If you’re a regular visitor to Powet, then chances are, you know of my love of robot ninjas. It’s like putting together two different kinds of awesome. On two separate occasions, I featured games in this column featuring robot ninjas in all of their glory. The characters in this little known Super Nintendo game that was developed by Hori Electric and published by Atlus may not exactly be ninjas, but they’re close enough. In Run Saber, players take control of either Allen or Sheena (or both if playing a 2-player game) as they make their way across 5 levels battling robots and aliens in a bid to save Earth. It’s pretty much your typical mid-90s SNES platformer, with jumping and powerups. The way they climb on walls and move however, is quite similar to Capcom’s Strider. In fact, it wouldn’t be far fetched to say that is Strider had a 2-player co-op mode, it would look something like this. That’s not to say it’s a ripoff, just that as great minds think alike, so in particular do great game designers. The game manages to make an identity all on its own with its level layouts and boss encounters (including a giant witch whose face decomposes). Who knows when, or even if, Atlus will bring this game over to the Virtual Console, so it looks like this is one of those gens you have to hunt down for yourself. It might not be original, but it does what it does very well. Besides, you can never go wrong with games featuring robot ninjas.

Seeing as how October is upon us, I’m going to make it my mission to do as many Halloween and horror-esque themed articles as possible for the entirety of the month. This rendition of OFotW is hardly obscure nor a recent find for me, but worthy of making note of nonetheless.

For the month of October, the Dwelling of Duels is holding a Castlevania-themed contest in honor of the Halloween season that is upon us!

For those who are unaware of what the Dwelling of Duels is exactly – it’s a long-running online competition for those who are skilled in the art of music making to test their skills out on remixing video game music, and is generously hosted by VGmix. Each month features a new theme of the contest, with a “Free Month” happening every so often. Competitors are required to have produced at least one live-made instrument as part of the composition, and to make their entry as unique as possible, whist still adhering to the original tune their basing their song off of.

The site’s regular participants include some of the internet’s most well-known VG remixers, such as Norg, Snappleman, and Goat, and showcases serious talent in the genre of gaming remixes. This will mark the first time a Castlevania themed contest has ever been attempted in the 4 known years it’s been running. Perfect for the running of the October colors. The contest entry acceptance runs until the 26th, and a listening party is scheduled for the following night. It’s very much the type of thing to keep your eye on if you’re a fan of gaming music remixes.

Seems as though last weeks rumors were true, and Bungie has indeed split from Microsoft to pursue other opportunities. The Microsoft press release reads:

“REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 5, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a plan for Bungie Studios, the developers of the “Halo®” franchise, to embark on a path to become an independent company. Microsoft will retain an equity interest in Bungie, at the same time continuing its long-standing publishing agreement between Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie for the Microsoft-owned “Halo” intellectual property as well as other future properties developed by Bungie.

The critically acclaimed Xbox 360®-exclusive “Halo 3” achieved $300 million in global sales in its first week. Released on Tuesday, Sept. 25, “Halo 3” is the fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history.

“Our collaboration with Bungie has resulted in ‘Halo’ becoming an enduring mainstream hit,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”

“This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,” said Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft® platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”

Bungie Studios will remain in its current location in Kirkland, Wash….”

What this means for Microsoft competitors Sony and Nintendo remains to be seen, but this is big news any way you slice it. More info as it becomes available.

With new Halos, Metroids, and Zeldas now released, our eyes can now safely turn toward the next big sequel this fall: Mario.
This new video from the Japanese version showcases a welcome return (with music!) from a past Mario game.

All this courtesy the new Japanese Super Mario Galaxy site. If you’re shy about clicking because you don’t know the language, you can get more from Gametrailers.

When I heard Nintendo was sending out free Wii Jackets, I anxiously hit up their site to see what I could add to my winter ensemble. Unfortunately, these jackets won’t keep the cold out on those long Wisconsin winter nights, but rather another measure to keep that white baton from launching out of my sweaty gaming hands.

Click here to request a new slip cover for your Wii remote. The picture on the right makes the whole thing look kinda abnormally shaped and goofy, but I’ll save further criticism until I actually get one in my hands. Speaking of hands, Nintendo has some of the most exquisite hand models I’ve ever seen. They bring back the elegance and class of Ray McKigney.

Capcom’s Street Fighter series was a first in gaming, particularly in the one-on-one fighting game genre. While it didn’t create the genre, it helped launch it into mainstream. It introduced the popular 6-button attack scheme, multiple selectable characters, and combo attacks that made use of joystick motions. Unfortunately, it was also one of the first games to receive multiple revisions, particular with Street Fighter 2. By 1995, we had no less than 5 different versions of the game. Players were begging for more, and Capcom’s inability to count to three became somewhat of a running gag in video games. Thankfully Capcom finally gave us something new. Street Fighter Alpha, with a storyline that took place between Street Fighter 1 and 2, gave the series a much needed update with new characters (including many from the original Street Fighter and Final Fight), attacks, and a new fighting system. It wasn’t exactly Street Fighter 3, but fans ate it up all the same.
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ID software, the fathers of the first person shooter, had three major franchises in the genre; Wolfenstein 3-d, Doom, and Quake. There was also a fourth series that, while it wasn’t was well known as the other three, managed to provide some unique twists on the FPS genre all on its own. Even though it was developed by Raven Software, it maintained the innovation that had been present in ID’s other franchises. The Serpent Riders Trilogy, better known as Heretic, Hexen, and Hexen 2, followed the player’s quest the save the world from three ancient demons. While most shooters of the time placed players in a science fiction setting, Heretic and its sequels placed gamers in a fantasy realm. This was a first at the time, and it was an experience which few FPS games have managed to replicate. Even today, you’ll be hard pressed to find a first person shooter game willing to deviate from the norm this drastically.
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A lot of news with the League, I’ll start with the people…
Firstly, my big awesome idea of putting Welling in tights isn’t going to fly. Will it be Routh? How many Supermen do we need?
Next, Jessica Biel was apparently offered and then passed the role of Wonder Woman. As much as I’d like to see her in this outfit, I don’t think she’s right for the role. We got one shot, the gal they cast should be an amazon. A relative unknown, Victoria Hill has been tested for the role, and may just get it.
UGO got a leak of the supposed script for Justice League, and it sounds like a mixture of the comics Tower Of Babel and some of the OMAC/Brother Eye stuff. Basically elaborating on Batman’s files on how to take down the other leaguers, and them falling in the wrong hands, and being used to turn them against each other. They imply a shocking ending thats on par with “Luke, I am your father.”

The script could be a fake, the casting is still far from finished, but with so much chatter on the blogs, the early buzz is starting to become genuine hype. I hope they can deliver, because as I’ve said with all adaptations: I’d rather have NO movie than a BAD one.