Super-hero

Not to spoil anything from this fourth (and last) entry in the Brian Michael Bendis-penned, animated comic-thing, Chronicles of Doom, but Dr. Doom is sort of a jerk. That's primarily why you'll spend most of your time in the now-live Marvel Heroes working to deliver him a swift punch in the metal jaw.

The final episode follows Dr. Doom as his plan to seize the Cosmic Cube comes to fruition and as he broods dramatically and monologues about an invincible army in the way super-villains generally do. There's also a mysterious figure watching Doom from beyond -- presumably pondering a method for intervening in his dastardly plans.

Check it out after the jump. And if you missed episode three, well, we've thrown that one in for you as well.

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Stow those pitchforks, Marvel Heroes fans; your early access is finally, er, accessible! The Gazillion team has been slaving away trying to squash a few last minute bugs that held up the game's May 28th debut for purchasers of the Founder's Pack, but as of last night everything seems to be shipshape.

CEO David Brevik apologized for the delay in a post on the official MH website, and he also said that the firm is "looking into granting compensation for those who were unable to play yesterday." You might also want to read through the Early Game Access FAQ.

Some folks may wonder whether the upcoming superhero title Infinite Crisis can make it in the big leagues of MOBA gaming, but it is already assured a place in the majors. Major League Gaming has announced a partnership with Turbine's DC Comic-based game, one that will kick off at E3 with a live competition between two top teams. Fans wanting to check out the action can stop by the WB Games booth (South Hall 1637) beginning at 3 p.m. EDT (12 p.m. PDT) on Tuesday, June 11th, or watch it livestreamed on MLG's and Infinite Crisis' official sites.

This collaboration will introduce Infinite Crisis to the e-sports community and ultimately lead to Infinite Crisis' inclusion at MLG Pro Circuit competitions. The game's executive producer, Jeffrey Steefel, is quoted as saying, "We look forward to working closely with MLG to introduce players to the DC Multiverse and building a world-class gaming community."

[Source: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment press release]

Those of you who have followed the column for a while are familiar with the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of Marvel Heroes, though it's more an issue of apathy than malice. Still, early access has started, players are starting to get what they paid for up front with Founder's Packs, and it's time to stop considering what the game could do before testing ends and start considering what it's actually doing.

Leaving aside the discussion of whether or not it fully succeeds at its goals, I think Marvel Heroes has a couple of big positives in the current market and one staggeringly dumb decision. So we're going to look at that sandwich-style. And then let's talk about the future of the column at the end -- if we're talking about Marvel, we really need a shocking revelation at the end or it won't ring true.

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Those of you with Marvel Heroes Founder's Packs might be wondering why you can't log in to the game, given that it's May 28th and given that May 28th was supposed to mark the beginning of the game's early access phase.

As it turns out, Gazillion found some "serious issues" that left it unable to kick things off when it originally intended. CEO David Brevik spills the beans via a post on the MH community blog, saying that the dev team has been working for 96 hours straight to correct the problem. Brevik also says that the process "is nearly complete" and that "we will not leave this studio until you can play the game. We hope this will be a in a matter of hours."

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Were you hanging on the edge of your seat after watching the first episode of Marvel Heroes' Chronicles of Doom last week? Hope you haven't fallen to your doo...mise because the second installment is now available.

The episode tracks the sinister Victor von Doom as he makes a devil's deal with Dorammu to gain power and YouTube likes. The Chronicles of Doom is a four-part motion comic series written by Marvel's Brian Michael Bendis, and it can be seen as the prequel to the game itself.

Watch episode 2 after the jump!

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Have you ever wanted to battle for galactic glory on the moon? Now you can thanks to Champions Online's Forum Malvanum alert. The new content just went live, and Cryptic says that player heroes will need to "defeat some of the the most dangerous monsters and gladiators from around the universe" in order to become champions of the Lunar Games.

"The Lunar Games include ten rounds of enemies, with some variation in each run," according to Cryptic's announcement post. "Heroes who complete the first five rounds are guaranteed a prize as worthy competitors. More rewards will be granted by Tateklys for defeating the time-limited sixth through tenth rounds, including a climactic final fight with Firewing himself, reigning champion of the Games. Rewards include costume pieces, resources and more."

[Thanks Matixzun!]

