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Wondercon, the San Francisco Comic-Con, is to home geeks, babes and movie reveals. The two comic book giants, Marvel and DC demoed two of their upcoming video game properties at their booths. Captain America: Super Soldier and Green Lantern: The Rise of the Manhunters were both playable on the show floor. While both games seemed to be knock-offs of other successful comic book video game licenses there is a bit of hope for each game to stand on its own.
The Thor: God of Thunder Wii game was also playable, but it looked so poor that I decided to skip it.
At the Marvel booth, Captain America was playable in a demo that pitted him against gun wielding Nazis while wearing a vintage cap costume in a third-person adventure. While third-person action titles are not new to the comic book characters (see Batman Arkham Asylum it’s sequel) can the game be compelling as the movie, comic book or even the toy line?
At the DC booth, Green Lantern was playable as a Hal Jordan — with Ryan Reynolds chiseled jaw in digitized form — in a third-person action romp akin to God of War 3. Of both games, Green Lantern seemed to have the most polished demo. While the co-op action is intriguing and with multiple abilities to dismantle the robotic manhunters yet there was still not enough of action moments in the demo.
Any developer who takes up a comic book video game adaptations seem to be carrying an albatross on their back. Doomed and cursed have seen many comic book video games. While the games are well bought, yet many are critically bashed. Will consumers flock to the “transmedia” push of Green Lantern and Captain America? After previewing the two games at Wondercon a few of them will.