam Raimi comic book masterpiece… oh wait, that’s Dark Man. Ok, based on the FIRST Raimi-Marvel collaboration, Spider-Man is loosely designed around the PSOne hit, but with vastly improved graphics and control. While the N64 had Stan Lee’s voiceover, the Gamecube featured Bruce Campbell leading the player around by the ear. Which is the geekier fan service? You decide.

Groovy.

3. The Amazing Spider-Man (1991, Arcade, Sega)
Memories. Pressed between the pages of my arcade-loving mind… More Side-scrolling-punch/kick/jump affairs spun directly from the success of Konami’s 1990’s multiplayer, highly-addictive hits (The Simpsons, TMNT, X-Men w. 6-players).

Sega had similar success with the classic Golden-Axe. Spidey pushed limits with not only beautiful animation, but a new graphic trick that zoomed the camera in and out changing the action from a Street’s of Rage-type standard to quasi-Mario/16-bit era platforming levels where our hero and his Amazing Friends would take on gigantic bosses (like a mutated Venom). Featuring one of the best line-ups of Spidey-Haters ever. Venom, The Kingpin, Doc Ock, Electro, Lizard, Scorpion, Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, and Fantastic Four nemesis, Dr. Doom. However (Black Cat, Namor, and Hawkeye are quite lame compared to the Amazing-one, causing a fevered race by buddies towards the machine for the Player One slot.

2. Spider-Man 2 (2005, PSP, Activision)
While the Playstation 2 movie version was the first GTA-open world Spider-Man game, the PSP launch title was more directly based on the story of the film, and showed us great potential for the pocket-powerhouse. While the big-console-brother broke new ground for super-hero freedom of control and web-powers, it also had frustrating boss fights and in-door areas that spun the camera with dizzying side-affects. The PSP game continued the legacy of the PSOne original, which was perfect for the new system.

1. Ultimate Spider-Man (2005, Xbox/PS2/Gamecube, Activision)
I fear Activision may have sealed their fate with Ultimate Spider-Man, since it is the finest simulator to date and will be a challenge for developer Treyarch to top if they decide to continue the legacy. Based on the comic book series of the same name, USM perfected the New York City (and Aunt May’s neighborhood of Queens) open world playground established in the Spider-Man 2 console games. Which is the reason why SM2 is not on the list, despite being a very competent game in it’s own right. Cell-shading separated Ultimate even more from it’s movie-tie-in’s.

All the art in the game is based on the illustrations of Ultimate-comic’s 100-issue strong Mark Bagley, and look phenomenal. If you play this game on an HDMI-enabled Xbox 360, it looks absolutely flawless and stands proudly along side newer, next-gen titles. The animation for the main characters is outstanding, which includes Venom on secondary quests. While Peter has all his usual repertoire (but with flawless controls), Eddie Brock isn’t an afterthought. In fact, his levels (even though in slightly less open streets) are outstanding with different moves and controls than Web-Head. Venom is more of a Hulk-like monster, who can jump completely over buildings, pick up and throw vehicles, latch onto civilians to suck their energy, etc. Almost all of the levels are outdoors, thus avoiding the horrid claustrophobic camera angles of past 3D adventures.

The only drawback is the slight repetition of a few Spider-Man 2 ideas (races) and that some of the Ultimate-villain designs may not be as recognizable to casual fans (the Green Goblin is an actual goblin-type mutant in the Ultimate-Universe, as opposed to the Rubber suit of the classic comic or Armored incarnation of the film). This game is readily available second-hand for about $10, and is compatible with all current-gen hardware, so there’s no excuse. Find Ultimate Spider-Man, go for a swing around town, and cross your fingers that Activision makes an even more impressive sequel for the PS3 before a fourth movie ruins the franchise.

And now for the worst…
This Dog Bites: Finding a Spidey-stinker wasn’t difficult, but there’s a difference between the worst game, and the most disappointing. Disappointment, in my opinion, is even more painful.

On that note, Spider-man 3 (the game) really brings the pain. The game misses the target on almost all levels—somehow, the controls aren’t as responsive as Spider-Man 2 or USM, which makes no sense since the assets are already in place from the previous games. The story is even more convoluted than the film’s.

Then there’s the interactive cinema sequences, which scream “We are too lazy to make a fighting engine as good as the original movie-game.” Rumour has circulated that too many cooks in the kitchen (Sony, Sam Raimi, Tobey McGuire, Marvel) screaming their input over each other may have been the explanation for this dud. Game politics are fun to read, but shouldn’t be rewarded with hard-earned cash.

The movie may be forgivable on some levels, what with Cayenne-spicy Gwen Stacy, the evil (but under utilized) Venom/Sandman 1-2 punch. This game, is exceedingly boring. I would rather sit through another Aunt May speech. “Blah blah blah Uncle Ben is dead blah blah marriage blah blah be Mary Jane’s little bi-otch”. AVOID.