Creater Interviews: Alexziq

Well, Volzzilla has done it again. He passed on to me an interview he did with Alexziq. I am really impressed with his work and I was grateful to him for setting aside time to answer Volzzilla's insightful questions. As always, Volzzilla's comments and questions are bolded and Alexziq is unbolded.

1) How did you first learn about MUGEN and how long ago was that?

Two years ago, I was looking for a copy of the fan film “Lobo’s Paramilitary X-Mas Special” I stumbled upon a MUGEN video of Lobo. I had seen screenshots years ago of a Lobo fighting game, and thought this was new footage. After reading, and doing more internet searches, I realized I would actually be able to play DC characters in a fighting game so I was ecstatic as a fan.

2) When you are just focusing on having fun and playing, what characters do you tend to use the most and why?

I actually like to play my Flash remix, and Mini Flash together on Team Arcade just because I have a mixed roster, and the characters have the means to beat just about anybody if you know how to play them. I’d say I enjoy Lobo as well because I was a big fan of Lobo in the 90’s.

3) What comic character not already made or in the process of being made do you wish was MUGENized?

Well a lot of people say “everything” is in production but that’s not always the case. I’d really like to see some more unique DC characters like Swamp Thing, Constantine, or The Creeper get made. It’s a real shame there’s not a decent Catwoman for MUGEN yet.

4) Can you please tell me about what current WIP you are most looking forward to other than your own?

As far as Wips go that I’m looking forward too, I’d say I’m really looking forward to the guys I’ve worked with in the past projects the most. Z666’s Havok, Batzarro’s Rhino, Dark Talbains Wolvenom, and Jason Todd’s Wonderman.

5) Please tell the readers all the characters you have worked on towards their release.

Joker (Jason Todd, and Batzarro) Coding, and some Sprite work

Harley Quinn (with Batzarro) Coding

The Flash Barry Allen, and Remix 3.0 (With Egoless, and Eradicator) Sprite improvement, recodes, and bug fixes

Robin (Jason Todd, and pretty much everyone formerly from Team Spoiler) Coding, bug fixed, and some sprite work

Hobgoblin (With Dark Talbain, and Susan Mugen) Fixed minor bugs for upcoming re-release)

Sniper Joe (with Spider Mew) recode, and bug hunt

Question (With Jason Todd) early beta

Shazam (With Jason Todd) terrible early alpha

Red Tornado (With Jason Todd) leaked terrible alpha

6) Which one of those stands out the most to you and why?

Robin, and Harley definitely. Harley a little more so just because she was my first attempt at coding from a base instead of editing, and fixing existing material. And Robin because it was the character that helped me learn how to add, and implement code.

7) Do you have any plans on further updates towards those characters?

Oh yeah. Robin, Joker, Harley, and Question are all on my agenda for re-release this year. Even if other versions get released, I plan on seeing them through till I’m happy with them from a personal standpoint.

8) What WIPs are you currently working on?

Batman Beyond and Red Tornado are my current projects. I inherited both these characters from more underground creators, Spiderbat (Batman Beyond) and Jhonny DC (Red-T), and I was able to get all the permissions for these to finish the work they started and hope to have playable beta’s by spring. I’m not a spriter so I have to rely on my co-workers to help me out on improvements because both of these have massive potential, and we don’t want to cut corners with these particular releases.

9) I’ve seen you sporting a banner in your signature about a new team you are involved in. Can you please share any information about them?

Well the Legion Mugen Team is: myself, Spidermew, and Z666. We were all Team Spoiler members before the split. I really wanted to help these guys get their stuff off the ground after Spoiler broke up. Jason, Batzarro, and Dark Talbain had all put out Betas that got a lot of attention, and all three branched out to work with other creators, and more experienced coders. I took an interest in Sniper Joe because I felt like the first beta was just slopped out there with a lot of problems, and I wanted to help Mew get it going because it was a solid Capcom character.

Like I said I’m not a spriter, so I need people to help me if I do need Sprite work done, and I knew these guys were still at a similar place in life as myself so it just worked out. In turn I promised these two guys I’d fix or code whatever they need as top priority. The Spoiler Team alumni are all still very close, so its not like much really changed. It just was a very intimate group of people who were comic fans first, who all kinda got into MUGEN through that avenue.

