InFormers: Robots in the News

1. For those who don’t care for the white color scheme on Music Label Convoy, good news is that there should be a new version released in G1 colors, due in March of 2008.
2. Yippee, more Star Wars TransFormers, as the “future looks bright” for them.

   I dunno, I still wish they’d gone a more crossover-styled route.

3. And it seems Tformers has a new look at new Movie Legends figures.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. The blog of the 5th turtle has given us a peek at an idea of where the animation style may go for the 2K8 series. Not too bad; I still like the 2K3 version better, but this seems like a decent blend of that aesthetic with the TMNT movie style, and some unique quirks of its own.
2. In an unexpected turn, Bandai of America and Dragon Ball Z are together again.

   Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to count the video games.

Video Power

1. Well, so much for that.

   Went to my nearest EB Games, hoping to score some time with the Super Mario Galaxy demo and put a preorder down, so that I could at least secure my coin, even if I can’t pick up the game on launch day (I could just cry).

   Turns out that one guy there said they didn’t have the demo, didn’t know when they’d be getting the demo, and it could be three weeks. What. The. Hell. The game will be OUT by that time…

   …or so I thought. The cashier told me that “for weeks” now, the release had been pushed back to February. It only now occurs to me that she is probably thinking of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as I did debate the fact with, as memory serves, NO ONE ELSE having that kind of date, much less for weeks now.

   It also occurs to me that, from what I remember, this EB Games seems to have a REALLY bad association going with the local Nintendo distributor, so maybe in their case, it’s the truth. At any rate, between all this and the Mega Man ZX fiasco I’d dealt with before, I chose not to leave my five dollars.

   Sigh. All this trouble for one stupid coin.

2. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition has reportedly sold 1 million copies worldwide, and Capcom expects it to be a strong seller into the holiday season, along with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles on November 13th.
3. Smash Bros. DOJO!! updates once more with a brand spankin’ new stage, The Summit of Icicle Mountain, though this one looks– and acts– much different than their Melee turf, based on the original title. But not so different that they forgot the good ol’ polar bear!

   Say, speaking of which, I wonder what they might be able to do for an Ice Climbers title today?

4. On a related note, Krystal unconfirmed? Or just hidden away?
5. If you’ve been a good little Spartan this year, then Bungie Claus has a special Halloween surprise just for you.
6. Virtual Console gift channel launch date: December.

   Ok, not so much a date as a vague idea, but it’s better than we had.

7. Portal for Wii? Not yet…

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Issue 2 of the Beast Wars Sourcebook hits stores this week, and writer Simon Furman issues an interesting challenge to readers with a keen eye, to see if they can tell who (between himself and Ben Yee) wrote which entries.
2. Mastercollector has a new item available, which I’ve seen variants of around: stands to make your Seekers look like they’re flying!

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Caution: naughty language is afoot in the following. Maddox has added a new article in which he targets women’s fashion, hitting a few notes I do tend to agree with myself, but never thought to actually say anything about.
2. And in related news… yeah, y’know what? I can’t even watch this without feeling wrong, ABC News or not.

   I dunno, with women, I find “sexy but modest” to be better than “shouldn’t you be wearing a black plastic bag over that?” Needless to say, other than the “sexy” part, that goes double, triple, or more for young girls. Nothing worse than wondering if someone’s going to call the FBI because you cast a stray glance at what looks like a preteen hooker.

   Here’s a better title for the book mentioned: Stop Baiting Pedophiles.

3. The ultimate showdown: fighter jet vs. car.

Video Power

1. Well, this is just wonderful. shinkuu just brought word that GamePro has hopped on the “Nintendo Seal” hatewagon.

   I think it’s rubbish, and I dare say that it aspires to a broader form of censorship. But issues of “good” or “bad” are more subjective than say, ESRB rating of content, where you know that “damn” is a curse word and if a woman is topless, it’s considered nudity. I know a lot of people love Resident Evil. Me, I like them, progressively so, but I’m not very good at them. Let’s look at the first one. I think the earlier Resident Evils control like tanks, and the voice acting in the first was atrocious. So perhaps going by such personal assessments as that, Resident Evil should not have been made.

