A picture of a Pez dispenser has been circulating around, but the Marvel Movies page on facebook gave me my first real glimpse of the Lizard from the upcoming Spider-Man film.

I don’t know about this.

I’ll keep my mouth shut until I see the movie, but everything I’ve seen has been just sort of “meh.” The trailer didn’t feel like a Spider-Man movie to me at all. It felt like Peter Parker was trapped in a Batman movie and that’s not what Spider-Man is to me.

I’m neither here nor there on this particular picture. It could be cool in action.

Who knows?

The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled hit theatres July 3rd, 2012. It stars Andrew Garfield, Rhys Ifans, and Emma Stone. Marc Webb is directing.

Clayton Crane is still doing an amazing job drawing these comics. I swear they just comic up with new Venom and Carnage stories to keep this guy busy. His art is perfect for the book. Marvel sent over this little press pack preview (including a kick-ass Ramos cover!), give it a look:

Your First Look At CARNAGE U.S.A. #1!

Prepare for a whole new brand of terror as the critically acclaimed creative team of Zeb Wells and Clayton Crain let Cletus Kasady loose on America’s heartland in Carnage U.S.A. #1! Leaving a wake of bloodshed, no one is safe from Carnage’s lunacy – even the Avengers! Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man and more of Earth’s Mightiest must go on a brutal hunt to capture Cletus Kasady before the American heartland falls under his mass-murdering spell. Buckle in for the most mind-blowing cross country tour fans have ever taken in Carnage U.S.A. #1, this December!

CARNAGE U.S.A. #1 (OCT110632)
CARNAGE U.S.A. #1 RAMOS VARIANT (OCT110633)
Written by ZEB WELLS
Pencils and Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Variant Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
FOC – 11/14/11, ON SALE – 12/7/11

I love me some Joe Madureira. I love everything about his art. Sometimes (*cough*Ultimatum*cough*) his sequentials aren’t the best, but his stuff is always damn fun to look at.

I’m really excited about checking out this book and Marvel has been kind enough to give us a preview of the second issue. A Red Hulk/Spider-Man team up? Sign me up.

The series everyone’s talking about kicks it up a gear in this first look at Avenging Spider-Man #2 With Free Digital Code! From the blockbuster creative team of Zeb Wells & Joe Madureira pit the team-up of Red Hulk & Spidey against an unstoppable army of Moloids! Don’t forget that every purchase of a polybagged issue of Avenging Spider-Man #2 comes with a special code to be redeemed for a free digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app! With J. Jonah Jameson held hostage, can Spider-Man and Red Hulk fight back the hordes of underground dwellers to save the day? The high octane web-slinging action continues this December in Avenging Spider-Man #2 With Free Digital Code!

AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #2 WITH FREE DIGITAL CODE (OCT110628)
AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #2 MCGUINNESS VARIANT WITH FREE DIGITAL CODE (OCT11029)
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art & Cover by JOE MADUREIRA
Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
Rated T+…$3.99
FOC – 11/7/11, ON SALE – 12/7/11

A group of fans got together and put together this fantastic motion comic based on the death of Ultimate Peter Parker.

I am soooo far behind on my comics that I haven’t read this yet, but watching this gave me the chills. Marvel should hire these guys. They really knocked this out of the park.

It is odd, though, seeing how sometimes Bendis’ dialogue doesn’t exactly translate to being spoken. But that’s something minor. I hope we can see more motion comics from these guys, and I hope Marvel doesn’t sue them or make them take it down.

The beginning of October was very slow for the Additions to my Nerdorium, but the last week or so has ramped up. Next month should be a big one. This month however will be our caffeine free version. Which is good news. It means I get to eat 3 meals a day.

Batman: Arkham City Collector’s Edition
$99.99 Target.com

Generally I try not to get suckered into video game special editions. In most cases I feel like I’m getting ripped off. Batman Arkham Asylum, I’m looking at you. Although when I saw this special edition actually included a Batman: Black & White statue, I couldn’t resist.

