Matthew Paul, Activision Producer of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, has been busy doing interviews. We recently covered one interview last time and he's here with another one. We're here to give you a summary of the interview.

Regarding the characters, costumes, and locations: variety is the name of the game. According to Matthew, there will be over 140 Marvel Characters and more than 20 Super Heroes will be playable. Besides the "usual" favorites like: Spidey, Cap A, and Wolvie; possible surprising favorites could be Ghost Rider, Human Torch & Dr. Strange could give the faves a run for their money.

All 20 has at least 4 different costumes. As we mentioned last time, costumes are more than eye-candy. Some costumes provide characters with added powers or stats. A great example would be Spidey wearing the black and white costume vs. the 'ol red and blue tights. Possible locations are the Helicarrier, Atlantis, Skrull homeplanet and Murderworld.

So how did Activision come up with a story that features all these Marvel characters from different worlds? Silver Surfer and Blade, together in a team for example. The writers had an easy time with the core story because of the diverse history behind each superhero. They included combinations of the basic plots in both Secret Wars and major moments in some superhero's lives. What they found challenging was picking the best parts and including it in the main part of the story. Getting Marvel editor, C.B. Cebulski, made the story more accurate and valid.

The event that draws all these superheroes together is when Nick Fury calls on them for back up against Dr. Doom. They all go to the Helicarrier and, after driving Doom away, search for the reasons behind the attack. The players decisions on some key points in the story will affect the ending or epilogue of the game. A perfect example would be choosing to help Namor. In short, the game's ending changes. So if you want to see all of them, we suggest you go through the game more than once.

Thanks to the massive graphics engine of new-gen consoles, the characters have life-like details on their costumes and bodies. For instance, Cap A's steel mesh costume and the Thing's rocky hide. The superhero effects and environments also gets a large boost thanks to the next-gen graphics engines. It's like you're watching a big budget live film rather than a video game.

Regarding consoles. the Wii will have as much content as the PS3 and Xbox 360 does. The only difference will be the controls. With the Wii controller, you can feel like a hero. However, there was no mention how this will be done. The online play will be available. The game will allow four players to either go up against each other, or team up to finish the same mission. At the end of the game, ranking will be the defining factor. There's no downloadable content right now, but they'll be thinking about it after the game's out.

Well, more interviews, the more details we're getting.

Until then, Make mine Marvel!

We came across an interview with Activision producer Matthew Paul regarding the much anticipated Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and we found some info that might be worth sharing with you guys.

He said that the game's premise zoom in on Dr. Doom assembling a new version of Masters of Evil to steal some important articles. As to why - he's keeping it under wraps. They were also obviously getting the cooler heroes included in the game. For example, they especially liked Dr. Strange & Ghost Rider for their unique fighting moves, and Human Torch and Elektra just because they look too good to be left out. Locations are also one of the main points of this game, SHIELD Hellicarrier, the underwater city of Atlantis, and the Skrull Homeworld (while it's slowly being destroyed by Galactus by the way).

Graphics? New effects, more particles, shaders and the like will be included in this game. The game will be as close as to what the Marvel fans will be expecting. Want a sampling? Go here to see Nightcrawler jumping all around the place, and two previous trailers.

Regarding looking cool, the multiple costumes for the characters also allow them some addition to the player stats; for instance, Spidey's old black costume and Thor's alien one. Gameplay and combat system was totally overhauled from the Xmen Legends technology. This time characters may have the same attacks but different moves.

There will be some unique features depending on what platform you'll be using. For the PSP, four exclusive playable Marvel characters will be included, exclusive prequel missions, enhanced widescreen aspect ratio, PSP-enabled community website that include player stats, and user interface enhancements to take advantage of the PSP design. For the PS3 system and Xbox 360, amazing graphics that take full advantage of the next-gen hardware. These include real-time shadows, detailed texture to the environments, and true hi-def in-game cinematics. As we mentioned last time, moves and powers will also be a new thing if you integrate it with Wii controller technology. Slash like Blade, you say? Yes and more.

