InFormers: Robots in the News

1. The cover for the upcoming TransFormers: Spotlight: Blaster is now live and in color. Love that Steeljaw.
2. So, got your hands on BotCon’s Classics Bugbite, and feel he needs another GoBot companion? Then look no further than Mirage as this tutorial turns him into the female Renegade known as Crasher!
3. Speaking of customs, someone came up with a cool Masterpiece-style figure of Elita-1, Optimus Prime’s old flame.
4. Ben Yee has a new review up, this time spotlighting the ’09 Concept Camaro form that Bumblebee takes on in TransFormers: The Movie.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. I have never seen The Protector, but it’d have to be REALLY good to beat Kajeto “Over 9000″ Kun’s latest video.
2. “Steady… steady… whoops.”
3. Maybe this is what they were talking about when they wrote Highway to the Danger Zone.”
4. Mm, I like bacon.
5. Last week, Conan O’Brien found his show… interupted. Fire alarms wailed, ruining a spotless record of 15 years of recording without incident.

   Now, Conan is on the hunt for the bastard responsible in a tale of adversity, triumph, and in the end… friendship.

   It is a film for the whole family to see again and again and again, as we find the answers to… Conan’s Burning Questions.

   Coming soon to a theater near you. This film has not yet been rated.

6. Don’cha just love the cute things cats do?
7. I do so despise pretentious troublemakers who think the rules don’t apply to them. Add that I have once worked in a supermarket, and this story warms my heart.
8. So, Drew Carey has officially begun hosting The Price Is Right. How do you think he’s doing?

   Me? I don’t think I’ve watched the show since I was on summer vacation in elementary school, when my mom had it on. Save for the VERY odd occassion there was nothing else on or to do.

Video Power

1. The surprisingly funny Street Fighter: The Later Years has released its fifth installment, which is somehow made a little funnier by the announcement of Street Fighter IV.
2. Racketboy and fastbilly1 takes a look back at one of my favorite games, Super Mario Bros. 2, by comparing the four versions: Super Mario Bros. 2 for the NES, Super Mario Bros. 2 from Super Mario All-Stars for the Super NES, Doki-Doki Panic for the Famicom, and Super Mario Advance for the Game Boy Advance.

   It should be said again that Super Mario Advance is different from the previous versions, moreso than even I realized with these shots, in that many touches were added to make it feel more like a traditional Mario title, and is definitely worth the Player’s Choice price it’s available at now.

3. Games Radar takes a look back a the dying days of several consoles, and what gems arose in the 11th hour as gamers moved on to greener, more textured pastures.
4. Some people, you just never expect to come forward and admit they had a part in something. Like Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game, for example.

   You would think that the CDi Zelda games would trump that. You’d be wrong.

5. Sounds like AJ Styles is a real Nintendo fan, and of Pokemon as well. Who knew?
6. Joystiq has managed to dig up eight years of video games on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, now that Comedy Central has decided to place the entire archive of shows online. Sweet deal.
7. So, I didn’t get to go to E for All. And boy, don’t I feel like a sucker.
8. …wow. This makes killing thugs almost too easy.
9. Clearly I’ve missed something. What the hell is a Companion Cube? Is it from Portal? ‘Cause I still need to play that.
10. Interviewing Igarashi must be en vogue, as Destructoid gets into the act. And it bears good news, if you dislike the anime stylings of the recent DS games.
11. And to close, one of the fathers of video games, Nolan Bushnell, thinks today’s games are “unadulterated trash”. Whoopee, big surprise there.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. One of Cyclonus and Scourge’s better moments.

   Dear Furman: If you ever write Cyclonus again, please don’t make him such an idiot this time.

2. Ben Yee has a couple of new Movie toy reviews up, featuring Decepticon Payload and Target-exclusive Autobot Armorhide.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. He-Man.Org reports that yesterday was Lou Scheimer’s 79th birthday, and if you’d like to send him birthday wishes, you may do so at lou @ louscheimerproductions.org (remove the spaces). “You may not get a reply, but Lou will still see your e-mail.”

   But wait, just who is Lou Scheimer?

   Hailed as one of the fathers of Saturday morning television, Lou Scheimer was the co-founder of Filmation Studios, which for over 25 years provided animated excitement for TV and film.

   He had involvement in numerous cartoons you might have watched growing up, from DC Comics fare to He-Man and She-Ra to Archie.

