New York Comic Con Men

Otaku But Gangsta will be at Comic Con all weekend so you don't have to get down on yourself about not being there. We plan on busting our ass to bring you the dopest, livest, funniest, and realest coverage you'll find anywhere on the interwebz. 

We'll be updating at the end of each day with some of the the day's best of show. However for the refined gangsta who wants his or her information immediately, we'll be posting frequent updates on Twitter so our faithful followers will know what's hot, and whats a steaming pile. So sit yo' down, put your fun pants on, and get ready to have your head exploded by the awesomeness. 

Got anything in particular you want to see from the show floor? Hit us up on Twitter and we'll do our best to make your dreams come true, as long as it doesn't involve any sort of penetration. You sick bastard.

Sega Developing WWII Captain America Title

Sega and Marvel are good friends. The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2 games have given good efforts, but generally don't live up to the dreams fanboys have of flawlessly controlling their favorite Marvel heroes in beautifully rendered environments with a compelling storyline. Thor is next in line to receive the Sega treatment in summer 2010, and after that? Mister Avenger himself, none other than Captain America.

Set during World War 2, Captain America: Super Soldier puts players in the flared boots of the ultimate soldier, using his shield, free flowing combat mechanics, and acrobatic platforming to overcome enemies and obstacles. Batman: Arkham Asylum meets Assassin's Creed? Oh Sega, stop it. 

The Cap will face off against Red Skull and his scientifically advanced Hydra army, with the ability to use the iconic shield to deflect incoming fire, incapacitate multiple enemies, climb walls and solve puzzles. Hm, not sure how a shield would be better than hands at climbing a wall, but okay, I'll roll with it for now. No confirmation yet on whether or not you'll be able to hit fools with the Final Justice.

The story will be penned by Marvel vet Christos Gage, who has written Avengers: The Initiative, Siege: Captain America, Iron Man, X-Men, Spiderman, and Civil War: House of M. So that means there's a high probability of the story actually being good, right?

Captain America: Super Soldier gallery

You're Tearing Me Apart, Shenmue!

Shenmue, at the time of it's release on Dreamcast in 1999, was an amazing game. It's been a while since I've played it but I bet it's still pretty good. The graphics were sleek, the story was deep, and the action was intense. Sure it had its what the fuck moments, but it also had its moments of absolute win, like the 70 man battle, which at the time was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnesses and been part of in a video game. 

Shenmue was supposed to be a multi-chapter story. Unfortunately it's life did not last beyond Shenmue II. So, one of the best and most influential series of it's time was left incomplete. No one knows exactly why Shenmue III never went into production, somewhere between poor sales forecasts, budget issues, and clashes between developer AM2 and Sega, it looked like the Shenmue series was dead. Until last night, when the latest installment of Shenmue has been announced.

Calm down, it's not Shenmue III. It's not even close. It's social game for Japanese exclusive service Yahoo! Mobage called Shenmue City. So, you follow up one of the deepest and most involving games of it's day with Shenmue Farmville? You gotta be kidding me. The fan outrage, the petitions, the letters to Sega, the crying into my pillow at night, all for naught.

It ain't all bad though. It's been 10 years since we've last seen a Shenmue game. It's good to know Sega hasn't forgotten about it. For all we know, this could be a test of the waters. If Shenmueville does well with Japanese PC social gamers, maybe it will outgrow Yahoo! Mobage. Maybe if sales are good and interest in high, development will begin on Shenmue III for this generation of consoles. Anything can happen, I mean Duke Nukem Forever is being released after 14 years in limbo, maybe we'll finally get closure on the Shenmue series after all!

Or maybe I'm tripping balls. I don't expect another Shenmue to be released. I had forgotten about it for a good long time and maybe I should continue to do so. As much as I'd love to get Shenmue III, it probably won't ever happen. So to the Japanese gamers out there, enjoy Shenmueville. 

Yakuza 4 Won't Cut Out Too Much Content

My associate and I have recently been playing a lot of Yakuza 3. Awesome game. Like the rest of the Yakuza series, the story and cinematography is killer, making it feel more like a big budget Japanese blockbuster than a game. Before the game was released, Sega announced that content was being cut from the Western release of Yakuza 3, because it would be a little over the head of us English speakers. Needless to say, people were pissed. We don't like watered down games, if you're gonna give it to us, we want it straight, no chaser. 

