Weekly News Roundup: 3/21/2010

Games

Spoiler Warning: Something happens to some Left 4 Dead character sometime in the future.

• So, all you websites that posted a Left 4 Dead character spoiler in the titles of your posts? Spoiler warnings next time, you frakkin' jerks. Thank you, Joystiq and 1up for not spoiling it in your title, but too many other websites already have. I was thinking something like this may happen in The Passing, but I didn't want to hear about it or see it until I played it.

• Lost Planet 2 just keeps getting better. Guest characters like Marcus and Wesker are great, but now you'll be able to make your own characters. There are many more Vital Suit vehicles than just the Hardballer and Drio that you'll be able to pilot. Capcom-Unity is also taking a poll to find out which LP2 Kotobukiya figure is everyone's favorite. Do I sense a Collector's Edition or pre-order bonus here?

• Hello Kitty will be in a Monster Hunter game, well, in a way. Items forged by master weapons-smith Hello Kitty will be in the PSP spin-off Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village. It would be much cooler if Hello Kitty was hunting the monsters herself.

• Final Fight: Double Impact will be out on Xbox Live and PSN on April 14th and 15th respectively for $10. I still don't get the Double Impact part of the name, though. I know it's two game and one of the is Final Fight, but it doesn't have anything to do with Magic Sword.

• Three versions of the Uncharted 2 artbook is now available to pre-order. There's a soft cover for $65, a hardcover for $129, and a super-limited to only 200 edition folio for $300.

• Super Street Fighter IV will have a Dojo Edition that includes a gym bag, Ibuki water bottle, Dudley t-shirt, headband, and a Juri USB drive with art, wallpapers and comics. It's not nearly as good as the SFIV Collector's Edition. A slew of alternate outfits for SSFIV have also been leaked.

• MAG will get a free Trooper Gear Pack and have a double-XP weekend starting on March 25th.

• Naughty Bear has a fantastic Alien parody trailer.

• It looks like the Xbox 360 might support USB storage in an upcoming update this Spring. It's about time.

• Can anything be cooler than Bill Paxton Pinball? No.

• There will be a Nier digital comic book courtesy of DC WildStorm.

• Mario's Inferno is a parody of the Dante's Inferno Super Bowl ad, but it just works better.

• Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year edition will be released on May 11th and have eye irritating 3D.

- Shawn - 3/21/10

GDC '10

This was my first year attending a Game Developers Conference and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I had never gone to one before because the ticket prices are insane, unless you're a student. Since I haven't been a student for years, there was no way I'd really be able to afford to go. However, fortune smiled upon me and a ticket was dropped into my lap mid-day on the second-to-last day of the show. The ticket was only good for the Expo floor and not the talks, but it was good enough just to be able to see what the show is all about for a little over a day.

What I noticed most about the show is its distinct lack of cosplayers and booth babes. The lone cosplayer I saw was some guy at some booth dressed in a steampunk outfit. I've had more than my fill of steampunk related costumes over the past couple years, so I passed on taking his photo. GDC is much more business job orientated, though, and I suppose you would want to walk up to someone that may interview you dressed in full cosplay garb; although they would certainly remember you. Companies are chatting with one another about their technologies and students are handing in their resumes and reels in hopes of landing a gig at their favorite game company. The expo floor was small compared to any other convention I've attended. I was able to cover the entire expo floor in little over an hour, so the rest of the hours I was there were spent just wandering slowly around, checking something out from time to time. The best parts about the show for me were the two things I already wrote about, Zombrex and Steve Wiebe. I would certainly go again, but unless I can get into the talks just a day scouting the expo floor would be good enough. There was free beer on Friday evening, which was cool. I also got a free lunch thanks to some business man who gave me his lunch ticket because he was invited out to another lunch. A gallery of photos and more of my experience at the show from my endless wandering of GDC '10 follow.

The PlayStation booth was the flashiest booth of the show because it did everything. Except make me lunch.	While I was playing Sin and Punishment 2 at the Nintendo booth, a blonde chick (possibly Raychul, but I didn't get a good look at her) was interviewing a guy about the game. I know at least the game footage from when I was playing was in the background of the video, but I might be, too.

