*shudder* Now this is frightening. You are looking at a Silent Head 2 Pyramid Head statue. You are looking at the stuff of nightmares.

The 33cm figurine is priced at around US$150, and it will be out this November in Japan.

レッドピラミッドシング 1/6スケール PVCスタチュー [Mamegyorai via ファミ通]

I've always gotten the sense that a lot of men and women in the United States Armed Forces enjoy a good game of Call of Duty—the fast-paced first-person shooter is a good way to blow off steam.

But not all soldiers love fast-paced video games—a good number of them like something a bit more strategic. This cool article over at Slate talks to a number of Army soldiers, all of whom are big into Warhammer 40K.

According to the article, 20 to 25 percent of Warhammer players are members of the military. "I've been an infantryman for 20 years," says major Stephen D. Carey, "I'm no stranger to fighting. But I'm a total nerd." Former marine Samuel Corum explains that soldiers are used to following complicated sets of rules, and with its massive rulebook and intricate miniatures, Warhammer 40K is a lot like the armed services:

For service members, the game's appeal goes beyond basic competition. Corum spent a chunk of the last decade living in a meticulously regimented world. Everything, including his uniform and hairline, was heavily scrutinized. "There's an inherent attention to detail that a lot of good soldiers and Marines have," he says. That also applies to 40K. The majority of playable pieces are 1-inch models that must be painstakingly assembled and hand-painted. (The figurines can cost upward of $20 a pop and are sometimes called "plastic crack.") A particularly dedicated artist can spend 30 hours working on a single figurine, making sure to dab a perfectly round black dot in the middle of a white eyeball.

"I'm not fast at [painting]," Army Sgt. Steffan McBee, who's currently deployed in Afghanistan, said in an email, "But it's calming"-and more intellectually stimulating than what he could be doing. "Everyone knows guys need stress relief. And as I tell my wife, [Warhammer] keeps me off the streets and out of the bars."

Makes sense to me. The rest of the article is a good read, taking a look at the military's history with wargaming while sharing some great pictures of soldiers in Afghanistan playing the game.

Marines Who Love Space Marines [Slate via The Penny Arcade Report]

If nothing else in this video proves his mastery of the dance, you know he at least gets credit for that escalator move. Well done, Deadpool. You've wowed us with your dancing yet again. I'm sure Psy himself would be impressed.

Deadpool vs Gangnam Style [YouTube via Reddit]

Dishonored will be giving players lots of tools—possession, time freezing and bladed or blasting weapons—to seek their revenge with. The latest developer-focused trailer talks a little about how you'll be able to mix and match those abilities to create unique death scenarios for the enemies you encounter. Looks like we're going to get a lot of amazing assassination videos when the game hits next month.

I'm sure you've all encountered a few funny, perhaps aggressive exchanges on Xbox Live before. This one gets a little personal, a lot feisty, and there's cussing involved.

I personally like the opening line of: "This is the only thing I do!" I'm pretty sure that's why mama is upset with you in the first place. Don't bring that one up.

Mom vs Son (HILARIOUS) [YouTube via AmazingFilms 247]

The new Wii is called the Wii U. It's coming out in America on November 18 and will cost $299, not counting hidden costs.

Nintendo blasted out a ton of news about it today. But they didn't tell us everything.

Here's What We Know

• It's $299, for the basic version that includes the console (which is way more powerful than the Wii and somewhere in the ballpark of the PS3/Xbox360, give or take... probably better, not worse), the GamePad (the signature of the system, a controller with a 6.2-inch screen, two analog thumbsticks, a forward-facing camera, a bunch of face buttons and a gyro sensor), 8GB of on-board memory, AC adapters for the console and controller, a sensor bar (take that, Japan) and—surprise!—an HDMI cable. It's white. It does not come with any Wii Remotes, which will be used in many multiplayer games. Hopefully you have some. They need to be Wii Remote Pluses. Want the full specs? Here you go.
• It's also $349.99. That's if you buy the Deluxe Set, which has all of the above (in stylish black, no less), though with 32GB of on-board memory, a console stand, a charging cradle for the GamePad and a membership in something called the Deluxe Digital Promotion (DDP!), which will provide discounts for digital downloads, through 2014. The Deluxe version comes with Wii U flagship game Nintendo Land packed in.
• There are some technical specs available, but they may not be as detailed as many would hope for.
• They made a thing for it called TVii that is both a crime against the English language and a new service for letting users watch streaming video from sources like Hulu, Netflix and YouTube on the Wii U GamePad, even if someone else in the house is using the TV that the Wii U is hooked up to. It'll even pull stuff that was DVR'd on your TiVo.
• You'll be able to play the next Call of Duty on the system, and, better, this game, Black Ops II will let you play split-screen across your TV and the screen on the GamePad. Here's proof.
• Bayonetta 2 will be exclusive to the Wii U. We don't know when it's coming out, but the sequel to the super-sexy action game isn't just a steal from the Xbox/PlayStation playbook but a potential answer to the question: "What will grandmas enjoy on the new Wii?"
• Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U are Nintendo's only confirmed launch day games (man, there better be more). Nintendo Land is a virtual theme park of Nintendo-themed attractions that includes a cool Metroid riff.
• New Super Mario Bros. U looks awesome.
• You, uh, might want to hold off on trading in your old Wii. If you've got data on the thing that you want to keep, you're going to need it.
• Nintendo has declared that some 50 games will be out in the system's launch window, which opens on November 18 and closes on March 31. Those games include ZombiU, Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101 (Formerly Project 100), Assassin's Creed III, Mass Effect 3, New Super Mario Bros. U, Lego City Undercover, Wii Fit U and a lot more. Here's the whole list.
• There will be a new Wii U game from the people who made Xenoblade and a Warriors Orochi game. Also, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
• The Wii U will offer a sort of gamer's social network called MiiVerse.
• GameStop will take your current Wii off your hands for $50.

