Captain America, the Star Spangled Avenger. His costume is one of the most recognizable in comics, having changed almost none over the years. Even in different realities writers and artists are loathe to depart from the basic design. Though iconic, I do not think the costume is above being changed to some extent. Below I have listed three changes to the costume that I think would make it better. Of course, we technically have two Captain Americas running around now, the original Steve Rogers and the new Bucky Barnes. Each has a different costume so will require different adjustments (mostly).
Steve Rogers
1) Lose the scales on the torso
The scales to me just make the costume look…off. On the rare occasion, they do look good but for the most part, they are ill fit to the rest of the costume that is smooth. Making the whole costume scales would make Cap look like a porcupine or some other wild animal, so that option is out. I think it was better when the whole costume was smooth and uniform.
2) Darker Blue
I have never really understood the light blue. If his costume is the American flag, why does he not use a dark blue? Granted it depends on the colorist on just how dark it is, but I do not think I have ever seen it the actual dark blue of our flag.
3) Change the boot cuffs
When I see these, I think of pirates and apparel hundreds of years old, not super heroes. Honestly, when is the last time we have seen boots like this? It is just such an out of date style, even for comic books, that I cannot understand why it is kept around. The Ultimate Cap costume got it right by using more form fitting and realistic gloves and boots.
Bucky Barnes
1) Lose the shine
I know Captain America is supposed to be a ray of hope, but let us not take it literally. When contrasted against the non-shiny black of the rest of the outfit, to me it clashes.
2) Colors on the legs
I do not think there is a good balance to this costume at all. All the color is situated on the head and torso, with nothing but black on legs and small red gloves. While a hefty dose of black can be fine, there is too much of it. At least make the boots a different color.
3) Boot cuffs
Just like Rogers, the boot cuffs are not only ridiculous looking but completely outdated. Even being all black they still do not look good .
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
3 Aesthetics of the New Armor that Need Changed
It has been about a month since Marvel showed the world Iron Man’s new armor, and we have all had time to take it in. (If for some reason you have yet to see it, click the link below). Personally, I am liking it less than I initially did, and I have boiled it down to three factors that are also the primary gripes of other fans that I have heard. So here are three aspects to the new armor that, hopefully in the near future, Marvel will correct from fan complaints. These are ordered in what I have determined to be the more voiced displeasures.
http://s590.photobucket.com/albums/ss343/IrOnPaTrIoT/?action=view¤t=RMIN.jpg
3) Covering only one part of the body and not another
There are three instances of this: the triceps are covered and not the biceps; the back of the thighs are covered and not the front; and the fingers are covered but not the thumb. I cannot figure out a reason for this at all. They are awkward, and while not enough to ruin the design it would no doubt look better should these things were either fully covered or not at all.
2) Gaps in the red
Culprits include the shoulders, forearms, ankles and back. Especially the back. There is no rhyme or reason why there are gaps there, being little more than distracting. The back especially makes the armor look like it is a suit to wear to the gym rather than fight in. I keep thinking that Under Armor designed this particular suit because of it. It looks like the suit is wearing a workout shirt and lifting gloves. I think the red sections are supposed to coincide with human muscles groups, but regardless it is very distracting and impractical.
1) LED’s
I do not care if these actually have function (which I have a feeling they do not) they need to go. Placed in random places (inside ankles, shoulders to name a few) they attempt to give the suit a high tech feel by placing lights all over the armor. Unfortunately, the attempt fails. Some fans say they are meant for flight stabilizing or weapons discharge, but that theory does not hold up too well because of the odd placement. On the inside ankles is about the last place you want weapons firing and it will not help in flight stabilization much. In addition, what would be the need of having six LED’s on the chest? The hips I do not think make much sense either.
So there are three things that myself and others feel would make the armor look much better. I get they want something futuristic, but they make the same mistake that many make when predicting the future: people will not abandon practicality. Looking at this armor reminds me of seeing an old 1950’s video predicting what things would look like in the 2000’s. Those predictions were not even close to be right, because why would people abandon something that works? This futuristic attempt does not work because it is not practical, and frankly in some ways is outright screwy.
http://s590.photobucket.com/albums/ss343/IrOnPaTrIoT/?action=view¤t=RMIN.jpg
3) Covering only one part of the body and not another
There are three instances of this: the triceps are covered and not the biceps; the back of the thighs are covered and not the front; and the fingers are covered but not the thumb. I cannot figure out a reason for this at all. They are awkward, and while not enough to ruin the design it would no doubt look better should these things were either fully covered or not at all.
