1. Well, I know I wish there were a K-Mart around here now.
2. GameDaily seems to like Excite Truck moderately well, citing its more for casual gamers.

   I dunno, I’m fine with simple, as long as simple is good.

3. SEGA finally has something happening with their Sonic and the Secret Rings webpage.
4. More Iwata Asks.
5. 1UP reviews Sonic the Hedgehog, giving it a stinging 5.5.

   Can Sonicteam sink any lower? And how will Secret Rings fare?

6. Toastyfrog takes a look back at past launch lineups in anticipation of the Wii and PlayStation 3, to see if past mistakes will rise once more.
7. Elsewhere, Scott Sharkey gives you 10 (better?) ways to spend your $600.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. No one ever said that being a Bullet Bill was easy. Sure, you get to hunt Mario down at high speeds that would make a hedgehog a little green with envy, and you’re one of Mario’s baddest looking foes to boot, but that doesn’t make it easy.

   And Bullet Bill 2 shows you exactly why. Featuring some nice remixes, Super Mario All-Stars graphics, mouse-control, and more, it’s easy to pick up and start playing, but will take time to master. Thankfully, there are passwords included to help save progress as you go.

   Another neat thing is unlockable characters. Such as the one for fans of Psycosis91′s other Flash movies like The Thwomps 3, “7H0MP” (just to get you started).

   It really is a neat sort of reinvention of Mario.

2. And now, a word from Goten X about his new site, Rockman Remix:

   Rockman Remix is basically a site that is going to be my online music portfolio. Here I will be putting singles of remixed and arranged music from all types of consoles and handhelds. Along with that will come EP/LP releases, which will of course be the better part of the work published there.

   I would really like to start some kind of community for this site, as well. That way we can have the visitor’s input on music selections and other site things. Also, I am taking requests: for video game music, since most would be copywritten, I can’t charge anything for that. If you want me to create an original piece, it will be priced depending on the scale of the project. I will usually only ask for 5 dollars USD, the most being 25.

   I’m just a budding musician trying to get my music out to the world. I play alto sax, electric guitar and keyboard, and I use Fruity Loops and Audacity to do my music. Thanks.

3. The DVD may be out, but TransFormers Tuesdays marches on!

   The official site reports that the second DVD’s exclusive web content is going to be expanded upon through the holidays, so checking back is a must.

   There is also a new soundboard featuring numerous lines from the movie, and can even be embedded on your web page, and bonus TransFormers cell phone wallpaper, while supplies last.

   …wait, how does that even work?

   Anyway, even if you already bought the old version of the movie on DVD, get this one. It is a far superior production and a far superior value at a far superior price.

4. Informal poll: TransFormers The Movie: 20th Anniversary Edition on DVD is produced by Sony Home Entertainment and Music.

   The Sony PlayStation 3 is coming with a BluRay edition of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

   Now, assuming that the pack-in was any sort of incentive to drop $600 on the machine, would you rather have had Wil Ferrell or Optimus Prime taking you home?

   Just wondering.

5. Wow, I’d forgotten this even existed.

   Busta Toons has a clip on his blog from the time Teela came to visit He-Man in The New Adventures of He-Man. Like the other characters, she looks different from any version of Teela to come before or after.

6. Got this from RJ on IRC: An auction for a PlayStation 3 box.

   Like the Xbox 360 Box last year, this will be a VERY POPULAR BOX this Holiday Season.

   Keeping an eye on this to see if there’s anyone dumb enough to bid…

7. Ouch, looks like GameSpot didn’t care much for Excite Truck.

   But at least it still scored higher than historically-accurate crabs with weak-spots.

   Of course, both did better than historically-inaccurate volleyball-bounce physics.

   Hope I get a chance to try Excite Truck soon, at least.

8. Eidos’ Ian Livingstone talks 10 years of Lara, and next-gen’s console winners.
9. …“Biir?”
10. …a truly scary parody of the N64 Kid video, featuring the Wii.
11. Game|Life pulls back the curtain on a speedrun for one of the hardest oldschool games ever… Capcom’s Ghosts n’ Goblins.

