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.

  • Dark Void will get Survivor Mode DLC on 2/10/10.

  • A fan got his PS3 adorned with some amazing original Dead Space art by artist Luc Boivin.

Figures / Toys

  • New awesome Street Fighter key chains are shaped like old Famicom controllers and let you do Street Fighter moves. You can even fight against others that have the key chains.

  • A new Sea Spray is coming out later this year that, thankfully, looks much more like the Generation 1 original than any of the newer movie-style Transformers. Except now Sea Spray is bigger and can carry other, smaller Transformers.

  • The first picture of the new AT-AT isn't great, but you can kind of see how much bigger and better it will be than the original. The size is 24"H x 28"L x 12"W and will be $100 this August.

- Shawn - 2/7/10


Big Daddy Plush Doll is a Hodgepodge of Broken Dreams

A while ago NECA hinted that they would be making some kind of a BioShock plushie. I figured, and was hoping, that it would be a plush Big Daddy that a Little Sister carried with her in the BioShock 2 trailers... and it is. Today, NECA has finally revealed photos of the plush Big Daddy doll and it is exactly like the Little Sister's. The Big Daddy plush doll has a baseball head, pins for "eyes," wire frame cage, corkscrew arm, rubber bands, rope, a paper clip, and whatever else. This isn't the kind of plushie you want to cuddle with. The doll itself has a rotocast plastic head and stands approximately 7-inches tall. This kind of snuck up on everyone because it should be available in stores now for around $24. NECA also revealed the Eve Hypo replica. It's 8-inches tall and lights up with LED lights. I wouldn't suggest actually jamming it in your arm, however.

Big Daddy is not exactly the kind of plushie to cuddle-up with at night.

- Shawn - 2/4/10

Direct link: Big Daddy Plush Doll is a Hodgepodge of Broken Dreams


Dragon Age: Origins Figures Awaken

And once again it was foretold by the Previews catalog that DC Unlimited shall craft action figures from Dragon Age: Origins, a videogame tale told by the bards at BioWare. The first series of four figures will include Morrigan, Genlock, Duncan, and Loghain. I have yet to start my epic journeying through Dragon Age: Origins so I don't know if I should be excited about any of these characters being made in action figures. Well, except for Morrigan. Everyone knows the witch who magically wears more clothing during her sex scenes. The figures look a little bland, though. While they are just prototypes, the figures probably won't change that much. The figures should be out in September 2010, long after the release of the Dragon Age: Origins' expansion, Awakening.

I foresee at least one of these figures selling well.

- Shawn - 2/3/10

Direct link: Dragon Age: Origins Figures Awaken


The Ultimate in Mega Man 10 Art

I bet you all thought that the radical Mega Man 10 retro box art was all, or mostly all, there. Well, the past couple days Capcom has been slowly revealing some work of art through comment numbers and something with that awful Twitter. Today, the art was revealed and it's the previous retro art expanded to the ultimate Mega Man 10 triptych. Simply amazing. Head to Capcom-Unity for the Mega Man 10 triptych in all its unbridled full-sized glory.

Will Mega Man 10 live up to the incredible amount of sheer awesome in this one picture?

- Shawn - 2/2/10

Direct link: The Ultimate in Mega Man 10 Art


SGH4: X-002's Arms of Articulated Destruction

Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. give us a look at the colored prototype of X-Multiply's X-002 from Shooting Game Historica 4. The arms are flexible with multiple movable joints to set them in plenty of battle-ready positions. I'm a little worried for how sturdy the actual arms will be; will they stay in one position for a long time without falling out of place? We'll just have to wait and see about that, but the toy itself looks amazing. This is just the prototype, but Takara expects that it will not change for the production model. The X-002 and all the other SGH4 prototypes will be on display at the upcoming Winter Festival.

In other SGH news, it seems that the Thunder Force V mega-awesome-super set will be delayed until further notice. Because of repeated adjustments, the mold itself still isn't completely finished. They know lots of fans are eager for this set to see release, so they are very sorry for the delay. That's okay, though. Since the Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. dudes are perfectionists in tiny things, so I'll trust them to make it right no matter how long it takes.

