Machinina’s successful comedy series, Sonic For Hire, returns for its third season, opening with Sonic and Tails trying (and failing) to break into the protection racket.

PCS Villain, Colt 45 running across the bay

Recently, Sony Online Entertainment brought PopCultureShock to tour the SOE Studio in Austin, Texas where they’ve put a tremendous effort in creating the much-anticipated DC Universe Online game. After a tour of the office and a debriefing of the game’s inception, creative process, and breakdown of the main elements of the game, I got to spend a few hours exploring the game in Beta, and what follows are my first impressions of the game. Click on images to enlarge

Harley Quinn guards the Joker Suit

DCU Online is not a pure MMO, at least not in what longtime MMO-ers are used to; it’s more of a hybrid of a few game types mixed together. There’s a little real-time strategy, a little bit of RPG, and all of it is encompassed in this MMO world. It’s heavy on the combat and logistically so because DCU Online is getting a simultaneous launch on the PS3 and PCs. Because of the amount of combat that’s involved, I found the PS3 Dualshock controller to be much more natural when dishing out combos and making changes on the fly. I played on a PC, but played with a Dualshock controller after quickly ditching the keyboard route.

Custom Make it Your Own

For those that don’t know, DCU Online has always been about a custom hero that you bring to the table. One of the early misconceptions is that you’d be able to play the classic DCU heroes and villains for an entire campaign, but not so. It’s possible to play a few dozen of them in alert missions, and you can tailor make your character to look like and act like your favorites, but it’s better to make it your own, no? Well you have that choice, regardless. You create a character that exists in the DCU, and you choose to be male or female; design your build and stature including both the look and abilities/powers; and live out the fantasy of a hero or villain. Those choosing the heroic path get to pick one of DC’s classic Trinity: Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman as their mentor, while those who decide the villainous route get to choose from their arch enemies in Lex Luthor, Joker, or Circe.

One of Gotham's finest getting the beat down, or with the red flashing, is it me who is getting beat down?

The name I chose for my super villain was Colt 45. (The creative juices were flowing a little slow that day and I’ll blame it on traveling eastward.) It’s so easy to make a character with the powers you always wanted as a kid, and so I did. I had to go for super speed (I love the Flash and ran track) and had to have sorcery powers because I wanted to see the visuals of comic book magic. Besides super speed, flight and acrobatics are the additional choices in terms of traveling. Given my limited time with the game, the ability to cover a large amount of area in a short time was a luxury I considered heavily.

Other core powers include: gadgets, fire, ice, nature, and mental while even more staple powers can be unlocked and added to your utility belt. You can pick your personality, which you can see in your character’s saunter or posture when you leave your character idle (I chose flirty), fighting style (martial arts), and then the costume. I knew that I could have spent hours just on costumes so I patterned my look after Deathstroke, and then tweaked the colors. You can pick the color for each piece of the costume or you can pick from several three-color palettes that can be helpful in shortcutting this part of the creation. In the end Colt 45 looked a little more early 90’s comics than I ever intended but I think gamers and comic fans alike, are going to love making multiple characters. After about 25 minutes of creating my character, I just wanted to jump into the action but it’s easy to spend an eternity in character creation.

Running down a building

No matter what combination you choose, each campaign starts off in Braniac’s ship where you have to escape out of. Here you’ll get a tutorial and get your feet wet while coming to grips with the controls. Once you exit, you get brought to one of two worlds. All villains and techies go to Gotham. Everyone else is sent to Metropolis to start. Shown here are both images from Gotham, Metropolis and the Legion of Doom and you’ll get a taste of some of the massive worlds created by the design team.

The Dashboard

In Gotham or Metropolis, your mentor will list out your goals to the bottom right of the screen; your map is in the upper right corner; your customized utility and abilities “belt” lies at the bottom center while the health and magic/powers bar is at the familiar upper left. None of the Heads Up Display is overwhelming or covers up the action, just make sure you’re playing with a widscreen set.

A different view of running on water; up close and behind

Feeling the Need, the Need for Speed

I loved playing with a character with super speed. The blur and lightning visuals in combination with the sounds of the Speed Force were awesome as seen in the screen caps. Being able to run up and down buildings was a trip. Camera movement and angles were fluid and it gives you unlimited access to Gotham City and Metropolis. Because I just had to, I ran across the Metropolis Bay, and when I stopped in the middle, I plopped right in and began treading water.

This is not an endorsement for the super speed route for travel powers. When creating my villain, I was torn on choosing flight or super speed. While it’s possible to unlock flight, you just don’t command it like you do if it is one of your main abilities. In speaking with the other journalists, the acrobatics route is apparently a lot of fun too and very intuitive. After about three straight hours of super speed though I can tell you, I had to take a break for my eyes. I was a bit too enthusiastic travelling and fighting in super speed mode, but luckily it’s very simple to toggle that on or off.

The sorcery powers added another level to the combat not normally seen in comic book console games. I could levitate detectives in the distance and knock them out in the middle of the air before they could set their feet down. I could cast spells and make Gotham City Police Department’s finest think they’re on fire. More time would have unlocked even cooler skills for sure.

One of the more exciting parts of the game is leveling up. Whenever I got a notification of a level up or an item grab, I’d race to see what exactly I could add to my fighting or grow my powers tree. The more combos you unlock and learn, the quicker you can get through battles.

When you level up, you get a chance to upgrade your fighting abilities, or your superpower. Also any items you pick up along the way or buy are added to your costume or arsenal on the fly. Because it’s an MMO, I was repeatedly reminded that there is no pause button, so if you want to make a change you can fly up to the top of a building and make the necessary changes.

Another suit in the Legion of Doom to unlock guarded by Mr. Freeze

The Verdict So Far

Essentially, you’re playing to get through 30 levels, the current cap, which amounts to roughly 40 hours of play. My propensity to explore everything would probably extend that period of time. But then the fun really begins because you can then enter the PvP mode where you get to interact with other players. Each month new missions and new worlds are being added to the game, potentially making the game as endless as your favorite monthly comics. There are battle suits (from actual stories) to unlock and use, several skill challenges and missions where you’ll need to team up with others online. For instance, we were shown an Alert Mission that transports you to Smallville where you take on Doomsday and fight beside the Justice League.

