PAX: Mega Man Creator Announces Mighty No. 9

At PAX today, Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune announced Mighty No. 9, a new project seeking funding on Kickstarter.

According to the project page, Mighty No. 9 features “classic Japanese side-scrolling action” in which the player takes on the role of Beck, “the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk.”

Gameplay sound similar to Mega Man in that players “run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages” that can be completed in any order. Players will steal weapons and abilities from enemies they defeat, and Beck’s “body itself can also reconfigure into new shapes, allowing for all kinds of new skills and abilities.”

Concept art from Mighty No. 9 (not an in-game screen).

An example of Beck's abilities presented on the project page suggests, "his limbs might become giant magnets, enabling him to walk up walls or rip away enemy shields... Or maybe extendible spring-loaded hands would allow him to activate far-away switches or work as a grappling hook... Or he could have a tank-like body, easily crossing over spikes and pushing objects around the levels... These are just a few possibilities we’re considering (the game is still in the design phase), but you get the idea!"

Beck will also be able to take "xel" energy from foes, which he can store and use later to perform "a double-jump and speed boost for a limited time, unleash a concentrated flurry of powerful punches directly ahead, or set off a blast that hurts everything on the screen." The project hints that the "Mighty Number" robot bosses will be revealed later, but a few pieces of concept art are included below.

 

Aside from Inafune, talent on the project includes designer Naoya Tomita (level designer on the original Mega Man), character designer Kimo Kimo (who worked on Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Darkstalkers 3), composer Manami Matsumae (responsible for the soundtrack of the original Mega Man) and art director Shinsuke Komaki (mecha and character design on Mega Man Legends).

Mighty No. 9 is being developed for PC, with other platforms “including home consoles, Mac, and Linux” potentially available as stretch goals. The project is seeking $900,000 before October 1st and is targeting an estimated release date of Spring 2015.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

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The Beauty and Brutality of Dragon Age: Inquisition

BioWare is finally opening up about Dragon Age: Inquisition, its debut next-gen RPG, and it is a monstrous, ambitious, impressive thing. In discussing the next generation of Dragon Age, developers revealed numerous notable new features, systems, characters, and other details that hardcore fans will go nuts for.

These are the 6 most exceptional  things I've seen from Inquisition.

You can play as a qunari...

The horned antagonists of Dragon Age II can, if you opt in, play a vital role in the waging war between mages and the Chantry, the rise of the long out-of-order Inquisition, and the general rescuing of Thedas from enemies beyond the Fade. You can also play as a female qunari -- not only is this the first time we're able to play as the race itself, it's the first time we'll even see a lady of their kind. Women in previous Dragon Age games have taken heat from men in a familiar, misogynistic culture, which created opportunity for interesting character growth, story moments, and moments where empowered women could shine. As an oft-hated qunari, those situations could prove...unpredictable in all the right ways.

Exploring the open world...

Meandering through Thedas has a purpose. The team used a phrase I really like: "honest discovery." Dragon Age won't force you into a cave to fetch a book. Ideally, you'd stumble upon an opening, go in blind, and see what you find inside. On the larger scale, the sprawling spaces serve a bigger-picture purpose. Capturing keeps allows you to turn your growing army into a militant brute, a commercial enterprise, and more. Branding your new little fortresses reminds me of Far Cry 3's captured control points -- your influence and infamy grows alongside your army, which you can use in various ways. Speaking of which...

The Agent system...

Recruiting followers and amassing a trusted force comes naturally to a good leader, which is what you'll become as the Inquisitor in Dragon Age. This goes beyond companions. Your Agents are specialized units that take care of dirty work off-screen -- think Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -- to create new opportunities with serious gameplay ramifications. In a simple example, we're shown a valley absorbed by poisonous gas. Should specialists head into the toxin and cap their source, you're able to explore what lies within. This is a behind-the-scenes mechanics that means something in the grand scheme of the world you inhabit, and it brings the thriving open world to life.

