Fun With Trivia: Passing Around Buzz! Master Quiz

Remember being a kid and playing those talking electronic trivia games that you were supposed to pass back and forth among your friends? Sony and Relentless Software's Buzz! Master Quiz put me in mind of those sort of games, only this time, hosted by a big-headed Muppet of a blond guy and featuring several different types of trivia games.

The neat part about this is the different types of game modes there are. You can play just by your lonesome with your PSP, you can use game sharing among your friends, or use the "Pass Around" mode, in which up to six of you can play the same game by passing around one PSP. It was the latter mode I checked out with the Sony reps, and I was surprised at how neat turning one PSP into a pass-around trivia game can be.

Sega: The iPhone is as Powerful as the Dreamcast

Speaking with SEGA of America president Simon Jeffery earlier today he noted that the iPhone is about as powerful as the publisher's console the Dreamcast. Jeffery said the company is delighted with how their iPhone version of Super Monkey Ball has been received by the phones many owners and detailed how the developer plans to take advantage of what he calls an upcoming and potentially major new platform for gaming.

Lionhead fan site Loinhead has posted a rather suspicious and alleged Fable II screen shot today, one that it claims originates from an anonymous source. The site cryptically writes "we seem to have found an image in the style of Fable 2 very shortly after the Collector’s Edition was announced." Hoax? Semi-clever marketing? Merely intense character customization?

My usually reliable Photoshop bullshit detector isn't being very helpful, but those who suspect that a Master Chief lookalike in Fable II is simply pixel alchemy are welcome to eyeball a larger version linked below.

Master Chief Rockin’ [Loinhead via Lionhead Forums]

Takahashi Meijin: New Adventure Island Coming, Maybe Star Soldier As Well

Budding dungeon designers can get excited about Atlus' latest, Master of the Monster Lair, which challenges Nintendo DS gamers to build a better monster trap. A talking shovel recruits a young hero to build dungeons to bait and trap the wandering monsters plaguing the town of South Arc. Sounds almost like Dungeon Keeper, only for the good guys.

Over 20 different types of rooms are available to construct your dungeon, which you can then explore, killing monsters for weapons and items used to build more and more elaborate dungeon designs. Players will be able to trade their designs with friends via the DS wireless connection, allowing for almost limitless gameplay. Check out the gallery below to get a better feel for the title, launching September 2nd, and hit the jump for the announcement trailer and more info!

It's Wii Downloadables Day, and this week sees a set of two WiiWare titles and one big Virtual Console release that will have us geeks and otaku complaining about our lack of Wii storage space all day long!

On the WiiWare side of things we get an update to the classic block-breaking genre with Gameloft's aptly titled Block Breaker Deluxe (800 points), which adds special bricks, weapons, and the ever-popular ball-speed variations to the standard ball-on-paddle action, along with an exclusive multiplayer mode.

Then we have Neko Entertainment's epic fishing adventure Cocoto Fishing Master (700 points), which casts (ouch) you as Cocoto, a strange little fellow traveling the world in search of the five millennial fish that can save the world. Check out the official website for more info on what could be a rather enchanting little title.

Finally we have the lone VC title, Samurai Showdown for the NEOGEO (900 points), the classic title that launched the revolutionary fighting-game series. It's a cherry on top of a decidedly quality Wii update Monday. Fishing, anyone?

Marketing Halo 3 - Finding Master Chief's Humanity

At the MI6 marketing conference earlier this week, various Microsoft staffers presented a talk outlining how they successfully marketed Halo 3 to the masses. They explained how their main goal in expanding the audience for the third installment of Bungie's saga was to put a more human face on Master Chief.

"The marketing statement was really based around Master Chief. We did some research, and found out that people thought of Master Chief the same way they think of Robocop and the Terminator, a killing machine... we had to humanize him to reach a broader audience."

Analysis: Microsoft On The Secrets Of Marketing Halo 3 [Gamasutra]

Cruis'n With Wonder Boy

Microsoft Fine WIth User-Generated Master Chief on PS3

When fans built a Master Chief model for Unreal Tournament 3 (playable on the PlayStation 3), some of us giggled. Others of us, including Business Week, didn't think that Microsoft would be too happy. Now Microsoft attorney Don McGowan is speaking up on his blog to address the situation.

Actually it's nothing more than the Game Content Usage Rules...in action. When these were developed, people all thought they were focused on machinima. The truth is that while they do address machinima they also allow for a lot of other things. Mods like this are one of them.

