Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!

For roughly 9 months out of the year, there's really nothing interesting going on with Playmobil-- but starting around December, there's news galore! This week, we've got a real doozy for you, a sneak peek at the 2008 sets which will be revealed at German Toy Fair soon! We were pointed to this link at the PlaymoDB, which has 20 new sets from the wedding theme, the deep sea theme, and the new specials. Which are meh, yowza, and ok respectively.

"Premium figure" is usually slang for "iffy repaint at about 2.6 times the price," but a scan from the new issue of Lee's Toy Review magazine as posted on TheAllspark.com seems to indicate otherwise. Apparently the movie molds are getting tweaked and repainted to be more movie-like, and if we're going to be force fed repaints at least they can be decent for once. Although it might be more exciting were these not the third or fourth redeco of the same mold, but such is life. These should pop up next year, but we're not quite sure when, where, or for how much.

We know there are some really big Raiden fans out there, so we figured we had to link to these pictures (and updates) on Raiden Fighter Aces, a new shooter compilation for Microsoft's Xbox 360. The compilation has three games and Xbox Live support for your high scores list.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the 2007 Clone Trooper from Target's Felucia-themed Battle Pack earlier this year. It's a new and different enough figure to warrant your attention, but is it worth buying a whole set of figures to get? Read on!

Over at Entertainment Earth, they were given new word of the next four comic packs from Hasbro-- and they're good. Wave 3 has Battle-Damaged Storm Shadow & Snake Eyes, Tomax & Xamot, Crimson Guard & Commander, and Ace & Wild Weasel. In short, it's a strong wave that should delight and amuse. (And yeah, they're accepting pre-orders too.)

What does Nintendo have for you to choke on today? From the Genesis: Eternal Champions, a fighting game which people actually claimed to like almost 13 years ago. From the NES: Zanac, a top-down scrolling vertical shooter that we assume few of you will remember. From the TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM: The Dynastic Hero, which we'd by lying if we said we knew what it was.

It's sale week at the Xbox Live Arcade. No new titles have been mentioned (yet) but Zuma, Lumines Live, Marble Blast Ultra, Small Arms, and Bankshot Billiards 2 are each getting a $5 (or 400 point) price drop. Wow. How uninteresting.

Why do you mock us, Taito? Why won't you announce Arkanoid DS, what with its fancy pants spinner controller, for the USA? Are you going to make us pay for the Japanese import, Taito? That isn't very cool of you.

Guess what? Figure of the Day has been updated, and the Festival of Clones continues! The daily feature on figures you might have but might not-- either way, here's what you've been missing! Spanning from the original Power of the Force series of 1995 to the latest of the 30th Anniversary Collection, it's almost like a history lesson!

Let's start this off right: there are no pictures. There, the bad news is out of the way. The good news is that Mattel is making an extensive line of Speed Racer toy vehicles, figures, and other products in 2008, if you care for such things. These are going to be based on the new movie, which looks very faithful to the old animated series from what we've seen. There was an aborted attempt to relaunch the property a few years ago, but this seems to have some serious legs. Entertainment Earth put up a list of product coming soon, and it seems kinda neat-- well, from the descriptions at least.

After hearing the fan outcry, it seems Rhino is doing the smart thing and making some money by releasing The Giant Gila Monster all by its lonesome as well as part of the rerelease of the Volume 10 boxed set of Mystery Science Theater 3000. You can read all about it at the Satellite News web site on December 4. The actual disc's release date and price are presently unknown. (Thanks Erin for the tip.)

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Star Wars 30th Anniversary Wave 7 Reviewed! Also: Back to the Future Flux Capacitor news, recently released exclusives, a possible G.I. Joe casting addition, loads of toy and game news, and probably some other stuff you might find interesting. Do give it a listen.

For starters: You do not need an iPod to hear a Podcast. Podcasting is just a fancy word for "hack job internet radio show," which is exactly what we're aiming to produce here.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!

Low expectations yield positive impressions. How else can you explain the battle-damaged Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow looking so good? Hasbro put up images of these two and more, so you can see "Scar," Tomax, Xamot, and a new Crimson Guard. We're pleased.

