The Cut Scene - Video Game Blog by Variety

Multi-player in movie-based games

I was just thinking a few weeks ago that you pretty much never seen any multi-players in videogames based on movies. The reasons are probably obvious: Those games are made on a very tight deadline and mp is an easy option to drop. Plus, they're made on the theory that people want to experience the story of the film (or something tangential to it) and so a solid single-player experience becomes more important. In addition, perhaps, publishers may somewhat cynically realize that interest is often only strong around the movie's release and most of these games won't be played much after a few months, so they don't need a long life like "Halo" or "Call of Duty."

It's a shame, though, because I've seen some movie-based games with solid action mechanics that could have worked well with multi-player combat. "The Bourne Conspiracy," for instance, or "Iron Man."

So color me surprised when we ran a review in Variety this week of the first movie-based game that I've seen with multi-player. And doubly surprised that it's a kids' game: "Kung Fu Panda." Yes, it's only four players and it's offline. But still, there's combat, there's co-op, there's mini-games. That's a big step up from what we're used to from these games. Hopefully this is something more publishers and developers will do, because it should add to the respect for and value of these much derided games, which sometimes get a worse rap than they deserve (and sometimes get exactly the terrible rap they deserve).

Josh was overall pretty impressed with Activision's "Kung Fu Panda," saying its "dynamic action, solid production values and surprisingly robust multiplayer options help it stand above the average family movie tie-in." You can read the whole thing here.

And also don't miss Tom Chick's review of Sega's "The Incredible Hulk,"  which he says has a certain charm, but is basically an inferior knock off of 2005's much praised "Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction."

Update: A reader correctly pointed out to me that the "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" game had four player co-op.

Sega's Platinum partnership is easily the coolest gaming news of the week

I am officially sorry I wasn't able to stay in San Francisco yesterday in order to attend Sega's briefing. Why? The announcement of its partnership with Platinum Games and the three titles they have in the works seems like it's far and away the most exciting thing to come out of this week's orgy of press junkets.

Why? Well the company is headed by Atsushi Inaba, one of the key figures behind my absolute favorite game of 2006, "Okami," as well as innovative (if not ultimately as appealing) titles like "Viewtiful Joe" and "Phoenix Wright."

Capcom, of course, famously dissolved Inaba's last studio Clover after "Okami" failed commercially. But just as everyone in Hollywood went after the talent behind "Arrested Development" after that incredibly well respected, if unpopular, show got canned, it's no surprised that someone has eagerly signed up for four games from Platinum.

The first, "Mad World," sounds awesome. A super sytlized, over-the-top hard-core action for the Wii fills a big hole in the market that has thus far only had one contender in "No More Heroes." Between the early screenshots and this description from Kotaku (who did stick around to see it), I'm already stoked:

Jack's right hand is a chainsaw, and bodies cut vertically in half fell to either side in a splash of vibrant red blood. When a heart was torn from a ribcage, the bad guy would fall back with Jack still clutching the muscle, before crushing it in his hand. Impaled black and white bodies oozed red in great rivulets of blood.

And also, I've got to say, glad to see that Sega's growth plans involve taking some real artistic risks, not just relying on Marvel movie licenses (not that there's anything wrong with that, so long as they aren't all as lame as "Iron Man").

Other promising, if not quite as obviously original and viscerally appealing, games announced from Platinum were DS RPG "Infinite Line" and and 360/PS3 fantasy/action game "Bayonetta."

Is Iron Man the perfect rental game?

Apparently it is... GameFly just came out with its top 10 list for last week and no. 1, above either version of "Grand Theft Auto IV," is "Iron Man" for Xbox 360.

Obviously this doesn't mean that the "Iron Man" game is overall more popular than "GTA IV." I suspect we would have heard from Sega if sales were close to $500 million in the first week. But it is a sign that the movie's huge popularity is driving interest in the game, despite mediocre reviews (including mine).

Most likely, a lot of GameFly subscribers have bought "GTA IV" and consider "Iron Man," which isn't exactly deep, to be more of a rental they can finish and then send back.

