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A few days late, this one, but I wanted to be sure I was able to post what the URL was supposed to be and have it work.

This past Saturday, The Mega Man Network officially relaunched, and in new hands: mine.

I still need to update the button on the sidebar there, but the website is now back and better than ever, with an easy-to-navigate Wiki format that allows us to more efficiently update with new information and correct other errors as it all comes.

This is just the first step for us, however, as we plan to expand our content to be even more fan-friendly as time marches on. For now, you can dive in and find out all sorts of interesting things about the seven-series strong Mega Man franchise!

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Subway is getting in on the ShoeFormer bandwagon by offering up transformable Sketchers shoes in their kids’ meals.

   They aren’t real TransFormers, but still kind of neat in their own right, and that didn’t stop us when we were kids, anyway. I mean, it’s a war, someone’s gotta die, right? And you don’t want to waste the good ones…

2. If you’re in Japan (or going soon), good news! Titanium TransFormers are on their way for direct release… including the supposedly-exclusive SDCC Menasor, which was a recolor of Rodimus Prime.

   Well, if you’re into the import scene and missed out on Menny, at least now you may have an alternative of some kind. Maybe.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Yahoo! reports that director Ridley Scott is going to be releasing the “Final Cut” of cult-favorite Blade Runner on DVD this winter, the way it was “meant to be” before executive types had him add voiceovers and a happier ending that didn’t really do much to appease the masses anyway.
2. I don’t know what it is with movies that continue on in purgatory, rather than being cancelled or whatever, but it sounds like Dragon Ball Z is set for filming in Montreal.

   I really just don’t know what to think of this, except that it probably will not work. Dragon Ball, Toriyama’s work in general, has a very distinctive flair and flavor to it in not only story and character (well, maybe not so much anymore), but in art style as well.

   And let’s face it, if they keep the Saiyans’ hair as it is in the manga somehow… or if they don’t… either way, it’s probably just going to look wrong.

   But. I won’t judge until I see it. Maybe they have a trick up their sleeves. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

   Storywise… I hear movie serials are seeing something of a comeback, with the prime given example being Pirates of the Carribean 2, though it seems things like that, The Matrix, and so on are usually planned as simple trilogies, nothing more. So this could work in that perspective, maybe.

3. I’ve been on something of a Garfield kick lately. It started with finding a little something to mark jackscarab‘s birthday, and now I’m just in full-blown G-mode.

   Say what you want about the comic strip (I think Jon and Liz dating has been a good change-up), or about Jim Davis whoring out his creation for all manners of merchandise, or the strange look of the movies (China seems to have liked them). One thing that no one can take away is that Garfield and Friends and the TV specials, those prime-time animated shows that were always winning Emmys alongside Peanuts, those were always pretty good.

   Well, at about the same time on the Garfield and Friends Official Website and the blog of Mark Evanier (writer and co-producer of Garfield and Friends) that they are working on a Garfield CG animated movie called Garfield Gets Real (which will have an accompanying Wii game, more info in Video Power below).

   Actually, it seems that whereas Jim Davis is writing the movie (which may see a theatrical release, possibly limited, then go on to DVD), Mark Evanier is going to get to write for a new TV show, 26 episodes set for the first season.

   If he’s able to capture the zany spirit that produced gems such as The Picnic Panic and Making Mistakes (which went over budget from how much the animators did “right”), we could very well see a resurgence of Garfield in his home away from the comics page.

   And that makes me plenty happy, too.

   Of course, I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the old handdrawn cartoons, but this could be neat as well. But what has me most curious is… who will be the voice of Garfield? It sounds like Bill Murray is probably not going to be reprising the role.

   But at least Frank Welker is back.

   Find out more about the cast and other tidbits in the Wikipedia entry.

Video Power

1. Garfield is coming to Wii? It’s true, and it may just be one of the more unique entries into the Wii’s (and maybe DS’s) library.

   The game has you controlling both Garfield and the director, attempting to make the best, funniest movie you can using a variety of props and moves. It’s even multiplayer, so players can compete to make the best film.

   This game is coming from Zoo Digital Publishing, unlike other recent Garfield titles which have come from The Game Factory, who also have a new DS platformer, Garfield’s Nightmare, coming soon as well.

   Whether it means a better game or not, however, remains to be seen.

2. It may be Labor Day, but Sakurai never rests! Or maybe he does, and that’s when we get late updates.

   Regardless, last night Smash Bros. DOJO!! updated to bring us a new video clip with little exposition, except that it’s a part of the Subspace Emissary storyline and features Pit, receiving the Sacred Bow from Palutena, and taking off to face the forces that lie ahead.

   As is often the case with these videos, you might have a hard time downloading it to view. Fortunately, there are those kind enough to take such matters into account.

   On a related note, could this be the boxart? Pretty rockin’, if so.

3. The Virtual Console doesn’t take a day off, either, and this week brings none other than the edutainment hit classic Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

   Ok, ok, that one’s not much of a classic… OR a hit. But it’s more of a freebie addition this week, as there are still three more games to choose from, including Adventure Island for the NES, Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole for the SEGA Genesis, and Bonk 3: Bonk’s Big Adventure for the TG16.

4. Oh, wow. You tell ‘em, Kaz.

   Evidently, the difficulty developers are facing in developing for PS3 is actually a good thing.

   I can sort of see where he’s coming from with this, though I think a tablespoon of tact might’ve helped that one go down a little easier.

   On the other hand, it was only after the PS3 came out that we finally got a PS2, so I’m not too worried.

5. Speaking of “WTF Sony” moments, here’s one from across the pond.

   When the new PSP Slim is launched there, Euro gamers won’t be able to use one of its new and best features, the ability to play the games on your TV screen. Why?

   Because they won’t have the cables. Not just in the box, but at all.

   Fortunately, I don’t live in the UK, I already own a PSP and don’t really want a Slim, and I have other systems for TV play anyway. Still, it’s a good feature, and I think that this blows very much.

6. It’s not much from the Beijing front, but today does have a new video from Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, showing off a little bit of the archery, which looks neat.

   Eurogamer has some hands-on impressions, too.

7. Coming soon from EA… a look at war, at passion, at glory…

   This… is Medal of Homer.

8. A 2-D shooter for the Wii?

   That seems to be just what The Monkey King is looking to be.

9. Go Nintendo and Siliconera are running a contest for Mega Man Robot Masters!

   Grand Prize gets a signed t-shirt from Inafune-san, the creator of Mega Man and three copies of Mega Man Star Force.

   Second Place gets three copies of Mega Man Star Force.

   Third Place gets a copy of Mega Man Star Force.

   Rules are on the page, though it doesn’t specify if you can instead create a boss Maverick, NetNavi, or other, though the rules do say “boss monster,” so…

10. Speaking of Mega Man, it looks like there may be something finalized for the ZX Advent boxart.
11. Ok, I know what it is to create a petition, though personally I think this one could use a little work from the penmanship standpoint.

    I don’t rate their chances, due in part to the fact that I don’t think Capcom of Japan really gives much of a crap about what we want, but these things do occassionally work, and with Resident Evil 4 for Wii exceeding expectations, I figure it’s worth a shot. It’s not like it takes much time or effort to sign, and you’ve nothing to loseWeight Exercise.

    Still, leave it to Capcom to divide their fanbase as much as possible…

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 12:26 am and is filed under The Daily 'Shroom. 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.