The Halo series has its share of heavy military reference material. There is perhaps none more completely mystified on the human side than the Office of Naval Intelligce, or ONI (pronounced in fiction as “Oh-nee”).

There is no in-fiction date of formation for ONI, but it is likely an extension of the current United States ONI, originally commissioned in 1882. The modern US ONI has the stated purpose of tracking enemy and friendly ships throughout the globe in order to assess threats to the homeland, and is one of the oldest branches of the US intelligence community though handled by the armed forces.
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Not really seeing much in the way of big name releases. Lots of smaller games and accessories available this week.
This week’s game releases are after the jump. Take a look and help the site out by purchasing items through these links!

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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.

In a universe full of Super Soldiers, gods, mutants, monsters, robots, and just about everything else you can imagine, there is one organization that we can rely upon to keep tabs on all the madness and keep everything, and everyone, in line. That’s the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Division, more commonly known as S.H.I.E.L.D. And for the longest time, one man has been at the center of it all: Nicholas Fury. Nick has been many things during his lifetime: an amateur boxer, a WWII hero, a CIA agent, and a super spy. His most notable job was the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. While he may not shoot beams out of his eyes, have adamantium claws, wear a suit of armor, or have the proportionate strength of a spider, he is just as vital, if not more vital to the Marvel Universe, as any of its greatest meta-human champions.
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Over the last 2 years, I’ve been dogged by the fact that I though Avatar was an overrated turd, and now I’ve got the ideal underrated gem to compare it to. Both rely heavily on their visual effects to tell a story and I’ll spell out five reasons why I think Sucker Punch is better than Avatar.

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Seems like a lot of sports games this week. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12, NASCAR The Game 2011, Shift 2 and WWE All-Stars. WWE All-Stars is probably the game with the most hype, allowing you to play as wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre The Giant, The Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, Rey Mysterio, etc.,. An all star cast of all star wrestlers.

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While Interplay’s Clayfighter might not have been the best fighting game of the SNES days, it was certainly the most creative and original. At the least, it’s art style put it head and shoulders above other SFII rip offs. It also had a pretty creative ad campaign, which parodied other fighting games. When a meteor made of clay lands on in a circus, the clay infects the circus employees, transforming them into strange clay creatures based on their own personalities. Among them are an Elvis impersonator, an evil snowman, an blob of clay that can change its shape, and Helga, an opera singer. The animation style is unique, and the action will keep you in stitches. A “Tournament edition” was released, which fixed many of the game’s glitches and added some new play modes. There were a number of sequels released, and a DSIware/Wiiware revival has been planned. The game is available on Virtual Console. It may not be Street Fighter, but it will keep you in stitches the whole time you play it.

Created by Finland development studio Rovio Interactive, Angry Birds is undoubtedly last year’s Plants vs Zombies. That is, a game developed for casual audiences that gets over with mainstream gamers, finding intensive success, to the point of becoming a pop culture icon. Why are these birds so angry? Simple. Green-skinned pigs have stolen their eggs, so now the birds are ready to cause some serious damage to get their revenge. By controlling their slingshot, you launch the birds at huge wooden structures in an attempt to destroy the pigs within. When you complete a level, you gain extra points for eac unused bird and each part of the structure that’s destroyed. As you progress in the game, you get to use birds with different abilities. This is available on Iphone OS and Android (2.1 and up), but the company is seeking to bring it to PSP, Xbox Live Arcade, Wii, Windows Phone 7, and PC. There are also two stand alone spinoffs. Angry Birds Seasons, which contains holiday-themed levels, and Angry Birds Rio, a free entry based on the upcoming film of the same name which sees players trying to free birds who have been kidnapped by poachers. There are also plans for a TV show and movie based on this new franchise. Angry birds is proof that independent games are becoming bigger than ever, and can even give mainstream games a run for their money. It’s only a dollar, so check it out.

You know those certain types of bands that sing a certain type of music that’s so damn catchy, despite whatever your musical tastes are, you can’t help but nod your head in beat with the rhythm? Lady Gaga is many a person’s guilty pleasure for that fact alone, so we all know it happens.

That’s pretty much what Mindless Self Indulgence is – though much more palatable and a bit less shame-inducing. (for me, anyway)
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