   Now, if I’d been making such a call, I imagine that a lot of people could be upset that the game never came out, all based on pure subjectivity. And of course, that could potentially have caused later games not to have been made as well. Wouldn’t it suck if we never got Resident Evil 4 because the first one had some pretty bad qualities by comparison?

   And really, I think it’s safe to say that EVERY game is disliked by someone. Every game may or may not be someone’s favorite, but even Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Metroid Prime are disliked by people. Some people like games like Sonic Adventure or Sonic and the Secret Rings or Sonic Rush, others don’t. Some like some, others don’t, all based on various qualities. Even if someone says a game is “bad,” what right have they to deny it sale? Someone else may like it.

   And really, I would think that a video game magazine should be the LAST place we see this kind of complaint, since so often it’s a part of that publication’s JOB to review games and tell people what they think is good and bad about them, and whether or not it’s worth a purchase or even a rental. To me, it sounds like they’re tired of doing their jobs, and maybe they should find other work if that’s the case.

   No system is ever going to have a flawless track record of perfect games, and it’d be naive to think so. Not even the Wii. And compared to the problems listed for the other systems, it feels like they’re grasping at straws.

   While I’d love it if every game I touched would be something I could enjoy for hours on end (in spite of my bank account’s protests), that’s just not realistic. Different qualities mean different things to different people; that’s what makes us human, and there is no way any kind of seal or lack thereof can represent that.

2. …beyond my rant, most of the feature is pretty decent otherwise.
3. Capcom’s Bionic Commando website has a new podcast available from producer Ben Judd. Within, he discusses:

   - his memories of the original Bionic Commando- how he got started at Capcom Japan and how he became a producer

   - why he wants to bring back the Bionic Commando franchise

   - the advantages and disadvantages of bringing back old franchises in games and movies, and the challenges surrounding this kind of move

   - whether games are art or not, and if they can make you cry

   - about designing and creating the new BC game, and the cultural conflicts in that

   - killing a bum, just to watch him die.

   Should be a blast. Except I still can’t get the site to load. Does anyone else have this problem?

4. I keep hearing all these great things about Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night for the GBA. Maybe I ought to check it out sometime.
5. Gamasutra caught up to Castlevania dungeon master Koji Igarashi at the GameStop Expo, and asked him some questions about 2D gaming, and why he’d attend such an event.
6. This Halo video? Very cool.

   If this were what a Halo movie were like, I think they could put my name on a ticket.

7. The Angry Video Game Nerd is back, in an all-new Halloween Special!
8. Those wacky Raving Rabbids have a new video that shows off their latest DS title.

   Which is good and all, but I want more “around the world” vids.

   In the meantime, GameSpot has a Q&A going on.

9. Not that I dislike the new Ratchet and Clank Future commercial, but damn… why’d you have to stop with the “real-life gadgets” bit, Sony?
10. Don’t see this too often, I suppose: Q&A with Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov.
11. So Manhunt 2 is finally upon us, after all that controversy and chaos. How’d it do?
12. The Simpsons Game is here, too, but is it more “d’oh!” or “woo-hoo!”?
13. IGN’s Top 10 Tuesday presents: Best Gamer Apparel.

    Frankly, it takes to 6 before I perk up, though 9 is mildly amusing. 5 on up are pretty good, but I’ve seen better stuff not mentioned.

14. Next Generation has a new feature about the history of touching in video games… which goes back a little further than the DS, and is “a concept that must be grasped if videogames want to become truly mainstream.”
15. Games Radar asks if Mario Kart, among other titles, have lost their style.

    While I agree that Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was different in that regard, the vehicles didn’t strike me as bad, and what’s more, it’s the only title in the series not to feature traditional go-karts. It looks like even the Wii title may have some variation on the traditional, alongside the more zany, and of course, the motorcycles.

16. Game|Life takes a thorough look at how protests make games sell better.
17. A neat new site known as Retro Game Video has gone live, and here’s the press release from Destructoid:

    RETRO GAME VIDEOS OFFICIALLY GOES LIVE

    After months of beta testing and site feedback, RetroGameVideos.com has officially gone live. Retro Game Videos (RGV) is dedicated to keeping the memories of our video game past alive by offering a wide selection of genres. Everything from gameplay to commercials is at RGV which now hosts nearly 200 videos and is growing more everyday.