Just two of the deadly positions of X-002's arms of articulated destruction.

- Shawn - 2/1/10

Direct link: SGH4: X-002's Arms of Articulated Destruction


Weekly News Roundup: 1/31/2010

Games

Marcus and Dom are probably just multiplayer characters or will be unlockable skins after completing the game, much like the guest characters in the first Lost Planet. Including them in the actual story wouldn't make any sense.

  • The cover for the North American version of Super Street Fighter IV was revealed... and it's awful. It's just the same art pieces we've all seen Photoshopped in a collage. Ugh. Japan and Europe get original art, but the US gets screwed again. Maybe Capcom will hear our pleas of anguish and give us a different cover, like they did with the original release of SFIV. Compare the Japan, Europe, and N.A. box art here.

  • Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is awesome, but there are some cool things that got cut from the game like Phoenix Wright and a Ghosts & Goblins stage.

  • After Burner Climax will be barrel-rolling onto PSN and XBLA in the US and Europe later this year.

  • The new game from Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series, is Vanquish. The debut trailer is live-action and looks pretty damn cool.

  • Q Games wants to know if fans want Rez HD on the PS3, possibly for $15. More Rez is good, but why would it be $15 when the XBLA version was $10 years ago?

  • Before BioShock 2 hits, read about some of the features cut from BioShock, such as a pressure system, biomechanical technology, an insect ecology, and a navigation robot.

  • The Xbox 360 version of Record of Agarest War is getting The Really Naughty Limited Edition. It includes a soundtrack CD, pillowcase, and a boobie mouse pad in a suggestive box. Feel the shame.

  • Namco-Bandai has "no plans" to bring the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia to the US. However, "no plans" could mean just wait longer for an announcement.

Figures

  • Hasbro has revealed Optimus prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee from the War for Cybertron line. Supposedly the figures will have a limited release. Just how limited is unknown at this point.

Movies

  • Keiji Inafune, the creator of the Dead Rising games, went and directed a Dead Rising movie. The movie will be released on Xbox Live in Japan and hopefully in North America later.

  • Just like with Street Fighter IV, Super SFIV will have an animated movie, this time by Gonzo. The trailer shows lots of Juri action, but most surprisingly Bison's dolls are in there.

- Shawn - 1/31/10


McFarlane Toys Announces Halo: Reach Figures and In-Scale Vehicles

To absolutely no one's surprise, McFarlane Toys has announced Halo: Reach figures. They already make all the Halo figures, so of course they'll be making figures form Reach. The second part of today's announcement might be the one they said would "drive" up our excitement two months ago; in-scale vehicles! That's in-scale to the 5-inch figures and "vehicles" plural. There are no photos or even a mention of what vehicles they'll be making, but the first vehicles (and Reach figures) will be available this Fall with more in 2011. Hopefully they mean more than just Mongoose variations. I'm sure we can expect a Warthog and a Covenant vehicle, but what other vehicles will there be? Will McFarlane Toys eventually be making a Hornet or Scorpion Tank? Toy Fair 2010 is in two weeks, so hopefully we'll see something soon.

Who knows, maybe McFarlane Toys will make Reach's random future pick-up truck.

- Shawn - 1/29/10

Direct link: McFarlane Toys Announces Halo: Reach Figures and In-Scale Vehicles


Lost Planet 2 Action Figures by Kotobukiya

I was needing something a little more Lost Planet-like to pose alongside my super cool Sir Om-Nom-Nom and Kotobukiya heard my call. The master toy and statue makers at Kotobukiya have revealed their line of Lost Planet 2 action figures. These aren't figures of the characters, but of the sweet-ass mechs the characters can pilot. There will be two mechs with two variations of each; the TX-140R Hardballer, the Hardballer Early Model, the GTF-11 Drio and the Drio SR. The Hardballers are 6-inches tall while the Drios are 5 1/2-inches tall. Each mech features interchangeable weapons, 20 points of articulation, and the Drios have Mountain Pirates in the driver seat. Mountain Pirates! The figures will retail for $39.99 and be out in May, just in time for Lost Planet 2 itself. Check out a few more photos over at ToyNewsi. Now, if Kotobukiya would only make in-scale Akrid to go along with these mechs.

