InFormers: Robots in the News

1. I could just cry. Not only am I NOT a member of the Official TransFormers Collector’s Club, but that now means that I cannot view the Wreckers finale. Bloody hell.
2. On a more tangible note, it is NOW that I would really, really like to get a Classics Cliffjumper, if only so I could trick him out with this cool upgrade kit.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Who doesn’t love a good, funny animated gif? Certainly not some people on YouTube, who’ve created 95 video collections of them so far, seemingly to music. Great way to kill a Saturday afternoon while it snows outside.
2. Awhile ago, it was mentioned here by way of NinjaTurtles.com that EtchStar.com would begin offering engravings of the Turtles on electronics such as iPods, laptops and mobile phones, and it seems they’ve now begun. You can read the full release on the front of the Turtles site, but I just wanted to mention that during December, they’re offering free shipping to TMNT fans who use the coupon code SHPFE12.
3. Regarding the NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, the 5th turtle had this to say:

   5. Each NECA turtle will have the same body but unique faces/heads.

   6. Why no secondary characters included in NECA’s first wave release? Here’s what NECA had to say: “In an effort to introduce the line early in the year and to be able to ship before Chinese New Year we are going to offer the classic 4 turtles first. We will then refresh the line in Spring with variations on the turtles along with new secondary characters.”

   He also has a pic of Mikey’s face for the figure.

4. Streamlining Vegas.
5. Good luck getting the role of, er, “Sangoku” in the Dragon Ball movie, guy. You’re going to need it.

Video Power

1. Don’t think I ever saw this Sonic TV Games joystick in stores. Was it ever released?

   What a queer design. Yes, that’s right: queer. As in odd. Just because some people decide to repurpose parts of the English language doesn’t make the original meanings invalid.

   Anyway, just weird they’d have Sonic’s fist erupting from Sonic’s face, though I can see that as some sort of strange metaphor for how half the franchise’s games have gone over the past few years…

2. Postcards from the Video Game World, one of the better Photoshop Phridays as hosted by SomethingAwful.com.
3. Remember when Sony’s PlayStation 3 controller looked like this? This is what I see in my head whenever I think
   “PlayStation 3 controller” or “Sixaxis.” Don’t know why. Kind of wish I’d gotten my hands on this, I never thought it was that bad a design. Jarring at first, yes, but not necessarily bad.

   Now, it seems that there’s the occassional knock (if anything is said about the design at all, anyway) that they’ve stuck with the same design for three generations.

4. Despite all the BluRay, Cell-based Hokey Pokey realism of games, are they still not realistic enough? Or do you care if you see a character flip a lightswitch with his hand or not?

   Give me interestingly unreal any day.

5. Have kids? Make ‘em a snack they’ll never forget with your own homemade Pikacheese. Or even for yourself, I guess, if you’re really, really bored.
6. Still have a lot of my Nintendo merchandise. Thing that always irked me about this catalog, however, is that it wasn’t truly a catalog: you couldn’t buy a damn thing in it, only see what licensees were making. Finding it to buy was all on you at whatever retail outlets happened to be nearby.

   Ironically, thanks to the internet, I’d kill for a book like this…

   Just for fun, let’s see what I managed to acquire…

   …on second thought, let’s don’t. Because I’m sure no one cares.

7. “Gaming’s cheapest and laziest moments:”

   Dennis The Menace for the Super NES was impossible to complete because the developers hadn’t actually finished creating the game.

   Um, wow. I wonder if that’s even legal. Or what sort of grief people went through over that. Barring the grief of the game itself, of course. I mean, if some idiot can sue over Halo 3, then this had to be a goldmine itself.

   I wonder what moments compare in games from today’s market.

8. Where do you sit to do your best gaming? Me, I prefer my sofa.
9. I swear, there are some stupid patents out there. Patents I would like to exploit. But SEGA holding the patent on switching camera angles? Give me a break.

   Also, I think it’s Namco who sucks because they’ve got a patent on playable minigames during loading times. Thankfully, it’s less an issue these days.

10. An edition of “The Forgotten” takes a look at Capcom’s phantom Mega Man Mania project, collecting the five Game Boy Mega Man games into one GBA cartridge, giving color to all. Within, it mentions the tale wherein Capcom had purportedly lost the source code to the games.

    A little older, a little wiser now, but most of all more knowledgable, I think I know a possibility of what really happened.

    These Mega Man collections have typically been US-exclusive, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Japanese developers do NOT like it when their source code is messed with. It’s become legendary how Yuji Naka threw a fit when SEGA of America gave one of its teams the code for NiGHTS without his permission, so that Sonic Xtreme could be made.

    And more recently, in Contra 4, it was revealed that the versions of Contra and Super C were 1-player because to do otherwise for the DS would require a change of the code, and that’s a big no-no.

    Thus, it seems that the most likely scenario here is that Capcom of Japan wasn’t about to give up the source code for the games to be tweaked for color and whatever else for this American game. And to try and release the five game without color? That probably wouldn’t go over so hot with ANYone, save for those desperate to play the games in any form at all, unable to find a place to purchase the originals. Perhaps they tried to remake it from scratch or hacking ROMs, and it just wasn’t working.

    Of course, it leads one to wonder about titles such as Mega Man Anniversary Collection, which features shoddy chop-shop versions of Japan’s Rockman Complete Works PS1 titles. Perhaps hacking stuff out was easier than adding it in…

11. Xbox Live is $50 a year. You’d think Microsoft could do something to soften the blow come resubscription time.
12. Rock Band: It can get you evicted.
13. The fine folks at MoCap have created what might be the greatest game ever… er, maybe…

    “If that game’s released, kids will start reading again.”