    About Retro Game Videos -

    Retro Game Videos is dedicated to the good old times, when console wars were fought by stout plumbers and speedy hedgehogs, when terms like dynamic shadowing and bump-mapping carried a mythological context. This is what RGV is all about. RGV hosts a growing number of user submitted videos – all related to retro video games. Nothing modern allowed. RGV has everything from speed-runs to the cheesiest game commercials – all submitted by our community, it’s all here. So take a trip down memory lane and witness the largest Web site dedicated totally to old school gaming.

    Sounds cool. The first thing I found was this video of Popeye for the NES; I never got past the first level, so seeing this guy whiz through was pretty cool.

18. Finally, fellow Penny Arcade Forum dweller Mntorankusu has created a Flash mock-up of the level creator for Super Smash Bros. Brawl that was unveiled Monday. It may not be 100% accurate, but may still be good for practice until the real deal hits in February.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Is WalMart.com getting into the import business?
2. An auction has appeared that shows off some details of one of the newer toys, Allspark Power Landmine from the Movie line.
3. Apparently the Real Gear line has been successful, as Hasbro has announced more for 2008.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Once I can drive again, I have to get one of these for my car.

   “Once this baby hits 88 miles per hour…”

2. GameSpite once again brings us our weekly look at the DVDs, anime, and games due out this week.
3. Good news: it seems that the Green Lantern movie may finally be under way.

   Better news: it doesn’t seem to be that ridiculous Jack Black comedy idea.

4. Also good: The Flash may not be far behind.
5. What the HELL is with this new Geoffrey the Giraffe?

Video Power

1. Looks like Resident Evil is returning to the movies, this time in CG form!
2. Last night’s Smash Bros. DOJO!! update was a doozy.
   

   From Excitebike to Wrecking Crew and more recently in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, the ability to custom-build your own stage has always been a mixed blessing.

   While often a nightmare in the hands of the sadistic designer, who thinks nothing less than infinite killer spikes and insurmountable odds will do, those more dedicated to the craft of having fun can bring out the best in a game, sometimes using creativity not even realized by those who made the game, and ultimately lengthen the pleasurable lifespan of the title as a result.

   Which is why cheers could be heard around the world as Masahiro Sakurai’s Smash Bros. blog updated this morning with the news that the eagerly anticipated Super Smash Bros. Brawl would contain this very feature, making the wait even harder for fans of Nintendo’s beloved franchise.

   Selectable options for creating one’s own stage will include the size of the stage, background patterns, and music from the songs you have selectable.

   Among other things, each controller setting (though functioning differently) will be able to flip parts left or right, enlarge or shrink them, zoom in and out, swap pallettes, and erase what you’ve done. Once you’ve set things up, you can try it out, and modify it from there, and finish by giving it a name and an accompanying comment.

   You can choose music for the custom stage on the Save screen, and then save your creation to an SD card, which ultimately means there’s no real limit to how many stages you can create.

   In addition, stages can be sent to friends, or uploaded to Nintendo’s servers (though this feature will be limited, perhaps to once a day).

   The downside, however, is that you will also only be able to get one stage from Nintendo per day. When you download a “stage of the day,” it will only be available for that day, though whether that means you can only download it on that day, or whether it’s removed from your Wii’s memory at the end of the day is a little unclear.

   Sakurai goes on to say that this is the current plan, though in the future the specs may change, nor does he know what the exact service period will be.

   “The fun of sharing is one of the ways that I wanted to take advantage of Wi-Fi for something other than pure battling.”

   This prospect both excites me and horrifies me. When Capcom introduced Mega Man Powered Up for the PSP, their download service paved the way for a slew of truly horrible stages; the bulk majority seemed to not have been tested by players, and often demanded pixel-perfect movement.

3. Yeah, that looks different from my normal posts on the stuff. It was for AMN, and got taken down. Damn if I’m letting it go to waste, though. Beyond that, it’s still a bit of a sore spot and I’d rather not get into it.

   Today’s update features the return of the Classic one-player mode.

