InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Newsbit: Dang. Word is that Bludgeon was being planned for the Titanium line. Maybe next time… maybe Classics 2.0.
2. Review: Following the review of Beast Wars: The Ascending #3, BWTF has now reviewed the fourth and final issue.
3. Article: IGN kicks off their new “Annoying Character of the Day” feature with everyone’s favorite rhyming robot, Wheelie.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video Review: Wondering about the new Rambo movie? James “Angry Nerd” Rolfe shares his thoughts.
2. Interview: And IGN talks to Stallone himself about his latest.
3. Video: Here’s a word of advice: When reporting on birds, never look up.
4. Video: If only my shots in Mario Strikers were this accurate.
5. Comics: From the Official TMNT Web Site comes word that the first seven issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 4 are available for free, legal download at WOWIO. Unfortunately, there’s a surprising number of hoops you have to jump through:

   WOWIO is currently only available for U.S. residents and to sign up for their free downloading service (limited to three books per day) you’ll need a private e-mail address (i.e. you can’t use major providers such as Google, Yahoo, G-Mail, etc.), a scan of a personal I.D. or a valid credit card. See their site for more details.

   Also unfortunately, as it says, it’s US-only. Damned international copyright laws.

   We’re looking into international options to provide the books for free download to everyone outside of the U.S., but due to the complexities of international copyright law, we may not have much success on that end. If all else fails, we’ll post low res JPGs of the issues on our site like the issues from Volume One (currently linked at the bottom of the Comics page).

   Huh, why not just do that in the first place?

   The plan is to post issues #8-14 in February, issues #15-21 in March and issues #22-28 in April. In May, all-new issues will begin with TMNT #29, and from there, a new book will be posted as often as Peter, Jim and Eric can complete them!

6. Blogging: Speaking of the Turtles, ever wonder where Armaggon came from?
7. Article: IGN looks into the past, present, and future of that other big mech franchise, Macross.
8. Video: Who says that Japanese people, customers even, never loseWeight Exercise their temper?

Video Power

1. Blogging: Capcom: Bring you the very best in character names.
2. Interview: Capcom continues their series of Harvey Birdman interviews with X the Eliminator.
3. Blogging: Capcom’s Ace Attorney website has a new update to the developer’s blog, with more to come. Check it out if you love Phoenix Wright and his crew.
4. Pics: Who would ever imagine that there would come a time when we would be able to gaze upon The Most Stunning Punch-Out!! Artwork?
5. Newsbit: In addition to the other fallout of Fox News’ Mass Effect slander-fest, it seems viewers with Amazon.com accounts decided to take some action of their own.

   She’s taken back what she said, but too little, too late?

6. Interview: On a related note, Geoff Keighley talks to GameDaily about his appearance.
7. Video: And X-Play‘s Adam Sessler has his say as well.
8. Video: GameTrailers has added a video of the Virtual Console version of the Japan-only game Devil World, a title I had no idea Miyamoto had a hand in.
9. Article: In anticipation of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, IGN pits Peach vs. Zelda in a “chick fight” with commentary from Mario and Link.
10. Videos: And, the ten best Halo 3 fan videos are…
11. Article: Games with gas? That’s one piece I think I’ll definitely pass on, thanks.
12. Article: You know you suck at gaming when…
13. Poll: GameDaily wants you to decide whether their list of celebrities are nerds or nor.
14. Review: Guess EGM doesn’t like Endless Ocean very much… despite the 8.0 from 1up.

    I guess the message here is: If it doesn’t try to kill you, it’s not a real game. Or something.

15. Video: Looks like the Earthworm Jim videos have been taken down. What’s Go Nintendo posting now?

    Sonic Underground.

    At least now you can view it before you decide whether or not to buy it… if you haven’t already.

16. Video: But not all Earthworm Jim videos are gone… regretably.
17. Pic: The evolution of Nintendo… Populous style.
18. Pic: Too good.
19. Pics: Interesting Zelda-themed NES… I don’t hate it, mainly for the Link figures of unknown origin, but otherwise… could use work. An actual setting from the game realized in 3D might be neat.
20. Interview: Looks like God of War creator David Jaffe still isn’t sold on Super Mario Galaxy, citing Ratchet and Clank as being better.
21. Interview: Yahtzee reveals all about making Zero Punctuation.
22. Article: There’s much to discover in Super Mario Galaxy… but have you found these 71 things?
23. Interview: Iwata Asks part 4 about Super Smash Bros. Brawl is now available online, and goes into some detail about the amusing origin of the Subspace Emissary storyline and game mode, as well as who worked with Sakurai to create it.
24. Newsbit: Some new features of L the Prologue to Death Note for the Nintendo DS. Man, I wish these would come out here already!
25. Newsbit: An interesting method of tracking down the rightful owners of a Wii.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video Review: The Angry Video Game Movie Nerd brings us his thoughts on monsterdom’s latest, Cloverfield.
2. Blogging: From jackscarab: Warren Ellis approves Anonymous.
3. Pics: More TMNT action figure concept drawings. Fans of Krang/Utroms may want to take a look.
4. Video: Lewis Black discusses The End of the Universe. Or so I’m told. Damn clips still won’t play for me.