Apparently Arkanoid DS is easy but fun-- which so far makes us interested. I mean, we choked our way through much of Alleyway, so we were happy to read these impressions of Arkanoid DS from Wired's Game|Life Blog. We just wish the game were cheaper than $50 before shipping, as it will be pricey. (And the music apparently sucks, but such is life.)

What does Nintendo have for you to choke on today? From the NeoGeo: Baseball Stars 2, a game which involves neither Baseball nor stars. Well, stars anyway. From the NES: Ghosts & Goblins, a legendary grandpappy to a franchise of awesome horror arcade games known for their extreme level of difficulty. If you've never played any games from the series, you're probably better off playing one of the 16-bit sequels from the Genesis or Super NES, as this original didn't age nearly as well. Heck, get the PSP one, it's good. From the Nintendo 64: Pokemon Snap, which we have heard has been tweaked to allow for online photo sharing of your in-game photos.

After a week of sale items and dashboard updates, there are two new games this week. Neither of which sound interesting but we've been wrong before, and often. Since Arkadian Warriors has a better name, we'll start there. Apparently you can change your shape or something. It's 800 points (US $10) and looks like it might be vaguely interesting, although we are not optimistic as the synopsis also sounds somewhat similar as that which may have been used to trick us into renting many an NES game nearly 20 years ago.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the 2005 (and also 2007) Clone Trooper from the Clone Attack on Coruscant Battle Pack. It's grey... and it has feet. What more could you ask for? Read on!

Finally, the rest of wave 3 has been revealed after endless days of waiting! The new figures are Ace and Wild Weasel, which amusingly sound like euphemisms for the back and front of you midsection, respectively. The G.I. Joe Club has shots of the two figures, some accessories, and the comic book for these sets which are expected early next year.

We're told by the youngsters that the games of the 1980s were too hard and too primitive to be fun. We disagree, but apparently Namco/Bandai is cranking this out to whip you whiny babies into shape. Our Video Game Exams tests you on dozens of classic games, so you can try your hand at WarioWare-esque morsels based on Galaga, Sky Kid, and other titles your grandparents enjoyed when they were dating.

A lot of sites are reporting the news, but here's what you need to know first: 3D graphics, 2D fighting. Multiplatform. Takes place after II. Ryu, Ken, Dhalsim, and Chun-Li are present. Click for more at The Magic Box. The release date is still, much like Dhalsim, up in the air.

Entertainment Earth Podcast
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Star Wars 30th Anniversary Wave 8 Reviewed! Also: Indiana Jones from Gentle Giant, new G.I. Joe pictures, and a whole mess of other stuff. Also: Namco-Bandai has taken the Brain Training concept to the next logical step in Japan, find out what it is in this thrilling show.

For starters: You do not need an iPod to hear a Podcast. Podcasting is just a fancy word for "hack job internet radio show," which is exactly what we're aiming to produce here.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!

The guys at HISSTank.com are reporting that wave 1 of the comic packs are hitting Toys "R" Us stores. These figures also have the first forms and stickers to mail-in for the exclusive Doc figure, so you might want to pick up one or more sets to prepare for that offer. They're $9.99 each. (We have not sighted them yet, so we'll probably let you know once we've confirmed them too.)

According to the Magic Box-- which has pictures-- two more Nintendo DS RPGs are on the way. One is a real time simulation RPG (we don't know what that really means) called Blue Dragon Plus, based on the Mistwalker Xbox franchise. If "real time simulation" is what the kids are calling "terrible 'tactics' game" we'll pass. Also coming is Dragon Quest V, a DS remake of an old Super NES game. Which is both sacrilege and tempting all at once, as those old-timey RPGs weren't all released stateside. It looks decent enough, and since DQIV is supposedly coming out in the USA we're sure sales will demand this one's eventual release (or not) as well. It's pretty sexy.

