MHQ News

New Podcast With Lara!

Falcool — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:38:16 -0600

This time around we have are joined by none other than Lara, a quite popular girl on YouTube that plays Video Game themes on Piano and Violin (lara6683 is her username). She's done two Metroid Videos in her Zero Suit, so we decided to contact her, and she was kind enough to put off some time for a recording!

In this podcast we've interviewed her, and she's also helped us answer your questions in the mailbag! Throw a Metroid Prime Review into the mix, along with some news, bloopers and a fun ending, and you've got the brand new MHQ Podcast! The timetable can be found below.

Intro 0:00-02:45
Interview 02:45-10:45
Metroid Prime Review 10:45-19:00
Mailbag 19:00-28:00
Bloopers 28:00-35:20
Ending 35:20-40:00

You can listen via the sidebar, itunes or just download it via the "mp3" icon on the podcast page. Special thanks to Lara for taking the time to record with us, you can check out Lara's channel here. Enjoy the podcast!

Retro Staff Working on "Crowning Achievement"

Falcool — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:49:20 -0600

This isn't anything big, but it's still something pretty interesting. Retro Studios, who developed the Metroid Prime series, has hired staff from Darksiders developer Vigil Games and Uncharted 3 developer Naughty Dog. Eric Kozlowsky (former developer at Naughty Dog), has said:

[i]"I am going to work on another project that I am super excited about. I can’t talk about it too much but if all goes well it might just be one of my crowning achievements as an artist..."[/i]

Now what could this possibly mean? It could be everything from a new Metroid to a completely original game for Nintendo. We'll just have to wait and find out.

Other M Reaches One Million Sales!

Falcool — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:32:32 -0600

That's right! This is really just a short notice, but it's still pretty major. Metroid: Other M has now sold one million copies! It's not too big compared to many other games these days, but at least it got one million sold before 20 months (probably around 18) after release.

Even though Other M may not live up to the rest of the series, it's still a great game, and I think every Metroid fan should buy it if they haven't already. If you don't like it, buy it to support the franchise and enjoy it as much as you can at the least, that's my advice!

I was once was a bounty hunter...

FatherBrain230 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:53:43 -0600

...and then I took a missile to the knee. *gets killed by a Norwegian*

Hey guys! For those of you who have not yet noticed, the January podcast is now live! The New Year podcast is sure to bring tears of laughter to your eyes with what is possibly our [b]longest[/b] and [b]funniest[/b] blooper reel yet! With Falcool, MM1914, Axion, and Gendreavus on board, it's no surprise the bloopers fly like charge shots over grabbed ledges in Fusion... Oh, and Axion and Gendreavus tag team to interview MM1914 in our first Meet the Staff interview in some time. Who will be next?

Falcool-style timetable:

Intro: 0:00 to 2:07
News: 2:08 to 5:05
Rantcast: 5:30 to 12:55
Interview: 13:00 to 19:40
Mailbag: 19:45 to 27:40
Bloopers: 27:45 to 35:48
Ending: 35:52 to 40:00

Podcast Anniversary Special #2

Falcool — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:26:36 -0600

Although it's the third December special we have, and the fourth podcast in December, we'll call it the Podcast Anniversary Special #2. This time we have both Hauntershadow and DoctorM64 returning as guests, add FatherBrain and myself into the mix, and you've got a podcast full of language barriers, mailbag questions, and fun. Be sure to listen to it here or at the podcast sidebar! And yeah, this podcast was released yesterday, so we did keep our promise on one each week, we just didn't get a chance to post now. Anyway, happy holidays from me!

First Anniversary Special #1

MetroidMaster1914 — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:03:07 -0600

Sorry this took so long folks, but the First Anniversary Special #1 is now up, continuing our month of special podcasts to celebrate the podcast's one year anniversary. You can have a listen here. That's all I got, but be sure to check in next week for the next one in the series!

The Art of Video Games - Featuring MP2:E

Axion — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:45:17 -0600

Starting March 16th, 2012, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC will be have a new exhibition featuring the [b]'Art of Video Games'[/b], a showcase of amazing concepts and a celebration of the emergence of this new media that has taken hold of the 21st century. Other than being awesome, why is this important news to MHQ? Because one of the featured video games is [b]Metroid Prime 2: Echoes[/b]. The featured list, consisting of 80 different games, was openly voted upon earlier this year.

