Halo Points Prizes Revealed

Hayabusa's legendary Dragon Sword may make a Master Ninja out of a nameless Spartan.

McFarlane Toys has finally revealed the mysterious products that the Halo Points can be redeemed for. Halo Points are on the UPC of each of McFarlane Toys' Halo figures and vehicles. If you've been buying the figures and didn't know about them and haven't noticed them, you could be out of luck for a cool bonus Halo goodie. I was only actually expecting one item, like an exclusive figure, but McFarlane Toys have gone beyond anyone's expectations and revealed six Halo Point prizes.

For 100 points (the least expensive item) there is an original Halo lithograph by former Spawn artist Greg Capullo. There is no image since the art is not yet finished, but since Capullo's doing it, it should be pretty rad. For 175 points is the Hayabusa katana and scabbard, A.K.A. the Dragon Sword from the Ninja Gaiden games. This is one of the coolest items as not only can you adorn your Halo figures with it (and actually unsheathe it so they can hold the legendary Dragon Ninja sword) but you can also let your other figures pose with it.

The next three items are differently colored Recon armor sets. Recon armor is the most coveted, and hardest to obtain, in Halo 3. Only Bungie employees and winners of Halo 3 tournaments have the armor for their in--game Spartan characters. McFarlane Toys' Recon armor is not an entire figure; it's just the helmet, left and right shoulder pieces, and a chest plate. The red Recon armor is 225 points, blue Recon armor is 250 points, and an active camo version is 300 points. If you're wondering why the same armor has a different point cost for different colors, well, it does make sense. Red Spartan figures are fairly common, so the red armor costs the least amount of points. Blue Spartans are only available at Wal-Marts, and I have yet to even see one in person (pictures online don't count), so the blue ones are more rare. There are only two different active camo Spartans that are McFarlane Toys exclusives and neither one is actually available, so the clear Recon armor would cost the most points. That, and four pieces of clear armor on a solid-colored Spartan would look totally messed-up.

The final Halo Point prize is a gold Master Chief figure for 500 points. Yes, this is a full figure, not a few armor parts. The figure is painted completely gold and will come in its own special packaging. While a gold Chief may be just what the most hardcore Halo fan needs, it's not something that's at the top of my "redeem list." I personally don't like figures that are painted completely gold. I also don't plan on buying an army of Halo figures just to get it. Although, if the eBay prices get ridiculously ridiculous, well that could just change my mind in getting one to re-sell.

At the top of my own "Halo Points" list is the Hayabusa katana, with the Greg Capullo lithograph second. Then depending on the rest of the points I have or procure, I may go for a recon armor or just another Hayabusa sword for epic Spartan-cyber-ninja showdowns.

Now, for a little fun I wanted to put this whole point thing into a Spartan perspective. If you wanted one of each Halo Point prize it would cost 1550 points. If you bought only Spartans, which give you 10 points per figure, you would have an army of 155 Spartans. If you paid real money for those Spartans, considering the normal price of approximately $13 per figure, it would cost you $2015. Fortunately, some figures have more points than others, up to 35 points for certain figure with the vehicles worth 25 points each (and a few dollars less). Of course, the higher point figures are usually a little more difficult to find than the 10-point Spartans. So if you're' aiming to get every Halo Point prize, shop smart.

The redemption period begins this Winter. McFarlane Toys hasn't dished-out all the details yet so shipping costs, whether we can redeem points for two or more of the same item, and the timeline we have to redeem will be provided at a later time. Click the pictures for bigger versions or head to Spawn.com. If the Halo points news isn't enough excitement for you, the Halo 3 Series 2 online feature is now live.

Continue for more Halo Points pictures...

- Shawn - 07/18/08


Gradius ReBirth: Reverse Resurrection

With all the big announcements at E3 it looks like Konami wanted to quietly , but Konami has announced Gradius ReBirth for the WiiWare on the Konami of Japan site (via Joystiq). All there is at this time is a solitary screenshot. From the screen we can tell that it is indeed a Gradius title, the Vic Viper is shooting missles, Moai heads are back, and that it looks retro (much like the new Mega Man 9). The visuals seem to be in the NES/SNES range. There is no information about the title yet as the whether it's a remake, a sequel, or a side-story, but I'm sure Konami will give us details soon. What is known is that the game will be available this Summer, which would mean very soon. I am wondering though, will the game only be for WiiWare or will it also appear on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade? After what Capcom pulled with Mega Man 9 I wouldn't be surprised if we see some news down the line about Gradius ReBirth coming to every download service.

According to the Google translated version of the Konami Japan page, underneath the Gradius ReBirth title is "Gradius reverse." I don't know how accurate Google's translation is, but what does "reverse" mean? Given the older console look of the screenshot I'm assuming it just refers to the retro look (and probably sound) of the game.

Good thing the game isn't called Gradius AfterBirth. Hey, there's always the sequel.

Okay Konami, I'm all for rebirthing and after-birthing Gradius games no matter what they are, but what about Gradius VI? Gradius VI was announced for the PS3 before the console's launch, but no-one has heard of it for a long time now. Let's get some news on that pronto.

- Shawn - 07/17/08

Direct link: Gradius ReBirth Reverse Resurrection


Hell Girl Volume 1 Review

What would you do if some jerk took the last Klondike bar? Would you make a deal with a girl from hell to send that person straight to hell? Your soul would go to hell when you die, too, but at least you'd get to have that last and oh so delicious chocolate-covered ice cream treat. People's problems in the Hell Girl series aren't so absurd... yet, at least. So far it's a series about revenge; People that are so fed up with someone screwing them over and ruining others' lives that they are willing to go as far as sending their tormentors, and ultimately themselves, to hell.

