InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Headed back to school? Show everyone your true colors with Hot Topic’s Barricade-themed backpack, featuring the Decepticon insignia and the slogan of the big bot bad cop, “To Punish and Enslave.”
2. More Masterpiece Skywarp has landed at the Allspark, with a new gallery to show off this sleek sneak’s finer details, among which are included labels featuring such imagery “Decepticon Airforce” logos.
3. Over on DeviantArt, Hombreimaginario has conducted an interview with former Dreamwave and current IDW TransFormers artist Alex Milne, asking a variety of questions and delving into just what happened between himself and the scourge of the fandom, Pat Lee.
4. It’s amazing what a little paint can do.

   Bass X10 at the Allspark found this work of art on display over at TFormers, showing off some added paint applications making the TransFormers: The Movie Protoform Optimus Prime figure into something truly wonderful to behold.

5. Continuing that line of thought, new galleries are available for Target-exclusive “Generation 1″ style Movie Jazz, as well as Best Buy-exclusive metallic Ratchet and Megatron.
6. Ben Yee has some new reviews up at BWTF.com, including: G1-style Movie Jazz, “Dawn of Future’s Past” Tigatron, and the BotCon Games of Deception Huffer, Mirage, Bugbite, Dirge, and Thrust.

   All with lotsa pictures.

7. In addition to toy reviews, he’s also taken a look at the recently-released IDW TransFormers: Spotlight for Optimus Prime, which I haven’t read because I don’t have my copy yet.

   Pity me.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Polar bears and huskies, playing together in the snow. Doesn’t it just warm your heart?
2. Oh, wow.

   Remember that whole Miss South Carolina thing that’s been going around?

   YouTube makes an interesting observation.

3. With the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, 4Kids.TV has also been airing these humorous (but cheaply-animated) shorts during commercial breaks, and included them on the DVD release as well. Here’s a collection for your viewing enjoyment.
4. Following in the great waste of money that is a police officer arresting a McDonald’s employee for a too-salty burger (to say nothing of the wrong person, IMO), we have this.

   There is no way that they pay these people enough to take this.

Video Power

1. Bitch, bitch, bitch.

   So Capcom employees have to pay a whopping THIRTY-FIVE CENTS for a Coke from their vending machine. Boo-freakin’-hoo. Try finding a can of Coke for less than a dollar around here. Yeah.

   In any case, though, they aren’t forced to subsist on their own bodily fluids, oh no. Since they work at Capcom, who has all these “connections” to other companies like… like the Umbrella Corporation, for instance– they get access to nifty beverages like this: “Revive.”

   With a name like that for a drink, how can you go wrong? That stuff’ll keep you working through the night…

   …turning you into a zombie by morning, I bet.

2. Racketboy and RetroMags have teamed up to bring us a look back at the sixth issue of Nintendo Power.

   Ah, such fond memories. This issue and the one preceding it– the Ninja Gaiden cover issue– are where I first got into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, igniting my curiousity and leading me to rent the first videos of the cartoons, addicting me to their adventures to this day. I still think it’s a good, fun game in spite of its quirks.

   Reading the list of titles is like a trip down memory lane… a preview of Mega Man 2, a feature on Bayou Billy (who, believe it or not, had a comic book under the “Archie Adventure Series” banner that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures was published under)… ah, the good ol’ days.

   Of course, we have the internet now, but still, getting to see a full-blown feature as your first look at an upcoming video game still surpasses the odd leak and trickle that we get today. On the other hand, the new info tends to come at a more rapid clip, so it balances out.

3. ScrewAttack.com takes a look at a MANLY game, Rastan.

   But is it more manly than Contra? Well, verdict is still out on that one.

4. Games Radar remembers the good old days. Side-scrollers, shooters… genres which have generally faded into a relative obscurity in favor of more 3D offerings…

   Herein, they look back at 7 genres that they’d like to see return to the glory they once knew.

   And if sales of games like New Super Mario Bros. and rants about Sonic the Hedgehog are any indication, they aren’t alone, at least on the side-scrollers.