    22 minutes, quite an impressive feat for a game many would cite as purely impossible.

12. Joystiq metareviews Yoshi’s Island DS, and their readers rag on IGN and 1UP/EGM.
13. Sounds like 1UP has re-reviewed Neverwinter Nights 2. The score is now 6/10, rather than 5.
14. Joystiq put it best: “Some dude is reselling 100 PS3s, gonna get paid.”

    Er, well… maybe not.

15. So there’s this new NBC game show, 1 vs. 100, which is trivia-based (aren’t they all?), and a couple of questions have come up recently about video games. And the nun knows GTA better than Pac-Man.

    For shame, Sister Rose, for shame.

    …incidently, what the hell has happened to game shows? I remember growing up, they were bright, vivid, colorful affairs like The Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune, or even Double Dare.

    Over the past several years or so, they all look like they’re out of 1984 or something, trying to creep you right the hell out, like you’re going to DIE when you answer wrong. And not just if, but WHEN. It’s like every second is your last, there is no hope to survive.

    Sheesh.

16. For your viewing convenience, the Press The Buttons version of the “Wii Factory” video is now on YouTube. Spread the word!
17. Finally, over at Newsarama, Your Manga Minute discusses “Form or Format;” whether or not the definition of the term “manga” should be broadened.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Busta Toons has a neat video clip up of oldschool He-Man and She-Ra helping free some slaves or something.

   Gotta admit, those were my favorite eps, when those two would team up.

2. If you’re not easily offended by… well. Let’s just say that if you’ve got a pretty thick skin, it might be worth a moment to check out Maddox‘s views on the next-gen wars.

   Be warned, this guy doesn’t pull his punches. Language and other obscenities lie within, you have been warned.

   On a related note, Joystiq thinks this could spell trouble for Sony.

   They could be right.

3. Allspark reports that Big Bad Toy Store is taking preorders for the much-anticipated Masterpiece Megatron… but there’s a catch.
4. Nintendo has updated new game-oriented websites for Yoshi’s Island DS, Elite Beat Agents, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
5. Yet another review of Yoshi’s Island DS, with GameSpot citing the title as “superb” with a 9.1 rating.

   The Good: A wildly diverse platformer with lots of huge levels; all of the different babies? abilities give players plenty to do; crayon graphics and lighthearted music provide a charming atmosphere; unlocking everything is a real challenge, even if finishing the game is easy; improves on the original without mucking anything up.

   The Bad: Some people may not like the cleaned-up graphics; music tends to be understated; no multiplayer.

   IGN is impressed as well, though not as impressed.

6. They also think that WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 is “great” at 8.1.
7. IGN reviews DOA Xtreme 2. Basically more of the same, but prettier.

   Except the physics. Oh God, the physics…

8. GameSpy seems to like Zelda: Twilight Princess.

   Go figure.

9. GameDaily presents System Shock: the 10 lamest consoles ever.

   …does 32X count as a console?

10. Not normally the sort of thing I’d post, but I figure it might be helpful.

    When you go shopping for Wii accessories, this is what you look for.

11. onNintendo also reports more details on the Nintendo Power/Zelda promotion.
12. Go Nintendo challenges a recent Joystiq post.
13. GN reports of a bunch of new videos for various games, including Naruto DS and Wario the Thief.
14. Iwata Asks about the spirit of Zelda.
15. Joy “stiqs” it to Nintendo regarding words over next-gen optical disks.
16. Best Nintendo ad yet.
17. The Frog kicks off a week of Zelda by looking at the reinvented control scheme of the latest chapter.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. The Allspark has a link to an interview with Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime, Eeyore, Mario, and others, from The Oklahoman:

   Optimus Prime’s cool leadership qualities made him a Gen X hero. But Cullen didn’t know about his influence until years later, when, on the insistence of his daughter, he attended a Transformers convention.

   “My eyes were opened wide,” he said. “I was shocked, and I was surprised. The little information that I had was on such a minimal basis, you really couldn’t get an overall picture on how big it was. It still is kind of a surprise to me. I think about it, and I think gosh, it’s an honor.”