Well, I guess someone at Sega was listening to all the complaints. Yakuza 4, which has been out in Japan since March, will release stateside this spring with minimal cuts. Kotaku reports the hostess clubs will return, assuring that you will be able to pay for a virtual woman's company to make your in-game gangsta feel like a pimp, which ain't easy. Unfortunately, it looks like the game's quiz show, Answer X Answer, will not be making the cut, since translating the custom animated text would be too much of a chore for the localization team. It sucks, but some progress is better than none, right?

Now, entertain yourself with one of Yakuza 3's most amazing moments.

Platinum Games Working on a Multiplayer Title

Recent favorite of mine Platinum Games just teased their next project, a multiplayer game. I know this may not seem like much news, but think about it. Platinum has developed some of the truly fun and unique games of recent memory, such as MadWorld, Bayonetta, and the upcoming Vanquish, but they have never implemented multiplayer in any of their releases. That shows that unlike some other developers, Platinum Games is doing their duty to make the best single player experiences possible, without dividing their attention with a half-baked multiplayer throw-in.

In an interview with NowGamer, Platinum Games producer Atsushi Inaba states "We haven’t officially announced it yet, but we have a big multiplayer title that we’re working on right now. There are many different projects running internally, but please look out for the announcement."

Sweet. If the track record is worth anything, this multiplayer project is going to be an over-the-top, balls to the wall orgy of awesome. Even if it's just an online deathmatch version of Vanquish, count me in! 

DC Universe Online has Good News and Bad News

So which do you want first? Let's just start with the bad news. You're going to die. You're in perfect health and will probably live another 75 years, but you're definitely going to die if you try to see me in Halo: Reach, son! So, now that we've gotten past that, here's the not-as-bad news: DC Universe Online has been delayed until early 2011. That wasn't so bad, was it? Upsetting, maybe, but not as woeful and embarrassing as getting torn to shreds with an assault rifle on Boardwalk.

On the upswing though, the good news is that Sony Online Entertainment has assured us that this delay is helping them to release a much more polished product. Isn't that what all delays are for, SOE? Well, I'm not going to sit here and split hairs about delays, this is a time for coming to terms with the news, DC fanboys.

To make good on it's delay, SOE has released new in-game footage of DC Universe Online; the first being a "fly-through" of Superman's home city of Metropolis. I know what you're saying, it looks really good, but there's not much action. Chill homeboy, that's where the second video comes in. Nothing but a minute and a half of frenzied brawling! It's more confusing than trying to spot Elmo at a Bloods initiation, but the carnage looks fun as hell. 

Watch, enjoy, discuss.

Could Fallout Become a Reality? Ask Michio Kaku

Michio Kaku is the freakin' man. There's simply no other way to put it. An incredibly well-spoken futurist, physicist, and co-founder of string field theory, he teaches classes in my stomping grounds, at the very affordable New York City universities, and has a penchant for camera time and discussing video games. What is there to not like about this guy?

GameTrailers has a great series of videos where some dude who looks like a pothead Jesus is humbled by the vast expanse of Dr. Kaku's knowledge. When you get a chance, I recommend giving them a watch, they're pretty entertaining. In this clip, Dr. Kaku tackles the question of whether or not the events of the Fallout universe could really happen. The short answer? Michio Kaku has the strength and intelligence to make anything happen, people.

Suck Down Duke Nukem Forever's Gameplay Demo

Previously on the Duke Nukem Forever saga, it was announced that Gearbox Software was helming the zombie reanimating of the once dead title. With an early playable build, the DNF news set the interwebz ablaze with reports, accounts of the action, and terrible shaky cam videos of chunks of gameplay. Now, some dude at an Amsterdam gaming convention has captured, in HD, the gameplay demo of Duke Nukem Forever in it's entirety. Marijuana and massive screenings of Duke? Lucky bastards.