2. Bill Maher, he doesn’t take anybody’s crap. Seriously, how rude.
3. Speaking of cutting loose, Conan O’Brien really got to when a fire alarm interupted his show. Which might have been best, because this was plenty entertaining, and he admits himself that the next segment wasn’t going to be that good.

Video Power

1. You were almost a Jill sandwich!
2. Loading.Ready.Run. presents The Ballad of the Fanboy. Sorta cute/sweet, until about the middle. THEN the innuendo begins.
3. Press The Buttons found a bit on Game|Life wherein Castlevania top-dog Koji Igarashi answers questions including “why does Dracula keep hiding meat in the walls?” Rather, he answers about the candles.

   Funny, I forgot the Super Paper Mario reason for the coins. Oh, wait, here we go, fourth paragraph.

   For Sonic, I think it depends on continuity; I think they scatter sort of like the Dragon Balls when they’re done. Then again, at the start of Sonic 3, Knuckles just sucker-punches him and takes them.

   Mega Man, I can sort of answer. X usually doesn’t keep his gear because he’s afraid it’d make him too powerful, perhaps even corrupt him or make him capable of overkill against most of his foes. The original Mega Man, or maybe Dr. Light, perhaps feel the same way, not being violent by nature.

   Starting in X5, it’s revealed/changed that his armor upgrades he receives seem to be heavily damaged, and being so old, aren’t easily repaired. It isn’t until Alia shows up that some of the armor is able to be repaired, and even then, only somewhat. Thus the gimped Fourth Armor and even worse-off Falcon Armor in X6. If his armor isn’t surviving the battles with Sigma, his weapons might not be, either.

   Mega Man Zero explains it well enough. Zero’s weapons take serious beatings every time he saves the world. Fortunately, Cerveau is usually able to fix and modify Zero’s gear after the intro stage, or sooner.

   Mega Man ZX, get back to me. Same for Star Force. MegaMan Legends, that wench Roll sells off all your stuff. Dammit, woman, with my fully-upgraded Shining Laser, I could’ve made back MANY times whatever you were paid!

   MegaMan Battle Network, it’s not clearly explained, but sort of implied with the receiving of the Navi Customizer in Battle Network 4 that evidently Lan’s mom is afraid that the boy who’s saved the world so many times over might get into trouble with this stuff, and confiscates it. Thanks, mom.

   If you want to skip straight to the Igarashi interview, just click here.

4. And I chuckled when I saw that Kohler didn’t know the animated and live-action movies were seperate projects.
5. GameTrailers talks to Koji Igarashi as well, about the upcoming Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, but nothing so interesting as what’s with the candles, unfortunately.
6. PTB and Joystiq say, “Do not give in to Sony’s scare tactics.” And I agree.
7. Hey, remember my first article here awhile back about Robocop vs. Terminator? Well, Gamespite has taken it upon themselves to brave the SNES game of the same name.
8. AMN has an editorial that looks at how games like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass have changed the way they play and how we play them, and what this could mean for the future, and what there is to fear (or not) from progress.
9. Now here’s a blast from the past… remember the 64DD? The Nintendo 64 add-on that only came out in Japan?

   GameTrailers has a promotional video for the device.

   Funny how the mouse looks so much more like a regular PC mouse than the Super NES version did. But I wonder if we’ll ever see any programs like this on the Wii?

10. The Itagaki Agenda continues, now revealing where Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword takes place in the overall chronology.
11. GameTrailers gets a little behind the scenes time in with the voice actors of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Ninja Pro Am.
12. I considered reporting this, but thought maybe it wasn’t that big a deal. But since Go Nintendo did the work for me…
13. I’ve seen this before, and it’s really sort of old by now, but since it’s laid out all nice and plain-like with how it’s interpreted, I figure I might as well post the supposed secrets of the Smash Bros. DOJO!!

    Of course, hard to say how much water this holds until the final gaps are filled, and any remaining characters show up. Still, my money is on Game & Watch for 13. But I get the feeling we can rule out Punch-Out!!.

    And yes, I know it originated elsewhere, but I’m not searching; I only posted this one out of convenience.

14. It’s on shakeycam, but just the same, it’s a compilation video of Final Smashes, including the recently-revealed “Peach Blossom” and some unrevealed ones, too.

