Comic Book Video Games FTW!

Jill Pantozzi | January 12th, 2011

If you thought 2010 was a huge year for fandom, just wait for this year to play out. And I mean literally. You’re going to be playing a lot. One of the greatest things for us is when genres cross over and we get a double-whammy of nerd fever. Not all comic readers are gamers and not all gamers are comic readers but there is a huge intersection connecting the two and 2011 is going to be a banner year for fans of both.

DC Universe Online is the first such title to be released this year satisfying not only comic fans but MMORPG fans as well. Jim Lee has spent a lot time getting this one to us but it’s finally here. Though a score of gamers have already gotten the chance to play in beta and the reaction so far has been positive. It seems DC and Sony Online Entertainment were right to think this was something fans have been waiting to pounce on. Shaping your very own hero or villain and having them interact with the DC Universe is pretty cool after all. The only downfall on this one, for me anyway, is the title is only available for PC and PlayStation 3. My computer is on its last legs and would never support such usage and I don’t own a PS3. I’ll have to watch some friends play before I decide whether or not DC Universe Online is worthy of buying a whole new system. Oh and lest we forget an opportunity for DC to make some extra money off this deal, there’s also going to be a bi-weekly comic book tie-in written by Tony Bedard and Marv Wolfman as well.

If you thought patiently waiting through the delays of DC Universe Online were bad, try being a fan of the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise. Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds finally hits stores February 15 after a ten-year gap between the last iteration. With a story by comic creator Frank Tieri, fans are going to be thrown into a very busy world filled with popular comic and game characters. Ryu, Wolverine, Iron Man, Morrigan, Trish and Dante from Devil May Cry, Deadpool, Albert Wesker and Jill Valentine from Resident Evil, Captain America, Doctor Doom, M.O.D.O.K., She-Hulk, Super Skrull and X-23 are just some of the fighters you’ll be able to choose from. And I can’t forget my favorite addition to the cast, Sir Arthur from Ghosts n Goblins. What?! That’s amazing! Besides the fantastic character list, Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is powered by Capcom’s MT Framework, an advance version of the graphics engine they used for Resident Evil 5, so it’s going to look and play fantastic. I can’t wait to pit the most ridiculous people against each other.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is the highly anticipated movie tie-in coming to us on June 1, about two weeks before Green Lantern the film is released. I’m incredibly wary of this one knowing how tie-ins usually turn out, *cough*Iron Man*cough* but with the details released recently, my hopes have lifted some. Here’s the official synopsis:

The Manhunters are an android race, originally created by the Guardians of the Universe to serve as the first interstellar police force. The Manhunters became more obsessed with administering punishment than serving justice, forcing the Guardians to dissolve their ranks. The few Manhunters that survived fled into exile and the Guardians founded a new elite police force called the Green Lantern Corps and armed its members with specially crafted power rings. Now the Manhunters are back and out for revenge, readying their forces for a war against the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps. Faced with destruction, the Corps is looking to you as the newest recruit, gifted but cocky test pilot Hal Jordon, to protect peace and preserve justice. Building on the anticipation of Warner Bros.’ feature film Green Lantern, in theaters June 17, 2011, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters includes the likeness and voice talent of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, who is the star of the upcoming motion picture.

Obviously what I’m most excited about trying out are the Power Ring constructs. Warner Bros. Interactive and Double Helix have said we’ll at least be able to use our ring to create a gatling gun and giant fists but there’s likely to be a lot more. Probably the biggest news? You’re going to be able to play as Sinestro. Whether you can do that solo or only when playing with a friend I don’t care. You. Get. To. Play. As. Sinestro.

Batman: Arkham City is easily my most anticipated game of the year. It only has an estimated release date of the fall right now but I’ll be thinking about it probably every day until then. Rocksteady seems primed to rock our world once again in this sequel to the hugely popular Arkham Asylum. With the asylum in ruins after the Joker’s rampage last year, the newly appointed Mayor/former warden at Arkham, Quincy Sharp, turns a section of Gotham’s slums into the new housing facility for inmates. Oh yeah, that’s a swell idea. And it’s being run by none other than Dr. Hugo Strange, who as we’ve seen from the recently released trailer, knows Batman’s biggest secret. Once again written by comic scribe Paul Dini, the five times bigger world will also be home to Catwoman this time around. Please god let her be playable.

We know the least about X-Men: Destiny so far but this RPG, with a TBA release date, is being written by none other than Vertigo/Marvel/X-Men: Legends writer Mike Carey. And well, he’s awesome. In X-Men: Destiny players will be a brand-new mutant learning about his/her powers in a world with supporters and disparagers alike. I’m assuming you’ll be able to choose whether you go bad or stay on the light side but either way it sounds like a lot of fun. I think I’ll pull out my old Nintendo and play The Uncanny X-Men until then.

These are just some of the titles being released in 2011. Which comic book video games are you most looking forward to playing this year? What adaptation have you always wanted them to make?