The Frostbite 3 Engine

Dragon Age: Inquisition is gorgeous, and brings the sort of A-game visual splendor you want at the turn of a console generation. Its scenery is beautiful, its spaces are dense, and its destruction looks as great as you'd expect -- and not in a "medieval Battlefield" sort of way. Rocks crumble beneath go-getter dragons tumbling into a structure. Bridges collapse when cut or detonated, boats burn when ignited -- which can halt an enemies' escape or resources long-term -- and combat bowls can be carved through to upend the level design. It's more than a shiny coat of paint. Like most things in Inquisition, the new bits have meaningful consequence on the gameplay.

The new dialog wheel

Speaking of consequence, making tough calls has always been part of BioWare's legacy, but oftentimes the reaction to an action isn't quite what you expect. Selecting the "Shut up" option in Mass Effect, for example, may have led to an unexpected act of violence that didn't suit the character, or damaged something later on that you may not have expected. Now, when you highlight dialog, you'll see a text pop-up explaining what's likely to happen if you say or do something. This is optional, so if you'd rather not know that a village will certainly fall if you leave its under-attack inhabitants hanging, or you'd rather deal with it on your own terms, you can.

The combat

I loved the physicality of Dragon Age II's combat, but like many, especially PC players, I missed the almost-turn-based tactics level of stop-motion strategy from Origins' combat. That's back in Inquisition (on all platforms), so even console players can stop time, get a high-level view of the battlefield, and assign orders for each of their characters. You can assign move orders, spells, and attack patterns with quick grace, and jump right back into the fray for real-time slicing and dicing. A.I. states also let you assign behaviors to units, as usual, so you can send an aggressive character ahead of his or her teammates to take care of business while supporting them from afar. That, and the Z-targeting, reactive enemies, and vicious force of each strike really makes each fight look like a scary place to be.

Look for a lot more on Dragon Age: Inquisition soon, including an interview with BioWare and some new footage.

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Hang Out With IGN At PAX This Weekend

This year IGN is going to be all over PAX. Where can you see us this year? Check out all of our big events below:

IGN's PAX Party and Indie Showcase

"Join IGN at Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Seattle on Saturday the 31st for a night of drinks, food, games and Greg Miller scaring small children! We've partnered up with Midnight City, a brand new indie publishing company from former IGN Editor In Chief Casey Lynch and we'll be showing off tons of games they'll be publishing. IGN's own Greg Miller, Daemon Hatfield, Mitch Dyer, Jose Otero, Sean Finnegan, Tim Geddes and Sean Allen will be hanging out all night, drinking, gaming, and partying with the IGN community. (When you see Mitch, make sure to talk to him about the finer points of Boy Meets World, he loves it!)"

Where: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, 1333 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 When: Saturday 8/31 7PM - 11PM Pacific Time.

The event is first come first serve, get there early to reserve yourself a spot. The event is also all ages, so bring the whole family down!

IGN Game Scoop! Presents 5 Wild Next-Gen Predictions

"Join Daemon, Greg, Mitch, Jose and a few special friends as they sit down, record a podcast, and discuss what the next generation of games means to you. They’ll also probably ramble about nonsense and shout a lot… OK, that last part will mostly be Greg."

Where: Serpent Theatre When: Monday 9/2 11:30AM - 12:30PM

Sean Allen is IGN's Community Manager and Social Media Robocop. He is currently trying to decide if Miley Cyrus would be a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Be sure to follow him Sean on Twitter to help him decide.

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Road Not Taken Coming to PlayStation 4, PS Vita

Sony revealed quite a few games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita today: add Road Not Taken to the list. Road Not Taken has already been announced for PC and iPhone.

Road Not Taken is under development at Spry Fox, and “is a game about life’s surprises, both positive and negative,” according to Spry Fox’s CEO David Edery. “In our take on Robert Frost’s poem of the same name, you wander through a mysterious forest in the aftermath of a large snowstorm. As you explore, you’ll come across wild animals, impassable barriers, and lost children.”

Edery describes Road Not Taken as a “puzzle roguelike,” which itself sounds quite interesting. He promises dozens of hours of gameplay and a high level of difficulty. It’s unclear when it will be launched on PS4 and PS Vita, but we’ll keep you updated when we hear more.

Colin Moriarty is IGN’s Senior Editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

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Samurai Gunn Announced for PS4, PS Vita

Today, Sony revealed that Samurai Gunn (not to be confused with the old manga Samurai Gun) would be coming to both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.

