InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Videos: Just missed this yesterday. Ever wonder how the Beast Wars got started? I mean, before the first episode? Now is your chance to find out, with part 1 and part 2 of Theft of the Golden Disc.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: Hey, something about Spider-man that isn’t One More Day! Rather, someone decided to give their interpretation of how the third movie should have ended.
2. Interview: And so as not to disappoint, yet more from Spider-man Editor Steve Wacker on Brand New Day.
3. Blogging: Mark Evanier talks about one hot topic off of the WGA strike: residuals, why writers get them, and more.
4. Newsbit: Self-proclaimed “meanest mom on the planet” puts her son’s car up for sale after finding booze inside.
5. Article: Do you remember the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons toyline? Figures.com does.

   Me? Not so much. All I’ve ever really wanted from it after laying eyes upon it is the Fortress of Fangs, and I’d still like to know who I might need to slay to get one. I don’t even really want it as a AD&D thing; I want it as a Koopa fort for my Mario figures.

   …don’t suppose anyone out there has the hook-up for me?

6. Reviews: Yesterday was the backlog of holiday anime releases, and today IGN goes after the manga.
7. Article: Randy Marsh, Stan’s dad on South Park, has to be one of the biggest idiots the world has ever known. But let’s face it, South Park just wouldn’t be as interesting without him. And so, IGN picks their ten favorite moments with the Guitar Zero.

Video Power

1. Blogging: At first, I thought that a Cattlesnake was just some Pokemon I’d never heard of before…
2. Article: An editorial over at AMN suggests some resolutions that the Big 3 ought to take a serious look at this year.
3. Newsbit: Did you know that the DS touchscreen has pressure sensitivity? Me neither!
4. Video Review: GameTrailers tells us what they think of Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles.
5. Video: More Virtual Console video footage, featuring Gain Ground, and… that’s it. Huh.
6. Article: Classic video game ninjas duke it out as Ninja Gaiden‘s Ryu Hayabusa takes on Shinobi‘s Joe Musashi in this week’s Hero Showdown.
7. On a side note, not small secret that the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy took more than a little bit after Castlevania. Makes me wonder what it’d be like today if that continued, with handheld 2D Ninja Gaiden games made with a Metroid aesthetic.

   Conversely, what would the 3D Castlevania titles be like if they took after the Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden?

8. Article: Game Daily names what they believe to be the 21 most influential video games.
9. Article: Games Radar takes a look a the gimmicks of 2008′s games that developers are hoping will draw you in.
10. Article: Ever wonder what “Katamari Damacy” really means? Games Radar investigates that, and many more.
11. Article: And some people think I analyze Mario too much. Games Radar takes a quirky look at The Sexual Politics Of The Mushroom Kingdom: “Who’s sleeping with who, why Peach is a slut, and why Mario really needs better self-esteem.”

    Wow.

12. Article: Is it possible to play as a pacifist in a MMORPG? Apparently…

    Definitely one of the more interesting ways to play.

13. Video: Yahtzee, fan of Silent Hill, apparently does not care quite so much for Silent Hill: Origins.
14. Merch: Remember the “boomerang” PS3 controller? I liked that one. Maybe not at first site, but I was definitely feeling a little disappointment that their finalized design was the same-old, same-old.

    Interestingly enough, however, it seems the manufacturer of a Chinese PS3 controller felt the same way.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Review: Another Animated sneak-peek, this time of Bulkhead.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: The writer’s strike has been going on for so long now, half the late night people have grown beards. Including one half of the Stewart/Colbert dynamic. See if you can guess which.

   …that is, if the clip will even play. For me, it is presently not.

   Hear how the first night back for the duo went from IGN.

2. Video: Powerthirst: Now with more manliness than ever!

   An amusing parody, but somehow not quite as good as the real deal.

3. Pic: Another sneak peek at the 2008 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line, this one of an armored Michelangelo that’s intended for the figures, but not the cartoon.

   Which disappoints me, as it starts to tread into 1990 Playmates territory; I rather liked how the cartoon has handled variations up to this point. Additionally, I sort of relate to what is said about fully-clothed Turtles, though there are definite exceptions.

4. Blogging: Mighty Godking has an intriguing idea to fix “Brand New Day.”

Video Power

1. Interview: A discussion with PSP Senior Marketing Manager John Koller looks into the notion of porting games from the PSP to the PS2, such as the case will be with the upcoming PS2 version of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters.

   One can only hope Capcom will wake up and port some of their PSP titles, such as Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, Mega Man Powered Up, Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins, and… um, something else (Monster Hunter, maybe?) to the PS2, where they’ll have a better chance to shine.

2. Video: The Angry Video Game Nerd tampers with something which was never meant to be tampered with: he attempts to figure out the Zelda timeline.

   It’d be surprising if vast amounts of cursing didn’t ensue.

