Game on

This is going to be a big fall for comics fans who also play videogames. The most recent round of game magazines reveal the following goodies:

* The Red Star game, based on Christian Gosset's Soviet-themed comicbook epic, will see the light of day this fall, courtesy of XS Games. The game made a splash a few years ago at E3, but was shelved when gamemaker Acclaim went bust. So far, the game will only be released for the PlayStation 2. Another former Acclaim comicbook title, Turok — more popular as a game than as a comic — is coming to next gen consoles next year courtesy of Buena Vista Games.

* Gamers will have to make that age-old decision: DC or Marvel. First up is Justice League Heroes, which lets players choose a pair of heroes from the classic seven-member roster.The game hits Oct. 17 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GBA and Nintendo DS. Activision follows one week later with the release of Marvel: Ulitmate Alliance. The game lets players choose a team of four heroes from a roster that starts with 20 Marvel heroes and grows from there. Perhaps most exciting for comics fans is the ability to unlock comic-based missions that re-enact classic Marvel battles. The game will be available for all the major platforms (Xbox, PS2, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), PC, Game Boy Advanced and PSP.

* The new issue of Play Magazine looks ahead to next year, showering praise upon The Darkness. Developer Starbreeze -- the company that made a critically acclaimed game based on the Vin Diesel pic "The Chronicles of Riddick" -- plans to have this one based on the Top Cow comic ready for PS3 and Xbox 360 next year. The magazine talks extensively about the game, interviewing its lead designer as well as Top Cow chief Marc Silvestri and comicbook/game scribe Paul Jenkins.

Super Ventriloquism

The cast of "Superman Returns" will lend its voices to the upcoming Electronic Arts videogame based on the picture. Star Brandon Routh is lending his likeness to the game while cast members Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey and Sam Huntington only doing voices for their characters.

The game, set to come out in conjunction with the film, draws on elements from both the new film as well as the Man of Steel's decades-long comicbook lore. A trailer up at the game's official site shows Superman battling what looks like a giant version of Metallo and features the classic John Williams theme from the 1978 film.

Vote on HeroClix

Wizkids has opened voting for HeroClix Collector's Set #4.  On the ballot are: Mike Mignola's "B.P.R.D." and Matt Wagner's "Grendel" from Dark Horse; Wildstorm's "Astro City;" DC's "Metal Men" and Marvel's "2099."  These Collector's Sets feature five to seven characters that otherwise may not have been featured in DC HeroClix, Marvel HeroClix or Indy HeroClix lines.  Voting ends on April 5th.

Game Update

Electronic Arts and Marvel have teamed up to produce a new vidgame title set for fall release called "Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Impacts."

The fighter game will pit Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Thing and Elektra against EA’s  alien scientist Niles Van Roekel, who is out to create a new super army of vicious warriors. The game will feature game and character designs from comicbook artist Jae Lee and Paul Catling, who designed concepts and characters for a slew of Hollywood pics including “Spider-Man 2,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “Alien vs. Predator.” Marvel will produce a six-issue comicbook series that will introduce the new characters starting in May. The game is set for September release on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and PSP.

This comes just after Marvel suffered a setback in its case against NC Soft and Cryptic Studios, makers of the PC game “City of Heroes.” Marvel alleges in its suit that the game’s ability to create superhero characters that resemble its comicbook stars infringed on its copyright. But last week, a judge dismissed many of Marvel’s exhibits and claims on the grounds that the infringing characters submitted were created by Marvel and not by users of the game. Marvel says it still has confidence in its case.

Not surprisingly, Marvel will not be publishing the upcoming comicbook based on the game; that job falls to Blue King Studios.

Just Hit Play

It's not Comic-Con or Wizard World, but that doesn't mean there won't be a comics presence at E3, the huge videogame trade show starting Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Among the comics making the transition to games is Acclaim's "100 Bullets," based on Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's Vertigo comic of the same name, coming to Xbox and PS2 this fall. The game's new website reports that Azzarello wrote the story for the game and Risso was the art director, so it should be fun. Acclaim also has a fall game for both consoles based on "The Red Star," Christian Gossett's take on an alternate Russia, and a PC version of "Turok: Evolution." Turok was first a Gold Key comic decades ago before being revived by Valiant Comics in the early 1990s. Valiant was later acquired by Acclaim, which continued publishing comics for a few years before the market got too tough.

Activision has plenty of Marvel licenses, including "Fantastic Four" set for winter release; "X-Men Legends," "Iron Man," "Spider-Man 2" and "Infinity War," which is likely based on the cosmic crossover hit of the 1990s.

Eurocomics aren't to be left out, with Atari working on "Asterix and Obelisk XXL" for PS2.

EA takes on the DC universe with upcoming games based on "Superman" and "Catwoman." Midway, however, takes on "Justice League." Sega brings in manga favorite Astro Boy: Omega Factor," and Vivendi Universal plans "Hulk 2" and "Aliens vs. Predator," a matchup that first clashed in the pages of a Dark Horse comics.