Lost Planet 2 asks you, "Are you a Hardballer or just a Drio?"

- Shawn - 1/27/10

Direct link: Lost Planet 2 Action Figures by Kotobukiya


Weekly News Roundup: 1/24/2010

Games

The Mega Man 10 Achievements/Trophies are nothing compared to the hard life of Blade Man; he accidentally killed everyone he loved by hugging them.

  • The Mega Man 10 Achievements are mega hard, just like the Mega Man 9 ones. Complete the game without getting damaged? Seriously?! The PS3 Trophies should be the same.

  • The PS3 version of Resonance of Fate includes a Toro and Kuro T-Shirt that the character Leanne can wear in the game. The Xbox 360 version just has the "booth babe" shirt from Tokyo Game Show '09, which doesn't even turn Leanne into a booth babe. Nothing can beat Toro and Kuro.

  • On January 28th, other Sony characters will get to shoot one another in the face in Uncharted 2. The Uncharted 2 PlayStation Heroes pack includes skins for Nathan Hale, a Chimera, Sev, a Helghast soldier, Cole (in good and evil versions), and Zeke.

  • The next Bayonetta game could be a spin-off starring another character rather than a straight-up sequel.

  • There will be a Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker PSP that will be in camo and includes a camo cloth, pouch, strap, and the game. There will also be a limited edition version that includes numbered dog tags, a stand, and is limited to 1,974 units.

Figures

  • McFarlane Toys will be making Prince of Persia figures based on the movie. Maybe it's just the photos, but they look kind of bland.

- Shawn - 1/24/10


Hello Kitty Prints Her Own Money

As if Hello Kitty wasn't rich enough, now she is printing her own money. The Asakusa shopping district in Japan is issuing patrons old-style Yen coins with ruler Hello Kitty plastered on it. 500 stores in the area are actually accepting it as real currency. This is only a small area, but just wait; in today's economy Hello Kitty money could easily topple all others and become the de facto world currency. Sanrio is obviously planning... something. I don't know what, but when it happens I want to be on the winning side. With that I would like to say that DigitalMonkeyBox fully supports Hello Kitty as our future ruler. All hail, Hello Kitty! (Japan Trends via AnimeVice)

Hello Kitty's ultimate plan is in motion and we will all soon be under her rule.

- Shawn - 1/23/10

Direct link: Hello Kitty Prints Her Own Money


Blanka Helps Haiti

On February 1st SOTA Toys will be auctioning off a one-of-a-kind Blue Lightning Blanka prototype statue. All of the proceeds of the auction will go to help Haiti relief efforts. If you're a Street Fighter fan with a huge heart and a ton of donate-able cash, this exactly what you'll be bidding on in a couple weeks. This statue is going to reach insane amounts, not only because it's a one-of-a-kind Street Fighter statue, but also because all the money is going to help Haiti. And because it looks freaking awesome. Nice work, SOTA.

Despite being angry and charged with electricity, Blanka is great at saving lives.

Direct link: Blanka Helps Haiti

- Shawn - 1/19/10


DeathSmiles on America

I never thought I'd see the day when DeathSmiles would actually be localized for North America, but that day is happening today. Aksys announced today that they will be bringing over Cave's Gothic Lolita shooter to our Xbox 360s. Soon we can take on the forces of Imperator Tyrannosatan without needing a Japanese 360. Not only is Aksys being awesome by localizing the game, but they're also including the Mega Black Label mode that was previously only available as DLC in Japan. There is no firm release date yet, but localizing a shooter should take too long, right? This news is too good because now we know that there really is hope for us to have Cave's other shooters.

In DeathSmiles, Tyrannosatan's giant apples take a bite out of you.

- Shawn - 1/18/10

Direct link: DeathSmiles on America


Weekly News Roundup: 1/17/2010

Figures

Finally, Optimus Prime can get some real work done instead of having to stare at your questionable anime figures all day.

