InFormers: Robots in the News

1. So, what do you get when you cross TransFormers with Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies?
2. Ah, those Japanese and their Lucky Draw contests. You can see one such prize in the form of a golden Big Convoy from Beast Wars Neo.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. And now… NECA’s Leonardo, in all his glory.

   Seems the two secondary characters that were to accompany the fab four have been dropped for the moment, however.

2. That’s one lucky lunch!
3. The Angry Video Game Nerd once again dons his Movie Nerd hat as he takes us through the top 10 baddest bad guys to cross the silver screen.
4. I would love to know the train of thought that lead this person to believe that ANY part of this action would be a good idea.

Video Power

1. Killer Instinct had some pretty cool character designs, for the most part. Fulgore was a definite favorite of mine, and I’d like to at least see that crop up in another game, if not a new or re-released KI title.
2. Nothing like the potent mix of video games at Christmastime, eh?
3. Shy Guys: Real or imaginary (so to speak)?

   For the full story on these guys, be sure to check out their entry at the Super Mario Wiki.

   Stupid, Funny Fact: Before I ever got to play Super Mario Bros. 2, only having a few screenshots seen at retail and word that Mario was fighting in a “dream world,” I saw a pic of Mario tossing a big veggie at a Shy Guy, and thought it was so cool that Mario was taking out Jason from Friday the 13th.

   Obviously, I later found out that was not only not the case, but it’s in fact Freddy Krueger who inhabits dreams, not Jason. As you can tell, I was never big into those kinds of movies. But the truth never took away that moment when I thought Mario was a certifiable badass.

   (He still is, just not for that reason.)

4. Yahoo takes a look at a number of movies (11, to be exact) set to come out, all based on video games.
5. When it comes to the word “canon” anywhere in the vicinity of Mario’s name, people usually think about the Bill Blasters or the things on the side of Bowser’s airships.

   Not 4ColorRebellion, however; they’ve come up with their own zany chronology of how the various Mario-verse titles relate to one another. And the movie, too.

6. Don’t you just hate it when things in video games get just a little… awkward?

   Be warned, some of these border on more mature humor.

7. Oh, sure, there’s the Famicom-to-NES adaptor to consider, but I just don’t think I could bring myself to do that to a copy of Gyromite. Surely, SURELY there must be another way!
8. An argument as to why the Wii shortage is legitimate.
9. For some reason, in the UK, video games are now being blamed for declining literacy rates. You know, because all of those menus, dialogue, subscreens, magazines, etc. feature absolutely no text or anything. Just click and shoot, click and shoot…
10. Related to the GameSpot/Gerstmann story in The Daily ‘Shroom, Chad Lakkis at ripten games asks, “can you trust a video game site that runs video game ads?”

    I think, in some select cases, you can.

11. IGN has an interview with Yoshiaki Koizumi about the development of Super Mario Galaxy.
12. Next Generation checks out how retailers did with their Black Friday sales.
13. With so many great releases this year, could 2007 be the best year ever for video games?
14. Good games are good, certainly, but which ones are system sellers?
15. Find out how to avoid being labeled a noob with Games Radar’s handy guide.
16. When did games start becoming so damn emo?

    Interesting that Mega Man X or Zero are mentioned nowhere within. I always thought the general consensus was that X originated the concept of a colorful franchise taking a darker turn, and Zero refined it.

17. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and others, has an autobiography on the way. Can’t wait to read that.

    Be sure to check the link for a video of Martinet discussing how he got the job, violence in games, and more in his own distinct style. 15 minutes of Martinet-Mario goodness!

18. Incredible. I thought a bust like this only worked on The Simpsons!
19. At some point, it seems that Bungie decided to be kind enough to create video histories of the first two Halo titles as a primer for Halo 3.

    Or you can try to use this guide.

20. Whether or not games are art, they certainly never fail to inspire it.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

This entry was posted on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 6:57 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.