   Anyone else have this problem?

5. Blogging: Dilbert author Scott Adams speculates on how children might think about their future careers if they knew the full reach of what was available. An interesting idea. Took me 25 years from the womb before things started making any sense as to what I wanted to do.

   Well, no, that’s a lie. But my high school in the sticks wasn’t much help in regards to the path I wanted to take.

6. Video: Wild west stylings meets modern day drama in High Noon.

   Just because the West isn’t quite so wild anymore, doesn’t mean there aren’t still heroes.

7. Article: There’s nothing more badass than a one-man army, and with the new Rambo movie on the way, IGN figured this was the best time to assemble the ten best movies.

Video Power

1. Reviews: Comics Bulletin has a pair of nice reviews for Sonic the Hedgehog #184 and Sonic X #28.
2. Newsbit: Gaming retail, the deadliest game?
3. Blogging: Does anyone know just what the hell the Smash Bros. logo is?
4. Video: Mario is on the run from a bellhop in hot pursuit, but why?
5. Poll: Solid Snake vs. Rambo: Who would win?
6. Article/Video: IGN continues the look back at their ten-year history, in video and text formats.
7. Review: EDGE gives its thoughts on No More Heroes, calling it “the game that Suda 51 and GHM have always threatened, but never quite delivered.”
8. Article: Though not always the most popular part of gaming, there have been a great many peripherals through the years, and now GameDaily takes us on a tour of the greatest.

   #9 is the one I still want to try, and #4 I still need to find.

9. Article: On the less pleasant front are the ten ugliest game characters you’ll ever not want to see.
10. Article: Games Radar takes a look at the legacy of one Radiant Silvergun, why it still commands £100, and what more games can do to learn from it.
11. Article: What were the boys in marketing thinking when they came up with these eight insane officially-licensed products to promote their games?

    Waitasec… I liked the Nintendo Cereal System! Well, the Zelda half, anyway. Ironically enough.

    …and the Mario Puppet Kooler… I wanted that after seeing it in Nintendo Power once.

    Oh, and… um, you might want to avoid the “Pleasure Reading” segment. If only for the last line.

12. Interview: The latest Iwata Asks continues the inquiries of Super Smash Bros. Brawl creator Masahiro Sakurai, and looks into the modes of Versus, Co-Op, and Share.
13. Newsbit: See? Iwata knows that the core gamers still need love.
14. Article: Someone wrote a piece regarding a gaming habit I’m often guilty of myself (though not always): hoarding items and never using them. Do you do it? Any ideas for what developers can do to break gamers of the habit?
15. Video: Yet another adjustment to Super Mario Fusion: The “Spartan Sphere” Power-Up!

    I do wish they’d gone with what are, in my opinion, the superior Mario sprites from Super Mario Advance. But the funniest part, besides Spartan Mario being able to stomp the Covenant (which was said before that Mario could not) is hearing the Invincible Mario theme, and then knowing that an ass-whoopin’ is coming.

    Oh, and I guess this makes the Hammer Suit the Mushroom Land equivalent of the Sword, huh?

16. Pic: For fair and balanced coverage of the console wars, you can trust The Onion to tell us which Wii games are selling best.
17. Article: It brings a tear to my eye to think about Arcades: A Dying Breed In America.

    …what is WRONG with people?!?!?!?!

18. Video: This week on Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee burns The Witcher.
19. Interview: Want to know more about the 2D lovefest known as Bionic Commando Rearmed? Then check out the interview with Producer Ben Judd.
20. Newsbit: When teabagging invades real life, you know that’s the makings of a problem. Here’s to hoping that the victims don’t find where the Sniper Rifle is stashed.
21. Anecdote: Just when you think that EA might have better customer relations than Microsoft, then comes a story to make you think again as one person faces difficulty getting a box that fits his Rock Band guitar to send back to EA.

    Or does it? Read on to find out.

22. Newsbit: One Japanese store thought ahead when they put up a life-sized Haruhi statue.

    But who got the honor of applying the solution?

    “Dude… you’re taking a long time with that…”

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Blogging: Simon Furman talks up the release of the new TransFormers Spotlight: Blaster comic.
2. Pics: Some promotional goodies have come forth for the TransFormers HenKei toys, apparently the name for the Japanese Classics. Included among them are the makings of a manga of sorts.
3. Review: BWTF takes a stab at Beast Wars: The Ascending #3.
4. Video Interview: Just saw this posted on YouTube, an interview with the voice of Arcee and voice director of TransFormers for many years now, Susan Blu.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: Have a balloon problem? Well then, maybe a Jack Russell terrier is your solution.
2. Video: Ok, Marge… tell me ALL about it.
3. Blogging: Following up on a bit of message board conversation, I decided to write up my thoughts on a direction I’d have liked to see Spider-man take in the comics.
4. Newsbit: Of all things to base an action figure on…

   On sale now, folks.

