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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!
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    MAG in stores tomorrow! Are you excited- or underwhelmed?

    posted @ 1/25/2010 08:03:00 PM by Vichus Smith


    A few weeks ago, all PS3 owners were treated to the wide open beta for MAG, the massive action game which allows for 256 players to battle it out across one of three different factions, all at one time.

    Modern Warfare 2, as you read this, is still being played heavily and often. Will MAG be the big deal when it comes to PlayStation, or is Modern Warfare 2 the superior experience? I have not played Modern Warfare 2, but I have played MAG. I was not bowled over, but it was lots of fun. Having scores of players all playing towards one goal is exciting, but PS3 users tend not to have as many headsets as Xbox Players do, killing the ability to strategize for victory.

    So I will get a copy of MAG, whether it's in rental or retail form. I hope to see some of you there, and I hope you join me as part of MAG's best team!


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    Panda @ the Boston Post Mortem

    posted @ 1/18/2010 03:10:00 PM by Pandalicious


    When the grog is fresh and gamers are a plenty!


    To some of us, gaming is just a hobby, something that we do to relax, unwind, and have fun. However, what if…we wanted to turn it into our 9-5? There isn’t a doorway that leads straight into our dream careers, though we wish that there were.

    Over time, this hobby grew into a deep appreciation. Like most things we grow deeply attached to, we learn to master it; we desire to be apart of it. We have seen this in examples of LARP groups, Dungeons and Dragons fellowships, and all conventions known to man. So what about gamers? Sure there are events like E3, PAX Prime/East, and E for All, but these are geared more to the consumer industry then to say…a bright-eyed overly enthusiastic game developer who has been recreating arcade classics since they hit college, or even a passionate artist who found their love for drawing by playing Final Fantasy VII. These people exist and I have discovered where they should go to find what they are looking for: the International Game Developers Association or IGDA.

    The IGDA is a professional society for game developers. It is an organization like this that brings about conventions like GDC. Which is for the dedicated masses who are serious about constructing games for a living, the focal point of their gaming year. But like so many who cannot make the pilgrimage to the promised land that is GDC; there are places that allow them to congregate, communicate, and network throughout the year.

    Through some good fortune given to me by the game developer gods, I was given a rare opportunity. These do not come around very often, and only fools do not take them when they are offered; I am no such fool. On January 13, 2010, I went to the Boston Post Mortem. Do not be alarmed if you don’t know what this is. Until just recently I was blissfully unaware it even existed. Now with newfound knowledge I bring its existence to the light in hopes that those who are serious about games will make their way to an IGDA chapter near them. Boston Post Mortem the chapter located in, you guessed it-Boston.

    I walked in expecting to be overwhelmed by gamer professionals. Needless to say I was not disappointed. However it was all very informal which made the experience more comfortable. There was no pressure to have to talk to people, to have to exchange cards. If you wanted to go in balls-to-the-wall then go for it, then no one would stop you.
    Sure, there was a lot of networking going on during the open floor, and after the main talk of the evening, given by Jeff Goodsill of Tencent Boston about “Planning for success in the Chinese Game Market.” However, I didn’t just see potential contacts in this room; I saw people who enjoyed a good light-hearted atmosphere to talk about their love of games and their craft relating to their love.

    So just as a preemptive strike for those of you in the Boston Area who are interested in the Boston Post Mortem here are some things to know.

    -It isn’t always a catered event, so be prepared to pay for your grog and meat.
    -Also be sure to have any and all things business related with you, like business cards, samples of your work (if you an artist)

    -Being you is a big bonus. There is no point in being something that you’re not

    -Lastly, Listen, Observe and have a good time. ☺

    If you are interested in Boston Post Mortem, you can visit their website at http://www.bostonpostmortem.org/. It lists their schedule of activities, directions and all the companies affiliated with their chapter. If you aren’t from the Boston area but are looking to get involved in something like this, look for local IGDA chapters in your area. They are in fact worldwide, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. Good luck ☺

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    A closer look at the Tekken movie trailer

    posted @ 1/16/2010 11:00:00 AM by Vichus Smith


    The Tekken trailer has been making its rounds on the internet. Here's my take: 2010 is not the year that video game adaptations will be rescued from the land of horridness.

    What went wrong with this Tekken? Take a look:





    It starts out looking alright, but then the bad acting begins. You see some quick cuts of fighters being acrobatic, but then one tatted up fighter taunts "This is Iron Fist!"

    OH, IS IT?

    Next, we see our first familiar face, Heihachi Mishima. That is Cary Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) He looks a lot smaller than the Heihachi from the games, doesn't he? Some people may hate that they didn't get a super buff octogenarian to play Heihachi, but this movie looks like it needs as many actual actors in it as possible. I'd rather have Cary playing Heihachi over some old meathead.

    Then there are some glimpses of the many Tekken fighters. Some are more obvious analogs to their digital counterparts than others.

    1. Bryan Fury (?)

    2. Lei Wulong (?)

    3.Yoshimitsu.

    4.Raven.

    5.Eddy Gordo.

    6. Lee (?)

    7. Nina Williams.

    This is when the trailer is most faithful to Tekken. You see the match-up screen, the Announcer shouts the names of Raven and Eddy Gordo. (SPOILERS: Eddy Gordo wins :) ) We are then introduced to our young hero, the poor, Mom-less Jin Kazama. I think that this guy is not an entirely terrible actor.Jin gets the "people's choice" spot, which means he comes in off the street and kicks some ass. Jin's love interest (I suppose) is a cornball. Where's Ling Xiaoyu? Speaking of corniness, marvel at how Raven sounds like the Blade Rip-off that he is. Oh man, there is so much to hate in this trailer.

    Maybe Kazuya can save this movie. Whoever the guy hiding in the shadows is, that's most likely him. To end the trailer, we get a lot of dull, unimpressive action that doesn't at all hint at the moves the characters pull off in the game. Besides the bad acting and the dull sets is the lack of some big budget effects. If any movie needs to have some flash to it, it's a film based on a bright-colored, flashy game like Tekken. Tekken looks like an college kid did it and blew most of his meager budget on some MMA fighters he found at a local gym. There are no two better words for this trailer than "It stinks!"

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    Final Fantasy XIV- It's beta sign-up time!

    posted @ 12/16/2009 08:21:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    Behold, the portal to your dreams:




    Now is the time to sign up for the Final Fantasy XIV beta! If you're a Squeenix maniac, if you crave Final Fantasy RPGs, then why are you reading this? Go here and become one of the chosen few! Sorry, kids, you've gotta be 18+ to apply :(

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    While Some Gamers Game, Others Rock: L33tStr33t Boys

    posted @ 12/14/2009 11:06:00 AM by Pandalicious

    When Gaming and Music Collide...

    Coming from a geekish background of games, music and anime, it is no wonder why I would fall in love with this anime otaku fantasy game band. I do not use the word love often, but in this case I’ll make the exception. Comprised of an elf on guitar, a guitar hero hero from a far away land as lead vocals, a healer with awesome bass skills and a massive dragon on drums, L33tStr33t Boys brings the worlds of gaming and anime straight to your earholes.

    Unlike all of the other musical entities that have done songs about video games, or have referenced an anime of yesteryear, L33tStr33t Boys raises their geek flag and proudly wags it in your face. Respect it! The band has been around since 2007, however they didn’t make their impact until the debut of their music video for their instant classic “Yuri the Only One” at Anime Boston 2008. It was the talk of the convention, to which I can attest to since I was there.

    Many say they are a boy band, and this is where I will draw the line.

    When I think boy band, I think five 20 somethings, who sing more than they play instruments. I even use the term “sing” loosely, because most boy bands of my time consisted on maybe one or two of the—lets say five—boys singing while the other three harmonize with the “Oohs” “Ahhs” and “Yeahs”. They also made sure to over emphasize the pelvic thrusting and gyrating that made the fan girls swoon.

    L33tStr33t Boys is far from that. They are not a mere boy band; they are a band for our gaming generation.

    It wasn’t until February 2009 that the band released its self-titled debut album and it wasn’t until some few months later that I would be fortunate enough to review it.

    Presentation:

    The starting line for any project, whether it be: music, drawing or even podcasting can be a feat all its own. Without people with specialized talents, a release of a video, comic or audio show can show just how novice we can be. L33tSt33t boys rose to the occasion and made sure to make their CD cover art noticeable and easily recognizable to their fans. It was heart warming to be brought back into that original animated music video.
    Result: 5 of 5

    Music:

    It was great to see that straight away the debut album did not start off with all their already exposed singles. Their range in music genres is highly praised. Other music groups have attempted to show their versatility by doing this and have utterly failed. They were able to find a proper balance between rock, ballads, and pop tunes. All fused with our gaming/geek culture.

    Here is the lineup: They have songs for every occasion: an upbeat love song, a down beat love song, a day boosting song, and a political call to arms song. You name it they have it here, all for your enjoyment.

    Masquerade
    Otaku Anthem (I Wanna Live)
    Yuri the Only One
    Guitar Hero Hero
    Haruhi
    Pixel Girl
    Leetstreet Fighter
    The Fanboy of the Opera
    Rockstar Games
    In Another Time

    Result 5 of 5

    Overall Result: 10 of 10
    This CD is light, engaging, funny and it is solely meant to be enjoyed. If you take this too seriously then you are missing the point.

    L33tStr33t Boys are not just a band comprised of gamers and anime enthusiasts. They are a triple threat. But don’t take my word for it. Check them out at www.leetstreetboys.com. If that isn’t enough, you can look them up on youtube to see their animated videos. You will not be disappointed.

    On that note here is one of their videos.


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    The Rock-Block Connection: Lego RockBand

    posted @ 12/05/2009 09:17:00 AM by Pandalicious

    We built this game
    We built this game with L-E-G-O-S

    Welcome to a world of pure imagination, and sadly it isn’t the world of Willy Wonka. Though some would say it was just as colorful and enchanting. If there is one thing that we’ve grown up with that has followed us into our adulthood it would be Legos. So this shouldn’t be too much of a shock to see it in our video games. Its success is another thing that the gamerbase should have predicted from the get-go.

    Traveller’s Tales, the developer responsible for reanimating this childhood classic toy in a digital form would want to find a concept that was new and family oriented. Perhaps another developer, who has a thriving game series that wouldn’t have to modify much to appeal to a general audience, someone like: Harmonix perhaps. Bingo. Merge together the love of yester toy with music from the decades and you’ve got Lego RockBand.

    Visuals:
    There is really only one thing I can say about the graphics: LEGOS. Everything is made out of Legos. There isn’t much detail to be had in a simple red, yellow, green or blue block. However for capturing the essence of what Legos are meant to do (which is inspire imagination), it does exactly that and then a little more. The customization feature is very similar to its’ big brother and sister games. It does have it limitations though, but those are simply in place to reinforce the Lego universe. At the end of it, if a person has an issue with the limitation of a Lego rocker’s style, then don’t play it. Play RockBand or RockBand2.
    Result: 5 of 5

    Gameplay:
    Single Player:

    Everyone is a solo artist before they decide they want friends. Once they have friends, it is instinctive that they would want to make a band. However the really cute thing about this game is that in single player you actually get a bit of story during the campaign. Granted, it is all very cookie-cutter but it is still refreshing to see and experience (especially since neither RockBand nor Guitar Hero decided to include it.)

    There are also special alternative venues that are interactive. These places also depict the beautifully destructive awesomeness that is rock. No Lego people were harmed in the making of this game. However like all things multiplayer oriented, the game isn’t as engaging unless you are playing with someone else.
    Result: 3 of 5

    So quickly to the multiplayer mobile!

    Multiplayer:

    Just like its’ predecessors RockBand and RockBand2, most of the emphasis lies in its’ multiplayer. However in the realm of childhood, blame isn’t something practiced. Mistakes don’t occur in this magical land of red, green, yellow and blue. ”Failure” is a word that this age range won’t experience until the third grade. The game effortlessly mirrors this world we all secretly desire to go back to. It is shown through the “ Super easy” mode and “recovery phases” options presented in the game.

    Even though this game seems to be watered down a bit, don’t be quick to assume that the other difficulties are cakewalks. They are just are challenging as we’ve come to expect them to be. Warner Bros would never put itself in a light that would make children believe they couldn’t do anything. So the game does allow for gaming growth, which is essential if you want to keep the kiddies interested.

    This game could be a great way to have play dates for your smaller children (if you have them). It is a way to entertain up to four kids at a time, think of it as controlled rock chaos.
    Result: 5 of 5

    Music Selection:
    The choices in this installment are not the water logged, saccharin injected “children” versions that we’d expect out of a children’s game. (So sorry Kids Bop) I mean there are some covers of popular song, but they aren’t no named, unpopular artists doing them.

    Here is a small peek and some of the songs you’ll get in this game. Ok it’s all of them but…in the spirit of the holidays I couldn’t leave them out.
    • All American Rejects, "Swing, Swing"
    • The Kooks, "Naïve"
    • The Automatic, "Monster"
    • KoRn, "Word Up!"
    • Blink-182, "Aliens Exist"
    • KT Tunstall, "Suddenly I See"
    • Blur, "Song 2"
    • Lostprophets, "Rooftops"
    • Bon Jovi, "You Give Love a Bad Name"
    • P!NK, "So What"
    • Boys like Girls, "Thunder"
    • The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
    • Bryan Adams, "Summer of 69"
    • The Primitives, "Crash"
    • Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighting"
    • Queen, "We Are The Champions"
    • The Coral, "Dreaming of You"
    • Queen, "We Will Rock You"
    • Counting Crows, "Accidentally in Love"
    • Rascal Flatts, "Life is a Highway"
    • David Bowie, "Let's Dance"
    • Ray Parker Jr., "Ghostbusters"
    • Elton John, "Crocodile Rock"
    • Razorlight, "Stumble and Fall"
    • Europe, "The Final Countdown"
    • Spin Doctors, "Two Princes"
    • Everlife, "Real Wild Child"
    • Spinal Tap, "Short & Sweet"
    • Foo Fighters, "Breakout"
    • Steve Harly, "Make Me Smile"
    • Good Charlotte, "Girls & Boys"
    • Sum 41, "In Too Deep"
    • The Hives, "Tick Tick Boom!"
    • Supergrass, "Grace"
    • Iggy Pop, "The Passenger"
    • Tom Petty, "Free Fallin"
    • Incubus, "Dig"
    • T-Rex, "Ride a White Swan"
    • Jackson 5, "I Want You Back"
    • Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk"
    • Jimi Hendrix, "Fire"
    • We the Kings, "Check Yes Juliet"
    • Kaiser Chiefs, "Ruby"
    • The Zutons, "Valerie"
    • Katrina & The Waves, "Walking on Sunshine"


    Result: 4 of 5

    Downloadable Content:
    A shining grace to this game is that with a great setlist like this, we are able to import them over to RockBand2. So many have seen this as an expense trackpack. Just like other RockBand games, content will be made available through the online store. So just like budding young kids, this game has the potential to grow.

    Result: 5 of 5

    Shortcomings:

    The only pitfall that I have noticed has nothing to do with the game out side of a lack luster single player mode. The question on my mind is: Why release this so late? North America got an 11/03/09 release date, where the UK (11/27/09) and our mates in AUS (11/25/09) just got their releases fairly recently.

    Most of the gamerbase didn’t see a need to release another RockBand game. At this years’ E3, this game was right next to the Beatles RockBand booth. Those who took time out to play Lego RockBand were just riding it off as “just another” rhythm based game. Reception was moderately high considering the overwhelming sense of “Meh” that came from the venue. To give this game the hype it deserved maybe MTV Games/Time Warner should have released it after the first Lego games came out.

    Speculations about this late release date center around the notion that if a game releases right before the start of the holiday season that sales will increase. Perhaps MTV Games/Time Warner felt that Lego RockBand would be overlooked and stepped up their game by setting up a deal with Old Navy. (If you aren’t an Old Navy shopper than this deal wouldn’t affect you). Then again, this could have been just a way to spread their product around to places where one wouldn’t see gaming influence. Talk about a way to get their name out there.

    Overall Result: 22 of 25:


    Gaming families with young children should seek this game out for the holiday season. It is definitely present for the whole family. And even if you don’t have wee ones to entertain,

    Happy Holidays!




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    Same Face, New Scar: Modern Warfare 2 Review

    posted @ 11/17/2009 09:55:00 PM by Pandalicious

    Stand and Deliver...


    After all the players had taken the world stage, we prepared ourselves for war.
    After the last bullets left our guns, we prepared for rest.
    After the new foe turned the world’s fangs on us, we knew we were going back.

    War stories are the kinds of tales that are a lot longer then we think they are. War is the backbone of history. The formula goes: Peace. Prosperity. Conflicts. Riots. War. That train is never late.

    Some of us lived through wartime, while the rest of us learned about fragments of them in textbooks, completely unattached from the severity of each one. Now, in this present time, we have better technology and through entertainment can see and potentially feel that severity.

    Story Time:

    The first Modern Warfare took us into the stories of two individuals who would never meet but would be linked through war: Soap MacTavish, and Paul Jackson.

    A radical leader in the Middle East has staged a coup d’état, while civil war breaks out in Russia. It is up to the SAS and USMC to go in and do what they do best: suppress and end the wars. The USMC heads into the Middle East to capture Al-Asad and the SAS go to Russia. By the very end of this storyline Soap delivers the final blow to Zakhaev, the head of the Ultranationalist movement to put this war to rest.

    Or so we thought…

    Modern Warfare 2 brings us back into the fray five years later. Soap MacTavish who was a recruit to the 22nd SAS is now Captain MacTavish of the Task Force 141, however we experience all this from the viewpoint Gary “Roach” Sanderson. On the other side of the world, in America, We are thrust into the Ranger Regiment first as Private Joseph Allen and then later as Private James Ramirez.

    Both units are taking orders from General Shepard, whose focus is primarily to secure and silence the “obvious” antagonist Makarov. He is the protégé of the first game’s antagonist Zakhaev. Allen goes undercover into Makarov’s terrorist cell that slaughters an entire civilian airport but not before setting up America as the culprit.

    Russia takes immediate action against the US by means of a surprise invasion. There are a few causalities along the way. Our soldiers try to get close enough to the threat to eliminate it. After acquiring an Achilles’ heel in the form of an unknown prisoner in the gulag (this prisoner turns out to be Captain Price from the first game.), all hell breaks loose. A new antagonist emerges to shift the plot in a direction we never saw coming. Shepard becomes angered and disillusioned and takes it out violently on Task Force 141 by murdering Roach and Ghost. If you haven’t caught on, Shepard is the antagonist.

    Makarov gets put on the backburner and even slightly aids Task Force 141 or what is left of it. They take out Shepard, but as a result Soap, Nikolai and Price are on the run from the world. They still have their sights on Makarov and they still have a job to do.

    The story was enjoyable however, I disliked how for ¾’s of the game we are gunning for Makarov but in the last 1/4th we are focused on Shepard. Then again with that blank check in hand, Shepard did become more of a threat. I don’t see why they couldn’t have taken out Makarov and then settled the score with Shepard. This way does promote a better segway to a third game but that isn’t enough in my mind to justify the action. Result: 4 out of 5.

    On To Campaigns:

    Single player story mode:
    So for the story of Modern Warfare 2 you’d think that it would eat up a good chunk of your time. Sitting in the most comfy gaming chair with an arsenal of snacks at your side, the story mode can be completed in about 6 hours. So the story campaign is amazingly short. Dare I say too short?
    Size isn’t everything; some of the best stories written are short stories, but they did something unique for their time period. Even though they incorporated some new features into the gameplay like: breaching, more use of predator drones etc. It was still a very cookie cutter Call of Duty game. Infinity Ward had a chance to redefine the FPS standards, but they played it safe. Result: 4 out of 5

    Spec Ops:
    This is the newest feature to come out of this game. This can be done with or without a partner (Though I suggest you get one! You’ll thank me later.) In this, you and your partner get to work together in scenarios for star ratings. They range from one to three; three stars being the highest amount attainable.
    There are several different categories of events code-named: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo. These are insanely fun. It was the best move for Infinity Ward to make something Co Op instead of just strictly multiplayer. These missions allow players to go back to different areas from the game and even revisit some goodies from the original. It was a breath a fresh air. Result: 5 out of 5

    Multiplayer:
    Everyone who loved the multiplayer from Modern Warfare is going to love it in this sequel. They’ve bumped up the experience cap up to 70 instead of 55. They give you several kinds of multiplayer games like: Free-For-All, Search and Destroy, Demolition, Domination, Team Deathmatch and lastly Capture the Flag.
    Besides those, there is even a new option in multiplayer, which is third person perspective. That’s right, a FPS with 3rd person capabilities. Though it was initially disorienting and hard to get used to, this isn’t the fault of Infinity Ward. This is because of our self-training to play FPS. It just gives us something new to master. Result: 5 out of 5

    Overall Result: 18 out of 20. (Good Job Guys!)

    Infinity Ward knows how to please its fanbase. From its eye-catching visuals to its enriched story and multiplayer options, it was a delight to play. I plan to revisit this game often. The replay value is high and leaves us waiting to jump right into Modern Warfare 3, so get on it Infinity Ward. Time is ticking! ☺

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    Modern Warfare FTW!

    posted @ 11/13/2009 11:59:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Taking day sale records through the muftha effin roof!