Gameplay is extremely smooth. There’s no jerking or staggering in battles, even when there’s as many as 15-20 characters on the screen. I also found no glaring glitches or noticeable areas where the game feels underdeveloped or needing more. The game is so close to completion and understandably, the delays have hurt the buzz, but it’s only because they are taking the time to put the detail that will overwhelm the most ardent DC Comics fan and gamer.

Voice acting for instance is one of the finishing touches needed to complete the game. Kevin Conroy is recording for Batman and Mark Hamill reprises his familiar role as The Joker. Other voices include Summer Glau (Supergirl), Adam Baldwin (Superman), James Marsters (Lex Luthor), Michelle Forbes (Circe), Diedrich Bader (Solomon Grundy), Gina Torres (Wonder Woman), Powers Boothe (Gorilla Grodd), Dwight Schultz (Flash-Barry Allen), Wil Wheaton (Robin-Tim Drake), Tony Todd (Darkseid, Kevin Michael Richardson (Clayface) and Robert Patrick (Hawkman).

The streets of Gotham City

In trying to describe the experience, I’ll compare it to other games I’ve played. The combat is reminiscent of God of War or Batman: Arkham Asylum only with no cut sequences or stoppage of play; just fast, live, and seamless action. It can be intense, relentless, and button-mashing will be mandatory. The mentorship missions remind me of Grand Theft Auto, where you slowly gain skills and experience as you rise through the ranks of becoming a villain, or by doing accumulative acts of heroism. Bribing rookie GCPD cops or strapping bombs to their squad cars may not appeal to everyone, but that’s why you can put a stop to Gorilla Grodd and his apes.

The cities and environments are immersive and overwhelming at first glance. You can go to the Daily Planet, or Metropolis Stadium. The Batcave has the penny, the T-Rex, the Batmobile and a bunch of bats flying around. Comic readers will geek out interacting with artifacts and places that they’ve only read about. One thing I really enjoyed about DCU Online was that the learning curve was small but still presented a challenge. I felt I could come in, drop an hour or two whenever I wanted and not feel like I had to put in several hours at a time on each campaign to feel some sense of accomplishment.

A penthouse view of the Metropolis Bay.

Hardcore gamers may wonder how much they’ll enjoy this game, and I can’t answer that based on what it is each person is expecting out of the game. There’s plenty to see and do, that much I do know. What I can do is let you know what my perspective is on MMO’s, games and comics and how DCU Online fits in with that.

I came in with an open mind and a broad gaming experience, skepticism on paying a monthly fee for a game, and a long love and knowledge of comics. Though I am a console gamer and spend countless hours on my PS3, no MMO has made this comics fan take the plunge so far. I was not just thoroughly entertained with DCU Online; I’m brainstorming ways to shift my monthly disposable income around to accommodate playing this game in the winter. The DC Universe is a world I’m familiar with, unlike World of Warcraft or Everquest. I invest in a portion of the DCU each week in the comics I buy and that’s truly what the draw is for me with DCU Online: the characters, the universe and the license. The fact that the game delivers on multiple fronts is a bonus in my mind.

Hopefully my impressions keep the anticipation high for those waiting for DCU Online, which is now scheduled for early 2011 release. But if this wasn’t enough, throughout November and December we’re going to continue covering the game through to the release date. Check back here for screen shots and videos, an exclusive interview with DCU Online Senior Producer, Wes Yanagi, and a detailed tour of the SOE Austin Studios. We enjoyed what we learned at DC University and think comic fans and gamers alike may want to consider enrolling when Spring Semester arrives.

A glimpse of the massive Metropolis. In the distant skies is one of Braniac's ships

If you’ve been keeping track of the series you’re already aware that Portable 3rd is just months away from release in Japan. At it’s core, Portable 3rd borrows heavily from Tri with the maps and environments. A major change to this follow-up is the return of the 3 expansion weapons (gunlance, hunting horn and bow) from Freedom 2 and Unite. There’s a brand new village and a new look in Portable 3rd — one that more resembles feudal Japan than the previous fledgling villages on the outskirts of the wild. The Felyne Fighter also returns bringing another kitty friend with him to fight with you on the hunt.

The demo gives you a selection of two 20-minute quests fighting either the Royal Ludroth in Tri’s Deserted Island zone or the brand new Ice Barroth (subspecies of Tri’s brute wyvern, the Barroth) in the Tundra. 9 different types of weapons each with their own presets of armor were selectable giving players a chance to get used to the new controls and attacks for each. All 12 weapons weren’t available for the demo but the dual swords (which were missing from Tri) have now been brought back. Adding a pleasant surprise to the game, now the monsters actually divide their attention between the player character as well as the felynes making the monster AI for the game is a lot beefier than previous entries in the series.

Monster Hunter has always been about the hunt and the ability to team up with up to 3 more players to form parties. It’s fun to fight on your own, but the real thrill is having buddies beside you and the for Portable 3rd demo includes an ad hoc mode for that experience. If the demo crosses over to the US, hopefully Capcom will keep the ad hoc mode in to allow more people the chance to try out a truly fun gaming series.

During the Friends and Family phase of the beta, the four versus four matches are the largest team matches available but more maps and game types will be added over the course of the beta. Out of the match types available there’s your standard team death-match to a 50 kill limit, and a few Capture The Flag modes.

One mode is your more classic CTF where players try to score as many captures as possible from the other teams base. The second CTF mode is set up in rounds with one team on defense and the other on offense. This particular mode shows a great deal of potential in the strategy department but seems to have the rounds set too short for many teams to score a flag capture. In all the rounds played in this mode I’ve yet to see an offensive score. The final CTF mode drops neutrally placed flags around the map for teams to fight to recover. With these modes Bungie has added another component to the mix to encourage strategy and team dynamics with the armor abilities.

