The Daily ‘Shroom – 9/27/07
InFormers: Robots in the News
- Oh… wow. It looks like the UK release of TransFormers: The Movie is going to get several deleted scenes added, including more of everyone’s favorite hackers, Maggie and Glen. Yay.
- Also for the lucky UKers, TransFormers USB Flash drives, shaped like the Autobot and Decepticon insignias.
Funny that they have different size values… guess bein’ mean has its advantages.
- So Bay still hasn’t committed to the sequel, but it looks like Shia’s set to return as Sam.
But what about Megan Fox? And what about MAGGIE?!
Assorted Mushrooms
- The Official TMNT Web Site has new previews for Tales of the TMNT #38, Raphael: Bad Moon Rising #3, and Tales of the TMNT Collected Books Volume 4, all of which should be available in comic shops soon.
- Plus, it looks like Playmates has an offer where you can get a free Bigfoot monster figure for buying three TMNT action figures and sending in their UPC’s.
That’s awesome, it seems like forever since there’s been an offer like that. I hope it does well enough that we get to see more.
- Rave passed on some bad news earlier, as apparently Geneon USA, aka the former Pioneer LDS, seems to have hit some hard times, cancelling many future products and laying off a large number of people.
It doesn’t look like a promising future for the company that helped bring us the likes of Viewtiful Joe, Cardcaptor Sakura, Akira, Barefoot Gen, Lupin the 3rd, Trigun, Tenchi Muyo, and so much more. It’s hard to believe that this is happening.
- The Garfield Gets Real site has updated their About the Movie page with looks at the world they’ve created, the props within, and even some of the animation and facial expressions for the characters.
Granted, it’s not going to threaten Pixar, but then again, for the type of story they’re telling here, I very much doubt it’s meant to.
- Following in the footsteps of The Bionic Woman and American Gladiators, Knight Rider is returning to NBC. And they’re saying it’s because of TransFormers‘ success.
Wonder what’s next. MacGuyver, maybe?
Video Power
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Now with more reading.
So seems to be the case with Smash Bros. DOJO!!‘s latest update, featuring Pokemon Trainer’s Final Smash.
This one is sort of a throwback to the Marvel vs. Capcom style of everyone ganging up on the opponents, as they all team up for a “Super Effective” Triple Finish.
- Nintendo has issued a new press release that continues their campaign to convert non-gamers, using the recently-released Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes A Day to spearhead their penetration into malls, RV shows, and… hair salons?
“Many different people are sampling and playing Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day, including some people you might not expect to be trying video games,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “The title draws people in with its engaging game play, so this summer we’re giving all kinds of people a chance to energize and sharpen their brains while demonstrating that everyone’s a gamer.”
Nintendo is planning something of a tour– or perhaps tours– across the US:
A 50-City Mall Experience: Between now and Jan. 8, Brain Age 2 will be part of a 50-city nationwide mall game-play experience. Visitors can train their brains and check out all the latest Nintendo games. To find a location near you, visit http://wii.nintendo.com/malltour_07.jsp.
So while you’re trying to get your mom or dad hooked, it sounds like there will be other titles there to try out as well.
Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk Events: As part of this nationwide event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research, Nintendo is sponsoring booths at Memory Walk events in Chicago, Austin, New York, Washington and Los Angeles. Participants and visitors can sample Brain Age 2 and learn how to keep their minds active.
Good for quality time with the grandparents, too!
A Hair Salon (yes, a hair salon): In honor of National Self-Improvement Month, Nintendo has sent Nintendo DS systems and copies of Brain Age 2 to the new Nelson J Salon in Beverly Hills, Calif. During September, visitors to the salon will have the chance to freshen up the insides of their heads while stylists coif their tresses.
Why not? Who better to persuade to spend a ton of money on a new hobby than those with plenty to spare?
Nintendo Street Team Appearances: Members of the Nintendo Street Team will fan out across the country to show off Brain Age 2 at a variety of major landmarks and expanded-audience events like home shows and fitness expos, including the Atlanta Home Show (Sept. 28-30) and the Long Island Fall Home Show (Sept. 28-30).
…I got nothing for this one. Sorry.
- D’oh, so much for the holidays. Sounds like SEGA has been focusing on the Wii title Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games so much that they almost forgot about the DS version, which has now been delayed until the first quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, the Wii version is on track for a November 20th release… just in time for Black Friday.
On the upside, some more new info has come up (or perhaps I just missed it before), revealing there will be unlockable stages where familiar items from Mario and Sonic’s worlds will “enhance the challenge of each unique event.”
- Bye-bye, Beth. Oh, and Julia.
First was George Harrison, then Nintendo Power went to Future, and the forums got killed, too. People expect Perrin Kaplan to be the next to follow, which would be disappointing.
Good luck, Beth and Julia, wherever you may go.
- Hmm, now here’s a nifty bundle over at GameStop: an Onyx DS Lite, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and an art cel, all for $165.
Just want the game? Go to Toys R Us instead, and you can get a free guide with it instead.
- Crap, this sucks. Three titles removed from the ESRB’s Wii page: Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Duck Hunt, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game.
I was really looking forward to those.
- The game I’m perhaps looking forward to most and looking at least is Burnout Paradise. The concepts sound interesting, but I’m most interested in seeing the finished product, rather than following every step of the way. Just put that pup in my hands and let me tear some stuff up.
That said, I don’t mind hearing how it’s shaping up, and according to Joystiq, the game seems to be on target.
- Finally, the novel Halo: Contact Harvest is coming out on October 30th, but I’m not ready to read that. I remain in a very novice position in knowing much about Halo, but I am looking to get something to read this weekend, and I figure one of these books would fit the current theme and mood nicely.
But, I don’t know what to get. I hear one of the novels is based on the first game, so that sounds like a good place to start… but which one is that? And is there a novel that precedes it as a prequel? Should I start there?
If anyone reading this even likes Halo that much and can provide some answers, I’d love to know. The weekend is only about a day and a half away.
–LBD “Nytetrayn”