    If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t written in about a week. I apologize for that but it seems like the gamer world was preparing for a homeland takeover. That takeover was the release of Infinity Ward’s much anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Everyone and their mothers were talking about this game, and for the two days after the midnight launches everyone and their mothers WERE playing it.

    It was announced yesterday (November 12, 2009) by the Activision camp that MW2 had the biggest launch in history across all other forms of entertainment. Estimating sell-through sales of $310 million In North America and United Kingdom in the first 24 hours alone. I guess it is safe to say that pairing up The US and UK in the first game paid off tremendously.

    There was an instance where the world stood still. If anyone uttered a word it was to praise or condemn this action packed game. Praises sang out over the return of Soap MacTavish, one of the protagonists from the first game, the stunning graphics and even setting up instances where slight hesitation equals repetitive death on the side of the player.

    The negative press with this game stemmed from a mission called “No Russian” where we (the US) send one of our own into a Russian terrorist cell. That cell then in turn slaughters a whole airport of innocent civilians. Now before I get chewed a new one for bringing this up, I must say that Infinity Ward was smart to give the player an option to not take part in that particular mission. However in my personal option, the story deems this mission necessary. So if you have yet to get this game, and were thinking of not doing this mission, I strongly urge you to do it.

    It shouldn’t be a surprise that I am bringing this mission back up again especially since I did an initial piece about it. However, now that I own the game and have played it I have to ask: Are you curious about how I perceive it now? Well I am going to tell you anyway so I hope you are. Actually playing through this mission wasn’t as bad as just watching it. So the moral of the lesson kids is looking at something without knowing everything about it is a stupid shallow judgment. Don’t do it.

    I only wish I could talk more in-depth about this game. However, since I was part of the unfortunate group of people waiting for the postal service to do me a solid and deliver it instantly (Yes I’m aware I have a skewed perception of the postal service); I have yet to get immersed into the story. Once I’m done with the story you’ll see me manning it up in multiplayer. See you on the front lines. Hurrah!

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    The Aftermath After "The Aftermath"

    posted @ 11/02/2009 06:00:00 AM by Pandalicious

    It was acquired, played and here comes the afterthought...

    Sometime ago I introduced a game called Obscure: The Aftermath. Through the forces of fate, I was given a review copy of this game for the PSP.

    Here is a little refresher in the storyline of Obscure: Take several high school teenagers and trap them on school grounds. Add a demented headmaster who subjects these students to evil experimentation, then unleash horrific baddies on them while they slowly get taken out Darwin style. Oh, do not forget to add the grainy filter, and atmospheric music. Those who made it out alive now have since been treated for the mutations they endured, and also have graduated. Enter next step: college, which proves to not be such an easy transition.

    Even though I have a natural attraction to the distorted and demented stories encased in survival horror games; I also harbor an enhanced reaction to fear. In laymen’s terms: I’m a scaredy cat. To be completely honest, they scare the bejesus out of me! This fear hasn’t stopped me from playing these titles; all they have managed to do is instill in me a habit of late night rummaging for something a little less threatening with a smiley face on it.

    As I loaded this game into the PSP, I heard the chilling sounds of eerie children singing. If we haven’t learned a thing or two about what makes an atmosphere creepy; disembodied child-like choir voices surrounding you like the coat you put on is a good start. If that isn’t enough add the agent that is key to all Japanese horror films and no I don’t mean deathly pale eight-year-old girls. The element of flashing horrific scenes or pictures does the trick. Walking down a hallway at night can be spooky, but add a flash of screaming face or a mutilated person or dog and you are in business.

    Lastly, if the grainy filter, invisible choir boys, and B movie acting isn’t enough to strike fear and uncertainty into your sub cranium, perhaps the lack of true control of your pairs will do it. It is one thing to combat the forces of the darkest twisted corners of the human psyche but try doing it when the only analog stick on your PSP is the biggest piece of crap on the face of the planet. One wrong flick could land you into a corner where you’ll become these monsters’ nighttime love…or at best their nighttime snack.

    If you are a wizard at modification or know someone who has that gamer god-given talent, then I suggest bribing them to mod your analog stick. Then you’ll know for sure that your death was just bad luck and not because you couldn’t move efficiently.

    One concern I do have with this game isn’t really a fault with the game but with Playlogic’s choice to put this game on a portable platform. This game has its share of jumpy moments that could compel someone-say like myself- in utter terror to throw their PSP into the air, thus potentially breaking it into several pieces. To safeguard said PSP, playing in a place made of plush pillows should be considered. However I have recently discovered that Obscure was initially for the Playstation 2 and the fan base clamored for a portable release of this game. So you guys got what you asked for!

    Overall I felt like the atmosphere really set the tone for this game. It reminds me a lot of Silent Hill 2, which is one of my favorite survival horror games. So I give Obscure: The Aftermath for the PSP a 4 out of 5 rating. If you want some portable fear in your pocket Obscure: The Aftermath is the way to go.

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    Wasting Time: Time Fcuk

    posted @ 10/27/2009 01:26:00 PM by Vichus Smith
    It would be a severe oversight to talk about wasting time without mentioning Time Fcuk



    Time Fcuk is a puzzle game that wants to get in your head as much as it wants to test your skill as a puzzle solver.



    The story is that the protaganist's future self comes to his past self and asks him for help; sorry, this is not a fun Marty McFly adventure. As you are warped from one ever more dangerous room to another, you get the feeling that you might not want to trust your future self.



    Your only objective is to find your way out of the room you have been sent to. All you have to do is warp time and space. Simple, right? Be ready to have lots of "Eureka!" moments as you finally tackle these tough puzzles. Even though it's a time paradox if you do, you can die, only to be brought back to the same spot, good as new.

    It's highly recoomended that you take a chance from this, especially if you were a fan of Valve's Portal. Besides giving you a wicked challenge to screw with your mind, you also have a companion with very puzzling (and disturbing) comments to make.

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    Sony's Answer to No More Button Mashing is Demon's Souls

    posted @ 10/12/2009 02:15:00 PM by Pandalicious

    I have to think before I press a button?! Wha?

    Looks as though Playstation has taken a step in a direction that we have all talked about in our selective gaming groups. It is a disappointment however that it is a PS3 Exclusive. I’d feel differently if I owned a PS3 myself, but I digress. Demon’s Souls comes out of From Software, a Japanese software company. If you are familiar with the Armored Core series, you know their work.

    From Software primarily has made games for Sony’s Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3 and its portable. It has branched out to the other consoles and even to mobile phone gaming.

    Demon’s Souls is a fantasy RPG (Role Playing Game) centered on a dark time in a land that is being overrun by monsters and demons. So this sounds pretty basic right? Well yes it does however you aren’t just some Joe Bloke donning armor and waving a sword around. The game mechanics allow the player to customize their own playable character in terms of gender appearance, name, etc. However what this game also does is adds a touch of strategic planning. Each action the player is allowed to do has a value attached to it. This means every action whether it is an attack or a block will absorb a bit of your stamina. Once your stamina well has dried up you are unable to fight anymore. At this point you are demon food.

    Some of the interesting online features include:
    Co-operative play will allow three players to team up and play through different levels of the game. There will be a competitive element that will allow players to force themselves into another player’s adventure and become an opponent. Players will be able to see traces of fallen heroes in their game by means of seeing bloodstains that will unlock the battle for viewing only. On a lighter note, players can leave notes that contain hints to the game to aid those who come after them.

    If you have a PS3 and don’t want to play Dungeons and Dragons then take a stab at Demon’s Souls; you will not be disappointed. It is interesting, intriguing and won’t require you to make your own costume, craft your own blade, or roll a critical success in order to feel accomplished. Save that for another day.

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    This Holiday Season Brings with it a fairytale.

    posted @ 9/29/2009 10:08:00 PM by Pandalicious


    Ho Ho Ho! Merry Bloodshed!

    Holiday season this year seems to be chuck full of trinkets, accessories and games that will titillate gamers during these cold hibernating months. If the buzz and hype doesn’t keep us all warm, our fingers frantically pushing, rotating and flicking will do it for us!

    Those of us under the XBOX360 mantle have several games to look forward to this holiday. Some of our lists of games may look similar like: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassins Creed 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Brutal Legend, and Halo ODST. However since we are all different but all seem to harbor a sliver of desire for pixilated bloodshed and mutilation let me shed some light on a little game called Fairytale Fights.

    This was the first closed demo that I got to catch a glimpse of at E3 ’09. It seemed harmless enough, very colorful and animated. It wasn’t until a few moments later that I noticed that the color red splashed over the screen far more often than any other color. It had an odd sense of Christmas really, green rolling hills, splattered with the blood of the innocent; it leaves a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside my heart.

    Innovation was on the forefront of Playlogic Entertainment’s mind when this game came into being. They took something that was wholesome and pure from our childhood (Which is ironic since most fairytales weren’t very happy at all in their proper contexts), gave them a hatchet, an arsenal of very sharp, pain-inflicting weapons and let them duke it out the way we always imagined they would. Of course this could only done on a hack n slash platform. The most interesting fact about this game is that it runs on the unreal engine 3.

    Fairytale Fights comes to XBOX360 and the PS3. Sorry you Wii lovers this game will not be coming to you, but I know you as well as I think you do, I’m sure you have one of the two consoles stated previously, so you’ll enjoy it too! If the chance arises to give this game a run through, it is suggested you do so. A little bloodshed didn’t hurt anyone did it? (Well…you know what I mean.)

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    WET? Naw...Barely Moist. By Pandalicious

    posted @ 9/25/2009 05:16:00 AM by Pandalicious


    dirty jokes are fun, but what about this game?

    One of the things that I was hopeful for when I made the journey to E3 was to see an emergence of strong, sophisticated, sexy-without-the-slutty, badass female lead characters. What I got, was the hint of WET. At the time the sole impression I got from the advertisment was “Wow! She’s sexy…and she kills.” Granted these are two things I love to have in a main character, but even I am not that shallow. In fact, dare I say I enjoy a deeply invested back-story to my random acts of murder and violence? Yeah, I dare to! The main character, Rubi, is a gun-toting, sword-swinging gymnast! Not only can she jump from tall distances without taking damage, but she has also been studying at the School of Spiderman, as is evident with her upside down ballistic techniques.


    It has a surprising voice cast
    * Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone
    * Malcolm McDowell as Rupert Pellum/Mr. Ackers
    * Parry Shen as Zhi
    * Ron Yuan as Ratboy/Dr. Afro
    * Alan Cumming as Sorrell
    * James Sie as Ming
    I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a HUGE Malcolm McDowell fan. If Eliza Dushku gives Rubi the “Faith” vibe from Buffy then I’ll be more than satisfied with her casting. I have enjoyed a lot of Cummings’ films and assorted Cummings’ products. If you don’t know about that…get on the info train and check it out!


    Nevertheless, I left it to Ninjasistah (who by DNA is my actual sister) to play it up and I left my speculation up to the hoards of the gamerdom that weekend. I assumed that fate would step in to give me a more intimate time with the newly anticipated Bethesda/Artificial Mind and Motion creation. Several months passed and the voices of the gamer community did not seem to be in support of this game. Surprising? I think not. From the community of people who do not create, we do what we can by judging…and judging harshly. Still, I waited for the playable demo to hit my respective console in hopes that I would find some enjoyment, where the masses had not.

    Needless to say, after playing the WET demo, I did not rage quit and punch puppies in their faces. I sat there, controller in hand…and felt nothing. Was something wrong with my gamer pleasure receptors? Had I had a minor stroke and lost several moments of my life? Nothing was wrong with the game, It is just…something was missing…or wasn’t settling in.

    Now I know in a demo they don’t want to give you much story, because they are essentially charging us money for the story. However in the case of something like this, I feel it is necessary to give us something. In the end, what they decided to give us was a brunette clone of “The Bride” from Kill Bill, a dash of Quentin Tarantino with an ability that recreates the famous Crazy 88 black and white fight (however in WET it’s Black, White and Red) and a filter that…over exaggerates the first two things I mentioned. If Bethesda really wanted to keep the purity of the movie series in terms of style they wouldn’t have included a filter that made it look like an actual movie. They would have left the game universe as it was.

    Let me touch on the game play. From the demo I felt Rubi moved a little too slow. Now I’m aware that the aesthetics of this game is the main focal point. It isn’t a matter of killing all the enemies; it’s how cool Rubi looks while doing it! Who’s against slow motion power sliding armed with identical guns of badassery? I know I’m not. Then again…how thrilling is it to do the same maneuver eight times in a row? Yeah not nearly as cool.

    In my opinion, the demo should have played Rubi up at her best, fully powered up, so we could see a rapid chain of stylish ass kicking while taking names. I am more than certain that because of this unpolished demo, that the numbers from purchasing this game will be lower than anticipated.

    As it is right now, the game has been out for five days. It was released on September 15, 2009. So…did WET make me wet? Nope, not even moist I’m afraid. Try again?

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    Wasting Time: Toss the Turtle

    posted @ 9/06/2009 07:11:00 AM by Vichus Smith
    I found this odd game one day and I had to know how the game worked. Toss the Turtle, found on Newgrounds, isn't the type of game I'm used to playing, and it has a style that really stands out.



    The internet has no shortage of cute meets scary (I'm betting that somewhere out there is a picture of a cat holding a little M-16) but this wacky world of a turtle being shot through the air does a tremendous job between being gross and gosh-darn cute.



    Your objective, as cannon owner, I guess, is to shoot the titular turtle as far a distance as you can, gaining power-ups and avoiding enemies as you sail. As you fall, you will bounce off the floor, giving you a chance to snag power-ups that are lower in the atmosphere. In a game, taking damage usually isn't a benefit. For Toss the Turtle the turtle is the target of punches, shooting and explosions. The more the turtle gets beat up, the more he'll stay afloat. As you gain points, you can buy upgrades, allowing you to punish the turtle even more.




    If you started playing games in the 80s, the uppercut the banana throws is familiar to you, as is the squashing you give one of the brown creatures that are scattered along the level. The creators of Toss the Turtle are classic game fans, without a doubt. Toss the Turtle is a pretty good cure for what bores you, but it isn't quick enough of a fix. That turtle can stay in midair for quite some time, so you'll have to set aside a few more minutes to wait for your shelled target to come to a stop.

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    DSi Discussion: The World Ends With You

    posted @ 8/19/2009 02:37:00 PM by Pandalicious

    All the world needs is me...




    The world of the interwebs is well aware of my intimate love/lust relationship with Square Enix,so it should be of no surprise that I would be interested in a game by the name of The World Ends With You. We experience a different approach to the RPG category. In this game, we are not transported to a different time in history or into a realm of fantasy. For once the setting is modern time. It is modern day Tokyo, which is the epicenter of fashion trends, culture and the end...of the world?

    This doesn't seem to make sense during the opening sequence of this game. The world isn't fashioned after every apocalypse or post apocalypse game. It allows us to see that the end of world as we know it doesn't necessarily involve explosions, natural disasters or political schemes gone crazy.

    In The World Ends with You, you play Neku. In my opinion he is every EMO character we have encountered in all of the Square Enix RPG's to date. However you have to make him at the age that in Japan where it is alright to let him out into the real world. [Which we all know is 10 and above] For my sake I will say that he is about about 14 or 15 years old. He is overflowing with boyish angst and attitude which if you didn't have a younger brother or were ever male can lead you to find him EXTREMELY ANNOYING!

    As always, he has no idea who he is (besides his name)where he is(which is Tokyo), and why there are frogs with tribal markings all over them, beating the ever-loving crap outta him! This game wastes no time throwing the basic mechanics at you. Keep in mind that the game uses both screens of the Nintendo DS. While one character is in one zone the other character is in a completely different one. They both share the same amount of HP so you have to be aware what is going on at all times! Controlling Neku isn't very hard at all; his abilities are simple movements of your stylus across the touch screen. Shiki is a little more difficult as her abilities are linked to the directional pad [or the letter buttons for lefties!][Note: If you new to the Nintendo DS world then be warned that the combat system may appear unfamiliar to you. Frustration and anger are common emotions to encounter...especially with new games.]

    Pairings are very common in RPG land, so no sooner do you learn how to move do you meet your first party member, Shiki. Now, she is very ditsy in the beginning. She pretty much brow beats you to make a pact with her [No she isn't Satan.....as far as I know] and once you've signed your name in blood *cough* I mean agree to the pact, you are forever partners. She throws a lot information at you, which as Neku you dismiss because you have the hugest chip on your shoulder. [What else is new?!]

    The premise of the game's story is as follows: Neku, Shiki and several others are called Players. Each of them have pins that grant them special powers *IF* they are wearing them [Note: Make sure to Equip pins from the start...unlike me who did not] Once players have been selected they are notified that they have to survive this "game" for seven days. As a price for being a player the most important thing of value to you is taken away. If you win, you get it restored to you, if you don't... well don't get it back and your right to exist is taken too. That's right! You don't just die...but your existence gets completely wiped out...but no pressure...its only a game.

    This leads me to believe that Neku valued his life more than anything, which is why he doesn't remember a gosh darn thing! Shiki's most valued thing is her best friend Eri [Hmmm now I know what you are thinking, and I thought the exact same thing too but no, they are really friends...The type of friends who loved each other and did everything together, maybe even made out once or twice..OK I'm sorry...back to the game =(]

    So we have our protagonist and his band of prepubescent followers and as for the antagonists we have Reapers. They are people who also have special abilities. They can erase players and Noises [Which are the beast like monsters you fight to save the world.] It is the Reapers job to set up missions for the players along with a time limit in which to complete the given task. If players do not do this in time the reapers get to erase them. However they are only allowed to give one mission a day, and if they do not erase a certain amount of players they themselves get erased. It is truly a dog eat dog world in this RPG.

    Now, if you are a fan of games like Kingdom Hearts then the animation style will be very appealing to you. Neku resembles Sora only, taller, thinner and A LOT more EMO. Shiki kind of looks like a very slutty version of Kairi...and I haven't seen a Riku look-a-like yet but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist! [He better exist dammit!]

    Another positive in this game, would be it's soundtrack. It is very Tokyo urban which is very catchy to the ear. I plan to get all the songs for this soundtrack, I swear the game and music industry have a great thing going on here! I can hardly wait to get fully immersed into this game. I aim for this to be the first DS game that I play completely through. Wish me all luck, or else the world will end....with me....

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    DSi Disscussion: Hotel Dusk Room 215

    posted @ 8/12/2009 07:22:00 AM by Pandalicious



    an ex cop with a dark past...
    an unexplained mystery....
    an internal/external epic battle of wit between two foes...
    Sounds like a novel...and it is....

    As a little girl, I always thought I would be a writer. I didn't want to write love stories or gore infested horror tales. I, with an old soul, always wanted to write suspense-filled, witty, old-fashion detective novels. There is something alluring about a private eye in a low down office, sipping on whiskey waiting for the next case so he can pay his bills and get on with his life. He is always waiting for the next dame... [Maybe it's romantic just to me.] Regardless, I fantasized about detectives and the cases they solved. I miss those kinds of characters in games today... They were a class all their own...until Hotel Dusk:Room 215.


    Who doesn't love a good story? Flipping through the pages of a captivating book is far more pleasurable then tediously reading the same line over and over again in a book that holds no value. The same can be said about video games. A gamer will invest a great deal more time in a game with a great story, than one that lacks in creativity and development. So with that logic stamped into our brains, why not bring a novel into the gaming world?

    In this DSi interactive novel game, you play as Kyle Hyde, a former member of the NYPD. After a case goes horribly wrong he goes M.I.A., which means he runs away. He runs as far as he could and that takes him to California. [Why do they always end up in California?! If I were going to run away from it all I'd go to Hawaii or New Zealand.]
    While living in good old Cali, he works as a door-to-door salesmen, however his job has some kinks in it. He doesn't just sell brushes and combs;he also does detective work on the side. Hyde is still haunted by his past and he is following a scent that he thought ended back in the Hudson River in New York. However, there are holes in the story that he wants filled, and it is our job to help him sort it all out.

    I refuse to spoil this one for you guys simply because, this is the kind of game that, requires you to think for yourself and to use your imagination. However I will warn you, that because this is a novel, there isn't a lot of action going on physically. So if you were hoping to smash hordes of henchmen away with your mighty fists or a magnum revolver than this isn't a game for you. It is heavily text-intensive due to well written dialogue. [which shouldn't surprise you, it's a novel based game!]

    The most interesting thing about Hotel Dusk is the animation of the characters. The technique is called rotoscoping, which is a technique where animators trace over live action. For an advanced look at this look to the movie "A Scanner Darkly" [which subsequently is an intriguing movie! IMO] Granted the process takes a lot of time, but artistically it is worth it!