Hell Girl is currently showing online on IFC should you want to check out the series for yourself. Otherwise, Hell Girl will have its network television premiere on October 3, if you get IFC.

The scariest thing in the series is Ai, Hell Girl herself: a monosyllabic young girl with soul-piercing red eyes and a dead-pan expression.

Read the Hell Girl Volume 1 Review...

- Shawn - 07/16/08


Thunder Force VI: First Screenshots

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else yet, but the Tecno Soft site was recently updated with a couple lines of Japanese text and a link. The link leads you to Sega's Japanese Thunder Force VI site, which is a bit limited in features for the moment. There are few small screenshots, but that's about it. Near the bottom of the site is a cool-looking a reserve button that opens the Thunder Force VI page at the Sega Store. And there at the Sega Store are a couple screens of the two ships in the game and twelve glorious screenshots.

Technically, Famitsu had the first screenshots, but these are the first I've seen online that aren't blurry or tiny scans from the magazine. The PS2 has been showing its age for years, but these screenshots look incredible. Gradius V is easily the best looking shooter on the PS2, but from the looks of these screens, Thunder Force VI could take over the top spot. There are some regular enemies, some larger ones, and possibly a few bosses. If you've played Thunder Force V you will immediately recognize the weapons system as it's pretty much the same. I am utterly excited for this game and am anxiously awaiting a North American announcement. Enough talk, click onward to check out the delicious Thunder Force VI screenshots.

This planet is now under the protection of Thunder Force.

Thunder Force VI Screenshots...

- Shawn - 07/15/08


Galaga: Legions and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 Shoot-up E3 '08

Amidst all the beefy news and surprise announcements (FFXIII on 360? Holy crap-monkeys!) from Microsoft's E3 '08 press conference, two ultra radical shooters were revealed for Xbox Live Arcade: Galaga: Legions and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.

We already knew the Galaga: Legions name from an ESRB leak long ago, but now we have official announcement on the all-new Galaga. Galaga: Legions is being made by the same team that did the addictively superb Pac-Man Championship Edition. From the lone screenshot at Joystiq it looks like GL will have the spruced-up HD graphics, refined gameplay, acid trip inducing colors, and leaderboards. It might also have remixed bass-pumping music and evolving stages. The only thing I hope Galaga: Legions has that Pac-Man: CE didn't, is an un-timed game mode. I wanted to play Pac-Man: CE for as long as I could, not just in five or ten minute Pac-bursts.

For some reason, Galaga: Legions is being called the "first true sequel to Galaga." I beg to differ. Galaga is actually the sequel to Galaxian. There are also Galpus A.K.A. Galaga 3, Galaga '88, Galaga: Destination Earth, and Galaga Arrangement. If Galaga: Legions is the first true sequel, then why not call it Galaga 2? Probably because people would get it confused with all the other Galaga sequels that have been out for twenty years. Maybe they mean the first true sequel to Galaga '88? That would make a lot more sense because if any Galaga game is a sequel to Galaga, it's Galaga '88... and maybe Galaga 3 since it's called Galaga 3. I think saying it's the first true sequel is just an attempt at building the hype up for the game, which could work for those that know nothing of the other Galaga sequels. What ever kind of sequel they're calling this, it is great to see another new Galaga game.

The new Galaga would have been more than enough exciting shooter news for the day, but then Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 was unveiled. The shooter that pretty much revitalized 2D shooters is getting a sequel. Geometry Wars: Galaxies was more of a side-story. GW: RE2 will have a remixed mode of the first game along with five other game modes. Pacifism, King, Deadline, Sequence, and Geometry Wars: Waves. Waves was previously only available with Project Gotham Racing 4 and if anyone bought PGR4 just for Waves, well, you may have gotten suckered. The racing part of that game isn't too bad, though. GW: RE2 will features four-player local co-op. It will also feature the new Co-Pilot co-op mode where one player pilots and the other shoots. Sounds kinky. Check out the screenshot gallery at Joystiq. Geometry War: Retro Evolved 2 will arrive on XBLA August 6th. No release date for Galaga: Legions has been announced yet.

Galaga: Legions and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 are going to explode your shooter mind into awesome.

- Shawn - 07/14/08

Direct link: Galaga: Legions and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 Shoot-up E3 '08


Weekly News Roundup: 07/13/2008

Games

Two female soldiers are about to bloom a mortar all over the battlefield.

  • Konami has revealed the first expansion for Metal Gear Online. Called the Gene Expansion, it includes a solid load of greatness. First up are three new maps; The City of Sorrow, Underground waterway, and South America Power Station. Players will be able to play as Meryl Silverburgh or Johnny "Akiba." Meryl shares the locations of enemies she is targeting and those that are targeting her with her teammates, raises morale, and can revive unconscious soldiers faster. Akiba can see all the traps and easily disarm them, turning them into items. Those players sick of playing only sausage fest matches can create their own female soldiers with the added character slot so that "...love can bloom even on a battlefield." Lastly is the reward shop where players can buy items using the points earned in the new survival mode.