14. I think I remember an ad, MAYBE a review for Aero Fighters. Naturally, ScrewAttack.com remembers more than that, and fondly.
15. Since I’m not boycotting GameSpot just yet, I guess it’s safe to say that they have an interview with Super Mario Galaxy‘s Yoshiaki Koizumi about the finished game, with some interesting notes about things like power-ups, Luigi, Yoshi, and a more traditional co-op.
16. Speaking of Mario (as I often do), GameDaily has compiled a list of what they think are the ten worst Mario characters. Let’s see…

    Seems to be a real hate-on for Super Mario Bros. 2 characters here. I still like Wart, and I think Clawgrip is the hardest boss in the game.

    Princess Peach? Wow, harsh. And Mario himself? Frankly, I think his voice in Galaxy was an improvement over Sunshine.

    And between us (a-ha, ha, ha), Martinet’s voice is sort of what I imagined Mario to sound like before I ever heard him in a cartoon… just minus the Italian accent.

17. Mario lists not your thing? Fine, then have a list of outrageous boobs instead.
18. Hate snipers in Halo 3? Now, you can root ‘em out with these handy maps.
19. Seems that while the gaming audience is growing, a number of adults are still deterred by the price.
20. The whole releasing of Wonder Boy/Adventure Island games, among other names for what amount to the same games, boils down into quite a mess. Luckily, Game|Life is ready to try their hand at straightening it all out.
21. The New York Times: clearly can’t be trusted for accuracy.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Something to consider before accepting that job on the graveyard shift.

   Doesn’t do much for one’s attention span, either.

Video Power

1. And the final Smash Bros. DOJO!! update of the week, and final update before the original release date of December 3rd, is the return of Melee Stages, such as the Great Temple seen here.
2. Wow, I feel really awful for the staff at Hudson that were just laid off, and right at the start of the Christmas season, no less. That’s as harsh as it gets. Half the staff! Is there a worse time this could have happened?

   Kotaku has a statement from Hudson regarding the firings.

3. Meanwhile, Sony seems to have finally given their ad firm the boot as well. Guess Saliva-infused commercials were too little, too late. Or maybe it’s because they’re still using PSP ads featuring that really annoying guy.

   Be sure and check out the wacky new Euro ads linked within as well.

   Oh, and for the record, only the last two paragraphs of the Editor’s Take are me. For whatever reason, someone decided to add a few things…

4. Oh, word is that Sony has picked Deutsch as the new guys in charge of the ads.
5. Microsoft thinks they’ve got the best lineup of games going into the holiday season, and they might be right.

   If you’re wondering why the hell Spongebob is there, the original tip for the story took me here, and “greatest release schedule ever” made me think “best day ever” from the Spongebob movie, and was originally used in the title.

   Now, I just look like some sort of an ass. But at least you now know the reason why.

6. To cover production, Konami is claiming that Metal Gear Solid 4 will need to sell one million copies on its first day.

   I say, no way in hell. MAYBE if they release it in all available countries simultaneously. Maybe.

7. Word of advice: Don’t download the new PS3 update. Seriously, do they even test this crap before sending it out?
8. Penny Arcade broke the news earlier this evening via their latest comic strip, which can be seen in the following: 10-year GameSpot veteran Jeff “8.8″ Gerstmann got the axe over his Kane & Lynch review. In an unusual appearance on the Penny Arcade forums, Gabe even stepped up to verify that the event upon which the comic strip was based was true.

   I don’t like this one bit, but until something a little more verifiable comes down the line, I’ll still link to GameSpot. But if it’s true, you can expect my support to cut off. Yeah, I’m sure it’ll hurt them tons, but this is about principle, dammit.

   For those interested, you can check out the review here, though it’s the video review that seems to be drawing the heat.

   Joystiq has a shot of what the site looked like mere hours ago before it all went down right here, as well as some general suspicions about the whole thing.

9. A new trailer says that Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is on track for a release on January 8th.
10. Wouldn’t it be cool if Penny Arcade Adventures came to the Wii? Mike ?Gabe? Krahulik seems to think so.
11. Domino’s Pizza and Microsoft are teaming up to bring you XII Days of Xbox when you order a pizza online, with prizes including 2-day Live Gold subscription cards and Xbox 360 units with Project Gotham Racing 4.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. So, what do you get when you cross TransFormers with Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies?
2. Ah, those Japanese and their Lucky Draw contests. You can see one such prize in the form of a golden Big Convoy from Beast Wars Neo.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. And now… NECA’s Leonardo, in all his glory.

   Seems the two secondary characters that were to accompany the fab four have been dropped for the moment, however.

2. That’s one lucky lunch!
3. The Angry Video Game Nerd once again dons his Movie Nerd hat as he takes us through the top 10 baddest bad guys to cross the silver screen.
4. I would love to know the train of thought that lead this person to believe that ANY part of this action would be a good idea.

Video Power

1. Killer Instinct had some pretty cool character designs, for the most part. Fulgore was a definite favorite of mine, and I’d like to at least see that crop up in another game, if not a new or re-released KI title.
2. Nothing like the potent mix of video games at Christmastime, eh?
3. Shy Guys: Real or imaginary (so to speak)?

   For the full story on these guys, be sure to check out their entry at the Super Mario Wiki.

   Stupid, Funny Fact: Before I ever got to play Super Mario Bros. 2, only having a few screenshots seen at retail and word that Mario was fighting in a “dream world,” I saw a pic of Mario tossing a big veggie at a Shy Guy, and thought it was so cool that Mario was taking out Jason from Friday the 13th.

