7-7-7! With 777 spams in my Bulk Mail folder! This should be my lucky day! Maybe I’ll go out and buy a lottery ticket…

1. TransFormers…

   Official images of Movie toys, Death Star Darth Vader, some new TransTech images, and turnarounds of the Movie Megatron Unleashed figure.

   Also, I guess Dreamworks and Paramount have nearly made back their budget on the movie.

   Wondering what Movie Dinobots might look like? Here’s one possibility, though I think we’d more likely see a leaner, meaner T-rex before it was said and done.

   And don’t forget the Insecticons.

   Here’s another version with the two tied together, plus some camerabot, all with Sector 7 narrative.

2. Man, Sony is getting completely punked out by the Church.
3. AND they’re denying any PS3 price cuts.

   Clearly, they seem to have their honey nuts and oats in the wrong place, if you catch my drift.

4. Meanwhile, Target doesn’t care; they’re making the cut, and they’re making it NOW, dammit.
5. The final She-Ra: Princess of Power episodes are coming to DVD soon.
6. Know that strange trailer that’s playing before TransFormers?

   IGN has a little more info on what that’s all about.

7. Going into E3 next week, IGN has some expectations, including Mario vs. Sonic at the show, as well as a mysterious Nintendo franchise being brought back from the dead. Who could it be?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Not much about TransFormers today. Go figure.

   KBToys.com is taking preorders for the Star Wars TransFormers Darth Vader/Death Star, however, and Hasbro’s Toy Shop is having a sale that just makes me want to slit my wrists (Primusssss…), in addition to some preorders.

   Some new official pictures have surfaced of some of the newer upcoming toys, including a new spoiler-rific version of Jazz.

   Prime tops the top ten TV robots of all time, as he should (sorry Mega Man, old friend, but let’s face it– you really need a better manager).

   The New Avengers/TransFormers crossover hit shelves yesterday, and Stuart Moore is eager to discuss it with IGN.

   And I don’t know why, but the box office numbers for the movie are still climbing. It’s not like anyone actually wants to see “BayFormers” or anything. Not like there will be a sequel, either, right?

2. So starting today, McDonald’s is offering a new Happy Meal with Fly Wheels and Hello Kitty.

   Got no problems with Hello Kitty. It’s cute, and lends itself well to humorous situations.

   But what the hell are Fly Wheels? Every time I hear the name, I think of a Decepticon.

   Who’s probably cooler by default.

3. A new stage has been revealed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in the form of the Bridge of Eldin, one of my favorite parts of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

   Sounds like fun, I just hope you get to knock that fat son of a Keese so far down that he falls back in from the top of the screen.

4. Great news!

   The PlayStation 3 is getting a $100 price cut!

   Bad news!

   Still can’t afford one, and even if I could, I can probably count the games I’m interested in on one hand.

   Worse news!

   Depending on how many others share my sentiments (to say nothing of financial situation), this could lead to Sony getting raped even more per each unit sold.

   I’m not faulting them on this, really. It’s closer to a state of pity.

5. They say that the first step on the road to recovery is to admit that you have a problem.

   Homer wishes that was the last step, and I’m sure Peter Moore feels the same way right about now.

   But at least they admit it. And going into another step, they’re actually doing something about it, as XBox 360 now has a three-year warranty. That’s pretty damn big of them.

   However, it still leaves open to debate the real thing that ticks so many people off. Granted, the customer service and warranty situations have been a pain, but it’s the sheer consistency of these things breaking down, and having to be without their beloveds that really has people grinding their gears.

   They say the move will cost 1 billion dollars. To which I say, do it right the first time, maybe you won’t have these problems later.

   Chris Kohler of Game|Life speaks at greater length with Mr. Moore about the announcement.

6. IGN has a nice look at the current status of several in-the-works comic book movies, including TMNT 2, The Dark Knight, and The Watchmen, among some other big names.

   I do so eagerly await the day when video game movies get this sort of… more proper treatment.

7. Remember that NiGHTS scan from yesterday? Well, someone went and translated it.

   Ah, stress as the impetus for a game story. There’s something I suppose I can relate to.

8. Following in the footsteps of other great creators, Matt Groening finally lends his appearance to something about The Simpsons.

