InFormers: Robots in the News

1. More DVD reviews keep pouring in.
2. Plus, IGN has a feature on the movie’s special effects.
3. And to help promote the whole shebang, maybe I’ll have Optimus phone a few friends.
4. Ben Yee has two new reviews up, one being the Target-exclusive Elita-One, and the other being a three-in-one as the Classics Decepticon Demolition Team get their due.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Ever wonder just what Nickelodeon slime really is? Find out this among other weirdness as people try to determine why two guys would buy out a grocery store’s chocolate supply.
2. I had no idea that Beetle Bailey and Snuffy Smith had their own animated cartoons, but it turns out that it’s true. From Mark Evanier’s blog, here’s Beetle Bailey and Snuffy Smith‘s openings.

   …Snuffy’s makes my ears hurt.

Video Power

1. New ad for Nintendo DS’ Flash Focus.
2. And now… the Amazing GameJew with his new hit sensation (better than Britney’s, apparently, Please don’t hurt me, Mr. Crocker) We Didn’t Push The Pixels!
3. Cool = a Mega Man/Quake 2 Deathmatch Mod.

   Cooler = Capcom seems ok with it, at least on some level.

4. Downloading games is sort of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it seems to really be opening the floodgates to a number of games that haven’t seen release in years, and who knows when or if they ever would be in stores again?

   On the other hand, it seems to have signaled all but a final death knell for classic compilation discs, which are usually a pretty good value, such as Racketboy’s picks for XBox.

   I remain of the opinion that Konami could have made bank with such compilations of Contra, Castlevania, Metal Gear, Gradius, and maybe even something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But now? Who knows if they’ll ever try?

5. Spider-man: Friend or Foe. I haven’t paid much attention to how the game is, but regardless, I do like these ads with Venom and… Sandman. Hmm.

   Gee, I wonder why they picked THOSE two particular villains.

6. God of War II ads from Japan. That’s right, Krato-kun goes to the Far East.
7. Mario gets jacked! Well, Jack-O-Lanterned that is, if that can even be used as a verb.

   Grammatical fallacies aside, that is one pumpkin that’s playing with power.

8. Uwe Boll talks about how to say “Uwe Boll.”

   I can’t see the video, but I think I’ve heard how it goes anyway. But in spite of all of that, I think I’ll pronounce it in a way that rhymes with “cue ball” and blame MTV if I ever meet the man.

9. A very nice Pikmin diorama. (I’m a bit tired now, but pressing on, so cut me some slack, please.)
10. Games.net has compiles a list of ten disturbingly sexual game characters, many of which originate from- surprise, surprise- Nintendo or thereabouts.

    Interestingly enough, Birdo’s NOT on there for the reason you’d think.

11. Over at Game|Life, Mr. Kohler has an interview with the Bungie Boys about the split with Big Bill.
12. I really do want to try Portal. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and am doubtful of seeing anything like it ever again.

    But we can hope.

13. If Nintendo ever gets on me about my logo, I guess I can always switch to this little fella.
14. What greater way to show your love of games than to have their imagery adorn your body, be they body ink or cloth?

    Or, you can just air your grievances.

15. WwwwwTF?
16. And to close, we have a Resident Evil haunted house. In Japan, of course.

    Despite geographical hurdles, you won’t catch me going in there. And not because I’m scared.

    Ok, so it’s because I’m scared, but for a different reason than you might think. Last time I went into a haunted house, I tripped/slipped, blowing out my knee and falling to the floor. The people who came up didn’t know who/what I was as I tried to get some help, and wound up getting pulverized and had to be carried out of the place.

    That’s why you won’t catch me going anywhere near anything haunted that doesn’t have cars and a track ever again. And especially not one where they give the patrons guns, fake or not.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Remy has a new gallery, and it’s all about Convoy (Optimus Prime) gettin’ down in his new Music Label form!