  • Transformers figures finally have their own Generation 1 Teletraan-1 / Ark  base playset. Made by fan company IGear, the set has been in development for a while, but is now finished and for sale at online retailers. The playset has a Teletraan-1, a medical bay, robotic arm, and a tiny Soundwave cassette doing sneaky Decepticon spy stuff. It's also modular, so you can change the layout for whatever battle situation you may need. This is seriously awesome, but that $120 price tag may hold off some fans.

  • The Ravage and Tigertron Transformers USB drives will be released in the U.S. by Toshiba. Unlike the Takara versions, these will be 4 GB rather than 2 GB, but will be the same $40 price. They will also release the incredibly uncomfortable-looking Grimlock and Trypticon mice for $50. They aren't available yet, but they should be soon.

  • The Sci-Fi Revoltech site went online this week. There isn't much there right now, but they do have a photo or two of the sweet Alien, Gamera, and Daijamin figures.

Games

  • Europe is getting a special edition of Heavy Rain that includes a fancy case with textured rain drops, a code for DLC, a fold-out of notes and clues, and a slick Origami Killer origami sculpture. Man what an insult to North America. First we get crappier box art and now this.

  • Capcom Japan announced a Mega Man Zero Collection containing all four Mega Man Zero games from the Game Boy Advance. This needs to be released in North America.

  • Some new costumes for the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia turn the Vesperia characters into other popular Namco characters. There's Kos-Mos, Klonoa, Mr. Driller, Mitsurugi, Heihachi and more. I would definitely play this game if it Kos-Mos, Mitsurugi, and Klonoa were in my party.

  • In the awesome DarkSiders you play as War, one of the four horsemen. While the other three aren't in the game, artist Joe Madureira did design Strife, Fury, and Death. Perhaps they'll appear in the inevitable sequel.

  • PlayStation Home has added an Irem Square where you can get a virtual R-Type R9 ship to place in your virtual apartment. It's virtually awesome.

  • Be a hero to Haiti. Over at the Bungie Store you can order a special Superintendent T-Shirt. 100% of the profits will go to Haiti relief efforts. You can also don a heart emblem while playing Halo 3 or ODST this Wednesday and Thursday. For every 1000 players, Bungie will donate $100 to Haiti.

  • Batman: Arkham Asylum looks to be getting a Game of the Year Edition. However, since most of the DLC is already free, what else would it include?

Movies / TV

  • Spider-Man 4 is dead. Sam Raimi and Tobey McGuire have walked away from the project. The next Spider-Man movie will be a reboot, have Peter Parker back in high school, and will most likely be awful.

  • After the sixth and final season of Lost wraps up, ABC could be planning a Lost spin-off series. If we all get all our answers from this season though, what mysteries could there be in the new series?

  • Someone put together a Charlie Nash Remix from Chris Klein's role in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. All of his horrible over-acting in one place.

- Shawn - 1/17/10


Mega Man 10 Bosses Revealed Part 2

Sometimes you just need to wait a day. Yesterday, Mega Man 10's bosses were revealed via CoroCoro Comic with blurry photos of the comic hitting the internets shortly after. Today, Capcom shows us clear, big pictures of the new nefariously retro robot masters. The bosses are Sheep Man, Solar Man, Chill Man, Nitro Man, Commando Man, Pump Man, Strike Man, and Blade Man. Capcom-Unity has profiles and huge awesome wallpapers of all eight, so head there for all the robot master action. Now, about that secret third playable character...

The Mega Man 10 bosses are 8-bits of pure robot action.