Armor abilities come in four flavors, much like class skills in many other multiplayer FPS games. There’s the active camo skill which allows for stealthy movement and kills. This class adds the ability to spring some extremely enjoyable traps and catch opponents off guard. There’s the armor lock ability which creates a impenetrable shield around the player for a limited amount of time rendering the user stationary but creating a EMP burst that depletes opponent shield when it dissipates. Not only can this be used to create a wall in a doorway, but it will also usually allow you to hold an attackers attention while team members flank. To top all this off it can be used offensively to deplete enemy shields.

Next is the sprint ability which is really self explanatory. Simple but effective in so many scenarios it may be easy to over look but I haven’t found an easier way to score an assassination yet, not even using stealth. Finally is the big kicker, the jet pack, which oddly enough to me is the least valuable out of the four, at least when it come to team work. The jet pack does allow quick traversal of the map and can shine with heavy weapons and the sniper rifle. However, in novice hands it can simply lead to exposing oneself and becoming a clay pigeon.

Also included is the Elite evade, which as the name suggests, can only be used as an Elite. This manuever is the quick roll players witnessed the Elites using in past Halo titles. Like sprint it’s much more effective and useful than many would expect and might not have the flash of other class perks but definitely has the utility.

As far as the aesthetics and sound goes, Halo: Reach is on par with Halo ODST. It’s typical polish is obvious from the start, and this game, like Halo ODST, can be quite pleasing to the eyes when it’s displaying one of the more colorful and vivid scenes. For a beta test, Halo: Reach is not only a great experience but also a fine test drive to encourage testers to purchase the final release. As someone who had become a bit bored with the Halo multiplayer experience a breath of fresh air has been placed into the series with class abilities.

Stay tuned to PopCultureShock for more impressions of the Halo: Reach Beta as it progresses.

PopCultureShock recently headed over to THQ to checkup on the status of WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009. Not only did we thoroughly vet the PS3 and 360 versions of the title, but we also have all the improvements that Nintendo fans should expect as well.

Yuke’s has rolled out the Red Carpet Treatment for this year’s WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009. In addition to the expected graphical and presentational improvements, the hardcore fans are going to enjoy the additional features and modes.

Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions share the same architecture, with the same changes and features.

The first thing that THQ did this year was listening to the fans’ opinions. Starting with one of the major fan gripes, a new ground based defensive position has been added to counter players who never let other players get up off the ground. By holding the L and R Triggers, when knocked down by an opponent, your WWE Superstar now will now go into a position that allows you to block or counter the opposing players’ strike or grapple. Anyone who played this title online last year was bound to be frustrated sooner or later by someone who wouldn’t let them off the ground, and repeatedly beat them to a pulp. With the advent of the new defensive position, however, strategy will be more important than ever in each match.

The next-gen versions also received some other interesting new features. The Highlight Reel allows you to save and upload your favorite moments from matches, and share them online with the community.

Inferno matches are battles in a ring surrounded by flames. WWE Superstars perform special moves to raise the temperature to 500 degrees. The match is won when one superstar sets the other on fire.

This year, the CPU controlled tag partner is smarter and more involved in each match. From blind tags, to distracting the ref, even pulling down the ropes to injure an opponent; the CPU controlled A.I has never been more dynamic.

In an attempt to make the character customizations even deeper, Yuke’s has come up with Create-A-Finsher. Sure to be a fan favorite, players can select from over 500 animations to create a custom finishing move.

Some of the biggest sports videogames out there have made pushes this year to be more accessible to beginners (i.e. Madden). WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009 is adding more on-screen prompts to help players learn when to block and counter, or attempt reversals.

The Wii version of the game has undergone an impressive transformation as well. It is the first Wii wrestling title built from the ground up, and it shows. The developers had a clear focus on improving the gameplay; interactivity in-and-out of the ring, as well as full featured gameplay modes

Fans of the series rejoice; the Wii version supports an all-new career mode, as well as the “Road to WWE” mode. There is a comprehensive roster editor, to help keep the rosters up-to-date (changing factions, etc) with current WWE storylines.

In regards to gameplay, there is a considerable amount of “Wii-specific” content. Starting with your superstar’s entry into the ring, players are rewarded with the ability to gain momentum points by performing various controller movements. These moments appear at various points throughout the walk to the ring. By performing signature movements the crowd will react to the Superstar, and gradually fill up the momentum meter. This momentum can be used during the match to unleash special moves on your opponent, or stored and used later for a devastating finishing move. This feature is uniquely tied to the Wii version only, and is a shining example of a third party developer creatively supporting the Wiimote and Nunchuk.

In the ring, Wii users will find that the control scheme has been redesigned to encourage a quicker style of wrestling. Not to be confused with being arcadey, this control scheme largely revolves around the use of the A button for various moves. A blue health meter and red momentum bar are also new this year, and having balanced matches between the characters has never been more evident.

The overall game speed has been improved. On top of that, smoother and more varied animations have been added as well giving the game a more organic and natural feel.

Wii gamers now have the ability to block or counter grapples. The analog stick easily allows you to change the opponent focus. The ability to interact with the ref post-match should add plenty of fun moments. And lastly, the Wii will not be left out of online multiplayer matches.

So far, this title is shaping up to be one of the most comprehensive and immersive wrestling titles since WWF Wrestlemania 2000. Features such as the Highlight Reel will bring a community aspect to wrestling games that has been sorely missed previously. The massive improvements, coupled with fantastic presentation and downloadable content will make anyone who loved the Aki produced WWE games of yesteryear proud.

Proposing to offer a more expansive and open world experience than most other first-person shooters on the market, Far Cry 2 may be one of the most under hyped games of this Fall. Not content with simply picking up from the last Far Cry game, Ubisoft Montreal has crafted this sequel with a complete change of direction. Far Cry 2 passes up the lush tropical island environment and instead places the action on the harsh and dangerous plains of Africa. And no, Jack Carver isn’t here either folks. Instead players will be placed in the boots of a malaria stricken mercenary out for vengeance against a mysterious conflict causing figure known as “The Jackal.”