  • The big boss of Soul Calibur IV was revealed this week: Algol. Algol is apparently the most powerful character in the Soul Calibur universe and isn't a jack-of-all-styles like Inferno or Edge Master. He holds the Soul Edge in his right hand, the Soul Calibur in his left, and has ten other weapons built into his body. Another character has been also announced, Kamikirimusi.

  • Which version of Bionic Commando: Rearmed are you buying? Perhaps these new details on the PlayStation Network version will help you decide. The game will feature remote play for playing on the PSP. Remote play can kind of suck, so the BCR team had to re-work the controls for the PSP so it plays just as well as playing it on a PS3. There is also a "very cool" surprise for purchasers of the PSN version, but that will be revealed in the weeks to come. What could the surprise be? Is it another beta test?

  • Capcom will have a U.S. test tour of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom at the EVO World Finals in Las Vegas. Just there? Oh please have it at the San Diego Comic-con, Capcom. As for new characters, Darkstalkers' Morrigan and Soki from Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams have been announced along with Hurricane Polymar and Golden Warrior Gold Lightan. You can check out all the insane action in the Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom trailer.

  • Onechanbara, the bikini-clad western samurai chick that slays zombies, is officially coming stateside on the Wii. Onechanbara: bikini Zombie Slayers will arrive in early 2009.

  • Watch this amazing Metal Gear Solid animated short, Cold Blooded.

  • The writer for the story-driven Mirror's Edge is Rhianna Pratchett, responsible for the writing of Heavenly Sword and Overlord. Speaking of Mirror's Edge, there's a new animated trailer and a few new screenshots.

  • 1942: Joint Strike will arrive on PlayStation Network on July 24th and Xbox Live Arcade on July 23rd.

  • Sega has announced its own RTS, Stormrise. Sega says that the game is the first truly 3D RTS and will have a non-detached way of controlling your units.

  • 1up has everything you need to know (so far) about Halo Wars.

  • The PS3 Greatest Hits line is coming soon and just like the PS2 and PSP games, they'll have an ugly red bar on the cover. It looks like they will also have red cases, which is odd. I guess since HD-DVD is dead Sony can fill the red case void.

  •  David Hayter sent an open letter to 1up about the misinterpretations about some of the things he said about Metal Gear Solid 4 at Anime Expo '08.

  • The upcoming DS game Animal Boxing lets you punch cute buff animals like cats, rhinos, and penguins. Take that Mr. Mittens!

Movies / Blu-ray / DVD

  • Battlestar Galactica Season 4.0 should arrive on DVD on 12/30, which is possibly a month before the second half of the season airs on the Sci-Fi Channel. Now where are those Blu-ray releases?

  • Sigourney Weaver is interested in doing a fifth Alien movie and said that "Ridley [Scott] is enthusiastic about it."

Action Figures

- Shawn - 07/13/08


Where to Buy Halo 3 Series 2 Figures

Pinky may be the most elusive Spartan yet. At least until Series 3's overseas exclusives hit.

McFarlane Toys' Halo 3 Series 2 action figures are out now. If you can find them, that is. Before you go Spartan hunting you may want to take a look at the lists McFarlane Toys made of the stores that have, will have, or had five minutes ago, the Halo figures you probably want. The list is available at Spawn.com or right here, copied and updated with exclusives for your convenience.

This is a nice move by McFarlane Toys to list out the stores they shipped figures to, especially since gas prices are so high. At least collector's won't be wasting gas going to stores where the figures are eternally absent from. Good hunting and good luck finding any of the exclusives that aren't GameStop's ODST. For some reason GameStops only received shipments of Master Chief and the steel ODST. Why not the all the figures? Maybe they'll get in the regular figures next week. At least I was able to get a pink Spartan. Hey, don't lie to yourself, you know you want a pink Spartan.

In other Halo figure news, the Series 2 feature will go online soon with all the fancy features you've come to expect. McFarlane Toys will also soon reveal whatever it is you can get with the Halo Points from the backs of the figure and vehicle packages. You have been saving your Halo Points haven't you?

- Shawn - 07/11/08

Direct link: Where to Buy Halo 3 Series 2 Figures


Mega Man 9: First Official Trailer

The first official Mega Man 9 trailer has arrived from IGN. The trailer shows a little more of some stages, a few new enemy types, the outlines of the bosses (Splash Woman is a mermaid-bot!), the return of devious Mega Man platforming puzzles, and that diabolical robot dragon made of robot flame guys in motion. And that music. It's oh so good and I'll be humming it for weeks. Prepare yourselves for buckets of Mega-awesome. (If the video does not appear centered, I apologize. It's centered in one of my browsers, but not the other.)

I don't know about the rest of you Mega Man fans, but that brought a tear of Mega-joy to my eye. I understand if you immediately want to watch it again. IGN let loose with some additional details on the ninth coming of the Blue Bomber. There will be 50 new enemies (including the bosses) and online leaderboards. What is most glorious, and most curious, is that at the end of the trailer the logos for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live are shown alongside WiiWare. So, when Capcom said the game was only for WiiWare they outright lied. I could understand them saying, "there are no current plans, nothing is confirmed," or something to that effect, but to just say WiiWare only was a poorly worded response to the rumors. Maybe what Capcom meant was that it will appear on WiiWare first, then PSN and XBLA later. I could see that happening. Anyway, no matter what they said, it's finally good to see that the game is coming out for everything. Well, almost. The only news that could be better is if Capcom announces limited edition NES cartridges for Mega Man 9. How cool would that be? Mega-cool, friends. Mega-cool. My NES still works fine and I might be willing to pay whatever price they asked.

