1. Meant to mention this last week: Penny Arcade has a new batch of shirts coming out, including this neat DS pride design.
2. Sony’s taking things easy, not worried about Wii’s head start (of sorts), nor PS3 delays.

   Applause for Nic Foster, who doesn’t sound like some kind of arrogant prick when he speaks. At least this time.

   …though as IGN points out, he may still want to be careful how he phrases things. Still, with the way everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is jumping on this, it’s no wonder they talk like assholes all the time. I probably would, too, after something like this, just to be safe.

3. Psst… wanna win a DS?
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past running on Virtual Console.

   Nothing spectacular to watch in itself, but you get to see the download process and the Japanese title screen here. I haven’t seen the PS3 or 360 download screens, but I bet they aren’t half as amusing as Wii’s.

5. …some people will do anything just to get potential bidders to look at their auctions.
6. Godfather of Gaming, Nolan Bushnell, talks about Wii again.
7. Iwata Asks… Wario Ware edition.
8. Looks like Europe is getting a nift promo poster for Zelda: Twilight Princess, and… wait… is Link using his sword in his left hand?
9. I’ve been passing on a ton of Wii reviews from various sources. Does anyone care any more? You’ve no doubt made up your mind as much as it’s going to be right now, haven’t you?
10. Poor Luigi… no respect, no respect at all…
11. Ah, those wacky Japanese and their safety guides… they’ve done it again!

    Some have suggested maybe Japanese folk are just brighter than others, hence why they can have realistic toy guns and watch violence on kids’ TV. But maybe it’s just that they have all these signs to keep them flying straight and true.

12. Slater loves him some Viva Pinata.
13. Analyst thinks that Wii could prove harmful to PS3 and 360′s strategies in the long-term.
14. The answer is “no.”
15. Sort of sad that the first thing that pops into everyone’s mind upon seeing this is Dead Or Alive.
16. Behold, the 23 girls of the NES.

    I question the inclusion of licensed characters, though.

17. What would you do for a PS3?

    Would you… EAT THIS KITTEN?!

    Or would you simply turn over your child to a complete stranger?

18. Toastyfrog has gone to the trouble of importing a Japanese Wii, getting some Japanese Virtual Console games, getting Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, and bothering to tell us about it.

    Come on, Nintendo, Konami. Super Castlevania IV. NOW.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Allspark reports that new images of club-exclusive Astrotrain and Airazor are now available.
2. If you’re interested in seeing what the upcoming movie version of everyone’s favorite Autobot medic, Ratchet, looks like, then look no further.
3. And for those in Sweden who love oldschool robots in disguise, Classics have landed.
4. Latest from NinjaTurtles.com is that the new movie trailer will be available at MTV.com starting next Friday, and it’s also supposed to be showing with two holiday movies, Unaccompanied Minors and, as reported earlier, Eragon.
5. There is also a report there which says you can preorder the first season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward from Amazon for when it becomes available on the 6th of February.
6. New from Busta Toons Productions comes cereal:geek, a new magazine focused on animation from the 80s, and challenging your perceptions with all sorts of articles and materials such as artwork, storyboards, scripts, interviews, and even unseen production materials.

   Check it out, and if you want to be kept up-to-date on the magazine’s preparation, just submit your e-mail at the bottom.

7. GameTrailers, perhaps a bit belated in its timing, has offered up some new gameplay videos of Family Guy: The Game.
8. GT also has some videos of Easter Eggs in Wii’s Photo Channel.
9. If you thought THQ might take care of those nasty load times in their next PSP WWE title, I’m afraid there’s bad news… though not as bad as before.
10. Now this sort of thing is just eerie… a CNET editor has gone missing.
11. IGN has a little chat with ECW’s newest rising superstar, CM Punk.

    …huh, so that’s what they call it, “Straight Edge,” huh? I’m down with that.