Assorted Mushrooms

1. A car whose wheels turn for easy parking? Took them long enough to implement such a no-brainer idea.
2. Seen those Garfield strips where they edit out the thought balloons, and so you can only see or “hear” what you would if you were really there? Those are pretty funny.

   Someone tried the same thing with The Wonder Years. It’s not nearly as entertaining, and shows just how much of that show hinged on a disembodied voice talking to God-only-knows.

3. Bump in the Night: Sometimes it’s best to just not get involved.

Video Power

1. Over at Press the Buttons, Matt takes a look at the “rarest eReader card ever” from E3 to promote Kirby: Right Back At Ya’! for a prize.

   More interesting to me, personally, is an earlier write-up he has about Super Mario Bros. 3′s lost eReader levels. Having played some of these, I have to admit that the eReader did add a nice bit to an already classic title. However, there is no doubt that many never got the chance to even see these levels, and with the generally accepted failure of the eReader, may never get the chance.

   Personally, I would like to see that changed. Nintendo has released Player’s Choice versions of Super Mario Advance, Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island… but not Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.

   It is my conviction that not only should Nintendo make the fourth and final Super Mario Advance a part of the Player’s Choice line, but they should do so in the most compelling way possible: by including the missing levels, items, enemies, features, and so forth in the cartridge. I realize that this would obviously take more work than any other Player’s Choice version of a game released to date, but there is precedent for such things to occur; Devil May Cry 3 from Sony’s Greatest Hits line, for just one example.

   It may be unrealistic, but, I think that offering a great game at a new price point with extra content is a natural, if not nearly inevitable decision at this point, despite the GBA format. Furthermore, there are those of us who have bought the game three times over already: the NES original, the SNES remake, the GBA version, and odds are they’ll release the NES game on the Virtual Console sooner or later, so what’s one more version?

   I’d buy it if it meant I’d get all the eReader bonuses, including the ones that weren’t even released in the US yet due to the shortcomings of the eReader’s sales. Hell, I’d even pay a little extra for it. Is there anyone else with me?

   I mean, after all, there are people who WANT to buy The Lost Levels…

2. I try to give Sony credit. I admit, I was down on them before a lot of people were, largely for my own reasons. Then they made disliking them easy to do, “cool” even. Me, I did and still do try and give credit where credit is due.

   But they just make it so… damned… difficult!

   Furthermore, despite seemingly being relegated to just the 40GB PAL model of PS3, Joystiq clearly feels that removing the backwards compatibility is a huge mistake.

3. While Soul Calibur III may not have been all that great, it’s still a neat little series, and Legends and IV will still aim to please. Fortunately, one area that the game is always pleasing in is the ladies, as Game Daily is quick to point out.

   Personally speaking, I favor Cassandra and Sophita.

4. Hmm, interesting. Rather than a longer game, Itagaki is looking to make Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword a game you can enjoy playing through multiple times.

   I don’t think I mind that.

5. Hudson talks a little about how they’re going to fit those Turbo CD games onto the Virtual Console.

   Hmm, I wonder if SEGA might follow suit…

6. Little doubt you’ve seen Microsoft’s “Believe” ads for Halo 3, but have you been to the website?

   It’s a pain in the ass to get into, but totally worth it. It lets you navigate the massive diorama and take screenshots for wallpapers and stuff. It’s quite impressive. Thanks to emerald084 for pointing it out to me.

7. Kotaku and MTV dig deep to find out just why the hell Chibi Robo: Park Patrol is an exclusive to Wally World.

   The conclusion drawn? “Nothing about this adds up.”

8. Mr. Parish looks back at a good many XBox 360 games from the Live Arcade which he has missed for a very special edition of the Retro Roundup.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Ben Yee goes behind the scenes of the all-encompassing Beast Wars Sourcebook by IDW.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Snap, Crackle, and Pop originally had much deeper voices than I’ve ever known in this old Rice Krispies commercial.
2. He-Man.Org has announced that Babelgum has acquired the rights to show classic He-Man and She-Ra episodes online for free.
3. Last year, Burger King conquered Christmas with XBox 360 games. This year, they’re out for Halloween with costumes of the King and the Subservient Chicken.

