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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!
First Nerdgasm of 2010: ESH@CES Las Vegas!
 

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    Peep the stuff we've written about on the anime tip.

    Manga Love

    We less than three manga as well, so peep the manga reviews.

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    Would it be wise to enter this "Tekken"?

    posted @ 1/04/2010 11:00:00 AM by Vichus Smith


    Sooooo, a Tekken movie is coming out soon. I guess the gamer/geek community is supposed to be happy about that?

    Director Dwight Little and screenwriter Alan McElroy are bringing the live action adaptation to the screen with a cast including Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Chiaki Kuriyama, Gary Daniels, Cung Le, and Kelly Overton.

    Dwight Little has worked on TV shows like Bones, Dollhouse, Prison Break, and Millennium. That's a pretty good pedigree there. McElroy, however, is partly responsible for Wrong Turn, Rapid Fire, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, The Marine, and Spawn. That mixed bag is something of a turn off.

    Now for our actors. Cary Tagawa will look familiar to you from a previous video game adaptation, Mortal Kombat. He's playing the Mishima patriarch, Heihachi. I wouldn't expect them to cast a big burly guy to play Heihachi, but still Tagawa is not as young as he used to be.

    Chiaki Kuriyama played a mace-wielding schoolgirl in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Her role in Tekken is unspecified, but she looks like she would most likely play the happy-go-lucky Ling Xiaoyu. The rest of the cast from here are virtual unknowns.

    Gary Daniels is a buff mofo who has starred in a lot of martial arts flicks and has his plate full in 2010. He plays Brian Fury, and he looks every bit as scary as Tekken's psychopathic cyborg.

    Cung Le is also a bona fide martial artist, but not with as big of a film history as Daniels. He takes the role of Marshall Law. Kelly Overton is the most curious casting of the bunch. She is playing Christine Montiero, which is a relatively new character in Tekken's fiction. That gives you a hint as too how much of the Tekken story might be used in this adaptation.

    So that is a taste of this year's Tekken. One would hope this is the year video game adaptations are done right.

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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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    This Makes Me Happy

    posted @ 7/28/2009 12:46:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I just got a Ubisoft news flash that is helping to make my day better. Ubi is working with Universal Pictures to create a Scott Pilgrim vs. The World video game.

    Because a movie, just isn't enough.

    If you've never checked out the "Pilgrim" comics, you really should. They are quite funny, and just outright fun to be honest. Scott Pilgrim is a slacker in a garage band who falls head over heels for this chick named Ramona and all Scott has to do to is defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

    I always thought that Pilgrim would make a fun video game, as each of Ramona's exes always seemed like a boss battle to me to start with, and you can't miss the large amount of video game references made throughout the comic series. I guess it should not come as a surprise that it had been optioned for a movie and make no mistake I'm looking forward to the movie as it has both the gal that played Bruce Willis' daughter in the last Die Hard movie Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona but also your favorite underdog and mine, Michael Cera a.k.a Evan from Superbad as Scott Pilgrim.

    There is a high probability for a trifecta of awesome here:
    Comic Books = Awesome
    Movie *may be* ≥ Awesome
    Video Game *I PRAY IS* ≥ Awesome

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    A deeper look...into Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

    posted @ 7/02/2009 11:02:00 AM by Pandalicious

    There is something about 1800's France converted into the year 5053 that just screams for attention...and I will gladly give it.

    There is something, deep inside me that secretly longs for the flair of romanticism and intrigue. I can't even fully begin to describe where it comes from, but I noticed, as of late, that my favorite things involve places like... you guessed it...Paris. It is always portrayed as the place where you can walk down le rue (the street) and meet not only new people, but possibly yourself. So with this notion in my heart, I indulged the hopeless romantic in me by immersing myself into stories, or movies and even some music that made me think of France. Case in point, my fall back movies of late have been classics like Sabrina[The 1995 remake of the 1954 version. This remake starred Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford.], French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. It also came out in 1995. [Perhaps I just have a thing for movies that came out in 1995.]and lastly No Reservations starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckart[which has more to do with french cuisine than with the culture itself]

    Needless to say I am enamored with it, such is so that I've decided to revisit a series that I recall talking about in very little detail, to give it far more credit than I did previously. So with that said I am going to talk about Gankutsuou: The Counte of Monte Cristo.

