Dial H #3 Review

If you’ve been reading Dial H, you already know it’s a weird book. It’s a good thing for readers to understand from the outset because writer China Mieville plunges his readers straight into the weirdness in issue #3. Longtime readers of the Dial H property will have an advantage over those who are just learning the ropes; however, it still takes until the last few pages for Mieville’s seemingly disparate clues to coalesce into something that makes sense. That may sound frustrating, but it actually continues the totally unique vibe of the series nicely.

If you told me that a series about a telephone engineer and transdimensional combat would be on my pull list, I’d probably tell you to lay off the intoxicants. Here we are at Dial H #3, though, and I find myself being won over every month by the title’s oddness and depth. I’ll admit that it’s initially disconcerting to spend so much of the book wondering what the hell is going on and where things are leading, but the payoff is strong enough that it’s all worth it in the end. Furthermore, the sense of confusion that results from Mieville’s style of presentation sets the perfect tone for his main character’s plight. Perhaps most important is that the endpoint for this story is terrifically compelling.

Artist Mateus Santolouco is strong yet again in this week’s offering. His storytelling is once again rock solid, but what caught my attention in this book was Santoluoco’s regard for materials and their properties. Textures are explained well, and the characteristics of the (frequently exotic) substances depicted in the story look realistic. The foundation provided by Santolouco’s pencils and inks is skillfully brought to life by the coloring team of Tanya and Richard Horie. Sudden changes in location, time, or even dimension are clearly delineated by the colors used, affording each sequence a unique personality.

We’re still just beginning to understand the scope of this story, but there’s enough here to feel the excitement of the developments to come. At the same time, I’m certain that some readers will grow impatient for the payoff before it arrives and that others will be put off by the Morrison-like eschewal of comic clichés. Further, I would highly encourage new readers to pick up copies of issues 1 and 2, as they will be totally lost without those introductory chapters. Those caveats aside, though, I recommend that open-minded readers give this series a try. It really is a cure for comic fans who don’t want to give up on the superhero genre but are tired of superhero tropes.

Poet is a freelance writer, mid-core gamer, and frequent IGN contributor. Follow Poet on Twitter, or post a message on his IGN profile.

Source : ign[dot]com

Detective Comics #11 Review

Batman has followed Mr. Toxic’s trail to Dr. Marden’s lab in Wayne Tower, but that’s only the beginning of the mystery. Improving on last month’s enjoyable installment of Detective Comics, Tony Daniel has penned one of the best issues of the series to date in issue #11.

I find it frustrating when a good payoff is given a weak lead-in, but that’s just the case with this book. With the exception of last issue, Mr. Toxic has been a totally forgettable footnote in a disappointing series. This story, however, shows that the character has something to him after all. The mystery seems to end early in the book, following Bruce’s rumble with Mr. Toxic in a science lab; however, things move in an interesting new direction after a short bout of detective work.

My biggest complaint for Daniel’s script is how inaccurate his references to science are. It’s always a risky to write outside of your area of expertise, and Bruce’s explanation, likening a gadget to the Large Hadron Collider is so off-base, the genius-level detective may as well have said the machine probably worked by magic.

The art team of Julio Ferreira and Eduardo Pansica create an effective milieu through which we can experience the pleasant uptick in scripting quality. The first two pages capture the reader’s attention well, and the action is explained well until the main story’s close. Depictions of Bruce without his cowl had too much cross-hatching for my tastes, but that’s a relatively minor concern.

The backup story by Tony Daniel and Szymon Kudranski concludes their Two-Face tale, and I have to say that I’m pretty relieved. Kudranski’s artwork is an improvement over last month’s episode, but Daniel’s script is toothless. It’s a real bummer that we have to pay an extra dollar for the backup when the main story would have seemed a much better deal at $2.99.

On the heels of the announcement that Tony Daniel is leaving Detective Comics, we are gifted with one of his best efforts on the relaunched series. The story is interesting, and it gives life to a previously wooden, two-dimensional villain. While the main story is worth reading, its importance may be diminished for some readers in light of Daniel’s impending departure.

Poet is a freelance writer, mid-core gamer, and frequent IGN contributor. Follow Poet on Twitter, or post a message on his IGN profile.

Source : ign[dot]com

Blizzard Admits Diablo III Endgame isn't Sustainable

Blizzard has agreed with claims that the Diablo III item hunt isn't enough for a sustainable endgame.

Speaking on the game's forums, community manager Bashiok stated, "There needs to be something else that keeps people engaged, and we know it's not there right now".

