Join sisters NinJaSistah and Pandalicious and the rest of the ESH Crew each day as they discuss video games, tech gadgets, anime, manga... pretty much everything within the geek chic lifestyle.
From Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC game reviews, previews, news, and gushings to audience questions and rumor mill seeding galore you'll find it here at ESH!
Ghostbusters waste no time throwing you into the action and it does a great job doing it. Hunting down the spooks and capturing them with your array of equipment feels exactly how I imagined while watching the movies. The ghosts don’t make it easy for you, which gives you an understanding of why there was so much property damage in the movies as well as the game.
My problem with Ghostbusters is that you’re given the entire experience of the game within the first few minutes. There are a few possible tweaks when it comes to weapons and upgrades, but it’s just not enough for combined with the four or five hours it takes to finish the game in one sitting. What you get in the beginning is all there is through to the end.
The first Ghostbusters movie was one of the funniest films in history with lines that are still quoted today. The game falls short in this aspect. It comes off as actors failing to impersonate the originals, making me ashamed to have ever quoted the lines myself.
I won’t completely blame the game’s shortcomings on its’ voice actors. The storyline leaves a lot to be desired. It’s simple with no real plot twists or turns. After managing to sit through the story, I got an ending that seemed like a rush job.
On the other hand, Ghostbusters packs a few multiplayer modes that will keep you from trading in the game directly after finishing it. Sadly, even this does not make it worth the $60 price tag. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the series and this is a must have for you, Ghosbusters should definitely go on your “Things To Rent” list.
25 years ago...an elder wrote on a scroll the tale of a chosen one...
That is right ladies and gentleman, citizens of ESHland! Pandalicious has crossed the line between young woman to...old. This is right, I have reached the tender age of 25. I can hardly believe it myself. Twenty-five years of...studying, crying, eating,sleeping, playing video games, NOT playing video games, WoW (yes I had to mention it) Being apart of a great community whether it was the one we made here at ESH, or being apart of the Allgames family.
So... I've decided to share with you all...something that was quite popular on facebook...I'm going to share 25 things about myself that you may or may not know....
Here it comes...[That's what HE said]
1. My idea of a late start of the day is 9am....
2. Every morning I secretly hope that the world will break out into song...like in musicals
3.Every other morning I *used to* work out with my Wii Fit.
4.I only pretend to be a Diva in my own mind.
5.I strongly dislike Bananas
6.I do not want World Peace...because the world would be lying to itself.
7.Perversion is a hobby of mine, not a trait.
8.I'm deathly scared of planes...well...tragically dying in one mostly
9. I'm attempting to perfect my art of photography
10.I feel more like my father's daughter than my mothers
11.I feel more fulfilled when I've walked someplace versus driving there.
12.I dream in series..my dreams tell me stories.
13.When i'm walking alone in a hall/stairwell/ or tunnel on campus I pretend i'm in music videos. (Yes I'm that girl who dances until she sees u are looking at her)
14. OMG SHOES...I love shoes....pretty sexy shoes that I HARDLY wear
15. I'm an internet radio personality....with ACTUAL fans...(I know right!)
16.The idea of being popular makes me sick to my stomach.
17.I'm the "mother" of my group of friends
18.I still have friends from elementary school and I'm glad about it
19.I wish I were more open to the worlds influences.
20. I smoke cigarettes when i'm extremely stressed out
21. There is a butterfly on my left shoulder.
22. I'm a gamer today, tomorrow and forever
23. My favorite facial feature are my eyes...
24.I will forever dislike Twilight, or vampires that DON"T BLOW UP in SUNLIGHT
25. Is truly happy about the way my life is going....
So there you have it folks...things you wouldn't know about me unless you asked. I'm off to enjoy my birthday and I suggest you all do the same. So... all of you who are able to raise a drink up high, and those of you underage go grab some soda or something and let's celebrate the day!
There is something about 1800's France converted into the year 5053 that just screams for attention...and I will gladly give it.
There is something, deep inside me that secretly longs for the flair of romanticism and intrigue. I can't even fully begin to describe where it comes from, but I noticed, as of late, that my favorite things involve places like... you guessed it...Paris. It is always portrayed as the place where you can walk down le rue (the street) and meet not only new people, but possibly yourself. So with this notion in my heart, I indulged the hopeless romantic in me by immersing myself into stories, or movies and even some music that made me think of France. Case in point, my fall back movies of late have been classics like Sabrina[The 1995 remake of the 1954 version. This remake starred Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford.], French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. It also came out in 1995. [Perhaps I just have a thing for movies that came out in 1995.]and lastly No Reservations starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckart[which has more to do with french cuisine than with the culture itself]
Needless to say I am enamored with it, such is so that I've decided to revisit a series that I recall talking about in very little detail, to give it far more credit than I did previously. So with that said I am going to talk about Gankutsuou: The Counte of Monte Cristo.