PROS
• Great value. Batman: Black & White statues go for close to $80 now.
• Lots of great DLC, including a Dark Knight Returns skin. The only one you need, in my opinion.
• The game case also doubles as a snazzy art book.

CONS
• Package design is great until you try to put it back together after you take the statue out.
• Like most Collector’s Editions, this is a really bulky way to store a video game.

Classic Marvel Characters #1: Spider-Man
$49.95 tfaw.com

I think every comic collector has his or her favorite character they can be suckered into buying 1000 versions of. I’m a sucker for classic Spider-Man swag. When it comes to Marvel characters, it doesn’t get much more classic than the Amazing Spider-Man.

PROS
• Very fun packaging and extras. Reminds me of something you’d see advertised in an older comic.
• Comes with a pin and character booklet.
• Somewhat limited. Only 2,000 were made. (Not including the Comic Con variants)

CONS
• A little expensive for what he is.
• To get the full effect, I think I would need to get some of the other Marvel characters. I could see this turning into an expensive collection in a hurry.

Ray with Slime Blower
$20.00 MattyCollector.com

Nice to have this guy so close to getting Winston with his slime blower. As a matter of fact, Matty is currently doing a sale with some of the rereleased figures. You can pick up Ray and Winston right now with their slime blowers. As well as a bunch of other great figures.

PROS
• We just need Vigo to make this set complete. Great figure.
• Awesome articulation.
• Comes with the Cinema Ghost. Not the most recognizable spook, but still cool.

CONS
• Essentially a recycled head and body. But we’ve come to expect that.

This month I purchased some fun stuff, but nothing that really blew me away. Although Batman does look pretty sweet on my work desk. Spider-Man will be a nice addition to the Spider-Man shelf. And Ray, of course, will be proudly displayed with the rest. Just nothing as awesome as the Millenium Falcon. But that’s all about to change. I have some new stuff on it’s way to my house that has almost broke the bank. Two words: Ghost Trap.

I earned my platinum trophy on inFAMOUS 2 last night. What a great game. After viewing both the positive and evil karma endings, without spoilers, I think it’s safe to say that an inFAMOUS 3 should be pretty much out of the question. It’s so hard to believe that anyone would just end such a successful franchise, but it would be refreshing. Movies, TV, games, comics, all of these media seem to suffer from the same problem. Nobody wants to end on a high note if they can keep making money. Oh well, on to the news, which is chock full of comic goodness.

After the leaked trophy list and additional artwork, Rocksteady has finally made an official announcement regarding Nightwing in Batman: Arkham City. Nightwing will be playable in all challenge maps, including two add-ons – Wayne Manor and Main Hall. He also has his own special moves and gadgets, taking full advantage of his twin fighting sticks. As with the other characters, you can expect at least one additional (animated) skin. You can download Nightwing, and Robin if you don’t get him through pre-order, on November 22nd for $6.99 each. The additional skins for Batman himself that have been spread around to retailers across the world will also be available December 6th for $4.99. The game will be out on Tuesday, October 18th.

If you like your playboys a little less stealthy, and little more… well, smarmy, there’s good news on the horizon. Replay Games has secured the rights to Leisure Suit Larry and have promised HD remakes for your download service, as well as new adventures for the lovable Larry Laffer. Leisure Suit Larry In The Land Of The Lounge Lizards will be released to PSN and XBLA “as soon as it’s suitably awesome!” Which is expected to be fourth quarter of 2012. The best part of this news is that Al Lowe, Larry’s creator, is back on the job, overseeing all Larry productions in his new home at Replay. Development will be handled by Adventure-Mob.

If you’re looking forward to Final Fantasy XIII-2, you may want to load up on Microsoft Points or PSN Cards. Square Enix is planning a strong amount of DLC for the upcoming RPG. And they’re not just talking extra costumes and weapons, though they’ll have those too. Yoshinori Kitase, Producer, recently told a Japanese gaming magazine, Dengeki Playstation, that they’re planning one or two add-ons per month. It’s when he went on that I got confused. Kitase mentioned that the player may have to kill a certain enemy or accomplish some other goal to gain a DLC item. So we’re paying for a chance to unlock an item, not for the item itself? I’m hoping something is lost in translation. I’m thinking if we buy an extra mission, one of the rewards for the mission would be special items. That’s much more like the Fallout 3/New Vegas model. But Japanese gamers and developers don’t always think the same as their Western counterparts. We’ll find out when the game releases in Japan in December. But it won’t be relevant for the rest of us until January 31st.