When we branched out to work with people outside of it, it just didn’t feel right. While I’m sure some probably roll their eyes at the break up knowing that we still work closely, at the same time I’ve never gotten along better with the group. I think without the pressure of a “Team” we all ended up a lot happier. I don’t expect that to make sense to most people, but it is what it is.

10) Any tips you would like to share on how you all work that may help other creators?

I’m still learning myself, but I recommend caffeine, Adult Swim, a good Laptop, and a lot of patience. At least as far as coding goes. I was oblivious to PC code before this, so it’s a learning experience.

11) Everyone knows that MUGEN creation is very detailed oriented and time consuming. What keeps you motivated to continue your work?

Hmm, good question. As a coder sometimes it’s the challenge, sometimes it’s the quality of the sprites. I got very challenged when I worked on Sniper Joe in January because it was a style of character I wasn’t used to. At first, I kept getting frustrated, but once I dug into it, I got obsessed with it. Now that I’m on Batman Beyond, I get to fix up all these great animations, and its so sharp looking that I can’t put down the laptop. I do think I need a break later this year, but it’s only to make more time for my writing, and music work that have been long neglected.

Thank you, Alexziq and Volzzilla for sharing this interview with the readers of this blog. The WIP that Alexziq is working on that I'm most excited about Batman Beyond so I can't wait to try it out. I love his Flash Remix and I'm sure we will like all the characters he has a hand in developing.

Mugen Reviews Key

It has been brought to my attention that there has been question as to how I gauge and value mugen characters. I want to make it clear that my reviews are not objective or scientific and anyone may feel free to give their own opinions and viewpoints (that's what comments are for, right?). I want others to try out these characters and have fun with them. I want to know what others think, also. I also want to make it clear that anyone who spends time creating a mugen character deserves respect and honor. It's not easy. And we appreciate your hard work! I program software for a living....it can be a thankless job. I'd like to take a moment and say "Thank You!" to all of you. Now on to how I score mugen characters on this blog.

1. Fun Factor - This is totally subjective and in no way scientific. It's on a scale of 1 to 10. The lower the score means that I do not want to choose to take this character into a battle. A high score means that I enjoy fighting with this character and that I have a great time whenever I use it because of how it is animated, plays, and easy for me to get into and use.
2. AI - "Artificial Intelligence" is a measurement on a scale of 1 to 10 of how well the character fights other characters under computer control. Typically, the AI level is set to level 4. I tend to give a higher score to how tough it is to beat the character. Does the character win fights more often than looses. All bets are off against a human controlled character because typically a human controlled character is going to be harder for the computer to loose.
3. Looks - This is how much I like how a character looks. Do I like the way it is drawn and animated? It is highly subjective and based solely on my tastes which is not judged on a technical level such as frame rate and such. The higher the score, the better I like it. A high score does not mean that a character is created "better" than another.

I like the format of using a table to hold the score because you can just look at the table in a glance and see a lot of information at once. However, I do not want to make the table too wide so I chose criteria that I think lay people would find the most useful. I want my blog to be accesible to all no matter their technical background.

I have written this post to better explain where I am coming from.

Grudge Match: Superman vs Thor

I would love to see an animated Superman and Thor fight. That would be awesome. For now, I will contend myself with Mugen. However because Superman's powers do squat to protect him from magic,I think it would be a long, protracted battle between the two. They both get fatigued and I think that they both have the same level of strength. Lightning and Rain would do squat against Superman, so Thor would have to hit him with that hammer and hit him a lot which could prove difficult because of Superman's speed but not impossible. I think eventually Thor would prevail by knocking Superman unconscious. I found a website where many fans actually voice their opinions and a fan-fiction, moderated, fight is published. Read it here.

As for the mugen battles, I staged, I pitted Hannibal and Kal Elvis' Superman Remix against Loganir's Thor. Fun, Fun. I first let them battle it out with both computer controlled and then with me controlling Superman. Here is the fight!

