Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Clearly an homage to Leeroy Jenkins, this Toyota commercial shows that World of Warcraft players can charge into battle as long as they have the right mount. The ad is apparently legitimate, although the only version we could find clips the tagline.
Toyota may be a follower to showing how it can save the World ... of Warcraft, but this spot hits several in-jokes in a short amount of time. See the ad after the break.
It's not an exact rendition of the first level of Super Mario Bros. (maybe soon, little Billy), but the inclusion of Forge and machinima tools within Halo 3 has spawned an entire new group of enthusiasts.
However, the use of proper camera angles and the Mario sound effects lend itself to a thoughtful parody of the retro sidescroller. Of course, we're thinking the guy playing the protagonist plumber did not have as much fun during the making of this film.
This freak plasma grenade toss by BlackShadowMist earns our nod as the luckiest Halo 3 throw ever. What starts out as a Hail Mary miss turns into a Rube Goldberg-style success. Are you saving amazing clips from the game?
Watch the video a few times -- it's short and well worth it -- after the break.
Cable channel HBO has picked up the documentary Molotov's Dispatches in Search of the Creator: a Second Life Odyssey for airing sometime in 2008. The seven webisodes from Douglas Gayeton, totaling 35 minutes in length, showcase the virtual world of Second Life from the perspective of an in-game avatar.
The documentary is still available on Molotov Alva's website. As Animation Magazine notes, the video could be eligible for submission to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for Best Animated Short (or perhaps Best Documentary). In the setting of machinima, however, who gets credit for the animation: Gayeton, SL creators Linden Labs, the residents featured in the film? Regardless, Molotov represents a major step in the field of machinima.
Are you still looking for that special someone? Gametrailers user Brotha has recreated the second Grand Theft Auto IV trailer in GTA III: San Andreas. While we're impressed by the endeavor, the video has actually made us more eager to get our hands on the upcoming violent sandbox sequel by showcasing the visual improvements in the series.
We've embedded the original video after the break, if you want to try and synchronize them. (We recommending muting one video, unless you think you're fast enough with the mouse to hit play near-simultaneously.)
The original series may be said and done, but that hasn't stopped the folks at Rooster Teeth from churning out a five episode primer on the world of Halo 3. In this series, Sarge prepares Donut and the rest of the red degenerates for the technological leap into the future. It's sure to be violent, hilarious and educational -- much like their betaorientation.
For the moment, class begins for free at GameStop with the first episode, "Upward Mobility." The series will be tolled out over the next five weeks across many other fine retail sites as well, including Best Buy and Amazon.
Metal band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftainrocks rawks its World of Warcraft song, I am Murloc in today's video pick. if the video gets you pumped for WoW, there's a good chance you're already booked for BlizzCon, where the band will perform live on August 4.
How could it not get you fired up? We don't want to blow all the surprises, but watch for the crotch-thrusting transitional effect. Classic. Video Toaster, this isn't.
See the AWESOME video after the break. And score the MP3 for iPhone action.
Bungie's Frankie took time behind closed doors to show us a new feature in Halo 3 ... Game Films. What's that, you ask? Since the hearing has started to return to our ears, post the Rock Band party in Hollywood, we'll let you know. We've started forming coherent thoughts again.
As you can probably figure out from the title, these are saved films of your played games in Halo 3. The cool thing is, they can be from either multiplayer or campaign games, can be saved, and you can also select your favorite clips from your films and upload them to be shared with others via Xbox Live. Pwn a warthog with a Spartan Laser and make it flip 47 times? Clip it out and save it. Snipe some from across the map? A few button clicks and it's immortalized forever ... or until your console dies.
Since unveiling their Shadowrunmachinima series 1-800-MAGIC (no, it's not a full phone number but it still works -- it's that magical), Rooster Teeth have released two more episodes in the series.
When we last left off, our scrawny protagonist with a malfunctioning weapon was mysteriously teleported to ... well, somewhere. Episode two answers that question and more, such as, "why does it smell like bacon?" Episode three marks the return of the unhelpful customer service rep. Say what you will about Shadowrun, but it has certainly set the stage for a great machinima series.
Videos, rated NSFW for naughty language, embedded after the break.
The new Die Hard is set to bust blocks this summer, and the Angry Video Game Nerd looks back at the NES game based on the original movie. We're partial to his trailer versus his full review of the game. (The full video has a few amusing jokes, but the fast editing of the trailer wins us over.) It's even funny if you don't think swearing is hilarious -- although if you do, there's no reason not to watch.
See the NSFW (for language) video trailer after the break.
Now that the Halo 3multiplayer beta is dead and buried, it's time to take a statistical look at the little critter in his 26-day lifespan from May 16 to June 10. Microsoft has released some statistics on the beta that we will be using to throw more numbers at you than a course on complex number analysis.
820,000 unique participants contributed to over 12 million hours of online gameplay, which averages to 14.6 hours per person. According to the press release, that number is "equivalent to more than 1,400 years of continuous play by one person," but since one person cannot play multiplayer by themselves, we're going to rephrase that to "a 700-year long death match." Somebody tell the Highlander.
