Tag Archives: comic-con

Comic-Con (SDCC) Only Offering Single Day Passes This Year

Comic-Con-LogoIn a move that might surprise some Con goers, the organizers of San Diego Comic Con have decided to only sell single day passes this year. Usually the passes offered to regular visitors come with are the 4-Day (Thurs. – Sun.). Comparatively, NYCC usually offers 4-Days, 3-Days, and Single Days.

The convention started out small, focusing on just comics. San Diego Comic-Con is the first one, and most certainly the oldest (first was in 1970). This one is considered the prime convention of the Comic-Cons, having the descriptor of “International”. As the convention grew, more mediums beyond comics were showcased. Soon, Comic-Con became the center of geek pop culture, showcasing paraphernalia, comics, figurines, videogames, TV shows, and movies. With such growth came many more attendees, and as such less room to house them all. The show has since spread, with different organizers holding their own local Comic-Cons, which include Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, etc. In New York, ReedPop holds New York Comic-Con.

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[NYCC 2013] Hands-on with Dustforce

To the corner of the Capcom booth was a demo of Dustforce playing. Intrigued by what he was seeing, Steve tries his hand at this indie platformer. He only had very little knowledge of the game, posting a single song from it on Night-Time Listenings. How did Steve like Dustforce? Click play and find out!

[NYCC 2013] Hands-on with Super Mario 3D World

A new 3D Mario platformer is upon us, and this time it’s taking after the 3DS outing. Super Mario 3D World expands on the foundation of the previous 3D Land game and adds two more characters in the fray, Peach and Toad. Mario is your standard character. Luigi can jump higher than his brother (with the trade-off being low traction). Peach can float for across the air a la Super Mario Bros. 2. And Toad can run faster that any other character. Gameplay can be done on both the TV and on the Gamepad’s screen.

Hit the jump to see gameplay of World 4-2 with James.

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[NYCC 2012] Hands-on with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

NYCC has come and gone, and we have some gameplay to show you. First up is the next chapter of the Donkey Kong Country Returns saga, Tropical Freeze. The Tikis are toast, but a new set of baddies has arrived and kicked DK out of his home. This time around The camera plays a bigger role, swerving around our heroes as they’re transported to the next section of a stage and not staying strictly 2D.

Gamepad control was not ready for this demo, so Wiimote+Nunchuk was the controller of choice. It played just like DKCR in this regard. Hit the jump to see some mine cart gameplay.

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How Card F41 Got Me Into Another Card Craze (And Why I Got Out In The First Place)

It might not be obvious to some of our readers out there, but a few of us on the staff are Bronies (male adult fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic). I’m especially hyped to finally see Season 3 starting up on November 10th. There’s an unfinished, unpublished article right now explaining this little cartoon renaissance I went through last year that started with my watching of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and then spread into shows like Adventure Time, Gumball, Regular Show, Transformers Prime, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, and The Looney Toons show. When it came to the merch of My Little Pony, from the beginning I said I wouldn’t buy the toys. Yeaaah… But make no mistake, I loathe the brushables and much prefer the molded hair ponies. And I’m still not interested in buying those small blindbag ponies (even though I’m constantly tempted when they actually bother making a new mold instead of Mortal Kombat-ing the whole thing).

But one thing I wanted to avoid was the trading cards. My personal experience with trading cards is… somewhat turbulent early on and ended with a silent phase out at the conclusion of my highschool years. So what’s getting me back into trading cards again? What is it about this cross-eyed little wonder that’s enticing me into collecting these small pieces of printed paper. Hit the jump and find out.

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[NYCC 2012] The Cosplayers of New York Comic-Con 2012

One thing you can expect when going to a convention is cosplayers. Lots of ’em. There’s some good ones, and some bad ones. But at The Wired Fish, only the best get their pictures taken and shown. Like last year, this was joint effort between TWF staff members. So sit back and check out some of the awesome cosplay pics. They’ve also been named for your convenience. Uh… a little sidenote, there’s a few characters that unfortunately I don’t know the names to. So if you can help me identify them, that’d be greatly appreciate it! [Update] More photos added at the end. Also, two characters identified! All characters identified! Thanks Lewis and Val.

