Mom Brain goes back to school tomorrow…on the teaching side of things, that is. It’s back to being just me at the warehouse during the day. At least I’ll have you guys to keep me busy while Mom B. is doing her job. I guess this signifies the end of Summer at the warehouse. Man, I’m not ready to see it go! I’m sure I’m not the only one either! Well, there’s really no choice but to push on like usual. I hope you all are doing well, even if you did have to go back to school already! Don’t worry, a break will be here before you know it. I’m taking a break right now for some sleep! See you all in a few, short hours. A real straightforward end of day thought for you guys. I thought it would be one to get some good discussion going. Not to say that there hasn’t been a ton of talk about Metroid: Other M already! So…the first wave of reviews for Metroid: Other M have come and gone. We’ve ridden the wave of highs and lows, and we’ve washed up upon the shores of the North American launch. Some of our European friends are still waiting to go hands-on with the game, so there should be another round of reviews coming. With that said, there has been no shortage of opinions on the game coming from North American outlets, ourselves included. It’s no secret that review scores have been mixed at best. There’s definitely a split on this game, with some reviews skewing towards high 8s and low 9s, while others drop down into the 7 and 6 range. Hard to really peg what’s going on here, but I think it’s clear that some reviewers feel the title was a letdown, while others enjoy the direction that this Team Ninja co-developed game has wandered in. With all that media attention out there from gaming press, where has that left you? Were you going to purchase the game until you read all those reviews? Have the reviews thus far changed you from a definite purchase to a rental? Perhaps the reviews put you off a purchase altogether? I’m sure there are plenty of people that are jumping in anyway, and are still excited for the purchase. Whatever your situation is, we’d like to hear! Leave us a comment and let us know if you grabbed the game or not. If you didn’t, let’s hear why you backed off. I’d especially love to hear if the reviews out there had any influence on you, be that positive or negative. Feel free to let loose with any/all details below!

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - Did you pick up Metroid: Other M?

Check out more screens and art in our Flickr set LYON, FRANCE – 30 August 2010 – NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. today announced a new agreement with RAINBOW S.p.A to distribute the latest WINX CLUB: ROCKSTARS video game, based on the smash hit franchise, Winx Club. The game will be distributed by Nintendo DS in Europe, Middle East and Africa this November 2010. Fans in Europe will be able to buy the game bundled with an exclusive DS Case or a Winx Club Watch at selected retailers. Ever since its explosion on TV in 2004, the Winx Club has been been winning the hearts of fans with the enchanting fairies and their fantastic adventures between the planet earth and the Magical Dimension. In the TV series viewers follow the fun of young fairy friends Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna, Layla, Musa and Roxy as they make friends, battle enemies and unearth the amazing secrets around them. In WINX CLUB: ROCKSTARS the fairy friends head out on a new kind of adventure, swapping their magic for guitars and microphones and whipping up a fairy rock star frenzy on stage. Fans will be able to play their favourite Winx Club fairy, choose one of four musical instruments to rock out with, and practice more than 12 exclusive Winx Club songs as they aim for the big time. Mastering the rhythmic gameplay and hitting high scores gives players the chance to style and customize their characters to make an even bigger splash when they’re under the lights. “Interactive platforms and specifically the video game market are very important for our business,” said Iginio Straffi, Founder and President, RAINBOW S.p.A, “this important new launch with Bandai Namco, one of the prestigious partner in the industry, underlines the strength and value of the property.” “It’s great news that we are able to continue our relationship with Rainbow and bring another game based on this fantastic license to fans in Europe,” said Alberto González Lorca, Vice President Third Parties, NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. “Winx Club: Rockstars takes this enormously popular property in a new musical game direction, which is very exciting for us and adds even more breadth and strength to our diverse line up.” WINX CLUB: ROCKSTARS for Nintendo DS is scheduled for release in November 2010 across EMEA. For more about Winx Club, please visit www.winxclub.com. More information about NAMCO BANDAI Partners entire line up can be found at www.namcobandaigames.eu. GamesPress

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Namco Bandai Partners to distribute Winx Club: Rockstars for DS

Friday is here and I couldn’t be happier! My copy of Ivy the Kiwi? should be arriving at my front door in a few hours. What a great game to relax with over the weekend…I hope! Here’s to hoping that you guys have some great games lined up for the weekend as well. Let’s get through Friday so we can have some fun! I’m off to bed for some much-needed rest. That’ll help me power through Friday! See you in a few, short hours. P.S. - Unless I’m mistaken, Metroid: Other M reviews go live at 1 PM EST today! We have ours ready. I can’t wait to see what others think! Damnit Cory, why on earth do you have to keep making such great comics? Last week to put together a comic that I thought was my favorite one yet. That was a multi-panel comic that was full of great art and a wonderful joke. This time around you go with a single panel paired with a great joke and some beautiful art. Now I think I have yet another favorite! It’s very clear to me now. The only thing Cory knows is how to top his previous work with each passing week!

