Clearly, a good day to catch up, as I’m going through sites and wondering why there’s barely anything new, and then it dawns on me…

1. If you want a Game Boy Micro, tomorrow’s the time as Toys R Us is offering them half-off ($34.99) from 5am until noon.
2. Word is that on Black Friday, more Wiis will be available, at least according to the Toronto Star.

   Meanwhile, Game|Life says that more PS3s will be there, too.

3. Good news from The Allspark is that publisher DK will be releasing new TransFormers guides, one being an updated Ultimate Guide in paperback, and the other being a visual-based guide.
4. Seems PSP developers may be looking to jump ship.
5. Blue Dragon = 3 discs.

   “It will make you say ‘wow.’”

6. You, or someone you know, wants a PS3. I’m pretty sure of that.

   But if you’re having trouble locating one, PlayStation Finder may be able to help.

7. PlayStation 3 costs $840 US dollars.
8. Oh, wow.

   SCEA VP on Backwards Compatibility: “I Would Like My Car To Fly and Make Me Breakfast”

   Nintendo’s not perfect, but I swear, they seem far less like assholes about it.

   Some say they don’t care what someone like that says, they just care about the bottom line. But when something like this addresses the bottom line and gives insight into who’s calling the shots, I think it gives some cause for concern.

9. Trailers for the Animal Crossing movie.

   I wanna see it. But I do wonder what place Mr. Resetti has in the movie. I mean, what’s he going to do, bitch at people for walking out before the movie’s finished?

10. Sounds like Dead Or Alive 5 is a go.

    …I still need to play 4.

11. Ok, so now we’re back to where we might not be getting a “WiiVD” outside of Japan.

    Bah.

12. I very nearly shrugged this off until I noticed the following:

    …and, most exciting of all, a rechargeable battery pack and docking station to keep your remotes nice and energized.

    If the price is right, consider that sucker sold, given that the wife and I have already damn near killed one Wiimote’s batteries.

13. A late but very enthusiastic Happy Birthday to Shigeru Miyamoto, who turned 54 years young* on November 16th.

    * I know the “years young” bit is cliche’ and kind of stupid, but he’s one man I think it applies to in a fair and just manner.

14. PS3 launch: a sham to increase PSP/PS2 sales?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Playing catch-up here, so I’m going to try and keep this as short and concise but thorough as I can.

1. Well, this completely, totally, and utterly blows.

   From The Official TMNT Web Site:

   As many of you have already heard, Comcast Cable has dropped the “Ninja Tribunal” episodes from its “Video On Demand” service, unfortunately we don’t have any definite information regarding why this has happened at the moment. To make matters more frustrating, 4Kids Home Video has removed the DVD set comprising the 13 “Ninja Tribunal” episodes from its DVD release schedule. Mirage continues to have discussions with 4Kids about releasing the Ninja Tribunal episodes on some format. If we are successful in convincing 4Kids that there is a viable market for these episodes, we will post a notice on the web site.

   In the meantime, if you’d like to contact 4Kids and request that the DVD set be released, you can write to them at the following address:

   4Kids Home Video
   53 West 23rd Street
   Newford, NY
   10010

   Well, looks like I’ll have to do my part, and I hope others will as well.

2. If you haven’t already, get your ass online in Animal Crossing: Wild World before the 24th if you want a gift from Nintendo to celebrate their latest launches.

   Most people seem to be getting Master Swords to commemorate The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but Zaphkiel and I got Wii Sports bowling pins. Has anyone gotten anything else?

3. Sigh. The PS3 launch is just sad, and for all the wrong reasons.
4. Some people think I’m biased towards Nintendo, and I’ll admit it, I am. I’ve been with Nintendo from the outset, and they’ve always been pretty good at giving me what I want. But I’m not here to cover for them, either, and I’m not afraid to criticize.

   For example, my Wii crashed earlier. So far as I can tell, it was a fluke (it’s working fine now, after reinserting the power cord). Time will tell if it’s something more serious.