Far Cry 2 promises to offer the players an expanded amount of the freedom and fun than the original game contained. The first game was a somewhat linear sandbox experience. Far Cry 2 looks to be a much more complete sandbox though. There will be warring African militant factions in the game that the players will interact with, both good and bad. Players can either choose a side and fight against the other side or cause even more tension between both sides via setups and sabotage to escalate the conflict. You’ll have to learn the enemy and exploit their weaknesses in order to survive. While the first Far Cry had a large environment to traverse, it just pales in comparison to the map of Far Cry 2. And the fact that this game is more sandbox than linear means gamers should be ready for plenty of exploration.

A major upgrade in the technology seen in previous Crytek games like Crysis and Far Cry will be on display in Far Cry 2. Real-time weather changes, day and night cycles, tree re-growth, water effects, and – perhaps the most exciting – the fire effects are all set to raise the bar on how first person shooters should look…and play.

That’s because these effects and features aren’t just cosmetic. They actually affect the gameplay in many ways. AI behavior changes at various cycles in the day. Weather effects bring things into play such as how the wind may blow the scenery around. It also introduces elements such as lightning. And yes, lightning strikes may cause fires. How the weather effects and other environmental effects interact with each other is interesting as well. The fire spreads like a real fire would and even the weather can be a factor in how and where it spreads.

There are many other features in-game that the dedicated development staff at Ubisoft Montreal are hoping will redefine how players think of the genre. Weapons, vehicles, and artificial intelligence are the other part of this package. Weapons based on real-life counterparts are nothing new to first person shooters. One of the twists here is that like real life, weapons will degrade, malfunction, jam, etc after over time. So players should not expect to get too attached to that one gun they love for the whole game. Vehicles in Far Cry 2 are also not immune to malfunctioning as players will need to stop and pop the hood of jeeps and other vehicles to make repairs.

The enemy A.I. will be the thing that makes or breaks the game. So far enemy A.I. on display has shown that it cooperates with other A.I. Shoot a soldier in the foot from a sniping perch and watch him cry for help until another nearby soldier comes to try and carry him to safety. We can only hope that the A.I. reacts equally as realistic when it sees a spreading fire approaching.

Far Cry 2 seems set to be a must-have first-person shooter for fans of the genre. All of the previously mentioned features are a breath of fresh air for this genre. Add in online multiplayer and an extensive map editor (Far Cry’s map editor is still regarded as one of the best around) and Far Cry 2 is seemingly very worthy of the same hype and attention that games like Gears of War 2 and Fallout 3 are getting. It’s a jungle out there, and Ubisoft Montreal delivers that jungle on October 22nd.

Dark Void is an upcoming third person shooter from Capcom. Developed by Airtight Games, the title at first glance seems to resemble Gears of War with a jetpack. Featuring the signature stop and pop gameplay the aforementioned series is known for, the controls felt very familiar right away.

The level we played featured a variety of things to do and modes to play. The beginning of the level introduced a jetpack equipped commando entering the battlefield with his fellow soldiers. The enemies encountered were all robotic in nature with seemingly no signs of organic life. The majority of this portion of the game involved taking cover behind barrels, boxes, walls and other level objects while lining up shots on the adversaries when the opportunity arised. Standard assault rifles, grenades and good old fashioned one hit melee kills are what were at our disposal here.

Where things started to change up a bit was a little later on when the platforming elements came into play. The player is able to grab onto ledges to scale up to higher places, but the camera switches to a view behind the player facing up towards the sky. The player then has to navigate past enemies trying to shoot at him, while taking shots of his own and leaping to adjacent ledges to avoid damage. With the aid of the jetpack at times, it’s possible to vault up to even higher ledges on the way to the top. If ammo is completely exhausted, or if getting up close and personal is the preferred method of disposal, the one hit melee attacks work here as well. While the melee maneuvers on the ground are effective enough, reaching at an enemy from below and tossing him off a cliff is much more satisfying.

Upon reaching the top of the compound, we were treated to our first taste at flight in the game. Feeling a little bit clumsy at first to simulate the initial velocity of the rocket’s propulsion, we quickly felt at home with these controls as well. At this point, we were tasked with taking out all the gunner ships. Considering that we didn’t have any weapon to use during flight, this initially posed a little bit of a problem.

Things took a turn for the better, however, when we realized that we could hijack any of the ships. You start the hijacking process by pressing one button when within range of a ship, but it’s much more involved than that. After a little automated scene of your player grabbing onto the little ship, a mini game starts up. The ship was pretty much a flying disc with a rotating cannon in the middle. The rotating cannon turns to face your direction before charging up a blast to kill you. You can avoid the cannon blasts by circling around the ship to make it difficult for it to line up a shot on you. The main thing you want to do at this point, is to pull up a panel and rip out one of the main components from inside the ship. The trickery comes into play as to do this, you have to stay stationary for awhile so that you can hold down a button to completely pull the panel off.

Once you’ve done this successfully, you’ll be able to enact a quick time event to rip the pilot out of his cockpit and control the gunship yourself. After taking out all the ships, a brief cut scene played and the demo was over.

Dark Void plays and feels really good right now. Though the build was early, there is quite a bit of time left before the 2009 release date. We’ll be keeping our eyes open on this one.

Fans of Metal Gear Solid swarmed the Uniqlo store in New York’s Soho neighborhood yesterday to buy limited edition Metal Gear T-shirts and wait for the rare chance to get an autograph from Hideo Kojima, the game’s creator. The event celebrated the recent release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Kojima appeared at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square for the midnight release of the game.

Kojima is rumored to hate autograph sessions, but agreed to sign one item each for the first 300 people in line at Uniqlo. One creative fan had a bag of wasabi flavored Doritos for Kojima to sign, but game artwork cards were provided to those with nothing to sign.

Yumi Kikuchi, the voice of Raging Raven, was also on hand to sign autographs. A few fans flinched as Ms. Kikuchi signed their Metal Gear items which predated Raging Raven’s appearance in the series, but they didn’t stop her.

Although Uniqlo stocked 300 Metal Gear T-shirts, due to a miscommunication the large and extra-large shirts were put on display before the event and sold out early, leaving only extra-small and medium sizes for sale during the signing. Pictures of the shirts can be seen on Uniqlo’s Japanese site and on Kotaku.

