VGLosers.com- Totally Rad Video Game Review (GameTrailers.com)

Check out my new entry for the GameTrailers.com "Out Nerd the Nerd" contest!Mandalorian30 from VGLosers.com is out to review a totally rad video game, and he has his heart set on Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii. But the poor guy runs into problem after problem, and ends up with a review he is not so happy with.

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A Look at Hasbro's SDCC Exclusives

Well, San Diego Comic Con has come and gone this year. I wish I could have gone. But unfortunately, I live in Illinois, which is not so close to California. It would be hard enough for me to save up the money I would need to buy toys and comics, let alone travel expenses.

And the thing that always makes not going even worse are all of those wonderful Exclusives SDCC always gets. Sometimes I get lucky, and the same Exclusives are offered at Wizard world Chicago, which is a much more doable 3 hour drive for me. But for the most part, if there is something that I want, I have to rely on paying inflated prices on Ebay, or hoping I can find someone nice enough to sang what I want and ship it to me.

This year, Hasbro seemed to have a lot of really cool exclusives that I wanted to get my hands on. And due to how awesome Hasbro is, I was given my chance to get them at normal cost!

Hasbrotoyshop.com is a life saver. And a wallet saver. Habsro was able to list a limited quantity of several of their SDCC Exclusives for sale on their site shortly after SDCC ended. And I was lucky enough to pick a few of them up!

Now, just a forewarning: I have a hard time opening Exclusives. The packaging and such always ends up looking so cool on these figures, that I end up leaving them MOC or MIB, and I display them that way. That happened with every figure I recently purchased from Hasbro. So, you just have to deal with my pictures the way they are.

Let's start off by taking a look at Hasbro's Marvel Legends line, where they offered not one, but TWO cool exclusives this year. The first one is a She-Hulk in her Fantastic Four costume. It's a cool figure, but not one I felt I needed to buy. The only Exclusive ML I was interested in, was Stan "The Man" Lee!

Stan Lee gets his very first Marvel Legends action figure! I was wondering how long it would take to get this inevitable figure! And how sweet he is! The packaging on the figure is great in itself. A really cool window box displays the figure, with a fold up flap revealing Spider-Man accessories! Yes, Stan Lee's clothes are removable, revealing Spider-Man's costume! In reality, this is three figures in one! It can be Stan Lee, it can be Spider-man, or it can be Peter Parker! All of the parts are included to display the figure however you'd like! Very cool! It's almost a shame I'm leaving mine in the box. ;)

The next figure I was interested in is a part of Hasbro's new 25th Anniversery Collection of G.I. Joe figures! Many fans know this figure as "Pimp Daddy" Destro! This figure is a throwback to an old Destro figure that came out with the same wild paint scheme. the original figure is a rare find these days, as the outfit was so gaudy Hasbro immediately decided to switch his costume back to the black outfit Destro was known for. This figure also has a metallic head, available in either silver or gold. gold was already sold out, but that's OK with me. I like the silver one better.

And last but not least, my favorite collection of them all, Star Wars! The SDCC exclusive this year was part of the new Ralph McQuarrie Concept figures, which I absolutely love! these figures are based on Ralph's original artwork that helped bring George Lucas' vision to life! Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, packaged together, make up this awesome exclusive. And what a difference in design they are! Can you imagine if this is how they turned out int he films? This is a great two pack, and remains my favorite of the SDCC Exclusives I was able to snag.

I also was able to snag the R2-KT "Make a Wish" figure. This wasn't an SDCC exclusive, but it was an online exclusive, and it's for a good cause. I couldn't pass it up.

So, as you can see, I lucked out! I didn't even have to pay inflated prices for any of these figures! that's a win for the good guys! Take that, you scalper scum!

Until next time!

Six Flags doesn't have the mouse ears, but they do have Nintendo!

This past week, the girlfriend and I took a trip to Six Flags St. Louis for a nice little getaway from real life. Good thing we picked the hottest day of the year to go! Sheesh! It was terrible! The heat was so bad, I was so close to just peeling the sweat soaked clothes from my body, and run around the park naked the rest of the day. But, at least Six flags has a water park, which we did spend the earlier part of the day at. It was fun, but it was also the most crowded part of the park due to that God-awful heat.

I have been taking regular trips to Six Flags St. Louis since I was probably 5 years old. My family went there at least once every summer. As I got older and was able to drive, my friends and I would always buy season passes, and we'd go multiple times over the summer. After all, it's only an hour and a half from where I live. And you can't beat riding roller coasters and paying too much for food when you're bored.