   I’ve not exactly been thrilled with the Virtual Console launch lineup, of course.

   But what probably really gets me is this, that Wii Play will be available next year with a Wiimote packed in, and as early as January, if I remember what my new issue of Nintendo Power today says.

   After grabbing a system on launch day, and Shinkuu getting us an extra Wiimote, now we’re stuck with the decision to either a) hold off and take the Wiimote back and get the Wiimote/game bundle, or b) open now and do without.

   Granted, a third controller may come in handy for guests or something, but chiefly it would be Red and myself using this thing, and having the option to get that game with our extra controller at launch, like Europe and Japan, would’ve been really quite nice. Dropping that kind of money for what’s ultimately a bunch of tech demos and a controller that would be seldom used isn’t so nice.

5. Wii launched with Reggie at Toys R Us in Times Square, and PMO was there. More on the latter this weekend.

   Oh, and I like this part:

   It was the conclusion to a four-hour long launch event staged by Nintendo and officially marked the first time all three next-gen consoles were available at retail.

   …so there are still unsold PS3s somewhere? Besides eBay?

6. Sounds like Kutaragi dragging his ass cost the PS3 some exclusives.
7. Wow.

   Taco Bell wants to buy your PS3… and pay in tacos.

   Not a bad trade-off. But only one? What the hell charity is going to get that much use out of one console? Death Row?

8. …less than 200,000 PS3s to be shipped by year’s end? Even as few as 125,000?

   Why’d they even bother?

9. Delta Airlines are bringing DS downloads to airport terminals. Good idea.
10. A Get Smart movie?

    I seriously don’t know how I feel about this. Oh well, worth a shot, since Mel Brooks is on board.

    Hathaway as 99? It could work. Have some fond memories of that show… and Barbara Feldon wasn’t bad back then, either.

    And I applaud the casting of Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart. I’m not sure a better choice could be made.

    But who will play Siegfried? And Shtarker? And the Chief?

11. Wii + Opera = Flash gaming?
12. Vince loves cock, and Canada loves Wii.
13. As long as no one’s actually killed, Sony’s happy with how their launch went.
14. For the record, our apartment is fine. The cat’s more of a threat than the Wii controller.
15. So much for Nintendo’s shining track record. Seems some WiiConnect 24 updates are causing some problems, but at least Big N is willing to go the distance if need be to make things right.
16. …sigh, why must there be a divide? I want a hard case for my Wii Sports…
17. DBZ RPG for DS?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Yeah, things are a bit slim today. Not that I mind too much.

1. Ok, so now I need to learn to play Chess.

   …though I think a version of Risk with TransFormers might be cool.

2. Atomic Fire reports that Capcom of Japan has updated their 20th Anniversary of Rockman website, featuring a number of things added and coming.
3. Maxim has decided that Marvel’s Civil War is one of the most awesome things of the year.

   Well, duh.

4. Never doubt the potential of how huge the monster in your pocket can be.

   Yep, Pokemon is still big, and it’s even beaten Mario to the three million mark.

5. It’d been said before, but I guess now it’s officially officialized: Reggie is going to be at the Times Square Wii Launch Party. And now I know the details, hu-freakin’-zah!
6. Looks like if you know you’re going to be able to secure a Wii, then there’s no reason you can’t go ahead and get some games for it, in advance.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Fans of the estranged DS relatives of the MegaMan Battle Network and Boktai games might be interest to know that, in Japan at least, the theme of crossing-over between franchises continues.

   Still a little unclear if it’s a simple cameo as in MegaMan Battle Network 4, or if you have to have two DSes and each game to open anything.

   And because we simply are good enough to bother with, there’s still a chance this content may not even make it here. Because we gaijin suck.

2. And you thought that GameStop and other retailers were doing bad by you in the past by forcing bundled software and peripherals with your new systems.

   CompUSA isn’t about to take that lying down, as they’re saving their PS3 allotments for those who buy HDTVs from them.