   “Lost innocence” is pretty dead-on, too. I kind of miss the time when there weren’t “adult games” and “kid games.” There were just games.

   And “Hollywood” is a curious notion.

5. Itoi and Iwata are still going.

   Can these men never be sated?!

6. Looks like my hometown paper (one of them, anyway) had a feature up this weekend about the top 5 most overhyped games, with Super Mario Sunshine making the list.

   Thankfully, Super Mario Galaxy seems poised to make us forget all about it. Still, Nintendo, I remember once upon a time, you would actually have more than one Super Mario title per system, and now that seems so far away. If you pull another Sunshine, could you at least try and deliver something a little more promising before the next generation rolls around?

   Please?

7. Cartoon Network/Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken had a good episode on this past Sunday, which you can check out here.

   Among the highlights are Link rescuing a bitchy Zelda, and Skeletor and his minions accidently overstepping their bounds.

8. Wow, 1up is on the Halo-ball today.

   First up, seems they’ve managed to get ahold of a leak of the most recent version of the Halo movie script, and have posted but a sampling on their site.

   In addition, T-Frog looks at the myriad of branches the Halo story has, through this, the games, the books, and more.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Toast.

   It’s more than just a part of this complete breakfast.

2. Up in “The Daily ‘Shroom,” it was mentioned that a Robotech movie is under way. As it relates to the story, IGN has performed a casting call to look at who else would be good to feature in this film.

Video Power

1. So a new operation is in play over on YouTube, as Video Game Take-Out reviews some classic games of yesteryear.

   This week’s entry is none other than the uber-awesome Donkey Kong for Game Boy, aka Donkey Kong ’94.

2. “I know Kung-Fu!”

   Check out what happens when Neo’s martial art of choice goes south of the border in “Kung-Fu Bandito!”

3. While the dates shown would say that this isn’t really news any more, it’s the first I remember hearing of it, as Konami now has soundtracks for several of their hit games available.

   Among those included are DDR SuperNOVA, classic Contra, classic Castlevania, and a bunch of different Metal Gear and Silent Hill sets, too.

   The downside is, not all of them are by CD, so there are MP3s for iTunes, Napster, etc. BUT, at least there are ringtones, too. Admit it, just about anything from Castlevania would be an interesting way to get a call.

4. Street Fighter: The Later Years returns with part 4 of the ongoing saga of the World Warriors, out to reclaim their former glory in a world that’s left them behind.
5. Games Radar has come across a neat gallery filled with a nice variety of Nintendo-themed images, including a few more obscure ones.

   I personally always liked the one of Samus standing atop her ship from Super Metroid.

6. I believe I’ve mentioned the Earthbound Anthology project from Starmen.net here before, but now Chris Kohler has received a copy of this show of love and affection, and he describes it a bit for the benefit of us who will never get anything like this.

   If this were to all work out in the end… I wonder if something like this would ever convince Capcom to greenlight MegaMan Legends 3?

7. It’s too bad that Lair for the PS3 seems to be such a disappointment. That was one title I actually had interest in, until I heard how bad it was.

   Of course, since when are reviewers right? That seems to be Sony’s logic, as they’ve posthumously chosen to send those same reviewers a reviewer’s guide, because it seems that they were doing it wrong.

   Yeah. This isn’t going to look good for Sony. Everyone’s having a big laugh over this.

8. Sony PSP: It’s why finding a date is only getting harder.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. scans_daily has a new post up showing some of Grimlock’s… er, “unique” views on the war and how to approach it.

   Gotta love the addendums, though. But I’m not going to ask where Grimlock got a pencil that big… or a book that big, either.

2. It’s always neat to see product that didn’t make it onto store shelves. That is, provided you don’t love the concept so much that you’d trade your firstborn for it. Then it’s kind of painful.

   This G2 Go-Bot launcher, however, strikes me as cool, but not adoption cool.

   For those scratching their heads, GoBots were a line from Tonka way back in the day, which used toys from Popy/Bandai’s Machine Robo series. In ’91, Hasbro took over Tonka, and while they don’t have the rights to the toy molds, they do have rights to the names and branding of the series.