3. Video: Seems that the Wii’s technology could be revolutionary in ways Nintendo never intended.

   I’m not the most technologically-knowledgable person you’re going to meet, so maybe some people will roll their eyes, but I think this is incredible, and wonder if even Nintendo knew that this would work. And, now that it’s out there, I wonder if they’ll apply it at all.

4. Article: Rockman Synergy Commons points out some of the differences between the Super Famicom and Game Boy Advance versions of Rockman & Forte, which was exclusive to Japan until the GBA-only US release as Mega Man & Bass. Sadly, the game wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and being on the comparatively-limited GBA just made things worse.

   It does lead me to wonder if we might ever see a Virtual Console release, though.

5. Article: It’s amazing how many games will come out at the end of a console or handheld’s life cycle, and be all but completely ignored. Ever wonder what some of those “last ones out” were? Fear not, for someone has finally decided to cover just that.

   And while it lists Kirby’s Dream Land 3 as the last Super NES game, I do believe the above-mentioned Rockman & Forte was the last for the Super Famicom.

6. Newsbit: Blu-Ray? HD-DVD? “Bah,” says Bill Gates. “They’re both laying by the side of the road as digital distribution paves the way to the future!”

   Ok, some fabrication of quotation there. Still, I like a physical format. And with the problems people seem to have with downloadables off of Xbox Live, I’m not sure they’re the ones that should be championing it at the moment.

7. Videos: More old Virtual Console videos at GameTrailers: Moto Roader, Comix Zone, Bonanza Bros., Vigilante, The Legend of Kage, and those lovable Ice Climbers.
8. Article: Is there anything more fun than talking about games with dirty names?

   …well, might be nice if actually playing them was.

   Actually, that’s not fair, some of these games are alllllll-right.

9. Article: GameDaily looks back at the history of Bowser, along with his arsenal of moves he’ll bring to face the rest of the Nintendo universe in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
10. Article: I think he’s been mentioned before, but it’s come up that Ben Sawyer of the “Serious Games Initiative” is of the opinion that games aimed at younger kids are crap. And for the most part, he seems to be right.
11. Article: Games Radar checks out gaming’s kinkiest costumes with the pretense that if you’ve “Got a fantasy? Chances are there’s a game to match.”

    Yeah, this isn’t exactly SFW… but, there’s nothing THAT bad here.

12. Pics: I think the Wii rifle shell is the most impressive, borderline-absurd one of the Wii weapons shown here. But then, they have similar controllers in arcades, so why not?
13. Pic: Now this is a neat merchandising idea: Super Mario Galaxy Superballs, each based on a different Power-Up from the game.
14. Newsbit: With all the promotions and tie-ins with the likes of Nintendo, SEGA, and probably others (aren’t they a part of the above-mentioned Xbox Live Diamond program?), you’d think that McDonald’s would think before pointing a finger at video games as the reason childhood obesity is on the rise.

    Think any of those companies might take exception to it?

15. Video: Has Mario bitten off more than he can chew, when he takes on Halo’s Covenant? Naaaaah.
16. Interview: Square-Enix’s head honcho takes another stab at Nintendo.

    Gee, I’m glad they’re on such friendly terms these days. With all the Final Fantasies, Dragon Quests, and such, I guess there really is no room for core games of theirs on Nintendo’s systems.

17. Review: Seems that sites, such as Game|Life, think that Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is good for fans, but not much else. Guess it doesn’t hold up as widely as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney does.
18. Newsbit: This may interest some of you. MTV has put together a “Rhythm Track Finder”, a service that can tell you which music games yield which songs.
19. Video: On a related note, anyone up for some Guitar Hero turntable action?
20. Newsbit: Seems that a Konami developer has found out the hard way that Japanese gamers prefer franchises to original properties.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Merch: Finding yourself wishing you had a nice, badass blade on your Movie Optimus Prime’s arm, just like the one he slaughtered Bonecrusher with in the film? Then check this out.
2. Review: Another early look at an Animated toy, this time with Prowl in the spotlight.
3. Article: Toy News International takes a look back at the year that was in TransFormers.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: At CES yesterday, Bill Gates invited everyone to take a look at what his last day at Microsoft might be like.
2. Video: The Cat Cube, now available in stores everywhere.
3. Video: The “One More Day” hate continues, as one disappointed fan attempts to burn his copy. But this is no ordinary book– it refuses to be burned! At least, it does at first.
4. Videos: Speaking of One More Day, Newsarama has a video review of that story, and another on that same link which asks if the Marvel and DC crossovers have gotten out of hand.
5. Article: And then another from Newsarama takes a look at the reactions to the whole One More Day story and what it means.
6. Comic: Even Walky has a pair of special comic strips which look at how it’s played out.
7. Video: From the makers of BRAWNDO (with electrolytes) comes POWERTHIRST.
8. Video: David Lynch doesn’t seem to care for iPhone very much. At least, not the part where you watch movies on it…
9. Video: My god… so many DUCKS! What could they all want?!
10. Video: Oh, snap!
11. Video: Drinking and riding the bus may not be as bad as drinking and driving, but surely it ranks somewhere.