    And is that a Fire Mario costume I see for Mario? Sweet! I missed that one in Melee, glad to see it here. But unfortunately, it looks like Peach is playing Daisy clone for one of hers again. Aww.

15. Chris Kohler at Game|Life takes a little time to reflect on E for All. And his thoughts? Not impressed, at least as a member of the gaming press who gets to go to every other event this stuff has been at, anyway.

    Understandable, I suppose. Which just begs the question as to what others thought, those who aren’t in the gaming press and don’t get to go to every event they have. Those that Kohler spoke to were enthusiastic, so that’s a definite plus.

    If you went, share your opinions here! I’ll be glad to post them. Let’s get an opinion that runs from what the show is really about!

    Incidently, T-Frog has a good idea of how to fix the problems with E for All and E3.

16. One cool thing some companies did at E for All, and will hopefully do more in the future, was sell cool stuff. Pac-man plush toys… that are motorized! Wicked.

    And the watch is cool, too.

    Konami was selling some swag, too, but nothing quite as cool to me.

17. All that, and JR and The King, too!

    Why did I not go to this?! Oh, right. The money.

18. Gee, I wish EA would make fun of my site.
19. Oh, what the hell. With as many other pumpkins as I’ve mentioned, might as well add Alien Homminid.

    Oh, and a pretty good Raccoon Mario, too.

20. “Too Much Time On Your Hands Theater” presents: 14 Minutes of SEGA Logos.
21. Lobotomizing your Halo 3 Legendary Master Chief helmet for a Halloween costume? Bad idea.
22. 1up gets a chance to spend some time with legendary Nintendo musician Koji Kondo, and how do they spend it? By asking the same questions pretty much every interview with Koji Kondo has.

    Ok, I’m being a little hard on them (just a little), as it’s really more the first few questions; there are a few I don’t remember seeing before in there, too. Give it a look as you remember that games weren’t always fully-orchestrated works or using the best stuff the RIAA has to sue you over.

    I always liked the very first version of the Super Mario Bros. theme. Not too light, but certainly not moody. It just fit so damn well, and I wish we could get another like it in a Mario game, rather than these remixes that are tucked to title screens or special out-of-the-way places.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Video Power

1. Weird. So Nintendo has demos for the press that they don’t want them to play. Go figure.
2. So you’ve played a little SNK Neo-Geo on your Virtual Console, and are looking for a little more of that brand of action? Racketboy has just the retrogaming fix for you, as he looks at a beginner’s guide to the Neo-Geo Pocket.
3. AMN got the chance to sit down with Gyakuten Saiban/Ace Attorney Series Producer for a little chat about different questions surrounding Phoenix Wright and his friends.
4. Looks like GameSpite wasn’t the only one with this idea, as ScrewAttack.com also decides to celebrate Capcom’s announcement by taking a look back at Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.
5. GameTrailers provides a neat behind-the-scenes of the Japanese orchestra working on the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack.
6. Next-Gen takes a look at what E for All is really about: “breaking down the barriers between gamers and the industry.” Check the link for a recap and thoughts about Day 1 of the first ever E for All.
7. Mario? On South Park? I can’t wait to see that!

   …next year.

8. Nintendo’s soon to be former VP of Marketing, Perrin Kaplan, answers some questions about the way they’ve promoted some games, such as Metroid Prime 3.

   Do you think it’s working?

9. E for All: It’s not just games, it’s cosplay, too!
10. These Jack-o-lanterns just keep getting better and better.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. iF Magazine has posted the second part of their interview with Mark Ryan, voice of Bumblebee from TransFormers: The Movie.
2. Curious just what online content the Circuit City version of the movie’s DVD contains? Then look no further.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. On IGN today, producer Seth Green and his band of merry misfit writers talk about making one of my favorite shows, Robot Chicken.

Video Power

1. Just when you thought it was safe to go outside without your Power Suit… then you find out that Metroids are real! Well, sort of.
2. Press The Buttons looks back at Yoshi’s Story, a game that was absurd for $60 in 1998, but is enjoyable enough for a mere $10.
3. Timed to go with yesterday’s announcement of Street Fighter IV: A New Beginning, GameSpite takes a look back Street Fighter III: Third Strike, an excellent game that still seemed to come a little too late to really capitalize on the glory created by its predecessor.
4. Metroid Prime 3 commercial, in French.

   I wonder if any hilarious conversations occur there involving Nintendo’s new system and simple “yes” or “no” questions.