Mugen: Thanos

Thanos is one of the heaviest hitters of the Marvel Universe. I mean what do you say about a guy who fights the Avengers by himself. Or fights the Silver Surfer. My favorite storyline with him in it is the Infinity Trilogy. It was three stories, one released each year during the summers of the Mid 1990's, that followed Thanos going after the six Infinity gems. They give whoever holds the power over all that exists: mind, power, reality, space, time, and soul. Thanos managed to find them and put them on his gauntlet. He was unstoppable. The creepy thing about Thanos is that he worships the personification of Death (a woman in the Marvel Universe). One of the first thing he did was wish 1/3 of all life in the universe into nonexistence. All the heroes who were left fought Thanos and all died. Adam Warlock managed to trick Thanos and get the gauntlet and put everything all back. That was the first part of the trilogy. The rest of it shows Warlock trying to deal with what happened and how it affected everyone. Good stories! Even without the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is a tough customer. He fights the Silver Surfer on a regular basis! Herte is some more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_Gems
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_Gauntlet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanos
http://www.marvel.com/universe/Thanos
http://www.corvusonline.net/thanos/


I have found four versions of him for mugen. Each version does not include the infinity gauntlet but those versions of Thanos is really, really not as powerful as he is in the comics with the Gauntlet . They can be beaten....Never easily however.

Thanos Mugen Versions

Image	Creator	Fun Factor	AI	Look	Downloads
	James	6	6	9	http://www.esnips.com/doc/a25d9c73-7ca2-4ca4-95ab-48c857588d53/thanos
	Alucard	8	7	9	http://lethalmugen.scruffydragon.com/chars/thanos_page.html
	CPOC & Splode	7	6	9	http://www.esnips.com/doc/8f3383c5-6ae8-4efb-b449-66faaae40a2e/Thanos
	Infinity Mugen Team	8	8	9	http://www.infinityMugenTeam.com

Each of the four versions are great. James' version has the Infinity Gauntlet and is the only version that has helpers: Marvel Supervillians like Onslaught, Magneto, and Juggernaut. He also has a move where he does multiple downward punches. Alucard's version does not have the Infinity Gauntlet so his moves are different. I like him best, especially the energy beams this character can hit. The MVC and MVC2 version are similar to one another. They have the same moves as the version of Thanos found in Capcom's Marvel Superheroes game. That is why I like them. I think the MVC2' s AI is the most aggressive. I think that if you have to choose only one, you should use Alucard's version. Here is the video playlist.

Mugen: Iron Man (Update )

Iron Man is one of my favorite characters. It has come to my attention that Magus has another version of Iron Man. He sent me a comment on YouTube asking me to use the latest version of his characters if I am going to compare them to others. I'd like to re-state here thatr I intended no harm at all. I used his older version of Iron Man in my poll because I really like it. The heavy artilley uni-beam move is cool.

Iron Man Mugen Variations

Image	Creator	Fun Factor	AI	Look	Download
	Magus	9	7	8	http://www.scruffydragon.com/f/chars_marvel_one.html
	Infinity Mugen Team	8	8	8	http://infinitymugenteam.com/FrameCharacters_MvC.htm

Magus has really updated Iron Man a great deal. I like all the current hypers but I miss the previous one he called "Heavy Artillery Uni-beam". He was right this version is better. If you want to use Iron Man, Magus' version cannot steer you wrong.



Post Script: Written a day after the above.
This article has come out after I posted the video on YouTube. Magus has commented on the video as being lackluster because of my game play. He'd rather his videos be used to judge the power of his Iron Man. He thinks my video makes his character look bad. I would like to apologize...it wasn't my intention at all. If you notice I have only respect for this character. To be fair I have posted his videos here:



To also be completely honest...in comparing mugen characters several things need to be taken into account in watching videos, things like player skill. Difference in AI also makes computer-controlled matches hard to tell. Just for fun, I pitted Magus' Iron Man against Infinity Mugen Team's Iron Man. I think the best way to judge characters (not creators or players) is using both player controlled matches and AI controlled matches. No offense intended to anyone.

Hyper Poll Results

Here are the results of the Hyper poll. There were a total of 50 votes. It breaks down as follows: Thor got the most votes. Wonder Woman and Deadpool tied for second place. Infinity Mugen Team's Batman got third place. I'm going to be doing another Hyper poll next week. Thor, Deadpool (because he has other cool hypers) and Rorschach will be in the next poll. If there are other characters you want me to be sure to include please leave a comment below.

