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Spelunky meets Metroid in the caverns of Zebes
The Metroid Mod is an impressive recreation of Nintendo's NES classic within punishing roguelike, Spelunky. The mod isn't out yet, but that can't stop you from watching Samus Aran explore Zebes-inspired caverns and avoid giant Metroids, speedy Skrees and even Ridley.
Transmog Inspirations: WoW meets Nintendo, part 2
I give up. I can't for the life of me create a transmog for Princess Peach. I've tried and I've tried, but there just aren't enough pink clothes in the World of Warcraft to piece together a convincing Peach. I'm sorry, Mario, but you're going to have to settle for some other princess. Princess Poobah? Princess Theradras? Princess ... I can't think of any more. Someone call Anne! Anyway, this week I decided to put together a few more transmogs based on Nintendo characters. A lot of readers were asking for more, so I made one for Princess Zelda, Toad, and Roy (you know, from Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. -- everyone loves Roy!).
WoW Meets Nintendo: Make your group stand out with transmogrification
Back when I used to cosplay, I absolutely loved cosplaying in a group. Not only does it ensure you'll always have a friend to help you get through doors, but cosplay ensembles are guaranteed showstoppers. There's just something about strength in numbers that gets the one-up over even the most expertly crafted costume. So the other day I had this thought: Why not transmog as a group? With your guild or maybe just a few friends, you could pick out a transmogrification theme and then do some activities together -- maybe hit up the Raid Finder and carry the group with your sheer awesomeness. As for a theme, it could be anything that suits your fancy. Maybe a novel series, or a historical era. Hmm ... Maybe your favorite video game characters?
The other M is for 'MacBook' in this Samus laptop mod
Samus Aran's armor has been largely a mystery since the introduction of Metroid's lead character, but in this case mod, we can clearly see the technology behind her armor: a MacBook Pro. A "games oriented developer" known as gltovar commissioned Xtreme Kreations to alter the case of his MacBook; the result being the slick airbrushed Samus image seen above with some light-up armor elements (using the lights that normally illuminate the Apple logo on the case). It must have taken more than two hours to assemble, or Samus wouldn't be wearing her armor in the image. Luckily for us, gltovar took lots of pictures of the process and result, so we can enjoy the effect without "enjoying" the deconstruction and artful slicing of our own premium laptops. Check out the video after the break.
Father-son team build Samus Aran arm cannon for Halloween
Looking for a little inspiration for your Halloween costume? Then you might not want to read any further, as you'll likely only find yourself struggling to match the Samus Aran costume that 11-year old Joseph DeRose and his father are building. That costume apparently only consists of an arm cannon at the moment, but it's certainly an impressive arm cannon -- it packs an array of LED lights with various settings (controlled by an Arduino, naturally), not to mention an assortment of sound effects from the Metroid games. Those not concerned about being upstaged can check out a video of the build process after the break.
Metroid Prime model gunship boasts 'unprecedented levels of realism and accuracy'
For $300, you get a spaceship that benefits from the most attentive and accurate craftsmanship. It's not quite what intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran paid when she commissioned her gunship, but then ... this one is quite a bit smaller. And it's only a model (shh!). As part of only 750 units shipping in Q2 2011, this Metroid Prime ship model from First 4 Figures boasts a height of 12 inches, a swivel joint on its base, an elaborate sequence of LEDs and "unprecedented levels of realism and accuracy," thanks to its slavish recreation from the original game files and canon. Note: The rear-mounted plasma beam cannon is probably less functional in this instance. If you're in the position to order one of these (and you can opt for a three-month payment plan if need be), don't forget to leave space on the mantelpiece for future entries in the Metroid gunship line. First 4 Figures is probably working on a miniature of the Metroid: Other M gunship already, complete with Confession Time booth and compartments for Samus' cyber-diary and violin.
Video game characters need business cards too
Getting in touch with heroes can be difficult. Typically, they only bother to roll out of bed and show up when something goes really wrong.
Mod replaces Link with Samus in Ocarina of Time
We don't get why somebody would do such a thing, but this mod by Flotonic, which inserts the space bounty hunter from Metroid into The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, is pretty nifty nonetheless. The only issue is that the brief video clip -- which you can watch past the break -- doesn't show Samus pulling off any of her classic moves in Ocarina of Time. She doesn't morph into a ball and she doesn't fire a single shot from her arm cannon, but oh boy does she look good in the game. [Via GoNintendo]
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Metroid Prime Trilogy dev diary
This Week on the Nintendo Channel presents the lengthy video you see above. It's a developer diary talking about all of the hard work that went into combining all of the Metroid Prime games into one delicious, tinned package. Hey, it may be the highlight of this week, but that's certainly not all there is! Hit the break for this week's videos and DS demos.
