Reviews & Articles

While perusing the booths at New York Comic Con, I had the opportunity to sit down to play a bit of DC Universe Online, a massively multiplayer online game in which the players have the ability to create their own superheroes with customized superpowers and save the world. With creative greats like Jim Lee to lend a hand to the visual representation of the graphics and a host of other DC comic book greats to breathe life into the playable world itself, I was ready for an explosive video game adventure.

Ahhh, Tears for Fears had it right all along “Everybody wants to rule the world.” It can’t be made anymore clear in Creative Assembly’s Sega-published game Empire: Total War a game of world domination that puts Risk to shame.

The X-Men have made a pretty good name for themselves in mainstream media the past few years. While at the New York Comic Con last weekend, I was one of the lucky people to catch the first look at X-Men Origins: Wolverine for the Xbox 360. And it was awesome.

During the New York Comic Con, I had the rare opportunity to sit down with Craig Zinkievich, executive producer of Star Trek Online, and ask about one of the greatly anticipated massively multiplayer online games of the 21st century.

The cool whisper of steel shivers through the darkened room as I pull my blade from my sheath. Before me is a menagerie of creatures, waiting with eager anticipation to destroy me. I and my companions ready ourselves for the inevitable duel. A quick charge, a flash of steel, a parried thrust with my sword and a dodging weave past an enemy attack. An explosion of magical energy swells in the room, and after less than a minute, the enemies begin to fall, death taking them while my friends grimly congratulate each other on a job well done.

The third and final day of New York Comic Con was kid’s day. Joe and I arrived and checked out a few games before my appointment with SouthPeak Games. The crowd wasn’t as crazy as Saturday, but it was full of tiny tots roaming around with fun costumes and enthusiasm for games, comics and toys.

So I bet you were expecting a wisecracking “who you gonna call” one-liner in this piece, right? Happy to disappoint you then, ’cause it’s not going to happen. But what WILL happen is the realization of a dream I had since I was about 15: Ghostbusters III.

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.

As I stood at the New York Comic Con, covertly flexing my back muscles trying to get the kinks out of my butt cheeks after the ridiculous five-hour bus ride, I couldn’t help but feel that the guy pitching the game really was trying too hard to get me excited.

A game should speak for itself, and this one wasn’t really doing that — at first. But what the hell, I figured, I’ll give it the ol’ college try and see if grows on me.

This one didn't for quite some time.

I’m a newbie. I admit it. Well, when it comes to conventions and the in-depth exciting world of the gaming industry, yeah. But, I love to learn. And I love to get details and meet people responsible for making the things I enjoy. I also love connecting with kindredish spirits. Naturally, when I discovered I’d be attending New York Comic Con 2009, I was rather excited.