   More recently, the GoBots fiction and that of TransFormers has even become more closely intertwined.

3. Simon Furman chats it up a bit as he talks about his new story involving TFAuctions.com’s mascot character Cougar, lingering Dreamwave threads, The Movie, and more.
4. “This E6 is Motorola than meets the eye, it’s a robot in disguise!”

   …oh my god I am so sorry for that one… but cool modification, just the same.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Kitty is hungry NOW!
2. I’ve never had an Oreo pizza, nor even heard of one until just yesterday, but damn! I want one.

Video Power

1. So Toastyfrog’s Wiki has a couple of new entries…

   One is a review of Mega Man 4 for Game Boy, one of my favorite Mega Man titles, Classic or otherwise. And overall, it’s a damn crying shame that these games never got their due re-release so that the masses could play them on GBA.

   Seriously, Capcom. Can’t you just rip the ROMs off of old cartridges bought on eBay? Hackers do. Are they really that far beyond your current level of technology? Yeah, color would’ve been nice, but I can deal without. Make them a bonus on something else, even.

   The other addition is a verbal raping of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

   Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh, but then, so is the article, so it all balances out.

   Incidently, and I hope to go into further detail about all of this at some point (I’ve a half-written article just waiting for me to finish it), I’d love to see another game with a style like this, albeit modified. I don’t think that Link’s the man for the job, though, but how about another longtime Nintendo hero…?

2. Good news for Wily. He finally defeats Mega Man.

   Bad news for Wily. He left the toaster plugged in. You know, the blonde one?

3. ScrewAttack.com turns back time to the wild west as they look back at Capcom’s classic Gun.Smoke.

   Huh, now there’s a name that came before its time. “Gun-dot-Smoke.” Sounds like a website for NRA supporters.

   Now, I never actually got to play it, and always thought the game was based on the TV show, Gunsmoke. Now I know. And knowing’s half the battle.

   But that’s more for another Capcom title that wasn’t skirting copyright infringement.

4. The King of Kong star Steve Weibe talks up his big-screen debut, the finer points of avoiding “chumpatization,” and finding the “kill screen.”

   It’s… strange how intense this rivalry gets. Almost as strange as how one is able to essentially commit themselves to a single title for so long.

   Incidently, I didn’t know that the players were being portrayed by actors in the documentary.

   Just checked the website… no Toronto listing yet, but… Charlotte, NC? Great, just great…

5. Games Radar decides to look at a list of logical fallacies that have come to be generally accepted within video games.

   As shopkeepers go, I just always figured they got there before everything went to hell.

6. They’ve also put together a list of 101 things you didn’t know about games, which I really have no time to read right now. But with 101, at least a few are bound to be interesting… right?
7. They’re still talking and eating. Garfield’s getting jealous.

   And I think part 5 was missed…

8. Nintendo of Europe has an interesting interview with Tingle producer Kensuke Tanabe.

   “Tingle cannot be ignored,” indeed.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Posable Galvatron model kit, limited to only 100 pieces.

   Looks nice; I hope Classics Galvatron looks that good.

2. The adult-sized Movie Optimus Prime Halloween costume.

   Awesome treat, or awful trick? For $50, I’m not really sure.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. This is a “mean kitty.”

   This… is Sparta.

2. Dear Newsarama,

   Please stop having technical problems. They make it difficult to enjoy the site and find things to read.

   Thanks,

   PMO

   While Wedding Planners aren’t my thing, the Black Canary one they linked to had what looked like nice art in a thumbnail, but that’s all I know.

Video Power

1. Today, we have crack.

   Rockman crack.

   Or rather, his sister Roll as she attempts to take out Dr. Wily’s baddies… and, um… fails miserably.

2. Yesterday was 1up, now its GameTrailers turn to interview Castlevania Producer Koji Igarashi about what the series has to look forward to.

   Sounds like he’s setting his sights primarily on the XBox 360 and Wii for next-gen, interestingly enough, and is trying to take another look at “what makes Castlevania what it is.”

   …on a side-note, what’s with the lady with the whip in the background?