    Incidently, this just reminds me how much I hate taking the TTC…

    This Japanese bus fight, on the other hand, is a bit quieter and more fun to watch.

12. Video: …lotta videos today, huh? But who can help it, they’re pretty good today, too! Anyway, behold the future! Robots that eat snow and crap out ice bricks!

    This is like something in a Mega Man game.

13. Video: A controversial tell-all book by a wrestling fan has revealed that wrestling fans are in fact paid actors.
14. Reviews: IGN checks out and rates the holiday season’s anime releases.

Video Power

1. Interview: Capcom has found an interview with the voice of Ryu from Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, Skip Stellrecht.
2. Interview: Interestingly enough, Rockman Perfect Memories also has an interview, this one with Mr. Eddie Lebron, who is directing the fan-made Mega Man movie mentioned a few days ago.
3. Article: Of interest to Virtual Console afficionados is Racketboy’s look at the best undiscovered TurboGrafx16 games.
4. Newsbit: Who ever knew that the Wii would have such a big fan in the Queen?
5. Videos: I have no idea why GameTrailers keeps adding videos for old Virtual Console games (by which I mean, old by the VC’s standards), but here are some more: Soldier Blade, Urban Champion, Baseball, R-Type III, Gradius, Dungeon Explorer, and Xevious.
6. Video: On the subject of classics, ScrewAttack.com pulls R-Type DX out of the vault. Compare to the one above for extra fun!

   As far as a solution to the battery issue goes… just play it on the GBA SP.

7. Article: Sick of the arguments, IGN AU decides to find out once and for all, who has the best games: Nintendo DS or Sony PSP.
8. Newsbit: IBM decided to attract some people to their CES booth by hooking up some Wii consoles with Wii Sports.

   This is akin to what is known in wrestling as a “cheap pop.”

9. Article: Looks like Capcom can talk to other people now; Next Generation has a feature up that talks to Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono about how they plan to revitalize the fighting genre.
10. Interview: Can’t believe I forgot to mention this a few days ago.

    In the fifth part of Joe Quesada’s (Marvel Comics’ Editor-in-Chief, if you skip the stuff above Video Power) interview with Comic Book Resources, they veer away from comic books and talk more about video games, and in doing so, Joe reveals that he might have been a part of how the NES got its start in America.

    Ok, so the guy may have had a heavy hand in one of the worst comic book stories of all time, but according to this, I still owe him a debt of gratitude.

    Just not where Spider-man is concerned.

11. Article: Games Radar takes a look at the Top 7 Franchise Embarassments, the low points many a hit game series has stumbled upon.
12. Article: The number of bad games based on movies is a shame all by itself. So then, what of games that are based on movies, but without the license?

    Fortunately, they somehow turn out pretty good.

    Incidently, while it’s not a movie per se, don’t forget that when Shigeru Miyamoto first set out to make a video game, he was interested in basing it on Popeye. Paramount weren’t interested until after they had a success on their hands, which meant the ideas got to be refined into a little something we know as Donkey Kong. Replace Bluto with DK, Olive with Pauline, the sailor man with the carpenter, and maybe the can of spinach with a big whopping hammer, and things become a little more clear. There are other parallels to be drawn, too.

    And don’t forget, people have likened Mega Man to Astro Boy for years, and the X series took inspiration from Blade Runner. Whether or not Water World truly influenced Legends, however, remains a mystery to me, as I’ve never really seen the movie to know if they share anything besides lots of water. Oh, and people cite Battle Network as being rather Tron-like as well.

    Can you think of more?

13. Pics: Ever wonder how the worlds of Super Mario Galaxy might look if they were a little more… real? It looks like someone did, and you can see for yourself.
14. Article: On a similar line of thought, ever wonder how real the game’s physics are?
15. Merch: Want to get your Valentine the ultimate gaming gift? Then how about some personalized Mii chocolates?
16. eBay: Up for auction: a promo reel for the baddest controller on the planet.

    How bad?

    So bad.

17. Videos: Using the DS and Mario is one way to stand out from other TV stations.
18. Comic: Making the best of a “bad” situation.
19. Article: It’s sad, but even a game as great as Super Mario Galaxy just isn’t for everyone.
20. Article: 12 months later, Game|Life has found the answers to their ten burning questions for 2007.
21. Newsbit: Ok, this is just crazy. A son gives his dad a .22 rifle, tells him to shoot him, and the dad does. All because he wouldn’t look at the son’s Xbox.

    Reeeeeeeeal stable family, there.