   …no, it’s not the drunken Nazi, either. At least, that I can tell.

   But, he IS the final boss!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Not much today, what with the fireworks and the BBQs and all. Don’t worry, I’m sure tomorrow will be better.

1. TransFormers News! I really ought to come up for a name for this part of the report.

   If I had a Christmas tree, I’d definitely want this hanging from it. That said, it looks like it can stand on its own, and I want it anyway. Hope Jesus wouldn’t get too jealous.

   July 7th is TransFormers Day at Meijer!

   I don’t think we have Meijer in Canada, so with that, let me just say to anyone who gets to go: Screw you, and have a wonderful time.

   If I ever got a tatoo, it’d probably be an Autobot symbol on my arm. I don’t think that’d get ruined with age, and it’s not like I have a buff bod that would deteriorate from lack of upkeep anyway.

   And if I got another? Other arm, Maximal.

   Allspark has a pair of movie reviews, one full of spoilers, and not so much. Choose your destiny.

   And finally, it’s the best day ever– Tuesday, that is, as the TransFormers proceeded to kick tailgate:

   The sci-fi adventure “Transformers” had an unprecedented Tuesday haul of $27.4 million in its official debut, beating a record of $15.7 million set last year by “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

   “It’s the biggest Tuesday ever,” said Mike Vollman, spokesman for Paramount, which released “Transformers” along with fellow Viacom Inc. unit DreamWorks. “It’s playing very broadly. It’s the kind of summer movie that’s drawing families and we’re very excited for its progress going into the rest of the weekend.”

2. You didn’t think it’d be that great ALL week, did you? Smash Bros. Dojo has updated to inform us of… Smash Attacks.

   On the bright side, it does enlighten us just a little into how some of the newer control schemes will work. I’ll likely stick to good ol’ Cubey, tho.

3. Hmm, Ragnarok Online for the DS.

   If it retains its MMORPG roots, then this would be a game I’d both LOVE to try, but be afraid to as well, as I’ve always tried to keep my distance, but RO just has a certain appeal to it…

4. New NiGHTs scan, showing off a new character. Guess Claris and Elliot aren’t coming back?

   Or maybe just not as we knew them?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Happy Independence Day, y’all!

A late update today. Let’s see how far I get with it.

1. Smash Bros. Dojo update. Man. I love Sakurai SO much for this. I just hope you can still take ‘im on like before.
2. o/~ TransFormers!

   o/~ Robots in Disgust! Featuring a ton of games so bad they’ll make you cry, and your eyes will rust! o/~

   (Trust me, if you do it right, it flows right with the classic tune.)

   Yep, another feature by the lovely and talented Nadia Oxford, and no prizes for guessing what (or who) inspired her to write up this piece that looks back on the “less than meets the eye” gaming history of the children of Primus.

   IGN chats with the executive producer of the new Animated show. Long story short, lots of fun, it’s not made for you if you’re reading this, but hey, if you like it, that’s cool too.

   Wal-Mart is taking preorders for Ultimate Bumblebee. You know, the one that’s 31 flavors of awesome, 32 if you count the fact that it plays “Whip It” by Devo? A decent price, too. For the Americans. For Canada? Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of violation through anal penetration. Because they can.

   From the early Monday showing of the movie, they made a few bucks. Maybe they’ll go get dinner or something. Super-size, even, if they feel particularly thrifty.

3. neoendgame provided some good news for fans of The Protomen. Looks like something big may yet be afoot.

   Could a Capcom-endorsed concert become a reality?

4. Alvin. Chipmunks. Movie.

   CHRISTMAS.

   Be afraid. VERY afraid. Because you’re going to be hearing that hugging song a LOT.

5. Sing it! o/~ Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart? I dooooooooo~! o/~
6. Metroid Prime 3 could go one of two ways. It could be an online orgy of fun, with everyone fragging each other and calling one-another “noobs.” Or it could just wind up being a form of virtual masturbation, where you’re playing by yourself, but at least you’re having a really good time of it.

   Guess what?

   

   At least we have some new images to… admire. And interviews. Interviews so we might understand…

7. Just for the record, since a recent family film has seen fit to make use of a whole gag sequence surrounding masturbation, then clearly the bar has been lowered so that it’s safe for me to use guilt-free. Right? Right.