   Obviously, I later found out that was not only not the case, but it’s in fact Freddy Krueger who inhabits dreams, not Jason. As you can tell, I was never big into those kinds of movies. But the truth never took away that moment when I thought Mario was a certifiable badass.

   (He still is, just not for that reason.)

4. Yahoo takes a look at a number of movies (11, to be exact) set to come out, all based on video games.
5. When it comes to the word “canon” anywhere in the vicinity of Mario’s name, people usually think about the Bill Blasters or the things on the side of Bowser’s airships.

   Not 4ColorRebellion, however; they’ve come up with their own zany chronology of how the various Mario-verse titles relate to one another. And the movie, too.

6. Don’t you just hate it when things in video games get just a little… awkward?

   Be warned, some of these border on more mature humor.

7. Oh, sure, there’s the Famicom-to-NES adaptor to consider, but I just don’t think I could bring myself to do that to a copy of Gyromite. Surely, SURELY there must be another way!
8. An argument as to why the Wii shortage is legitimate.
9. For some reason, in the UK, video games are now being blamed for declining literacy rates. You know, because all of those menus, dialogue, subscreens, magazines, etc. feature absolutely no text or anything. Just click and shoot, click and shoot…
10. Related to the GameSpot/Gerstmann story in The Daily ‘Shroom, Chad Lakkis at ripten games asks, “can you trust a video game site that runs video game ads?”

    I think, in some select cases, you can.

11. IGN has an interview with Yoshiaki Koizumi about the development of Super Mario Galaxy.
12. Next Generation checks out how retailers did with their Black Friday sales.
13. With so many great releases this year, could 2007 be the best year ever for video games?
14. Good games are good, certainly, but which ones are system sellers?
15. Find out how to avoid being labeled a noob with Games Radar’s handy guide.
16. When did games start becoming so damn emo?

    Interesting that Mega Man X or Zero are mentioned nowhere within. I always thought the general consensus was that X originated the concept of a colorful franchise taking a darker turn, and Zero refined it.

17. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and others, has an autobiography on the way. Can’t wait to read that.

    Be sure to check the link for a video of Martinet discussing how he got the job, violence in games, and more in his own distinct style. 15 minutes of Martinet-Mario goodness!

18. Incredible. I thought a bust like this only worked on The Simpsons!
19. At some point, it seems that Bungie decided to be kind enough to create video histories of the first two Halo titles as a primer for Halo 3.

    Or you can try to use this guide.

20. Whether or not games are art, they certainly never fail to inspire it.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. A new press release for TransFormers: Animated reveals that while the toys may be delayed, “the show will be premiering as planned, with a three-episode movie airing on December 26 and the full series beginning on January 5, 2008 on the Cartoon Network.” There are some other details available as well, such as those surrounding 8-year old human female Sari’s role in the plot.

   Hmm, a June release for the toys, with it fully under way in August? Six months AFTER the cartoon goes to air. Wow. Not very coordinated marketing, is it? Oh well, not like I’ve been able to afford a TransFormer that wasn’t on sale or otherwise marked down in some time.

   Now, I just wonder when Canada will get the cartoon. I hate how press releases for such things always neglect to mention such a thing. It’s like, we’re STANDING RIGHT HERE, people, do you mind?

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Toys R Us has released a list of recommended stocking stuffers, and– wait, is that Super Mario Galaxy? What the hell, when I was growing up, that’d be a bloody GIFT, not just a stocking stuffer. I don’t think things have changed all that much since, either.

Video Power

1. So, part 2 of the Discovery Channel’s Rise of the Video Game documentary is running this week, and a funny thing. Turns out I didn’t miss it at all; rather, it missed us entirely. Yep, Discovery Channel in the US and Canada are two different beasts, and the one with moose antlers figures we don’t need to know about them thar vid’ya games.
2. Ah boy. Smash Bros. DOJO!! brings us a new update: the return of Events. These could get pretty frustrating and brutal in Melee, as I recall. I never did get Final Destination…

   Dear Sakurai: Trading is big these days. Wouldn’t it be great if players could trade unlockables online?

3. …what the hell?

   Looks like Nintendo has sort of revamped and unified their site, all around the world.

4. New licensed games based on the likes of I Love Lucy, The Three Stooges, and The Honeymooners?
5. No More Heroes has just three words for you to step up your game: Blueberry Cheese Brownie.

   Other videos include ranker battle gameplay, a bit of action, and the preview event.

6. We’ve seen Team Mario’s trailer, now, what’s Team Sonic got?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Hey, kid, a word of advice: the characters in Death Note are actually known for using their heads when dealing with something like that.
2. Mac & Cheese your food of choice? Yahoo has some tips to liven it up a little.
3. Oh………. wow………….

   I think we can safely deduce that she is NOT smarter than a fifth grader, perhaps knocking down a few extra grades on top of that.

4. Top dog in the world of Turtles, the Teenage Mutant Ninja variety, that is, has the following for those of you into convention sketches but unable to attend one:

   I don’t do too many comic conventions these days, but when I do go to one with the Mirage crew, one of the most fun things for me is collaborating with my old pal and ace colorist/cartoonist Steve Lavigne on TMNT head sketches — I draw them and Steve colors them. Now Steve and I have decided to make some of these types of sketches available to fans who can’t make it to the shows that we attend. Check out lavignebrownart.blogspot.com (or do a search on eBay) to find out more.