2) Gaps in the red
Culprits include the shoulders, forearms, ankles and back. Especially the back. There is no rhyme or reason why there are gaps there, being little more than distracting. The back especially makes the armor look like it is a suit to wear to the gym rather than fight in. I keep thinking that Under Armor designed this particular suit because of it. It looks like the suit is wearing a workout shirt and lifting gloves. I think the red sections are supposed to coincide with human muscles groups, but regardless it is very distracting and impractical.
1) LED’s
I do not care if these actually have function (which I have a feeling they do not) they need to go. Placed in random places (inside ankles, shoulders to name a few) they attempt to give the suit a high tech feel by placing lights all over the armor. Unfortunately, the attempt fails. Some fans say they are meant for flight stabilizing or weapons discharge, but that theory does not hold up too well because of the odd placement. On the inside ankles is about the last place you want weapons firing and it will not help in flight stabilization much. In addition, what would be the need of having six LED’s on the chest? The hips I do not think make much sense either.
So there are three things that myself and others feel would make the armor look much better. I get they want something futuristic, but they make the same mistake that many make when predicting the future: people will not abandon practicality. Looking at this armor reminds me of seeing an old 1950’s video predicting what things would look like in the 2000’s. Those predictions were not even close to be right, because why would people abandon something that works? This futuristic attempt does not work because it is not practical, and frankly in some ways is outright screwy.
Linked below are my attempts at a photoshop (excuse my poor skills) that would to introduce these three fixes into the armor.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q109/JWeigler/ArmorComparison-2.jpg?t=1263244535
Friday, February 5, 2010
Ideas for Ultimate Alliance 3
Just a heads up, this article is a bit long and if you have no interest in the Ultimate Alliance games you probably will not want to bother reading it.
With the release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, I came away disappointed on the development, and by that I mean how it advanced from the first game. And I was not the only one as many felt the game was merely a rehash, just with different settings. I do not own the game for lack of a next gen system, but my friends have also told me not to get it. There were two things I was very disappointed to hear about. First was that it played like the first Ultimate Alliance which left a lot of room for improvement, and frankly I felt was a downgrade over the X-Men Legends II style. Secondly were the characters and costumes.
Game Play
When it comes to game play, a few quick and easy things would help greatly. They did good in ridding the super attack and did the power combination, which was key because the super attacks in UA were weak and lame. What they need to do is make more powers available at once. Clicking one of the side triggers brings up an option to choose between three mutant powers and the combo attack. Use one of the other triggers to do the same, but different powers. The more a player has immediately available the better. Also on the subject of powers, make all powers accessible to start. Forget this getting to level ten to get a specific power; just start them off weak like the others.
Also like X-Men Legends II let the player upgrade the stats. There were four categories and for each new level the player could distribute four points over those categories however they wanted. Bring that back because some characters lacked way too much in some levels (Ms. Marvel dying too easy and Thor not having strong melee attacks, both quite off base from the characters). Being able to customize and control aspects of characters is something all players want. If you want to keep the character balanced, set a maximum limit for each level.
Another aspect of X-Men Legends II that is better than UA was the use of energy and life packs over the orbs. Frankly, I hated the orbs, being reliant on their presence with the life and energy meters unable to regenerate at a quick enough pace. If you were running low on health, you had to go out of your way to destroy something in the area. It was a pain and distracting. Give me ten packs to use at my discretion and let the characters regenerate quicker.
Some powers a character can charge up and fire, so why not have powers that a player can use in a constant stream? For example, you have characters like Iron Man, Cyclops and Sunfire who can keep firing their respective blasts until they are exhausted. Why not be able to do the same in the game by holding the button down and letting it fire until the energy bar is drained? It is simple and effective and adds another dimension. Make the energy drain faster of course to balance it out, because it’s no fun just holding down a single button and killing any enemy that comes near.
Characters
Next is the choice of playable characters and their costumes. Most of the obvious ones have been included already in the past two titles. These characters are featured in their own book, team books, and popular enough to have movies made or being made about them.
I question the addition of Penance, doubting he would have been even considered if not for the Civil War theme. I also never have understood system exclusive characters. Just add all the damn characters for all the systems huh? People are not going to buy the game on two separate systems just for a single character.
I am surprised many designers have never caught on that customization and options are a major sticking point for players. The more characters the better, and the more you can do with each character the better. You do not need every Marvel character but give more than there is. Here are some I think would be a good addition, or at least be considered for the next title.
