So this week’s $20 GOTW (or should I say free) isn’t so much a game as it is a tool. However, it comes with free games and you can always download more for it. The engine was created by Andrew Gardner, who in 1997 had set out to create a first person shooter game entitled Corridors of Power (which by the way is one of the games included in the download). After releasing some teaser levels, modders discovered that they could use the engine to create their own levels. Developer Paul Moxon joined Gardner and created a level editor using the software. After several difficulties throughout the years, the project was temporarily shut down in 2006 only to be restarted less than a year later as an open source project. Thus the fruits of their labor are available for download on their website at http://www.apgardner.karoo.net/. The download comes with three full games (Corridors of Power, Sinister, Dead Man Walking), several individual levels, several challenge levels, and a suite of editing tools. There is a map creator, a model editor, an episode editor, and more. They are designed to be user friendly, so anyone can jump right in regardless of programming skills. While the graphics in the included material look as if they were from the Dreamcast days, the engine makes use of many of the latest OpenGL features. The games themselves are throwbacks to the early days of the genre, so FPS fans will get a kick out of their simplicity. If you got a decent computer, you will definitely want to check this out. Weather you want to create games or simply play what other people make, the Retribution Engine is a great open-source package.

While it wasn’t nearly as well known as its peers, Taito’s Darius Twin was part of the holy trinity of 2D side scrolling shooters along with Gradius and R-Type. In the games, players faced giant fish-like enemies and collected weapons in order to defeat enemies. Although Darius Twin was the first Super Nintendo entry in the series, it’s actually the third game in the overall series. Heroes Proco and Tiat return to the planet Orga to once again stop the evil Belser. Like many of the early entries in the series, Darius Twin allowed players to chose which stages to go through between levels. While it isn’t much different from other side scrolling shooters, Darius Twin’s music, backdrops, and huge enemies help set it apart while the multiple stage paths and multiple endings help give it some replay value. Hopefully it won’t be much longer before we see this game on virtual console if it isn’t there already.

Did we really need another Sega Genesis compilation, especially when most of these games are available on Virtual Console/Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network Store? When it’s this good, ABSOLUTELY. While the lineup is similar to 2006’s Sega Genesis Collection, there are several games from that disc that were left off and there are many games here that weren’t on the previous compilation. With well over 40 games, the disc spans the entire history of the Sega Genesis and it includes the classics (Sonic, Streets of Rage, Shinobi), some lesser known hits (Beyond Oasis, Ristar, Comix Zone), and the occasional clunker (Sonic 3D Blast, Flicky, Bonanza Bros). There is a huge amount of hidden features, including interviews and developers, art and even Arcade and Sega Master System games. There are numerous options for tweaking the graphics, and you can arrange the games alphabetically. While it’s cool to download hits, this disc is still the best value for your dollar. Sega if you’re reading this, now that we got plenty of Genesis games, please give us a Sega Saturn compilation. I’ve got the burning desire to play some Panzer Dragoon.

Welcome to Powet’s first $20 GOTW and Lost Classics of the new decade. We got two classic games that will help you get the new year started off right. Without any further ado, click below and lets get started.
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Well, hope you’ve all had a merry Christmas. I’m sure you’ve got sweaters, teddy bears, and other good stuff. I’m also sure you got some Gift Cards, or some money from Grandma. So, why not take that extra cash and get the gifts you really want? As always, I’ve got a few suggestions. So click below for some post-Christmas cheer.
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Disclaimer: Powet.tv, its staff, and its writers are in no way Anti-Christian or Anti-Religious. If your religious beliefs (or lack thereof), be they Christian, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Bhuddist, Scientologist, Wiccan, or otherwise, drive you to be a better person, then more power to you. My beef is, without getting too preachy or political, with those who use religion to justify hatred, those who wish to force their beliefs upon others, and more importantly, crappy video games, be they religious or otherwise.

Today is marks Hallmarks annual day to bask in the fruits of rampant consumerism. More importantly for Christians, today marks Jesus’ birthday. Our regular $20 GOTW and Lost Classics will return tomorrow afternoon, but today, Powet has a special Christmas gift for you. Though there is much debate on just how separate church should be from state it seems that religion should be kept as far away as possible from video gaming as possible. Not because of offensive material (most of these games carry good messages) mind you, but more so because of how bad many of them turn out. Powet will be taking a special look at religious-themed video games, more significantly, NES games by Christian gaming company Wisdom Tree. While Wisdom Tree and other designers of these types of games meant well, most of the games themselves were just plain awful.
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Although Technos’s River City Ransom never gained much in the way of commercial success, it gained a cult following amongst fans with its humor and RPG-like gameplay. The game follows high school students Ryan and Alex as they take on River City’s toughest gangs in order to rescue Ryan’s girlfriend from the villain Slick. You (and a second player if playing co-op) travel around the city taking on each of its gangs. You can earn money to purchase new techniques, food to restore your health, and recovery treatments at the spa. The game featured a complicated password system to save stats, although various remakes (such as the 2003 Game Boy Advance remake) use a battery backup system. For those who missed it the first time, it’s available on the Wii Virtual Console for 500 points. Oh, and for giggles, check out Seanbaby’s River City Ransom Page.

Little Known Fact: River City Ransom is actually the third game in what’s known in Japan as the Kunio series. The first two made it over here as Renegade and Super Dodgeball.

In the days of the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, the House of the Dead provided players with zombie-blasting thrills long before zombies became cool. Fast forward to now, with the Wiimote making it easy for light gun rail shooters to make a comeback of sorts, with games such as Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Dead Space Extraction. What better time for Sega to reintroduce the House of the Dead to the masses? Of course with the popularity of games such as Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising, Sega had to insure that the new HOTD game wouldn’t be just another ‘me-too’ zombie shooter (especially after Uwe Boll’s misguided attempt to squeeze a 90 minute movie out of a game that can be completed in 20, and the forgettable HOTD 4). What better way to do this than with Grindhouse-inspired facelift?
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