    Hotel Dusk: Room 215 isn't new by any stretch of imagination...like most games, its initial release was in Japan. It was announced in 2005, however it did not make its official appearance until E3 in 2006. It wasn't released for play until January of 2007. Then in 2008, it was republished as part of the Touch! Generation series. [Just in case you didn't infer this, you have to hold your DSi like a book, and you use your stylus to interact with the people, and objects in the game....just be weary that there will be times where you'll want to just go to your room, and all you will do is knock on your bloody door! *personal experience*]

    I have enjoyed playing the game thus far. I haven't beaten it yet, and I hope that I do not just zip through it either. Hotel Dusk:Room 215 is my vacation away from my achievement gathering on my other consoles [cough cough 360 cough cough] So if you have a DSi then I strongly recommend renting this title and just trying out for yourself. Renting it won't hurt, and in the end if you like it that much it won't hurt your wallet too much. It is priced as 20.99 but we all know you can buy used games for much cheaper at places like amazon.com. So...Check it out and don't you dare say I didn't tell you first! [Unless I obviously didn't]


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    The Battlefield Will Never Look the Same

    posted @ 7/27/2009 02:41:00 PM by FreeLoader
    With the destructible environments in EA’s Battlefield 1943, it really won’t. You may even find that some matches end up being fought out in craters that used to be islands.

    Battlefield 1943 takes you into the Pacific during World War II (and as far as video games are concerned, were there really any other wars in history?). You play as either the American or Japanese Navies and fight for control of the five capture points on each of the three maps (there’s a third bonus map but I’ll get to that later). As long as your team controls the majority of the capture points, the team health gauge of the other team will steadily reduce. It also reduces every time someone respawns, so obviously the more kills your team has, the less health the other team has.

    You have a choice between three different classes, the Scout (sniper rifle, satchel charges, pistol), Infantryman (SMG, recoilless rifle), or Rifleman (rifle, rifle grenades). Everything is unlimited, from bullets to grenades, with explosive weapons having a timer to refill once the last one you carry is used. In addition, at anytime during the battle you can change classes as long as someone of a different class dies nearby. So instead of picking up a downed soldier’s Thompson, you pick everything from his recoilless rifle to his wrench for repairing vehicles (and knocking enemies over the head with).

    I haven’t played a shooter where I could destroy nearly everything on the map for a long time. Battlefield 1943 provides that in a big way. Did your target just run into a building to hide from you while he reloads? Blow a hole in the wall with your rifle grenade and keep on shooting him. Of course the entire environments are not destructible, structures such as pillboxes, towers, and aircraft carriers will take little to no aesthetic damage. Still, I love the feeling of throwing a grenade into a wooded area and watching the trees fall around it. And the sheer devastation that results from calling in a bombing run will leave the ground burnt completely black.

    There have been some server issues where it becomes impossible to join games because there are too many people online, more on the 360 version than the PS3 version, but that is because EA did not expect there to be such a high demand for the game. These problems have and will continue to get better as more server space is provided. The game plays great, ignoring some graphical issues like people turning into a black box for a split second. If you can tune out the graphical glitches (and they are minor) then there’s really nothing wrong with the graphics in this game. One thing that’s off to me is that the people seem small. Especially when sniping, it’s like I’m trying to headshot ants. This is somewhat corrected by the addition of little triangles that appear over an enemy’s head if it has been seen or hit. But still, I feel like the proportions are wrong, and I for one can’t hit a thing from the air.

    Plane controls are hard to pick up, but easy to master, once you know what you’re doing. You’re provided with a radar-type HUD in first person view that locates enemy planes. This is especially helpful on the bonus map that both consoles have now unlocked: Coral Sea. It’s an all out air battle, and if you leave your plane, you respawn, and no points can be earned in the enemy base (which means no parachuting onto enemy aircraft carriers and sabotaging planes). The map is nice and all, but if you play enough of it you’ll notice something interesting. The Japanese Imperial Navy wins 90% of all matches. I thought it was odd after a while that no matter which team I was on, it was always the Zeros ruling the skies and not the corsairs. In fact the only match I ever won from the US side was a 4-on-4 (as opposed to the max of 12-on-12) and our pilots were clearly more skilled judging from the scores.

    I decided to delve into why that was and realized that the American Corsairs are extremely slow when compared to the Japanese Zeros. Granted that the fire from the Corsairs is more powerful and focused, but it does not make up for the sheer lack of maneuverability that the Zeros seem to have inherently. The Zero’s guns are more spaced out as well, allowing for a wider range of fire, whereas the focused fire of the corsairs needs to be dead-on its target. I hope that EA will come out with a balancing patch for this, as it makes the map far less fun. People will quit games just because they are not on the side with the better planes, which ends up giving the Imperial Navy even more advantage, because they now outnumber the other side.

    Another issue I had with Battlefield 1943 was that I had been looking for a First Person Shooter game that I could play with my friends on the PSN. This is not that game. Not yet at any rate. Trying to join a game with a friend is tough, but the game allows for you to make a squad beforehand, and then jump into a game. This is all fine and dandy for the first match (sometimes). But by the time the second map loads, you will have lost all contact with your friends. You might still be in the same squad as them – and I emphasize might – but you will most likely not be able to hear them and vice versa. I have even had it happen that after the third or so game my friends are on the OPPOSITE team. Now I don’t invite my friends to games just so I can shoot them. I wanted an organized squad that I could communicate with and form strategies with, but the lack of functional voice chat makes that impossible. It is a real detriment to an otherwise fun game, and I can only hope that an outcry by the fans will cause EA to release an update that will fix it.

    Oh, and aiming in vehicles is way off in third-person view. This might be on purpose however, to balance the use of tanks and such on the battlefield, because once I learned to switch from third-person for travelling to first-person for shooting, I was getting a lot more tank kills than before. But I guess that isn’t really a huge issue.

    All in all, for $15.00 Battlefield 1943 is a functional World War II shooter. The ground maps are very balanced, the variety of vehicles is awesome, and the destructible environments keep game play new and exciting. I hope that in the future we will get more new maps, but I for one will not pay a dime for them. Especially not after the catastrophe that is the voice chat of this game.

    Written by: Bramimond

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    It’s time to D-D-D-D-D-D-Race?

    posted @ 7/12/2009 04:43:00 PM by FreeLoader
    Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009 is out and it has motorcycles! But does anybody care?

    The DS installments of Yu-Gi-Oh! serve as a cheaper way to play this children’s card game – though the releases of these games have always been oddly timed (three separate DS titles were released in 2007 alone). The first came out in ’05, but at that time Yu-Gi-Oh! was still coming out on the GBA, and in fact because of the lack of 3D images for the cards, the GBA Yu-Gi-Oh! released in ’06 had more cards than the last DS release of ’07. This has been a long-running complaint of many fans of the series, myself included. Who cares about making the monsters look pretty, when the three most recent packs aren’t even in the game?

    Well it would seem that Konami is finally listening to the fans. It’s been about a year and a half since the release of World Championship 2008 and the wait has been worth it. WC 2008 had 2008 cards (I know, a little too much of a coincidence). But in the latest installment we are presented with a whopping 2886 cards, an increase of over 800, which is the most of any DS release so far. I should know, I’ve played them all. The game has so many cards that some of them haven’t even been released in the TCG yet. It reminds me of the days of the GBA games, where I actually found cards I’ve never seen before and that’s where Yu-Gi-Oh! really shines, in building newer, stronger strategies with new cards.

    The game is not without its downfalls of course. It seems like they used the old code, so the 3D models are still there, the game just doesn’t zoom in on them anymore, so they don’t need as much detail. And during battle, it shows a larger version of the card art, instead of the 3D model. This comes at the cost of slow-downs during the duels. To be honest the game feels sluggish, and sometimes the CPU players will stop to think for a full 10 seconds before deciding that since they have no cards in their hand, that maybe they won’t play any of the cards they don’t have. If you can get past this detriment, there’s another one waiting for you.

    Unlocking all the cards is damn near impossible. I’ve had the game since release and I still don’t have them all. Granted it’s not the only game I’ve been playing, but the requirements for unlocking force you to spend hundreds of hours just trying to get all the cards. Now I don’t know about other Yu-Gi-Oh! players, but I bought the game to build decks and use them online. I recently hit the 100 hour mark, and I still have less than 80% of all the cards. This wouldn’t be so bad if cards were in the same packs as their supports. I only have about 2 mist valley monsters, making them useless to me because I don’t have the rest of them or the support they need. Packs should be redesigned so that when you want to build a deck you have the option to.

    Now despite the difficulty involved in getting the cards, the game still plays great. It’s the same Yu-Gi-Oh! gameplay you know and love, and of course those random glitches on certain cards, or cards that use their OCG (original Japanese text) effects even though we’re only familiar with their TCG (translated, not always the same) effects. But those kinds of things are expected. With the addition of more than 800 new cards there are countless new options for deck builders, and plenty of new themes to build around. The online has even gotten better, giving you the option to choose whether or not to face an opponent after being given their name and face. Meaning if you just dueled someone who used an Action Replay code to beat you, you can choose not to face the cheater a second time and thus some of the risk of losing your rating for no reason is taken care of. There’s still the card of the day download, and periodic puzzle and ghost downloads released too.

    The music for the game isn’t bad, but it’s really the type of game you play to your own soundtrack with your DS’s volume turned all the way down. So the graphics may not be as great as in the past, but I honestly prefer the actual card art to the 3D models myself; they look crisper and it’s nice to see the art off of its card’s background. The story mode is mediocre at best, but if you’re buying this game for the story, you might want to rethink your game-buying strategy. I sometimes think that if they skipped out on the 3D world they created for the story mode (a first for Yu-Gi-Oh! DS titles) that they could have included even more cards, but we take what we can get. Oh, did I forget to mention the motorcycles?

    Well that wasn’t by accident. Yeah, they added motorcycles and there are even four racetracks, each with a race mode and a time attack mode. But honestly the controls are clunky and the whole aspect of it seems out of place. However I will say that Turbo duels are a welcome addition. The speed counters add a whole new aspect to duels. It even takes formerly unbalanced cards with no cost like Heavy Storm, and gives them a cost (your speed counters) I would love to see the developers do more with this mode in the future because it’s a fresh way to play an aging game.

    A must have for any fan of the card game. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator: World Championship 2009 is a step in the right direction for the franchise, and I hope to see more focus on the cards, and not the pretty 3D models in the future. Here’s hoping that WC 2010 has even more cards, and maybe even a shorter title.

    Written by: Bramimond

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    Finish what you start...

    A prophecy in the making....25 years in the making!

    posted @ 7/03/2009 08:50:00 AM by Pandalicious

    25 years ago...an elder wrote on a scroll the tale of a chosen one...

    That is right ladies and gentleman, citizens of ESHland! Pandalicious has crossed the line between young woman to...old. This is right, I have reached the tender age of 25. I can hardly believe it myself. Twenty-five years of...studying, crying, eating,sleeping, playing video games, NOT playing video games, WoW (yes I had to mention it) Being apart of a great community whether it was the one we made here at ESH, or being apart of the Allgames family.

    So... I've decided to share with you all...something that was quite popular on facebook...I'm going to share 25 things about myself that you may or may not know....

    Here it comes...[That's what HE said]

    1. My idea of a late start of the day is 9am....

    2. Every morning I secretly hope that the world will break out into song...like in musicals

    3.Every other morning I *used to* work out with my Wii Fit.

    4.I only pretend to be a Diva in my own mind.

    5.I strongly dislike Bananas

    6.I do not want World Peace...because the world would be lying to itself.

    7.Perversion is a hobby of mine, not a trait.

    8.I'm deathly scared of planes...well...tragically dying in one mostly

    9. I'm attempting to perfect my art of photography

    10.I feel more like my father's daughter than my mothers

    11.I feel more fulfilled when I've walked someplace versus driving there.

    12.I dream in series..my dreams tell me stories.

    13.When i'm walking alone in a hall/stairwell/ or tunnel on campus I pretend i'm in
    music videos. (Yes I'm that girl who dances until she sees u are looking at her)

    14. OMG SHOES...I love shoes....pretty sexy shoes that I HARDLY wear

    15. I'm an internet radio personality....with ACTUAL fans...(I know right!)

    16.The idea of being popular makes me sick to my stomach.

    17.I'm the "mother" of my group of friends

    18.I still have friends from elementary school and I'm glad about it

    19.I wish I were more open to the worlds influences.

    20. I smoke cigarettes when i'm extremely stressed out

    21. There is a butterfly on my left shoulder.

    22. I'm a gamer today, tomorrow and forever

    23. My favorite facial feature are my eyes...

    24.I will forever dislike Twilight, or vampires that DON"T BLOW UP in SUNLIGHT

    25. Is truly happy about the way my life is going....

    So there you have it folks...things you wouldn't know about me unless you asked. I'm off to enjoy my birthday and I suggest you all do the same. So... all of you who are able to raise a drink up high, and those of you underage go grab some soda or something and let's celebrate the day!


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    Remember: Pillage, Then Burn

    posted @ 6/13/2009 09:57:00 PM by FreeLoader
    Naughty Dog may not be the biggest name in videogames, but anyone who has owned a Sony console should know the name. The Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter trilogies were great. Now Naughty Dog has a new puppy, but this time there aren’t any humanoid animals running about.


    Uncharted 2: Among Thieves follows the hero of the first game – Nathan Drake as he searches for the lost fleet of Marco Polo. A cool concept I must admit, especially after the first game revolving around Sir Francis Drake and the lost city of gold, El Dorado. The integration of actual history and fabricated legend is what gives the series its charm. I had the pleasure of testing out the closed beta for Uncharted 2.

    I’ll start with the co-op. The levels look great and play well. One of the only complaints I had was the lack of sufficient cover, because in every section of the levels you will be attacked from all sides. This makes teamwork essential though. You need to use all three players taking cover in strategic places so as to cover every side. Boss characters drop down after a long and bloody battle in each section and it takes the combined fire of all three teammates to bring them down. So while the levels are well designed for team play, I can’t say much for the AI.

    In each section of the levels there were three spawn points for enemies. Of course because of this, one player on each spawn means the CPUs can’t even touch the ground before they’re dead. The AI seemed inconsistent as well. Sometimes the AI would just stay behind cover, shoot a little, rinse and repeat. Other times it would just crouch and move slowly towards you (which I found to be a little unfair since the player gets no crouch button). All in all, unless wielding a shotgun or a rocket launcher, the AI could simply be walked up to and punched in the face, and it would result in the same effect as hiding behind cover and wasting your ammo. Which actually brings me to the melee aspect of the game.

    The melee moves are flashy, but not hard. As long as you hit the Square button before your enemy attempts a melee move, you’ll do one of a variety of cool looking moves. However it always turned into a button mash sequence, so I wondered if there could be a punishing system for not hitting the button at the right time.

    The co-op ends up being exceptionally short, and leaves you at a cliffhanger where another boss jumps out. The way you enter new sections irked me a little because you can climb over basically anything during gameplay, but when you need to climb a wall to get to a new section, it’s a scripted sequence where the characters climb on their own and you have to watch. I’m guessing it was the developer’s way of bypassing “load screens”. The mission format was ok, but I honestly wanted to get into some storyline stuff with others online, so I hope that the main game will also include co-op, because otherwise I don’t see many people playing it as the missions are short and the exp payout is a small fraction of what you’d get in competitive play. And that is where this beta really shines.

    The two included game modes allow for a lot of fun and enough variety to keep players on the servers for a while. Deathmatch is a classic favorite and can really vary in this game. I played some matches that were fast paced fire fights and others that were slow cover battles. The maps are small enough so that you’ll always have someone to shoot, but offer enough cover that the fights don’t end immediately. Plunder is basically capture the flag, but the flag is treasure, and you can throw it. In fact, throwing the treasure is necessary on one of the maps to get it into your base. The throw system makes the mode a lot more fun, as you can chuck the treasure in the direction of your base if you start to get shot to make it harder for your opponents to move it toward theirs.

    I did have some gripes with the game play though. Bullet speed is pretty slow, so many times two players shooting at each other will both die because it takes a while for the bullets to reach their target. Simultaneous deaths occur in melee range a lot too because it takes two attacks to kill, and there seems to be some kind of death lag that allows you one more attack as you are dying.

    Long range kills are one of the most difficult things in the game. Bullet damage is so low that you can fire an entire clip at one enemy (accounting for missing a number of times) and still lose the fight. (I know, I was the guy you were emptying clips on) There is a sniper rifle, but with the game lacking a crouch button, you have to go to one of the predetermined sniper spots that the game lays out on the map, which causes you to be a sitting duck, especially for a grenade. Which brings me to my next point.

    Grenades will kill in a huge radius. Grenades have a 3 second timer. Grenades can be thrown behind you while you are running around corners. Grenades have the best aiming system I have ever seen for a thrown weapon in a game. Basically, this game IS grenades. You are almost guaranteed one kill per life because of the grenade you spawn with. It is impossible to escape an explosion of that caliber in only three seconds, and I've tried. Rolling and jumping do nothing, if you see a grenade land next to you, you may as well just keep shooting at the one who threw it so you can get some points out of this guaranteed death. My suggestion is adding one second to the timer, even half a second to allow players a sliver of hope to survive these little red monstrosities. (EDIT: It seems that Naughty Dog has released a patch that makes grenade damage work the way it was “supposed to”. From what I can tell, the grenades no longer always kill you outright, but sometimes blow you to the ground, taking away most of your life and leaving you stunned. Regardless of the patch, a grenade still = death).

    The booster system reminds me a lot of Call of Duty with its power-ups. This game has only 2 slots, one affecting your ammo, and one affecting your aim. However I noticed that every single person always uses the same setup (understandable since there are only 3-4 boosts in each category). So instead of seeing my killer's setup, I felt instead like I was being given advice: "Keep firing down the irons". This of course being the bonus "Keep firing" for extended clip ammunition and "Down the irons", increased accuracy when aiming with any weapon not classified as a pistol. It seems like the booster system will need more bonuses, perhaps unlocked by leveling up, before it realizes its true potential.

    And there were times where there was a weird graphical glitch. I was aiming, walking and shooting, and it seemed like the camera got stuck on some vines or something, because there was this green and yellow coloration at the top of the screen flickering on and off. I’ve gotten up from behind cover to have my screen flicker black as well. And the water seems glitched too, because at times it will glow as if it were light, rather than light is bouncing off it, and standing in a puddle feels more like standing on a puddle. Granted it’s a small detail, but when water is deep enough for jumping in it to make a splash, I figure the soles of my shoes should at least be submerged. I assume this will be fixed in the final release though; it IS just a beta after all.

    All in all I really enjoyed the game and I can’t wait to get my hands on the final release at the end of the year. If for nothing else, the multiplayer will be a lot of fun once some new maps get added. Plus, I can’t wait to find out exactly what did happen to Marco Polo out at sea.

    Written by: Bramimond

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    Finish what you start...

    PlayLogic Anticipated: The Obscurity of Obscure: The Aftermath

    posted @ 6/10/2009 10:54:00 AM by Pandalicious


    Rule one: Don't have sex, you'll die Rule two: Don't drink, you'll die Rule three: Don't do drugs or...you'll die.. Oh...Cmon put the drugs, the booze and the condoms down...Ok...see what happens to you!

    So you thought things were safe. You thought today you were going to do the same sort of things you did the day before: wake up, shower [hopefully] aim for passing that test or getting through that performance review. Maybe, just maybe life really is as mundane as we figure it to be…or maybe things are just a tad bit…obscure. The facets of life in regards to the life lived in the light, and the life lived in the dark are often left unseen.

    We don’t mind living in the light; however what about that other half? What about shedding some awareness on ones personal darkness? That inner horror, terror, fear and uncertainty will not stay hidden forever. Will you be ready?

    Now it is one thing to confront personal demons, but the contrast in a soon to be released title [Early September release] is that is fashioned in a complete B movie sheen. So combine all the Scream movies, I know what you did last summer, Silent Hill, Resident Evil and even a dash of everyone’s favorite “ Stay Alive” [*please note editor's strong strain of sarcasm.]

    In the universe of Obscure: The Aftermath, we are thrown into a rendition of “Scream”: The Later Years. There is a group of college students having the most generic college experience imaginable…you know…the one WE all THOUGHT we’d have? [Or maybe it is just me...] So add sex, drugs sex, pizza, sex, the occasional bathroom break in the middle of an exam and oh yeah don't forget about sex. Like always the universe wants to punish these academia bound youths with horrors that they have never imagined. [Sucks to be them right?]

    So in order to understand Obscure: The Aftermath it is best to understand what happened before…Two years ago at Leafmore high, there was a group of teenagers who were trapped inside their school; they were hunted down by demonic monsters set upon them by the headmaster. Some of them didn’t make it, while others were lucky to make it out alive. So with their lives in tacked they moved on…to the next phase.

    When these dark flowers begin popping up all over the campus, it is only natural that people want to experiment on them. From this came an unknown substance that would induce strange and vivid dreams. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like drugs to me. [Ohhhhh Yeah!] Editors note: The editor does not condone the use of narcotics while driving cars, walking on the street, and being slaughtered by devilish fiends.

    The PSP is getting this game with two modes: Single player and Co-Op. It is an easy drop in/drop out system. Other features in this game are: that there are six playable characters, each with a special or unique ability. This can be the ability to climb or have additional strength or...oh I don’t know, being able to absorb dark matter. It is all in a highly detailed and rich 3D environment. The last attribute to bring up about this game is the soundtrack! It is essential to the overall mood of the intended horror and terror that plagues this universe.