   Might want to consider marking that place off your list, campers.

   And nothing so far about a similar Wii promotion.

3. Meanwhile, over in the ol’ Amazon, no further preorders are being taken for either next-gen console.
4. So Wii made its TV debut last night on Dancing With The Stars.

   …yeah.

   Actually, I think technically Red Steel beat that notion by being shown on yesterday’s rerun of WWE Monday Night Raw, if not earlier. But that’s Canada, so…

5. *cues up music*

   o/~ Halo my baby, Halo my darling, Halo my ragtime gal… o/~

   …ok, enough of that. IGN reports a Hellacious helping of Halo… homing… helping…

   Sigh, just read the link. Halo 3‘s multiplayer Beta will be available come the spring, and other goodies are on the way, too.

6. In Japan, Nintendo plays you! …if you’re Sony.
7. Rosebud… yes, Rosebud frozen bees. Full of country goodness and green beeness. Wait, that’s terrible. I quit. *storms off*

   *storms back* …just a handfull for the road…

   *offside* Oh, what luck! There’s a french-fry stuck in my beard! *munching sounds*

8. First batch of Wiis are on their way! This is promising if you live in Atlanta and are looking to scoop one up.
9. The Hedgehog has landed.

   However, the lack of reviews has some concerned that this may be a mirroring of the movie industry’s tendency to not invite critics to some early showings… make of that what you will.

10. The port of the new Sonic‘s 15-year old predecessor wasn’t fast enough to dodge that bullet, however. In fact, GameSpy pretty much bitchslaps the hell out of it.

    Strange to me, though, are the claims this is the Game Gear version… those ain’t GG graphics. Maybe they were revamped? Dunno, never got to play the original GG version, so I don’t know what stages it had.

11. Free WiiVD at GameStop/EB.
12. Looks like CostCo may be making a Wii bundle similar to the XBox 360′s.
13. “This could be the end of the World… of Warcraft.”
14. Damnation. I tried to get in when they were around 20 apiece.
15. Sounds like Nintendo has faltered in the face of MP3 playback.

    Not that I care (in my case, what am I going to do? Swap one game soundtrack out for another?), but someone surely does.

16. Seems Joystiq was momentarily confused by the title of Nintendo’s big ad campaign for the Wii.

    Though I am with them in wondering why the Hell we aren’t getting it.

17. Speaking of Hell, it’s starting to freeze over as Blue Dragon for the XBox 360 is the third-most anticipated game in Famitsu, toppling such heavy contenders as Metal Gear Solid 4 and the new Zelda.

    Could this signify a change in fortunes for Microsoft in the east?

    Maybe. All that, and on top of that, anime and manga, too.

18. So the number of busted PS2 games on PS3 numbers in around 200. Word is that there will be patches made available, possibly one at a time, to fix this.

    Also available is a compatibility checklist.

    But maybe it’s not so big a deal.

    Then again… Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo 4, Final Fantasy XI, Xenosaga Episode II, Tekken 5, Ace Combat 5…

19. Want to attend the Game Development Conference for free? Well now you can!
20. Kotaku, among many others, have paid their respects to the death of Official US PlayStation Magazine.

    What gets me, though, is the way that everyone is citing the internet as the death of print magazines.

    But that doesn’t stop me from seeing racks upon racks of magazines covering every walk of life when I walk into my nearby Indigo bookstore. Magazines like Newsweek and Time sell. Comic magazines like Wizard, toy magazines like Toyfare, anime magazines like Newtype and Anime Insider continue to sell. Wrestling, men’s magazines, Playboy, movie magazines, they all continue on.

    I think it’s less about the news, more about the content. And as so many are willing to attest to, it’s hard to read the internet when you’re on the John. Or maybe in bed before going to sleep. Whatever.

    Nintendo Power recently reinvented themselves, and they’ve got some pretty good stories going. Some stuff is even exclusive. How do they do it?

    Quite simply, people can only read stuff on the internet if it’s put there first.

