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New Naruto video is ninja-fortified
So have you guys heard about this Naruto thing? Apparently there's this show about a bunch of ninjas, and they like hang out together but also totally fight and there's headbands and stuff. The absolute coolest thing about Naruto is that it's the basis for a series of side-scrolling brawlers, known as the Ninja Council series in the US.This officially makes the Naruto license awesome, because all side-scrolling brawlers are at least slightly awesome by default. Of course, it is already well-established that ninjas are cool (and by cool we mean totally sweet.) Jeux-France has a substantial gameplay video of the latest Ninja Council game, Naruto Shippuden Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 5, as well as some magazine scans. We suggest checking them out even if you're not a fan of the series, because it is always life-affirming, in our opinion, to see a good old-fashioned beat-em-up.
Magic 8-Ball says: 'Signs point to disturbing'
Even StarFox's furry-friendly backdrop couldn't hold a candle to Fortune Channel, Capcom and TakaraTomy's latest installment to the puppy-fashion Wantame series. Predicting the future with minigames certainly sounds interesting, but we would rather not have to dress up virtual dogs in provocative outfits during the process. The miniature daschund posing on the right is probably the second most unsettling image of a dolled-up animal that we've ever come across. If you want to see the most unsettling image -- and we're not kidding around here, your eyes may very well hop out of their sockets, scampering away at the mere sight of this one -- step past the post break.
Takara Tomy's Transformers earphones
The same folks that brought you the Optimus Prime iPod speaker dock are lobbying for your head-earned dollars once more, as Takara Tomy is betting that you just can't resist yet another Transformers gizmo to stack in your collection. This time it's throwing down a nifty set of morphing earphones, dubbed the Music Label Frenzy & Rumble, which boast a clip-on design coupled with a fold-out robot. Of course, we have sincere doubts about the sheer sound quality of these things, but let's be honest, you'll be listening a lot more intently to geeky comments as you stroll by than the LCD Soundsystem track quietly playing in the background. Start saving those pennies, fanboys and girls, as this treasure should land in the July timeframe for just ¥3,950 ($33).[Via TokyoMango]
TakaraTomy's Issho Ni Nenne puts baby to sleep, forever
TakaraTomy won't be happy until their robots can raze raise our children. Their latest is the ¥5,229 ($45) Issho Ni Nenne (pictured on the left) manufactured in collaboration with Disney. The plush toy features a digital audio player loaded with womb sounds. That's right, apparently an internal microphone was stuffed into a living womb while music played in the room. Just put baby on a bender of sloshing fluids, heartbeat, and muffled music and he'll be out faster than you can say "pass the Thunderbird." And what happens when baby wakes to find he's been duped by a giant mouse? No worries, a "baby mood switch" will sense the babies cries and generate an audible "curiosity trigger" to make baby forget why he was crying in the first place. Another cocktail of womb music and he's back to sleep. Feed, cuddle, repeat. Magic. [Via Digital World Tokyo]
100% awesome Naruto footage
How does Naruto rate such incredible graphics? Yeah, we know, loads of people read, watch, and love Naruto, and that's fine; we support a love of ninja goodness in all things. But licensed games are just supposed to be there for our entertainment. Oh, we don't mean the gameplay. They're supposed to be, y'know, bad. It's a rule. But you know how those mischievous teenage ninjas can be. They don't like rules. They like violence and hey! So do we. So it's convenient that this game is going to be all about kicking ass. The original video at Jeux France is definitely higher quality, but a version popped up on YouTube (just some color fading, not losing a lot) that we've embedded after the jump. Watch it here, watch it there, watch it anywhere -- just don't miss it.
Nintendogs trainable plush toys debut in the UK
Just in case you wanted to get one step closer to actually owning a dog, and felt that the Nintendogs game wasn't close enough, Tomy has come out with a series of plush toy dogs. They come in two basic types, a Trick Trainer Pup (£10, or $19), which can be used to perform tricks by waving a special magnetic Nintendogs bone in front of them, and the Interactive Play Pups (£25, or $48), which will wag their tails and bark playfully when you pet them. We're still not sure why people who need this level of interaction don't just buy a real dog. But real dogs chew up our gadgets strewn across the house -- these probably don't.[Via DS Fanboy]
Nintendogs trainable plushies
Just when you thought the Nintendogs franchise had gone as far as it could go, here comes one of the most clever uses of the license yet -- trainable toy dogs based on breeds from the games. There are two types; the simpler Trick Trainer Pups come with a magnetic bone that can be used to guide them through tricks. The more elaborate, aptly-named Interactive Play puppies do just that -- they interact by wagging their tails when they're stroked, howling when you howl, and some will even snarl and growl during a game of tug-of-war. Toss in a slipper-chewing feature and it's almost like having a real dog! The plushy pups debuted last week in the UK from retailer Tomy and through Amazon UK for 9.99 (about $20 USD) for the Trick Trainers and 24.99 for for the Interactive Play Pups. Check out the commercial after the jump. We just hope you don't have to play with them every day to keep them in line ... take the dogs out of the video game and there's no telling what they'll get up to.
More info on TakaraTomy's luxe nano channel audio player
TakaraTomy is forging ahead with production of the nano channel, the merged company's high-end, super-deluxe digital audio player. The flash unit, due out in Japan this July, comes in sizes ranging from a capacious 128MB to an absolutely massive 1GB, and features a groundbreaking 1.2-inch display that can actually be used to display video! Not only that, but you can actually play your music on this gadget for six full hours on a single battery charge. It even comes in red, blue and silver. This marvel of modern technology, not surprisingly, goes for a premium price: ¥9,800 ($82) for the 128MB version. Okay, we're done. Oh, one other thing worth mentioning: TakaraTomy is launching a web site where customers can download animations to play on that 1.2-inch screen. We assume they'll be able to squeeze all of 30 seconds worth of vid onto the 128MB version.