Ares- yes, the god of war that has made a resurgence when the Mighty Avengers title started. Who does not like fighting with a god of war?
Black Widow- not sure you could do much with her that is not being done with other gone-toting characters already.
Blade and Dr. Strange- I lump them together because thought they were good additions for the first UA, and not sure why they were removed the sequel (though Blade is a character specific to the PS2). Put them back in I say.
Cable- a boss in UA2, Cable has always held a fair amount of fan interest. You could give him a variety of guns and make him somewhat of a brawler.
Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Colossus- three of the more popular X-Men characters that made it into previous games, just make them playable characters. If they were done before, they can be done again.
Darkhawk- a bit iffy on this one, but his return during War of Kings may be enough for consideration. I would hardly be heartbroken if he was not considered though.
Hawkeye- you can give him a bunch of different arrows, and things that are not just piercing or explosive. Be creative and give him ones that wrap around enemies, set a trap, stun a small area etc.
Hercules- kind of the same as Ares, but I would rather see Ares since he is cooler.
Moonknight- a special character in the first UA, he is original enough to be included with the cast
Punisher- like Cable you can have him carry different weapons, though I think he would be more akin to Nick Fury in the first UA. Give him pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades etc. to fill out his powers. Probably redundant because of Nick Fury but maybe use him in place of the latter.
Sunfire- the Japanese superhero who houses the power of the sun. May be a bit redundant because of the Human Torch, but I have always found him to be a much more interesting and far less annoying character. He was in X-Men Legends II so he was good enough for one game already.
Vision- his powers of density manipulation could make for some interesting moves, but I’d be a bit iffy on him. Not sure there is enough fan interest to put him here.
Costumes
Again, I mention customization. X-Men Legends II had nearly every costume the playable characters ever wore available. It was great because you could find a least one costume you liked. UA had four costumes for each character, which in most cases covered enough, but still lacked with some. UA2 has one alternate costume. One. I can only imagine laziness was the reason for this because logically there is no reasonable response. Why they would make only one alternate costume available when they have given so many more in the past is absurd. So, with my UA roster finalized, here is a costume list for each character.
Note:
AoA= Age of Apocalypse costume
HoM= House of M costume
Ares- current costume, mini-series costume
Black Widow- modern, classic, original (fishnet)
Blade- same costumes as the first UA, classic, day walker, ultimate and night stalker
Cable- modern, classic, HoM, Stryfe, AoA (Nate Grey X Man)
Captain America- modern, ultimate, WWII, US Agent, Bucky Cap, armored Cap
Colossus- modern, modern 2 (pre-death), classic, AoA, Acolyte, HoM
Cyclops- classic, modern, ultimate, 90’s, AoA, X-Factor, HoM
Daredevil- modern, original, AoA, armored, marvel knights
Darkhawk- modern, War of Kings, Evil Hawk
Deadpool- classic, modern, ultimate, AoA, Heroes Reborn (swordsman)
Dr. Strange- same as UA, classic, blue mage, ultimate, seer
Gambit- modern, AoA, horseman, ultimate
Ghost Rider- same as UA, original, classic, phantom rider, Zarathos
Green Goblin- Hobgoblin, demogoblin, ultimate
Hawkeye- classic, modern, ultimate 1, ultimate 2, 90’s
Hercules- classic, 90’s
Hulk- modern, Mr. Fixit, the Professor, green scar, Red Hulk
Human Torch- classic, modern, new marvel, uiltimate, heroes reborn
Iceman- classic, 90’s, AoA, modern, HoM, Bobby Drake, Ultimate
Iron Man- modern, Classic, Silver Centurion, neo-classic, War Machine, modular, heroes reborn, heroes return, tin man
Invisible Woman- modern, classic, new marvel, Ultimate, Malice, heroes reborn
Luke Cage- same as UA, new avenger, street, classic, power man
Mr. Fantastic- classic, modern, new marvel, ultimate, heroes reborn
Ms. Marvel- same as UA, ventura, classic, binary, warbird,
Nick Fury- same as UA, classic, stealth, ultimate, general
Nightcrawler- modern, classic, ultimate, AoA, HoM
Phoenix- classic (green costume), dark phoenix, white phoenix, Jean Grey classic, Jean Grey 90’s, Jean Grey AoA, Jean Grey HoM
Punisher- modern, classic, trench coat,
Spiderman- modern, Ben Reilly, Scarlet Spider, black costume, unlimited, Stark armor
Storm- classic, modern, AoA, extreme X-Men, Ultimate, 90’s, Morlock leader, queen of Wakanda, HoM
Sunfire- classic, modern, horseman, HoM
Thing- classic, modern, new marvel, ultimate, heroes reborn
Thor- classic, modern, Odin power, Ultimate, 90’s, Heroes Reborn, Thunderstrike, Beta Ray Bill
Venom- classic (original), lethal enforcer, modern, ultimate, Anti-venom
Vision- modern, classic (white), Iron Lad
Wolverine- classic, modern, ultimate, AoA, 90’s, horseman, X-Force, Weapon X, HoM
So there are my simple ideas for improvement in game play or elements that I think would make a third Ultimate Alliance game much better. UA2 received a lot of criticism, and designers need to learn from that mistake and listen to fans to see what needs improved.