   Or left. Whatever works.

8. ARGH, firk-ding blast!

   So, IGN reports that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, season 5, is finally coming out on DVD.

   “Awesome!” sez I. “We finally get the Ninja Tribunal season, like the rest of the world!”

   Whoops. Wrong frickin’ Turtles.

9. Great, another Japanese Club Nintendo-exclusive game I need to get.

   Still want Tingle’s Balloon Fight more, though. ‘Cuz I take some foo’s to schoo’ in a Balloon Fight! Dig it?

10. I really don’t give a damn about EA Sports and their monopolized franchises, but a good idea is a good idea. Appeal to the EA Sports market AND the Wii Sports “16 is too many buttons to remember” types.
11. “Sony doesn’t buy exclusivity.”

    Probably because these days, they can’t afford to. HEYOOOO!!

12. <3 picture.

    If only because it seems to finally be coming true, like some beautiful dream.

13. My, Rock Band looks like it’s coming along well, doesn’t it?

    So nice of them to demonstrate with one of my favorite songs, no less.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Oy, what a weekend. And I don’t even know if I’ll still have a job after tomorrow, which I find out after a doctor’s appointment.

Red took a bit of time on the computer, and I’m tired. We just got back in from seeing TransFormers: The Movie. Not going to leave you guys empty-handed, though. Here’s a sort of mish-mash of updates of stuff from over the weekend. I’ll comb the blogs later, because frankly, that stuff’s a bitch. Except for Joystiq and Game|Life, those two are good to catch up on quick.

1. TransFormers to start.

   Hasbro has bios of the Target-exclusive Energon recolors for the movie. They also have some podcasts from BotCon, with reveals, interviews, and more.

   Speaking of reveals, much was revealed at BotCon this weekend, and you can find out all about it here and here. Animated, Classics 2.0, dead lines, and more, plus Animated cast news. Oh, and who doesn’t love pictures?

   WizardUniverse.com is holding a TransFormers week, while the site TransFormers Phillipines is holding an interview with Floro Dery, considered a father of the TransFormers brand.

   Sam’s Club has a nice 3-pack of figures from The Movie, featuring Jazz, Bonecrusher, and Brawl.

   Newsarama also has interviews with some of the movie cast, and GameTrailers goes behind the scenes of the game. GT also has videos of Optimus vs. Megatron, and a trailer for the DS games.

   Ben Yee has his own BotCon gallery, report, and movie review available.

   And finally, keeping the brand popular? All about momentum.

2. Smash Bros. Dojo brings something new… really new into the world of Smash in the form of assist trophies.

   Things just got wilder.

   And now, with Bowser officially on the scene, even moreso. This time looks like a hybrid of his Melee form and his more traditional, cartoony form. I can dig it, though I do argue that he seems to have given up just a smidgen of his menace that he had before. But just a little.? The wife should be happy, at least.

   Sadly, though, the game won’t be playable at E3. Why that’s sad for you and I is anyone’s guess, come to think of it. Validation of fears/anxiety?

3. Virtual Console has updated with the NES classic Super Mario Bros. 2, Ecco: The Tides of Time from the SEGA Genesis, and Dragon Spirit of the TurboGrafx-16.

   See what’s worth buying here.

4. Matt of Press The Buttons has some neat ideas of what WiiWare could provide. I’m totally on board for Star Fox 2.
5. Racketboy has a review of one of my favorite Dreamcast games in Capcom’s Cannon Spike, as well as a nice look at a list of SEGA Genesis games that pushed the limits of graphics and sound.
6. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass? October 1st.

   Metroid Prime 3? Delayed (but only by about a week).

7. GameTrailers fun: The 10 worst movie games, a Video Game Vault for The Punisher, and last Friday’s Game Head, with the voice of Mario, Charles Martinet.
8. Capcom, making a new 2D fighting game? Curious…
9. Looks like the Devil May Cry anime has found a DVD home in America after all.
10. Edge magazine has come out with their list of the Top 100 games of all time, and Next-Gen tells you what they are.
11. GameDaily has a piece looking at the use of game length; “Just what constitutes a proper game length? Are today’s titles too brief? Too long? And what’s the effect on sales? We chat with a couple developers and a couple analysts to hear the long and short of it…”
12. This looks fun. Games Radar has the top 7 rivalries in gaming.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Alright, just a few more days until TransFormers: The Movie opens everywhere.