2. If it happens (and I’m betting it won’t, this just smells of so many other “buyout/merger” rumors of yesteryear), you heard it here first: GoNext reports that Microsoft is interested in buying up Capcom of Japan.
3. If you’re a fan of the old TransFormers movie and feel the need to have a seasoned old ‘bot curse all the turbo-revvin’ young punks on your toy shelf… well, he may not be Kup, but Brakedown GTS comes damn close, and BWTF.com gives you a closer look at why.
4. GameSpot puts in a little overtime overseas and shows us how Sony’s latest offering fared at its launch.

   As one would expect, there were plenty of disappointed gamers.

   In fact, IGN reports of a Kotaku story that paints a much uglier picture of the launch than Sony might want you to see.

   According to the story, many of the so-called ‘early adopters’ were in fact of Chinese origin, hired by wealthy Japanese businessmen and families to endure the gruelling lines and constant claustrophobia in order to secure a unit for a small fee in reciprocation. Also outnumbering the ‘hardcore’ contingent were the foreign resellers who were there to buy up as many consoles as possible for resale on eBay and other auction sites for vastly inflated prices.

   Sounds like most of the people buying the newest game system weren’t even gamers at all.

   Ken Kutaragi addressed the crowds as the rain poured down. He spoke to the very first PS3 customer who was unable to answer him, assumedly because of the language barrier. Tellingly, the first twenty sales were of the hardware only, and all refused media interviews.

   …yeah. Also irksome to me is how Kutaragi is described as being “prideful” at this thing. I would love to know just how he reacted when the first customer couldn’t even answer him, nor bought any software.

5. Next-Gen has the latest in their line of Holiday Profiles, now featuring Nintendo, with the likes of Microsoft, Capcom, Konami, and THQ to follow, among others.
6. onNintendo reports that The Seattle Times has a profile on Reggie Fils-Aime.

   I must say in as heterosexual a way as possible that Reggie is looking quite good for his age. Here’s hoping I can age that well.

7. Silly Wii prank.

   I’d have been tipped off by the fact that Metroid is supposed to use the nunchuck.

8. Go Nintendo reports that some IGN blogging reveals that whereas HDTV is essentially a must to get the most out of your XBox 360 or PS3, that it actually hurts the Wii.

   But Game|Life disagrees!

   Shame these things don’t have a switch (or so I’d assume) that switch between HD and SD…

   And while it’s by no means something I’d applaud, I’m still content given my lack of an HDTV.

9. Kirby Squeak Squad is reviewed.
10. GN reveals that Prima is going to have a special Zelda guide out for the holidays.

    The cloth map and hardcover sound alright, but the last two are things I’d expect anyway. What else does it have?

    If Nintendo Power were to make a guide like they did for A Link To The Past, just watch me scoop that up.

11. CVG talks turkey with the Big N about Virtual Console concerns.

    How will VC games be organised on the channels page? Will each game be an individual channel or can users group say all the titles of one format (SNES) or all the titles of one series (Zelda)?

    Nintendo: Each VC title downloaded will be displayed as an individual channel. Users may move these channels around to suit them.

    Oh, great. Just like in Animal Crossing, I guess. I found it rather annoying to have 10 NESes sitting around on the floor…

12. 
    Click Picture.
13. CNN Money talks about production numbers for the PS3 and Wii:

    ?Nintendo seems to have a good handle on the flow of their goods. With Sony we?re getting less information. ? Sony has put out signals that they?re not getting as many as they would like. We?re not getting the message that the hardware is going to flow smoothly through this holiday season.?

    Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, wouldn?t budge from the worldwide number, but did say he expects the first batch of units (which go on sale Nov. 19 for $250) to sell out by Wednesday, but said he expects many stores to be restocked on Black Friday.

    Comforting news.

14. I’ll just let the ladies say what they will about this.
15. …showoffs.
16. Note to self: show this to the wife.

    (She loves German Shepherds.)

