Being Part of the Action: Or How to make Super Hero Videgames

So after some delay we're back, hope you haven't missed it too much.
Today's installment is about making the transition from comic book to video game. While there are plenty of video games based on comics, there are a surprisingly small number of good ones, what's up with that? It seems that it should be a reasonably easy to do. Comics offer plenty of visual source material, as well as pre-established plot, eliminating the need for writers (though how many video games these days concern themselves with actual plot?). Not to mention the fact that while there are plenty of gamers who don't read comics, it's safe to say most people who read comics play video games. Furthermore the whole point of video games is to offer an interactive form of escapism and entertainment, so who doesn't think it'd be awesome to be a super hero?

In any form of art or media, the amount of not worthwhile or "bad" content usually outweighs the good. It's not pessimism, it's fact. So this holds true for video games, of which the sub-genre of superhero/comic book game is part of. Still it seems that the ratio of good to bad is extremely in favor of the bad. A lot of this seems to be the fault of laziness. Videogames get published based on a comic book character (or sometime a character's movie) and they slap together a standard banal videogame that relates to the original in only the very loosest of ways. Sometimes though a game comes through that shines above the rest and captures the hearts and minds of fans. Besides the graphics and gameplay, and other standards of gaming, what makes these games so special? Well in every case of a super hero video game gone-right you actually feel like you're the titular hero. Two best examples would be Spider-Man 2 and Batman Arkham Asylam, my top two super hero games.

Spider-Man 2 was a tie-in to the last good Spider-Man movie with Toby McGuire, and loosely followed the plot of the movie, and had voice acting from a few cast members. Both of which you can take or leave, like or dislike, but don't affect the game too much. No, what made the game so fantastic was that you could swing your way across all of Manhattan and beat-up all kinds of robots, thugs, and super-villains. The game was pretty much a sand box taking place in a semi-accurate representation of the island of Manhattan (and Liberty Island for a brief interlude). And then there's the web-swinging. The mechanic actually made you feel like you were swinging off buildings, it was fast, elegant, and one of the most fun parts of the game. The combat mechanics were also superb though. It implement Spider-Mans's strength, webbing, and of course Spider-Sense, very tightly. All in all it delivered a very realistic Spider-Man experience, one which never got stale, or distracted.

While you may have never played Spider-Man 2 or really cared to, you've probably played, or dreamed of playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. Asylum was a video game that was made for the fans through and through. From using many voice actors from the 90s animated series (including the supremely talented Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill), to the hundreds of Easter Eggs strewn throughout the game referencing the original comic. The graphics were fantastic, transporting you to the iconic Arkham Asylum with rich and dark detail. The story isn't anything new, but is played superbly by its cast, and offers a good vehicle for the fantastic game play. You fight like Batman does, using a combination of ingenious gadgets, stealth, cunning, and your fists. The game really puts you behind the cowl of the Dark Knight, and while it's relatively short, and doesn't have heaps of replayability, it's still a gem of a game.

It's not the easiest thing in the world to make a video game, and it's hard to get the super hero experience just right, but it really shouldn't be too hard. Arkham Asylum was a major success, and hopefully it'll show people how to do a good super hero game. It's a rich medium, that could offer up some of the best experiences for comic book fans.

Something Old and Something New

So this is the new blog, it's all of the goodness you get from Ahead of the Pack, my weekly blog with Black Line Comics right here as well as other exclusive news. Read something you like, hate, something you agree with or disagree with, just wanna say something? Well with this new format feel free to share your thoughts with me and other readers. New post to come, keep reading.