You may be wondering why I said you want to stock up on PSN cards in that last story. Why wouldn’t you just use your credit card? Remember that fiasco where Sony had been hacked and some users information was breached? No, not that one from Spring of this year. The one that happened earlier this week. In case you missed it, 93,000 Sony accounts were hacked. Click here to read about it in more detail.

When you bought the inFamous 2 Special Edition, you were supposed to get early access to the Uncharted 3 beta. Turns out, because of Sony’ first hacking breach, everyone ended up with PS+ and got in at the same time. Despite that, it was a cool bonus. One of Sony’s flagship franchises hooked you up with the beta for another one of their flagship franchises. Now it’s Drake’s time to return the favor. If you buy a new copy of Uncharted 3 (starting November 1st) you’ll get a voucher code for early acces to Starhawk‘s multiplayer beta. No word yet on when that early access will begin, but the public beta is scheduled for “early 2012.” Which means you could possibly be getting a start on Starhawk as a nice Christmas present.

If you’re itching for details on Gran Turismo 5‘s DLC pack coming next week, here they are:

• The Racing Pack: 12 new cars (Dodge, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota), three custom carts, Red Bull X2011 Prototype, $7.99
• The Course Pack: Belgian Spa-Francorchamps track, indoor karting arena, $4.99
• The Special Paint Pack: 100 extra paint colors and finishes (incl. aluminum, chrome, and matte), $1.99
• The Racing Gear Pack: 25 new helmets, 15 race suits, Simpson helmets, Alpinestars GP1 overalls, plus famous NASCAR and WRC driver gear, $2.99
• The Complete Pack: All four of the above, $11.99 (discount planned for PS+)

Looking for the next title in the list of games no one wants? Here it is: Men in Black III. You have no idea how much I wish I were kidding. But it’s going to be a major blockbuster next year, it requires a video game, doesn’t it? I don’t suppose Activision would consider actually making this game fun would they? It looks like it could have some awesome third person shooter gunplay, a la Mass Effect, but it probably won’t. I’m expecting it to be on the same level of quality as the last two travesties in the series. It’s scheduled for Spring 2012, near the release of the film, so there will at least be some good games in the time frame.

There is at least one movie tie-in game on the 2012 horizon that could be pretty good though, The Amazing Spider-Man. I don’t think anyone ever believed there wouldn’t be a tie-in for the web slinger’s latest film outing, but its existence was apparently confirmed by a poster seen at New York Comic-Con. I don’t have a super-great picure of it, but rest assured, the Activision and Beenox logos are on the poster, and you can just barely see the Rating Pending logo on the bottom left. Beenox is the developer who recently overhauled the Spidey gaming franchise with Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time. Hopefully tying a game in with a movie won’t affect their already proven formula too much. Expect the game to release around the same time as the film, July 4th, 2012.

In other Marvel news, Zen Studios, makers of Zen Pinball and Pinball FX (depending on your console), announced at San Diego Comic-Con that they had four more tables coming to their popular line of Marvel Pinball. Called the Vengeance and Virtue pack, the plan is for two Vengeance tables and two Virtue tables. The first half of the Vengeance team has been announced as the Spirit of Vengeance himself, Ghost Rider. But who’s the other half? My guess is Punisher. And who are the two Virtue characters? We’ll know one of them tomorrow. At the NYCC Marvel panel, from 1:15-2:15 Saturday, they will be making the announcement of the first Virtue table. If you aren’t bloodhounding everything that comes out of NYCC, just check back here on Tuesday. I’ll have the update. And, as if that isn’t enough, Zen Studios has also announced that Marvel Pinball is coming to the PlayStation Vita whenever it is the new handheld launches. And it’s going to be a launch title.