First let me restate that visually this 24 episode series is eye catching! This animation style opened itself up to a creative use of layering with a splash of 3D background animation. It makes the setting of France if anything surreal to the naked eye. However to fully appreciate this form of art [Completely my opinion!], it is best to know about the origins of The Count of Monte Cristo. It is an adventure novel by written by Alexandre Dumas.
In the original story a man by the name of Edmund Dantes is wrongfully accused of being a traitor and is sentenced to rot in prision. While he is there, he befriends a priest who is also there. Edmund is educated in the ways of high society and the studies of a scholar. As a secret between the two men, the priest tells Edmund of a treasure on an Italian island called Monte Cristo. Eventually Edmund leaves prison and managed to make it to the island. Faking an injury, he stays on the island to collect the riches, makes it back to Marseille with all this fortune and a title. [You guessed it Count] He is eagerly welcomed into high society, and is now free to take revenge on the one who sent him to prison in the first place.
In this Anime, the Count, is a mysterious man. While *this* Edmund Dantes was imprisoned he encountered a cold blooded demon who promised him the means to exact his revenge in exchange for Edmund to become his vessel. This takes its toll on Edmund physical form as he has become like crystal, and can in some instances been seen through. [I believe that this is a foreshadow of the ruse that Edmund put on in the orignal story.]
The Count, in this adaptation befriends a naive 15 year old [Why? 15 years olds get all the adventures is BEYOND me] boy by the name of Albert de Morcerf. Most of this series is told from the point of view of the Gankutsuou [the demon I was telling you about previously] and through Albert. So this does not follow with the original focus of the Count like in Dumas' novel.
Like said, it is loosely based on the the enriched novel, but it still held true to a lot of atmosphere of that 1800's French period had, while creating the world of the future. It allowed for the romanticism, intrigue, the actions of men and the ways to achieve "said" greatness to be showcased.
Geneon was the first to have rights to this anime, but as we all know [due to pirating] Geneon soon fell under. It wasn't until later when FUNimation got its hands on it, that it got aired in 2004. It took about a year for the whole 24 episode series to air, due to [you guessed it] additional complications.
All in all, it is a gateway to a more sophisticated choice in anime genre. It isn't for everyone, but it never hurts to try something new... Right?
Detail is an important aspect of any review. I want to bring you the ins and outs of the games coming to your favorite consoles.
Some of you might remember me from my article on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I'm Bramimond, and I want to bring you the detail that is needed to know whether a game is for you or not. I spend a good amount of time reading reviews on a variety of sites before I decide whether or not it deserves a buy. But I am getting sick of those 4/10s that just use 2 paragraphs of my day to say: "Th!s gaem iz teh sux0r!!1". And let's not forget about those 10/10s that give you the "Bai thiz gam3 cuz it is (insert famous series name) so it MUST be AW3SUM"
I own a Wii, DS, PS3 and a PSP, and I want to bring you detailed reviews on the top games for each system. My updates will be sporadic as I am not officially a part of the site just yet, but I certainly hope that my reviews will secure me a spot. You’ll have to look to Panda and Ninja for your Xbox information, but I’m sure you won’t have a problem there. Their experience in the matter is well recognized.
Gaming is in my genes, when I was little my mom was playing the original Legend of Zelda and drawing her own maps for the dungeons. This was before the age of sites like GameFAQs, where gamers had to find their own way through a game. That is the age I was born into, but even the gaming golden ages were filled with games that could make you vomit just from watching footage of it being played. (I’m looking at you E.T.)
I want to help you find the games that will keep you playing long after you beat that final boss. I’ve been hardcore since the day I was born, and playing games is what I’m about. So look to me for your detailed look into the games that make the consoles great.
This is one of my favorite series on the PC and I can't wait to take control of Guybrush Threepwood again on July 7th.
Tales of Monkey Island will be the first of five monthly episodes. Check out the new trailer BEFORE I MAKE YE WALK THE PLANK! Sorry. I couldn't resist.
In a bold move AMC announced that they would open up IMAX screens all across the country in their theater chain. Oh, how that sounded good.