Kojima will be doing another signing at a launch event in San Francisco on June 14th.

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3
Publisher: Sierra
Developer: High Moon Studios

Darkwatch developer, High Moon Studios is putting the finishing touches on The Bourne Conspiracy. The goal of the project is to bring the source material of the books home to gamers with the same high octane action that the movies are known for. We’ve been playing through a build with quite a few levels here at PopCultureShock for awhile now and we think that so far the team is well on their way to making that happen.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the game, as in the movies, is the way in which the hand to hand combat is portrayed. High Moon has done a very good job so far of coordinating the camera angles and movements while cutting frames from the attack animations similarly to the way it was done in the movies.

The mechanic that really helps in this regard is the Takedown. When fighting, players gradually build up their adrenaline bar, which is separated into three parts. Each time one of those portions of the bar is filled, players will be able to press a button to perform a Takedown. Takedowns are different from the standard punches and kicks and are scripted, cinematic sequences that typically use the environment to great effect. Remember when Bourne took a book and did his own rendition of the Star Trek 3 piece combo (more like a 15 piece combo)? Or what about the time when he took a pen and hit every pressure point in someone’s arm? Those are the kinds of things Bourne does when he uses Takedowns. Although these sequences aren’t interactive, the way that you build up and earn them by mixing them in with your normal moves makes it a reward to execute and watch them.

The mode in the game that could use the most work right now would have to be the driving portions. While this is an action game with no aspirations of being a Forza or Gran Turismo (or even a Test Drive for that matter), the handling and feel for the cars is way too light. If High Moon could add a little bit of weight to the vehicles, it would go a long way towards improving the playability of those scenes. As it is now, it feels like you’re controlling bumper cars and it is nowhere near as memorable as the fighting scenes.

As gamers, we see our fair share of licensed properties, whether from movies, books or other media. Most of those games are instantly forgettable as well. If High Moon Studios can polish up a few rough edges, they could have a hit on their hands and lay the foundation for franchise that can stand on its own. The Bourne Conspiracy will release in June of this year.

The first Iron Man project produced under the license agreement will be based on Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated Iron Man feature film starring Academy Award Nominees Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard, and directed by Jon Favreau. This project, the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment, will blast into theaters May 2, 2008. The Iron Man game is set for release Spring 2008.

Of course, PopCultureShock will keep you informed with all the latest. All screenshots shown are from the Xbox 360 version of the title.

Call of Duty 4 was hands down the gem of E3 snagging attention from everyone who laid eyes on it. The impressive gameplay videos plastered all over the web have garnered further attention from those who didn’t make it to the expo. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, Google the Call of Duty 4 sniper trailer and watch it without crapping your pants within the first 25 seconds. So when we say that the multiplayer is in no way, shape or form a let down, take our word for it.

The first thing to note for anyone who hasn’t seen any of the Call of Duty 4 media bombardment is that things are now set in the modern day military world. This is perfect timing because WWII era games are actually beginning to feel 60 years old. But the question remained: could the game change eras and still keep the feel of the previous titles and the pace that players came to love. Somehow Infinity Ward pulled it off because immediately after picking up a controller fans of Call of Duty games will feel right at home. There’s a lot of familiar-ness that arises with the new weapons that will instantly click with the weapons from the previous game. The odd sense of deja vu is almost instantaneous and doesn’t let up. To be completely honest if it weren’t for all the new features, we would call this Call of Duty 2 with new skin. Luckily enough for us all, there’s so many new features to like about Call of Duty 4 that this definitely is not the case.

Call of Duty 4 introduces a new create-a-class system that blows the multiplayer addictiveness door right off the hinges. By playing multiplayer matches you rack up points for things as simple as killing the opposition but also for a plethora of more obscure actions such as multiple kills without dying or even for assisted kills, which is nice for those moments where you take an opponent to within an inch of their life only to have someone else pick up the kill. These points progress you through a ranking system that as you gain levels allows you to unlock new weapons and abilities for your use. Starting at level four, you can pick and choose from these selections to compile a character class all your own to save and use at your discretion. This adds not only a rewards system for playing, but also adds the depth of creating combos that in the right players hands drastically increases their lethality. For instance, the ability ‘last stand’ allows you to remove a pistol after you’ve been killed for a few moments and seek bloody revenge. When coupled with an upgrade that allows more damaging bullets you can create a kamikaze class that will fit the run and gun players like a glove. The possibilities are endless. Well not endless but damn near close. Call of Duty 4 has taken things to the next level and any playtime with the title makes this apparent.

The visuals are some of the best next gen graphics we have seen to date and that holds true even in multiplayer. Many games suffer drastically in the presentation department when multiplayer is implemented but Call of Duty 4 seems to have no such shortcomings. The game still looks incredible and runs smooth this far out from release. We experienced 12 player matches but the team at Infinity Ward assured us that larger matches on consoles are a definite probability as long as bandwidth can hold out. Currently they’re shooting for having 16 player multiplayer action on consoles. As far as the PC version is concerned servers won’t be limited by developers on how large their populations are. Simply put if the connections are good, then play on. This will surely excite fans of larger, more chaotic battles.

After playing the Halo 3 Beta and getting hands on with Call of Duty 4 multiplayer, we have to say that the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer experience is a couple notches above Bungie’s Ace-in-the-Hole. Call of Duty 4 rewards you for playing and we fully understand now what Infinity Ward has been doing with their time since Call of Duty 2’s release. Watch out for this one.

NBA Street makes its fourth season appearance in NBA Street Homecourt. Ever since we saw it being played early last August, we’ve been chomping at the bit to be able to tell you about it, but the Spin Doctors at EA are very strong in The Force indeed. We headed back up to EA Canada recently to sit down with the team once again to see how the game has progressed since then.

NBA Street Homecourt is different from it’s predecessors in a number of ways. The theme this time around is about where the great ballers come from. Although every street court isn’t as well known as Ruckers, every NBA great picked up his game from his local court. Likewise, your own character will be out to perfect his game and ultimately put his own hometown on the map.