    Now, I was privileged enough to see this game up close. The monsters that I saw the heroes encounter were definitely eye catching…. My personal favorite was the Vagina monster. This Phobia [which is what the monsters are called] is a female’s body with no head, naked obviously. [Alright fellahs before whipping em out and fapping away let me warn you here and now. All those fears of a woman’s vagina, what it looks like and what it can do to you...are embodied in this game. Okay…don’t say I didn’t tell you.] All along her legs leading all the way to...you guessed it was a mouth with razor sharp fangs. If that isn’t enough to dissuade you, if you are close enough to her, she will unleash her umbilical cord that will wrap around you, drag you to her V-Town and will dish out some serious pain…if not...immediate death! [I know fellahs….I know but this isn’t a good idea!]

    If I only had a PSP I would be able to physically enter this world and be able to deliver a stronger vision for you guys. But if this sounds remotely intriguing then I strongly suggest that you check it out. I doubt you’d be disappointed, however keep in mind that this game isn’t meant to be taken seriously, it is done in a style that begs us to laugh our asses off. We all know I did! Enjoy!


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    Finish what you start...

    Now To The Main Stage DJ Hero!

    posted @ 6/06/2009 03:08:00 PM by Pandalicious


    I'm ready to take the floor and send my fans into a euphoria and pure panda pleasure....with music

    The gamer fan base was excited to the end of their sanity when Harmonix teamed up with MTV and Activision to bring Guitar Hero to this planet. Fingers fidgeted along the fret keys, hands furiously fapped at the strum bar [Yes I said it so what?!] Men and women gathered to test their rock skills to this masterpiece…but what about those out there who want to rock out but haven’t found their medium?

    At this year’s E3 I was about to watch a demo of Activision’s latest rhythm based game [Can I even say that really?!] Yes ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you DJ Hero. If you feel your house isn’t cluttered with peripherals enough, add this one you’ll see why…

    So the controller obviously looks like a turntable with complete 360 degree spinning capabilities. There are three buttons on that: blue green and a longer red on for your middle finger. The other side of the controller has a mixer which when on the left corresponds to one color, on the right side corresponds to another and when it is places in the middle it plays both. [This is a key concept to this game]

    There is a single button that when hit [with the euphoria bar filled up] will send the crowd into the most pleasant state of being imaginable!

    They didn’t go into character construction or any of those small details that make this game more personable to a gamer’s personal style.

    Speculation dictates that this has the potential of being this holiday’s “it” item. This is all well and good. This is due to the fact that it appeals to a large group of the base.

    If I were to predict who would be most likely to buy this game and excel at it, I would blindly say women gamers. I do not say this because I am in fact a woman, but I say it because of the game play motions necessary to achieve the highest amount of points. It is understandable if that triggered the most perverted thoughts to enter your mind. [IN FACT I welcome them!] If that doesn’t give you a clear image to what I am talking about, then I urge you to listen to Dane Cook talk about “DJ Diddles” Now if that didn’t give you an idea then I strongly suggest you get from underneath the rock you’ve been living under for most of your life. [Trust me it is nicer out here!]

    [TskTskTsk] Activision… I fear you have peaked too soon in your quest for rhythm-based dominance. We all know you walked the path with Harmonix and MTV Games. Now at this year’s E3 you were not only showcasing DJ Hero, but you were also highlighting Guitar Hero 5, and Band Hero [Which I assume is Guitar Hero World Tour all over again] DJ Hero seems the most refreshing rhythm based game to come out of your camp since the initial Guitar Hero.

    DJ Hero does not only seem to be the it game to look forward to…but…it could potentially lead to a decrease in the renting of DJ’s for parties in the future, why rent one when you could be one?!


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    The Bastard Children Shall Rise: Pandalicious' Encounter at Nintendo Media Briefing

    posted @ 6/03/2009 12:02:00 PM by Pandalicious

    Lord knows that one day the meek shall inherit the earth. Nintendo's comment "Meh"

    So after the mental mindfuck that was my first alone trip on a plane. I safely arrived to the ever-glorious city of Los Angeles.

    Being new to this more professional aspect of the industry, dare I say that my first thoughts were slightly disillusioned? I thought of making it big in the industry…”gamedom” if you will. However it was quickly conveyed, onto many others,[Including myself] that some of the members of the blogosphere are being segregated. Since I cannot speak on what I don’t know, I shall only speak on what I know.

    This is what I know.
    This morning, at the tender time of 6am…I woke up, dressed, and prepped for the Nintendo Briefing held at the Nokia Center. It was quite cloudy out, which made me feel as if I had brought New England’s weather with me.

    As Ninja and I approached, I felt some tension in the air, this solely being because I saw color-coded bands along the check-in table. Quickly Ninja acquired her blue band, and I anticipated my matching band…only to see a yellow one extended to me.

    Fate decided to split the sistahs up. Normally I would not harbor ill will, and in honesty I don’t at this point. However at 7am this kind of thing plucks at the heart strings. So with all things said and done, a reluctant Pandalicious walks off into the overcrowd room.

    Needless to say that the area began to fill with other people, other people who had been subjected to a second-class status in the eyes of Nintendo. One person [who for the purpose of this article] stated that “Nintendo wasn’t always like this.” He could remember when Nintendo showered its press with gifts to entice people to stay invested.

    Now that Nintendo has proven not only to be a contender in the gaming industry, but that it could surpass the other two in terms of portables. Nintendo has found its mountain to be king of, it seems that it has adapted a “diva” stance.

    With egos bruised and battered, we all sat silently looking at the screen that showed us what was happening on the other side.

    But like I always mention...there was a silver lining to this dark cloud, those of us who were forced out of the event due to large numbers, got the reward of getting to get hands on experience right at the end of the briefing. This is all well and good…however most people flooded out of the Nokia Center to get on the shuttle to the Sony Press Release at Shriners Auditorium.

    So all and all…even with the temptation of hand and hand action offered by Nintendo, Sony still enticed people with just the hint of new innovation in games…. or so we think.


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    Fire Emblem Interactive!

    posted @ 5/27/2009 07:22:00 AM by Pandalicious
    The experience has been had...and the results are in.

    Hello Everyone! Pandalicious here! Talking to you about the interactive experience found at this years Anime Boston 2009! Needless to say, the dealers room [where all the purchases of the merchandise take place] allowed for maximum traffic. Sadly, there was a certain "buzz" missing from this place. However, the darker the cloud, the shinier the silver lining, and this year's silver lining for the dealers room was the emergence of an interactive area dead set in the middle! This area was designated to the promotion of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the Nintendo DS/DSi

    I know before I left for my "animeventure", that I touched briefly on the game and their reasons for coming to this convention. The premise still stands that they were there to promote this game. It could have been as simple as showing highlights of the game, and having some models walking around as some of the characters of the game. [Yes this was done, who can blame them, it works!] However they went ahead and fully enticed walkers by to in fact stop walking, and start watching!

    They hosted head to head simulation battles while explaining the core fundamentals of the game. [Remember this is a battle tactics game, so strategy is KEY] Since this is a tactics game the objective is to defeat the opposing side [usually for portables this is a fairly decent AI, however through the power of wireless, we as gamers no longer have to out think a computer, we have to out think another person!]

    These head to head simulations were not just a demonstration, these guys really rallied the crowd to cheer on their favorite side, and some were even rewarded with helpful accessories for say....a Nintendo DS/DSi [It never hurts to entice the gamer base with free merchandise]

    Once the battle was over,a victor was named. You'd think that the crowd would just go back to their world of anime goodness. Now some of them did this but, the majority of the group stuck around in the footprint! There were attendants who had versions of the game and even stations set up so that people w/o a Nintendo DS/DSi could get a hands on feel for it.

    I have it on good authority that this was the hot spot in the dealer's room this year and they even got talked to about their noise levels. In my opinion, their buzz and noise was definitely needed. It brought some life back to this hall! Now I could have just waltzed right over to them, slinging my press badge like some magical trinket, however, I decided to just stand and be cloaked by the crowd.[Like a ninja....with cat ears on...] All the attendants were upbeat, peppy and informative! For the most part they were FUN...that is what made this interesting, it was F-U-N!

    As of Saturday, when a very stealthy Pandalicious cat girl slipped into the crowd, the attendant who spotted her was asked about their traffic and their feelings about their exposure at this convention. They were very pleased with their outcome. Especially on Saturday, which in this person's POV (Point of view) is the "Make it or Break it Day"

    So if all of this wasn't enough to make people stop by and say "Hey!" This interactive booth was also holding a raffle. It was one you could enter everyday of the three days, and the prize was a copy of the game Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and a life size replica of the legendary sword Falchion. [ Which the main character of this game wields, it was very cool!!!]

    All in all I was very impressed by the overall set up, arrangement, and execution of this interactive area. I would love to see more attractions like this at Anime Boston. It is certainly an experience I shall not forget!

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    Nintendo at AnimeBoston 2009?!

    posted @ 5/22/2009 06:44:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Well what do we have here.....

    It is safe to say that I, [Pandalicious] was taken aback over the realization that I was given press access to this years Anime Boston, after I had reigned myself to the conclusion I would not attend this year. The interesting this about this year, at least to me, was that as of late slivers of the gaming industry has been making itself more and more pronounced that this convention. Now do not get me wrong when I say this. It delights me to know end that an event that is solely supposed to be geared to the demographic of "super special awesome" anime fans is extending its hand to the pocket gamer too!

    Case in point: This year Nintendo makes an appearance at Anime Boston 2009 to promote their game, Fire Emblem :Shadow Dragon. Now sadly, dear readers of ESH, as much as I'd love to review this game for you, I have yet to acquire one for my gaming pleasure. I have just recently received a Nintendo DSi![I will be surfing Pico Chat this weekend for your con goers who bring their DS' too!] Do not let this bother you in anyway, because A review will be coming!

    Now I am sure you are wondering about what Nintendo has in store for us con goers. Well they are constructed a large interactive space for our enjoyment! We will get an idea of the universe that this role-playing tactics game thrives in.[From the pictures I've seen of it, I'm very excited to immerse myself into it! Don't worry I'll share the pictures!]

    I have thought long and hard as to why Nintendo would think about gracing us with their appearance this year. Speculation is simply that speculation, I fully plan to ask them that exact question when I surprise them with my visit! [It isn't really a surprise, they know I am coming! :)] However if I had to guess it would be that a lot of anime fans often have portables with them to amuse themselves. [With the lines at these kinds of events, hand-held entertainment is a MUST, if one wants to retain at least SOME sanity!] Nintendo's DS line has always been popular. [Not that the PSP hasn't been....] Whenever I've casually [and by casually, I do mean charging head first into someones person space bubble] asked them what they were playing on their DS. It was often a game I had never heard of, this also stemmed from the fact that it was Japanese import. So it makes complete sense that Nintendo would have a tie in with the anime community! [Good on your Nintendo!]

    So for you Con goers at Anime Boston 2009, if you are interested in role playing tactics games and have never thought of playing Fire Emblem, I suggest that you find Nintendo's booths at this years con. I doubt you will be disappointed. [I'm psyched and I haven't even left yet!] I am looking forward to playing with Nintendo, and you should be too!.
    See you at the Con! ^^

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    Panda Love L4D long time.....

    posted @ 2/27/2009 09:25:00 AM by Pandalicious

    Panda loves many things....and here is one of them.

    Greetings one and all, Panda here bringing you some humor from her new found love for Left for dead. As much as I'd like to take credit for the artwork, but it comes all the way for Ctrl+ Alt+ Del..... Also I have to send a special thanks to Tofu! (She knows who she is. She was the one who turned me on to these. Say thank you everyone!)

    I hope you all enjoy.....we know I do!


    http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comics/20081117.jpg
    This one makes me giggle inside.


    the second link is my personal favorite.
    http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20081121




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    Kagi Nochi Tobira: An Addicting Little Game You Need to Try

    posted @ 1/19/2009 08:18:00 PM by King Baby Duck
    Want to have a little fun with your brain?

    I accidentally stumbled on this little hidden gem called "Kagi Nochi Tobira," or the Escape Game as some like to name it. The rules are simple: find the key and unlock the door. How you do both is the difficult part. You may go through the entire game in a matter of minutes, or (as in my case) it can take a couple of hours.

    To give it a whirl, check out this site: http://escape-game.com/dak_en.html

    Those stuck on this game will be able to find a walk-through tutorial on YouTube, but you're going to have to find it yourself :P.

    This is King Baby Duck: "Ain't born to lose, baby, I'm born to win. I'm so Goddamn slick, baby, it's a sin!"

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    Mass Effect: Finish It For the Ending Song, If Nothing Else

    posted @ 1/13/2009 01:16:00 PM by Douceswild

    So I finally got around to finishing Mass Effect last week and it was worth it. Not only is it an excellent rpg, but the song that played during the ending credits was worth the play-through.

    I talked about the Faunts and they're song M4 Part II on the last episode of Geek Aggro. I was just about to turn off the game when the credits started rolling. Then this song started playing and I was like, "Wow. This is pretty good." By the time the song finished I already had it queued up on YouTube. Check it out and tell me what you guys think.


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    Why Panda lubs Luda!!!!!

    posted @ 12/08/2008 07:53:00 AM by Pandalicious

    You know this is going to be good....

    I know for the most part that there have been many times where my blackness has come into question. But When I saw this video.... I felt this tingle in all the right places....



    I would dance to this in da club when ridin on dubs...
    [What the fuck are dubs anyway?!...damn shouldn't have said that]

    Anyway ENJOY


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    B3 is Coming...

    posted @ 11/30/2008 12:11:00 PM by King Baby Duck
    The Sistahood is about to get some new neighbors...

    You might have read about it on their Facebook, but it's finally hitting your desktop! The Boston Bastard Brigade (or B3) is coming for you, so you better prepare! Join me, along with new crew members Blueonic, Dark Heart, Bam Bam, Pink Taco, and Spoony Sleuth as we talk gaming, anime, music, film, TV, sports, and what's pissing us off in our "Oh, For Fuck's Sake!" section.

    As of this writing there have been two episodes recorded (one in October, one in November), plus the interview I did with Japanese punk band TsuShiMaMiRe back in September. More will be coming each week (or every other week depending on our schedules), so look out for more info as the days go by.

    B3: Coming this December...

    This is King Baby Duck: "Ain't born to lose, baby, I'm born to win! I'm so Goddamn slick, baby, it's a sin!"

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    Harmonix is a Hawt Cougar!

    posted @ 9/15/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's already "that time" of the week again...time for the ESH crew to drop a new episode of the podcast on you to help kick your week off right!

    NinJaSistah and Pandalicious once again hold the hour down talking about games and generally entertaining topics ranging from rhythm games in general to the final on disc track listings of Activision'sGuitar Hero: World Tour, Harmonix's Rockband 2, and Konami'sRock Revolution. Somehow David Bowie makes it into the conversation again as well as incest which is mostly Panda's fault for bringing Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise to the table.

    We didn't have a long list of titles to choose from this week, but if you want an idea of how the show stacks up to the others, one title on the list was "no pants, no WoW, no problem." That's all I got for you folks, so grab your morning or evening drink and enjoy podcast episode 113: Rhythm Game's Gonna Get Cha!

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    Far Cry SE On The Way

    posted @ 9/08/2008 01:16:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    It's rare that I buy new video game titles. In all honesty more times than not I rent titles first to figure out if I want plunk down the benjis for them and then traipse down to the local videogameria to pick them up. But if you are like me, you want to get more bang for your buck when you do purchase titles, and Ubisoft has some good news for you.

    FarCry 2 will be shipping October 21st on the XB360, PS3, and PC platforms, but what is great about this news is that there will be a GameStop only special edition
    available now for pre-order that will give you
    • 6 Bonus Missions [approx. 3hrs of additional content]
    • A fold out map of the FarCry 2 world
    • and
    • "Exclusive" game packaging

    I'm not sure what that last one means and it's taking far too long to download the pr kit for the thing, so here's a pic that I ganked from the interwebs.

    Personally, I'm not a huge FarCry fan, but if I was I'd probably pick up the SE version of the title, I seem to be trending that way more and more with games that I purchase. For my 50 bucks plus I want some audio, artwork, bonus costumes or content in the game. It somehow makes me feel less hosed when I drop 100 bucks and go home with only two games.

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    NinJa Writes About A Naruto Game. Believe It!

    posted @ 8/30/2008 07:09:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Just kidding.

    I got to spend some time with a PR rep for D3 publishing to talk a bit about two games: Oneechanbara which I will definitely talk about at a later time, this article is about Bangai-o: Spirits.

    Bangai-o is a classic arcade shooter. You will spend the majority of your time button mashing like a fiend a-la-harrier type in order to blow up everything on the screen. But why would you want to play this game? Generic mecha art aside there are a few things that set Bangai-o apart from other arcade shooters, one of which is it’s level editor.

    In the game you can edit a level in real time, meaning as you are in the middle of it. Level too difficult? Edit that boss out. Level too long? Shorten it. While this may sound cheap or gimmicky, keep in mind this is a DS title. If you're playing on the go on the train, you might just want a short level to play through during my commute to help keep me you from missing my your stop.

    Taking the level creation thing a step further, D3 has added a sound transfer system that allows you to share any level you have edited or created with a friend using the speaker/mic built into the DS to wireless send your stuff to their stuff. As the feature was explained to me, it sounded a bit complicated, but D3 has a tutorial online to help you get the hang of audio sharing.

    It’s been a while since I bought a DS game, but I think I might give Bangai-o a try. Check it out, and rent it if you can.

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    More Pics From PAX

    posted @ 8/30/2008 01:40:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Wanna see more from da floor? Hit the jump for the links.

    Here are a few more places I stopped by yesterday while traipsing around the showroom floor. Enjoy!!

    Click here to view gallery

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    Pics From the Show Floor Version 1.1

    posted @ 8/29/2008 06:27:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Wanna see what I am seeing at PAX? Well, now you can.

    I'll be posting pictures to this gallery and creating others as the show goes on. For now, enjoy gallery numero uno.

    News to come later, as soon as my hangover is either over or kicks in... whichever comes first

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    Pandalicious' Throwback Thursday: Desparately Seeking Ms.Pac-man

    posted @ 8/28/2008 01:00:00 PM by Pandalicious

    His story.... over mine... his story will be his story
    And my story is a waste of time (aaaah-aah-aah) (TLC reference)

    Welcome to once again another Throwback Thursday.I'm your host Pandalicious coming to you live [well as live as a post is] from the ever so popular ESHLAND. This Thursday however, I thought I'd slow things down and give much love and much respect to the ladies. You see women are...in two words: simply awesome. All the great men who were responsible for our history,culture and addictions had great women right behind them,,most of which proclaiming that they were fools. However in the gaming world there was one pair that this wasn't so. There is one pair that to this day were seen as equals in my mind. This pair is...you guessed it. Mr. and Ms. Pac-man.

    Even though, I as a gamer recognize this pair as equals they were not brought into existence at the same time. Sadly, though not entirely sad, Pac-Man was the first of the pair to be created. As much as I'd like to say that Pac-man was an american creation I would be a bold faced liar. Japan brought him into the world, along with some of my other obviously favorite things. [Cough Anime Cough Cough]. Anyway he was developed my Namco, but brought over here to the U.S by Midway. You might recognize Midway through some other famous titles such as: Mortal Kombat [Deadly Alliance, Deception, Shaolin Monks and Armageddon] Pac-man via Midway hit the U.S in 1980. [So for age reference, Ninjasistah was a little over a year old, and I was still in the pre development stages. Barely on the radar, if you catch my drift ~^]

    Needless to say droves and droves of a budding gamer nation were sent in crazes of joy upon playing Pac-man. It was an overwhelming sensation and widely addictive, kind of like any drug you can imagine minus the drooling, hallucinations and uncontrolled bouts of gambling or raging libidos. Thusly Pac-man was flagged as a gamer icon, and a landmark in gaming history...

    As much as I like to boast about Pac-Man, I cannot idly sit by and just be content with talking about the male aspect of things. I cannot walk away without bringing a much needed guest to the forefront and give her a voice. She is known as Ms.Pac-man.

    Too much of my surprise, the origin of Ms.P did not stem from the same place as her male counter part, which for this senario is idle. So sorry pervs of the world , there is no gamer incest here. Originally rumors were leaked that Ms.P ( game formerly known as Crazy Otto) was a bootlegged copy of Pac-man made by the programers over at the General Computer Coporation. They were highly impressed with what they did, and rushed themselves over to Midway. They liked what they saw. After fighting all the red tape, and buying the necessary sprites to the game. She was renamed and released here in the U.S. This all went down in 1981. Midway had grown fed up with waiting for Namco to release Super Pac-man. Not only did the release of Ms.Pac-Man make Midway happy, but at the time she was also a prominent answer to a question that the gaming community still addresses today: How in the world do we appeal to the female gamer fanbase?!

    Like I mentioned previously, the Pac-man game was blood success! It was seen in arcades all over the place so needless to say the game mechanics are simple to the average gamer today. However, taking a seasoned gamer from today and placing them back into primitive forms of gaming is indeed interesting to observe.

    Take for instance myself. Add me to say either the Pac-man or Ms.Pac Man game via the technology of the XBOX360. [God do I love ports when done right!] Timing and precision are key as they were for these two games back in the 80's. I came to find that my timing was completely off which once again made the game physically challenging. Since the game's premise was already known. I found my hands to be stressing out faster with each passing level and those ghosts once again pose a serious threat to my existence. ...