The exhibition also includes other Nintendo titles such as several Super Mario games, five different Legend of Zelda games, and Star Fox. Some others I am excited about are Fallout 3, Bioshock, Minecraft, Halo 2, Okami, and Gradius V.

I try and visit DC at least once a year, and this addition to my favorite museum is definitely something I won't be missing, as the exhibition runs all the way till the end of September. So next time I visit I'll be sure to grab lots of pictures. Personally, I can't wait to see the art and concepts of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes immortalized in one of the world's most renowned art museums.

Catch more info here.

Post-Marathon Podcast Special

MetroidMaster1914 — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:39:48 -0600

So one of the things we intended to release right after the summer marathon but didn't because I was lazy was a shorter podcast with everyone involved talking about some of the highlights of the marathon. As it happens, it fits to release it now as one of our weekly one year podcast anniversary podcasts, so be sure to check it out! There are lots of laughs and memories in there. You'll like it. I promise.

Falcool-Style Timetable:
Intro: First minute or so
Shenanigans: The rest of the 30 minutes.

Brawl Tournament Finals TOMORROW

FatherBrain230 — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:06:55 -0600

Last month our preliminaries for the fansite crossover tournament began, with each of the four communities holding their tournaments first to see who would be their representative in the finals. Though there was a bit of delay, it’s finally time for the four lucky winners to duke it out in the finals to win either Skyward Sword or Metroid Prime Trilogy. [i]Zelda Eternity[/i] will be streaming it [b]live tomorrow[/b], starting at [b]7:30pm EST[/b]. I realize this is a bit of a short notice, but I do hope you can stop by and enjoy the show anyway.

Following the final round, there will be an exhibition match between the four representing webmasters of each site. Before this match happens, there will most likely be an opportunity for audience members to brawl against the organizers and the contestants themselves. So if you want to show your skills off, here is your opportunity.

Don’t forget, 5pm EST. Be sure to stop by and bring your skills if you’re up for a challenge! Click here to go to the stream page.

(P.S. I am representing MHQ at this stream event, so MHQers, wish me luck!)

[b]EDIT![/b] The stream has been postponed until 7:30 pm EST, instead of 5:00 pm. The organizers wish to apologize for any inconvenience.

Nintendo 3DS Firmware Update LIVE

FatherBrain230 — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:48:39 -0600

The latest firmware update for the Nintendo 3DS is now LIVE. Quite a few changes have been introduced with this update, including the ability to record and play 3D videos, and the eShop experience has been revamped, with a new feature available: you can now purchase eShop titles for their exact price rather than buying a set number of points and having excess after the purchase! This also applies to those who have stocked points but are still short for a title; you'll be asked if you want to use a payment method to pay for the difference! Certainly a long-awaited feature for eShop users.

You can get the update by following the following instructions:

Step 1: Go to your 3DS home screen and click “System Settings”
Step 2: Select “Other Settings”
Step 3: Search until you find “System update” and continue to follow the instructions from there.

Also, Nintendo Ambassadors, keep your eyes open, for this month is the last month of the calendar year. Your ten FREE games will be available soon! We've only learned of the first five of these games, and Metroid Fusion was among them, so who knows, you might see Zero Mission or even Super Metroid for FREE among the remaining five! When we know the remaining five titles, we'll be sure to announce them for our members.

Podcast Anniversary!

Falcool — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:35:29 -0600

For those who has not realized, we released the very first podcast on the 3rd of December and not the 1st, which is why we've released this one on the 3rd as well, marking exactly 1 year since the very first podcast. This time around we have FatherBrain and Darren, both of which have been guests before (although FB is staff now). Darren has returned because he won the member poll for Most Popular Podcast Guest back in August. In the upcoming weeks we'll be giving you two shorter podcasts with other returning guests, as well as some bonuses celebrating one year of podcasting.

In this episode we go through some quick news, then an Other M Rantcast #2, then a new word-game segment instead of an interview, then the mailbag, and then of course the bloopers and the ending. Dragon, Shrander and MetroidMaster1914 joins me, FatherBrain and Darren on these (although not everybody at the same time). I think it's fair to say that this is one of the more "fun" podcasts, and also one of those that has some references to older ones, as it does celebrate the 1 year anniversary. Don't worry though, there's plenty of serious discussions in there. I don't have much else to say about this podcast, so you'll just have to listen yourself! Remember to check out the upcoming podcasts, as well as Darren's site Shinesparkers.net!

