Me reviewing a Nintendo product.  A sign of the end times perhaps?  Nah, I just wanted to one-up Phil, Zac, Sean and aDam.

Anyway, as long as there are video vames, there will be Tetris.  Alexey Pazhitnov‘s puzzle masterpiece set the standard for all puzzle games that still hasn’t been matched to this day.  Many different versions exist as Java/Flash web games, game cartridges, homebrew applications, etc.  So what makes Nintendo’s latest entry so different? The integration of classic Nintendo franchises, the sheer variety of game types, and the addition of Mariokart-like items to the classic versus mode.

Standard – the regular Tetris we know and love, make lines while Mario idly navigates levels.

Mission - Decorated with the Legend of Zelda, play standard Tetris while meeting different goals to progress.

Catch - Themed around Metroid, pieces are caught with a large mass manipulated by the player. The mass shrinks when (minimum) 4×4 masses are created within it.

Touch - The main character from Balloon Fight is trapped in a cage atop a tower of tetriminoes. Use the touch screen to slide blocks around, eliminate the tower, and set the Balloon fighter free.

Puzzle - With a nod to Yoshi’s Cookie, clear screens with predetermined sets of pieces. The challenge is in figuring out the order and orientation.

Push – This mode is available in multiplayer. On one end of the field is Donkey Kong, on the other is Mario. Each opponent drops pieces toward the center, and as lines are cleared, the center moves toward the opponent. When the stack reaches the enemy goal line, you win.

All the game types plus Wi-Fi support make this one of the best versions of Tetris yet, and a must-buy for puzzle fans with a DS.

The Four Horsemen have opened up another poll for the FANtastic Exclusive. Now that the figure is done, they are addressing the many requests for a version in the same size as the 2up they use as a prototype. The voting is for determining the popularity of a bust in the same scale as the 2up prototypes of the Minotaur figure, Xetheus, as well as whether the bust ought to be a faux bronze or full color. Below are the 2up painted prototype and the painted bust.

 

Yeah, looks like I might be back to talking about Halo all the time again.
Item 1: Seen this? Yeah, I know that its fake and you know its fake, but fankids everywhere had a good ol’ time the past few days claiming it was a real leaked photo of the Halo 3 menu screen. So don’t bother sending that link around because it won’t earn you friends.
Item 2: More Graphic Novel Goodness! USA Today published an article today (in the USA) about that forthcoming comic companion to everyone’s favorite xbox launch title. Bungie was kind enough to offer a link to said article, and also published questions and quotes that got editied out of the printed version. Oh yeah, they also uploaded some rather good art. The comic promises to show how Johnson (pictured) survived the Flood of Halo 1, because he wasn’t on the boat with Chief and Cortana at the ending.

The big big news is that Latino Review got a hold on the script to Transformers and gave it an A+. As is standard, they only really cover the first act (to keep some surprises in), but the description of the action is enough to make me hopeful.
If you read that script review you may come across some distressing names like “energon cube” being used to reference what is obviously the Matrix, and previous posts to (producer) Don Murphy’s board suggested things like Devastator being just a tank. Michael Bay has swung in to allay those fears via his site:

Many of the names in the script are aliases. The only people that know the real names of many of these characters are the COO of Hasbro, their corporate lawyer and myself….So rest assured AKA Devastator, is really not Devastator.

The Fantastic Four sequel (why?) has also shifted release dates off the big TF opening weekend of July 4, 2007.
This upcoming July 4th, we’ll see a teaser poster AND trailer hit theaters.

The Botcon site has put up a guest list for this year’s convention. Since it’s the 10th Anniversary of Beast Wars, there will be a heavy emphasis on that series. Having said that, the guests listed thus far are Blu Mankuma (Tigatron), Richard Newman(Rhinox), Pauline Newstone (Airrazor) and Scott McNeil. Scott is the voice of Beast Wars Rattrap, Dinobot, Silverbolt, Waspinator, and Armada/Energon Jetfire among many many many others. The convention will be taking place in Lexington, KY this year: September 29th through October 1st.

Figures.com has a checklist so you can keep track of all the myriad exclusives that will be available at the event. I’m not sure how one could qualify it as a checklist, but thats how they are billing it. Its good to have it all in one place.

Definently something you would not expect to see on any Nintendo system any time soon, Manhunt was an attempt by Rockstar to go against the grain. It was vicious, gory, and brutal, and not comical like the GTA cash cow. Gamers either liked the game or hated it. You play as James Earl Cash, a man whose televised execution was faked just to secure his “participation” into the walking nightmare of Carcer City. Forced to participate in amateur snuff video with only the sadistic director as his ally, he must use stealth kills and deception to defend himself against 4 psychotic gangs, corrupt policemen, and “Piggsy.” Also of note is the instruction manual, which is made to look like an actual snuff order catalog.

The first clear screenshots of the much anticipated new portable Pokemon have hit the web courtesy GameWatch.
While it doesn’t look like a significant grahpical upgrade from the GBA versions (which themselves weren’t a very big jump from the original Game Boy), 3D elements and some mode 7-type effects will be present in the gameplay.
This will be the first Pokemon title to go online, but details of that feature are still under wraps. Bulbanews reports that any pokemon you caught on your GBA games can be transferred to the new DS title after you meet certains goals,
The official site has also been updated with screens, art, and more info.
I’d tell you more, but this whole page is in Japanese… a translation should be around sooner or later.