    First let me restate that visually this 24 episode series is eye catching! This animation style opened itself up to a creative use of layering with a splash of 3D background animation. It makes the setting of France if anything surreal to the naked eye. However to fully appreciate this form of art [Completely my opinion!], it is best to know about the origins of The Count of Monte Cristo. It is an adventure novel by written by Alexandre Dumas.

    In the original story a man by the name of Edmund Dantes is wrongfully accused of being a traitor and is sentenced to rot in prision. While he is there, he befriends a priest who is also there. Edmund is educated in the ways of high society and the studies of a scholar. As a secret between the two men, the priest tells Edmund of a treasure on an Italian island called Monte Cristo. Eventually Edmund leaves prison and managed to make it to the island. Faking an injury, he stays on the island to collect the riches, makes it back to Marseille with all this fortune and a title. [You guessed it Count] He is eagerly welcomed into high society, and is now free to take revenge on the one who sent him to prison in the first place.

    In this Anime, the Count, is a mysterious man. While *this* Edmund Dantes was imprisoned he encountered a cold blooded demon who promised him the means to exact his revenge in exchange for Edmund to become his vessel. This takes its toll on Edmund physical form as he has become like crystal, and can in some instances been seen through. [I believe that this is a foreshadow of the ruse that Edmund put on in the orignal story.]

    The Count, in this adaptation befriends a naive 15 year old [Why? 15 years olds get all the adventures is BEYOND me] boy by the name of Albert de Morcerf. Most of this series is told from the point of view of the Gankutsuou [the demon I was telling you about previously] and through Albert. So this does not follow with the original focus of the Count like in Dumas' novel.

    Like said, it is loosely based on the the enriched novel, but it still held true to a lot of atmosphere of that 1800's French period had, while creating the world of the future. It allowed for the romanticism, intrigue, the actions of men and the ways to achieve "said" greatness to be showcased.

    Geneon was the first to have rights to this anime, but as we all know [due to pirating] Geneon soon fell under. It wasn't until later when FUNimation got its hands on it, that it got aired in 2004. It took about a year for the whole 24 episode series to air, due to [you guessed it] additional complications.

    All in all, it is a gateway to a more sophisticated choice in anime genre. It isn't for everyone, but it never hurts to try something new... Right?

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    News to Me: Avatar Movies!?!?

    posted @ 5/26/2009 11:08:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I know I'm not often available to crawl the entirety of the internet [ninja's do sleep sometimes] but I'm surprised that news of a movie based on the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is in the works got passed me until now.

    Not only will the Avatar movie [called "The Last Airbender"] be live action, but the director attached to the flick is no where near Uwe Boll status.

    M. Night Shyamalan is at the helm of "Airbender" with Dev Patel as Prince Zuko and a cute kid named Noah Ringer playing Aang. While I do not doubt Patel's acting chops, I couldn't find anything about Ringers' work on ye olde interwebs so I'm not sure what he'll bring to the table, but a gal has to have high hopes right? He looks adorable though, and I will continue to hope that they will work on Patel's hair and makeup to help him look more like Zuko and less like Kumar from the Harold and Kumar movies.

    Adding to the confusion is that James Cameron has been hard at work on an IMAX film called Avatar which has less than nothing to do with the Airbender series, but since Mr. Cameron started writing his "Avatar" over ten years ago, poor Shyamalan-a-ding-dong has to call his flick "The Last Airbender" instead of "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I gather that the powers that be do not have much faith that people would be able to tell the difference between the two movies even though one [Avatar] is set in outer space and has a cast of highly recognizable stars [Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, and "new Uhura" Zoe Saldana] versus the flick [Airbender] with the youngsters and new blood [Do you know who Nicola Peltz is? I sure as hell don't.]

    I just hope that neither of these pictures suck. I make no bones about being a huge avatar fan [I own both the DVD collection and the iTunes version so I can watch it on my iPhone when I travel] and the idea of a live action Avatar both interests me and scares me at the same time. At the same time, a sci-fi flick with Ms. Weaver, Mr. Ribisi, and Ms. Saldana has me ready to order tickets online early, which is something I never do.

    When I know more, I 'll share. For now, check out these pictures from "The Last Airbender."