Timetable:
Intro and News: 0:00-4:45
Other M Rantcast #2: 4:45-12:31
Random Word Game: 12:31-21:00
Mailbag: 21:00-29:23
Bloopers and Ending: 29:23-40:00

Podcast News!

Falcool — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:14:37 -0600

I'm happy to announce that we'll be doing 5 podcasts this month, one every week! Two of which will include previous guests, two that will look back at this year in different ways, and of course the standard 40 min podcast that we have every month, while The others will be different on lengths. This will all build up to a whole new year, as well as looking back.

Due to something special happening this month, we'll be releasing the monthly 40 min podcast on the 3rd of December instead of the 1st. If you look at the archives, you'll probably realize why! So yeah, monthly podcast will be released on the 3rd and 4 shorter podcasts will be released after that.

Metroid II: Return of Samus on 3DS Thursday!

FatherBrain230 — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:41:54 -0600

Just a heads up for 3DS users: Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Game Boy will be available for both European and American 3DS Virtual Console purchase beginning this Thursday! Grab your pilgrim hat and long-barreled rifle, because for the Americans, it's Thanksgiving; not only a time to hunt turkeys, but Metroids, too!

Here's the official post from Nintendo on this:

"On Nov. 24, Nintendo will release the original 2D version of Metroid II: Return of Samus. This Game Boy classic has intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran battling Space Pirates as she seeks to destroy Metroids on SR388. The game lays the foundation for the smash hit Super Metroid."

Remember, we do also have the promise of seeing Metroid Fusion on the Virtual Console as well before the end of th year - but again, remember that Fusion will only be available to those that obtained Ambassador status.

Zelda Eternity is 3!

MetroidMaster1914 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:33:30 -0600

So you know that friend you have where, when you look back on how you became friends, you have no idea how such a thing could even be possible, but now you're best buds? Well, that's pretty much what Zelda Eternity is to us, so we here at MHQ just wanted to congratulate them on 3 years online! To celebrate, they've upgraded their layout to the site's 7th version, which if I may say so myself looks rather dashing (plus I may have pitched in a line or two of code). Not only that, but with Skyward Sword's release around the corner, they'll be sure to have much content, walkthroughs, and reviews for the game in no time. So if Zelda is your forte, be sure to head on over there soon!

New Podcast, Shadow Balls!

Falcool — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:26:53 -0500

The November podcast is out! We had a few problems with the player, but both MP3 download and the player should work now. If you can't listen, just download it through the little "MP3" icon at the podcast page. These problems in addition to a lack of webmasters caused a small delay. But the podcast is now out, and it's called "Shadow Balls"!

This time we have HaunterShadow, the big guy on YouTube that has done about (or more) 100 Metroid mixes, and he has more than one million combined views! Not bad for something Metroid, eh? Anyway, he's now on our podcast, joining us for a chaotic news segment, a rant about Metroid Prime Pinball (this time hosted by Gendreavus), the interview and the mailbag. Then of course he's in the bloopers and the ending. Remember to check out the Brawl Tournament Gendreavus just posted (both on mainsite and forums), and you should go over to HaunterShadow's YT channel and check out his mixes if you haven't already. All of the songs used as background music are made/mixed by HaunterShadow. Next month we'll see the return of Dragon, among many other surprises...

Thanks to HaunterShadow for making his special preview video for this (should be up tomorrow if it's not up now) and of course for joining. We might just make a thread for him, and you'll be able to post suggestions for Metroid mixes there. See you next mission!

Timetable:
Intro and News: 0:00-4:00
Pinball Rantcast: 4:00-13:00
Interview: 13:00-21:45
Mailbag: 21:45-29:35
Bloopers and Ending: 29:35-40:00

Brawl Fansite Crossover Tournament, What Whaaat!

Gendreavus — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:46:14 -0500

Riddle me this, MHQ: What has two swords, two arm cannons, a nifty green suit, and flies through space to kill flying jellyfish parasites? If your answer was the incredible coalition of fansites composed of Zelda Eternity, Legend Zelda.net, Metroid Headquarters, and The Shinesparkers...well, you've probably already heard this news! But coexistence with these other fansites just isn't enough, is it? There must be dominance. Cold, brutal, good-natured, high-fiving, bromancing dominance. And for that reason, we have crafted the first Fansite Crossover Super Smash Bros Brawl Tournament!