Nominees - Best Hyper Move

Winner	First Runner-up	Third Place

Nominees - Best Hyper Move

Character	Creator	Hypermove	Video	Votes
Captain America	Infinity Mugen Team	Final Justice		0
Hulk	MGMURROW	Gamma Crush		0
Doomsday	Team Spoilers ALEXZIQ, and Problem Child, Lord Sinestro	Explosion		3
Spider-man	Erradicator	Maximum Spider		2
Batman	Infinity Mugen Team	"I'm Batman"		4
Silver Surfer (Cosmic Carnage)	Team Omega Pwnage Supreme	Micro black hole		4
Gambit	M:Ken	Royal Flush		0
Mr Fantastic	ZVitor	Orbital Blast		2
Black Cat	Beja, Xfields Codes: Mauteck, Eclipse, O Ilusionista	Love Camp		3
Thor	Loganir and Black Dragon	WARRIORS OF ASGARD		11
Wonder Woman	LOGANIR	WARRIORS OF THEMYSCIRA		8
Iron Man	Magus	Heavy Artillery UniBeam		2
Deadpool	The Unlimetd and Wucash	NINJAS! Ninjas? Oh, NINJAS!!!		8
Rorschach	Sean Altly	"Who Killed Edward Blake"		3

Mugen: Ferro Man

Ferro Man is an amalgram of Marvel Comics' Colossus and DC Comics' Ferro Lad (from the Legion of Superheroes). As stated in a previous post, there has just been a released version of Ferro Man for Mugen. It is really, really cool for only being a "Beta". I've had the opportunity to put Ferro Man against many other mugen characters and it more than held it's own. My favorite move is the hyper where he rips a big rock out of the ground and throws it. I also like the move where he shoots his fists at his opponent. The graphics are really well done also. I can't wait to see more. When you download this character and try it out (make no mistake you do want to try this out) keep the following from the Read ME file in mind

- Spriting: Sic-1
- Coding: Sic-1
- AI Coding: Twinimage
- Voice Acting: Kojunho
- Portrait: Crow
- Hyper Portrait: Tenchi
- Testers:Kojunho and Tenchi

Reminder!!!
This is just the BETA of Ferroman, not the finial vesion!

Download Ferro Man at
http://sicgraphicsmugen.darkbb.com/characters-f9/ferroman-beta-released-t322.htm#2981



Here is the video:

Re-Imagining Iron Man

Over my life time, and before 1989 with Tim Burton's Batman, most times characters are adapted from comic books into either cartoons or live-action movies have failed. Why? Because when the property. They change it. Often times it looks nothing like the source material. The only time I have seen this work is when Blade was turned into a half vampire...originally he was not. The reason why all the Spider-man animated series worked and the three films except Spider-man Unlimited was because Unlimited was nothing like the comics. The reason why all the DC animated series and films have worked since 1992 is because they stayed true to the source material. Wolverine and the X-men is much like the comics except Wolverine is emphasized. In my opinion, they should have just made solo Wolverine series, but I'll forgive it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Iron Man: Armored Adventures is going to work well. The made Tony and his friends teenagers. I think they did it to make the show appeal to younger kids! I'd rather they put someone else in the suit because I think who Tony Stark is will be lost in the series. Here is a trailer:

Ferro Man has been Released!!!!

I have just found out that Ferro Man has been released. I'll be writing a review tomorrow!
Here is the link
http://sicgraphicsmugen.darkbb.com/characters-f9/ferroman-beta-released-t322.htm#2981

Don't forget to join Sic Graphics Mugen

New Watchmen Motion Comic on DVD

A few weeks ago, I posted an article about "motion" Comics. It's where comic book art is animated. I am planning to attend the Wondercon Convention this Saturday and I'm planning to see if i can get the Watchmen graphic novel, but this DVD would be another cool way to experience the story. It Comes out 03-03-09 I admit that Warner Brothers and Fox are attempting to milk us for all they can. That being said...I can't wait for the movie, the motion comic, and the animated companion movie called The Black Freighter on 03-24-09. Also I wanna see Watchmen in IMAX. Looks like a movie that must be seen in IMAX.