Continue reading and check out more photos of GDC '10...

- Shawn - 3/20/10

Halo Series 8 Glows in the Dark

McFarlane Toys not only revealed the photos of Halo Series 8 today, but also a feature that is brand new to the Halo line: glow-in-the-dark figures! The Brute in VISR mode and the ODST with Mongoose in VISR mode are set to be glowing in darkened gamer rooms everywhere. I prefer the all-black look of the first photo, but the set still looks nice, especially all when all those lines are glowing. The VISR Mongoose set will be released alongside a regular Mongoose with a yellow with blue trim EVA Spartan in April. Halo Series 8 will arrive in June and include the red-lined glow-in-the-dark Brute, Halo Wars Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee, an Elite in silver Ascetic armor, the long-awaited Marine figure, Buck from Halo 3: ODST, and the Halo 2 version of Master Chief. the exclusives will be an orange Combat Elite at Toys 'R' Us, a white EOD Spartan at specialty stores, Dare without a helmet from Halo 3: ODST at GameStop, and the super bad-ass Spartan in black armor will only be at Target. That black armored Spartan is going to be the one to get, though, since you can't even have black armor in the game. So, I'm guessing for Series 9 we're going to see a few more figures in the glow-in-the-dark VISR mode, huh? Sounds like a plan, unless Series 9 happens to be the Reach figures.

The Brute, ODST, and Mongoose look cool enough in VISR mode...

...but turn out the lights and it's party time!

Continue reading Halo Series 8 Glows in the Dark for more photos...

- Shawn - 3/19/10

GDC '10: Steve Wiebe

Former King of Kong Steve Wiebe was at GDC this year, doing what he does best, playing Donkey Kong. Early in the day Saturday, I watched Steve play Donkey Kong for at least 30 minutes. A group of people were watching when I got there and after I went off to do something else. It was pretty cool just watching a world champion of a classic game play for a while. It was easily the most impressive display of Donkey Kong playing that I've ever seen. Steve was stationed at the Atlassian booth at the show. Atlassian makes bug-writing software and the like for game companies. I asked the Atlassian rep how she got Steve Wiebe at their booth and it turned out to be pretty simple. She had just watched The King of Kong a few weeks before and thought it would be cool if Steve was at their booth playing Donkey Kong at GDC. She contacted him through his website and he agreed. On Friday, the previous GDC day, Steve had actually attained a new highest score at a public event that was over 1,000,000 points. Later in the day, as I aimlessly roamed the expo floor I saw Steve standing around the Donkey Kong machine, so I was able to meet him and shake his hand - the very hand that brought him a former world record. Steve Wiebe was awesome and I hope he reclaims the Donkey Kong record.

Will Steve Wiebe be proclaimed the King of Kong once again?

Continue reading GDC '10: Steve Wiebe for two more photos involving the greatness of Steve Wiebe...

- Shawn - 3/16/10

GDC '10: Zombrex

I was able to attend the Game Developers Conference for the first time this year due to some fortunate ticket circumstances. Before knowing whether I would even be attending GDC, I was tipped off by Capcom-Unity of a mysterious pharmaceutical company at the show. Somehow I missed the booth my first two times walking up and down the aisles of the expo floor, and I was even looking for it. On my third time traversing the floor I finally found the booth. I walked up and before I knew it one of the attractive "pharmacists" sat me down and explained to me the importance of being vaccinated. During her explanation I was "injected" with a "vaccination" so I wouldn't turn into a zombie... or so I was told. Actually, Kotaku has a video of the whole vaccination process, so watch that if you want to see it in action. After I was injected she placed a Zombrex band-aid on my shirt where she injected me. She also gave me a poster with tips on how to identify and what to do against zombie infections, a pen that looks like a syringe with blue fluid in it, and a couple extra band-aids. I figured this was something for Resident Evil or Dead Rising. When I looked at the box for the syringe pen, it says "Use by 8/31/2010" which is the release date for Dead Rising 2. The Zombrex booth was easily the coolest booth at GDC with the whole zombie prevention shtick and an awesome piece of viral marketing. I am now fully vaccinated against the zombie menace; Unless Zombrex turns out to be Dead Rising's version of the Umbrella Corporation from Resident Evil. If that's the case you better break out that "cure."