Transformers super-fan Ben Yee posted a whole mess of impressions of the premiere "movie" for Transformers Animated, which should air in the USA on December 26. It's largely positive and he said it's a great take on the show, very positive overall.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the nifty online exclusive Sev from this year's shared exclusive Delta Squad gift set. The figure is an existing figure with minor tweaks, new paint, and some new parts. It comes in a gift set with other, similar figures. Could this set of figures from an Xbox game be just what your collection needs? Read on!

Over the weekend we spotted a few of Wave 4-- the "reissue wave"-- at Wal-Mart. If you luck out, you'll see Cobra Commander, Destro, Cobra Air Trooper, Duke, Roadblock, Gung Ho, Scarlett, or Storm Shadow at your local store. These are supposedly the same as the boxed set figures, but may have been retooled to include a backpack hole-- we don't know as we do not plan on buying any since there are no significant changes from the figures we have. If you know, let us know-- otherwise, happy hunting!

After selling hundreds of thousands of copies in Japan, it has been confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core for the PSP (which we hear is actually pretty good) will be coming out next March. No word yet of any limited editions but odds are the game itself will be enough to excite some fans, as long as they still aren't feeling the sting from some other less-than-stellar spinoffs of the seventh Final Fantasy game.

What does Nintendo have for you to hate now? From the Genesis: Alien Storm, a game with freaky monsters that most people had nice things to say about. From the Super NES: Cybernator, a robot game that we don't remember anyone saying to us "hey dude, you should totally try this one." From the TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM: Monster Lair, which we have never played.

Two games this week again-- yay! We're not sure if either is particularly thrilling though. Tempest will set you back 400 points, and is a remake of an Atari classic. It has both the original classic arcade game as well as a tarted-up remake. Gameplay is similar to the recently released Space Giraffe, except it's worth noting there are people who actually really like Tempest.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the 2006 orange Utapau Clone Trooper from Revenge of the Sith. It's orange! It has loads of articulation! There's even a display stand! Aren't you like beyond excited by now? Read on!

Two, really. According to Latino Review.com, Snake Eyes is Rachel Nichols, who we've never heard of but really does look the part. Storm Shadow will be played by Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee, who we're sure is going to be just great.

Game importer NCS has some 3-piece sets of the Shooting Historica sets of mini-ships. What does this mean? $12.50 will get you the Gradius Vic Viper, the Gradius 2 Metarion, and the Darius Gaiden Silver Hawk. We'd have paid more for just the Vic Viper, so naturally we ordered the trio and will let you know how it is when it shows up.

Remember when we said that the Sensible World of Soccer was coming out this week? Well, it's been pulled with no new release date because the game is buggy and online play doesn't work properly. I guess it wasn't all that sensible to release it now after all, eh? Maybe next year.

Entertainment Earth Podcast
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Star Wars 30th Anniversary Wave 9 Reviewed! Also: G.I. Joe casting news continued, positive buzz on Transformers: Animated, Japanese Nintendo DS RPG news, and other stuff which will probably interest your inner fanboy or fangirl. Oh, and continued happy holidays to you and/or yours.

For starters: You do not need an iPod to hear a Podcast. Podcasting is just a fancy word for "hack job internet radio show," which is exactly what we're aiming to produce here.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Read on!

Over at HISS Tank, they posted a list of 6 new comic packs for the G.I. Joe line. It's worth noting that these haven't been confirmed by Hasbro yet, but it seems pretty likely. The good news: the list includes figures like Copperhead, Tripwire, Red Star, and Falcon. The not so good news: you can expect another Cobra Commander, Firefly, Storm Shadow, and Duke in the mix. However, some new vac metal Cobra Commander test shots have surfaced so maybe they're looking to do something unique and interesting with the fourth or fifth reissue of the same mold.

The fact that Wal-Mart will be getting more Transformers repaints really isn't a surprise. What is, though, is that at least one of them is quite compelling. The Allspark has put together a report showing that there are going to be many Cybertron repaints: Downshift will be Big Daddy, Landmine will be Grindcore, Thundercracker is Divebomb, and finally, Crosswise is Jolt.