5. To continue GameSpot’s week of Bionic Commando, they’ve added a video look back at the original title to bear the name.
6. A new “viral vid” at Game Daily has Mario being interviewed about his team going to the Olympics.

   But what’s with that other guy trying to squish his head?

7. Now here’s a good point about video game websites (that is, from the companies to promote a new title): most of them are pretty bad.

   Japan seems to have the right idea, though. And of course, Smash Bros. DOJO!! has it perfected.

8. What’s cool: Urban Nintendo clothing.

   What’s cooler: URBAN CHAMPION urban Nintendo clothing!

   What’s not so cool: Where’s my damn Balloon Fight?

   What sucks: Produced in limited quantities, apparently.

9. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, because I cannot emphasize it enough: it would totally make my day to receive a cake like this on my birthday.

   Seriously, I’d have to break out the camera for that. Presents are great and all, but this…

   And what’s cool here is that there are some details as to how they did it!

10. This is kind of funny, in a way: Master Chief sucks at Halo 3, apparently the third of a series.
11. Yet another cool jack-o-lantern, this time in the image of one of the most recent games, Halo 3.

    …versus one in the image of one of the oldest, Space Invaders.

    And to round things out, here’s a Boo pumpkin from somewhere around the middle.

12. The Final Fantasy VII “Potion” drink? Absolutely horrible. Or so I hear, damn if I’m spending that money when a reputation like this drink has precedes it.

    But the commercial? Not so bad.

    But I’m still not buying.

13. And to wrap things up, Jeremy Parish gives a lengthy but enjoyable blog entry about his Super Mario Sunshine impressions (“mind blowing” and comparisons to Super Mario Bros. 3 among them) and Metal Gear Solid 4.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. So Paramount had this big event to show off the launch of TransFormers: The Movie on DVD and HD-DVD, but the bigger news is that Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen, was in attendance, answering questions and more.
2. Wal-Mart’s version of the DVD came with a special animated prequel to the film itself called Beginnings, and you can find out whether it’s worth your dollars or not by reading the summary.
3. Any good DVD release has plenty of Easter Eggs, and TransFormers evidently does not disappoint. Click here to see how to access a few.

Video Power

1. Well, according to Capcom, there should be a new website for Bionic Commando, but it doesn’t seem to want to work for me. Guess I’ll have to check back later.
2. Ah, now here’s a subject near and dear to my heart, and Racketboy’s newest “Stunning Game Artwork” installment: Mega Man!Though in my experience, finding good Mega Man fanart isn’t THAT hard…
3. There has been some slight stirring about the portrayal of the war in Halo 3‘s commercials, the question being if it’s right to depict a fictitious war in such a fashion.In a new AMN editorial, a similar question arises: Is it right to play a war game set in a modern setting?
4. ScrewAttack has a new Top Ten, as they explore the best NES games.The Master of the 8-bit Universe had so many unbelievable classics that we almost had to make it a Top 50 list.

   Yeah, no kidding. This ought to be interesting, to say the least. And I decline comment on the ignorance displayed in their main gripes with #4 and #1.

   So many great games, so many great memories.

5. GameSpot has added a ton of character artwork for Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, and in good quality, too.Click here for many of the same, plus a cool “alternate” box art.
6. I wanted to link to Games Radar’s 10 greatest badasses, but the exclusion of Bill Rizer lead me to believe that the article was not worthy….what’s that? I did just link it? Aww, damn.

   Oh well. The last entry on the list made me laugh, anyway.

7. Wow, a whole 30 minutes of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 footage? If you’re good for it, then here you go.
8. You’ve gotta love Iwata; he’s just so damned different from his predecessor.I mean, if you’re familiar with Yamauchi, could you EVER imagine him conducting interviews with developers working for Nintendo, like this one for Super Mario Galaxy? I sure couldn’t.
9. One thing that I’ve always loved about Nintendo is how, while they do make some big corporate decisions that piss me off, when you get down to a more personal level, they seem to have a genuine care for their customers. Sure, it’s business, and they’re a big corporation, but let’s face it, there are plenty of companies that’ll tell you to shove off if you experience a problem after they have your money.But here, we have a case wherein someone didn’t even have a problem with a purchase, so to speak. They just wanted to know what was with Nintendo’s decision for the exclusivity of Chibi Robo: Park Patrol. And a Nintendo rep called them back to tell them about it!