“

We recognize that the item hunt is just not enough for a long-term sustainable end-game.

"We recognize that the item hunt is just not enough for a long-term sustainable end-game," he said.

"There are still tons of people playing every day and week, and playing a lot, but eventually they're going to run out of stuff to do (if they haven't already). Killing enemies and finding items is a lot of fun, and we think we have a lot of the systems surrounding that right, or at least on the right path with a few corrections and tweaks.  But honestly Diablo III is not World of Warcraft. We aren't going to be able to pump out tons of new systems and content every couple months."

Given the fact that Diablo was recently beaten on the game's hardest setting, some players have been suggesting Blizzard didn't provide enough content at launch.  But Bashiok is quick to assert that this doesn't mean the company is content to sit idle while players are bored.  He cites the upcoming PvP arenas along with a progression system as potential solutions, though neither will arrive soon.

He explained, "We're working toward 1.0.4, which we're really trying to pack with as many fixes and changes we can to help you guys out (and we'll have a bunch of articles posted with all the details as we get closer), and we're of course working on 1.1 with PvP arenas.

“

Hindsight is 20/20, but we believed pre-release that the item hunt would be far more sustainable, and would work to be a proper end-game for quite a while. That didn't turn out to be true.

"I think both those patches will do a lot to give people things to do, and get them excited about playing, but they're not going to be a real end-game solution, at least not what we would expect out of a proper end-game. We have some ideas for progression systems, but honestly it's a huge feature if we want to try to do it right, and not something we could envision being possible until well after 1.1 which it itself still a ways out."

Several players were quick to suggest that this proves Blizzard released Diablo III before the title was ready, but Bashiok refutes this.  He did admit however that, "Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose, but we believed pre-release that the item hunt would be far more sustainable, and would work to be a proper end-game for quite a while. That didn't turn out to be true, and we recognize that."

Despite this, the game doesn't appear to be in the dire straights that some are extrapolating from his admission.  Comparing the title's retention with Blizzard's other juggernaut, World of Warcraft, he revealed that Diablo III was still performing well and that the game is yet to be released in several key territories.

"We have hundreds upon hundreds of thousands playing every night. Comparing to just normal drop-off post release of a WoW expansion, Diablo III has been very solid, and it's not even out in China yet," he said.

Diablo III became the fastest selling PC game of all time when it released in May, shifting 3.5 million copies within 24 hours.  Our original review found the game to be amazing, though a bunch of our editors recently sat down to discuss how their experiences have progressed since then.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant.  You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Marvel Pinball: The Avengers Chronicles Review

That’s it. I give up. No longer will I keep my own cash and credit cards, as I’m handing everything over to Zen Studios. That’s because whatever table pack they come out with next, I know I’m going to buy it. The deal has been sealed with The Avengers Chronicles, a four-pack of tables out now via Xbox Live and the PlayStation Store, which is one of the most impressive entries into the pinball world that I’ve seen in my life. And I’m old. I know what I’m talking about.

There are only two companies out there putting out digital editions of pinball tables: Zen Studios and FarSight Studios. Both do equally amazing work, but where FarSight puts out incredibly accurate versions of pinball tables from the past (their Pinball Arcade is not to be missed, particularly for Bride of Pinbot), Zen Studios steps into the fantastic by putting out tables that never existed, but that still adhere to the laws of pinball.

The Avengers Chronicles is a perfect example, and might be their finest work to date. The company is actually branching out beyond pinball for the first time ever, and we were able to check out CastleStorm and KickBeat at E3 this year. But this new addition to their Marvel Universe of tables proves that when it comes to the silver ball, they really know their stuff.

The Avengers Continue Their Adventures


It also represents one of the best values in gaming you’re likely to see all year at only $9.99 on PSN and 800 points ($10.00) on XBLA. That’s only $2.50 per table, and each one of them offers a deep gameplay experience that will keep your fingers busy for hours.

Each one is a piece of art, and here’s how they break down:

THE AVENGERS: This table is based on the hit movie from this summer, and the table itself is the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier cruising over a city far below. Loki himself is at the top of the table, and you have to do battle with him with the Avengers, and you have them by the balls. Literally. This is the first table from Zen to utilize special pinballs, each of which is based on one of the Avengers, and which will require different gameplay for each ball. There are lines from the movie in here, but not read by the actors from the film. Regardless, it’s a fun extension of the film in a unique pinball form.

