Originally a cartoon, Darkwing Duck ran from 1991 to 1995 and again from 1996 to 1997. A darker, cooler version of the Duck Tales universe, Darkwing gave Disney its very own super hero character who wasn’t a total boy scout like Gizmo Duck.

Recently, Boom launched the Darkwing Duck miniseries which was quickly indefinitely extended to an ongoing series. Take a peek below at our interview with James Silvani, the current artist on the book, as he discusses with us his work on the project, the character, and the tremendous fan support the title has received.

The Flickcast: Recently Boom has been having a lot of success with their licensed products, especially with the Disney series. How did you get approached about working on the Darkwing Duck series?

James Silvani: Actually, I started off doing The Muppets and was working on a few Muppet ideas and the editors had asked, “Hey do you mind throwing in a Darkwing Duck cover? It’s something of a pet project of ours”. Once we had the approval, we went ahead with it and it became a nice little fluke.

Continue Reading →

At Comic Con, the folks at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment gave us a walk through of their new family friendly Lord of the Rings title, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest. Rated E10+, Aragorn’s Quest takes a drastically different tone and gameplay style from the recently revealed The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

Shown on the Wii, Aragorn’s Quest has players listen to the tales of Samwise Gamgee as he explains to his children the events of The Lord of the Rings, focusing on the tale of the current king Aragorn. Over the course of eight chapters, players are then given the opportunity to take the role of Aragorn on a series of quest that follow the events of the three films. Each quest contains smaller side quests players can embark on.

Having Samwise voiced by Sean Astin and Gimlee voiced by John Rhys-Davies is meant to keep an older audience into the game as they help younger players through it. Unfortunately during our walk through, the noise of the convention prevented us from experiencing the voice acting.

The game has a simple visual style that strays away from the dark overtones of the film and previous game titles. There is no blood or any other effects that would go against the game’s family friendly image. Using the WiiMote, players hack and slash their way through hordes of goblins, orcs, spiders and trolls in an effort to escort Frodo to the peak of Mount Doom to destroy the one ring. Different motions result in different strikes. During combat, directional prompts will appear to perform specific actions and finishing blows. Players will also have a chance to switch between ranged and melee combat as well.

Continue Reading →

With Scribblenauts being one of our favorite games of 2009, it is no surprise we were excited to get some hands on time with its sequel at San Diego Comic Con this year. In the E3 Trailer for Super Scribblenauts, we found out that not only would the game receive a control upgrade where players would be able to finally control Maxwell with the D-Pad instead of the sometimes unreliable stylus but they would also be given the option of using adjectives in creating their objects.

These adjectives would influence the color, behavior and abilities of the items created in Super Scribblenauts. In the first game if a player wanted to create a flying pig, they’d have to type “Pig” and then “Wings” and attach the wings to the pig. Now, by simply typing “flying pig”, the game intuitively combines the two into one hovering swine.

At the Con, we got a walkthrough of some of the game’s levels. Super Scribblenauts will feature 120 new levels which Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment described as “deeper, more linear and require a little more thought process”. With the upgraded controls also comes more action oriented levels. While many levels are still focused on problem solving, there are now stronger action elements to the title.

The classic stylus controls are still there but for “twitch” style action levels, the d-pad with the ability to control when Maxwell jumps greatly improves upon what most consider the only flaw of the original game. While Maxwell isn’t going to be as tight control-wise as Mario would be, he is much easier to properly maneuver, saving accidental deaths and aggravating level failures.

Continue Reading →

One of Cartoon Network’s most popular shows has been Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It is only fitting that only days before the show begins its third season, players will get the chance to jump in on Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures.  On September 15th, players will be able to begin their unique online Star Wars experience. And on Friday the 17th, the newest season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars begins.

At Comic Con, we got the chance to speak with Sony Online Entertainment about the upcoming title and get a walkthrough of some of the features in the game including both the Star Fighter and Lightsaber Duel minigames, both seen in the video below.

We were told that the main goal of Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures was to make the player feel as though they are a part of the Star Wars: Clone Wars universe with iconic characters to interact with and environments to explore. Unlike Star Wars: Galaxies, players are intended on being able to get instant gratification in this rather than grinding their way through levels in order to unlock upper tier content.

This also closely works in favor of the game’s younger target market. Right from the start, players can go up and talk to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Rex. These characters help introduce players to the minigames.