Perhaps the biggest change to the series is that this title is a next gen exclusive. Meaning, if you want some of this, you’re gonna have to step your game up to the Xbox 360 or the PS3. This decision to pass up on the current generation of hardware is paying off big dividends on both the graphical and gameplay fronts.

The graphics and animations in NBA Street Homecourt are ace. The environments are expansive and highly detailed. If you imagine the amount of real world detail found in Project Gotham Racing 3 and applied it to a street hoops game, you’d begin to be able to understand the scope of it. If you’re playing in Venice Beach for example, you’ll see and be able to play on all four courts on the blacktop with each of the courts properly mimicking their real life counterparts in both size and detail. Not only are all the objects and buildings properly conveyed in game, but the devs even went back and changed details as small as the angles some of the trees were standing to make sure everything was as perfect as possible. All the hometown courts have this level of detail. For the first time, the backgrounds are rendered in a full 360 degrees instead of the simple sideline camera used in the previous titles.

The detail extends to the ballers themselves. Just look at Ben Wallace’s hair, or check out the Puerto Rican flag tat that Melo has by his thumb to see exactly what the team has been able to do with such high resolution textures.

The animation system is flawless to such an extent that you’ll ask yourself “Is this the same studio that made NBA Live 07?” What’s even more impressive is that the team only has four animators, but what they’ve accomplished here is more than commendable. Not only are the animations complex and perfectly blended with each other, but you can stop, transition or do anything with them at any time that you want. The reason is that NBA Street Homecourt gives you full control of each and every single move and trick that you pull off. You’re no longer relegated to pushing on the trick buttons and having them randomly cycle through moves. You now have the freedom to put together any sort of combination that you feel like making on the fly. This new system is called the Trick Remixer. The system is so refined, that some animations are as quick as a tenth of a second long. That’s how quick and responsive the control mechanic is. You’ll be able to pull off varied and extensive combination moves with the press of only one button.

The main thing that will dictate the different moves that you perform with the trick button is the timing at which you press the buttons. Tap the X button and you’ll change your dribbling hand. Nothing fancy here. Keep tapping it and you’ll switch the ball back and forth in perfect timing and rhythm to your button presses. If you tap the button really quickly, your baller will drop down to his knees so that he can dribble and change up hands just that fast. Pressing and releasing the button will make your baller bounce the ball up, hesitate for a moment, jump in the air while he bounces the ball under his feet and catch the ball with the other hand. This isn’t even taking into account the modifiers you can put on all those animations using the bumper buttons. Again, all these moves are just based on moving the ball from one hand to another and will form the basis of you making your own crossover moves when you have a defender checking you. You’ll be able to use this same mechanic with the Y button, which will have you doing various moves with putting the ball on the ground and doing different tricks that way.

The system is really easy to control and you’ll have a lot of fun just getting acclimated to being able to do exactly what moves you want to do when you want to do them. I was able to put together a 61 move combination string the first time I picked up the controller without even thinking about it. Trust me; people are going to be talking about this when the game comes out.

When people think of NBA Street Homecourt, they think of the Gamebreakers. This year, the Gamebreaker mode has undergone a makeover. When you fill up your Gamebreaker meter, you’ll be able to activate a mode that will give you all new abilities. The soundtrack changes to ‘Rockit’ by ‘The Son of the Cool’ (Herbie Hancock for the uninitiated) and your player is given a money ball. All the animations and moves at your disposal will be different in this mode and even more over the top. By over the top, we really mean over the top. As if the double dunks you can perform in the normal mode (yup, you read that right, DOUBLE dunks) weren’t enough, the Gamebreaker mode will allow the skilled players to be able to pull off an insane triple dunk. The mode will let you string together crazier combos and rack up even more points while it also introduces an element of danger. The longer you keep the ball and the higher your tally is, the more likely it is that your opponent will be able to strip the ball from you and sink a bucket taking it all for himself. This is going to be the ultimate punk out move on Xbox Live.

NBA Street Homecourt is shaping up to be a real winner. What we came away with was an extensive amount of hands on time with what could turn out to be one of the more enjoyable hoops experiences EA has put out in years. We’ll be back with more on NBA Street Homecourt as it approaches the February 20th release date.

PCSTV sat down with the producers at Activision to get the lowdown on customizable costumes, hidden characters, a next-gen graphics engine, and why you haven’t truly played Spidey until you’ve tossed him around on your Wii. And, what’s this about PITFALL?

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The insane thing about Activision’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance game, is that comic book lovers get so MANY fan-favorite characters to choose from. From expected choices like Spider-Man and Thor, to the recently revealed Iron Man and The Thing, the joy doesn’t simply come from the fact that you’re controlling your favorite hero. With pitch-perfect voice actors, attention to detail in how the characters look and play, and a storyline that includes SHIELD, Dr. Doom, and a newfound Masters of Evil, clever Marvel fans might want to recreate their own little Civil War within the game’s arcade mode.

PopCultureShock.com had a chance to spend quality time with the game during Activision’s Press-Only day, and this is inarguably the biggest Marvel Comics-based video game ever. Hot on the heels of the award-winning X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, don’t let the developers hear you draw comparisons between the two titles. With Marvel Ultimate Alliance boasting over 20 playable characters (with at least 3 exclusive characters per console), and over 140 cameos from a huge cast of Marvel superstars, the developers at Raven Software (PS3, X360), and Vicarious Visions (Xbox, Wii, PSP) have crafted a game that’s actually more robust, more action-packed, and more, well, spectacular than Rise of Apocalypse dared hoped to be.

PopCultureShock.com recently revisited Warner Bros. Interactive for a final look at Snowblind Studios’ Justice League Heroes before the official release. Check out the video interview for all the latest.

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Justice League Heroes is an action game with role playing customization featuring DC Comics’ most powerful and renowned team of super heroes. For the first time ever on current generation consoles, 1-2 players can play as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Zatanna and Martian Manhunter – plus other unlockable super heroes – together to save the world against a legion of notorious DC Comics’ villains.