22. Interview: Valve talks to 1up about how The Orange Box came together.
23. Guide: Can’t find a Weighted Companion Cube? Knit your own!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Review: EvolvedTwincastconhero at The Allspark has gotten his hands on an early production sample of Animated Megatron in his Cybertronian mode, and has posted pics and a review.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Blogging: The 5th turtle has a few things going on in this post, including a pic of the original NECA Raphael figure sculpt, and that they need to “light a fire” if they want to get the rest of their products approved on schedule. Also: why the Turtles like pizza.

   Also, the reason the pics have been few turns out to be because Toy Review has an exclusive deal– and they don’t seem to be too happy that some pics were leaked already.

2. Blogging: If you’re into The Price Is Right, then this may interest you.
3. Video: Be careful who you choose to move in with… there are some strange people out there.
4. Interview: Newarama has a piece with Spider-Man Editor Steve Wacker, who “brings a breath of fresh air” to all the “One More Day” crap with what he knows, and what’s to come.

   At least the guy has a pretty good sense of humor about things, all said.

5. Website: Marvel has just launched MarvelKids.com, the perfect place to lure your children into the trappings of the devil by showing them all the good that can come of making deals with the lord of Hell.

Video Power

1. Newsbit: Press the Buttons, via Racketboy’s Retro Gaming, have revealed what could be the rebirth of the SEGA Neptune, a Genesis/32X hybrid system that didn’t see release.
2. Article: Less than two months after its release, Jeremy Parish is looking back at Super Mario Galaxy, and also seems to hit on part of why Galaxy seemed so much more splendid than Sunshine.
3. Videos: More curiously time-displaced Virtual Console videos, this time for Chew Man Fu, Three Kingdoms IV, and Sword of Vermillion.
4. Videos: GameTrailers has a series of videos that show off what happens when Pandemic has real-life mercenary Jim Holston visit to check out Mercenaries 2.

   It’s… kinda funny, up to about the last half of the last video. Then it’s just kind of saddening from there.

5. Gallery: GameDaily picks one of my Dead Or Alive favorites, Hitomi, to be their Babe of the Week.
6. Article: Games Radar presents their Anti-Awards of 2007, taking all the year’s suckage and cramming it into one piece of writing.
7. Article: N=Philes takes a look at why comics and video games don’t always mix.
8. Videos: More Earthworm Jim Saturday morning cartoon fun from Go Nintendo.
9. Interview: A new interview with Satoru Iwata appears!
10. Pic: The Seattle Post (conveniently near Nintendo of America’s HQ) put an interesting image together, combining sports and Mario.
11. Blogging: Seems the Director of God of War didn’t like Super Mario Galaxy enough because the storytelling was “vapid.”

    Eh, whatever floats his boat. I don’t know, I remember a time when game story was pretty minimal; you played the games because they were fun. I think that when the story is your sole motivation to get through a game, then something is definitely wrong on the “game” end of things. Sadly, I have played some games where the story is what kept me going, though.

12. Newsbit: Sigh, some people.

    A 7-year old boy had his Wii stolen (no jokes, please). The mother things they were targeted due to the disposed-of packaging, which makes sense. So if you’re going to get rid of that stuff, then take the proper precautions!

13. Article: 16 Virtual Console titles you just can’t live without.

    I agree with about half of them, anyway. Mostly the top half.

14. Video:Conan O’Brien.

    Rock Band.

    ‘Nuff said.

15. Merch: Cool custom crochet mushroom scarfs, and they’re made to order. I wonder if I can get that in PMO style?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: From Mark Evanier’s blog comes this piece about one of the last interviews given by William M. Gaines, the publisher of MAD Magazine, before his death.
2. Article: Apparently, Joe Q missed a few points in explaining his take on how Spider-man‘s story “One More Day” played out. Luckily, the story’s original writer, J. Michael Straczynski, is here to straighten things out.

   This, you have to read to believe.

3. Interview: Speaking of reading to believe, let’s see how much further Joe Quesada can bury himself in part 4 of Comic Book Resources’ series.

Video Power

1. Newsbit: Once upon a time, as memory serves, the Guiness Book of World Records used to record video game records. Then, I believe it was the sheer abundance of video game releases and high scores attained that made continuing such a listing unfeasible.

   However, with video game back on the rise, it seems that the Guiness folks have reconsidered somewhat, as those World Record types are now planning a gaming edition of the publication.

2. Article: Figure.com looks back at 2007 to pick the year’s best video game action figures.
3. Video: ScrewAttack’s Video Game Vault opens up with a look back at Konami’s Cybernator for the Super NES and Virtual Console.
4. Videos: For some reason, there’s a big list of old Virtual Console games sitting on GameTrailers’ front page. And since I’m a sucker for oldschool, let’s toss ‘em here: Kirby’s Adventure, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragon’s Curse, and Bravoman.
5. Pics: Not every video game hero is a 100% certifiable Grade-A badass like Solid Snake, Bill and Lance, Master Chief, or Samus Aran. GameDaily checks out some of gaming’s… ah, “more introverted” heroes.
6. Video(s): Well, this is convenient. Someone’s gathered up all the cutscenes from The Simpsons Game.
7. Video: Wow, hard to tell where to put this. But I guess since it came from a game site, here is best.