The Zombrex pharmacists see their next patient... or victim?	I received the prevention. This is the "cure."

Continue reading GDC '10: Zombrex for a couple more photos...

- Shawn - 3/15/10

Weekly News Roundup: 3/14/2010

Games

Maybe nobody stole Kasumi's memory and she just left it in her other pants.

• The first paid-DLC content for Mass Effect 2 will be Kasumi's Stolen Memory and will add 90-minutes of gameplay and a new character to team-up with. In other ME2 news, here's a gameplay trailer for the Hammerhead, adding some much-needed vehicle missions. You can also look like Miranda if you have lots of make-up. And if you're a girl then you probably have lots of make-up.

• There is a new King of Kong. Hank Chien, a plastic surgeon from New York, set the new Donkey Kong world record of 1,061,700 points in 2 hours and 35 minutes. Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell now have a fierce new challenger besides each other.

• After being delayed time and time again, Ketsui will finally be on the Xbox 360 in April. Supposedly.

• Capcom has revealed the final new character for Super Street Fighter IV; the oiled-up wrestler Hakan. I guess SSFIV needed an extra dose of silliness because his move are ridiculous.

• Sam & Max are finally heading to the PS3 with Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Episode 1 - The Penal Zone.

• Here is the official U.S. trailer for Bass in Mega Man 10.

• The Aliens Vs. Predator Swarm map pack that was previously only in the Special Edition will be available for all on 3/18.

• Battlestar Galactica is getting an MMO. I guess that's neat, but I don't play MMO's.

• Sony has officially named their motion controller the Move.

- Shawn - 3/14/10

Air Man's Theme on Piano

Mega Man music is some of the best videogame music around because it sounds great no matter what it's played on. Rob from Return of Simple shot me an email about a video of him playing Air Man's theme from Mega Man II on a piano, and it sounds incredible. It's amazing how much finger work can go into what originally sounds like a simple piece of music, in this case the music from Air Man's stage. Rob is hoping to record some more Mega Man music to show how well it works on real instruments. If it's as good as this we definitely want to see and hear more.

- Shawn - 3/13/10

Direct link: Air Man's Theme on Piano

Battlestar Galactica + Beastie Boys' Sabotage

I love Beastie Boys nearly as much as Battlestar Galactica, but I never thought of combining the two. Fortunately, some guy with video editing software did, and made a near shot-for-shot video of Beastie Boys' Sabotage using Battlestar Galactica footage. It works so well it's frakking amazing. I watched them side by side and they do indeed match pretty damn well. I'd post the real Sabotage video here so you can compare for yourselves, but YouTube forbids it. Now, how long until those Lawyer Cylons take the video down? (via Topless Robot)

- Shawn - 3/10/10

Direct link: Battlestar Galactica + Beastie Boys Sabotage

Two Lost Planet 2 Figures Will be Hard to Find

Not because they're lost, mind you, but because apparently two of those four Lost Planet 2 Kotobukiya figures we saw in January are limited edition colors. The brown Hardballer and blue Drio are a part of the limited edition of Lost Planet 2 from Capcom Japan's e-Capcom store. I was looking at the photos of the two figures, trying to figure out what was different about them compared to the first poster of all four of the figures. Then I realized that they were the same and Kotobukiya probably just didn't announce that two of the colors would be limited editions. That would make sense. Capcom has yet to announce a limited edition Lost Planet 2 for North America, so maybe they'll be able to secure these and add them in to sweeten the pot. They included a figure with the first game through GameStop, so they might as well, right? I would hate to see some LP fans lose out on a sky-blue Drio that can't really hide anywhere unless it's falling from the sky. (via Tomopop)

Is that a Hardballer on your planet or are you just happy to Drio? Wait, what?