Mugen: Gambit

Gambit, in my opinion, is one of the best characters in the X-men series. I like him. He's a loveable rogue. I mean before he was an X-man, he was a thief. He is an excellent fighter in martial arts, and it's hard to argue that his powers are not cool! I mean he can change the energy stored in manner on the sub-molecular level into kinetic energy. In effect, he can turn anything into a bomb. I like the way the character has been handled in the comics. He seems to always walk that line between hero and villain. It was a shock to discover that he had once worked for Mr. Sinister and watch how his teammates dealt with that fact. And then of course back in the early 1990's when time-traveler Bishop accused Gambit of betraying the X-men and killing Professor X. Talk about high Drama! Here is some more detailed information:
http://www.marvel.com/universe/Gambit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambit_(comics)


I have found 3 versions of Gambit for mugen

Gambit Mugen Versions

Image	Creator	Fun Factor	AI	Look	Downloads
	Luvly Angel	5	6	6	http://www.geocities.com/mugen_institute2/chars.htm
	Infinity Mugen Team	8	8	9	http://www.infinitymugenteam.com
	M:Ken	8	8	9	esnips

All in all, the three versions are very similar. The Luvly Angel and Infinity Mugen Team versions are set apart from each other because of AI. The Infinity Mugen Team's Version has a strong AI. The third version, aka Masta Gambit, is different because he can do a somersault that keeps hin min the air a long time and he can either hit his opponent with his staff or with a kick. I enjoyed playing with the Masta Gambit version the most. All three versions do have my favorite move for Gambit: "Royal Flush". He throws a bunch of charged card and then turns his bback as they explode and mess up his opponent. I also like the move where Gambit jumps up and throws a bunch of cards that cause a ground swell of energy to hit his opponent. Please trust I have to put Masta Gambit against Wolverine and Cyclops. Here is the video of my test for Gambit.

WIP Focus: Ferro Man, Created by Sic-1

Volzzilla has provided all of us an interview with Sic-1. Concerning the creation of Ferro Man for the Amalgam project. Thanks to both of you! As always, Volzzilla's comments are bolded and the responses are unbolded.

1) So how did you decide upon bringing Ferro Man to MUGEN?

Well, at first Ferro Man was never going to be a part of the game, but Deanjo2000 made an edit of him and I really liked it. I then took time out to go back a read the comics with Ferro Man in them and I knew I just had to make him so he could be a part of our game.

2) Please tell me your thoughts about his general comic back history and about the character in general that helped influence that decision.

Ferro Man is Russian, and the main part of his back story is that his face is disfigured, which is why he wears that mask. The thing with Amalgam comics is with some of the characters in them, they never go into too much detail about them due to the comic event being for such a limited time. But the little that I read I liked. (editor’s note: You can read more yourself about him and other general Amalgam history by taking the following links, Amalgam Crisis Center and The Unofficial Guide to the Amalgam Universe).

3) Since it is obvious what bases you are using for the character animations themselves, please tell us some of the bases you are using for the various moves.

The hardest part about Ferro Man is to not make him feel like the base I'm using while making him. I wanted him to have a "Power House" feel to him. And I want people to know when they play as him that they got a powerful character in there hands.

4) Looking forward to him already. So how is the progress going on him? What has stood out the most during his creation process? Has anything given you trouble in that regard?

The good news is that Ferro Man is very close to being done! As in creation troubles, well just trying to come up with moves for him and trying to make his re-play value better and better…and I think that I have done so!

5) Please tell the readers about all the special and hyper moves you have planned.

Heh. The "BETA" of Ferro Man will have 4 specials and 3 hypers. The final version of him that will be in the game will be different than the beta; he will have all new specials and hypers. But as for the beta of Ferro Man, again I wanted to give the fans something new; I wanted to give them a powerful character with moves never before seen on a power house before.

6) As stated before during this event, every character in the Amalgam project will have a De-Amalgam move. Please tell us what you have planned for him in that regard.

The De-Amalgam hyper I would have to say is my favorite move for Ferro Man! As most people know, Amalgam Characters are a combination of "DC" and "Marvel" characters put together. The De-Amalgam move is where the Amalgam character splits into his counter parts and double teams the opponent. But sad to say, the De-Amalgam hypers will not be apart of the "Beta" characters and we have to keep Ferro Man’s a secret for now to keep the fans anticipation level high.

