Our first in a series of Mass Effect 2 reviews: we take a look at how to import your Mass Effect 1 characters into the sequel, what bits of continuity to expect, and what to watch out for when playing the game.

(See more Mass Effect 2 videos after the jump!)

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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.

Remember when cartoons used to be good? Back in the days between the original Power Rangers and whatever the hell umteenth spin-off they have run most recently, cartoons used to be well thought-out and fun for kids, while often having some aspects sprinkled about them that were meant for adult humor or reference. This meant kids and parents both could appreciate cartoons without realizing it. Warner Bros. was infamous for this practice, going as far back as the old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons for the 60’s and 70’s. Fun campy cartoons that entertained the crap out of us as youngin’s, that have managed to have little surprises in store for us as we’ve grown up and notice subtle little quips that we’d obviously missed or not gotten when we were kids. As WB carried on, this habit did not waver. Enter Freakazoid!
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They say there are only two things for sure in life: death and taxes. In the US, Tax day is April 15 and for original Xbox games, death comes the same day.

Microsoft has announced they’ll be shutting down online gameplay servers for all original Xbox games, including ones that are compatible with XBox 360. Star Wars Battlefront, Counter Strike, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Conker Live & Reloaded, and Halo 2 will no longer have online gameplay available.

Marc Whitten from the Xbox Live team posted an open letter to the community this morning detailing the closure and vague promises that shifting resources will allow new features in the future.

Those who don’t want to give up the original Xbox games or its community should check out XboxConnect, which has run unofficial servers for years.

Until that day comes, Powet will likely plan at least one last outing for Halo 2 so keep an eye out for a future game night.

In a week with scheduling problems and technical difficulties, the last thing we wanted to do was let you down with out something to listen to.

So we did some crate digging and put together a synthesizer powered podcast of 15 songs to get your weekend off right.

EDIT: This podcast is no longer available via our home page.

Audio Netcast Details
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Sorry for the short clip, but here’s a taste of what to expect this next year on KEEP PLAYING: Rewind!

It’s not easy being green in the entertainment industry, yet suddenly everyone is trying it. We talk about how video game sequels are superior to other kinds of sequels, specifically the sequel-du-jour Mass Effect 2

Direct Link: Powetcast Episode 27: Red-Green Herring

Audio Netcast Details
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(Did you get Mass Effect 2? How are you liking it? Leave a comment below!)

Show notes after the jump!

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Marvel continues to tease our palettes as of late. Following up on their news of Heroic Age, the House of Ideas is now posting more teaser images of an upcoming X-Men crossover event called Second Coming which will debut in March 2010. The story will feature Hope’s return to the present. The images feature taglines of ‘One will lead them’, ‘One will die’, and ‘One will rise’. The ‘One will Rise’ image is featuring two versions of Hope, the mutant messiah, now in her late teens. She was the mutant baby from the Messiah CompleX storyline a couple years back. The issues of Cable have featured her and Cable prominently as they jump across time to flee Bishop who is desperate to kill Hope and prevent whatever heinous event she triggered in his future’s past. Catch all that? Well the kicker is that one of the two versions of Hope here looks like she is host to the Phoenix force and not in the good way.

Apparently this event was announced at the Diamond Summit ’09 that took place at the beginning of the last quarter for 2009. Marvel.com has a great article on it here. I suspect there will be more teaser images revealed, but this was the first I had heard of the crossover event and I was immediately interested. The adventures in Cable have been great and I look forward to what happens next.