Video Power

1. Among others, I’ve commented that I think that Lakitu’s appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl ought to be in modern 3D, but that was until I read Matt’s reasoning behind the retro look, and it does make sense to me.

   Still, be nice if we were to get the best of both worlds, eh?

2. Ah, now here’s a title I wanted to play back in the NES days, but never got the opportunity: Gremlins 2.

   Hmm, I wonder who has the Sunsoft rights now, and if we’ll see this, or others (like Batman).

3. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I want this tie.
4. Games Radar decides to find real-life celebrities that resemble Mario.

   Um, sure. If they say so. Even Bob Hoskins looks like that role is well behind him. And why does it seem that several are balding at that? Mario has a head full of hair. It’s like they found anyone with a mustache and a little bit of gut and said “that’s him.”

5. So there’s this Pokemon Fire Red Mew Event Version cartridge on eBay, currently at 55 dollars. Pretty rare little item. Wonder if it generates Mews, or what?
6. Mario is known largely for two main things, I figure: jumping, and power-ups.

   Go Nintendo has grabbed a neat little article of sorts that details the power-ups of Mario, at least in the 2D games, barring New Super Mario Bros.

7. Wow… it’s been ten years since Gunpei Yokoi passed away. Or to be a little more blunt, if I may, was killed.

   The turn of events that lead to this still saddens me to this day.

   Kotaku pays fitting tribute to the man by linking to the GameTrailers video that looks over his career in some further detail, complete with awesome Game & Watch animations.

8. Iwata sure loves to interview. And you’ve gotta love him for that.

   Before, he interviewed the developers of the Wii, and now, he’s interviewing the developers of Super Mario Galaxy.

9. WOW. Now THIS is one hell of a grenade toss in Halo 3.
10. The Koopa on the beach may not last long, but at least the memories will last forever, right?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Jedi Insider has a nice, up-close and personal look at the recently-released Star Wars TransFormer, Death Star/Darth Vader. Good for passing off as a toy moon. But we all know that it’s really a space station that’s really a giant robot that’s really a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Yesterday, we brought news of rejected TMNT premise #46152, codename: “Overload,” along with a brief mention of an idea Playmates had.

   Today, the 5th turtle has decided to enlighten us further about their idea, known as Ultimate TMNT.

   Dunno what to think on the proposed art direction and writing, as I’ve rather enjoyed what they’ve been using, but that would remain to be seen. Still, the overall concept is one that I find intriguing, and I hope that whatever they settle on is worth it.

   And on a side note, I love the idea of the name “Ruin” for Mutagen Man.

2. Tired of the same old career choices? How about trying out as a cartoon mascot for your local pizza/party place?

   Mark Evanier found and posted this little gem over on his blog.

   Yeah, people will put pretty much ANYthing on YouTube, won’t they?

3. Figures.com takes a look at the seventh wave of McFarlane’s Dragons line, and gives them a proper reviewing, so that we’ll know just how awesome these are.
4. IGN pits billionaire against billionaire as Ol’ Shellhead takes on the Dark Knight.

   In the “better publicity/nickname” column, clearly Batman gets the point.

5. He’ll fight for freedom, wherever there’s trouble, but who will play G.I. Joe when he’s there? That’s what IGN looks at as they assemble their own casting call of actors they’d like to see portray the Real American Heroes in the movie.

Video Power

1. GameSpite completes its look back at the Game Boy saga of Mega Man with a review of Mega Man 5, a game which few had the pleasure of experiencing, and fewer still since Mega Man Mania never saw release. Why, Capcom? Why must you torment us so?

   Worse still was that this was the first and only 100% original Mega Man title of the Classic series for the portables.

