With 130,000 ravenous consumers of geek culture in attendance, it's no wonder video game publishers have increasingly taken to revealing new titles at the San Diego Comic-Con. Just as the movie and television companies have moved in to publicise their latest super hero and mildly SF/fantasy-themed wares, so the games industry now times specific genre announcements to capture the lycra-clad buzz.
Amid the excitement over Mad Max: Fury Road, Wonder Woman's new outfit, the Avengers: Age of Ultron footage and the cast announcement for Game of Thrones season five, here are the key video game titbits from this weekend's event.
Firefly Online
The TV series was cancelled over a decade ago but fans of Joss Whedon's space cowboy adventure will soon get the chance to re-live it. Firefly Online is a strategic multiplayer role-playing game featuring much of the original cast, including Nathan Fillion, of course. Developed by Quantum Mechanix and Spark Plug Games its coming to iOS and PC next year. The game was announced a couple of weeks ago, but Comic-Con got the first gameplay trailer. It looks a bit, um, basic at the moment.
Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom
Well, the video game tie-ins with Pendleton Ward's wonderful animated series have been pretty dire so far, but this trailer is okay – if only for the fact that Ward himself narrates most of it, with the help of Finn and Jake. It's basically old-school Zelda with jokes, and hits Xbox 360, PS3, PC and 3DS in autumn.
Atari: Game Over
No, this isn't a game, it's Microsoft's documentary on the fall of Atari and specifically the digging up of all those ET carts, buried in the New Mexico desert. Comic-Con got a new trailer for the programme as well as a panel discussion with the filmmaker, Atari co-founder Noan Bushell and ET game designer, Scott Warshaw who said on stage, "I am proud to have designed the worst video game of all time.” Wow, so he worked on Duke Nukem Forever as well? Tough break.
Zelda hero Link to star in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Fans of Capcom's creature slaying series discovered this weekend that Link, star of the Legend of Zelda series, will be a playable character in the forthcoming 3DS instalment, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. This was already known in Japan, but previously it wasn't clear whether Western versions of the game would get the extra character, who'll be wielding the Master Sword, of course.
Lego Batman 3
Comic-Con got a new trailer of the latest Lego super hero tie-in, due out on just about every current platform imaginable later this year. At a panel discussion, developer Traveller's Tales also revealed that players will get to control the 1960s TV version of the Dark Knight in one special mission – and he'll be voiced by Adam West, who receieved a standing ovation when he ventured onto the stage.
Halo: Nightfall
The five-part, live-action series set to premiere alongside Microsoft's epic Halo: Master Chief Collection appeared at Comic-Con courtesy of a new trailer. Produced by Ridley Scott, the series introduces a new character, agent Jameson Locke, who is expected to play a role in the forthcoming Halo: Guardians game.
