Slashdot Mirror
Marvel Focuses On Games, Trails New Titles
Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for its article discussing Marvel's renewed focus on videogames based on their properties, with the announcement of "a new division [that] will oversee the creation of all games based on Marvel licenses", ensuring quality control. These products will still be licensed out to external developers/publishers, however, and the announcement press release lists previous and future titles, including Spider-Man II, X-Men Legends, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man from Activision, The Punisher from THQ, and The Hulk II from Vivendi. The GI.biz article also notes: "One of the most exciting products in the pipeline for the company... [is another] Vivendi title - a massively multiplayer game featuring a wide range of different elements from the 'Marvel Universe', which encompasses the entire spectrum of the company's franchises" - this MMO title will doubtless be compared to Cryptic/NCSoft's unlicensed, currently Beta-testing City Of Heroes. What as yet unused Marvel property do you think would make the best videogame?
- All sorts of phatty magickal powers
- Travel through time, space, and the infinite multiverse
- Battle on the astral plane
- Cool powerups (Eye of Agamotto, Wand of Watoomb)
- Tons of side quests and backstory elements, drawn from the comics, to explain the presence of various items and enemies
- Awesome boss fights, requiring one to wield the overwhelming might of their phenomenal cosmic power
I mean, Marvel has tons of untapped franchies (Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, S.H.I.E.L.D.), but my personal preference for first on the list would be Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, Sorceror Supreme.I think that Marvel has exploited its proerties as much as they possibly can. Of course, since Marvel appeals to a young audience, there is constantly new people to take money from... people who wont learn of the constant re-use of these properties until later in life.
It's pretty much a given that Marvel isnt interested in their unused properties. The properties that are out there are working well, are selling, and will continue to appeal to a broad slice of their target audience. The Hulk, Spiderman, X-Men... all winners! Even the Fantastic Four is getting a new shot, although the only success I ever saw for them outside of the comics was in the Fox cartoon in the 90s. Marvel has been exploiting their comic characters on TV since the 60s (or earlier?), and with video games since the 80s. They're certainly not going to take a break now that they've broken into the mainstream with hit movies.
Fortunately for Marvel, they've a huge universe of characters and stories to draw from. This doesnt make them any more special than anyone else who wants to licence a story to make a game, mind you... but for the Marvel fans, rest assured that no matter who your favorite character may be, he or she will end up costing you even more money in the form of a new video game.
Want an inside scoop?
Well, VU had an AMAZING demo of marvel online worked up by a proven MMO developer. The design would have called for all sorts of nifty features including unique sub-areas, zones of influence, and the ability to play as just about any sort of character (not just hero/villian!) within the marvel universe.
Alas, due to some extremely shady politics in the upper levels of the company, the project was pulled, the entire production staff was let go, and the developer was left hanging (after putting mucho deneiro and time in to the project).
This had NOTHING to do with the quality of the project as anyone who saw the tech demo could attest.
I wouldn't hold my breath for this one folks.
Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Thor, and the lesser known ones from the psychedilc 70's like the Inhumans, Captain Marvel, and Warlock. Yeah, it's showing my age a bit, but those sort of weird, slightly funny, slightly hippy-twilight zone-philosophical stories featuring a quick trip through some dread dimension would be perfect for games. The plot is simple and the characters flat enough to actually play a game with, yet personal and fantastic enough to be original and involving. The eye candy factor for The Power Cosmic or whatnot, and the bizarre worlds and foes (the planet Eon? Dormammu?), could be pretty cool.
Dang, now I wish I still had some of those comics around right now.
Cause outside of Batman Vengance/Rise of Sin Tzu you're just not cutting it. Despite some oddities, (The Fantastic Four beat 'em up anyone?) Marvel has had a pretty decent track record for licensed game properties, especially their Capcom and Activision titles. I still remember buying Spider-Man for Dreamcast and thinking two things: "This is the best version of Spidey away from the comics...ever." and "Holy crap! A super-hero game done...right!" In any case, I'll be satisfied when they finally make a GOOD game based on the Blade series.
A Punisher FPS.
I mean seriously, you clean up a Max Paine like play style, throw it onto a good engine and it pretty much writes itself. Do it right and you'd have a pretty damn good game. And for multiplayer, there are dozens of stock Marvel characters that pretty much just run around toting firepower of some form or another. Give each one a different set of bonuses / abilities and throw people into the fray.
Also, if I were the Marvel guys, I'd be on the phone right now talking to the guys who did Prince of Persia, begging them to use the same game mechanics and whatsits for a Daredevil or Spiderman game. (Or better, any of those uber-vixens that Spiderman and/or Daredevil seem to hook up with. Electra, Silver Sable, Black Cat etc.) Prince of Persia was brilliant on pretty much every level, but you apply that kind of fluidity of movement, acrobatics, excellent fighting and it's almost already a Spiderman or Daredevil game.
Another good video game concept is the Secret Wars. I didn't read the series - during the 80's I was a DC fan: Firestorm, Big Blue, Batman, the Justice League, Green Lantern, the Flash... Marvel didn't just didn't connect with me as much back then - and to be completely honest the whole idea sounded a little on the contrived side. But for a video game it has potential. Pick from a stock list of heroes; go up against villians on a battleground of some advanced alien world. Lots of potential for an interesting combined strategy / action game. Maybe hard to pull off - but if it was done right it could be a really great game.
As for DC, why they haven't done something with Deathstroke the Terminator is completely beyond me. Cool, underused character who lends perfectly to a video game concept.
I'm not much of a gamer, but I'd like to see a couple of titles....
- An Iron Man flight/combat sim, especially one with a view from inside the mask. Great tech-weaponry based game it could be, with all of the gadgets Tony Stark has in that armor (repulsors, radar tracking devices, etc...the list goes on). Being able to fight in the air or an the ground from that first person perspective would be awesome, and there's a nice list of villains to fight, Dr. Doom and HIS armor (and hey, even his magic) immiedietly coming to mind.
- A Silver Surfer game with cosmic themes could be incredible. Largely a first person combat game, but with villains like Terrax, Thanos, and Galactus (hey, even Mephisto) you've got endless possibilities there.
But what I'd REALLY like to see is....
- Avengers vs. JLA; hey, if Marvel and DC can team up on the fabulous series they're currently making (the only reasons this 35 year old has been to a comic book store lately, too), they can do it for the game as well. And I think it'd sell like mad. The comics featured some long awaited matchups we've always dreamt about, like Superman vs. Thor, Batman vs. Captain America. Wouldn't it be fantastic to see that in a game?
Life is hard, and the world is cruel