17. Oh, goody-goody gumdrops, Kotaku’s gotten ahold of the teaser poster for the Castlevania movie.
18. Ol’ buddy Blaze Hedgehog has a new demo up, this time a Castlevania program that’s pretty dang good. You can get more details about it here.
19. Newsarama reports on how you can name a Kick-Ass Marvel comic book character, and help a good cause in doing so.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Hmm, I get the feeling that Cooking Mama isn’t getting enough of the sausage from Papa.
2. Over at Nintendo, NOA Matt examines the dubious art of ganking.
3. o/~ It’s The Legend of Zelda and it’s really rad,
   Those creatures from Ganon are pretty bad
   GameTrailers has more vids to show how to survive,
   As well as their Zelda retrospective, part number five. o/~

   Chikka-chikka, or something. Boy-ee.

4. GameSpot has a rather presumptuous review of XBox Live Arcade’s Contra available.

   Um, yeah, barring the glitches they’re working to patch, this IS the Contra I’m looking for, as I’ve never gotten to play it outside of the arcade, much less finish it. Ditto Super Contra. It’s really sort of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game for the NES sort of scenario.

5. IGN goes hands-on with Sonic the Hedgehog: Genesis, and it doesn’t get off to a good start, by about five years.
6. Destructoid writer eats crow, fed to him by a virtual fork controlled by a Wiimote.
7. Ok, so let’s see… Ziff-Davis and Game|Life don’t care much for Yoshi’s Island DS, while GameDaily and GameBrink seem rather fond of it.

   Yikes. Seems like a hard game to judge by reviews, apparently you either love it or you… don’t. Here’s hoping rental is possible…

8. 1UP editor James Mielke poses the question: Is The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess the most important launch game for a system ever?
9. “Ah, what a tasty treat!”

   “Best day of my life,” indeed…

10. GN links to an interview with the producer of Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2.
11. Over at IGN, Jon Robinson is keeping a diary of his road to the gold in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007. Fun read, if you’re into wrestling at all.

    Truth be told, I haven’t really been very interested in a wrestling game in years, but everything I’m seeing on this one is really changing that. Might be a must-buy if I ever get a PS2, or a 360.

12. Modojo (via GN) looks at the dark side of touching.
13. Game|Life’s Chris Kohler doesn’t have crabs.

    Good for him.

14. I don’t know, for some reason, launch situations just seem to get worse and worse, moreso than I remember back in the day. Maybe if companies made more product available at launch…
15. Atari 2600 = pwned.
16. Sigh, I really gotta establish some sort of cred…
17. Upon closer inspection, it seems that PS3 games are coming up short.
18. In this age of emulation and Virtual Consoles and Live Arcade, it is still important to remember how to replace your faulty batteries for back-up saving in older games.

    Unless you’re just lazy or something and want to fork over money for something you might already own. What am I, your mother?

19. I want a Wii update of Gumshoe.
20. 1UP has a feature up which compares the PS2 launch to the impending PS3 launch.

    Is history repeating itself? God, I hope not. Though page 2 shows why things may play out differently, in spite of similar circumstances surrounding the launches.

    Then again, maybe this repetition will play right into Nintendo’s hands.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. In case you’re slow at catching on to how this whole “Wii” thing works, GameTrailers has been kind enough to add some videos which demonstrate how to play different games with the Wii remote, such as Zelda, WarioWare, and Wii Sports.
2. It may also be worth noting that GameTrailers and MTV are putting on a show to determine the best and worst of video gaming next Tuesday at 8pm, with plenty of reruns.

   Given this is the same network that put Jimmy Fallon in the Batmobile with Napoleon Dynamite in a cape and cowl… well, I’ll just leave it to your own tastes and discretion.

3. Speaking of awards, let me just say “Oh God, not another one, have we not suffered enough?”

   To their credit, though: Samuel L. Jackson. Not saying that makes it good, just not as bad as it could be.

   Looking over the categories and such, I’ll have to write more about this in a day or two.