    This classic will always bring warmth to my gamer soul. If not for the quality hours I spent playing it...then for the personal reason of thriving in it while Ninja did not. [This is why Siblings were made, and why gaming displays the strengths and weaknesses of those siblings.]However, if it wasn't for either of those reasons that it was for the Panda of the 80's...all six years I spent in them.... for desiring to be yellow and round and wanting everyone to play with me...for wanting to rock a styling bow and for [unbeknowst to me at the time...gave me hope that other girls wanted to do the exact same thing]



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    Chuck Norris Is In My Cell Phone!

    posted @ 8/27/2008 11:56:00 PM by Douceswild


    THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Gameloft! Why am I thanking one of the most successful cell phone game developers? I'll tell you why. Gameloft has given me Chuck Norris Brings the Pain for my cell phone! They have managed to take all of the bad assosity that exudes from Chuck Norris and poored it into one cell phone game.

    Chuck Norris Brings the Pain put you in the boots of Chuck as he roundhouse kicks his way through a rogue Soviet army to rescue POWs from Cambodia. Wait! He's not finished. After that Mr. Norris has to save America from an invasion! This work of art shouldn't be classified as a game, but as documentary of a day in the life of Chuck Norris.

    Check out the gameplay. There's no sound to the video, but are you surprised? Chuck Norris NEVER let's you hear death coming.



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    Someone took my Tokenity.....

    posted @ 8/25/2008 12:52:00 PM by Pandalicious
    As you were all aware, we as hosts were given this mystical tokens that once given out would bestow magical "gift" properties through the allgames network.

    As stipulated....I set up a challenge that if someone formally challenged me in ten rounds of SC4 and beat me they could win my token, or if I was challenged in a Civ Rev game and was defeated could also get you to token land.

    Well I awaiting challengers and no one came until the strong and powerful....[though I hate to admit it....] Alphabox. YES he was a fighter of epic proportions, he was fighter by chance, and he used Yoda too....

    However Alphabox claimed the token of another host of a different all games show...so I devised a way to sort this out...through the power of delegation. Alphabox was able to pass the token won from me to a close friend of his in the allgames community And...the winner of this sacred delegated token is......ZAPPY

    So Zappy you know the drill as you are of the community!..Enjoy Alpha's victory because with out it, you wouldn't be getting presents...

    Thus Spoke Pandalicious....

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    Pandalicious' Throwback Thursday: The Hunt for Red Duck Hunt

    posted @ 8/21/2008 02:35:00 PM by Pandalicious

    Ring Ding Dong...Ring a ding..ding ding dong (Dr. Dre Reference)
    Yo! Yo! Yo! Como Estan? Beeches. Pandalicious here to bring forth a new installment that should have hit y'allz earz last Thursday but brotha let me tell you what had happened...

    You see what had happened was.....[insert flashback CG ripple effects] that I'm about as lazy as the next person. So last Thrusday I was out with my Crew we were gonna go steal some pants...BECAUSE I AIN'T GOT NO MONEY! (Unforgiveable Reference) I'm just playing. In all honesty though, I just plumb forgot! So Here Comes some old school flava with some old school thought!

    I figured I would start with what I know best...The first real time I can remember liking video games wuz when I would engage in a hunt....a hunt...for ducks....no that doesn't mean I maliciously hunted down the all the casts of the Mighty Ducks, or any spin offs that may or may not occur. Though there were many of times were I had wish this gun controller had had the power to do so.

    TO most of us Ataris and Nintendo's were the big deal. To most of us here in the United States rather [let me state that now] that is. One of the first real exposures to the FPS that i can remember...and by remember I mean being really little with the control and sitting faceplanted on the television. [Now that I think about that I'm sure all those early afternoons of playing like that most likely resulted in my now having to wear glasses...Oh Fuck....]
    Though many of us played this cult classic in the comforts of our homes however is was also found on other platforms besides the NES. It was also on Famicom and Arcade.

    Duck hunt was not a game that people woke up at 7am for and dashed to their local Walmart to get..in fact..Walmart did not exist then [Yes I know that for most of you, you cannot beleive that such evil did not rear it's satanistic side until it branched off from its primary store which came into existence in 1962..YES it's that OLD] It was a game that was given onto us to get a a response off of it. Thinking back now, who would have thought that letting people take fake guns and shoot ducks out of the sky to our trusty loving bloodhound...

    If Nintendo had been in REM's music video for "Everybody Hurts" this is what we as a budding gaming nation would have saw.

    (Scene: Children on bikes in slow motion riding by the glass window at the Nintendo headquarters. Inside the window a meeting of several official to talk about the questionable progress of "Duck Hunt"

    Man in suit #1: Well surprisingly enough people actually like this game...
    (thought bubbles appears) FUCK! I hope we don't have to deal with PETA again...

    Man in suit#2:Who knew that people would actually enjoy a game based on a desire to kill
    (thought bubble appears) Now if only we can redirect this towards something that we can continue to market and not worry about organizations putting their stamps of disapproval...like....bigger animals...animals with advance thought...oooo yes and will power...they should be intelligent...like humans...Oh My God Humans! That is brillant, I should head over to development right now..

    Woman in suit#1 (looking at Man in suit#2's thought bubble:I'm sorry Man in suit#2 that is fucked up.
    (thought bubbles appears but it's a little flash movie of herself kicking Man in suit#2 in the nuts. [Yes I went there, like you wouldn't]

    Woman in suit#2: Well that might be true however we should do what is best for the progress of our company
    (thought bubble appears) Oh I can't wait to spend all the money I'll make on these games on therapy for my future teenage son who will shoot up his school because he thought it would all reset the next day. [yes this one is also bad but...come on....]

    Anyway you guys get my point. But why do I like this so much, so much that in fact decided that this would be my first piece.... Well ladies and gentlemen of webspace....I can not remember a time that I did not enjoy playing this game, whether it was just with Ninjahsistah before the ninjafication.... or with our father who is no longer with us. It presented a time of innocence and a good time with just the bare essentials...and isn't that what we want in our games....simple satisfaction?

    You decide....



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    In The Beginning: It's A Drug

    posted @ 8/17/2008 01:09:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    I have spent weeks trying to ignore games on the iPhone mostly because the last thing I need is another portable gaming device, but then I heard about this game Aurora Feint: In The Beginning and I got sucked in.

    Aurora Feint reminds me of Tetris and Puyo Puyo Pop in that you spend the bulk of your time trying to get three or four items of the same type in a row in order to explode them and clear out space. In AF you spend your time "mining" elemental substances that allow you to gain new skills to level up your player. Sounds simple and light right? Wrong. AF is one of the most engaging and deep games that I have played on the iPhone. Many a metro stop have I missed as I was in the middle of mining earth stones in order to unlock a new skill or magic to make it over to the tower.

    What makes AF so deep is it's gameplay. Unlike the puzzle games to come before it, part of solving the puzzles that make up AF is that the accelerometer in the iPhone is taken advantage of and used as part of the puzzle itself. In order to get three or four in a row you will at times have to push the puzzle along by rotating the phone so that the element stones will shift and more quickly reveal the next line of stones. You can only move stones horizontally at any time, so rotation of the playing field allows you to link more stones together and get a higher bonus. I used AF to get through waiting in line for "The Dark Knight" iMax [both times] waiting to board my plane to Mass, even getting through some long phone conferences that I had to participate in last week.

    Aurora Feint: In The Beginning is a solid game, and is crazy good for being free... and now that they are through being "delisted" on the iTunes store for grabbing user info in a non-secure manner [it's been removed from the game] it's a definite on the "DOWNLOAD WORTHY" list.

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    Tiny Tech Panda Presents: The Razer Piranha!

    posted @ 5/14/2008 12:34:00 PM by Pandalicious
    "COMPUTER!"
    "RAM!"
    "MUSIC!" "SOUND!" "IMAGE!" "GO PANDA!!!!"

    Panda: With your geekdom combined I AM TINY TECH PANDA!

    Pandalicious here donning the "techie" hat to become TINY TECH PANDA! Now what could I possibly have up my tiny tech panda sleeve to share from Gadgetville in the land of ESH? This is simple ladies and gentlemen. Today I have a review of the one and only Razer Piranha!

    Now I know what you all are thinking...and yes I dig snakes, but this isn't a snake! It is a headset of awesomeness and extreme comfort! On the rating scale I give this headset a 4 out of 5.

    *~Panda Testimonial~*
    ::Cues spotlight, violins and light snowfall::
    When I was a young panda before the days of Machood and true gamer l33tn33z, the only way I could hear other people was to actually have them in my house...or.... they would record themselves via WAV and send them through e-mails [I know what you are thinking! who would do such a thing?!]

    However now I have gone through technology puberty and have HUGE tracks of pwn33z! Also I have the ability to access hearing more than just the sounds in the games I play. I can now listen to the people that I play with! Granted, those who have had XBOXes long before me have been using microphones for a while, but when they switch to their PC games what do they don their heads with? If these gamers were smart they would check out the Razer Piranha.

    Da Pros
    +Comfortable on the head
    + Big cushy earmuffs
    + Cool Stylish Logo instead of word labels
    + Nifty Volume control for easy access
    + long cord for moving around [and the grabbing of the snackage!!]
    Da Cons
    - Adjusting headset is a little difficult
    - Mute button is sadistic and hates you!
    - For Mac users you will need an iMic attachment to use it since it is designed for uncool Computers that aren't Macs!

    Overall Tiny Tech Panda wasn't upset about the death of her third Logitech headset because of this divine piece of sweet head....gear!

    To see more than what I mentioned here go to www.razerone.com, and feel free to tell me what you think!

    This is Pandalicious and don't you dare say I don't know a thing about gadgets!

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    Addiction has a name and it is.....

    posted @ 4/29/2008 09:48:00 AM by Pandalicious
    My Addiction has a first name...it's W-O-R-L-D...
    As the masses here in ESH land know that I suffer from an addiction...It is one that I discuss freely and openly. I am a WoW addict. [I feel no shame in it. In fact I embrace as part of my being now.] However even I can see the see the dangers of my addiction....and so can these select few.


    Because of things like this I spend my time away from the game keeping innocence away from the horrible life draining effect this game can have on people...
    Don't Do Drugs
    Don't Drink and Drive
    Don't World of Warcraft!


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    The Early Bird Gets GTA IV

    posted @ 4/24/2008 10:57:00 PM by Douceswild
    I’ll keep this short and sweet. Grand Theft Auto IV will be released to the public when the sun comes up on April 29th, but you could be jacking cars and committing armed robberies (in-game, of course) hours before then.

    No one should be surprised to know that Gamestop and EB will have a midnight opening Tuesday morning to allow anyone who reserved GTA IV to pick it up when the clock strikes twelve. (Check your local game stores for participation info.) My copy is already reserved and I’ll be in line with bags under my eyes to pick it up. I’ll be twittering the event so if you have a Twitter account, then you can get updates of my early morning journey by following “Douceswild”. If you have the “Twinkle” app. installed on your iPhone then you’ll be able to view some pictures as well.

    Try not to get jacked or pimped out ‘til then!

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    Final GTA Trailer...And Now We Wait

    posted @ 4/01/2008 08:59:00 PM by Douceswild
    I’m sure you all know that the official release date of Grand Theft Auto IV is set for April 29th. I’ve played and completed every installment of the series and I plan on adding this one to the pile as well.

    I’m not going to waste time trying to convince you of how good GTA is. You’ve heard of it and at this point you’ve probably made up your mind if you’re into the controversial video game by now or not. A few days ago the final official trailer was released and now we sit and wait. The problem is…I CAN’T WAIT!



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    Reservations About Reserving

    posted @ 3/18/2008 11:38:00 AM by Douceswild


    A lot of video game stores have a reservation policy which allows you to plop some money down on a game so the employees will hold the game for you when it comes out. The question I pose to you is how necessary is it to do this?

    The employees at the game store will tell you if you want a game on the day it releases then it’s in your best interest to reserve it. After talking to a few friends of mine that work at GameStop and EB, I’ve come to the conclusion that what that statement means is that they might have extra copies of the game to sell other than those on reserve, but you won’t get one if you didn’t reserve it.

    Why do the employees want you to reserve the game? I used to manage a GameStop store a long time ago and the official answer which was pounded into the head of managers’ was to raise the initial sales of the game within the first couple of days. Now the answer you’ll get from employees (behind the scenes of course) is “because we have a quota and my manager told me to.” The employees have a weekly quota on reservations so the fewer people they convince to reserve a game, that’s the more grief they catch from the higher-ups. If you did not reserve the game when it releases, then the employees will not give you a copy out of spite even if there are extra copies behind the counter.

    I’m not saying that this happens at every gaming store in the world, but I think it’s a safe bet to say that this is happening in most of them. Is this to be expected from the average kid working at the store? It definitely is. If he or she catches hell from their boss (who in turn probably caught hell from his or her boss) about not getting enough reservations for the week on a particular game, then that employee will more than likely take out his or her frustration on you when you come in without your reservation stub, thinking you’re going to march into their store and get the game you want so badly, after turning him or her down a few weeks ago when asked to reserve it. You’re at their mercy now. What can you do?


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    Are You Ready To Play the GAX Game?

    posted @ 3/07/2008 09:30:00 PM by Douceswild


    It’s always been a dream of mine to have a place where gamers and like-minded individuals as myself could hang out share thoughts and opinions. Well that dream has come true!!

    Myspace has dominated the online social community for a long time. Although, it’s a good place to hang out, meet people, and share life experiences, it has always been hard for me to find a group that I fit into there. Even with the few gaming, anime, and technology groups that exist on Myspace, I’m very limited to what I can do once I join.

    Well there’s a place for you and me now at GAX. GAX is a social community for gamers, movie enthusiasts, anime-lovers, etc. The site is named after the late Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008), the author of the well-known fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). GAX allows members to created and decorated their own page, invite friends, create and join member-created groups of various topics, create blogs, and much more! There’s also an active and live chat running on every page.

    Sign up. It’s free! Who knows? Your blog may be featured on the main page of GAX!

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    Your M-M-O-RPG Is Now M-O-B-I-L-E

    posted @ 3/04/2008 12:42:00 PM by Douceswild
    Wouldn’t it be awesome to play your favorite mmorpg on a portable device? I know what you’re thinking. “I do that already with my laptop.” Well I’m talking about something just a bit more portable than your average-sized laptop.

    How many times have you missed the train or bus to work because you didn’t want to log out of your mmorpg? Have you ever wished you could take your mmorpg with you on that long family trip so you’ll have something to do in the car? Well the OQO model 0.2 might be what you’re looking for. The OQO is basically an ultra mobile PC capable of running XP or Vista and weighs about one pound. You can also play a variety of other pc games on the system.

    Here’s World of World fully functioning on the system.



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    One Million Downloads Strong

    posted @ 2/11/2008 09:42:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    So I've gotten this email from the fine folks over at Capcom touting the amount of downloads the DMC4 demo off of XBLive.

    Well duh!

    It shouldn't surprise anyone that the DMC4 demo has been downloaded so much. First off, remember all the n00bs that got Xboxes [Xboxi?] for Christmas? Well they gotta have stuff to play, and I'm sure they haven't run off to the local game emporium to fill their little collection with $60 titles yet, so free demos and cheap Arcade games are welcome features of their new toy. Secondly, DMC fans are, well, fanatical. We love the franchise. We love the franchise enough to suck up the suck ass DMC2 to wait for DMC3 and DMC4. Give us the opportunity to play DMC on a new platform, with a new character, and we will flock to it like alcoholics to a happy hour.

    Yeah, DMC4 "el demo gigante" dropped into the XBLive Marketplace nearly predestined for greatness. Here's what the email to me said:
    Capcom's Devil May Cry 4 demo on the Xbox LIVE service passed its one millionth download, and is still going!
    According to Microsoft, not only is this the first demo of the year to hit a million downloads, but it’s also one of the fastest downloads to hit the one million mark in the history of the LIVE service. The demo appeared on the network January 24, and has been averaging over 25,000 downloads a day ever since. Additionally, the game has been a huge hit at retail, with reorders coming from major retailers within days of the game's release.


    I'll hold my judgement of whether or not the game is fun to play until I get it. But if you haven't downloaded the demo yet and you have an XBox, get thee to the Marketplace and join the million of people that have been playing the hell outta this demo.

    You can try to fight Berial!

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    FFXIII Demo a.k.a. Salt In The Wound

    posted @ 1/29/2008 12:51:00 PM by Douceswild

    The number “13” has always been known as an unlucky number and that just may be the case for me as far as SquareEnix's Final Fantasy XIII is concerned.

    I’m at a crossroad right now. I’ve been pretty firm on my decision not to purchase a Playstion3 because I detest the price of the next-gen system. On the other hand, I’ve been a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series since FFIII. Seeing as how Squaresoft/Enix has had a longstanding relationship with Sony, I figured the chances of the series coming the the Xbox 360 was slim, but with the release of FFXI Online on Microsoft’s system and the announcement of another possible mmorpg by SqareEnix in the future, my hopes were high. I always knew in the back of my mind that I would have to make the decision to either pony up the cash for the PS3 or bid farewell to the series that I love so much. The time for the decision is now.

    The long time character designer of the Final Fantasy series, Tetsuya Nomura, not only swears by a 2008 release for FFXIII, but also teases at a playable demo on the Playstation Network a while before the game is released to show off the revamped battle system. Either two things are going to happen this year. I’ll either eat my words and breakdown and purchase the overpriced system or say goodbye to the FFXIII and /wrist when every PS3 owner sinks their teeth into the demo and then the full game. No matter the choice, you guys will probably see an grown gamer cry.

    Decisions, decisions.

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    When $500 Is Better Than $600

    posted @ 7/10/2007 01:19:00 PM by evermore
    Here is the horrible, horrible truth: Stay away from the new PS3. The old PS3 out there, the one languishing on the shelves of Wal-Mart and Circuit City, the one you don't have to stand in line for, the one you don't have to wait by your mailbox for, well, it's, uh, better.

    That's right. The 60-gig PS3, the one that's been around since November, the one that they just reduced in price by $100, the one that... oh, stop it. The word from E3 is that the older, 60-gig PS3 is better than the new 80-gig model. In fact, if you still play some PS2 games, you should positively stay away from the 80-gig PS3 model.

    Why? Emulation. The original PS3 also contains the PS2 Emotion chip to help it play PS2 games. Now that the Sony folks have come up with a way to emulate PS2 capability in software on the PS3, they have dropped the Emotion chip from the new machine.

    And we all know what happens when you emulate a chip in software, don't we? Incompatibilities. That game you've been playing for years suddenly doesn't work anymore. The disc spins and spins, but doesn't go anywhere. You're left with unexpected crashes -- or eerie silence.

    So here's the warning: If you've got several PS2 games you intend on playing on the 80-gig PS3, test them out on the machine before buying one. Better yet, stick with the original PS3. We suspect the 60-gig model isn't even being built anymore (they've got a few million on hand gathering dust at places like Amazon.com and GameStop), so when they're gone, they're gone.


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    Sony Reintroduces $499 PS3

    posted @ 7/09/2007 08:24:00 AM by evermore
    Sony would like you to think that they have reduced the price of the PS3 today. Nothing could be further from the truth.

    Remember when the PS3 first came out in November? They brought out a lame version for $499 and a better version for $599. Today's announcement simply reinstates that pricing model.

    Sony dropped its $499 version a few months ago because nobody was buying it. Now the $599 version has been repriced at $499, but it's all window dressing because Sony has already announced a premium-ier version packaged with an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a racing game called "MotorStorm." Guess how much it costs. That's right -- $599.

    To reiterate today's announcement: Sony has a lame version of the PS3 that sells for $499 and a better version for $599. Just like in November 2006.

    And the PS3 forts grow higher and higher at Best Buy.


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    New Podcast Day

    posted @ 6/25/2007 11:41:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Monday brings with it once again a crunchy new episode of the Electric Sista Hood podcast, and this one is just as off the wall and fun as the other ones!

    All three regular hosts hop on the cast this week to bring you some info about some cool and not so cool goings on in the worlds of anime and video games. First up at bat is Panda "Stop Saying I Have Herpes" licious who shares with us her experiences with the anime Hare+Guu, which [like many anime series] is very weird.

    Magic "I Forgot About the Giant Ball Monster" MysticGrl chimes in at the number two slot to share with us EVEN MORE .Hack// goodness with us by imparting her sort of found wisdom from .Hack//roots.

    And bringing up the rear [as usual in this weekly menage] is NinJa "Get a Twinkie, Cuz Yer Gonna Need Brain Food" Sistah dropping her 2cents on the whole Manhunt 2 debacle.

    Yeap! Grab yourself a Twinkie and something to drink, Episode 55: Welcome to the Eyefor Towel is up and running!

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    FrESH News

    posted @ 6/05/2007 06:47:00 PM by Douceswild
    This is ya boy Douce checking in to bring you news of some of the hottest topics on the street right now. It’s gonna be quick so…On your mark! Get set! Go!

    Ok ladies and gentlemen, first on the list is the official iPhone release date. A commercial aired on Sunday flashing a June 29th release and it’s been confirmed by AT&T. Corporate stores have begun putting up advertising material with that date plastered all on it. Get your money ready!

