This Week!?!
August 11, 2009
The game industry is a fickle little tart. It promises us a wonderful glut of games at the end of the year, holding the releases before us like a carrot on a stick. Then the next moment the carrot is cut from the string and thrown a into 2010. On the bright side, that means we all have extra time to catch up on our beastly backlogs of unfinished games. This month’s release list doesn’t offer much to threaten your existing queue of games, but it does have football. If you’re a Madden fan then the odds you haven’t waited for this round-up to preorder, and are already sleeping in line for a midnight release of Madden NFL 10 somewhere. Peter Jackson’s District 9 releases this week, which is about disenfranchised extraterrestrial refuges. Xbox 360’s Games of Arcade continues this week with Trials HD, worth a look if you like the idea of a 2D racing puzzle game. Let the following phrase act as your credo while waiting for all the blockbuster releases to arrive: “If you haven’t played it, it’s new to you.”
Games
Retail
Active Life: Extreme Challenge (Wii)
Angle of Attack (PC)
C.O.R.E. (DS)
Death to Spies: Moment of Truth (PC)
Fossil Fighters (DS)
Hearts of Iron III (PC)
Joint Operations: Complete Collection (PC)
Madden NFL 10 (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP)
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (PS3)
Monster Mayhem: Build and Battle (DS, Wii)
Phantom Brave: We Meet Again (Wii)
Still Life 2 (PC)
Downloadable
PS3
Wii
DSiWare
Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters (800 DSi Points)
Virtual Console
Super Star Wars (800 Wii Points)
WiiWare
NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (1,000 Wii Points)
Rock N’ Roll Climber (800 Wii Points)
Xbox 360
Trials HD
DLC
PS3
Rock Band/2-Gorillaz Pack 01 includes “Clint Eastwood,” “Feel Good Inc.,” and “Re-Hash” all by Gorillaz. Songs are available individually for $1.99 or as a bundle for $5.49.
Rock Band/2-Janis Joplin “Piece of My Heart,” The Band “Chest Fever (LIVE), Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit,” The Who “Magic Bus (Live at Leeds).” Songs are available individually for $1.99.
PSP
Rock Band/Unplugged-Iron Maiden “The Number of the Beast” and “The Trooper.” Songs are available individually for $1.99.
Wii
Rock Band/2-Blink-182 “Dammit,” “Down,” “Feeling This,” and “The Rock Show” all by Blink-182. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Band/2-Fratellis “Creeping Up the Backstairs,” “Flathead,” and “Henrietta” all by Fratellis. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Band/2-KISS “100,000 Years (LIVE),” “Deuce (LIVE),” and “Parasite (LIVE)” all by KISS. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Band/2-Lenny Kravitz “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Freedom Train,” “Let Love Rule” and “Mr Cab Driver” all by Lenny Kravitz. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Band/2-Steve Miller Band “Space Cowboy,” “Take The Money & Run,” and “The Joker” all by Steve Miller Band. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Bank/2-Thin Lizzy “The Boys Are Back in Town (LIVE),” “Cowboy Song (LIVE),” and “Jailbreak (LIVE)” all by Thin Lizzy. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Band/2-Weezer “My Name is Jonas,” “Pork & Beans,” and “Undone – The Sweater Song” all by Weezer. Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Rock Band/2-Damone “Out Here All Night” and Pat Benatar “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Songs are available individually for 200 Wii Points.
Xbox 360
Rock Band/2-Gorillaz Pack 01 includes “Clint Eastwood,” “Feel Good Inc.,” and “Re-Hash” all by Gorillaz. Songs are available individually for 160 MS Points or as a bundle for 440 MS Points.
Rock Band/2-Janis Joplin “Piece of My Heart,” The Band “Chest Fever (LIVE), Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit,” The Who “Magic Bus (Live at Leeds).” Songs are available individually for 160 MS Points.