4. GameSpot’s released more profiles from Atari for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2.

   Frankly, reading over this makes the “Z” designation seem rather limiting.

   And alright, Videl’s in! With 100+ characters, I’d be rather pissed if she weren’t. I ought to get this one when I can.

5. IGN has pictures from SEGA’s Virtual Console games.

   I do hope they don’t include the black boxes.

   And “Dr. Robotnik? I thought his name was Dr. Eggman!” cry the n00bs.

6. So evidently, we shouldn’t call them “video games” anymore.
7. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! WHY, GOD, WHY?!

   I DO so very much hope Konami will seek to improve this… this… TRAVESTY. This MOCKERY of justice!

   *blinks*

   Oh, they edited the review since I first saw it. And Saints be praised, Konami is working to fix it! Pity about the other issues, though. Like the tandem-continuing bit.

8. On a related note, Moore’s prophecy has come true! The world is now officially a better place.
9. While it’s on my mind, Another Blaze Hedgehog has taken care to point out the living, walking contradiction that is the life of a Viva Pinata.

   You just get the feeling that maybe those Pinatas didn’t get the whole story when they signed on for this gig. Sorta like US military recruitment.

   Yeah, I went there.

10. So IGN offered up this Wii commercial compilation (complete with couches). I started to watch, thinking maybe this was something they were showing on TV now that I’d missed, but no, it’s basically the same stuff we’d been seeing since E3.

    However, I’m not sure what I found more amusing: that IGN prefaced the “commercial” with another commercial, or the fact that the Nintendo commercial was preceded by a Sony commercial.

    But at least it was the ATV Offroad Fury “Sally” commercial. Probably their one decent commercial amidst an ocean of duds since the year started.

    Anyway, N-Philes has a real peek here, with details here.

11. IGN has some videos from Yoshi’s Island DS.

    Toastyfrog doesn’t seem too impressed by the game itself, but then, I’ve liked a few games he’s seemed generally apathetic towards, like New Super Mario Bros., and GameDaily digs the title, so mileage clearly varies.

    Kohler at Game|Life seems disenchanted by it, too, but I think his memory’s fuzzy: you didn’t have to hold down B/Y to run in the first game…

    On another note: just what the hell is the deal with Yoshi’s Island? I don’t mean the game, I mean the island. In Super Mario World, it’s the first little world, easy to get through, and part of Dinosaur World. So is the one in Yoshi’s Island that place reimagined? Or is it all of Dinosaur World reimagined? They circle the island, but you don’t see any of the rest of the place…

    I think I’ll go with the former, and just say they didn’t bother showing the rest as it was largely irrelevant. And that the last world was in Valley of Bowser, because that’s just cool.

    Still, I think Yoshi’s Island could use more dinosaurs. Rexes, at least.

12. GameSpy has a pretty amusing interview with William Shatner regarding the upcoming Star Trek: Legacy.

    Regarding Nimoy: Daaaaaaaaaaamn.

13. Ben Wood at N-Philes takes a look at the M rating, and how to bring attention and balance to it.

    Me, I like the idea of AO being a little more commonplace. And make it in red letters, so it stands out.

14. onNintendo presents: Wii in South Park, part 2.

    I still gotta watch part 1. Someone hassle my wife to sit down with me and watch.

15. Silicon Valley/Philadelphia Inquirerer, on the cusp of the next generation, looks back at the best this generation had to offer.
16. Game|Life asks, do gamers care about homosexuality in their games?

    Or something like that.

17. O_O

    Holy Hell, it’s clearly been WAY too long since I’ve played a WWE game. Now I have to.

    Pretty good cutscene segment, too, they’ve definitely improved the “storyline” segments… I thought I was just watching a really crappy-quality video from one of the shows.

18. Hot on the heels of Nintendo Power‘s fond recollections, GameSetWatch remembers ActRaiser for the Super NES.
19. Holy crap. Forget the above Wii commercials, I think Red Steel has the best one.

    Far better than this, anyway.

