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!
Sorry for the lack of posting folks, I've been under the weather lately... but I've crawled out of my sweatsuit [used to induce a fever-annihilating cold sweat] in order to get back to producing stuff for you, my dear friends.
The last thing I will say about being a sick ninja is that no one around me is safe. Shurikens no longer fly straight when your fever crests 102°.
Now on to the story. Bopping around the net as I usually do, I came across this story about an interview done by N'Gai Croal with Larry Probst the CEO of EA. Croal was talking PS3 and XB360 development efforts or focus versus those for the Wii by EA given the supply/demand issues for the PS3 and the, well, lack of demand for the XB360.
Mr. Probst, immediately after the first question is asked attempts to stop Croal dead in his tracks, sounding as though Croal has said or asked something completely incredulous. Personally, I thought the lead off question was great. Croal simply asked,
"Here's my first question. PS3 is supply constrained and will likely remain so until early 2008. 360 demand is..."
to which Larry replied,
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Early 2008?"
. Croal then goes on to explain his reasoning behind the question. Don't you just hate it when the person interviewing you has done their homework and knows the topic well?
Go ahead, read all of parts 1, 2, and 3 of the interview. It's a great piece to read as Croal asks a lot of great questions... like the Microtransaction-to-death policy EA seems to be adopting. Read on and learn people. Learning is power, and they don't want you to have power. They want you be docile and complacent consumers. Ya know what I mean?
Tenchi was one of the first anime I watched on American television, along with Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop. These series helped me learn to love anime all over again. Thank you Toonami. And now I share Tenchi with you. There are three Tenchi movies, and I will eventually be writing posts on them all.
It's Christmas in the Misaki house but there is a demon watching the festivities, and she doesn't like what she sees. For Yuzuha, watching the celebration reminds her of bad memories from a summer Startica festival she shared with Tenchi's grandfather, back when he was a Jurain prince. Hating them all for their happiness, Yuzuha starts plotting her revenge. The next summer a girl named Mayuka suddenly shows up at the Misaki household and she's calling Tenchi daddy! Ryoko, Ayeka and the others don't take it too well, but when Washu tests Mayuka's genetic structure it matches Tenchi. Washu detected a temporal shift right before Mayuka appeared, so they suspect she's from the future, one of them may even be her mother.
Mayuka doesn't remember much more than Tenchi's face, so girls all take turns teaching her things about the world. Like any other typical anime summer montage they light firecrackers, eat melon and laze around in the heat. Although Mayuka's intentions are pure, Yuzuha has power over her and can control her actions. Unfortunately, she's not content to let Mayuka make friends, she wants to cause as much drama and destruction as possible. Eventually they have to go to confront Yuzuha, or she'll never leave Mayuka and Tenchi alone.
Yuzuha lives in her own dimension that looks like a little kids room. It's full of toys and the walls are covered in inset TV screens where she can watch the world. When Tenchi and Ryoko enter this world everything is bedecked and beribboned. They are attacked by killer toys, living ribbons and even a giant teddy bear. It's like a Christmas flavored Tenchi in wonderland as Yuzuha changes the landscape to suit her whim.
I rate Daughter of Darkness a 3/5, it'd be a 4 but since its Christmas themed it really isn't a year round movie. I'll give a Red MM for rage and love (of all types), a Green MM to round out the Christmas colors and for jealousy, and a Black MM for creatures of darkness. Daughter of Darkness is a typical Tenchi storyline full of catfights and amorous situations. Luckily, Mayuka is a refreshing change from the regular patterns, after so many series with the same characters it is wonderful to see a new face. She provides that and is a wild card in the way arguements play out.
It’s that time again. That’s right. It’s time for me to whip out another one of my jewels and this is one you’re sure to love. I wanted to share this little video with you a few days ago, but it became marked as private a few hours after being posted on YouTube. Well, IT’S BACK ON NOW, BABY!
Close your eyes for a moment and let your memory drift back to your childhood days when things were a lot simpler and there was only one thing that you wanted more than anything else in the world. One day, your parents surprise you with that very item you’ve been coveting. Do you remember how appreciative you were? No? Well allow me to remind you.
Got a Wii? Need a friend to message or send Wiiople [you know, the Miis you make?] to? Then look no further... well, a little further as my info is after the jump.
I'm postin my Wii addy here so you can hit me up while you are enjoying your Wii online. My little coven of Wiiople are lonely, so send me some of yours.
Here's my addy: 1563 4367 2818 4427
Wiiople... wiiople who meet wiiople, are the luckiest wiiople in the world!
Finally got my shiny, oh-so-tiny, brand spankin'' new Nintendo Wii in this weekend y'all! First of all I have to say that it's [at least for me] more fun than I thought it would be.
No lie. No exaggeration. I swear to Bob that you would have to be completely against having fun while playing games to hate the Wii.
I know I have been talking about the Wii for months now with gleeful anticipation, and now that I finally have one I can compare my own personal hype to the Wiiality. [I couldn't help myself on the pun, please forgive me.]
The motion sensor is really interesting. I have been playing Wii Sports nearly non-stop since plugging the console into power and it's awfully addictive. I must preface the rest of my review with this statement: learning to accurately use the Wiimote will take time. For me it took a couple of hours to crest the learning curve. Going into the system settings and playing with the sensitivity is a huge help. While many people may think that Wii Sports is an easy or simplistic game, it is and it isn't. Each of the individual game concepts is simple [hit the ball, or hit your opponent] but using the Wiimote to control or function in the game can be complex. The bowling game is more about finesse than speed or strength. I can't tell you how many times I dropped my bowling ball behind me in the game before I got the swing of things. Within the golf game, even more concentration and delicate use of the Wiimote is required to not bogey a hole. I completely suck at golf, but what surprises me is how fun and enjoyable each of these games are.
Playing a game on the Wii is just such a new experience that it's hard to not find some aspect of gameplay that's not just cool. Wiggle the Wiimote while playing the Baseball game, and your bat in the game wiggles in real time. Physically throw and uppercut in the boxing game and your character on screen does the exact same thing. It's neat as hell!
Now, I have several other games that I need to play [which include Red Steel and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess] but I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Wii. I thought it would be fun, but I didn't expect the system to be as responsive, to honestly grab my attention and hold it from the moment I power it on until I actually have to shut it off.
Now, I have to wait to get my hands on a PS3 in order to share my first hand experiences on it with y'all. Any Wiiople out there that want to share their first impressions on the system, feel free to comment.
This week the ESH gals focus in on a theme of angst... in anime, manga, and video games. Angst in anime, manga, and video games... imagine that? From the bad depiction of angst in the anime series Marmalade Boy to MagicMysticGrl's recount of angst in .Hack//G.U. and then finally NinJaSistah's take on the PS3 & Wii ebay shenanigans, the girls really cover the spread on this topic.
Every now and then, while surfing the intertubes, I’ll come across pictures and videos that are either so fascinating or incredibly stupid that I feel the need to share them with someone…anyone. These are priceless tid-bits, jewels if you will, that capture people at their best or worst and events that’ll probably make you say “WTF”. Well, I think it’s time that I bared my jewels for all to see.
If you’ve been curious as to what the Douce keeps tucked away for only those who deserve it, then look no further. Whenever I come across something that’s just “OMGLMAO-ish”, you’ll find it here in a segment I’m calling…wait for it…wait for it…”DOUCE’S JEWELS” (BLING). That’s right. I went there and so will you because nothing brings on a more satisfying laugh than taking a peek at my jewels☺
Seeing as how for the past few weeks, people have been going crazy over the Playstation 3 and we’ve been keeping you up to date on some of the nonsense and mishaps that ensued, it seemed only right that my first jewel be something in the spirit of the console madness. How much would you be willing to pay for a PS3 on Ebay? Would you drop $1000 or maybe $2000 if the seller threw in some games? Here’s a better question for you. How much would you sell one for on Ebay if you had the chance? Well, take a look at how much this unlucky artard sold his 60gig PS3, two games, and an extra controller for. It seems like someone was just a LITTLE too anxious to make a profit and forgot to set a reserved price. I think I’m going to call this little jewel Self-Pwnage.
For the past week, the ElectricSistaHood website has featured photo galleries of the brave women who have been baring all in order to sell their new PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii videogame consoles. Well, some other websites have gotten into the act as well.
One site has a few photos and another has a video of the things, which is going the rounds on YouTube. But I'm here to tell you now that ElectricSistaHood was the original and is still the best source for nekkid ladies hawking their videogames on the eBay.
To prove that we're still the best, we've added a whopping 108 photos in the PS3 and Wii galleries, which are available by clicking the photos above.
Bully turns out unexpectedly to be Rockstar Games' tongue in cheek response to criticisms of their games. Despite of the feigned outrage by video game hater Jack Thompson, this game is actually harmless fun. There isn't anything in this game that you wouldn't find in an average American comic book from 1955 or in any anime today.
The game play consists of running missions where you make deliveries, or escort nerdy kids to classes and protect them from bullies. The game takes place in a school of unruly toughs where you play as an average boy who is just trying to make it to class and have a little fun. You are scored and earn money by finishing missions. You also go to classes such as art, english, chemistry and gym. Each class is a series of mini-games that increase in difficulty as you progress. The game would benefit from a wider range of classes to go to, and a better arrangement on the way that all the missions are timed. It would be even more fun if you could take your time going through it so that you can see and try everything along the way. It would also be better if you could hold more items.
You have a meter in the upper right hand of the screen that tells you how much trouble you are in. As you commit acts of truancy, violence, or trespassing then you need to find ways to hide or lower the amount of heat you are under. It is set up similar to the way that you get Wanted by police in Grand Theft Auto. You can't die in the game but you can get Busted or Knocked out. If you get in trouble and skip class or other problems there are immediate repercussions. bigger boys called "Prefects" will come along and try to bust you or beat your character up. You can evade them by hiding in lockers, or trash pails. Contrary to popular belief the game doesn't really reward misbehavior.
If you do well in the classrooms at the mini games you get rewards such as a can of soda, or the skateboard. In chemistry class if you pass then you are able to take a chemistry set back to your room with which you can make fire crackers. By beating bullies that are preying upon weaker kids you can get their "weapons" such as a sling shot. Once you have it there are various uses for it, Who wouldn't want to hide up a tree and nail a few over pumped macho football players?
The camera in the game could have used to be more refined it doesn't respond quickly enough to turn around during a fight sequence. If you are in a hurry to escape the prefects, your character may get stuck in a wall or other minimal obstacles that shouldn't be impeding the action.
There is a peace sign that you can use to make peace as an option as well.
The graphics are more detailed than expected as well. They are well done and you'll see things in the art class or library that you expect to find in real life. However the scenery isn't very interactive. Outdoors the game gives you more to explore and interact with. There are a variety of pick ups and missions that you can commit all sorts of vandalism with.
Your character can change outfits that are mainly limited to the school uniforms and aren't very imaginative. The environments and backgrounds are homogenous and average. Like the usual Rockstar games it isn't about the look of the game, as it is about the activities. The facial artwork is better than the rest of the graphics.
The music in the game is limited to monotonous baselines. It is boring and it is a flaw to have such lame tunes backing up a game put out by "Rockstar". The voice acting is one of the best things about the game. Like Grand Theft Auto that has a funny sound track, the background comments made by the NPC's that you overhear are just hilarious. Guys walking around will say things like "My butt itches." "I think I spend too much time playing RPG's." "Your Mama hits harder." " How did I get mayonnaise on my pants?" " If the sky fell on my head I wouldn't feel worse than I do right now." "I know I'm a good kisser, I practiced for years on my arm." "I can't believe people like condiments, I mean they are like snots or something."
The game is a riot. It's fun, it's pick up and play. You don't have any learning curve to deal with. It is all straight forward. You can sit down with it and enjoy lots of laughs and have a good time. It is a game that doesn't feel like work. You go to class or not, you play missions or not. You can blow things up, beat people up and be as criminal or truant as you want to. If you want to be a good kid, then you can do that too. It is basically a mirror of real life. In spite of the vagaries of life that present themselves, the choice of how you react is up to you. There are Bullies, Prefects that pick on you and a generally hostile environment that puts unfair amounts of pressure on kids in both directions. Good and bad are portrayed in a ratio that is a reflection of what any high school is like today.
This game may just be Rockstar's back handed apology to female gamers for the infamous Ho's in Grand Theft Auto. If you want to get attention from the girls in the game and kiss them, you have to offer them candy or flowers, and dress nicely to impress them. Hitting them over the head does not work in this game.
It is a shame that there isn't an option to play as a female student. The story-line is familiar from just about every high school genre anime on TV. In anime girls get into fights and pull off all of the antics that you find in this game. The game is devoid of sexism, and T & A. The girls are expected to be treated with at least a modicum of respect.
Whether it's rats that tell on kids, beatings, bribes, stealing from weaker kids, and making the nerds pay for protection none of it is new or shocking. Those high school horrors aren't limited to one gender or another. Kids are cruel on both sides of the schoolyard. There aren't any guns or killing, just mayhem and silliness.
Once again we have what might be expected to be a "guy game" that girls will enjoy. I know plenty of girls and women who play GTA and the whole gamut of WW2, and the other war games. Enlighten up dudes, we don't want Barbie - we want this game right here. Design me a female, gum chewing, pigtailed, kung fu fightin' girl, in a leather jacket to play as, and put her in the sequel to this game, and don't forget to pay me my royalties for the idea.
This game exemplifies the reason why people should play a game through before they open their mouth and start complaining about it. This game gets all up in your face and says "Buy an F'ing Sense of Humor America". It doesn't advocate violence or encourage kids to be anything that they are not. It is original in the way that Rockstar gives us a slice of life that some people might not want to look at or deny that has always been right there. If Grand Theft Auto taught us that "It's Hard Out There for a Pimp" then Bully shows us that it is just as hard out there for a teenager. I give Bully a 5 out of 5 for misbehavior rock on Rockstar Games.
Nintendo surprised everyone with their revolutionary controller for the Wii. The motion sensor provides interaction with the game that brings back memories of the Power Glove and coupled with Wii Sports bundled with the system, is a blast for all ages.
Although fun and innovative, just how safe is the Wii-mote? Before you start a game that requires “Wii-motion” (I’m gonna copyright that) you get a warning message that says you should be in a clear and unobstructed area before continuing with the game. There’s also a wrist strap in case of slidage and rubber casings you can purchase for the controller for a better grip. “Why is all of this precaution necessary?” you ask? Well, take a look at this Wii-enthusiast who learned why these accessories are being made available.
“Prepare to charge! Scroll over him with your mouse cursors…and…RIGHT CLICK!” The Douce has an anime that is all about you and your addiction to online gaming. Many of you may have heard of it or watched it already and there’s no denying that we (myself included) see ourselves somewhere in this anime.
The anime that encompasses just about every aspect of a typical MMORPG is .hack//Roots. The popular online game called “The World” from the previous .hack series has been destroyed, revamped, and re-released as "The World R:2". The new version of the game has been overrun by pk’ers (player killers). Logging onto the game and venturing outside of root town comes with the risk of getting your character pk’ed.
Haseo logs into The World for the first time as a newbie only to be nearly pk’ed by two players who pretend to be his friends while helping him learn the ropes of the game. He’s saved by a mysterious player named Ovan, who tells him there is a hidden power inside of his character and invites him to join his guild. Haseo begins his grind to level up and in the process, befriends a guild mate named Shino. One day, he witnesses Shino being pk’ed by the mysterious avatar known only as Tri-Edge. It’s said that those killed by this avatar are called the Lost Ones because they never log back in to the game.
The loss of Shino sends Haseo into a rage as he tries to track down Tri-Edge and discover what happened to his friend. In his search for power and answers, he becomes a pkk’er (player killer killer) as he eliminates any player that refuses or is unable to point him towards the mysterious avatar. Haseo is dubbed "The Terror of Death" because of his rampage and also earns the reputation of “the player who killed 100 pk’ers” after being ambushed by and killing 100 pk’ers in a single battle. Roots deals with almost every situation you’ll find in online gaming. Account selling, corrupt GMs’, and guild drama is touched on throughout the series. Friendships are strained online and offline as Haseo tries to find the balance between high-level power and online respectful gameplay. He is still unsure of the hidden power Ovan spoke of and how to summon and control it.