5. Comics: Ok, so while I do think that Calvin and Hobbes is a little overrated (shut up), I do have to admit that Calvin’s dad never ceases to amuse me.

   Speaking of which… whatever did happen to Calvin and Hobbes, anyway?

6. Reviews: IGN reviews the latest batch of anime releases, for your pleasure.

Video Power

1. Reviews: No More Heroes is FINALLY here, and it’s done pretty well with reviewers, including GameTrailers’ video review.

   X-Play has one, too, scoring it five out of five.

2. Pics: In further celebration of No More Heroes‘ release, have a little Travis Touchdown cosplay.
3. Interview: Street Fighter Devotion has an interview with the CEO of Sota Toys, makers of those cool– you guessed it– Street Fighter figures, among others (including what would’ve been an awesome Mega Man Zero figure).
4. Blogging: And now, a word from Capcom USA’s Finance department.
5. Muzac: Word from Heatman over on The Mega Man Network is that we now have some new tunes for your perusal, so enjoy!
6. Article: I knew that there were a lot of changes made between the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4 versions of Super Mario Bros. 3, but it seems there were more than I thought.
7. Opinion: Another piece on that whole silly concept of letting people try a game before they sink $60 into it. How silly is that? That’s so silly.

   Anyway, this one is mostly tips for developers to make the demo the best experience it can be… insofar as making you want to purchase the whole thing, anyway.

8. Video: In honor of the new Rambo movie, the Angry Video Game Nerd returns to rant about Rambo games of the past, including the Zelda II knock-off for the NES and the Master System travesties. To say nothing of the idiotic naming scheme of the movies.
9. Video: Adventures of Lolo 2 for the NES came to Virtual Console earlier this week, but at the time, there was no accompanying video. In case that’s what you were waiting for, here you go.
10. Blog: IGN is now hosting a developer blog for Bionic Commando.
11. Article: While Nintendo’s trying to figure out if Game Boy still has a place in the market, Game Daily looks back on the history of the handheld that helped change how we play.
12. Interview: The newest Iwata Asks is available, continuing the line of questioning with Super Smash Bros. Brawl creator Masahiro Sakurai.
13. Article: It’s amazing what movies wind up having games based on them, no matter how much they don’t deserve it.

    Fun fact: my dad mapped out Platoon for the NES and donated the maps to our local video rental store of the time, so that people who would rent it would have a clue as to what to do.

14. Article: Here’s a subject near and dear to my heart, which I love to complain about whenever given the right opportunity: worthless video game release dates, and why they cannot be trusted.

    Magazines, DVDs, books, comics, CDs, you can usually count on to be in stores day and date. Video games? Yeah, right. If you’re lucky.

    Sadly, this isn’t about that, though, and rather simply touches on the way titles will slip from one announced, missed release date to the next.

15. Article: PS2? Dead? Hardly.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: This polar bear cub is pretty cute… until he wakes up. Actually, he’s still cute then.
2. Video: Power window improvisation.
3. Video: Interest… some of the WWE Superstars give their thoughts on Britney Spears.
4. Video: Bush bucks: get yours now, before it’s too late (and they come for you).

Video Power

1. Article: If you’re a fan of Tetris, but haven’t ventured far outside the traditional versions, maybe you’d be interested in this Retro Gaming write-up for Tetris Battle Gaiden.
2. Rumor: Rumor is that Microsoft knew about the design faults in the 360 during production.
3. Newsbit: Sony doesn’t want players to be intimidated by Little Planet.
4. Newsbit: Looks like SUDA-51 was recently misquoted in regards to his statements about third parties and the Wii.
5. Interview: As mentioned in The Daily ‘Shroom, there’s a new Iwata Asks, this time focusing on Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which I’m posting here for posterity.
6. Video: There have been many versions of Mortal Kombat II, but which one does ScrewAttack.com think is the best?
7. Blogging: Articles like the one referenced here are responsible for more of my violent thoughts than any actual game has ever been.

   What a nutcase.

8. Editorial: They say that what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger. Next Generation EIC Colin Campbell applies similar logic as he looks at how the PS3 may flourish.
9. Article: Games Radar checks out the Top 7 impractical characters, 7 ill-prepared nutjobs to whom saving the world is best left as a last resort.
10. Article: So, what differences have you noticed between western gaming and Japanese gaming?
11. Blogging: Over at 1up, Sam Kennedy has put together his thoughts on the whole GameSpot firings.
12. Video: The Super Mario Bros. 2 theme, on drums!
13. eBay: Among all the other plushes we’ve seen come up lately, who ever expected we might see a plush Wii?
14. Video: First, Mario had to take on Halo‘s Covenant, and now… Bubble Man?
15. Video: God, I hate the mainstream press.

    So kids these days can’t tell the difference between games and reality? Did the world just get stupider since I was a kid or something? Seriously, what?