    Just look at Retro Gamer Magazine. They even proudly proclaim on their cover “OLD!” How much news do you think you’ll get from that?

    They’re enjoyable reads, among others, and those in the different categories listed above as well. And they can be more convenient for many on trains or buses, in the can, in the bedroom, or wherever.

    While the internet is an invaluable tool for getting information first, and now demos (which were no doubt a significant part of the lifeblood of OPM), it’s only going to kill print if print lets it. As Joystiq points out:

    What’s curious is why Microsoft not only doesn’t see Xbox Live as the final nail in Official Xbox Magazine’s proverbial coffin, but they use the magazine to distribute exclusive demos, weeks before they hit Live (see: Rainbow Six Vegas). Maybe, with a 60% attach rate for Xbox Live, they realize there’s still plenty of offline 360 gamers who can’t get their demos from Live.

    And hell, it doesn’t seem to bother the UK at all. And they aren’t even getting PS3s until… wow, when was that again?

21. Toys R Us to gamers: Up yours.

    That is just low.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Nintendo’s homepage goes over the details of their multimillion-dollar campaign to promote Wii.
2. Ever wonder what happens when a Wikipedia article is vandalized too much?
3. Looks like Wii will play DVDs… just not right now.

   Game|Life adds the following from Nintendo PR:

   “…that’s why Nintendo is getting the word out there now, prior to launch. If DVD movie playback is so important, people can wait for the later model next year.”

4. So if you’ve preordered a PlayStation 3 at Toys R Us, you’re good.

   If you went to GameStop… well, I don’t know how to tell you this…

5. o/~ DUN… duh-duh-dun! Duh-duh-dun… o/~

   …fine, that’s supposed to be “Back in Black,” just click the link for Spider-man news.

6. They made him angry… and no one likes him when he’s angry…

   All Hulk’s going to break loose…

7. Sony: “Some people don’t need sound when playing games.”

   *toilet flushing*

8. IGN breaks out the stats surrounding the PS3 launch in Japan.

   What the hell can one be doing wrong when your launch comes in second to XBox… IN JAPAN?!

9. Major Nelson grills EA brass on the topic of microtransactions, namely the “free codes here, but not here, because we can” issue.
10. I think that Nintendo is faltering, at least where the Virtual Console is concerned. Besides a mostly stale launch lineup which pales in comparison to Japan’s, it seems they’re renegging on the talk of updates to some older games.

    I cannot say this pleases me, nor is it going to get my ass moving any faster to buy stuff for it unless I want a verbatim copy of an older title.

    Sheesh, even XBox Live Arcade has added online co-op in Contra. It sucks the bag, but at least they tried, and are making a patch for it.

11. Kotaku reports that casual gamers could be in for a nasty bit of sticker shock this holiday season.

    Of course, they’ll likely have plenty of warning, as they’ll no doubt see the price labelling an empty shelf when they go looking…

12. About that whole “replacement controller” thing for the PS3?

    Yeah, I dunno anymore.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. The Allspark has a link to an interview with Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime, Eeyore, Mario, and others, from The Oklahoman:

   Optimus Prime’s cool leadership qualities made him a Gen X hero. But Cullen didn’t know about his influence until years later, when, on the insistence of his daughter, he attended a Transformers convention.

   “My eyes were opened wide,” he said. “I was shocked, and I was surprised. The little information that I had was on such a minimal basis, you really couldn’t get an overall picture on how big it was. It still is kind of a surprise to me. I think about it, and I think gosh, it’s an honor.”

2. If it happens (and I’m betting it won’t, this just smells of so many other “buyout/merger” rumors of yesteryear), you heard it here first: GoNext reports that Microsoft is interested in buying up Capcom of Japan.
3. If you’re a fan of the old TransFormers movie and feel the need to have a seasoned old ‘bot curse all the turbo-revvin’ young punks on your toy shelf… well, he may not be Kup, but Brakedown GTS comes damn close, and BWTF.com gives you a closer look at why.
4. GameSpot puts in a little overtime overseas and shows us how Sony’s latest offering fared at its launch.

