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

Rocky Balboa has Apollo Creed. Superman has Lex Luthor. Wolverine has Sabertooth. Batman has the Joker. 50 Cent has Ja Rule. Tupac Shakur has Biggie Smalls. Barack Obama has Sarah Palin.

If popular media has taught us anything, it’s that every hero worth their salt has an equal, but opposite adversary to fight, and so it was for Spider-man. A simple mistake made sometime ago would come back to bite him in the ass in a major way. Not only would this mistake spawn one of the greatest Spider-man villains ever, it would lead to the emergence of a second, along with even more extraterrestrial nightmares.
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So I must confess, the only reason I picked up this game was because Best Buy had it on sale for $10 and it came with a free copy of the original Soldier of Fortune. The original SOF was ‘edgy’ because you could blow enemies apart using the right weapons. The series took a hit with the lackluster Double Helix. With the release of a new Rambo flick and the controversy over Blackwater, Activision figured it was the perfect time to capitalize on FPS games about hardcore mercenaries and warzones. This time however, instead of series regular Raven doing the development, Activision handed production duties to studio Cauldron HQ, makers of classics such as Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011, Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010, Jurassic: The Hunted and not one, but TWO first person shooters based on the civil war! With no less than the makers of crappy budget Wii titles and generic Civil War FPS games, then no doubt SOF would be on its way to becoming the biggest FPS franchise ever right? Well, lets see…
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Make no mistake, this is the latest entry in Konami’s Contra franchise. For real, check the main menu theme and game over theme. Despite it’s anime look (courtesy of developer Arc Systems) and sci-fi setting, this entry contains all the hyperactive shoot-em-up action that you expect from the series. The story is pretty generic, with the typical evil government and you as a former soldier out to stop them, but who plays a Contra game for the story? You (and a buddy if playing co-op) grab your guns, and blast everything that moves, picking up weapon upgrades you find en route. You can play in traditional arcade mode, or an all new ‘Rising’ mode where you can earn new moves and weapon upgrades. Extra characters are available for download. Uprising is part of Konami’s attempt to start a spin-off franchise with Hard Corps (originally released on the Genesis during the 90s), and if future titles are as good as this, Hard Corps will represent a new direction for the Contra franchise just as it did all those years ago. Weather you’re a fan of Contra, or just like old school 2D action, you’ll want to download this title.

Back in the 90’s, video games had a trend of having big ominous corporations that served as the general antagonist for the story, even if the true antagonists just worked there. The idea that the heroes had not just one or two, but an entire (usually public) organization baring down on them for whatever reason was a pretty popular idea, due to the fact that just the idea made the fight that much more intense and necessary. Filled with corrupt corporate executives, the company seems benevolent to the general masses, but is secretly developing either weaponry, amassing political sway, and plotting how it can take over the world.

None fit this example better than Resident Evil’s Umbrella Corporation.

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In a follow up to Sindra’s keep playing (read blatant attempt at a 1up), I decided to feature what is undoubtedly the best early Simpsons game, an arcade beat em up from Konami. This also happens to be the first Simpsons game ever made. In the tradition of thier X-men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle games, Simpsons is a fun brawler which is even better when you have friends to join in. There isn’t much to the story: Maggie swallows Smithers’ diamond and he kidnaps her in order to get it back, so America’s most beloved animated family (besides the Griffins) goes after him to get it back. The voice actors from the cartoon reprise thier roles here. If you played Konami’s X-men or TMNT, you’ll feel right at home with this game as well. Although EA released an Iphone remake, it’s a surprise that Konami has yet to release this on PSN or Xbox Live arcade a’la TMNT and X-men. Hopefully it won’t be much longer before they do, as fans of the series will no doubt love this game.

What better way is there to launch a new Nintendo console than with a flagship series? If Mario isn’t available, then there is always Zelda. The Twilight Princess is the Zelda title fans have waited for ever since before the Windwaker on the Gamecube (remember that footage of Link battling a skeleton knight?), and it was also a good preview of what we could expect on the Wii. As Link, you set out to save the kingdom of Hyrule from a creeping darkness that is slowly taking over it. At times you travel to the world within this darkness, where you take the form of a wolf as you seek out a way to burn it away. After getting rid of the darkness, you can then explore the light version of the world. The game does a good job of utilizing the new motion controls without making anything feel forced. You shake the Wiimote to swing your sword, and you can even aim it to fire your bow. You can also use it in a fishing minigame. Although the animations are a bit canned (remember, this was intended to be a Gamecube game), the controls are intuitive and fun. This is classic Zelda action at its best. You explore dungeons and gain new items that help you make your way through them, and you encounter bosses which force you to think your strategy through. Keeping in Nintendo tradition, Link doesn’t talk, although the story is still moving as there are plenty of water cooler moments and twists to keep you progressing through the game to see what’s next. With a new Zelda game on the way, now is the perfect time to check out this modern-day classic.

Things seem to be getting back to normal this week with the Playstation Network coming back up and the end of the world on Saturday. LA Noire is the big release this week in an otherwise sparse week of new games. Remember to click on the links below if you are interested in any of the items to help the site out.
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Note: The staff at Powet.tv is neither anti-christian nor anti-religious, just anti-crappy video games.

Left Behind 3: Rise of the Antichrist is the third in a series of RTS video games based on the book series of the same name. Left Behind takes place after the Rapture. For those of you who slept through Sunday school, that’s the day when god comes to take all good Christians to heaven to be with him, leaving only their clothes behind. Naturally panic and fear set in, with people’s loved ones disappearing out of the blue. A man named Nicholae Carpathia steps up and takes control of everything, reorganizing the U.N int the newly re-christened Global Community Peacekeepers, so now order is restored to the world. Only one problem: Carphathia is the antichrist. Now it’s up to the Tribulation Force, a ragtag group of new Christians, to stop them and spread the lord’s word. It’s out there, but it’s not like it’s the strangest premise in video gaming. I mean, this week’s $20 Game of the Week has you playing as a sentient blob of meat out to rescue a girl made of bandages from a fetus in a tuxedo for crying out loud.
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