I’m giving this anime one dark M&M because some of the events that take place are dark as well as the mood of the series at times. We’ll throw in two dark blue tasties due to the sadness of seeing the change in Haseo’s attitude and gameplay as well as friendships being torn apart as people are pk’ed and/or leave the game. Let’s go with one maroon M’er for having a good story and plot that references events and characters from the previous series and sets the stage nicely for the .hack//G.U. Playstation2 game. I’ll put this baby to bed with a purple M&M because .hack//Roots is just plain friggin’ good. Pick it up if you’re a online gaming fan. If you’re not, then watch it anyway so you’ll finally understand the hardships that we go through every time we log in.
Why are you staring at my turkey like that? Have you no shame man? I can read your filthy, filthy mind you dirty, dirty pervert. That's FOOD, not a conquest!
Seriously, it's Turkey Day... WTF are you doing surfing the web to look at images of turkeys that make you feel funny in those "naughty" places? Your mom's in the kitchen slaving away, and you can't get off the web to give her a hand with the stuffing? It's not hard... mix it up, put it in the bird. NO! Not like you are thinking, and not in the turkey with he tan lines. You sick son of a motherless goat! Stop reading this right now and go spend time with your family.
Help make dinner, then help clean up afterwards. Kiss all the cooks, and give thanks that your family has the ability to be together at least once a year to share a meal, stories, and joy with each other. Then make your "All I Want For Christmas" list, slide it under your mom's door, mention how much you really want to get that new big screen LCD that's going on sale tomorrow at 5am for $998 over at [insert store name of choice here] and then settle in to watch some TV with the fam.
Everyone's talking about the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, but here's a deal that's hard to pass up: a brand new Xbox 360 for only $100.
You'll need fast fingers to take advantage of this deal. Amazon.com is offering 1,000 Xbox 360 Core Systems (which usually retail for $299) for only $100 on Thanksgiving Day. The sale starts at 11 a.m. Pacific Time (that's 2 p.m. in the Eastern time zone). They probably won't last long.
Amazon.com suggests that you read up on the details of ordering and offers this page with the information. Then at the appointed time, just go to this page to get a fabulous deal on an Xbox 360.
When does the PS3 go on sale for $100? I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.
Here I am, the day before the annual "Feast of Overstuffment Day," and I'm still waiting for my Nintendo Wii to arrive. To say that this has been a difficult week would be a gross understatement.
I was actually one of the lucky folks to get in on the Gamestop Wii Bundle Pre-Order, but my billing address is not the same as my current living address... hence the delay in my actually ripping open that puppy and getting my Red Steel on. This has also been the major contributing factor in us not having any first hand accounts with either the Nintendo Wii or Sony PS3. We haven't been able to get our hands on the systems, and neither company has graced us with a demo box... which makes NinJa a sad panda.
Not to rub it in, I was also able to get a PS3 Bundle Pre-Order from Gamestop [those ho's go soooo much of my hard earned cash this past month it's ridiculous!] so I expect that puppy to pop up shortly after the Wii. Then it will be time to start re-assembling the "gaming rig of joy!" [Damn that TV is FINE!!] Moving on. The reason that I'm so excited about having both bundle systems isn't for the greedy reason you may think. Both bundles have some similar game titles in them so I can do a direct comparison of the same title across all of the next-gen systems. That's XB360, Wii, and PS3 for anyone that may forget that the year old XB360 is still a next-gen system. Lots of people say that you can't compare the systems because their individual architectures are so different, it would be similar to trying to compare donuts to dinkleberries. And I will concede to that to a point. But having the same game title, made by the same developer, on each system concurrently I think is a great way to do a superficial system comparison.
So first up on my hit list [once all systems are in, hooked up, and gtg] will be Madden 07. If you have any suggestions for games that are on all 3 console systems that you would like to see on NinJaSistah's Assassination List, let a sistah know!
Tenchi is a great title for anyone who likes roommate drama, space stories or harem anime. But with so many different storylines it begs the question, "Where should I start?" In case you don’t have the time or money to watch all of the Tenchi series, or maybe you just want an intro to the series, I suggest you check out the Tenchi movies. All the same drama and excitement in 3 compact cheap little single DVD packages.
The bare bones basic Tenchi story is that there are two Jurain princesses (Ayeka and Sasami), a space pirate and her living ship (Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki), the galaxy’s most intelligent mad scientist (Washu) and two Galaxy Police officers (Kiyone and Mihoshi) who all crash land on earth, fall in love with a boy named Tenchi and move in with him. Depending on which series you watch, they meet in slightly different ways and the girls have different relationships amongst themselves. In one of the series Washu is Ryoko’s mother and she scientifically created Ryo-Ohki while in another they are perfect strangers. So basically there is a whole house full of girls who love Tenchi… commence with hilarity and drama.
Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo! in Love (1996) The gang is watching old home movies when the whole world suddenly changes. In this new world the Misaki family has died out and Tenchi doesn’t exist. Luckily, Washu notices a problem and gets a temporal net up just in time and protects Tenchi and the gang from the changes in this new world. Washu investigates and learns that something happened to Tenchi’s mother 26 years ago, that caused her to disappear. The whole gang travels back to 1970 to stop her disappearance.
However, what they don’t know is that the ‘event’ is caused by a demonic creature with unimaginable power. Kain, the galaxy’s most dangerous villain has gotten loose from his maximum security prison cell. One hundred years ago the Jurain emperor joined forces with the Science Police to stop Kain’s rampage through space. Throughout his captivity Kain’s hatred of the Jurain royal family grew. After escaping, Kain used his power to bend space and time to travel to an era when Jurai’s power was weakest. He plans to wipe out those few members of Jurai who exist in 1970 and he’s starting with Achika, a young Jurain woman who would one day become Tenchi’s mother. If the girls let him succeed then Tenchi will disappear forever and their memories will be rewritten.
This movie would be cool for the sole reason that everyone gets to wear sleek Jurain battle suits. But you also get to see Tenchi’s parents when they’re young and you get to see Tenchi actually using his Jurain powers. He doesn’t use them enough in the series. Plus there’s a dragon! Kain turns himself into a dragon, and everyone knows that dragons rock. On top of all that, it’s a story about time travel. Who doesn’t like time travel? All those lovely paradoxes and such... good times. Despite all this, the movie manages to stays true to Tenchi form, meaning there’s lots of bickering and cool space technology.
I give Tenchi the Movie a 3.5/5 because it’s a decent movie, but lacks anything that really makes it stand out as a great movie. I’ll use a Black M&M for a timewarp and a villain with more power than a black hole, Dark Pink M&M for the cute budding love between Tenchi’s high school aged parents and Teal M&M for space aged weapons, technology and battle suits.
The final two combatants in the console war, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, have stepped onto the battlefield to stand against the Xbox 360 and all that remains is the verdict on the winner. Right now there are many gamers around the world enjoying their newly acquired systems after waiting in a long line for days, bribery, or paying twice the retail value on an auction site. What about those poor chaps who couldn’t get a system? Who speaks for the little guy that was fifth in line at a store that received four? That would be the Douce.
After getting a tip the night before the Wii release day that the local K-Mart would have about seven systems in stock and ready to sell when they unlock the doors at 7am, I begin the necessary preparations for a 6:30 am stakeout. Fresh cup of coffee…check Something warm to wear…check PSP…check Money in my account…check Bulletproof vest…check
The alarm sounds and off I go. I get there at about 6:30am and to my surprise, there’s only one guy standing at the door and two people sitting in a parked car a few feet away from him. Let’s do the math…seven systems and three people here so far including me (I assumed the two people in the car would be picking up one system). “YES!! Douce is getting a Wii today!” you say? No, Douce is not getting his Wii.
To make a long story short, K-Mart got six system in, two were purchased by employees, the remaining four were reserved and sold to customers who got there before me(the two people in the car each got a system), and I was SOL. Being the loyal ESH fan/writer that I am, even though my heart was heavy over not getting a Wii, I sucked it up and interviewed a couple of others who couldn’t get the system. The general consensus was that the whole system launch situation could’ve been handled better and it’s a shame that nowadays in order to get a gaming system you must camp a store before it opens. I asked about the violence that’s been breaking out around the world over people waiting to get these systems and one guy replied, “Things like that just confirm what people like Jack Thompson are saying about gamers. People have been incited to violence over the HOPE of getting a system and haven’t even put a violent game in yet.”
Another customer said that if the stores would have handled the system launch with a little more organization then things wouldn’t have spiraled into violence. “If I’ve been camped out first in line at Best Buy for a week and then a few hours before they open the doors to let us in to buy the system, some employee with a security guard comes out and tells us that we have to form a line at a different location, I’d be pissed too. Employees have been going in and out of this place for days, looking at me stand in this line, probably laughing at me and NO ONE thought to tell me that I couldn’t stand here. Now I stand the chance of losing my number one spot and not getting a system. I’d probably be upset too.”
Could the system launches have been handled better? Was this year’s launches a sign of things to come? Is this what we, as gamers, have to look forward to every launch year? Is getting a system at release-minute worth a possible stick-up or fight? I’m curious as to what you think could have been done differently. Put in your two cents because change has to be start somewhere.
As you know, I don't play World of Warcraft as I can only afford one addiction at a time... but Pandalicious does. So when I heard about a new WoW ad on YouTube, I just had to check it out.
Let me start by saying that Office Space is by far one of the most enjoyable movies I've ever seen. I actually saw it in the movie theater opening weekend in a date [that went very well, mind you] so I can't help but remember it fondly. So when you marry that movie with WoW, how can it NOT be enjoyable?
Well, on Wednesday [22 NOV 06] 800pts will get you a download of Small Arms through the XBLive Arcade.
Small Arms is a multiplayer brawling title from Gastronaut Studios and features some small not-so-cuddly little creatures waging all kinds of holy hell on each other. Think of it as Super Smash Brothers Melee but with hella weapons.
I only heard about this game through an email I got, but after looking around on the web and finding this page on the Xbox website and then this video on YouTube...
and I have to say that I'm kinda curious about the game now. As I stated earlier it only costs 800pts and will be available in the arcade this Wednesday. The thing about this game that has piqued my interest is something called "Six Degrees of Small Arms" which is some sort of achievement that you can only get by playing someone that already has it. From what I've read, it's some sort of social networking thing to get a bunch of folks playing the game from hour one of launch as the only people that will initially have this "Six Degrees of Small Arms" are each of the creators of the game.
I don't know if I'll get Small Arms on Wednesday or not. I am really curious about it, and I think I have enough points to get it, but my Wii should be arriving that day... so I might be distracted.
Who knows? It might be a Barbie instead. If you want a chance at a $100 Xbox 360, you're going to have to make your voice heard. Here are the details.
Amazon.com kicks off its Christmas sales Thursday with a special promotion. One of four items is going to be sold at an amazing discount. One of the four items is an Xbox 360 Core System, which currently goes for $299.99 brand new.
Unfortunately, only one of the four items will be available at the special discount. Amazon.com is letting its website visitors choose which package will be available in voting that closes at 9 p.m. Pacific time tonight.
If the Xbox 360 wins, Amazon.com will offer 1,000 units for sale for a mere $100 at 11 a.m. Pacific time Thanksgiving Day. The other three candidates for the turkey day special are a mountain bike (cut to $30 from $139), a $100 gift certificate for only $40 or an interactive dancing Barbie doll (cut to $10 from $50).
So we urge all ESH visitors to head to this link and help your fellow Sistahs out. A $100 Xbox 360 is too good to pass up.
A great friend to us here at ESH, Vichus Smith has put together a guide for parents who are thinking about purchasing a new game console for their kids this holiday season.
Personally, I thought it was a nice little piece to help parents who may not be in the know, get a leg up on what is out there as far as options in order to find the system that is right for their child, and their household... so props to Vichus for putting it together.
So if you are a parent, or just one of those lovely people giving gifts to others this season but are clueless when it comes to next-gen consoles, the console guide that Vichus has put together is a great resource to have.
It doesn't hurt that one of our podcast episodes may have been his muse to get him started on this topic. :D
Well, it's not the final "buy me stuff" edition as we will undoubtedly have a few more of these types of shows between now and New Years Day, but it's a good way to start off the holiday shopping season.
Pandalicious pimps Angel Sanctuary and Final Fantasy XII while MagicMysticGrl shines the "perfect gift" light on the works of Sang Sun Park with special emphasis on texture in manga. [Or Manwha if you are a purist] Le Oro gets in the mix as well, then NinJaSistah rounds out the show with a spotlight on the movie Boiler Room, the PS2 video game God of War, and the XB360 title Viva Piñata. Grab a cup of egg nog and enjoy Episode 27: Gift Guide-O-Rama!
The Sony and Nintendo fangirls and boys already know which new console is better. So the only question that remains is this: Which group is sexier -- girls selling PlayStation 3's or girls selling Nintendo Wii's?
On Friday we presented a slideshow of females hawking the PlayStation 3 on eBay -- some of them showing a distinct lack of clothing. Well, it seems that the moment people got their hands on the Wii on Sunday morning, girls started stripping for the cameras again in order to gain a little bit of advantage while trying to sell the Wii on eBay.
Here's your chance to compare for yourself. Click the links below to check out each gallery of game-sellin' girls and let us know which camp you think has the sexier girls:
The release date of the controversial PS3 title Bully has come and gone. Many individuals and organizations which will remain nameless (mainly because we’ve called them out on numerous past occasions) tried to have the release halted because of its “excessive violence against classmates and teachers”. So after having played the game, I’m here to ask you, how violent do you feel?
I’m pretty sure that any gamer worth his achievement points already knows what the game is about. If you’ve been hiding in a cave somewhere or frozen in a block of ice, then I’ll summarize it…and then slap you with a minus 50 dkp! You’re a delinquent named Jimmy Hopkins who has been kick out of numerous schools and now Bullworth Academy is your destination. After being dropped off by your mother on her way out of town with her new husband, you start your semester avoiding and/or taking a stand against bullies and performing tasks/errands to work your way up the social ladder in between going to classes AND taking exams in the form of mini-games.
Now let’s get back to the topic. Before the release of Bully, we were pounded with warnings and rants from, again, those who shall remain nameless, about the game advocating violence against other students and teachers and BLAH BLAH BLAH! I’ve completed the entire game and the level of violence is so minimal that it can hardly even be classified as an action title. The whole “violence against teachers” thing is kind of ironic because most of your interaction with the teachers is centered around getting THEM out of trouble like covering up their inner-staff affairs and drinking problem. There’s a part of the game that even requires you to expose a teacher’s test answer-selling scam. Help me to understand this. How is any of this supposed to make me violent? Does retrieving a classmate’s stolen diary or helping a bunch of geeks find their trading cards put you in a killer frame of mind?
I’ve played my fair share of violent games and Bully is everything but violent. There are no pimps or prostitutes and your “deadly arsenal” consists of things like a slingshot and firecrackers. I’m no expert gangsta but I doubt that would be too effective in a drive-by. So I have a message for our favorite group of protesters and anyone who said Bully would cause riots and misbehavior in youths:
Until someone discovers a Hot Cappuccino mod that enables me to get it on with the head cheerleader or the school skank, YOUR CLAIM IS BANANAS, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Needless to say ladies and gentlemen of the internet community, I, Pandalicious has once again stumbled into something that I feel I must mention... even if it sends me screaming and crying into the dark of night in horror.
This frightful thing is called Shinesman and it is the ultimate rip off of the Might Morphing Power Rangers. Here is where Shinesman and Mighty Morphin' differ: in Shinesman there are five adults who all work for the same company. These people are all businessmen [and one woman]. They just happen to also defend the world from the evil aliens. Ok, lets throw in another twist... the evil alien villains also work in the same building... IT'S THE BATTLE AT THE WORKPLACE!!!
The princess of the evil aliens is a real ditz and causing all kinds of trouble, sorta falls for the leader of the Shinesman [the red one of course]. The red one has a little brother who is way too well adjusted to him never being around.
Shinesman is a 3 episode OVA... and it something to watch not because it's great, because it will drive you insane with laughter.
I decided early that I wasn't going to wait in line for a Playstation 3. It just isn't my style to camp out at a Best Buy or Walmart. Once again I am glad I decided against it.
