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Tons of really cool updates this week with the New York Comic Con this past weekend. One announcement I’m particularly excited about is the return of Mega Man to comics. Publisher of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Archie Comics, will launch a new Mega Man series in the spring which promises to be the most faithful adaption to the game’s continuity.

Ian Flynn and Patrick Spaziante, the same writer and artist team currently on Sonic the Hedgehog, will pick up pen and pencil duties for the launch. The last time Mega Man was featured in his own North American comic book was in Dreamwaves’s 2003 Mega Man, which lasted only four issues. Hopefully Archie can give Mega Man the same longevity in comics as Sonic the Hedgehog.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 got a few new fighters added to its roster. On the Marvel side, M.O.D.O.K. and Magneto are joining the fight. Magneto is no surprise, but I was pleasantly surprised that M.O.D.O.K. actually made the cut. For Capcom, Bionic Cammando‘s Nathan “Rad” Spencer, and Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins’ Arthur. See Spencer in action here, and Arthur here. See M.O.D.O.K. and the Master of Magnetism here.

To give some context to the Marvel vs. Capcom madness, a brief story line for the game was revealed at NYCC.

I really hope Marvel has a Marvel vs. Capcom comic series in the works in time for the game’s release.

Thankfully, comic book readers who aren’t hardcore fighting game experts (like me) no longer have to feel intimidated by Marvel vs. Capcom’s bombastic control scheme and combo chaining. Controls for the game can be switched from the standard button layout to a “Simple Mode” that, just like the name implies, simplifies the controls reducing combat to merely a few buttons, while still allowing you to feel like you’re a capable gamer. And you’ll still be able to challenege real men experienced players using the regular controls online.

Marvel fans — or more specifically, X-Men fans — will be further pleased by the rerelease of Konami’s 1992 X-Men arcade game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. If I may, it’s about DAMN time this game got back into our hands. X-Men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the only two games I would spend my Chucky Cheese tokens on. The new version of the game will include online play, drop-in-drop-out functionality, and six player co-op with all the original characters: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler. See the trailer for the rerelease here. No word on when X-Men will drop yet, but when it does, it’ll be a nice little mutant taste building up to Activision’s new X-Men: Destiny. See the X-Men: Destiny teaser trailer here.

So let’s say, just for conversation sake, a highly advanced alien computer has strategized the demise of your entire race, and, with all your would be defenders of said race having just killed each other off, what do you do? The answer is obvious, I know. I mean, who hasn’t pondered this scenario during a Sunday afternoon stroll, right? Lex Luthor certainly has, and he’s done exactly what any megalomaniac turned world savior would do. Travel to the past and turn civilians into champions using his would be exterminators own technology. Enter the DC Universe Online character customization trailer. Following up on the amazing six minute cinematic trailer, Lex Luthor explains his plan to save the human race in a new trailer, and even if you have no interest in playing DC’s first MMO, it’s still fun to watch. See it here!

But then of course, as plans often do, they back fire. One of my favorite features about DCUO is being able to use your new abilities for evil instead of justice. I can’t wait to play as a villain and team up with the Joker to cause some havoc.

Speaking of the streets of Gotham, last week we showed off a butt ton of really pretty Batman: Arkham City screens, and earlier this week a handful of new ones dropped.

I love those last two concept art pieces.

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Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net