Avatar: The Game will follow its own path through the alien jungle

"AVATAR" COUNTDOWN: 28 DAYS

James Cameron has big aspirations for "Avatar," and here at Hero Complex we're stepping up with some epic coverage plans: a 30-day countdown. Today's topic: Hero Complex contributor Gerrick Kennedy reports on the Ubisoft video game that hopes to take the fans of the sci-fi epic on an entirely different adventure.

Security is intense these days at the Montreal offices of Ubisoft where more than 200 employees are working overtime to put the final touches on the new James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, which is due to hit store shelves Dec. 1.

"The bunker" is how Patrick Naud, the executive producer of the game, referred to the area for the team dedicated to the creation of a 3-D gaming experience that matches Cameron's ambitious film project. Cameras, guards, extra locks and some fairly scary employee contracts have all been put into place to protect the game that looks to be one of the most intriguing releases of 2009.

“We’re just finishing the last production for the PC version,” Naud said. “From then on it’s just waiting for the game to come out. We’re hoping people get as excited about the game as we are.”

Cameron has been on a quest to make the "Avatar" film for more than a decade and there's plenty of curiosity considering the massive success of his last feature film, "Titanic" in 1997, and the industry chatter about the film's innovations in 3-D and visual effects technology. Naud and his team hope to create a video game that is also a potential “game-changer,” as the film is being billed by industry observers.

“We met James three years ago," Naud said. "That first meeting was so that he could approve us. We wanted to expand the world and we didn’t want to do a game of the movie. We didn’t want to have the boundaries of having to follow the film.”

Naud, like many of the collaborators working with Cameron on "Avatar," spoke with excitement in his voice about the director and his years-in-the-making epic. Ubisoft, though, has followed a different path through the alien jungles created by the Oscar-winning director's script and film.

“We had an idea what we wanted to do," Naud said of his company's pitch. "There were two main concepts: doing the game of the world, not the movie, and giving the players the choice to choose sides. We felt in the beginning of the project there is a big part of the story that’s not told.”

The film follows the adventure of a Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who is sent to the distant moon Pandora, where, given control of a towering, blue-hued alien body, he is supposed to gather intelligence about an alien race who lives atop valuable natural resources. After learning the ways of the Na'vi tribe, though, Sully finds himself wondering which side of the impending conflict he belongs on.

With Cameron’s blessing, Ubisoft Montreal created its own storyline set two years before the events of the film. In the game, players take on the role of Abel Ryder, a code breaker sent to Pandora. There they enter the Avatar Program, which creates the alien-human hybrid bodies, like the one used by Sully in the film. Players are then faced with a choice: Side with the noble Na’vi or work for the Resources Development Administration, the armed human enterprise planning to mine Pandora's coveted minerals.

Naud said game developers wanted to challenge themselves more after Cameron asked why the game couldn't be 3-D like the movie. Although Naud assured gamers it’s not needed for game play, he says gamers who do have a DLP setup that supports 3-D vision, or a 3-D-vision capable flat-screen TV, will have the bonus of experiencing the game much like they would the film.

Nintendo users will also experience the game differently as the Wii and Nintendo DS games follow their own story lines, separate from the other platforms.

“Play as a young Na’vi warrior whose village and family have been destroyed by the RDA, you’re seeing it from this different perspective,” Naud said. “It uses the Wii balance board and the MotionPlus that was released this summer. Something we felt was a nice addition.”

Naud said that Cameron realized the potential the video game has to strengthen the “Avatar” brand and that the filmmaker approached his relationship with the game creators in a collaborative manner that Naud said is far from the norm in the film-based game sector.

“It’s not the type of relationship we have with a licensor," Naud said. "Some studios might want to be more protective of their characters. It’s not everyone that sees it as an extension of the brand. Some see it as a way to get more revenue. We had the liberty to create new characters, new worlds. He knew of games, but he didn’t know what made a game great. He trusted us. He told us to 'go all in.'”

-- Gerrick Kennedy

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'Batman: Arkham Asylum' is a mad success

Ben Fritz writes for the Business section of the Los Angeles Times and has mad-love for all things geeky, so you'll see his name here at the Hero Complex a lot in the seasons to come. Here's an exceprt from his update on the sales of the hottest video game to ever come out of Gotham City...

Warner Bros. may not have a new Batman movie this year, but the Caped Crusader is turning out to be the biggest thing in Hollywood-licensed video games.

"Batman: Arkham Asylum" sold 593,000 units in August according to NPD Group, which tracks industry sales. It's the biggest first-month sales for any video game this year based on a Hollywood property and particularly impressive given that "Arkham Asylum" was released Aug. 25, meaning NPD only tracked its sales for five days.

Warner said last week that Arkham Asylum, which received stellar reviews, had sold nearly 2 million units worldwide through Sept. 8, a very strong launch for a video game...

THERE'S MORE, READ THE REST

-- Ben Fritz

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Matt Fraction: A comic book writer's secret identity revealed

In the L.A. Times' business section, there is a handy feature run called 'How I Made It.'  This week, reporter Alex Pham talked to comics writer extraordinare Matt Fraction.

The gig: Professional comic book writer.

Matt Fraction, the 33-year-old author of "Invincible Iron Man" and "Uncanny X-Men" comics for Marvel Entertainment, has a job that's coveted by thousands of boys, not to mention grown men who daydream at their desks.

Lately, Fraction's ratcheted his career up a notch by landing a gig to write the script for the upcoming Iron Man 2 video game. It will be published next year by Sega Corp. alongside the debut of the movie sequel. That means his dialogue is very likely to be read by Robert Downey Jr., who plays the title character in the upcoming movie and who also provided the voice talent for Sega's first Iron Man game, released in May 2008.

Now that Marvel will be purchased by Walt Disney Co. in Burbank, Fraction is about to go from college dropout to one of the star writers for the House of Mouse.

We asked Fraction about his unorthodox career path at July's Comic-Con convention in San Diego, where he has earned his minor cult status among comic fans for his graphic novel, "Last of the Independents." His work with Marvel artist Salvador Larocca for "Invincible Iron Man" won the 2009 Eisner Award for best new series...