- Shawn - 3/09/10

Direct link: Two Lost Planet 2 Figures Will be Hard to Find

Silpheed Model is Less Polygonal, More Amazingly Detailed

While on the internets yesterday I went to AmiAmi in a moment of randomness and what do I see as the top item in their pre-order section? A freaking Silpheed model. This is the first Silpheed merchandise I remember seeing since ever, so I was immediately excited. It's not a big mess of polygons like in the game, but a detailed and truer representation of the ship on the cover art. Plum's 1/100 scale SA-77 Silpheed model is approximately 8-inches long and is based off Game Arts' Sega CD/Mega CD shooter from 1993 with, what at the time, were "amazingly detailed polygonal graphics." Since it seems to be a put-together model and not a pre-painted model it would never look quite as awesome for me, but it's great to see that Silpheed is finally getting some merchandise love. This will be out in May if you're up to the challenge.

The destiny of Silpheed, and of Earth itself, depends on your mastery of modeling.

Three more detailed shots of the SA-77 Silpheed follow...

- Shawn - 3/08/10

Weekly News Roundup: 3/07/2010

Games

Chill Man is blue, too, but this is about Mega Man.

• He's blue and he knows what to do. He's much more than a man. He's Mega Man! Capcom has made a retro commercial for Mega Man 10 that is filled with mega-awesome. If you can't wait to see Bass and Treble in action, here's a Japanese trailer of Bass. Capcom is also holding a contest to design Mega Man 10 box art. The winner will get an NES-style box with their winning art on it.

• Here's a trailer for Halo Reach beta footage that shows off lots of newness, jetpacks, and name-drops Uncharted 2.

• A blind man has beaten The Legend of Zelda. It's perhaps the most amazing thing ever.

• The new Tomb Raider game is dropping the Tomb Raider name and will be called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. The game will be completely different than the other games as it has an isometric view and co-op gameplay. I don't think anyone was expecting something like this.

• PlayStation Home has Alien and Predator costumes. Wow, I never thought I'd see something that I would actually consider buying in Home.

• A glitch in Heavy Rain can leave the female lead character Madison completely naked.

• A Sega Rally fan turned his 1995 Toyota Celica into the Celica ST205 GT-4, the big "star" of the Sega Rally games. Wait, wasn't the car based on an actual rally car to begin with? So he turned his car into a rally car then? At least he had inspiration from the game.

• The super-cool beat-em-up/shooter The Red Star will be heading to PSP and iPhone.

• Scribblenauts 2? Yes!

• Tomonobu Itagaki's new studio has had a name change from Tokyo Vikings to Valhalla Game Studios.

• Super Robot Taisen Exceed is being promoted not with cool-ass robots, but with anime boobs, butts, and panty shots. When did it stop being about the robots?

- Shawn - 3/07/10

Listen up Maggots, Here's the SDCC Sgt. Slaughter Exclusive

A new San Diego Comic-con exclusive Sgt. Slaughter figure in the G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary style was announced at this year's Toy Fair, but Hasbro has just revealed photos of the figures this week. Like every other G.I. Joe SDCC exclusive figure, there will be two versions; a regular and a less-produced variant. The regular version is like the original mail-away Sgt. Slaughter figure. It will be wearing the USA tank top and includes hit hat, baton, microphone, whistle, and a wrestling belt. The variant is more like the figure included with the old Triple T Tank. It has a regular tank top with camo cargo pants and includes the hat, baton, whistle, a machine gun, and revolver. I'm digging the variant more than the regular one, but I'm pretty sure there's no chance I'll be able to get it at SDCC, so the regular one it is. What I really like about the figure is that it's not all muscled up like the originals; it's more like the real Sgt. Slaughter with much less muscle definition and has a bit of pudginess, although still not as pudgy as the real Sarge. If you can't attend the show, then you'll need some luck getting them from Hasbro's website later. The real Sgt. Slaughter will also be at the Hasbro booth at SDCC this year, so expect lots of photos with the Sarge to come out of the show. (via Toy News i)

There's only two ways out of Slaughter's command; on your feet like a man or in a itty-bitty ditty bag.