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - Cory Godbey’s ‘bit and run’ Volume 2: #4

Lots of fun and interesting info today! Seems like news might be on the up-swing from here on out. The industry is coming out of its Summer lull, and it’s got a bunch of new things it wants to show off. We’ll be here to report the Nintendo side of things, as always! Hope you enjoyed the news today, as well as the day in general. Let’s all get some rest so we can start Wednesday fresh! See you in a few, short hours. I don’t remember how long ago it was, but there was a point in time when I was chomping at the bit for the PC release of And Yet It Moves. I absolutely love indie games, as I usually find them more enjoyable than the bulk of content that the game industry proper releases. After seeing some trailers for And Yet It Moves, I knew it would end up being my next purchase through Steam. I also had a feeling that it would be a purchase that I wouldn’t regret. When the game did finally see release, I played through the entire offering in one night. I just couldn’t pull myself away from the game. I think the thing that really sucked me in was the simplicity of the entire project. The graphics were gorgeous, but in a very simple way. Just various bits of paper and color strewn together to make an impressionistic world that I couldn’t get enough of. The gameplay itself was also very simple, but it really wasn’t something that I had seen explored in other games I had played up to that point. Run, jump and twist the world around you. This opened up the game to all sorts of realistic, momentum and logic-based puzzles. Imagine how happy I was when I heard that And Yet It Moves was coming out on WiiWare! I thought that the Wii was the perfect platform for this game. The level-twisting mechanic would work absolutely perfectly with the Wiimote, and the graphics shouldn’t be anything that the Wii couldn’t handle. I was also very interested in seeing just how the devs could cram all the beauty and fun of the PC version into the size-restricted WiiWare setup. It may have taken longer to come out than I expected, but now I finally have the answers to my questions. I think that the WiiWare version of And Yet It Moves might be the superior version. It all comes down to the way the game plays, and the devs behind the project really gave Wii owners a treat. In the PC version, you could only rotate the game world at 90 degree intervals. On the WiiWare version, you have full control over how much the world twists. You can turn it ever so slightly, or you can do a complete 180. You can do a 360 if you want, but it’s not going to do anything for you! This new way of controlling the twist mechanic really makes for a completely new gameplay mechanic, and allows you to approach puzzles in an even more natural way. Of course, there are other control options available for all the picky types of gamers out there. You can even go sans motion control if you want. It’s clear to me that And Yet It Moves received a lot of care and thought in its WiiWare transition. I haven’t finished the game yet, as I’m trying to savor it the second time around. I really hope that I’m not the only one that has fallen in love with this game. Are any of you interested in And Yet It Moves? Do you have any questions about the game? Are there certain things that are keeping you from a purchase? If so, hit up the comments section and let loose. I really think this game deserves more attention than it’s getting. Let’s show our support for the smaller, high-quality devs out there that are giving Wii owners experiences that aren’t available on other consoles.

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thought - And Yet It Moves to WiiWare, and hopefully into your home

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Video Game Art - Mega Man Vs. Street Fighter: Dhalsim’s stage

Videos Nintendo Week of Aug 23rd Metroid: Other M “Metroid and Me” Metroid: Other M TV spot Metroid: Other M action trailer Sonic Colors info video Disney Guilty Party info video Ghost Trick info video Secret Files: Tunguska info video Secret Files: Tunguska info video 2 City Builder info video Space Trek info video Divergent Shift info video 3D Mahjong info video My Notebook: Carbon info video DS demos nothing new

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Nintendo Channel - video/demo updates for Aug. 23rd

How about that Metroid: Other M live-action commercial?! Man, I can’t stop watching that baby. Some of the best commercial work Nintendo has ever done, in my opinion. It seems like Nintendo really knows how to nail the Metroid TV spots. I’m going to head off and dream about that one! I’ll see you all in a few, short hours. P.S. - Thanks to everyone for the email/Facebook birthday wishes yesterday! I really, really appreciate all the kind words. Time for me to jump the gun with volume 2 of the ‘bit and run’ series. I can already say that this comic is one of my favorites in the entire series, and that goes for both volumes 1 and 2. I love the art-style, and the joke is spot-on. I love the way that Cory manages to tell a story, make it beautiful, hit all the right nostalgic notes, and come off being funny and thought-engaging. More than I could ever hope to accomplish with a drawing!

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - Cory Godbey’s ‘bit and run’ Volume 2: #3