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    And Yet Another Trailer

    posted @ 3/27/2009 11:01:00 PM by MagicMystic
    Reviving beloved storybook tales seems to be the new fallback for the movie industry. Thank GOD! I think when the Cinderella and Lion King franchises have as many movies as the Rocky series things are getting bad.

    As King Baby Duck posted, Maurice Sendack's beloved Where the Wild Things Are is being released October 16th, but if you can't wait quite that long you can go watch another favorite kids book as a movie in September. Ron and Judi Barrett's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs has it's own animated adaption being released September 18th. It looks like a large part of the book has been changed for movie adaption, but the concept of mother nature starting an epic foodfight never gets old.



    If kids books aren't your thing maybe you'd prefer to watch what will probably be a terribly written and acted movie, but you'll still love due to sheer awesome/explosive action scenes. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra hits theaters August 7th.



    And if you never read as a child, or played with action figures, maybe a new dose of an old anime will cheer up your fall. Astro Boy flies into theaters October 23rd. I know it's gonna be a busy weekend for me as I double feature Astro Boy with Where the Wild Things Are.




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    Trailer Time: Where the Wild Things Are

    posted @ 3/26/2009 09:42:00 AM by King Baby Duck
    Could this possibly be one of the best movies ever?



    The creatures look amazing, and from the looks of it will have that magical indie feel that Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) is known for. I loved this book when I was a little kid, and I for one have high hopes for this movie.

    October 16 can't come soon enough!


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    I'm sure that the majority of anime fans already know that there's a Dragonball live action movie around the corner.Here's the funny part. The majority of THAT majority is dreading the hell out of it, me included.

    With the recent outbreak of comics and cartoons making the jump to the big screen, it was only a matter of time before Dragonball was called to the forefront. The powers that be even managed to procure a couple of my favorite big name actors such as Ernie Hudson, Chow Yun-Fat, and also James Marsters from the Buffy and Angel series. What saddens me is that these guys will forever be attached to what I see as almost a sure flop.

    I'll admit that the action looks cool and that alone would probably seal it for me if I wasn't a big fan of the Dragonball anime. Check out the international trailer for Dragonball Evolution coming in 2009 and tell me your initial thoughts. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a 90-minute movie with Gohan charging his "kamehameha" for 75-minutes of it.



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    Got Angst?

    posted @ 7/14/2008 08:00:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's hard to explain the title until you listen to the episode, but trust me this new episode of the ESH podcast is quite the piece of work.

    In this episode of the podcast, the sistah's run the video game, entertainment and anime gauntlet from the audience choice re-review of the anime series Angel Sanctuary to new games on the E3 horizon. Would it be an ESH podcast if we didn't talk about incest, angst, mentioning Bioshock or complaining about videogames/comic titles being turning into feature length films? I don't think so. To give you a better idea of how the episode turned out, here are the titles we didn't choose:

    • Sucked Into a Portal of Happiness
    • God Knows, Even In His Sleep
    • Again With the Incest
    • I Love Her, So I Need to Kill Her
    • The Sex Scenes Are Pretty Cool, Just Pretend They're Not Related
    • Just Say "No" to Will Smith
    • Want to Beat Darth Vader? Smack James Earl Jones in the Face
    • It's Big. It's Black. and It Makes No Noise
    • My Only Real Complaint Is that It's Short
    • I Finally Took Out Ghandhi - I'm Not Proud to Say That
    • and
    • FYI: Incest Sends Your Soul to Hell

    So grab your morning or evening cup of joe and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 105: This Is Fan Service...WITHOUT My Crotch

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    New Podcast Episode

    posted @ 6/02/2008 01:51:00 AM by evermore
    ESH goes to the movies in this week's podcast and you won't believe how much Magic hates the new Indiana Jones film.

    The Sistahs use Magic's bad review as a springboard for their dislike of most of the bad movies based on videogames and how much they wish there were more films like Iron Man and fewer like the last X-Man film.

    Here are the titles we rejected for this week's show:

    Indiana Jones and the Cake Is a Lie

    Fluffy Man Boa? Not Today

    Chia Pet Naruto -- Believe It!

    FYI: Russia Is a Damn Cold Place

    George Lucas Can Still FuX Things Up

    They Shoot Russians In Roswell, Don't They?