2. What difference could a year make?

   That’s the question posed at AMN as they look at how Sony seemingly jumped the gun on the launch of the PlayStation 3, costing them dearly.

3. IGN had a bit of a showdown last week (for this week’s, see item #4 in Assorted), and therein Samus beat Master Chief.

   I think it might be slightly suspect. Odds are all the Chief-voters are playing Halo 3.

4. Pixel art rocks, at least when used properly.

   Ergo, PixelBlocks are pretty darned nift themselves. If only they had a flesh color…

5. There’s nothing like a game-themed wedding to make things memorable, and this one is no exception.

   The cake… excellent. But the ice sculpture? Well, I guess you could say that one takes the cake.

6. Portal is the biggest draw of “The Orange Box” for me, and luckily Wired has a primer that shows off why it’s so cool.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. How hard can it be to come up with an idea for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories? Harder than one might imagine, apparently.

   That’s what the folks at Mirage, 4Kids, and Playmates are finding out, as according to the 5th turtle’s blog, the entities are having a difficult time reaching an agreement as concept after concept is shot down, from the Yu-Gi-Oh-inspired Superworld to the more recently axed Overload, which essentially sounds like the TMNT equivalent of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

   Seems Playmates had an interesting idea, invoking the old cartoon and Archie comics… but why would Laird shoot that down? My guess is that it probably wouldn’t reel in the kiddies today like they’d hope.

2. With the Earth destroyed, what happens next to the Super Freakin’ Parody Rangers?

   They go into SPACE!

   Ah, funny stuff.

3. The quality isn’t the best, but it’s all we’ve got. Behold the uncut version of Quagmire’s… “escapade” with Marge Simpson from this past Sunday’s Family Guy, all of which apparently didn’t air in at least some of the US.

   Canada, on the other hand…

Video Power

1. From RvB to Halo 3, the boys at Rooster Teeth have gotten to live the dream as they provide voices for the final installment of Bungie’s baby.
2. Huh, those Mario-themed shoes we reported not too long ago? Only 400 made. At least the price isn’t too extravagant…
3. True or not, some of these sales stats from Wikipedia’s locked page are interesting… if not wince-inducing.
4. Halo DS… was real?
5. Kotaku talks with Tomonoby Itagaki of Tecmo’s Team Ninja about the usual round of stuff.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. The metallic-finish version of Movie Voyager-class Megatron has risen, and Remy has a whole gallery showing the Decepticon leader in all his glory.
2. In addition to a new review of Movie Dreadwind, Ben Yee has also reviewed one of my favorite Classics, Jetfire!

Assorted Mushrooms

1. As a former call-center employee myself, I still laugh a little when I watch this. Of course, this one is a bit more cruel, but one must ask if the guy deserved it, considering how he was trying to capitalize on the situation.

   Or maybe he was just confused, and didn’t know what to do in that case, though his earlier offers of assistance seem to run opposed to that idea.

   These and other interesting hoaxes and pranks came from here.

2. Being the well-trained and disciplined trainer of the Iron Grenadiers that he is, it would simply not have done for Rowdy Roddy Piper to have missed the GI Joe Convention this past weekend, which he attended to be welcomed into Cobra, as well as talk to fans and tell wrestling stories about bears and speeding down the highways of NC in an invisible limo.

   He also spoke a little about upcoming projects, including a They Live TV series and a movie with Jack Black.

3. Also at the convention, Hasbro held a little Question and Answer session.

Video Power

1. Recently, we linked you to the Star Fox comic that ran in Nintendo Power, posted to scans_daily.

   Right around the time that the repurposed Star Fox Adventures was released, Nintendo went back to comics to explain the whereabouts of one Falco Lombardi, and much to my delight, that comic (or manga, if you must) has been translated and can be seen here.

   Thanks to Navie for the link!