Imagine standing around in the cold rain, sleeping on the concrete walkway in your tent, frostbitten hands tightly gripping your 600$ plus change, now imagine some asshole walking up to you with a gun and demanding your hard earned Playstation 3 money. No money, no Playstation or you could keep the money and you get a free shiny new bullet along with your shiny new PS3. What to do? I think the choice is easy, I'm gonna get myself shot dammit.
Let's say you've spent 48 hours sitting in a cold, wet tent in order to try to get one of a handful of PlayStation 3 machines at your local Best Buy. Then you're going to spend another 48 hours in the same tent, in front of the same Best Buy to get a Nintendo Wii. Whadda ya wanna do next?
You're going to try to sell the thing! At least, that's what thousands of people are doing right now on auction sites like eBay. What's going to make your identical 60GB PlayStation 3 stand out in such a big crowd?
SEX! That's right. Sex, in case you hadn't got the memo, sells. Of the thousands of PS3 machines on sale right now on eBay, dozens of them feature females of all ages, sizes and shapes. They've got one thing in common -- they're all holding those giant PlayStation 3 boxes.
I'm sure some of them are wives, girlfriends, sisters, mothers, cousins, aunts or just plain friends, but they've all given it up for the cause: to help some guy collect a couple of grand on a machine they bought for $600 plus tax.
The image you see here is just one of almost two dozen we collected today from eBay. You can see the rest in our special gallery called "Sellin It" by clicking here.
Let's hear it for the girls who gave up their dignity (and their shirts) for commerce.
Blink twice and you might miss it, but the GameStop and EBGames websites are offering the 20GB PlayStation 3 for sale tonight.
The notice simply says this:
We will have an extremely limited supply of 20GB PlayStation 3 console bundles for preorder on our site Friday evening, November 17th. We expect these bundles to ship on or before December 1st.
The websites don't give an exact time, but, if last week's Wii bundle sale on GameStop/EB is any indication, we expect it to start somewhere between 5 and 6 p.m. Eastern time.
The page doesn't mention exactly what is in the bundle or how much it costs, but you should figure on a package that includes six or seven games (that would add about $400 to the price), as well as extra controllers, an extended warranty and a year-long subscription to that Game Informer magazine they push on everyone. And don't forget GameStop's pricy shipping and handling fee. It was around $40 on the Wii -- it's going to be more on the much heavier PS3. The total could be upwards of $1,100. Or so.
Also keep in mind that we're talking about the 20GB PS3 -- not the higher priced 60GB version, which also has Memory Stick and wireless broadband capabilities built in. GameStop says: "We will not offer 60GB PlayStation 3 console bundles until our store pre-orders have been filled..."
And if the GameStop/EB sale is already over, that means it's time to get back in line at the Best Buy for Sunday morning's Wii launch. Happy camping!
How many of you "I have the time to camp out for 2 days in front of [insert store name here] to get me a PS3" SOB's actually have a PS3 in your hot little hands as I type this? I wanna know. Now you can't just say you have a PS3, I want visual confirmation. So take a picture of you and your brand new sexy piece of hardware and email it to FRESH@electricsistahood.com. Get it to me by 4pm EST today and you might just be a candy bitch next week.
A new PS3 and free candy... what's not to love!
*Photoshopped photos will not count, you cheaters!*
Monkey Doo here to lay down a few words on the latest South Park episode. Some of life's greatest questions will be answered within these paragraphs. Things you have always wondered like "When will it be ok to make fun of Steve Irwin?", "Do the underdog teams always triumph in those sports movies?" and "How do I get the rash to go away?" All this and more within this exciting review of South Park! (spoilers within)
This is episode 1014 of South Park and I have to admit, it is one of my favorites. Stan loses his bike and his job. Not knowing what to do he is directed to County Hall to talk to the person in charge of his impounded bike. This man is my favorite South Park character I have ever seen. He likes to pull out a record player and voice movie trailers on the spot. What's more, he has the uncanny ability to pop up just about anywhere. :) This hilarious man informs Stan that the only thing he can do to get some cash is to couch the local Pee Wee Hockey team.
The children are absolutely hilarious. Stan goes through the list, giving each of them positions to play until he gets to the goalie. This kid cracks me up too much. He says, "Coach my doctor says I am not allowed to play goalie. ...Because I have cancer." The whole group freaks out thinking that if they play on the team with him they will get cancer too. XD
The big game is approaching and the kid with cancer is placed in the hospital. His only wish is that the pee wee team can win the game. So Stan makes him that promise. The only problem is that both teams really really suck, so no one scores. It just so happens that the cancer kids fate was tied with the game, so now life and death are tied within him.
The team has another chance to save him during one of the breaks of an Avalanche vs. Redwings game. During a meeting the team answers the oh most sacred question of if it is time to make fun of Steve Irwin or not. While talking about the game one of them says "We're going down like Steve Irwin in a pool full of Manta Rays.
They show up and get a pep talk about how they can't lose because the underdog in sports films always rises to triumph. The only problem is that the other team doesn't show up. The Avalanche, being the nice team that they are, let's the pee wee's play during the third quarter of the their game. The Redwings trounce the hell out of them. One of them actually picks up a kid and begins punching him in the face. Needless to say, the pee wee's lose. The final scene is the cancer kid laying in his bed saying "No hope.... No hope...." before dying.
Funniest quote of the episode:Coach, can we please win so that my daddy won't beat me tonight?" [I'll edit this later with some pics for ya guys. :)]
PS3 mania is about to drop tomorrow, and since I refuse to personally become part of the debacle, I figured it would only be fair to share some of my thoughts with you.
First know that any place you go [unless you camp out tonight to get one of the first, if not the first spot in line] is not going to have a PS3 system for you. Sure, you may know a guy that knows a guy who has a cousin that works at Walmart... but unless he's going to put a box in your hand from the loading dock, accept that November 17th is not going to be your day. I even tried to be slick by calling ahead to some stores that I figured would get some PS3 units, but that most people would overlook as a possible shopping outlet, only to find out that they were getting one or two units at most. No camping out allowed. No pre-ordering and no ordering over the phone. First come, first served... as it should be, but damn!
Not wanting to leave the story empty handed after waiting in line or venturing out in bad weather, a lot of folks will pick up items related to the PS3... like extra controllers, games, or even pre-order for games in hopes of negating a need to go out next Friday. I don't see this launch going very smoothly for Sony, retailers, or customers as quantities of systems are extremely limited... but I do think that tomorrow will be the first gauge of how important "next-gen" gaming is or will be in the near future. If the demand for PS3 is higher among casual gamers than the usual hardcore early adopters, then the future [next two years] is very bright for the PS3, Wii, and XB360. If not, we could see fewer games go into development or make it to "golden master" before they are scrapped in hopes of tying existing resources to already established franchise titles.
I'm not sure which way the cookie will crumble, but I'm curious about how it will all turn out. If you are one of the few, the proud, the lucky bastids, to get your hands on a PS3, or want to share some of your adventures in "PS3 procurement on launch day" land, comment to this post, or hit us up and let us know.
From reading and talking to so many female gamers I had gotten the impression that women have a very different game experience than males do. I set out to see if I was right.Studies do show that women players account for many game - play hours in online games. In my experience as a games writer I have found that women don't have an easy time of finding free time for video games. Often game play time is interrupted. Someone in the house will always need or want something if she sits down at the computer or picks up a controller. If people are not physically present there is the phone, the coffee pot, the micro (or crock pot depending on where you live), and washer / dryer that all will bleep, buzz or bloop for attention at exactly the wrong time.
The Pink Thing and Video Games by Geek Woman
It is no different if she has pets. When there are two small dogs and three cats for example then there are endless possibilities for someone's dish of water or food to be empty. Or they bark because they want "Out!" Or maybe a chew toy has fallen down the steps or a bone has landed behind the couch. Those dramas cause whining from small dogs which sounds like someone is filleting them for Carpaccio. Or the 16 year old cat may become suddenly interested in being on top of the fridge and then on top of Grandma’s TV. Enter the "home chaos factor", which may or may not be limited to one gender.
Where is everyone else in the place when one is playing a game? Perhaps selective hearing is on a different gene than multitasking? No one else can see who is at the door, get the mail or answer the phone, once a character in an MMO is set up to play. In the frequent situation when it takes you over an hour to get ready and arrive at the location where you want to play next, having long blocks of uninterrupted time is essential.
There has to be some furious multi tasking going on in the background that no one can see. Thank goodness for virtual online avatars. "Wait a second one of the cats is trying to annihilate the curtain..." One of my favorite moments in gaming was when my cat Miroku spelled out "M -I - L -T" when I stepped away from Dungeons and Dragons Online. He made my all character's skills disappear and had her dance merrily while stuck in a wall.
It is at these precarious times that one's character may or may not be safe while left alone to her pre-programed idling animation of scratching her butt. She may be beaten to a pulp. In many games when the area isn't safe you end the session by dying. Subsequently you lose all your points and items. This will depend on how sensitive the developers were to the million and one things that compete for a gamer's time.
In other games once you are out of the group you will spend yet more time finding a new group when you go back. In some games if you own a house that requires maintenance as in Ultima Online it could crumble into dust. Or you can get past due on your rent in Dark Age of Camelot The livestock in A Tale in the Desert could starve. There are the dreaded weeds of Animal Crossing. The randomness of life means there is going to be a lack of control over the length of our game session.
Not all games will have the content easily available for solo players or even want to. It is more convenient to play games which are instanced or provide content in small chunks. Games which require big clans of people to band together in groups, can achieve larger goals, like changing the landscape and becoming a virtual community. That has other advantages and takes an even greater investment of time.
Women make up 43% of all video game players. The number of gamers in the US is continuing to increase each year. At least four out of ten people play video games in the United States. When you read over all the reports it comes out even with women having a larger share overall. Games that make it easiest to save progress after a session of game - play or the ability to save at any time are assets to female gamers.
Because of what I'm calling a the "home chaos factor" (or office) women play a great deal of the flash based puzzle, games, board games and quizzes which have shorter initial durations. Women also have higher numbers playing children's games on PCs and consoles. Women have stats that double the male numbers in playing dance and music games. Another area where there seem to be more women than men playing are the classic arcade type of ports.
Women are multi-taskers, and the Internet provides quick connectedness, and information about games during game play. Women apparently do have a different game experience than men do. Women surveyed stated they had other tasks going and other media on in the background while gaming, either the TV, radio or MP3's were used no less than 70%. Since males had higher console than PC use than women, then they weren't necessarily able to be watching TV at the same time.
Using my reverse logic - if aspects in real life from travel and shopping markets were implemented in game-play, the experience would be even more immersive. Some new statistics are said to show that women prefer to play games solo. Then they demonstrate that men seem to be more likely to group in an MMOG. Can the "home chaos factor" account for that too? I know that when I am playing an MMO I don't like to spend the extra time it takes to find a group of new people to play with to solve a quest. I've found that many of the women that I play with also try to go solo to save time and avoid the hassle of doing a mission repeatedly because new people don't know how to work as a team.
Women seem to prefer to travel and game alike with established friends. In fact if you look at those other industries like travel and entertainment women's preferences are much more apparent than in gaming. Those are statistics that could be easily transferred to marketing games that would make the game experience more fun. "Girls travel in packs" it can be said. Games on Xbox Live for instance, make it very easy for ladies to play games together and meet other gals.
In seeing who travel agents say is the average adventure traveler it is not the 28-year-old male that you'd think it would be. Travel agents figures show that a 47-year-old female is the most likely demographic to take nature, adventure, or cultural trips.
There aren't any universal truths about women. However reaching women gamers is more than just making things Barbie pink. Women do process information in a more detail-oriented fashion. Women will notice more and likely expect more. That means we notice amenities, textures, subtleties, and read between the lines.
“Now will you all shut up so I don’t get killed!”
A few weeks ago when Sony / Europe announced that it's dropping the price of the PS2 for Europe and the UK. In addition, they mentioned that they are cutting the price on PS2 memory cards. Then they made another couple of unusual announcements.
Stating that better efficiency has enabled cost savings to be made, Sony says that they are passing the savings on directly to new PlayStation 2 customers who may not want to shell out the $600 US and even more AU for the PS3.
Sony hopes that with over 2,000 game titles another market of PS2 owners will grab up the cheaper console. But that may not be the biggest news. Besides the price cut, they announced a new limited edition Pink PS2, which comes with two pink analog controllers and a pink memory card. The Pink bundle will be available from "selected retailers" throughout Europe starting November 8th, and in the U.K. it'll come with the karaoke game SingStar Pop .
At this time it is unknown if they will follow suit in the U.S. and AU. Some are saying that a comparable price cut will not come until next spring.
Sony is indeed going to offer a pink PSP in association, we're told, with the singer Pink with the intent being to to attract "young women with freedom, confidence and attitude" to the platform. Unlike the upcoming pink PS2 , the salmon-hued portable console doesn't ship with pink accessories, but it is a limited edition, Sony said.
The industry will have to start to think differently if it wants to reach the female customers. Just making things pink is not what we are after. One market study shows that girl gamers like to play during their spare time or when they're mobile. The Nintendo DS users are 44 percent female.
Studies by the US market research firms Yankee Group and Parks Associates confirm the trends that there are several market segments where girl gamers are ahead of males. Mobile phone games are predominantly played by female gamers. In the United States about 60 percent of the people who play games on their mobile phones are women.
David Gardner, chief operating officer for EA's worldwide studios, was speaking to a conference in Edinburgh. When he said the now much quoted line which was
"The game industry has been failing women"
He said the industry had to learn from the film business. And not too long ago this humble jounalist suggested that the games industry look at numbers from the Travel business to find out what girls want.
Mr Gardner got one thing right "They don't want 'pink games'. They are not trying to play girly games where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears go shopping and put make-up on. Those kind of things have not been that successful."
Well duh.
But he said games such as The Sims and websites such as Pogo.com proved there was a market for women gamers.
"Most of the Sims players are girls - 70% are women under 25," he said. The Sims, which is published by EA, is arguably one of the world's most successful game - with more than 40 million copies sold.
Mr Gardner said the industry needed to "create some mega hits in the girl space and that it would potentially add a billion dollars to their revenues. That's not small change. It confirms what we have been saying for years.
Four of our 11 studios around the world are run by women. That's an important start. That is why it is so important for young women to get hired by game development studios now.
Just making a console or a handheld pink doesn't guantee it will seel to women. Making a sinking ship handheld like the PSP in pink may not save it. The games for the PSP just aren't there, and there are more titles that are of interest to female gamers out for the Nintendo DS. Though some women gamers may be interested in picking up a new pink console, it would be as a novelty. I doubt that anyone is going to redecorate their family room which has black or silver components in the entertainment center, to accomodate a loud pink console.
A pink handheld game player is a cute accessory that fits into a purse and can match with outfits. But a pink console is going to become dated and very yesterday very quickly. I just saw a commercial for a large hardware depot store where a teen girl says to her Dad, "I'm grown up now, and I want to repaint my room." The pink poofy stuff is painted over with lime green, mauve and orange. Sorry Sony the new black isn't pink anymore.
Even though we write reviews, and make suggestions, go to conferences and kick butt in our clans and guilds the game developers and the console companies still don’t get it. We are gamers like the guys are. Stop reinforcing the stereotypes. Give us female avatars in games and equality in the industry.
And if you still don't understand what women want - well you can ask me! (For a price.)
Geek Woman is a freelance games jounalist and author of Geek Woman’s Game Guides. www.lulu.com/geekwoman She is the Editor in Chief of the Australian women’s gaming portal Game-Vixen.com. She has given a voice to women and girls who play video games to demonstrate to anyone listening that "We are here!" She lives in the USA with her partner, two pomeranians, three cats, scores of bitchy seagulls and a weedy garden.
Hello All. Panda here coming to you live from her couch. I've been gone too long and I bet you all thought that it was be because of WoW. Well... YOU WERE ALL MISTAKEN!!!
I have had to come to terms with a secret in my heart. I have a problem with obsession... or rather, I am very prone to become obsessed with stuff. And just what has given me "the craving" this time? Why, it's FFXII!
