By Alex Villafania, hackenslash Reporter
INQUIRER.net

Editor’s Note: Thanks to hackenslash reader Bisugo for tipping us off about the rumors, which we’ve now confirmed.

ONLINE game publisher ABS-CBN Multimedia (a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Interactive) has announced that it will introduce its second premium online game title in the Philippines called War Rock.

Unlike ABS-CBN’s first premium title, the online fantasy role-playing game Tantra, War Rock will be set in the present and will primarily be a first-person shooter similar to the Counter-Strike and Battlefield series.

Players in the game would basically be part of one of two rival teams, equipped with modern-day weapons such as pistols, rifles, grenades and shotguns. There are also fixed weapons such as machine guns, artillery cannons and anti-aircraft guns.

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OK, we won’t spoil the stunning ending of Marvel’s “Civil War” for you, but in aftermath of that event, Spider-Man is now “Back in Black.”

Here are the covers to the second printings of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17, Sensational Spider-Man #35, and Spider-Man Family #1 courtesy of our friends at Marvel, which feature the first reappearances of Spider-Man in his black costume.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #35 Second Printing Variant
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Pencils by Angel Medina
Cover by Clayton Crain

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THERE is still growth and innovation in the global massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) industry despite overcrowding by large and small development and publishing companies.

A recent report by video game researcher DFC Intelligence said the MMOG business is as much a cutthroat business as other areas of game development. Citing historical data, the group said only a handful of games, usually less than five, make it to the top-tier market, commanding over 85 percent to 90 percent share of MMOG subscribers. Second-tier gamers usually end up with 25 percent of the market.

Now, however, the market has seen a surge in potential MMOGs, driven by the success of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. Some companies are pouring in huge sums to capture the still-growing online gaming company. MMOG development is also on the rise in Asia, particularly in China, Taiwan and Singapore.

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By Relly Carpio, hackenslash Contributor
INQUIRER.net

I SAW my men writhing on the ground, dying, bleeding from wounds given to them by the machine gunners hidden behind a small pile of rubble I commanded them to take out.

The ground around them gave out little puffs of dust as gunfire once again erupted around them. The medics couldn’t get to them as they too were pinned by the chattering barrage. I saw one of them reach an arm up at me, begging for help as the rest tried to crawl to what little cover they could find.

I urged the Sherman Tank I sent to provide covering fire for the ranger team to hurry. No use, by the time it got there, four men were dead. I
called for a retreat. The Sherman arrived just as the two remaining rangers rounded a corner of a shattered building to safety. The Sherman’s first salvo ripped directly into the gunner team killing one. The other was torn to shreds as the mounted 50-caliber machine gun gave them a taste of their own medicine.

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By Alex Villafania, hackenslash Reporter
INQUIRER.net

WHY is it that every game that is loosely based on a movie, which was also loosely based on a comic book character, almost always fails miserably? There must be a curse of sorts that makes a comic book-to-video-game movie tie-in such a commercial failure (think Superman Returns and Fantastic Four, also for the PlayStation S2).

Not even the great writers of the original material could save the game from becoming video game trash. The latest comic book character whose good name has been tarnished by bad development is Ghost Rider, which is based on the latest Nicolas Cage starrer of the same name. Ghost Rider fans have always longed for a movie based on the character. Unfortunately, it was a terrible bomb that did not do that much justice to the Vengeful Flames of Justice.

The game doesn’t help the movie, either.

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