    My Frigidaire Is My Savior

    Two Words: Necco Wafers


    Don't forget that the live recording of the 100th episode is Friday, June 6. Look for details on the website. But in the meantime, give a listen to Episode 99: Indiana Jones and the Blah-Blah-Blah.


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    GTA IV Beats Iron Man 5-1 (Or Did Iron Man Win 10-6?)

    posted @ 5/07/2008 01:13:00 PM by evermore

    As a follow-up to the topic of ElectricSistaHood podcast Episode 95, the results are in for that battle between Grand Theft Auto IV and Iron Man. And who's the winner? It depends on how you count the score.

    If dollars are your bottom line, the winner is clear: GTA IV sold $500 million worth of games in its first week, compared with Iron Man's take of just more than $100 million. Reduce that down to its lowest common denominator and GTA IV wins the game by a score of 5-1.

    But hold on there. As some bloggers have pointed out, money isn't everything. At a price point of about $60 per game, video games don't reach as many people as motion pictures. So let's look at those figures.

    Sure enough, Iron Man was viewed by 10 million people in its first weekend, compared with only 6 million owners of GTA IV. Reduce that down and Iron Man wins the contest by a score of 10-6.

    Still, there's one statistic almost nobody's talking about: Time invested. A motion picture like Iron Man lasts about two hours, meaning that the 10 million people cooped up in a dark movie theater spent a combined 20 million hours watching the film.

    Meanwhile, the 6 million owners of GTA IV spent much more than two hours apiece traipsing through the streets of Liberty City last week. They would have had to spend only a little more than three hours apiece to beat Iron Man's mark of 20 million hours of combined play. And based on what I've seen Ninjasistah alone play on the game, I'm betting most GTA IV players will spend many more hours -- even days or weeks -- playing it.

    So I'm calling this one for GTA IV. Not only did they beat Iron Man in money earned, they also beat Iron Man in the only thing that's more valuable than money:

    Time.


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    New Podcast Day: Episode 95

    posted @ 4/28/2008 12:00:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    You say you want a revolution, well, you know... we aren't here to change the world. Monday still equals new podcast episode day, and I don't see that changing anytime too soon.

    In this episode of the podcast, the girls cover the popular creative peoples website, "Deviant Art" as well as the anime series "Vampire Knight" and examine the possible effect GTA IV may have on the national release of the "Iron Man" film. We are chock full of something on this episode people, and I think it just may possibly be caffeine. Don't quote me on that one though, just check out the titles we didn't use for this episode and draw your own conclusions:
    • OC BC Does Not Equal AC/DC
    • Everyone Is Social On Da InterWebs
    • He Wasn't Worth Remembering
    • I Heart Vampiress (And They Heart, Hearts
    • We Have Angst With A Little More Angst On The Side
    • A T-Rex Mobster? ow Does He Tie A Windsor Knot?
    • I'm More Isolated Than Ever ON The InterWebs
    • Don't Trust Mean People...That's What They WANT You To Do!
    • and
    • It's Hay Fever Season, But YOu Shouldn't Sneeze Sparkles


    Yeah, we go up and down the spectrum this week, trying our best to remind you that time is running out to try and win that custom GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite and bring you some fun insights on the realms of geek, game, and anime... so sit back and enjoy podcast episode number 95: Batman Doesn't Eat Babies.

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    Dreadlines

    posted @ 4/08/2008 09:03:00 AM by evermore
    If you've read my stuff for very long, you know just how much I hate public relations people. So when I bumped into some particularly inane headlines recently, I just couldn't resist adding my own editorial comments. Like these:

    Headline: Callers to National Runaway Switchboard are Getting Younger

    Translators were necessary to understand the goo-goos and gaa-gaas.

    Headline: Amazon.com Intros Service Allowing Purchases Via Text Message

    Next they'll be hooking us up to electrodes and we'll be purchasing just by thinking.

    Headline: USA TODAY Hollywood Hero Award Honors Earvin 'Magic' Johnson for His Work With the Magic Johnson Foundation

    Imagine that. Magic Johnson being feted for working with his own foundation.

    Headline: Wendy's Blames Snow, Easter For Poor Q1 Performance

    Didn't it snow and easter on McDonalds and Burger King, too?

    Headline: Electrolux Taps Kelly Ripa For Line Launch

    What's their tag line? "Nothing Sucks Like Kelly Ripa"?