- Shawn - 07/10/08

Direct link: Mega Man 9: First Official Trailer


Thunder Force VI Coming Soon!

New THUNDERFORCE coming soon! The Tecno Soft website is a simple white screen with the preceding text. Yes, there is a Tecno Soft website and it will probably be updated soon with screenshots, wallpapers, and videos now that Thunder Force VI has been officially unveiled in this week's issue of Famitsu. 1up provided a brief translation of the exciting info regarding the resurrection of the balls-to-the-walls shooter franchise. Thunder Force VI was supposed to come out a number of years ago on the Dreamcast, but the game was cancelled and Tecno Soft was deemed dead. Now, over ten years after part V graced the Saturn and PlayStation, Thunder Force VI will finally get released on the PS2.

Thunder Force VI is being developed by a team at Sega with lots of previous shooters under their belt. The team is also apparently big fans of the Thunder Force series. Like Thunder Force V, part VI will have 3D graphics with 2D gameplay. The ORN Empire has returned, but now it seems you can choose between the trusty Rynex last seen in Thunder Force IV, or the new Phoenix. Five weapons are available at the go and can be upgraded along the way to save the galaxy. Six stages are being developed with the fire, ice, and burnout out colony stages making appearances.

Alright, as a teaser feast your eyes and ears on the original promo trailer Thunder Force VI from 2000. I wonder how much of the cancelled Dreamcast original is being retained in the new PS2 version.

 

Two years ago I submerged myself into a Thunder Force spectacular stupor for a month and played through Thunder Force II - V and the two side games, Thunder Spirits and Thunder Force AC. The original Thunder Force was on the Sharp X1 computer, so actually being able to find and play the original is a very rare thing. Here's a suggestion; Tecno Soft and/or Sega could release the original Thunder Force as an extra on the disc or as a downloadable title. That way many fans would finally be able to play it.

Thunder Force VI will be available in Japan on October 30th. I know it's unlikely, but I'm really hoping the game gets localized for the US. If only Working Designs was still around, we'd have a sure shot at seeing part VI in the 'states. At the very least some company could distribute the game on PlayStation Network or Xbox LIVE, but I'd much rather have this on a disc. Regardless of what happens, it's good to see Tecno Soft back on the shooter block. Welcome back, Tecno Soft.

- Shawn - 07/09/08

Direct link: Thunder Force VI Coming Soon!


Transformers Movie Concept Art by Tim Flattery

Artist Tim Flattery has posted fifteen pieces of his concept art for the Transformers movie (the first live-action one) via SuperHeroHype.com. Concept art can be bland or boring sometimes, but it's a real treat when the art is as amazing as this stuff. The pieces show the concepts of Optimus Prime hiding from the mean ol' government helicopters, Blackout blowing stuff up at the military base, the protoform of one of the Transformers (possibly Optimus Prime), and close-ups of random Transformer heads. There are also two real stand out pieces that show something that didn't make it into the movie; a freaking aircraft carrier Transformer.

It doesn't look much like an aircraft carrier, but then most of the movie Transformers' robot forms don't look like their vehicle modes. If you look closely though you can see that the head is definitely the tower and there are a few other carrier details. If you're not as in-depth into the Transformers lore as some of us, the aircraft carrier 'bot in the Transformers universe is Tidal Wave who hails from the Armada series. When I first saw these art pieces I thought it was a little odd that the top half of a Transformer was hovering, but if an aircraft carrier transforms in the middle of the ocean, how is going to be able to float in robot form? He can't, that is why he hovers, which would also eliminate the need for legs. Awesome. Apparently this bad-ass robot also got cut from the second movie, which is too bad. If Tim Flattery has any more Transformers concept art I, and millions of Transformers fans, would love to see it.

Anyone else get the feeling of an evil version of the SDF-1 from Macross / Robotech? That's good stuff right there.

- Shawn - 07/08/08

Direct link: Transformers Movie Concept Art by Tim Flattery


Mega Man 9: First Gameplay Footage

There is large Rockman 9 logo, Japanese text is flying across the screen, and it is really short, but who cares, it's the first gameplay footage of Mega Man 9. This footage come courtesy of GoNintendo. The video is only about 20 seconds long, but shows very brief sections of two of the new stages. That new rotating platform seen in the air stage (Tornado Man's stage?) is sure to bring us some intense platforming sections with tight corridors and spikes. The music has always been a stand out feature of the Mega Man games and just from the scant few seconds of audio we get to hear it's clear that Mega Man 9 will have some great music. I already have these few seconds of music stuck in my head. It pains me that Capcom stated that Mega Man 9 will only be for WiiWare. I don't have a Wii and am just hoping beyond all mega-hope that this will arrive on PlayStation Network or Xbox Live. Okay, I'm going to watch it just one more time.

 - Shawn - 07/07/08

Direct link: Mega Man 9: First Gameplay Footage


Weekly News Roundup: 07/06/2008

Games

So that whole time Starbuck was gone, she was on Earth during the Chimera invasion. That's why Earth was frakked at the end of BSG. It's all beginning to make sense now.

  • Katee Sackhoff, Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, is in a viral promo video for Resistance 2 at ProjectAbraham.com. It would be great and cheesy if the actual game had these live-action cinemas, kind of like the Command & Conquer series. The Morse code at the end of the video leads you to here. Also, check out the first pic of the Leviathan in Chicago. That thing is huge!