Until this game teleports into stores, make mine MARVEL!

Psix, without a doubt, is the most controversial piece of homebrew ever released onto our laps. It was announced just over a year ago, and has hit more bumps on the development road than Microsoft has had with Windows Vista. After all the delays, cancellations, and additions to the team – Psix became a highly wanted shell.

 

After psix was released, there was a lot of hate going around – but we all have passed that stage now. People complained that Fluff/Naoneo did not release the source; others applauded the first release such as myself. We all waited for the next release which would bring even more features, and we are still waiting for even more now.

 

Here at QJ, we are the first, and the only to receive the source to psix. Yes, that is right, I have the source to the famous shell right in my hands, just ready to be uploaded. The source code is something to marvel at – the complexity, the sheer size of the archive, and the thing that matters most – the code to the fist PSP shell ever announced. After having received permission from the main man himself – we are distributing the source to psix below.

Download: [Psix v1.90 Source]

Remember when people could use the PSP's once anemic game library against you in console flame wars? Well thanks to games like Lumines, Exit, Daxter, Syphon Filter, Mega Man Powered Up and Burnout Legends (to name just a few) that argument no longer holds much water. If however, you hear someone beginning to pipe up, you can simply point them in the direction of this little list of promising future PSP titles. Yum!

Read the entire article after the jump!

Think about it right now: You are in control of over 140 Marvel characters. You have your choice if team members, name, logo and even vehicle. And fighting evil on land, water and in air with the option to either play online or offline. What a marvelous chaos it would be. That's what's Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is all about.

Take a peak at what you're getting if you're a PlayStation 3 owner:

And for those that own an XBox 360, this is what you're waiting for until Fall of 2006:

Like what every other gamer would say, screenshots are a dime a dozen nowadays. You need to back it up with a video for it to be worth everybody's while.

Download: [Non-Playable Characters Trailer]

If there is one thing that frustrates an anime fan, it's when an anime fails to answer all the mysteries that has captivated its audience. We have seen the likes of people who have devoted their lives in unfolding the mysteries of Evangelion, and up to this date Hideaki Anno doesn't have all the answers and has given up, like others, in solving them. Such is the problem of another cult hit among anime fans, Blood, the last Vampire.

At the turn of the century, Japanese Animators released a classic of a film, showing the tragedy of Saya, the last living vampire, and her obligation to rid the world of fake vampires. The movie was a masterpiece which kept people wanting to know more about this mysterious vampire, hence a mammoth of a TV-series was formed in order to explain Saya and her, only to find a marketing marvel such as the Playstation Portable to finally weave the last ends together. This is where Blood+ The Final Fragment enters, the last key in order for you to finally take a peaceful sleep knowing you know one of the world's mystery.

The gameplay of Blood+ The Final Fragment works like an RPG wherein your choices may or may lead you to solving the mystery. The game proposes three endings and your choices affect how your ending will be. They also note that there is a universal ending, however the details in each ending would greatly vary.

In Final Fragment, you will explore the mysteries of your father as you traverse through your next missions and your encounters. The gameplay promises to have the same graphics as the anime. The website has not discussed further on how else will the gameplay will go other than the RPG options which is more like a date simulator. The game also promises to have FMVs taken from the anime.

Marvel Trading Card Game, by Konami, is based on Upper Deck Entertainment's best-selling Vs. System Trading Card Game and features Marvel's complete stable of characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, Ghost Rider, the Fantastic Four, The Hulk and more. Assemble your deck and square off against superheroes and supervillains in the game's story mode, or go online in cross-platform play to take on other players from around the country. Apparently you will be able to play online with the PSP system and PC versions, and the the DS version will feature online multiplayer support. Multiple online modes including Tournament, Free and Sealed will allow players of all skill levels to compete. T

he game is going to come out by the end of the year, but until then you can check out some of the early screenshots below by clicking on the thumbnails.