THERE'S MORE, READ THE REST

-- Alex Pham

Photo: Alex Pham / Los Angeles Times

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Getting a superhero education in Oregon

The University of Oregon may have lost its controversial first game of the 2009 season on the blue monster to Boise State, but they will be concentrating on a different type of monster soon -- the superhero culture -- as the school plays host to "Understanding Superheroes," a two-day conference on Oct. 23-24 that will discuss the world of superheroes.

The conference will be held alongside the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s fall exhibition "Faster than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of a Superhero" and is free to attend, but you have to register in advance.

Guests will include keynote speakers Danny Fingeroth, Charles Hatfield and Henry Jenkins, while comics creators Kurt Busiek ("Astro City"), Greg Rucka ("Gotham Central," "Whiteout," "Queen & Country"); and Gail Simone ("Deadpool," "Birds of Prey," "Welcome to Tranquility"  and "Wonder Woman") chime in with an interesting panel about writing the contemporary superhero.

With other panels like Being and Super-Beings: Existentialism, Temporality, and Eschatology and Secret Identity Politics: Religion, Ethnicity and Superheroes, this seems like it'll be a pretty cerebral event focusing on the psyche behind why we like comics and other pop-culture phenoms like video games.  For those who make their own comics or may want to be part of the process, it might be a great road trip up to Oregon.  And the Ducks play Washington in Seattle that weekend, so the campus should be in a good mood.

-- Jevon Phillips

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BlizzCon, Blizzard's annual convention, recharges gamers and developers

BlizzCon, Blizzard's annual convention, recharges gamers and developers

Mark Milian sent in this report from the recent BlizzCon in Los Angeles.

Executives at Blizzard Entertainment, developer of the massively popular online game World of Warcraft, have found that when it comes to game development, time does not necessarily equal money. But the power of the fanboy is hugely valuable.

That's why Blizzard, whose parent company is Activision Blizzard, holds an annual convention in Anaheim called BlizzCon. Each summer, fans of the company's computer games convene to meet with developers and other players, compete, interact with incomplete products and show their loyalty by dressing like orcs and sorcerers.

"We run it at a loss every year because we think it's worth it," said Blizzard Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams. "It recharges the 'geek battery' for the people that work here. We get so much more productivity and so much more enthusiasm out of our development team after BlizzCon."

Last weekend, Blizzard let fans play three new games it has been working on -- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Diablo III. Developers on the show floor said feedback was positive and invaluable.

"It's fun for us," Sams said. "It gives us an opportunity to interact with the players. The players are very passionate about these products."

Interaction with fans is becoming an increasingly larger part of the company's overall strategy. Next year, it will launch a revamped version of its online multiplayer network called Battle.net, which puts an emphasis on keeping players connected.

For more than a decade, Blizzard has been a game studio notorious for its lax development schedules. The top two entries on the company website's "frequently asked questions" page deal with that very issue. One says, "Our goal at Blizzard is to not release a game until it's ready."

The motto apparently dictates that payoff from building a strong relationship with fans is greater than keeping to a schedule. BlizzCon plays a significant role in that strategy, especially with keeping its developers happy.

"They come back so charged up, so geeked up, so excited about the feedback they got from the players," Sams said. "They're like, 'All right! Let's go!'"

Updated, August 31, 9:55 p.m.: Clarified that BlizzCon is run and managed by Blizzard Entertainment, not parent company Activision Blizzard.

-- Mark Milian

Photo credits: Mark Milian / Los Angeles Times

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Beautiful batarangs fly from reviewers as 'Batman: Arkham Asylum' is released

The cool marketing schemes are (mostly) over and the midnight madness release has been done, so "Batman Arkham Asylum" is now available to all on almost every platform there is.

Reviews came fast and furious as game sites, tech sites and general fandom sites all rushed to give their opinions of the new Dark Knight game, one that ultimately may use more of his skill as a detective and strategist than as a martial artist and brawler.

This version of the vigilante is universally praised.  'All-time' banners are thrown about here and there, but the general consensus is that it's one of the best games of the year. Here's the trailer again, and then a few opinions afterward:

Kotaku

"I really enjoyed this game, so much so that I would have its babies if such a thing were possible. Sure, the last two boss fights sour the attraction a little, but all relationships have problems. Just look at Batman's list of lovers and Robins if you want examples.

Seriously, though, Batman: Arkham Asylum is an excellent game. Buy it, play it and bask in the glow of the brightest Batman game to date."

USA Today - Game Hunters

"Arkham Asylum is a must-play for Batman fans, but it also presents a highly satisfying option for action game aficionados, between the platforming, elegant combat and effective use of stealth play."

Joystiq

Rest assured, I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that Batman: Arkham Asylum is unquestionably the best licensed game I've ever played. At the end of the day, however, that's a fairly low hurdle to clear -- it better reflects the game's quality to say it's one of the best stealth-action games ever made, and easily the best video game 2009 has had to offer thus far.

Stuff.co.nz

"Everyone stand up and give Batman: Arkham Asylum a round of applause and a pat on the back.

It has done what many were beginning to say was impossible... delivered a good - nay, a great Batman game; possibly the greatest of all time!

... one of the main signs of a great game is whether when you finish it do you want to play it again? For me, the answer is definitely yes."

Game Informer
Like BioShock’s underwater dystopia, Arkham Asylum is a place of wonder and inexplicable horror. The demonized Victorian architecture blends seamlessly with a lifetime of comic book history to create a tourist attraction that steals your attention away, and makes you wish you had a camera to preserve the unbelievable imagery. The Asylum isn’t just a backdrop for this twisted tale, it is its tone-setter and driving force. The Asylum pumps just as much excitement into this adventure as the pointy-eared vigilante, Batman, does.

-- Jevon Phillips

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Capes, tights and gigabytes -- Champions Online (beta) launches

The evolution of storytelling continues as Atari and Cryptic Studios combine to introduce Champions Online (open beta testing begins today), a massive multiplayer online role-playing game that lets participants create their own heroes and villains.

Like Cryptic's other successful PC gamers, City of Heroes and City of Villains, players are allowed to make their own characters to roam the world (and beyond) and take on assignments/missions in a fully immersed world, interacting with other creations and established characters.  Though its beta version is just launching online now, the Champions superhero role-playing game book was published back in 1981, making it one of the first.  The rules and worlds from the book and its many updates will form the basis of how people play, with obvious additions.