Still, interest is interest and while rentals don't necessarily equal sales, I suspect this is a sign that we could see some solid figures for Sega's "Iron Man" game when NPD comes out with its May data next month.

For now, here's GameFly's cross-platform top 10 for last week. Also noteworthy: "The Bourne Conspiracy" is already no. 3 several weeks ahead of its release:

1. Iron Man, Xbox 360, Sega
2. Grand Theft Auto IV, Xbox 360, Rockstar
3. The Bourne Conspiracy, Xbox 360, Sierra
4. Ninja Gaiden 2, Xbox 360, Microsoft
5. Mario Kart Wii, Wii, Nintendo
6. Boom Blox, Wii, EA
7. Grand Theft Auto IV, PS3, Rockstar
8. Incredible Hulk, Xbox 360, Sega
9. Iron Man, PS3, Sega
10. Lego Indiana Jones, Xbox 360, LucasArts

Iron Man = Superman Returns

Anybody who played the lame "Superman Returns" videogame from Electronic Arts in late 2006 (Variety review here) will remember what it's like to marry great technology (Supes flying around Metropolis with completely awesome) with atrocious level design (basically, there was nothing fun or intersting to do in Metropolis).

It seems like Sega and Secret Level don't remember that, or took the wrong lesson, because the "Iron Man" videogame has the exact same problem: awesome powers and controls for the main character joined with the most boring and banal level design imaginable. As soon as you're no longer impressed just by making Iron Man fly, hover, and shoot all his different weapons, you'll notice how bored you are.

Here's the first paragraph of my review that just ran in Variety:

"You are a one man army," promises the slogan for Sega's adaptation of Marvel and Paramount's "Iron Man" movie. Problem is, one-man armies need something to do besides fly through generic environments fighting hordes of generic enemies. "Iron Man" mars its solid technology and smooth controls with consistently awful level design, resulting in yet another mediocre movie-based game whose only hope for sales will come with the pic's heavily hyped opening weekend.

And you can read the whole thing here.

Condemned 2 aka CSI: Horror-fest

Leigh Alexander has our review of "Condemned 2: Bloodshot" and reports that it's a disconcerting mix of grizzly horror and CSI-style forensics. My favorite detail: "To keep his gun hand steady, Ethan must continue swilling alcohol salvaged from dirty alleyways and abandoned buildings."

Joe Lieberman is really gonna love this one!

Here's the intro to Leigh's review:

“Condemned 2: Bloodshot” will strike some players as a pulse-pounding, mind-challenging delight; for others, it will be a nausea-inducing nightmare. Investigator Ethan Thomas’ sophomore outing unevenly combines innovative CSI-style forensics with a bloody barrage of alcohol-induced, unsettlingly visceral violence. Ultimately, the game can’t seem to decide whether it’s a gritty cop story or a cult supernatural horror-fest; as a result, it won’t fully appeal to fans of either genre.

And you can read the whole thing right here.

The Club: Shut-up-and-shoot

Variety videogame critic Tom Chick has a very fun review of Sega's "The Club" up today. I'm kind of fascinated by the game, which apparently dispenses with all that silly stuff like story, high-end graphics, intricate level design, etc. and just focuses on running, shooting, running, shooting, and then running and shooting some more. Sounds a little boring, but Tom compares it to developer Bizarre Creations' "Project Gotham Racing," which also sounds boring at first, but is perfect for the kind of gamer who loves getting better and better racing on the same track, shaving seconds off his or her time and perfecting that slide on the third curve. "The Club" is apparently the same thing, but for shooting dudes in the head.

Here's the first paragraph of Tom's review:

Sega's new action game "The Club" dispenses with storyline, tactical depth, cinematic set pieces and colorful settings to deliver a kind of shut-up-and-shoot action game. The lack of pretense -- or is it depth? -- won't be for everyone, but fans who want to boost their skills will find it refreshing and uniquely addictive.

You can read the whole thing here.