   – Peter Laird

5. The 5th turtle shows off a rejected base from one of the NECA figures (due to colors), with an addendum regarding what it looks like.
6. Mark Evanier shares some thoughts related to the upcoming new DVD release of the Adam West Batman movie.
7. Vegas will get you, no matter what machine you put your money into.
8. Equal rights for women strike as Minnie packs a little heat of her own.
9. Press The Buttons brought to my attention a Family Guy bit I seem to have missed, involving Stewie performing a parody of the Naked Gun intros. This lead me to a quick YouTube search, which resulted in a montage of the intros, Family Guy included. Good stuff.

   Say, think they’ll do a new Naked Gun any time soon?

Video Power

1. Jazwares has released their new action figures based on Mortal Kombat, and Figures.com has a review of Noob Saibot (just “Noob” here, seems that since Tobias left the company, they shortened it. Lacks the punch, methinks) and Reptile from the line. How do they fare? Let’s find out!
2. Hey, I can finally view the official Bionic Commando website! And just in time, too, as they’ve added a new podcast!
3. Want to know the status of your Nintendo WiFi connection? Why don’t you ask Lakitu for free?
4. Awhile back, Matt at Press The Buttons hit on a major grievance of mine: video game shipping dates. To the best of my knowledge, video games are the one part of the entertainment industry where you just never know when you’ll find what came out on a given date. DVDs, CDs, books, comic books, magazines, they’re all pretty much there when they say they’ll be there, barring the unforeseen complication, which is forgivable enough, even through clenched teeth. And games HAVE on rare occassion managed to pull off the “available on” technique; Halo 3, for example, right? So what’s the deal?
5. Donkey Kong has quite a storied legacy in games. It’s funny to think that for a time, it seemed that Nintendo had all but forgotten about the big ape who co-starred with Mario in the first steps to making them a household name.

   Matt takes a look back at Donkey Kong’s legacy, circa 2005, and his ultimate rise to superstardom as a Nintendo staple.

   Donkey Kong Country 3 is the one game of the original trilogy I never did finish, though, and to this day, I’m not sure why. I just seem to get sidetracked by other games. I think maybe the GBA version would help.

   Donkey Kong 64, I never got into the way I wanted. Just what to do never seemed especially clear to me the way it was in Super Mario 64, it struck me as a game where you wanted to have a strategy guide handy, journey of discovery be damned.

   I rather loved Mario vs. Donkey Kong at first, but in some later levels, things just seemed too damn complicated. Some time later, I did *ahem* “borrow” a friend’s copy (rest assured, I have my very own) wherein I got to use the save st–file to finally see and beat the last boss, and I enjoyed it with but a hint of sadness that I had to resort to such a method to see it through. I can get through Donkey Kong ’94 with no real problems, but this one… sigh.

   Of the more recent titles, however, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (made by the same guys who did some title, what was it? Super something Galaxy?) made me fall in love at Nintendo World, and I didn’t rest until I had my own copy, and have thoroughly enjoyed it, though that one I’ve been sidetracked from as well.

6. Love Luigi’s Mansion though I may, I think people will always consider Mario Is Missing to be Luigi’s first big solo title. You know, despite the inability to be hurt or the lack of a distinct sprite from his brother.

   All the same, you just have to wonder if this will make it to Virtual Console, or Mario’s Time Machine for that matter.

   …yes, I played both. And beat both. And I’d probably get them again at the right price. Stop looking at me like that.

7. Apparently, the end wasn’t quite the end as GameTrailers brings part 2 of their post-mortem Ratchet & Clank Future interview.
8. Next Generation talks to Alexey Pajitnov, the inventor of Tetris, in an interview about “those 27 kilobytes of code that changed the world.”
9. Games Radar explains how Link’s Crossbow Training has begun a trend that can help save shooters on the Wii.
10. Want an RPG that has nothing to do with the Square-Enix name? Games Radar has a list.
11. I know crap-all about Gamertags, but apparently you can add mottos to them, and for those who are having trouble coming up with one, GR has some suggestions, plucked right from many an actual game.
12. Is Super Mario Galaxy a borderline failure at retail? this guy seems to think so.
13. Don’t normally post much in the way of reviews, but IGN has a pretty good one for the NES classic Wrecking Crew on the Virtual Console.
14. 2P Start has a funny comic up regarding Super Mario Galaxy, and its not-quite perfection (believe it or not, I don’t think it’s perfect, either. I’ll try to get to that in a review sometime… once I can tear myself away from it).
15. And now, a word to parents from G4′s Adam Sessler: play with your damn kids!
16. Oh, so that’s why those Rat Race clips weren’t funny. Right…
17. Susan O’Connor has three rules for game stories.
18. Zero Punctuation’s Yahtzee tackles Fear.
19. A new study shows that game rentals don’t always translate into purchases, for obvious reasons.
20. Nintendo of America COO and President Reggie Fils Aime laments that Wii shortages are missed opportunities.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Could the original Generation 1 Ironhide and Ratchet be getting new heads? That seems to be what Dengeki Hobby magazine in Japan is reporting.

   Me, I’d love that. Those two were always favorites when I was a kid, Ironhide moreso. And the toys have always fascinated me. Never had them, but they’re just so… unique.

   Still, what I’m REALLY hoping for is an appearance in Classics.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. JungleFury.net has added teasers for the next Power Rangers iteration, which may also be the last live-action one as well.
2. Newsarama has details about the upcoming direct-to-DVD Justice League: The New Frontier movie.

   I’m skeptical. It just sounds too much like the Justice League series pilot to me, and doesn’t seem to differ too greatly from Timm’s work visually, either.

3. The negotiations on the strike are said to be “going well,” could the writers soon return to work?
4. Looks like Punisher: War Zone is due next September.