Over the last year or so, I've noticed a steady change in Six Flags St. Louis. They have done quite a bit of remodelling. The park seems to be a tad cleaner. They are doing things now that they used to never do, or hardly o, such as parades. Loony Tunes and DC Comics characters are now constantly walking around the park. I used to never see characters as a kid. If I did, it was rare. But they are always out now. There are so many things that Six Flags is doing different, it immediately began to remind me and my girlfriend of another place. A place we both love and wish we could visit more often. A place we just visited in March. And that place is none other than Walt Disney World.

Yep. If you've been to WDW, or keep up on WDW park information, you'd notice it too. Six Flags is definitely taking a page out of Mickey's book. And while I applaud them for doing what they can to make their park a better, more enjoyable atmosphere, sometimes it just doesn't come off the right way. Let's take a look at some similarities.

We'll start with the characters. As I stated before, as a kid I rarely saw characters at Six Flags. They are now every where now. Marvin the Martian, Tweety, Daffy, and Bugs all the way to Robin, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. you'll find them at various locations of the park, complete with a Six Flags employee by their side to help guide them around. They even have photographers following the characters around now who are there to take your picture, then hand you a little card that you can use to purchase the photo either at their photo booth, or online. If you've been to Disney, you are quite familiar with this process. I think it's all pretty cool, but my biggest problem is in the characters themselves.

For one, sometimes the costumes could be a little better. That one is directed mostly to the DC characters. Some of them just straight up look silly. Either the costume is just ugly, or the person inside the suit looks nothing like the character they are portraying. I don't need to see a pimply faced Flash, or a tubby Batman. Seriously.

My other issue is that the characters just don't seem to act, well, like the characters. In Disney, all of the character act as they would in one of their cartoons. They are lively, funny, and playful. At Six Flags, you can tell it's just some dude in a suit whose collecting a pay check. It immediately ruins the "magic" for me.

Another small similarity is Six Flags' version of Disney's Fast Pass, which the call the Flash Pass. This feature allows you to wait in line for a ride without actually standing in the line. Basically you are given a time to come back to the ride, and then you can walk right on. The only difference...SIX FLAGS CHARGE MONEY FOR THIS FEATURE! At Disney, it's free! Seriously, who is lazy enough to pay money just so they don't have to wait in lines. I just feel like Six Flags is really robbing people here.

The most pathetic encounter we had was when we walked in to one of the shops to find that it was a shop selling DISNEY MERCHANDISE! What?! on top of that, they were playing Disney music in the store. This store just confused me. Six Flags is a Warner Bros. park, right? Their icons are Looney tunes and DC comics, correct? So what's up with selling products of a company that could be considered your competition? Are they trying to snag some of their loot? Cash in on their success? That's what it seemed like to me. And I thought it was lame.

I probably look like this big jerk who hates Six Flags now. But I am far from wanting to light the place on fire or anything. I actually enjoy six Flags quite a bit. I just found myself comparing the place to WDW all day long. That may have something to do with my recent trip. Or maybe I need to lighten up. Who knows? But i do love me some Mr. Freeze. That coaster is...cool! Make sure you go back and read that sentence with an Arnold accent.

Oh, but one cool thing about Six Flags was The Wii Experience! All it was was a section set up in the park that had several Nintendo Wii's and a few Nintendo representatives there to tell you all about it's greatness! So, not only can you make yourself sick on the Shazaam!, you can now take a break to have a Wii Sports bowling game, or play some Twilight Princess! And it's FREE! Sweet!

OK, I think I've talked about Six Flags enough. A little off topic maybe? Nope, I talked about Nintendo. And it's my blog, so you'll read whatever I write. Booyah.

Customizing - Doing what Toy Companies just won't.

Ah, the art of customizing. I myself have done many of custom action figures. It's a lot of fun to make your own figures the way toy companies just can't. And it's great to see all of the wonderful creations others come up with.

Legos are something that I have always wanted to try and customize, but have never really put any time into trying. There are a lot of Lego fans out there, and it's amazing to see some of the wonderful things creative people can come up with. I've seen everything from Legos built to look like 8-bit NES sprites to amazing and huge Star Wars ships and environments built entirely out of Lego pieces. And then, of course, the most common form of Lego customizing is the figures themselves. Custom Lego-men.