Continue Reading →

Back at Comic-Con, we got the chance to play some hands on with the 2010 reboot of Medal of Honor multiplayer Beta which went live for those who had signed up for it on July 20th. The Beta is exclusive to the PC and PlayStation 3. The multiplayer for Medal of Honor is being developed by EA Digital Illusions CE while the single player campaign is coming to us from Danger Close. The single player campaign will follow a group of Tier One Operators (the top .01% most elite in the US Armed Forces) in the early parts of the war with Afghanistan.

The first thing that stood out to us during the demo was the use of the AMD technology Ifinity which allows players to use a three monitor setup to play the game in super wide screen. The game looks so great that this is definitely the way the game was meant to be experienced. To its credit because this will be the game it is most likely compared to, Medal of Honor is a more visually impressive experience than the latest iteration of the Call of Duty franchise. The levels look more realistic with an insane level of detail in them. The lighting also makes everything pop out to you just a little more as well.

The control of Medal of Honor is top notch. In the first person genre, control is everything and Medal of Honor hits it perfectly. As expected from a veteran franchise that has had time to refine its control and move with the trends without being forced to put out a yearly iteration, Medal of Honor feels like a fresh game when playing it even though most of what is seen in the multiplayer has been done before. After our hands on time with it, it is a game we know we want to spend some more time with in the near future.

Continue Reading →

On Marvel.com, Activision has revealed all of the unlockable skins for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. By playing through the game, players will have the opportunity to unlock new looks for their favorite wall crawler across the four dimensions of gameplay. Make sure to check out the gallery at the bottom of this post for screen shots of all the new costumes.

At Comic Con, we had the opportunity to sit down with Studio Head over at Beenox, the developers behind Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Dee Brown. In our short time with Dee, he discussed with us the choices behind dimensions of the game.

He also mentions creating new villains for the game as well as the hype that has been coming out leading to the game’s release.

The Flickcast: First question I have, what was the thought process behind the four dimensions Beenox picked?

Dee Brown: Well, what we do when we start a project, we did what we always do when we start a project, a deep dive into the brand and we dug up a lot of the comic stuff of Spider-Man, and we did this big presentation to the team and the entire company.

Everybody loves Spider-Man of course, but nobody knows all the different universes and everything, so we did this presentation and showed shots of 2099 and Noir and all the amazing universes. People, like me for example, I didn’t know about Noir and when I saw it I thought “That’s amazing, that’s so great.”

Continue Reading →

One of the big problems with Comic Con is there is too much to be excited over. It actually ends up being hard to even keep track of all the things to look forward to. One thing we were able to keep focus on though was Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. At the Pre-Comic Con Activision event when they announced the fourth and final dimension for the game, we were able to get some hands on time with it.

Myself and the Flickcast’s Matt Raub both got to play through two sections of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Unlike recent Spider-Man games, Shattered Dimensions most notably is not an open world. It is a more linear process where players for a more set storyline than traveling across the island of Manhattan back and forth, something that while intriguing the first time because tiresome by the third game to use this approach.

The first section was the Noir universe which didn’t feel like a traditional Spider-Man title by any means. Instead of running in cracking jokes as he dodged bullets, the Noir Spider-Man was forced to take a more Sam Fischer approach (Splinter Cell reference for those of you who are just comic fans and not big gamers). Using his environment as a weapon, Noir Spider-Man must traverse around a level picking off foes one by one and avoid direct combat. Attempting a head on attack would more than likely result in a Spider-Man riddled with Tommy gun bullets.

Continue Reading →

At Comic Con, we got the chance to check out a lot of games. Too many to even discuss them all. But at the Sony press event, we got our hands on a game that was such an odd concept, it deserved our attention. Developed in house by Sony Japan’s internal development studio, Kung Fu Rider may be one of the most Japanese games in concept seen in a long time.

The game uses the PlayStation Move to control a private detective named Tobio and his secretary Karin as they are on the run from the mob in Hong Kong. The way they make their escape is by using rolling office chairs and other office furniture for a total of 12 different vehicles on downhill street courses which they can grind rails, hop cars and duck under beams. All of this is done with the controls of the motion control to lean them in the proper direction.

Along the way, players collect money to help them speed through the races faster and unlock various items that will help them in their escape. It is confirmed the game will feature 26 courses, each featuring various hidden passages with alternative routes.

