We take a trip over to our friend’s house where everything sounds different. Er, where you play the games that you didn’t play at your house because you didn’t own the system, didn’t own the game, weren’t ALLOWED to own the system or game, or just like the atmosphere better than at your place. And for this episode, we invited a few friends over to our house! Zac, aDam , and Ernie of No Topic Required take over the show for this April Fool’s Day episode. Supposedly Sarah Rattle was there too, but we sure didn’t hear her!

Leave your own voicemail at 608-492-1923, or just share your thoughts in the show notes at FamicomDojo.TV:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/90

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Welcome to the Powet Top 5, where we explore the top (and bottom) 5 items we think are relevant to any of a variety of topics that span the imagination. Sit back, read, and respond.

Screenshot from the forthcoming Rise of the Triad remake, rebuilt from the ground up using Unreal Engine 3.

It’s quite easy to remake something, be it a tv show, movie, or video game. Maybe that’s why there are so many of them. At worst, a remake can be nothing more than a simple cash grab aimed at nostalgic fans. At best however, it can bring back what fans loved about the original work while introducing it to a whole new generation of fans. It’s not hard to make a good remake either, especially in gaming. There are 4 simple steps to making one:

1. Preserve (and enhance when and where necessary) what worked the first time around
2. Fix (or get rid of) what didn’t work
3. Add in new features that enhance the original experience without diluting it
4. Give it a graphical makeover. It doesn’t have to use today’s cutting edge graphics (and in some cases, it probably shouldn’t, just so as long as it looks better than it did the first time.

Here are 5 of the best remakes in video games. They’ve gone above and beyond simply reskinning and re-releasing the original game, they’ve added to it, and in some cases changing it completely while preserving what players loved about it so many years ago. Check them out, and sound off below if there is a remake that you enjoyed or that you want to see.
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Did we really need another re-release of Final Fantasy IV? That’s debatable, but when the package is this good, why not? Final Fantasy IV The Complete Collection is (for now at least) the definitive re-release of the Super Nintendo classic. Not only does it contain a graphically updated version of the base game (with the ability to switch between the original and remixed soundtracks), it also contains all the episodes of Final Fantasy – The After Years, the downloadable sequel to FF IV, and an intermission chapter. So if you’re one of the 15 people who never played the game before in your life, or if you weren’t sold on the original WiiWare release of The After Years, this is your chance to grab the most complete version of the 16 bit classic. At least it will be until next time Square-Enix decides to re-release it.

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

The Kingdom Hearts franchise is a series of video games which varies in quality from amazing to barely playable. Let’s look at the series at it’s best and worst.

The concept was a weird one that didn’t seem to mesh at all. Take some Disney characters, throw them in with a bunch of Final Fantasy characters, toss in a few Keyblades and see what comes up. The result, it would seem, was something gamers really took to.

Though the game was Japanese first, it included a ton of Disney characters. The concept in the first game on the PlayStation 2 was basically that each new world was based on a new Disney movie which brought it’s characters into the fold as well. Even amongst the Disney characters the range of types of movies varied greatly, but they still managed to coexist in the rich world that was created quite well.

The game’s Hero is accompanied by Donald Duck, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket. Disney themed worlds are based on Alice in Wonderland, Hercules, Tarzan, Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin, Pinnochio, The Little Mermaid, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Peter Pan. Beyond these worlds other characters from other Disney properties make appearances. We see Mickey, Minnie, the Brooms from Fantasia, Merlin, 101 Dalmatians, the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella, Aurora and Maleficent, Snow White, Belle and the Beast, Simba, Dumbo, Bambi, Mushu, Chip and Dale and Huey, Dewey and Louis.

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Late last night (or right in the middle of the day in Tokyo), Sony announced the next generation PSP. Yes, it has two thumbsticks, you can stop crying now.

What you can’t see immediately: The display is 960 x 544 pixels (thats 16×9 widescreen) with OLED lighting (great for outside or natural light), and capacitive multi-touch screen. Oh, theres also atouch pad BEHIND the screen too. Six-axis tilt sensors like the PS3 controller. Built in Wifi, Built in GPS, and built in 3G support: You’ll be able to download games anywhere. Front and rear facing cameras round out the cool features, though the power of the processor is said to rival current home consoles.

Games will be available on the Playstation store as well as on flash cards (like the DS). UMD is officially dead, but you’ll still be able to buy games in a brick and mortar store if you want.

Speaking of games: Uncharted, Killzone, WipEout, Resistance, Lost Planet, Metal Gear, Yakuza, and Call of Duty were all mentioned as in development. Nothing is official, and we’ll post video as soon as we have it (blurry shaky cams are all over youtube, but no quality video from Sony yet)

Read on for a gallery of photos of the device, and see official specs. Leave us a comment! What do you think? Obviously this blows the previous PSP out of the water, but will it compete with 3DS if the price is right?
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Times are tough, especially in the midst of this economic recession. That’s why we here at powet are proud to help bail gamers out of the hell of playing the same things over and over again. For the past 5 years, we have helped gamers like yourself find cheap ways to increase your gaming library. TO celebrate, we have formed this special stimulus package featuring 10 games that are available for $20 or less. Some of them are even available for free. So click after the jump, and check out some cheap gaming.
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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 the short time they had been around, manufacturers took steps to make video games available in as many formats as possible. After their arcade origins, games were made available on home computers, and consoles. After making consoles which allowed interchangeable cartridges, the next logical step would be to make games that you could take with you on the go. From the tabletop electronic games of the 60s and 70s to the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, and everything else in between, there has been no better way to pass the time.
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Half Minute Hero is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the classic titles of the 8-bit era while at the same time providing a new and frantic style of gameplay. Half Minute Hero depicts the story of the Time Goddess’s battle against an ancient evil that spans several centuries. You’ll take control of 4 heroes, each with their own style of play. Hero 30 is a role playing game in which you have 30 seconds to clear each level. You’ll have to discover hidden treasures, level up, and even perform sidequests, all within a 30 second time limit. You’ll have to visit the goddess statue to refill your time. Evil Lord 30 is a real time strategy game that places you in the role of a former villain who is out to lift the curse placed on his lover. You’ll have 30 seconds to complete each stage, and you’ll battle enemies by summoning monsters. Princess 30 is a shooter in which players take control of a princess who is out to find medicine for her sick father. You’ll have 30 seconds to make it to the other side of the screen, grab the item, then run back. In Knight and Wizard 30, players control a knight who has to guard a wizard as he casts his spell, which takes him 30 seconds. There is also a hidden 5th mode, and a multiplayer mode.

Half Minute Hero gives players something new and different, and the frantic 30 second action (along with the Time Goddess’s one liners) while have you grinning from ear to ear. It’s also an awesome parody of the 8-bit era, and it’s a must have for PSP owners. It’s too bad that it didn’t do the numbers they should have, but now that it’s at the $20 price range, it shouldn’t have much trouble finding it’s way into a few more PSP units.