12. To sling, or not to sling? That is the question Tobey Maguire addresses on the possibility of further Spider-man movies after the third outing.
13. EA has a lot to say about game costs lately, from crazy rising costs to wanting a cheaper PSP.
14. This makes me glad I don’t live in Michigan… stupid lawmakers…
15. Applause to Sony for dropping Gran Turismo HD in favor of a full-fledged GT5.
16. Ah, this is good. GameDaily presents the top 10 game gifts for people you hate.

    “Why get them a gift at all if you hate them so much?” you may be asking.

    Well, at least in the case of Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis, the product really is just that bad that to make them play it would cause them inspecific harm.

17. GD also looks at EGM’s new look, the PlayStation 3, and the news that Kutaragi may not have been promoted to get him out of the picture, but to groom him to head up all of Sony.

    “Crap. There goes the planet.”

18. It figures.

    Since working there, I’ve lost a lot of respect for Toys R Us. And with practices like this, is it any wonder why?

    Not that I cared for how things went for us there with the Wii launch, either…

19. N-Philes reviews some DS games, specifically Touch Detective and Elite Beat Agents.
20. So someone took that PS3 commercial with the eggs, replaced the PS3 with the Wii, and got this.

    I hate to sound like a shill, but it does make more sense. A lot more.

    Too bad they got the color wrong. Guess in that environment, though, it could not be helped.

    Go Nintendo has a side-by-side comparison.

21. onNintendo reports what this Monday will bring to Virtual Console.

    I might like to check me out some Ristar, I might…

22. Be warned when getting a Wii Points card… it might be empty.

    Makes me glad I just buy mine direct.

23. Go Nintendo asks about the various time of battery drainage in the Wii remote.
24. Reeve just threw this one at me… Jesus Christ almighty, and right in my own backyard at that…

    …and his little dog, too. That’s just so wrong, it’s not even funny.

25. Because Death Note rocks.

    I hope we get this here.

26. Go Nintendo and Gaming Target ask, can the Wii save adventure gaming?
27. To get a little more life out of your Wii pack-in, here are some Wii Sports secrets.

    On a related note, had the in-laws over for dinner tonight, and I got to show them Bowling and Golf, and the whole thing just blew their minds.

28. BC Gaming reviews Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All.
29. This past Friday’s episode of Spike TV’s Game Head with Reggie Fils-Aime is now available for viewing.
30. GN has a new Wario Ware: Smooth Moves video which takes place in the same stage as the “Classics” stage before, but with new footage.

    In the second game, check out Mario’s hand as he hits the block… do you see it? There are other funny nuances throughout as well.

31. MSTing NES games?

    They’re making me hungry…

32. I just love the line they use here:

    “Sony may be confident in their claim that ?next-gen starts when we say so,? but from the looks of it they misspelled Wii.”

33. For those who’ve waited, footage of the GameCube version of Twilight Princess.
34. Slashdot links to a Racketboy story on How Sega Ruined Sonic the Hedgehog.

    Sad to see so many of these kinds of articles on his fifteenth anniversary…

35. Another feature looks into the ideal length of games.
36. …even I wouldn’t wear this. At least, not unless a) you paid me handsomely, or b) I needed the protection.
37. Aww, I’d like a copy.

And sadly, that’s as far as I can go tonight, as work is pending quite soon. I’ll try and finish wrapping-up things later.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Bill Gates for President?

   I’ve sort of favored the idea, chiefly on the grounds that I don’t think he’d be any worse than anyone else we’ve had, but would undoubtedly be more effective.

2. GameTrailers has some new Wario Ware: Smooth Moves videos up, including one that features a bunch of classic Nintendo franchises, and a boss battle that may just have players begging for a Wii Star Fox. And check out the boss of that stage. I just hope they make the appropriate change for the US crowd.
3. Wow.

   This may very well be the worst thing I’ve seen an analyst say about the PS3.

   “A SEGA-like shift to software?” Technically, wouldn’t that be a return to software? As Sony (technically, Sony Imagesoft) was responsible for such SNES and SEGA classics as Cliffhanger, Sewer Shark, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Last Action Hero, and Ground Zero Texas.