Sega is preparing two classic Master System titles for the console's debut on the North American Wii Virtual Console, and they're coming in cheap! Two of the very best games available for the short-lived system, Wonder Boy and Fantasy Zone, will be showing up "soon" for the low, low price of 400 points a piece. That's 100 points below the price of NES games, and the cheapest titles available on the channel so far. Finally North American Sega fans who jumped on the bandwagon too late will know why the name Opa-opa keeps popping up in games like Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, and Sonic Riders. Huzzah!

First SEGA Master System Games Coming To Wii Virtual Console (US), 400 Wii Points [Gaming Bits]

Germans Make The Worst Halo Jokes

Two new Sega Genesis titles have popped up on the ESRB's official web site for the Wii, giving us a look at what may be coming down the pipe for the Virtual Console. Wait, actually these two, Pengo and Super Fantasy Zone, are Mega Drive titles, never released in North America. Essentially remakes of their 8-bit predecessors, they add some classic arcade action and some welcome color to the Virtual Console line-up. At the minimum, they're both better than Psychosis.

ESRB Game Ratings

Halo "Mister Chief" Painting Fetching Over $4000 On eBay

Bungie's community manager, content monkey and, now, accomplished pastel artist Frank O'Connor's piece "Here Lies the Last Sip of the Bourgeoisie Malaise Consommé" featuring the infamous Mister Chief from Halo (sort of) is currently going for thousands on eBay. Price tag at time of publish? An impressive $4150. With three days to go, there's plenty of time for the original artwork to skyrocket in price.

Why should you care? Proceeds from the auction will go to the Brian Morden Foundation to help fund Ewing's Sarcoma and childhood cancer research. Bust out your checkbook and your goodwill if you've got the cash. If not, read the artist's statement at Bungie.net. It will haunt you.

Heart of Dorkness [Bungie]
Bungie Charity: Original Mister Chief Art [eBay]

Master System Coming To VC

Sega's answer to the NES will soon be making an appearance on the Nintendo Wii as Sega announces the impending release of Sega Master System titles for the Virtual Console. SMS games will be showing up in Japan first, with Fist of the North Star and Fantasy Zone at 600 and 500 Wii points, with European and US releases to follow later this year. Sega also plans on distributing Game Gear and Sega Mark III titles along with the SMS favs. I have to admit that I never actually owned a Master System, which didn't quite take off here in the states, so I am looking forward to filling a gap in my gaming knowledge with delicious Sega goodness from back in the day while I patiently wait for them to start releasing Sega Nomad* games.

Master System Meets Wii [IGN]
* - Yes, that was a joke.

Halo Sword For Sale...Costs $125, Life And Soul

We're sure that we have more than a few sword collectors in the audience—you know who you are because on your wall you have a few ninja stars, some Conan memorabilia and a duplicate of the Highlander sword. Why do you collect these things? Where do you find the money?

On a side note, said audience will probably find this Halo energy sword knockoff (spoiler: we know it's fake because it's made of metal) interesting. At 36" long and 14" wide, its stainless steel mirror finish is perfect for seeing the reflection of your gleeful (somewhat freaky) tears. Current bidding has the piece at $124.95. Yes, that may sound high, but after all, just what are your children's college accounts for anyway?

Halo Energy Sword [via hawtymcblog]

Master Chief Vacuum (We're Not Stretching, Just Look At It)

Every now and again there comes a vacuum so appealing that we're almost tempted to clean. Samsung's SC9540 vacuum looks surprisingly like the makers of Spartan armor have been reselling their prototype molds to alternative industries. Dubbed "the strong, silent type" on Samsung's site, we're sure that the design and marketing are both coincidental...unless you start seeing vacuum cleaners popping up on Mt. Dew.

Samsung SC9540 Vacuum [via ohgizmo]

Reader Max wrote in to let us know that Microsoft's Russian arm has been sending out "some very peculiar gifts to its partners" this holiday, specifically a chocolate Master Chief wrapped in pretty gold foil. As you can see, MC is surrounded by garland, chestnuts and Xbox 360 logos, carrying a sack filled with presents for the good girls and boys of Mother Russia. Maybe an odd choice, but I'm willing to bet that Halo 3 wins the Russsian Spike TV Video Game Award for "Most Addictive Game Fueled by Milk Chocolate." Further size comparison pics of the delicious treat are after the jump.