Movies
Theaters
Bandslam
District 9
Earth Days
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Grace
It Might Get Loud
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Pool Boys
Post Grad
The Time Traveler’s Wife
DVD
17 Again
90210: The First Season
About Last Night…
The Art of War III: Retribution
Blue Thunder
The Class
Cutthroat Island
Gigantic
I Love You, Man
The Ninth Gate
Road Trip: Beer Pong
St. Elmo’s Fire
Starman
Superfriends: The Lost Episodes
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection
Blu-Ray
17 Again
About Last Night…
Alien Trespass
Blue Thunder Special Edition Action
Borneo’s Pygmy Elephants
Chaos
The Class
Cutthroat Island
Donkey X Rental Childrens
Full Metal Panic: Second Raid Collection Boxed Set
I Love You, Man
Kingdom for the Dzanga Gorillas
The Ninth Gate
Sea Monsters, A Prehistoric Adventure (IMAX) 3-D Documentary/Family
See No Evil
St. Elmo’s Fire
Starman
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection
Comics
Dark Horse
BPRD 1947 #2 (Of 5)
Hellboy Wild Hunt #5 (Of 
Star Wars Clone Wars #8
Usagi Yojimbo HC Vol 23 (Limited Edition)
Vampire Dance TP
Werewolves On The Moon Versus Vampires #3 (Of 3)
DC
Action Comics #880 (Codename Patriot Part 2)
Adventure Comics #1 (Francis Manapul Regular Cover)
Adventure Comics #1 (Francis Manapul ‘Adventure Comics #504′ Variant Cover)
Batman #689
Batman Hush Complete TP
Battle Of Genryu Origin TP Vol 1
Blackest Night #2 (Of 8)(Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert Regular Cover)
Blackest Night #2 (Of 8)(Ivan Reis Sketch Variant Cover)
Blackest Night #2 (Of 8)(Mauro Cacioli Variant Cover)
Blackest Night Batman #1 (Of 3)(Andy Kubert Regular Cover)
Blackest Night Batman #1 (Of 3)(Bill Sienkiewicz Variant Cover)
Booster Gold #23
Cartoon Network Action Pack #40
DMZ #44
Fables #87
Fables TP Vol 12 The Dark Ages
Final Crisis Aftermath Escape #4 (Of 6)
Gears Of War #10 (per DC but not Diamond)
Gen 13 #31
Gotham City Sirens #1 (Guillem March Recolored 2nd Printing Cover Cover)
Green Arrow Black Canary #23
Green Lantern Corps #39 (Patrick Gleason & Rebecca Buchman Regular Cover)(Blackest Night Tie-In)
Green Lantern Corps #39 (Rodolfo Migliari Variant Cover)(Blackest Night Tie-In)
JSA Vs Kobra Engines Of Faith #3 (Of 6)
Looney Tunes #177
MAD Magazine #501 (resolicited)
Prototype #5 (Of 6)
REBELS #7
Red Circle Inferno #1
Red Herring #1 (Of 6)
Red Robin #2 (Francis Manapul Recolored 2nd Printing Variant Cover)
Red Robin #3
Robin Search For A Hero TP
Sandman By Joe Simon And Jack Kirby HC
Showcase Presents The Flash TP Vol 3
Starcraft #3 (Federico Dallocchio Regular Cover)(per DC but not Diamond)
Starcraft #3 (Shawn Moll Variant Cover)(per DC but not Diamond)
Superman Secret Files 2009 #1
Titans #16
Unwritten #4
Wednesday Comics #6 (Of 12)
Image
Brit TP Vol 3
Charlatan Ball TP
Darkness #79 (Cover A Jorge Lucas)
Darkness #79 (Cover B Whilce Portacio)
Dead At 17 Afterbirth #3 (Of 4)
Descendant #2 (Of 3)
Existence 2.0 #2 (Of 3)
G-Man Cape Crisis #1 (Of 5)
Invincible TP Vol 11 Happy Days
Mice Templar Destiny #2 (Michael Avon Oeming Regular Cover)
Mice Templar Destiny #2 (Victor Santos and Veronica Gandini Variant Cover)
Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker #2 (Cover A Dale Keown)
Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker #2 (Cover B Jeremy Haun)
Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker #2 (Cover C Dale Keown Variant Rage Cover)
Walking Dead #64
Walking Dead TP Vol 10 What We Become
Witchblade #126 (Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo Variant Cover)
Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man #602 (Adi Granov Regular Cover)
Amazing Spider-Man #602 (Mike McKone 70th Frame Variant Cover)
Cable #17 (Dave Wilkins Regular Cover)
Cable #17 (Rob Liefeld 70th Frame Variant Cover)
Captain America Theater Of War To Soldier On
Dark Reign List Postcard
Dark X-Men Beginning #1 (Of 3)(Leornard Kirk/Jesse Delperdang/Ibraim Roberson 2nd Printing Variant Cover)(Utopia Tie-In)
Deadpool #13 (Jason Pearson Regular Cover)
Deadpool #13 (Stephen Segovia 70th Frame Variant Cover)
Dominic Fortune #1 (Of 4)
Incredible Hercules #132 (Rafael Albuquerque Regular Cover)
Incredible Hercules #132 (Marko Djurdjevic 70th Anniversary Variant Cover)
Kabuki Reflections #14
Lockjaw And The Pet Avengers #4 (Of 4)(Karl Kerschl Regular Cover)
Lockjaw And The Pet Avengers #4 (Of 4)(Niko Henrichon Variant Cover)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man TP Vol 13 Animal Attack Digest
