From left to right: Battle Droid, Quarren Soldier. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

Also out this week is War World, a similarly priced game which seems about as exciting as socks for Christmas right now. (Actually, given that Mega Man 9 is what we'd ask for were we the kind to require Xmas gifts, it's a pretty good analogy if we do say so ourselves.) The PC version received acceptable reviews in 2007, so we assume it's probably decent. We guess. It's no classic NES game or anything.

--AP

Virtual Console fans, you have one game this week, and it's Super Turrican 2 for the Super NES. You could do a lot worse, it's a classic run-and-gun which has a decent sized cult. It might even be worth buying.

--AP

--AP

Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! Many times, actually.

From left to right: Greedo, Rebel Trooper. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series. And now that we've finished The Force Unleashed we're back to work... at least until Mega Man 9 drops for the 360.

--AP

--AP

--AP

--AP

--AP

From left to right: 2-1B, Jumptrooper, B'arin Apma. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

More interesting, though, is this love-filled announcement meaning we will be spending more time playing games and less writing to you, the reader. (Tonight's update was late thanks to Lost Odyssey.) This new announcement says another Metal Slug is coming to the Xbox 360, as is Space Invaders Extreme, R-Type, and Super Arkanoid. We are pleased.

Also, the new Dashboard is coming November 19. We're not sure why we're supposed to care, frankly, as we were already told that we would be getting Arkanoid soon.

--AP

Virtual Console fans, you have two game this week. Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64 is one option, and the other is Shining Force II for the Sega Genesis. So a mascot sports game and an RPG we hear is wonderful. Pick yer poison!

--AP

--AP

Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! Many times, actually.

From left to right: R5-F7, Wookiee Warrior. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series. We also picked up the Wal-Mart exclusive Republic Gunship ($50) and Green Leader A-Wing Fighter ($30) over the weekend, which rank at "not really worth it" and "pretty great" respectively.

--AP

Also revealed was an instruction sheet for Universe Bruticus Maximus, a recolor of the Energon toy in Generation 1 colors. Wal-Mart received a "classic" Devastator for an exclusive during Classics, so odds are this is going to be like that. We'll bank on Wal-Mart getting it, too.

--AP

--AP

--AP

From left to right: Nippet. I guess it's just the one today, then. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

Virtual Console fans, holy cow! Someone likes you. From the Super NES, it's Secret of Mana, arguably one of the finest games released for it or any console. Ever. It's a fantastic game that really does fit the name "Action RPG" in the sense that there is action and you level up. (Attention those who don't understand words mean things: a game is not an RPG simply because there are swords in it.) The Square game supports multiple players but, sadly, does not allow for any online play.

Also available is the Sega Genesis Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition. This was the one that was a big deal and made Sega release a six-button pad back in the 1990s, however, don't forget Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD ZOMG Edition are on the way as well.

--AP

1. The Transformers Legends class toys seems to be going along swimmingly-- the new G1-style Beachcomber and Bumblebee look like a lot of fun, and so does Brawn. Can we expect to see additional minibots from the old days-- specifically the Go-Bots style repaints sold in Japan by eHobby a few years ago? A tiny white Bug Bite and a blue Path Finder?

I don't currently have any plans for Go-Bots repaints but I would love to continue blowing out classic characters in our Legends scale. I'd personally try to stick to smaller bots as they look more in scale with my Deluxe when they're posed out on my shelf. But scale isn't something we concentrate on.

2. The Transformers Animated line is stunning, with toys that are nearly spot-on with the exception of their faction logos. Sentinel Prime and Jazz both have the red Autobot symbols, but the rest of the line sport silver or gold faction sigils. Why was this colorful feature ignored?

I wouldn't say it was ignored, we were trying to keep the characters as true to the show as possible. Many characters don't have their faction symbols in their vehicle modes, but it's impossible to have them magically appear in the toy execution once the character is converted to robot. So we used a less-obtrusive color. We also were using only 1 deco operation on the faction symbols in Animated in many cases so we could "spend the money" elsewhere on the toy, and the silver/gold versions looked better than the red/purple versions. So it ended up being a combination of all of the above. At the end of the day, Eric tries to manage cost with show accuracy and chooses what to do to make the coolest toy possible.