16. Video: Today, on “When Video Game Characters Make Crank Calls,” we follow Gordon Freeman as he calls Coast to Coast AM to inform them of a mysterious agent he keeps seeing everywhere…
17. Article: One take on video game design thinks that maybe developers should try playing like a 3-year old.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Video: The War Within… animated.
2. Reviews: BWTF reviews IDW’s Spotlight: Galvatron and Target-exclusive Movie figure G1 deco Starscream.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: What would you do if you had a robot arm for the weekend? These guys use one to chuck bowling balls.
2. Video: the MacBook Air: Why the hell not?
3. Article: One-time Spider-man writer Erik Larsen shares his thoughts on… you know, that story.
4. Newsbit: So, how’s that whole teleportation thing coming along?

Video Power

1. Video: Not everyone can adjust to working in an office environment. But Solid Snake gives it his best shot.
2. Interview: This time out, Capcom talks to Harvey Birdman’s assistant, Peanut. But be warned, it’s a .wav file.
3. Newsbit: Unless they’re ratting out every movie, music, etc. contributor to political campaigns, then the PTC strikes me as a bit hypocritical for seeking to do it for video game contributors.PTC is just a bad joke, anyway, with the punchline being the people who count on them for anything.
4. Comic: Can’t remember if I posted this before, and I’m too lazy to check, and even if so, it bears repeating as David Willis brings Super Mario Galaxy to Shortpacked!.
5. Interview: A new interview at Kombo via N-Europe looks to get to know SUDA-51, creator of No More Heroes, just a little better.
6. Interview: Want more? GameSpot got in some time with him, too.
7. Newsbit: Looks like the WGA Writer’s Strike is pushing more people towards gaming. I bet Nintendo really wishes they had more Wiis on shelves now.
8. Newsbit: Microsoft is stressing the importance of game demos, and I can’t agree enough.
9. Interview: Gamasutra spends some time with Alexey Pajitnov, creator of Tetris, about the history of his game and the current state of the casual game market which it helped give birth to, as well as his current projects.
10. Video: Know Ragnarok Online? That MMORPG? Did you know there’s also an anime based on it? It’s true! And IGN has the first episode available for your perusal.
11. Newsbit: After Nintendo’s performance in 2007, President Satoru Iwata is happy.After seeing articles saying that shortages are part of their strategy, President Satoru Iwata is sad.“[When I see those types of articles], I honestly feel sad,” said Iwata. “Game machine production amounts are set about half a year in advance, so they cannot be easily changed. The concept of the Wii is ‘a machine that makes people who play it smile.’ We wouldn’t use a strategy that is at odds with smiling. Getting as many people as possible to show us their smiles when playing a Nintendo game — that’s the energy source that drives us.”

    Touching (no DS pun intended), is it not?

12. Article: What the…?If you believe in psychics, then you might be interested in the little trip that Games Radar took to a few of these future seers to discover what lies ahead for the game industry in 2008….just the premise alone makes me more interested in this than the regular run-of-the-mill predictions.
13. Video: Hmm, looks like Punch-Out!!‘s Sandman could use a Super Mushroom.
14. Pic: Awesome Chain Chomp hat.
15. Newsbit: One more reason to support No More Heroes: So that third-party developers won’t shy away from Mature game development.
16. Newsbit: Ok, so this Wi Vision thing that plays NES games and has a “106 game cartridge” seems legit, but does it work in North America?
17. Pics: I’ve not played Gears of War yet, and so I’m not quite familiar with the source material, but this Nerf gun Lancer mod is pretty slick looking, just the same.
18. Pics: The Lancer not your bag? Then how about a crocheted Mario, along with some items? It’d go great with the above-mentioned hat.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Review: Real Gear robot Hacker X3 has been reviewed on BWTF.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: The rubber-band chain gun: A snappy answer to stupid questions.
2. Video: Who says amateur wrestling has to be boring? Not this guy!
3. Video: This guy gets to read the sports on the news, and yet, I remain out of work. Where’s the justice?
4. Review: Another review for Cloverfield. Sounds good to me.
5. Article: Dirk Manning is back at Newsarama, and he takes a look at Spider-man’s recent changes, and compares them to… wrestling? How unexpectedly apt.
6. Comic: Speaking of which (as even I’m getting tired of at this point), Figures.com’s online toy comic has their own take on recent events. Could use a bit of work in the spelling department, but otherwise a funny read.

Video Power

1. Blogging: PS Monger is disappointed that GameTrailers’ Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law game doesn’t quite live up to the Phoenix Wright pedigree.

   I think I’ll still give this one a rental, if nothing else.

   Also, Capcom has an interview with the men behind the game.

2. Article: Figures.com talks to the creator of that custom Samus action figure about the process of making it, complete with some “before” pics.
3. Newsbit: Oh, ok, so maybe Cracker Jack doesn’t hate the idea of learning being fun.
4. Video: ScrewAttack.com brings out X-Men: Children of the Atom, Capcom’s superpowered Street Fighter-ish fighting game that helped usher in the Marvel vs. Capcom era of arcade fighters.
5. Article: No doubt about it, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has a dream roster. But, even dreams can get a little better, can’t they? GameDaily has a list of characters that people would love to see join, but probably never will.

