It’s time for the 2008 Poppies! The Poppies are the Pop Culture Collectibles Industry Awards developed in 2007 by Michael Crawford of http://www.mwctoys.com. Each year judges from all aspects of the industry – from the artists that create them, to the companies that make them, to the retailers that sell them, to the media outlets that report on them, and even to the collectors that buy them – come together to vote on their favorites in over a dozen categories. For 2008, those categories include:

Best Overall Company
Best Overall Line
Best Male or Female Figure 18” and above
Best Male Figure 12 – 18”
Best Male Figure 5 – 11”
Best Male Figure under 5”
Best Female Figure (any size under 18”)
Best Build A Figure
Best Vehicle or Playset
Best Statue
Best Bust
Best Designer/Vinyl Figure
Best Prop Replica
Best Misc

This year, there are 147 judges from within the industry, from every aspect of the business and from across the globe. They have begun their voting as of January 5th, and will complete the process on January 14th. The votes will then be compiled, and the final results announced on January 20th.

But there’s also a chance for readers to give their input! Once again this year, Michael will be running his People’s Picks awards, only this time the readers will be voting using the same categories and nominees as the Poppies Judges. You can vote now for your favorites by going to:

http://www.mwctoys.com/poppies_peoplepicks_2008.htm

Or by going to http://www.mwctoys.com and following the link from the main page. People’s Pick voting will be available during the same period (January 5th until January 14th), and the announcement of winners will also occur on January 20th. Vote for your favorite pop culture collectibles now!

Note: This game is also available on Xbox 360, but not for the $20 price tag. It has exclusive maps and characters, but there is no support for user-generated content like in the PC and Playstation 3 versions.

Unreal Tournament was one of the first FPS game to focus exclusively on competitive multiplayer. Offering modes such as Assault, Capture the Flag, and Domination, Unreal Tournament gave gamers more than just the standard “kill everyone else as many times as you can” deathmatch modes seen in other FPS titles’ multiplayer components. Subsequent entries in the series have added more unique gameplay types, far-out locales, and even vehicles. Unreal Tournament’s unique weaponry, excellent graphics, and modding capabilities made the series a hit amongst gamers and critics as well. Unreal Tournament 3 (which is actually the fourth Unreal Tournament game) is no exception, and it has the added bonus of having the awesome power of the Unreal Engine 3 behind it.
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