What would've been a solid idea has instead turned into a pit of disappointment. Recently I attended a screening of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" with fellow Boston Bastard Brigade members Blueonic and Bam Bam, and although they were showing it in the regular theater we decided to put down the couple extra bucks to see it in the brand-new IMAX screen. Fourteen dollars, to be exact. What will $14 get you?
1. A clearer picture. 2. A screen that's a couple feet bigger on each side, but not that noticeably big. 3. The same sound system as the regular theater. 4. The same awkward sticky seats that the regular theaters have.
In layman's terms: a waste of money. How so? Well let's compare the AMC IMAX to a regular IMAX, using both the Jordan's Furniture IMAX in Reading, MA ($11.50 a ticket) and the New England Aquarium IMAX in Boston, MA ($9.95 a ticket) as examples. Here's what they offer:
1. A super-clear picture. 2. A movie screen that makes you drool in anticipation of what you're about to see. 3. A sound system that makes you vibrate with ecstasy and has you feel the action. 4. Comfy leather seats that will always have that new car smell to it.
So compared to the regular IMAX theaters, AMC has little-to-no bang for its extra buck. AMC's IMAX is but an imax: nothing grand or spectacular about it. If I were you I'd stick with a regular IMAX experience instead of an "AMC Presents..." imax letdown. It's cheaper and worth more bang for your buck.
Here with a second opinion is my friend and cohost of the Boston Bastard Brigade, Blueonic:
"Hi this is Blueonic, and I’m going to be chatting about how this weekend I saw a great movie, but in a bullshit light from the multiple projectors of the so-called AMC IMAX theater. I have to say in all my life of watching movies, this is the biggest ripoff/false advertisement that I have ever seen.
Now where I live there is a place called the Museum of Science. Of course it’s gotten boring because there is barely anything new that plays there. But there is this setup that’s called the Omni Theater. It's like you’re sitting in a room that has this massive bubble that almost goes all the way around you. The films on these are always science-based bullshit, so I’ll save you from that. But anyways there is yet again another place called Jordan’s Furniture, which has what is called “IMAX”. This has to be what I call true IMAX, the real experience of watching movies on this screen will make you glad that you’re not blind or deaf. The beautiful clarity of the movie makes you feel like you’re in the actual movie. Hell, with the way the screen is and how comfortable the seats are, you can just pass out. But to keep you awake it has sort of a rumble pack or sub-woofer in the seats, so when shit goes boom on the screen, it rocks your ass in the chairs. F**king awesome setup for the Jordan’s IMAX Theater, because of how the screen wraps around you, when you’re sitting in the chairs, you have your own personal space, which is good because if you’re a person who is single, or hates complete strangers sitting next to you, this is the best thing ever. But if you got your girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever, it is capable of holding hands in comfort for once.
But if you go to an AMC/Loews franchise, then you will be very displeased. For this factor you try to hold hands with your significant others, and your arm will be so numb someone can cut it off and you won't even feel it. It makes you push away from your lover, making them think you don’t love them and thus making your little date a horrible experience. But back to the single person sitting next to a complete stranger, it sucks because either you take the armrest or you'll be the one with your hands in your lap (a.k.a. The Bitch). So I have to say, all together, this IMAX Theater isn’t the IMAX Theater, especially seeing that’s what AMC labeled this as. What they should have called it was “BIG F**KING SCREEN WITH AN INDENT THAT CAN’T BE CONSIDERED AN ANGLE”.
If you’re wondering what I watched, it’s called Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen. I have to say Michael Bay did an awesome job again with this movie, the only question with how they left it, it seems like there could be another one; but seeing I’m not one to keep up on Transformers I’m not sure what the next script could be about. But all in all I give the movie both thumbs up, with 9.5 out of 10 stars.
But if I would say if you live in the area of a place that has an IMAX theater, make sure it's an actual IMAX theater. It should be a big dome shaped screen, with the multi-projector setup, comfortable seats, and of course a price that won’t burn a whole in your pocket. The price that was paid for the AMC crap was 14 dollars. Which, if you’re a normal movie person, all you can say is “THAT’S JUST TOO F**KIN' HIGH!!!” So do the damn research when it comes to going to the movies. Also, the other thing that you should do is find out from other people whether or not the movie is good, especially friends you can trust. With this crap economy it’s sometimes better to sit at home watching TV, or spending your money elsewhere till that movie comes on-demand, Netflix, or just plain old DVD/Blu-Ray. I don’t condone piracy or buying those pirated movies. I guess if you get it that way, you're still saving money somehow, but sometimes you don’t get the entire movie.
