NECA's NES Batman Is Something I Never Expected To See

This is my favorite dance move.

NECA recently announced that they will be releasing a 7 inch NES Batman figure, complete with the odd blue and purple color scheme the character sported in Sunsoft's Batman: The Video Game. This honestly caught me by surprise. There are tons of new Batman action figures every single year, and I could have sworn that all of the possible variations were already accounted for.

I'm impressed that NECA managed to find a version of Batman that had previously fallen through the cracks. My most recent experience with Batman: The Video Game was watching the Game Grumps' playthrough, and I didn't think about the possibility of seeing that wacky color palette in plastic form a single time. Even if it feels less "essential" than the likes of Greg Capullo's Zero Year Batman or the Batman: Arkham Knight costume, I'm glad that NECA saw the potential.

The Latest Samurai Shodown Footage is a Horrible, Horrible Tease

Samurai Slot Machine

I've always considered Samurai Shodown to be one of SNK's coolest franchises. I remember thinking the original game was just about the best thing I'd ever seen when I was a kid. While it was ultimately eclipsed by Soul Calibur in the sword based fighting game department, Shodown is of undeniable importance to the genre as a whole.

Unfortunately, SNK Playmore's last attempt at keeping the franchise relevant didn't pan out. 2008 saw the release of Samurai Shodown Sen, a negatively reviewed 3D fighter that generally flew under the radar. Regardless, I'd love to see them give it another shot.

Something along the lines of Street Fighter IV or the Xbox One Killer Instinct that uses stylized 3D character models on a traditional 2D plane would probably work wonderfully. In fact, there's a recent bit of CG rendered Samurai Shodown footage that gives us brief glimpses of exactly that. When viewed out of context, it looks pretty promising. You can check it out below:

The 2014 TMNT Movie's Self-Deprecating Humor is Bugging Me

Ninja...mutant...turtle...teenagers?

While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' designs in their upcoming new movie have caused some iffy feelings — even from series co-creator Peter Laird — they don't really bother me. I'd be lying if I said I'm a fan of them, but I'm not the sort to dismiss a movie over a few aesthetic choices. Perhaps it's hypocritical to then turn around and be bothered by a single line of dialogue, but the self-deprecating jab at the franchise's title and premise currently running through some of the trailers and TV Spots is bugging me more than the Turtles' odd new faces ever could. Have a look:

A Look Back at Grumpy Jii-san's Anime Reviews

"Because an old man can watch cartoons too."

I can't tell you why, but I recently thought back to Grumpy Jii-san: a somewhat older gentleman with an almost Santa Claus-like beard that stops to review anime while hiking through the Arizona mountains. It might seem like an unlikely premise for a Youtube channel, but trust me when I say that it's absolutely awesome. Let's look through a handful of examples!

Here's a look at Jojo's Bizarre Adventure on freakin' LaserDisc.

Ultron's Avengers: Age of Ultron Design Looks Solid

Yep, that's Ultron alright.

For the two of you that somehow missed it: Entertainment Weekly's upcoming issue is a San Diego Comic-Con Preview that features a striking Avengers: Age of Ultron cover, complete with our first official look at the film's Ultron design. You can check out the full cover image via EW's Twitter.

For me, this is another case of not expecting to see so much so soon, but I suppose it makes sense. SDCC 2014 is next week, and the movie itself is only 10 months away at this point. Where does the time go?

As far as reveals go, this feels like a big one. The cover manages to give the basic gist of the design, and I think it captures Ultron well. A big part of the character's comic history has been a constant string of upgrades, so landing on one defining look can be tricky. The following example doesn't even scratch the surface:

From Kurt Busiek and George Perez's Ultron Unlimited arc, as collected in Avengers Assemble Vol. 2

Angry Birds Transformers Toys: I'm Totally Buying A Starsqueel

So Angry. So Birds.

Right around this time last month, we learned that Angry Birds: Transformers would indeed be headed our way. Now, TF fansite Transformers At The Moon has uncovered some trademark applications revealing four character names. So far, we have Optimus Red, Megahog, Bumblebird, and Starsqueel.

If there are indeed toys of these characters — and the applications suggest there likely will be — I'm totally buying a Starsqueel. I don't care how much it costs. I don't even care what it looks like. I'm buying it.

You wanna know why I'm buying it? Because it's named freakin' STARSQUEEL, that's why!

Whoever came up with that name has an open invitation to be my BFF.

That's it for this one, I s'pose. Hit me up on Twitter & Facebook until the next post rolls around!

Awesome LEGO Mega Blastoise is Awesome

Bllllaaaaast

ZaziNombies LEGO Creations has created a rather beautiful LEGO build of Mega Blastoise from Pokemon X & Y. It's quite an accurate representation, even down to the shading! Check it out:

The Music Of Final Fantasy Has Always Been Wonderful

"Final"

Like many, one of my favorite elements of the Final Fantasy franchise has always been its music. I'm enamored with the soundtrack to FFVI in particular. That was the first game soundtrack I truly fell in love with, and as such, it's the one I revisit most often.

When I see others talking about FF music, it's often from VI or beyond. It seems the earlier titles are sometimes pushed aside. I'm not sure what inspired it, but I recently listened to music from the original game for the first time in quite a while. I must say, it made for a lovely journey through nostalgia. I was struck by how well a lot of the tracks have held up. Just check out the Chaos Temple's score:

Captain Falcon Looks Great So Far in the New Super Smash Bros.