2. I could just cry.

   Today’s the end of the DK Jungle Climber photo contest, and my best effort couldn’t have competed with the likes of some of these entries. Just as well, I guess, since I was mostly ineligible. Which just makes me want to beat my head even more. Here are some faves:

   The Last Banana Tree in the Universe

   Is this madness?

   Monkeying around with Homer.

   Wasn’t there a lawsuit about this?

   Prime and Primal.

   This one was my idea. /_

   And there are many more, too, so go check them out!

3. Racketboy brings us more stunning fanart, this time from The Legend of Zelda.

   Many of these seem to be inspired by Twilight Princess, but fear not, as Wind Waker and hints of others have found their way in as well.

4. GameTrailers has some video of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, featuring… Indiana… Jones?
5. ScrewAttack turns back time to yet another arcade classic I remember fondly, Atari’s Roadblasters, which mixed all the fun of driving AND shooting.

   “When it came out, it was entertaining, but it just didn’t stand the test of time.”

   Sounds like a remake is in order to me!

6. DS Fanboy gets in good with a member of Nintendo’s “Treehouse” group, to find out what working there is like in this interview.

   Or, you can watch this.

7. I’ve always seen Tomonoby Itagaki as sort of power-hungry, at least in terms of choosing a console to develop for. Imagine my surprise when he chose the DS over the PSP for his newest, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. The Man explains the reasons for his decisions in a chat with Gamasutra.
8. This past weekend, Nintendo held a special early launch for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass at Nintendo World in NYC, and Go Nintendo was lucky enough to attend and snap some pics. Check Link out!
9. So, is the US getting the short end of the Virtual Console stick? Game|Life investigates.
10. Happy Birthday to the Atari 2600, who turns 30 this month!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Once upon a Generation 2, the Decepticon “conehead” Seeker known as Ramjet was to have a desert camo color scheme, but it never came to pass. At least, not on toy shelves.

   A mock-up was apparently made, and you can find out all about it here.

2. Another blast from the Cybertronian past comes from TF Pulp, with part 5 of 12 of TransFormers: Zone, a story that was told only in TV Magazine in Japan, continuing from the single pilot episode that takes place far in the future of their G1 continuity.

   The feature is accompanies by some neat boxart-style painted pieces, as well as a look at an early Dai Atlas prototype.

3. Ben Yee has some new reviews up, including Movie Longarm and Botcon 2007 “Games of Deception”/Classics Springer, both of which seem to be great figures. Plus, Springer’s review allows some insight into the process of creating a convention exclusive, as well.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. For those who like anime, PMO reader and occassional commenter Neoendgame has a new podcast in which he discusses that very subject, along with some tunes.
2. Sometimes… sometimes, you just want to smack a bitch.

   Seriously, over a damn soda? Ridiculous. And that’s coming from a guy who LOVES his soda and has had some problems in the past.

   That reminds me, I need to finish writing my Otakon report one of these days… I wonder how much I still remember.

3. If I had the means (and something better than a drinking straw to cover it with), I bet I could make a small fortune selling my own homemade WiFi antennas that add to the range and power of your connection.
4. How does that old saying go? “If you can’t blind them with brilliance, baffle them with…“
5. Looks like the 2007 GI Joe convention is under way, and Toy News International has some stories covering news and notes, unproduced Sigma 6 figures, exclusives, custom 25th Anniversary figures, and upcoming Snow Job and Crimson Guard figures.

   YoJoe.com has their own coverage as well.

6. What might have been a catastrophe in collecting turned into a really awesome one-of-a-kind collectible, as Daniel Castillo discovered when an errant shelf fixture saw his Iron Man bust shattered.

   Rather than crying over spilt milk, he picked up the pieces and used them to create an awesome Stealth Iron Man bust, which he now has on eBay. It’s hard to believe he’d get rid of something like this.

Video Power

1. A good argument against realism in games.
2. A long, long time ago in an arcade far, far away… there was this game, and people flocked to it like a falcon to a fake moon. Or something.