   Anyway, it seems that Canadian officials don’t take kindly to video game parodies of their blunders, such as tasing a guy to death in an airport.

8. Article: Lots of crappy Wii games? Apparently, it’s not the fault of developers.

   I don’t know. Just tells me they have no pride in what they put out. But I guess that’s been a truth for a lot of the industry for some time now, hasn’t it?

   The upside? No need for fans of the Angry Video Game Nerd (and his imitators) to worry about forced retirement any time soon.

9. Interview: Violence in games… do we really need it? Metal Gear maestro Hideo Kojima gives Assassin’s Creed overseer Jade Raymond his thoughts on the matter.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Pics: Newsarama takes a look at the unofficial-official online comic TransFormers: War Journal.
2. Ranting: As this IGN Mailbag letter shows, reading rants is more fun when the person can’t spell to save their life. Until you get tired of it, anyway.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Newsbit: Yahoo has a recap of the first night back on the air for Letterman, Leno, et al. Many of whom now sport beards.
2. Video: Tip for hosting the news: be careful what you say.
3. Video: I have no idea if the stuff at Whopper Freakout is for real or not, but I have a hunch that these NSFW reactions to the same situation in Minneapolis aren’t real.

   Or maybe they are. Truth is stranger than fiction, after all.

4. Blogging: Trying to figure out which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward figures they did and didn’t release? The 5th turtle is here to help!
5. Blogging: Remember back when Garfield & Friends used to air, and every week (well, maybe not as often as it seemed, upon viewing the DVDs) Garfield would end the opening with a different line, not unlike the habit The Simpsons and other shows would adopt? Turns out that back in the day, one quip caused a slight ruckus.

   Evanier talks a little more about the openings themselves here.

6. Article: Another look at Spider-man “One More Day” over at Newsarama. But how much more is there to say?

   Apparently, as the writer doesn’t seem perturbed by what’s transpired at all. But many disagree with comments such as “If this story were poorly orchestrated or delivered, that would be one thing—but taken on its own storytelling merits (which is all that matters really) this is an incredibly well told story.” Myself among them.

7. Interview: Speaking of the story in question, here’s Joe Quesada to fill our minds with more of his BS and tripe.

   Actually, it seems that in explaining where some things are, not everything is as bad… but still definitely weird, perhaps nonsensical, even for comics. Now I’m even more confused, though.

Video Power

1. Pics: Racketboy kicks off retro gaming in the new year with the best NiGHTS Into Dreams art he can find.
2. Newsbit: Amazing what people do…

   A kid gets frustrated at not getting his turn on the Wii, so what does he do? He decides to play wee instead.

   (I thought we were past these jokes by now.)

   The parents are taking it pretty well, all considered. Makes you wonder how hard it was for them to get one.

   The family is hoping that their insurance will cover the damage, of which the father jokingly remarked:

   ??It must surely be counted as a leak.?

   Yeah, good luck with that. Even if they do cover it, good luck finding a replacement anytime soon.

3. Pics: GameDaily’s latest Retro Rewind looks at the era of the Super NES.
4. Newsbit: Further call for adaptive scoring to more casual fare.
5. Video: At long last, Yahtzee has made a Zero Punctuation review of Super Mario Galaxy.
6. eBay: If you’re anywhere near the nutty collector that I am, then it may interest you to learn that some classic Nintendo toys are on eBay now, and commanding a decent chunk of change.

   And I don’t mean stuff like Mario figurines and Zelda nightlights, but stuff Nintendo made before becoming video gaming kingpins. Interesting to note is the use of caucasian kids adorning the boxes of Japanese product.

7. eBay: Also of interest might be this purported Nintendo PlayStation controller… that seems to have no guarantee to its authenticity, but is neat for a look-see anyway.
8. Article: While Dave Perry sees media ownership as a dying concept, it leads me to wonder where that leaves folks like me, who like having collections of solid, physical media around.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Blogging: Simon Furman looks at the year that was before getting stoked for what’s yet to come.
2. Pics: Many new galleries of TransFormers toys await you at the Allspark. Sorry, not listing them all this time.
3. Merch: Want your very own Nightbird ninja robot or Quintesson Bailiff? Then cast your eyes over at Impossible Toys to see about filling out your collection just a little bit more.
4. Reviews: BWTF.com continues updates with reviews and images of Movie Cliffjumper and Stockade.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Blogging: The 5th turtle wondered just where in the hell those two wildmen Eastman and Laird got the idea for the original April O’Neil. And by George, he got the answers, too!
2. Video: While its taste in music may be questionable, this bird certainly knows how to get down.
3. Blogging: David Cross apparently had a few things to say about his appearance in Alvin and the Chipmunks.
4. Linkage: Much like Wikipedia, Snopes, or Jump the Shark, TV Tropes is a great, informative timewaster. Though, if you learn new things from it, is it really wasting time?