Samurai Gunn was actually mentioned back at Gamescom as coming to the PlayStation ecosystem, but it appeared to only be a Vita game (in addition to coming to PC). Sony’s PS Blog post confirms that it’s both Vita and PS4-bound. It’s an old-school, hardcore action-platformer.

The developer behind Samurai Gunn is Teknopants, the studio behind the web game Shoot First. It’s unclear when this title will be released, but we’ll keep you updated as information becomes available.

Colin Moriarty is IGN’s Senior Editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

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The Subtle Magic of Folding Paper in Tengami

I guess this preview should start with an apology. See, I played Tengami months ago at the first annual BitSummit -- an independent developer conference in Japan -- but forgot to write about it for IGN. And, at the time, I walked away impressed. I thought it was wonderful and different: a serene and thought provoking experiment that used interesting visual trickery and puzzles.

The first time I played Tengami, I did so on an iPad. Today, I played an early build running on Wii U at PAX. And, more importantly, I still felt the positive about it.

But I will admit that it's hard to fully grasp Tengami at first glance. In fact, during my Wii U demo two attendees started talking about it, and I couldn’t help but overhear their discussion. "I just don't understand what the game is here?" a disinterested male voice said.

"It's a game where you tap and explore an environment, " Someone quickly responded. The conversation between the two ended there.

Easily described as a puzzle game meets pop-up book, I played Tengami and walked through a serene and mysterious forest. I used a one-touch interface to interact with different tabs. One puzzle required me to fold bush-shaped papers closed so I could open a path. Another involved a trolling wolf that would howl in order to close a stairway I unfolded.

As I silently wondered how to get rid of this pest, the answer presented itself as I journeyed to the right-most part of the screen. I found a tree with wind chimes that I had to manipulate in a specific order. Once I accomplished this task, the trolling wolf went to sleep. "Time to go back and unfold that paper staircase, " I thought.

The mystery unfolds in Tengami.

Given the puzzles and interactions I've described, I hope you can see what makes Tengami so special. It's subtle, inventive and, at times, clever. Each new page unravels another beautiful setting with moving streams and colorful fields. The pop-up aesthetic gave it a unique character and look. It's Eastern influences fit the quiet atmosphere well.

Tenagami is an interactive picture book, but one that presented little story. At BitSummit, I remembered it involved a character with no name. So I asked a representative on hand, and she clarified that Tengami does travel in a specific arc, but she hoped that people wouldn't hang too much on a story and observe a bigger, metaphorical tale bound inside.

I also wondered if, given this started as an iOS game, if multi-touch would be a problem. The rep on hand clarified that even though all iOS devices supported multi-touch, the team wanted to focus on single points of interaction. It helped the developers emphasize only specific points for the player to focus on.

Even after I played this early, unfinished build of Tengami I felt my interest pique just a little more. Once it was over, I wondered what mystery sat at the heart of this soft and interesting game. Tengami will first come to iOS in 2013, and a Wii U version will happen in 2014.

Jose Otero is an Associate Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat. You can read more about the games he likes by following him on twitter.

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PAX: Double Fine Making DLC for PlayStation 4’s The Playroom

During a PlayStation event at PAX tonight, Double Fine revealed that it will create upcoming downloadable content for The Playroom, PlayStation 4’s AR game collection.

No details about the DLC have been revealed (including price or release date), but expect more information leading up to PlayStation 4's launch in November.

The Playroom is a collection of mini-games that utilizes the PlayStation 4 camera. At Gamescom last week, Sony confirmed that it will be pre-installed on every PlayStation 4.

This marks yet another new project for Double Fine, which previously announced work on Massive Chalice, a turn-based tactics game that received Kickstarter funding earlier this year. Double Fine is also working on its original Kickstarter project, Broken Age, which will soon come to Steam Early Access.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

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'Xbox On' Voice Command Only in 5 Markets at Xbox One Launch

Update: Microsoft has clarified that the delay specifically affects the "Xbox On" voice command, which will only work in five markets at launch.

A spokesperson provided the following statement to Gamespot:

"Our vision is to bring conversational voice control and voice search to every country where we sell Xbox. At Xbox One launch, we will offer voice control in 10 of our 13 launch markets, with eight total languages: English US, English UK, French, Spanish MX, Spanish ES, Italian, German, and Portuguese. There will be some voice experience variations in different markets at launch; the 'Xbox On' voice command will only be available in five markets (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany) and will come to others in the near future.