   Then again, they’ve come a long way, but how much of it would they retain if they did make the shift?

4. Reggie discusses Mii, Wii, and MMORPG in the world of Second Life.
5. Mentioned before that Reggie will be on Spike TV’s Game Head tomorrow, and here’s a clip.
6. A word of advice: Christmas trees and Wiis don’t mix.
7. Hmm, Sonic and the Secret Rings may not come in March after all.
8. Kotaku pimps the Wii Classic Controller.
9. One of my biggest gripes about the Wii is the simple fact that the GameCube mode essentially shuts down everything Wii: the home button doesn’t work, you can’t use the Classic Controller on it, you have to get up and hit reset to get back to Wii stuff.

   It’s annoying, but at least there seems to be some explanation for it within the comments of Chris Kohler’s recent entry.

10. Speaking of Wii complaints, 1UP naturally has their own, and a conveniently round number of ten at that.
11. With the release of The Punisher: Extended Cut on DVD, Newsarama talks to director Jonathan Hensleigh about the new version of the film, and the sad truth about the budget he had to work with in making the film.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Over at Yahoo Tech, they try and help you move into the world of HDTV without paying the most insane of prices.

   But as low as $1,500? That’s still crazy-talk to me.

2. GameTrailers reviews a few titles, including SEGA Genesis Collection, which sounds like a pretty good deal for PS2 owners, and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 for the Wii, which continues to sound like something I want to try out.
3. GameSpot must really hate the world, as they’ve added videos from Link: Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon for the CDi to their archives for some reason.

   Screens for Zelda and Link are there as well.

4. GameSpot has a few new DS movies for Tingle’s RPG and Custom Robo Arena.

   …and GameSpot runs too many commercials. Or at least, too many of the SAME commercial.

5. In case you haven’t heard, Stephen Colbert “gots him” a Wii, and wasted no time in using it to further his agenda.

   Oh, and it’s the #1 threat to America, btw.

6. IGN “makes sense” of the Wii sensor bar.
7. GameSpy reviews Sonic Rivals, giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
8. Seems that the Quality Assurance manager at Ritual has some unkind words to say about Sony’s own QA.
9. This Friday night on Spike TV, Reggie returns to Game Head.
10. I really have to figure out how to get in on stuff like this. I wanna do giveaways, too.
11. Awesome Nintendo Family Tree shirt. Gotta get me one.
12. An amusing link of the Wii to Minority Report.
13. GamersMark previews Wii Play.
14. GN reports that WWE.com has a piece with The Miz from his experience at the Wii launch party, and what he thinks of the system.

    Wait, XBox got The Rock, and Wii get The Miz? Raw deal, brother, raw deal. All due respect to Miz, where are DX or John Cena when you need ‘em?

15. GN has an N-Sider review of Cooking Mama.

    I downloaded the demo when I found out the new Download Stations lacked the advertised Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, and when I found out I suck at Elite Beat Agents.

    I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a lot of fun with this one, what little I got to play.

16. GN reports a new Zelda retrospective, this time by Eurogamer and in text, not video.
17. While Bonk’s Adventure is by no means mindblowing or fantastic (and a little frustrating at bosses), I too disagree that it sucks.
18. G4 and XPlay are at it again, this time with Excite Truck. Nice review, it works with what I played at Nintendo World, where I felt it was a rather enjoyable experience.
19. Iwata Asks reaches the end of the Zelda interviews.

    Next up: Wario Ware: Smooth Moves.

20. Over at my old haunt 411mania.com, there’s an article asking if the games industry is peaking.
21. Chris Kohler reviews Classic Controller.

    Try saying that five times fast.

22. Game|Life posts a video comparing the PS3 and 360 in a split screen. More comparisons are in 1UP’s “What the Cell is Going On?” feature, which is accompanied by a pretty good blog post from Sam Kennedy.
23. Thanks to G|L for turning me on to this blog. Climactic Ave. tells the sad truth about modern bugtesting. And I don’t like it one bit.