    Next on the docket is an animated movie that I must give credit to Nutsy Waterbelly for bringing to our attention. Paprika looks to be this year’s animated mind-fracking movie and I’m definitely in the mood to get my mind fracked. I’ll be watching Paprika this weekend and bringing you guys a review on it in the future. Thanks Nutsy!

    Last, but definitely not least is the release of Guitar Hero. What’s that you say? It’s out already on Playstation2 and Xbox 360? You’re absolutely correct, but it’s also coming out for the…

    Wait for it…

    Wait for it…

    Nintendo DS!! That’s right. Activision has confirmed a Guitar Hero release on the DS sometime next year. I’m curious to see how it’s going to work. Thanks Activision for giving me another reason to be glad I purchased one of these bad boys. ROCK ON!

    There ya have it people. That’s what’s hot on the streets right now. Keep checking the site for more news because, if we know it, then you’re gonna know it.

    Later!


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    Cheating or Exploiting...What's Your Take?

    posted @ 2/08/2007 10:23:00 PM by Douceswild
    Sorry for the lengthy AFK all. I’ve been putting in some long hours at work, but now I’m back with something that I’d like your opinion on. What’s the difference between cheating in video games and exploiting a system that’s already implemented into the game?

    When it comes to video games, people will always find various ways to cheat. It’s just in our nature. Whether it be the 30-life Contra code or hacking a mmorpg to get better items, cheating and exploiting will always be around. There’s also a fine line between the two.

    Everyone knows about World of Warcraft’s first expansion called the Burning Crusades, which released a few weeks ago. One of the new features is a raised level cap from 60 to 70. To a lot of casual players, that brings another month to three months of level grinding and questing to hit the new level cap. Well not everyone.

    A player from France was able to reach level 70 twenty-eight hours after the release of the game. He grinded constantly without any sleep. As tales of him being the first level 70 player in the game spread, he began releasing his strategy to many curious and amazed players. He had forty of his guildies helping him out. He would hit (tag) the mob to claim ownership of the kill, and then the rest of his guild would kill the mob and keep him healed as he moved on to the next mob to repeat the process. Twenty-eight hours later **poof** level 70.

    Now here’s where the controversy comes in. It seems that others are saying that he cheated. In my opinion, “cheated” is a strong word to use in this instance. He only did what Blizzard and every other mmorpg developer intends for you to do when you log in to their game and that’s interact with other players to get the most out of the game. I see it more as exploiting the system than cheating. He didn’t use a hack or mod to speed up the fight or increase the experience points. He just used and benefited from the help of some friends to get the job done.

    I pose the question to all of you. Is what he did cheating or exploiting a system that’s already in motion? You want my opinion? I say, don’t hate the player. Instead, hate the player that can’t play the game.

    Any thoughts?


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    Revenge of the Nerds 2007

    posted @ 2/07/2007 01:39:00 PM by evermore
    In a story that is blazing its way through the bloggernet, GameStop has allegedly expanded its policy regarding M-rated videogames that are sold to minors. The bottom line is that we could be seeing a brand new version of The Revenge of the Nerds.

    GameStop has long had a policy regarding M-rated games that are sold to minors. You can read it right here. It's pretty simple -- an employee sells an M-rated game to a minor, the employee gets fired.

    But that was all changed in a recent conference call of GameStop employees. According to a writer for kotaku.com, not only does the employee get fired, so does the manager. That adds a whole new dimension to employee-management relations at GameStop.

    Work at GameStop and hate your manager? Get him fired! Just sell an M-rated game to an underaged kid and tell the kid to tell his parents where he got the game. After all, being fired is nothing to a 20-something kid. Heck, GameStop can't even tell future employers why the kid no longer works at GameStop -- all they can do is tell the hire date and release date. The manager, on the other hand, is probably some 40-something geezer with a failing marriage and a couple of unappreciative kids. Getting fired could make him go right over the edge into drugs, drink or maybe even suicide.

    And wouldn't that be entertaining?

    Kudos to the folks at GameStop who put their most vulnerable employees directly in the line of fire as they pander to the desires of a few loudmouths who want everybody to live by their rules.


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    A Touch Outta Sync

    posted @ 2/05/2007 11:25:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    I sorta owe you guys an apology...

    You see, NinJaMom [using amazing stealth abilities that even I do not yet posses] came into town and surprised this NinJa for her b-day. Caught unprepared, I forgot to write up some shizzole for the website. I also forgot to beg the other editors to cover for me whilst I was out of commission. But how was I to know she was heading into town? It's hard to detect Ninja, especially when they don't want to be detected, and you KNOW your mom hates to fly... but I digress.

    My bad. I'll catch up on some reading goodies for you here shortly, like my opinion on the AMD/ATI thing, how to build a sweet gaming laptop [pc], and the Devil May Cry manga.


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    New Podcast Episode

    posted @ 2/05/2007 11:03:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Fresh from Electric Sista Hood podcast oven is Episode 38 of our weekly podcast.

    In this episode Panda shares some thoughts and insight into what gamers want [and don't want] to see in the coming [we hope] Kingdom Hearts 3 game, MagicMysticGrl makes it back to the group session to share some Legend of Black Heaven info with you, and NinJaSistah brings a Gears of War/Crackdown demo compare and contrast to the show to end it.

    We can't forget our new candybitch: Arrot! You rock man!

    Oh yeah, the girls also chat about the march of the skanks, selling teapots into slavery, buying Keyblades at Wal-Mart, Pandalicious' shrub versus NinJaSistah's goomba, and a few other tangents. Made for you with love, [or something like it] Episode 38: This Isn't Marriage Counselling.

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    Quick Monkey Question

    posted @ 1/30/2007 12:43:00 PM by Monkey Doo
    Just a little question from the Monkey about Real time strategies.

    I've been looking over all of my RTS games and I was trying to come up with the best ones. I couldn't get it narrowed down so I wanted to know, what do you guys think the best RTS games are?


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    PS3 Madden Doesn't Live up to Expectations

    posted @ 1/13/2007 01:45:00 PM by Monkey Doo
    I got a chance to sit down with a shiny new PS3 and play some Madden 07 recently. I have always been a big Madden fan, I still have a copy of the first one I ever bought for Genesis back in 1993. I had high expectations for this one since it was on a system that dwarfed the previous systems I had played the Madden series on, but I was sorely disappointed.

    What I found was a very sloppy game. It had a menu that in an attempt to be slick and stylish was not very user friendly. The replays and videos of your team entering and getting ready for a play were incredibly choppy, usually unable to go a second without it freezing up for a little bit. It had lost the franchise mode I had come to love and instead focused mainly on Superstar mode, which was a big disappointment.

    The concept of Superstar mode itself was not bad. It's a cool to control yourself on a team and fight towards greatness. The problem with this is that there is oftentimes not much to do. I don't enjoy sitting down to a game with a controller in my hand and just watching. Since you could only control your player, that's all you really did. As a quarterback I was able to get some control but as a cornerback I lost interest very quickly. I had no control over the offense and on defense I ended up covering sides of the field that the opposing team never passed to anyway. To make this mode more frustrating, the UI was awful. Every time my QB handed off the ball to the running back he would run right into a mob of the opponent. In every game I played via superstar mode my RB only once got a gain of above three yards. It wasn't because I had a bad team either, last time I checked Tiki Barber was pretty good at running.

    They tried to showcase the better look and playability of the system but that also fell short. Not only did they have choppy videos but they used terrible camera angles to show off the field. They continually used a shot that was from the entrance into the mid level seating down onto the field. The problem with this view was that it showcased how bad the audience was. I counted only three models in the entire stadium, and from that terrible camera view you could see how flat their were as well as mysterious floating pixels.

    I still have hopes for the game, though not on this system. Perhaps the X-box 360 will be able to handle the graphics better or maybe the Wii innovative controller will make it as fun to play as Wii bowling. Perhaps EA having exclusives on the NFL means the end of some great games however....

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    Is This the Next Great Mobile Gaming Device?

    posted @ 1/09/2007 11:44:00 PM by evermore
    What would you think of a mobile gaming device with these specifications? It's only 0.46 inches thick. It has a speaker, a microphone and a camera. Held horizontally, its screen is 480 pixels wide, just like the PlayStation Portable, and 320 pixels tall, nearly 50 pixels taller than the PSP's 272 pixels. At 160 pixels per inch, its screen is the most dense of any standalone portable gaming device. It's got up to 8 GIGABYTES of RAM (compared to the PSP's 32 MEGABYTES). It's got touchscreen controls. It has 802.11 b and g Wi-Fi capabilities (PSP has only b) and Bluetooth built in.

    Oh yeah, it's also a mobile phone, an internet browser and an iPod.

    The iPhone, announced earlier today during Apple's MacWorld keynote speech, is a whole lotta things. Most people are going to buy it because it's an amazing mobile phone combined with an iPod. But there are a lot of reasons why it could become a force among gamers.

    First of all, its mere specifications make it better than any standalone mobile gaming system. Although the screen is not physically as large as the PSP (the iPhone's screen is only 3.5 inches, compared to 4.3 inches for the PSP), it meets the PSP in pixel width and exceeds the PSP in pixel height -- the PSP's pixels are simply larger and, as a result, coarser.

    The iPhone is half as thin (0.46 inches vs. the PSP's 0.9 inches) and half as heavy (135 grams vs. the PSP's 280 grams). Held horizontally, it is a third less in width (4.5 inches vs. PSP's 6.7 inches) and a half-inch less in height (2.4 inches vs. PSP's 2.9 inches).

    There's just one problem: no games.

    The gaming market for the Macintosh dried up when the computer's 10th operating system OS X arrived in 2000. But the iPhone is exactly the catalyst that could turn things around for gaming on the Mac.

    The iPhone shows great potential in this area. It has Google Maps and the Opera browser built in. It has "push" email, provided by Yahoo, which gives it email capabilities similar to that on a Blackberry. It is able to run Apple's Dashboard widgets, which should at least allow for simple games when it is available in June. Everything else is a big question mark: How much RAM is there? What is the graphics card? Is there stereo Bluetooth support? Will third-party Dashboard widgets work? Is there going to be a Software Development Kit to allow high-end game makers access to the device?

    Perhaps few people will even care. With the Nintendo DS and PSP slugging it out on the high end and LG, Samsung, Nokia and other cellphone makers battling each other in that arena, maybe no one will take a second look at gaming on an iPhone.

    But the sheer combination of all those different technologies sure is intriguing, isn't it?


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    2007's Most Wanted

    posted @ 1/02/2007 11:24:00 AM by Douceswild
    It’s a new year people! Resolutions have been made (and probably broken already). As far as the gaming industry is concerned, there will definitely be new and exciting things coming our way. What are you looking forward to the most?

    I’m sure a lot of people would name Halo 3 the most anticipated game of 2007. I’ve had mine reserved for the past month and will be standing outside of Gamestop if they have another midnight release. Even though I’m excited about that title, and can’t wait to put Master Chief back into the fight for mankind’s survival, it’s not at the top of my list.

    One of the games of 2007 that has me sitting at the edge of my seat is Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. It’s an action rpg from the developers of Jade Empire and Knights of the Old Republic, both of which are awesome games. In both "JE" and "KOTOR", as they’re called, a lot of the plot twists and the outcome of the game depend on the choices you make. Your decisions may also effect the way your party members feel about you and whether they choose to join you at all. The same concepts have been added into Mass Effect and amped up a bit. All of this plus unbelievable graphics is enough to make my mouth water.

    This year will undoubtedly bring new and exciting releases for all systems. What titles have you running to your local game store to place on reserve status? I’ll get the ball rolling since most of you are still probably recovering for your New Year’s celebration.

    (Some of the these titles are coming out on multiple systems but I’ve listed the system I plan on playing them on.)

    Mass Effect – Xbox 360
    Assassin’s Creed – Xbox 360
    World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - PC
    Tabula Rasa – PC
    Halo 3 – Xbox 360
    Wii Play – Nintendo Wii
    Crackdown – Xbox 360
    Rogue Galaxy – PS2

    There’s plenty more but I’ll stop here because I have to go look for a second job to pay for the rest of the stuff that’s going to come out this year. I’ll turn the keyboard over to you. What’s your 2007’s Most Wanted?


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    NA NA NA NA! HEY HEY HEY! GOODBYE!

    posted @ 12/08/2006 11:56:00 PM by Douceswild
    We’ve all heard about it. Some of us may have actually done it. Today I’m talking about MMORPG cheating and hacking and the steps being taken to prevent it. If you’ve put in some long hours and hard work on your online toon and are prone to practice a little TOS violation (Terms of Service) every now and them, you really want to pay close attention to this.

    Purchasing MMORPG accounts, currency, and items is nothing new to gamers. It’s been going on for years and has only increased despite developers’ and owners’ threats and warnings. You see this awesome level 58 two-handed sword in the Auction house selling for 500 gold and you only have 150 gold which took you five months to get. What do you do? Do you go out into the beast-inhabited forest and kill for hours and hours and sell the loot for a total of 10 gold or do you take the easy route and jump on the fastest gold selling website and purchase you a little cabbage to obtain that kick-arse sword in a matter or minutes? It seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?

    For a while now, a popular and very successful U.S. guild named Overrated in World of Warcraft has been clearing instances with ease and getting phat loot that would make almost any gamer bow down before their greatness. They are the only guild to have cleared Blizzard’s most recent dungeon, Naxxramas. One of the instances the guild successfull cleared was AQ40 (40 individuals in Ahn'Qiraj) and they were always walking out (or hearthing, if you will) with some great loot dropped by the final boss. The majority of their members were geared with some of the best items from the instance and fellow players sang songs of their exploits, yada yada yada.

    Well it’s been all over the Internet that the guild Overrated has been, well, overrated. They have been exposed as using a hack that makes some of the walls in Ahn’Qiraj disappear allowing them to easily travel to the final boss without wasting time on the trash mobs and bosses in between. What was their punishment? Blizzard permabanned (permanently banned) the guild and it’s members. If this doesn’t seem like a big deal, then take it from someone who’s been playing the game for years. It takes A LOT of time and preparation to get into those instances and even more to successfully clear them including taking down the final boss. All of their efforts have been snatched up by Blizzard and put into permanent limbo.

    On the official WoW forums, former Overrated member, Pantaloons offer this explanation:

    It's true. A few minutes ago we went from having a near-raid online to having seven. I didn't clearly, but only because my raid attendance has been remiss lately. Let me explain.

    We are the only US Horde guild that clears Naxx, been like that for a few weeks. People found that the pre-C'thun trash was so painful, that they decided to install some stupid thing that deletes walls or something, and you can just run there after Skeram.

    I know, we had it coming, blah blah whatever, we know we deserve it. I actually think it's hilarious because I was calling them all idiots for doing it. I'm sure they'll try and get it rescinded because it's kind of a steep punishment with no recourse or whatever.

    Ok I just got banned too. Whatever seeya!


    With a little digging, I was able to find a post that was made by the guild leader saying basically the same thing but he added that they only began using the hack AFTER they had already cleared the instance numerous times. They did so because the instance became tedious and many of their members already had the loot that made the dungeon worth tackling and all they received from the place was a high repair bill. He went on to say that the hack made it possible to skip all of the boring parts and go straight to the boss, which dropped items they still wanted.

    Although this is definitely understandable, it’s by no means acceptable according to the Blizzard’s TOS. The guild and it’s members’ accounts have been banned and they must now repurchase the game and start from scratch. That’s right. It’s back to level 1 for all of them. What makes the permabanning suck even more is that the highly anticipated Burning Crusade expansion comes out in about a month. They can’t enjoy the new additions to game at lower levels. My advice to all of the members is to watch the South Park WoW episode and copy Cartman’s idea. If you start now, then you only have 68,745,239 boars left to kill before reaching level 60 before the expansion release. “Mom! Bathroom! Mom?!”


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    Cooking Mama for NDS

    posted @ 12/07/2006 07:33:00 PM by geekwoman
    Cooking Mama for DS Review by Geek Woman

    Cooking Mama is a cooking sim that teaches you Japanese cooking techniques and recipes. You are given real recipes and they can actually be made after you are done playing the game. I recommend this game for everyone that wants to improve their cooking skills. It is not just a game for little girls. A cook or gamer at any level can enjoy this charming game.

    You play as a chef's apprentice. You need to learn the skill sets for preparation. Then you are able to test those skills and make the dish. The game not only teaches you valuable kitchen skills but it is fun, thoroughly addictive and tasty!

    The learning process begins with mini-games. You learn how to chop onions neatly and quickly. You get a lesson on how to remove the shells from shrimp, and you are taught how to fold dumplings. You are given an allotment of time to complete the tasks and you are scored on speed and skill.

    The mini-games are cleverly designed. You are given challenges for doing things such as mixing. Believe it or not there are plenty of people that don't know how to do that. However in this game you are shown "how to" in surprising ways. The game takes you through each step chopping, then adding ingredients, shaping and combing the food, and then frying and serving.

    There are three modes to play: "Let's Cook" is where you are graded. "Let's Combine" is an area where you can make up recipes. Then the "Use Skill" is a practice mode. You begin with a few recipes then the more you cook the more you get.

    You do the cooking on the touch screen. To chop you tap the "knife". To grab ground ingredients you circle the stylus around. The controls are easy to do. You get gratification from the ratings. The bronze medal is given for a score of 60-79 points. The silver medal is given for score between 80-99. For getting the gold you need to get a perfect score of 100 points which isn't hard to do.

    Graphics aren't anything fantastic. But they are very well done. The game has plenty of color. It is playful while being educational and the graphics of food is accurate without being yucky looking.

    This game is lots of fun. It has appeal as re-playability. It is addictive, but it makes you hungry. If you don't have a clue what to make for dinner this will help. I learned a faster, safer and more efficient way to chop onions that I have been using ever since. It doesn't matter if you think you are an Iron Chef (like I think I am) or if you are a beginner, you can find something to love about this adorable little game.

    This is very obviously a game that was designed for little girls. It is a fine 'marketing to women' accomplishment, with no trace of sexism.. It is something that both girls and ladies will enjoy. There is no avatar so there is no character to select. It is for women, while being inclusive enough to be fun for everyone. Cooking has become ultra popular with people of all ages and genders. Asian cooking is fantastic and healthy. People from all walks of life can enjoy the cuisine. There are a few American recipes too. I can see just about anyone playing this game and having fun. College kids that are going away from home for the first time could use this game to learn the basic skills.










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    Bringing Back More Than Just Sexy

    posted @ 12/06/2006 05:50:00 PM by Douceswild
    All of you old school G4 TechTv fans may remember the days when that channel was actually worth watching because you’d learn something new on a daily basis. There were shows that taught you about technology and informed you of new and upcoming games hosted by people WHO ACTUALLY PLAYED THE GAMES and were at least FAMILIAR with what they were reading on the teleprompter. What does this little trip down memory lane mean for you? You guessed it. It's time for another one of Douce's Jewels.

    Among the many knowledgeable hosts was one of my favorites, Laura Foy, who co-hosted a show call G4tv.com. They talked about games and technology and gave their input on what was worth your time and what wasn’t. The show was cancelled last year and Laura disappeared from the station. Since then, she has gone on to do other things like hosting an internet radio show and, well, music. You won’t find her being exploited on MTV. I’ve saved that pleasure for this very moment.

    With all of the hype over the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii launch, many have forgotten about the initial next-gen console, Xbox 360. Laura Foy has taken it upon herself to remind gamers of which system is the best buy as of right now and what better way is there to draw people together and get a powerful message out to the masses than with the power of song?

    I bring to you the latest installment to my internet jewel collection which I’m calling Hey DJ, Bring That Back.



    Enjoy!


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    Where's the Remote??

    posted @ 12/05/2006 12:19:00 AM by Douceswild
    If there’s anything that I’ve learned from being a gamer, it’s that the games you enjoy playing say a lot about you. Here at ESH, we focus a lot of our attention on gaming and anime. Every once in a while we dip our toes into other pools like music and technology. Hey, what’s a true geek without a love for gadgets? Well what about television programs?

    When my thumbs are sore from button-mashing on a console video game or I’m just too exhausted to pwn-all on World of Warcraft, I like to unwind with a good snack and a great show. Depending on what day it is, I’m enjoying anything in the realm of action, comedy, and romance. That’s right. I said romance. Even the Douce gets a little sentimental at times. I’d like to take this opportunity to get to know all of you a little better. No, I don’t want you social security number or blood type, but I’ll settle for what television programs you just absolutely can’t wait to watch every week and would kick someone out of your home to tune in for.

    To get the ball rolling, I’ll list my favorites and the days I watch them. You’ll probably going to laugh at some of them but don’t worry because I’m sure I’ll do the same to yours. Ok here they are:

    Sunday: Robot Chicken, Venture Brothers
    Monday: Prison Break, Heroes, What About Brian, The Closer
    Tuesday: Nip Tuck, Boston Legal
    Wednesday: Bones
    Thursday: Smallville, Supernatural, The O.C., Grey’s Anatomy
    Friday: Vanished, Las Vegas, Battlestar Galactica
    Saturday: Adult Swim (all of it)

    There are some shows that I watch that air every day such as Attack of the Show, X-play, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. AoTS and X-play are not absolutes because sometimes they aren’t reviewing anything I’m interested in or just being too stupid to hold my attention.