I AM ADDICTED. I NEED AN INTERVENTION! OWWW MY EYES!!!
LOL. Alright, so I exaggerate some, but when I'm not out and about, on WoW, or at school, I'm tucked away in my room playing FFXII until the wee hours of the morning struggling to wake up and make it to classes.
I AM A LIVING ZOMBIE! MMMM, MORE BRAINS!!! LOL, just kidding.
Is there anyone out there who knows what I'm going through?
It's just about that time of year again folks: Turkey Day [a.k.a. Thanksgiving] is next week, which marks "Black Friday" or as most people know it "The Angry Mob That Goes Shopping The Day After Thanksgiving."
The amount of cool gadgets, gizmos, and games about to hit the market as well as television advertising to guilt you into buying stuff you don't need will overwhelm you. That's why Evermore has been hard at work creating a gift guide based off of previous posts and opinions we have on stuff to help steer you towards getting the right gift for the right person... every single time.
Our hopes are to help all of you awesome and busy people with a way to avoid being stepped on, waiting in line for hours just to get a gift card, or ending up buying socks for a person because the stores you went to were out of stock on the item you really wanted to get. This year, why not shop from home, over the internet... delicious mug of egg nog in hand? I've been doing it for a few years now, and I have to tell you, it sure beats having to try and find parking at the mall between now and January 10th.
But if you are going to shop on the internet, how will you know what is a good buy, and what is a bad one? How will you know which video game titles to stay away from? Or what sub $15 DVD is worth purchasing? That's where our gift guide comes in handy. If you have an anime fan, gamer, or general techie type person to buy for, our new gift guide is a great resource for picking out a gift that won't be re-gifted!
We are proud to announce the launch of the ESH Gift Guide... holiday edition. And as an added bonus for you our treasured visitor, we've added sort options just for you. [*sort feature and bomb guide configuration only available through the wonderful browser that is FireFox. Alternative gift guide option available for IE upon page request.]
So visit the gift guide, and start your holiday shopping from the calm and relaxed environment that is your home or office... don't be like me and actually have to go out to the "stores" next Friday. :: shudders at the thought ::
Now, I'm more of a Missile Command kinda gal myself, but I have to say seeing more and more "classic" game title become available for download does my heart good.
It hurts my wallet, but does my heart good.
So needless to say when I got the release about Missile Command hitting the XBLive Arcade the heart of the little kid inside me went pitter and pat. I HATE micropayments only because they make me have to do math. I always have to sit down and try to figure out what a game download is going to cost me... and let me tell you, converting "points" to "dollahs and cents" sucks. I'm always wrong, but I get close enough in the ballpark to know that it doesn't make any damn sense to buy these classic games one at a time as opposed to just buying some "classic arcade game" compiled disc.
But the damn convenience of it all makes it so hard to resist. It's because I'm not forking over cash out of my pocket but points which in my mind have no monetary value until I do that tiny bit of math, that I think I keep doing it. I've bought more games in the arcade that I've only played once or twice than I really want to admit to... especially since I've had my XB360 for a relatively short period of time.
I'll talk about that more sometime later. For now, I leave this message for the Defender freaks: time's a wastin'!
I mean EB screwed...up. Just about every EB/Gamestop store has had their initial shipment of PS3 halved on them. What does this mean for the people who stood in long lines, braved nasty weather to be number 25 out of 25 pre-orders for the PS3? Means you no get no PS3 on launch day sucka, that's what!
Yes, the phone calls have started... the ones from EB/Gamestop to [previously golden] reserve PS3 receipts holders that no longer get them a machine on launch day. So if you were one of those few people that bragged to your buddies about how you were going to have a PS3 launch day while they weren't or about how awesome it was that you were going to be playing Genji Days of the Blade launch day and how sad it was that your friend was not [you know who you are you bastid] know that you [if kharma exists] probably have a voicemail message on your phone right about now.
That message says that Gamestop is really sorry, but they aren't going to have a box for you now on launch day, but they'll give you a used game or DVD worth $20 or less as a way of saying, "sorry you got boned."
Yes, it's nice to be around when the payback happens. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the "Ain't Got No Damn PS3 On Launch Day Association" or AGNDPOLDA. We meet on Tuesday, and there is pie and punch. If you are going to be +1, contact us in advance.
Wow, literally days away from launch some of the PS3 launch titles are no longer ready for g-day. That's Game Day, not Gangsta Day... I will not be held responsible if you decided to roll like 50 cent... that's on you playa!
But just so you know, some of the delayed games were kinda cool. Prepare to be bummed out.
I give you the updated PS3 Launch Title List, courtesy of 1UP.
Resistance: Fall of Man
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Genji: Days of the Blade
NBA 07
Sonic the Hedgehog -- Delayed off of launch list.
Call of Duty 3
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion -- Delayed to Q1 2007.
F.E.A.R. -- Delayed off of launch list.
Ridge Racer 7
Fight Night Round 3
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW II -- Delayed until December.
Full Auto 2: Battlelines -- Delayed until early December.
Madden NFL 2007
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
NBA 2k7
Need for Speed: Carbon
NHL 2k7
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas -- Delayed until December.
Tony Hawk's Project 8
So your new g-day launch title lineup looks like this
Resistance: Fall of Man
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Genji: Days of the Blade
NBA 07
Call of Duty 3
Ridge Racer 7
Fight Night Round 3
Madden NFL 2007
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
NBA 2k7
Need for Speed: Carbon
NHL 2k7
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tony Hawk's Project 8
It's still not a bad list of titles, but the question becomes, are those titles worth all the bull you'll have to go through in order to get a $500 or $600 PS3 on g-day?
Sorry for the delay on reporting on this one folks, but I just now got to it in my email box... so sue me.
As you probably already heard if you've been visiting any video game new websites in the past couple of days Nintendo threw down the gauntlet if you will, the other day, announcing all of the wonderful and kick bootay marketing they play on doing for the Wii here in the U.S.
I gotta be honest on this with you, Nintendo's not playing folks. They are spending millions and millions of dollars in hopes that you'll hear about the Wii, touch it, feel it, lust after it, and buy it. And not necessarily in that order, mind you. Between a bunch of hands on events, web viral marketing, and sweepstakes from your local 7-Eleven, the Pringles potato chip people, and the fine folks at Comedy Central, Nintendo is sparing no dollar to ensure that you people know their name. It's like Nintendo is saying, "Sony has what coming out before us? Oh, cool, but have you seen how WE roll?" Did I mention all the different TV shows that are going to have Wii features? I didn't? I'll get to that.
They already have my attention. I can't lie, I pre-ordered a Wii [finally] and I can't wait to get my little ninja hands on it. My only problem now is I can't decide if I want to play Red Steel or that sweet Zelda: Twilight Princess game. Decisions, decisions... but if you haven't gotten a Wii pre-order just yet, don't fret. Comedy Central will be giving Wii's away like it's Christmas! As a matter of fact, CC will give away one Wii every hour Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. And one lucky sonofabitch at the end of the weekend, will win a Wii console and a Scion tricked out to look like a Wii. I'm not sure what that Scion will look like, but I bet it will be a bitch and a half to keep clean.
Oh, and we can't forget the mall, because we have to get em' where they live! [Sorry, couldn't resist that.] Nintendo is going to have a "mall experience" where basically there will be interactive Wiiosks in Westfield shopping centers with Wiiople, er people, who are trained to use the Wii around it. They will teach you how to play the Wii [or would one use a Wii?] while you're on your way to Cinnabon.
So, if you haven't got a Wii, don't sweat it. Watch TV, eat potato chips, or get a Slurpee... you might luck into one. And if that doesn't work, just go to the mall and walk off all those chips and slurpees!
Proving that [1] Microsoft's paper is LONG son and [2] never say never, there is a rumor going around that MS may be purchasing the game house that is Capcom.
You read that correctly. It's not a typo, though I do make those on the odd occasion. According to this post from GoNext and evidently an article in EGM hinting that MS was interested in buying Capcom in order to make them a 1st party developer. And while I have my doubt about this actually coming into being, I can't just brush it off as not possible... they did buy Rare and Bungie, and I sure didn't see either of those coming when they happened.
And before you go off about a Japanese company never "selling out" to a western one, remember that we are talking business here, not individuals. Capcom has a stockholders that hold them accountable for turning a profit on their investment. If an opportunity to increase profits, passing by it solely based on where the offer comes from geographically will not be accepted. And while I visited the newly re-designed Capcom website, I was unable to find much of anything there. Their support, press, and contact us pages are all "coming soon" as they have been since the relaunch.
On a personally note, the idea of MS buying Capcom excites me and also scares the hell out of me. I'm excited because I really would like to see more Capcom titles on the XB360 system, but not like this... not like this. I think Onimusha and Okami would benefit from being on the XB360 system, as would God Hand... especially with a new online component. But the idea of DMC4 being an XB360 exclusive does really bad things to my tummy.
Well I finally bit the bullet today and did the update on my box, here are my results.
First off, no XB360 brick in this house baby! I'm not exactly sure why some people were falling prey to the "hardware error" messages after applying the update, but they did. Enough for both Engadget and XB Fanboy to run articles about it.
MS has released a fix for the botched updates, and if you already bricked your XB360 you can call the XB customer service and be aided in bringing it back to life.
So, if like me, you were holding off on updating your box [which kept you offline] wait no longer. Get your update on, then GAME ON!
If you know what a guy smells like who has just been out fishing, doing construction work or playing football then you can guess why women might fantasize about something else. Perhaps a meticulously and metrosexually groomed vampire who elegantly sweeps up to her balcony. Or a deadly but lovely demon who promises her his forbidden world. Or maybe women are just thinking about pretty animé men with long hair.
The anime games and DVD's that are coming to the U.S. recently are a myopic look into the animé subculture of Manga in Japan. There are many animé influenced games in both RPG's and in the fighting genre. This artform is getting very huge over here too. Because animé comes from another culture it reflects a different sort of attitude. It effects the roles of sportsmanship, and sexuality in the future of video games. Animé characters are favorered by women and girls.
Women like males with long hair. Perhaps even before Sampson and Delilah long hair symbolized virility. From back in the 60's when I can remember women saying "he's so beautiful, he looks like Jesus", to today when we have Fabio's famous mane and the sexy Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice, chicks (and some guys) still dig long hair. Guys that work at Rennaissance faires sport long locks from the mideval ages and get descreet double takes from women patrons. Fantasy novels feature wizardly straight and gay men with long hair in various colors. These fictional story books are very popular with women.
In Inuyahsa (yes it is my fav) in the animé and the games, the main character has long white hair and cute dog ears. He is powerful and weilds an over sized magic sword and is in the process of discovering his sensitive human side and love. His brother Seshomaru has even more fantasticly long white hair. He plays the part of a full demon in a stunning white kimono. He seems deep and troubled by "important things in the past". He is the typical brooding unknowable character. Then Miroku the lecherous monk has long black hair that is worn in a ponytail. He wears several gold earrings. He is the most approachable of the three male lead characters, he is funny and sensitive. He makes long insightful speeches about the troubles that arise for the female characters and is often correct.
There are three very different male personalities in the game. All of them are strong and carry several weapons. But they are so cute that many people comment that they can't tell the boys from the girls on Inuysha. That is common with many anime´characters. Inuyasha is wildly popular with women and girls. It has got to be something to do with all the long haired males.
Unlike the animation industry in the U.S. where all the programming is largely aimed at young boys a good deal of Japanese animation also includes marketing to little girls. The teen girls and young adult women are given plenty of eye candy to ooh and ahh over also. Women helplessly find themselves sighing over bishonen with pink hair like Shon Gojo in Saiyuki. There are some Japanese animations that are thought to cater specifically to female tastes.
"Ren'ai" is a Japanese word meaning "romance" novel, and it can be a Japanese adventure game that is mainly point and click. They are mixed-media novels. Minimal player interaction is required. Some but not all ren'ai games contain erotic content. Adult oriented animé dating games are sometimes called a bishoujo game. Those are Japanese video games with sensual anime girls. Some of them contain romance and sexual content.
Animé both ways
Women like to read about sensitive long haired males in complex, dramatic relationship dilemas. The controversial American TV show Queer as Folk which is an adult series on the cable channel Showtime is about gay men and it is said to have had its highest viewership among presumably straight women. Ever enterprising and unabashed, animé capitalizes on this naughty voyuer side to female erotic interests too.
Even though entirely different dynamics are involved in real Japanese society and culture than what is reflected in animé, some obvious patterns of behaviour could be identified as distinctly Japanese. There are values such as conformity, marriage and loyalty that are plain to see. The Harvest Moon series notably added a female character to the recently released new RPG title. But the game guides the female player to marriage as a foregone conclusion in that simulation of life.
Subtle themes crop up in characters that are uniquely Japanese which turn the tables and reverse the roles of exploitation as Americans know it. Animé objectifies men. Male manga artists offer themselves up for the derision. They portray themselves as dogged, nose bleeding, worshipers of the truly oversexed female demi - goddesses that they have created. The men unashamedly admit that they are whipped. Is it a vicious cirle or a happy medium? Then they reinforce the pattern of the implausible by drawing males with gorgeous long hair in fantastic styles and who wear amazing costumes. All of which only a dedicated cosplayer can emulate. They make images of men that are just as impossible to attain as the air brushed silicon female pin ups that are the complaint of western women.
Many animé that are available in the U.S.A. now have some sexual under tones. Saiyuki has an ambiguous homoerotic subtext. Descendants into Darkness does so openly. Colorful and the Excel Saga are a raucious funny lampoon of animé that have very adult content. The males in Colorful are the typical nosebleeding, obsessed male stereo types who will endure anything to get a glimpse up a girl's skirt at her panties.
Sony and Mocrosoft have banned adult games from their consoles. Which I think is a shame. In my own improptu study I went shopping retail for a newly released game rated "E". I rarely do that, but my partner wanted it. We went to Kmart, Walmart, EB Games, and finally Kaybee Toys on our search. These stores have had the games kept behind glass in as long as I can remember. At all four of these retailers we adults were unable to access games without a key and an attending store employee. I don't see how adult titles are "getting into the hands of children" as some have claimed. I don't see why adult games would be so hard to integrate into a system that all ready is under lock and key.
If the right wing was worried about the Sims which is a game that is engineered to be bland (to inspire imagination) and it's sort of the Lego building blocks or Webils of video gaming, wait until they get a load of animé. I was reading an ebay story about how a Christian Mom took away the Yu-Gi-Oh collectible cards that her daughter had in her purse. The woman went through the daughter's purse regularly. Yu- Gi-Oh animé is very tame there is no sexual content in the games or shows. It teaches a litle ancient Egyptian mythology. All the Japanese animé card games, either on cardboard or for Gameboys, most noteably Pokémon teach children about competition, following rules, and being poilite and how to loose like a good sport. They are completly benign. Pokémon has no references to "magic" or spells of any kind. Yu -Gi - Oh and many others do. Magic and Wizards in animé may raise some eyebrows the way it has with Harry Potter.
Another twist that shows up often in animé are characters of unknown gender. In Cowboy Bebop "Edward" is a girl. We don't know this for sure until the plot unfolds more. In .hack//sign tv series and PS 2 games Tsukasa the wave master is permanently logged into "the world" as a male player. But again gradually as the series goes one we discover many secrets about Tsukasa are revealed. Eventually it leads to a very moving and unexpected ending.
A funny game with adult content that reminds me of Leisure Suit Larry, is the Lupin the Third Games for Game Cube. Those have the sort of slapstick funny approach to sexuality. The artstyle exagerates the female figure of the characters.
One of the most visible ways that animé characters have come to be loved by a large American audience is in the Dead or Alive series. Kasumi is a very well known and favored character. Her background story and a search for her brother are part of the game's back story. Granted Kasumi's character and background story is underdeveloped in the games. The game is infamous for the jiggliness and not the seriousness of her character. In game play her moves are great and she is a tough character to play with and to beat. But there is no doubt what her assets are. The graphics in Dead or Alive 2 are good. The characters are depicted in a fair amount of detail. The facial expressions look realistic. The characters' movements and clothes flows realistically, except for the pronounced bounce.