I came across this guy's page today while doing a random search for Legend of Zelda pictures. These are freaking cool! I don't think I have ever seen anyone make Legend of Zelda Legos before. And I know I have never seen custom Lego men that looked this good! These are very professional, almost as if Lego put them out themselves. Just excellent! Check these bad boys out:

http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/14321

I have to say that Princess Zelda is my favorite in the bunch. She just looks so professionally done. It's a wonder how some people can be so precise with their painting. Awesome!

Speaking of action figure customizing, have any of you out there ever heard the name Jin Saotome? Well, if you are a customizer, a shopper of customs on Ebay, or a frequenter of any toy forums, I guarantee you him!

Jin is hands down the BEST action figure customizer I have ever seen! His work is down right amazing! Rarely do you see custom action figures that look like they came right out of the factory. In fact, these look 10 times better than any toy company would ever produce! The level of detail on each of his pieces is astounding! Here are a few examples of his work:

Jin hits a level of detail on his figures that I have never been able to master on my own. His work simply amazes me. People love his work so much, that any figure he lists on Ebay sells int he $100's, just for having his name on it. He pays his bills by making figures. Ah, how I wish I could be so lucky!

One of the coolest things about the guy is that he shares his techniques with people. His website is littered with "how-to" guides. He's all about helping his fellow customizers out. He's given me several pointers personally in the past, and he's just overall a great guy!

His site can be found at http://www.jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com/

Swing by and check out his work! Read his guides! And drop him a line if you'd like! Tell him Mandalorian30 sent you, and did a good job of pimping out his site! ;)

Any other customizers out there who'd like to share your work? Please, post away! I love to see the awesome customs people come up with!

Well, my hometown of Springfield, Illinois may not have won the premeir for The Simpsons Movie, but we did get these nifty posters for free! Limited to only 500, the posters says "Filmed on location in springfield, Illinois" right under the title. Sweet!

When video games run your life!

I think every gamer has been in that place where they have this one game that they are just absolutely addicted. A game that can be played for hours on end, and just can’t seem to be put down. A game that just completely sucks you in to the point that the real world now revolves around your game. You have to make scheduling changes just to make sure you don’t miss a certain item in your game. You cancel plans because you don’t want to give up yet. Yep, all gamers have been there. In fact, I’m willing to bet that most gamers have been there on more than one occasion. I know I have. And I’m there right now.

Yes my fellow VGLosers, I am currently entwined in the universe known as Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. It’s a world where you are a human trying to make a living in a town full of cutesy animal residents. Don’t look at me like that. I know that a lot of you gamers have picked up this game and got lost in it as well. And for those of you who haven’t, you probably just haven’t given it a proper chance.

Yep, even I have friends who give me crap and like to roll their eyes at me when I tell them what I’m playing. Animal Crossing is a sim game, basically. And although it looks cute and cuddly, it is very in-depth and highly addicting. Don’t believe me? Yeah, I know. You can’t get over the way the game looks, can you? You’d rather be blowing the heads off zombies, or “pwning sum noobs” at Halo 2, right? Well, truth is this kind of a game isn’t for every body. But even if you’re not too big into sim games, I bet that if given the proper chance, Animal Crossing could wrap you up just as it did me.

There is so much to do in this game, it’s ridiculous. So many goals and so little time. The reason there is little time, you ask? Well, that’s because this game is in “real time,” meaning that if it’s 5:00 pm in real life, its 5:00 pm in your Animal Crossing town. And certain things happen at certain times of the day. Certain events take place on certain dates. And certain hard-to-find items may only appear at those late hours of the night, or early hours of the morning. And, unless you’re a dirty cheater and like to change the time on your DS to make things easier for you, accomplishing all of your goals can be quite a challenge.

Some of the goals in this game include paying off your mortgage to get bigger, better house, furnishing your house and finding and buying new and rare types of furniture, planting flowers and trees to get a perfect town, catching bugs and fish to donate to your museum, make friends with the townsfolk, the list can go on and on.

It may not sound like much, but you really find yourself trying to accomplish your goals. You get rewarded for accomplishing certain tasks. For example, catching every fish there is to catch in the game will yield a prize called the golden fishing rod. The problem is that certain fish are only available at certain times of the day, and even still, only certain times of the year! Yep, the seasons change, and so do the fish and insects that can be caught. It makes it hard to reach your goals, but that much more rewarding when you do.