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[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon

Luigi’s back, and this time he’s got more than one mansion to deal with. With Poltergust and dance moves in hand, he’s ready to be a Ghostbuster again.

Prota: To be honest, I don’t feel I had enough time to give a decent opinion of the game. We were kind of rushed out of the area even though our time there was miniscule compared to one of the other attendees playing New Super Mario Bros. 2. Regardless, what I played still felt very much like the original Luigi’s Mansion. The demo had some entertaining moments, such as forcing a fan to spin in order to get the key that was trapped above it to fall over. However, the game felt a little too slow-paced for my liking. Then again that’s probably because I was lost half of the time. As big of a Luigi fan as I am, the few minutes I played of the game didn’t really draw me in. This could be because I never got the chance to run into any ghosts or because I hardly played the original. But if you liked the first title in the series then Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon will probably be right up your creepy ghost-filled alley.

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Persona 4 Golden

The students from Inaba are back, and this time looking shinier than ever with Persona 4 Golden on the Playstation Vita. This updated port comes with updated graphics, new locations, a new character, and a few tweaks as well.

Prota: There’s not much for me to say here because what you see is what you get. If Persona 4 on the go is what you’re after then look no further. The graphics still look sharp on the smaller Vita screen and everything felt smooth as silk. As mentioned above, there are some new additions to the port and one of my favorites has to be the fact that you can now choose your spoils after battle. Instead of the “shuffle time” from the original version, the player can look at all the cards drawn and choose from them. This makes finding the Persona you need, teaching them new skills, and raising their stats a lot easier. Whether you’re playing Persona 4 for the first time or a veteran wanting to experience all the new additions, I believe Persona 4 Golden will deliver. The original was a fantastic game, and I think this port is only going to make it that much better.

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Marvel Heroes (2 Parts)

The guys behind Diablo and Diablo 2 are back, and this time they’re prepping a super-powered MMO for the masses. Marvel Heroes puts you in the shoes of a Marvel superhero of your choice and duke it out online. We’ve got two gameplay videos here. So after Prota’s statement, hit the jump to see what James has to say.

Prota: Before the convention I had hardly heard anything on Marvel Heroes. However, after testing it out, it easily became my favorite demo of the con. A Diablo-clone with the man behind the series at the helm just screams awesomeness. I tried several characters throughout the weekend and enjoyed the diversity between them all. As the Hulk, I was stunning and knocking away enemies left and right. However, with Storm I had to use her range and flight powers to play more defensively. Speaking of flight, the implementation of flight in a game like this is a first, but it felt very natural soaring through the stage. It also made for a very interesting way to dodge and counter enemy attacks. The fact that this is the only game at the convention that had me continuously coming back for more pretty sums up how I feel about Marvel Heroes. This, in my opinion at least, is the free-to-play MMORPG that people need to look out for.

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[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

What do you get when you mix the visuals of Studio Ghibli with the expertise of Level 5? Ni No Kuni of course! With HD powering the vision, this cel-shaded RPG aims to be the most beautiful and vibrant games around. Prota and Suikoinfinity played this game, so let’s see what they have to say.

Prota: I played the boss battle section of the demo, so I got thrown into the fray without any real knowledge of the battle system. I have to admit, it was a little confusing at first, but I only have myself to blame for rushing into a boss fight. The combat felt like a mix of turn based and action RPGs mixed with Pokemon. Elemental attacks and weakness seem like they are going to play a pivotal role in taking down tougher enemies as most of my attack did little to injure the boss unless they were wind elemental. Knowing when to switch up your characters and their monsters also are important for managing your team and keeping everyone alive. I see a lot of potential in the battle system and, while some of the attacks seemed a little lackluster in the visual department, the gameplay felt top-notch.

