InFormers: Robots in the News

1. For a series of toys dubbed “Masterpieces,” it seems that Takara’s Masterpiece TransFormers wind up lacking in some way or another. Fantastic toys, no doubt, but be it Prime lacking a trailer, Ultra Magnus being just a white Prime, or Starscream in blue, there’s usually something that makes some fans grit their teeth just a little.

   Of course, a Prime (or Convoy, if you must) re-release saw him get his trailer back, and the US release of Starscream will retain his original fashion sense. Magnus is still pretty well screwed, however.

   Then there’s Megatron. The original Megatron had pieces, a long silencer barrel and a stock, which would attach to turn him into a “U.N.C.L.E. Special” configuration, based on the TV show The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. However, perhaps to save money, these two parts were omitted from the Masterpiece product.

   Fortunately, there are those enterprising folks who see a need and decide to fill it. It happened with Prime’s trailer (to impressive but expensive result), and it has happened again as JustIToys has released custom components which will attach and complement Megatron in his gun form, or as a special cannon turret for him to fire. Just click the link and check out Megatron in full-on form, making him a true Masterpiece.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. What scares you? Heights? Drowning? Snakes? Whatever’s on Kutaragi’s mind?

   Whatever it may be, just imagine being scared of balloons.

   The big question then is, what sort of reaction would they have when a balloon pops? Terror, or elation?

2. Want to childproof your home? Perhaps the best way is to teach an old dog new tricks.
3. Viruses are a pain, but someone has come up with a foolproof way to keep them out of your PC.

   And for some reason, I can’t help but think that Justin Timberlake ought to sing a song about this.

4. Man sues God.

   My question is, were he to appear in court, would he be under oath? At any rate, that’s one fight I wouldn’t pick. I mean, come on, you think he can’t assemble a good legal team? He knows SATAN, for crying out loud. I imagine there’s gotta be at least a favor or something he could call in.

   Worst-case scenario, lightning bolt. “I didn’t do it.” Who’ll call him on it? Especially after that? At any rate, he could just pin it on Zeus.

5. Cartoons is a complicated business, as Mark Evanier highlights over on his blog. He takes a look back at some Hanna-Barbera shorts that were assembled into half-hours, and how mixing and swapping segments made things a bit messy, and how changes were made on the down-low to keep things consistent.

Video Power

1. “Tha Nuhd ees bach.”

   No, I don’t know why I’m speaking… well, typing in an Arnold-esque manner, when what the Angry Video Game Nerd is actually going after is Addams Family games. It’s almost as though I had nothing else to say, and was merely typing out all of this just to take up some space so I look like I’m doing my self-professed “job.” But that’s just plain silly, now isn’t it?

   In all seriousness, I don’t remember Fester’s Quest being all that bad, but then, I don’t remember it being all that good, either. I can’t even remember if you could save or not, but knowing the era, probably not. Bet that would’ve helped.

2. Years ago, games were 2D. And, that’s pretty much all they were. There were some attempts to simulate some 3D-like effects, but for the most part, it was still 2D. A 3D game… how would that even work?

   I think in those younger days, before many of us even knew what a “polygon” was, we simply imagined our classic-styled 2D games just getting better and better looking… rather than getting brushed aside like yesterday’s news. In some ways, it had felt like progress had ground to a screeching halt, and instead took a different road in which games started back at square one with the likes of the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Saturn’s offerings.

   Fortunately, things evidently aren’t quite as bad as they would have at first seemed. After flirting a bit with 3D (ok, more like exchanged vows and had their foreheads surgically grafted), companies have begun to embrace 2D a bit more once again, realizing that some concepts just work better that way. We’ve seen new Super Mario Bros., Castlevania, Contra, Zelda, and more spring up as a result. It’s almost as though the industry collective woke up and realized “hey, with these omni-powerful machines, we can make some 2D games that look REALLY damn good!”

   And so they have.

   We’ve all heard about Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix BLT Quarter Pounder with Some Cheese LMNOP Pass the Mustard Please, taking a classic title and enhancing the hell out of the graphics so that it looks good, even in today’s modern marketplace. As luck would have it, that’s not the only 2D title that’s going to shine from the TVs of HD variety. Racketboy has assembled a list of other 2D games coming in high resolution to our TV screens to fulfill the childhood fantasies which we held dear oh-so long ago.

3. Too far? Or not far enough?

   That’s the question surrounding the Halo 3 marketing blitz which seems to be leading a frontal assault on every aspect of our being. Some think it’s all too much, that it’s being overdone and with no sense of shame involved.

   To that end, I invite you to look at what they passed on, and see if that doesn’t soften your stance just a bit.

   Too bad, that lingerie would’ve been intriguing…

4. GameTrailers, why must you torment me so? New videos, in ENGLISH no less, of the cracktastic Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, that has yet to have so much as an announcement of a US release… why? What have I done to you?

   Was it the time I cleaned my boots with your toothbrush? Was it the rancid meat I left in your freezer? Was it the poison I fed your pet? WAS IT THE POISON?!

   Why…?

5. Yeah, screw all the haters. I still want to play that damn game. Check out the trailers, it’s wacky. And for those who don’t know, the whole point of the game is to amass as much money as you can to get into Rupeeland, but the problem is, everyone wants it!
6. People from all walks of life enjoy video games, even actors. That’s why it’s no surprise that quite a few actors have lent their voices to roles in video games… sometimes even for roles they haven’t played otherwise (such as playing the same character in both a movie and the game based on it).

   Some may even surprise you. Games Radar has compiles a list of several surprising celebrity parts in video games, which are thankfully not as shameless as most cameos on The Simpsons.

7. Go Nintendo has scored a nice interview with a member of Nintendo’s fabled Treehouse division, and looks at localization of some games, chiefly Donkey Kong stuff such as the “DK Rap” and King of Swing‘s storyline.
8. Wow, I knew that Shrek was an ogre, but a thief, too?

   Turns out that some little cheapass V-Smile Shrek title has stolen the music from, of all things, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

   Can’t say it was a smart move. I mean, do you really want to mess with an 800-pound gorilla that gained fame thanks to an 800-pound gorilla?

9. An amusing practice by the Big N is how they often pay some sort of tribute to the people who work there by creating characters based on them. For example, the Koopalings from Super Mario Bros. 3 were based on members of its development team.

   But, it goes well beyond that, it seems, as Dylan Cuthbert tells all about other employee-inspired caricatures hidden amongst our favorite titles.

10. Guess it’s true, what they say: “there’s no accounting for taste.”

    Maybe the Japanese see E.T. as some sort of collectible?

11. Hmm, remember that new Super Mario Galaxy box art that seemed to be finalized?

    Yeah, well, maybe not anymore.

12. I should give my parents a call, and make their day by telling them I’ve finally decided on a university to attend.

    As for why this one, I think I’ll keep that a secret.

13. Want a Master Chief of your very own, but can’t find or afford any of those cool statues or action figures?

    Fear not! For papercraft is here to save the day!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 4:18 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.