Video Power

1. Looks like the Nintendo DS has broken the GBA’s sales record.
2. Some of the details of multiplayer in the upcoming Ghostbusters game have finally been revealed.

   And some good news, everyone! The Wii title won’t be a port of the PS2 version, oh no. Turns out, it’s the other way around. Works for me!

3. Bit by bit, Sony’s Home is coming together. Here’s what’s been added to the latest version.
4. Two weeks and 650,000 Wiis later…
5. Is this Jack Thompson’s last stand?

   It’s sad. His cause underneath might be worthy, but his methods have proven far too deplorable to support. Which is too bad, because he did seem halfway decent at that Moral Combat debate.

6. Hey, a Xbox 360 backwards compatibility update! I didn’t know they still made these!
7. Yeah, I admit it. I wrote this about Greenpeace rating Nintendo a zero before I heard what sort of chumps they are.

   Plus, N-Sider and ArsTechnica reveal that it’s less to do with Nintendo’s performance and more to do with a lack of online records of what they’re doing.

8. Since the price drop, Sony’s sales have tripled in the US.
9. Smash Bros. DOJO!! brings us the scoop on Wario’s Final Smash. And it’s not even what you think it is.

   Plus, according to Go Nintendo, IGN has a few exclusive screens to show off.

10. Even though sales seem to be brisk for the Xbox 360 and PS3 these days, Activision’s CEO still thinks they need to hit $199 for mass-market adoption to occur.
11. Just a few moments of watching the new trailer for Space Invaders Extreme makes one thing VERY clear: this is NOT your father’s Space Invaders.
12. Kotaku got to go “Hands-Off, Eyes-On” with Bionic Commando, and here’s what they thought.

    Plus, some translation tales, which is botched by the simple fact that Super Joe was a seperate character, the Zero to Rad Spencer’s X, if you will.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. “Stupid Car Crash” video. It’s always the suspense that gets me on these, as you’re not sure just when the vehicle’s going to hit.

   “Is it that one? No… that one? No… well when is– oh, there it is.”

2. 5th Turtle has a peek at Donatello from the ’07 holiday card, as well as an explanation for the ’86ing of Jagwar from the Global Mutant Missions line from a fellow at Playmates.
3. Trouble sleeping? Maybe this method will help. Have your own? Feel free to share it (here or there).
4. More talk with David X. Cohen about the future of Futurama.
5. Ever since the biggest crisis to hit the DC universe (until the next one), there has been 52 alternate universes established, and Newsarama checks out what they are.
6. This is a neat Mickey Mouse collectible; oldschool black-and-white, and packin’ heat, no less!
7. This past Monday, Chris Jericho got to meet Santino Marella for the first time, and it was pretty funny.

Video Power

1. Capcom has found a new (or newly reborn, it’s new to me either way) Street Fighter fan site known as “Street Fighter Devotion:”

   “Featuring interviews, exclusive art by UDON Street Fighter artists, and journalistic character profiles, the centerpiece of the site is an exhaustively researched and stunningly extensive Street Fighter museum”

   Definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of Street Fighter.

2. Mega Man and Metal Man face off in this neat beadcraft.
3. Hmm, I don’t think I have a copy of the Castlevania II Worlds of Power novel. I ought to remedy that, one of these days. Just ’cause.

   I still have my Worlds of Power: Mega Man 2 book. I actually loved it back in the day, mostly for lack of anything else that gave me a little more of a look into Mega Man’s world.

   …I think it was around Mega Man X that I realized everyone else wasn’t wrong about Mega Man still being a robot, just that Worlds of Power was full of it. But on the upside, rendering the cover for a “book cover” contest in elementary school netted me the winning prize, so it wasn’t without value. I won a copy of the Guiness Book of World’s Records, inside which I could discover just how big a Scholastic sucker I was.

4. A few days ago, I added a new feature wherein I looked back at some of my favorite video game advertisements which were essentially short comics (you can find it in the Articles section in the sidebar on the left. Hell with it. Just click here). Deliberately left out were some of the lengthier insert-type comics which defied the traditional limitations of most print ads, which usually take up only about one or two pages.

   One such exception that I neglected was Johnny Turbo, the spokesguy for the TurboGrafx16 and TurboCD that you might have heard about on Virtual Console. Fortunately, these have been collected and discussed online.

   I don’t get it. What kind of focus group did they use to determine a guy like this was the way to go, and at what point during the meeting did they all get together and decide to totally mess with the people conducting the research? Johnny Turbo looks more like Uncle Ed, come back from trekking through the backwoods of the future, half-crazy from starvation for his days lost in the wilderness and unable to kill the robodeer, what with their air-to-air missiles and whatnot.

   And the Blues Brothers are apparently to blame.

5. It’s interesting to see a smalltown company repurpose a license character for promotion their own trade (no matter how abstract the relation may be), but what does that make you think of the company itself? Surely if you saw an orange Sonic peddling tacos, you wouldn’t be swayed into eating there. So why do they do it?
6. So, whatever happened to the “Sonic Killer” known as Bubsy the Bobcat, anyway?
7. Super Mario Galaxy makes tons of references to past Mario titles without relying on them to make the game. Error Macro has compiled a list of such recurrences, and their origins. How many did you catch/know?
8. I had no idea that they made Double Dragon for the Atari 2600. Oh well, if Mega Man could, why not?
9. o/~ They call him Sonic… ’cause he is faster than sound, he keeps on jumping around… blue hedgehog Sonic… with incredible speed, he’s moving his feet… o/~

   Anyway, Racketboy has gathered up a collection of what he finds to be the most stunning Sonic the Hedgehog artwork. And some of these are pretty nift; I rather like the first, actually.