   On the other hand… go back about 10-12 years and tell someone that Sonic and Mario would fight in a game… see what they say.

   Anyway, the list starts off interestingly enough (Boob smash by the DOA girls? Master Chief vs. Samus?), but then devolves into a schoolyard glee fest over how much more badass Kratos and Big Daddy are than Wario and Kirby.

6. Article: GameDaily follows yesterday’s “Best Celebrity Appearances in Gaming” piece with the Best Celebrity Cameos.
7. Article: MSNBC poses the question in an excellent article as to whether or not parents gaming with their kids is wasted time or worthwhile.

   Totally worthwhile. Even though his tastes have drifted apart from mine, at least it’s one subject I can still converse with my dad about.

   It’s pathetic that someone would think that spending time with their kids is “a waste,” even if it’s with video games. And I think that’s where a lot of parents can fail.

8. Merch: Some awesome import light-up Mario character/item keychains.
9. Quiz: Think you know your video game movies? How about their posters? Why not take the overly-difficult video game movie poster quiz and find out?

   I got three.

10. Newsbit: Now here’s a fun way to learn piano lessons… with Mario!
11. Newsbit: A story that, shamefully, will probably never see the sort of sensationalism that a story about violence involving (if only peripherally) video games would see: An America’s Army player saving peoples’ lives using the experience he gained in the game itself.
12. Newsbit: Remember the dusty PS3 that Sony wouldn’t touch? Well, good news is, the gent now has his problem fixed.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: What’s the best course of revenge for an egging? Why, potatoes, of course!
2. Blogging: Mighty Godking brings us Revenge of the Wikigroan:

   Wikigroaning (whih-kee-grow-ning): A game where players attempt to find two vaguely related Wikipedia pages, the first being something real people might actually wish to research, and the second being an entry that absolutely nobody really needs to know. A Wikigroan is of extreme quality when the second entry is much longer and more detailed than the first: e.g., Sgt. York versus G.I Joe.

3. Interview: Daniel Way talks a bit about his method of bringing Deadpool into the Wolverine: Origins comic.

   Despite all the skepticism, I like what I’m seeing on these pages. Wolverine in a tiny derby with fork and spoon claws for the win.

4. Article: Ever wonder what the deal with “grim ‘n gritty” comics is?
5. Review: Curious about Cloverfield? Can it possibly live up to the hype? Read this review and see what you think.

Video Power

1. Pic: Wonder what cover GamePro will have for its Super Smash Bros. Brawl issue? Well, wonder no more!
2. Blogging: Will 2008 be the year of the PS3? Maybe… I think it’ll see some improvement, at any rate.
3. Video: Thanks to Frash for sending this my way. Slightly NSFW, it’s our favorite game show, all grown up! It’s Where the F*ck is Carmen Sandiego?
4. Blogging: Ah, to work at Capcom… or any game company that has crap like this laying around. And I mean “crap” in the nicest possible way… dig the Mega Man X radio, fer sure.
5. Newsbit: Seems that the founder of Seeds Studio and former Clover Studio producer Atsushi Inaba is having a difficult time figuring out where to go from here, and which console to develop for.
6. Video: Meet the new Angry Video Game Nerd. I don’t think Rolfe is at any risk, but this guy definitely strikes me as angrier and nerdier.
7. Newsbit: Killer 7 and No More Heroes creator SUDA-51 is actually surprised by the large casual crowd the Wii is drawing.
8. Reviews Review: Gamasutra takes a look at the various online reviews of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.
9. Article: Too many people are blaming video games for the woes of the world these days, especially when GameDaily has found much worthier targets.
10. Blogging: Business Week has opened a new gaming blog that begins with a rather… well, let’s be nice here… silly question.

    I’d love to know where the addle-brained notion that games are just for kids and that adults can’t or aren’t supposed to enjoy them came from.

11. Newsbit: Ah, a lost Wii story with a happy ending.
12. Video: It’s Wednes– er, Thursday now, and that means a new Zero Punctuation with Yahtzee! This week: Crysis.
13. Article: It’s amazing how many bad game demos there are out there, demos that are supposed to make you want to buy the game. Sonic the Hedgehog for the 360, for example, fails at this completely.

    Ergo, it is surprisingly necessary that someone should come up with Seven Steps to a Better Game Demo.

14. Article: An interesting, and unexpected, comparison has been drawn between Bioshock and Robocop.
15. Interview: And I think this came up JUST after I updated last night, wherein some folks at Bungie describe how Master Chief would not be the star of a Halo movie. Crazy, huh? Or IS it?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Interview: TransFans.net has an interview with Brazilian TransFormers artist Marcelo Matere, which includes some never-before-seen images for characters and the unreleased fourth issue of Dreamwave’s War Within: Age of Wrath.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: Now this is how you throw a party.
2. Video: From The Tim Allen School of Opening Beer Bottles. Overkill much?
3. Reviews: IGN checks out the latest manga releases, and– surprise, surprise– reviews them.