Animé is popular because it is bringing fresh artwork and ideas to a tired jaded American entertainment market. Women like it because it offers a variety of roles to play and exciting personas to get to know in a fantasy world. Males like it because there is more lassitude in the appearance of the female fantasy characters. Puritanical America can use to loosen up and enjoy themsleves. There are worse things than a little risque art and pass times like games.
For all the wonderful folks that have purchased FRESHware [or are thinking about it] this post is for you!
Buy any clothing item from the FRESHware store, take a picture of yourself wearing said item, send it in to us, and we'll put it in a post for all the world to see. All the lovely FRESHpeeps that flow through the site on the daily will get to see how hot you are wearing the ESH goodness clothing and will wanna copy you. Be the trend setter of your crew, and help us make money at the same time... it's a win-win situation!
Why are you still reading, start snapping photos. Cool ass photos will get mad props from the crew... word to ya motha!
Poor Pandalicious and MagicMysticGrl had to deal with NinJaSistah after she had downed an Amp tall boy and a can of Coke... pray for them y'all!
Seriously though, this week the ladies cover everything [and I do mean everything] from the latest Candy Bitch, to an introduction to American manga in the form of Death At Deaths Door, first findings on Final Fantasy XII and the evolution of gaming through console input devices. I won't even mention the Care Bear references, the WoWalicious sweepstakes winner, or why caffeine is good for you.
Just try and figure out where you stand on the punny vs. birate debate.
This is one of our longer podcast episodes folks, but it's funny as hell. Just listen to it already.
Oh yeah, before I forget, congrats to our latest Candy Bitch TimboSteve!
It's Launch Week for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and there's nothing but rumors of riots in Japan, where the PS3 went on sale this past weekend, and rumors of folks being thrown out of Best Buy waiting lines. Here's some more stuff you might have missed...
If you're camping out in front of a Best Buy, a Target, a Wal-Mart or wherever for a PS3 or a Wii, you'll want to know just how many they have on hand, eh? Here's how to get those numbers.
Some PS3 die-hards have more money than sense. That's evident from these current Yahoo Japan auctions, which, as of late Sunday night, have bids on single PS3 systems of more than 2 Billion Yen. Comparatively, things were much more civilized in the U.S., as a top-of-the-line PS3 went for a mere $9,100, according to this eBay auction.
The PS3 case is beautiful and black -- as long as you keep it in the box. The Gizmodo guys discovered to their dismay that it doesn't take much to mar the surface of the case.
Bungie is adding a female voice to Halo, according to Frankie on the Bungie website: "Anyway, one of the things we're looking at for Halo 3 multiplayer (Master Chief is all man) is adding a female voice to the Spartan character should you choose it as part of your custom character."
USA Today says you might be better off just waiting to buy a next-gen console until next year. Awwwww, whadda they know?
Defying the laws of economics, it seems that, according to this article, the Xbox 360 is actually becoming more expensive to manufacture as time goes on.
HD takes a big step backward on Xbox Live, as one of the first games to be released in 1080p resolution will be a modernized version of Atari's classic Missile Command.
Already have a PS3 pre-ordered and just waiting on it to arrive? Time to RTFM! Sony has its PS3 online manual just waiting for you by clicking here. Enjoy!
Some people were upset about last week's GameStop online Wii preorder, which required the purchase of six games, an extra controller, an extended warranty and a magazine subscription, pushing the total to nearly three times the cost of the console alone. Well, GameStop's got nothing on CompUSA, which according to this ad will allow you reserve a PS3 -- as long as you purchase a 40-inch or larger Sony HDTV first.
Alright. So I get home from the day job and curl up with a nice beer, turn on my kick ass TV and lappie and prepare to get in some game time and check what's been going on in the game world while I was away from it, and what do I find? I find this article about the most retarded EB Games/Gamestop display I've ever seen.
First off, "Games For Girls" my ass. That display just proves that they really just don't "get it" when it comes to marketing games to girls. I think it's because up until now when so many females are getting hot and heavy into gaming that the marketing of video games has been too easy. I have no doubt that there are some marketing departments in the various game development houses that say things like, "...if it has some character titties, put it on the cover scantily clad in torn clothing, maybe a quick panty shot in the printed ads for magazines, and we'll have a new best seller on our hands boys!" I'm not being cynical here, I really believe conversations like this happen, today, even though we are in the year 2006. I know that sex sells... and does it very well. That, I don't care about. But if flashing the T&A is the only creativity that you can come up with to use as the linchpin of your marketing campaign, I fully understand why companies have a hard time figuring out how to create and market their products to girls.
Tits alone will not our money get... at least not mine. If I wasn't so damn tired I'd now rant about how Gamestop really needs to pull their heads out of their asses and realize that "Games for Kids" are not the same as "Games For Girls." Many females who are raging gamers will classify themselves as "girl gamers" or "gamer girls" even if they are not in the pre-teen or teenage age group. I for one am nearly 30 as Pandalicious will be quick to tell you, and I classify myself as a girl gamer, so that "Games for Girls" artwork and subsequent game display offend the HELL out of me. If I wasn't nearly out of beer, and in need of a foot massage, I'd go on to say that it's oversights like this that hinder growth in the girl gaming community because it drives home to many of us that we are outsiders looking in when it comes to being thought of by those in the industry... and no one like to think that they don't matter to people that make the products or items that they love.
But, I'm out of beer, and my feet are killing me, so I'll save that rant for another night.
Bandai Games has finally scored big with the RPG "Inuyasha: Feudal Combat" for the PlayStation 2. The game is based on Inuyasha, the top-rated TV series from VIZ Media that airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. "Feudal Combat" the game has undergone an engine overhaul. It is now a genuine fighting game with a variety of moves and combos. You can play as Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Sango. The story mode has actual resemblance to the game. Thankfully the new battle system includes the ability to play along with a friend as a partner character in the cooperative mode.
Game play commences as you choose which team that you want to play as. In this way it becomes a two player game, or you can even choose a female lead character almost all the way through the game -- Inuyasha and Kagome or Miroku and Sango. Kagome has her bow and sacred arrows that purify negative energy. Sango has her heracos and Ki La La by her side. They all have special bonus moves that you have to let charge up, much like many RPG games of the past have.
The loading screens are a little slow but the artwork makes up for it. The graphics are much better this time with 3D renderings of the 2-D manga characters. The environments look pretty, and they are well drawn. Environments that have been on the TV series appear in the game. You play against familiar enemies such as Kikiyo, Koga, Kohaku, and Naraku.
The game takes place in ancient Japan. It is set in a fairy tale-like setting where demon oni and magic priestesses practice their sparkling skills in feudal Japan. It features 12 playable characters. Inuyahsa is a half-human, half-dog demon. Naraku is an evil shape-shifter. The combat system is new and original and a big improvement from Inuyasha: the Cursed Mask.
The environments are interactive which can give players an advantage in battle depending on what element or spells they can cast. There are three different game-play modes, including the mission, story, and two-player versus modes, which create a variety of ways to play the game. The game advances as characters are given the chance to develop more upgraded, Increased compatibility with partners to improves attacks.
The game is beautiful -- the backgrounds and other screens are nice watercolors. The characters themselves look much better in the updated 3D format. The whole game seems more in keeping with the style of the artwork and level of production that the DVD Inyusha movies have. The music and sound effects are good.
Inuyasha is my favorite animé. This game has it all down, the supernatural story line, the romances and the tragedies. The gameplay has been improved to match the show's exemplary art style and deep plot line. I am satisfied. I give Inuyasha Feudal Combat a long awaited 4.5 out of 5.
When most people think of American comicbooks they think of individual issues that are only 20 or so pages long and superheroes dressed up in tights with their underwear on the outside. That's like thinking manga only comes in the monthly magazines and characters only dress in sailor uniforms. Comics are also released in graphic novel form and depending on the story can be hundreds of pages long on any and all topics. Comics are where I got into sequential art, they were my gateway drug to the addiction that is manga. It's high time I got back to my roots.
Comics are completely different from manga, and not just in the art style. Manga tends to be a minimalized art form, often with little or no background, colored only with screentone; comics have more detail in the characters and background and are usually published in full color. The way the story flows is also different. Manga have a story that contains a beginning, middle and end, the series are often fully planned out and have a specific number of volumes. Comics don't.
A comic is created around a basic concept and it is designed to continue perpetually until something happens to end it; readers loose interest, the writer decides to end it, the publisher goes bankrupt or an apocalypse destroys the world. Even then it is usually dusted off a few years later and revamped for a new generation's entertainment. Over the course of it's life a comic will usually have many writers and artists associated with it. Comics are arranged around story arcs that are often entirly self contained stories with only the characters linking them together. New villians or problems arise in each arc. A reader can jump in at the beginning of any arc and get most of the information they need to understand what is going on. You can start to see these same traits in some of the longer running manga, such as Inuyasha and Naruto.
for instance. He's one of the oldest and most famous superheroes out there. He was created in 1932 and has had a littany of writers and artists working on his story since then. The character has been reinvented again and again, and placed in every concievable situation. He has had tv shows, movies, radio serials, video games and all manner of memorabilia designed and based on him. Comics trade on the fact that people want to read stories about familiar characters, not accustom themselves to new characters every time they want to read something. A comic called Witchblade had an anime based on it. Imagine if you could continue to read new stories about your favorite manga character for the next 74 years, rather than having to come to terms with the fact that their story is over and you will never see them again.
So, starting on Monday, in the podcast, I will be reviewing American graphic novels. I'll be bridging the gap between manga and comics with Death: At Death's Door a manga based on the Sandman comic series.
As we did earlier in the week for games, this issue of the ESH Daily News will focus on new reviews of Anime titles the Sistahs haven't gotten around to reviewing yet. Enjoy!
Basilisk: The Spoils of War (Vol. 2): Aaron Burkhart reports on Northern Light Online: "The animation is still excellent, and the music adds to the dark mood and action without overpowering the scenes. While the mature content isn't gratuitous, it is more intense than the last volume and might be best kept away from younger ones." Get it here.
Paradise Kiss, Vol. 1: Jamie S. Rich reports on DVD Talk: "As it stands, Paradise Kiss is a mature soap opera with individualistic characters and a strong sense of style. The first volume teases out just enough of the various romantic entanglements to satisfy viewers while leaving them anxious for volume two." Get it here.
The Castle of Cagliostro (Lupin the III) - Special Edition: Mark Hodgson reports for Blogcritics Magazine on this early Hayao Miyazaki film: "While there's action, a little slapstick, and some exaggerated face-pulling to please younger viewers, there's also a little blood, lots of gun-play, a little swearing, an under-age wedding, and several characters smoking like chimneys! Like Spielberg begging the censors not to cut Jaws and the Indiana Jones movies, Miyazaki has to push boundaries to keep both audiences happy." Get it here.
Saiyuki: Complete Collection: Jessica Severs of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports: "The high priest Sanzo, the half-human, half-demon Gojyo, Hakkai, the human who became a demon by slaying 1,000 demons, and the mysterious/mischievous Goku travel west to root out the cause of the demon uprising. It's part Wild West, part Far East, and all good." Get it here.
Speed Racer: Volume 5: Troy Rogers reports for UnderGroundOnline: "Although some hardcore fans have expressed their displeasure over the fact that the series on DVD has been split into several volumes instead of one complete set, Speed Racer is still a must-have for your collection." Get it here.
Okami is the most undersold game this year, and it is also one of the best. That's fine because it might make it more valuable someday. Capcom closed Clover Studios prematurely and did not give this game the chance to prove itself. So many times the good ones are "the best game that no one ever played." That is the story with Okami. It starts out with about an hour of expositional story. This makes it unsuitable for most kids, and most male gamers. Unless a person has an attention span, a desire to learn something cultural, and appreciates eye candy then they won't enjoy this title. Put the game in when you aren't in any rush, get your favorite beverage and sit back and enjoy the story.
The game is brilliant and it is truly unlike any other game you have played. From the ground breaking drop dead gorgeous funkadelic graphics, to the unusual artist's brush game-play, to the unique female characters, the game is astonishing. Okami is a game that I promise you will love.
One of the best things about the game is that is about a Goddess. She incarnates on earth as a white wolf. There is much to be learned here about culture. The translations from Japanese to English are a bit rough. There aren't really good words in English to translate Shinto animistic concepts into. Words like 'Gods' or 'prayers' are used which aren't exact translations. Shinto animism is more similar to modern neo-paganism and the Goddess based earth religions which would translate those concepts more subtly. The energies that Okami uses to transform the environment such as rejuvenation and sunshine and the "Gods" of calligraphy are more like our western concepts of Diva's, earth spirits or faeries.
Then there is the name thing which is confusing. Okami is short (?) for Ameratsu the sacred Goddess of the sun and creator of the world. Don't be confused when she is called Shiranui, Fur-ball, and Snow-ball too.
The game play is unusual to say the least. It isn't particularly about killing things. There are plenty of enemies to dispatch. Some of the most fun parts of the game come from little things like making the old woman smile when you replace her clothes line, or when you feed the birds and they fly around your head thanking you with billowing hearts. That is a good thing. We have been complaining for a long time that we wanted innovation and new things to do. This game provides just that. You begin learning how to operate the odd ball tools that Okami uses to fight with, and restore her energy. The learning process takes about 90 minutes and it is well done.
One of the main features in the game is the ability to use a calligraphy brush. At first I thought that it would be difficult to try and draw with a controller from a console. It was easy to do though. You are given 13 various tasks that can be performed with the brush and these unlock as you progress through the game.
The graphics in Okami at times defy description. It is gorgeous, stunning, refreshing and so much more than I can even tell you. The 2D art work is transformed magically into a world that can look either menacing or pretty. One thing that I discovered is the 3D graphics. I had gone to see Nightmare Before Christmas 3D, and I kept lifting up the 3D glasses to see how they did it. When I was watching some of the cut-scenes in Okami the effects are 3D and have a similar depth of field to a 3D movie. So I put the new polarized 3D glasses on, and what do you know, it was even more amazing! Try it if you have those big black 3D glasses.
Okami takes game graphics to a place that it has never been before. It shows what can be done with art that is essentially derived from water colors. This was attempted in a similar way in the Mark of Kri franchise, only Okami is better. The graphics look 100 times better than Samurai Champaloo and Full Metal Alchemist, these developers should take a lesson from Okami and Clover Studios. There are too many anime games out there that just plain suck, look half finished and rushed.
The music in the game is lovely and it suits the subject matter. There are harps and what sounds like koto. The music is very much the conveyance of the mood in the game. It changes to get the pulse racing during the fighting sequences. It evokes serenity and peace when Okami is returning the earth to its former beauty. I only have one criticism of the the game. When you are reading the many, many text screens they are accompanied by a weird mumbling voice. It is cute at first. But it becomes annoying right away. I would have preferred actual Japanese language instead. Then it would make sense to have the subtitles. The same goes for the flea that follows Okami throughout the game and provides exposition. It could be a common facet of mythology to have a little flea along with a wolf or dog in a story, but it reminded me of Inuyasha where a flea also provides back story and it is done with a normal voice actor.
Okami may be the most important game this year as an example of a failure to market to women. The game itself is designed exactly for what women gamers would enjoy. It is too bad that the publishers had no clue what they had in their hands. They should have taken out large ads on all the women's game portal websites and in womens magazines. It is a lost opportunity. Once again they could have benefited by coming to us for advice.
Okami gets my best female character in a game this year. Okami is exactly what we have been asking for. She doesn't have wardrobe malfunctions, there is no T&A, she is a powerful and heroic female lead character in a game. Of note in the news lately is the failure of the Barbie video games. We told you that it would fail. Okami demonstrates the type of game that women love, with a deep engaging story. There is fighting as well as more things to do besides warfare in it. There are many NPC's that are little girls and old people. It is balanced. It isn't pink, there isn't any stereo-typical nonsense. Thanks game developers, the best female character I have seen in 2006 is a dog.
In case the title didn't give you a clue, the clip contained in this post after the jump is totally NSFW so if you are reading this while you are at work, in front of children, or anyone who finds swearing offensive, do not look at what follows the jump!
Those people will be really, really, really not happy with you and give you the stink eye... no one wants to get the stink eye.
Pandalicious screamed at me that I had to watch this clip on YouTube so I hopped over there quick like a damn bunny to see what all the funny was about. I don't even play WoW but I found this video to be freakin' SCHWEET!