  • David Hayter was a guest of honor at the Anime Expo where he conveyed his frustrations with Metal Gear Solid 4. Hayter thought that Snake shouldn't have any trouble pulling the trigger on himself since he's killed thousands of enemy soldiers. As for the first Metal Gear Solid, Hayter had some problems with the alternate ending with Otacon. Hayter is content with being a scriptwriter and voice-actor and has no plans to do love-actions roles, however, he feels that Hugh Jackman and Viggo Mortensen are the best two choices for playing Snake in the live-action movie.

  • Capcom USA is looking into getting Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom over to the US, but figuring out licensing issues with all the Tatsunoko characters would be tricky and might be impossible. As for new characters, Street Fighter III's Alex and Gan-chan from Yatterman have joined the lineup.

  • July 7th is Bungie Day, that glorious time of year when you can download some free Halo stuff. You'll be able to get the Cold Storage map for free, some gamer pics, and the Legendary Map Pack will be reduced to 600 points. Download like crazy on Monday, kids.

  • In some online silliness, thousands upon thousands of Diablo fans have signed a petition against the more colorful levels of Diablo III. They think Diablo should only take place in dark, dank lands devoid of color. I think a better petition would be to keep any World of Warcraft influence out of the game. Although, some of the fan-doctored screenshots of the darker world do look a little more sinister. Blizzard has already stated that "color is your friend." In other Diablo III news, a console version is "theoretically possible." Keep your fingers crossed.

  • Next up on the Spider-Man: Web of Shadows voting block is the cover art. Vote for Spider-Man with the city in the palm of his hand or Spider-man with Venom and Wolverine-powered fists.

  • Not content with just action figures, novels, tabletop clicking games, and Mountain Dew, Halo will be getting its own board game called Halo Interactive Strategy Game. The game will have three-dimensional player pieces, music from the three games, and new Halo video content on a DVD.

Movies / TV / Blu-ray / DVD

  • A new G.I. Joe cartoon called G.I. Joe: Resolute will premiere on the Hasbro website early next year. The series is being written by Warren Ellis and will have a PG-13 rating. Each of the ten episodes will run five minutes long with a ten minute finale. The PG-13 rating means that characters, possibly major characters, will die by "real" bullets, not lasers. Resolute may also see its way onto Cartoon Network (probably on Adult Swim) and on DVD. Hasbro has plans to make action figures based on the character designs of 100 Bullets cover artist Dave Johnson. If Resolute does well then a similar Transformers series will be put into production.

  • Paul W. S. Anderson stated to MTV News that he is in the earliest stages of a fourth Resident Evil movie. With the cliff-hanger ending of Resident Evil: Extinction and the fact that Capcom is making more Resident Evil games, did anyone actually think that there wouldn't be a fourth movie?

  • There could be another Superman franchise revamp by writer Mark Miller (Wanted) with an unnamed director and producer already involved. If their talks work out they may make an official announcement by Christmas. Will Bryan Singer's sequel be cancelled?

Action Figures

  • The first Street Fighter IV product is a Chun Li resin statue from SOTA, makers of the awesome, yet long delayed Street Fighter action figures. The 10" statue will run $100, is an exclusive at this year's San Diego Comic-con and has a production run of only 700 pieces. For those that don't need 10" of Chun Li, or those that don't want to spend $100, a 4" PVC version of the statue will be available at SDCC'08 for $10 and has a run of 3000..

  • Two online exclusive GI. Joe 25th Anniversary packs went up for pre-order at various internet retailers this week. The Cobra Arctic Assault Squad and Cobra Desert Assault Squad each have seven figures and are available at BigBadToyStore, Toy Rocket, and Entertainment Earth.

- Shawn - 07/06/08


Call of Duty Invades McFarlane's Military

McFarlane Toys' announcement of Guitar Hero figures came as a surprise. I have no intentions of buying any since I'm not into the character styles and I'm not a big Guitar Hero fan, but they look like fun collectibles and are from a series you wouldn't expect to have action figures for. It was a good choice for McFarlane. Today, McFarlane Toys announced their next big figure license and it's... Call of Duty 5: World at War? Call of Duty can be a license? The characters are just regular military soldiers. This isn't much of a stretch for McFarlane Toys since they have been producing the McFarlane's Military line for years and these COD: WaW figures are just World War II era soldiers. You know, if you want to put a game name on army guys, then McFarlane Toys has been making Call of Duty 4 figures since 2005. They're called McFarlane's Military.

This is obviously just a way to build hype for Call of Duty 5 since it needs all it can get considering it already has a few things going against it. A: It's a World War II FPS, like oh so many military games before it. B: It's not Call of Duty 4. and C: IT'S A WORLD WAR II FPS. Plus, slapping the Call of Duty label on the figures is sure to increase McFarlane Toys' presence to hardened military FPS gamers. This whole thing only makes sense if you place it under good marketing.

The series will have four figures (statues); Marine Corps with Flamethrower, Marine Corps with machine gun, Marine Infantry, and British Special Ops in snow gear. Being from McFarlane the figures are "...highly detailed and game-accurate..." which should really say life-accurate since they're just WWII soldiers. Look for McFarlane's Military series 8... err, I mean, Call Of Duty: World at War series 1 in stores this November. Head to Spawn.com for tons of pics.

"Take it back! COD guys are completely different than McFarlane's Military guys!"