   It also features the best rendition of the Star Wars theme since John Williams took up the baton.

3. Oh, that crazy Racketboy and his crazy lists.

   His latest is the cheapest Neo-Geo games worth your time. HA! Neo-Geo games, cheap? That is indeed worth many laughs.

   Still, the list itself might be a handy reference for when/if SNK and Nintendo ever put the system on the Virtual Console lineup over here.

4. With no current signs of a US Virtual Console release, GameTrailers has managed to virtually smuggle the game Sin and Punishment here to grab some videos for our pleasure and our pain.
5. Tonberry2K was kind enough to inform me that a preview for Super Mario Bros. Z episode 7 is now available.
6. IGN’s readers have good taste when it comes to wanting characters for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as evidenced in this week’s Smash It Up! column, which also looks at who else might make the leap from trophy to something more.

   Sadly, though, I’m not sure how likely Bill Rizer would be to make the cut, since even Snake can’t use regular guns. On the other hand, the Spread, Flame Thrower, Laser, and such aren’t exactly regular guns, now are they?

   Still, as cool as it sounds, I just can’t imagine him translating that well into a good Brawl character, since his thing is filling the screen with bullets, and I doubt any moves they’d give him would allow for that. So Assist Trophy would probably be best.

7. A Zelda Wii, a Metroid Wii, and now a Zelda DS. I wonder what Jeremy could do with Mario?
8. There’s no way that anyone would be stupid enough to release their new game during the height of Halo 3‘s hype, right?

   Um, actually…

   In fairness, however, these games are all on other systems, which means they seem more specifically targeted at people who wouldn’t be playing Halo 3 anyway… that is, unless they were waiting for the game to buy the system. Even then, it’s not like everyone is rushing out to Finish the Fight, so a little “counter-programming” isn’t such a bad idea.

9. So GameDaily decided to name Princess Zelda as their Babe of the Week, and I was behind that when I saw the picture of the Twilight Princess Zelda from Brawl on the front page.

   …but clicking the link (ha) and seeing the pre-teen Zelda from Ocarina? Man, that just feels SO wrong. To GameDaily: You owe me a new bar of soap. Jerks.

10. Do you remember the 3DO? I do. Sort of. I don’t think I ever saw one, except maybe one time when my dad took me to Sears, but I read plenty about it in magazines.

    If you don’t? Well, that’s understandable. It flopped, and how. So is it fair to compare the PlayStation 3 to Trip Hawkins’ ernest attempt at creating a console? That’s what GameDaily seeks to find out.

11. So you’ve mastered “Legendary” mode on Halo 3 already and are wondering what to do now? Games Radar has the answer, as they show off some twists on the Halo gameplay to create new games within the game.
12. Getting away from Halo for a moment, Games Radar is (one would assume) preparing for the impending release of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass with a look back at the many games of the now-classic franchise.
13. EGM has a new article in which they look at the old Nintendo Seal of Quality and proceed to completely miss the point.

    Like Nintendo’s the only one that winds up with bad games on its systems. The seal is supposed to assure you the thing’s not going to fall apart in the disc drive or hijack your credit cards or anything crazy like that, not tell you if you’ll like the game or not. Eesh.

14. Shacknews talks Harvey Birdman with lead designer Micah Skartika, drawing parallels to Phoenix Wright along the way.
15. An interview with GameCock reveals that Nintendo doesn’t allow developers to be mentioned on the front of the box for a game. Apparently, they’re concerned that people with problems would try to call the developer with consumer service issues instead of the publisher.

    So what? Let them take the risk if they want to.

16. What amazes me more than the fact that dirty words are allowed in Scrabble DS is that this one is considered a legitimate word at all.

17. Are you a Nintendo historian? Score: 80% (8 out of 10)

    Average is 53%. How’d you do?

18. The ESRB do more than just tell you how likely you are to start killing people when you touch a gaming product. What else? Read and be amazed!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. The Official TMNT Web Site has added an extended synopsis for one of my favorite Fast Forward episodes, “Timing Is Everything.”