   Definitely better than the runaround so many people get when their Xbox 360 gets red-ringed.

   I saw on GameSpot a user-video where the person in question was encouraging people to call Nintendo’s Consumer Service number (1-800-255-3700, I know it by heart, isn’t that sad? That’s what happens when you grow up without friends.) to kindly request that Ryan Drummond, the voice of Sonic in the earlier GameCube/Dreamcast outtings, be used to provide the voice of Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And while it might be too late for that one (unless this is what the delay is all about, ha. Ha. Ha.), I know some people are also concerned of the direction Nintendo Power magazine might take under Future, specifically that remark involving “young men” or somesuch.

   If you’re worried? Give ‘em a call! Hell, complain about the price hike on the Nintendo Power subscription prices in Canada, too, while you’re at it! You never know what might happen.

   And check the comments in the link for more tales to astonish.

10. Hmm, a $20 Wii remote charger. That’s something to consider, and RMC recommends it…
11. Some fun notes from Nintendo’s Nate Bihldorff about the voice work going into Super Smash Bros. Brawl and more.
12. While Chris Kohler at Game|Life feels that Duck Amuck wasn’t all it’s quacked up to be, he did validate the game’s existence to me with the following:Daffy’s well-written one-liners are often excellent: at one point, Warner’s famous rabbit pops up on the screen, and he says, “I knew it: this game is full of Bugs!”

    Brilliant. Positively so.

13. Mario jack-o-lanterns? Those are cool, sure. But if you want something that REALLY looks wicked, try Wario on for size!But does it beat the Pik-a-lantern for sheer creepiness? I think so.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Wow, the TF Wiki has added some really awesome updates to some Japanese TransFormers articles (don’t worry, it’s only ABOUT Japan, not in Japanese).

   First up is an in-depth timeline of the entire Japanese Generation 1 canon, which fits pretty much EVERYTHING together as a cohesive whole, even Car Robots (aka Robots in Disguise) and Kiss Players.

   Oh yeah, the Kiss Players line. That’s the OTHER update. Turns out that it’s not quite as bad as many thought. Close, but not completely. And there’s some interesting story that all that bizarreness is wrapped around, too.

2. Ben Yee has some new reviews up, including Leader class Movie Megatron, Robot Replicas Optimus Prime, and Target-exclusive Air Raid.
3. To celebrate the release of The Movie on DVD today, IGN pays tribute to Optimus Prime, both the animated and live-action versions, and asking reader to pick which one they would rather follow.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. From the Jones Soda Company, makers of the annual “Thanksgiving Dinner” soda pack featuring such delightful anomalies as “Turkey & Gravy” soda, comes Candy Corn Soda.

   Bottoms up.

2. Stephen Colbert writes for The New York Times. This should be interesting.

Video Power

1. Who knew? Turns out that the PlayStation 3 is the smartest choice of the three consoles this generation.

   Maybe not the best choice, but certainly the smartest… smart enough to make a robot recognize objects, at any rate.

2. Last year, Gears of War and Viva Pinata were released to the holiday rush for the Xbox 360. Gears of War was sure to sell.

   Now, Rare wants to know why Microsoft didn’t support the underdog as much as they could or should have.

   Of course, one has to wonder, with an ad like this, what more could they really do? Oh, and an animated series.

3. ScrewAttack.com looks at Mr. Bones. No, I don’t know what the hell it is, either. Let’s find out.
4. Game Daily celebrates Donkey Kong’s first foray onto the Wii with a look back at the big ape’s storied career.
5. Um, ok. Seems a little late, but Games Radar is getting into the whole history thing as well, though they’re doing theirs on Metroid.
6. Be careful what language you use online in Halo 3, or else He might hear you.
7. A neat feature from the BBC shows that there ARE some people out there, unlike certain lawyers who will remain nameless, that recognize that video games are NOT the cause of all of society’s ills, and can actually have some benefits as well.
8. 1up profiles none other than Eiji Aonuma, the new face of Zelda in an exclusive interview.
9. Ladies, if you decide to wear a skirt like this, please try to keep an open mind when people become fixated with your nether-regions.

   Conversely, wear something like this, and odds are your assumptions will be right on target.

10. Red Ring of Death: The Nightmare Continues.

    I bet if I had actually kept track of how many times I’ve reported on shoddy Microsoft customer service here, I could’ve made all sorts of titles that sound like bad cult classic horror movies. Maybe next time.