- Shawn - 07/03/08

Direct link: Call of Duty Invades McFarlane's Military


Spawn.com Exclusive Active Camo Spartan Pre-Order Shenanigans

"I'm just going to hide in my active camo until this whole pre-order thing is done."

In November, Spawn.com started their new pre-order system that allowed Spawn.com registrants to get first dibs on their exclusive Halo 3 Active Camouflage Spartan. At some point, Spawn.com sent out a notice that their new pre-order system needed to be revamped and that those that had already pre-ordered the figure would need to do so again. It seems that all the kinks have been worked out as Spawn.com sent out emails today to all those that already pre-ordered the figure that their new pre-order site will be up on July 7th.

Those of us that pre-ordered do not have to re-register since we already pre-ordered the figure. We'll just have to go to the site and pick if we want one or two figures. So it's like the first pre-order was a really a pre-order for the pre-order. Don't worry McFarlane Toys and Halo fans, your pre-ordered pre-orders are still good as long as you visit Spawn.com July 7th. However, the Spawn Store will be offline from July 7th - August 1st, although they say ordering will work will be fully functional through July 7th. Hmm, well this might be a little confusing. I guess get your pre-orders in as early as you can on July 7th in case the pre-order section happens to go offline.

Here's hoping I won't have to uses the word pre-order for awhile.

- Shawn - 07/02/08

Direct link: Spawn.com Exclusive Active Camo Spartan Pre-order Shenanigans


UDON's Street Fighter Comics Return in August

The last we heard of UDON's Street Fighter comics was in an UDON blog post back in December. The last Street Fighter comics available in stores were Street Fighter II #6 in November 2006 and Street Fighter Legends: Sakura #4 in December 2006. Over a year-and-a-half is a long time without any hard-hitting Street Fighter comic action. Today, UDON announced (via Comic Book Resources) that their remarkable Street Fighter comic series will return in August.

The first issue to arrive will be Street Fighter Remix #0. This is a one-shot prelude that contains three stories that begin the stories of the three comic series UDON has planned. It's been awhile since there was news, so if you forgot what they were don't worry. The three series coming soon are Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter III, and Street Fighter Legends: Chun Li.

Street Fighter II Turbo continues the main storyline that started in Street Fighter and continued in Street Fighter II. The art for Turbo will be handled by Jeffrey "Chamba" Cruz. Street Fighter III takes place years in the future and will feature the newer characters from the third game. The old favorites won't be left out however, as we'll get to see what they are doing in during this time. Part III has the art by the talented Joe Ng. Street Fighter Legends: Chun Li is a four issue mini-series focusing on monster thighs herself, Chun Li, with art by the great Omar Dogan. Come to think of it, I wonder how similar Street Fighter Legends: Chun Li and the movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, will be story wise since both are tackling the rise of Chun Li's fighting thighs.

Look for the 32-page Street Fighter Remix #0 at your local comic shop on August 27th.

Honda hands out hundred-hand slaps, Zangief pile-drives bears, Dhalsim yoga's it up, Alex smiles, and Chun Li defends her groceries this August.

- Shawn - 07/01/08

Direct link: UDON's Street Fighter Comics Return in August


Otomedius Gorgeous Gets a Hori Stick

When Otomedius Gorgeous was announced for the Xbox 360 I wondered two things; how would the game handle the touch screen interface and why wasn't the game announced for the Nintendo DS, the system that features a slick touchable display like no other. Well, Otomedius is not coming to the DS and it looks like the Xbox 360 will handle the touch screen options via the right analog stick. However, for the truly dedicated of the hardcore shooter fans, Konami is releasing a limited edition Otomedius Gorgeous package that comes with the Hori Hyper Stick Pro - Otomedius Version (via Arcade Renaissance). Yes, apparently Otomedius is such a remarkable game that Hori agreed to make a high quality stick for it. This super hyper stick features a touch pad on the right, so all those Japanese businessmen spied touching the Otomedius in public arcades, they can now do in the privacy of their own home.

The complete Otomedius Gorgeous / Hori stick package will be available September 25th and is currently up for pre-order at the Konamistyle Japan store. For those that plan to import this, Play Asia has the Otomedius Gorgeous stick package for pre-order for $349.90. You know it's worth it because your shooters need this. You may even be able to use the stick for those spectacular upcoming fighting games (like the ones with Street Fighter in the title) if you can work the four button layout. See, it's win-win for all your games. If the actual disc turns out to be region free I may need to convince myself and my bank account to get one. Or, hopefully, Konami of America will decide to release the hyper stick package in the 'states as a limited edition thing via the Konami store like they did with the Gunmetal Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3. How about it Konami, will you let us Westerners touch Hori's Gorgeous stick?

Your shooters need this Gorgeous stick.

- Shawn - 06/30/08

Direct link: Otomedius Gorgeous Gets a Hori Stick


Weekly News Roundup: 06/29/2008

Action Figures

Your other action figures are without honor. Bring them some... with articulated vengeance!

  • NECA has unveiled their Ninja Gaiden II action figure of master ninja Ryu Hayabusa. The figure is 7" tall and has "extensive articulation" for optimum flipping-out poses. The figure's included weapons will be shown closer to its release in September.