4. SEGA has opened up the official site for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, full of movies, images, and info.
5. Happy Hallo-Wii! Virtual Console has three new ghoulish games for download: Magician Lord for the NeoGeo, Samurai Ghost on the TurboGrafx16, and my favorite, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest for the NES.

   Anyone wanna gift me that last one when the time comes?

   Want to know which is the best? Leave it to T. Frog to put ‘em to the test!

6. It appears that Sears (possibly among unknown others) will be kicking off Black Friday with DS Lite value packs, featuring Nintendogs and The Legend of Zelda-themed DS Lites, and come with the corresponding games.
7. Writers for The Simpsons Game have lashed out at the hypocritical Rockstar over the removal of the Grand Theft Scratchy title from their parody.
8. More new Super Mario Galaxy footage. The first is mostly like the intro movie posted before, only this seems to be taken from the English demo.
9. Looks like WWE’s online store is offering some special deals when you buy Smackdown vs. Raw 2008.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Galleries galore! Remy has a new one for Energon Power Mode Convoy (Optimus Primal), while the Allspark has new collections for Masterpiece Starscream, Movie Dropkick, Binaltech (Alternators) Rijie (Mirage), Movie Armorhide, Beast Wars II Dirge, Movie Air Raid, Movie Elita-1, Beast Wars II Thrust, BotCon ’97 Packrat and Fractyl, Energon Ultra Magnus, Binaltech Asterick 01 Alert (Red Alert), Binaltech Asterick 02 Sunstreaker, and Beast Wars Neo Hydra. Whew!
2. Reprolabels has some new stickers to trick out your toys.
3. Looks like TransFormers: The Movie has been transformed between the theatrical and DVD releases to include more product placement.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Oh, Fox, you silly bastards. Do you really think that people can’t tell your news station from a cartoon parody?

   Insert obvious jokes here.

2. Family Guy wants to rock.
3. IGN Anime has begun a new feature wherein they index characters from anime and manga.

Video Power

1. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned this before, but it came as a surprise to me that Nintendo and Hal Labs were once working on a Kirby game for GameCube that looks a lot like Super Smash Bros. Melee, and is possibly a part of why the Kirby franchise has a stronger showing in Brawl than previous iterations.
2. While some are calling for Duck Hunt from the NES to appear on Wii’s Virtual Console, I think I might rather see the arcade version, with its bonus stage and breaktime cartoon. Then again, the NES has its perks, too, I suppose.

   Just the same, Nintendo’s old arcade games were usually superior or different enough from the home versions that it still drives me crazy that we have to deal with watered-down versions of Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. And with NeoGeo and TurboCD added, you can’t convince me that Nintendo couldn’t add arcade games in some fashion.

3. Speaking of Duck Hunt, seems that Master Chief has decided to try his hand at it.
4. This is just funky: Vegeta’s Final Flash to the music from Gangplank Galleon in Donkey Kong Country.

   What’s scary is how well it synchs up.

5. Press The Buttons reveals that Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles on the PSP may have more secrets than they’ve been letting on.
6. Continuing his series of stunning video game artwork, Racketboy has turned his retro-gaming eye now to Darkstalkers, just in time for Halloween!
7. Wow, it’s like everyone wants a single, unified console format now. Doubt it’ll happen. Especially with Nintendo’s new strategy.

   I’m not even sure I’d want it to. PS2′s carried a notoriety for breaking down, and Xbox 360 trumps that tenfold (by my guess), if either of them were in charge of making it…

   Granted, I’ve always thought it’d be a good idea, to only need one system to play any game you want on, but…

8. Brain Age: helping children learn and play better.
9. I’m no sports fan, but the name Double Dribble still stirs up memories of a simpler time, and ScrewAttack takes us back to see it once again.
10. GameTrailers has an in-depth interview for Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
11. The San Francisco Chronicle got to spend a little time with Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, who talks about things such as the whole “Wii is a fad” thing being overblown, and wondering the same thing I did when I first saw Little Big Planet: “What’s this doing on a Sony system?”
12. Next Gen has a new feature wherein it seems that arcades are doing a little better these days. And I for one am VERY happy by that, even if they aren’t to the level they once were.