This is Blueonic signing off."
And there you have it: two opinions, same conclusion. Stick with the regular IMAX and avoid AMC's at all costs (and I mean that both metaphorically and financially).
We tried.While we do our best to keep it on the PG, Pandalicious starts a rant on achievement whoring which turns into an achievement glutton VS achievement whore definition debate that ends up running into a tangent of it's own. When we get back on schedule she talks about her new found love of completing games including the Ubisoft title Assassins' Creed and what we are looking forward to in the next installment of the game. Then Ninjasistah comes back with some bits about industry mergers and acquisitions with the announcement of the Tecmo Koei merger on the heals of the ZeniMax Media id Software.
As I start to type this post I am not sure where it is going to go, but I am compelled to write it nevertheless. I am a child of the 80's so I grew up on the music and music videos of Michael Jackson. That's not right, I grew up with his music and his talent.
Michael Jackson played a very big part in my childhood and adolescence. I remember the first song of his I ever heard to this very day. My dad went over to the closet where he kept all of his vinyl and grabbed this album that I remember thinking, "had this cute looking kid leaning on a wall" on the front. I was a mere pup then so I couldn't read that the album was called "Off the Wall." I had to have been 3 or 4 years old and did not know the words, but when I'm old, gray, and have altzheimers' I'll remember the melody to "Rock With You" because of my father.
Michael was an inspiration to me personally. He made me believe it was ok to be whatever you wanted to be. Here was this black kid in the music business which at that time should have meant he was strictly an R&B performer and yet he was not. He was a pop artist, blending R&B with Rock creating his own unique brand of pop that crossed over the lines of race and the boundaries of geography. To watch TV and see this black man wearing tight jeans and not baggy ones, and I swear he was the first black artist I saw wearing punk clothes. Michael made me believe it was cool to wear that stuff. While I never had a white glove or red jacket, I do like sporting chains and have an affinity for Hot Topic that I can draw a direct correlation between Michael's style and his impression on me as a kid and my "it feels go to me" attitude.
His music and music videos became part of the foundation of my childhood growth. One of the first things I remember saving my allowance up for was to purchase a copy of the "Bad" album in 1988. I was 9 years old and I played that record non-freaking-stop. For months [and I do mean months] I would come home from school and play that record from beginning to end when I got home from school doing my best Michael moves. That album was bad too. Not a bad song on it, which is no easy feat, and Michael seemed to do it effortlessly. "Bad" was also the first time I clearly remember listening to an artists' song or watching a video they made and identifying with what they were going through at the time.
On the "Bad" album Michael penned a song called "Leave Me Alone," and while the lyrics would lead you to believe it's just another break-up song, it's music video made it clear Michael was getting tired of all the speculation in the media about him. In the video there were visual representations of every weird "MJ" thing that had been reported at the time. There was the section about him trying to buy the remains of the Elephant Man, Bubbles the chimp, the shrine to Liz Taylor, the hyperbolic sleep chamber stuff, and it was obvious to me that Michael was a person just like everyone else on the planet... he had feelings like the rest of us and they were hurt.
I used to make "mixtapes" of his videos that I recorded off of MTV and spend hours watching them, rewinding them to try and learn his moves better. I read liner notes of the cassettes of his song to learn the lyrics of the popular ones and less popular ones. I'm watching MTV's marathon of his songs and "Who Is It" just came on and I found myself singing along to the entire song as if I was a kid again. No joke, "Dangerous" was the first CD I ever bought. I begged my parents to order it through Columbia House and they did, and the title track was my "theme song" that year. Don't giggle, we all make the soundtrack of our lives and "Dangerous" was on mine in 91.
And since we are a video game website, I'll mention the game tie in here. The Moonwalker video game sucked, but his character in Space Channel 5 and Space Channel 5.2 totally seemed like he was in the right place. Outer space.
He had his eccentricities, and some of them were difficult to understand, but we all do, hell even I do. [We can get into my OCD later] The thing that separated us from Michael is that we didn't have the public clamouring for any little tid bit about the weird or off the wall things we were up to on a regular basis. I never lived with the man, so I couldn't say what was and what wasn't, what did and did not happen, but you would have to be a cold person to not feel sad in some way that Michael is gone. Looking at his later catalog and listening to songs like "You Are Not Alone", "Stranger in Moscow", and "Childhood" the heart feels heavy.