    There’s also a surprising bit telling about how Miyamoto has even tested his own games.

24. This is cool, you can download Railroad Tycoon for free (and legally).
25. So while in New York, it was with great delight that I discovered you can actually get print versions of The Onion in newspaper boxes on the sidewalk. For free, no less!

    But I was of course disappointed that there was nothing about the reason I was there, that of course being the launch of the Wii.

    Well, amends have been made, as they’ve posted a comparison of the PS3 and Wii in such crucial categories as “ability to tear families apart” and “ability to be a parenting substitute.”

26. Like her, love her, or hate her, you’ve got to admit that in one minute, Morgan Webb makes a pretty good point about advertising.
27. …Mariotroid?

    Pretty clever design, really. I’d actually love a wallpaper of that…

28. Well, at least one media outlet still likes the PS3.
29. While I don’t quite get the whole “Animal Crossing Mafia” bit, I am rather amused by the replies in regards to one Mr. Tom Nook…

    On the other hand, the “seeding” is a bit disconcerting…

30. Sounds like Sony isn’t big on spreading the love of knowledge among its PS3 developers.

    …really, though, is this any way to run a railroad?

31. To Pong: because all good things must have a beginning.
32. Wow, an official Mario Bros. replica hat? I may have to look into that come April for next year’s Otakon…

    The “Mr. Toads” look cool, too.

33. Ever wonder how Japanese gaming journalism works?
34. Be afraid. Or amused. Either is good.
35. Believe it or not, those who work for Microsoft are human, and as such, have opinions on a variety of things… including the PS3.
36. Press The Buttons has some custom ‘Truck tracks that are sure to Excite you.
37. Toastyfrog goes hands-on with the Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin preorder package.

    Goodness abounds.

38. Additionally, he rounds up the latest bunch of neo-classic gaming goodness in the Weekly Retro Roundup.
39. Scott Sharkey tests his sanity and fortitude (along with our own) as he shows yet more of The Best Worst Ads in gaming.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Allspark reports a lot of prototype shots of Masterpiece Megatron, who comes ready to kill Optimus right out of the box. Just check out all those accessories… even KREMZEEK!!!
2. Go Nintendo has a video of some Wii-speriments conducted.

   Not really watching it through, thought someone might be interested, though. Any particularly good parts to it?

3. Ah, G4 has a review of Red Steel.

   I still need to rent that one.

4. Seems there’s now a dedicated website to the problems people have had with hanging on to their Wii remotes.

   One bit of good news, though, is that Nintendo’s being pretty cool on the deal with a replacement strap.

5. Joystiq takes a look at what the Big 3 would really say without the veil of PR.
6. Joystiq looks at the delights and annoyances of the Wii, 360, and PS3.
7. Awhile back, a group known as College Humor brought us a peek at the future of Zangief and Dhalsim in Street Fighter: The Later Years.

   Now, they’re back with part 2.

   “Tiger Uppercut! Pshooshooshoo!”

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Just to lead off, a quick congratulations to Atomic Fire for its one-year anniversary.
2. An interesting comic book release that’s come out recently is UDW’s adaptation of the original TransFormers: The Movie, as written by legendary Marvel TF scribe Bob Budiansky and illustrated by the great Don Figueroa.

   BWTF’s Ben Yee has taken the time to review the first issue to give you an idea of what this comic adds (and takes away) from the original movie experience.

3. Over on GameTrailers, they have some new footage of the surprisingly well-received Sonic Rivals for the PSP.
4. Because they’ve got nothing better to do these days, the guys over at IGN GameCube have sat down and put together their own idea of how to make a Zelda movie.
5. Go Nintendo links to an article discussing whether the direction Yoshi’s Island DS took is good or not.