    I still think that arcades are viable, even for new releases, in much the same way that movies still come to theaters, even though the real money is in DVD sales. It seems mostly a way to help build hype, and I think a similar model could work here.

13. Oh shudder, oh horror! GameDaily sees fit to punish mankind for some reason by rewinding and reminding us of all The Simpsons past video gaming attrocities (save a few).

    C’mon, give us console ports of the arcade game and Virtual Springfield, stat!

14. Games Radar presents the top 7 worst jobs for game characters.
15. Stuff magazine has a look at the Top 10 most gratifying moments in video games.

    I really need to jump that flagpole one of these days.

16. Now THIS is a freakin’ awesome Mario pumpkin, that looks great lit up OR in plain daylight. Way too cool.

    Of course, “Halo-ween” isn’t bad, either.

17. Ah, used games. Frankly, for the prices they tend to go for, I just go for new, unless I can’t find new copies. Then I don’t need to worry about condition, the box, the booklet, or any of that stuff. And with some companies, I get the stuff that lets me register for goodies or whatever. Though Nintendo has really dropped away from doing that as much in recent.

    Rentals… I’d rent more, but that stuff’s getting damn expensive. Nearly 10 bucks for a 3-day rental around here on a new release. And often, Blockbuster doesn’t even get a lot of the games I want, anyway.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

So, what I’m trying for now is running this thing from Monday night through Thursday night, skip Friday, report Friday and Saturday on Saturday night, then skip Sunday and cover Sunday and Monday on Monday night. Gives a little more news per report, I hope, without having to cover the whole weekend plus Monday in one fell swoop. We’ll see how it goes.

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. The TransFormers: Mosaic fanproject has begun! You can see a preview featuring the Autobot Hound in IDW’s TransFormers: Devastation #2.
2. For lovers of Starscream, the Masterpiece version is now out at retail.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles news off of the official website:

   They talk about the 13 new episodes of the cartoon mentioned here before via the 5th turtle blog, and elaborate that the new art direction is meant to tie in to the recent movie a bit more.

   And speaking of which, there’s a new game coming from Ubisoft. It should use a different engine, but the same character models that their last effort had. That one’s starting soon, with more info forthcoming once it’s under way.

   The “Ninja Tribunal” storyarc should FINALLY be coming to DVD in the first half of 2008. About damn time. The rest of the world’s had it forever, and I think we’re supposed to be getting it on TV soon, too.

   2009 will be the 25th anniversary of the Turtles, and it looks like they’re planning to celebrate…

   More stuff is mentioned, including the Hot Topic retro merch, BioWorld men’s and women’s wear and stuff, soft toys for amusement parks, Kohl’s hyping the Season One part 1 DVDs based on the current toon, and… Ninja Turtles fruit baskets? Oh-kay…

2. He-Man.Org reports that filmmaker/comic writer/artist (on titles such as The Incredible Hulk and Spider-man) wants a shot at the He-Man movie project, and sent in a pitch “in the form of a self-funded video presentation” to show what sort of thing he has in mind. You can check it out here.

   Kaare goes on to say “This is a kind of conceptual piece for a live action film. This is a new technology I call Go-Cons or ‘animated conceptual paintings’ and represents the tone and scope of the world, not the actual end product. It was pulled together in a little over a week with a small (but talented) team. Just imagine this as an epic live action feature with a budget and full team.”

3. Looks like the Smurfs are soon coming to DVD.
4. A Blade motion picture remake? Sounds kind of crazy, but I’d check it out.

Video Power

1. So, once Nintendo’s done with the major regions of the world, they want to release the Wii in China. They see a huge potential market, and I see the guys who make the Vii and pirated Disneyland.

   Let’s just say I’m not especially hopeful.

2. Remember when Nintendo boasted all last generation that portable/console connectivity was the future? Guess they were right, sort of, since Ratchet & Clank on the PS3 and Secret Agent Clank on PSP will do exactly that, though the nature of the connection is as-yet unknown.
3. Looks like Burnout: Paradise is slated for a January release.
4. Now this is a beyond-awesome new feature from Nintendo: the ability to send Virtual Console games as gifts.
5. Price cut for the Wii? “Fat chance” is the word right now.
6. Ok, you know the Xbox 360 reliability issues have gone too far when Gamestop halts their product replacement plans for the system.