   The best part is, it even covers video games, anime, comics, and more.

5. Video: Think you’re good with a paper airplane? Then can you top this?
6. Video: Remember the NSFW Angry Grandpa video? Well, he’s back, and as NSFW as ever when he finds out how popular the first video was.
7. Video: Worried your governing body might be corrupt? Here are a few quick ways to tell.
8. Video: What were the top 10 videos of 2007? Let’s find out.
9. Roundtable: A group of folk from Newsarama gather ’round to discuss the final part of Spider-man: One More Day, which I hate to say has effectively tainted the character all across the board for me. Needless to say, they don’t like it much, either.
10. Interview: While over at Comic Book Resources, they continue talking to Joe Quesada himself about it, which is only fueling fans’ ire.

    Also, the science that Joe was going to apply to the retcon of the marriage would have made over 30 years of Spider-Man books worthless, because they never would have had happened. We would have also had a “Crisis” in the Marvel Universe because it would have reset way too many things outside of the Spider-Man titles. We just couldn’t go there and in the end we weren’t expecting that kind of story.

    …and that isn’t what we’re dealing with here?

11. Video: I don’t give much of a damn about beer, but it does produce some funny commercials.

Video Power

1. eBay: Not a dream! Not an imaginary story! Not a hoax!… well, ok, maybe it’s a hoax. I’m not really sure, but if someone DID manage to get Jack Thompson to sign a copy of Grand Theft Auto III to put on eBay, with the profits going to Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play, then that’s probably more unbelievable than the dream, story, or whatever.
2. Video: Among many other awards at GameTrailers, one of the most interesting has to be the Most Disappointing Games of ’07, along with the Biggest Surprise award.
3. Articles: Congratulations to Press The Buttons on 1,500 entries! To celebrate, Matt takes a look back at some of his faves of the bunch.
4. Article: And to kick things off this year, he has also put together a Wish List of what he’d like to see come this year.

   And I don’t think I disagree with a single thing there.

5. Video: Thanks to the efforts of Frash, we have found at least one part of the ultra-rare Super Mario Bros. 3 “fairy tale” anime on YouTube.

   Regretably, there seemed to be some sort of subbed version up that’s no longer available.

6. Video: Oh, how can ANYONE expect to get the right thing for Christmas with all these crazy, newfangled terms floating around out there?

   Luckily, some actually know of such things. But just in case, it’s probably best to clarify just what it is you want, rather than just what it’s called.

7. Warning: The news is so nice, I’m saying it twice: if you value your Wii remotes, don’t use a Psyclone charger.
8. Video: ScrewAttack.com may not have liked Virtua Cop 2, but I liked the games, and would like to see those released on the Wii.
9. Video: Another year, another lot of bad games. “Stuttering” Craig and “Handsome” Tom have a look back at the top 10 Angry Video Game Nerd moments of 2007 in which he gave them what for.
10. Editorial: Over at Next Generation, Joe Keiser has a few ideas on how the industry can shape itself up a little in the coming year.
11. Article: Games Radar singles out five things that the MMO genre needs to cut out.

    …the “Depression” one is really alarming. You’d think this is the kind of stuff Jack Thompson and his ilk would be petitioning, the problem is probably far worse than what they’re going on about.

12. Article: On a slightly related note to the two above stories, here are the top 7 gamers’ New Year’s resolutions.
13. Pics: I’ll have a collection like this… someday.
14. Comic: The truth about Contra 4.
15. Article: Not all celebrity-based games suck… just most. Here are some of the worst offenders.
16. Article: It’s been a hell of a year for Microsoft, and a year of hell for their customers. Joystiq takes a look back at 2007 and all the pain they caused.
17. Reviews: And finally, over on 1up, Parish rates every single Final Fantasy game, and even a few non-Final Fantasy games.