   As one would expect, there were plenty of disappointed gamers.

   In fact, IGN reports of a Kotaku story that paints a much uglier picture of the launch than Sony might want you to see.

   According to the story, many of the so-called ‘early adopters’ were in fact of Chinese origin, hired by wealthy Japanese businessmen and families to endure the gruelling lines and constant claustrophobia in order to secure a unit for a small fee in reciprocation. Also outnumbering the ‘hardcore’ contingent were the foreign resellers who were there to buy up as many consoles as possible for resale on eBay and other auction sites for vastly inflated prices.

   Sounds like most of the people buying the newest game system weren’t even gamers at all.

   Ken Kutaragi addressed the crowds as the rain poured down. He spoke to the very first PS3 customer who was unable to answer him, assumedly because of the language barrier. Tellingly, the first twenty sales were of the hardware only, and all refused media interviews.

   …yeah. Also irksome to me is how Kutaragi is described as being “prideful” at this thing. I would love to know just how he reacted when the first customer couldn’t even answer him, nor bought any software.

5. Next-Gen has the latest in their line of Holiday Profiles, now featuring Nintendo, with the likes of Microsoft, Capcom, Konami, and THQ to follow, among others.
6. onNintendo reports that The Seattle Times has a profile on Reggie Fils-Aime.

   I must say in as heterosexual a way as possible that Reggie is looking quite good for his age. Here’s hoping I can age that well.

7. Silly Wii prank.

   I’d have been tipped off by the fact that Metroid is supposed to use the nunchuck.

8. Go Nintendo reports that some IGN blogging reveals that whereas HDTV is essentially a must to get the most out of your XBox 360 or PS3, that it actually hurts the Wii.

   But Game|Life disagrees!

   Shame these things don’t have a switch (or so I’d assume) that switch between HD and SD…

   And while it’s by no means something I’d applaud, I’m still content given my lack of an HDTV.

9. Kirby Squeak Squad is reviewed.
10. GN reveals that Prima is going to have a special Zelda guide out for the holidays.

    The cloth map and hardcover sound alright, but the last two are things I’d expect anyway. What else does it have?

    If Nintendo Power were to make a guide like they did for A Link To The Past, just watch me scoop that up.

11. CVG talks turkey with the Big N about Virtual Console concerns.

    How will VC games be organised on the channels page? Will each game be an individual channel or can users group say all the titles of one format (SNES) or all the titles of one series (Zelda)?

    Nintendo: Each VC title downloaded will be displayed as an individual channel. Users may move these channels around to suit them.

    Oh, great. Just like in Animal Crossing, I guess. I found it rather annoying to have 10 NESes sitting around on the floor…

12. 
    Click Picture.
13. CNN Money talks about production numbers for the PS3 and Wii:

    ?Nintendo seems to have a good handle on the flow of their goods. With Sony we?re getting less information. ? Sony has put out signals that they?re not getting as many as they would like. We?re not getting the message that the hardware is going to flow smoothly through this holiday season.?

    Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, wouldn?t budge from the worldwide number, but did say he expects the first batch of units (which go on sale Nov. 19 for $250) to sell out by Wednesday, but said he expects many stores to be restocked on Black Friday.

    Comforting news.

14. I’ll just let the ladies say what they will about this.
15. …showoffs.
16. Note to self: show this to the wife.

    (She loves German Shepherds.)

17. Oh, goody-goody gumdrops, Kotaku’s gotten ahold of the teaser poster for the Castlevania movie.
18. Ol’ buddy Blaze Hedgehog has a new demo up, this time a Castlevania program that’s pretty dang good. You can get more details about it here.
19. Newsarama reports on how you can name a Kick-Ass Marvel comic book character, and help a good cause in doing so.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Not normally something I’d report on, but it seemed rather noteworthy. Seems that the webcomic Bob & George is soon coming to an end (see Thursday, Nov. 9).