Buying furniture is a lot of fun as well. There is such a huge catalog you can accumulate filled with wallpapers, carpets, shirts, accessories, and different types of furniture. Some items are far rarer than others. For you Nintendo fans out there, you might be happy to know you can even obtain cool little items like the Triforce or a Metroid. I know I love that! Its cool little things like that that keeps me constantly searching, buying, and trading for new pieces of furniture to fill my catalog with.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to do in this game. Meaning, my life revolves around it. I have a daily routine now, it seems. I check the game every morning. I start by watering all of the flowers in my town to make sure they don’t die. I talk to all of my town’s folk, to maintain friendships and keep them from moving. I check the stores to see if there is anything new that I haven’t bought yet. I pull all the weeds that grew over night. If there is a special visitor, I talk to them and try to earn whatever goodie they are offering. I mail any letters that need to be mailed. I check the recycling bin for items I may want to take. I shake trees to look for stashed bells (money), I sell some fruit to earn money, and I look for buried fossils to take to the museum. After that, I do anything else that may come up. If there’s a special event at a certain time, I try to get on at that time. If I need to fish or bug hunt for something I need, I’ll do that. If I want to go wi-fi with some people I meet online and trade items, I may do that. It’s crazy. This game has me planning my whole day around it just to make sure my town stays at its perfect status!

This is not the first time a game has done this to me, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. And, in my opinion, if a game can manage to get a gamer like me this wrapped up, then they did something right. If you’ve never given Animal Crossing a try, I’d recommend it. Maybe you won’t care for it at all, or maybe you’ll get sucked in just as much as I did. You’d be surprised. You can pick up either version of the game, for the Gamecube or the DS. Plus, they’ve announced a Wii version of the game coming next year. I can already see my schedule becoming full.

I’m going to end this one off by asking all of you VGLosers out there what games have done this to you? Share your experiences! Tell me what game has got you so sucked in that you didn’t care about the real world!

Harry Potter Fans Love To Laugh

Last night I attended the midnight showing of Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. It was a good movie. I can’t say it was my favorite of the Potter flicks, as I enjoyed films such as “Goblet of Fire” more. But, overall, it was still a good film. However, I’m not here to talk about the film. I’m here to talk about the crowd that was there to see it.

This summer has been full of huge, box office hits. I’ve been to so many midnight showings already, more than I think I have ever been to in one summer. Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Live Free of Die Hard, and Transformers…so many big ones this year! This is one summer that has made many nerds have to constantly clean their shorts.

So what was so different about the Harry Potter opening that has sparked writing out of me? Well, to be honest, not much really. At least, as far as what I was expecting goes. A lot of these big movies have a fan following. Being the huge Star Wars fan that I am, it’s not abnormal for me to see swarms of people dressed in costume while waiting hours in line to see the newest installment of their favorite franchise. But there’s something about the Potter fans that seemed different to me. Maybe it’s the age barrier. I’m not sure. After all, Harry Potter does have a bit of a younger fan following. Transformers and Star Wars are of my generation. Harry Potter, not so much.

I do enjoy these movies quite a bit, and being a nerd myself, I cannot really judge when I see Potter fanatics at openings like last night. But during that movie, they acted slightly different than I expected them too. There was clapping at the opening, the ending, and at key scenes. But that sort of thing happened when I saw movies like Star Wars and Transformers. And I gladly participated in it. But I was so confused last night when a majority of the audience laughed throughout the movie.

Yes, there are funny moments in HP: OotP. Every good movie should include some comedy. But these people were laughing at very un-funny scenes. For example, every time Luna Lovegood said anything, the audience would chuckle. Granted, the character was a little odd. But she didn’t always say things that should warrant a giggle or laugh. She would say something completely serious, and the audience would be laughing. I felt as though there was some kind of huge joke that I wasn’t getting.

Then, the scene that really got me was towards the end. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that there is a scene during the end battle where Harry is going through some torture. It’s a very serious scene…yet there go those Potter fans, laughing away again. What did I miss? This is the part of the movie that is supposed to be the epic battle. The part that is suppose to have us all wrapped up, wondering if the good guys are going to make it through. But are we all on the edge of our seat wondering what’s going to happen? Nope. We’re giggling like we just read a humorous joke.

It was quite confusing, and a bit annoying to be truthful. And the more I think about it, the more my brain hurts. The only thing I can think of is that age difference between fan bases. Perhaps those Potter fans just see something that I don’t. Maybe it has something to do with reading the books. Or maybe Potter fans are just bat shit crazy. Who knows?

Either way, it was a good movie, despite the fact that I didn’t seem to get the big joke.

If you had a similar experience…or maybe if you know what was so funny…leave me a comment!