    But this is bad, when you’re essentially promoting the system for free and they screw you over to this magnitude.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Loading.Ready.Run looks back on 4 years with their 4th season finale!

   …if they can remember what it was.

   …23 PS3s!

Video Power

1. That Super Smash Bros. Brawl delay still kind of sucks. But, Matt at Press the Buttons has a clever yet simple way for Nintendo to make up for it.
2. With so much Wii Ware in the works, surely Nintendo has something up their sleeve so you can start putting that SD card slot to work, right? Right?

   Eh… well, no, not exactly.

   Oh, and if anyone can Digg this for me, I would be very grateful.

3. 

   MTV Multiplayer caught up with Uwe Boll, and among other things, they discussed the prospect of what Boll would do with the Mario movie; what he’d do if he were to remake it, or how he’d improve it.

   The answer might surprise you, along with another video game movie that he finds bad, even by HIS standards. What does he think of Halo and GTA as films? And what was really the story with that whole Metal Gear Solid deal not too long ago?

   And if you can Digg that one, that’d be great, too.

4. Will Banjo and Kazooie ever frolick in Nintendo’s neck of the woods again? It’s possible…
5. Wow, come on, Nintendo… you can do better than this!

   Makes me wonder if they’d kept the bongo scheme, at least optionally, for Barrel Blast if it would’ve fared any better. Though not everyone seems to hate it.

6. For some, Sonic’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is all they ever wanted or needed; the game is ready, ship it out.

   For others, however, Sonic should only be the beginning.

   I’m still all for Shadow as a costume change for Sonic, not unlike the Daisy/Peach switcharoo in Melee. But rather than just that, I think changing the name and adding a few new soundbytes in Shadow’s voice would be quite sufficient.

7. Didja hear? They found Carmen Sandiego!
8. Mario Kart Wii looks awesome, doesn’t it?

   Well, apparently not everyone thinks so.

   Frankly, the motorcycles don’t bother me. Unlike Double Dash!!, where you were stuck with two-person karts whether you liked it or not, that clearly isn’t the case here. Hell, I’d like to see those return with their own quirks for more mix-and-match fun. Give us the entire Mario Kart fleet!

9. MSNBC has ranked the Top 5 most memorable video game songs.

   Mario, definitely. Halo, sorta. Ms. Pac-Man? I don’t remember the difference between her song and Mr’s. Zelda is a definite, and Final Fantasy VII… well, I know the victory theme, does that count?

10. Evidently, Martha Stewart knows just how to score points with me. Specifically, the Wii cake.

    Alright, Martha. You’re pardoned for all past wrongdoings.

11. YES, I’m joking. It’s nice, but sheesh.
12. Dear China: Would it kill you to show some dignity for a change?
13. Chris Kohler at Game|Life got one hell of a cool present with this custom Servbot/Kobun faceplate for his XBox 360.
14. Some people really ought to stop taking things so literally.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. If you like TransFormers lineart and like Beast Wars in particular, then Nick Roche has a treat for you, showing off his work from the first issue of the Beast Wars Sourcebook, including some images that didn’t make the cut.
2. iF Magazine has interviewed Mark Ryan, the voice of Bumblebee from TransFormers: The Movie, revealing how he auditioned, got the part, and more.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Newsarama wraps up their Q&A with Batman: The Animated Series creator Bruce Timm as he continues to answer a nice ton of fan questions.

   But no series based on The Flash? That’s just heartbreaking after Justice League.

2. Awwwww, wookit the cute widdle bear!

Video Power

1. Perhaps to bring back a little bit of that feeling of community that was lost when they ditched their forums, Nintendo has opened up a site called My Wii Story, a place for players of Wii to gather and tell interesting anecdotes, such as how your granddad who never played a video game in his life beat you at Wii Golf, and other tales of interest.
2. GameSpite has a new retro-review up for the Virtual Console release of Ninja Gaiden for the NES.
3. Ah, now we’re talking. Racketboy has updated with a new retrogaming list, this time highlighting the best 2D games for the PS2 to kick off his series of features detailing modern 2D games worth playing.
4. Over at AMN, an editorial takes a look at how we’re two years into this generation’s hardware cycle, and not very much– if any– of it has proven to be the “revolution” that each company has touted their console as heralding.
5. ScrewAttack.com looks back on one of those “out of reach” games I remember from my childhood; advertised on TV and in comic books, but for a system I just didn’t own and probably wasn’t getting any time soon*: Splatterhouse 2.