   Even though the comic isn’t quite what it used to be, I thought it still had its moments. Moments that would be a lot better if Anez didn’t see the need to pull back the curtain after every trick her performed, almost as if to say “Huh? Huh? Yeah? No?” It works better in his archives, where the strips are years old and a little insight is given in a director’s cut sort of way. The way it’s been done for awhile now… just sucks the humor right out of it. I believe it’s a general rule of thumb that jokes aren’t as effective when they’re explained.

   I do wonder how his fandom feels. Here’s a strip largely based on the mainline Mega Man games (no Game Boy titles or anything else, just the numeric titles so far), and he’s stopping 6/8 of the way through? Just seems wrong, like it’s being cut short and tied up quickly.

   Plus, there seem to be loose threads left, like that whole “Cataclysm” thing he’d begun, and to my knowledge, not finished.

   Anyway, I do hope some arrangement is made so that those who rely on him for hosting can at least continue to thrive.

2. So, think Tony “Iron Man” Stark is being too big of a jerk in Marvel’s Civil War? Well, you might be in luck, as The Invincible Iron Man, a full-length animated feature based on Spidey’s hero/mentor/surrogate father comes to DVD on January 23rd, following the adventures of Iron Man as he goes out for Chinese!
3. Sony never sleeps unless they’re on the road.

   …scary, huh?

4. Right after Christmas (hopefully when the family has left), Jackass 2 comes to DVD.

   My brother-in-law took me to see that one. Wild, crazy stuff. Definitely something to watch with friends, maybe make a drinking game based on the stuff you can’t bear to see.

   And I still need to see the first.

5. Two weeks later, the movie Fox did its best to make sure no one saw, Idiocracy (by Beavis & Butt-head, King of the Hill, and Office Space creator Mike Judge) will finally make its way to DVD.
6. Wow, lots of movie info today. This Sunday, there will be a new preview trailer for The Simpsons Movie during… The War At Home.

   Just kidding, it’s during The Simpsons‘ season premiere.

7. Excite Truck just got more exciting, as Nintendo’s allowing you to use your own custom music choices in the game through the SD slot.
8. Turns out that the PS3 isn’t entirely region-free, after all.

   There go my plans of importing Summon Night 3. *sic*

9. “Tard pack” or no, if this comes to pass, I want in.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

Double-time edition. Wow, really wanted to get this done earlier, but circumstances forbade it. Reading responses to my PMO query, I guess I’ll keep on as I’ve been doing. Input has been useful, and it’s just good to know that people are getting something out of it.

1. What the hell? A sports story on PMO?

   Ok, before chants of “you sold out,” “Attica,” or whatever, this one over at The Allspark, and it’s got me fuming on general principle, rather than anything to do with the sport itself.

   Basically, what happened is that this football team made it to the championship game in their league, but the guy who owns the league not only won’t let them play, but fired the coach because his son played offense instead of defense.

   In effect, screwing over EVERYBODY, just because he can.

   I’m not going to go into what I think should be done or what I hope happens to him– I think he’d pretty well much deserve every bit of what most people would suggest– but I will say that I seriously hope he gets what’s coming to him.

   Personally, were I one of the parents, I’d probably look into something in the form of a class-action lawsuit.

2. Once more, Sony says “no price drops! You pay money now! NOW!”

   Ok, maybe not that last part. However, they did say something I do agree with… *gasps from the audience* …shaddup! Anyway:

   As for the next-gen war, Hirai believes that the battle doesn’t begin until gamers have a choice from all that is available. Hirai said, “The real test comes when any other products are available in abundance so the consumer can walk into any retailer and pick up whatever console they want.”

   So in other words, the battle won’t begin for some time yet. *rimshot*

3. GameSpot reports that “Capcom expands Down Under.”

   …that’s all. I don’t care about the story, I just think the joke potential of the headline should be shared. You know what I’m talking about.