- Shawn - 3/6/10

Direct link: Listen up Maggots, Here's the SDCC Sgt. Slaughter Exclusive

First Look at ODST Figure and Mongoose in VISR Mode

I've been holding onto this image for a few days now, hoping that Spawn.com would update with a clearer image as part of one of their usual Friday updates, but no dice. Back in December, McFarlane Toys announced a Brute figure in VISR mode as part of the Halo Series 8 assortment. I wondered how it would look, but now an image of an ODST figure with a Mongoose, both in VISR Mode, has surfaced, and I think it should be easy to imagine what that Brute will look like. It seems I was right in assuming that a neon line would "outline" the figure. Both the ODST and the Mongoose look very cool this way and they almost have a Tron-like aspect to them now. The VISR Mongoose and ODST box set will be out in May and will be accompanied by another Mongoose set. The other Mongoose set is just a regular one, though, and includes a yellow EVA Spartan with blue highlights. It's alright, but doesn't hold a candle to the VISR mode set. Until McFarlane Toys releases an image without their stamp all over it, enjoy this somewhat covered look at the set.

The Mongoose looks better than ever with the right futuristic paint job.

- Shawn - 3/5/10

Direct link: First Look at ODST Figure and Mongoose in VISR Mode

Bring the Bass, Cue the Treble

As many had suspected and hoped, Bass is the third playable character in Mega Man 10. It's a little weird seeing Bass as a retro NES sprite because Bass has never been in an 8-bit game before, but it's still damn cool. Bass' weapon is the Bass Buster and is like Mega Man's Mega Buster except it can shoot faster, diagonally, and destroy enemy attacks. In other words, Bass is better. Trusty robo-dog Treble helps Bass fly around, much like how Rush can help Mega Man. Bass and Treble will be joining the Mega Man 10 festivities on April 5th on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii for $2. Yep, Bass will be available on all three consoles at the same time, which is almost as amazing as seeing him in 8-bits.

Crank that 8-bit Bass.

- Shawn - 3/3/10

Direct link: Bring the Bass, Cue the Treble

VGR: Desert Camo Valken Now Deploying

AmiAmi.com shot me a friendly email today saying that their exclusive Desert Camo Assault Suit Valken figure from Takara Tomy's Video Game Robotics line is now available. If you like your Valken (A.K.A. Cybernator) in desert varieties you can get it for only 1,000 Yen, which is around $11.00. Plus, AmiAmi is offering half-off international shipping for the entire month of March, so the whole deal will be even cheaper than normal if you order one. I imagine Dengeki Hobby's exclusive Winter Camo Valken is also available, but their site isn't nearly as English friendly.

Valken now deploying to assault a desert near you.

- Shawn - 3/1/10

Direct link: VGR: Desert Camo Valken Now Deploying

Weekly News Roundup: 2/28/2010

Games

When awesomeness like this is involved, I guess it's better late than never.

• The next DLC for Mass Effect 2 will bring back a drivable vehicle, something ME2 was sorely lacking compared to the first game. The vehicle is an all new hover tank thing called the Hammerhead which will be featured in the five missions in the Firewalker pack.

• The PlayStation 3 version of Castle Crashers is still on it's way... sometime this year. Be patient! To help with the wait The Behemoth is adding a volleyball mini-game with huge volleyballs.

• Death Smiles II will be heading to the Xbox 360 on May 27th. Unfortunately, due to Cave's recent announcement of Espgaluda II being the last region-free title, don't expect this to be region-free.

• A new trailer for Transformers: War for Cybertron shows off a little gameplay footage, along with some new screenshots. It certainly looks good, but how will it play? Better than the Revenge of the Fallen game hopefully.

• The better and classier Heavy Rain box art is now available to print off. I hope you have a good printer.

• Capcom has revealed the Lost Planet 2 box art and it looks great. Resident Evil's Albert Wesker is no longer a pre-order bonus character for Lost Planet 2; now he'll be available to everybody. Because of that, GameStop's pre-order bonus will now be two multiplayer maps with underwater combat. LP2 will also have split screen 2-player modes. Remember when split-screen was a normal part of games and not a special feature? I miss those days.