The way this is structured, each individual site will have internal one-on-one tournaments until they have found their champion, then each site's champions will compete in the semi-finals and finals, the victor taking home their choice of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword or Metroid Prime Trilogy!

You have until November 11^th to register for the tournament on your site's forums (I'll replace this text with a link to our sign-up thread once I get off my lazy butt and make it) by posting your friend code, and on the 14^th each site will pair everyone off and begin their tournament. All rounds must be completed by the 28^th, when we will start the super-fantastic crossover part of the tourney.

If you are an active member of more than one of the sites participating, you are welcome to register for both sites' internal tournaments, but if you come out on top for more than one, you will have to make the tough, tough decision on where your allegiances truly lie, for you may only pass on to the semi-finals as ONE site's champion. The runner-up of the site you do not choose will take the crown for that site.

The match's participants are responsible for finding a time to get their smash on and posting it in the Matchups thread. After the match, both participants will post in a dedicated winner-verification thread on the forums saying who won. If the two participants disagree over the outcome for some reason, they will both be disqualified, so don't be a jerk. If one of the participants posts and the other doesn't post within 48 hours, they will be disqualified for holding up the tournament, even if they won. Basically, just remember to post your results, and be a good sport about it, alright?

The matches themselves will be 3-stock one-on-one fights with (despite my personal preferences) no items. Only one match will go against this formula, and that will be a special four-player free-for-all between the webmasters of MHQ, Shinesparkers, Zelda Eternity, and Legend Zelda which will be streamed live as it happens sometime between the semi-finals and finals.

SO, with all that said, if anyone has questions, leave them in the comments here or in the corresponding thread on the forums. Happy brawling, everyone!

NCFC 2011 is Here!

MetroidMaster1914 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:43:38 -0500

For those interested in Metroid fan games (or any Nintendo fan game really), NCFC 2011has launched, and features 5 different Metroid fan games! Amongst them are Rendezvous Delano and Super Metroid World by DeProgrammer, Metroid Remix and Metroid Defense by Emperor and Kuro-chan, and (FINALLY) a playable of Another Metroid 2 Remake (AM2R) by DoctorM64! There are a lot of games to be played there, and I'm sure that in a few hours Falcool will make another post giving more details about the Metroid fan game (especially AM2R, being the fanboy that he is :P), so be sure to check out all of the games to be played!

MDB Turns 15!

MetroidMaster1914 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:48:56 -0500

If you've had the chance to visit Metroid Database today, you may have noticed a shiny new header atop their website. That's because, as of today, Metroid Database is celebrating their 15th anniversary! To give some perspective, that makes them older than, not only all other Metroid sites, but most websites you use today (Facebook, Google, YouTube, etc.) To celebrate, they've finally unveiled their much anticipated MDB Bestiary (which was discussed on our special Metroid 25th Anniversary Podcast, as well as announced their 3rd yearly contest, the Design-A-Samus Contest. The bestiary has a ton of information you won't find easily anywhere else, and the contest has some terrific prizes lined up. We here at MHQ want to wish our friends at MDB a congrats on 15 years!

NCFC Booths are open!

Shrander — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:40:29 -0500

NCFC has booth registration open now, so any of you who are working on games, get on over there and sign up now since NCFC will be starting in 11 days.

NCFC

Booth Registration

Go show off your game and chat on their forums some.

They are currently short on Metroid titles, so this is directed to you Metroid fans especially!

Also short on Kid Icarus titles.

Other Podcast

Falcool — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 09:07:09 -0500

Yet another podcast has arrived, and this one is on time! This one is called "Other Adam" for reasons which you'll probably understand if you listen to it. We interview Adamgamer, a Co-Director of the Nintendo Community Fangame Convention (happening later this October), discuss some news, answer your mailbag questions, and rant about Metroid Prime 3! (The next one will be decided by the poll on the forums.) All of this, plus tons of bloopers of course. You can check the timetable below. Trust me, this one is worth listening to. The combination of Gendreavus, MetroidMaster1914, and Axion ranting about MP3 is priceless, and with Adam giving us his NCFC knowledge, this is one of the best!

Intro and News: 00:00-05:00
Rantcast: 05:00-13:40
Interview: 13:40-21:25
Mailbag: 21:25-29:30
Bloopers: 29:30-34:35
Ending: 34:35-40:00