So what's the difference between Champions Online and other MMORPGs?  It seems to be the level of customization available. With the number of costumes, body types, power sets and character appearance tweaks available, there are billions of possible combinations to make any hero you can dream up.

Build your character with power sets including sorcery, supernatural power, gadgeteering, fire-based abilities and martial-arts mastery. And, of course, your hero must have an archenemy.  You also can create this villain using the Champions system.  As the press release says: "This ultimate adversary will appear throughout a hero’s career, and even form diabolic super groups to bedevil other players throughout the universe."  Seems pretty cool that they could pop up at any time and that if you really wanted to, you could make your nemesis even tougher than you are.  Dr. Destroyer is the top evildoer, though, so unless you have some serious power and experience, maybe you should steer clear for now.

With established heroes like Defender and Saffire, shady organizations such as VIPER, ARGENT and PSI, and super villains including Dr. Destroyer and Foxbat, the battles and nefarious plans will go on for years.  Also entertaining are the side stories and other additions, such as Saffire's "Sex and the City"-like column, Spandex in the City, and the retelling of Ironclad's pre-superhero past.

The customizable aspects of the game may draw many to their consoles, and eventually their XBox 360s as the rumor goes, but the game still feels familiar.  Everyone has customizable character creators out there, even "Mad Men," and once you get up to a certain point (like a million possibilities), it's not as novel and can become cumbersome.  Some gamers want that creation mode freedom, but for actual gameplay, we've all seen little guys shoot at big ones.  Some of us need to see how the storytelling unfolds and characters interact after gamers get their hands on the beta version to better evaluate it. Though, with many of the big evil bosses here, no matter what hero you create, you'll want help bringing them down.

These MMORPGs can be a lot of fun and really addicting, and when Cryptic launches their "Star Trek" take, many may not leave the house for a while.  Check out some of the video here for tips on building your champion and to see some of the game play.  If you have any cool names that you've created, leave them in the comments so we know whom to look out for.  It's a big world in there, and though he's the No. 1 guy, there are hopefully some more creative names than Defender!

-- Jevon Phillips

Photos: Champions Online

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Pokemon champions crowned in San Diego in (ahem) 'awesome, monumental' battles

Our brave soul Jevon Phillips dropped in on the Pokemon world championships and lived to tell the tale... 

Long before hearthrob vampires and boy wizards seized the hearts, minds and wallets of American youth, Pokemon was a dominant force. It was on the cover of Time magazine and became a billion-dollar industry with a cartoon broadcast in 153 countries, a trading-card game that boasts 150,000 organized play members, and a video game (Pokemon Platinum version) that sold more than 3.75 million copies worldwide. Despite all that, the brand may have lost a little cache in this "What's hot right now?' culture.

But not to those who gathered in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel this weekend for the 2009 Pokemon Video Game and Trading Card World Championships. Thirty-two American players, from 7 to 44 years old, did battle with 16 Japanese players and 12 European players for the title of Pokemon Video Game World Champion, while 350 players in junior, senior and master divisions (age brackets) from nearly 30 countries vied for the chance to be the top Chimchar in the Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) World Championships.

The card gaming, with 1,125 players competing and 1,034 players participating in side events, is still as strong as it's ever been. Remarkable attendance numbers when you factor in that most of those players also had family and/or friends with them. Also remarkable when you consider that for many, the Pokemon players around in the height of its media popularity are most likely in their 20s and beyond.

None of this mattered to the assemblage at the hotel who sat out in the carpeted hallways battling and comparing decks, or sat in an adjacent room on Saturday continuing to hone their skills and compete for prizes long after the championship rounds were decided.  Knit hats with Pokemon designs (Pikachu ears) or other anime characters mixed with red, green and blue hair or baseball caps worn to the side hip-hop style, and grandpas took on 9-year-olds, pulling no punches at the tables. Pokemon judge Chris Butcher of Huntington Beach explains a bit about the event:

For those attending, it was a also star-studded event, with many past champions on hand either competing or just taking in the atmosphere, popular Pokemedia outlets from Japan, and even some of the game's executives and creators (Jurichi Masuda, Tsunekazu Ishihara, Satoshi Tajiri) attending.  Regular kids who had gained fame among this niche group autographed cards and posters and showed off strategies that made them champs. Past champ Jason Klaczynski helped us get into the contestants' mindset.

And speaking of champs, the competition itself was intense in the final rounds.  The video gamers took the stage first, hooking up a Ninetendo Wii for the competition.  First the senior competitors took to the stage, with 15-year old Tasuku Mano versus 25-year old Kasuyuki Tsuji (below), with his soon-to-be famous "Kaaaa!" battle cry. The duo waged a pitched battle, but in the end, the battle cry rang out from Tsuji and the crowd as he took the title.  A kid next to me described the battle to his mom as "one of the most awesome, monumental battles" he'd ever seen.

In the junior division, American Jeremiah Fan from San Jose was visibly nervous.  He'd faced his opponent, 9-year-old Santa Ito from Osaka, before, but had been beaten. Using one of his favorite Pokemon (Vaporeon), he broke through to win the title.   As is part of the game, Ito was visibly upset and in tears after the match, but the resilient kid later returned to face the crowd.  Despite his shy demeanor, Fan raised his fist in the air and jumped for joy on stage as the crowd chanted his name.

With the video game senior and junior titles won, the card gamers took to the floor. In preliminary rounds, all around them, players stood and watched as the bunch of Bobby Fishers unveiled complicated strategies.  An energy card here, an electric type versus a water type, etc.  Gasps, whispers of plans unfurling and cheers from the crowd took over the room.  Multiple languages and accents didn't matter as nods of approval or disappointment waved through the room.  And then there were three pairings left.

In the junior division, Tsubasa Nakamura of Japan took on Jason Martinez from the U.S. Nakamura, an animated kid with a bandanna wrapped around a black hat, took the match with some crowd-pleasing moves.  Interviewed afterward, his exuberance was on display as he shouted his favorite Pokemon and posed with the hosts of a popular Japanese show chronicling the craze.