• There will be some sweet new alternate costumes for Super Street Fighter IV, like Fei Long as Kato. Meanwhile, GameStop has a pre-order bonus of Super Thumb Fighters to keep your thumbs. I guess they're kind of neat. Want more SSFIV? Hadoken.net has an interview with Seth Killian all about the game.

• Mega Man 10 has release dates! March 1st for Wii, March 11th for PSN, and March 31st for XBLA.

• In case you were wondering, here's the anatomy of a $60 videogame.

• The Wii version of the Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will include the SNES version of the original Prince of Persia. Will the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions have a classic game included?

• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was originally MGS5. Kojima says that despite the removal of the 5, it's still a MGS5-level game.

• After some delays, Dragon Age: Origins' Return to Ostagar DLC will be available on PlayStation Network on March 11th.

• Videogame nerds have spoken; the Derby inner ring road is now called Lara Croft Way.

- Shawn - 2/28/10

Halo Points No More

Some stores received Halo series 7 this week, a little earlier than the March 2010 release date and perhaps too early for some. My local Target got a case of figures and some of the new boxed armor sets, so I decided to pick up a couple, but when I went to the checkout the UPCs were not on file. I guess Halo came too early for Target. If you have seen the figures in stores then you have noticed one omission from the back of the packages: the absence of Halo Points. This isn't entirely unexpected since the Halo Points promotion ended last November, but I was kind of hoping McFarlane Toys would keep the Halo Points thing going and add a few new items to redeem them for in the future. Maybe McFarlane Toys will have something if you have lots of UPCs to send in. Yeah, probably not, but I might hold onto them anyway; they'll go well with the 115 Halo Points I have leftover.

Does McFarlane Toys have anything leftover from the Halo Points promo? If they do will they put them on the Spawn store or make them available elsewhere? I got what I wanted, but if they have extra Dragon Swords lying around I might be tempted to pick up a one or two more. Actually, all the extra Dragon Swords are probably in the white Spartan armor packs already. I was really wondering how many points the Warthog was going to have on its box, but I guess we'll never know.

Which Spartan did Rogue Spartan choose? Spartan #2, the Hayabusa, because it was his last chance to get a sweet Dragon Sword.

- Shawn - 2/25/10

Direct link: Halo Points No More

Rotobox Panda-Z: Too Awesome for Mass Production

I had never heard of Rotobox before today, but now I can add them to my list of super-cool toy companies that I will never, ever own anything from. Rotobox's latest creation is the awesome Panda-Z and is limited to 1. Just 1. If you don't know what Panda-Z is, it's a series of episodes that are only a few minutes in length and star a cute Panda who pilots a giant robo-Panda. Well, Rotobox made a vinyl figure of Panda-Z from a Robotars resin figure. Since I love learning about new things, this is also the first time I've heard of Robotars. From what I can tell, Rotobars are resin figures that get customized for the Robotars Custom Show in the Philippines. Anyways, this Robotars Panda-Z by Rotobox is awesome and very detailed; just check out that cockpit. You absolutely must to take a look at the rest of their projects, because they are making so of the most amazing vinyl figures around, especially their Devastator, which is easily the coolest vinyl I've ever seen. (via Tomopop)

The limited 1/1 might that is Panda-Z.

- Shawn - 2/22/10

Direct link: Rotobox Panda-Z: Too Awesome for Mass Production

Weekly News Roundup: 2/21/2010

Games

Wow, there's a Street Fighter IV coming out?! I can't wait to read about it!

• EGM will be returning this year, but before it re-arrives on newsstands The Lost Issue will be available online using new ScreenPaper tech. A preview of issue 237 is online now complete with animation and sound and serves as a preview of EGM's digital content. The links don't work yet, but they should be soon. Even though the issue is over a year old and all the news is old news, I can't wait to read it.

• The regular edition of Espgaluda II will be region free, but not the limited edition. Cave didn't have enough time to get the region-free code in before the LE went to press, but at least we can all play the regular version. Unfortunately, Espgaluda II will be the last region free game for a while. Why, Cave? We thought the region-free games were selling well for you.

