Original Sound Version (OSV) have nominated Harmony of a Hunter for an award in in their 3rd Annual Osvostoty Awards: 2011. We’re a nominee in the Best Western Fan Arrangement Album category. We are delighted to have been nominated for such an award and it is no doubt down to the incredibly talented individuals who contributed to the album possible and the overall reception that the album received from the fans. Other nominees include Made of Metal by Viking Guitar and Metroid Arrange 25th Anniversary Album by Bad Dudes.

Winners and runner ups will be announced in the next few weeks so be sure to keep your eyes on the official OSV website and Shinesparkers for the results.

Source: Original Sound Version

Mustin very kindly sent over a copy of Metroid Arrange, the latest album from Bad Dudes celebrating 25 years of Metroid. We have reviewed it, so be sure to head over to our articles and features page now to check it out!

We are also giving one lucky user a chance to win a copy of the album! Simply tell us your favourite track by commenting on our Facebook page. Tell us what your favourite track from the album is and why! A winner will be chosen on the 29th February 2012. All entries must be made specifically as a comment to this thread.

Good luck!

Max Factory revealed a few details on its new Varia Suit Samus figma and Zero Suit Samus model. Here’s what we know so far:

• Both figures are set for release in June, 2012.
• The Varia Suit model is 15cm (~5.9 inches) tall, while the Zero Suit one is 22cm (~8.6 inches).
• The Varia Suit comes with a Morph Ball, arm cannon accessories, changeable left hands and a stand. You can freely change its poses.
• The Zero Suit comes with a Metroid and a stand. It cannot change poses.
• The suggested prices are 3800 yen (about $50) for the Varia Suit and 7800 yen (about $100) for the Zero Suit, but you might be able to get them for less by pre-ordering.
• You can pre-order them at AmiAmi, Hobby Link Japan, Hobby Search, or Otacute. All of those are based in Japan, so don’t expect cheap shipping.

In my opinion, both figures look simply amazing. I pre-ordered a Varia Suit figma for myself at AmiAmi, for 2820 yen. They don’t have information on shipping costs yet, but I’ll keep you updated.

Here are the official pages, full of pretty pictures, for the Varia Suit and Zero Suit.

–Naner.

Eric has held the position of Artist at Retro since July 2011 so although this news isn’t exactly new, it’s certainly something that has been brought to my attention recently. We can only wonder what the staff are up to behind the scenes. Of course, this doesn’t confirm any new Metroid game but it’s nice to see that something is going on at Retro Studios and only time will tell as to what that is..

Sources: NeoGAF

N-Gamer, a popular unofficial Nintendo magazine in the UK has relaunched as Nintendo Gamer. Back in August, the magazine offered us a platform to contribute an article to mark Metroid’s 25th anniversary. The four page feature had contributions from staff at Metroid Database, Metroid Headquarters and Shinesparkers.

Nintendo Gamer will reach more Nintendo fans than ever before with a complete overhaul of the print magazine, iPad edition, social media reach and impending website launch.

The new-look magazine, on-sale January 5th 2012, delivers even more fantastic Nintendo content in its new super-wide format; now filling a hefty 148-pages. In addition, the cover price has been reduced from £4.99 to £4.50 providing even better value-for-money for consumers.

Inside the magazine, readers will find the same honest and opinionated Nintendo content that was the trademark of the old magazine, wrapped up in a cleaner, more contemporary design. Nintendo completists are well catered for, with coverage of every Nintendo console past and present – from NES to Wii U and everything in between.

Nintendo-gamer.net will launch in early February 2012, reaching a greater audience of core Nintendo gaming communities with Nintendo Gamer’s brutal honesty, unrivalled authority and irreverent humour. Opinion and reaction to breaking Nintendo stories, editorialised video trailers and strong community focus will position Nintendo-gamer.net as the leading website for true Nintendo fans.

Nintendo Gamer’s Facebook page has an eight page sample of their first magazine that you can check out. You can purchase a digital download online or on Apple Newsstand or in store from various outlets in the UK.