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #14
Marvel Comics #1 (70th Anniversary Edition)(Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic Regular Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvel Comics #1 (70th Anniversary Edition)(Frank R. Paul & Dean White Midnight Opening Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvel Divas #2 (Of 4)
Marvel Spotlight Summer Events
Marvels Project #1 (Of 8)(Steve Epting Regular Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvels Project #1 (Of 8)(Blank Variant Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvels Project #1 (Of 8)(Gerald Parel Variant Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvels Project #1 (Of 8)(Phil Jimenez 70th Anniversary Party Variant Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvels Project #1 (Of 8)(Steve McNiven Variant Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Marvels Project #1 (Of 8)(Steve McNiven Sketch Variant Cover)(available 08/11 in some stores)
Ms Marvel #43 (Sana Takeda Regular Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In)
Ms Marvel #43 (Sana Takeda 70th Frame Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In)
Pride & Prejudice #5 (Of 5)
Punisher War Zone TP
Runaways Pride & Joy TP
Scourge Of The Gods Fall #2 (Of 3)
Supreme Power Premiere HC Vol 4 Hyperion
Thor By J Michael Straczynski TP Vol 2
Thor Tales Of Asgard By Lee & Kirby #4 (Of 6)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 (Carlos Pacheco Regular Cover)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 (Carlos Pacheco Special Foilogram Variant Cover)
Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 (Olivier Coipel Villain Variant Cover)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 (David Lafuente Regular Cover)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 (David LaFuente Black And White Variant Cover)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 (David Lafuente Special Foilogram Variant Cover)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 (Marko Djurdjevic Villain Variant Cover)
Ultimate Fantastic Four HC Vol 6
Ultimate X-Men HC Vol 9
Uncanny X-Men #514 (Terry Dodson Regular Cover)
Uncanny X-Men #514 (Harvey Tolibao 70th Frame Variant Cover)
Uncanny X-Men #514 (Simone Bianchi Variant Cover)
Uncanny X-Men First Class #2 (Of
Universal War One Premiere HC Vol 2 Revelations
Wolverine First Class TP Ninjas Gods And Divas
Wolverine TP Flies To A Spider
X-Men First Class TP Finals GN
X-Men Forever #5 (Tom Grummett Regular Cover)
X-Men Forever #5 (Dave Cockrum & Terry Austin 70th Frame Variant Cover)
What happens after the end of space war? For Marvel Comics’ cosmic characters, the answer is Realm of Kings… and a hole in time and space that everyone wants to own. Anyone else getting Deep Space Nine flashbacks?
Announced at this weekend’s Comic-Con Chicago, Realm of Kings – a sequel to the recently completed War of Kings – is the umbrella name for series taking place in the Marvel Comics version of outer space, following on from the creation of something called The Fault. Realm writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning explained to Comic Book Resources:
The Fault – the hole in time and space – has far reaching consequences for the galaxy as a whole. It is a universal crisis that could either represent a fundamental threat to the whole cosmos or be the source of untapped power and resources… Whatever it proves to be, there are many factions in the Marvel Cosmic Universe who want to explore and exploit its secrets and mysteries.
Amongst those factions, former X-Men aliens the Shi’Ar, and former Fantastic Four supporting characters, the Inhumans. But the B-list nature of the characters is one of the draws for Abnett and Lanning:
[F]or us, to actually be writing these characters and contributing to their stories, is our ideal gig. It’s also given us a chance to reintroduce some classic characters back into the MU – folks like Starlord, Rocket Raccoon and the like, characters who aren’t considered mainstays or vital to ongoing Marvel continuity, but that we’ve always loved. And because they’re not primary Marvel characters, there’s also a real sense of threat and danger to the stories we can write for them, as we are afforded a great deal more latitude to do whatever we want with them — within the bounds of reason and good taste, of course!