   “Home Sweet Home” and “The Doomsday Zone” are awesome, too.

10. According to a developer for Battalion Wars (aka Advance Wars), a lot of developers aren’t taking full advantage of the Wii’s capabilities.
11. ScrewAttack brings us a new Top 10, this time looking at Fighting Games.
12. At the airport, a Rabbid finds true love.

    And who ever thought that the Raving Rabbids would get their own single?

13. Missed previous entries in the Street Fighter: The Later Years series? Catch up at GameTrailers.

    Hmm, I still need to grab the Xbox and 360 Dead Or Alive games…

    And you’d think that with Rare’s extremely low game output, they’d have some room to have SOMEONE port the Killer Instinct games… well, anywhere.

    Regarding Street Fighter IV being in 2D or 3D? Well, I did like Rival Schools quite a bit (despite never owning it), having it something akin to that wouldn’t be so bad.

14. IGN takes Hyrule’s #1 hero and looks back at the many styles and incarnations that spirit has dawned over the years.
15. Could an upstart company known as “Play N Trade” take over the #1 spot among video game retailers?
16. Next Generation has a new interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, wherein they delve into “what does the master think about how other entertainment media have influenced his work on the Mario games,” as well as his most famous creation and why Hollywood can’t seem to get it right.

    Interesting is that his thoughts on the Super Mario Bros. movie are that they followed the game TOO closely.

17. Looking for gift ideas? Game Daily has a few frugal suggestions.
18. Today, Games Radar offers ten games to help you relax a little.
19. Who knew that K-Fed rocked at NES classic Pro Wrestling back in the day? Guess that would help explain why he was so ready to go up against John Cena. How prophetic.
20. Retro Studios reflects in an Gamasutra interview about the path taken when developing Metroid Prime.
21. At the Montreal International Game Summit, Ben Sawyer gave his thoughts on why kids games don’t have to be crap.

    Another thing I miss about the NES days: the only “kids games” were those with a Sesame Street or somesuch license, so there wasn’t quite such a division where “adult games” would be better than “kids games” in the sense we seem to see today.

    Sawyer is calling for games with a more forgiving input method: A controller with one large button, for example, or a dance pad with one square to jump or step on. He also sees a place for educational games, but not ones that teach math or typing, he wants educational games that teach “game literacy.”

    I think that’s just a bit TOO simple.

    He wants games that teach his son about power-ups, and game mechanics and make him better at playing videogames.

    So get him an NES. Or Virtual Console.

22. My giant Companion Cubes, let me show you them.
23. PlayStation 3: A hacker’s dream?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Sounds like the theme to next year’s BotCon event will be interesting. Called “Shattered,” the new website promises everything you know will be just that in a Quicktime movie, as darkened images of Cybertron Crosswise, Classics Optimus Prime and Cybertron Hot Shot decorate elsewhere.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. IBM wants to ruin DVD rentals for everyone. Seriously, who could possibly think this is a good idea? Unless maybe the DVDs came really cheap or for free, but that’s a “proof is in the pudding” scenario, at best.

   Even then, better keep that off of the retail stuff. I swear, I HATE not being able to skip stuff on a DVD I own. Stupid, crazy, ridiculous stuff.

2. Aww, no Jagwar figure in the TMNT: Global Mutant Missions line? That’s just wrong.
3. Want a Christmas card from the good folks at Mirage? It can be yours, if you can guess what species the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mutated from.
4. The future is revealed, and the future is now, as GameSpite brings us this week’s newest releases in the realms of DVD, anime, and video games.
5. Speaking of DVD, coming to it next month is The Simpsons Movie.
6. Want to create the next Terminator poster? Seems that there’s just such a contest for The Sarah Conner Chronicles.
7. Sounds like there could be one “bitch”in’ spin-off to the X-Men movies in the making.

Video Power

1. Whoa, early Japan Time tonight at Smash Bros. DOJO!! But first, last night’s update was a cool one, going into greater detail about the game’s Control options. You can turn off jumps made with “Up” on the control stick! Among other neat features, I think that one is the most welcome to me.

   Tonight, we find out that the game supports Widescreen, and get a little music jamming with this Donkey Kong ditty (that’s “ditty,” not “Diddy”). It’s a neat theme, though slower paced. I hope there’s a stage that matches it, i.e. classic arcade Donkey Kong setting.

2. Looks like the PSP Slim was just the kind of thing people wanted, as one million have been moved in Japan.
3. Virtual Consoles new releases this week include: DOUBLE DRIBBLE (why all the caps?) for the NES, Vegas Stakes for the Super NES, and Ecco Jr. for the Genesis.

   What’s worth buyin’, and what’ll leave you cryin’? Retro Roundup has the answers.

4. And to counter, Xbox Live Arcade is getting… Asteroids. And Asteroids Deluxe. At least it’s spruced up a bit, right?

   Actually, truth be told, I’d probably rather try Asteroids than any of the three on VC right now. Except maybe Vegas Stakes. I dunno, I was more of a Casino Kid person growing up. A casino-based RPG? Win.

5. Ken Kutaragi is set to get a Lifetime Achievement Honor for being the “Father of the PlayStation” at the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Congrats, Ken, just don’t let it go to your head.
6. Hmm, seems that Nintendo of Europe’s site is closed for the moment. Doesn’t seem to affect offshoots like Mario’s Megasite, however, which has changed quite a bit since I last visited.

   Can’t say it’s really for the better, though.

   For those interested, here’s the e-mail version of the story.