3. Star Wars and GI Joe have seen incredible business with repainting certain "army builder" figures over the years-- Cobra Vipers, Cobra Officers, Clones, Stormtroopers, and so forth. It seems there's a little bit of opportunity in Transformers with the wonderful Classics Starscream mold. After getting the six "seekers" from the old days and a new Acid Rain, when can we expect deco opportunities like G2 Ramjet, Sunstorm, or maybe even a "Ghost" Starscream?

We are glad you like that mold too - we really like it and are hoping to be able to do exactly what you are talking about. We would love to be able to do all the Seekers over time. We have to phase them out over time though because we don't want a whole shelf full of jets. So hopefully we will be able to continue to put a couple versions out a year to help you complete the set.

4. In Japan for Transformers SuperLink (Energon), Takara offered scores of bonus Energon Weapon toys. This was great-- many Transformers have similarly sized hands, and are lacking in awesome weapons. We see you're bringing back Targetmaster partners with Cyclonus and Nightstick soon. Will we be seeing packs of Targetmaster guns some day soon, or additional Targetmaster figures to outfit our collections?

There are no plans to offer weapons separately. We do our best to add them to figures as it makes sense.

5. I've seen pictures of the new Transformers Universe Legends Brawn with green wheels (which look weird) and black wheels (which look fantastic). Which color will be on the final product?

The final will have black wheels. This is an example of a testshot image being released that is incorrect. You'll get your black wheels and you'll like it! ;)

They're winking at us now? Why, we've only just met! Anyways, we thank Hasbro and Hunter PR for their time, but mostly for our black wheels and the chance of seeing Sunstorm in the near future.

--AP

From left to right: Super Battle Droid, Biggs, Darklighter, Rahm Kota Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

Also, Age of Booty is out. We hear you can play online against people in the demo, a first for the service. It's $10 (800 points) and involves some sort of pirate-tastic action. It's receiving largely favorable reviews.

--AP

--AP

Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! Just once.

From left to right: Bail Organa... that's it. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series. We also watched more episodes of The Clone Wars, which we rather like at this point.

--AP

--AP

--AP

From left to right: Kashyyyk Trooper, Basso. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

--AP

Virtual Console fans, you're sort of in luck. The PC-Engine CD game GRADIUS II GOFER NO YABOU is totally worth a look if you haven't played it on one of the various collections over the years. It's a shooter, and it has space dragons. You should enjoy it if you have any taste at all. Also from an NEC console, the TurboGrafx-16 got Digital Champ Battle Boxing. Meh.

--AP

--AP

--AP

From left to right: Yaddle, Bespin Luke Skywalker. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

--AP

--AP

--AP

Also, Figure of the Day has been updated! Just once. It's the Imperial Engineer, one of the recently released repaints from Hasbro! Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series. We also watched more episodes of The Clone Wars, which we rather like at this point.

--AP

--AP

Due to space/time/interest constraints, we're going to be cherry-picking from here on out and this seems like a great one. This, and anything Python Patrol.

--AP

--AP

From left to right: Anakin Skywalker, Han Solo. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

We can safely say, however, the quality on the goods is rather mixed. The lobby cards are basically flimsy paper replicating the artwork on the four individual DVD cases. What you're supposed to do with them, other than lose them, we're not sure-- it's a shame they didn't spring the nickel for some nice cardstock. The tin is actually decent-- it's much thicker than expected, and has room for everything, and then some. However, getting the DVDs out proved tricky, and the interior cardboard sleeve which houses the 4 thin keep cases got dented on its first trip out. Finally, the Crow T. Robot "figurine" was basically a low-quality plastic mini-bust. It feels fragile, the eyes are too small, and if it wasn't a market starved for MST3K merchandising, you'd probably scoff at it. Our initial reaction was "Happy Meal toy," but as kid meal toy collectors, we know that those are a little more sturdy and, forgive the phrase, meaty.