   The reason they’re halting them? They’re losing too much money!

7. Lots more Super Mario Galaxy demos and videos at GameTrailers. I’m mostly on a blackout of the game until it hits shelves, though. I find most of these videos are kind of getting repetitive.
8. Aww, nuts!

   Speaking of Super Mario Galaxy, seems there are some problems with the preorder coin.

9. GT also has a look at table tennis in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

   I just noticed the WiFi logo at the end… they haven’t really played that aspect up very much, have they?

10. Among other modes included in Sonic Rivals 2: Tag Mode and King of the Hill Mode
11. If you have Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360, then new downloads await you.
12. …a Spyro the Dragon movie? Interesting…
13. Nintendo is now shipping the DS feather stylus for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Ever want to learn more about the Cybertronian martial arts? Now’s your chance!

   Thanks to Frash for the link.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Loading.Ready.Run. presents: Trick or DOOM, featuring Canada Man!

   One double-double of asskicking, coming right up!

2. And to think that there are those who would say that G4 isn’t entertaining any more.

   Seriously, what IS with abbreviations lately? Have people just gotten lazy?

3. This is just wrong. Is it me, or does customer service these days seem either completely indecent, ignorant of policy, or simply require on-air, widely-publicized “uh-oh” moments before they’ll do the right thing?

Video Power

1. Racketboy’s Retrogaming takes another look at how to maximize your game room, this time with chairs, sofas, and beanbags.
2. AMN has a neat feature that looks back at the early goings of the Nintendo/SEGA war of the 80s and 90s. Given the state of affairs today, it’s interesting to look back at how things once were.
3. An interesting piece on Team Ninja’s Tomonobu Itagaki, wherein he has nothing but praise for the ratings boards, of which he says he does not feel censored by.
4. Will Wright recently had an interview wherein he says that Wii is the only next generation system he sees.

   The full interview contains more from him, but in the end, he still favors the PC mouse over all other input.

5. For making Bungie laugh, they’ve decided to award some fans some exclusive Recon armor.

   But is it traffic cone proof?

   Both lucky players will now find that Recon is a useable armor perm next time they log into Halo 3 and for the rest of you don’t bother asking us for it. We’ll give it out based on good deeds and valuable community service and occasionally because they make us laugh, as seen above. There will be plenty of occasions and reasons to get it. PM-ing and emailing us will not make any difference. But play nice and be a good sport and who knows?

   Pretty cool of them.

6. ScrewAttack.com looks back at Skeleton Warriors, while GameTrailers continues their Final Fantasy Retrospective.
7. IGN is featuring cosplay now, and you can be a part!
8. Now that Death Note has begun airing in America and Canada, it’s only fitting that those who need help figuring out what’s what check out IGN’s Reader’s Guide. And for those who haven’t seen it yet, a trailer is included, too.
9. GameDaily looks at ten reasons Mario games never get old.

   The first reason is one I’ve always dug.

10. A plus Xbox 360? Who could resist?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Assorted Mushrooms

1. It’s that time of year again… the Toys R Us Big Toy Book is on its way, complete with coupons.
2. Interesting… it looks like some of the Ranger-less Zords in the upcoming Power Rangers Jungle Fury line of toys are getting new Rangers made just for them.

   So, will it just be figures? Or will we see our first American-made Rangers since the last and only one so far, the Titanium Ranger of Lightspeed Rescue, on TV?

Video Power

1. Yesterday, we got King Dedede at Smash Bros. DOJO!!

   Today, we close out the week with his special moves. He is totally rockin’ that jet-powered hammer.

   Incidently, there’s a rumor now that Krystal from Star Fox could be in as well. If the page is correct, she’s also the voice of Zero Suit Samus (but not regular Samus?).

2. Guess what? The Xbox Division of Microsoft is finally profitable!
3. While on the other side of the tracks…
4. Four more gameplay videos for Super Mario Galaxy at GameTrailers, taken from the demo units in stores now.

   Plus several more Japanese demos.