   * Ok, so that all really applies more to the first game than the sequel, but still.

6. And now, The Final Fantasy Retrospective part XI, looking at “the franchises that will be eligible for retrospectives of their own someday.”
7. Hey, didja hear? Sonic’s in Brawl! Sonic is in Brawl!
8. From the creator of Haloid comes a new video full of fanservice, this time pitting the ladies of Dead Or Alive against those from Final Fantasy.

   Who shall stand, and who shall fall? And, given how many are built, will they stop moving after they fall?

9. One creative use for all those old floppy discs lying around…
10. Finally, the link last night didn’t work, so here it is again: Coin Heaven, a Mario blog that seems to have good taste in other sites, and might have some good stuff itself, once I get the chance to sit down and read over it.

AUGH!!! Finally, I’m done. I swear, I always have the worst timing to miss an update…

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. While not purely TransFormers, it seems that the San Diego Union Tribune has taken an in-depth look at the publishing company IDW and the success they’ve had over the past year with their various properties, including our favorite Robots in Disguise, of course.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Bruce Timm is a hell of a guy. Who else in the cartoon biz would take the kind of time needed to answer the questions of so many fans?
2. Everyone who’s into comics dreams of that moment where you just happen across a vintage gem from the golden age. Can you imagine having such a thing happen to you more than once, though?

Video Power

1. Japanese music videos are so crazy. Case in point: This Rockman video, brought to my attention by Heatman.
2. The Angry Video Game Nerd is back, this time looking at an old bad game I never knew existed, yet has a name I’m sure many are familiar with: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
3. Itagaki reveals more of what’s on his agenda, speaking out on non-games, Zelda, and the DS hardware in GameTrailers’ newest video.
4. Next-Gen takes a look at ten standard features they believe that every game should employ, and I am strongly of a like-minded opinion on several. Let’s see…

   I’ve always been a huge proponent of #3, ever since the days we started using more than two buttons. It still disappoints me when I’m confronted with no opportunity to fix things to my liking, and the Virtual Console and GBA-on-DS games are the most prime of offenders.

   #4 is a biggie, too. Though incidently, I think that if games want to compete with other mediums, players should be able to watch any cutscene they’ve seen already whenever they want, and be able to skip, pause, fast-forward, or rewind as necessary, for what basically amounts to all the same reasons as you would in a movie. Something happens, you can’t see/hear what’s going on, you accidently skip it, whatever. The option should be there to see it again, especially if it’s important, to see it again as desired.

   #9, I’m not so sure. Tutorials are all good and well, but I think by MegaMan Battle Network 6, I’ve pretty much got the hang of how the basics work. I prefer an optional tutorial, like Mega Man X5, or the mansion Lara gets to play around in for Tomb Raider.

   #10 is good, too. That’s what killed MegaMan Battle Network 5 for me, being thrown back to the title every time I died. ESPECIALLY on that last battle you can’t save before. I loved the game up until that point. Now I can’t bring myself to bother finishing it.

   Thanks a lot, Capcom.

5. Games Radar takes a serious look at this whole “rating of 10″ thing, and asks a selection of magazine editors (all conveniently from Future, if I’m not mistaken) what their thoughts on the highest possible score are.

   And on a related note, check out who’s heading up Nintendo Power now– none other than now-former PSM and Game Players Editor in Chief Chris Slate!

6. Another feature takes a look at the enemies of video games that just won’t go away. Sequel or something else, you’re likely to encounter plenty of these guys.
7. You just don’t see promotions like this any more.
8. Game|Life reveals why firing your PR department is a BAD idea.

   …seriously, though. Beaumonts? I know I’m overreacting, but it still makes me retch a little inside. Still, I remember it wasn’t that long ago that Capcom had ads this bad. Anyone remember Zero’s quote from the ad for that controller?

   To quote Kotaku: “Konami writing ‘Beaumont’ is a bit like Nintendo writing “Murio” or Microsoft referring to Hilo 3.”

9. If my geometry teacher thought like this, maybe I wouldn’t have been such a horrible failure at it.

   Then again, maybe if my Algebra 1 teacher bothered to teach me anything before I went into Geometry, that might’ve helped, too.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”