Comedy Central’s latest gaming venture is South Park: Tenorman’s Revenge. You’ll be able to play as Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny with up to four players, locally or online. The South Park kids will be battling Scott Tenorman and his Ginger army in Spring 2012, only on XBLA.

In other news on the downloadable front, Payday: The Heist (PSN exclusive) and “The Missing Link” add-on for Deus Ex: Human Revolution have both been listed for release on October 18th. Payday is a first-person co-op shooter that is included free for anyone who purchased all four PSN Play titles. It’s $20 if you haven’t. The Deus Ex DLC expands on Adam Jensen’s time aboard the Belltower freighter and will cost about $15.

That wraps it up today. Come on back on Tuesday for another round of gaming news. I’ll be sure to include everything I can find from NYCC.

Big Shiny Robot! will be at New York Comic Con 2011. Will you? Check out our complete coverage of NYCC 2011 events, news, screenings, interviews, and more!

Official Press Release – 10/06/2011

Marvel Television Invades New York Comic Con With New Footage & Announcements

The biggest pop culture event of the fall is almost here and Marvel Television will be at New York Comic Con with never-before-seen footage and exclusive announcements!

First, join Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s Head of Television, on Friday, October 14th in Room 1A22 for Marvel Television Presents: Anime on G4 from 5-6pm for news on this cutting edge animation! Who will voice Blade when G4’s Blade anime premieres? You’ll find out…and see exclusive footage from the hotly-anticipated series. Plus, don’t miss the world-premiere of the X-Men anime with a special screening of Episode 1!

Then, on Saturday, October 15th get in line early for Marvel Television Presents, from 3:45-4:45pm in Room 1A10! Join Loeb as he updates fans on everything Marvel TV, from upcoming animated series on Disney XD to the latest on live action shows in development. Want to see a new clip from next year’s Ultimate Spider-Man animated series? Or the second season premiere of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!? This is the only place to see them…and some other cool stuff we can’t dare reveal!

“Everyone at Marvel Television knows we have the best fans in the world and we’re coming to New York Comic Con with some new material worthy of those fans,” explained Loeb. “If you’re an Avengers fan, Spider-Man or, just a fan of awesome television, then you’re going to want to be at these panels. And you never know which celebrities might surprise us with a visit!”

For more on Marvel’s plans for New York Comic Con, visit http://marvel.com/nycc2011

Can’t make it to the convention? Follow along on the Marvel Events App & events.marvel.com, the best way to get exclusive videos, real-time announcements from the convention floor and up-to-the-minute panel, in-booth, and signing schedules of all your favorite Marvel creators!

Multiplatform:
Rage (PS3, 360, PC)
Dark Souls (PS3, 360)
NBA 2K12 (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, PC)
Spider-man: Edge of Time (PS3, 360, Wii, DS, 3DS)
Just Dance 3 (PS3, 360, Wii)

Nintendo:
Face Racers: Photo Finish (3DS)
Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove (3DS)

Rage comes from the creators of Doom. This sort of seems to cross that game with Fallout and Red Faction. Definitely something to watch if you like FPS.

Spider-man: Edge of Time is where the real excitement should be this week. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions defied expectations by moving the superhero back into a level environment instead of open world and still being, dare I say it, Amazing. Part of what made the last title so great was the inclusion of four Spider-Men (Amazing, Ultimate, Noir, and 2099), complete with separate voices from the character’s animated past. This latest entry keeps only two versions of the hero, Amazing and 2099, but lets them interact with one another’s environment across 100 years of time. Actions you take as Amazing Spider-Man can change not only the environment, but also the difficulty, and existence, of certain battles for his future counterpart. I have high expectations for this game and I’d hate to see it overshadowed in such a cluttered season for games, especially with Batman: Arkham City coming in a couple weeks.

