Rooster Teeth's New Machinima Series

Rooster Teeth, the machinima team behind the Halo-based Red vs Blue, have a new project cooking.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

Rooster Teeth are going comedy-free in their next machinima series. Red vs Blue: Reconstruction is the new series from the Red vs Blue creators and it looks to have quite a serious tone. The trailer has gone live, check it out below.



There's no denying that Rooster Teeth puts out what are arguably the best machinima videos. They've been doing it for over half a decade and the quality of their stories and cinematography is top notch. However, it'll be interesting to see how the team handles a non-comedic series. Rooster Teeth have relied on the funnies to make Red vs Blue so successful and it'll be interesting to see how they fare with the laugh-factor out the window. Regardless, the trailer for Red vs Blue: Reconstruction has me hooked.



Click HERE to visit the official Rooster Teeth site for full details.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

Star Wars USB Flash Drives

These are sweet.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

Flash drives are some of the most boring gadgets. They are often a plain, solid colour and feature nothing more than a company name or logo as eye candy. Mimoco has taken steps to change all that with some uber-cool Star Wars licensed designer USB flash drives.



Mimoco has already released a successful first wave of the drives and a second has just hit shelves. The Vader, R2-D2, Chewie, and Stormtrooper drives from series 1 will be followed up by Han, Leia, Luke, and Boba Fett in series 2. To top it all off, each drive comes preloaded with bonus content such as wallpapers, icons, and sound effects accessible on both a Mac and PC. The drives ship in 1gb, 2gb, and 4gb capacities. Click HERE to check them all out on Mimoco's official site.



These are pretty sweet and could start an awesome trend. I'd love to get my hands on some licensed USB drives to add some personality to data storage. What do you guys think of these? What licenses would you like to see turned into USB flash drives? Is there a market for them? Would you pay an extra $10-$20 for a designer flash drive? Post a comment and let me know what you think about these drives.

UPDATE: Apparently Mimoco also has a line of Halo Flash drives. While they aren't as well done as the Star Wars drives they are still pretty sweet. You can check them out HERE.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

McFarlane's Halo Figures are Pure Gold

McFarlane Toys has raised the bar with their most recent video game action-figure line.

I am not the type of person to get excited by an action-figure. Toys are cool and I'm definitely a collector but I almost never obsess over what many consider small pieces of plastic. Sure, I'll occasionally buy what I consider to be a good looking figure or statue but rarely do I find myself infatuated with the hobby. McFarlane Toys has changed all that with their recent Halo action-figure release.



These figures are awesome. While they may be smaller than your usual action-figure at 5" scale the Halo figures are highly detailed and look amazing. They also feature a ton of practical articulation resulting in super-poseable action-figures. McFarlane Toys hasn't ventured into the land of articulated figures for years but they have with this series and it's a complete success.

I'm usually not a fan of articulation on figures. The ball-joints used for movement are usually far larger than they need be and completely take away from a figure's look. For example, I could never get into the Marvel Legends series simply because I couldn't look past the overly large joints on the shoulders and hips. This is where McFarlane's Halo series really shines. The articulation is excellent providing a huge range of movement but it's sleek and extremely well hidden. The joints are disguised on each figure and don't take away away from the look of the character.



The articulation also doesn't have very many limitations. Unlike other poseable action-figures the Halo toys are able to stand in a very wide range of poses and stances. My current set-up showcases Master Chief running and gunning after a Grunt who has turned to flee the scene. It looks great and doesn't feel static like many other action-figure lines.

Another thing that has gotten me hooked on these action-figures is the ability to accessorize. Almost every figure in the series comes with a gun from the Halo universe, some even ship packaged with a grenade. This isn't anything revolutionary. However, what does get me excited is the possibility of a full range of weaponry. As with most first person shooters guns in the Halo universe are interchangeable. If the Master Chief kills a grunt he can pick up the gun of his fallen victim and use it in combat. This is where things get cool. Each gun has a peg that allows the accessory to be pinned to Master Chief's back or hip similar to what's seen in Halo 3. I can therefore customize the action-figure with a ton of different weapon combinations. Hopefully McFarlane chooses to release a few Halo weapons packs in the near future.



I've really enjoyed what McFarlane Toys have done with this action-figure line. The first series of Halo toys has some great looking figures and I can't wait for series 2 and 3 to hit stores soon.

These figures are selling out all across North America at lightning speed. Click HERE to secure your McFarlane Halo action-figures over at Amazon before they disappear.

Did you pick up any of the new Halo figures? What do you think of them? Have you created any interesting dioramas or set-ups with them? Post a comment and tell us about it.

Cheers.

Subscribe in a reader

VIDEO GAMES: Halo 3 is Ready to Burn

Bungie has finally decided to provide fans with the weapon they've been begging for; the flamethrower.

The flamethrower was initially supposed to be a prime weapon in Halo: Combat Evolved. It didn't make the final cut.

Halo 2 rolled around and, once again, the flamethrower was rumoured to make an appearance. It was cut once again.

Now, after over eight years since the first glimpse of the portable fire-starter was seen by fans worldwide, it finally appears as if it will make the final build of Halo 3.



I never really jumped on the flamethrower craze. While it seems like a cool weapon, I'm a much bigger fan of guns that kill my opponents immediately (see shotgun) instead of slowly chipping away at their health as they burn to death. I'm sure it'll be a visual treat and work well for specific situations but I haven't been won over quite yet.

It also has to be mentioned that the flamethrower will be a "turret" weapon similar to the missile pod and the stationary turret. This means that whenever wielding the weapon your spartan will move slower and you'll view the action from a third-person viewpoint.

Check out the image above to see how the flamethrower would have looked in Halo: Combat Evolved and right-click HERE to download a 360 degree view of the weapon as it will be seen in Halo 3.

What do you guys think of the flamethrower finally making an appearance in the Halo universe? Post a comment and let me know.

Cheers.

 Subscribe in a reader

VIDEO GAMES: Halo 3 in September?

Sources say the high-profile shooter will ship two months earlier than expected.

An annonymous source has told IGN that Bungie and Microsoft plan to ship Halo 3 in September hoping to beat the holiday rush. If this is accomplished the game would be able to establish a large market (like it doesn't have one already) at least two months before Sony or Nintendo would be able to return fire.

This is great news if true. I can't wait for the next Halo and the sooner it releases the better, as long as it isn't rushed. I have been yearning for the third installment of the series for ages and I can't wait to get it up and running on my 360.



Bungie is also putting out their Halo 3 beta this spring, giving gamers a chance to test out a portion of the game well-before it ships. I'll post my impressions of that experience as soon as I'm able to play it.

Cheers.

 Subscribe in a reader

COMICS: Marvel Announces Halo Ongoing Series

Superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev will kickstart the series based on the hit Xbox videogame.

Marvel has announced that, after the success of the Halo graphic novel they put out in the summer, they have plans for a monthly Halo comic book. Not many details have been dropped as of yet but it's official that writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers) and artist Alex Maleev (Daredevil) will handle the first few issues of the book.



I'm really interested to see what Marvel and Brian Michael Bendis can do with this title. I'm a huge fan of the Halo universe and have been hoping for an ongoing title since I read the graphic novel Marvel put out a few months back. How will Bendis handle the title though? Will the focus be on Master Chief? Maybe they'll decide to chronicle the life of a UNSC soldier. They might even decide to focus on the Covenant perspective. Whatever the case I'm sure Bendis will pull through with this title. I can't wait.

Nothing was mentioned about when the first issue would be released.

Cheers.

 Subscribe in a reader