I hope you all are having a great week thus far. I can’t believe we’re at Thursday already! That weekend is coming in fast, and I can’t wait to relax! Let’s push hard through Thursday, get through Friday, and then enjoy our well-deserved free-time! Best get some sleep now in order to power through the work day. See you in a few, short hours! There are some truly rotten people out there. They have their reasons for doing what they do, and sometimes there’s no other reason than just being downright rotten. I’m guessing this is the case for the person that decided to steal my Mom’s DSi XL over the weekend, among other items. I know that person will probably never read this, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t talk about it. For Mother’s Day this year, I decided to purchase a DSi XL. My Mom has always loved video games, but her ability to play games has been at an all-time low lately. That’s because I moved out into my own place with Mom Brain, and I took all my gaming goodies with me. That left just the PC to fill the gaming void that my Mom was suffering from. While she likes Solitaire and some online game portals, she still wanted a deeper gaming experience. In steps the DSi XL, which I knew my Mom would love. She used to play my DS all the time, and was doing so right until I left the house. Now she would have her own DSi XL to play whatever she wanted, be it retail or download. I paired the system with Picross 3D, which I figured was the perfect game for her. She’s a puzzle fiend, and I knew that Picross 3D would get her hooked. Ever since Mother’s Day, my Mom wouldn’t leave the house without her DSi XL and Picross 3D. She would play it everywhere she could, be that vacation or in the comfort of her own home. My Dad would joke that he wouldn’t see my Mom anymore, all because she was too busy playing Picross 3D. That’s why I couldn’t help myself when pointing out other DSiWare puzzle games that I knew she would enjoy. Now she was inundated with puzzle and card games that could keep her busy all the time! For those that don’t know, my Mom has Multiple Sclerosis. It’s not the most pleasant disease, and it has no issue with robbing someone of their motor skills. Sometimes she’s just fine, and other times she can’t walk right. The same goes for arm or hand movement, which she wanted to make sure she stayed on-top of. Of course, gaming was the perfect way to keep those hands moving. It also helps to keep the mind sharp, which is another issue with Multiple Sclerosis. This gaming habit was helping her to feel young, and help fend off any disease issues. Well, all that fun is gone now. On a trip to take Nintenho up to a new college, my Mom’s DSi XL was stolen from my sister’s car. The window was busted in, and her DSi XL was stolen. On top of that, her Picross 3D was yanked, as well as the games I let her borrow, and even her Kindle. That pretty much takes away everything my Mom enjoyed doing in her free time. Who ended up taking the items? The cops think it was a druggie that busted into the car due to out-of-state plates. Apparently it happens all the time on this particular college campus. Not exactly the best way to start off a new college year. Now, I can’t help but be saddened when I think of my Mom’s situation. All the books she loved are gone. All the games she poured hours into have vanished. To think that someone could do such a thing and not think twice is amazing to me. I know it’s not the worst that could have happened, but it’s not the best either. Hopefully my Mom can have insurance replace the items that were stolen, but that’s going to take awhile. Hell, that might not even happen for all we know. What I do know is that my Mom sits at home now, and she just works the day away… because that’s all there is to do. Thanks for ruining the little free-time my Mom gets, thief. May you never come across someone like yourself. I wish you well, and hope that you recover from the demons you’re currently suffering from. P.S. - Mom, you’re welcome to come over and play my Picross 3D whenever you want. You can borrow Mom Brain’s Kindle as well. Seeing a smile on your face will easily put one on my as well.

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - A letter to the thief that stole my Mom’s DSi XL

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GameTrailers - Bonus Round 408 Pt 2: The Sequels of Fall 2010

Cory has a lot to say in this week’s feature, so I figured I’d leave the post to him! I mean, it’s his feature after all. It doesn’t need to be cluttered up with my nonsensical ramblings. I’ll just step aside and let him do his thing. I needed to get some rest anyways! See you in a few, short hours. __________________ Hey everyone, it’s good to be back with bit and run! As I said just about every week during the first run of comics, it’s a pleasure to make these. I get a ton of enjoyment out it and I’m very glad if you guys are able to enjoy them as well. I wanted to give you a little bonus for this week, but first a little background on this “bit and run” project — some of you may remember back in January of this year why I started making these comics. I was in the midst of large client project in the fall/winter of 2009 (I work as an animator and illustrator) I was doing something like 15, 17 hours a day, 7 days a week for 3 months. I found that I couldn’t sleep after working that long, my mind buzzing with everything I wasn’t done with, so to help keep my sanity I’d play a little Mario before I crashed for the night. Mario 2, Mario 3 mostly. I found it absolutely decompressed me. From there, in the early hours of the morning I began to think up comics and started jotting them down while playing. I have no idea why. I don’t know where they came from. After a few nights of this I amassed a folder full of quickly scrawled comics and doodles. To contrast making a comic in say an hour or two with a months long project that never seemed complete brought me the satisfaction I was missing. From there we’ve got bit and run Volume One. So all that to say I wrote all of these comics (Vol. 1 and 2) many months ago. Now with Volume Two I’m going back to that folder but I’m trying a few new things; spending a little more time on the drawing, pushing the 8-bit palette some, rewriting and adding new comics, and like with today’s for example, I made a bonus. Below you’ll find an “extended” cut, so to speak. I went ahead with the original version (above) but I decided to do a little extra with the same idea. Certainly the original is my preferred version but after Mario’s sentence in the third panel of the extended comic below came to me and struck me so dang funny I had to finish the whole thing. And I like the way the Thwomp looks in panel 2. So, long story short, in the end I wanted to give you guys both. I hope you enjoy. And one last thing, in case it hasn’t been clearly stated yet — we’re back for another three months of Fridays with these comics. August 6th - October 29th. Enjoy! __________________

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - Cory Godbey’s ‘bit and run’ Volume 2: #2 (plus bonus extended version!)