With the release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, I came away disappointed on the development, and by that I mean how it advanced from the first game. And I was not the only one as many felt the game was merely a rehash, just with different settings. I do not own the game for lack of a next gen system, but my friends have also told me not to get it. There were two things I was very disappointed to hear about. First was that it played like the first Ultimate Alliance which left a lot of room for improvement, and frankly I felt was a downgrade over the X-Men Legends II style. Secondly were the characters and costumes.
Game Play
When it comes to game play, a few quick and easy things would help greatly. They did good in ridding the super attack and did the power combination, which was key because the super attacks in UA were weak and lame. What they need to do is make more powers available at once. Clicking one of the side triggers brings up an option to choose between three mutant powers and the combo attack. Use one of the other triggers to do the same, but different powers. The more a player has immediately available the better. Also on the subject of powers, make all powers accessible to start. Forget this getting to level ten to get a specific power; just start them off weak like the others.
Also like X-Men Legends II let the player upgrade the stats. There were four categories and for each new level the player could distribute four points over those categories however they wanted. Bring that back because some characters lacked way too much in some levels (Ms. Marvel dying too easy and Thor not having strong melee attacks, both quite off base from the characters). Being able to customize and control aspects of characters is something all players want. If you want to keep the character balanced, set a maximum limit for each level.
Another aspect of X-Men Legends II that is better than UA was the use of energy and life packs over the orbs. Frankly, I hated the orbs, being reliant on their presence with the life and energy meters unable to regenerate at a quick enough pace. If you were running low on health, you had to go out of your way to destroy something in the area. It was a pain and distracting. Give me ten packs to use at my discretion and let the characters regenerate quicker.
Some powers a character can charge up and fire, so why not have powers that a player can use in a constant stream? For example, you have characters like Iron Man, Cyclops and Sunfire who can keep firing their respective blasts until they are exhausted. Why not be able to do the same in the game by holding the button down and letting it fire until the energy bar is drained? It is simple and effective and adds another dimension. Make the energy drain faster of course to balance it out, because it’s no fun just holding down a single button and killing any enemy that comes near.
Characters
Next is the choice of playable characters and their costumes. Most of the obvious ones have been included already in the past two titles. These characters are featured in their own book, team books, and popular enough to have movies made or being made about them.
I question the addition of Penance, doubting he would have been even considered if not for the Civil War theme. I also never have understood system exclusive characters. Just add all the damn characters for all the systems huh? People are not going to buy the game on two separate systems just for a single character.
I am surprised many designers have never caught on that customization and options are a major sticking point for players. The more characters the better, and the more you can do with each character the better. You do not need every Marvel character but give more than there is. Here are some I think would be a good addition, or at least be considered for the next title.
Ares- yes, the god of war that has made a resurgence when the Mighty Avengers title started. Who does not like fighting with a god of war?
Black Widow- not sure you could do much with her that is not being done with other gone-toting characters already.
Blade and Dr. Strange- I lump them together because thought they were good additions for the first UA, and not sure why they were removed the sequel (though Blade is a character specific to the PS2). Put them back in I say.
Cable- a boss in UA2, Cable has always held a fair amount of fan interest. You could give him a variety of guns and make him somewhat of a brawler.
Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Colossus- three of the more popular X-Men characters that made it into previous games, just make them playable characters. If they were done before, they can be done again.
Darkhawk- a bit iffy on this one, but his return during War of Kings may be enough for consideration. I would hardly be heartbroken if he was not considered though.