There are many complexities associated with delivering a great voice experience around the world, and we're working hard to add more voice features and more countries; we'll share more details in the future."

Original story follows:

While we're still waiting on a firm release date for the Xbox One, we now know that the system's much-touted voice command capabilities will be limited to select markets at launch. Spotted by Gamespot, a listing on Xbox.com notes that the console's new Kinect-enabled voice commands will only be available in the US, UK, Canada, France, and Germany when it ships sometime in November. That leaves customers in the other 8 launch regions — including Australia, Mexico, Italy, and others — out of luck until an unspecified later date.

While the exact cause for the staggered rollout is not mentioned, earlier this week Microsoft head of product development Albert Penello discussed language localization as the primary cause for the system's delayed availability in select markets. With the aid of the new and improved Kinect sensor, many of the Xbox One's software can be controlled by simple voice commands, including the ability to power on the system, switch to different programs, and launch apps. In order to make the feature available in all available in the primary languages of each country, including the nuances of regional dialects.

We've reached out to Microsoft for comment.

Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and first-person shooter fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe and on MyIGN at Scott-IGN.

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The Tragedy and Comedy of Phoenix Wright 5

Five minutes into the investigation demo for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, I'm faced with a situation I would describe as dire and funny at the same time. First, the dire part: Everyone's favorite, blue suit wearing Attorney is missing, and a team made of Apollo Justice and spunky newcomer Athena Cykes must rescue him. And the funny part? Athena theorizes a giant bird monster ate him.

OK, maybe her theory sounds a little too dramatic but it accurately describes Phoenix Wright's courtroom hijinks in a nutshell. The series bounces between tragedy and comedy often, but it never runs off of a narrative cliff on a wacky tangent. And even though Athena's theory appears farfetched, I found evidence to support it all over the room.

Before I explain further, here's some important context: The gameplay portion I played on the PAX show floor is meant to serve as a feature demo, almost similar to a recent Pokemon X and Y trial I played a few weeks ago. It gave me a quick glimpse of features and systems without spoiling the final game.

But let's slip back into the situation: Athena and I had to figure out what really happened to Phoenix Wright. According to the evidence, he attended a mysterious party held in this room, but now the place is trashed. Taking cues from the point and click adventure genre, I guided a pointer using the 3DS's analog stick in the demo. A crosshair would appear over items of interest and signaled that I could take a closer look. In some cases, this meant that the camera would zoom into or under an object. So I looked under a table briefly to find a note from Phoenix, one that we labeled his last will and testament.

The scene looked pretty grizzly from then on and only small hints : I saw blood on the floor, feathers everywhere, and overturned furniture. Clearly something happened to Phoenix Wright, but what? In order to investigate the scene, I rotated the camera in real-time by tapping on labeled sections of the touch screen. This allowed me to peer at the room from three perspectives and hunt for more hidden objects.

Say hello to Athena, the spunky newcomer of Ace Attorney 5.

Naturally, missing a crucial piece of evidence becomes a problem with point-and-click adventures made in this style. So I couldn't move the story forward until I found every piece of evidence in the room. Thankfully, Phoenix Wright has always tackled this tedium head on with sharp, witty writing. So I found comedy while searched through mundane objects, like when I found a trophy for winning the Loudest Towel Snapping Noise competition. Is that really a thing?

At the end of my brief demo, I put together the clues and answered the question that hung in the air. Was Phoenix Wright dead? No. The hero appeared and his explanation for going missing served as a great punch line. Basically, a turkey he was preparing for a party came to life and ran off. It was covered in red grapefruit sauce, which to our heroes looked awfully close to blood when smeared on the floor. He ran after it, but he came back because of an important mission.

Even as the fifth installment of the series, my demo for Dual Destines made the case that Phoenix Wright is still every bit as charming as I remembered. I understand that it's an acquired taste, and some people wouldn't have the patience to sit through these investigation missions, but the clever writing and character asides made it worth my time. So if you're excited for Phoenix Wright 5, you're in luck: Capcom announced a few weeks ago that Dual Destinies would arrive in the US as a digital download on the eShop.

