Astro Boy Video Game at E3!

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is happening right now in LA, and the world of video games is abuzz with all of the bombshell announcements and playable demos that have come out of the show.

D3 Publisher is on hand with our very first look at the Astro Boy video game, and it is looking good! 30 levels of 2.5D, left-to-right platforming and shooting action on the Wii. From the look of the screen shots, it's looking like the now classic GameBoy Advanced game "Astro Boy: Omega Factor" may have been a big influence. This new game also uses the same engine as High Voltage Software's anticipated release "The Conduit", so you know it's going to look great on Nintendo's little white box. There's even a 2 player mode!

Most movie-based games don't turn out very well, but Astro Boy certainly has some promise. It'll be released in October, right along with the movie. You can read more info and see some some screen shots thanks to Gaming Nexus E3 2009 coverage, or by clicking the link below for archived coverage right here.

E3 2009: D3
Posted by: John at 6/3/2009 12:53 AM
At the D3 area in the Namco booth, I was shown a few titles that tied into movie and TV shows. Astroboy is a movie coming out in a few months and High Voltage was brought in to bring the game based off the movie to life. The game, which is slated for the Wii, PS2, PS3, and DS, uses the same engine as The Conduit but turns it into a side scrolling platform game. It’s a 2.5D game where you have a left to right action but set in a 3D environment.

Astroboy

Astroboy is easy to pick up so it’s accessible for all range of age groups and gamer experience. Besides melee attacks, Astroboy also has a drill attack, arm cannon, finger laser, and the popular butt machine gun. Yes, Astroboy shoots bullets in a circular motion from his butt. It’s always a crowd pleaser.

The game has four difficulty levels ranging from easy and for those that are hardcore gamers wanting a challenge. There are 30 levels comprised of both material inspired by the movie and all new content. The levels aren’t just side scrolling platform style game as I was shown an R-Type like flying sequence with Astroboy. The one really unique feature of the flying sequence was seeing Metro City rotate around in the background. It was really smooth and unique looking to a side scrolling shooter.

When you encounter enemies in Astroboy, some may look the same but the color they exhibit tell you what kind of attack they can do. For example, an enemy with green will throw grenades while those same enemies in blue will carry a machine gun. It’s a system that can benefit kids who will know what kind of enemies they are based on the color scheme.

If you got a friend, the person can pick up a controller and join in as a second Astroboy. It’s nice to be able to cooperatively play with someone. While there aren’t any hard-coded team attacks, you can use Astroboy’s basic abilities to setup some tag teaming.

High Voltage as taken great care to keep the iconic image of Astroboy. No matter which way he’s facing, you’ll always see the two spikes of his air. They also worked hard to make sure the game is easy to play for everyone and to pay homage to the manga and anime. Look for Astroboy in October to be released with the film.

Source: Gaming Nexus