- Shawn - 1/14/10

Direct link: Mega Man 10 Bosses Revealed Part 2


Mega Man 10 Bosses Revealed (Part 1)

The bosses of Mega Man 10 have been revealed by way of CoroCoro Comic from Japan. The not-particularly-clear scans probably burst upon the internets within minutes of the comic hitting newsstands. A quick translation provides us all with the bosses names and their weapons/abilities. The new retro bosses are:

Commando Man: Attacks with a powerful explosive wave.
Blade Man: Attacks with three swords.
Nitro Man: Can transform into a motorcycle. (Perhaps Turbo Man’s little bro?)
Sheep Man: Splits up and creates lightning strikes.
Solar Man: Absorbs attacks and attacks with solar energy from his head.
Chill Man: Fires an icy shot. (Curiously, he seems to be called Chilled Man in here.)
Pump Man: Has a water-themed shield weapon.
Strike Man: Throws a powerful fastball.

Until better pictures are posted, we'll just have to make-do with these scans (via Mega Man Network). I'm a little disappointed that there isn't another female robot master. I guess Mega Man 9's Splash Woman was too revolutionary.

Pump Man, Strike Man, Chill Man, and Solar Man.

Continue reading Mega Man 10 Bosses Revealed (Part 1)...

- Shawn - 1/13/10


Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom's Ultimate Mini Shooter

As if Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars wasn't already cooler than it's Japanese counterpart, Capcom has announced that it will also have a more ultimate shooter mini-game. The original Japanese release had a three-stage shooter as a side-game for Lost Planet's PTX-40A mech character. PTX-40A could shoot Akrid through three stages of shooter-ness. The new version, called TvC: Ultimate All-Shooters, will now have four characters to choose from: PTX-40A, Ryu, Tekkaman, and Ken the Eagle. It will also support 4-player co-op and have different paths to take. This is awesome news and one wonders if other side games have received a more ultimate treatment. (via Capcom-Unity)

- Shawn - 1/12/10

Direct link: Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom's Ultimate Mini Shooter


Weekly News Roundup: 1/10/2010

Figures

For the Zeon faithful and those that don't like having an extra $1000. Sieg Zeon!

  • What's cooler than Gundam? Gundams made of wood. This wooden Zaku II is over 12-inches tall and only costs around $1000.

  • Biff Bang Pow will be making Venture Bros. toys. Unfortunately, the first to come out will be bobble heads in Spring 2010. I despise bobble heads, but a line of figures will follow in Summer.

  • Shawnimals Ninjatown Ninja of the Month is Baker Ninja. He'll kick your ass and bake you delicious cookies.

Games

  • Here's a short preview of a sports stage in Mega Man 10. Just what is this robot master's name? Sports Man? Ball Man? Goooooooooooaaal! Man?

  • Amazingly, Mark Hamill has never been asked to play Luke Skywalker in a videogame.

  • The DLC characters for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 have gone missing from PSN and Xbox Live. Activision says it was a limited time offer (less than two months), yet they didn't tell anyone. Who's the moron that thought this was a good idea? I wanted to play as Psylocke and Carnage, but now I'm out of luck.

  • The 8-Bit Left 4 Dead fan game is now finished and available for all those wanting some retro zombie killing.

  • Metal Slug XX arrives on the PSP on February 23rd. Like Atlus said, it's only one X from ESRB trouble.

  • Microsoft revealed the new Game Room for Xbox 360 which will be chock full of retro games... and everyone's ugly avatar.

Movies

  • Director Darren Aronofsky may no longer be directing the Robocop remake. MGM foolishly wants Robocop in 3D, but Aronofsky wants everything in the movie to be as real as it can.

  • The Darksiders game just came out, but a movie for it already being planned.

  • The Zombieland writers will be writing the scripts for Deadpool and G.I. Joe 2. Let's hope they can curb their humor for G.I. Joe and have a better movie than the first one.

- Shawn - 1/10/10


Shooting Game Historica 4 Renders

There may not be any pictures of the actual Shooting Game Historica 4 ships yet, but there are some more concept renders. These renders, probably from their new computer sculpting process, show what the ships will look like from a few different angles; the finished ones just won't be so CG looking. Yeah, it's not much for now, but you take what you can get with SGH news. NCSX has begun pre-orders which are scheduled to ship in April this year, however I'll be holding out for the inevitable SP edition.

The conceptual awesomeness or Shooting Game Historica 4.

Continue for more renders...

- Shawn - 1/09/10


Does Mrs. Claus Have More Fun as a Blonde?