WORLD WAR HULK: Following the events of the comic book series from 2007, this table has the Hulk enraged (shocker) and seeking revenge after he was shot into space by a cadre of superheroes. He misses the planet they intended for him to land on, and now he’s back, and he’s pissed. He constructs a massive arena and forces Earth’s heroes to fight against each other. You’ll be alternately trying to evacuate Manhattan and controlling the more intelligent Hulk here, while dipping into a Madison Square Garden mini-playfield and listening to cameos from some of Marvel’s mightiest heroes.

FEAR ITSELF: This table has the Avengers battling the Asgardian god Serpent, who has ensnared the world in the grip of fear … itself. The table uses a ton of magnets, and you’ll find yourself battling the magnetic pinballs of the Worthy – warriors of Serpent who are given massive amounts of power through hammers not unlike Thor’s Mjolnir. There’s an extremely deep mini-game here, as well as a table full of gorgeous artwork. I love how the flippers are flanked above by Captain America’s shield, which has been split in half and covers the bumpers.

THE INFINITY GAUNTLET: This table is my favorite from the collection, hands down. But that shouldn’t be seen as a slight on the other three, because each one of these is a truly beautiful piece of physical wizardry. In The Infinity Gauntlet, you battle Thanos with Adam Warlock and the Silver Surfer as they seek to wrest away control of the Infinity Gauntlet and its gems. The Gauntlet itself looms large above the playfield to the left, and successive hits on it will trigger one of the gems, each of which has a different effect on the game. I won’t spoil the fun for you here, but be ready to reach for a clean pair of shorts when you happen upon the Reality Gem.

Sometimes Pinball Can Be A Punch In The Balls


But even though these tables will blast your eyeballs with visuals, there are some slight drawbacks. One thing we can fault it for is that some of these tables are incredibly hard to master. We’d love to see a table tutorial mode for each entry, especially since there are so many impressive events on each table that are more than worth showing off. The operator’s menus can be confusing as well, unless you really know what you’re doing. A Flythrough mode of each table, explaining the events and the tweaks would be a welcome addition.

What makes this notable is the fact that many of Zen’s other pinball tables are very user-friendly in the sense that it will be very clear what you need to do in order to advance the game. Whether it be ramp design, indicator lights, or a cue on the in-game LED screen, tables like Excalibur and Ms. Splosion Man can guide you to the next event or jackpot total without holding your hand. In the tables in Avengers Chronicles, it can be a complete mystery as to what you need to do next. Is there a particular reason to select certain Avenger pinballs?

Also, given the fact that the game supports online multiplayer, there is nothing in the game to inherently draw you into it. The Autolog feature from Need For Speed puts down a good roadmap that can coerce you into multiplayer, and Zen should follow suit. I don’t only want to know what the next Superscore is above mine: I also want to know that Dana just started playing The Infinity Gauntlet table, or that Jake wants me join a matchup on The Avengers.

Also, it would be nice to be able to buy these tables individually, rather than as a pack. Granted, ten bucks is a low price point, but maybe you’re only a fan of Thor, and just want the Fear Itself table for $2.50? That should at least be an option, rather than having to pick up all four at once. If you break Pinball FX 2 down into its component tables, you might end up spending a ton of money on this game, only to play a handful of the tables.

Truly, These Are Pinball Wizards


These tables bring the total of Zen Studios entries in the Marvel pinball world up to an impressive sixteen, and it feels like they keep getting better and better. Zooming in on any of these tables will show off the impressive artistry and work that goes into creating a pinball experience. What’s even more amazing is that they keep everything within the confines of the physics of pinball itself, to you’ll see seams on the table and lights that are plugged into the playfield. The only thing missing is a slot for the quarters to make you think it’s a real table.

Ultimately, we can’t deny that this game is incredibly fun. The tables are gorgeous, and it’s a fantastic way to breathe life back into a seemingly dead arcade genre. We just wish that The Who was there singing us through the game as we go for the high score.




Source : g4tv[dot]com

Asura's Wrath Devs Working On Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Adaptation

CyberConnect2 has unveiled that its next project will be Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle, based on the long-running manga series of the same name.

The news was announced during a press conference, which also confirmed that a new anime version of the popular Shonen Jump franchise will be airing in Japan.

Not much is known about the title just yet, other than that it's a Playstation 3 exclusive brawler, with the developer refusing to confirm on Twitter what year we'll be seeing the game on shelves.

The Jojo's Bizarre Adventure manga follows the misadventures of the Joestars, a strong family with British roots.  Despite this, the franchise hasn't received a large amount of localisation support in the past, and it remains unclear if this title will be launching in the West.

Check out the debut trailer below to see a man get kicked in the face by a horse.

Source : ign[dot]com