3. GameSpot has put together a neat, albeit unnecessary, feature which compares the graphics between Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

   We get it. The Wii isn’t as powerful, nor was it ever supposed to be. And I really don’t care, last-gen’s systems produced some nice graphics, and most of this generation’s improvements are lost without an HDTV.

   I do think Corruption is a nice step up, even if it isn’t leaps and bounds over its predecessor. And I’ve heard some reviewers have really ragged on the game for its graphics just the same, which is one reason I quit bothering with reviews. Tell me, guys, are you watching the game on the same type of TV I am? Maybe then I’ll give your opinion more credibility where graphics are concerned.

   Truth be told, though, the comparison just makes me want to play Corruption even more.

4. Iwata says, “Nintendo mustn’t become arrogant.”

   Damn straight. Don’t forget what happened the last time. And just look at Sony. Even when they try not to be, it seems that they just keep slipping up with their words.

5. Master Chief’s mug is going to be everywhere by year’s end… maybe even on mugs.

   Here’s a look at just some of the Halo-whoring that Microsoft has planned for Finishing the Fight.

6. It’s the dinner that never ends! Iwata and Itoi are still at it!
7. My baby’s crib will look something like this.

   Only there will probably be more Paratroopas. And the hub for the protrusions can be made to look like Lakitu with a fishing rod.

8. I figure these would go for at least 8 bucks easy at Otakon.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Remy’s back with yet another one of his artistic photo shoots, this time of the newly-released Masterpiece Skywarp, who appears a little less flashy than his superior officer Starscream, but remains a sleek and beautiful specimen just the same.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. What happens when you put the “bull in a China shop” saying to a literal test?

   That’s what Mythbusters are here to find out!

2. Remember Kellogg’s OK’s?

   No? You might know their successor a little better… they’re typically known as Froot Loops.

3. Kevin Eastman continues his Newsarama interview from last week, though now more focused on Heavy Metal than green machines.

Video Power

1. The Angry Video Game Nerd sets his sights on a new target today…

   Remember Nintendo Power? I do! I still have a subscription.

   Or I did. I still haven’t seen this month’s issue. If I was cancelled without any notice…

   Anyway! Barring that, and not having seen what appears to be a rather sizable AVGN ep (I have to be up for work in the morning, what’s your excuse?), I still maintain that the magazine has evolved nicely into a pretty good and entertaining publication that manages to coexist with the internet, rather than just rehashing material from or onto it. And for the price (three issues free with the registration of a few products, and 12 issues for $12), you can’t beat the value.

   Of course, I can just imagine where AVGN’s video will go… I bet he’s got some old issues of Nintendo Power that weren’t quite so stringent in their opinions of games coming out as they are today. I’ll bet that some of their recommendations have lead to a lot of “angry” moments. But I bet there are some fond memories within as well.

2. Cosplay is cool… as long as you do a decent job of it. A green t-shirt with “LINK” written across it while carrying a dollar-store sword doesn’t really qualify.

   This homemade Airman costume, however, kicks straight past “cool” and into “freakin’ awesome.”

   In fact, you might even say that costume blows me away.

3. GameTrailers continues their their Final Fantasy Retrospective with part VIII, as they follow Square’s venture into a realm no Final Fantasy before it has dared to go: online.
4. Over on IGN, the developer blog for Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction looks back at the “strange, long trip” the team has taken from the series’ early beginnings, and how it’s evolved.
5. IGN takes a brief look back at the career of Spencer Nilsen, the man responsible for much of the US soundtrack for Sonic CD, among other titles.
6. Game Daily takes a look at the process of breaking up with Mii; what to do with your ex’s Mii after things don’t quite work out.

   *sniffs* It’s such a sad story…

7. Games Radar takes a look into seven gaming controversies waiting to happen, and why they haven’t already.

   Incidently, I thought people attacked Pokemon already…

8. Speaking of which, it looks like the Houston Chronicle has an article about the title’s “rise from the ashes of overexposure.“
9. The Iwata/Itoi dinner conversation continues, and just in case you’ve missed it, here’s all three parts so far.

   Just how long was this dinner?