Developed by Snowblind Studios, the game employs the fourth generation of their renowned current generation console technology previously seen in Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, and Champions: Return to Arms. It also includes a detailed visual style, an intense cooperative combat system, customizable super powers unique to each character and an engaging storyline by Emmy Award-winning writer Dwayne McDuffie.

The rundown with the story this time is that Brainiac and his villain cronies have developed a master plan to conquer the world and eliminate the Justice League forever. Using the extraordinary super powers and expert fighting techniques of Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman and other favorite DC Comics super heroes, players must join the Justice League to ultimately save humanity from Brainiac’s destruction and the even darker forces that are lurking in the universe.

Sticking to the action RPG roots of Snowblind Studios’ previous titles, Justice League Heroes encompasses a number of features including:

7 playable super heroes, plus other unlockable characters, each with unique super powers and combat styles based on the iconic characters.

Compelling gameplay featuring both hand-to-hand and air-to-ground cooperative, combat using a vast arsenal of character-specific super powers.

Rich and diverse visual style throughout multiple gameplay levels boasting high quality graphics and interactive, destructible environments.

Engaging storyline from award-winning comic and animation writer Dwayne McDuffie told through in-game banter and 3D cinematic cut scenes.

Unique upgradable system allows players to customize and enhance their favorite super powers resulting in specialized controls and fighting-styles.

Publisher: Dark Horse
By: Hiroaki Samura

The start of a new story arc, as “The Sparrow Net” begins! Hyakurin, disturbed by her recent encounter with Giichi, takes a break to drink and cry on a stranger’s shoulder. Döa and Isaku have two surprise reunions. One will reinforce deep-seated beliefs and long-term goals. The other will have them fighting for their lives in the streets of Edo! Deep in an underground cell, Manji is imprisoned and tortured–all in the name of “modern Japanese medicine.”

Hiroaki Samura’s hilarious “Biography” text piece continues, with exclusive pinups, and this issue features another color back cover by Stan Shaw that will link up with other covers to form an exciting, extended image!

• 2006 Eagle Award winner for Favourite Manga Title.

• Winner of Japan’s prestigious Media Arts Award and America’s own Will Eisner Award.

• FIFTEEN volumes of this modern classic available in the Dark Horse backlist!

Publication Date: Oct 11, 2006
Format: b & w, 32 pages
Price: $2.99

Electronic Arts has finished preparing their second shot at Next Generation b-ball and they’ve got quite a bit to prove. While NBA LIVE 06 on Xbox 360 looked great, many gamers were wondering where the rest of the game was. Very few forgave EA Canada for leaving out major aspects such as Dynasty mode and other crucial gameplay factors found in the current generation version. To make things worse, EA said they were doing the next gen version of NBA LIVE 07 from scratch and were very light on details since E3. All of these things have had Live fans more eager than ever to find out what was happening with the franchise. To get the answers to all the questions, we headed up to Vancouver to find out from the NBA Live team themselves about what’s really going on.

One of the biggest complaints against EA Sports titles throughout the years is stagnation. Many criticize the company for introducing between one to three new features per year without really rocking the boat or providing a fresh experience. Interestingly enough, we found out that the lack of features and gameplay modes found in NBA LIVE 06 on 360 was actually due to EA finally giving us what we want. Let me explain.

EA decided that during the next generation, the sports titles were finally going to be remade from the ground up. The thing that some people may not realize is that NBA Live on current generation consoles is running off the same code base as the original NBA LIVE 95 title that came out in 1994 on Sega Genesis. Sure there have been many revisions since then, but there is still plenty of legacy code in there. This foundation has limited how much the team has been able to do with the title in the past. It’s like a house of cards. If you mess with or try to take out something major you run the extreme risk of making everything fall down. Thus, the only alternative was to finally press delete on the entire code base and start everything from scratch.

This brings us to the state of NBA LIVE 06. Pretty much what we had was the graphics engine as well as basic gameplay up and running. If you think about it, it’s impossible to program and code twelve years worth of features and elements from scratch in just one year. More features from the current generation version of the titles are being put into the next gen version every year until the title becomes feature complete. One such example of this can be seen with the inclusion of Dynasty mode in the next gen version.

Now that we know more about what’s happened in the past, let’s take a look at what’s in store for the future of the franchise. We were able to see and play a number of features that promise to take NBA LIVE 07 to the next level. Remember when we said everything was done from scratch? One of those things of course was the animation system.

EA could have stuck with only revamping the standard offensive and defensive animations but they went one step further. They’ve implemented what they call procedural animations. What this system does is it displays different animations that are determined by a player’s emotional state, intensity of the game and other factors. Having this contextually based animation system is part of what EA is doing to finally bring the players to life. Before you even ask, yes, facial animations have finally been brought over to the Live franchise. No more blank stares.

Another nice addition to the animations is the implementation of both weight and momentum. Players will no longer be able to stop and turn on a dime. You’ll see players plant their feet and shift their weight when they stop, change directions and perform a number of other movements. The other cool thing about the weight is how it affects other players. EA is adding an element of physicality to the game this year. If two players are moving and make contact, you won’t just see clipping or a simple animation of them sliding off each other. You’ll see realistic motions depicting what would happen if two players of their weight, skills and momentum were to collide with each other. All the animations are brand new as well.

The Superstar system has been tweaked this year also. First off is the two tiered system of the superstar abilities. The Superstar abilities remain at the disposal of the top tier performers in the game. The addition here are the Star abilities. These were included to give a greater disparity between the cream of the crop in the league and the players that are shining, but just not quite there yet.

EA is dubbing the play mechanic of these abilities Total Freestyle Control. Gamers will be able to play in various Superstar styles such as hi flyer, playmaker and others depending on who the player is they’re controlling. This time around, players that are really on their game will be versed in more than just one Superstar style that they will be able to toggle between on the fly. You could switch Lebron between shooter to hi flyer with just the flick of a button depending on the situation you’re in.

