After Midway struck gold with Mortal Kombat, they tried again, again, and again to repeat its success in the fighting game arena, but failed miserably. While Capcom was able to follow up the wildly successful Street Fighter 2 with Darkstalkers and the Marvel fighting games, SNK successfully presented Art of Fighting (along with King of Fighters, Samurai Showdown, and so many others) as Fatal Fury’s successor, and Namco followed up Tekken with Soul Blade, Midway churned out failures such as Bio Freaks and Mace: The Dark Age. They had some potential though, as Bio Freaks had an dismemberment game mechanic and Mace could have been Soul Edge’s evil twin. However, Midway’s most notable attempt (and by this I mean biggest failure) was War Gods. Although it had some promise, it was dragged down by horrid controls, lousy character design, and a frustratingly cheap artificial intelligence.
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Anyone who has read my articles on Contra 4 and the Mega Man ZX games knows how much I loathe it when DS game developers use stylus/touch screen controls for the sake of using them. However, I have equal praise for those who can make stylus functionality work well. After all, it is the main selling point of the DS, and if a developer can implement in a way which enhances gameplay, then more power to them. Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword is one of those games which utilizes a stylus-driven control scheme in a way that’s intuitive and innovative. Not only that, it makes this DS entry in the series every bit as engaging as its console counterparts.
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Even though Google’s title graphic by Jim Lee features DC characters, Marvel rules San Diego Comic Con. We talk about the last-ever LOST panel (links to videos included — SPOILERS!), and all the Marvel comics we AREN’T reading… because we’re all reading DC and the Blackest Night right now. Take a listen!

Audio Netcast Details
Subscribe to the Powetcast on iTunes
Direct Link: Powetcast Episode 15: SDCC, Marvel, LOST, and DC

(What was your favorite San Diego Comic-Con panel? Are you as excited for the final season of LOST as we are? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments!)

Show notes after the jump!

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Hasbro’s San Diego Comic-Con exclusives have gone up for order on HasbroToyShop.com. Get them now, while they are still in stock!

Hasbro’s exclusives include:
Transformers Soundwave with Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ravage and Ratbat
GI Joe: Rise of Cobra: 12″ Baroness
GI Joe: Rise of Cobra: Destro 2-pack
Marvel Universe 70th Anniversary Box Set
Wolverine Mighty Mugg with retractable claws
Metallic Finish Optimus Prime Might Mugg
My Little Pony 2009 Collector’s Exclusive Pony
Star Wars Smiling Pilot Luke Skywalker with Helmet and Ladder
Littlest Pet Shop Comic-Con Kitty

There are some 10% coupons for HasbroToyShop here.

San Diego Comic Con was this past weekend and lots of news poured out of the convention. Here is the first of several link round ups trying to recap on most of what went on. This article concentrates on movie announcements and panels. After the jump you’ll find plenty of links for Jonah Hex, Iron Man 2, Sherlock Holmes, Wanted 2 and much much more!
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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Created in 1994 for the PC, Diablo was meant to be a compliment to Blizzard’s popular Warcraft series, which had come out a few years prior and was deemed a success. Diablo, meant to be much darker and more gothic than Warcraft, also had a much different change in gameplay. Instead of the strategy of starting off on one side or the other and amassing a huge amount of warriors and weaponry to bash your enemies with, Diablo took to the Dungeon Crawler type of gameplay that was popular with games like DOOM, and added an RPG-type of flare to it like Final Fantasy.

The world of Diablo is deeply rooted in the heaven vs. hell archetype of story telling. Diablo, Lord of Terror, is one of the 3 Prime Evils, which are the highest level of demon in existence, and he and his brothers are in a huge war against the forces of light in a bid to destroy them and take everything over. Humans are the middle ground and both sides try to win them over through either benevolence or violence. Some powerful human mages on the side of good and backed by heavenly forces were able to capture the Prime Evils after they’d been defeated and banished to Sanctuary (aka: pseudo-Earth) and seal them in powerful Soulstones in order to bind them forever. (Apparently high-level demons can’t have their souls destroyed easily and can always resurrect if given the chance) With the souls of the Prime Evils locked away, the Soulstones were scattered and hidden away, with Diablo’s being buried in a catacomb beneath a church that later became the central point for the town of Tristrim. However after a few centuries the Soulstone weakened and Diablo was able to exert influence over the people of Tristrim, which led to massive slaughter and the kidnapping of the King’s son. So begins the game of Diablo.
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