With approximately 8,760 hours in one year, a 1,400-year game session would put the total play time closer to 12.26 million. 260,000 extra hours is nothing to scoff at.
The press release also claims 350 terabytes of data downloaded from Xbox Live. At 1,000 GB per TB and approximately 900 MB per Halo 3 beta, that amounts to just under 390,000 downloads. That equates to approximately 2.10 unique participants for every download. Xbox Live servers therefore would have sent out all data from the Library of Congress five times.
Finally, 580,000 saved films created by users, representing more than 2.7 TB of data and amounting to around 1.49 films per download (or 0.71 per person). Got all that? Good, keep studying because you'll all be quizzed on it later.
Bungie and Peter Jackson plan to work together on a Halo animated series once Halo 3 is done, revealed Microsoft Games Studios' Shane Kim in an interview with GameSpy. When asked what the developer is working on after Halo 3, Kim replied that "they have the collaboration with Peter Jackson on the animated series."
Update:
We regret to inform you that the Halo animated series which briefly flitted about in your imagination solely came about due to a transcription error. We spoke to GameSpy's editorial director, John Keefer, and confirmed that Shane Kim only labeled the upcoming project as an "interactive" series. GameSpy "regrets the error" and has now appended an editorial note to the article.
Creators of the Halo machinima Red vs. BlueRooster Teeth have debuted 1-800-MAGIC, a machinima based in the world of Shadowrun. The premiere episode, embedded after the break, highlights the problems with software-controlled assault rifles, tech support and negative reinforcement on troop morale. Oh, and you might chortle a bit too.
Also mentioned is a website for the series that as of this writing is not live. Video contains some naughty language that's Not Safe For Work.
Our latest trip down the internet's (You) Tubes leaves us basking in the mash-up glory of JudgeSpear. This videomaker's page showcases dozens of game crossovers, with characters from different titles fighting, and even non-gaming characters get inserted into the action. While a little long, we especially like one of the shoot-'em-up crossovers, where a spaceship is piloted through several fighting games and even a GameBoy version of Super Mario Bros.
If you're still not convinced, let this sway you: Mike Tyson makes an appearance near the end. Watch the video after the break.
While the Halo 3 multiplayer beta is trickling its way out to the masses, pass the time while all of your neighbors try to download it simultaneously with the latest from Red vs. Blue. (Oh, who are we kidding? We know you're going to watch the progress counter ratchet up to 100 percent, with the same adoration as if you were reading Hemingway the multiplayer guide.)
As the Red vs. Blue guys inch closer to the 100th episode blowout, the latest short shows off some important basics players need to know about the multiplayer beta. Think of it as an orientation initiation into Halo 3. Welcome to the social.
Bungie jumps: Takahashi, Croal, and Totilo on the Joystiq Podcast Roundtable
Use the Force! We're giving away 5 PSP-2000 Star Wars Battlefront systems
Itagaki talks pint-sized Dragon Swords
Joystiq at TGS
All the Halo 3 news that's fit to print, and some that isn't
Listen to the Joystiq Podcast (because your ears can't read)
Posts in category machinima
Clearly an homage to Leeroy Jenkins, this Toyota commercial shows that World of Warcraft players can charge into battle as long as they have the right mount. The ad is apparently legitimate, although the only version we could find clips the tagline.
This freak plasma grenade toss by BlackShadowMist earns our nod as the luckiest Halo 3 throw ever. What starts out as a Hail Mary miss turns into a Rube Goldberg-style success. Are you saving amazing clips from the game?
Metal band, Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain 
The new Die Hard is set to bust blocks this summer, and the Angry Video Game Nerd looks back at the NES game based on the original movie. We're partial to his trailer versus his full review of the game. (The full video has a few amusing jokes, but the fast editing of the trailer wins us over.) It's even funny if you don't think swearing is hilarious -- although if you do, there's no reason not to watch.
Creators of the Halo machinima Red vs. Blue Rooster Teeth have debuted 1-800-MAGIC, a machinima based in the world of Shadowrun. The premiere episode, embedded after the break, highlights the problems with software-controlled assault rifles, tech support and negative reinforcement on troop morale. Oh, and you might chortle a bit too.
Our latest trip down the internet's (You) Tubes leaves us basking in the mash-up glory of JudgeSpear. This videomaker's page showcases dozens of game crossovers, with characters from different titles fighting, and even non-gaming characters get inserted into the action. While a little long, we especially like one of the shoot-'em-up crossovers, where a spaceship is piloted through several fighting games and even a GameBoy version of Super Mario Bros.
While the Halo 3 multiplayer beta is trickling its way out to the masses, pass the time while all of your neighbors try to download it simultaneously with the latest from Red vs. Blue. (Oh, who are we kidding? We know you're going to watch the progress counter ratchet up to 100 percent, with the same adoration as if you were reading Hemingway the multiplayer guide.) 
