By Alexander B. Huls
Will Daredevil cameo? Is he the Master Chief? I’m sorry… that was really geeky. Hopefully you have no idea what I’m talking about.
In the ever-continuing quest to merge geek demographics, Marvel revealed in their solicitations for July that another Halo comic is coming our way. A few months ago, a nicely bound hardcover Halo graphic novel was released with much success, bridging the gap between videogame geeks and comic book geeks (who are probably not too far removed to begin with). This time, Marvel is releasing a four issue mini-series based on the popular videogames. Now usually videogame/movie comic tie-ins aren’t a huge deal. Obviously Halo is another kind of beast. But what makes this mini-series so special is the fact that it is being written by super star comic writer Brian Michael Bendis and his frequent collaborator, Alex Maleev. Make no mistake, this is a Grade A team, so Marvel is clearly not screwing around. Both creators are a bit unfamiliar with this genre, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do with it. Needless to say, if the Halo mini-series was going to sell like hot cakes before, it will sell like super hot cakes now. Of course, Halo 3’s November release has nothing to do with the timing of the comic, nor will it affect the sales in any way (hmm, if this is a four issue monthly mini-series beginning in July, I wonder what month the series will be done?).
Marvel Heroes sell out
It appears that SEGA has acquired the rights to (for now) four Marvel licenses. Where once Activision had the rights for the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man (all featured in Marvel Ultimate Alliance), SEGA now has the power to do whatever they please with these fair young superheroes. Okay, maybe not fair. Well, Thor is kinda dainty with that long, girlie hair. Anyway, the timing of this acquisition is far from accidental. There is another Hulk movie in the works (with a recently cast Edward Norton as Bruce Banner), there’s the upcoming Jon Favreau Iron Man movie, and there have been rumblings of Captain America and Thor movies for a while. What this really means for these characters is that SEGA will give each of them their moment to shine as each will get their own game. That seems to be good news. The bad news is that the Iron Man and Hulk games will probably be movie tie-ins, and we all know how those usually turn out. As for the Cap and Thor games, well, time will tell. To be perfectly honest, games centered on individual comic book characters are usually as successful as the ones that are tied to movies. It’s an interesting issue, however. Why is it that only when gamers are given the chance to control multiple superheroes (X-Men Legends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance) do the games succeed, but when the heroes are on their own, game developers just can’t get their shit together? Perhaps this merits a MONDO “Double-Take” one day. For now, I’ll leave you to ponder this intellectually challenging issue.
Start your requests for an Evangeline Lily “hot coffee” mode now…
Through the industry’s continual attempts to tap into pre-existing consumer bases, it has now been announced that there will be a game based on Lost, the television show. According to some of the show’s creators, the game will be available on the 360, PS3, and the PC, though there are no indications as to what the game will be about, or what kind of game it will be. Honestly, I’m not sure how this will work. I imagine that the sole appeal of this game will be the opportunity for hardcore fans to interactively immerse themselves in the Lost world — but considering the lacklustre responses to Seasons 2 and 3, are there any truly hardcore Lost fans left? Given the secrecy and density of the mystery revolving around the island, obviously the game will provide no concrete answers to the over-arcing series mythology. They’ll save that for the show. As with most games based on TV shows (yes, I played the awesome X-Files adventure game, so shut up), they’ll probably throw the events of the game in between seasons, throw in a couple of inside jokes for fans, and that’s about it. As a big fan of the 1st Season, I do admit that I am moderately curious about how it will turn out, but I am not going to hold my breath. Who knows, maybe I’m shooting off my mouth too soon (it wouldn’t be the first time) and the game will turn out to be more than just a cash cow. But I was barely able to write that without laughing.
Just a little bit closer …
A couple of months ago, I reported on rumors that Bethesda was working on Fallout 3. Well, things seem to be shaping up. Bethesda has now launched an official website for the game, with the first promotional image warning us to “prepare for the future.” So far, there isn’t much on the website except a link (via the image) to message boards. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty solid confirmation that we can look forward to some post-apocalyptic goodness. I know that I’m prepared.
Reason to get excited about Lair #1
If the “Aerial Combat” video on this page doesn’t start a fire in your videogame-desiring loins, then perhaps you are not human. Or, maybe I’m not. Which is perhaps inevitable, and better anyway. But I expect a little excitement.