10. The Motley Fool chats up Wii and DS with Nintendo’s George Harrison a bit in this interview.
11. Looks like the official website for Freshly Picked: Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland has opened up, and has game info, screenshots, downloads, and a cute pup dressed up like the eponymous character.
12. Hey now, I liked Bug!.

    The proposal for the sequel, I’m not so sure about.

    But Bug! was cool.

13. Someone out there needs to make a Samus figure that looks as cool as this, and sell it on the mass-market.

    Seriously.

    Maybe Corgi will come up with something good to address Kotaku’s want of good adult collectibles (what’s wrong with the statues?). Pity I can’t seem to get them to answer my e-mail.

14. Kotaku has dug up a neat new review column called “Games for Lunch,” wherein the reviewer spends an hour each day playing a game and making a timestamped review, which ends with a note about whether or not he’d play the game for more than an hour.
15. Finally, 1up’s very own MISTEEEEEER KENNEDY! was lucky enough to have a chance to sit down with Castlevania‘s head-honcho Koji “IGA” Igarashi and its composer, the lovely Michiru Yamane for a little bit of chatting time, wherein they discuss the future of the series on the PSP, DS, and… can it be? Yes, maybe even the Wii!

    And from the sounds of things, the PSP version of Symphony of the Night (included in The Dracula X Chronicles) will feature some of the Saturn content as well. But almost a shame to loseWeight Exercise the original voiceovers.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Galleries aplenty for this edition of InFormers!

   To start, Remy has a lovely collection of pictures of the Ultra Magnus-inspired Marine-type Sports Label Convoy, while the Allspark has Encore Soundwave and a bunch of Movie recolors.

   Speaking of recolors, you can see more images of the redecoed Movie Ironhide here, and Bumblebee’s red twin Cliffjumper here.

   Invincible Robot Laboratory didn’t want to feel left out, and so they’ve unleashed a gallery of Masterpiece Skywarp upon the world.

   And last (but not least), a sneak-peek at what to expect from the upcoming TransFormers: Animated as TransFormers @ The Moon photographs and reviews a prototype of the Autobot Bulkhead.

   Incidently, the all-red colorscheme really kind of harkens back to Ironhide in the old days of Marvel’s TransFormers comics.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. As mentioned in The Daily ‘Shroom today, I’m on a bit of a Garfield kick. As a result, a little fun with my favorite fat cat.

   First off, I’m now keeping an eye on the blog of cartoon writer Mark Evanier for some interesting anecdotes, including this one about writing an amusing gag, but having a hard time conveying it to those in production.

   Regarding Garfield and Friends, the whole series is out on DVD now, but there is one small thing that we’ve unfortunately been deprived of: the final intro.

   Now, I like “We’re Ready To Party” as much as anyone, but after several seasons of religious watching, the change-up was nice.

   Finally, here’s a side of Garfield that relatively few people have ever seen.

2. Speaking of Garfield and Friends, if you watched then you might remember that many of the “friends” were in a cartoon called U.S. Acres, or Orson’s Farm outside the US of A.

   What you might not remember is that it was based on a comic strip by Jim Davis, one that was sadly cancelled for only managing a run in 300 newspapers, a number said to be “great for anyone… unless you’re the creator of Garfield.”

   Fortunately, one soul has gathered many of the strips to be viewed online. Since the official Garfield and Friends website lacks these, this is the only place you’ll find them, short of finding the collected volumes (the last of which was only published abroad) or digging through old newspapers.

   Truthfully, it starts slow, but it gets pretty wild by the end. I love it. I remember reading it at my grandparents’ every Sunday (their paper carried it, my parents’ didn’t). And I still love it.

   And admit it. These are the most charismatic worms you’ll ever see.

3. Looking back at another Saturday-morning staple of the late-80′s/early-90′s, Steve Fritz at Newsarama has new DVD reviews up, among which is the fifth-season boxset of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.

Video Power

1. People rag on Mario a lot when it comes to his sex life. What with a greater fascination with pasta and perhaps cake than with Peach, it just seems a little… well, odd.