4. Nowhere near as long as the waits for new Star Wars movies, people have nonetheless begun waiting in line for a PS3.

   Must be nice to have that kind of time and resources… though in the former’s case, I’d like to know how they managed to survive all those months without leaving.

   Japan clearly has no such problem, however. But at least they’ll have an immediate system update(but bupkis for PSP).

5. GameStop has released the details of their online Wii bundles. And if you want Zelda from them online, you’re buying a Wii with it, buddy-boy.

   Oh, wait, maybe not.

6. Reggie says there are no Wii secrets left, unless it’s so secret that it’s been hidden even from him.

   He’s also seen the South Park ep inspired by the console:

   Fils-Aime also responded to the Wii’s appearance last week on the animated show South Park. Despite the frequently controversial and adult tone of the show, Fils-Aime expressed no reservations about the traditionally family-friendly Nintendo brand being featured in an episode.

   “Obviously we love it,” Fils-Aime said. “It’s not something that they approached us for permission, though we were aware that they were working on it. It’s fantastic to be in popular culture in that way.”

7. Wow, just after Christmas. The New Adventures of He-Man – Volume One will be available on DVD.

   Even though it looks a bit strange, I have to admit it was one of the more fun and engaging incarnations of He-Man I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. It was also one of my earliet introductions to continuity in an animated TV show, and may have been my first exposure to a lot of favorite voice actors such as Garry Chalk and the debut of a guy named Scott McNeil.

   Definitely looking forward to this one.

8. Wow, just when you think things can’t get any worse for Euro-Sony fans, this happens.

   Phil Harrison, president of SCE Worldwide Studios, has declined to offer a guarantee that Sony’s forthcoming PlayStation 3 will hit Europe in March 2007, as previously announced by the company.

   I imagine that Europeans will react to this news with the same grace and dignity they’ve shown in the past.

   (Not that I blame them.)

   Or maybe they’ll just buy more PS2s.

9. Good news, Wii component cables won’t be impossible to find at retail, after all.
10. Sonic is fast, but not fast enough to make the PS3′s launch date.

    But downloadable content, eh? Is the 360 version supposed to have that?

11. So at the Montreal International Game Summit, Reggie thanks Canada and tells of the mandate to change the industry.
12. More talk about the “GamePro” convention, which unlike E3 will be open to the public. Score!
13. Slashdot has an interesting piece for Earthbound fans:

    “EarthBound fans have waited 11 years for Nintendo to release the game’s sequel, Mother 3, which came out in Japan in April 2006. However, following a recent announcement by a Nintendo employee that it almost certainly won’t happen, the fans are taking it upon themselves to get the job done by organizing a fan translation with some of the finest names in ROM hacking. Is it ethical? Does Nintendo even care?”

14. Yikes, no rumble for N64 Virtual Console games.

    …

    …meh.

    Hmm, actuall, Kotaku raises a valid point.

15. Alright! Joystiq reports that the ESRB has added more ratings to indicate upcoming Virtual Console titles. Among others are Super Metroid, Super Mario RPG, Mario Kart 64 (yes!), Star Fox 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

    No clue when these will be out, but at least we know more good stuff’s a-comin’.

16. Good news: The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 prototype is now playable. Bad news: Don’t know where to find it, so I really can’t help you there.

    Nope, no idea at all… none whatsoever…

17. Hmm, Kotaku might have nailed why the XBox 360 isn’t seeing a price reduction.
18. So GamePro is letting the masses name their convention. This ought to prove interesting…
19. Best Buy is looking into the import scene? Might be interesting, unless Sony sits on something again.
20. Newsarama reports that Alan Moore (creator of V for Vendetta) is going to appear on an episode of The Simpsons at some point.

    Sounds good, I hope his appearance is as good as Stan Lee’s was.