Suikoinfinity: Ni no Kuni looks amazing!  I couldn’t stop and admire the scenery for too long though because my goal was to rush to the end of the dungeon in the exploration demo and discover whether or not there was a boss to kill while learning the combat system.  It was a race against time to the exit, so I tried avoiding battles as much as I could.  Even though I had little time for experimenting, the combat system felt great, once the initial confusion subsided.  I haven’t had my JRPG fix in a while, so this might do it when it releases!

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Soul Sacrifice

Mega Man creator Keiji inafune is back, and this time he’s on his own without Capcom. But that’s not stopping him from making videogames as he’s still at it with Soul Sacrifice. Inspired by the likes of Monster Hunter and Demon’s/Dark Souls, Soul Sacrifice sees you making a choice as to what to do with certain enemies. Do you heal the corrupted souls that haunt the lands as beasts, or do you sacrifice them to boost yourself? The choice is yours.

Prota: Soul Sacrifice is a game I’ve been looking forward to for some time. The premise seems deliciously dark, but sadly some of that was lost in translation since the demo was only in Japanese. The gameplay felt similar to Gods Eater Burst, but instead of devouring monsters, you can sacrifice the souls of enemies you defeat to raise your evil alignment and power up or save their souls in order to recover life and align yourself with the righteous. The representative at the booth compared the alignment meter to Infamous’ moral system. If so, I’m really curiously how that will will affect the strength and availability of certain powers. I think that’s where the charm of the game comes from, all of the quirky powers you can use. I need to see how the co-op feels though before I totally get behind the game though, as I think that’s going to be an important aspect of it. Overall, it was definitely interesting, but I want to see more of what differentiates this title from others that fall under the same category.

Suikoinfinity: I still feel terrible for holding up the line for like 3 minutes just so we could try getting our games synced up. I hope the terrible connectivity is an issue with the demo games/vitas and not something that will stick with the final product. Having us play on the Japanese demo felt just a little lazy. Aren’t they already working on localization? With the relatively small amount of text encountered in one short mission, a build with English text should have been given. You get to pick from a pool of spells to use before combat begins, but the little picture given to each spell does little to describe what each one actually does, so the majority of the demo was spent trying to figure out how each power functions… I don’t think I was supposed to summon a giant plant monster at the start when there’s no enemies to kill. Aside from the big guessing game, once I found something that functioned like a regular weapon, the demo became much better. What wasn’t better was trying to talk over that loud ass Niconico booth they decided to put right next to Soul Sacrifice. I wasn’t able to hear shit, but it looked and played nice!

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With ZombiU (Capture-The-Flag Mode)

StevenDPX finally got his hands on ZombiU, one of the bigger entries in the Wii U launch lineup. However, He opted to play the game’s Capture-The-Flag mode, which pitted Humans versus Zombies. The human player would used the Pro Controller and the TV screen while the Zombie player used the Wii U Gamepad and the touch screen to spawn Zombies to hunt down the player and take the flag for himself.

StevenDPX: I wanted to see what else this tablet controller was capable of, so I tried playing as the Zombies. Admittedly, I was very horrible at it, but it did some cool things that reminded me of playing an RTS. On the Gamepad’s screen, you have an overhead view of the map. There are three flags to get, and the player is visible via and indicator. So your job is to stop his progress by throwing Zombies in his path. Some to distract him, some to kill him, and only one to capture the flag. When you level up, you’ll have access to more zombie types. Of course, you are limited to how many zombies you can place on the map. Certain zombies require certain points to be spawned, and no points mean no zombies. You also have to spread them out since you can’t spawn two or more zombies next to each other. So you have to pick your undead wisely. While I was bad at this, I can see quite a few people enjoying this mode.

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Pikmin 3

Ah Pikmin, such a quirky game about a man and his sentient plant-life. For this one, we got Suikoinfinity to play this since he’s been playing Pikmin 2 on his livestream page. Have you been seeing it? You should! For this demo, I’m sad to say that the tablet functions were unavailable beyond just displaying a map. But the rep did inform us that upon release the Gamepad will be fully supported and will be the main controller. So for now, let’s enjoy Suikoinfinity play Pikmin 3 with the Wiimore+Nunchuk setup.