   In the meantime, some fun stuff from BotCon… *tears up* Sorry, I’m going to need a moment here… *bawls*

   Ok, I’m good.

   Big movie stars sighted in Rhode Island for the occassion, and I DO mean BIG; some cool news from the Hasbro tour, including the sad abortion of Titaniums of Cosmos, Arcee, Cybertronian Bumblebee, and Shockwave. Pics are here. Tear out our frickin’ hearts, whydon’cha?

   Also available are some pics of Movie recolors, including an unnamed silver-and-blue Optimus… hmm…

   More pics are here.

   New info has surfaced about TransFormers: Animated, some weird stuff. But at least the designs are able to transform, believe it or not.

   Meanwhile, a second movie has been given the go-ahead.

   In non-BotCon news, PingMag has an interview with a designer from TakaraTomy, an Australian by the name of Alex Kubalsky who designed Classics Mirage and Bumblebee, among others.

   Elsewhere, here’s hoping that the “DiaBlocks” Optimus Prime here is better than Hasbro’s Built To Rule attempts.

   Shadypenpen got to see The Movie, and has some pleasant thoughts about it here, though there are some minor spoilers that I didn’t have the benefit of a warning on before going in. Just so you know. Other nonspoiled opinions can be seen here, Newsarama has their own, which I’ve not read (just in case), and likewise for Ben Yee.

   If you’ve been wondering what Megatron will sound like with the voice of Hugo Weaving, it’s not bad. Letterman had a clip wherein the Big Bad has a little chat with Sam Witwicky.

   To warm up for the movie, IGN has a feature (poorly written, or at least edited. Seriously, how many different ways can you spell “Takara” on the same page?) which looks back at the television history of the Autobots’ battle to destroy the evil– well, you get it. They also talk about the comics, and give exclusive debuts of IDW’s TransFormers: Devastation #1 and Optimus Prime Spotlight.

   Still not enough? Then how about a virtual Q&A with Bay, a roundtable with same, Babes of the TransFormers, Blog Topic of the Week, and TransFormers vs. Stardust vs. 1408. Whew!

   The Game has come out, on the XBox 360 among other consoles, to fair-to-middlin’ reviews, though it seems a number of gamers think it’s often underrated. The general opinions seem to be, in order of preference: DS > Consoles > PSP, from what I’ve seen. PS3 and 360 get the video review treatment from GameTrailers here.

   Finally, what good is a summer blockbuster if there aren’t tie-ins? Fortunately, TransFormers provides as Optimus desperately tries to have it his way, after a slight mishap.

2. Wow. If you’re going to SDCC, you might want to get your hands on this NECA Castlevania exclusive figure: “Pixel” Simon, made to ironically celebrate the launch of their highly-detailed line of Castlevania figures.

   The “Pixel” Simon Mini-Figure is based on the look of the original Castlevania vampire hunter, Simon Belmont, and how he appeared on the original 8-Bit NES platform.

   This figure is a non-poseable resin mini-figure that stands about 3″ tall. He will be packaged on a small blister card that re-creates the original game artwork and background. This mini-figure will be available only at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be limited to 1000 pieces.

   Definitely a collector’s piece, if ever there was one.

3. Opera for the Wii is almost done with bein’ free.
4. So, GameTrailers has a new layout. Fortunately, they’ve seen fit (in time) to help us figure it out with a video tourguide.
5. Excellent news from He-Man.org, that the 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon is being brought to DVD.

   Though a little pricey, there has been a LOT packed into the past DVDs for any fan of He-Man or She-Ra, and if you can get it at a good price, it’s worth grabbing.

6. Rockstar has sent out their thanks for the support of the Manhunt community, who–

   –waitasec, Manhunt COMMUNITY?!

   Is it me, or does that just sound like EVERY manner of wrong put together?

7. Wow, who knew that anyone was even keeping track? But then, I guess when you don’t have a Wii, every last Frosty Float matters.