The game doesn’t feature a competitive multiplayer but it will feature a cooperative mode. A player can jump in and help the main player by knocking objects out of their way. They can also collect money and bonus objects to help progress through levels faster.

When we asked about the inspiration behind Kung Fu Rider, we were told that German Chair Scooting is very popular on YouTube in Japan. The result is an incredibly unique experience that puts the Move’s motion controls to different extremes than anything else we have seen thus far.

Continue Reading →

One of the most exciting aspects of working in the industry is the chance to try out new games before the general public does. With those new games sometimes comes the new emerging technologies as well. This year at San Diego Comic Con, Kinect (formerly Project Natal) was available for the press to try out in Microsoft’s private press lounge. While there, I got the chance to try out two of the upcoming Kinect titles, Kinect Sports and Dance Central.

At first glance, many people would look at Kinect Sports and say it is a rip off of Wii Sports. To an extent, their claim is warranted. Kinect Sports is a collection of minigames using the Kinect motion controls centered around various sports. One can’t fault Microsoft for creating this title. It is no secret that Wii Sports helped drive sales of the Wii above the 25 million unit mark to non-traditional video game players. Sony is also producing Sports Champions for the PlayStation Move. It’d be leaving money on the table if Microsoft didn’t capitalize on this trend as well.

The first thing you notice about the Kinect is the lack of tangible feedback. During Kinect Sports, my first instinct was to grasp the bowling ball as my avatar’s hand went over it. The game responds by automatically grabbing the ball, regardless of whether you actually close your hand around it. For a moment, it catches you off guard that you aren’t really holding anything.

Continue Reading →

Think back to the mid-90s when fighting games were the dominant console gaming genre. Before Halo: Combat Evolved was handed down by the video game gods to convert the masses to the ways of the first person shooter, you couldn’t turn without bumping into a stack of newly released fighting games. But, out of all those games released, few stood the test of time. Street Fighter. Mortal Kombat. Tekken. Those were the ones that survived. Those are the ones we are still playing today. The question has always remained though, “What would happen if these fighting juggernauts ever collided?”

Well, back at San Diego Comic-Con, two thirds of our prayers have been answered as Capcom and Namco Bandai announced Street Fighter X Tekken. Coming to the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3, this game will feature competitors from both the Street Fighter and Tekken franchise battling it out using the same engine that powered both Street Fighter 4 and Super Street Fighter 4. The game will have Tag Team combat where players choose two characters to “deliver knockout assist attacks and special combos”.

So far, only four fighters have officially been placed in the game’s roster. Ryu and Chun-Li have both been featured representing the Street Fighter family while Tekken has shown Kazuya Mishima and Nina Williams. Undoubtedly, the Street Fighters already have a gripe as they don’t have last names like the Tekken ones do.

Continue Reading →

As you have noticed, Activision’s new Spider-Man game has caught the attention of the Flickcast. Make sure to keep checking back over the coming week for our hands on impressions and a developer interview as well where we got the chance in San Diego to play both as the Noir and Ultimate (Black suit) Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

Activision has just released a new trailer for the game featuring none other than the game’s narrator, Stan “The Man” Lee. The ever humble Stan talks about how it feels being a part of the creation of Spider-Man, the concept of playing four different versions of Spider-Man and even mentions one of his favorite super villains that Spider-Man has encountered. In addition to some great gameplay footage, Stan gives the reason he feels Spider-Man is one of the most enduring heroes.

Check out the full trailer after the jump and make sure to stick to the Flickcast for all things Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

Continue Reading →

After what had been a long an exhausting weekend of Comic Con, we finally got the chance to speak with Sandeep Parikh, the creator of The Legend of Neil as well as Zaboo from The Guild. The previous night, Sandeep had shown a packed panel the first two episodes of the third season of the series. (The first can be found here).

In our interview, Sandeep reacts to how the premiere went. We also talk to him about The Legend of Neil being distributed through alternative media as opposed to broadcast television. Sandeep also gives his thoughts on the Legend of Neil always being viewed by him as a trilogy.

The Legend of Neil is in its final season on Atom.com. A new episode will be revealed every two weeks with some big cameos coming from members of the Guild, including Sandeep himself, and musical guest like Garfunkel and Oates.

Check out the interview after the jump. Be sure to check back right here often for more news on The Legend of Neil and other web series.

Continue Reading →