Realm of Kings launches in November.
Whether it’s superspies, superzombies or relaunched superfranchises, there’s a cornucopia of delights awaiting you at the comic store this week. And, if you’re not into super-anythings, then there’re still some books for you to consider, as well. Crave these comics.
There’s an embarrassment of riches for you at your local comic book store this week. In the midst of their grim Blackest Night event (the second issue of which is released this week, alongside the first issue of Blackest Night: Batman), DC Comics launches what may be its most upbeat superhero series: Adventure Comics, about the recently-revived Superboy as well as the Legion of Super-Heroes, courtesy of Geoff Johns.
DC is also letting you catch up with what’s going on in the Superman series with Superman Secret Files And Origins 2009. And pick up the first issue of new spy comedy Red Herring, with art by the severely underrated Philip Bond — which is reason enough to go and buy it already.
Marvel, meanwhile, is putting its eggs in the basket marked “Ultimate Comics.” Well, not entirely — Jeff Parker’s final issues of the incredibly enjoyable X-Men First Class are collected in X-Men First Class: Finals (If you’ve been burned out on mutant drama and angst, consider this a must-read). And there’s European space opera to be had in Universal War One: Revelations, which collects the recent mini-series of the same name in smart hardcover format.
But otherwise, Marvel’s big news this week is the relaunch of their Ultimate line, with Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man and Ultimate Comics: Avengers, wherein Brian Michael Bendis and (the spectacular) David Lafuente (Spider-Man) and Mark Millar and Carlos Pacheco (Avengers) strip two of the publisher’s big franchises down and start building them back up. Having seen previews of Spider-Man, it’s the one I’m pushing: Beautiful art, smart writing and a Peter Parker you can’t help but feel for.
We’re not even done! Dynamite Entertainment collects the first year of its Battlestar Galactica comics in the Battlestar Galactica Omnibus Vol. 1 (Worth reading for the Greg Pak story that takes up the bulk of the book, which deals with concepts that were raised, but never properly dealt with, in the series itself). Meanwhile, Oni Press releases Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen, the series that turns the fake newsman’s fake SF character into a terrifying, if hilarious, reality.
IDW Publishing has your back if you enjoyed this cinematic summer, with first issues of both Star Trek: Nero (All the backstory you wanted and didn’t get from the movie!) and Transformers: Tales of The Fallen. But the star of IDW’s show this week — and definitely one of the comics you owe it to yourself to pick up tomorrow — is the first issue of Starstruck, which is almost indescribable but can be almost summed up by “Sexy, Space Opera-y, and at times Ridiculously Funny.” But all of that is almost beside the point; you should want to buy it for the breathtaking Michael Kaluta art alone.
If all of the above isn’t enough for you, check the complete list of books shipping from Diamond Distributors to see what else may take your fancy. Just remember to make sure that your wallet is fully charged when going to pick up your haul, though, because you’ll probably find more than you anticipated tomorrow.
Truly Terrible Game Consoles: Since the appearance of the first video game console–the Magnavox Odyssey–in 1972, dozens of companies have tried their hands at crafting successful and lucrative game platforms. Each new machine brought with it the promise of a compelling, novel gaming experience, but the vast majority failed miserably to deliver. For every blockbuster like the NES, the Atari 2600, or the Sony PlayStation, there are a bunch of duds that never made it far in the marketplace. And for good reasons: Some of the consoles I’ve listed here were ridiculously overpriced, some were woefully underpowered, some worked only with a stable of pathetically bad games. And a special few possessed every one of those characteristics.
I don’t want to be uncharitable, though. Even the worst console here had at least one redeeming quality (well, maybe not the RCA Studio II), so I’ve tried to point out the bright spots in this otherwise dark and melancholy history.
(Note: For this list, I’ve only considered video game “systems,” which I define as platforms designed to play many different interchangeable games.)
Interested in more historical appraisals of game consoles? Check out “A Brief History of Game Consoles, as Seen in Old TV Ads.” And while you’re at it, take a look at “The Goofiest Game Gear Ever Made.”