   An interesting comment from Klondike on GN’s report:

   I think it?s important to note that the game is titled ?Yoshi?s Island DS?, not ?Yoshi?s Island 2?.

   Makes for a different perspective, anyway, if you think about it…

6. GN also reports that ZDNet has an article of five cool tech gifts, and two to avoid.
7. Wii Sports‘ bowling: so easy, even a grandmother can enjoy it.
8. Restraint, people. Learn it.

   This has been a public service announcement.

   Game|Life puts it best:

   “You’re holding a relatively dense piece of plastic. You’re swinging it around near a fragile, thousand-dollar piece of electronics. HOLD THE F**K ON. And if you can’t, don’t blame the wrist strap for breaking. That little piece of twine is supposed to stop the controller from slipping from your hand, not put the brakes on a 95 MPH fastball, jackass.”

9. By this point, I wouldn’t normally post a review for Zelda: Twilight Princess, but this is G4′s X-Play, which is usually good for stirring up interest, so…

   And they’ve also reviewed Rayman: Raving Rabbids.

10. Nintendo 64 Kid has been outdone.
11. GN reports that the Super Smash Bros. Brawl website has been updated, now including the new trailer (in English) and some screens as well.
12. I just noticed… why does Go Nintendo still have a search for Lik-Sang on their website?
13. Game Videos has a decent interview with NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime from the Wii launch at Toys R Us.

    Decent in that I can barely hear what the interviewer is asking, but at least Reggie makes his answers clear, perhaps even picking up the slack for the guy.

14. The Legend of Zelda: just a game, or something more?
15. Slashdot’s got an interesting piece on the history of the game company newsletter.

    I think I still have an Acclaim one somewhere, but that stuff was kind of neat…

16. Chris Kohler takes a look at the impracticality of the hard-to-find PS3 memory card adaptor.

    “My friend pointed out that this is a piece of hardware that I will only actually use one time. I found this fascinating. He’s right. I copy the contents of my PS1 and PS2 saves to my PS3 hard drive, and that’s it: the adapter becomes a completely unusable thingamabob.”

17. Oh dear.

    The developer behind a new military recruitment video game complains that he wasn’t allowed to program realistic enemies that learn from their mistakes and adapt to circumstances.

18. Elite Beat Agents: driving gamers to insanity?
19. …from the mouths of babes…

    …by which I mean babies, not… ugh, just move on.

20. I didn’t create the stupid saying, alright? Just move along,already.
21. Kojima misses the PlayStation rumble.

    Aww, just look at his face… how can you do that to the poor man, Sony? For shame.

    Oh, he also talks Metal Gear Solid 4.

22. Ever heard the legend of the landfill of buried Atari E.T. game cartridges? Digital Madman dissects the story and gets to the nitty-gritty truth of the matter.
23. Awesome holiday gaming shirts.
24. Press The Buttons has an interesting look at the infinite Mario game, which features levels created by a random generator.

    Consensus seems to be that the game is strong in mind and body but not in heart and soul. Should still be worth a look, however.

25. If you’re into remixes and tribute bands and such, maybe you should check out The Kode.
26. o/~ It’s The Legend of Zelda and it’s really rad…

    PTB gushes a bit, and rightfully so, over the series’ latest.

27. The Day I Walked Out On the PS3 tells of a gamer’s ultimate decision, made in the presence of four of the newly-released next-gen console.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Canadian ad campaign for better eating and Lose Weight Exercise.

   Better than most of what they do. Truth.ca, anyone?

2. So Hollywood opens its big mouth yet again. But either way, gotta give “Kramer” credit, he’s relevant again.

   Over on Yahoo, the model for the character gives his thoughts on Michael Richards’ own, while elsewhere there are men seeking an apology, among other things happening.

3. Over at Ben’s World of TransFormers, he’s added a new review from the Cybertron line, this time of Smokescreen, a G1-based redeco of Crosswise.
4. I’d work on that overhand, if I were him.