• And now we know the price of games, catching up with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at $59.99.

Here's What We Don't Know (Yet)

• Which games are actually coming out on launch day, other than Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U?
• The cost of a second GamePad. No launch games appear to support one, but the system can. Maybe Nintendo held this back from America after revealing that an extra GamePad will cost an extraordinary half of the cost of a basic Wii U bundle in Japan (which, if you do the math, means that the controller kind of actually costs the same as the console sans packed-in controller.)
• The cost of Wii Remote Pluses? These will be required for multiplayer in Nintendo Land games and will be the preferred controller option, along with the Wii Nunchuk, for many games. Remote Pluses go for $40 now. The tech is getting old, so maybe Nintendo will cut people a break? Or they'll assume they have them from their Wiis.

We'll have plenty more about Wii U in the hours and days to come. We've got people playing the system right now!

Nintendo of America didn't announce any Wii U bundles in the event they held today to let people know when their new system would be out. But Japanese consumers already know that they'll be getting a launch day bundle that include an installment from Capcom's hit RPG series.

The image above translates roughly to the following:
"This is the Monster Hunter 3 Tri G HD ver. Wii U Premium Set. It comes with the Wii U Premium Set, the Wii U Pro Controller and the Wii U exclusive, Monster Hunter 3 Tri HD."

The bundle will cost 38,850 yen (approximately $500 U.S.) and will be available on December 8th, the Wii U's Japanese launch day. Everyone else around the world will have to wait on any Wii U bundles.

We know what we're getting here in North America on September 18 and how much it will cost us, but what's on the inside? Here's the technical details on Nintendo's most powerful game console yet.

Wii U Official Tech Specs

• Launches: November 18
• Price: $299.99 for Basic Set / $349.99 for Deluxe Set
• Size: Approximately 1.8 inches high, 10.6 inches deep and 6.75 inches long.
• Weight: Approximately 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg)
• CPU: IBM Power-based multi-core processor
• GPU: AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU
• Storage: Wii U uses an internal flash memory (8 GB with the Basic Set; 32 GB with the Deluxe Set) for data storage. It also supports SDHC memory cards and external USB storage.
• Media: Wii U and Wii optical discs. Wii U optical discs have a 25 GB data capacity.
• Networking: Wii U can be connected to the Internet via a wireless (IEEE 802.11b/g/n) connection. The console features four USB 2.0 connectors – two in the front and two in the rear – that support Wii LAN Adapters.
• Audio Output: Uses six-channel PCM linear output via HDMI connector, or analog output via the AV Multi Out connector.
• Video Output: Supports 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i. Compatible cables include HDMI, Wii D-Terminal, Wii Component Video, Wii RGB, Wii S-Video Stereo AV and Wii AV.
• Energy Efficiency: Wii U utilizes specially designed power-saving features to lower its energy consumption.
• Wii Compatibility: Nearly all Wii software and accessories can be used with Wii U.
• Wii U GamePad: Wii U™ GamePad

  The Wii U GamePad controller removes the traditional barriers between games, players and the TV by creating a second window into the video game world.

  
  

  It also offers a new way for viewers to engage with their favorite entertainment. The GamePad incorporates a 6.2-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio LCD touch screen, as well as traditional button controls and two analog sticks. Inputs include a +Control Pad, L/R sticks, L/R stick buttons, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, Power button, HOME button, -/SELECT button, +/START button, and TV CONTROL button.

  
  

  The GamePad also includes motion control (powered by an accelerometer, gyroscope and geomagnetic sensor), a front-facing camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, rumble features, a sensor bar, an included stylus and support for Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality.

  
  

  It is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and weighs approximately 1.1 pounds (500 g).

  
  
• Other Controllers: The Wii U console is capable of supporting two Wii U GamePad controllers, up to four Wii Remote (or Wii Remote™ Plus) controllers or Wii U Pro Controllers, and Wii accessories such as the Nunchuk, Classic Controller and Wii Balance Board.

Trying to describe the experience of playing a Wii U game that takes advantage of the GamePad's accessibility and extra space as well as ZombieU does is a difficult task.

That's why this trailer is here to do it for you instead. You can see how shooting, weapon upgrades, friend notifications, sniping, and rummaging through your inventory look on the second screen. Though it's not quite unlike a few trailers we've seen released, it's another look with a bit more details for you to feast your eyes on.

I just want to say that we don't need two New Super Mario Bros. games in the span of four months. I just want to say they should look more different. I just want to be a grouch, but, actually... this game looks lovely!

Is your heart not melted yet?

Then watch this gameplay demo.

Man, all it takes to win me over again is a Mario with a world map. What can I say?

This is a "launch window" game, so it'll be out between the Wii U launch and the end of March 2013.

UPDATE: Actually, this is confirmed for launch day, so November 18 it is!