Hawkeye- you can give him a bunch of different arrows, and things that are not just piercing or explosive. Be creative and give him ones that wrap around enemies, set a trap, stun a small area etc.
Hercules- kind of the same as Ares, but I would rather see Ares since he is cooler.
Moonknight- a special character in the first UA, he is original enough to be included with the cast
Punisher- like Cable you can have him carry different weapons, though I think he would be more akin to Nick Fury in the first UA. Give him pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades etc. to fill out his powers. Probably redundant because of Nick Fury but maybe use him in place of the latter.
Sunfire- the Japanese superhero who houses the power of the sun. May be a bit redundant because of the Human Torch, but I have always found him to be a much more interesting and far less annoying character. He was in X-Men Legends II so he was good enough for one game already.
Vision- his powers of density manipulation could make for some interesting moves, but I’d be a bit iffy on him. Not sure there is enough fan interest to put him here.
Costumes
Again, I mention customization. X-Men Legends II had nearly every costume the playable characters ever wore available. It was great because you could find a least one costume you liked. UA had four costumes for each character, which in most cases covered enough, but still lacked with some. UA2 has one alternate costume. One. I can only imagine laziness was the reason for this because logically there is no reasonable response. Why they would make only one alternate costume available when they have given so many more in the past is absurd. So, with my UA roster finalized, here is a costume list for each character.
Note:
AoA= Age of Apocalypse costume
HoM= House of M costume
Ares- current costume, mini-series costume
Black Widow- modern, classic, original (fishnet)
Blade- same costumes as the first UA, classic, day walker, ultimate and night stalker
Cable- modern, classic, HoM, Stryfe, AoA (Nate Grey X Man)
Captain America- modern, ultimate, WWII, US Agent, Bucky Cap, armored Cap
Colossus- modern, modern 2 (pre-death), classic, AoA, Acolyte, HoM
Cyclops- classic, modern, ultimate, 90’s, AoA, X-Factor, HoM
Daredevil- modern, original, AoA, armored, marvel knights
Darkhawk- modern, War of Kings, Evil Hawk
Deadpool- classic, modern, ultimate, AoA, Heroes Reborn (swordsman)
Dr. Strange- same as UA, classic, blue mage, ultimate, seer
Gambit- modern, AoA, horseman, ultimate
Ghost Rider- same as UA, original, classic, phantom rider, Zarathos
Green Goblin- Hobgoblin, demogoblin, ultimate
Hawkeye- classic, modern, ultimate 1, ultimate 2, 90’s
Hercules- classic, 90’s
Hulk- modern, Mr. Fixit, the Professor, green scar, Red Hulk
Human Torch- classic, modern, new marvel, uiltimate, heroes reborn
Iceman- classic, 90’s, AoA, modern, HoM, Bobby Drake, Ultimate
Iron Man- modern, Classic, Silver Centurion, neo-classic, War Machine, modular, heroes reborn, heroes return, tin man
Invisible Woman- modern, classic, new marvel, Ultimate, Malice, heroes reborn
Luke Cage- same as UA, new avenger, street, classic, power man
Mr. Fantastic- classic, modern, new marvel, ultimate, heroes reborn
Ms. Marvel- same as UA, ventura, classic, binary, warbird,
Nick Fury- same as UA, classic, stealth, ultimate, general
Nightcrawler- modern, classic, ultimate, AoA, HoM
Phoenix- classic (green costume), dark phoenix, white phoenix, Jean Grey classic, Jean Grey 90’s, Jean Grey AoA, Jean Grey HoM
Punisher- modern, classic, trench coat,
Spiderman- modern, Ben Reilly, Scarlet Spider, black costume, unlimited, Stark armor
Storm- classic, modern, AoA, extreme X-Men, Ultimate, 90’s, Morlock leader, queen of Wakanda, HoM
Sunfire- classic, modern, horseman, HoM
Thing- classic, modern, new marvel, ultimate, heroes reborn
Thor- classic, modern, Odin power, Ultimate, 90’s, Heroes Reborn, Thunderstrike, Beta Ray Bill
Venom- classic (original), lethal enforcer, modern, ultimate, Anti-venom
Vision- modern, classic (white), Iron Lad
Wolverine- classic, modern, ultimate, AoA, 90’s, horseman, X-Force, Weapon X, HoM
So there are my simple ideas for improvement in game play or elements that I think would make a third Ultimate Alliance game much better. UA2 received a lot of criticism, and designers need to learn from that mistake and listen to fans to see what needs improved.
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