If you’re close to my age, one of your favorite video game memories is most likely being in the arcade playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game in all its side scrolling, beat-em-up glory. With the upcoming downloadable title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, we may get to relive our past glory while a whole new generation gets to experience it for the first time (without pumping the arcade machine full of $27 in quarters.

In the latest trailer, we get to take a look at Michelangelo in action. The first thing you’ll notice is that the combat doesn’t resemble that of a simple brawler as the moves done by Mikey more closely mimic that of the Batman: Arkham franchise. Combat looks to have a dynamic feel, and though there are bound to be some canned animations (like Mikey’s head spin) it appears as though there will be a plethora of different moves happening during a fight as opposed to a few basic swinging animations from the classic arcade series.

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If you were born after 1980, the names Leonardo, Donatello, Rafael and Michelangelo aren’t just a bunch of names you ignored in fine arts class. For almost three decades, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a part of the lives of so many different generations with some of their iterations being better than others and their history in video games is no exception.

While the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is renowned as being one of the most difficult games on the NES (even though its key audience was kids), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles four player arcade cabinet is one that hordes of us pushed quarter after quarter into and did so happily.

With the most recent version of TMNT hitting big on Nickelodeon and a Michael Bay (shudders…) feature film in the works, it’s no surprise that a new game would be making its way to consoles. Thankfully it isn’t based off the Michael Bay film but instead off the Nickelodeon franchise in TMNT: Out of the Shadows.

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They said it couldn’t happen. They said Megan Fox and Michael Bay would never work together again. They say a lot of things. . . and they’re are often wrong.

That’s right, the on-again, off-again, on-again updated version of The Teenage Mutant Nnija Turtles is apparently on again. And this time, it’s got casting news.

Producer Michael Bay confirmed via his Blog that Megan Fox will be joining the movie and we would guess, taking on the role of April O’Neil. Seems likely at least.

So, it would appear they’ve patched up their differences and are moving forward. That’s nice. Now if they can just decide if the Turtles are actually aliens or just look that way.

I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ve heard of this. Who knows, it could be off-again just as fast as it was on. Hey, we can always hope, right?

Now, I’m not going to come on here and pretend I know what every geek in your life is going to want. But if they are anything like me, there is at least something on here that they do want.

The nice thing is that even if they already have it (or you picked the one thing on this list they actually hate), every item is coming from a store they will be able to return it to and buy something they do want.

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Most people who identify themselves as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans discovered the heroes in a half shell during their enormously successful first cartoon. It was that show that set a lot of the series trademarks that are essential turtle cannon to this day.

There have been other cartoons since the original, even quite popular ones, but nothing really compares to the impact of the original. It seems the people who are crafting the new Turtles cartoon show have a heavy dose respect for that incarnation as is evidenced by the debut trailer.

Debuting exclusively over at EW.com, the trailer for the upcoming cartoon gives us our first look at the animation style and tone of the show.  It looks like a cross between the classic Turtles, the Clone Wars and anime inspired Teen Titans show from a few years back.

Long time turtle fans should appreciate the general character designs and the tone of the characters, both of which seem to directly come from original cartoon. The animation style also seems appropriately epic for a show about  giant turtles fighting a secret ninja clan, and likely aliens.

The trailer will pop up officially everywhere tomorrow, but you can click over to the EW link and take a look at it right now. Hopefully this show ends up great, because a great TMNT cartoon is important for today’s youth.

I have been vocal in opposition to the intensely wrong-headed internet overreaction to the Michael Bay produced Ninja Turtles reboot. A single misinterpreted statement and geek level distrust of Bay led to a firestorm of misinformation and backlash.

Unfortunately we will never get a definitive answer to who was right in that debate as Paramount has shut down this particular reboot and pushed it’s release date:

The effects-heavy film, which was in pre-production in Vancouver, was set for release in December 2013. That date is being pushed to May 2014, according to sources…The issue is said to be the script… Now it has halted work on its planned holiday movie for 2013, temporarily laying off pre-production staff and informing those prepping the film that the work stoppage is “indefinite,”

I really think we are missing out on what could have been a fun take on the characters. That said, anytime a movie like this is pushed in pre-production to work on the script is a good sign. It would have been very easy for them to rush production and fix the script as they go along, which rarely works for these types of films.

In the interim Ninja Turtle fans have a new TV series to look forward to that will have to keep you satisfied until the movie gears back up. Keep your eyes peeled to The Flickcast for more updates on this project in the coming weeks.

It is really easy to sit behind a keyboard and bitch. It is really easy to fling bile at filmmakers who make films that don’t match our personal version of the movies we want to see. This has been true for as long as there has been the internet, and will likely be true for our children’s children and their children as well.

There has been a disturbing trend in the general internet fan community that has played off that universal truth. It has manifested as one of the biggest problem facing Hollywood today, there is no trust anymore. There is no faith that the professionals, who are talented and/or driven enough to make this their career, can actually make quality cinema from our beloved franchises.

The most recent example of the internet’s pigheadedness is the backlash to Michael Bay’s comment that the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film will feature an expanded back story that exposes potential Alien origins for everyone’s favorite heroes in a half shell.