20. Chris Kohler at Wired takes a look at games to make you laugh, always a good thing.
21. Everyone’s talking about this Wii/Zelda production video like it’s some big thing. But it’s not. It’s very lacking. Know why?

    Music.

    This thing needs music. Like that little jingle you’d hear in old Looney Tunes, “Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo doo…” and such. I have no idea what it’s called, but if someone can add that to this, it’ll make it a LOT better.

22. …these are the guys who’ll be putting together the next big gaming convention?

    $#!+. There goes the planet.

23. Hmm… I should check to see if I get CNBC… this might be interesting.
24. Oh, I thought there was an announcement for Wii Play. Yeah, Nintendo, what gives?
25. IGN has crabs. Historically-accurate crabs, that is. And this is what they think.
26. …huh. Ok…
27. …did someone on 4chan come up with this?
28. Oh lord.

    I’m not sure if John Cena or the t-shirt guy here cited the “Rated E for ‘Everyone’” bit in regards to Lita/Your Mom, respectively, but either way, Kotaku is receiving threats from the ESA about it.

    Guess it’s a little hard to blame them, seeing as how they seem to be on the bad end of a perception of being little more than the biggest joke involving letters and numbers since Big Bird told Elmo that “Seven Ate Nine.” So I can see why they might be a little defensive in trying to protect what little integrity they have left.

    Still, going after the wrong guys…

29. Kotaku has discovered that Wii Sports is looking better now than when it premiered at E3. Coolness.
30. N-Europe’s “Fire Flower” column examines storytelling in games.
31. Have a question about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess which have not yet been answered, then perhaps Toastyfrog has your hook-up.

…damn, finally, finished. I swear, it never fails. Miss one day, and then it’s like EVERYTHING happens.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. For the record, I may have lost some respect for Itagaki as a person, but not as a game developer.
2. onNintendo has some links to a medley of different Nintendo-related features, including a CNet interview with Reggie Fils-Aime.

   My favorite, though, is the Nintendo.com poll alluding to last week’s South Park.

3. Go Nintendo grabs a reading for Zelda: Twilight Princess from GameStats, showing that the hype is at a fever pitch.

   You have to wonder if it would’ve reached it had Nintendo released the game on time.

4. Wow, this house in London looks like a good place for some rest and Wii-laxation.
5. Siliconera has a neat feature which highlights some of the fighters of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 for Wii and PS2. And it seems to be getting good reviews, to boot!

   C’mon, bring on Videl already!

6. In a recent interview, it seems that Godfather of Gaming Nolan Bushnell is curious about the Wii, and thinks Sony have shot themselves in the foot.

   On a related note, I want to try a uWink.

7. Chris Kohler at Game|Life gives a quick impression of Contra on XBox Live Arcade.

   Incidently, I don’t think the arcade Contra is as bad as he makes it out to be, so…

8. PS3 commercial from Kotaku.

   Just one word.

   WHAT?!?

9. Eh, forget PS3. I’m holding out for the PlayStation 9.

   The irony being that as we near the next generation, it seems the Wii comes closer to the PS9 than the PS3 does, if only marginally so.

   But my question is, I suffer from a bit of a stuffed-up nose, so will my enjoyment of the PS9 be hindered? It’s almost like a futuristic version of my problem of not having an HDTV. I just can’t win.

10. Kotaku presents: Kutaragi Damage Kontrol.

Now for some Super Mario World and some sleep.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Remember the art from the old TransFormers and GI Joe toy packages of the 80s? Well, some of those pieces, as well as those from other toylines, have been gathered by the artist and published in a book that’s sure to stir up some old memories. 48 pages, just five bucks.
2. GameTrailers brings you Zelda: Twilight Princess videos. Some character interaction, item collection, and enemies. Probably spoilerish stuff.
3. New Sonic Next-Gen screens, including shots of Elise, Eggman, and Tails.

   What does Secret Rings bring? More dinosaurs!

4. onNintendo has a neat little chart up that shows which game system-types work with which controllers on the Wii.
5. Go Nintendo reports this story which mentions that new subscriptions to Nintendo Power might get not only a The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Player’s Guide, but an official soundtrack as well.