In the senior division, David Cohen of Kent, Washington, took on another Japanese player,  Takuto Itagaki. Itagaki, with a knit anime cap on depicting his favorite Pokemon, Kyogre, was a fan favorite, and eventually prevailed.  After beating his opponent, he gave him a stuffed Pokemon (the crowd didn't get to see which one) and asked him to sign one of his Pokemon cards.  The room applauded the sportsmanship.

Itagaki, just 12 years old, could not compete in the masters division, but was anxious to see who won between Stephen Silvestro of Citrus Springs, Fla., and the popular Sammi Sekkoum from the U.K.  Though all of the players started at the same time, the masters pair was the last to leave the stage.  Silvestro's super speedy card shuffling made one think that a magician would be great at Pokemon.  Despite a valiant effort from Sekkoum, he was no match for Silvestro, who took home the crystal trophy and title of World's best TCG Pokemon player (at the master's level).

The drumbeats of the closing ceremony's proceedings have faded and all the pictures have been taken.  Though the fervor surrounding the event has subsided, it was a reminder that Pokemon is as strong as it's ever been. Still gotta catch 'em all.

-- Jevon Phillips

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Photos: Jevon Phillips

UPDATE: This post was updated to correct a misidentified hometown. Hey its hard to catch them all.

Hollywood hits restart as more filmmakers venture into video games

Alex Pham and Ben Fritz take a look at the latest videogame ventures by Hollywood players, which adds to the long and wobbly history of big-screen specialists in the small-screen sector. Here's an excerpt from the story in today's Los Angeles Times. -- G.B.  

The Hollywood moguls behind such films as "The Dark Knight," "Watchmen" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are looking for their next blockbuster in a new realm: video games.

An increasing number of big shots from the movie business are seeing new opportunities in the $50-billion global interactive entertainment industry. Power producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Thomas Tull, as well as hot directors such as Gore Verbinski and Zack Snyder, have all recently dived into the still-growing game market.

The hordes descending on Los Angeles this week for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual trade show known as E3, testify to the industry's growing cultural and financial clout. The Hollywood players are diving into games for new creative challenges but also because consumers are continuing to snap them up during the recession even as they cut back on some other media such as movie DVDs.

"We're in the entertainment business," said Bruckheimer, producer of such action films as "Top Gun" and "National Treasure." "We will entertain you in the theaters, on TV and on your game platforms."

Some game-industry insiders may feel like they've seen this movie before, and it didn't end well.

Hollywood's love affair with games dates to the 1970s, when Warner Communications bought Pong-maker Atari Inc. In 1982, George Lucas, intrigued by the technical magic involved in making interactive entertainment, started Lucasfilm Games (now called LucasArts), which creates games based on the "Star Wars" and Indiana Jones movie franchises.

Six years later, Walt Disney Co. began its own computer game division. Steven Spielberg declared his ardor for games in 1995, creating DreamWorks Interactive in Los Angeles. And media tycoon Sumner Redstone began in the late 1990s to amass shares in Midway Games Inc., the Chicago developer of Mortal Kombat.

Happy endings were elusive. Warner shed Atari in 1984 after it bled nearly half a billion dollars. Spielberg sold his studio to Electronic Arts Inc. in 1999.

And in November, Redstone liquidated his 87% stake in Midway for a mere $100,000 and claimed $800 million in losses. It's now in bankruptcy.

Only Lucas' and Disney's game studios have survived. But this new crop of Hollywood suitors is promising to treat game development right...

READ THE REST

-- Alex Pham and Ben Fritz

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CREDITS: At top, Zack Snyder photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images. The middle image is Gore Verbinski shot by Matt Sayles/Associated Press. At bottom is Jerry Bruckheimer, photo by Seth Wenig/Associated Press. "Ghostbusters: The Videogame" image courtesy of Atari

Exclusive video: 'Ghostbusters' -- from Wii to sequel?

Dan Aykroyd's itching to suit up for a third 'Ghostbusters' film and a reunited cast on the video game means there's more than a ghost of a chance.

Dan Aykroyd has waited two decades for the "Ghostbusters" film franchise to come back from Hollywood's great beyond and now it's so close he can feel it in his bones.

"I'm just waiting for that magic phone call," Aykroyd said with a wistful smile. "One day, the producer calls you and says, 'We have a production number,' and that's the real green light. And it's coming soon, I hope. . . . We could be in production by winter."

No Hollywood moneymaking franchise every really gives up the ghost (just ask that dusted-off archaeologist Indiana Jones), but 25 years have passed since the first "Ghostbusters" film and 20 since its lone sequel, and there's reason to wonder whether the franchise's quaint paranormal high jinks would even appeal to a "Harry Potter" generation accustomed to more sophisticated spookery.

Still, Aykroyd and Columbia Pictures are true believers when it comes to the franchise's 21st century afterlife, and one of the main reasons is the upcoming "Ghostbusters: The Video Game," a fact that says a lot about the changing physics of the modern entertainment marketplace.

On June 16, Atari will release the much-anticipated "Ghostbusters" title, which has taken on a mythical aura for gamers after years of delays, a budget north of $12 million and the number of times the property changed hands before landing at troubled Atari. Despite all that, there is intense consumer interest in the game (especially since the maneuvers required to "trap" ghosts lend themselves to some novel game play), and it brought together the core of the original cast for voice work -- two facts that have restarted the dormant "Ghostbusters" film machinery. Here's an exclusive trailer for the video game:

Ivan Reitman, producer and director of the two films, said the video game essentially hit the restart button on the franchise.

"The game itself, and the quick acceptance and intense interest in it, reminded all the creative participants that we have something special here," he said last week. "I think the game, along with the anniversary of the first movie and the Blu-ray release of the two movies [on June 16], all of it reminded us that it's kind of silly that we're not being more active about it."

"Ghostbusters" as a property is controlled by a five-way partnership: Columbia Pictures, Reitman and three of the stars -- Bill Murray, Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Each has a veto on a new project. Now, for the first time, all five think a third movie should be made. There's some agreement on a plot that involves the original stars, joined by a "new generation" of paranormal investigators.

