The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for "June 28," 2008

The Nestlekwik Happy Hour for ~~June 28~~ July 2, 2008

Nes: Welcome one and all to the podcast you have to read, The Nestlekwik Happy Hour! I’ve been at Wizard World Chicago all weekend and it seems the only super power that wasn’t represented at the event was Wi-Fi connection. Thus, we apologize for the delay in the latest edition of the program, but, boy, do we have a super show for you today! As hinted at last week, due to the convention, we are rocking out the super hero theme this week and with that, let me introduce to you my co-host and the sultan of spandex, MixMasterLar.

Lar: I make a really great Superman, but, man, you are like the worst Lex Luthor … ever.

Nes: Does the purple and green make me look fat?

Lar: Sure, whatever. But, just like the Super Friends’ star lineup of DC characters, today’s show has a killer lineup, including our regular review, top five and hype features along with a display of video game comics and a few snippets from this weekend’s event.

Nes: With that being said, let’s fly straight into our review.

Review: Marvel Vs. Capcom

Lar: While "crossover" games have become a common sight these days, there was a time when the idea of a "fantasy battle" ever happening outside of chit-chat threads online or in heated debates in crowded arcades was merely a dream. Capcom was one of the first developers to ever execute the idea to collaborate on a game with another company. In the latter part of the ‘90s, it released several games using the Marvel rights, starting with the fighter X-Men: Children of the Atom, along with characters from Capcom's long running games. The 3nd crossover game was Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Heroes. The arcade version was pretty much an instant hit, and the game was ported to both the Dreamcast and the Playstation. While DC owners got a perfect arcade port, Playstation owners had to deal with an almost different game.

The game's concept is to select either a Marvel Comic Book character (such as Spider-Man, Cable, The Hulk or Gambit) or a Capcom Game character (Street Fighter's Ryu, Chun-Li, Mega Man or Captain Commando among others) and play in an 2D plane much like any other Capcom fighter at the time with the exception of being extremely fast-paced and over-the-top – the engine mechanic first introduced in Children of the Atom. Fighters all but fly around nonstop racking up 100+ hit combos on other fighters. This might sound fun, but other fighters have done this better since its release, and the action gets boring really fast no matter how fast the heath bar drains

The arcade version allowed you to pick two characters to play as in a Tag Battle match, and another non-playable character to jump in and perform a quick move. The PSX version couldn’t match the glory with its limitations, so the game now makes you pick either a second fighter to only be present to help Super Combos or one of the arcade's assist characters randomly chosen for you. While a mode of Tag is still present it is nowhere near the arcade's, as you pick one character while your opponent picks another and you both share the same team.

The character roster represent a wide range of comics and games, but comes off as fairly small. There are about 12 fighters to pick, but since the action is off-the-hip-combo gameplay, you'll either use the characters in the same fashion as you do the others, or just pick no more than two fighters. With the lack of a lot of unlockable content, the game gives players no real reason to replay the game after the second player has gone home and you have beaten the single player mode a few times.

Graphics and music are some things that Capcom gets right most of the time but for some reason this game is a exception. The backgrounds are pretty dull to watch and a lot of them have mostly the same color. The characters look fairly good but aren’t the best example of how to animate either. It is also worth noting that a lot of the animation from the arcade version was cut to help keep gameplay fast, which doesn’t impress if you've spent a lot of time winning tokens from arcade bets. The music consist of themes that represent the games/comics that the characters are from, but we've heard most of them a dozen or so times and the quality is poor.

Considering that the game had a great sequel, there's no reason to really seek out the PSX version of the first release. While fun for a bit, it doesn’t have any replay to it whatsoever and despite it's fast-paced action gets really dull.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/jo_Br9a_rKA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/jo_Br9a_rKA&rel=1</a>

Nes: Capcom's biggest hook in going beyond its Street Fighter license was being able incorporate some of its most classic franchises into Marvel Vs. Capcom. The title stuck with the most popular characters from the Vs. titles preceding it while adding in a mix of new fighters, supporting characters, a new dual-control tag move, along with reworked stages and interfaces to move beyond another Street Fighter update. However, while the sequel gave players a lot to enjoy over Marvel Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom's game play made it clear the series' welcome was wearing a little thin.