   As drneko has found out, however, there could be a reason behind it:

   According to a recent study, many of them prefer pasta to all other pleasures. A survey by SWG, a polling company, found that nearly half of all Italian men and women would never give it up and would rather have a plate of spaghetti than sex.

   Huh. Go figure.

2. Press The Buttons has introduced a new feature called “Beyond Beeps,” which provides a look back at classic soundtracks from gaming’s past.

   This week’s inaugural entry: “Me-tude” mascot Aero the Acrobat.

3. Meanwhile, Racketboy takes a look at some other game music, in the form of fan-performed renditions in a new feature called Overlooked Music Mix. This week’s feature includes a rendition of one of my favorite themes from Mega Man X.
4. SEGA’s best chance at a future may lie in their past. Frankly, I think that re-envisioning Alex Kidd into something… well, better, would be nice. But instead, SEGA’s been reviving other franchises, such arcade greats as Afterburner and Outrun. What next?

   Super Hang-On seems like a natural, and Racketboy spells out why.

5. Next Generation talks with video game movie producer Jeremy Bolt about the possible last Resident Evil movie, disappointment with DOA, and other subjects including Castlevania and the difficulty in finding good properties to adapt.
6. The Iwata/Itoi dinner conversation continues…
7. From the “Japan gets everything cool” contingent, we have Zelda: Twilight Princess capsule figures.

   Beats the hell out of Hood Houndz or Homies or whatever.

8. Ever wonder where all those Mario villains come from?

   Be sort of neat if Mario did dress like that on his days off…

9. If I had a PS3 and was to choose a way to decorate it, this might have to be in consideration.

   …truth be told, though, it might be more fitting for a bricked XBox 360.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. RWappin has brought together a neat little piece of Flash awesomeness in Everything You Know Is Wrong, a music video based on Weird Al’s classic song from a decade or so ago.

   Because let’s face it, the only songs that really need videos are the ones that come from Weird Al. Hell, more AMVs might be more tolerable if they chose from that collection instead of Live and Learn and the same three other songs.

2. drneko found this gem, wherein the denizens of the world call out to one of the greatest legendary heroes of the past…

   …Popeye.

   And even if the Sailor Man of legend wins the day… is it still too late for him?

3. One must ask: is it possible to pity a Dick?
4. Newsarama recently caught up with Heavy Metal owner, editor, and publisher and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle co-creator Kevin Eastman for an interview wherein he discusses these subjects, among others.

   Most interesting to me is the opening questions, wherein he clears the air about what his relationship to the Turtles franchise is, whether Marvel was really interested in the Turtles, and how he almost got involved with Civil War.

   Plus, part two is coming Monday.

5. Toy News International sat down for a recent Q&A with Mattel, covering He-Man and DC Comics items.

   Not wanting to be left out, Figures.com asks a few of their own.

6. Cartoons in the 80′s were filled with lessons, be it a moral or a Public Service Announcement (PSA).

   Of course, there were also other less blatant messages, and it seems that CRACKED.com has picked up on a few of them.

Video Power

1. Granted, I haven’t read the latest about the PSP Slim, but early showings have reported that there doesn’t seem to be a whole hell of a lot different from the original.

   Amusingly, the Japanese commercial seems set to validate that claim.

2. Inspired by Bioshock, LoadingReadyRun’s Paul embarks on a mission to turn the idea of a 1950s-style underwater utopia into a reality.

   “They look good on paper, but then the paper gets wet.“

3. Thanks to jackscarab and Press The Buttons for bringing this one to the fore. CRACKED.com has posted yet more of their “don’t take this too seriously lest your logic centers burst” articles, the sort which might make a good point if not for the erroneous information a geek like me (and apparently some of their commenters) would point out.

   One such article is 12 Great Games With Ridiculous Premises. Which is almost anything before, oh, say… the 32-bit era? With some exceptions, of course.

   They also examine 6 Video Game Gimmicks That Went Away Too Soon (And 6 More That Need to Die) and more.

…and, it’s 6:19am and Firefox just crashed on me before I could save everything I had here, so I’m going to either try and pick it up sometime over the weekend, or possibly just wait for Monday. Sigh.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Now this is pretty hot.