Within the next month, a script is due from "The Office" writing tandem of Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the same scribes behind the upcoming Ramis-directed comedy "Year One." It's not clear whether Reitman would direct or whether Ramis, the director of "Groundhog Day" and "Caddyshack," would step in.

"We're going to read the script and, really, nothing has happened or will happen until then," Reitman said. "It's just talk until then."

Perhaps, but Aykroyd, who co-wrote the two movies with Ramis, is already under the spell of the venture. Sitting on an outdoor balcony recently at the Sunset Strip House of Blues (a chain he co-founded), the 56-year-old "Saturday Night Live" alumnus couldn't disguise his excitement.

"I'd like it to be a passing-of-the-torch movie," he said. "Let's revisit the old characters briefly and happily and have them there as family, but let's pass it on to a new generation."

Then, with his familiar deadpan delivery, he added that the creaky stars of the original movie just can't sling their proton packs the way they used to.

 "We've all got hip replacements, shoulder stitches, Harold's eyesight is failing, I can't drive anymore. . . ."

For years, "Ghostbusters" stood as the most successful franchise in Columbia's long history (Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" films now hold that title), with the first film pulling in $292 million worldwide and the sequel adding $215 million. In 2008, a reader poll by Entertainment Weekly ranked "Ghostbusters" as the best comedy of the previous 25 years, and the movies have been perennial strong performers on home video.

Reitman sees the franchise as an inspiration to many of the special-effects comedies that have followed, such as "Men in Black," "Beetle Juice"  and this summer's "Land of the Lost," all of which blend daffy characters with intense effects and real jeopardy.

"I call them genre-benders, taking special effects and putting them together with comedy and making them work legitimately," Reitman said.

"It was a jolting thing when 'Ghostbusters' hit. In the opening sequence at the library . . . at the first screening, half of the people screamed like crazy and then they laughed. They were <i>pumped</i>. They realized they were in for a unique ride."

But is that magic still there? Aykroyd pointed to last year's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" as an example of how a 1980s brand can be updated successfully (and, he noted, the alien skulls "reminded me of the Coneheads"). The fedora revival got decidedly mixed reviews, but it also pulled in a robust $787 million worldwide.

Aykroyd has revisited other past glories (some fans may remember the 1993 film "Coneheads"; most would like to forget "Blues Brothers 2000"), but Murray has been far more standoffish.

As Reitman put it: "I think he's always been the most careful about employment. I think he's the most enigmatic of us and the most hard to reach among us."

The fact that Murray lent his voice to the video game project was a major turning point, considering he had been frosty to the franchise after the 1989 sequel left a sour taste  in his mouth. ("He actually showed up and did it," Aykroyd said of the voice work, "so that's a miracle.")

Murray could not be reached for comment for this article, but at a news conference last year in New York for the film "City of Ember," he expressed a newfound cheer about the franchise that solidified his stardom in the 1980s.

"The wounds of 'Ghostbusters II' are healed," the wry Murray said. He added: "We did a sequel, and it was sort of rather unsatisfying for me, because the first one to me was the goods. It was the real thing. And the sequel . . . the special-effects guys got it and got their hands on it. And it was just not the same movie. There were a few great scenes in it, but it wasn't the same movie."

Despite the public perception, Aykroyd said Murray was not the lone stumbling block.

"I don't put not making the third movie on Billy . . . you can't blame an artist for not wanting to do the same thing again. He did two of them, for God's sake. Although I'm the biggest cheerleader as the originator of the concept, but I've never begrudged Billy not doing a third movie."

Murray also had positive things to say last year about the new screenwriting duo, but it's of course possible that he might read the new script and decide to pass on this entire cinematic séance. Aykroyd hopes not; he's already doing some cast daydreaming -- he'd like to see Alyssa Milano (who lends her voice to a character in the video game) and Eliza Dushku of "Dollhouse" as the first female Ghostbusters. "I think they're amazing," he said. "And I'm excited about the whole idea of getting this done."

You could almost hear Ray Parker Jr. singing the familiar theme song as Aykroyd smiled and said: "I'm just waiting for that phone call."

-- Geoff Boucher

Photos: Top is Dan Aykroyd (Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times).  Next down is a photo from the original 1984 release of "Ghostbusters" with Bill Murray, left, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (Credit: Columbia Picturs), and last is a screenshot from the 'Ghostbusters' video game (Credit: Atari). 

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Harley in 'Arkham', Chris Evans in 'Losers' and Hugh Jackman on free comics in Everyday Hero headlines

Fan favorite. Harley Quinn, or Dr. Harleen Quinzel, has never really been the main, go-to villain when fighting against The Dark Knight. But in Eidos' "Batman: Arkham Asylum," the squeaky-voiced Joker sidekick gets a new uniform and the spotlight.

Not that we do a lot of video game coverage on Hero Complex, but this tidbit looks interesting.

Harley, previous reports of back-breaker Bane and the Joker's orchestrations could make this an awesome game just for the storytelling experience alone!

* * * * * *

Chris Evans wants to be a Loser. "The Fantastic Four" and "Push" actor is apparently in talks to play Jensen, the tech guru on the special forces elite team that is the subject of the DC Comics/Vertigo comic "The Losers." Johnny Storm is on a comic-book role roll. Keep it up! [Mania.com]

* * * * * *

They're free comics, bub. In a couple of weeks, Free Comic Book Day arrives (May 2).  With a new video, Hugh Jackman is doing his part to make sure everyone knows. Of course it doesn't hurt that it is the day after his "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie hits the screens, but Hugh always seems so sincere!

And for those of you who want to know what you'll be picking up when you head to your local comic book store, there is a list online of all that'll be available, including the first-ever all-new title for a Free Comic Book Day: DC's Blackest Night #0, a prelude to their huge Blackest Night / Green Lantern event launching later this year.

-- Jevon Phillips

Ghostbusters: The new sequel, the Blu-ray release, the toys and the video game

This year is the 25th anniversary of "Ghostbusters" and there's plenty of back-from-the-dead stirrings by the beloved franchise. "Ghostbusters" will hit Blue-ray for the first time in June and that same month a highly anticipated (and long-delayed) next-gen video game hits the shelves. Here's a new trailer for the game ...