Those initial reports did not lie, this is classic, cheesy, disgusting Duke in all his ass-kicking glory. Pissing, drawing dicks, shooting the fuck out of a towering mutant alien, and getting head from not one, but two chicks. Normally, I don't really care for the poor taste of lowbrow in my games (ahem, Bulletstorm), but this is Duke, the originator, and one of the turning points in my gaming career. I can still hear the deafening cavalcade of my 14.4k modem causing everyone in my house to wake up with bloody ears, just so I could shoot Devastator missiles at my next door neighbor on Duke Nukem 3D's football field. Good times.

Prepare Yourself for the Sensory Barrage of Vanquish

About two weeks until Sega unleashes the craziness known as Vanquish onto the unsuspecting world. Throw ya' gunz in the air if you're excited! 

In an effort to train your senses to fully process Vanquish in the millisecond your reflexes will require for you to survive, here are two recent trailers for Platinum Games' latest; one showing you what you're up against, the other flossing the transforming weapons system you control. Now that is some beautiful fragging right there. I'd shed a tear if I weren't too busy disintegrating Russian death machines and smoking a cigarette. Damn, Sam Gideon is a bad ass.

An Amazon pre-order is supposed to net you three exclusive in-game weapons, but I don't see them advertising that deal anymore. I'll have to get to the bottom of this.  Stay tuned.

Score, Huh! What is it Good For?

Written by contributing author Mark Hagan

Is it possible for two games, with similar premise, visual aesthetic, and even the same name, to be entertaining on their own accord? For the free platformers Mr. Runner, then by all means yes. So as not to confuse, we will arbitrarily refer to the Armor Games offering as Mr. Runner A, and the GameVision iPhone app as Mr. Runner B. The goal of each is to, oddly enough, get from point A to point B. As a runner myself, this couldn’t be easier or more complex.

Like most platformers, simple controls and objectives make for a minimal learning curve. You’ll be well on your way to scaling walls and avoiding pools of lava in Mr. Runner A, as what to me looks like an 8-bit charred fire nymph. The game ramps the complexity with an analog feel to the leaping and bounding as the running is just a means of locomotion, not besting the level. Mr. Runner B however, is stripped down even further. The style is of simple design, perhaps a developer nod to the eerily similar Limbo, which is rapidly becoming a widespread source of homage. Jumping is omitted in favor of a straightforward dynamic of acceleration and timing.  Your nimble twiggy (not that Twiggy) navigates in and out of pockets of safety a la the Super Mario underworld.  Anticipation is key as you scamper through the world while it comes crashing down, the only reprieve coming in the form of the world’s familiar landmarks.

These marathon men hold a common virtue beyond design or mechanics. The lack of a true scoring system is where these games, and others like them, bring a complex, if not peculiar, goal in their own rite. By score, I mean there is really no way to judge your performance other than the mere advancement of your miniscule avatar.  It could be argued that time is the ultimate score (a parable maybe in each), but is it truly? For the most part, our gaming culture is built upon these mysterious benchmarks we accumulate, gloat about, and yearn to best. Yet here I am, shunning precious sleep, in an attempt to avoid the crush of the world, both real and virtual, so to reach the sanctuary of a giant Easter Island head.

Should game studios can take a page from this playbook? There is a community of gamers out there that do not belong to the casual crowd, yet don’t quite fit in the hardcore community either, possibly due to their lack of tea-bagging tendencies and KG inspired primal screams. A daily dose of self-affirmation doesn’t always need to come by way of tokens collected, gamerscore achieved, or zombie decapitations (a zombie capitation is not only more difficult, but will contribute to the sustainability of zombie harvesting for future generations).

Mr. Runner, in either of it's forms, won’t win any Game of the Year votes, but they do understand that sometimes enjoying the escape is reward enough.

Play Armor Games Mr. Runner | Download GameVision Mr. Runner

Mark has been gaming since the days of the Atari 5200 and such classics as Dig Dug and Eggomania. The Dreamcast was a turning point for him with games like Seaman and Jet Set Radio. His love of gadgets, games and geekery stems from his curiosity of innovation through art, and vice versa. His turn-ons include the sound of cellophane wrappers and warm sake in the morning.