FF XIII hits stores this week. It’s the first FF game to go multiplatform on day one, hitting both Xbox 360 and PS3. Like its predecessors, it will no doubt do huge numbers and will be nominated for many a year-end reward. Is it any wonder? Ever since FF VII, Final Fantasy has enjoyed the mainstream success reserved for American games like Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Madden. However, during the franchise’s 16-bit it wasn’t always this way. Final Fantasy, along with RPGs in general, had a hard time getting over with an audience that was used to fast-paces sports, action, and fighting games. So to that end, Square theorized that maybe, it’s flagship RPGS were simply too hard for American audiences. So to that end, they released Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. It was aimed at people new to RPGs, so Square decided to ‘dumb it down’ a bit. Problem was, that it ended up getting so dumbed down that it got to a point where it actually insulted the intelligence of the RPG newbies whom it was aimed at.
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I totally missed all of the announcements for JoeConCobraCon 2010, in addition to the Collectors’ Club updates. After a little reconnaissance, I’m happy to report back with my findings!

Intelligence can be found after the jump!
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Robert Downey Jr sat down with Jimmy Kimmel last night following the Oscars and showed off another 2 minutes of spliced together footage from his new movie, void of narration or context. In show business they call this a “trailer” and its supposed to make you want to see the movie because you have no idea whats going on. I made a point of recording this show on my DVR since it ran well after my bed time, and was disappointed to see that ABC has not seen fit to give Kimmel and HD camera for his show yet. So you, dear reader, get to see the footage in HD first.
As it was before, you can find the new Iron Man trailer on Apple.com in all your HD and iPod toting variations.
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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.

What is this composite, amalgamated entity? If you’re a fan of anything Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, or generally geek, you’ve seen movies and/or TV shows by at least one of these three gentlemen — if not all three — even if you don’t know their names. Of the many things they have in common, the most obvious (and least important) is that all of their names start with “J”. I frequently can’t think of one without thinking of the other two. Together they are like some triune entity, the three faces of a Geek (not “Greek”) god.

Let’s explore their credentials together.

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Happy Friday! This weeks episode is a big fight. Our panelists doesn’t fight each other, but the stuff we talk about is all crazy rivalries! Justice vs Crime! Anime vs Video Games! Plants vs Zombies!
Even the music today doesn’t seem to get along well.

Direct Link: Cool Beans 03/05 ep 004: Versus

Audio Netcast Details
Subscribe to the Powetcast on iTunes

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Xbox General Manager Mark Whitten announced via open letter to the community about some changes to the terms of use. Since the introduction of profiles for gamers using the service, certain words have been banned and anyone engaging in online play would not be permitted to identify their sexual orientation

Specifics have been added to the Code Of Conduct:
You may use the following terms to express your relationship orientation in your profile or Gamertag:

Other terms regarding relationship orientation are not allowed. In addition you may not use these terms or any other terms regarding relationship orientation to insult, harass, or any other pejorative use against other users.

Previously any gamer who identified themselves as straight or gay in their profiles would be in violation of terms of use and would be either forced to remove such terms or would be banned from the service.

Xbox Policy Manager Stephen Toulouse updated his twitter with “Special thanks to GLAAD and Microsoft’s LGBT community for guidance on the terms. If you try typing in any of the the approved terms into your profile, you should find they are not blocked. Let me know if you have problems”

So now you can be “out” and serve in Call of Duty or Battlefield Bad Company, unlike the real US Military. Here’s hoping the real world catches up with the video game world soon.

What do you think about the policy change? Leave a comment!

The PSP is turning out to be the platform of choice for would-be rap producers, as evidenced by 2007’s Traxxpad. Beaterator is the fruit of Rockstar’s collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland who at one time produced, did vocals on, or mixed a good 70 percent of popular music. It is based on a flash-based music mixer from the Rockstar website. Players can use Beaterator to create their own tunes and then share them via the Rockstar social club. Be warned, the interface isn’t nearly as user friendly as Traxxpad, but it provides a lot more functionality. You can craft your own drum loops, craft their own melodies, record sounds, import MIDIS, and more. You can even go into the song crafter and create a song instantly using ready-made loops. You have access to a library of hundreds of samples. There is a lot to absorb here, but thankfully, there are video tutorials to help you get used to everything.

Thanks to Beaterator, you don’t need thousands of dollars with of studio equipment to make hits. All you need is a PSP, a copy of the game, a memory stick, and some patience, and you can become the next DJ Primer or Manny Fresh.