As they have done with their last 2 games, Bungie has begun a series of documentaries and preview videos showing the progress of their newest game.

Halo Reach footage shown here is very early, but shows promise. The game is expected to enter Beta Test in May, which can include any players who purchased their last title Halo 3: ODST, as an invitation will be available from the game’s title screen.

The above video is also available on Xbox Live in HD.

Shocker Toys sent out a press release introducing a new offering called Mallows. The marshmellow themed line seems to be a cross between Hasbro’s vinyl-like Mighty Muggs offering and some of the posability and customizability of Stickfas. They intend to include multiple licenses into the line including My Pet Monster, MadBalls, Sushi Pack, Dragonball Z and Indie Spotlight. Blank Mallows will be offered as well. MSRP is looking to be around US$10.95 to US$11.95.

I know there are some My Pet Monster fans on here and I was a big fan of the Phantom in its Phantom 2040 iteration. It will be interesting how this turns out with the wide array of licenses being applied.

You can see the press release and color flyer after the break.
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The latest issue of Toyfare, 152, came out yesterday with lots of teasers and announcements as a precursor to this weekend’s New York Toy Fair. Word is racing across the internet that among the announcements was a MOTUC vs DCUC Comic 2-pack exclusive to Toys ‘R Us. The pack will reportedly come with DC Comics Presents #47 where Superman was pitted against the most powerful man in the universe. Pictures of prototypes for a (DC) comic accurate He-Man were leaked on ebay holding the mystery sword and shield accessories shown at the Gallery 88 art show. I’ve included the prototype photos below. The Superman to be included has been said will be the same as that included in the Gotham 5-pack

This is huge news because it will mean the first time any MOTUC figure will be released at retail. This 2-pack is supposedly the first of several. It would appear that there will be a Skeletor 2-pack, but not with whom he might come. Lets hope drums up more interest in He-Man and MOTUC so Mattel will increase their production numbers more and get these figures out to fans that want to buy them but refuse to get in line for Mattel’s shady subscription service.

     

Our first in a series of Mass Effect 2 reviews: we take a look at how to import your Mass Effect 1 characters into the sequel, what bits of continuity to expect, and what to watch out for when playing the game.

(See more Mass Effect 2 videos after the jump!)

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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Remember when cartoons used to be good? Back in the days between the original Power Rangers and whatever the hell umteenth spin-off they have run most recently, cartoons used to be well thought-out and fun for kids, while often having some aspects sprinkled about them that were meant for adult humor or reference. This meant kids and parents both could appreciate cartoons without realizing it. Warner Bros. was infamous for this practice, going as far back as the old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons for the 60’s and 70’s. Fun campy cartoons that entertained the crap out of us as youngin’s, that have managed to have little surprises in store for us as we’ve grown up and notice subtle little quips that we’d obviously missed or not gotten when we were kids. As WB carried on, this habit did not waver. Enter Freakazoid!
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They say there are only two things for sure in life: death and taxes. In the US, Tax day is April 15 and for original Xbox games, death comes the same day.

Microsoft has announced they’ll be shutting down online gameplay servers for all original Xbox games, including ones that are compatible with XBox 360. Star Wars Battlefront, Counter Strike, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Conker Live & Reloaded, and Halo 2 will no longer have online gameplay available.

Marc Whitten from the Xbox Live team posted an open letter to the community this morning detailing the closure and vague promises that shifting resources will allow new features in the future.

Those who don’t want to give up the original Xbox games or its community should check out XboxConnect, which has run unofficial servers for years.

Until that day comes, Powet will likely plan at least one last outing for Halo 2 so keep an eye out for a future game night.