    Who’s next to step up and list their favorites and must-sees’. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I got The O.C. on my list. How much worse can yours be?


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    Animal Crossing : Wild World for Nintendo DS

    posted @ 12/04/2006 08:08:00 PM by geekwoman
    Animal Crossing : Wild World for Nintendo DS by Geek Woman

    Animal Crossing for the Nintendo DS is like a tiny milling MMO of ity bity people. There is a large "E" friendly community surrounding it. In addition to being able to connect and play with other DS owners while in the same physical location, the easy to use wifi capability can connect you with other players world wide.

    It is an ingenious game in several aspects. The security for keeping identities secret seems to work and it is fairly easy to screen and block out unwanted parties. The exchange of a Friend Code has to be given someplace out side of the DS. It has to be someone that you physically know or meet through numerous Friend Code listing message boards. Once there though how would someone know if they were communicating with a an adult or a kid? They do require a verifiable email address to register at most forums. But that isn't much protection, so wifi chat should be supervised. Also many McDonald's restaurants and other hotspots permit people to play together wirelessly on the DS.

    The game has an understandably "E" rating. However it should be specified someplace that a person does need to be able to read fairly well in order to be able to play the game. Maybe at some point in the future suggestions about the age a kid who would enjoy a game could be made on the packaging. Like "for children 5 and up".

    Game-play
    You would think that game that consists of farming a fruit orchard, fishing and collecting fossils would be relaxing. Not for me. I became obsessed with paying the huge, escalating and continuous morgage(s). Oh no! This is like a nightmare. I suppose it is to teach kids responsibilities but it made me frantic. I picked oranges and gathered shells. I learned how to perfect my fishing skills pretty quickly. In the first day I got it paid off. I thought I would be relieved then. But it was not to be. Tom Nook the owner of the only store in town, extorted me for another mortgage to build me a bigger house, even after I told him I didn't want it. This reminds me of an episode of the Xfiles... At least I could pick a lilac roof. Now I have an even more huge debt! If you do chores for townspeople, dig up some treasure, and discover some of the other secrets hidden in the game you earn lots of gold. There are many little side ‘missions’ in AC:WW.

    I consoled myself with fishing. I caught several kinds. Notably I got a Koi and an Octopus. When I returned to the store the next morning they were closed. I am worried that my fish might spoil. I read online that I can time travel and set the time back on the clock to sell the fish. Then I have to reset the clock back to the correct present time so that I don't screw up the game. Heaven forbid that if after you turn the DS on - that you change your mind. A creature pops up and bitches you out with over 30 screens of a harangue about how important it is to save the game before you shut it off. Typing in "Shut up" or other epithets don't help any. I would love to know how to get that dubious feature to quit.

    I was penalized for my trips back to the past by loosing trees. Several of my flower plants also looked as if they had been plant - napped by a neighbor and put in her garden. When I switched my clock to February 14th there was snow on the ground and my plants in that time weren't too happy about this.

    Fishing is a tricky but fun pass time. The ocean wave sound effect is almost convincing with ear buds. This is a typical RPG. You build stuff, customize things, plant gardens and weed around the town. But the map is tiny. It suffers for only having one little town area to be in - unless you visit other peoples towns to trade items online. Compared to Pokémon which has many of these tiny towns all on one GBA cartridge this game has only one small one. The moon phases and weather are correct for my area. But this game goes in too many directions and is lacking fundamental basics. If space mattered then some of the odd customization features could have been skipped. Making constellations, or designing umbrellas could have been done without for example - to make the individual single person game experience larger.

    Customization gives you the option to decide what you want the interior of your house to look like, along with your clothes, hairstyle, outdoors, museum, constellations, and music playing in your house. Compared to the GameCube version of AC, there are more items and more to do in the new DS version. Online, you can buy items from people. That makes it easier to complete sets you’ve been trying to collect.

    To make me even more paranoid the game is still playing even though I am not. For example, if you don’t play the game for a month, your town will have weeds throughout. The weird townspeople will forget who you are, and sometimes move out. There isn’t a big reason beyond obsession to continue playing the game after a few days or so. You would have to pick all the weeds, and talk to everyone in your town again which isn't very interesting. I got crestfallen seeing that my trees and plants died. You can only plant one tree per day so many of my fruit trees died. I am glad I don't have as bad luck with gardening in real life. That would be sad. There’s not much motivating you to play this game in the first place, and the punishing mortgages aren't enough incentive to make you continue playing it. There is a thin line between realistic and engaging and reality check and stressing. AA : WW is more like a sim than a game.

    Sound and Music
    The background music changes every hour all of the tunes sound boopey and empty. The animals don't talk, they make odd little noises which you can thankfully shut off. It has a rudimentary sound program in it so you can make your own Town song and online you can use that to play songs that people have worked out and posted the tablature for. Also in the coffee shop in the Museum you can watch a coffee bar act and listen to several unlockable songs there if you are into music on the Nintendo there is plenty of it to be found in this game.

    Multiplayer
    When it comes to networking and people skills the DS is way ahead of the Sony PSP on this so far. Though Microsoft also intends to push Nintendo's hardware out of people's hands, they will be hard pressed to compete with the feel good, goody - good Nintendo. Again another one, a community that springs up like magical mushroom fairy rings around games like this one. There is something about Nintendo characters that make people rabid, and this is one of them.

    The game is addictive without being entirely fun. It is an amusing way to kill time. And it will kill lots of time on you in between battery charges. Collecting items can make you crazy. There are several aspects of this game that are vast and endless. Though somehow filling all that empty space sometimes feels daunting rather than exciting. It is all about the grind without really getting anyplace. Skills like fishing have an endcap on them. There is a finite number of kinds of fish that you can catch.

    Conclusion
    It is a step forward in technology and it plays very stable. It is a solid game and from what I understand kids really like it. There are a number of women playing it. It could be considered a chick game because of the heavy elements of clothing and interior design and the lack of violence. The characters are those cute little badly rendered icons that seem to charm people so much. Not much to complain about here I give it a 4 out of 5


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    Soul Calibur 3

    posted @ 12/04/2006 07:42:00 PM by geekwoman
    Soul Calibur 3 Review by Geek Woman

    Soul Calibur 3 is a fighting game that is an exclusive on the PS2. That was a big disappointment for many people. On the whole it is a truly great fighter. There are some problems with it, as there are with any game. It is a quality offering considering that we are in the twilight days of the reign of the PS2.

    Games that are vast and that have achieved a level of praise from gamers on previous installments, have a rough time of it when something like a third sequel is finally rolled out. That can go several ways. The game could just be terrible for many reasons. Sometimes a sequel isn't finished, and it doesn't have the depth that early versions of game had when the developers were trying to curry favor. This is not the case with SC3. It is almost too vast this time. It falls into that trap of trying to be the "everything for everybody" game. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it means they are trying to give you more stuff for your money. The good intentions don't always translate well. The addition of a real time strategy (RTS) game into the mix largely failed.

    Not all game play modes are available from the start of the game. Many of the characters move lists have been changed which apparently has p'oed the hardcore fans to no end. Why would the developers of a much loved franchise do something like switch up the moves? It would seem that since the game is exclusively for PS2, that it was directed mainly at an existing fan base. Why mess with them?

    OK counter to most reviews that you read which tell you the good stuff first, we've gotten the only two bad points about this game out of the way. First of all there is tons of content. Some of it is lousy granted, but still you won't run out of things to do. There are several new characters. Three of them are introduced right off. Access to the other new characters is gradual. There is new game-play, and the new modes too. If you have played Soul Calibur before you won't really be disappointed. If you haven't played any Soul Calibur games yet, get it or rent it.

    Soul Calibur 3 has some of the most fun and interesting female characters in gaming today. Each one has a complete move-list. They have a selection of weapons that upgrade. You can buy more weapons, and armor. There are several costumes for each avatar.

    Best of all is the character creation feature. You can design an avatar that suits you perfectly. There are endless combinations of clothing, armor and accessories. You chose a profession, appearance and even the voice of your character. That seems to be the most fair way to settle the issue with nudity in avatars. If you want to wear "barbarian underwear" to fight in - you can. If you want to cover up - you can. There are hoods and headscarves, your character could be clothed from head to toe and layers of armor can be piled on. The character creation capability gives a range of options that not only enhance the looks of your character, but it adds a new component to the game. You get to create your own ultimate fighter.

    Game-play
    There are about 18 different modes in the game. If you want to be hardcore and get all the unlockables, you would have to beat all of the modes to get absolutely everything. There are many surprising features in this game. Bottom line is it is the best 2 person fighting game out there. Still in all, you can win with button mashing. It's a fighter plain and simple, in spite of all the fancy window dressing. The AI is pretty predictable which can be good or bad depending on how you like to play. They seem to try to push your character into a wall or a corner. If you like a big challenge it is there. If you like to take it easy and see the whole game, you can do that too. Like many games, I can analyze what the game "punishes" you for. If you don't get the opening move right, it is likely that you will loose. If you turn your back to your enemy, or if your attacks fall short you loose. The timid are not rewarded in gaming.

    There are around 30 characters to play with in the game as well as a strange random character generator which is fun. Two of the new characters are female. Tira, is a girl fighter who uses a razor sharp hoola hoop as a weapon. Setsuka is a Japanese geisha with a parasol and a sword. Someone must be hearing us. The fighting engine was revamped and improved. The weird Chronicles of the Sword mode enables you to take your new custom players onto a map, where you need to occupy enemy forts by beating them in battles. That was done better in SC2. The Arcade mode is called "Quick Play". The Tournament mode puts you in fictional competition. What is that about? There is no online play for this game which is a terrible shame. I have to say that SC3 beat the pants of Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks - which I was looking forward to more, but MK Deception has online mulitiplayer.

    Graphics
    The environments in this game are stunning. There are gorgeous landscapes. Marvelous temples, over flowing water falls and Ivy's over decorated mansion. The camera pans quickly over pink hued clouds in the background, water effects shimmer with some of best eye candy you can see. For a fighting game SC3 has the best looks going. And I am including DOA when I say it is the best looking fighter out there. There is no lack of colors. It is bright, bold and conspicuous.

    Sound
    The sound is a disappointment. There could have been better music for this game. I would have saved the space on the disk that was wasted on the RTS mode for better music. The voice acting is still very poor, and amusing because of it. The voices and the sound effects have not changed or been upgraded. While other games are integrating song lists and even iPod interfaces into games, SC3's lack there of is a letdown. I guess the developers missed the bit that Morgan Webb did on Xplay where they dubbed the weird grunts and groans from SC2 into suggestive parody skits.

    Despite the superfluous extra features the game still is the top of the line fighter for PS2 beating out Tekken 4 with style. Soul Calibur 3 has a lot to offer girl games that like to kick butt. They built this one for us. (Yeah, I know they built it for guys that like to play with sexy female avatars.) I give Soul Calibur 3 a 4.5

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    The Boys of Ouran High School Host Club

    posted @ 12/04/2006 05:18:00 AM by MagicMystic
    The basic plot of Ouran High School Host Club is that Haruhi a studious girl from a middle class family has received a scholarship to Ouran Academy, a high school playground for the rich and bored. One day she wanders into the 3rd music room looking for a quiet place to study, accidentally breaks an expensive vase and becomes a member of the Ouran Host Club by way of indentured servitude. That's not what I want to talk about. Host Club is a harem anime and the gaggle of men make my heart go Doki-Doki.(Japanese sound effect for heartbeats) This post is all about them!

    The Host Club consists of disgustingly rich and influential rich-boys with too much time on their hands. Meet the Boys:

    Tamaki Suou: The President of the Host Club, he drives all of the ideas to try commoner's food, commoner's games and commoner's lifestyle. He is an airheaded drama queen who overreacts to everything and is completely gullible, falling for any sob story he hears. Tamaki is one of the last remaining true romantics, he possesses an unnatural ability to always remain positive and upbeat, even if it means disregarding reality. He does however have a bit of a bipolar disorder that throws him deep into a depression if he is emotionally hurt, fortunately he always bounces back quickly.

    I am a calm, collected pacifist and Tamaki fills me with the intense and totally irrational desire to kill a puppy. I HATE people like this, I just want them to curl up and die. I am the type of person who doesn't like dealing with morons and the overly emotional. I have no problem consoling a friend, acquaintance or random person off the street, so long as they have a good reason to be bawling their eyes out or for looking like someone shot their best friend. If I can't understand why they're sad I get all freaked out and I don't know what to do. If I ever met someone who had Tamaki's personality to the same extreme degree I would probably transform into the worlds biggest bitch and beat the crap out of them verbally and maybe even physically. The only time I have ever been violent with anyone was because a girl just like Tamaki decided she was my best friend and she started following me around EVERYWHERE. Everyone has at least one thing they cannot under any circumstances deal with, well this one's mine.

    Mitsukuni "Hunny" Haninozuka: Honey is the loli-shota character. He is short, cute, addicted to sweets and carries around his stuffed bunny, Bun-Bun. He talks in a high pitched voice and acts like a child, despite the fact that he is the oldest one in the club. Takashi is a permanent fixture at Hunny's side and Hunny can always be found climbing on Takashi as if he were a personal jungle-gym, hugging Takashi or riding on Takashi's shoulders.

    Hunny has almost the same effect on me that Tamaki does. When I see cute, childish little Hunny, I revert to "preschool bully" Magic and I want so badly to torture him and make him cry. I want to pinch him, I want to steal his sweets, I want to hide Bun-Bun... Writing this I feel like a very evil person, but luckily I put these in order from the characters I hate most to the characters I like most, so I'm less evil as I go on.

    Kyouya Ohtori: Now that the loudest and most obnoxious characters are out of the way you'll please notice the guy lurking in the background, scribbling in his notebook. Kyouya is the shadow king of the host club, he manipulates the airheaded Tamaki into decisions, and turns a profit on the club by selling pictures and merchandise of the hosts. Nothing happens without Kyouya knowing and he never does anything that doesn't benefit him in at least some small way. Kyouya is the one who threatened Haruhi into staying with the club to pay her debt. Although his skill at masking his true personality is top notch, he is occasionally revealed as the machinating, slimy and emotionless bastard he is. If you look carefully there are occasional hints in the anime that there is another layer under "Scum-bag" Kyouya that reveals that he is actually a fairly nice guy, but you have to dig really really hard to find it.

    Even just thinking about him to write this, I can feel my hair becoming limp and oily, my skin crawls and itches and I'm shifting uncomfortably in my chair. I wish I could peel my skin off and husk into a new body. I really really wouldn't like Kyouya if I met him. He scares me, creeps me out and pisses me off all at the same time, I think if I ever met him I would mostly feel the intense need to be elsewhere. All the guys have impressive connections but Kyouya is the only one who threatens to use his. He mentions a private army at one point and he is somehow able to keep up to date and extensive bios on everyone, complete to the last detail. No secret is safe with this guy, and he won't hesitate to use your secrets against you. I don't care how nice he is underneath, you can't wear a mask of pure evil all day without it seeping into your true personality.

    Hikaru/Kaoru Hitachiin: The twins are the tricksters of the host club. They are never serious about anything and they view anyone they encounter as their toy. Watching them with Haruhi is like watching two cats with a mouse. Before the host club they had no friends but each other and they tend to define the world as "Us" and "Those who are not us." Under the trickery and fun they feel some measure of disdain for "Those who are not us" and thus they play the Which one is Hikaru? game where they ask people to distinguish between them. The twins feel that as a unit they are better than anyone else and they ridicule those who cannot guess correctly, but they desperately want someone to come along and see them as individuals.

    If they were together, these two would make me cry. I have a scathing sarcastic wit that I picked up from my friends and I can take it as much as I can dish it out, but these two take it to extremes. Having them ganging up together against me would be awfully intimidating, and that's the way they like it. Being outside that frigid, icy wall wouldn't be any fun, but if they let me in and let me get to know them individually it would be a different story. Hikaru is a bit meaner, and much more childish but in his good moment's he can be caring and warm. Kaoru is infinitely more sensitive than his brother and he resorts to childish behaviours only when teamed up with Hikaru against someone. I could easily see myself falling for Kaoru if Hikaru wasn't around.

    Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka: The most taciturn and stoic member of the Host Club. Watching the series, I sometimes wondered what Mori was thinking, standing there in the background watching over the antics of the club. I've got myself convinced it was some Freudian analysis of the rampaging personalities of the club members. Mori is the tallest and strongest of the Hosts, and his age is only exceeded by Hunny (They're both seniors.) Mori always acts on his instincts, coming to the rescue of his friends, specifically Hunny. For generations Mori's family has acted as bodyguards for Hunny's family, and despite the tradition being defunct, Mori still looks out for Hunny with great dedication.

    Out of all the hosts, I love Mori the most. I really don't know how the animators managed it, but even with his monosyllabic conversations I can see that he is a deeply sentimental and emotional person. Who doesn't dream of a big strong man sweeping them off their feet. By big I mean 6'4", other than Kyouya and Tamaki he is the only club member taller than me, the twins are my height and Hunny is only 4'10". I couldn't tell you what about Mori draws me, I've always said that I like guys who can keep up with me in a conversation, but whenever I watch the anime and he shows up I get a huge smile plastered on my face and I ::SIGH:: lovingly. Eh, who said love was rational.

    So, it seems no matter who I choose I have an obstacle in my way (Hikaru/Hunny.) I would love to hear what other people think of the guys even if they like TA-MA-KI ::Said through gritted teeth:: or Kyouya ::ICK::

    If you haven't seen it I give Ouran High School Host Club a 5/5. Normally I dislike harem anime, but this series is funny and touching and all around Fab-Tab-ulous. Within the series there is a theme of roses and each character has their own color, so I'll use those colors for the MMs. Dark Blue for Mori, Light Blue for Kaoru, Orange for Hikaru, Purple for Kyouya, Pink for Hunny and White for Tamaki. Because the twins like being a single unit they each get half an MM. If you're wondering why no one gets the red MM/rose it's because Haruhi gets it, being the main character and all. The pictures in this post are all the characters with their rose colors, except for Tamaki. Let me explain: Tamaki is always manhandling Haruhi, whose rose color is red, so it's appropriate that Tamaki is also always manhandling the roses that symbolize Haruhi.



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    Game Hardware Shopper

    posted @ 12/03/2006 11:43:00 PM by geekwoman
    Holiday Hardware Guide by Geek Woman

    If you are looking for some shopping advice on game hardware for the female, or male, gamer on your list then hopefully this article will help you understand it all. The location that is preferred for a game environment is an important choice to be aware of if you are shopping for games and accessories for your gamer. Games come in three basic types which are the PC, Console or Handheld. I'm going to try and give you the keys to the kingdom of the consoles.

    First of all "What is a game console?" These are a box like machine that you attach to a TV set. Games are played with a controller that is held in the hands and effects the action on the screen. These have indeed been around since Pong and Pac Man, and if that is where you left the game trail, then you might be glad to know that those old school or retro games are still offered, in game packs and collections. Sometimes they have been updated and upgraded. If you want to pick up something like that for a gift you need to know the brand name and the model of the console or game device that your gamer has. Write it down and take it with you when you go shopping.

    Some people opt for playing games on their PC rather than on the television. It seems that older people and women are the dominant demographic that enjoy using the PC for gaming. PC game - play are very popular for playing the massively multiplayer online games or MMOG's. Games such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars are played on a PC with a keyboard and mouse. These games enable the player to interact with thousands of other players. Some of them also include the ability to talk to the other people while you are playing with them. Thought those features have been developing more slowly on PC. If your friend is playing an MMO there aren't many additional accessories for those. If they are a Guild Wars Player they may not have the new chapter called Nightfall which is a great game to add to the original Guild Wars or to buy it as a stand alone game. There are the Limited Edition Keyboards that are available for the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing) games that are good looking and work well which are sold by a company called Zboard. Zboards

    Perhaps the best way to determine what console to buy is to go by the age of the person who will be playing it. Right now there are three "next gen" consoles. Last year in November Microsoft upgraded their hardware and it is called the Xbox 360. It has mid - range graphics. There are over 100 games available for it at this time. The games are mainly of the first person shooter type or FPS and sports games. If you have heard of Halo 2 and Gears of War, or Oblivion those are titles for the Xbox 360. These games are for a mature crowd. The action is fast paced and bloody. Often the most popular games for the "360" carry a "T" for Teen or an "M" for Mature rating. Those ESRB ratings mean that Teens of 17 and 18 years old and above are the recommended age limit. These ratings can mean that there could be language or behaviors that some people would consider too crude for younger kids. It is no joke either. If you have a mix of older and younger kids in the house, the choice of games is crucial and requires your attention as much as monitoring what movies on DVD or cable that your younger kids could get into.

    With Xbox the online aspect is called Xbox Live. A paid subscription is required for this additional service. With the online feature more games and demos are available to download directly into the console. The console can be bought with one of a few choices of hard drive size for saving downloadable games and other functions. Xbox Live gives players access to playing with many other players at the same time. It isn't 'massively' multiplayer as it is with with PC. Although large groups of strangers can interact with each other in an open ended party - line conversation. There are over 4 million users on Xbox Live. Xbox Live has something of a reputation for "Trash -Talking" which in short, means that a player that is wearing the headphones is opening themselves up to the possibility of hearing unkind and curse word laced tirades about the flaws in their game from other players. There is no one monitoring these conversations and there is no one censoring what the others could be saying. Because of this tendency, I would not recommend the Xbox 360 for little girls or young women under 18.