7) Understandable. So do you have any special plans in regards to intros/exits with Colossus or any other character?

Well, all of the Amalgam characters we are making will have custom intros for each other. As in custom intros for their counter parts, if they face them in MUGEN…not at this time for Ferro Man, but keep an eye out for any updates with every beta we release.

8) Any news you would like to share regarding a possible beta release?

Look for the first official beta release from SGM’s Amalgam Project to drop tomorrow! Be sure to check Sic Graphics Mugen - Amalgam Project and alfonsocm82's YouTube Channel for the actual release of a character I hope you all will enjoy.

Thanks, Fellas. As soon as possible each new release, including Ferro Man, will be announced with a review and a link to the project website.

Mugen: Zatanna

I had never really heard anything about Zatanna before but I have seen her prominent roles in the Batman Animated Series and in the Justice League. Her father apparently taught Bruce Wayne several things about magic before he became Batman. However she seemed to be just an average magician. She actually knows magic like Dr. Fate and Dr Strange. I wonder which of the three is the more powerful. I have only found one version of the character in Mugen. From what I know so far, I think it's the same version of Zatanna in the D Fighter Revolution game. It's a great character and you should really check this one out. Here some links for more information on Zatanna:
http://scifipedia.scifi.com/index.php/Zatanna
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatanna

Zatanna Mugen Versions

Image	Creator	Fun Factor	AI	Look	Downloads
	GM Spectre & Jhonny DC	8	6	8	http://greenlanternhaljordan.blogspot.com/2008/04/dc-char-zatanna.html

Here is the test video:

WIP Focus: Iron Lantern, Created by Techimuyo4ever

Volzzilla had the opportunity to speak with Techimuyo4ever, the other co-administrator of SGM’s Amalgam Project. Techimuyo4ever was nice enough to give him this great interview and Volzzilla was nice enough to share it so I could post it so everyone can read it. Volzzilla's comments are in bold and Techimuyo4ever's answers are unbolded.

This WIP that started it all, Iron Lantern. Remember, that this was being created prior to the full Amalgam Project taking off, and actually led to the inspiration for the Amalgam project.

1) So how did you decide upon bringing Iron Lantern to MUGEN?

Well, when I first got into MUGEN, I was trying to find a comic book character no one had ever done before; someone completely different. After seeing all the DC and Marvel WIPs already in progress, I figured since I've always been an Amalgam fan to make the first Amalgam MUGEN character ever in Iron Lantern.

2) Please tell me your thoughts about his general comic back history and about the character in general.

After reading Iron Lantern #1, I felt that the character is an interesting mix of Hal Jordan and Tony Stark. It's really cool to see a character that has the weapon know-how of Tony Stark and having an armor that has the powers and abilities of a Green Lantern, but so much more. I also think that it was very interesting that his suit is made from Rhomman Sur's very ship.

3) That does sound interesting. So tell the readers, since it is obvious what bases you are using for the character animations themselves, please tell us some of the bases you are using for the various moves.

The bases for the animations are extremely varied. Just to name a few for the constructs, hypers and specials are Huitzil / Phobos, Pocket Akuma , the unknown soldiers robots, the unknown soldiers striker, Dr Doom, Sentinel , Dhalsim , Magneto , Dr Doom , Cable and a few handmade sprites. The animation that he uses to make the constructs are handmade and a lot of the larger constructs are hand made as well.

4) Sounds like a lot of work. How is the progress going on Iron Lantern? And what has stood out the most during his creation process. Has anything given you trouble in that regard?

The progress on him is going great, his sprite work is completely done and he is in the
process of being coded right now. What stood out most during his creation would be the reason he took me so long. I wanted to set him apart from just being an Iron Man edit. Also, I wanted him to feel like a mix between Green Lantern and Iron Man, but at the same time I wanted him to feel like his own character.

5) Please tell the readers about all the special and hyper moves you have planned.