    …Super Mario RPG isn’t worth it? I don’t know about that, I think I’d still rather play that than anything else on the list.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Video: A video review of Animated Cybertron Mode Optimus Prime has been posted on YouTube, courtesy of someone from TFW2005 who got a packaging sample of the toy.
2. Review: And BWTF.com brings us another, more standard review as well, this time of Movie toy Camshaft, an Autobot redeco of the Decepticon Swindle toy.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: Apparently, South Park‘s Mrs. Garrison has an interesting, NSFW view on how the theory of evolution works.
2. Video: A neat video here of a chemical plant explosion. Nothing TOO horrible, it seems, but it did make quite a mess and shake some people up.
3. Pic: For those who want their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures to be 100% true to the original comics– none of this “color” crap, red or otherwise– NECA is putting together this little beaut for you.
4. Video: Here we have Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (as introduced by Johnny Carson) doing an old comedy routine.
5. Linkage: I was disappointed when I saw that the LiveJournal community “Improved Archie” disappeared, along with its founder, Mighty Godking, who has created some awesome Marvel comics parodies in the past. Fortunately, amidst all this “One More Day” hub-bub, someone posted a link to his new site/blog, which I’ll be keeping an eye on now.
6. Interview: Speaking of “One More Day,” Comic Book Resources has managed a spoiler-ridden five-part interview with Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada about the whole thing, the first part of which you’ll find here.

   Response to this hasn’t been especially cheery, either.

7. Reviews: I don’t usually look at or even think about comic book reviews, except maybe if it’s a graphic novel or something, rather than an individual issue. But when I saw IGN’s sole feature update yesterday as being comic book reviews, and with the latest in Spider-man, well, I simply could not resist.

   Hell, I’ll even throw in IGN’s own excerpt from the review:

   “My Christmas is ruined, and I blame it all on the team behind One More Day. I’ve had more than a few comics make me angry over the years. Until recently, Countdown to Final Crisis did it on a near-weekly basis. However, I never actually ripped a comic to pieces out of sheer frustration until I read Amazing Spider-Man #545 today. This comic is infuriating and downright disrespectful to anyone who has come to love Spider-Man comics over the years. It’s undoubtedly the worst comic Marvel published in 2007. The funny thing is, though, it’s not actually that badly crafted.” – Jesse

8. Video: Action 9 News brings the latest regarding Loading.Ready.Run’s opposition to the WGA strike.

Video Power

1. Blogging: The Mumbling Kitsune talks a little about her feelings on these new Castlevania movies that are in the pipeline.
2. Review: Figures.com has a new review available for the first wave of Castlevania figures by NECA.

   And I’ll be frank: I could give a damn about the Succubus, removable top or not. I’d have much rather seen Maria or Charlotte, among others, make it into the first wave. But the rest look excellent, though I wish Simon’s flail held the length used in the games.

3. Video: Just in case I hadn’t mentioned it before, a word of advice: Don’t piss off Sonic the Hedgehog.

   You might not be lucky enough to have Eggman there to save your ass.

4. Article: Press the Buttons has found a neat piece which discusses the relation between Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong.

   Myself, I’m of the camp that thinks that the DK we use today is the same DK we used back in DK Jr.

   And speaking of the necktie, I’d love one like that, except with the “K” replaced with the star-centered “O” from the Donkey Kong logo.

5. Article: Racketboy’s Retro Gaming finishes out the year strong with the best retro games of 2007.

   I myself can personally vouch for Contra 4 and Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. What little I’ve played of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was fun, and I still want to try out Metal Slug on the Wii and Pac-Man Championship Edition.

6. eBay Merch: Show someone you care by giving them a plasma grenade, direct from Halo.
7. Pic: Now here is a loving artistic tribute to video game controllers from the past.
8. Analysis: Wow, I think the cost of game production is getting just a little bit out of control.
9. Article: Next Generation has a look into why the video game industry has “fallen in love with the Wii.”
10. Articles: GameDaily brings in a pair of Top lists: the 10 best new Smash Bros. features, and the biggest f-ups of 2007.
11. Article: Games Radar looks at what they believe are 50 ways fandom hits rock bottom.

    14, 18, 22? (need to count), almost 25, 33, 34 (well, once upon a time… who didn’t when the SNES came out?), and 42, those are me.

12. Comics: I regret not posting this sooner, but N-Europe has a rather amusing sprite comic starring Wario and the Nintendo crew for Christmas.
13. Pic: Apparently, Energizer recommends using their rechargable batteries in your Wii remote.

    I forget just what we got ours for (that very kind, I believe), but the damn thing didn’t work well at all.

14. Article: CVG takes a look at their best and worst in box art for 2007.
15. Video: Go Nintnedo has brought back their Saturday morning cartoon posts, starting with Earthworm Jim.
16. Pics: A custom Clerks Wii, made for Kevin Smith? Pretty damn slick. The Wii remotes look good in black, but do the lights still work?

    So long as RMC is asking, I wonder what a PMO Wii would look like…

17. Article: Here, we have some of the most overlooked DS games of 2007. I have Hotel Dusk, it’s quite cool; the rest of these, I wouldn’t mind trying, either, especially Custom Robo Arena.
18. Blogging: Over at Game|Life, Chris Kohler shares his Christmas gaming experience he had with his family.
19. Pics: Kotaku looks back at the many Arcade Flyer Art Saturday entries made over the past year, as well as news of a new format for the coming year.
20. Pics: …er, wow. Just what I always wanted.

