LEGO Batman 3: I'm Not Quite Convinced Yet

Batman's space suit from LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

So far, my sole experience with the LEGO video games has been playing a bit of LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I love LEGO toys and Star Wars, so you'd think I would have had the time of my life. It was too long ago for me to give you a detailed rundown, but it turns out I just didn't have fun with it. I didn't even own the game and I only played a very early portion (based on The Phantom Menace), so I admit it was barely given a fair chance. Still, the initial "eh, whatever" impression stuck, and the LEGO video game releases that followed basically flew under my radar.

I love properties like Indiana Jones, Marvel Superheroes, and Batman, so of course I figured I'd eventually give their corresponding LEGO games a try. However, if they had any real slot on my "yeah, I'll get to that later" list it was probably pretty close to the bottom. Even after hearing many great things and seeing several fun cutscenes, I never found the spark to dive in and finally give the series another shot. After seeing tons of buzz surrounding the new LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham announcement trailer, I thought perhaps the time had finally come.

Baby Skeletor Unleashes One Collector's Paternal Instincts

Born to Rule. Born to Myaaaah!

Mattel's latest collector targeted Masters of the Universe toy reveal is none other than Baby Skeletor, an apparent Robot Chicken tie-in that has proven to be quite controversial. Toys are serious business of course, inspiring many from the collecting community to lash out at the famous toy makers for producing something so silly. One fan remarked that this reveal is merely Mattel "taking another big dump on collectors." You can feel the look of disgust through the screen:

The general fan reaction to this vile joke of a product.

Still, the toy has been a revelation for some. With his adorable little powder blue feet, Havoc Staff rattle, and innocent skeletal smile, Baby Skeletor has brought forth previously unbeknownst paternal instincts in one noble collector. Behold:

Even Without Edgar Wright, Ant-Man Might Be Worth Supporting

Ant-Man #47

The internet has been abuzz this evening over Edgar Wright's decision to step down from directing the upcoming live action Ant-Man. Wright (most famous for directing Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End) cited "creative differences" as the inspiration for his departure. I'm a massive fan of his work and he has made nothing but a great impression on me throughout his numerous commentaries, interviews, and other press appearances. When I heard he would be at the helm of Ant-Man, I was absolutely stoked. As you might expect, I was not alone.

DC Collectibles' Batman: The Animated Series Action Figures Look Fantastic!

Ridiculously Photogenic Batman Action Figures.

As a kid, I loved collecting Kenner's Batman: The Animated Series action figures, especially the villains! Whenever I've looked back at them in recent years, I've felt that they managed to hold up fairly well. The sculpts are too "soft" in places and they're certainly on the simple side, but there was a decent overall match to the style of the corresponding cartoon. I've never felt as if updated versions were essential since the existing figures were just fine as is. However, the upcoming assortment of Batman: The Animated Series figures by DC Collectibles has shown me the light:

Ultra Street Fighter IV's Alternate Costumes are Just as Crazy as Ever

Poison's Pirate costume from Ultra Street Fighter IV

From jiangshi Rufus to Aztec deity Blanka and all sorts of madness between, the Street Fighter IV series has had its fair share of crazy alternate character costumes. Based on the new Ultra Street Fighter IV Pre-Order costume trailer, it looks like that trend has remained fully intact:

"Batman V Superman" Batsuit Reveal Shows More Than I Expected

I'm Batman or whatever.

On May 12th, 2014, Zack Snyder (director of movie films such as 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel, etc) tweeted a picture showing the back end of the new Batmobile from the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. As far as teasers go, it's what you'd expect. You could pretty much only make out some tires and the hint of a spoiler. However, the tweet ended with a promise to show more the next day. Surprisingly, what followed was actually a major reveal: the film's new Batsuit! Ooh. For the two of you who haven't seen it, behold:

Ace Attorney Prequel To Be "Quite Different" - How Will Fans React?

Ryunosuke Naruhodo, as seen in the upcoming Ace Attorney prequel teaser.

With a new teaser trailer and several juicy bits of info from Famitsu magazine, the mystery surrounding the upcoming Ace Attorney prequel (Dai Gyakuten Saiban: The Adventures of Naruhodou Ryuunosuke) is finally beginning to clear. The game's story will take place in Japan's Meiji era (between 1868 and 1912) and is set to star Phoenix Wright ancestor Naruhodou Ryuunosuke, as well as judicial assistant Susato Mikotoba. Franchise creator Shu Takumi told Famitsu that this will kick off a new series (known thus far as The Great Ace Attorney), and that the initial title will be "quite different" from the existing Ace Attorney games.

Early Unreal Tournament Reactions Have Warmed My Heart

A new Unreal Tournament?! I will name it George, and I will hug it, and pet it, and squeeze it!

When I first ventured into the wild world of Twitter this morning, I noticed that Unreal Tournament was trending! After clicking to see what all the fuss was about, I was hit with a massive wave of positivity. This is a serious breath of fresh air after being bummed out by other recent gaming trends like the Tomodachi Life controversy. Early reports indicate that the next UT game will be crowdsourced and completely free (in full, not microtransaction-based) upon its eventual release to Windows, Mac, & Linux. That alone should warrant plenty of praise, but it only piles on from there.