   Unless you’re in Canada, where they just advertise them but don’t sell them.

   At any rate, the contest is only half over, so if you love Wendy’s and want Wii, then you know what to do.

8. The PlayStation 3 is SO going down.

   But! That’s actually GOOD news, as in Australia, our down is their up.

   Or something.

   Right. *coughs*

   Anyway, one wonders what the cause might be. Better average income down under? Different tastes? Somehow lower pricing?

9. Contrary to Kotaku’s opinion, I say FINALLY: The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 is out on DVD!

   And this damn country doesn’t get these Shout! Factory sets. Dammit!

   Seriously, this was my favorite of the Mario toons because of how (generally) faithful it was to the setting of the third game, all the while making new adventures and characterizing the Koopalings. With less parody than Super Show and less modern stone-age family than World, it really let Mario and the gang stand on their own for a bit.

   Plus, Shout! Factory does the best with what they have, which usually makes these sets worth a peek.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Oh, the irony. Today, I finally get my new issue of Nintendo Power with their exclusive first-look at Contra IV, complete with lovely screens and an interview, and what should happen?

   1up’s Jeremy Parish has his preview go up the same day.

   Screw Grand Theft Auto IV and to Hell with Halo 3 (I kid you, Chief), this is the sequel I can’t wait to get my hands on. 4-player? Awesome. And not a rumor, at least through NP, which even featured a screenshot of four bare-chested warriors spraying bullets everywhere.

   Still a little weird on the “Bill and Lance and Mad Dog and Scorpion” bit, despite that, though. It’d be like playing a game that features both Mega Man and Rockman, or Trevor and Ralph Belmont. Or the Ninja Turtles teaming up with the Hero Turtles.

   Hmm, a Contra/Probotector team-up might be neat, though.

   Moving on, stacking weapons is going to be cool, but unfortunately, it won’t be in the Metroid form of the term, but rather, obtaining multiples of the same weapon will yield a more powerful form of that weapon, much as the Spread Shot worked in the old arcade Super Contra title. Likewise, accidental grabs may lead to less “revenge kills” of your partner with the ability to discard a weapon so that they can grab it– or at the very least, make them a little more useful once they come back after dying.

   All together, the thought of this being the Contra equivalent of last year’s New Super Mario Bros. makes me feel giddy inside, as that game rose to become my favorite of the 2D games.

   In the end, reassuring words from T. Frog– let’s hope it all pans out in the end.

   October 15th will be the day all Hell breaks loose on Galuga once again. More here as it comes. And in the meantime, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out 1up’s special Contra Retro Roundup.

2. Today at the Dojo, Sakurai reveals Wario’s special moves.

   …I can’t believe he’s actually going to use his motorcycle in battle. Seems Mario has watched one too many of those “Grand Theft Mario” fanmovies, though.

3. TransFormers… BotCon, BotCon, BotCon, BotCon… there’s really little more to say.

   Unless you’re into old prototype toys. neoendgame has found this gold Micron Legend Convoy/Armada Optimus Prime prototype figure on eBay, commanding a rather hefty little sum.

   This December, Diamond Select will also be releasing this Omega Supreme statue. All the awesomeness and breathtaking power of the original “big” Autobot, with none of the falling-apart.

   GameTrailers has some footage of the Decepticon Blackout in action today. Somehow, he still strikes me as less destructive and bloodthirsty as Bumblebee was yesterday.

4. Brian Bendis has signed a deal that keeps him with Marvel for the next decade. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get bored in the interim.
5. Diamond Select has announced that the most awesome openly homosexual man in the world (barring possibly Hard Gay), George Takei, will be their guest of honor at SDCC this year.

   “Oh my!” indeed.

6. Sony seems to be wisening up to a good way to hook people on Blu-Ray– offer them freebies when they buy a player. Yep, PS3 included.

   Granted, with the PS3 being something of a money hole for them so far, this is probably one of the better incentives they can offer to get people to cough up the money for the system. After all, once you’re in, you’re in. And I doubt that giving these away costs them that much more.

   The downside? No freebie games. So while this may help push the Blu-Ray movie format along, it’s hard to say if this will really entice gamers to cough up the bucks for it. After all, aren’t there Blu-Ray movie players that cost less than a PS3 now?