There's also some toy news. Here's an excerpt from a new Mattel press release:

Mattel's "Ghostbusters" collectible line debuts with 12-inch figures in June 2009, and will be available exclusively at MattyCollector.com. Each figure will feature window box packaging and include authentic Ghostbuster equipment unique to each character. For the first time, Mattel's line will include talent likeness of Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore. Select prototype figures will be on display February 6-8 at New York Comic Con and February 15 at Mattel's New York Toy Fair Collector Preview Night (by invitation only).

And what about a film revival? A few months ago, Harold Ramis, who co-wrote and costarred in the original, said there is a ramping effort to make a sequel that would have the original cast back in "some mentor capacity" with the familiar characters handing the keys of Ecto-1 to a new generation. He said the "Office" writing team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg are at work on the story and Judd Apatow would probably be in the mix in some way as well. Not everyone is thrilled with the idea, including Seth Rogen. "It sounds," he said in October, "like the worst idea ever."

For fun, from that long-lost summer of 1984, here's the music video for Ray Parker Jr.'s catchy and chart-topping (but perhaps less than original) theme song to "Ghostbusters," one of the best popcorn movies ever...

-- Geoff Boucher

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Harry Potter, 'Arkham Asylum' game and Hugh Jackman in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's edition of Everyday Hero, a roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

The magic of Christmas: Muggles, mark your calendars. It's sad that you can't spend this holiday season with a new "Harry Potter" film, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of the boy wizard's magic. Here's a press release that came over yesterday: "ABC Family continues the holiday cheer with its “Harry Potter” weekend on December 5-7, airing the first four installments of the popular film series as part of the network’s “25 Days of Christmas” programming event. In the world television premiere of the special extended edition of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” viewers will also see deleted scenes not included in the original film version. To add to the magic, ABC Family will also be airing exclusive first looks at the new film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (opening in theatres July 17) throughout the weekend’s 3-day event. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Michael Gambon discuss the upcoming film’s exciting story lines as well as revealing insider information. ABC Family’s first looks at the latest Harry Potter feature film also offers viewers a sneak peek of never-before-seen footage of love running rampant through Hogwarts, a look into Tom Riddle’s past and an introduction of Hogwarts new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn. [ABC Family press release]...If you want to see a day-by-day program listing, click through to the second page of this post.

Where there's a Wil...: Writer Matthew Fleischer went out for beers with child-star-turned-blogger Wil Wheaton, who is apparently just as geeky as you thought he was. "It’s three o’ clock on a weekday afternoon and I’m in an Old Town Pasadena bar having drinks with a former child star. Were this person a faded pop tartlet, or perhaps named Corey, we might be planning a trip to a nudie bar or recollecting days spent riding the silver bullet. But this star is Wil Wheaton, and instead of strippers and blow, we’re talking science fiction with the bartender — a squirrelly looking but pleasant British fellow who looks as if he’s been playing this moment on loop in his head for a decade, waiting for it to finally come true. 'I’d have to say the past two seasons of 'DSN' ['Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'] are as good as anything I’ve seen on television,' he tells Wheaton provocatively. 'The storyline with the Cardassian war is unparalleled.' For many former Star Trek actors — Wheaton played Wesley Crusher on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', or 'TNG' in today’s parlance — I imagine this is the kind of conversation they dread getting sucked into. Out for a quiet afternoon drink when suddenly a nerdy fan-boy wants to talk phasers and Cardassians, the stuff of 'Galaxy Quest' parody. But for Wheaton, such a statement can’t go unchallenged. 'No way!' he responds with genuine incredulity, jumping to his Chuck Taylor–clad feet to lean over the bar. 'Better than 'Battlestar Galactica'?'  Wheaton, you see, is an unabashed geek. “It’s like high school,” he tells me later, “you’re either one of the cool kids or you’re not — and I am definitely not.” [LA Weekly] And Wheaton's blog is here.

Batman crank calls Wolverine: Actor Hugh Jackman is in the new Baz Luhrmann film "Australia" but Hero Complex readers are likely far more interested in his reprising his clawed mutant role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," due in theaters in May. Jackman has been doing press for the Luhrmann epic and dealing with the fallout of being named the "sexiest man alive" by People magazine: 'George Clooney rang me at two in the morning,' Jackman told 'People' Monday at the 'Australia' premiere in New York City. 'I was half asleep and I said to him, 'Ah, George sweetie, good to hear from you.'' But this was not a courtesy call. 'He goes, 'Shut up, Jackman!'' the Aussie actor jokingly recounted. '[He said,] 'I know what you did! You started this big campaign that's been going on and [you] took the title away from me.' I thought that was unnecessary,' Jackman deadpanned. The Wolverine star has also been getting a ribbing from his friends and family. 'My old man traveled over with me and we landed in America ... and all of sudden we were stopped at the airport and saw the 'Sexiest Man Alive' magazine and everyone is talking about it,' the actor said. 'My father found it really uncomfortable. [My dad] said to me, 'I can't really talk to you about being sexy. It's a little weird,'' Jackman recalled. 'Mind you, I'm still waiting for the birds and the bees pitch from him. That hasn't happened either!'" [People ]... More from Jackman: Here's video from an MTV News interview with the Aussie actor that suggests that a second "Wolverine" film would likely take the hero into the character's history with samurai and ninja. “The most intriguing thing to me was the Japan story. I love the Japan story,” Jackman says. “I wanted to do the Japan story from around ‘X-Men 2.’ Can you just picture Wolverine in Japan with the triads and the samurai? It’s just genius.”

Seeking "Asylum": The new video game "Batman: Arkham Asylum" isn't due until sometime next year but, of course, when it comes to the fanboy audience there's no such thing as "too early" when it comes to a promotional campaign. Here's a preview below showing the atmosphere of Gotham (rainy) and the vibe of Arkham (unhygienic). The most famous looney bin in comics comes off like an HMO version of "Hostel" or perhaps a Transylvania revamp of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Anyway, the game will feature a considerable connection to the great "Batman: The Animated Series," as Mark Hamill again handles the lunatic laughs of the Joker, Kevin Conroy gives voices to Gotham's stolid manhunter and Paul Dini contributes his considerable expertise to the game story. Killer Croc and the Riddler are among the villains expected to be in the game, and here's a guess that there will be many, many more.