    To shoot at enemies onscreen in Wii games by jerking off a shark. Gee, Pega, how can I ever thank you?

21. Video: And to conclude, we’ve got Kotaku’s Worst of Street Fighter, the cartoon.

    Really, though, the show wasn’t THAT bad. It certainly had its quirky moments, as seen here, but given what they had to work with at the time overall, they pulled off a decent cartoon for its day.

    But seriously, of all the parts seen there, this was the greatest. How can anyone NOT love that?!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Review/Gallery: BWTF brings us yet another review in short order, this time showing off Voyager Optimus Prime from the Movie line.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Video: This is one grandpa I wouldn’t want anywhere near my house on Christmas day. And somehow, I find it difficult to imagine that he only started acting like this now…

   Then again, it’s almost as hard to imagine someone deciding to put this up for the world to see, but I guess everyone wants to be a star in some way.

2. Pic: Some new retro art from the 5th turtle.
3. Blogging: Cheerios, yo. Is there anything better?

Video Power

1. Video: Sort of a neat music video here from Mega Man X3, featuring a guy from over at the Penny Arcade forums taking on the Boss Rush segment to different pieces of music for each boss, and using either the X-Buster or the boss’s own weapons against them to make the fight as hard as he can.
2. Gadgets: Capcom has decided to introduce some new nick-nacks, and in the process, totally punk out 1up on their release dates. Will they fire back?
3. Video: ScrewAttack.com checks out a slightly more modern classic in their Video Game Vault file on Power Stone.
4. Article: Are games today more violent than in days of old? Games Radar searches for the answer.
5. Video: And here we have what seems to be an interesting Super Smash Bros. Brawl fanmade trailer.
6. Pics: A pair of comics about Nintendo and their “green” ways.
7. Merch: If you’re into cel-shaded Link and Zelda, then has Play Asia got something for you!
8. Pics: So while Time magazine has named their own Person of the Year, that hasn’t stopped SomethingAwful.com’s Photoshop Phriday crew from naming a few of their own.
9. Video: Consider this a strong warning about being careful with Wii remotes. Especially if you’re using funky add-ons.
10. Video: A modern take on a classic story, and only three days late. Join us, won’t you, as we discover How (Shadow) the Hedgehog Stole Christmas.
11. Newsbit: And finally, in one Australian father’s darkest hour, a hopeful letter to Nintendo brought the touch, and now his daughter has Wii Power.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Newsbit: Seems there’s one lady who doesn’t cotton to the use of that “Bee-otch” air freshener seen in Bumblebee in the movie, but not for the reason you might think.
2. Info: TFormers.com has just launched a new database for the TransFormers: Animated series.
3. Review/Gallery: BWTF.com brings us another review today, this time for the Movie line figure of Recon Barricade.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Blogging: The 5th turtle has taken the opportunity to answer some questions about the upcoming “Forever War” trade.
2. Article: Ever wonder why so many world-renowned super heroes were created by Jewish folk? The answers await you.

Video Power

1. Article: Next Generation looks back, this time on the top 10 blunders of 2007. Some really great moments lie within; even if you remember the stories, give it another look.
2. Article: Games Radar has come up with ten things they want to see in online shooters. And really, who wouldn’t?
3. Merch: Available now, exclusively at Zeller’s in Canada, it’s… the Wiisaber!!
4. Newsbit: Best Buy in Baltimore took a peculiar approach to handling Wii sales recently.
5. Pics: This Wii made of Legos is pretty cool, but even cooler is that it literally has a game of Wii Tennis going on inside!

   What could be better?

   Maybe this Lego Portal.

6. Newsbit/Video: Now this is a seriously raw deal on Christmas morning. Thank goodness the kid had a good sense of humor about it.

   You can see the news report video right here.

7. Video: These kids, on the other hand, had their surprise go a little bit better.
8. Video: So Yahtzee’s on vacation this week for some reason (seriously, didn’t he just have one?), so in his place, The Escapist provides a World of Warcraft machinima music video by some guys calling themselves the Dingrats.
9. Video: If you’re going to kill yourself in Halo 3, remember to do it with style.
10. Article: Ever wonder what sort of lasting effect that Blade Runner, the Ridley Scott movie starring Harrison Ford, has had on video games?

    Well, I sort of wonder whenever I play Mega Man X, but I get the feeling that inspiration has started coming from elsewhere.

    Anyway, the wonderful team of Jenn Frank and Scott Sharkey have sought out those answers for us, which they present in this finely-tuned article.

    Sadly, though, I didn’t see any mention of Mega Man X in there at all.

11. Article: Interestingly enough, Associated Press (of all publications) have produced a list of their worst games of 2K7.
12. Pics: A full-blown home theater? That’s pretty cool, and I’d love to have one someday.

    A full-blown home theater that’s also the Batcave? THAT is what I really want.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”