It took seventeen months, but it finally made it. Metroid: Other M has finally surpassed the one million global sales mark. The most controversial Metroid game to date has had a bumpy ride, with divided opinions from fans and critics. Sales for the game started off well, with just under 250,000 copies sold globally in the very first week of release, and just over 480,000 total sales in ten weeks. But sales began to drop as the months went by, and so did the price. Stores such as Best Buy were selling the game at one point for as little as $4.99! Due to the holiday period, sales of the game have risen dramatically and helped the game reach its total.

Even though it’s likely that Nintendo have lost money on the release of this game, it’s nice to know that there are so many copies out there, and due to the low price, people have given the game a chance and potentially enjoyed the experience. Congratulations Metroid: Other M! In this case, the “M” stands for million!

Source: VGChartz

I’m going to help Darren by writing news posts, and also by posting some small (don’t expect 10 pages of text from me, I tend to be pretty objective in my writing) articles featuring my opinions on mostly Metroid-related subjects. Eventually, I’ll write something about gaming as a whole.

Don’t hesitate to comment on my posts saying what you think about the subject as well as the post itself. Constructive criticism is always helpful.

Thanks for your attention,
Naner.

PS: Happy 2012!

Shinesparkers are delighted to announce a new project in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Metroid franchise.

HARMONY OF A HUNTER: 101% RUN is an expansion to the previously released Harmony of a Hunter album which covers themes from the Metroid series we didn’t have time to add the first time around. The album also offers new tracks with talent from the original album plus brand new artists who hope to contribute a great musical experience for fans to enjoy. It should be noted that this expansion is not a brand new album, just an expansion to Harmony of a Hunter, a third disc if you will.

For those of you who are puzzled by the name of the expansion, it has several meanings. 101% refers to the fact that when we completed Harmony of a Hunter, I stated I would never again do another project like this due to the amount of work that went into it, and that it was 100% complete. 101% takes Harmony of a Hunter beyond the original concept. It also has a more obvious Metroid reference to speed running, and Metroid Prime 2 has a glitch where you can collect 101% items.

Harmony of a Hunter will be directed once again by myself, Darren Kerwin and assisted by Torbjørn ‘Falcool’ Brandrud. Artwork will be provided once again by Nate Horsfall. We will announce artists in due course.

Due to the popularity of Harmony of a Hunter, I felt it was something that the fans would appreciate and this is why we took the decision to create an expansion to the album. We hope that you will enjoy Harmony of a Hunter: 101% Run when it releases next year. Be sure to stay tuned to the website and our social media pages for more information on the album.

Merry Christmas to all of our members!

1. Tim Sheehy – The Theme [Metroid - Title BGM] 02:33

2. Ailsean – Super Funktroid [Theme of SUPER METROID] 03:38

3. Mazedude – Grand Metroid Island [Metroid Prime - Menu Select] 03:39

4. Mustin – KR44441D [Metroid - Small Boss Room (I) ~ Kraid] 04:18

5. DiggiDis – Spikes are Everywhere [Super Metroid - Brinstar - Red Soil Wetland Area] 04:25

6. Kunal Majmudar – Phazon Punch [Metroid Prime 2 - Emperor Ing Battle 1] 04:27

7. Mazedude – Tallon et Nox [Metroid Prime - Tallon Overworld] 04:04

8. zykO – Drifter [Metroid Prime - Ice Valley] 06:53

9. Mustin – Singularity [Super Metroid - Maridia - Rocky Underground Water Area] 04:5

10. posu yan – the next sunrise [Super Metroid - Brinstar - Plant Overgrowth Area] 03:48

11. Mazedude – Diselbrainage [Super Metroid - Mother Brain] 04:21

12. Kunal Majmudar – Credtroids [Metroid II: Return of Samus - Ending] 03:17

13. Joshua Morse – In Search of the Last Metroid [Super Metroid Medley] 13:10

14. Dhsu – Bubble Tea [Metroid - Norfair (Flame Stage)] 03:06

The additional bonus track comes with the physical copy, which also includes a four page comic and is available to purchase for $13.99 (or $9.99 for a digital copy) from the website.