McFarlane Toys has announced a new exclusive Christmas figure, just in time for after Christmas. Mrs. Claus from McFarlane's 2007 Twisted Christmas line is getting a blonde makeover. The figure, well, actually a statue since there is no articulation, will be an exclusive from a company you've probably never heard of, William Davis Collectibles, and can be ordered from EverythingMcFarlane.com. The figure-statue will be limited to 4,000 pieces and cost $29.99, which is at least twice as much as the retail price of the brunette original. Blonde Mrs. Claus should ship in the very non-Christmasy season of May 2010, the time of year that obviously needs more suggestively posed holiday strumpets.

As a blonde or brunette, Mrs. Claus will have all the fun she wants.

- Shawn - 1/08/10

Direct link: Does Mrs. Claus Have More Fun as a Blonde?


DC Unlimited Bring Down the Mass Effect 2 Figures

With all the Sony videogame figures coming from DC Unlimited, you may have thought that they only made videogame figures from Sony properties. Well, now DC will be bringing down the Mass Effect 2 figures in August 2010. Even though the first Mass Effect didn't get figures, the sequel will. If the ME2 figures sell well enough then DC might make figures from the first game. They may be years later, like the Resistance, Heavenly Sword, and Twisted Metal figures, but it would still be nice. I started playing Mass Effect just this week (yeah, I'm a little behind on my games), but I'd love some figures based on it. This first series will include four figures. The Shepard will be generic male Shepard that is seen on all the box covers and ads for the games. I've always wondered, with make-your-own-Shepard approach of the games, did anyone actually play as generic male Shepard? The series also includes the pink roboty chick Tali, the tall green alien dude Thane, and Grunt, the short alien that probably slobbers and smells bad. Wait, is his name really Grunt? That's a sad, sad name. The figures will be approximately 6.75-inches tall and since they're the same scale as the other DC Unlimited figures, you can have your Mass Effect-Resistance-Ratchet-Heavenly Sword-Twisted Metal super awesome crossover event. (via GamerVision)

Since I'm sure most people did not play Mass Effect as generic male Shepard, the figure for him could be good for a random space soldier guy.

- Shawn - 1/07/10

Direct link: DC Unlimited Bring Down the Mass Effect 2 Figures


Merry Christmas, Here’s Shooting Game Historica 4

How does the Takara Tomy ARTS blog celebrate Christmas? By announcing the next wave of their premier shooter replicas, Shooting Game Historica 4. SGH4 have six ships, including the Legend Silver Hawk Burst from Darius Burst (I’m pretty sure that the eventual SP edition would include the new Silver Hawk), Flint Lock from Xexex, CF-345 Black Fly from Metal Black, Twinbee and Winbee form the Twinbee series (specifically Pop ‘N Twinbee. Nice. I knew these would make an appearance eventually), and X-002 from X-Multiply.

Since this is just an announcement there are no actual product photos, but there are a CG mock-ups of the ships. The Black Fly and X-002 are Takara Tomy ARTS’ first venture into the metal tentacle territory for SGH, so it will be interesting to see if the tentacles will be articulated, be solid pieces, or if they will be bendy. I’m not sure if the F.O.U.R. of SGH4 is an actual acronym or if it’s just an artistic choice for the logo. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough, but apparently, Takara have a new process to include even more detail on the ships than before. Shooting Game Historica 4 should be available in February 2010.

Shooting Game Historica 4 brings the legends, the cute, and the tentacles.

SGH4 was Takara’s biggest announcement on Christmas, but it wasn’t their only one. They also revealed the prototype packaging for the Thunder Force V super set. Finally, there will be two alternate environment colors for the limited Valken with booster from the Video Game Robotics line. A desert camouflage version will be exclusive to AmiAmi.com, while a winter camo Valken will be exclusive to Dengeki Hobby. Click the link to check out images of the rest and I’ll see you sporadically over the rest of the holiday season.

Continue reading Merry Christmas, Here’s Shooting Game Historica 4...

- Shawn - 12/26/09


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