Marvel Universe to Undergo Drastic Changes

Fans have long been speculating about Marvel's plans for their post-Avengers vs. X-Men universe. Thanks to an announcement in the Comic-Con issue of EW, we've got the answers.

Marvel NOW! is the company's latest publishing initiative, the next phase of Marvel ReEvolution, a concept that was unveiled earlier this year. Basically, it's a giant shake-up of Marvel's entire universe -- brand new titles, brand new creative teams, brand new costumes, relaunched titles, new digital incentives, new cover designs and even new secret identities, in some cases. It's a complete overhaul for the Marvel Universe that the publisher promises will leave no major character or series unaffected (jury's still out on where Night Nurse ends up, though).

However, Marvel has made sure to make one thing clear: Marvel NOW! is not a reboot or restart of continuity. This is the next evolution of their characters in a post-AvX world that will be moving things in all-new directions with creators tackling characters they've never really touched before.

Marvel will begin launching new books starting in October, which will included new and long-forgotten titles but also a few re-launches. The new books will continue launching through February 2013. If you're not sold on the idea yet, just take a look at the titles announced so far:

Uncanny Avengers #1 by Rick Remender & John Cassaday (October)

• The book stars a team comprised of both Avengers and X-Men (yes, including Captain America and Wolverine) on a mission to find the Red Skull, who's on a mission to eliminate mutants once and for all.

All New X-Men #1 by Brian Michael Bendis & Stuart Immonen (November)

• The original five X-Men -- from the 60s -- show up in the present and realize that the future they see isn't the one that they want. Bendis made it clear that it wasn't a time travel story that was heavy on the sci-fi element, instead focused on the character drama this situation would create.

Avengers #1 by Jonathan Hickman & Jerome Opena (December)

• Described as an Avengers book for the 21st century, Hickman will expand the roster to "18 or more" members from all walks of the Marvel Universe. Given the style of writing Hickman goes for, expect this book to be huge in scope.

Not bad, eh? Of course, this answers the mystery of what Hickman would be doing after he wraps up his Fantastic Four run and the reason he left Ultimate Comics Ultimates some months back, where he stated that it was for an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. If that opportunity wasn't Avengers #1, I'm not sure what else it could have been. In addition, this answers the question of what Bendis is doing post-Avengers. It's also worth noting that the rumors about Jean Grey's return are likely in reference to All-New X-Men, which states that the original First Class -- of which Jean was a part -- would find themselves in the present.

Uncanny Avengers by Remender and Cassaday is certainly an interesting title, as it suggests a mash-up of the writer's two major titles -- Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers. Might the teams be merging? Whatever the case, these line-ups are thrilling and here's hoping whatever else Marvel's got in store for Marvel NOW! is on par with these books.

EW also debuted an exclusive piece of art showcasing some of the new costume changes. All I can really say about it is, Rocket Raccoon FTW:

Aside from the new titles and general newness to the visual look of some characters, Marvel is also continuing their renewed focus on digital comics. The Marvel NOW! branding represents a jump-on point for new readers, and the covers for every new #1 with the branding will make use of Marvel AR to recap the story so far for new readers before they even open the book. Additionally, each book with the Marvel NOW! branding will have a code to download a free digital copy of the purchased issue via the Marvel Comics app.

There's bound to be plenty of speculation from fans in the coming weeks; luckily, San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner. Surely attendees will have some questions. In the meantime, stay tuned to IGN Comics for a chat with Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada on Thursday to shed some light on the initiative.

Update: In addition to the series listed above, Marvel revealed another new title: New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting. This will relaunch as a #1 in January.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.

Source : ign[dot]com

Nintendo's Wii U at E3 2012

Last year was just a taste of things to come.

In a few days, Nintendo will formally pull back the curtain on its plans for Wii U. Though the system was revealed at E3 2011, this is the year that truly matters. This is the year the system launches. That means we'll see final hardware, not just prototypes. That means we'll see games, not demos. That means we'll see real plans and not just sweeping promises.

