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

This column poses the question, “What makes us geeks?” To that, I say obscurity. As geeks we thrive in the obscure. Be it obscure objects, information or experiences involving our niche interests, we Obsess Over Obscurity.
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This past weekend I featured a big article on the Nintendo Entertainment System’s most influential games. This didn’t make the list, but it was still an excellent sports title from Nintendo’s early days. Back then, beating Mike Tyson was a rite of passage for any hardcore gamer. Of course, en route to face him, you also went face to face with several fictional boxers, each of them becoming memorable in their own right. Who could for get King Hippo, Glass Joe, or Don Flamenco? Sequels to this game later appeared on the Super Nintendo and most recently the Wii, but this NES classic is the most well known iteration of Punch Out.
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The game play and visuals are too close to be coincidental, but then the music totally seals the deal: From Software’s latest is an homage of the highest order to the Legend of Zelda.
Some lesser blogs have fingered this PSN exclusive as a knock-off, but then it has such a distinct twist, I don’t think it could be qualified as such. Also its too deliberate, it would be like saying Weird Al knocks off Michael Jackson.

If anything its knocking off Super Paper Mario for taking the classic 2D gameplay into a bizarre interpretation of the 3rd dimension!

It launches November 5th on PS3 in Japan, hopefully a global release won’t be far behind.
[3D-Heroes.net]

Gotta love the 8-bit era of gaming. Playing the old NES brings back so many classic memories. Remember using the drift technique in Rally King to make it through to the end of the race? Or how about seeing if you could make it to level 64 in Cosmic Gate? Or how about when you finally defeated that mega-tough guardian in Guadia Quest after some serious level grinding? What’s that? You don’t remember any of those games? Good. There is a reason for that (besides me calling you a liar if you said yes). Those games, along with 5 others, are retro-style games created for this cart. While they have 8-bit NES looks, rest assured, they are as current as Gears of War or Halo.
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This may not be new info, but it was new to me. GI Joe Resolute, the micro-series that aired on Cartoon Network as a build up to the hype of the live-action movie, will be making its DVD debut on November 3, 2009. If you are like me, and completely missed the airring, this is your chance to find out what happened.

Did any of you commenters watch it? Let us know what you thought below. Sharing is caring, people!

Finally got my hands on an Animated Cliffjumper figure and figured I’d share it with everyone.
Did you like Transformers Animated? Activators? Comment! Let us know.

What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right? Is that why the Japanese game industry has been slipping lately? Even prominent Japanese creators are seeing the writing on the wall, saying that they must innovate, “or die”. As if to prove their point, we talk about a mess of games we’ve been playing that were not made in the land of the rising sun.

Audio Netcast Details
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Direct Link: Powetcast Episode 20: Be an Earthling First

(Name your dream team comic merger! AT&T still doesn’t own a company. How about Dark Horse? Leave your comments below!)

Show notes after the jump!

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Bandai has announced that it has chosen the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers as the next theme for the Power Rangers series. Since Transformers knocked the Power Rangers from the top spot in the young boys’ toys category, Bandai seems to have chosen a strategy to get back to the roots of their franchise in order to appeal to older fans and bring in more new fans, as well.

The toyline will feature both classic and new interpretations of the characters, zords, and more. This will be accompanied by an all new Saturday morning series debuting in January 2010 on ABC kids. The toys are scheduled to hit retail before the end of the year.

I remember tuning in Saturday mornings for the Fox Kids X-Men animated series and sticking around after to catch the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. I lost interest around the first time they changed the theme of the show. I think it became Power Rangers Zeo or something like that. I felt it was around then that it had jumped the ‘zord’, so to speak. Looking forward to see where this goes, especially if there are new zord toys.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

Press release after the jump
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