Suikoinfinity: (Excuse incoming profanity) This is the one Wii U game I had time to play during my day at Comic Con. I got to look at the pretty map on the gamepad, but after being handed a wiimote/nunchuk it was just a fuckin’ tease. I bought original copies of the Gamecube Pikmin games just so I could avoid that “New Play Control” shit.  I couldn’t find a melee attack button,  or purpose for picking up apples and stuff aside from getting a better medal at the end of a stage (I missed getting Platinum —  that’s a bummer).  I can’t really give an opinion on control because I couldn’t use a decent gamepad, but the combat and atmosphere felt like any other Pikmin game.  Here’s hoping there’s more to pick up than fruit/points and that Louie is a playable character!

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With Crashmo

“Oh, this looks like Catherine” is what some of us said when we saw the gameplay of Pushmo. And, much like Catherine, it was quite addictive, especially for our resident Pushmo fan Suikoinfinity. So we thought it proper to let him have a go at the sequel, Crashmo.

Suikoinfinity: I haven’t had much of a chance to express how much I love it, but while the rest of the team was playing Catherine, I was learning to solve Pushmo puzzles like a pro. I like to save my on the go time for puzzle games and on 3DSware, Pushmo is among the best. The similarities to Catherine is in the idea that you’re climbing a structure by pushing in and pulling out parts of that structure; in Catherine it’s boxes and in Pushmo it’s entire walls/floors that can come in any shape. Usually the goal is at the highest (or most difficult to reach) point on the structure. The major difference is that a Pushmo puzzle is embedded into the rear wall, so, while you can push segments in or out, it’s impossible to slide them left or right. Crashmo might feel more like Catherine, because puzzles are in the middle of the floor instead of attached to a wall, so you can slide in any direction. Gravity also becomes a factor, and entire segments of the puzzle can come crashing down with a slide, hence the title. As you can see in the demo, I wasn’t exactly prepared for the change in pace, but from what I played, Crashmo seems like it’s going to be just as addicting as its predecessor. Fans of the first game should love it, and to those new to the series, I recommend giving it a shot, especially if you love puzzle games!  Also, my performance is embarrassing in this video — enjoy!

[NYCC 2012] Hands-On With God of War: Ascension (Multiplayer)

Kratos is back and still ad angry as ever. However, we’re not here to see his anger. Instead, we’re here to see the multiplayer mode and to evaluate this mode has a chance of standing side-by-side with the single-player campaign.

Gesfrid: For the 1st time ever, SCE Santa Monica Studio has introduced a multiplayer feature for up to 8 players on the latest God of War game. In the beginning of the game, players can choose and customize their spartan warrior. The multiplayer game takes place on a desert. Players are on two teams of four where they will try to take control of the map so they can earn their rewards from the Gods. In the desert map, players will battle each other and go up against the giant Cyclops named Polyphemus in the background. The game offers a unique combat play-style and abilities in battle. Just like any other previous God of War game, players can use magic spells, select a variety of deadly weapons, open up chest to find orbs to heal your life or to upgrade your weapon up to a maximum level.

There is a mode called “Favor of the Gods”. In this mode, the 1st player to accumulate a target amount points will achieve victory. Points are earned by kills and is known as “Favor”. The Team can capture altars (which is quite similar to capture-the-flag) and they can also set up traps for opposing players. Another new control feature that was introduced is called “Escape and Heal” meaning you get to escape from opposing player grabbing you, then jump and heal yourself. Whoever captures the most gears and earn the most favor points, the Gods will award you with the spear of Olympus which will be used to annihilate Polyphemus and then the winning team will be able to gain it’s territory. However if the other team gain it’s territory, the giant cyclops will go back to its position and then the spear of Olympus will be lost. Overall, it is a very fun, great game so that millions of players can experience the new elements/features of God of War. Go forth in the name of Olympus!