I've been watching Inuyasha since 1994. Back then it was only on once a week at 1:30 AM. Now I see it on Cartoon network on weeknights On demand and on Netflix. tonight I am watching the disk with the last of the Band of Seven on it. The whole Mount Hakushin and the mummified saint are pretty deep stuff. Kikyo has a big role and she is still acting as a priestess in the final chapter of the Band of Seven. It is her spiritual power that in the end purifies one of the biggest "bosses" if you will. A saint turned to the dark side by Naraku.
I was watching some other episodes and I wrote this other blog when I was watching these. Inuyasha is a series that can be enjoyed by people of different ages and walks of life. There are so many things to find in it. There is the character of Kagome who is a student priestess and archer for young girls. Inuyasha is an action character with a big sword for the boys. However there is this whole other cultural layer to it. Inuyahsa can be appreciated on a deeper level too. I often think about all the philosophical interpretations and spiritual information in it.
A while back my other half went out to a toy con and brought me back an action figure of Kikyo from Inuyasha. Since my partner only occasionally watches the show, and so picked up Kikyo for me without knowing her significance. Kikyo is the most enigmatic character and my favorite. She is a priestess who was deceived by a demonic monster called Naraku. Kikyo and her lover Inuyasha were turned against each other by the demon's lies.
Later in the story Kikyo is conjured up by a sorceress from her bones and graveyard soil. This resulted in Kikyo's walking the earth as an undead priestess. In life she had unusually strong powers of purification and spiritual strength. In death she is a formidable shade that wanders the earth. She seeks vengeance for her betrayal. But through her undead journeys she contemplates the yin and yang of her existence. She says that "Dark is light, good is evil, love is hate." Her "life" as an undead spirit in a cold body countermands everything she believed in as a priestess, however she lives and still attempts to carry on good works. Yet her existence is cursed and anathema by the very tenets that she once believed. Her life is a paradox.
I'm watching the pivotal two episodes On Demand where Kikyo finds out who betrayed them, and discovers that Inuyasha was not the one who killed her. The origins of the sacred jewel are discussed and there are many references to Shinto mythology. The series touches upon much of the animism and demonology that I find out more and more about every time I studied Shinto.
When I was in college, my "inner voice" kept whispering Shinto... Shinto in my ear. It's like an "ear worm" of a song when it happens, sometimes my intuition comes to me in that way. At the time I didn't "get" Shinto. I had been studying Wicca with all the long winded spells and elaborate altars and robes. Maybe back then I thought that was more powerful. At this point in life I feel closer to Shinto, closer to just the Earth and maybe even closer to understanding Zen. I have studied so many different paths and boiled them down to just the essence that is left. I even have my own huge pink rose quartz sacred jewel in front of me here.
Kikyo is an interesting role model. She is there to teach us that we are not supposed to become a captive of time like Kikyo, no matter how bad we are hurt, no matter who it is that betrays us. Kikyo is forced to be a living dead girl that can never escape her past. It doesn't have to be that way for us
The ESH Crew is yet again getting larger, by one... this time, it's another voice weighing in one games and anime. It is my pleasure to announce that GeekWoman is joining the ESH Crew to bring even more idea, questions, comments, and opinions to ya through the sounding board that is ESH.
Please take a minute when you can and welcome her aboard!
At my anime club this week we watched some old anime, and by old I mean it was from around 1999. It was called Sailor Victory. Everyone thought it was going to be a parody of Sailor Moon. Well, it isn't.
Sailor Victory is old school. It was made during a time when anime didn't have to worry about swearing or sexist remarks. FRANKLY, THEY JUST DIDN'T CARE about it in all honesty. We [my anime group and I] absolutely loved it no less, which brings me to the point... classics are just that, classics. Technology may indeed make new animes hot and flashy, but they never cross that imaginary line between good and classic.
DO you have a favorite classic? What is it? And why?
How to spend $700 for a Nintendo Wii: The great thing about the Nintendo Wii is the cheap price, right? You won't think so after hearing about tonight's sale on the GameStop.com website. Tonight you can buy a Nintendo Wii Bundle in a GameStop online-only sale for the low, low price of... $694.88, which doesn't include tax and shipping. What do you get for the extra $450 you're spending on a $250 machine? Six games (Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Red Steel, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz and Madden NFL 2007), an extra controller, a 1GB memory card, a 12-month product replacement plan and subscription to Game Informer magazine.
How to get a Wii for free: GameFly is giving away a Wii each day through Nov. 30. If you're a current GameFly subscriber, just go to the GameFly website and click on the link to the contest. Not a subscriber? You could sign up for a trial subscription or just go to this link. The official rules are right here.
How to win more stuff: While we're on the subject of winning game-related stuff, here are some more current giveaways: Enter here to win a $3,000 package of consoles and games, including the PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 and PSP from RewardTV. Enter here for an Xbox 360 package, including 27-inch HDTV and a copy of Gears of War from GamePro. Enter here to win a Wii and a copy of Red Steel from 7-Eleven. Enter here to win a Wii, the games Excite Truck and Legend of Zelda and an extra remote controller from Nintendo. Enter here to win a Wii from Pringles.
Just don't call it E3.1: Some are calling it the successor to E3, but whatever it is, it doesn't have a name yet. IDG, which owns GamePro and many other tech-related magazines, will be conducting a consumer-focused gaming event at the Los Angeles Convention Center Oct. 18-20, 2007, according to the GamePro website. What to call it? IDG has started a contest through Nov. 20 for that very purpose. Grand prize is a free trip for two to the thing.
Negima, Vol. 3: Magic 301 - Practical Application of Magic (Limited Edition): Life at Mahora Academy is anything but predicatble, a theorem which Negi Springfield and the girls of Class 2-A seem determined to test! When a class project incurs the wrath of one of their own, what follows is a virtual, digitally-enhanced popularity contest, no holds barred. How about a little war, World Wide Web style? I understand this Limited Edition version contains a collectible Negima figure.
From the fine folks over at Kotaku comes a YouTube video of the first commercial for the Nintendo Wii.
And guess what? It's for a game that you might have heard about called, Red Steel. Sure, it's really corny, some may say that it's even cheesy, but I think it's funny. So here is the Nintendo Wii Red Steel commercial.
I have to say, I'm getting tired of being accused of being a MS fanboy. Seriously, I am really starting to take offense man.
Allow me to explain why, with my top 5 reasons that I'm not a fanboy. [I'm too tired to come up with ten.]
It seems like whenever we share an opinion that's pro-system, or pro-exclusive console title, we get labeled as a "fanboy" with that system. It would be cool if it was just being labeled as "a video game fanboy," that I could handle with minor objections, but the dismissal of the ideas and thoughts put together on the sole basis of being a mega fanatic, well, plain old pisses me off.
So I've taken the time to compile this list of reasons why I'm not a fanboy to help those who like to use the "you're a fanboy, end of argument" clause know when it's appropriate and when it's not. It's a service I'm happy to provide you with so you can fight flame wars on a whole new level. Here goes.
No.05: All Consoles Are Welcomed I own or have owned at some time at least one hand held device or console from one of the major manufacturers. Sega Game Gear, Gamecube, Xbox, Playstation 2, Sega Genesis, owned em' all. In order to have the "fanboy" label stick, you have to be a console elitist.
No.04: I Read Many Gaming Mags, Not Just One. Yeah, you see that right, ok just wanna make sure. I do not have a paid subscription to any gaming magazine, but I do read many of them. EGM, OPM, OXM, CGM, Play, Game Informer, in addition to a few online mags. This means I hear about titles, games, and music from all the big [and small] development houses. To be worthy of the "fanboy" title, I'd have to pick one console and only read info about it... blocking out all other bits of info about other systems.
No.03: All System News Is News To Me New game releases on all systems are newsworthy or worthy of my attention. I'm going to be looking forward to Red Steel with the same amount of enthusiasm and curiosity levels that I have for Heavenly Sword and Halo 3. Not just the drawbacks or game glitches of other systems are worth noting or being aware of. I have to know a little bit about gaming in general in order to be able to form an opinion about it. If you haven't played Halo how can you honestly say it sucks? If you have never experienced the joy that is Amplitude, what is your basis for saying that your time is better spent kicking a dead squirrel? None, ya fanboy!
No.02: I Will Own All The "Next Gen" Consoles With very little need for thought I've already decided to own all of the next gen consoles. It may take some time due to lack of product on Sony or Nintendo's part, but as they become available I will buy them. I already own an XB360, but I'm already looking at ways to pick up the Nintendo and Sony boxes before the year is out. I like getting my hands on all the boxes so I can know what is fake and reality when it comes to each platforms ability, or lack there of. This way, when OPM says the graphics are 20 times better on the PS3 than XB360, I can fire up both systems and see for myself. I don't have to take the word of a possible "undercover fanboy" sway me one way or the other. It also keeps me from spouting off something I read as fact when it might just be wishful fiction.
and finally
No. I'm A Girl If you are going to accuse me of being a fanatic, get your terminology right. I can't be a "fanboy" as my physiology strictly contradicts this. I have boobs, and lady parts... that are all natural and if anything, would dictate the use of the term "fangirl" if you [after reading all of this list] still think the term applies.
Now I'm not saying that "fanboys" exist, hell, some of my closest friends happen to be fanboys. They do lead [mostly] productive lives and are great members of society, but many of them do need to have much of what they say when it comes to their console "loyalty" kinda go in one ear and out the other. I had one of my friends swear before Bob that the new chip in the XB360 was a suped up secret chip that IBM developed for the government but as a personal favor to Bill Gates sold to them for use in the XB360 instead. If I'm lying, may Bob strike me down as I type.
Well, I for one, feel better now. Enjoy your day... see you in Gears of War on XBLive bitches!
In the run-up to the launch of the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, there's going to be lots of rumors out there. At ElectricSistaHood, we're in as much of a fog as you are, so you can just take or leave these latest bits of information coming at us from all directions. It's all talk, and it's mostly crazy.
Thus Spake Mr. Chuck E. Cheese. Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant franchise, doesn't have kind words to say about Sony, according to an interview in Red Herring magazine: "With the PS and PS2 it was timing. They had the right pricing at the right time [and were] almost the accidental winner. It would not surprise me if a year from now they’ll be struggling to sell 1 million units. [Factoring in the PS3’s price], I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000." Crazy, man!
Bet you son's of a motherless goats thought you were too good for the likes of us with your fancy lil Best Buy PS3 pre-order from that SNAFU the Best Buy site had the other night... well lil mister "sucks to be you NinJa" I have some news for you in case you haven't read your email yet today:
NO PRE-ORDER FOR YOU BUDDY BOY! -- Signed, the Best Boy folks. Ha Ha!
I revel in your not having a pre-order like myself, and only getting a 10 dollar coupon in return for your frustration. The thought will keep me warm at night, these cold and lonely nights that I struggle with my lack of guaranteed Wii or PS2 pre-orders. Knowing that I am not alone, and that I have not been hosed by some folks that were able to take advantage of a website SNAFU that I didn't get in on will grant this NinJa solace.
Now I just need Amazon to do the same with the two Wii pre-pre-order deals but then offer the reclaimed pre-orders to the fine folks who signed up for the early notification emails and all will be forgiven.
Yeah, you know it's official Gears of War day today, and I'm anxious to get my hands on the game.
I'm sitting here writing this with my eye glancing up at my window hoping to see the USPS mail truck pulling up at any moment and bringing with it my copy of Gears. I have spent a big chunk of my day steering away from reviews of the game to try and keep them from tainting my own experience with notions I conceive previously to actually having my own hands on with the title. I gotta tell you it's hard... but since I have yet to play the game [c'mon mista postman!] what can I talk about? What can I offer to you, my friend, about this game that I haven't even laid my hands upon? I can tell you what I expect.
I expect that Gears of War will be the first real "next-gen" title offered up by MS on their XB360 platform. By that I mean that I expect this game to offer me up some visuals, load times, control schemas, story, and just engaging experience that a console which pats itself on the back for being "next-gen" would [at its naked core] bring to the end user. I expect solid gameplay, characters that I find myself aligning with on an emotional level without even noticing it. I want to find myself cussing at the baddies on screen, explaining to them how good that can of whoop that I just opened up on their ass tasted. I want a game that when I get through a level I HAVE to pause, jump up off my couch and bust out with a celebratory cabbage patch or even "ed lover dance" of joy. Yeah I said it. I love it when games get me so involved with the outcome and my progress that I have to celebrate when I succeed, but keep trying when I don't. I love it when a game makes me feel like I've let someone down by not being able to get past a level so it's my responsibility to get better at it so I can. I expect Gears of War to be like this. I expect Gears of War to serve me this kind of experience on a blood drenched platter.
I've seen the images, and they look great, but MS has made it so I can't set the bar any lower for this game. The viral marketing of the game, the suspense they built with the website and released videos not just showing how to get through a level with a synopsis of the game, but rather inviting you to try it and find out on your own... yeah, I get it. I want it. You got my attention. Now let's see if your game can really hold it... let's see if it's really next-gen.
There's just not enough hours in the day for the Sistahs to play all the videogames out there, so every once in a while we will present the views of others on the new games out there. Here's the first batch...
Destroy All Humans! 2: A writer from the Scripps Howard News Service says: "While not as original as the first game, there is plenty of enjoyment to be found here. You can never go wrong getting to zap all those pesky humans." Get it here.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07: Chris Campbell of the Scripps Howard News Service (courtesy of the Navy Compass) writes: "Sadly, there are still too few courses to play on the 360 version. Only 12 are available, and while that is double last year's count, there are 21 courses on the PS2 and regular Xbox versions. Jealousy reigns." Get it here.
Scarface: The World Is Yours: Alex Thornton of AllHipHop.com writes: "There's no shortage of open-ended crime simulators on the market, but what Scarface lacks in originality, it more than makes up in attention to detail and a comprehensive use of the franchise." Get it here.
Phantasy Star Universe: Lou Kesten of the Associated Press writes: "The story doesn‘t offer many surprises, and the combat is lackluster, for the most part requiring no more than rapid button-mashing." Get it here.
Spyhunter: Nowhere to Run: A writer for Chicago's Courier News says: "Without the driving and at least some of the classic gameplay thrown in for good measure, this game is at best worth a rental, and even then, it's disappointing." Get it here.
Looking through the email box, now that I had a moment to myself to collect my thoughts into a coherent block of text... nice of me to do huh?
I got an email from AnimeNation about a new Okami artbook they got in, and I have to say, it looks really interesting. According to the description,
This massive 296 page full color illustration collection archives the beautiful art of Okami, including early, prototype production design sketches, character and enemy monster designs, background art, and promotional illustrations.
Go on, give it a gander... and if you like artbooks, pick it up.
**Electric Sista Hood is an AnimeNation Affiliate**
Need to find out which Target stores near you will have Nintendo Wii's on launch day? Wanna know how many Wii's they will have? Need contact numbers for stores and a map as you travel on your WiiQuest, weary, and befuddled?
Well then look no further than this tracker from WiiSeeker! This handy dandy lil piece of web code will help you on your journey, providing you with locations, stock numbers, and the store numbers so you can devise a solid and strategic plan of deployment.
Calling all WoW gamers! Calling all WoW gamers! Now here this: Pandalicious wants to come to your server!
Hey everyone, Panda here. I've been experimenting on different servers, and I felt that you all got a great idea of what Ninjasistah is like from our interview on AllGamesInteractive... but, what about the Panda? Don't you wish you got to know me better?!
Well now you can. I propose a little contest of sorts not one formally introduced because this is not a contest. All those who are interested, comment to this post. Within you comment give me your toons name, whether you fight for the Horde or Alliance, and your server. When we record this weeks show, I will randomly draw a person's toon and server, and I will personally create a toon on that side and on that server.
I'm sure I'm not the best prize ever but this will also allow me to get to know all of you better. Well, thats all I've got for you today.
In today's news, we look at All Things Wii, with advice on how to get one on launch day, whether you'll need to bolster your health insurance to play the new controller, some Zelda pics, choice quotes from a Nintendo spokeschick and the lengths that a famous TV star will take to get one.