Kids are going to believe one day these turtles actually do exist when we are done with this movie. These turtles are from an alien race, and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely loveable. – Michael Bay

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Some days you just have to stand back and shake your head. The internet is a powder keg of misunderstanding and preconception. When a polarizing figure like Michael Bay makes an off hand comment about a beloved franchise that doesn’t meet perfect fan criteria, the whole things explodes in so much whiny status updates and forum threads.

Recently Bay, who’s Platinum Dunes is setting up a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle reboot, made a comment about the Turtles being of alien origin. He made the comments during the Nickelodeon up-fronts last week, and the internet has been all pissy about it since then.

Keen to clarify his original statement, Bay remarked on his official message boards about the subject:

Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world.

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Later this year, Nickelodeon will be reinventing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon much in the way that IDW Publishing reinvented the TMNT comic line. While the core characteristics of the Turtles will remain intact, the creative teams behind these versions have gone in two very different directions. While IDW has gone for a more gritty and realistic (well as realistic as mutant turtles can be) version of the shelled foursome, Nickelodeon is going the other direction with a more kid friendly version much in the way the comics and cartoon series diverged over twenty years ago.

At Toy Fair, the Flickcast got to see some of these latest Turtles designs up close and personal. The first thing people will notice actually isn’t the turtles at all but the redesigns on Shredder, Splinter and April. Shredder’s redesign looks like it has some drastic anime inspired influences behind him. He has been beefed up in terms of muscles and has more exaggerated spikes on his armor than ever before. The same goes for the Foot Soldier’s who now have incredibly creepy white with red polka dotted eyes.

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The Flickcast returned to Toy Fair on Monday to check out the newest figures, games and collectibles coming out in the next year. (Just in case you didn’t see last year’s gallery, check it out here)

Like the announcement last year of a new Thundercats reboot, this year was graced with a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line which we will talk more about in the coming days. We also got to take a look at the newest assortment of Skylanders coming out for this year’s Skylanders Giants. We also had the privilege to talk to the master scribe and artist Todd McFarlane about the latest lines he has coming out this year for Halo and the Walking Dead. Stay tuned for that later this week too.

There was tons of licensing going on this year, see the Dark Knight Returns Mr. Potato Head if you don’t believe us. LEGO also expanded on their licensing of the DC and Marvel franchises with life sized Hulk, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman pieces as well as further expansion of their Star Wars line.

Surprisingly, Portal 2 had a huge presence on the show floor as well with Companion Cubes, Portal Gun replicas and even Cave Johnson Portraits.

Take a peek below at all this plus way more with our look at the show floor of Toy Fair 2012.

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Welcome to this week’s On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage this week. Let is know if we missed something interesting. Otherwise, on to the links!

• Supercut: If I Told You, I’d Have to Kill You.

• National Lampoon’s Christmas Inception.

• LIST: 8 of the dirtiest Sexual Innuendos in children’s cartoons.

• Batman robs a Taco Bell.

• HBO cutting out the vampire middle-man (or woman) and making a show about porn.

• Chelsea Handler to host the MTV VMA’s. General MTV-watching public’s response: Who?

• The new promo for Dexter is pretty terrible, and we haven’t even seen the show.

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It looks like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a new place to call home: MTV Networks and more specifically, Nickelodeon. According to Reuters, the network, the world’s number one for kids, acquired the rights today to the globally recognized, and phenomenally successful, Ninja Turtles property for roughly $60 Million.

The network plans to develop a new CG-animated television series based on the shelled superheroes, which will potentially debut sometime in 2012. In addition, the network is planning the release of brand new feature films starring the Turtles in partnership with Paramount Pictures and will also continue to work Playmates Toys on merchandising of the Turtles.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shares a comedic sensibility with the Nickelodeon DNA, with added layers of action and fantasy that have kept this property an evergreen favorite with multiple generations of audiences,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “We are extremely happy to have the opportunity to be able to focus on this property and creatively re-introduce it to a new generation of kids.”

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that maintains a very passionate global fan base, is rich with opportunity for a tentpole movie, and is exactly the right property for us to work together with Nickelodeon,” said Adam Goodman, President, Paramount Pictures.

Actually, TMNT and Nick seem like a great partnership. TMNT has always seemed more of a kids thing to me and for it to be on Nickelodeon and then have a brand new movie from Paramount should continue to expand the appeal of these characters for a long time to come.

When originally announced, this title had a lot of buzz behind it. After the massive success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles re-released on the Xbox Live Arcade as a $5.00 download, everyone began asking when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time would come out.

Hoping it would get the same treatment as the original players were rewarded when they found out it would be getting a “Re-Shelled” treatment with new 3D graphics. But then came the bad news. The game was going to be priced at $15.00.

Immediately, this lead to a massive outcry from fans who did not want to pay $10.00 more than they did for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just because it was getting updated graphics. Before the game was released, the price was lowered to the more reasonable 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00) price tag. Part of the love for retro games is keeping the original graphics as games like Gauntlet, Robotron and Smash TV have shown.

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