1. It will not be long now before the TMNT movie is upon us, and with it, the merchandise.

   And on that note, The Official TMNT Website has pictures of the new batch of figures based on the movie.

   The toys look good, but man, how much does it suck that they’re the damn owners of the property, and this stuff is showing up in Wal-Mart before they can even get their hands on them? It’s just not right.

2. Speaking of other people getting stuff first, Allspark reports that Amazon Japan has some books from the upcoming TransFormers movie, depicting Barricade and a nice, clear picture of Bumblebee on their covers.
3. Racketboy takes a hardy look back at the best games the Saturn had to offer, which still hold up today.

   Truth be told, I missed out on the Saturn, though it’s always been a system I’ve somehow liked, and there are a number of these games which I would love to see re-released in some form today. Compilations would be even better, but one has to ask whether or not the days of compilations have become a short-lived fad with the coming of downloadable retro titles.

   Maybe if the recent Metal Slug Anthology has any say, there will still be room in the marketplace for them.

4. Say, Kevin Smith is really getting around in the movies as of late. Other peoples’ movies, I mean. First, there’s TMNT in which he has a voice role, and he’s also going to be in June’s Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth in the series.
5. Well, if you’re still not sure about Mega Man ZX, N-Philes has a review. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, ditto.
6. Hideo Kojima talks about someday making a Wii game, and not really caring much about HD.
7. onNintendo links to this pretty cool story about the history of Castlevania’s sprites.
8. If you happened to buy a PS3, then good news awaits!

   Well, no, that’s a lie. But over at Evil Avatar, they’ve got a guide to getting the most out of your Blu-Ray player, and other tips.

9. Well, if you’re willing to drop nearly $700 for a Wii, some games and accessories, then maybe GameStop has the answer for you.
10. Poor Urban Champion, so unloved, so reviled. But don’t worry, UC, I still appreciate you. Sure, five bucks is a little steep when placed next to the likes of Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda, but you’re still not bad, especially for your time.
11. If you’re into spoilers and that sort of stuff, here are some for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

    Me, I don’t go for that, so I’m not reading it.

12. …Halo DS? Read on…
13. I might enjoy the idea of this Flash-based air hockey game if I could play online against a certain old rival from back in NC…

    Even then, without the danger of the real thing (as we played it), it just wouldn’t be quite the same.

14. Gotta love a good custom case mod for a console. Like this one.

    But the warranty is no good? That sucks. I guess MS touting it as a “customizable unit” has to follow their rules, sort of like your high school teachers’ definitions of “art” or “music.”

15. Over at Joystiq, Playing Dirty calls out to Resident Evil 4‘s Leon Kennedy for a hero. A queer hero.

    A queero?

    I dunno.

16. There has been a report of Burnout 5 screenshots available in the ex-Official PlayStation Magazine.

    But of course, we’re wise to Sony’s tricks, and as Joystiq casts a dubious light on these screens, PMO digs deep to uncover the truth. And so we proudly present to you the first real screenshot of Burnout 5:

    

    Sweet, huh?

    (thanks to ZetNet.co.uk on the image)

17. I was once a master at these. And I can still score some good loot from them, if I want to, and if the operator of the machine is the slightest bit honest and gives a fair chance.

    On a side note, love Brainiac.

18. Joystiq reports a neat Knuttz piece which looks at the 71 steps of game console evolution, in a neat scrolling gallery for your convenience.

    …huh, they had Altered Beast for the Master System, and they still felt the need to upgrade to 16-bit? Go figure.

    And yes, the Neo Geo, better known to me in its heyday as “that system every third kid won on Video Power.”

    Someday, when I’m rich, I’ll have a huge house with a room that looks just like this page.

19. Because my wife loves it so: The Guitar Hero II XBox 360 Bundle.
20. I remember when an arcade game like this could make you a millionaire.
21. Seriously, how can you axe KK Slider from the lineup? He’s probably one of the few everyone’s seen and knows.

    I don’t even know who those two on the bottom are!

22. …but do they serve Coke?
23. Linked for the sole purpose of Truckasaurus there.

    …why has no one made a good game based on that yet?

24. “Do cutscenes work?” is the question of the day.

    Personally, I’ve been just as satisfied with in-game stuff like New Super Mario Bros., Paper Mario, Super Metroid, and the like.

    On the other hand, real-time stuff like MegaMan Legends and Zelda: Twilight Princess (I think, maybe?) is good, too.

    Of course, back in the day, and even now, I love a good anime cutscene for something like Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X as well.

    But what I hate is when they give you crap like in MegaMan Battle Network where it loads like a cutscene, but looks like regular gameplay. Ugh.

25. Too good to be ignored, 1up has listed their Best Next-Gen Features.

    Take note of Sharkey’s articles for a good laugh.

26. Speaking of next-gen, 1up’s Sam Kennedy talks with renowned developer Treasure just a bit about it.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

This entry was posted on Friday, January 5th, 2007 at 5:15 am and is filed under Points of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.