Comic books have been a part of American pop culture for nearly a century, serving as the primordial ooze from which flew, punched, and kicked the likes of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk, and X-Men. Early comics started of as simple comedic tales, but their range expanded to include the horror, sci-fi, western, romance, and super hero genres. Comics have become such a part of the mainstream entertainment mindset that movies based on superhero properties are often the most anticipated films of the year.
On December 6, 2012 the SNK brand returns to the hardware market with the Neo Geo X, a licensed handheld the puts the company’s legendary arcade and home console in the palms of hardcore gamers. It’s remarkable that SNK and its new product are here considering the company’s troubled existence since the turn of the century. Many legacy game makers, after all, failed to weather the ever-changing video game landscape. For that alone SNK should be applauded even if it’s output isn’t as prolific as its incredible ’90s run.
Halloween, the worldwide autumn celebration involving costumed merriment, trick-or-treating, and all things frightening, graces 2012 next week. There aren’t many video games that use Halloween as a backdrop–Double Fine’s Costume Quest immediately comes to mind–but there are a whole mess of titles designed to spend chills down the spine. That’s what this Spread is all about.
Between now and October 31st, we’re taking a look at the games that be both love and hate to play at the midnight hour. From old school FMV titles to new school third-person shooters, we’re exploring gaming’s dark side. A few starter articles are linked below, but you can expect many, many more until All Hallow’s Eve creeps from the depths.
It’s probably difficult for modern gamers to remember a time when video games didn’t have accompanying scores, but that day did exist. When our beloved hobby was in its nascent stages, video games lacked soundtracks; the sound of a virtual paddle sending a virtual ball careening back toward a rival paddle was Pong’s audio center.
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and other action movie icons unite their testosterone-filled movie sensibilities in The Expendables 2, which hits theaters August 17th. For many, The Expendables 2 is a celebration of big muscles, big guns, and big body counts, but here at 2D-X we’re taking a look at impact that the film’s stars had on the video game industry.
Castlevania, Konami’s long-running monster-slaying series, gets The Spread treatment. That’s right, we’re devoting an entire week’s of coverage to crackin’ whips, slaying demons, and casting spells. This story collection contains a game review, soundtrack review, and several features–one of which highlights the night that Castlevania and Wu-Tang Clan owned New York City. If you fancy long hair, tight leather, and whips, this is your collection!