  • Large scale action-figure maker Tonner revealed their 17" tall Lara Croft figure at Wizard World Chicago this weekend. The figure is based on Lara's appearance from Tomb Raider: Legend. The figure is loaded with her trademark shorts, top, pistols and a couple grenades. Lara is a Tonner Direct exclusive and will ship the 3rd week of July. Lara costs $124.99, which is only about $7.35 per inch!

  • NECA also announced their Bionic Commando action figure. The figure is based on the new Bionic Commando, not the awesome old-school one. The 7" figure will be released this Fall with more details to come.

Games

  • Sony Computer Entertainment executive Kaz Hirai revealed Life with PlayStation. The PlayStation 3 app shows the Earth and the user is able to access news and weather from around the world with more features to follow. Perhaps this is what should have been used for the PS3's "This is living" ad campaign.

  • More details of Soul Calibur IV were listed in the latest issue of Famitsu. The biggest one is that matches will feature character swapping, which is believed to be along the lines of Marvel Vs. Capcom; limited but effective. Head to 1up for the complete list of new details. In the Soul Calibur IV rumor department is that the PS3 version might have a cameo from Kratos of God of War fame. If this turns out to be true, then it's something that makes a lot more sense than lightsabers.

  • The Japanese PlayStation network has a ton of PS One games that have not been released on the North American side. Now, to make fans of downloadable PS One games sadder, Square Enix has revealed plans to release twelve titles on the Japanese PSN. They just released the best PlayStation RPG Xenogears, the awesome shooter Einhänder, and two Enix games that never made it stateside, Astronoka and Rakugaki Showtime. I already have Xenogears and Einhänder in their original disc form, but there is great importance of these titles arriving on the North American PSN.

  • After tons of speculation Blizzard finally announced Diablo III this weekend. Go to the official Diablo III site, check out all the screens and trailers, and prepare to wait for a couple years for the actual release.

  • The newest issue of Nintendo Power has a preview of the Castlevania game on the Wii... and it's a fighting game? Castlevania Judgment's confirmed characters so far are Simon Belmont, Dracula, Alucard, Shanoa, and Maria Renard. Enemies from the regular Castlevania games will interfere with the fights.

  • The PS3 remake of Siren: Blood Curse will be released in North America as episodic downloadable content. However, if you want to play the game on a disc you can. The Japanese disc contains both Japanese and English, so import it and save your hard drive space.

  • SouthPeak Games, Gaijin Entertainment, and TopWare Interactive are running an art contest for tasteful art of Ayumi from the upcoming game X-Blades. Winning pieces could receive money, games, or a spot in the art book for the Royal Edition (aka Collector's Edition) of the game.

  • There are some new details on Sony Online's MMO DC Universe. The PS3/PC game will allow you to create your own hero or villain who will, from time to time, get to fight alongside or against the big-name DC characters. Check out Eurogamer for a few more details.

  • Ensemble Studios updated the Halo Wars site with some info and images of the UNSC Firebase and Warthog.

Movies / Blu-ray / DVD

  • The Digital Bits has photos of upcoming Warner Bros. DVD and Blu-ray box sets including Batman: The Complete Animated Series (all four seasons) and a big 300 collector's set, with a more elaborate Blu-ray set to come in 2009.

  • Rose McGowan will star in the return of Red Sonja. The movie will be directed by Douglas Aarniokoski and presented by Robert Rodriguez. They should really try to somehow cram a Arnold Schwarzenegger cameo in there.

- Shawn - 06/29/08


Mega Man 9 Goes Retro

Mega Man has fought robot dragons and robot flames before, but he's never fought a robot dragon made of robot flames.

The revelation of Mega Man 9 on Australia's ESRB equivalent a couple weeks back was some of the best news this year. That Capcom would finally be releasing a real Mega Man sequel based on the original Blue Bomber was something that many, many fans have been awaiting for years. The newest Nintendo Power has some info on the ninth adventure of the original Mega Man. I stopped reading Nintendo Power years ago, but thanks to Internet Power, and in this case The Mega Man Network, any exclusive news in magazines gets posted online in a matter of minutes. Mega Man 9 is real and, perhaps most surprisingly, Capcom is taking the Mega Man back to his NES glory days.

Capcom had evolved Mega Man from the NES to the SNES to the PS One, but instead of bringing the game into the HD era of gaming, Mega Man 9 will have the same visual style as Mega Man 1-6. While this is a weird move on Capcom's part, by not letting the blue Bomber look as good as he can, it is very cool that they are going this route, giving us a brand new adventure in full 8-bit awesome. This might even feel like the lost Mega Man game with its completely retro look and feel. Now, Nintendo Power is saying that the game is for WiiWare, which is fine, but is very bad if it is only for WiiWare. The ratings announcement of two weeks ago was supposedly for a multiplatform release, so there may yet be announcements for PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade versions. That and Nintendo Power "only has part of the story."

All the Mega Man games are known for their crazy bosses, but it was the originals that really pushed the envelope for simple yet wacky boss names. Mega Man 9 will of course continue the tradition. The bosses of Mega Man 9 are: Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete Man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man, and Splash Woman. Splash Woman?! Not Man? A female boss is a milestone first for the original series. Can we expect some sort of forbidden love story between Mega Man and Splash Woman? They want to be together but can't because of they come from different worlds blah, blah, blah. No, that would be too in depth. So far the story is that Dr. Wily has convinced the people of whatever Mega-city that Dr. Light has set loose evil robots upon the streets. After eight installments of Mega Man fighting evil robots for Dr. Light, why in the world would the citizens believe that Dr. Light is suddenly the bad guy? And wasn't this very story already used in one of the Mega Man games?

