It’s been a while since X-Men fans were really able to enjoy their favorite band of merry mutants in a video game that wasn’t part of a “bigger” picture. The last time was back in 2005 with the release of X-Men Legends II: The Rise of Apocalypse. Since then, the only certain X-Men like Wolverine or Cyclops have made their way into other titles like Marvel Ultimate Alliance or Marvel: Rise of the Imperfects. Now, alongside the announcement of the downloadable re-release of the X-Men arcade game comes a teaser for a new X-Men title, X-Men: Destiny.

The game is being written by current X-Men: Legacy scribe Mike Carey who has done a great job focusing on the secondary stories lately for the X-Men on their little island of Utopia, putting a lot of focus on Rogue, Magneto and Gambit as of late. Activision tells us that “The all-new original video game casts players as new mutant recruits in a rich, branching storyline that features a deep element of choice and gives players ultimate control of their destiny.”

Other than that, details of the game have been few and far between. The teaser below does a great job of hyping a big game but does little in terms of answering questions about it like, most importantly, just what kind of game it will be. Action platformer? Squad based combat? Action RPG? Everything is still up in the air.

Make sure to take a peek at the trailer after the jump and stick to the Flickcast for all news on X-Men: Destiny as it becomes available.

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These days, there are plenty of classic games that are getting the big-budget revamp, but it’s the few that gamers from the 90s remember with nostalgia that are finally getting justice in the world of next gen consoles. TNMT: Turtles in Time was the first to get the face lift, and now comic fans everywhere rejoice as the classic arcade game X-Men is coming to Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Straight from 1992, the arcade was forever known as “that gigantic machine in the back of the arcade that was always taken up”, which was one of the rare machines to allow 6 simultaneous players, all dedicated to one classic 80′s X-Men character. Now, developer Konami has plans finally bring the once arcade-only game to the console.

Many fans remember that the available characters were chosen from probably the best X-Men team roster in the history of the comic, including Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, and unfortunately, Dazzler. Though, the addition of Dazzler in a members-only jacket and headband only make the game that much more nostalgic.

No word yet on a release date, but it was mentioned in the Marvel panel at New York Comic-Con that the game will feature a drop-in online multiplayer system that allows up to 6 players at once, each with varying difficulty. We expect to hear more about the game as it develops. In the meantime, check out the awesome trailer for the re-release after the jump.

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Following tons of casting and recasting news, X-Men: First Class producer Bryan Singer contacted AICN and revealed tons of juicy tidbits about the highly anticipated film. Of course, we’re going to share them with you right here to save you the trouble of clicking that link.

The film will take place in the fitting time of the 1960′s, with civil rights being of high concern at the time and the obvious parallels between the racial and mutant struggles. In addition, Singer implied that Vaughn will also be utilizing James Bond type technology from that era in the film.

X-Men: First Class will follow the young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender)as they plan the futures of mutant kind.  Xavier will not be in a wheelchair in the beginning of the film, but we will witness him losing the use of his legs.

The antagonists of the film will be the Hellfire Club which will include Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw and January Jones as Emma Frost. On a surprising note, he stated that we will not be seeing Jean Grey or Cyclops. Unsurprisingly, he announced that we can expect tons more casting news in the next couple of days.

Singer also explained that even though the costumes in the film will be more “comic booky” than previous films, the film is shying away from the story written in the comic after which the film is named.

Do you think that it’s the right move to delve deep into little known comic book characters, while not utilizing the pre-existing lore? Can an X-men story exist without Jean Grey and Cyclops?

I’d just like to begin this review by pointing out that close to 50% of the audience for the latest Wolverine film was women. Yes….women. Why may you ask? Was it because of the brilliant action scenes in which Wolvie slowly walked away from an explosion that would normally kill a human being very quickly? No.

Was it because adding a fan-favorite character like Cyclops, who in the normal Marvel-verse would not have been born yet, but due to the need to add as many discernible characters as possible was thrown into the mix? No.

The answer is Hugh Jackman looks damn fine without his shirt on and women crave a alpha male who can kill any of your ex-boyfriends lickety-split but would rather spend time by the fire listening to your day. What does this all have to do with Wolverine Weapon X #10 you ask?

The answer (the final answer) is Marvel every once in awhile sticks behind their writers and their crazy hatched plans to write an issue about…..oh no….gasp…characterization and relationships.

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Previously, we had taken you behind the scenes to see how these motion comics are made with some of the production team. This time around we’ve got another look behind the scenes with a different facet of the production. This one, hosted by David Goldberg of Edge Studio, give some insight into how the dialog and sound effects are designed and recorded. It also shows you a few of the voice actors hard at work giving life to their characters.

Also, as we agree to do, here’s the official Marvel description of the video and the motion comic:

Get a behind the scenes look at the chart-topping Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic with this all new video. Based on the acclaimed story by superstars Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Captain America), the X-Men are faced with a mysterious new villain and a possible cure for the mutant gene. Now Cyclops, Wolverine and all your favorite mutants must face the greatest threats of their lives and, before it’s all done, experience one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Marvel history.

Be sure and check out the video after the jump, especially if you’re a fan of these kinds of behind the scenes things like we are. The Astonishing X-Men MOCO is available now at iTunes and on Hulu.

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Our friends at Marvel have sent us yet another video that we can bring you. This time, its a character profile of Silver Surfer from from their animated kid’s show Super Hero Squad, which airs weekdays on Cartoon Network.

The video is pretty cute, especially if you’re a kid and helps to understans the motivations and history of one of the most complex and interesting characters in the Marvel U. So, be sure to check out the video after the jump.

Also, as we are asked to do, following is the text the company has sent along to go with the video. And again, be sure to click through and enjoy the video.

Silver Surfer

As the Squad’s resident alien, the Surfer is a fish-out-of-water, constantly puzzled and amazed at the strange customs and culture of Earthlings. The Surfer, for all his innocence, is in hiding.

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As we’ve done previously, we’ve got a preview of the brand new Marvel motion comic Astonishing X-Men: Gifted. Featuring the talents of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, this project offers fans a cool way to enjoy a great comic story on their favorite portable device like an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Even though I’m a fan of reading paper comics and I hope they don’t go away any time soon, this is just another way in which new fans can potentially be brought into the fold. Which is a good thing. Plus, with this kind of story and the talent involved, you have to expect this to be a pretty big success for Marvel. Hopefully, that will mean more comics will be getting the “motion” treatment.

So, check out this preview and enjoy it. Also, as we agreed to do in order to bring you cool things like this, following is Marvel’s “official” info about this project and this preview.

Marvel is proud to unveil your first look at episode 2 of the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic! Based on the acclaimed story by superstars Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and John Cassaday (Captain America), the X-Men are faced with a mysterious new villain and a possible cure for the mutant gene! Now Cyclops, Wolverine and all your favorite mutants must face the greatest threats of their lives and, before it’s all done, experience one of the most jaw-dropping moments in Marvel history!

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Excelsior! Sorry, couldn’t resist. Actually, that word completely applies in this case seeing as how the X-Men were created by the great Stan “The Man” Lee and Jack “King” Kirby. Still, its a pretty good day today and a pretty cool thing we have to share with you right now.

Our pals at Marvel have provided us with a new video showing a bit of behind the scenes with the folks who make the Astonishing X-Men motion comic. Hosted by producer Kristine Stone, you get a tour of the production facility and get to meet many of the people responsible for putting this cool project together. All in all, not a bad way to spend a few minutes.

You get to learn some things and have a little fun too. What could be better than that? Not much, so be sure to check out the video after the jump. The Astonishing X-Men MOCO is available now at iTunes and on Hulu.

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