MvC seemed to be more of a benefit for Capcom fans as the Marvel squad only received the addition of Venom to the roster, along with a modified Iron Man, now sporting the series’ War Machine variant. Perhaps the title's biggest allure and hype for the time was being able to man the Blue Bomber himself, Mega Man, in his initial fighting game debut, but players were also able to select Morrigan, Captain Commando, Strider and Jin, as well as a number of pallette-swapped secret character variants. Because of this, while 15 characters upfront may seem completely weak by today's standards, more than 20 could be controlled by those who were in the know and the obscure cast of support characters really allowed Capcom to pull references from the depths of the Capcom and Marvel well.

Unfortunately, aside from the reworked visuals and added strategy the new characters, supports and dual mechanic provided the game, everything else was the same as seen in the previous entries and really pounded at the game's appeal. While Strider added quite a beast to the roster, few of the new characters stand up to competitive favorites such as War Machine (Iron Man), Wolverine and Spider-Man and the random nature of the support characters (once again, unless you knew commands, support was provided at random - Colossus is hands-down the competitive support of choice) left the game severely unbalanced for casual play. That doesn't detour fans of the game, however, as the addition of supports and dual-control was a bit of a precursor to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2's crazy, blink-and-you-die game play madness cherished by many fans to this day.

The arcade version is hands-down the best way to experience the game and, as always, the control is spot-on with a responsive joystick and the classic six-button layout. Fans will be kept happy with the Dreamcast version as the beefy, white box allows for arcade-perfect gameplay, but some might have qualms with the Dreamcast controller layout, most specifically the d-pad and the use of triggers to attack. The Playstation’s version is stripped naked to compensate for its lack of processing, allowing players to only directly control one character unless a tag mode is activated where players mirror characters to spare the system from having to keep tabs on four different characters. However, the Playstation’s controller may have a one-up on the Dreamcast, making the game less painful to control.

Overall: In its day, Marvel Vs. Capcom served as quite a standard arcade release with impressive hand-drawn artwork to its characters and backgrounds but the problem with the game today is clearly Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, which one-ups the title in nearly every conceivable category. As I stated earlier, with so many themes borrowed from the previous two Vs. titles, Marvel Vs. Capcom, even at its time of release was a clear indication that the series had grown stale and a shake-up was necessary for the franchise. While Marvel Vs. Capcom serves Capcom fans much more than its predecessors, it serverely lacks the depth of its sequel and the novelty contained in X-Men Vs. Street Fighter's release. The title was certainly on par with its presentation and control for its time, but its unbalanced nature and lack of depth and replay really slay Marvel Vs. Capcom's appeal.

Lar: Just because you’re a super hero, that doesn’t automatically make you a winner.

Nes: I’d say. Speaking of losers, that sounds like a perfect time to cut over to our weekly top five feature!

Top 5 Video Game Super Hero Losers
#5 Wario Man
Wario eats some really nasty garlic and transforms into The Purple Wind himself: Wario Man! This is a classic textbook example of what NOT to wear into battle: A light purple outfit with a feather on the mask. Overalls also went out of date in the 1940s, my good friend. Only Mario has the power to not look bad in them so I would go to a big and tall shop as soon as I could. Not only for a change of attire, but, you know, the point of having two identities is so no one knows who your counterpart is. Wario Man is probably the worst kept secret in the super hero business, almost ranking up there in obviousness of Clark Kent being Superman minus the specs. He is given credit, though, as he is probably the most super-powered hero of this week’s top five, regardless of whether or not his might comes from anal gas. Besides, he the source of the silent flatus he no doubt passes nonchalantly in elevators has got to be more of a secret than his identity. With a totally hideous costume, disregard for the super hero code and a super power anyone can blame on their dog, Wario Man just doesn’t cut it … well, just the cheese.