As you all may remember, Dark Horse premiered a Spider-Man/Peter Parker Syroco at San Diego Comic Con that sold like hotcakes. Well, the guys at Dark Horse are at it again! For anyone attending the New York Comic Con (October 13-16) there will be another exclusive Spider-Man Syroco available for purchase! The statue is packaged in the same litho-printed tin box that is the hallmark of the Dark Horse Syrocos and will be sold for $49.99 each with a limit of four per customer. They will be available at the Dark Horse booth on October 13th. They’re sure to sell out fast, so make sure you get there early!

Can you believe it? Summer’s over, fall is rushing in with its usual set of blockbuster games and you have to filter through them all. Which ones do I need to preorder for the best incentives? Which ones do I need but can wait for the holidays and should be on my Amazon wish list? Even if you’re on GameFly, there are a few games you’ll want on release day for the extra bonuses and to quash your own impatience. And, speaking of holiday wish lists, why not tell your friends and family to get you all of the games instead of just one or two by getting you a GameFly subscription. If you’re familiar with Netflix/Qwikster, you know the drill. I’ve had mine for about a year and now I can’t imagine gaming without it.

As for the breakdown, it’ll follow the typical format, usually one game per week. By default, the link will take you to Amazon, unless another retailer has a much better preorder incentive. Generally speaking, Amazon is tough to beat. Their add-ons, physical or digital, are competitive and they usually include an additional credit on a future games purchase. On the other hand, GameStop gives you a decent value for trading in older games to get the new ones cheaper, and Best Buy has one of the best incentives for one of my top games this quarter. It’s also important to remember that Gamestop has started giving double PowerUp points on top shelf games that are fully paid in advance. Choose carefully, and be sure to get the most out of your gaming dollars.

10/4/11
If you’re a hardcore FPS player or a difficulty masochist you have two obvious choices – Rage and Dark Souls, respectively. But the true geeks of Big Shiny Robot! are looking at only one game today, Spider-man: Edge of Time. The last game, Shattered Dimensions, was amazing and this new entry looks almost as good. You play as two Spider-Men, Amazing and 2099. Both are good choices, but I’ll miss the Noir segments. As for preordering, Amazon doesn’t have the extra credit deal, which means their one bonus costume (Future Foundation) loses out to GameStop‘s four Identity Crisis costumes (Dusk, Hornet, Prodigy, and Ricochet). Of course, all of these will eventually be available as DLC, but which one(s) do you want for free immediately?

10/11/11
This is seriously a bad week in a great quarter. Pretty much everything coming out can wait. But I do want to mention one title just because I thought it was fantastic from the moment I first heard about it. Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster from DoubleFine is such a brilliant idea. It’s an Kinect-eractive episode of Sesame Street. What more needs to be said? Except that I just made up that word, but I think it’s workable. Microsoft should buy it off me. The only preorder bonus I found was through GameStop (click the title), and they’re offering an HD movie rental via XBox Live with purchase. That’ll be good for a cartoon to go along with the kids’ game you just bought. Get this one and play it with your kids.

10/18/11
It should come as no surprise that Minute to Win It takes the top spot this week. What a great concept for a game. Take a stupid game show, and make an even more stupid interactive experience. Good job, SouthPeak Interactive. Hah! Seriously, this week’s game is one you should have a training program for to make sure you don’t sprain a thumb or get an awesomeness overload injury to your brain. Batman: Arkham City (Best Buy) is Rocksteady’s follow up to possibly the best superhero game ever made. And Best Buy scored huge with their incentive, locking in the exclusive Robin playable character. If Boy Wonder isn’t your thing, you can get the standard $10 credit and the Arkham City comic book from Amazon, or the Joker’s Challenge Carnival Map from GameStop.

10/25/11
The first of the big guns in the FPS market hits today so I have to feature it. But, if it’s not your bag, and your kids have had enough Sesame Street, take a look at Disney Universe. But I digress. Battlefield 3 is the clear winner this week. All preorders should get you the Back to Karkand expansion pack. Individual extras are also available from each retailer. Best Buy’s seems weakest with only eight multiplayer skins. GameStop’s Physical Warfare pack gets you the DAO-12 shotgun, Flash Suppressor, Type 88 LMG, and Flachette Ammo. Amazon’s bonus is the Dog Tag Pack that gets you a whole slew of Battlefield 2 bonus content, upgraded for the Frostbite 2.0 engine.