21. Still with us? It’s been a doozy today, but here’s a payoff for you: the new trailer for Spider-man 3.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

I’m sick as a bear that’s eaten a bad trout right now, so sorry if this thing seems called-in. Hope beef ramen isn’t bad for a cold/flu/whatever, since that’s the only soup we’ve got right now…

1. So yesterday, TransFormers: The Movie – 20th Anniversary Edition finally came out, and it turns out that some retailers are offering bonuses when you buy: Wal-Mart has an iron-on Autobot insignia, Suncoast has a litho, and in Canada, Future Shop has Autobot and Decepticon magnets while HMV has a pretty nift t-shirt that I want to get my hands on.

   From what I hear, I think the DVD is only about 10-12 bucks(16 in Canada), so it’s a pretty good deal all around.

2. So Sony’s decided to cast some stones at Microsoft over their whole plan to let you download TV shows. Their beef seems to stem from the fact that the lower-cost 360 doesn’t have the hard drive needed to store the shows.

   Which might be a good point, except I don’t own the HDTV that would let me take full advantage of the “cheap” 5-600 dollar BluRay disc player they want me to buy, so…

3. So GameStop wants you to pony up 700 smackers for a Wii bundle online.

   Betcha Sony put them up to this. “Who’s the cheaper system NOW?” sez they, followed by a toast to evil.

   I kid, though. We all know this is probably just EB/GameStop’s own brand of evil.

4. Wow, how brazen, after all the Lik-Sang news. Does this company have an ace up their sleeve? Are they just ignorant to Sony’s lawsuit-equipped snipers? Or is it just an elaborate scam?
5. Clerks II to DVD by month’s end. I can’t wait, great movie.
6. Looks like the ESRB has rated some more games for the Virtual Console, giving us a look at what’s to come. Woot, Zapper time!
7. SEGA Genesis Collection is shipping now.
8. Rockstar is releasing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy for the PS2. 40 bucks, three games for the holidays.
9. Interesting. Buena-Vista has developed a new game studio. Not so interesting in itself, but this one is only making games for Nintendo systems.

   Now THAT is faith.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. This afternoon, got a lovely e-mail from SEGA.

   Within, it is revealed that when you preorder the new Sonic the Hedgehog for the XBox 360(available 11/14) or PlayStation 3(“Holiday 2006,” should be a launch title, I thought?), you get a free 10″ Sonic figurine, representing the new in-game model for True Blue.

2. Interesting.

   The ESA members, i.e. the companies involved, are going to be the ones inviting people, rather than the convention itself.

   I wonder what chance scrubs like us have now…

3. One reason I want an XBox 360 comes to Live Arcade this week.

   But will it still have the Konami Code as Moore said? Joystiq says yes.

   Really, though, I’m surprised this is creating as much of a buzz as it is. Oh well.

   LONG LIVE CONTRA!

4. So The Incredible Hulk is on his way back to theaters. And it looks like Marvel themselves are helming this one. Should be interesting to see how that pans out.
5. SEGA snags the Iron Man license.

   …why is the first thing I think of when I think “SEGA Iron Man game” a retread of PS2′s Astro Boy title?

6. Oh, now this… this is interesting. From Go Nintendo:

   ?Listen carefully NP faithful. To commeroate the launch of The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii on Nov 19th, Nintendo will be giving away a very speical, very rare gift in Animal Crossing: Wild World. Be sure to connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection during the week of Nov 17th-24th to recive a letter from Nintendo (which will show up in your mailbox near your home) and collect the attached item-you don?t want to miss this one.?

   Guess I missed that in my new Nintendo Power.

7. Comedy Central is going to run a Wii contest called “Thanxgiveaway Wiikend” from the 23rd to 27th of November.

   If you’re thinking about a Wii, but not planning to get one at launch, this would be a pretty good way to sort of meet in the middle.

8. Wow. o_O

   I wonder how I never saw this coming.

   Not to say I think he did it, I’m just sort of surprised no one’s at least made an accusation sooner.

9. Undoubtedly not in Canada, but if you want a few Touch Generations games for the DS, head on over to Best Buy.
10. Kotaku encourages Major Nelson to bust some heads and pop some caps, yo.

LBD “Nytetrayn”