   Nice deal, I should renew…

6. GN reports that GamePro has a nice preview of Super Mario Galaxy now available.
7. GN links to Angry Gamer, where they review the Wii Virtual Console launch line-up.

   Urban Champion

   Nintendo is one of the most resourceful game development companies in the world. They have literally thousands of NES games in their back catalogue to choose from for inclusion with the Wii Virtual Console. And?they give us Urban Champion. It?s kind of like someone going ?Hey I got a box of candy, want some?? and they give you a sodding Aero bar. Aero bars are stupid and useless and dumb and so is Urban Champion. 1/10

   Ok, funny is funny and all, but that’s just going too damn far.

8. Ok, I admit it. I laughed.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. BWTF.com has some new reviews up, in the form of Classics Starscream(including comparison shots to the G1 original) and the red and yellow Scrapmetals from TransFormers Cybertron.

   Still wish they’d release the “Cobybot” head mold for the Scrapmetal, tho.

2. GameTrailers has added a few more Mario Party 8 trailers, for those who are curious as to what the Wii may bring to the shindig.
3. Go Nintendo has provided a flipped trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, so as to give an idea of what to expect from the GameCube version of the title.
4. If you’re a Sonic fan who wants a DS but have not yet gotten one, this French package may be of interest to you.
5. For your viewing pleasure: five minutes of someone overheating and wrecking their Excite Truck.
6. Japanese Wii billboard.
7. Import review for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All.
8. Well, this blows.

   Not that I’m a huge Guitar Hero freak or anything, but it is a nift little game, but Microsoft is doing us wrong with the sequel.

   I can understand not wanting to have competing controllers that do the same thing, maybe with a little bit more out there, but come ON.

9. Newsarama takes a look at some recent DVD releases, including the first season set of Justice League Unlimited.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

1. Over at Lameazoid.com, RamenJunkie reviews Super Mario 64 DS.

   I may do one later, but I will say I do agree with this review. It is a great game and perhaps the version to own, but for one problem I myself(and others) have with it: it simply doesn’t work as well without the analog stick. The digital controls are workable, but not to the extent which the N64 version did. If they could add that, then this should be what appears on the Virtual Console. As I’ve said before, I would then buy it a third time.

2. Yet more Iwata Asks…
3. GameTrailers continues their Legend of Zelda Retrospective this week with part four, looking at Capcom’s contributions to the legendary game series.

   …man, I really need to play the Oracle games and The Minish Cap sometime.

4. It’s Party time! Nintendo revealed the 8th installment of the popular Mario Party series for the Wii at Nintendo World 2006, and GameTrailers has the videos.
5. If you’re ready to have a Brawl, then maybe you’re ready to check out GameTrailers’ Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer in HD.
6. Some of the ZD crew debate on video whether or not Yoshi’s Island DS is worthy of the name.
7. Slashdot links a Gamasutra article looking at Which video game has made the biggest ‘quantum leap’ in terms of storytelling, and why?

   Clearly, I’m alone in my opinion that Donkey Kong belongs on the list.

8. 1UP reviews Neverwinter Nights 2… or they don’t. But they did, once… or so we’re lead to believe.
9. …I can’t help but think that this is a dozen lawsuits waiting to happen at once.
10. Don’t even own the 360 yet, but I’ll probably try to buy this game, anyway.

    And so will you. Admit it. There’s no shame in it. It’s ok. We understand here.

11. *longing sigh*
12. I still love this evolution in out-of-game bonus materials.
13. Well, consider my mind blown.

    I thought this was a real wrestling photo from New Japan or something.

    Damn…

14. …is it wrong to laugh at this?

    Seriously, my moral compass is spinning like a copter and flying around the room.

15. …I dunno, I thought Fighting Force was fun… ._.;

    The demo disc deal was pretty cool, though. Mmm, stuffed crust…

16. Two words, five letters to describe my feelings towards the item pictured here.

    Go.

17. From Busta Toons: He-Man is badass.

LBD “Nytetrayn”