   G4 and Jumpcut had a contest for remixed TransFormers video clips, and the prize was a two-of-a-kind metallic Movie Optimus Prime figure; one in robot mode, the other in truck mode, both on a base.

   That is one sweet display piece.

Video Power

1. Over on 1up, the lovely Nadia Oxford has a new feature that looks back at a younger, more innocent time, when games occupied every facet of our mind. You know, unlike today.
2. Oh, wow. ScrewAttack.com turns back time to the ages of Cadillacs & Dinosaurs: The Second Cataclysm.

   And I don’t think I care this time, either.

3. Playing the Super Mario Bros. theme. It’s practically a national pasttime, whether you whistle it, drum it with your fingers, hum it, ringtone it, or one of these other possibilities.
4. Well, this is an interesting angle for an article: Games To Play After A Break-Up.

   It even covers each of the phases after a break-up, with games to correspond to them.

5. Is Metroid Prime 3 truly the way to do motion controls right? Seems that Go Nintendo and Ars Technica do!
6. When worlds collide: Hardcore wrestling meets hardcore gaming.
7. So not only is the Wii the least powerful system this generation, it’s also the least power-consuming; the monster PS3 takes 171 watts and the sizable XBox 360 drains 194, while the wee Wii takes only a mere 17… less than a tenth of what the PS3 uses.

   Mother Nature must be proud.

8. Halo 3: Finish the Fight… against dinosaurs?

   I think Korea is trying to out-wacky Japan here.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. I like this. It’s a remake of the Simpsons opening sequence, with the characters and settings all remade to emulate Star Wars. Watch it, it comes off pretty well.
2. It began as a white-boy rap video.

   It ended up as a million dollar lawsuit.

   See how the saga of the Fresh Beets began in their music video, which took place in an A&P grocery store, soon to incur the wrath of the entire organization.

   Who will survive?

3. Does J.K. Rowling hate kids? This man makes a good case.

   Seriously, he’s on to something with those midnight launches… then again, it’s not like kids have bedtimes any more, do they?

4. From WebbAlert: Used to be that an encyclopedia had about 20 volumes.

   But the new one, Wikipedia?

   About 750.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Scatman Crothers, the man behind the Autobot known as Jazz, left impossible shoes to fill when others assume the role, not unlike the also late Chris Latta.

   Find out how the new voice of Jazz from TransFormers: Animated, Phil LaMarr, feels about the prospect of carrying on the role in his Wizard Universe interview, wherein he also speaks a lot about Samurai Jack.

2. As time marches on and the internet continues to grow like an odd weed with buds of new information, we continue to find out new things about… well, old things.

   Case in point: an eBay auction that seems to depict an unreleased “jungle camo” variant of Starscream from Generation 2.

3. TNI has a neat custom piece this week: Masterpiece Slag.

   Pretty awesome, especially the way he towers over Masterpiece Optimus. Now, where’s Masterpiece Grimlock?

Video Power

1. Since it’s too early for a Smash Bros. DOJO!! update, I’m afraid I will have to ask you to instead turn your attention towards Dueling Analogs, who acts out on what many of us will want to do with Pokemon Trainer when the time comes and the game is in our hands.

   Edit: The rest of tonight’s news has taken so long that, well, we do have an update. I’m just too lazy to rewrite right now.

2. One thing I wasn’t sure about when making categories was where to fit something like this, an action figure based on a video game. I figure since it’d be of most interest to those who actually play the games, the game section was the best bet.

   Anywho, Figures.com has decided to review the SDCC exclusive “Pixel” Simon Belmont figure from Castlevania, made to commemorate the launch of their new line of other figures based on the hit series.

   Limited to 1000 pieces, it looks like a neat little collectible, at any rate.

3. So, still wondering what to buy from the Virtual Console, with no Retro Roundup at 1up?

   There’s no need to fear, GameJew is here, and he gives you the lowdown… in song!

4. Most gamers will agree on one thing: the Nintendo DS certainly doesn’t suck.

   But sometimes? It just blows.