I have quite a few special moves planned for him. You may have already seen
two in the preview videos (editor’s note: to the see the videos in case you missed them, go here, tenchimuyo4ever's YouTube Channel), a teleport and his repulser beam. His other specials include an ability that allows Iron Lantern to be able to form different weapons depending on what punch you are using. This is called weapon master and it features a machine gun, a laser gun, and a flamethrower. His other special not yet shown is called emerald charge; a move where Iron Lantern forms boosters on his back and then charges into the opponent. As for the hypers, aside from the emerald drill shown in the videos he will have a projectile hyper called emerald armor, a move where he forms an armor equipped with a large laser gun, as well as a timed hyper called Air Force assault, which creates a construct shaped like a compact plane equipped with smart bombs and lasers that devastate the opponent.

6) I've read that every character in the Amalgam project will have a De-Amalgam move. Please tell us what you have planned in that regard.

Iron Lantern will have quite and interesting De-amalgam. However, the only version of the character that will have this attack will be the final version. And for now, the De-Amalgam will have to stay a surprise. But when the final version is coded, I will be making a preview video with it featured.

7) Looking forward to the video already. Do you have any special plans in regards to intros/exits with Green Lantern, Iron man, or any other character?

He will have special intros with Iron Man and Green Lantern both. With Iron Man, he accuses him of being someone who stole his armor designs and with the Green Lantern, he will mistake him as another agent of Oa, the living planet.

8) Nice. So since everyone will be anticipating him that much more now, would like to share anything regarding a possible beta release?

The beta will be arriving soon and look forward to a few surprises later with this WIP.

We will keep an eye out on both, the beta and those surprises.

And be sure to check out these sites for more information on Iron Lantern:

Sic Graphics Mugen - Amalgam Project

tenchimuyo4ever's YouTube Channel

Mugen: Daredevil

Daredevil has become one of my favorite Marvel Characters. I like his powers and the duality of his character: Lawyer by day and vigilante by night. It's almost two opposed drives at war with one another. I think what keeps him sane is the fact that Matt Murdock's competing alter egos are actually on the same side and have the same goal: Justice. The difference is that during the day he puts on a business suit and fights for justice using the law in the court room. But at night he puts on a mask and uses his superpowers, martial arts, and agility to beat up the people he could not get in the courtroom to bring them to justice. I personally don't know if I could keep those worlds separate and one could argue, if you read the comics, that he can't either. It is fun to see him try, and root for him, and feel for him.

As for his powers, he is truly unique among superheroes. I mean the man is blind. However the same accident that robbed him of his sight, blessed him with augmenting and increasing his other four senses: touch, smell, hearing, and taste. The man is living crime lab. He can tell you how many salt crystals there are on a cracker. Identify someone by their scent or heartbeat. He can even tell if someone is lying by listening to his heartbeat. His sense of touch allows him to balance and give him great agility. The truly amazing thing is however is that his hearing is so acute that he can from mental pictures in his mind using sound bouncing off object around him like radar - his radar sense. His brain uses sound while the rest of us use light to see.

I have found one version of the character for mugen. I will use the latest version for this review.

Daredevil Mugen Versions

Image	Creator	Fun Factor	AI	Look	Downloads
	TEAMSPOILER AND ZAMTONG AND DAREDEVIANT	8	6	8	http://www.infinitymugenteam.com/

This character is fun to use. I don't think it's complete yet, but it is very fast, almost too fast. When I went for a jump, I found I had often jumped much further than I had intended. That came in handy on many occasions because I could dodge attacks. I loved the moves where I could throw the billy club and the punching and kicking is very satisfying. The one thing that I think that would make this character much more fun would be to find some way to incorporate his "radar sense" in some way. When I saw the film creators talk about making a movie, they said that this was the hardest part of making Daredevil: What does "radar sense" look? How do you communicate that to an audience? I think they came up with a great solution. For mugen I think what would work is that Daredevil could throw his billy club at a light source, temporarily making the stage go dark. Then the opponent could only face the opposite direction Daredevil is attacking from and only the combatants could be visible. It would only make sense in an indoor stage and for a very limited time and maybe not with all characters. Just an idea.

Here is the video of my tests:

Creator Interviews: Sic Graphics Mugen (SGM) Amalgam Project

Volzzilla had the opportunity to speak with one of the team leaders, Sic-1, of the Amalgam. Project. His questions are in black and bold and his answers are in black unbolded. I really appreciate that Sic-1 gave Volzzilla time to answer questions and for Volzzilla to share this with all of us. This post will be talking about the Amalgam Mugen project and will not focus on a single character.