Executing various Superstar maneuvers and moves is done by doing various motions on the right analog stick. Within the Superstar styles are three different levels. As the level of the maneuver you’re trying to pull off increases, so does the complexity of the right analog motions you have to enter. It may sound a little weird inputting a Street Fighter-esque fireball motion to do a dunk, but it grows on you pretty quickly.

Perhaps the most interesting thing EA is doing this year with the title is the ESPN integration. Not satisfied with just putting a logo on the box or in a couple places in the game, they’re really going into overdrive with what they’re doing here. One of these features is ESPN radio. These are podcasts of ESPN audio programming that you can sit and listen to, or have playing in the background while you’re playing and doing other things within the game. You’ll be able to watch authentic ESPN broadcasts as well. These are clips from ESPN shows that can range from anything from live streaming video to top stories to highlights of NBA games and anything between. You’ll find an interesting mix between ESPN programming here as well as original programming. There are also a number of print articles you’ll be able to sit and read. This information will be refreshed every 5 minutes and we were told the information available won’t be more than two days old or so. Very nice.

That’s all you’re getting out of us from this last minute taste of NBA LIVE 07. If you want more, you’ll have to check out our final verdict in our in depth review shortly.

Capcom has officially announced Devil May Cry 4. Along with that announcement comes the first details to this Playstation 3 action-fest. Devil May Cry 4 will place gamers in the role of a new character named Nero. What is even more surprising is that Nero will be after everyone’s favorite devil hunter after witnessing him kill several innocents.

Long ago the Dark Knight Sparda awoke to justice and rebelled against the dark emperor, to wage a one-man war to save humanity. Thousands of years later, a religious organization worships this renowned savior and has taken it upon themselves to rid the world of all demons. Residing in Fortuna, a castle city on the coast, this “Order of the Sword” has an elite group of “Holy Knights” dedicated to carrying out this very creed. Rising among the ranks, a young cynical warrior named Nero witnesses Sparda’s legendary son Dante slaughter countless “knights”. Has the renowned devil hunter turned his back on mankind? What does this encounter mean for these two individuals and why has destiny brought them together?

In Devil May Cry 4, players control the formidable Nero who comes to grips with his newly found power as his beliefs and allegiance are tested. Continuing the legacy of fast paced action synonymous with the series, Devil May Cry 4 pushes the envelope of excellence even further with the inclusion of a new combat system that incorporates Nero’s “Devil Bringer”. This new feature has players delivering overwhelming damage to enemies with non-stop combos, while gaining new power for Nero’s right arm. With the PlayStation 3 system’s advanced graphical capabilities, high definition visuals and intricate detail come to life as players explore new and exotic locales. Amazing visual effects and dynamic action coupled with a complex storyline, provides the very cool, slick and stylish attitude that only a Devil May Cry game can deliver.

We’ll have more information as it breaks, but for now check out the first screens released for the title.

Namco Bandai has announced that ETERNAL SONATA will be coming to North America in 2007. The Xbox 360 RPG was unveilled at the Tokyo Game Show just yesterday as TRUSTY BELL. The interesting thing about it is that it is a heavily Japanese styled RPG. Like ENCHANTED ARMS before it, there have been no RPGs on either the original Xbox or Xbox 360 in the same vein as them. While the system has always had unique and critically acclaimed RPGs such as THE ELDER SCROLLS, FABLE, STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC and JADE EMPIRE just to name a few, none were that classic Japanese RPG flavor that many RPG fans are used to.

The story of ETERNAL SONATA begins as a famous composer, on his deathbed, drifts between this life and the next. In his reverie, a happenstance encounter of a young girl who accepts her terrible destiny and a young boy fighting to save her, changes the destiny of the world. Uncover the light that shines in each of us in this enduring tale of good and evil.

“ETERNAL SONATA will set a new standard in next generation RPG’s as it combines an immersive, in-depth story line that will draw the player into the game,” Yoshi Niki, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s Product Group Director said. “With a host of impressive next generation features such as a unique monster morphing system, a hybrid of a turn-based and action battle system with a special attack feature dependent on light and shadow, ETERNAL SONATA will set a new standard for next-generation RPG gaming.”

Having Namco Bandai announce the title for a US release the day after it was announced in Japan is a good sign. We’ll have more details as they’re released. For now, check out the first images released for the game.

Electronic Arts has released the newest screens from SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME. The screens show the huge amount of improvement made to the graphics engine. The title looks to place The Man of Steel into the Sandbox genre of games made popular by titles such as GRAND THEFT AUTO. Whether or not they’re successful at making it a memorable gaming experience, we’re not sure but we’ll know soon enough.

We’ll be heading down to the developer, EA Tiburon, in Orlando in a couple weeks time to find out for ourselves how things are shaping up with this title. This is where you come in. If there’s anything you wanna know about the game, let us know below in the comments or in our forums and we’ll find out for you firsthand. Wanna know if a certain power is in the game? How about a certain villain? No question is too small, so ask away.

Until then, look at some of the game features below and make sure to tell us what you want to know about SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME.

Features

The Authentic Superman Experience
True to the fiction in every respect, this is the game based on the Superman universe that fans have been anticipating for decades.

Metropolis Comes to Life
From excited citizens moving around the city to the traffic on the streets, every detail of this vibrant city has a mind of its own. These 80 square miles are brought to life for the first time in a videogame.

Huge Open World
Go anywhere and do anything in Metropolis as Superman. Non-linear gameplay allows you to explore and play the game exactly how you want to at your own pace. Where and how you fly – to the top of skyscrapers, dodging elevated trains – is completely up to you, since gameplay is designed as a true open world experience.

Missions and Mini-games
With notorious villains like Metallo and Parasite, and colossal challenges only Superman can overcome, you must navigate the Man of Steel™ to monitor and protect Metropolis from destruction.

Varied Gameplay
Three distinct types of gameplay — Flying, Rescue, and Combat — will keep the action constant and the challenges relentless. Play both film-inspired missions as well as original content created exclusively for the videogame.

Next-Gen Technology
Graphics, sound, and gameplay have been taken to the next level to create a Metropolis like you’ve never seen it, with three dimensional sound, a complete orchestra soundtrack, and Oscar-wining sound designer.