5. Nintendo has named their two new Executive Vice Presidents, Cammie Dunaway and Shigeyuki Takahashi!

   Wonder if Cammie likes Street Fighter?

6. Normally, I don’t think too much of reviews, but I guess I’m weak right now. Also, it’s a slow day.

   Official Nintendo Magazine from the UK has given Super Mario Galaxy a 97%, which goes well with Famitsu‘s 38/40.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. Chapter 15 of the Binaltech TransFormers saga from Japan (Alternators in the US) is now available in translated form, and could be the end of that story as we know it.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. Do not let zombies catch you unaware.

Video Power

1. When hunting for a new memory card, make sure you can spot a fake.
2. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Nintendo VP of Marketing Perrin Kaplan had some interesting things to say in defense of the Nintendo Seal of Quality against EGM, and thoughts on seeing Club Nintendo in America.

   C’mon, dammit! TINGLE’S BALLOON FIGHT!

3. Crap, I completely forgot about the Contra 4 character design contest. Neat winner, though.

   You can see the top 20 finalists for yourself here.

4. Last week, GameDaily took a look at Gaming’s Baddest Bosses, now they’re checking out their minions.
5. Sure, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is looking good and has an impressive roster, but these ten superstars would make it all just a bit better.
6. SEGA has opened up their new website for NiGHTS: Journey Into Dreams. Check it out!
7. Think I’ve posted this before, but what the hell, it’s good. Mr. Rogers and Donkey Kong, together at last.

   And God forgive me, but listening to him in this clip, I can’t help but think of that one guy with the brown mustache from Family Guy. I am really, truly sorry for that.

8. This is just too out there not to pass on: the creator of Earthbound as a judge on Iron Chef.
9. GGL has a video interview with Castlevania Producer Koji Igarashi.
10. More Iwata Asks discusses Super Mario Galaxy.
11. Happy second anniversary, Game|Life!
12. Looks like Mega Man finally beat Pumpkinman.

    You get: lit up.

13. Mike Tyson’s Brunch-Out.

    I dunno, I thought it was mildly amusing, but everyone seems to be loving it and linking to it, so hopefully some of you will get some guffaws from it.

14. 1up’s Super Jenn Frank got her hands on Arcade Attack, a movie with more 80s than you can handle and perhaps more crazy than is safe to handle without a sedative in your system.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

InFormers: Robots in the News

1. New official images have shown up of Wave 1 of the Allspark Power Leader-class figures, featuring Deep Desert Brawl and Night Watch Optimus Prime.
2. Meanwhile, Wave 2 of The Movie Robot Heroes are out now.
3. And last, new Movie “Unleashed” turnaround figure/statues are on the way.

Assorted Mushrooms

1. So it sounds like all of the affiliated parties involved with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon show have FINALLY decided on a direction for 2008. Here’s the pitch:

   “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in New York, ready to race across the rooftops and take on all challengers!

   “Not only are Casey and April back and ready to bust some bad guy butt, but a brand new, super advanced Turtle Lair is under construction (thanks to some hi-tech know-how Donatello garnered from the future), and, of course, there are all sorts of new heavy duty Turtle vehicles gearing up to roar down the streets of NYC and give the Foot a taste of some serious Turtle firepower!

   “The stakes have never been higher, their enemies have never been stronger… and if the Turtles are going to be triumphant they?ll need to work together in ways they never have before.”

   Well… it sounds ok so far, mostly like “back to basics” with a hint of what we got in Fast Forward thrown in. Also says the art will be slightly streamlined/stylized for budget reasons. Hopefully not in any bad way; the Timm DC animated stuff is simplified/stylized, too, but still looks great.

2. And now, Garfield Gets Real has two official trailers!

   Um… wow. Frank Welker as Garfield? Man, THAT is going to take some getting used to. Seriously. Jon’s voice as well. I’m disappointed they’d change him and Odie (I think) from the voice actors who played them all these years.

   I’m a little bugged that they’re moving their lips to talk, frankly.

   My favorite part, though, is the garbage can bit with the dogs. The rest… well, hopefully it flows better altogether.

