System: Xbox 360
Dev: TBA
Pub: Microsoft Studios
Released: TBA 2007
Players: MMORPG
Preview by Vaughn

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

Someone stole my idea. I suggested years ago that someone should create an MMORPG or MPOG (based on the Marvel Universe). Due to my vast influence on the industry, it's obvious the powers that be decided to turn my idea into a reality. Now all that's left is for some well-meaning but under-experienced developers to completely screw it up.

Announced at Comic-Con International, which is the world's largest gathering of nerds only rivalling E3, Marvel Enterprises and Microsoft Game Studios game little details but whet the appetite of comic fans and gamers the world over.

"Marvel has created some of the most iconic and exciting characters and stories in the past century. We're thrilled to bring this universe to interactive entertainment," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox at Microsoft. "With this next generation of gaming, Marvel fans will finally have the ability to create choices with their favorite Super Heroes, villains and creatures in unbelievable detail -- all with the power of Marvel's incredible vision and the Xbox platform."

Due to the Microsoft Studio involvement, it's clear that this will be an Xbox 360 exclusive product, which could be a great big feather in the cap for the system - as long as the game turns out to be decent. With the ability of thousands of online players to interact with online, the possibilities are endless. Of course even the mighty Marvel universe doesn't feature that many possible characters, so we're assuming that players will seek out various "universes" online - think of each one like an alternate universe. The logistics of the project are staggering and complex. Will there be a dozen Spider-Mans and Wolverines running around or will character selection be first come, first served? Will you be relegated to playing as lesser known Marvel characters if someone is already playing as your first choice? Will you be able to play as villains as well? How many players will be allowed in one city? Will it be real time action or turn based combat? Will there be different cities to fight in or will it all take place in New York? Will Alpha Flight be in it? See, these are pretty prudent questions. Destructable environments? Free roam? None of which were even hinted at during the announcement. And yeah, that sucks.

"The alliance with Microsoft catapults us into the games category in an unprecedented way. Microsoft is an acknowledged leader in the interactive game space, and backed by their technology, creative and marketing clout, Marvel will establish a strong presence in the burgeoning online gaming arena," said Tim Rothwell, worldwide president of the Consumer Media Group at Marvel Enterprises. "We are very excited to be working with Microsoft to bring our fans what we expect will be a world-class online gaming experience. We also believe online gaming will provide valuable, global exposure to our character brands."

Yeah, that's great. But how about some details? We're excited too, but announcing a possible game and an emotion isn't exactly newsworthy.

So naturally, we'll have to keep on this story as it develops. Stay tuned Marvel Fans!