Here we go — back into the action of my New York Comic Con experience. Joe and I slept until about 9 a.m., and then we had breakfast at our hotel. Let me tell you a bit about the scrumptious breakfast. It was scrumptious. There was hot stuff and cold stuff and a happy chef guy that brought out more when it ran out. Rather pleasant. It was a good start to what was to be an eventful day.

Today — Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 — we arrived at NYCC with quite a few goals. We were to first talk to THQ and look at a few games. Then we had some panels with more games and a gathering with Sony Online Entertainment. I will say, I saw quite a bit of neat games and talked to quite a few cool people. But before we started with interviews, we knew it would be a rather hectic day. The crowd had doubled in size, and it was now more difficult to squeeze and maneuver your way through the throng. But somehow we managed.

First at THQ, we got to check out a game I was excited about: Deadly Creatures. Chris and I were both rather impressed with this game. Made for the Nintendo Wii, the graphics obviously aren’t as gorgeous as they would be for a game made for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. HOWEVER, the controls and movements available with the Wii make this game awesome.

You get to play as either a scorpion or a tarantula. I was hoping to have more options, but I get that it’s a newish concept and that they may not want to have pushed things with a bagazillion creatures. From what we saw, the story starts with a “bug’s view” of two guys (voiced by Billy Bob Thorton and Dennis Hopper) walking past a critter hole on their way to mine for gold. The game then goes to the viewpoint of your creature. I played on the extremely easy mode, which meant that there weren’t all that many things to kill, and the things I did get to kill were cake. This wasn’t a horrible thing since I was just checking out the game.

It was pretty easy to find your way around the exhibition hall if you used the hanging signs to navigate.

The controls weren’t all that difficult to learn. There is a brief in-game tutorial, which doesn’t feel too complicated or unnecessary. Once you start moving, that’s when it got good. The camera follows your creature up the walls, down holes and all around as you maneuver. It’s really quite inventive. And the fact that you’re playing AS A CREATURE? Totally cool. The music was appropriate — much like something you might hear on a Discovery Channel documentary. I even commented that the game was like getting to play a Discovery Channel show. The violence was there, but it wasn’t something I thought would be unsuitable for kids — especially since it was icky creature violence as opposed to people violence. Pretty sure any parent would be OK with their child smashing bugs ... obviously as long as it’s not an obsession.

All in all, I definitely found Deadly Creatures to be something new and fresh. I haven’t really seen much (if anything) like this out there, and I’m looking forward to picking it up when it comes out.

OK, so I went on a lot about the last game, I know. But it really was something I was excited about when I saw it yesterday. Also at THQ, we got to see Red Faction: Guerilla and Legends of Wrestling. I’ll admit neither of those are games that I really got uber excited about. But when I saw a bit more about what Legends was all about, I was intrigued. The game basically gives a big shout-out to all of the old-school wrestling legends. We got to play-test as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Apparently the game allows the player to relive the matches of yore. I was a wrestling fan when those guys were around. I got out of it pretty much about the same time these particular legends faded from the main ring, but there was a bit of fun nostalgia when I played as Hulk. I realized, though, that even though it was about 20 years ago, that man really hasn’t aged. I’m not sure if that’s impressive or creepy.

The next game we checked out was Ghostbusters: The Video Game. I loved the display yesterday, and today, it was even better. They had added an ice sculpture of Slimer atop a block with the Atari logo. It was pretty sweet. The game was even sweeter. We checked out the Wii version; although the game also will be available — and was available for testing — for the PS3 and Xbox 360. I may have to try to play those tomorrow. The Wii game looked different from the other two versions, but that has more to do with the Wii’s graphic abilities. It still looked good, though. The other two systems looked GORGEOUS. My favorite part about the game was definitely using my proton back to destroy my surroundings. And pretty much everything was available to destroy. Good times.

Those were the only games I really got to play today. We checked out a few panels. The first was with 38 Studios, lead by Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, best-selling fantasy author R.A. Salvatore, and world-renowned comic book and toy creator Todd McFarlane. Although we got to see lovely pictures of Maynard, Mass., (where the company is located) and a couple of interesting stick drawings done by Executive Producer Gavin, we still heard nothing new about the “awesome” game being developed. Many people tried to get SOMETHING out of the panel, but they weren’t talkin’. I must admit, though, I am now intrigued and will be keeping tabs on this development team.

The second panel was with Cryptic, and the developers talked about Champions Online and Star Trek Online. I honestly thought they’d spend more time on the Star Trek game, but they spent most of the panel time talking about Champions Online. I wasn’t upset. Champions really does look cool. The customization abilities alone make it worthwhile. And you’re not just customizing your character — you also get to craft your nemesis. We’ll have more on those games soon.

Our third and final panel was with Sony Online Entertainment. This crew was touting DC Universe Online. Although Champions gets my vote for better gameplay and probably gamer satisfaction, DCUO definitely gets kudos for the well-done job of blending the various DC stories and characters as well as for bringing DC comic fans/gamers the world of DC in an massively multiplayer online game. Joe, Chris and I got to sit down and talk with artist Jim Lee and writer Marv Wolfman. It was an great opportunity to hear about what Jim Lee did with the art for the game. Sadly, Marv couldn’t say much about the story because they’re keeping that a bit hush-hush right now. Again, Joe will have more on this game and the panel soon.

My second day of NYCC was definitely full. There were even more people there, and there were even more cool costumes. I look forward to checking out the majority of the other games tomorrow. For more on the games and the event, visit http://www.nycomiccon.com.