It's Christmas... did Nintendo leave a lump of coal in your stocking? Sort of. From the NES: Blades of Steel, a game with no NHL teams, but lots of fighting. From the Super NES: Donkey Kong Country 3, the last "Country" game and supposedly fun-- but we stopped at #2. From the Sega Genesis: Rolling Thunder 2, which has even more thunder than ever before, and yes, it's rolling.

This week, it's Spongebob Squarepants Underpants Slam, a mini-game collection with a delightful name which implies being slammed in the crotch. Really, isn't that what eveyrbody wants? We don't ordinarily like to prejudge games, but this $10 Xbox-exclusive collection of mini-games comes to you by way of THQ. Yeah, we thought so too.

It's time for the annual Entertainment Earth Blow Out Sale, and this year over 900 items have had their prices slashed but only for a limited time. Save on Warcraft, Star Wars, Star Trek, Baby Alive, My Little Pony, Transformers, and more.

Today at Galactic Hunter we look at the fancy Star Corps Clone Trooper from the 2005 Evolutions sets. It's not one of the troopers being reissued, but it's a good one-- the helmet comes off, he has pistols and a rifle, and he's nicely articulated. Does he have everything he needs to shoot a Jedi in the back? Read on!

Back in 2006, some fans saw the Transformers Classics line (which we love) and said "they're pretty good, but I bet the Japanese releases will look even better." Well, 2007 came and went, and now we're getting a look at some of the figures making their way to Japan. It seems Megatron is getting a significant makeover, with reds, silvers, greys, and absolutely no purple or green (except the Decepticon markings). Check it out at TFW2005.

The next phase of the robots in disguise starts on US TV tonight-- check your listings on Cartoon Network for times. The two-hour movie (or four episodes stitched together) premieres tonight and reruns again later in the week-- no toys will be available for months, but we guess you gotta start somewhere. Early buzz is good, but generally early buzz for the first few episodes of any Transformers cartoon tends to be pretty positive.

Over at The Magic Box, they posted some details on the most exciting news 1992 might have had to offer, were it 1992. A 2D game called Final Fantasy IV: The After is coming to Japanese cell phones and focuses on the son of Cecil and Rosa, named Cedore. (OK, whatever.) Cid, Cecil, Kain, Rydia, Edge, and Yang appear and it seems this might be an RPG-- read their site for additional details. No word of any US release but here's hoping for a DS/GBA port.

We heard about this, but have no idea how to get one easily. TUV Rheinland (in Germany) has an exclusive promotional set with two figures and some accessories. It's nothing especially special, although we are fond of clip boards. There are dozens of great promotional sets released only at Germany, be it for construction firms, airlines, seafood fast food eateries, or... whatever the Hell "TUV Rheinland" is.

Entertainment Earth Podcast
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The Big Lebowski The Dude Figure Reviewed! Also: 2008 Star Wars and G.I. Joe news and rumors, what we thought of Transformers: Animated, some nifty plastic announcements, and some other stuff about video games and movies. Oh, and we are in the process of having a very large sale.

For starters: You do not need an iPod to hear a Podcast. Podcasting is just a fancy word for "hack job internet radio show," which is exactly what we're aiming to produce here.

Galactic Hunter has posted a bunch of Figure of the Day updates! Q&A will return next week.

We ordered Arkanoid DS the other week, with its paddle-tastic spinner controller, and we're pretty pleased so far. The game is easy to control and once you navigate the menus (which are, naturally, in Japanese) there are a fair amount of options. We just don't know how to make all of them work.

It's Christmas... did Nintendo leave a lump of coal in your stocking? Sort of. From the NeoGeo: Top Hunter, a "classic" we've never heard of or played, so we can't tell you where to go here. From the NES: Bubble Bobble, a genuine classic from Taito (Arkanoid & Space Invaders fame) that you must have if you don't own it already. It involves dinosaurs and chewing gum. Trust us. From the Sega Genesis: Light Crusader , a Treasure game we've never heard of, so it's probably pretty decent.

It's time for the annual Entertainment Earth Blow Out Sale, and this year over 911 745 items have had their prices slashed but only for a limited time. Save on Warcraft, Star Wars, Star Trek, Baby Alive, My Little Pony, Transformers, and more.