   I guess it all comes down to the buyer’s perspective. But could a study that shows that many don’t know their consoles have video playback show signs of a factor to be considered?

7. TMNT was a cool, fun movie. And that makes me glad that the chances of a sequel are on the rise.
8. XBox 360 is a deathtrap– of the self-inflicting sort, really. So much so that one UK firm has stopped servicing Red Rings of Death due to the “phenomenal” return rates making the service “financially unviable.”

   Microsoft seemingly refuted the notion that there might be a problem by placing their hands over their ears and shouting “LALALALALALALALALA-CAN’T HEAR YOU!” before proceeding to chase Pac-Man around the parking lot with a broom.

9. Tonight (Friday) on Spike TV’s Game Head, we get to meet the voice of Mario! Can’t wait.
10. More Cracker Jack crap.

    The only reason I’m even mentioning this is that the guy is making moves against a game the company can’t even sell. Guy needs a hobby, bad. Wonder what it’d take to get Nintendo to send him one of those DS Lite/Brain Age gifts they do, as a birthday or late Father’s Day or something…

11. Damnation, Nintendo, just release the damn game here already!
12. “Midway To End Wii Party Game Drought With Game Party.”

    Well, thank God.

13. There is a rumor of an Alvin and the Chipmunks game for the PC, DS, Wii, and PS2.

    I only post this because it made me think of this.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. TransFormers!

   TransFormers: The Game has transformed and rolled out today for the big machines. GameTrailers has some in-game footage to check out. Man, Bumblebee sure has a mean streak here, doesn’t he? Once you’ve seen that, click here for more carnage.

   I find it funny that by attacking Bumblebee, the Decepticons are essentially being the heroes.

   Optimus: They’re after the artifact! Destroy them before they get to Witwicky!
   Bumblebee (player): What’s that? Kill everything? You got it! *starts blasting civilian cars*

   Oshit, that car decided to start fighting back…

   “oshit, that car is more than meets the eye, it’s a robot in disguise!”

   …and thus, a premise was set.

   People wonder “why a Camaro?” for Bumblebee. “Make him one of those little Smart cars, that’s more like what he used to be,” they said.

   After watching him run down a row of trees lining the road here, I think it is now abundantly clear that Bumblebee isn’t about keeping it Green, he’s just about keeping it mean.

   To correspond with all the movie fun, GameSpot has created their own TransFormers Launch Center.

   In other TF news, Elita-1 finally gets a toy as she sees release exclusively at Target as a recolor of Energon Arcee, alongside Air Raid and Armorhide.

   And finally, someone may have dug up another part of the film’s soundtrack from the Burger King website, with an MP3 titled “decepticons_theme.mp3.”

2. Wow, McFarlane’s Dragons are up to Series 7 already? That’s quite a bit, definitely more than I knew were available.
3. Oooh, remember Cruis’n USA and Cruis’n Exotica in the arcades, way back in the day? Yeah, the ones that got blown out of the water by Daytona USA.

   Well, anyway, they were still fun romps, and it’s for that reason I’m glad to see the franchise continue on Wii with Cruis’n… er, just Cruis’n, I guess.

4. No Wii hard drive in the works?

   Pretty lame, Milhouse… er, Nintendo. I mean, I admit I have no use for it right now, as my downloading and storage is pretty limited, but I imagine there are those who make frequent use of the services that would really appreciate having a less-hassle way of keeping their stuff.

   Here’s hoping that a hard drive doesn’t become the new online.

   Actually, might be jumping to conclusions, as Kotaku so keenly points out.

5. Promising news for the future, for Wii owners and Star Wars fans.
6. Smash Bros. Dojo has updated, and it’s about… names?

   Yes, names. They were available in Melee as well, but serve a more important purpose here, in helping remember what sorts of controller configurations you have set up. This can be very helpful feature, as it turns out; for example, I never liked having my “strong” attacks set to the shoulder buttons in Street Fighter II and such games, and it made things a total pain for anyone who wanted to play after me. So while I’ll likely use the Brawl default, this could still be of use to others who have their own preferences.

   That Sakurai is so thoughtful. He even looks to have you be able to save your setup to your own Wii remote, should you take it to a friend’s. But he’s sorry if he can’t make it happen.