Video Power

1. Blogging: The PS Monger briefly recaps the raw deal dragons have had in gaming. Nevermind the ones who are simply there to be slain.
2. Video: Thanks to Lyra for pointing me at this awesome guitar version of Boomer Kuwanger’s theme from Mega Man X, among many others.
3. Video: The Switcher has another compilation of silly clips from the American Street Fighter cartoon, in a piece called Street Fighter Stupidity Exhibition Vol 2: Headbite Harder!

   I still like the toon, though.

4. Article: Today’s piece from Racketboy’s Retro Gaming looks at the rarest and most valuable Nintendo 64 games of all.
5. Video: ScrewAttack.com looks back at the best and worst of Sonic’s games.
6. Article: IGN Retro decides to follow up with some of their old chums, and see what they’ve been up to lately.
7. Article: GameDaily checks out who some of the biggest stars to voice video games are.
8. Article: GameDaily takes a look at Apple, and notes how the Big 3 could follow their example.
9. Newsbit: CVG, via Games Radar, digs and finds how Star Wars got mixed up in Soul Calibur.

   ?When we thought about what guest characters would fit in the Soulcalibur universe, we naturally ended up with Vader and Yoda.”

   Oh… of course. What rational person WOULDN’T connect the two?

10. Article: Who says glasses are just for nerds? Games Radar has picked out ten famous pairs that could not be done without.
11. Article: GamePro takes a look at the industry’s tendency to create what has become known in some circles as bullshots, or doctored-up screenshots.
12. Article: Who are the greatest horses in video game history? MTV Multiplayer makes a list. Dunno if they checked it twice, though.
13. Newsbit: A dirty Wii deal goes bad.
14. Interview: Square-Enix Prez clarifies the “Wii is a toy” comment, and gives his thoughts on a “one console” future.
15. Article: Tried to post this yesterday, but the link wasn’t working. Gamasutra has a new article up that looks at “20 mysterious games,” games with plenty of secrets to discover.
16. Article: With the recent delay of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, what better time for the folks at 1up to take a look at why some of the hottest games slipped into 2008.
17. Article: Someone at Gawker feels that gaming journalism should stop treating women like meat. And I agree; I like cheesecake as much as anyone, but it really does get overdone sometimes.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Gallery: Cybertron.ca has a nice gallery of Wal-Mart exclusive Cybertron-into-Movie repaint Big Daddy.
2. Reviews: BWTF has three new Movie reviews: Leader-class Brawl, and Real Gear Highline 1070 and Photon T34.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Videos: “But, is it art?” Ok, that may not be the question you’ll be asking yourself, but YouTube user Lasagna Cat has given classic Garfield comic strips a new spin.

   Personal favorite so far? 08/18/1978.

   It amazes me that I’ve never come up with some of this Garfield stuff first.

2. Review: Still not over yet! Now, I-Mockery takes a stab, albeit a funnier one, at Spider-man: One More Day. Be warned, there is a bit of language and such within.
3. Article: 25 ways to break up a superhero marriage.
4. Article: A look at Action Comics #1, the debut of Superman, 70 years later.
5. Reviews: IGN looks at the latest anime releases on DVD.
6. Article: IGN Comics looks back at continuity reboots as they question whether they’re a good thing or a bad thing, and how well they work and are received across both Marvel and DC, from Age of Apocalypse to Zero Hour.

Video Power

1. Videos: Cool new version of Can’t Beat Air Man, with pseudo-3D 8-bit graphics.
2. Newsbit: This just in: Jack Thompson is apparently against having fun learning, too.

   I get the feeling that he’d probably rather that stroke victims have greater difficulty recovering and not play games, too.

3. Newsbit: At least one teacher seems to get it.
4. Newsbit: Some idiot from Gizmodo tried to ruin CES, and is now banned for life. Way to go, guy. I hope you’re proud.

   They apologize on their website, but it seems really half-hearted. Another post is far less apologetic:

   A Gizmodo writer has been banned from CES for a prank. But when I see some fellow press damning us for the joke, I feel sorry for them: When did journalists become the protectors of corporations? When did this industry, defined by pranksters like Woz, get so serious and in-the-pocket of big business? This is totally pathetic.

   Serious and in-the-pocket? Protectors of corporations? Hell, they could’ve been affecting peoples’ jobs for no good reason except that they could, and that, I do not agree with or condone in the slightest. Plus, it’s interfering in business, which I believe is the primary purpose of this show. I’m hoping that if a deal was blown, that it’s one that would have made the prankster happy if it’d gone through.

   And, as said on Ripten, this could be a serious setback, or at least a black mark, on future occurences of bloggers being able to attend. Irreverent? No, this was just immature.

5. Video: ScrewAttack opens the vault for Off-World Interceptor Extreme from the SEGA Saturn.
6. Article: IGN has compiled a list of classic games they’d like to see available as downloadable content across the new consoles. Say, think if they released Majora’s Mask on VC, they’d give a discount to those dissatisfied with the buggy GameCube version? Naaaaaaah.

   Super Star Wars would be neat, but only if they included an option to fly vehicles naturally. And Star Fox 2 is a must, no questions asked.