Custom gaming statues are highly desirable
We love our parents, don't get us wrong, but we seriously missed out on a large part of awesome during our childhood thanks to these wonderful statues. Featuring your standard blue Mega Man, little sister Roll, and Chozo-suited Samus (among others), the set of resin statues was created by our new BFF, Dimension Diver (not to be confused with Holy Diver, though just as awesome). Head past the break to check out Samus and Roll, but be sure to hit up Tokyo Hunter if you're looking for more gaming characters. There are lots, believe us.[Via Tiny Cartridge]
Watch your socks, this Samus cosplay will knock them off
Cosplay is a double-edged sword. There's the scary edge, of course, with some less than savvy design work and implementation (if you care to put it so kindly). Then there's the awesome side, the side where we see things like this. Add this blog post to the second category. Frankly, this Samus Aran costume is about as awesome as it gets. We mean that in the true sense of awesome too, as in "to inspire awe." Seriously, if you look at some of these pictures, you'd think they were screenshots from a new Metroid game.The costume was made by Thaís Jussim, a Brazillian cosplayer who goes by the alias Yuki. She's created plenty of costumes -- which can be viewed at her website -- but this one takes the cake. It weighs about 23 pounds and contains 73 LEDs. Add a Nerf blaster into the arm cannon and it would be perfect.[Via GoNintendo]Source - Metroid Database interview with Thais JussimSource - YukiCosplay.com
Ask a Beta Tester: Leveling, the Taunka, and mounts
All of us here at WoW Insider are staggering around somewhat zombie-like in the wake of BlizzCon with the patch (probably) coming tomorrow and the amount of information we're hoping to get out in the next 24 hours. So in all truth I don't know whether the answers to today's questions are completely factual or just stuff that started swimming in front of my eyes at 1:00 this morning. Arthas is actually a girl underneath all that armor, just like Samus Aran. The zone music to Icecrown is "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who. The Hateful Gladiator cloth belt is a pink tutu. Flying bunnies will be available in the next expan-(Sound of a short scuffle in the background, followed by a whip crack)Thank you, Dan, a little perspective is always useful in these difficult times.Jason asks...Will Northrend be accessible at 68 like Outland was accessible at 58? Or do I need to be a solid 70 to quest and instance in Northrend?Technically, Northrend will be accessible to anyone with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion installed; you can hop a boat or zeppelin on any character of any level. There's no "You must be THIS HIGH to cross through the portal to Outland" restriction, but you won't be able to pick up any of the quests available in Northrend until level 68. Could you grind your way to 68 in Northrend from the mid-60's? Maybe, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Dear Mario, please come to the castle, I have made some awesome cosplay
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Amazing_Peach_Zero_Suit_Samus_cosplay'; It's been a while since we last checked in on Swedish/Japanese student Jenni Källberg, a.k.a Queen of Nintendo cosplay, but here are her two most recent creations: Zero Suit Samus (actually revealed last month), and her take on Princess Peach. What is it that elevates Jenni's cosplay above others? Simple: the outfits are obviously beautifully made, the props are brilliant (we really need a giant Goomba now, though yes, we know it isn't actually that size), and there's a sense of humor about her work. Well, Raccoon Mario's sudden appearance made us laugh, anyway.Oh, and who hasn't encountered this problem? Just looking at that picture frustrates us!%Gallery-32071% Want moar cosplay? We've seen creative folks dressing up to pay tribute to all sorts of DS games, including Nintendogs, Zelda, Professor Layton, Advance Wars, The World Ends With You, and even, um, Brain Training.
Against all odds, Samus cosplay looks surprisingly good
In recent times, we've shone the Fanboy spotlight on cosplay experiments that have ranged from adorable to slightly surreal. This Samus number effortlessly trumps the lot, however.For starters, it's Samus. Samus cosplay is not a walk in the park, kids. We can only begin to imagine the sheer frustration involved in accurately recreating the Power Suit, with all of its peculiar angles and ridges (not to mention those awkward shoulder spheres). Which makes this effort, featuring Swedish student Jenni Källberg, all the more admirable.More pictures after the jump.
Gamers respect Samus too much to picture her naked?
Despite the revealing outfits we've seen Nintendo parade Samus Aran in, those of you who've ever searched for it know that there's a distinct lack of fan-made pornography featuring the Metroid protagonist. It seems natural to assume that deviants would have produced thousands of doujinshi and other works depicting her engaged obscene acts by now, but aside from a few comics and several dozen crudely-drawn JPGs, there really isn't much of a "Metroid porn" scene to speak of. Meanwhile, characters with much lesser followings, Street Fighter's Cammy or Darkstalkers' Morrigan for instance, have accumulated enough indecent material to their names to stock a small bookstore. What is it about Samus that has for the most part kept her out of the scenes that often sodomize and dehumanize our favorite female video game characters?GameSetWatch's Leigh Alexander believes that it's our respect for the bounty hunter that keeps artists from debauching her image as a strong, self-reliant woman of good repute. Do you agree? Or are you the perv who sketched that comic of Samus being violated by Ridley's dual-manhood? Shame on you.
Mario meets Metroid
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Mario_meets_Metroid'; Ever wonder what a game would look like if it crossed Super Mario Bros. with Metroid? We haven't either, yet a creative artist decided to perform the genetic splice to make Mario and Samus one. Jim Welch put together a video showing his creation take form from start to finish; we have to say it's actually quite good. Give the video a watch and see Mario Aran and Metgoomba take form.
