Without a doubt, video games were big at New York Comic Con 2009. Some publishers booths were small (Square-Enix, who only had figurines to show/sell, Aksys Games, Sony Online Entertainment), others challenged the massive booths of Marvel and DC (Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Activision), but all around there was a lot to see and play and ask quesitons about. While we've got more in-depth coverage to follow, here's just a quick sample of some of what we got to see and play.
If we were athletes instead of game journalists, this would totally be a training montage:
Quick, succinct thoughts:
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus: The same Guilty Gear we played ten years ago, only with more words.
Blazblue: Why not just put these characters in Guilty Gear and make a new installment of that series?
Bit.Trip Beat: MUCH more challenging than we expected, in a very, very good way. Controls are great!
Madworld: Very stylish, definitely fun. The one stage felt a little monotonous. Looking forward to playing with more variety.
Sonic & The Black Knight: For the kids, but fun.
House of the Dead Overkill: Excellent presentation, shame about those framerate dips. Still fun.
The Conduit: Everyone needs to buy this. Halo fans will finally love the Wii like I do.
Dragonball Evolution: Are these load times simulating the ridiculously long soliloquies and pregnant silences of the cartoon?
Naruto Shippuden 4: Same as the past three.
Dynasty Warrior Gundam 2: Beat up tons of robots. This could be cool...
Splatterhouse: Looks. So. Cool. Hope the Afro Samurai team does it well.
Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao: Nice 2D beat 'em up for XBLA. Fix the bugs, make it cheap, and it'll be fun.
Bomberman Ultra: PSN of the XBLA Bomberman. Excellent for parties. Zombie mode is fun!
Marble Saga: Kororinpa: Great new courses and marbles, build your own and share, balance board support. I'm all over this.
Prototype: Hulk: Ultimate Destruction on angsty steroids.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Ultra-violence does not convince me it will be fun.
DC Universe Online: What good are super-powers when everybody has them?
Velvet Assassin: Sepia-toned Metal Gear Solid with a cute drug addict.
X-Blades: Fan service Devil May Cry lite.
Roogoo: Twisted Towers: Cute kid-friendly Wii puzzler. Will probably have trouble selling, even at $29.99.
Damnation: Way smoother than Gears of War ever was.
Overlord: Dark Legend: Kid beats up bullies with his demon minions. Middle school nerds will love this.
Jumpgate Evolution: Massively Multiplayer Online Space Blaster? AWESOME!
The Godfather 2: Putting the "organized" in "organized crime".
Battlefield 1943 Pacific: Run around. Get shot. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Get fed up. Walk away.
Deadly Creatures: Very, very cool, though replay value seems limited at best.
Legends of Wrestlemania: 40 childhood idols in their pre-meltdown stages. A wet dream for fans.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars: Graphics are very impressive, movement is smooth, controls will take time to learn.
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution: Ugly and the AI is cheap as hell. If it were a kid, I'd take his controller away for being a jerk.
Ghostbusters: PS3 and 360 versions look as good as ever. Wii version has me verrrrrrrry excited. Learned from Mushroom Men and built on it.
Related articles:
NYCC 2009 - DC Universe Online
Dragonball: Evolution - The New Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game?
Trailer Review: Prototype
Whatcha Playng: Kororinpa Marble Mania