11/1/11
What a pretty date. Think someone’s going to take advantage of all those ones to boost their marketing campaign? You betcha. Same deal with a similar gimmick ten days later. Meantime, Nathan Drake is no Bruce Wayne, but Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is just as high on my list of must play games. Preorders vary a little bit, but only make a real difference in online play. Amazon expands your clip for the Para 9 and G-MAL, and also includes a carpet bombing kickback that lets you throw three grenades at once. GameStop eschews the clip expansion in favor of a pretty cool Penny Arcade poster and a Creepy Crawler kickback that turns you into a swarm of spiders (especially effective when battling arachnaphobes). Best Buy has a regeneration kickback, but no extra items.

11/8/11 & 11/11/11
The other side of the Battlefield 3 release is its biggest competitor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Oddly, the only preorder incentive I see is a wallpaper through Amazon and a $10 credit towards a “Turtle Beach Call of Duty:MW3 Ear Force gaming Headset.” Which is cool, if you wanted one of those anyway.

But this week also has a date with bunch of ones in it, and that’s too good a scam for marketers to pass up. So there’s another big title coming you won’t want to miss. Conveniently enough, I wouldn’t expect the audiences to overlap much between Modern Warfare 3 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The universal preorder bonus is a physical map of the game world (also available in the collector’s edition), but Amazon ups the ante with their $10 credit.

Just for fun, this week gets a third nod. Coincidentally it’s the third family friendly title I’m recommending. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 continues melding bricks with another great multimedia franchise. Really, you can’t go wrong with LEGO games. They’re all the same, but they’re all fun. If you’re a miser, Amazon’s standard $10 credit is in effect. But I’m really liking GameStop’s Dumbledore’s Army T-Shirt with preorder.

11/15/11
As much as the nerd in me would like to showcase Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 this week, Capcom’s supidity and avarice with releasing the same game multiple times means I’m skipping it. Another honorable mention is Saint’s Row: The Third, which looks ridiculous but I’d be willing to highlight anyway if it weren’t for this week’s truly biggest game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, the third game in this quarter’s triumvirate of games I must play before someone gets hurt. The link will take you to GameStop, where preordering upgrades you to the Signature Edition (bonus single player mission, multiplayer character, three upgrades to weapon capacity, and a short animated film). Best Buy will get you the Crusader multiplayer skin, while it appears Amazon isn’t even offering their $10 credit.

11/20/11
It’s not a typical Tuesday release, but who cares what day you get it when it’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. No one has preorder offers up yet, but I’d expect them before release. In the meantime, double your PowerUp points at GameStop by pre-paying in full, or spend some of those $10 Amazon credits you’ve been earning.

12/20/11
The end of November tends to be the end of the big holiday releases. If you’ve already bought most of these games you have an open month to finish them. You should also be spending this time refining that Christmas list to make sure you get everything you’ve skipped for the last two months. Then again, you may have no friends left by the time Christmas rolls around. That’s because the MMO that will probably suck in everyone who’s been avoiding them for years comes out today. Star Wars: The Old Republic may even spell the end of Big Shiny Robot! as we are all Star Wars fans and very likely to succumb to this gaming trap. Worse yet, my lousy computer that could have saved me by not being able to run this game is swiftly dying, meaning I’ll probably have a much better system by release date. If you’re already planning to join the addiction, the only preorder incentive available as I write this is early access and an alternate lightsaber crystal from Amazon. The real junkies will, of course, be getting the collector’s edition for a generous collection of physical and digital extras.

And that about does it for 2011. Sure, I skipped a few great games. But in such a crowded market, one has to pick and choose. I hope you enjoy your holiday games. While you’re loading all of these games into your Amazon cart, don’t forget to pick out a few things for your spouse and children. If they don’t get presents, you don’t get any peace to play with yours.