   If you preferred the Turtles before they went to the future, but don’t care for FF, give it a look anyway. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

Video Power

1. We all know that Sonic the Hedgehog was effectively created to be SEGA’s answer to Mario. But in a bit of irony, it seems more like his games form a more effective parallel to Rare’s Donkey Kong Country.
2. By now, we’ve all probably seen the various Halo-themed XBox 360′s that people have made, including the official one from Microsoft itself.

   Now, it’s Nintendo’s turn with a little modified Wii-lovin’ as QJ.net has found this Metroid mod which sports Samus’ trademark red, orange, and green, and better still, you can own it with 15% of your money going to Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play charity.

   Does it get any better?

3. GameSpite has gone Final Fantasy fanatical lately, first looking at the mixed-feelings one might experience with the beautiful but broken Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, and moving on to my earliest FF memory outside of a magazine, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest.

   Unfortunately, while tearing the multiplayer mode a new one, the Crystal Chronicles review does little to say anything about the single-player mode, which seems to be an implied strength due to the ability to use a GameCube controller instead of a GBA with link cable, and what would be assumed to be the lack of tandem movement by multiple players.

4. Skors of catz are playun Geometry Wars Galaxies, bustin ur h1gh skors.
5. IGN gets a little rabbid with Ubisoft as they go behind the scenes of the next Rayman title, including some Q&A, new footage, and sketches.

   Seeing these FPS videos make me sad that the Rabbids did absolutely NOTHING for Halo 3‘s release. And speaking of which, with apologies to the Chief, this is definitely one fight I look forward to finishing.

6. A love story? Well, I guess that Halo 3 really IS full of surprises.

   One of the coolest is the ties to another Bungie trilogy known as Marathon, and you can read about those ties right here.

   Hmm. Once I have a computer that I think can handle it, *coughs and points to the Marios’ box on the left* maybe I can try out that freeware version.

7. Woohoo, an Itagaki interview about Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword over on GameSpy!

   Not to be outdone, Kotaku challenges the man to justify his game. They may have gotten the last laugh, but he definitely got the best one.

8. With Halo 3‘s launch in Japan, people weren’t filling the streets or doing the Dew, but they did seem keen on turning things Wii60.
9. Too bad that this is just a rumor, I’d sort of like to see an Animal Crossing player-character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Axe, fishing rod… I could see it working, believe it or not.

   Of course… there may yet be some truth to it, as some comments imply.

10. In a GamesIndustry interview, Dave Perry has some interesting things to say about Nintendo, the PSP, and other things.
11. Meanwhile, the crew at Retro talk to MTV again about various things, including the “accidental” reference to “Dread.”
12. @#$% MTV…

    They have a new video interview with Eiji Aonuma, recent producer of Zelda games, but of course I can’t see it, and have no idea what all is said within.

13. Gamasutra takes a nice, long look at “Game Design Essentials,” looking at 20 open world games, and how the choices that went into their design helped influence other games as well.

    Huh, I never knew that Fester’s Quest was a license slapped on a Blaster Master game, but it makes perfect sense. Pity he didn’t get to trick out a Festermobile or something.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. IGN scores with an exclusive interview with Silent Bob himself, the man behind Clerks, Kevin Smith. They chat about Reaper, his new book, and the Robot Holocaust.

Video Power

1. The lovely and talented Nadia Oxford makes her Next Generation debut as their Top Story with a bit of investigative reporting, wherein she examines how independent retailers are handling the Finish to the Fight with the release of Halo 3.
2. So now Halo 3 is here. What’s next for the rest of us?

   See what’s in store, with games galore!

3. So we’ve heard that the new mobile phone Castlevania kind of bites, but now we can see how it bites in GameTrailers’ exclusive gameplay trailer.

   Just don’t expect to hear anything.