#4 Captain Comic
Captain Comic travels to the distant planet Tambi armed with Laser guns, corkscrews wands and a Blastola Cola. The reason for the supply of soft drinks is that without them, he is deprived from caffeine and cannot attack without at least some form of power up. His Mission, should he choose to accept: To retrieve three treasures stolen by Tambians from the planet Omsoc and bring them back. The first mistake that he's made is that using a name like "comic" is not going to scare any aliens anytime soon. At first glance of his name, you might think he’d appear at the aliens’ local comedy club and attempt to laugh his enemies into submission, which would definitely make for a more interesting game than this piece of generic garbage. Honestly, generic might be a gracious adjective as when players beam down to the alien planet, they are confronted by … birds and snakes. So, let me get this straight … Omsoc couldn’t defend its treasures from birds and snakes? I’m thinking Captain Comic needs more than caffeine to aid his brain when an animal that flies into glass windows on its own accord snags your national treasures. Hero you are not.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VcWwH7IKqpw&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/VcWwH7IKqpw&rel=1</a>

#3 Captain Novolin
I'm all for a super hero that educates, especially when you fast forward a good decade and childhood obesity is leading to record levels of what Captain Novolin tried to warn you about on the Super Nintendo. But when you weigh in the factor that he is some creepy middle-aged man in tight spandex who fights donughts for a living, then you've lost me. It's a known fact that any superhero is nothing without an equally compelling super villian - that's simple Yin and Yang - and space donughts fail to fall under compelling. Captain Novolin's final nail the coffin had to be the fact his game failed to entertain on any level. All is not lost, though. Someone should tell the Captain that, you know, you don't have to dress in fetish costumes to warn people about the real dangers of diabetes. It would be just as effective considering Captain Novolin cannot attack at all and when I say "at all," I mean exactly that. Seemingly all he can do is eat healthy food, jump and talk - a perfect physical education teacher or Aquaman substitute if you ask me.

#2 Blasto!
Space-age super heroes are pretty stereotypical and I'm not sure any fits that image to a T more than Blasto! Wavy, perfect, blonde hair? Check. Tight spandex costume with personal logo? Check. Massive, rippling upper body with teeny, tiny legs a la the pro wrestlers and boxers Bugs Bunny used to scrap with back in the day? Check. It's all here, but for some reason for Blasto, it all went wrong. Even though these characters are supposed to be cheesy to the likes of mid-20th century super heroes, everything about Blasto is just forced and lame and the putrid 3-D platforming could place the game as a sibling of Bubsy 3-D. Even being voiced by Phil Hartman couldn't put charm or appeal in this cookie-cutter character, which has since been one-upped by the likes of Captain Quasar and Captain Qwark. We should have seen the bad gameplay coming since the hype revolved around Hartman's voice work instead of, you know, the game itself. However, even Hartman's trademark voice couldn't turn these turd one-liners into gold and unfortunately the game's funniest moment occurs when the game's alien leader decrees the race is going to slay Earth's women and rape its cattle ... because you know, typically it's the other way around. Not funny? Yeah, that kind of sums up Blasto!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_L7x-cW8qEM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_L7x-cW8qEM&rel=1</a>

#1 Cheetahmen
If it worked for turtles, it should work for other animals, right? That's what a million, bajillion other companies thought after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles steamrolled into our culture. A majority of people bought into toads that shape their first into things that really, really hurt, 50 percent of those people bought into sharks that could roller blade but no one would slide a single cent toward the Cheetahmen. I suppose that's the price you pay for being the "star" of the infamous Action 52 cart, though. It isn't enough the game is notoriously bad, but the idea was just bad all around. You'd think being based on a cheetah, the comic would have a lot to do with speed, but that's where you're wrong. Book one drags on and on about the Cheetahmen reading books, watching kung-fu video tapes and chumming it up with birds when, finally, after 15 years, the group conveniently remembers the man who was raising them killed their mother and abducted them for experimentation. At least out of everyone on today's list, the Cheetahmen actually exude things that resemble power and superhuman ability but their ill-thought creation and inclusion in what some consider the worst video game of all time will forever mark them as atrocious heroes. The world may never see a Cheetahmen III game, but first, Active needs to go back and actually finish the glitched Cheetahmen II.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/0H2QpaHjO-Q&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/0H2QpaHjO-Q&rel=1</a>

