Commentary and reviews on games and gaming of all types.
The current issue of Time magazine has an interesting article about the upcoming Nintendo Wii that makes a few good points that I think can also be applied to the comics industry.A Game For All AgesBy LEV GROSSMAN/KYOTOVideo games are an unusual medium in that they carry a heavy stigma among nongamers. Not everybody likes ballet, but most nonballet fans don't accuse ballet of leading to violent crime and mental backwardness. Video games aren't so lucky. There's a sharp divide between gamers and nongamers, and the result is a market that, while large and devoted--last year video-game software and hardware…
HELLBOY JOINS UPPER DECK'S "VS" GAMING SYSTEM CARLSBAD, Ca. -- May 10, 2006 -- The comic industry's "Greatest Paranormal Investigator" makes his trading card game debut as Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) -- in association with Dark Horse Comics -- today announces plans to add Hellboy to UDE's Vs. System superhero portfolio. Based on Mike Mignola's ("Gotham by Gaslight") best-selling comic book mini-series "Hellboy," the set will premiere as the first release of UDE's new Essential Collection, which features highly competitive decks themed around some of today's most notable comic icons. The new Hellboy-themed Essential Collection will be available on store…
Take two friends who love comics. Add a superhero-themed collectible card game. Sprinkle a dash of competitiveness, and a lump of testosterone. The result? Weekly matches that turn friends into nemeses.This is not your typical "card of the week" column. Every web site dedicated to CCGs has been there and done that. This column is all about our competition, though. Dan and I usually play two games of Vs. a week, and every Sunday, we'll feature the card that we think most influenced the outcome of the matches we played the preceding week, and the metagaming lessons we learned in…
The latest expansion for the Upper Deck Vs. TCG, X-Men, has been out for about a week now. I've been on the fence about putting any money down for it since day one, mainly due to the fact that I'm not a huge fan of X-Men. I have to admit, though, I could have been persuaded; easily persuaded. When Upper Deck revealed the Mutant Trait addition to the character cards, that really piqued my interest. If it weren't for the Blizzard of 2006, I would have been at the Sneak Preview Tournament a few weeks back, but it wasn't meant…
Take two friends who love comics. Add a superhero-themed collectible card game. Sprinkle a dash of competitiveness, and a lump of testosterone. The result? Weekly matches that turn friends into nemeses.This is not your typical "card of the week" column. Every web site dedicated to CCGs has been there and done that. This column is all about our competition, though. Dan and I usually play two games of Vs. a week, and every Sunday, we'll feature the card that we think most influenced the outcome of the matches we played the preceding week, and the metagaming lessons we learned in…
Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month!It's the home stretch for 2005! My weekly look at select comic books being released tomorrow, 12/7/05. The full shipping is list available at ComicList.[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]AIT/PLANETLAR Demo Collection TPB, $19.95Not to beat a dead horse but... [kick]AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Vaistron #2, $2.95Andrew Dabb is a very sick man, but the first issue, which I was sure wasn't…
This past March, my sporadic co-blogger Dan did a write-up on the [new at the time] Marvel Knights expansion set to Upper Deck's Vs. System, the trading card game that lets you pit superheroes and supervillians against each other, Magic-style. I'd never played, but owned a few of the random cards that had been distributed with Wizard magazine back when I still bought it, and was mildly intrigued. I swore to resist the temptation, though, remembering it was Dan who, years earlier, had introduced me to Pokémon which sucked my wallet dry for about a year before I finally restricted…