People die every day. It is the end that we all inevitably head toward from the moment we are born and no life is more important than any other. I am sure that I am not the only person in the world for whom Michael Jackson's music was a touchstone in their lives. And whether you are a fan of his work or not, he leaves behind three children who face a harsh future without their dad, brothers and sisters that have lost a piece of themselves, parents who I'm sure like many whose child passes before them are at a lost, and millions of fans who feel the world is a little less bright today.
I will miss Michael Jackson. I will miss the music he had yet to give to the world. I will remember him fondly, and treasure all of the memories that the man and his music brought into my life.
It's been a long time since anyone revered Michael Jackson. All the success of his Thriller album were followed too soon by the depths of the sexual allegations against him. Was there anyone who wanted to be like Mike?
It's my contention that the answer is a resounding yes. And there are examples all over.
News of Jackson's death Thursday brought to mind a story I read a while back. It was written by my friend Thomas Conner, now the online entertainment editor at the Chicago Sun-Times.
The very title of the story, "King of Pap," telegraphs the tone of the story he wrote back in 2001 when he was an entertainment writer at the Tulsa World. In the story, Conner asserts that despite his fabulous record sales, Jackson had not become much of an influence in music:
"To wear the crown of King of Pop, though, an artist would be expected to be omnipresent in all the fifedoms of popular music. The force of his rule should be felt in provinces as far away as jazz and indie-rock," he wrote. "But they aren't. Musicians don't cite Jackson's indomitable influence when discussing their own albums in interviews. They're not covering his songs."
But I have to disagree with my good friend on this one. It's a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Michael Jackson was not simply an "influence" in popular music -- he had created an entire genre of music.
It has happened before. The genre of rock 'n' roll was spawned directly from Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock." Heavy Metal music came directly from The Beatles' "Helter Skelter." And the night Michael Jackson sung "Billie Jean" and performed the Moonwalk on the Motown 25th Anniversary TV special, he launched the careers of dozens of today's hottest artists.
Conner writes, "Musicians don't cite Jackson's indomitable influence," but they don't have to say it. With every song that Usher and Justin Timberlake do, it proves that they are aping both Jackson's music and dancing.
If it weren't for Michael Jackson, Usher would be be the title of his profession instead of his stage name. Justin Timberlake would be just another aging former Mousketeer. And would actor Chris Tucker have a career at all, if it hadn't been for Michael Jackson?
But the genre doesn't stop there. With the help of the great NinjaSistah, we put together a list of all the artists whose careers exist solely because of the ground that was broken by one guy:
Chris Brown, Neyo, Tevin Cambell, N'Sync, TLC, 112, Diddy, Cassie, Britney Spears, Ludacris, Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Black Eyed Peas, Bobby Valentino, Ciara, Robin Thicke, Sisqo, Al B. Sure, Floetry, Due, Start, Aaliyah, R. Kelly, Amerie, Beyonce, Brandy, Ginuwine, Wyclef Jean, Mario, New Edition, Omarion, SWV, Fall Out Boy, Snoop, Alien Ant Farm and the pop songs of Will Smith. Oh, and most of the artists who have ever appeared on American Idol.
Personally, I never was a big fan, but I always admired him. I was in eighth grade when he and his brothers took the song "ABC" to No. 1. Years later, I was glued to the set the night MTV debuted that amazing "Thriller" video.
I was equally aghast the night I saw him try to explain his way around his affection for small boys. I can't speak to his actual guilt in the matter, but it was obvious that he was certainly out of touch with reality.
A lot of words are going to be written and said about Michael Jackson in the next few days. And a lot of people are going to debate about his talent and his personal life. And, while his music might not last forever, it is certain that we're going to be listening to the musical genre he created for a very long time to come.
Leaving World of Warcraft on your own terms can be a hard task to deal with. Having your account forcefully shut down against your will can possibly cause something to snap in the brain.
I don't even know what to say about this video, courtesy of Mossimo, a World of Warcraft player. Is it real or is it fake? You decide.
Michael was an inspiration to me personally. He made me believe it was ok to be whatever you wanted to be. Here was this black kid in the music business which at that time should have meant he was strictly an R&B performer and yet he was not. He was a pop artist, blending R&B with Rock creating his own unique brand of pop that crossed over the lines of race and the boundaries of geography. To watch TV and see this black man wearing tight jeans and not baggy ones, and I swear he was the first black artist I saw wearing punk clothes. Michael made me believe it was cool to wear that stuff. While I never had a white glove or red jacket, I do like sporting chains and have an affinity for Hot Topic that I can draw a direct correlation between Michael's style and his impression on me as a kid and my "it feels go to me" attitude. 