1) Please tell the readers all about the Amalgam project, when the team got together, how the team got together and how the idea for turning Amalgam into MUGEN came about?

The idea of turning Amalgam into MUGEN was in my co-administrator’s head, techimuyo4ever, longer than it was in mine. I wanted to start a project but had no idea what to do…Tenchi was already making Iron Lantern into a full character, and I always loved the Amalgam Comics in the 90's. So I talked to him about making a full game based off of the Amalgam Comics and he was down for it! From that day on, Tenchi and I looked for the best of the best for our team, and I think we found them!

2) Interesting. So I have noticed some Scruffy Dragon Production characters have Amalgam moves. Was there any cooperation towards that and your team project?

Well we do work with the Scruffy Dragon team on some things and after both their project, as well as own project is done we’ll continue with that. SGM and Scruffy Dragon Productions are coming together to do something for the MUGEN world that has never been done.... What is that you may ask?? You are just going to have to wait and see until then.

3) So what are all the current WIPs going through creation right now?

Almost every one of our characters is being made as we speak! And most of those are not being made by just one person; they are team WIP's, so they get done that much faster. Ferroman will be our first beta release, but soon after that Iron Lantern will follow. Super Soilder, Wraith, Dr.Doomsday, DarkClaw, NightCreeper, SpiderBoy, Bizarnage, and Thorion are all also being worked on right now.

4) Very nice, but I have noticed some of them do not have WIP topics on your message board. May I ask why that is the case with: Darkclaw, Nightcreeper, Spiderboy, and Thorian?

We are keeping some stuff hidden for now. But I can tell you it will not be long before people get to see them.

5) Judging by the communities love for Wolverine and Batman, it is a safe bet DarkClaw will be very highly anticipated. May I ask who is working on him, and what has the progress been like thus far?

DarkClaw is being worked on by every single member of the SGM team right now. The reason for this is because we know people would really like to see DarkClaw in the game and play as him...so we are making sure we are doing the very best job we can on him.

6) What other characters are planned WIPs for the future but not currently in production?

Nightspector, Madam Sapphire, Lobo the Duck, Hyena as well as perhaps a few other surprises, including the secret final boss character for our game.

7) I know I speak for many of the readers when I say that I love the general concept of Amalgam characters in MUGEN. Something else that stands out unique about the project are the De-Amalgam moves. Can you tell us more about the general concept behind such moves? Anything else unique you all have planned in regards to the theme of the characters and the project?

For any one that does not know, the De-Amalgam hyper will happen when the character branches out into the counterparts that form the character to deliver one devastating move. Well, these De-Amalgam hypers will be able to be stopped. If the character is hit during the time they are spliting up into their counter parts for the move, they will be forced to fuse back together but in a "Funny Mutated Mess" that should be entertaining for the player to see. We are also adding a second stance to our characters, meaning every character will have 2 stances. For more info on all that, you will just have to wait for the Full Game Release.

8) Please tell the readers what will be in store for them game play wise when the full game is released.

We have spent a lot of time thinking about this and we wanted to do something that has not been done before in a full game. We feel that the "Story Mode" of the game will give people the best MUGEN time they have ever had. And yes, I said "Story Mode".

9) That’s cool. Is there anything you can share story wise concerning your final game project?

Sad to say, but not right now. We have to keep a few more things as surprises for the fans.

10) So what are your thoughts on beta releases in general for characters from this project?

I see the beta releases as a sort of teaser trailer for our final game project. A good look into some of the characters before they get a chance to play the full game. In short, leaving the players with the thought of wanting to play our Amalgam game project that much more because of the time they spent with our beta released characters.

11) Any beta releases coming in the near future?

Keep an eye out for Ferroman sometime soon! And Iron Lantern will be coming not too long afterwards. He is the WIP that started this Project, so we are taking our time with him because we know there are a lot of fans out there highly anticipating him.

We will keep an eye out and the readers can do the same by checking out the following websites:

Sic Graphics Mugen - Amalgam Project

Sic Graphics Mugen Vid's

http://www.youtube.com/user/tenchimuyo4ever
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sephirot08

And be sure to keep checking out Favorite Fiction Blog, as it will continue to be your source for all things MUGEN related.