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

Nope, we’re not trying to put a crazy spin on “V for Vendetta” involving robot lions. It’s time for some more Powet Alphabet where we’re featuring the letter V for Voltron.

We all remember the great robot anime of the 1980’s. The original Gundam had been premiered, along with Robotech, and became legendary as the pioneers of what was much later dubbed the “Mecha” prime years. Voltron was the third component in these top-tiered series in terms of popularity and fanbase.
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World of Goo is yet another independently developed physics-based puzzle game (hey, I just can’t get enough of these), and it was one of the first games available on Nintendo’s WiiWare service. Developed by ex-EA staff members Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, World of Goo can best be described as a cross between Lemmings, Jenga, and a can of Play-Doh. Your goal is to get a group of goo balls to a pipe. You can form the goo into different shapes and connect them into towers, bridges, or whatever else you think can help you solve the level. There are 5 different chapters, each with their own graphical style, theme, and levels. Early on in the game you’ll unlock the “World of Goo Corporation”, which is a bonus level where you use your excess goo balls to try to compete with other players as you attempt to build a bigger tower than everyone else. World of Goo is a fun and whimsical game that can be enjoyed on quite a few platforms. It has received several awards as well, so puzzle gamers will definitely want to check this game out.

Maximum Letdown: Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (PS1)
In the early days of the Playstation, Battle Arena Toshinden was all the rage. It provided some excellent 3D fighting action, showcased what the system was capable of, and it provided some eye candy in the form of the lovely Sofia. However, that was then. By 1998, the franchise had fast become a relic of days gone by (and this despite its sequel being published in the arcades by Capcom no less). As franchises such as Virtua Fighter and Tekken were evolving the genre into something greater, Toshinden was consistently failing to offer fighting game fans anything different, and as Tekken was soaring to new heights, Toshinden would slowly fade off into the darkness by the new millennium, and its developers decided to kill it off gracefully with this supposedly last entry (of course there was a Battle Arena Toshinden 4, but it was never released in America, and at that point, no one would care about it anyway).
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Chains, an independently developed puzzle game released on Steam by developer 2dEngine, is a perfect example of how a seemingly simple concept can become addictive and engaging if done right. The best way to describe Chains would be Columnus with a little physics attached to it. As in most puzzle games, you make matches of three or more to make them disappear. You do so by using your mouse to connect them. It’s the game’s levels that provide the real challenge. In one level, you may have to make a certain point total while another forces you to make a certain amount of chains before a hatch opens. As you beat one level, the next will unlock. Unfortunately, there is no ‘free mode’ where you can just play until you lose. You’re merely stuck playing through the levels. Even with this oversight, Chains sets itself apart from other games of it’s type, and on top of that, the game is only $5 on Steam. While it may not be the next Tetris or Lumines, it’s certainly offers something compelling and different for a good value. This would make an excellent downloadable DSi game (Hint Hint).

Batman doesn’t have many friends. I mean, he’s in the Justice League and he teams up with a new costumed bozo every week on Cartoon Network, but that doesn’t mean any of these guys are close.

So Batman sometimes has to be the snot out of allies. This happens in official books and toons a lot, but when you open it up to the world of fan films, edits, and satire, you’ll get some good stuff.

Click after the jump to see 4 films of Batman fighting another hero, monsters, a holiday, and himself.
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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.

Sailor Moon is not a building block of what makes me a geek. It’s the whole building, and whatever else makes me a geek is maybe a broom closet in that building. I first caught Sailor Moon on TV at age 17 back in 1995 when it was dubbed and playing about a billion times a week up here in Canada. This began my love affair with anime. People would tell me that Sailor Moon was a great gateway anime, and that when they would watch other stuff they would realize that it was only the beginning. Well that never happened for me. I’ve watched a lot of anime in my life, but I’ve just never seen anything that measured up to Sailor Moon. To me it is, without question, the greatest story ever told. So bear with me as I talk about that one element of geek culture that I truly have an unparalleled passion for.

I’ll be giving a full franchise overview for those not intimately familiar with Sailor Moon, but I’ll also try to thrown in some rare content that some hardcore fans will hopefully not have seen before.

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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.

Anyone who grew up in the ’90s should remember ReBoot on ABC. As a budding computer geek, I was fascinated by this show — not only because of its endless barrage of computer in-jokes and references, but because it was the first 3D-animated cartoon ever. This barely compares to what a teenager can do these days with off-the-shelf software, but in 1994 it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen.

Most people don’t even know that the show survived its cancellation to have an amazing third season, and somewhat middling TV movies. What? You’re one of them? Then read more after the jump! (Or watch the video above!)

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Fellow poweteers Sindra and Raistlin joined me this past weekend at the Fall ’09 Boston Comic Con. This small convention has started getting attention and has been growing by leaps and bounds each show. Traditionally held at the Back Bay Events Center near Copley Square, the show runs twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the Fall.

Read on for more about the convention and what I thought!
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