Need a Wii? Here's how to get it: If you missed out on the pre-orders, here are some great tips on how to get a Nintendo Wii on launch day.
Here's Best Buy's launch playbook: Planning on buying a PS3 or Wii from Best Buy? Then you'd better bone up on the company's launch weekend playbook. Kotaku provides all the details. Prefer shopping at Target? Here are their plans.
All about the Wii Startup Disc: Startup disc? That's right. You'll set up your Wii with an included startup disc. What will it do? The folks at Joystiq aren't sure, but there are certainly plenty of opinions.
The answer to the most important question of 2006: Will you get tired using the Wii controller? According to this story from someone who pounded hard at the Legend of Zelda for more than 10 hours, the answer is no.
Spoiling Zelda for you: Can't wait to see just how Zelda is going to look? Here's a site that reveals a bunch of screens from the Wii title.
Nintendo's questions and obfuscations: Game Informer magazine recently interviewed Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs for Nintendo of America, about the Wii. According to Kaplan, several celebrities are already queueing up for the console, including Sean Combs and Uma Thurman. When asked about Nintendo's vantage point in the console war between Sony and Microsoft, Kaplan told Game Informer, "I think it could be the tortoise and the hare."
Will the Wii support custom soundtracks? This screenshot on the Darkzero site certainly suggests it.
Will Cartman get a Wii? The little South Park sparkplug was so anxious to get a Wii that he had himself frozen in last week's episode, with some unfortunate results. The conclusion can be seen this week, Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern time, and repeating at midnight Wednesday, 10 p.m. Thursday, 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 p.m. Sunday. If you missed last week's episode, you can search for it on YouTube or wait for it to show up on iTunes.
In this episode of the podcast MagicMysticGrl talks about Kaku ren Bo, Pandalicious rants about the lack of cultural diversity in the SquEnix Final Fantasy franchise, and NinJaSistah brings it all home with a "Do you need a next-gen console" reality check question. Give this episode a good listen, share it with your friends... and don't forget to hit up www.electricsistahood.com/freshit.html to pimp us to your buddies.
Oh great here it comes for all to see. What do I have for you all this time? You know...Now that I've cracked 60, and have begun my quest for attunements and tier armor and gaining faction, I've noticed that I still have lots of work to do in this game. Now that I'm sixty, I can't be called a "n00b" anymore, but now there is a new word for what I am. Now, I'm "underequipped..." meaning that I am not decked out in any complete set of tier armor.
But my thought is this...
With BC [Burning Crusade, the WoW Expansion] coming out, most of the work that we will do to acquire tier armor will be for shit. There will be greens [Uncommon pieces of armor,weapsons and the like] that will have better stats than tier 0 through 2. Apparently lots of people still plan to keep their tier 3 [which, if I do manage to get, I will hold onto mine as a symbol of PRIDE!!!]
But what do you think about this hussle for tiers that won't really matter once the expansion come out? What do you think about the attunements and the like?
Calling all WoW gamers, I seek your wisdom and knowledge thank you.
Game maker expects PS3, Wii shortages: The folks at Electronic Arts aren't kidding themselves -- there could be fewer PlayStation 3's and Nintendo Wii's than the manufacturers are admitting. "It's probably going to be just as challenging to find a PlayStation 3 this year as it was to find a XBox 360 last year," said Warren Jenson, electronic Arts' chief financial officer, on a conference call with analysts Thursday. "There are many short term uncertainties. There could easily be hardware delays."
The controller that thought it was a hat: Did you know the Wii-mote controller for the Nintendo Wii started off as something you wore on your head? This and many other facts about the creation of the Wii are featured in this story from the Wall Street Journal. From the article: "The company has sponsored private Wii-playing parties in volunteers' living rooms. At a recent one in the Kansas City suburb of Tonganoxie, Kan., Karlye Weatherford stood and punched the air with her fists, clutching controllers that translated her hand and body movements to the screen. In front of about 50 friends and family members enjoying a catered barbeque lunch, the 29-year-old mother of three knocked out her husband's character after a series of blows. She says she rarely touches the family's Microsoft Xbox 360."
Should "adver-blogs" reveal their company connections?The GameSetWatch website investigates the trend of videogame blog sites that seem to know a little too much inside information about a specific company. Are these sites semi-official company organs? And, if they are, should they have to be labeled as such?
Tired of people complaining about your WoW habit? If so, you need to read this story from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's an excerpt: "Temple University psychology professor Donald A. Hantula said he believed the medium was not to blame for dysfunctional behavior by its users. 'I know people who spend 40 or 50 hours a week playing golf,' said Hantula, who is executive editor of the Journal of Social Psychology."
Hikaru No Go, Vol. 4 -- The Ghost in the Net: Now that Hikaru is a full-fledged student at Haze Middle School, he's ready to join the Go Club and enter tournaments. Unfortunately, his team is one player short. Can he convince Yuki Mitani, a fellow classmate, to give up scamming players at the Go Salon and join the team? Aww, heck. Why not?
I was rereading one of my favorite manga for the hundred and second time today, and I decided that you all should enjoy it as much as I have.
The manga is RE:Play by Christy Lijewski, the creator of the runner-up story 'Doors' from Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga Vol 3. If you are looking for something great to read, this is it. RE:Play has bands, vampires, homeless guys, cross-dressers, amnesiacs, angry exes, more 'haute couture' than Rail can shake his fork at and it's funny too.
Izsak is your regular everyday homeless amnesiac, which is to say that he's a bit on the strange side. He plays guitar in subway stations for chump change, until one day Cree shows up and drags him home with her. Cree wants Izsak to join her band, Faust, and promises him a home and a bed to sleep in if he agrees. Having nothing better to do Izsak joins up. Char the cross-dressing fashonista drummer takes to Izsak immediately, but not all the band members are quite so accepting. Rail, Cree's adoptive older brother is distrustful of this random bum Cree has brought in off the streets, and he vows to stay close so that Izsak doesn't do anything creepy. Unfortunately, Izsak may not be able to help the fact that he's creepy, considering the fact that he's a vampire. (Maybe, there are strong hints) Add Cree's ex, Ed, the former guitarist and Char's twin brother, some mysterious people following Izsak and some fairly normal band drama and you have an awesome book.
I really love Christy's work, of the Rising Stars of Manga stories I have read 'Doors' is by far my favorite. She has the ability to make all of her characters lifelike and cool beyond belief, as I read RE:Play I find myself wishing that I was friends with the band. The storyline is tight, with even amounts fun, drama, character development and flashbacks of sordid pasts. The art is amazing as well. Each character has a distinct style and a variety of outfits are seen for each of them. Christy designs her own clothing and her personal style and design sense comes through loud and clear with the outfits she has put together for the book. There are no school uniform cop-outs or characters that have closets full of one single outfit. Cree, Izsak and company are living breathing Laundromat visiting people.
I give RE:Play a 5/5. It's awesome every time you read it, even the hundred and second time. 2 silver MMs for a band full of piercings and clothed in some cool ass shit, black for dark undertones and vampires, aqua green for some great one liners and jokes, and a dark pink for drama.
You may be saying what the fux, but I swear I did post this last night. For some reason blogger has been snacking on some of our posts from last night. I guess it got the munchies. In any case, here is the re-posting.
Youtube is the place to be when you are at home on a Friday night, chatting with friends on IM drinkin' hpnotiq in yer pj's because your XB360 is in a box somewhere that you haven't unpacked yet...
This boi right here... he's my hero. I don't know what I could really say other than this video is simply superb. I would be remiss if I didn't give Mr.Young some love for hooking me up with the link.
Submitted [yet again] for your approval:
Damn man! All that stage presence... and on EXPERT! OH MY BOB!
A game box. [slap], a hot plate! [slap] It's my game box and a hot plate... [sobs uncontrolably]...
Friday night, and I'm not going out drinking so I figure I might as well catch up on my TiVo and YouTube subscription stuff, and what do I find? This video here video of a dude using a busticated XB360 system heat sink to flame some Sammy [Sambuca] and then [my fav] FRY A FUCKIN EGG!!! I shit you not folks.
In case you hadn't picked up on it before, I am a hardcore gamer. Gamer to the core. I saw this proudly, if there was a patch that said "Gamer to tha Core" I'd have it on every pair of jeans and t-shirt I own.
Have I played every game on the planet? No. I don't own a PC to play any PC games on, I haven't even installed World of Warcraft trial that I've been given. So you might ask, on just what grounds I can state that I'm a hard core gamer. It's because I take gaming very, very seriously.
I care about the well being of my consoles... they are my ticket to a momentary vacation from reality when I need it. As such, I have to make sure that they stay clean, safe, and in proper working order at all times. To help make that happen, I have done something that I think any gamer worth their salt needs to do: I have all of my important gaming related electronics on Uninterruptible Power Source backups. That's UPS' for the uninitiated. A little too nerdcore for you? Well it shouldn't be. A UPS is the best way to show your deep admiration for games and I'm going to explain why.
Nothing will fry your gaming box faster than a power surge. Having your system on a surge protector is a good start, but it may not be enough to save that HD drive if the power surges while you're in the middle of a hot and heavy capture the flag match. Many people know that it's a good idea to have your computer on a UPS to make sure you don't toast the machine that has a lot of your sensitive data on it... well, your console is at it's core, just another computer, so why would you treat it any differently than your bill-paying box? You shouldn't, and from now on your won't. Seriously, go home tonight, and tell your consoles you are not going to treat them like second class citizens in your home any longer.
Ok, all jokes aside, it's really a good idea to put your consoles on a UPS system, especially if you have more than one active gaming console in your home. But don't stop at your console, think whole picture. In my gaming rig, which I am slowly but surely tricking out, I have my 42 inch LCD, digital cable box, XB360 and PS2 on a UPS battery backup. Some people might think this is overkill but let me explain. In a previous rig setup I have everything including my wireless router on a surge protector. It was a very highly rated surge protector, so I felt comfortable in the knowledge that my electronics would not be fried like an egg in a skillet. Then the lightning storm hit, and my surge protecting surge protector FRIED my wireless router like a shot of H to the head. Fuck! Then I called the manufacturer, no replacement coming... didn't matter that it was on a surge protector. "You should have put it on a battery backup..." was the line I was given. That's when I had my "ah doyee" moment. It's all going on UPS systems.
I stress to all of you, put your systems on UPS battery backups... but do the research first. Find out what the energy requirements of the systems and TV in your rig that you are going to put on the UPS and then find the UPS that will support that requirement with ease. For instance, many battery backup systems have a certain amount of outlets that run off the battery, and some that are merely surge protected. I purchased the Belkin F6550-AVR system for my rig because it offered 4 outlets that were surge protected plus battery backed up, and then 2 more outlets that were just surge protected. This covers my main systems. I then bought an additional F6550 unit for the AV rack that houses my PS2, Wii, and wireless router. In this way, if the power goes out, I have plenty of time to safely save my games, power down my systems... no fried electronics... and all at about the cost of a new game. Not a bad deal, If I say so myself. If they could, my consoles and TV would thanks me.
Every major electronic system in the house is on a Belkin or APC UPS backup system. I've opted to not go with some systems that say they are specifically designed for the consoles themselves because they are designed specifically for that one system. Many of those systems are in the same form factor as the console itself, and are meant to rest underneath the system. For my rig space, this does not work. It would mean a single back up for each system and a power outlet for each. Unfortunately for me I don't have 6 outlets on the wall where my rig is, so this is an unfeasible option for me, and I think for many other people.
Well, you can have it for $3.99 with meal purchase that is.
I'm talking about Burger King obvisously. BK is going to be releasing a few BK themed games between November 19th and December 24th for the XB360 that will run you about $3.99 with value meal purchase I believe. You being the savvy gamer/anime fan that you are probably already knew that. I'm sure. But have you seen the trailers for the games?
Bad movies based on video games are bound to happen. They're like a case of crabs... you do all the stuff you need to in order to get rid of them, then you mess around with some skank [male or female] and BOOM! Another infestation.
You know, I thought, especially with the disasters that were Alone in the Dark and DOOM that the movie studios might have learned that maybe movies based on video games are not the best idea right now. Not because the idea can't work, it's just that the studios change many things that make a game unique or enjoyable as a player but don't necessarily fit the movie cookie cutter frame that they, in the end, make a movie that barely resembles the video game product that they were banking on to help put asses in theater seats.
Then I read the news about the upcoming Street Fighter and Castlevania movies and my heart sank to the floor. I've always thought that Castlevania plotline would be a great foundation for a feature length film. A bloodline curse to create the intrigue, vampires and the lone figure that stands against them to which you add the style the classic dark and dreary 16th century style and you have the makings of a great period, action, drama. If that doesn't ring the alarms of all studio heads nothing will. So I understand the desire to get this thing green lit... I was excited about it as well. Then I saw who would be helming the pic, Paul W.S. Anderson, and I realized the movie that I was seeing in my head was not the movie that was going to be made. If you aren't familiar with the name Paul W.S. Anderson you may know him from such films as Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, and Event Horizon. Do I really need to say more? It's going to suck. It's going to suck more than The Covenant sucked... which is an amazing feat in and of itself. Which is sad because all the of the elements to create a movie that you can get EVERYONE to go to... action and killing for the dudes, lost love for the ladies, and being a period pic, if done right might even get the academy's attention round Oscar time. But no, that's not going to happen.
And just when I think the news can't get any worse, one of the FRESHpeeps sends me an email about the Street Fighter movie. Now, why this is happening I've no fucking idea, but this time around the story is going to be centered around Chun-Li as opposed to the whole SF crew. I'll reserve my "it's gonna suck more than..." until I hear a little more. But the thing's going to be written by the dude doing the Voltron movie. You heard me right, I said Voltron movie! Don't even get me started on how pissed I'm going to be if this thing turns out to be the bastard child of The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and that Thunderbirds movie
But I'm nearly out of rage so I'll stop there. But I'll be writing about that Voltron shit, please believe me!
It was three whole months ago now that I got my fall issue of Takuhai from Tokyopop. It detailed a whole list of releases for each month. After this November list there will only be one more left, December.
November Releases: 12 Days Blame! 6 Boys Be... 11 Dears 8 Devil May Cry, Novel 2 !The Dreaming 2 *Elemental Gelade 2 Gatcha Gatcha 3 !GetBackers 16 Gundam Seed X Astray Happy Feet Cine-manga !ID_ENTITY 8 !*Immortal Rain 7 Initial D 24 Kat & Mouse 2 The Kindachi Case Files 14 King of Hell 14 Last Fantasy 3 Le Portrait De Petite Cossette 2 !Mark of the Succubus 2 My-Hime Neck and Neck 6 !Never Give Up 3 Off*Beat 2 One 10 !Otogi Zoshi 2 Peppermint 2 Queens Recast Redrum 237 2 (of 3) Remote 10 (of 10) Rose Hip Rose Samurai Deeper Kyo 20 (of 31) !*Shutterbox 4 (of 6) *Strawberry Marshmallow 2 (of 4) Telpathic Wanderers 4 (of 4) !Satisfaction Garanteed 2 (of 9) Trinity Blood The manga I plan to check out in November are Queens and Recast.
Queens is the story about Pil-Hyun Jun, a feminine bishonen trying to learn to be a manly man in order to win over the heart of his crush, Song-Ah Che. Pil-Hyun finds a comicbook "Escape from Being a Pretty-Boy" that reads as an account of his life. He seeks out the author, hoping to learn a thing or two, but the author turns out to be a SHE with sexually over-zealous roommates. Somehow he ends up moving in with the girls in order to learn the art of comicbooks and being a man. Meanwhile his crush is falling in love with a manly jerk.
Recast is about JD, a young boy raised an groomed by his grandfather to become the last hope for the world. He's a terrible student and is far more interested in the newest and most popular magical items than in conflict between good and evil. So when bounty hunters from the Fourth World come after JD and his grandfather will he grow into his powers or die trying?
Today's news is all about new consoles and new games and old gamers. We do a little name-dropping (Clint Eastwood). Sony does a little drop in launch numbers. And Microsoft simply drops the ball. Did GameStop foil the console profiteers? And will a simple de-frag cause your numbers to go up? All of that and less is answered here.