Jose Otero is an Associate Editor at IGN and host of the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast. If you want to learn more about his passions, follow him on twitter. 

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Huge New Character Banner for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Check out the latest artwork from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This huge banner (via IMP Awards) features the movie's cast of characters led by Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen.

Click on the image for the hi-res version:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens November 22.

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IGN Assemble! #95 - The Zombie Squad

This week, we get around to talking about the Ben Affleck/Batman and James Spader/Ultron casting news, alongside Marvel's new digital initiative and Amanda Waller making an appearance on Arrow. Plus: Snake Plissken comics, the best of Jack Kirby, and music/comics pairings. Please note that due to technical difficulties, we had to use a back-up recording and thus, the audio is not quite as crisp as we'd like. Sorry.

As for this week's comics, we talk: Justice League, Batman Incorporated Special, Batman/Superman, Aquaman, The Flash, American Vampire Anthology, FF, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Lazarus.

As always, there are spoilers for everything discussed, so you've been warned.

In the interest of self-promotion:

Check out the IGN Assemble! Facebook Group!

Check out the IGN Assemble! Wiki Page!

If you've got a question, comment, or art, feel free to drop us a line at ignassemble@ign.com.

IGN Assemble! Podcast: Episode #95

Subscribe to IGN Assemble! on iTunes

IGN Assemble! RSS

Follow us on Twitter:

Joey Esposito

Benjamin Bailey

Enjoy!

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.

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Green Lantern #23.1: Relic Preview

In September 2011, the New 52 launched. In September 2012, we got Zero Month. This September -- next week -- launches DC Comics' Villain's Month, in which the baddies of the DCU get the spotlight with a whole bunch of one-shot issues and the launch of Forever Evil.

In the Green Lantern world, a new big bad known as Relic recently emerged, and writer Robert Venditti and artist Rags Morales are giving him the spotlight in Wednesday's Green Lantern #23.1: Relic.

Get your first look right here:

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Green Lantern #23.1: Relic

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Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks Catwoman is swell.

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Xbox One Launching in ‘Late November 2013’?

Xbox One may be launching later than expected. According to section 12 of the rules of Mountain Dew/Doritos' Every 2 Minutes Xbox One contest, Microsoft's new console has a “targeted launch date of late November 2013.”

While the language in the rules here is by no means official, it's worth noting that the Every 2 Minutes contest is being held in partnership with Microsoft and has even been promoted by Xbox Live's Major Nelson.

If "late November" is correct, this means Xbox One would likely launch after the November 15th release of PlayStation 4 and later than the widely-expected November 5th release date.

Microsoft announced at E3 that Xbox One will launch in November, but a specific day has yet to be confirmed.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft about the contest rules and will update this story with any comment we receive.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

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Game of Thrones: Daario Recast in Season 4

When Game of Thrones returns for Season 4, Jorah Mormont will have a whole new guy to be jealous of... Well, a whole new actor at least. THR reveals that Daario Naharis has been recast, with Michiel Huisman taking over the role.

Ed Skrein played Daario in Season 3, introduced as a warrior who turned the tables on his would-be partners and joined up with Daenerys - even while the two began giving each other some rather notable "How YOU doin'?" glances.

Michiel Huisman (Left, in Treme) will take over the role of Daario, first played by Ed Skrein.

This is not the first time Game of Thrones has recast a role, though it may be the most notable. The role of Gregor Clegane, AKA The Mountain, was played by Conan Stevens in Season 1, before Ian Whyte took over in Season 2. Beric Dondarrion was played by David Michael Scott Season 1 and then Richard Dormer in Season 3. Daario though had the biggest introduction and most screen time (and dialogue) of any of the roles that have been recast previously.

This will be a return to HBO for Dutch actor Huisman, who previously had a role on Treme, before his recurring role on Nashville this past season.

It looks like there will be one other bit of recasting in Season 4 though, with WinterisComing reporting recently that Dean-Charles Chapman, who previously played one of the Karstarks on the show, will now be playing Joffrey's little brother, Tommen, taking over for Callum Wharry.