Mario Kart 8 Won Me Over by Character Roster Alone

Mario Kart 8 Anti-Gravity racing in action

Everything I've seen regarding the upcoming Mario Kart 8 looks perfectly promising. Anti-gravity racing? Sounds fun! Customizable tournaments? Good idea! However, I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to play it until I saw the new character roster all together on the game's official site:

The Gimp from Pulp Fiction Might Become the Best Action Figure Ever Made

Funko's ReAction "The Gimp" Figure

Move over, "The Meat" from Rocky, there's a new contender for "Best Action Figure Ever" in town!

Weekly Want April 14-21 with Arkham City Mr Freeze Statue, Amazing Spider-Man Hot Toys, & More!

Ahoy there, it's time once again for the "Weekly Want," a rundown of some of the past week's coolest new toy and collectible promo shots! If you missed last week's installment, let the beauty of linkage assist you: Weekly Want Apr 7-14. Now, on to more current affairs:

Gamers Go Wild for Tokyo Jungle All Over Again!

Everyone and their grandmother knows about this weekend's Playstation Network Flash Sale by now. I was more than happy to take advantage of the newly slashed prices to help cross some more games off of my growing check-list, Tokyo Jungle especially. It would appear that I was far from alone:

Catch up on PSN Titles with the Playstation Network April Flash Sale!

With so many titles out there and so little time, we all know how easy it can be to get behind on the games we'd like to play. The "I'm gonna get around to that eventually" list we all have to some extent is always growing. It's one of the most vexing "First World Problems" of our time.

Personally, there's nothing like a good sale to inspire me to finally grab a game I've been eyeing, and from April 18-20th, Playstation Network has a great one:

What Role Will The Riddler Play in Batman: Arkham Knight?

Batman in conference with Oracle

When I first hopped online this morning, I was greeted with several new promo images for Batman: Arkham Knight. The gallery I checked out (seen in full on ComigSoon.net) had just about every existing image thrown in, so I'm not quite sure what was new or old. Either way, it is safe to say that this is going to be a great looking game, with an overall pitch-perfect atmosphere. The same was true of the Arkham series' previous installments and I'm greatly looking forward to revisiting Rocksteady's take on the world of Gotham.

The images of the Riddler have me curious about his exact role in the game however. Batman left him in quite the predicament in Arkham City, so it's a safe bet that he's going to have a substantial revenge plot in the works. If you need any convincing, this promo shot says it all:

Weekly Want April 7-14 with Play Arts Kai Watchmen, ARTFX+ Star Wars, & More!

New feature time! This is the "Weekly Want," showing a small compilation of cool action figures and other geeky goods that had new promotional shots released over the past week. Here are a few of the rad items that caught my eye between April 7th and 14th:

Fans React to Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV Spot

Oh, boy. A short TV Spot for the new Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie has surfaced, complete with a handful of new shots. The most noteworthy of course is a glimpse of Master Splinter's back. Chickity check it:

Even with this briefest of brief glimpses, the TMNT fans of the internet have been buzzing. Who would have guessed? Here are a few early reactions from Youtube:

Ultra Street Fighter IV Decapre Character Reveal From a Casual Perspective

The long-hyped "fifth new character" from Ultra Street Fighter IV was finally revealed this weekend. Capcom chose the "Final Round XVII" tournament in Atlanta, GA to drop the news, a fine choice given its long-standing role in the Fighting Game Community. It turns out the new roster addition is Decapre, one of M. Bison's "Dolls" (brainwashed assassins.) Don't look at me, Street Fighter isn't exactly known for its great storylines.

Transformers Masterpiece MP-21 Bumblebee Color Preview

Takara Tomy Transformers Masterpiece designer Shogo Hasui has just shared a lovely image of the upcoming Masterpiece MP-21 Bumblebee via the Twitters. This is the clearest view we have to date:

DC Universe Classics Wave 19 Sandman

"MTV Geek" gave us an exclusive first look at DC Universe Classics Wave 19 yesterday. I'd like to share Sandman specifically:

Why Sandman? Well, hot damn! Just look at those gorgeous colors! I'm sure they won't be quite as nice on the mass-produced version available in stores, but I'm still more than ready to plop down some cash on this guy. He's just...he's just so god-damned PRETTY.

Check out the rest of the wave here! If Sandman isn't up your street, maybe some of the others will be!

Hasbro Masterpiece Rodimus Prime Revealed

From ToyCollectors.com.au, here's our first image of the Hasbro release of Masterpiece Rodimus Prime:

As many assumed would be the case, there's no trailer, meaning we'll have to do without the famous space-Winnebago vehicle mode. However, we are getting a new paint scheme (more in line with the original G1 Hot Rod toy) and accessories to compensate! Of particular note is the new Targetmaster (or gun transformer) "Offshoot", undoubtedly a new version of Firebolt, Hot Rod's Targetmaster from 1987. Woo! We also see that this release will be a Toys R Us exclusive as Hasbro's MP Grimlock was.

For those of you worried about the toy's overall quality after some of the initial Takara release's iffy reviews, do not fret. Many of the niggling little issues should be fixed this time around, as an improved reissue of the Japanese version is also around the corner. This Hasbro version will most likely benefit from any improvements they've made for the mold.

There's no release date as of yet, but with Botcon (the official Transformers convention) coming in just a few days, I'm sure it won't be long before we're marking the days on our calendars! Personally, I think Hasbro's Masterpiece Rodimus is looking absolutely fantastic, so sign me up.

I bet Chris from Extreme Action-Figure Videos will be pretty excited as well: