Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

When Timely comics became Marvel during the 1960s, creator Stan Lee, along with creators such as Jack Kirby and Steve Dtiko, helped the company create a new breed of superheroes. In the process, they introduced the world to Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and other soon-to-be household names. What made these guys so special was that unlike the characters created by their distinguished competition, it was easy to relate to these guys. For decades, fans read about people like Superman and Wonder Woman who had near-godlike power and an almost mythic stature. Even Batman, despite not having any powers, was the pinnacle of human achievement. With Marvel however, people read stories about people who had superpowers but had to deal with hang-ups and issues like we do. When they weren’t exploring the Negative Zone or fighting Doctor Doom, The Fantastic Four bickered and quarreled with each other like any other semi-functional family. In between battles with Kang the Conqueror and the Masters of Evil, the Avengers played cards, pulled pranks on each other, went shopping, and hung out as if they were a fraternity or club rather than a superhero group. Peter Parker, a.k.a Spiderman, was a normal teenager like anyone else (save for his superpowers of course), so he had to deal with grades, girls, and bullies as often as he had to deal with symbiotes, idiots with fishbowls for heads, and psychopaths flying on gliders. By the way, this is not to imply anything negative about DC, because there isn’t anyone who hasn’t grown up with Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne. Besides, DC themselves would adopt this real world approach to its heroes, with storylines about Green Arrow’s sidekick having a drug addiction and the Jason Todd Robin confronting an abusive husband.

Marvel comics also frequently dealt with social issues as well. Spiderman was all about responsibility and power, Captain America examined what it meant to be a patriot in modern day America, and Iron Man even tackled alcoholism. One comic book in particular captured the mood of the period like no other. It was called X-men, and its premise about a sub-race of humanity fighting for their very right to exist resonated perfectly with the struggles that the African American community had to face at the time. Over the next few decades, the X-men’s popularity would increase to staggering proportions, making it one of the best selling comics world wide, and spinning off into a franchise of movies, TV shows, video games, and toys.
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With the surge in Voltron articles, I wanted to join in on the fun. However, as I have nothing Voltron related, I figure the next best thing is a Voltron rip-off. Of course, what better rip-off is there than Power Rangers, the live action kids show that not only rips off Voltron, but also borrows liberally from Godzilla’s giant-monster-who-is-really-a-guy-in-a-rubber-suit theme? After Ninja Turtles and before Pokemon, Power Rangers emerged as the premiere kid’s show. It’s goofy monsters, giant robots (called Zords) and cheesy martial arts action made it a hit with school kids, and a nightmare for parents. The obligatory marketing blitz followed, complete with toys, costumes, video games, and even a movie. The movie, released at the height of the franchise’s popularity depicted a non-canon fight against new villain Ivan Ooze. There were also video game tie-in for SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, and Game Gear with Bandai handling the Nintendo versions, and Sega handling the Sega versions. Although they were intended for kids, they were pretty good for games based on movies.
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So maybe the original Saint’s Row wasn’t the most original game of 2006, but it was wickedly fun, and its open world action improved on Grand Theft Auto’s formula in many aspects. It’s shock ending guaranteed that fans would be clamoring for a sequel, and sure enough, THQ and Volition deliver. Other than a few tweaks here and there, the developer sticks to the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ school of thought. Saint’s Row definitely was not broken, and it’s time for gamers to take a return trip to Stillwater.
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Every inch of this sci-fi shooter screams “even though Japanese developers created me, I was made specifically for American audiences”. This sentiment would later be the driving force behind games such as Breakdown, Dead Rising, and No More Heroes, games that have achieved cult-like status. Smilebit/Sega’s Xbox shooter might not have been perfect, but its steampunk setting and science fiction vibe helped it carve an identity of its own.
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After Command and Conquer: Generals took Command and Conquer in another direction (by way of a new universe) Command and Conquer 3 marks a return to form for the series. The Tiberium crystals have returned, the goofy live-action cinemas have returned, the command bar has returned, and most of all, the messiah himself, Kane has returned, and Electronic Art’s real time strategy franchise has never looked better.
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Well, now that the turkey is digested and the Black Friday bargain hunting is done, it’s time to get a start on your holiday shopping. Of course, I’m here to help you get a head start. For the $20 GOTW, I’ve got one of those new-fangled rhythm games that the kids seem to love so much, and for the lost classic, I got one of those old-school style PC RPGs that a select few tend to love.
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The following may or may not be an actual conversation between me and a college roommate.

My Roommate: Yo Will! Check out this book I read for history class!

Me: You actually read? I thought you just played football and lifted weights all day!

My Romomate: Heck yeah! It’s called Romance of the Three Kingdoms! I thought it was some sappy romance novel, but it’s got sorcerers, babes, dudes getting their heads chopped off, dudes chopping their wives up and eating them and all kinds of crazy $#!t!

Me: Awesome. They made some video games about it you know. You select a Chinese general, kill hundreds of enemies, and you even get to ride on horseback!

Roomie: I already know about that. Koei made them and they’re called Dynasty Warriors. So that’s what those games are based on…

Me: Nope, Capcom made them, and it was a pair of arcade titles called Dynasty Wars and Warriors of Fate. They’re arcade games, so they’re a bit hard to find.

Roomie: Awesome! I’m gonna find them right now!
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World of Goo is yet another independently developed physics-based puzzle game (hey, I just can’t get enough of these), and it was one of the first games available on Nintendo’s WiiWare service. Developed by ex-EA staff members Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, World of Goo can best be described as a cross between Lemmings, Jenga, and a can of Play-Doh. Your goal is to get a group of goo balls to a pipe. You can form the goo into different shapes and connect them into towers, bridges, or whatever else you think can help you solve the level. There are 5 different chapters, each with their own graphical style, theme, and levels. Early on in the game you’ll unlock the “World of Goo Corporation”, which is a bonus level where you use your excess goo balls to try to compete with other players as you attempt to build a bigger tower than everyone else. World of Goo is a fun and whimsical game that can be enjoyed on quite a few platforms. It has received several awards as well, so puzzle gamers will definitely want to check this game out.