   So is Super Mario RPG, unless Square-Enix would rather bless us with a 3D remake, as is par for the course these days.

7. Article: IGN’s new Retro section looks at ten years of ten innovations in gaming.
8. Article: IGN Retro also revisits Virtual Boy, and looks back at what the best games were.
9. Interview: X-Play co-host Adam Sessler talks to Next Generation about the evolution of the longstanding video game review show as the countdown begins to the debut of their next iteration.
10. Editorial: Colin Campbell of Next Generation takes a look at how used games are damaging the industry.

    Can’t say I care for the used game business, myself. Not so much in the GameStop sense, anyway, as the savings are barely worth noting for often inferior product. Of course, were it not for used games, I wouldn’t have Contra: Shattered Soldier and Neo Contra, among older games right now. Unfortunately, places like GameStop are less interested in carrying older games, or at least buying them back, so that sort of cancels that point out to a degree.

    I think the big issue is simply game price. The higher the price, the tighter one’s pursestrings are going to get, and so any saving looks more palatable to many a consumer. $45 might look better than $50, but say you have a game that retails at $20 and cut off the same percentage… is $18, a two-dollar saving, really going to change your mind to go used?

    (And for the record, those are just example numbers for quick reference and detailing the point. Not to be taken quite so literally.)

    Of course, if Bill Gates’ prediction comes true and it all goes digital (what a headache that’ll be for consumers), then it all becomes a moot point anyway. I favor Miyamoto’s mindset in the matter: “make a game they won’t want to sell back.”

11. Article: Would you ever believe that there are nine games that could get you laid? GameDaily does.
12. Article: GameDaily thinks back to the Dreamcast, and some of the best games that made SEGA’s final hardware hurrah worth having.
13. Article: Blogs are an unusually common type of character in video games, but usually tend to be among the most lovable. Here, Games Radar lists their Top 7.
14. Article: Wow, Best Buy is just doing everything they can to piss people off these days, aren’t they? Apparently, now you can’t shop with a minor if you want to buy anything rated higher than that. And as a bonus, they’ll lie to you about what you can do to buy it! I hope that Matt D. gives them some serious hell.
15. Interview: Ain’t It Cool News scored an interview with the director of that 90′s video game-inspired classic film The Wizard.
16. Video: Can you imagine if the first Mario game for the Wii were played like this? I think that was a fear a number of us had before we saw Galaxy, and thank God it didn’t turn out this way. Sure, it’s interesting, and would probably be a little fun for a bit, but I think it’d get tiresome really fast.
17. eBay: More Nintendo goods on eBay.

    Also up is a Super NES store display. Nice.

18. Article: How much of your memory is dedicated to video games? Well, this 26-year old has half of his.
19. Videos: A little late for Nintendo’s Short Cuts, unfortunately, but this fan-film about two boys who get a Wii for Christmas and play it when they aren’t supposed to sounds interesting… I’ll have to watch it myself later.
20. Video: Hey, kids! It’s another Earthworm Jim cartoon!
21. Blogging: I saw some posters on the subway earlier for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, and didn’t think it was an Uwe Boll film. I mean, those have advertising? And stars?

    And yet, there it is, as Kohler details.

22. Article: Ah, Microsoft… is there nothing they’ll do to keep and please customers? I mean, they’ve got the money, that’s all they need, right?

    And rubbing it in, at that. Ouch.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Pic: What would CES 2008 be without at least one giant robot in attendance?

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: Please remember to wipe your feet before proceeding with your robbery.
2. Video: Ever wonder what went on before God passed down the Ten Commandments?
3. Article: Now, here’s retailers are saying about the One More Day story.
4. Interview: And the first Amazing writer, Dan Slott, on Brand New Day.
5. Article: Something different with comics: a column that addresses comics’ urban legends.

Video Power

1. Interview: Rockman Synergy Commons has an interview with the voice of Pallette and Cinnamon from Capcom’s Mega Man X games, Caitlynne Medrek.
2. Article: Much like myself, Matt of Press The Buttons doesn’t care for spoilers, not even in a game like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which is sure to be full of surprises. Naturally, the nature of the internet and its big mouths coupled with significantly-seperate release dates makes keeping the games secrets hidden until we play them a problem.

   But Matt seems to have a solution in mind.

   An interesting solution, but doesn’t quite seem like a fair nor a likely one. I’d rather just have simultaneous releases. Is there any real reason they can’t do that?

   Meanwhile, I might just black out for a couple of weeks, if I can.

   On a side note, I don’t think Resetti’s ever given me flack for tampering with the clock.

3. Video: Remember Bubsy the Bobcat, relic of a bygone era in which everyone tried to make the next Sonic, who himself ironically was made to be the next Mario?

   And if you do… do you remember his cartoon show?

   Don’t have time to watch the whole thing at the moment, but it seems decent enough. But for now, I’ll continue to embrace my Mario cartoon collection.

4. Article: Speaking of video game cartoons, Games Radar has a whole feature looking back at what they call The good, the bad and the WTF!? of video game cartoons.