7. The invasion is upon us, as we get ready to face more Rabbids than we can can shoot a plunger at.
8. If you’re looking to secure a Wii, try Best Buy this Sunday. Just be wary if they tell you that there’s only one left…
9. Nyko has a slick Wii Remote gun shell in the works.
10. Further confirmation on the DVD release for The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.
11. From seemingly out of nowhere, Nintendo launched the “Everybody’s Nintendo” channel for the Wii in Japan, and Game|Life’s Chris Kohler gives us a video tour of the currently Japan-only channel that gives you plenty of looks at Nintendo products, including DS downloads.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Ben Yee has a review and gallery of Robot Heroes Bumblebee and Barricade from the movie available now.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Aww, the poor kitty got pinned by a pillow.
2. Speaking of cats, did you ever see one that’s so happy in water?
3. Take a little time to learn about that little city to the north, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
4. PriceGrabber.com, via Raving Toy Maniac, has a list of the Top 5 Things You Didn’t Expect To See On Black Friday.
5. IGN gives us the rundown on all of the teaser sites seen so far for The Dark Knight.

Video Power

1. Good news! Capcom reports that IGN’s Anoop Gantayat got to go to the Rockman/Mega Man 20th Anniversary party, and has written up a report about it!

   Bad news! They fail to mention that it’s for IGN Insiders only. If someone can get the gist of the report and submit it, that’d be grand.

2. Continuing the series of articles by David Sirlin which detail the behind-the-scenes changes and re-balancing for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is a new entry that takes a look at the monstrous Native American known as T. Hawk.
3. Here’s a neat one (and long, too) from Racketboy’s Retro Gaming: The Best Pac-Man Clones and Spin-Offs.
4. Rare talks a little more about Viva Pinata on the Nintendo DS.
5. Ubisoft says that Assassin’s Creed is proof that original properties can thrive in a sequel and license-driven marketplace.
6. Word is that the video game industry is poised to crush all previous sales records this year.
7. The creator of Katamari Damacy laments that today’s games aren’t creative enough. I’m sure he means as a collective, rather than any specific title on its own.

   Incidently, that’s one thing I miss about the NES era. Seems like back then, EVERYTHING was new.

8. ScrewAttack looks back at a game I really wish they’d revisit now with the new Wii Zapper, Hogan’s Alley.

   …”shirtless guy?” I thought he was wearing a trenchcoat…

9. GameTrailers finishes up their interviews with the Ratchet & Clank team as they conduct the Post Mortem Interview.
10. They also give the Street Fighter IV trailer a thorough analysis, in the hopes of finding… something.

    “There are clues everywhere, if you know where to look…” Fascinating.

11. Looks like Ganondorf beats Bowser, at least in IGN’s poll.
12. GameDaily has a new Retro Rewind that looks back on the game that made “Fatality” a household word, Mortal Kombat.

    Still need to try Armageddon, personally.

13. Games Radar looks at seven games that should have sucked, but didn’t, and why.
14. They also add more gaming trivia to your brain with over 80 gaming firsts.
15. Chris Taylor, head of Gas Powered Games, has an interesting outlook on what gaming should be like…

    …like mowing lawns.

16. And now, for more mature readers, Street Fighter: The Later Years, part 6.
17. Wow, it took Go Nintendo’s headline to make me think about this… maybe it’s NOT the PS3′s launch pricetag that was choking them, since people are spending that much on Wiis now. It would certainly bear study…
18. First “Mega Man Water,” and now Mario on a plumbing van. Madness, I say.
19. It’s not the Virtual Console, or even NES Classics, but if you have some old Famicom games around, this is a neat way to play them on the go.
20. Belgian police have no sense of humor. And that just pisses me off.
21. I’ve seen this problem with returned TransFormers, and the people working at Wal-Mart didn’t care.

    Now, someone returned a gutted 360 and walked away with cash.

    Too far? You be the judge. Meanwhile, I’m wondering how many imitators this may spawn, especially among those who might have wound up with now-worthless red-ringed 360s MS refused to cover.

22. Patrick Warburton, aka Joe Swanson from Family Guy among other characters, explains why he thinks that humor is harder to pull off in video games. Admittedly, he’s right to some degree.
23. Finally, 1up’s Scott Sharkey lays it all out on the line for game developers: five ways to improve games and the scores they receive. Hard points to argue with, too.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Alright, time to see what’s transpired over the past couple of days of Thanksgiving break…

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. If you’ve a question for legendary TransFormers scribe Simon Furman, now’s your time to ask.
2. So… Animated Megatron will turn into… an Osprey-styled helicopter?
3. Oh, wow. Time for a history lesson.

   Back around the end of the 20th century, about 1998-2000, if memory serves, Hasbro released a show and toyline called Beast Machines as a follow-up to their successful, Emmy-award winning franchise-reviving Beast Wars. And to follow that, they were going to make a series called TransTech, using plenty of designs from a studio known as Draxhall Jump…

   …until Beast Machines more or less bombed. At the very least, it just didn’t do well enough to warrant continuing along the train of thought. As a result, Hasbro stalled for time by importing the popular Japanese cartoon TransFormers: Car Robots here as Robots in Disguise. This bought Hasbro enough time to team with Takara to make a cross-ocean franchise in Armada/Micron Legend and so on.

   Anyway, didn’t take long for a portion of the fans to get sick of beta animation, misscripted lines, and toys that couldn’t lift their arms or bend their legs, and so they started to wondering aloud about the MIA TransTech.