   And if I were Nintendo, I’d consider the prospect of a thicker strap. But at least the controller seems to still work…

   And remember people, it’s not the force, it’s the follow-through.

5. Go Nintendo has a link to the Miipages, a sort of directory to find other people who share your interests for online Wii interaction.

   A cool idea, but doubt I’ll use it, I’ve plenty of people I can link to.

6. UK ad for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

   I just love the shot of Link on Epona as she rears back, his sword drawn. I’m only one dungeon in, but I think this may well be my favorite 3-D Zelda, if it doesn’t become my favorite of the franchise. This Link is just SO badass.

7. …does Iwata never stop asking questions?!

   Not that I don’t enjoy these, but the current frequency seems a bit frenetic.

8. As the wife and I discovered earlier, it’s easy to go through a set of batteries on the Wii. This is when you know to change them, though. Squeeze for all you can, man!
9. This Public Service Announcement is brought to you by your friends at Kotaku, and PMO.

   Want all the glory of watching CG girls of Dead Or Alive running around in skimpy bathing suits, but don’t want to pony up the $60 for the new Xtreme 2 game? Well then, you’re in luck, as Michael McWhertor subjected himself to this game in order to bring you a smattering of DOA girls doing pole-dancing, though not in the nude.

   This has been a Pubic–er, Public Service Announcement. Thank you, and resume your day.

10. Kotaku pits Dragon Ball Z for the PS2 vs. its Wii counterpart.

    Evidently, no contest.

11. Press The Buttons offers Season’s Greetings with their patented PTB 2006 Holiday Gift Guide. An idea I may very well steal rip-off swipe pay homage to.
12. In addition, PTB gives a review of Yoshi’s Island DS.
13. Over at N-Europe, the column if Fire Flower continues to discuss storytelling in video games.
14. 1UP asks which video game system launch was the worst ever.

    I’m going to say PS3, not for the quality of the games, but due to how business was conducted, including on the side of customers.

    …and what the hell’s the asterik by Nintendo 64 for?

15. Jeremy “Toastyfrog” Parish rounds up Nintendo’s Virtual Console offerings, and takes a look at where your points are best spent.

    As far as Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. are concerned, I think Nintendo seriously needs to consider adding “Arcade” to the lineup of systems.

    Hooray for the “suspend” feature! I’ve been asking for something like that for ages.

16. T-Frog also takes a look at the legacy of Link.

    Still love Twilight Link… the original, and the rest, are all cool, but this one elevates into “badass” territory.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Go Nintendo reports a neat GameVideo that shows how to make some select “celebrity” Miis.

   Been doing a few of my own, including Reggie, Kutaragi, Hirai, Cartman, Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, and more.

2. More Iwata Asks.
3. GN features a Yoshi’s Island DS interview, with mention of a possible Yoshi’s Island for Wii.
4. Game|Life features Harry Potter gone horribly, horribly wrong.

   As the post says, clothed, but probably NSFW anyway.

5. Need component cables for your Wii? Stores don’t have any? Nintendo postponed their online store’s shipping until December 18th, so what’s a gamer to do?

   Why, make your own, of course.

6. Like the Virtual Console, love it, or hate it, at least it seems to make the classics look pretty good.
7. Killer crabs vs. killer bugs.
8. Game|Life takes a look at Net Neutrality and its potential effects.
9. G|L tells of a feature which explains how to swap out the hard drive in your PS3.

   You know, supposing you had one.

10. Wow, Bill Gates strikes at Sony’s weak point… for MASSIVE damage:

    “You know, Sony can make 80,000 bricks, and people would buy them.”

    …incidently, with some reports I’ve heard about the original and 360 XBoxes, I’m not sure “bricks” is the term I’d have chosen. Still, BG for the zing.

11. Wow, remember all those Photoshopped pics of the PS3 as a George Foreman-styled grill?

    Well, they say that life imitates art and vice-versa, and this is proof.