-- Geoff Boucher

Harry Potter and "Batman & Robin" photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

 

Mutant movies, 'Twilight' and Mortal Kombat vs. DC, all in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's Everyday Hero report, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

Mutant possibilities: Remember the "X-Men" films? They sure seem like a looong time ago to Marc Graser, apparently, because he suggests that Fox is dragging its feet in getting its valuable mutant brigade back in theaters. To my mind, after Brett Ratner's lurching, messy finale to the X-trilogy, a bit of a break seemed like a good idea. Anyway, here's an excerpt from Graser's piece: "Studios have turned summer into a playground for superheroes at the box office. But the X-Men have quietly been waiting on the Fox lot for their turn to have some fun at the megaplex again. When the studio releases 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' next May, it will be three years since its comicbook franchise last appeared in theaters. Fox is looking to change that, reducing the number of years between appearances of its power-possessing mutants by developing spinoffs that lead to a new series of sequels. Those include [1] 'X-Men: First Class': Josh Schwartz, who created the teen-friendly TV shows "Gossip Girl" and "The O.C.," is penning a script, based around the conceit of the 2006 comic of the same name, that focuses on the young mutants enrolled at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Books revolved around the Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Iceman and Beast characters, which already have been featured in the three previous "X-Men" films. [2] "Magneto": "Batman Begins" co-scribe David S. Goyer is attached to direct the origins story of the "X-Men" arch-villain (played by Ian McKellen in the previous pics) and his relationship with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Both characters would be played by younger actors, given the earlier timeline in which the plot takes place. And [3] "Deadpool," which would revolve around the sarcastic mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine," should the character in that pic prove popular with auds." [Daily Variety]

Funny books? Funny how?: Here's the latest snapshot of the comics marketplace, pulled from the quite thorough sales report over at ICV2: "Event books remained the bestsellers at the top of the chart, with 'Secret Invasion' #7 (154,675 copies) and 'Final Crisis' #4 (115,666 copies) taking the top two spots. There seemed to be an unusually high percentage of late books among the top sellers, with no September issues for nine of the top 25 titles (six DC and three Marvel). Marvel had a fairly typical seven out of the top ten titles, and 17 of the top 25.  There were no titles not published by the Big Two in the top 25 comics list.  In fact, to find a non-Big Two title you have to look all the way down to #65 and #66, where IDW’s new 'G.I. Joe' comic (two covers, 50/50) and 'Angel: After the Fall' landed, to find anything from another publisher." [ICV2]

Gleaming "Twilight": The young, female moviegoers of America have spoken: "Twilight" is, like, to die for. The numbers from Carl DiOrio: "Preliminary estimates show the youthful vampire romance rang up a huge first-day tally of $35.7 million from Friday. The big first day gross — which included a multi-million-dollar haul from midnight Thursday performances — makes a $70 million-plus opening likely for the PG-13 pic. In a highly unusual move, Summit itself on Saturday morning projected a possible three-day tally of $74.3 million. The fledgling producer/distributor also said in a separate press release Saturday that it already has greenlighted a 'Twilight' sequel, 'New Moon.' 'Moon' will be based on the second of a series of best-selling 'Twilight' books by Stephenie Meyer. 'I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment,' Meyer said. 'I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again.' " [Hollywood Reporter]

Spineless, but fun: Gamer Ben Fritz tried out the high-concept "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" and comes away with a smirk and that suspicion that, despite unpolished gameplay, Midway could have a much-needed hit with the rock 'em, sock 'em holiday season release. Here's his smartly written review: "Though the game features 11 of the most popular 'Mortal Kombat' characters, players will likely care more about the equal number of superheroes and villains who have never been in an arcade-style fighter before. Whether it's Superman's freeze breath, Wonder Woman spinning her enemies in a lasso, Green Lantern conjuring a giant hammer or the Joker's electric hand-buzzer, "MK vs. DC" does them right by giving each dozens of satisfying, character-specific moves. Some longtime franchise fans may be disappointed, though, that 'Mortal Kombat's' signature bloody 'fatalities' — the most infamous of which featured a spine ripped out of someone's body — are distinctly less gory here and have been downgraded to heroic brutalities for the DC heroes. (And it's annoying that learning these requires either guesswork or looking them up on the Web.)" [Daily Variety]

More "Twilight" ... Edward, onward: I read that Robert Pattison doesn't own a cellphone, which is probably a good thing because 12-year-old girls get so nervous when they work up the nerve to crank call that they usually just giggle, hang up and text the phone number to their friends. Pattison, who seems charmingly bewildered by the "Twilight" sensation, will be talking to his fans from space this morning: "Robert Pattinson, star of 'Twilight' will sit down for an interview with The Morning Mash Up crew on SIRIUS Hits 1/SIRIUS channel 1 on Monday, November 24.  The 7a.m. ET interview will be rebroadcast on Monday, November 24 at 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am ET. For more information and video highlights of the interview (available at 11:00 am ET), please visit:  www.sirius.com/hits1."  [Sirius press release]

"Iron Man 2," the writer's view: Movie blogger Jenna Busch chatted with Justin Theroux the actor (remember him as Evil DJ in "Zoolander"?) turned screenwiter ("Tropic Thunder") who is just back from London where he was working with Marvel Studio's exec Kevin Feige and Robert Downey Jr. on the protean early draft of an "Iron Man 2" script. "We were talking with Robert, who’s out there doing 'Sherlock Holmes,' he was giving his input and his notes. We’re sort of there. It’s just sort of chugging along. The crews, I think, are now starting to see what they need to make, and the places that we might be going and all the rest within the story. That’s sort of one of the more exciting times." The Busch post is mostly about the "Tropic Thunder" release on DVD/BluRay, but Theroux also touched on the arrival of Don Cheadle to the "Iron Man" cast: "I haven’t met Don, and I think I’m going to in a little bit and I think once I get a better sense of his voice and also hear what he has to say about what he likes about the character and just pick his brain a little bit, then we’ll obviously start to tailor it to him. Once he sort of gets more involved in the process then we’ll start tapering the length of his character ... making it fit just right." And who will the villian be in the "Iron Man" sequel? "I think it’s Evil DJ.  He could be the villain in this movie. I don’t know. I mean, I do know but I’m not going to let that cat out." [Ugo]

-- Geoff Boucher

"X-Men First Class" art courtesy of Marvel Comics. "Twlight" photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment. Robert Pattison photo from Getty Images. "Iron Man" image from Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures.

