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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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.

Ever since its arcade debut, Shinobi stood alongside Ninja Gaiden (and to some extent Strider) as the king of video gaming ninjas, and the series only got better on the Genesis. Shinobi 3 was the follow up to the awesome Shadow Dancer, and it really pushed the envelope on the Sega Genesis, as it’s visuals were so awesome that you’d think you were playing an SNES game. There isn’t much of a plot (the big evil organization is back, and our hero is back out to stop it) then again who needs one? You basically make your way through several stages kicking ass. Sometimes you ride on horseback, and you’ll battle everything from Ninjas, to soldiers, to bio-engineered freaks. You have your throwing knives, sword, and ninja magic to help you. It’s one of the finest examples of 2D action on the Genesis, and one of the finest games of the 16-bit era. It’s available on the Sonic Mega Collection disc for Xbox 360 and PS3, the Sega Genesis Collection on the PS2 and PSP, and the Wii Virtual Console.

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

Surely Indiana Jones belongs in any list of the greatest characters ever put on film. Aside from the role as the (also list worthy) Han Solo, Indy is what defines Harrison Ford as a tough, charismatic actor.
He was introduced in the film “Raiders of The Lost Ark” and thats a great movie. But I’m going to focus on the movie where the character’s name actually appears above the title, “Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom”
I know this article series is supposed to focus on a lot of stuff that we as geeks either do or should respect. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is maybe the antithesis of that. We must know it so that we may learn its mistakes.
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SoulCalibur 4 marks the current generation debut of Namco’s Hack ‘n’ Slash fighting game series. While the game has been enhanced in some areas (notably graphics and online play), the game tends to be somewhat lacking in others (story and single player content). Even so, fans of SoulCalibur will once again have a chance to enjoy another installment of the fun and fast paced action that the series in known for, and there are even a few surprises included as well.
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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.

Top 5 reasons High Fidelity belongs in the Powet Alphabet: [Read the rest of this entry…]

Rise of Legends is a sequel/spinoff of Big Huge Game’s Rise of Nations, which is one of my favorite PC RTS games. While it doesn’t stray too far from Rise of Nation’s formula, there are a few key differences in both the presentation and the gameplay. First of all, instead of a historical setting, ROL takes place on a fantasy world and tells a tale of 3 warring races: The Vinci are a steampunk style human civilization with mechanical units inspired by Renaissance painter Leonardo Da Vinci. The Alin are an Arabian-knights style group of creatures, magicians, and sorcerers. The Cuotl are a Meso-American inspired race of mythical creatures with advanced technology. You step in the role of an inventor out to avenge his brother’s death and finds something bigger going on, and the quest takes you through all three factions. The game’s factions include several hero units, and the 3D graphics give the game more impressive visuals.

Other than that, the gameplay will feel right at home for veterans of RON. The campaign makes use of a map similar the RON’s conquer the world campaign, and you’ll spend lots of time in battle researching and upgrading your tech tree. While Rise of Legends doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is still an excellent RTS game, and it does a good job of following up Rise of Nations, even if its scope is scaled down in comparison.

You might see this game in a Best Buy or Gamestop and you may be tempted to pick it up, wondering why I haven’t already featured it as a $20 GOTW. Before you do, you should know that there is a much better version of this game available on PC for the same price. It has better level design, a better save system, more responsive play control, a level editor, and an online community with custom content and high score lists. It’s called Crayon Physics Deluxe.
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