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Kurt Russell Up for Role in The Fast and the Furious 7

Action icon Kurt Russell won't be in The Expendables 3, but the Escape From New York and Death Proof star is reportedly up for a key role in Fast & Furious 7.

According to Variety, Russell is in negotiations for an unspecified role "that Uni originally offered to Denzel Washington — clearly showing its importance to the film's story."

Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.

If his deal is made, Russell would join a cast that includes the series' returning vets, such as Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, as well as recent additions Jason Statham, Tony Jaa, and Ronda Rousey.

The James Wan-directed sequel starts filming soon for a July 11, 2014 release.

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Microsoft and Google Sue U.S. Government

Back in July, Microsoft and Google were among a number of tech giants who signed on to a coalition movement asking the U.S. government for more transparency when it comes to sharing the private online data of citizens. Today, the two companies have decided to move forward with litigation against the government, asking the courts to uphold their right to "speak more freely."

Image Source: Microsoft

Concerns over how tech and social media companies hand over user data--such as emails--have risen in recent months, due to allegations from NSA leaker Edward Snowden and reports the government is attaining private documents through Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requests. On Thursday, the U.S. government agreed to release a report listing the total number of such requests once a year. Microsoft and Google are not satisfied with the change.

"The government’s decision represents a good start," writes Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith on the company's policy blog. "But the public deserves and the Constitution guarantees more than this first step."

Microsoft and Google had apparently agreed to six deadline extensions in the talks with government officials, but according to Smith, the negotiations have "ended in failure." Both companies feel they should have the right under the U.S. Constitution to specifically detail what information is being handed over upon the government's request--not just total numbers.

"To followers of technology issues, there are many days when Microsoft and Google stand apart," writes Smith. "But today our two companies stand together."

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.

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The Best of Batman: Black and White Statues

Even though next week launches Villain's Month at DC Comics, it also marks the return of one of their most revered anthology series, Batman: Black and White. Black and White is also one of DC Collectibles' most popular lines of statues, consistently taking the best artists in the comic book biz and sculpting their version of the Dark Knight detective into gorgeous, highly detailed statues.

The latest addition, in stores this past week and on sale from the DC Collectibles Store for $79.95, takes its cue from Sean Murphy's artistic style.

Take a look:

DC Collectibles captures the angular style of Murphy with near perfection, giving Batman the illusion of motion as he hops across the buildings of Gotham City. One of the problems with Batman: Black and White statues are the easy-to-break points on Batman's gauntlets and the fringe of his cape, but this statue's delicate parts are positioned in a way that your hand will naturally avoid when handling the piece. Even the slackline included in Batman's hand is built to be handled, giving the illusion of being free flowing but actually being flexible wire.

But the highlight is really the movement of the cape, the detail on the boots, and the expression of Batman's face. The sculpt is truly gorgeous and effectively captures the intricacies of Murphy's linework.

To celebrate the release of the new Batman: Black and White mini-series and this awesome Sean Murphy incarnation, we thought it'd be fun to show off some of our favorite Black and White statues below.

Batman Black and White by Neal Adams

Batman Black and White Man-Bat by Neal Adams

Batman Black and White by Sergio Aragones

Batman Black and White by Lee Bermejo

Batman Black and White Joker by Lee Bermejo

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Batman Black and White by Brian Bolland

Batman Black and White Penguin by Brian Bolland

Batman Black and White by Kelley Jones

Batman Black and White Bane by Kelley Jones

Batman Black and White by Sam Kieth

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Batman Black and White by Jim Lee

Batman Black and White Joker by Jim Lee

Batman Black and White (New 52) by Jim Lee

Batman Black and White by Mike Mignola

Batman Black and White by Frank Miller

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Batman Black and White by Dustin Nguyen

Batman Black and White (Batman Beyond) by Dustin Nguyen

Batman Black and White by Paul Pope

Batman Black and White by Eduardo Risso

Batman Black and White by Alex Ross

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Best of Batman Black and White

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And if that wasn't enough awesome Batman shelf porn for you, DC is also releasing a massive Solomon Grundy 13" deluxe action figure based on the Arkham City video game. It's enormous:

And here's one for scale:

The Grundy is now available for pre-order on the DC Collectibles Store for $89.95.

Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito, or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN. He thinks Catwoman is swell.

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