First Look: the mega Venom from 'Web of Shadows'

EXCLUSIVE

I went by the Activision offices in Santa Monica the other day to check out a half-dozen upcoming releases and there's amazing stuff on the way. But nothing seized my attention quite like "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows," the new free-roaming game that lets a player wear either the traditional red-and-blue Spidey suit or the his "dark side" black suit, which comes with some different capabilities (for instance, the ebony look gives the hero that oily-looking tentacle power instead of old-fashioned webbing; also, the classic red-suit Spidey is more nimble, the black Spidey is stronger).

The premise of the game: Spider-Man suspects a mysterious infection is on the loose in New York City but then realizes that infection is actually a nefarious invasion. Venom has cloned himself and his symbiotes are turning citizens of the Big Apple into zombie-like minions. There are loads of heroes and villains in the game, among them Rhino, Vulture, Luke Cage, Kingpin, Black Widow and Moon Knight, and they get mighty interesting when they get the Venom juice flowing into their personalities, especially Wolverine. Oh yes, there's also a fearsome beastie that is sort of mega-version of Venom, and here is the first look at him.

       

There's some pretty dazzling visuals and the gameplay -- especially the way Spidey flips between aerial battles and ground-level combat -- have the folks at Activision pretty pumped about this release. "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" was designed by Shaba Games and Treyarch for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii and PC. You can see another image of Mega-Venom...

Will 'Force Unleashed' be the next 'Star Wars' film?

Haden Blackman, the project leader on "The Force Unleashed" video game, has a daydream: He strolls into the movie theater, buys some popcorn and then sits down and watches his game's tale of Darth Vader and his secret apprentice flicker to life as cinema.

"Oh, that would be incredible," said Blackman. "And it's not impossible. Never say never. George [Lucas] has looked to tell new 'Star Wars' stories through the games and with the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe, and then he has also shown a willingness to let the characters come into the films. Look at Aayla Secura, a creation in the [Dark Horse] comic books who became part of the theatrical films."

More than that, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," released in August, began as a television animated series (and still will be, with tie-in episodes premiering Oct. 3 on Cartoon Network), but when Lucas saw the work in progress he decided to take the tale to the cineplex. That film has gotten mixed reviews, to say the least, but Lucas doesn't seem to care a bit about the opinion of any detractors when it comes to his historic entertainment enterprise and its directions.

Dark Horse has also released a graphic novel version of "The Force Unleashed" and, to my mind, it's more satisfying than the game -- although in full disclosure, that's not saying much, because I am far more of a reader than a gamer. Blackman not only penned the story for the graphic novel, he also has a lavish 224-page book titled "The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" that celebrates the images and behind-the-scenes labor on the game as if it already were a major motion picture. An adapatation of the film in a traditional prose novel written by Australian sci-fi author Sean Williams also hit No. 1 on the New York Times list of hardcover fiction bestsellers and now, after four weeks, is at No. 14 on that tally.

Lucas is clearly pleased with this new entry to the broader "Star Wars" story and I would not be surprised for a moment to see it on a theater marquee at a CG-animated project in the next few years, especially with the intensifying Hollywood interest in video games and toys as film properties. There's also the very real power of putting Darth Vader on a movie poster in the theater lobbies of America.

If the "The Force Unleashed" does become a movie, Blackman said it would be a testament to the priorities and sophisticated ideas of his team, who he says puts storytelling and game-play on equal footing and emphasized "the artistic nature" of the quickly changing video-game medium. "It's an incredible time," he said, "to be telling powerful stories in this fairly young medium."

Perhaps, but like the most recent film addition to the Lucas universe, there was huge pre-release anticipation for "The Force Unleashed," followed by widespread grumbling. It hit stores Sept. 16 and topped the 1-million units sales mark in its first five days, according to industry retail reports, but the reviews have been decidedly mixed.

Here's the take, for instance, by Hero Complex contributor Pete Metzger, who reviewed the game for the Los Angeles Times and echoed many other underwhelmed gamers:

Most of the things that make up the "Star Wars" universe these days -- movies, TV shows, toys and video games -- are lacking the magic that made the original trilogy of films so incredible. Gone are the spectacle and awe. Instead, we get halfhearted disappointments (such as the current "Clone Wars" animated movie).

Sadly, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is no exception. It should be an amazing story bridge between Episodes 3 and 4 and one that boasts groundbreaking new artificial intelligence and gaming technology. But Unleashed fails to register the tremor in the Force we were hoping for.

DC heroes jump into 'Mortal Kombat'

We have a new contributor here at Hero Complex. Pete Metzger, whose video game reviews have been published for years in the Los Angeles Times, will be writing about gaming culture as well as toys and action figures. He's checking in today with some "Mortal Kombat" action:

It’s the classic vs. the familiar

Last week, Midway finally announced the complete roster of DC characters appearing in "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe," the latest chapter in the fighting series coming this November to video game consoles everywhere. (They’ve been teasing us with one name at a time for the last 40 years it seems…) Scorpion, Sub Zero and the rest of the uber-violent brawlers will do battle with Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Green Lantern, the Joker, Captain Marvel, the Flash, Wonder Woman, Deathstroke, Lex Luthor and Darkseid.

Okay, so if Superman truly is the "Man of Steel" how exactly will Scorpion be able to "Finish him!" (as the game implores when you are poised to deliver the shut-down move) and rip his spine out in a bloody mess? Somehow, in the interest of good video-gaming, we bet Midway will find a way to even the playing field. This cross-mojonation will either work as well as Danger Mouse’s classic mash-up "The Grey Album" (Jay-Z’s "Black Album" meets the" White Album" by the Beatles), or it will land with a thud, like Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards, circa 2007.

Sit tight, dear readers. When we have more info, so will you.

-- Pete Metzger

Photos by Midway