   Until now, as the Official TransFormers Collector’s Club has revealed that TransTech will be their focus for 2008. The interesting question that remains is, what are they going to do for toys? The TransTech designs never made it into production, with possibly less than a scant few even reaching the prototype stage. Since Master Collector doesn’t typically use new molds to make their figures, but rather retools…

   Maybe redecorated Movie toys? I have said that they do sort of look the part, except with realistic vehicle modes.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. They may not be Spartan-class of Chozo-worthy, but the military’s exo-suits are getting there.

   If they want more funding, they ought to make a good game to promote this thing.

2. Ouch! I think I’d have given him the ten bucks anyway.
3. Maybe you’ve seen that video of two cats speaking. But did you ever wonder just what they’re saying?
4. Epic fail on the Wheel of Fortune.
5. WebbAlert brings viral videos to ring in Turkey Day, including two “Will It Blend” episodes.
6. Thanks to Kanuck, we’ve got word that Kamen Rider Dragon Knight is coming to the US.

   …wait, Dragon Knight? Dammit. I really should’ve found another name for my fighting team…

7. The Stages. Happens to a lot of guys.
8. Captain Kirk is pissed after being snubbed by the makers of the new Star Trek film. They’d better watch it, lest his Shaman strike them down. Nevermind the Night Elf Mohawk reinforcements.
9. Beware of spoilers as the site for The Dark Knight takes it up a notch and The Joker mocks the media.

Video Power

1. Heatman has decked the halls with thanks (wait…) by offering up some Battle Network/EXE and ZX tunes from the Japanese soundtracks on The Mega Man Network.
2. And Smash Bros. DOJO!! makes us thankful for Lucas’ Special Moves, and the art of Charged Special Moves.
3. Press The Buttons has updated with their annual Holiday Gift Guide. Mine didn’t seem to go over so hot last year, so I don’t know if I’ll mess with it this year.
4. Gamasutra has a new feature up that looks at the secret ingredient of the feel of a game.

   Speaking of leaning into the turns and such, I remember when a friend and I had rented Star Fox on the Super NES, and the first time we’d gotten to Andross, he was playing, and was literally down to his knees trying to keep from being sucked in.

   Now THAT is how you do it.

5. I’m not much a car person. I just know what I like, and someday, I wouldn’t mind a small collection. Like, count the number on one hand.

   Actually, part of the dream is to have a custom hybrid Hummer that can drive me into the city from the country, in good weather or bad, and have the back open up to deploy a Smart car. Ah, to be rich…

   Anyway, Jeep has a new piece that I’d like to add to the list which strikes some folks as… inspired.

6. GameTrailers pits Super Mario Galaxy head to head with its predecessor, Super Mario Sunshine, in both standard and HD.
7. They’re STILL making trailers for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games? Maybe it’s to keep momentum going for the DS version.

   Anyway, here’s Team Mario. Say, you’d sorta think Bowser would be on Team Sonic, wouldn’t you?

8. ScrewAttack looks back at one of the few basketball games I’ve ever set my hands on in NBA Jam. It was kind of fun, but really, the main reason I ever picked it up was because it was the second game in the first Blockbuster World Video Game Championships.
9. A game I’ve regretfully been ignoring until I read the feature in the new Nintendo Power: No More Heroes. Check it out, it’s actually kind of interesting.
10. The team at MoCap tackles one of the most profitable businesses around.

    Um, this one might not be so good for the kiddies. It’s not exactly uncut, but… just keep the kids away.

11. Next Generation has been running a series of features called “The New Generation.” Part 1 looks at the games leading the way, while Part 2 takes a look at five figures who’ve helped shape what’s to come.

    And the newly-added Part 3 looks at five elements that are helping to facilitate the shift forward.

12. Games Radar has reminded me that I should really go back and visit my Animal Crossing towns.

    Actually, that comic the other day did that, but in a much sadder way.

    Anyway, they went back and found TONS of weeds, which will no doubt await me. Here’s a montage to the Benny Hill theme of them cleaning up.

13. The many gross, crazy, and funny ways to die in Halo 3.
14. Games Radar asks, “why the hell are PS3 games always late?”
15. Nintendogs, meet Wii’s Kitty Luv.

    I have no idea what it’s about, but it’s inspired me nonetheless; I’ve an idea for a game. Animals doing animal things. You take snapshots at weird moments, and add word macros, then send them to friends and post them on a Wii channel.

    Budget title, if not Wii Ware. Watch it sell.

16. GameVideos has a neat documentary about the Super FX chip, the 3D graphics chip for the Super NES which made games such as Star Fox and Stunt Race FX possible on the 16-bit system.
17. Nintendo of Japan spruces up their Super Mario Galaxy website with some wallpapers for your desktop. I like the one with Mario and all the bosses.

    Speaking of which, Kotaku hit upon the idea that it’s that very picture which should have been the box art, and even went so far as to make a mock-up of it. Good show.

18. Go Nintendo has found a collection of DS icons, the little ones that appear when you start up your game. RMC thinks they’re useless, but I could see these working well as instant messenger icons, perhaps… How many can you name?
19. By hook or by crook, Contra IV has been engineered with a way for you to get 99 lives in death.
20. Nintendo has revealed that they’re working on a fix for the Fire Emblem problem between the Wii and GameCube games’ save files.
21. Dengeki has some neat Ryuusei no Rockman (MegaMan Star Force) 2 art and cards and stuff, whatever it is…
22. Super Mario… Sisters? This in no way could have been good.
23. Check that, unless maybe it was something like this.
24. “GTA for girls?” The idea sounds like it COULD have some merit, but not like this.

And hopefully, that’ll do for now. See you in a couple more days!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”