    Headline: RBC Centura Bank Celebrates Name Change to RBC Bank

    And if that doesn't work, they're changing it to just "Bank."

    Headline: Werner Ladder Co. Becomes Official Ladder of the NCAA Basketball Championships

    Because you gotta change the net somehow.

    Headline: BP Announces Gulf of Mexico Discovery

    I understand Christopher Columbus discovered the Gulf of Mexico way back in 1492.

    Headline: Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video Closing Another 160 Stores

    The only thing moving at Movie Gallery is its employees -- to the unemployment office.

    Headline: America's Favorite Celebrity Siblings, Donny & Marie, to Host Teleflora's Mother's Day NBC Special

    What, they couldn't get the Menendez brothers?

    Headline: Dunkin' Donuts Makes Tax Day a Little Sweeter With Free Donuts

    Nothin' funny about this headline. You deserve it. Go getcha some coffee and a donut on Monday.

    Headline: La-Z-Boy Announces Moves to Strengthen Its North American Operations

    Aw, why be in a hurry? Just sit down in that easy chair. Lean back. Relax. Now isn't that zzzzzzzzzzzzz.


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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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    WhoseSpace?

    posted @ 1/17/2008 05:22:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I put a lot of effort into not turning this website into my personal rant space. I'm not the only member of the ESH Crew. My pet peeves may or may not be shared by the other editors or even you, our loyal readers, but something happened yesterday that to this very moment still pisses me off to no end. Allow me to explain.

    If you are a regular visitor to this site, you know that I [like most of the ESHer] work a day job. This "do this in order to get your bills paid" obligation requires that I use the D.C. mass transit system to get from my humble apartment into the district. While most people tend to hate mass transit, I have been one of the few to totally embrace and love it.

    I love riding the train in and out of work.

    My commute into work [which is shortly over 40 minutes] is something I look forward to each day I go into work. The train I catch starts out just late enough to miss the morning rush hours, so I always get a seat. People soliciting for their respective religion/magazine/money have all left the station by the time I get there so it's a simple and smooth transition from point A to point B. I take my seat, pop in my earbuds, and watch some video on my iPhone or listen to some podcasts. It's great. Let me rephrase that. It's normally great.

    Yesterday, I was running late leaving work and just barely caught the train. And by just barely I mean I had to run to make it to the end of the car in front of me. There was no place to sit, so I had to stand over the in the corner. No big deal, as the next two stops are usually the most popular stops for people exiting the train. So I, following my routine, proceed to whip out my earbuds and iPhone to start watching some video on my way home. I had started a movie in the morning and was picking up where I left of. The movie I started was SuperBad [which I'm loving by the way] and realizing that it probably isn't the best movie to watch in the wide open space, I backed myself into a corner to keep the screen from reflecting off of any surfaces and decided to not sit down at all during my trip home. I didn't want any of the people sitting behind me to be forced to see anything that they may find upsetting.

    When we got to the next stop at least twelve people exited the train like normal, but a bigger bunch got on. I think a lot of people were running late because of the bad weather that was heading our way. So the train car became a little crowded. A very tall guy and his "lady friend" ended up standing near me. There were a couple of single seats available, but I guess they decided to stand until two seats together were available. I dunno, and now I don't really give a damn. Anyways, the tall dude is the closest too me and from the corner of my eye I'm able to see that he's looking down over my shoulder at the movie. I can hear him chuckle a bit, and think to myself, "oh cool, he "gets" this movie too," and decide to pay no more attention to him. I focus back on the movie. I'm at the part where Seth finally realizes what the stain on his pant leg is. It's a priceless moment really, but just then I catch more motion out of the corner of my eye. It's from the couple near me. Turns out I wasn't the only one that heard the tall dude chuckle, his "lady friend" heard him as well. Curious as to what he was laughing at, she moved in closer to me [she was also taller than me... what can I say, I'm mad short] and peeked over my shoulder at my screen. She however, did not "get" the movie, and started a tirade of what I can only call verbal diarrhea that in some circles passes for conversation not only with her "man friend," but eventually with others on the train as well.