I think I might head down to my local newsstand to pick up this issue of Nintendo Power because the first real printed news of Mega Man 9 is also one hell of a milestone.

- Shawn - 06/26/08

Direct link: Mega Man 9 Goes Retro


Gorgeous Details and Guest Bosses for Otomedius Gorgeous

A couple months ago Otomedius Gorgeous was announced for the Xbox 360. Some new info has surfaced about Konami's Gradius and boobs shooter at the Otomedius Gorgeous site which has been translated courtesy of Kotaku. The game will be out in Japan as a disc title (not a download, nice!) on September 25th, hopefully on a region-free disc if the game doesn't get released in the 'states. For features Otomedius Gorgeous will have three-player co-op and can upload replay movies to Xbox Live so others can learn how to shoot gorgeously.

What's more exciting is that the game will have a versus mode where the Otomedius girls face off against bosses from other Konami shooters. I like to call these "guest bosses." I don't know if this mode is in the original arcade version, but it seems like a very cool homage to Otomedius' roots. The bosses from the Gradius series include Big Core, Tetran, Covered Core Mk-II, Big Core Mk-II, Rolling Core, and Abaddon. The other guest bosses include the Space Manbow from Space Manbow, Des from the Salamander series, Viva Core from Parodius Da!, and the mysterious Zero Force Fortune. With all this fanfare Otomedius Gorgeous clearly needs to arrive in the U.S. to appease Konami's loyal shooter fan-base.

Resist the mesmerizing flashy lights to shoot the Viva Core!

- Shawn - 06/24/08

Direct link: Gorgeous Details and Guest Bosses for Otomedius Gorgeous


Weekly News Roundup: 06/22/2008

Games

Giant transforming robots fighting and shooting off missiles in populated areas always ends badly for the civilians.

  • A new Macross game is set to hit the PSP. Macross Ace Frontier doesn't just deal with the newest Macross anime, Macross Frontier, but the entire series' history. There will be 30 pilots, 40 Veritech crafts, and 80 missions. It's being developed by Artdink, who is responsible for the Gundam Battle games. Transforming the Veritechs is handled via the Analog Nub. The game will also have a love triangles between pilots meaning the game will retain the series' requisite drama. Check out the scans of the game from the latest issue of Famitsu. It will probably never come stateside, but is due out in Japan in the Fall so import away, Macross fans.

  • The upcoming Xbox Live Arcade co-op shooter Schizoid will be available in July.

  • Some publishers finally had enough of the leaks of unannounced games coming form the ESRB database. A new policy will make sure that it will not happen anymore and that the games will be entered into the ESRB database when the publishers want.

  • Sega has created the Robot Girlfriend. It's 15 inches tall and a little disturbing.

Movies

  • There were some quality Blu-ray/DVD announcements this week. Silverhawks Season 1 Vol. 1 will arrive on DVD 10/14. Robot Chicken Season 3 will be on DVD on 10/07. Six James Bond films will arrive on Blu-ray on 10/21: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, and Die Another Day.

  • The Gears of War movie is well underway. Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) will direct with a re-write being handled by Chris Morgan (Wanted).

- Shawn - 06/22/08


Raiden IV's Fighting Thunder Confirmed for Xbox 360

The popular shooter Raiden made it long-awaited return in 2007 with Raiden III. Also last year, Team Fremont got an unexpected shooter scoop when UFO Interactive revealed Raiden IV in an interview, but it was nothing official. It has been awhile since anyone has heard about the fourth outing of the revered series. In the pages of the newest Famitsu this week, (via Arcade-Renaissance) Raiden IV has now been officially confirmed to be heading to the Xbox 360 by game company Moss. To make the game even better, the Xbox 360 disc will include the arcade version of Raiden IV plus an Xbox 360 version that has two additional stages. It will also have the ability to save replays so that you can show off your mad shooter skills to the world. Oh, the requisite leader boards feature will be there as well. To satiate your Raiden hunger until the game comes out, the Japanese Raiden IV arcade site has loads of screenshots and extras. Raiden IV will be out in Japan on September 11th. UFO Interactive handled the stateside port of Raiden III and hopefully still have plans to do the same with Raiden IV (and Raiden Fighters Aces, please).

Saving the world is easy when firing a purple laser you don't even have to aim.

- Shawn - 06/19/08

Direct link: Raiden IV's Fighting Thunder Confirmed for Xbox 360


Zoids Assault Humorously Delayed

Last month Atlus made my Zoid juices when they announced that Zoids Assault would be coming to the US. Well, things happen and games get delayed, it's a fact of life. Thusly, Zoids Assault has been delayed until 09/09/08, two weeks later than originally announced. However, the way Atlus handles it is refreshing. Instead of a typical dry press release it says, "Zoids Assault is going to slip out of late August and into early September - the 9th to be exact... Hey, are these new Zoids Assault screenshots? These are great! Let’s focus on these instead." Hah! Atlus cleverly diverts us from the delay by providing new screenshots. Zoids may be delayed, but the humorous way they announced it just made my day. Besides, two weeks isn't that long of an extra wait.

The gritty daily life of these majestic mechanical beasts includes constant challenges for leadership with oversized guns. That gold Command Wolf is about to fight the pack leader. Let's watch.

- Shawn - 06/18/08

Direct link: Zoids Assault Humorously Delayed


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