4. Ah, now here’s just what we need… an oldschool arcade review from Racketboy on one of the most favored beat=em-ups of all-time, Konami’s X-Men.

   That this never came home is a real travesty… but, maybe XBox Live Arcade can change that fortune?

5. Part ten of Gametrailers’ Final Fantasy Retrospective casts a divine light upon the franchise’s releases on the Game Boy, as well as television productions and even the dreaded silver screen.
6. “How To Be a Better Fanboy.

   Class, this is what’s known as an “oxymoron.” Despite that, maybe there’s something to be learned from all this. What that is, I don’t know. While I’m sure it’s not all bad inside that link, it still reads “How To Be a Better Asshole” to me.

7. Hmm, since Mario is taking on Sonic at the Olympics, I wonder if switching to these would help improve his skills?
8. Surely by now you’ve heard the legend of the original name for Pac-Man. He was originally called “Puck-Man,” but it was changed as the fear of the time was (and rightfully so) that kids would alter the “P” to make the marquee read something else.

   Now, you can see what the original logo looked like for yourself, straight from Namco’s HQ.

   In addition, for those who were unaware of the Yellow One’s history, now you know what a Pac-Man actually is: a puck.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Some game came out last night… I wonder if it’s any good.

Seriously, there’s been so much about Halo 3 over the past four days, I decided to seperate it into its own news section. Don’t care about Halo? Then just move on down to normal posts.

1. So the bad news is that, thanks to scratched discs, many may be unable to Finish the Fight. Many have taken to returning their valuable and coveted Limited Edition Spartan helmets and other bonuses so they can just have a playable version of the game.

   BUT, the need to do so may not be so drastic, provided you are able to be patient. Microsoft is offering free replacement on the discs, good through the end of the year.

   Personally? I’d want to hang onto my swag, so this’d be the way to go. I’d just have to keep my ass offline until the game arrived.

2. Jack Thompson, Halo 3, right here.

   I’d love for this to go somewhere. Preferably that deep, dark place no one should ever go. You don’t spit into the wind, you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, and you probably shouldn’t get into a legal battle with Microsoft, especially when you’re not exactly in the right.

3. Loading.Ready.Run. takes a look at Halo: The Future of Gaming, and how it will affect our world in the years to come.

   … Dear God…

4. A more realistic look at the impact of Halo can be seen in The Halo Effect, a new book that Matt over at Press The Buttons just happens to be giving away in a contest.

   Damn, I want to do contests, too. And review DVDs. You’re going to have to share your secrets with me one of these days, man.

5. Speaking of journalistic benefits, over at IGN, they also received a messload of Halo 3 goodies… including meatloaf.

   Seriously. Go check out the video.

   Oh, and for those wondering? The helmet won’t fit cats, dogs, or anyone without a square head.

6. Luckily, not everyone’s interested in keeping theirs. Take Joystiq, for example, who are holding one hell of a giveaway.

   Sadly, the meatloaf isn’t listed.

7. Now this is an awesome case mod, and it’s coming soon to eBay.
8. Live-action Halo? Sort of. Check it out, from the Discovery Channel.
9. Master Chief is a whore. A product/media whore, that is. That’s why Games Radar saw fit to look at the top 7 Halo cameos, including “Master Chick’s” appearance in Dead or Alive 4.
10. Mega64 sees things for what they are. This whole Halo 3 thing? It’s not that good. In fact, for some people, it’s just the opposite.
11. Did you know? John P. Harvard was a Spartan. It’s true!

    Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

12. Albertans are smart, though. They aren’t fooled by all the hype in the world, oh no. They know that if you really want to shoot something, it had better be flesh and breathing.
13. As Halo fans go, I like the way this one thinks:

    “I want to be buried in it. They’ll dig me up 10,000 years from now and say, ‘He must have been king.’”

14. And finally, don’t forget about Geekspeak Radio’s interview with the voice of Master Chief tonight!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”