Lar: So, I got around to getting my own Xbox 360 so I wouldn’t have to bum off my friend's all the time. Got a great deal on a used one with a wireless controller and picked up Virtua Fighter 5.

Nes: Really? Sweet. We should play online then. I'd love to see your custom fighters and compare our skill levels

Lar: Well ... I can’t really do that yet.

Nes: Why’s that? Did that gorilla escape from the zoo again and knock out all of the power in your area in its path of destruction?

Lar: Not this time. In order to get the game, I had to drop getting the hard drive.

Nes: ...

Lar: But … the game's cool.

Nes: Until you have to save.

Lar: Hey! Arcade mode is still fun.

Nes: If you say so. Hopefully, one day, you'll stop being cheap and pay the real deal. Those who aren’t cheap, though, will be looking to pick up a few new games this week, so check out our Picks of the Week!

The Happy Hour Picks of the Week for June 30, 2008
Runner-Up #1 - Trauma Center Under the Knife 2 – Nintendo DS
Atlus is releasing another DS game based on the popular Trauma Center games, which is a direct sequel to Trauma Center: Under the Knife. The game follows Dr. Derek Stiles and Nurse Angie Thompson as they deal with the aftermath of the GUILT virus.

Gameplay seems to have stayed mostly unchanged from the other DS release; you use the DS stylus to inject, cut, sew and otherwise perform surgery while trying to beat the timer. While the game is probably the closest Doctor sim the U.S. has, it still allows players to rip up patients again and again until they either find the problem or the timer runs out.

The animation seems much nicer, the game looks and acts like a modern-day Japanese anime would when characters are talking to each other and patients are featured in smoother 3-D during gameplay. It looks like it might put good use to the DS's hardware. Characters are realistic-looking (in a strange, anime sense) and aren’t completely boring to look at over and over again.

Seems like at least worth a try to fans of the older games.

Runner-Up #2 - Gears of Wars (Re-release) – Xbox 360
Epic is re-releasing its extremely popular 360 title Gears of Wars this week. The game maintains the gameplay, storyline and features the first release had while adding all the downloadable maps and fronts that have made their way onto LIVE's download servers. The game also comes with a cheaper pricetag than the first: It's set to sell at $39.99 new.

Beside the heartbreaking news that the PC extras will most likely not make it in, there's not much to say about the title as it's the exact same game that was released last year, just with all the extras that you had to download before already on the disk. If you own a 360 and haven’t played the game, then you’re missing out on one of the best 3rd-person titles the system has.

Pick of the Week for June 30, 2008 – Guitar Hero: Aerosmith - Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii
Much like Encore, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is the latest expansion of Activision’s cash cow franchise, becoming the first Guitar Hero to focus on one artist. While other artists who performed with or were influenced by the band have songs included, the majority of the track list is based on the lengthy hit parade that is Aerosmith. Lightly based on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Aerosmith puts forth everything you'd expect from the title: A career mode (detailing the rise of the band in real-world-inspired venues) is included and the five-button game play remains intact. For this particular expansion, the band members are re-created through motion capture for use in the game, hammer-ons and pull-offs are described as easier to pull off and a handful of songs have been re-recorded by Aerosmith specifically for the game. The game will be available in a special new bundle for every system sans the PS2 and includes a special red guitar faceplate with the band's logo and special Aerosmith tour book. With a more casual difficulty planned for the game and a ton of content, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith should defintiely fit the bill for shredders looking for something to do while they wait for Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Nes: As I said earlier, I was spending the weekend in Chicago at Wizard World, so here's a wrap-up of the event:

The event ran from Thursday, all the way through Sunday, and it was quite an event. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center was filled to the brim with vendors and exhibitors, sporting the newest (and oldest) wares in the comics business. Special guests included Todd McFarlene, Lou Farrigno, The Defuser (the winner of Stan Lee's second season of his super hero reality show) along with a ton of other comic book artists, writers and visionaries. Wizard was offering exclusive figures and models along with promoting its publications and a number of independent artists were onhand to showcase their talents.

While the convention was based on comics and offered plenty of it, small amounts of Japanese culture items and video games were abound and plenty of visitors weren't shy about traveling to the event dressed in comic book, anime, sci-fi and video game garb. SEGA had a small presence at the event, showcasing its newest Iron Man and Incredible Hulk games, players could be found jamming all day on Guitar Hero and Rock Band setups, Wizards of the Coast was demonstrating its card games and the Dungeons and Dragons RPG and Dell had its Extreme Gaming Tour trailer up and blazing with PC kiosks. DJ Hellsing of the online community and games site GaiaOnline also held a panel at event and stuck around through the weekend to hang out with fans of the community.

My girlfriend and I lucked out with some great deals on manga and Japanese DVDs and music CDs, picking up the official soundtracks to DDR Strike/Festival and SuperNOVA for a great price. We were also able to win a number of promotional products by participating at the WotC booth, along with prizes won from spinning wheels at the Wizard and Futurama booths. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to win the new Futurama DVD.

Luckily, though, we remembered to take a number of pictures at the event, so take a look at this small sampling:

Filthy rich off of his Marvel Vs. Capcom royalties, Venom made an appearance at the event. In an exclusive interview, Venom claimed he had retired from fighting and now enjoys a much, more casual profession.

Tonner was touting this brand new Lara Croft figure, based off her Tomb Raider Legends appearance. When asked for an interview, she remained completely silent.

Guitar Hero III and Rock Band had a strangely huge presence at the event, with tournaments held on each over the entire weekend. As a result, I heard the song Through the Fire and the Flames approximately 1,483,994,461.32 times this weekend.

Todd McFarlane was onhand as the con's big gun star. Sure, not all of Spawn's video game appearances were great, but there were definitely a few good ones.

As a bonus, check out some these comics received as pre-order bonuses for video games:

As a rule, any comic book hero who is placed in a game, or any game character who seems like they could be placed in a comic will be when games release. If you're big into video game swag, I would heavily recommend subscribing to GameStop's newsletter to get news on pre-order bonuses as the store offers a number of video game-based comics throughout the year. Art books are also really common pre-order bonuses that are sure please the artistic type and are really popular among Capcom games such as Street Fighter IV or Devil May Cry 4.

Also, check out these great manga books, based on video gaming series:

Of course, there are many more manga based on video games. Udon is the studio responsible for handling many of Capcom's series including Street Fighter (II, III, Alpha and its sidestories), Onimusha and Darkstalkers. Manga is also rich for video gamers as a majority of the popular manga released to shelves has in some form been re-created in video game form.

Nes: That's all for this week, but hang on just one moment for a few Happy Hour announcements.

Lar: Not one entry was received for our contest! What's up with that?!?!

Nes: It's alright, Lar. No worries because readers will have plenty of chances to win prizes in the future.

Lar: Alright!

Nes: You're not eligible to win.

Lar: What?!?!

Nes: Secondly, due to the Fourth of July weekend, there won't be a full edition of The Happy Hour posted as I will be stuffing my chops full of hamburgers and hot dogs all weekend. However, we will be debuting a new feature in this very forum, so keep an eye for that.

Lar: I can't wait! What's it going to be?

Nes: You'll just have to wait until the weekend just like everyone else. Thanks for reading again and we'll see you down the road!