Sony warns about phony PS3 scams? That's right. According to BusinessWeek, a number of websites have been promoting pre-orders on units without the cooperation of Sony. The company says to stay safe, buy only from authorized dealers, such as GameStop, EB, Best Buy and Wal-Mart.
Did GameStop cancel preorders for games in Ebay auctions? In a word, no. But it shows just how crazy things are going to get in the run-up to the launch date for the PS3 and Wii consoles.
Alright, I type these words as my muscle vibrate in sweet and sour agony sauce. I'm now in day two of the move from the old apartment to the new and you'd think by now I'd be done. I'm not, but I'm close.
Anywho, I needed to take a break [because I'm tired of washing floors and finding boxes] and saw an email in my in box that I had to share with you...
As you may or may not know CEA, the people who run the monster tradeshow that is CES said that they will not be producing an all gaming tradeshow [separate from CES] next year. Couldn't get enough folks interested in ponying up money to run that shin-dig... but IDG said they can, did, and will.
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL FOLKS! IDG is creating a new show, called GamePro Expo that will be what E3 used to be like. The event is scheduled to go off in L.A. next October 18-20th. My calendar is marked already, what about yours?
I seem to have a Demon Diary Dilemma, AKA The Case of the Mysterious Bunny Girl. In August of 2000 writer Lee Chi Hyong and artist(s) Kara, an art duo, teamed up and started publishing a manwha series called "Mawang Ilgi," released in the US as Demon Diary. Several years later in March of 2002 Kara finished the 7th book with another writer, Lee Yun Hee. The question is did Lee Yun Hee finish the same story Lee Chi Hyong started?
Chi Hyong only completed the first of the 7 volumes, the rest were written by Yun Hee. Kara has a brief artists' note at the beginning of the second volume that explains the transition. In short, the note said Chi Hyong left the book to study for his high school exams and the rest of the story was in Yun Hee's capable hands.
There isn't much to indicate where Chi Hyong wanted the book to go. Most manga and manwha graphic novels are 200 pages or more, Volume 1 was only 144 pages of actual Demon Diary content with two additional stories, Crystal Heart and Terra. Three of the main characters, Raenef, Erutis and Eclipse are introduced and that's about it. I wasn't there for the transition so I don't know how much guidance Yun Hee got from Chi Hyong. He may have had an outline of the story for her, or he may have left it entirely up to her to decide the future of the characters.
The story itself transitions beautifully. If it weren't for the artists' note from Kara and the change of the writers name on the cover of the book I never would have guessed that the series was any different. I was initially going to write a simple review of the Demon Diary series and talk about how cool it was, but when I picked up the first volume to start re-reading it, I realized that there was one last loose end that Yun Hee missed. At the very beginning of the first chapter there is a scene that is never explained.
It looks like it is supposed to take place far in the future of the events in the series. The chapter title is My Time Remaining, a mature and older Raenef is leaning up against a busted concrete wall, his chest is bandaged and he's wearing what looks like space age clothing. The only text is Raenef speaking and he says, "I wonder what he's doing right now? It's been almost a year... You know, I can't wait any longer... I'm going to go find him. Hey... are you listening? Don't worry... you're coming too." It's only a 4 page scene and it's mostly shots of Raenef or the wreckage of the building he's sitting in/near, but the last image shows who he's talking to and it's this cute little girl with bunny ears and wires sticking out all over her body. She's got those Chobits eyes, the ones with the information streaking across them, so I think she's a robot. But that's it. There is no further information and when you get into the story there are no electronics and it's the usual fantasy story set in 'medieval' times.
So here's the question, what the heck did Lee Chi Hyong have in mind when he wrote that first scene, and do you think the Demon Diary Yun Hee finished and Tokyopop published is the Demon Diary Chi Hyong imagined?
Oh, by the way, Demon Diary is an awesome manwha and you should all read it. I'll give you the whole plotline in one sentence...
Demon lords are powerful, evil beings of chaos and destruction, so what happens when the newest of the Demon lords is a fluffy airheaded pacifist.
Pure fun, that's what. Kara is a great artist, and the Lees are great writers.
Thanks to one of our FRESHpeeps by the name of Ro, I got this link in my email box this morning and was slightly bummed.
As you may know from many of my posts over the last month, I'm really looking forward to the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. I really do miss my NES and SNES systems, as well as the old Sega Genesis. I used to play Altered Beast literally until my fingertips went numb... and don't even get me started on The Legend of Zelda or Shinobi [which by the way is why I am called NinJaSistah btw] So when I read the line up of VC titles, I was kinda bummed. I've created a table similar to the one posted in the link posted above but made it a bit easier to read. It's a long table, but you need to see it.
NES
JAPAN
USA
Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey
Urban Champion
Urban Champion
Legend of Kage
Not Getting It
Gradius
Not Getting It
Go-moku Narabe
Not Getting It
Soccer
Soccer
Super Mario Bros.
Not Getting It
Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda
Solomon's Key
Solomon's Key
Tennis
Tennis
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong
Donky Kong Jr.
Donky Kong Jr.
Ninja Jajamaru-kun
Not Getting It
Pinball
Pinball
Baseball
Baseball
Mario Bros.
Mario Bros.
Wario's Woods
Not Getting It
Xevious
Not Getting It
SNES
JAPAN
USA
F-Zero
F-Zero
R-Type III
Not Getting It
Super Castlevania IV
Not Getting It
Contra III
Not Getting It
Sim City
Sim City
Street Fighter II
Not Getting It
Donkey Kong Country
Not Getting It
Super Mario World
Not Getting It
Zelda: Link to the Past
Not Getting It
Fire Emblem: Monsho no Nazo
Not Getting It
Super Mario Picross
Not Getting It
N64
JAPAN
USA
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64
Sega Genesis
JAPAN
USA
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco the Dolphin
Gunstar Heros
Gunstar Heros
Golden Axe
Golden Axe
Colums
Colums
Shadow Dancer
Not Getting It
Altered Beast
Altered Beast
Space Harrier II
Space Harrier II
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog
Toejam and Earl
Toejam and Earl
Puyo Puyo
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Ristar
Ristar
Turbo Grafx 16
JAPAN
USA
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Adventure
Necromancer
Not Getting It
Super Star Soldier
Super Star Soldier
New Adventrue Island
Not Getting It
Dungeon Explorer
Dungeon Explorer
Battle Lode Runner
Not Getting It
Victory Run
Victory Run
Bomberman '94
Bomberman '93
Gotta say, I hope this us just a launch list and not a "forever" type list. By that I mean that I hope that this is just a list of what will be available in each country on launch day, with eminent roll out of the missing titles to follow. Not ever getting Gradius, Super Mario Bros., or Super Mario World is just plain unacceptable in my book. Having Space Harrier II does help my soul, but I'm still bumming about this list.
If anyone out there has the scoop, or can clarify this grey area up for us, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise this will be the first dark spot on my painting of a perfect gaming system roll out.
Xbox Live introduces 85 enhancements: Yesterday Xbox Live users were able to download a system update that gives them 85 new features and enhancements, including support for native 1080p games and movies, faster Xbox Live Arcade game list display times and even more choices when it comes to video playback options. The update requires no disc or hard drive. Read more here.
Mavs win E(B)A title: The NBA 2006-07 season is just beginning and they've already crowned the new champion: the Dallas Mavericks. At least, that's according to EA, creators of the NBA Live 07 video game. According to a story on the Canadian Broadcasting Company's website, the Mavs win in six games over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki is the MVP of the championship series. Losing in the conference finals are San Antonio and Miami. Last year's EA simulation correctly predicted Miami would advance to the NBA finals, but chose the Heat to lose to San Antonio.
Nintendo wins war of launch titles: Nintendo's Wii will start its life with 32 new launch titles, almost double the number that the Sony PlayStation 3 will have out before Christmas. The initial Wii titles will be: Call of Duty 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Rapala Tournament Fishing, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Madden NFL '07, Need for Speed: Carbon, Elebits, Happy Feet, Rampage: Total Destruction, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Ant Bully, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Metal Slug Anthology, Super Swing Golf, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Barnyard, Cars, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Creature from the Krusty Krab, Far Cry: Vengeance, GT Pro Series, Monster 4X4 World Circuit, Open Season, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown.
Anime gypsies get help: Traveling to Anime Expo in Long Beach next June? Now you can get help traveling to a variety of anime conventions through the AX Travel Store. The store provides discounted airfares, hotels and auto rentals on trips to anime conventions. Surf here for details.
Green Green -- Nature Girls (Vol. 3): Midori has one final chance to make Yuusuke fall in love with her. She bets it all on one kiss, and Yuusuke's memory returns! They are finally together, but fate has decreed them unhappiness no matter what. As the guys prepare a special farewell party for the girl's class, violent thunderstorms shake the school. Influenced by his old memories, Yuusuke's personality changes completely. Ignoring his friends, he becomes blunt and decisive. He begins to wonder if the real Yuusuke is actually a good person. Midori has overcome fate to get this far, but Yuusuke's real personality maybe what finally sends her back to the future. Back to the future? I loved that first movie.
I figured if Neiman Marcus could have the cajones to put up their Christmas decorations then by Bob so could we. I'm still tweaking the schema, but let a sista know how you like... because I be doing this stuff all for you... and the love of Bob.
Bopping around the net as I usually do, I came across this story about an interview done by N'Gai Croal with Larry Probst the CEO of EA. Croal was talking PS3 and XB360 development efforts or focus versus those for the Wii by EA given the supply/demand issues for the PS3 and the, well, lack of demand for the XB360.
Mayuka doesn't remember much more than Tenchi's face, so girls all take turns teaching her things about the world. Like any other typical anime summer montage they light firecrackers, eat melon and laze around in the heat. Although Mayuka's intentions are pure, Yuzuha has power over her and can control her actions. Unfortunately, she's not content to let Mayuka make friends, she wants to cause as much drama and destruction as possible. Eventually they have to go to confront Yuzuha, or she'll never leave Mayuka and Tenchi alone. 
Haseo logs into The World for the first time as a newbie only to be nearly pk’ed by two players who pretend to be his friends while helping him learn the ropes of the game. He’s saved by a mysterious player named Ovan, who tells him there is a hidden power inside of his character and invites him to join his guild. Haseo begins his grind to level up and in the process, befriends a guild mate named Shino. One day, he witnesses Shino being pk’ed by the mysterious avatar known only as Tri-Edge. It’s said that those killed by this avatar are called the Lost Ones because they never log back in to the game. 
Why are you staring at my turkey like that? Have you no shame man? I can read your filthy, filthy mind you dirty, dirty pervert. That's FOOD, not a conquest!
However, what they don’t know is that the ‘event’ is caused by a demonic creature with unimaginable power. Kain, the galaxy’s most dangerous villain has gotten loose from his maximum security prison cell. One hundred years ago the Jurain emperor joined forces with the Science Police to stop Kain’s rampage through space. Throughout his captivity Kain’s hatred of the Jurain royal family grew. After escaping, Kain used his power to bend space and time to travel to an era when Jurai’s power was weakest. He plans to wipe out those few members of Jurai who exist in 1970 and he’s starting with Achika, a young Jurain woman who would one day become Tenchi’s mother. If the girls let him succeed then Tenchi will disappear forever and their memories will be rewritten. 
This movie would be cool for the sole reason that everyone gets to wear sleek Jurain battle suits. But you also get to see Tenchi’s parents when they’re young and you get to see Tenchi actually using his Jurain powers. He doesn’t use them enough in the series. Plus there’s a dragon! Kain turns himself into a dragon, and everyone knows that dragons rock. On top of all that, it’s a story about time travel. Who doesn’t like time travel? All those lovely paradoxes and such... good times. Despite all this, the movie manages to stays true to Tenchi form, meaning there’s lots of bickering and cool space technology. 
The Sony and Nintendo fangirls and boys already know which new console is better. So the only question that remains is this: Which group is sexier -- girls selling PlayStation 3's or girls selling Nintendo Wii's?
Let's say you've spent 48 hours sitting in a cold, wet tent in order to try to get one of a handful of PlayStation 3 machines at your local Best Buy. Then you're going to spend another 48 hours in the same tent, in front of the same Best Buy to get a Nintendo Wii. Whadda ya wanna do next?
They already have my attention. I can't lie, I pre-ordered a Wii [finally] and I can't wait to get my little ninja hands on it. My only problem now is I can't decide if I want to play Red Steel or that sweet Zelda: Twilight Princess game. Decisions, decisions... but if you haven't gotten a Wii pre-order just yet, don't fret. Comedy Central will be giving Wii's away like it's Christmas! As a matter of fact, CC will give away one Wii every hour Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. And one lucky sonofabitch at the end of the weekend, will win a Wii console and a Scion tricked out to look like a Wii. I'm not sure what that Scion will look like, but I bet it will be a bitch and a half to keep clean.
Poor Pandalicious and MagicMysticGrl had to deal with NinJaSistah after she had downed an 
It's Launch Week for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and there's nothing but rumors of riots in Japan, where the PS3 went on sale this past weekend, and rumors of folks being thrown out of Best Buy waiting lines. Here's some more stuff you might have missed...
When most people think of American comicbooks they think of individual issues that are only 20 or so pages long and superheroes dressed up in tights with their underwear on the outside. That's like thinking manga only comes in the monthly magazines and characters only dress in sailor uniforms. Comics are also released in graphic novel form and depending on the story can be hundreds of pages long on any and all topics. Comics are where I got into sequential art, they were my gateway drug to the addiction that is manga. It's high time I got back to my roots. 
for instance. He's one of the oldest and most famous superheroes out there. He was created in 1932 and has had a littany of writers and artists working on his story since then. The character has been reinvented again and again, and placed in every concievable situation. He has had tv shows, movies, radio serials, video games and all manner of memorabilia designed and based on him. Comics trade on the fact that people want to read stories about familiar characters, not accustom themselves to new characters every time they want to read something. A comic called Witchblade had an anime based on it. Imagine if you could continue to read new stories about your favorite manga character for the next 74 years, rather than having to come to terms with the fact that their story is over and you will never see them again.
So, starting on Monday, in the podcast, I will be reviewing American graphic novels. I'll be bridging the gap between manga and comics with Death: At Death's Door a manga based on the Sandman comic series.
Don't say I never hooked you up peoples!
The manga is RE:Play by Christy Lijewski, the creator of the runner-up story 'Doors' from Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga Vol 3. If you are looking for something great to read, this is it. RE:Play has bands, vampires, homeless guys, cross-dressers, amnesiacs, angry exes, more 'haute couture' than Rail can shake his fork at and it's funny too. 
I really love Christy's work, of the Rising Stars of Manga stories I have read 'Doors' is by far my favorite. She has the ability to make all of her characters lifelike and cool beyond belief, as I read RE:Play I find myself wishing that I was friends with the band. The storyline is tight, with even amounts fun, drama, character development and flashbacks of sordid pasts. The art is amazing as well. Each character has a distinct style and a variety of outfits are seen for each of them. Christy designs her own clothing and her personal style and design sense comes through loud and clear with the outfits she has put together for the book. There are no school uniform cop-outs or characters that have closets full of one single outfit. Cree, Izsak and company are living breathing Laundromat visiting people.
I stress to all of you, put your systems on UPS battery backups... but do the research first. Find out what the energy requirements of the systems and TV in your rig that you are going to put on the UPS and then find the UPS that will support that requirement with ease. For instance, many battery backup systems have a certain amount of outlets that run off the battery, and some that are merely surge protected. I purchased the Belkin F6550-AVR system for my rig because it offered 4 outlets that were surge protected plus battery backed up, and then 2 more outlets that were just surge protected. This covers my main systems. I then bought an additional F6550 unit for the AV rack that houses my PS2, Wii, and wireless router. In this way, if the power goes out, I have plenty of time to safely save my games, power down my systems... no fried electronics... and all at about the cost of a new game. Not a bad deal, If I say so myself. If they could, my consoles and TV would thanks me.
The story itself transitions beautifully. If it weren't for the artists' note from Kara and the change of the writers name on the cover of the book I never would have guessed that the series was any different. I was initially going to write a simple review of the Demon Diary series and talk about how cool it was, but when I picked up the first volume to start re-reading it, I realized that there was one last loose end that Yun Hee missed. At the very beginning of the first chapter there is a scene that is never explained. 