7. UDON is breaking out a special treat at this summer’s conventions with their UDON’s Art of Capcom book.

   Before people get too excited, it should be noted that this book appears to be Capcom art created by UDON themselves, and unlike some of their other efforts (Street Fighter: Eternal Challenge and Mega Man Zero Perfect Memories) will probably not contain much, if anything, in the way of art from the Japanese offices of Capcom.

   That said, it’s not a wholly bad thing, as UDON still produces spectacular art which Capcom still uses in several of its games, packaging, and products, including the upcoming Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

   However, the good news is that while it begins as a convention exclusive, it will be released at retail later this year. But in the meantime, there seems to be no real indication of which conventions will have it.

   Otakon? Please?

8. Yes, people apparently really are dumb enough to make this necessary.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

It still feels a little weird doing this already, but you can’t run away and hide forever.

1. The Official TMNT Web Site has news from the Licensing Show regarding the future of the franchise, including the Ninja Tribunal storyarc, Fast Forward, future movies, toys, games, and more. Give it a look!
2. La, la-la, la-la…. TransFormers.

   What do you get when you cross super-cute with super-ugly?

   TransFormers: The Movie Robot Heroes, of course.

   At last, a look at Music Label Soundwave in package. I hope this guy has a good shelf-life, I want one when I have the moneys.

   “Burger King: Have it your way?” Fine, my way involves having Optimus Prime himself telling me what’s going on in The King’s court.

   …well, I’ll be damned.

   Wired has a neat article about the upcoming TransFormers movie, and some odd commentary, and maybe a reason or two for a fan to want to smack Michael Bay.

   It’s a pretty good piece, kind of makes me feel guilty for reading it at the drug store while my wife was shopping.

   Allspark has a bunch of galleries for new figures, and imports, too.

   And finally, a double-dose of… erm, “goodness” about the new TransFormers: Animated show.

   Does this mean Prowl is some sort of ninja now? Bumblebee looks neat in that Movie sort of way, much like the former “eager youth” Autobot, Hot Shot.

   Be funny as hell, and a little bit sad, if in 15-20 years, the kids who grew up with Hot Shot are adults and Hasbro’s scrambling for what to do as someone else took over the rights for the name when they weren’t looking.

   TransFormers: Energon Commemorative Edition – Shotimus

   …maybe…

3. I’ll be straight-up with you. I don’t give much of a damn about Paris Hilton. This whole jail thing, especially her departure last night, feels like it’s been one huge act of abusing the First Amendment.

   However, unlike many, I’ve never really mustered up the energy to really hate her, either. She’s always seemed spoiled, pampered, maybe out of touch with reality. Who’s to blame? Her parents? Her lifestyle? The public? Who cares? Not me.

   As long as she stayed out of my way and away from my general interests, I was cool.

   As for the jail thing? I figured that if it actually made some change to her, then that would probably be good, good for her.

   “She said ‘I’m not the same person I was. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I want to do different things when I’m out of here . . . I used to act dumb, it was an act and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me,’” Walters recounted. “She said ‘I’m 26 years old now and it is a different time.’ She said ‘I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance.’”

   I’m not saying I buy into it, but I’m not one to judge, either. All I’ll say is, if she means it, good for her, I’m happy for her then. If not… well, she can continue staying out of my way.

   Time will tell.

   Either way, just for the record, don’t expect much else to be said of her in these pages.

4. Organic Hobby’s 9.5″ Chun Li PVC statue is looking mighty fine. It should be out in the West around August.
5. Atomic Fire has found further confirmation that MegaMan Star Force: Dragon may be a GameStop exclusive.

   Oh well, I suppose I have enough games to catch up on as it is.

6. Smash Bros. Dojo has brought forth two more updates.

   The first is a nice remix of several Zelda melodies spliced together, and the one from tonight is a new item… the banana peel?

   Seriously, even if the item doesn’t pan out so well in the game, it may well have been worth it just for Sakurai’s commentary.

7. New Virtual Console games this week: F-Zero X for N64, Street Fighter II? Turbo: Hyper Fighting for the SNES (I wonder if they’ll try and release the Genesis version, too), and China Warrior for the TurboGrafx-16.