As handsome a devil as you'll ever see.

Everyone reading this likely already knows that Nintendo has just confirmed Lucina, Robin, and Captain Falcon for the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U. I'm unfortunately not as familiar with the Fire Emblem cast, so Captain Falcon does a bit more for me in the excitement department. If you haven't checked out the reveal trailer somehow, it's definitely worth watching:

Evo 2014 Fighting Game Tournament Day 2: Highlights

They're destined to do this forever.

As you might expect, the second day of Evo 2014 was filled with many hours of fantastic high-level fighting game matches. There was even a bit of upcoming game news sprinkled in! The whole event can be a lot to take in, so let's look at a handful of highlights:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo proved yet again that it still has some life left. The match above is the 3 on 3 "X-Mania USA" grand final featuring Team M3 versus Team Japan 2. There was some solid play here, especially from Mao: a Vega player with a personality the size of the moon. Like many, I still absolutely adore this game, and it does the heart good to see it get a bit more time in the spotlight.

Evo 2014 Day 1 Ultra Street Fighter IV Tournament Full of Upsets

Battle of the blondes

The first day of Evo 2014 is now behind us, and among its highlights were a ton of exciting Ultra Street Fighter IV matches. Interestingly, many of the game's most well renown top players were eliminated earlier than most would have predicted. Examples include:

Momochi (Ken) eliminating Dieminion (Guile)

Writer's Block or Red Light Fever?

Oh floating keyboard, why have you forsaken me?

It's been said that you should write about what you know. Today, I've been firm friends with a bunch of bleh. It's been one of those days where I half want to throw my hands up in the air and give up on everything. I'm not going to by any means, but it's becoming hard to ignore that I've basically been in a funk of sorts for a little while now. I've gotten some things done, but not as much as I'd like. That's never a good feeling.

The overall cruddy vibe can even be extended to my work with Castle Geek-Skull. A while back, I told myself I'd like to publish at least three posts per day, one each for toys, gaming, and comics. That was probably some time in May, and well, it's still not happening. How could this be?

Star Wars SubReddit Engages in Starfighter Gif Wars

Do A-Wings, in fact, rule?

Heads up, everyone. Over on the Star Wars SubReddit, things are getting incredibly real. Recently, user oweeeeendennis posted a fancy schmancy animated gif to "prove that A-Wings are cooler than Y-Wings." Here's the animation in all its glory:

Boom. Gauntlet thrown.

Visions of Batman Dancing in My Head

:O

Of the many "Bad Batman Drawings" I produced last year for the blog/website project of the same name, this was one of my favorites. While going through files on my computer today, I rediscovered its original inspiration:

I Love This Ultra Street Fighter IV Hugo vs Zangief Match

Get grabbed.

In another adventure through the Youtube vortex, I came across an incredibly fun Ultra Street Fighter IV match featuring Hugo vs Zangief from a semi-recent "Wednesday Night Fights" event. Ch-check it out:

I Thought I Beat Mega Man X5 and I Totally Didn't!

Mega Man X5 gameplay

In one of my most recent battles with the Youtube vortex, I found myself watching a Mega Man X5 speed run. I owned all of the Playstation released Mega Man X titles, and I was certain I'd beaten them all. After admiring the pretty, glowing Tron-like backgrounds, it dawned on me that some of the bosses were completely unfamiliar as the game reached it's end. Despite knowing otherwise, it became clear I'd never actually gotten that far in the game.

Rangda Bangda W boss fight

What a Tease! Ed Boon ReTweets Mortal Kombat X Predator Image

The Ultimate Dance-Off

Mortal Kombat creator and creative director Ed Boon recently "re-tweeted" a fan image of Scorpion staring down a Predator, complete with Mortal Kombat X logo. As you might expect, many of those that follow the goings on of the fighting game world found the idea rather exciting. The re-tweet got plenty of attention:

Shovel Knight's Butt Mode Adds a Cheeky New Bit of Fun!

Yep. I'm totally naming my next band "A Terrible Butt."

The Steam Community Discussion forums have been abuzz with a myriad of cheat codes for Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games' popular new indie platformer. Of the 300 plus codes, the most attention grabbing is undoubtedly "Butt Mode." When activated, select parts of the game's text are replaced with the word "butt." The resulting giggles can be heard far and wide.

Yes, Single Player Fun is Possible with Ultra Street Fighter IV!

The gates of online backlash await!

It's an unpopular stance that was widely dismissed, but I've already gone on about the importance of single player modes in fighting games. We're not all in a town with a competitive scene, and many of us lack the time for serious practice. Should those of us in that situation just bow out of playing fighters altogether?

Of course not! While single player focused features like Street Fighter Alpha 3's World Tour Mode and Dramatic Battle are becoming rarer these days, there's still some fun to be had. The new SF4 update Ultra Street Fighter IV is no exception. Look no further than Maximilian's Oni "Boss Rage" video!

The Beast's Fury Team's Stretch Goal Dedication Is Impressive

Animal's Anger.

While the Beast's Fury Kickstarter was a success, stretch goals such as the attention grabbing inclusion of characters like Benny: The Dog of Hype (voiced by Maximilian) and Ego: The Cyber Raptor (voiced by Egoraptor) were unfortunately unfulfilled. In the midst of their post-campaign update, the developers promised to put in the additional work to finish the characters all the same. Maximilian and Egoraptor are also fully on board!