Or at least that's what happen. Though Nintendo has much to prove at this year's show - and not much time between now and when the system is slated to launch - it's tough to tell exactly what gaming's most enigmatic publisher will actually do. Wii U is by far E3 2012's biggest spectacle. It's the biggest question mark. As we've said time and time again, all eyes will be on Nintendo as it transitions from one of its most successful eras into the unknown.

With all that said, here are some of the games we expect to see at this year's show. These are the stars of Wii U's evolving line-up, one that seems to be growing almost daily.

The Unknown

The strange thing about Wii U is that its biggest games are likely still waiting in the shadows. We know Mario and Pikmin are on the way, and we've seen some promising third party support, but we're still waiting for the real knockout punch.

We're waiting for the Zelda game. The Metroid. The addition of key third party franchises like Resident Evil and Bioshock Infinite. And while adding third party ports wouldn't seem like the biggest deal, it's a critical element to Nintendo establishing itself as being in the same league as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - while still setting itself apart with its own content. Balancing all of those ideas will be very difficult for Nintendo - and we should have some idea of its success next week.

Rayman Legends

Release Date:TBA
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Platformer

Rayman Legends first surfaced through a leaked concept trailer, one which demonstrated an array of specialized Wii U functionality. One question we have is whether all of those ideas will make it in the final product, but we're also curious to see how Ubisoft follows up last year's platformer, which we rather loved.

It's likely we'll see games like Assassin's Creed or Mario taking a bit of the spotlight this year, but we're particularly interested in seeing what happens with Legends. If Ubisoft has managed to take the creativity of last year's Rayman Origins and fully meshed it with the potential of Wii U, Nintendo fans might have more than one platformer to look forward to at some point in the future. Hopefully at launch.

Pikmin 3

Release Date: TBA
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Strategy

We've been waiting for a new Pikmin game for almost a decade. As much as Nintendo fans seemed to gravitate towards Shigeru Miyamoto's quirky strategy game, the publisher didn't quite seem to agree. Or, at the very least, it was intent on taking its time developing a sequel.

What matters most, however, is that we know the game is on the way, and we know it will be at E3 2012. It will be interesting to see if this is the Pikmin we all know. Though the Wii U controller immediately begs application to existing Pikmin mechanics, it would be fascinating to see Nintendo change direction and do something entirely different.

Regardless, we are eager to see what shows up in just a few days.

Assassin's Creed III

Release Date: October 30, 2012 (360, PC, PS3)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action

The more Ubisoft reveals about Assassin's Creed III, the more it climbs up our most anticipated games of 2012. While the franchise seems like a known quantity, this drastic change in setting and tone has us eager to see more. Even though we want to see more footage - and more importantly play the game - the one thing that has our attention is the Wii U version. Bringing a core action title like this to Nintendo's new console is the perfect testing ground to see if this grand experiment can change the way we play traditional Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games. We'll see if Ubisoft is able to bring Nintendo's vision to life.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii U

Release Date: TBA
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

We've been a little apprehensive about Nintendo's announced Mario game so far. It's not that the game will be bad - we rather enjoyed its predecessors. But based on the demo we played last year, which Nintendo has confirmed will be the basis for its upcoming game, we didn't see anything new or exciting. We didn't see anything that really grabbed our attention, that proved the idea of the Wii U console. So that is New Super Mario Bros. Wii U's big test - to take a tried-and-true gameplay formula - one that has existed for more than 25 years - and find a way to evolve it to perfectly reinforce Nintendo's innovation in 2012. That's a tall order, but if there's any character that can pull it off, it's Nintendo's plumber.

In just a few days Nintendo will lay out its opening concept for Wii U. The system will no longer be a concept in our minds, one that wasn't entirely realized or brought to life by brief (albeit enticing) demos at E3 2011. Games will be announced. Games will be confirmed. Games will be played. And in about one week, we'll know if Nintendo's next gamble will be something we can believe in. The publisher risks much and has often been rewarded for that risk. We'll see if it can do it one more time.



Source : http://www.ign.com