• Capcom has made it officially official: Ibuki, Makoto, and Dudley are returning in Super Street Fighter IV. Awesome, the three new characters from SFIII that I actually liked. Check out the load of new videos and screenshots showing the trio doing what they do.

• In Resident Evil 5's Lost in Nightmares DLC you can unlock the classic Resident Evil style camera. That's super cool.

• Tech Digest has an interview with Final Fantasy XIII's director Motomu Toriyama and producer Yoshinori Kitase about FFXIII and their views on Mass Effect and Fallout 3. They also address the question of a Final Fantasy VII remake: If it can be done in a year, they will do it. Since a remake would takes years and years to complete, it doesn't look like there will ever be one.

• It looks like Sony has filed a patent for a Universal Controller that would work on every system.

• Soon, PlayStation Home users can have their Home person run around with a Star Wars lightsaber, Stormtrooper armor, or Indiana Jones gear. Why do people keep buying this fake stuff?

- Shawn - 2/21/10

Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch Trailer

Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch, a fan-made 3-D FPS Mega Man, has been in the works for a while, but now there is a trailer that shows just how mega awesome it's going to be. All the characters remain 2-D, but run around and blast one another in a 3-D world that looks like it was pulled right from the old NES Mega Man. Check out more screenshots and details at CutStuff.

- Shawn - 2/20/10

Direct link: Mega Man 8-Bit Deathmatch Trailer

Ryo Hazuki Driving a Forklift!

Yes, there is a toy of Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue driving a forklift. It's possibly one of the greatest things ever, is approximately 7-inches tall, and is a figurine of Ryo Hazuki driving a forklift. Unfortunately, it's super limited and will be very difficult to get. See, Ryo Hazuki driving a forklift is limited to 1000 pieces and can only be won from the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing sweepstakes. Well, 75 of them can be won form the sweepstakes and 50 of them are for the Sega Europe Blog, so where are the other 875 going and how do I get one? Prizes from other places, probably. I know I should just give up hope in getting a Ryo Hazuki driving a forklift, but if there is some way to win one I'll at least try.

Ryo Hazuki driving a forklift. So limited, so amazing.

- Shawn - 2/16/10

Direct link: Ryo Hazuki Driving a Forklift!

McFarlane Toys' Warthog Looks as Expected: Awesome

One of the main things I was hoping to see out of Toy fair 2010 was McFarlane Toys' in-scale Warthog and a photo finally arrived today. The Warthog probably looks exactly as everyone expected (since we already know what a Warthog looks like), but it's still awesome to finally see it. Man, I can't wait to have my Spartans in this thing. Along with Warthog, the packaging prototypes for an in-scale Ghost and the Halo: Reach figures were also on display. The Ghost will include a Grunt (with a helmet!) and I'm sure the Warthog will have at least one figure included with it. At least eight figures in the series and I'll bet that the Spartan with the skull paint will be one of the most popular ones. The figures and vehicles will be out tin the Fall. There are no prices announced for the vehicles yet, but considering that the Mongoose was $20, I'd say a fair estimate would put the Ghost around the same with the Warthog around $40 - 50. Go to Kotaku to check out the packaging prototypes with cardboard cutout Spartans.

The Warthog is ready to be vroomed around the Toy Fair floor.

- Shawn - 2/15/10

Direct link: McFarlane Toys' Warthog Looks as Expected: Awesome

Weekly News Roundup: 2/14/2010

Games

Hard Man was never very good at expressing how he felt without feeling a bit awkward.

• It's Valentine's Day, so enjoy or give someone one of these hilarious Mega Man Valentines, or one of the Street Fighter IV Valentines.

• It's a smorgasbord of new Mega Man 10 weapons. Many of them are pretty similar to weapons in other Mega Man games, but that's okay.

• THQ has revealed what the mysterious code included with DarkSiders is for: a digital art book and a free copy of Red Faction Guerilla. Wow, a free game is very generous.

• There are some new Lost Planet 2 screenshots showing the legendary team-up of Wesker, Marcus, and Dom.

• The Halo: Reach beta begins May 3rd.