For $50 (or so) it's not bad. You get 4 movies of typical quality, but the extras are definitely a little weak. Hopefully for the next boxed set, any extras might be made with a little more oomph. Shout! Factory has such a fantastic reputation for doing a good job, it's more than a little disappointing to see pack-ins that seem to have been made by the lowest bidder.

--AP

Virtual Console fans, you're sort of in luck. The Sega Genesis port of Earthworm Jim is up for grabs at $8. It's a classic platformer/action/shooter/comedy game which tries hard to bring the funny while breaking new grounds in animation. It received numerous "game of the year" awards in its time, so why not give it a try? Aside from the fact that you might not like it, of course. The franchise spawned a few games, a TV show, and an action figure line-- no small feat in its day, or even by today's standards.

--AP

--AP

From left to right: Stormtrooper, Naboo Trooper. Go to Figure of the Day for the next update, with the latest installment in our ongoing series!

--AP

Also new, and needing no real commentary, is Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?. Odds are the answer is "no." There, we just saved you $15 you can spend toward a DS and a much better game.

--AP

Here's the short version of what every review will no doubt tell you: it's some chick with black hair, there are no whips, and instead of weapons you get magical glyphs and these glyphs all take MP-- yes, even swords and daggers-- and the bar replenishes quickly. It sounds like it might be a huge pain, but in reality, it plays a little like Secret of Mana in the sense you can't win by simply mashing buttons.

The level design is an interesting mix of a variety of action games. It's not completely linear, like the original NES game, and it's not a free-for-all castle to explore, like everything since 1997. Rather, it starts you off on a level, and when you finish that level, another level (or levels) open up to you on a map. After you beat a level, you can go back pretty much whenever to get more treasures. In practice, it allows for more open-air stages which beget mountains, caves, rivers, and things which have been totally lacking since the series became tied to portable Nintendo systems. Now, you can go pretty much anywhere, and each stage seems designed to be short enough or to have enough save points so you can easily pause the action and go back to do whatever it is you need to do. No more "I gotta find a save point" nonsense-- the designers really did a good job here.

Enemies are a mix of old and new-- you'll recognize some sprites from previous games, while others are brand new. Bosses are all new so far, and range from incredibly tough to super-easy. It's like Mega Man 9-- if you can figure out the pattern, you'll eventually do fine. If you don't, you will die. The game doesn't really allow you to simply level up and kick ass-- you'll need to use the right weapons, memorize a pattern, and sweat it out like a man. Er, woman. Whatever.

We have not completed the game at this time, but we think we're getting close. And even if we stopped right here, the experience was compelling enough to be angry that we didn't finish it, which means it's pretty good. If you liked Symphony of the Night, this may be the second-best since that game was released. It's almost a shame it's on the DS, it would be a gorgeous game on a larger screen-- maybe some day Konami will also release these titles for the Xbox Live or PSN services. The DS game is about $30 if you can find it.

--AP

Classics Cosmos, Wheelie, Rodimus, and Warpath revealed! Finally! Diamond Previews showed all four, and if you squint real hard you can make them out at TFW2005. We like them all.

Classics Thrust and Dirge are coming to Japan! If you missed the Botcon 2007 releases-- and if you're reading this, odds are you are one of these people-- new versions of both figures are coming to Japan as a sort of exclusive. Much like Thundercracker and Skywarp, they're gonna cost a whole lot of money, but will still be cheaper than the alternative. Well, maybe not Skywarp. See the pre-order info in Japanese with fairly useless non-images.

25th Anniversary Editions of both Bruticus Maximus and Superion Maximus are coming! Both will be repaints of the Energon teams, but in colors more in line with Generation 1. How do we know this? They're on eBay. Click here for Bruticus and here for Superion.

--AP