Even as a mere mortal, Billy Batson stood up to injustice. And now, thanks to the powers granted him by the ancient wizard Shazam, Billy can turn into a mighty lightning-infused warrior to fight against injustice, evil... and whatever opponents happen to queue against him! Joining the pool of available champions in Turbine's upcoming MOBA Infinite Crisis, the superhero formerly known as Captain Marvel (name officially changed to Shazam in 2010) hails from the Prime Universe and brings the power of lightning front-and-center as a melee enforcer.

Want to catch of glimpse of Shazam's powers and abilities like Speed of Mercury, Power of Zeus, Lightning Field, and Mystic Power/Defense? Then watch the champion reveal video after the break.

[Source: Turbine press release]

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I don't know if SOE has any plans to capitalize on the wave of Superman hype sweeping the nerdosphere on account of Zack Snyder's upcoming Man of Steel film. The firm's DC Universe Online title features the big blue boy scout rather prominently, of course, and the timing seems right if there aren't a bunch of legal stumbling blocks.

SOE has done movie tie-ins with an MMO before, way back in 2005 when its Rage of the Wookiees expansion added a bunch of Episode III-themed content to Star Wars Galaxies. Last summer, though, the firm didn't really acknowledge Christopher Nolan's final Batman film in DCUO, so it may not be in the cards for Supes either.

Regardless of what actually happens, would you like to see appropriate movie tie-in content in certain MMOs? Or do you prefer to keep the properties separate?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

When life hands you lemons, you build a new life. Out of lemons. The metaphor is a bit tortured, but the ultimate point is still the same: When City of Heroes fans found out the game was shutting down, some decided to band together and make a new game to incorporate all of the best of CoH while not being, you know, shut down completely. It's something that I've discussed a few times now because it's a really neat idea that also has some really big potential pitfalls.

The Phoenix Project and Heroes & Villains are the two big games working at getting themselves together, and they've had about half a year to do so. Both have been moving forward, networking, and putting together everything needed to make the games actually exist. And there's good news and bad news about both, some in tandem and some separately. So despite the possibility of missing an important context clue or two, we carry on with our look at what's going well and what is... less so.

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Looking for a beefy enforcer who can dominate close-range combat in Infinite Crisis? Look no further than Gaslight Joker, the newest champion spotlighted in Turbine's ongoing DC-centric MOBA video reveals.

Turbine says its laughing butcher can throw hams at enemies with the Shower of Filth skill, sending them running in fear and debuffing them for good measure. The video touches on a number of other Gaslight Joker skills, too, both passive and active, and it shows off a good bit of Infinite Crisis gameplay footage in the process. See for yourself after the cut.

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When Marvel Heroes launches on June 4th, it will begin a super story that finds Doctor Doom wielding a fair share of power. But what about the story behind that story? To reveal just how Doctor Doom rose to power, Gazillion is releasing a short series of motion comics entitled "Chronicles of Doom." Penned by Brian Michael Bendis, well-known for his work creating the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the adventure begins with the villain infiltrating the sanctuary of the Fantastic Four. Watch the first installment of the four-part series after the break.

[Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]

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With early access to Marvel Heroes coming on May 28th and the actual launch a few days later on June 4th, the Gazillion team is on super-high alert. CEO David Brevik talked with us about the final additions that the team is putting in place, saying that most of the features are complete at this point.

Brevik most wanted to talk about Marvel Heroes' endgame. Interestingly enough, the main PvE story will take your character only about halfway to the level 60 cap. After that, Gazillion expects players to fully rely on a robust endgame to finish the journey.

The endgame is made up of three primary PvE activities (in addition to PvP): daily missions, group challenges, and survival challenges. Daily missions, which can be soloed or done in a group, are unlocked in a chain. The five-man group challenges only have a single entry at this point, although there are several variations on that challenge. Then the survival challenges can take groups of 10 to 15 players and pit them against waves of increasingly difficult foes. Difficulty for these wave battles can be lowered by grabbing shards and defeating enemies, and depending on how well your team performs, the boss could be a pushover or insanely tough. Gazillion is placing a premium on randomness and variety to keep things fresh, so don't expect all similar-looking mobs to actually be the same!

Read on for all of the last-minute changes that players will encounter when they take on their superhero personae next month!

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