12. Chris Kohler takes Nintendo head-on regarding Wii issues, and I agree with him completely.
13. Have a PS3 AND a Wii? Can’t decide which one you want to play?

    How about both?

14. My only question is, did it raise the value?
15. The 25 Best Gaming Tatoos?
16. Remember those guys from Smash My XBox? Well, they’re at it again.

    Guess you could say that the PS3 launch was a smashing success. I always knew it’d be a smash hit out of the gate…

    And in fairness, the Wii. Which, from a numeric perspective, is about the equivalent of killing a cow versus killing an Asian elephant.

17. Only one NES game could justify a $15,000 price tag…

    …well, to some, anyway.

18. This wedding surprise kicks all imaginable ass. I wish we’d had something like this…
19. Joystiq has a bit detailing how to make your own GameTrailers Legend of Zelda retrospective DVD.
20. Have Wii Sports, but hate the cardboard packaging? Well, fret no more!
21. Despite some rather lovely models, PS3′s Mobile Suit Gundam game sounds like a dud.
22. XBox 360, welcome to the one tough SOB club.
23. Pardon me for saying, but what a dick.
24. I can’t help but think that this is reading into things too much.
25. A letter to Nintendo, voicing concerns about the Wii and those who are disabled.
26. Broadening XBox 360′s horizons, in terms of peripherals.
27. Wow, lotta stuff has happened on November 21st over the years…
28. Gotta admit, can’t beat this deal. Even if there’s nothing I really want there.
29. Big Damn Truck, meet Big Red Straw.

    Dammit, now I’m thirsty. I need a drink. BRB.

30. …so what the hell would a western-oriented RPG consist of?
31. So school lunches in the UK have ripped off Sonic the Hedgehog by making some sort of Flash game on their site.

    Sad part is, it’s kind of neat, and fun, as far as plaigurism goes.

32. …and this guy is Nintendo of Australia’s PR manager?!

    Oh, good lord…

33. Wow, EB preorders for Wii got a pretty cool t-shirt.
34. At least not all system launches have been bad, as the better side of humanity reveals itself.

    If only others followed in that…

35. For the Devil May Cry fans out there, a bit of Combo Craziness.
36. …what’s the world coming to?

    Hell, that’s how I got my N64.

37. Kirby jets for America, gets pissed at Customs.
38. Kill a man or not, I want one of these cases.

And I’m beat. I’ll finish catching up tomorrow, for sure. For now, sleep…

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Over at The Allspark, new pics of Masterpiece Megatron have been posted.

   Sweet…

2. GameTrailers has updated their Twilight Princess page with a video review, and the final part of their retrospective series, which tries to arrange everything Zelda into order… but with a twist.
3. In addition, GT has given the video review treatment to the next-gen Sonic the Hedgehog, which has been incurring the ire of many, though not all are so down about it.
4. Over at Wired, they’ve got a neat piece describing the changing nature of ads, specifically the recent Chevy Tahoe user-made ads that they have on their Apprentice website… some of which are kind of funny, and derogatory towards the product.

   “Even the seats will bow to you,” indeed.

5. V For Vendetta fans should like this…
6. HAJFCWWPFMD(“Historically Accurate Japanese Fighting Crabs With Weak Points For Massive Damage”) doesn’t get by unscathed, either. Nor does DOA Xtreme 2.

   …huh, they finally have English voices? ‘Bout time.

7. Over GameSpot’s way, they have a Halo 3 video feature available.
8. A brief look at the days before the Wii launch in NYC. It was something else.
9. Evidently, Nintendo wanted a $100 Wii.

   So did we (no pun intended).

10. GameSpot had a chance to talk to Reggie in prep for the Wii launch.
11. GS tackles the Virtual Console by reviewing Altered Beast, F-Zero, Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., and Sonic the Hedgehog (which you can compare to their review of the awful GBA port).
12. Wow, I’ve heard of whoring yourself out for a system, but…
13. The New York Times sticks it to the PS3.