Video Power

1. So the reputed video game magazine Edge (who “doesn’t dip their toes in the rumor pool unless the water’s great, says Kotaku) has caught wind of a couple of rumors that people are now talking about. The first one involves an MMO Animal Crossing, though there’s really nothing else to add on that one.

   In the same section, they also make mention of a rumored way to download old Game Boy games for your DS. Now we’re talkin’! Nintendo has a great catalog of old portable games that I’d love to get ahold of, and I know I’m not the only one. Now if they’d just add color…

2. 5,000 is a lot of GameStops. That’s also a lot of preorders and magazine subscriptions.
3. So, SEGA has joined forces with GET Interactive to bring us a new way to advertise in our games.
4. Looks like Arcade-In-A-Box has heard the cries of the people for a better controller for Xbox 360 fighting games, and they have also deliver unto them the solution to their problems. Pity it costs so damn much.

   Here’s hoping the wife and I can adapt to the standard controllers for this.

5. Speaking of fighting games on the 360, here are the first actual screens of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.
6. So, Famitsu like Super Mario Galaxy. Take that as you will.

   And reposted to Penny Arcade from GAF are some zealous opinions from some people who got to try the demo. Of note:

   The perfect way to summarize Galaxy, I just thought of it.

   So good, I forgive Nintendo for not localizing Mother 3.

   This, from a guy who I understand that Mother/Earthbound is his favorite game/series ever, and he’s been a huge Nintendo critic as of late.

   Also, GameTrailers has three new spots from Japanese TV, some of which focus on the cooperative aspects of the gameplay.

7. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games has a new trailer to show off some of the aquatic events.

   Kudos to them for saying “Shipping on November 6th” instead of making it sound like it’ll be in stores then.

8. So at IGN, Matt Casamassina says that Medal of Honor Heroes 2 controls even better than Metroid Prime 3.

   While I really don’t much care about the MoH games, I do find this intriguing.

9. $10 off Drawn To Life? I haven’t talked about that game as much as I should have, but with that discount, it might be worth a look for anyone interested.
10. Oooh, sounds like they might’ve caught the bastard.
11. And closing off tonight is news from Smash Bros. DOJO!! of a new challenger many have eagerly awaited…

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Video Power

1. Huh, I never once gave thought to the possibility of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Miis.

   Now I have to try it.

2. Game Informer has a two-part interview with Bionic Commando Producer Ben Judd, which you can see right through here.

   Capcom adds: Besides talking about Bionic Commando, Ben actually shares his non-traditional path into the gaming industry, which may be of particular interest to many of you, since one of the most common questions we often get is, ?How do I get a job in the gaming industry??

3. Huh, I thought he did this already. Well, anyway, whether you’ve collected the console or just waiting for them on Wii, Racketboy has got the cheapest TurboGrafx-16 games worth your time.
4. A new viral video has surfaced for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, this one involving a… sprinkler?

   Oh, it’s ON now.

5. ScrewAttack looks back at E for All 2007 with what they felt were the best and the worst parts of the show.
6. Wow, Nolan Bushnell is on a roll lately, isn’t he? First he sums up today’s gaming as “unadulterated trash,” and now he’s zeroing in on Grand Theft Auto and Doom.

   He does speak highly of the Wii, however.

7. Um… ok. So Games Radar is celebrating National Breast Cancer Month. That’s cool.

   The way they’re doing it? See if you can guess who’s boobs belong to who.

8. An interesting debate regarding the holiday console war from purportedly possibly clueless sources on MSNBC.
9. Zero Punctuation delivers a funny review of Super Paper Mario.

   I am inclined to agree on many points, as I did overall like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door better.

10. Yeah, I don’t even want to touch this, figuratively OR literally. I think I’m just going to step back and clear away from this genital junction.
11. Now why didn’t I see this pumpkin coming sooner?
12. So FHM asks the burning question:

    Why should a gamer pick up Aqua Teen over Assassin?s Creed or Halo 3?

    Because they?re stupid? We can?t compete with Halo 3. Give me a break.

    It’s the honesty that’s refreshing. He also discusses the best way to play, but I think that applies to the adults only.

13. Sharkey is back, and this time he takes us on a trip to discover the best, worst Atari ads ever.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”