   Interestingly, I think this is the first time I’ve seen anyone publicly applaud Charles Martinet’s Mario over Captain Lou’s.

5. Article: Remember the days when a color portable was such an awesome (and expensive) thing to behold? Relive those distant memories with Racketboy’s Beginner’s Guide to SEGA Game Gear.
6. Blogging: I am so tempted to use this as the name of my media empire.

   For now, I’ll just have fun laughing and saying it out loud.

   If you’re wondering what that’s all about, then look at this.

7. Newsbit: Apparently, Bill Gates thinks the reliability of the Xbox 360 is “incredible.” I wonder what he thinks of the reliability of consoles that aren’t notorious for breaking down constantly?
8. Video: More Mario vs. the Convenant, if you want it.
9. Videos: More VC footage with R-Type.
10. Video: The ScrewAttack.com Video Game Vault pulls out one I’m not familiar with: Crazy Balloon.
11. Article: IGN celebrates its tenth anniversary since its formation, looking back at the headlines of the day they went up. Plus, a retrospective. They’ve even gone so far as to launch a retro gaming site.

    Wow, I remember the old sites… N64.com, PSX Power, Saturn World… some good stuff, some good times. And who could ever forget the Game Players and Next Generation magazines? Two of the best ever. And it was those connections that made me visit IGN so frequently when I first went online.

    One of the best parts of the retrospective? “Snowball.com.”

12. Article: Following on their look at 20 of the most innovational games ever, GameDaily now looks at 20 of the greatest gaming advancements ever, marks of progress that go beyond any mere single title.
13. Article: EGM Editor Dan Hsu took some time to talk to GameDaily about the whole “blackout” thing they’re experiencing with Ubisoft, Sony, and Midway.
14. Article: Games Radar takes a look back at the biggest no-shows or “flakes” of 2007.
15. Article: Games Radar explores licensed games that don’t make any sense.

    …and Smarties are in Canada, too.

16. Hands-On: Hey, actual real hands-on impressions of Mario Kart Arcade GP 2!
17. Newsbit: Figures that someone out there would feel that Pikmin & Olimar in Brawl is a stupid idea.

    Most people I know have wanted and are thrilled at Olimar’s presence. And the size? Get real, Smash Bros. has never had a working sense of scale, except MAYBE between characters from the same franchise (such as Mario and Luigi, rather than Mario and Sonic). Of course, the fact that this is a different world from all the regular franchises and all the characters are trophies that come to life MIGHT have something to do with it…

    It’s also a bit late for the argument; Kirby is only about eight inches tall, if memory serves. So the griping about that belongs back on the N64.

18. eBay: Damn, someone got ahold of a bunch of Nintendo goods from an ex-employee of the company itself, and they’re auctioning it all off.

    I’d love to get my hands on some of this stuff. Check out the cowboy hat! I would so wear that. Dare me. I dare you to dare me.

19. eBay: Elsewhere, another lad is selling off his StarFox Super Weekend competition flight jacket. Damn, I’ve been wanting one of those since… well, since the competition. But if it’s only a large… well, that hasn’t stopped me yet, I just don’t close it up.
20. eBay: Oh, and the game to go with it.
21. eBay: Then there’s the Star Fox “Assault and Peppy” shakers. It’s an eBay Star Fox-o-rama!
22. Newsbit: So this GamerSwagg.com place allows users to sell their works based on video game properties. I wonder how legal this is?
23. Newsbit: So apparently, Barack Obama is the Wii.
24. Newsbit: Ok, so today, Square Enix’s President isn’t down on the Wii. Hooooo-kay.
25. Video: Something about modding an AK-47 into a Wii controller just strikes me as very, very wrong.
26. Pic: Reading: perhaps something more games need.

    (Not the first time I’ve seen such a label on the back of the box, though it’s certainly bigger here.)

    Or just something more people need to know about. What a hooch.

27. Article: CVG lays out five things they believe Nintendo needs to do with the Wii this year.
28. Newsbit: The Wii seems to be a hit at drinking establishments across the pond. In fact, you might say they’re getting a lot of good pub-licity.
29. Newsbit: Microsoft say they’re still not interested in joining the handheld market. Works for me, two is plenty as it is.

    Maybe if handhelds evolved to be portable players of the same games we use at home, but I doubt that’s happening anytime soon.

30. Article: It is one writer’s opinion that World of Warcraft is killing the pay-to-play MMO model.
31. Newsbit: David Jaffe made some waves earlier by joining in the “one console for all” party, but Chris Kohler says that he is simply wrong.
32. Article: Ten people who look like video game characters.

    Hah, I always said that Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown would make a perfect Wily…

33. Newsbit: Ever wonder how much it’s cost to make a real Gundam?

    Wow, that’s a lot. I wonder how much a Megazord would cost?

34. Newsbit: You thought Star Wars in Soul Calibur IV was weird? Wait’ll you see who the first choice was.
35. Pics: Here’s a neat custom Master Chief TransFormer… too bad it still turns into a Star Wars vehicle, though.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”