    Heh heh… “Old Gray Lady”…

14. Wow, it’s like Garfield is becoming the new Mega Man in video gaming, with all the releases he’s getting in rapid succession. Here are some screens from the upcoming DS game Garfield’s Nightmare, based on the toon version as opposed to the movies.

    Looks nice, at least. Reminds me a little of the Genesis title, Caught in the Act.

    GN has the press release.

15. GS Q&A w/EA on Wii.
16. Ah, so Sonic Rivals is out.
17. onNintendo has compiled a list of neat tricks to perform with your Wii.
18. A Wii FAQ, for non-Wii owners.
19. The 91-pin Strike.
20. Wow, a new Wii commercial already?

    GN is right, that DOES feel oldschool. Reminds me a bit of the old NES ad where the house blasts off… even the announcer sounds the same.

21. GN has a nice collection of videos from the NYC Wii Launch Party. Fun times.
22. Huh, so Mario made the Forbes list. Who’d have thunk it?

    The whole piece is here.

    *sniff* I’m so proud…

23. Foxtrot says “Waa!”
24. Heh, looks like even Adam Sessler had to wait in line for a Wii.

And that’ll do it for now, more recovered coverage to come later today.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

As noted by LBD earlier, he’s at the Wii Launch this weekend, and I said I’d update this for him, so let’s see how I do. If anything, I’ll probably be much more brief, leaving LBD plenty to catch up on when he gets back.

1. In case you haven’t seen it before, Wii.com has various videos revealing various people trying out the new Nintendo system, and in particular, the Wii-mote. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, in particular, allows for many possible uses for the controller, including fishing, using a sword, riding a horse, etc. Worth a look, even if just to see what people look like when they’re concentrating on a game.
2. According to IGN, Nintendo has confirmed that it will release a higher-end Wii with DVD playback capabilities later in 2007. Those who buy the regular Wii will be out of luck in regards to playing DVDs, as any plans of software or hardware additions to allow such a function have seemingly been cancelled. It should be mentioned, of course, that the upgraded Wii has only been announced for Japan, and whether or not the rest of the world will find it locally available remains to be seen. It would appear that any previous announcements of the DVD-Wii in other regions was the result of errors in communication.
3. Of course, the Wii wasn’t the only thing to have launched this weekend: the PS3 launched on Friday, with nothing really unexpected. Long line-ups, short stores of the product, long “inspirational” speeches from Sony representatives and short appearances from celebrities marked the birth of this new console game system. The 20 gig harddrive version is selling for $500 (US) and the 60 gig version for $600 (US). The game manufacturer Take-Two is developing 20 new games for the PS3 to be released in 2007, which include popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV, NBA 2007 and NHL 2007. Oh, there was also a giant riot, driveby shootings and mouse-urine balloons.
4. As reported by IGN, eMarketer has done a survey to find out who wants to upgrade the most: Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft loyalists. It turns out that 60% of PS2 owners wish to get a PS3, 46% of GameCube owners wish to get a Wii, and 45% of Xbox owners wish to get an Xbox 360. Note that these surveys targeted gamers and not general consumers. Similar surveys for the general consumer, as expected, produced lower results. Whether this has to do with loyalty or satisfaction with the last generation of consoles is up to your interpretation.
5. Next Generation has an article about what their experience was like during the Wii launch, especially as compared to the PS3 launch. One point of interest was the lack of eBay entrepreneurs (though there was a guy trying to sell a PS3 for $5000…), and the multitude of people playing games, including the DS. Go Nintendo features a YouTube video of the lineup.
6. So … for every PS3 you buy, Sony loseWeight Exercises money?
7. Joystiq also gives their account of the Wii Launch
8. MattG of Press The Buttons reports that Captain N the Game Master will be available on DVD. Good news for us Saturday-morning-cartoon oldtimers.

And that’s all I’ll post. I guess I’m not so brief, I just post less “points”. I’m sure LBD will have a nice report about his own experience at the Wii Launch in NYC.

Delta