• NIS was forced to change the name of Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman! What Did I do to Deserve This? to What Did I do to Deserve This, my Lord? because of a conflicting interest with an existing IP. Gee, I wonder what that existing IP could possibly be. This has also delayed the release of the second game.

• Dead Rising fans will be able to download a Dead Rising 2 prologue on Xbox Live before the game comes out. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will bridge the gap between DR1 and 2.

• A new female cyborg character called μ-12 is coming to BlazBlue later this Summer, but only in Japan for now.

• The Wii title Dead Space: Extraction and the brand new Dead Space: Planet Cracker could both be heading to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live before Dead Space 2 arrives.

- Shawn - 2/14/10

Shockwave Escalates the War For Cybertron

Shockwave's look for the upcoming Transformers: War For Cybertron was revealed today and it is amazing. I didn't think Shockwave could get any cooler, but man, this design is just Transformers perfection. The only down side is that the mighty Shockwave has been regulated as a GameStop pre-order bonus character... and he can only be used in the Escalation multiplayer mode. Wait, Shockwave can only be used in one multiplayer mode? That sounds oddly specific. Maybe the GameStop code lets you use him in Escalation Mode, but can you regularly use him in other modes? Maybe? Details on War For Cybertron are still pretty thin, so maybe some eventual solid facts will tell us we can use him in more than just one part of the game. In the meantime, I'll be hoping that Hasbro will make an awesome figure of Shockwave's new retro form. (via Kotaku)

Shockwave is too awesome to be regulated to one multiplayer mode.

Direct link: Shockwave Escalates the War For Cybertron

- Shawn - 2/11/10

Mass Effect 2 Figures Get Some Reconstructive Surgery

New images for DC Unlimited's Mass Effect 2 figures have arrived and show off a few little changes in the line. I am currently waist-deep in the game, so these clearer photos (clearer than the previous Previews scan) of the figures are pretty exciting. Tali looks generally the same, but has a deeper tint on her visor now. Just think how awesome it would be if DC Unlimited went that extra mile and Tali's visor was semi-transparent so you could see just a small portion of her eyes like in the game. The Thane figure looks much better in the gray and black outfit instead of brown from the prototype photo. Grunt's armor is now silver instead of white, which is good because I wouldn't want his armor to run the risk of yellowing. Shepard now has a removable helmet, which is great for removable helmet aficionados. However, it still isn't my Shepard, so I don't have any desire to get him. The figures are still scheduled for August this year and I would expect them to be around $15 each. Hopefully for series 2 we'll get a Garrus figure so I can have my two main support buddies (the other is Tali). Although, what I really want to see is a figure of any Shepard in the Blood Dragon Armor. Alright, I have to get back to the game now. (via Toy News i)

Tali looks great, but imagine how even more awesome she would be if the figure had a semi-transparent visor like in the game.	You know, I'm getting tired of that same Mass Effect 2 picture being used everywhere. Oh, this is Thane.

Continue for Grunt and Shepard... with a helmet!

- Shawn - 2/10/10

Weekly News Roundup: 2/7/2010

Games

Nothing but good old-fashioned Sonic action.

• Sega's Project Needlemouse is Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Episode 1? Why not just make the whole game at once? At least Sonic is returning to proper form. The game will be downloadable from PSN, Xbox Live, and WiiWare this Summer.

• The debut trailer for Fallout: New Vegas is looking quite different than the wasteland that was Fallout 3.

• Sir Patrick Stewart is addicted to technology like the rest of us. He loves email and the internet, but he has not opened any of his videogames because he's afraid he would be finished.

• The original Xbox Live service will be ending and on April 14th Halo 2 will see its last hoorah. Wow, I didn't even know original Xbox Live was still going.

• New screenshots from The Last Guardian feature more of that adorable griffin-cat-thing.

• You can get the Dr. Pepper Mass Effect 2 DLC without having to drink any delicious Dr. Pepper.

• BioShock 2 will be here soon, so here's the launch trailer.

• Check out this fan-made Final Fight movie trailer. Okay, it's more of a scene than a trailer, but it's pretty cool.

• Mario and Sonic's recent reunion is a bit awkward.

- Shawn - 2/7/10