   Incidently, way to ruin Battle Mode in Mario Kart DS. But it was cool in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

5. Are games art?

   The debate continues, and may not be settled in our lifetime. But despite that, one thing IS true, and that is that games can certainly inspire some great art, as Racketboy demonstrates with Metroid serving as the example.

   Ivan Flores (among others, certainly) turns out some truly breathtaking imagery. Can’t wait to see what Racketboy brings together for his next collection.

6. Next Generation has a new feature, Made in Wario, which asks whether it’s really Mario or his evil double who’s pushing the company forward.

   For Nintendo’s sake, one might hope so… you definitely don’t want to be behind Wario, especially if he’s pushing something.

7. Sex sells. That’s why developers so often try to add some glimmer of sexual appeal to their titles, if not making it the larger focus altogether.

   But… it doesn’t always work, as Games Radar’s seven examples show.

8. I didn’t really get to watch the ones I reported on yesterday (hey, all of this takes TIME), so hopefully today’s new Super Mario Galaxy videos are different from what came before.

   And I think it’s the third one that features the new princess, Rosetta.

9. Yet another Metroid retrospective, but this one’s definitely worth a look, as it seems to go pretty in-depth with more than just the games, but what went on behind the scenes as well.
10. First, Iwata speaks out in Metroid Prime 3, and now, Miyamoto as well.

    The annoying part to me is the lack of an English translation in the game. What’s with that?

11. Nintendo Dream has an interview with the developers of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
12. Behold, the Proto-Wii!

    I wonder how well that design would’ve worked with the strategy they’re employing…

13. While I’ve got the chat with Konami about Contra 4, MTV News has a talk with WayForward, the guys who are developing it, about how they reached that point after making Ping Pals.
14. This is how you introduce your product to a new market: you scare the hell out of them, so that they won’t forget your face.

    Or helmet, as the case may be.

    Multiplayer should be a blast there, as everyone freaks out and tries to kill the helmeted visage that haunts their sleep.

15. When it came time to design XBox 360 displays, someone clearly didn’t think their plan all the way through.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Thanks to Remy, it looks like Universe Swerve, possibly one of the most expensive TransFormers ever, now has his own photo gallery.

   I still love this guy’s design, if not so much the general model of car, and it would really suck if he never saw a more… common release.

Video Power

1. In celebration of the announcement of the Joust movie, I present another of my favorite jousts, of the BMX variety.

   Plus, who can forget this classic Atari ad for the game, and along with all of that, The Story of Joust, as told by creator John Newcomer.

   Incidently, with all due respect, I still think Balloon Fight is the better game, but I think that Joust would make the better movie, natch.

2. GameTrailers follows up on yesterday’s final installment of The Metroid Retrospective with part VII of The Final Fantasy Retrospective, ushering in the PS2 age of prettier graphics, questionable voice acting, and even more questionable protagonists.
3. ScrewAttack is back, too, with their top ten ninjas.

   Some nice choices make the list, including Jago, Sub-Zero, and Strider. Speaking of whom, I really need to play Strider 2 one of these days… it looks kind of fun, even though I don’t care for the original so much.

   The top three are good picks as well. And if you can’t tell who #1 is just from the name of the list… then you need to play more.

4. Next Generation has a new feature up that takes a look at the competitive and community-based natures of speedrunning.
5. If for some reason the GameTrailers Metroid Retrospective wasn’t all-encompassing and entertaining enough for you… well, I don’t know what to say.

   Maybe you’ll find more to appreciate in Game Daily’s effort, though seeing as how they misspell Boba Fett’s name right in the first sentence, I can’t say it gets off to a strong start.

6. Yesterday, Game Daily suggested, among others, that Jessica Alba would be a good casting choice for Samus, should a movie ever actually be made.

   Me, I had no arguments with this.

   Further support of the notion? She uses the Wii as her primary method of working out.

   How’s that for an endorsement?

7. A good Gundam game?! That seems to be the case, according to 1up’s review of Dynasty Warriors Gundam for the PS3.

Other

1. Best wedding toast ever.

   That’s the sort of thing I’d want to give.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”