    Costs for the annual subscription is approximately $50 US, its called Xbox Live Gold which includes voice chat, and Xbox Marketplace for gamers to buy and sell content. Sometimes original games, and old school arcade titles are downloadable. Xbox 360 works on HD TVs. They claim to have 250 old Xbox or "original Xbox" games that will play on the new console. Be careful to look up a list online for games that are called "backwards compatible" prior to inserting an old Xbox game into the Xbox 360. The digital media that it plays are DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, JPEG Photo CD.

    Microsoft has two variations of Xbox 360 available for sale. One has the Xbox 360 faceplate, and a Silver Xbox Live package, $300 known as a core package, that comes with one wired controller, standard A/V cable, and the console. The Gold package is required to actually play online games. There is a $400 system with a 20 GB hard drive, Xbox 360 Remote Controller, High Definition TV component cables, Xbox 360 headset and a wireless controller.

    Next the Playstation 3 was released last week the manufacturer's suggested retail price is between $600 and $700 dollars US. It has been in the news and has gotten some bad press. Most of the incidents involved mismanagement of the long lines of people who were camping out to be able to get the very low quantity of these premium machines that were produced. One Massachusetts man was shot in a hold up of a line of customers waiting outside a store in Putnam Connecticut. The gunmen were attempting a hold up when this man refused to pay them. Because Sony was not able to make enough of these complicated advanced machines to fulfill the demands for them, it created chaos in several ways.

    In the past Playstation 2 has been the most popular gaming console in the US with the most millions sold. Perhaps Sony should have waited to launch the sale until they had more of them ready. The PS3 Platform plays a few more accessories peripherals than the 360. It also boasts to be the most graphically advanced system. The new Blu-Ray Disc™ is a type of High Definition disk for playing movies that is supposed to be the future of disk published media. The way that DVD's replaced VHS a few years ago. The PS3 has what is called a SIXAXIS™ wireless controller that interacts with the screen in a close to 3D experience. You can use your Playstation 3 with High-Definition displays as well as conventional or standard TVs. It comes with either a 20GB or 60GB removable hard disk drive (HDD). The thousands of PS One® and PS2 PlayStation®2 games as well as CDs and DVDs are useable on the PLAYSTATION®3. The thing supposedly plays just about everything including some digital photo cards.

    The PS3 has online capabilities including multiplayer gaming, text and video messaging, voice chat, downloading content and browsing the web. Even though the PS3 has impressive technical specifications, you may not be able to get one for the December holidays. It could be a moot point until sometime next Spring. There are over inflated PS3 prices on ebay, and buying those is not only exorbitantly expensive, but could be risky as well.

    The PLAYSTATION®3 is available in two configurations with either the 20GB hard disk drive or the 60GB HDD. Some PlayStation 2 or PlayStation format software titles may perform differently on the system than they do on the native systems for example the PS3 doesn't support a vibration controller.

    Then last Sunday the offering of the first Nintendo Wii consoles' launch was a 1960's "Love In" where the people in lines waiting were exchanging free hugs, ordering lunch for each other and playing games together. Something can be said about the two different types of people that were attending these launch parties. For the most part the Nintendo Wii draws a younger crowd and is most popular with younger kids and people that enjoy Nintendo's cute and quirky games.

    There are approximately 50 games for the Wii, and we are told that there will be enough of the consoles to go around. Nintendo and developers seem to be in a rush to create new games for this innovative new product. Nintendo wanted to bring gaming to everyone, and has many titles that are rated for all ages and for kids. They went one more step and made a controller that is supposed to be easier to pick up and play since it is designed to resemble a television remote controller. You play with two hands and the actions resemble the actual movements of slashing a sword or driving. The remote is used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions . The controller set called the "nun-chucks and wii-mote" interact with a sensor strip that you placer near your TV for a realistic complete 3D experience. A one-handed controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detection in conjunction with the sensor bar to sense its position in 3D space. Some people have found the workout to be a bit strenuous

    The Nintendo Wii is not all things to all people the way that the other two consoles are attempting to be an all around media hub that takes the place of all the other components in your home entertainment center. What the Wii does do is add another level of fun and mirthfulness back into games. The unique controller has been a big hit so far and has gotten high marks from every reviewer. It is rare for something so gimmicky and unusual to get such a unanimous welcome from the jaded and snarky gaming community. People that have the 360 are getting the Wii too because it is like the apples and oranges in the PC world yet again.

    The Wii is an ideal choice for a household with older and younger kids, seniors, and for the homes that do not have a High Definition TV set. Those aren't interested in the more mature titles, and those chat capabilities that are for adults or older kids can have a fairly safe online experience with the privacy and Friend policies from Nintendo. The console also features its own online service WiiConnect24 , which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet. The Wii console won the Game Critics Awards for Best of Show and Best Hardware. The console has a few kid safety features such as parental controls to prohibit younger kids from playing the wrong games. It reads the content rating and won't play games that are not set to the right age level.

    The number of Wii consoles that will be available in the Americas during the launch rollout are expected to meet demand and sales of 4 million consoles worldwide by the end of 2006 are anticipated. The company affirmed that they "are working to ensure a plentiful supply and a consistent flow."

    The launch Wii package includes the console, a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically, a circular clear stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk attachment, one Sensor Bar, a removable stand for the sensor bar, one external main power adapter, AV cables (component video and other type of cables will be available separately), and a copy of Wii Sports in the US and Canada. The Wii console is the smallest home console unit of the three contenders and the least expensive at $250. US. The front of the console features a slot-loading media drive lit up by a by distinct blue light and it accepts both Wii software and discs from Nintendo's prior console, the Game-Cube. They are telling us that it is fully backwards compatible with all the Previous Game Cube games.

    Additionally the interface for the console is designed around the concept of television channels, with a Wii Menu. Nintendo will not charge fees for playing games from the service. Channels are graphically displayed, and are navigated using the point of the Wii Remote. They are the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, News Channel, Forecast Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Internet Channel. The Virtual Console Channel is basically an “online service, similar to Xbox Live Arcade. The Nintendo DS will be able to play game demos downloaded from the Wii console which gamers would receive from Nintendo, similar to a DS Download Station. Gamers can download retro games not only for the NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64, but also Sega’s Genesis, NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 and others. The Wii has average graphics and only a 512 MB built-in flash memory, expansion is available via SD card memory, up to 2 GB max. It will take Game-Cube Memory Cards for saving GCN games only.

    In addition to the larger game consoles or PC games that you find at home, mobile games have become very popular. The Nintendo DS is a hand held, rechargeable dual screen portable game system. It comes in a variety of colors and it is pocket sized. It is the most popular handheld game console, which easily buried the competition, which were the Sony PSP and the N-Gage. it has continued to hold the record for the most units sold just as the Game Boy has for years. It comes in two sizes. The original unit that made its debut last year, is referred to as the 'NDS' and it can play both the library of Game Boy Advance games as well as games for the DS. The DS Lite is a smaller sleeker version of the same DS machine, but it smaller and does not have the additional slot for the GBA games. You can find several reviews and editorials about the DS right on this website. Nintendo DS and the Wii are expected to have a type of connectivity to use functions like the Nintendo DS's microphone and touch-screen as inputs for Wii games like Pokémon Battle Revolution. It is expected that all of Nintendo's huge repertoire of well known game franchises, such as Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon will come to the Wii in some form.

    For very tiny kids and toddlers Leapster has the education interactive toys for under $100 Leapster

    For an easy comparison chart you can check out Gamefly. They have a chart showing the three consoles. The Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360, and the Playstation 3. Renting games or giving a Gamefly subscription is a good gift idea.

    For a stocking stuffer I recommend Geek Woman's Game Guide 2006


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    We's Going To CES!

    posted @ 12/03/2006 11:43:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    We finally got some cash together and figured we ought to hit a big convention/tradeshow and CES was the obvious choice. CES is the Consumer Electronic Showcase, basically anything and everything electronic that companies could possibly want to sell to you [the consumer] make their debut here. CES has been going strong and growing strong since 1967, so to say that we are excited to become part of this rich tech history would be a slight understatement.

    Now you might be saying to yourself, "Why is the ESH crew going to CES? Isn't it just a bunch of TV's on display?" It's a valid question to ask, but it ain't accurate. CES is actually the show that COMDEX and even the former incarnation of E3 were modeled after, and while there will be a lot of new TV technologies introduced at the show there will also be lots of home theater setups, sounds systems and components, wireless technologies, and even video game related items that will surface from the show. I think as gamers sometimes we forget that getting our hands on the latest and greatest game stuff isn't limited to just a console, or piece of software.

    No matter who you are you have a gaming rig that you use, be it just a 23" TV or an elaborate setup containing a 7.1 surround sound system, 42" flat screen LCD TV, a chain of UPS', several gaming consoles, a harmony remote, and a theater style seating arrangement. [Huge sigh] With that said, one of the things that you will start seeing around ESH will be our takes on different components that you may or may not want to add to your rig, so it only makes sense to us that we start by going to CES. We are going to be looking at different audio setups, home theater systems, peripherals for both computer based and console based gaming, LCD TV's [this will come in handy for those of you wanting to upgrade that tiny little 25" TV to something a little sexier] mobile gaming, and gaming in general. And we can't forget portable media stuff, mostly because they won't let us. We'll be on the look out for the hottest new gadgets at the show that will help you get the most out of your iPod, portable video player... hell we'll even take a look at stuff for the Zune while we're at it. We are committed to covering your electronic needs, but only in the good way.

    While CES is not E3, Microsoft and Sony are going to be there, and there is going to be a separate "video gaming" section on the tradeshow floor, so we aren't going to be forgetting our roots any time too soon. It just seems to us like it's time to take that next step forward in covering the whole spectrum of gaming life, that I think sometimes gets overlooked. You can't use a game console without having a TV to hook it up to. You can't hear the games without some kind of sound system hooked up to [or built into] that TV your connected to, and you have to have some place to park your ass in order to play and enjoy those games you are playing... and in January, NinJaSistah and Evermore are going to bring you some first hand accounts of the new toys you'll want to add to your rig from CES.

    This will be one time that what happens in Vegas, doesn't stay there!

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    Viva Es Una Fiesta!

    posted @ 12/03/2006 09:04:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    El fiesta en su pantalones! Holy Bob is my spanish bad, good thing for you this game is not... I'm talking about Viva Piñata from Rare [Microsoft Studios] of course. I've been able to sit down with the game for a few weeks now, and I'm ready to share my thoughts on it with you... because you are my friend, you are special to me.

    I'll start by saying that if you don't enjoy games like The Sims or Animal Crossing, this is not the game for you. If you are above the age of 7 and don't relish in the thoughts of how you are going to micro-manage your beings on any given day, you are going to HATE this game. Personally, I LOVE those types of games so Viva Piñata should have been right up my alley... and it is.

    In Viva Piñata, you play the guiding hand in growing a piñata plantation. [It's more like neighborhood building, but I like the way plantation sounds better.] You start out with a crummy shovel and a small plot of land that you have to work into something piñatas in the wild will want to give up their roaming ways for. Sounds easy, and in the beginning it is, but as you progress on in the game gaining new plantation residents you'll start finding out that keeping your new little eco-system in tact will be difficult. For instance, in order to get some piñatas to become residents on your plantation you have to let them eat some of your existing residents. Before you start with the, "hey this is supposed to be a kid friendly game, not violent at all..." crap remember that I said they are piñatas. They get broken open [being paper mache] and their carcass floats off into a bright light towards the sky leaving behind candy which is eaten by the conquering piñata. It's so cute you barely recognize that your plantation residents are happy canabals. ☺

    As I said, Viva Piñata is very much like a Sims game... you have to do a job [tend to your garden planting flowers, trees, grass, digging ponds, etc.,] and meet criteria in order to get wild piñatas to want to visit your garden. Once they have visited you now have to find out what they need to have happen in order to get down to business. Yeah, you heard me correctly. Once you get a couple of the same species of piñata in your garden/plantation you have to figure out how to get them to reproduce. This usually entails having a house for their species built on the plantation and feeding them one of whatever thing it is that they like to eat. The first piñata that you will get to be resident and reproduce will be the "worm" piñata which are called whirlms. The first time you get your piñata to "romance" [that's what it's called in the game] you will have to guide a piñata through a mini game to the other piñata in order to get them to do the mating dance and make a baby! And when it is the first time that you have gotten a species to "romance" you actually get to watch them do it. The mating dance you perv, not "it" it. Every species has a different dance. Once the dance is completed the piñata leave the house and wait for Storkos to bring their baby egg. It is at this point that the game is nearly too adorable for words. I'm not kidding. It is the most cute thing I've played I think ever. This game is MORE adorable than Animal Crossing... and that's a HUGE statement coming from me. I used to play that game for 8 or more hours a day man! Moving on.

    Viva Piñata is actually a challenging game. As night falls you have to defend your plantation resident from wild poacher piñatas by whacking the invaders with a shovel or sprinkling them with water. You also have to break up fights between your residents from time to time, else they may get injured and require you to spend money on having a doctor come and make them better. I'm not kidding. There is a little dude that wears a monkey mask that drives out in a shrinermobile to the aid of your nearly dead piñata. How do you make money to pay for these doctor visits? You can sell the fruit from plants you grow, seeds, flowers, pick up coins during the "romancing" mini-games, or just sell your piñatas that are residents. I recommend breeding the hell out of your "bee" piñata as you get over a grand per bee you sell, and the only things they need in order to get busy are a bee house and any piece of fruit. This is why I refer to the garden as a plantation, because you spend most of your time breeding and selling piñata in order to be able to attract other piñata to your land in hopes of ensaring, I mean, encouraging them to live on your land.

    This game is damned addictive. I can't stop playing it. The textures are gorgeous. When piñata come into view and move around their paper hair moves [i.e. rises and falls] in a way that seems natural, but it looks sooo good. I love that all the helper characters that speak in the game have an English accent. It makes it seem like it really is a "goodnight" story that someone is reading to your kid... even if that kid happens to be 27 yr old me. But what I like most about Viva Piñata is that it's a game that parents can actually enjoy playing with their kid or at very least enjoy watching their young kid play. It's light hearted, it teaches your kids how to manage money, and take care of things. All this, and it looks good too!

    All things considered I'm going to give Viva Piñata a 4 out of 5. I'm giving it two aqua-green candies because it's definitely a kawaii overdose waiting to happen. One green candy for helping to educate our young kids on the importance of having money and spending it wisely. [No money = no house. No house = no nooky. No nooky = unhappy piñatas.] And one orange one for just being some adorable, yet odd fun. If you have young kids, or are a young kid at heart with an XB360 system you really ought to pick this title up.

    Have I steered you wrong yet?

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    Mr. Jaffe, Can I Put My Pre-Order In Now?

    posted @ 12/02/2006 09:20:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    God of War 3 is a possibility people. I don't want to say "DUH!" but, unless GOW2 relegates the main character Kratos [who gets my vote as baddest bad ass ever, btw] to leader of a knitting circle, the game will do very well. And David Jaffe has said in an interview done by GameTrailers that he's working on ideas for a GOW3 title.

    Now, because I couldn't type it nearly as eloquently as Mr. Jaffe put it, I'm just going to post up the video of his interview. Incase you are out in public, or have lil kids around, this video is NSFW. I mean, most of the objectionable stuff is bleeped out... but it's David Jaffe, you know what he's sayin!

    So here's the interview:



    And Mr. Jaffe, I bleepin' love Kratos!
    I bleepin' love God of War!
    And I will keep bleepin' buying your bleepin' games until you bleepin' stop makin' em!

    Much Love!

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    SSX On Wii

    posted @ 12/02/2006 08:55:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    It was bound to happen. It had to happen. And I personally can't wait for it to actually happen.

    I have been an SSX game groupie since the first title. I found the courses, characters, boards, and music in SSX, SSX Tricky, and SSX 3 to be some of the most enjoyable I had come across in a racing games in years. Then SSX: On Tour happened, and that all changed... dramatically.

    Tour was the worst SSX title I had ever played. The career mode just flat out sucked. They were bland, dark, and generally not fun to race down. They pulled what was the most fun bit [at least for me] that existed in the SSX franchise since Tricky which was the voice work for the individual characters. I loved it in Tricky when I shoved someone or got hit by another character that my character [I am always Zoe, so having Bif Naked be the voice of my player avatar = amesomeness on a high level] would talk smack back to them. It what I would do if I was actually in the game, so I thought it was just a great added touch to the game. Yeah, they ripped that out in Tour which is why it is the only SSX title that I do not own. I refuse to buy it. So needless to say, when I saw the video below for a new SSX title [SSX: Blur] for the Wii, my heart began to flutter as if Prince was standing before me, had looked me deep in the eyes, and started singing his "Call My Name" song to me. Yeah, I have a thing for Prince, get over it.

    Now, I grabbed this trailer from GameTrailers site and I have to say, watching it gives me the warm fuzzies.

    Why? Because it gives me hope. I was really afraid that Tour was going to be the last SSXperience that I was going to have, which is not how EA wants me or the rest of the fanbase to remember the franchise I'm sure. And while details about the game are scarce [GameTrailers doesn't have an expected ship date, and the title doesn't even show up on a search of GameFly] I did find a site that, once translated into English, seems to suggest that the game will be released 29 MAR 07.

    As I find out more about Blur I'll be sure to let you know. Until then, give Tricky or SSX 3: Out of Bounds a try. It's a racing game, but it's hella fun at the same time.


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    Wiimarkable!

    posted @ 11/27/2006 02:51:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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.


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    New Podcast Episode Is Go!

    posted @ 11/27/2006 01:04:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Once again, we have a new podcast episode for you... this time it's number 28.

    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.

    Yeah, I said it. You enjoy it, right now.

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    My Jewels Are Your Jewels

    posted @ 11/26/2006 11:38:00 AM by Douceswild
    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.

    Enjoy peeps!


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    The Sincerest Form of Flattery

    posted @ 11/25/2006 12:27:00 AM by evermore
    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.


    Girls of the PS3

    85 new photos!

    Girls of the Wii

    23 new photos!


    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.


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    Bully Review by Geek Woman

    posted @ 11/24/2006 05:31:00 PM by geekwoman
    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.




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    Anticipation... It's Making Mii Wait

    posted @ 11/22/2006 02:30:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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!

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    Show Me the Violence!

    posted @ 11/19/2006 10:15:00 AM by Douceswild
    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!


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    GameStop, EB Selling Small PS3 Bundle Online Tonight

    posted @ 11/17/2006 01:26:00 PM by evermore
    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!


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    One Day To Launch

    posted @ 11/16/2006 05:09:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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.

    May the force be with you.

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    The "Pink Thing"

    posted @ 11/16/2006 04:48:00 PM by geekwoman
    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.

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    Holiday Shopping Is Around The Corner

    posted @ 11/16/2006 10:42:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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 ::

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    One Word: Defender

    posted @ 11/15/2006 09:45:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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'!

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    U B Screwed

    posted @ 11/15/2006 03:05:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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.

    Welcome aboard!

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    PS3 Launch Title List: The Re-Org

    posted @ 11/14/2006 11:49:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    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?

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    Anime's Naughty Side

    posted @ 11/13/2006 02:43:00 PM by geekwoman
    Anime's Naughty Side by Geek Woman

    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.



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    Daily News: Launch Week Rumors

    posted @ 11/13/2006 12:48:00 AM by evermore
    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.



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    DAMMIT!

    posted @ 11/12/2006 11:44:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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.

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    Inuyasha Feudal Combat

    posted @ 11/11/2006 08:45:00 PM by geekwoman
    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.




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    Comicbooks vs. Manga

    posted @ 11/11/2006 01:12:00 PM by MagicMystic
    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.


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    Daily News: New Anime Reviews

    posted @ 11/11/2006 12:11:00 AM by evermore
    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.


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    Okami Review by Geek Woman

    posted @ 11/10/2006 09:46:00 PM by geekwoman
    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.







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    And Growing... And Growing...

    posted @ 11/09/2006 07:22:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    You just can't stop us now!

    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!

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    Daily News: What? No Kitchen Sink?

    posted @ 11/09/2006 12:09:00 AM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Just like razors... or ink jet printers
    • Free, as in beer
    • Winners galore
    • Playing the Game Name Game
    • Being popular has its price


    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.


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    So Notta Fanboy

    posted @ 11/08/2006 04:37:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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!

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    Emergence Day

    posted @ 11/07/2006 02:45:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    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.

    Bring it on Gears of War, I'm game... if you are!

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    Daily News: Game Reviews from All Over

    posted @ 11/07/2006 12:07:00 AM by evermore
    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...

    Family Guy: Matt Slagle of the Associated Press (courtesy of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette) says: "But there’s just not enough variety or originality to make the interspersed comedic nuggets worth mining." Get it here.

    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.


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    I'm Pimping All Over the World...Of Warcraft

    posted @ 11/06/2006 10:23:00 AM by Pandalicious
    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.

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    Finish what you start...