[thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Super glue

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Posted by The Night Writer:
Super glue
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1178251883.shtml


   I've been doing a bit of father-daughter bonding lately with Tiger
   Lilly via one of the Xbox games I received for my birthday: [1]Justice
   League Heroes. In it mixed duos of superheroes fly and fight their way
   through a less-bloody version of the Baldur's Gate II universe (the
   games were designed by the same people). Though you can play
   individually, the game works best with a real partner and Tiger
   Lilly's just the person you want to take with you into a dark Gotham
   or Metropolis alley - fast thumbs, sharp eyes and a diabolical "heh,
   heh" when she unleashes a devastating A-B-A combo on a pitiable robot
   or para-demon, or -- if she's playing as Zatanna, Mistress of Magic --
   when she turns them into white rabbits. 
   You start out with your basic A-list of superheroes: Batman, Superman,
   Wonder Woman, Zatanna, the Martian Manhunter, the Flash and the guy
   I'm kind of partial to -- Green Lantern (who's secret identity is John
   Stewart). As you go along you can earn shields (points) that allow you
   to unlock more characters such as Aquaman, Hawkgirl, and the Huntress.
   On some levels you get to pick your character from the entire roster,
   but most of the time the duo is predetermined (to fit the cut-scene
   segues) and you only get to pick between the two -- which means I
   sometimes get the opportunity to explore my inner Wonder Woman (laugh
   and I'll bounce a tiara-boomerang off your head so fast you'll feel
   like Jimmy Olson).
   Each character has a different set of super powers and it's fun
   learning how to best apply them. Superman, for example, has a
   super-assortment that includes heat vision, freezing breath, a
   high-speed flying strike and the Super-Punch, which takes a moment to
   load up but does tremendous damage. Still, he can be a bit of an oaf.
   On one level where I'm playing as Superman and Tiger Lilly is Wonder
   Woman, TL takes great delight in letting me fly out to punch a
   laser-shooting creature...and then using her lasso to snatch the
   villain right from under my nose (or fist) so she can deliver a
   knock-out kick. The best part though, in my opinion, is the job the
   artists and writers did in getting the personalities of the characters
   into the game. Superman and Batman, for instance, don't really like
   each other (well, to tell the truth, Batman doesn't really like
   anyone) and trash-talk each other throughout the game and there's
   girl-talk between Zatanna and Wonder Woman (Z: "Just between us girls,
   don't you ever get cold in that outfit?").
   As in Baldur's Gate, if you let your characters stand still too long
   they get antsy and let you know about it in ways generally true to
   their character. Zatanna, for instance, will say, "Hey! Pay attention
   to me!" or "Want to see a real magic trick? Pull my finger!" Her
   friend Wonder Woman will say, "You can tell that a man designed this
   costume," or, "If only I could remember where I parked the invisible
   plane." Superman, always the Boy Scout, will finally say, "I don't
   mean to be pushy, but 'places to go, people to save,' you know?" or
   "Have you ever noticed there always seems to be a lot of kryptonite
   lying around? Really, what's up with that?" My favorite, though, is
   the Batman: "Robin used to make me wait; ever wonder what happened to
   him?" -- or the all-time winner, "What's the matter, Precious? Your
   mother kick you out of the basement?"
   Besides having fun, I've even developed some super-powers of my own.
   For instance, Tiger Lilly can have her nose buried in a book, or be
   heading for a cuddle with Mom and all I have to do is interlock my
   fingers, raise my thumbs and twiddle them and she jumps up and runs at
   super-speed to the television. Now if I can only get that to work when
   it comes to mowing the lawn...SHAZAM!

References

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   1. http://www.amazon.com/Eidos-788687200424-Justice-League-Heroes/dp/B000FZXHNM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-6290117-8335847?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1178341680&sr=8-2

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