   At the very least, I heard that F-Zero X had a nice soundtrack, so that may be worth looking into sometime.

   No Retro Roundup this week, just an abridged version.

8. So now the ESRB is censoring… trailers? The hell?
9. Ok, so maybe we’re not nuts after all.
10. Sheesh, taxing virtual items? What’s next, lemonade stands?
11. Sam Raimi? Spider-man 4?

    Whaaaaaa?

    I vote for Kraven, if they give him the reality TV angle he had in Ultimate Spider-man.

12. “Ah, yes, I’d like one Order of Phoenix, please, and hold the tailfeathers– they burn my throat.

    Oh, and an extra large pink lemonade, to wash that all down, please.”

    “Brrrzzzzwssshwwwplzzzzz!”

13. Iron Man is a wrap! And there’s a new teaser site, too: Stark Iron Works.
14. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam.

    May God have mercy on us all.

15. Donkey Kong 64 on DS? Well, they didn’t say “no”…

    Wow, what to think. I’ll be frank, I didn’t like the original as much as I’d like.

    And with Super Mario 64 DS, the awesome additions were almost counterbalanced by the lack of analog control.

    So what would a Donkey Kong 64 DS have to offer to not only compensate for the lack of a natural control, but make we want to give it another try in the first place?

16. Original downloadable content for the Wii? Finally.
17. I’m going to miss Red vs. Blue when it wraps up, even though I haven’t actually gotten to watch it in some time.

    All the more reason I should buy the DVDs, I guess.

18. Hmm, looks like Take Two is playing hardball on this whole “AO” thing.

    Regarding using the AO/banning as a sales tactic… it’d be interesting if what the press saw and what the ESRB saw were too vastly different looks…

19. No Killer Instinct 3? That sucks. Even without an XBox 360 here, that sucks.
20. Even despite the continuing defective system issues (x11 for this guy) and bad QA support, no Killer Instinct 3 sucks.
21. Want to win a TransFormers faceplate for your 360? Here’s your chance.

    But why bother? There won’t be any Killer Instinct 3 on it.

22. Now this just breaks my heart. Even though I didn’t really use the code section much, a lot of the magazine was fun to go through, and the guides were good for someone who doesn’t want to bat their eyes back and forth between two screens for a longer bit of intervention.

    And they were finally getting an online presence, too!

    Most of their gaming culture sections were my favorites. They also gave Mega Man a very nice level of respect for what it is and was, and for that I’ve always been appreciative, even if I haven’t been able to really tell them so myself.

    It was a good magazine, but sadly, with their primary format, I guess this was inevitable. Still, they deserve better than the way this was handled. Larry Flynt Publications? Go choke on an old setpiece, if you get my meaning. Jerks.

    Farewell, guys. May you find better fortune in your future.

    As for everyone else, I say if you support Tips & Tricks, or just print in general, go out in the next month or two and pick up a copy of the magazine, and show a little appreciation. If they maintain the standard they’ve held throughout recent years, it should make for a worthwhile addition to your collection of video game memorabilia, at the least, and make for a decent read at worst.

23. And now for the latest series to cater to bishie-boy angst and valor, Mobile System Gundam DS Lite!

    “This stylus burns with the might of a thousand passions!” or something. I dunno, I’m more fascinated by the franchise as a large whole than any individual aspect of it. If this were 1998 again, and I was watching the original or something on late night pre-adult swim Cartoon Network, I might be all over it.

24. I think that Shaq is just pissed that his game, Shaq-Fu, didn’t do so well.
25. A curious mark runs across the top of 1up‘s pages… “Contra Countdown (2 More Days) The popular action series returns on DS.”

    …it can’t possibly be coming out in two days, can it? The hell?

    You’ve got my attention, one way or the other, 1up. Well played.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

FINALLY, a new character!

A New Challenger Has Appeared, and it is none other than the Princess of Hyrule and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom herself, Zelda!

What’s more, this just adds to the general unpredictability of these updates, as the already-known Snake, Meta-Knight, and Zero Suit Samus have yet to be added to the site, nor have the hinted possibilities of Yoshi and Ridley.

And it’s not even E3 yet.

So now… all bets are off.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”