    It seems that this "lady" had taken huge offense to what I was watching on my iPhone. From the early bits of her little public speech I was able to gather that she felt that I had invaded her private space by having my video on and that my watching content "like that" in public just goes to show what little I care about the world I'm surrounded by. When her man friend only silently shrugs in total fake agreement, she gets louder and tries to recruit a couple of the people around her in her cause. "Well I don't think it's right to watch porn in public? And I doubt anyone on this train will either!" And, I'd agree with her on any day. Pornography in public is never a good idea. Kids are everywhere these days, and where there are kids, there should NOT be porn.

    But I wasn't watching porn, I was watching a comedy.

    I was watching said comedy on a device whose screen is less than four inches wide. I was listening to said comedy using a set of in ear earbuds, so there wasn't an audible noise coming from me. I never invaded "her" space, if anything she invaded mine. I was off in a corner by myself. I had my back to a non-reflective surface. Each of those people had to move from their original positions to look over my shoulder to view what I was watching. I didn't invite them over. At no time did I walk over to them and shove my iPhone in their face like, "Look! Look! You know you wanna watch my movie! If you're good I'll pause on the frame with the nipples!" So why am I looked down on, and made to feel the villain here when I've done nothing wrong. Who the hell are you to pass judgement on how I get through my daily commute? Who the hell are you to pass judgement on any person keeping their entertainment to themselves? Why does anyone person feel like they get to enforce their will on another on the basis of disagreeing personal opinions?

    When she doesn't get the uproar that I guess she was looking for from other patrons on the train, she looks back down at me as if to shame me into turning my video off. The sad thing, is for a moment I was about to do it. I don't like rocking the boat unless it's really necessary. "NinJa" is just part of my pen name. I'm a gamer and not a fighter.

    As I moved my fingers over the screen of my iPhone I realized that if I stopped this movie from playing, I would have let this "lady" completely bully me into doing something I didn't want to. I'm a grown ass woman, and I don't have to do a damn thing I don't want to. So instead of turning off my movie, I just turned my volume up and shifted my weight.

    That "lady" wasn't pleased at all. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and whipped out her Blackberry. One thing that I'm fairly sure of, whatever she was looking at on her Blackberry wasn't nearly as entertaining as my movie.

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    Shinobi: Heart Under Blade

    posted @ 10/30/2007 10:37:00 AM by Douceswild

    Last December, I wrote a short review on an anime titled Basilisk ~Ninpo Cho~ that told the tale of two lovers from feuding ninja clans that were pitted in a war against each other. It was more of a ninja spin on Romeo and Juliette.

    I was thinking of re-watching Basilisk again when I received a tip about a live adaptation of the Basilisk anime titled Shinobi: Heart Under Blade. After some internet tracking, I was able to find and watch the movie and I've got to say that its pretty good. The plot is the same as the anime although a lot of things have been omitted in the movie. The fight sequences are amazing as each Shinobi uses their powers to defend their leader.

    Check out the trailer and let me know what you think.

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    The Dark Knight

    posted @ 8/03/2007 05:57:00 PM by MagicMystic
    Finally a clean version of the Dark Knight teaser trailer shown at Comic Con has shown up online.

    In the Dark Knight, Bale reprises his role as Batman and teams up with Oldman's Gordon and Eckhart's Dent in an effort to fight the organized crime mobs that rule Gotham's underworld. After the imprisonment of Carmine Falcone, a psychotic mastermind who goes by the name of "The Joker" (Ledger) assumes control of the criminal cartels.

    This is a tentative summary based on what I've heard about the movie. Aside from the known facts that Oldman, Eckhart and Ledger will be playing Gordon, Dent and the Joker it could all be rumour and hearsay.


    Dark Knight Trailer

    In other news. I haven't been able to find a clean version of the Iron Man Trailer yet, but I figure you're probably all hot to see it, so I'll give you the rough version. You can check it out here.




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    New Podcast Day (The Sistahs Will Play)

    posted @ 7/16/2007 07:19:00 AM by evermore
    When the Ninja's away, the Sistahs will play. That's pretty much what's happening in this week's new podcast as Pandalicious and MagicMysticGrl take the mic while NinjaSistah returns from the E3 convention.

    Pandalicious, who's finally begun her search for a job, researches the anime series Desert Punk by watching its trailers. Magic, on the other hand, checks out a magic, red walnut and falls in love with the movie The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

    It's an episode that's certainly worth your time. And if you don't agree, you can take your magic, red walnut and return back in time to where you were before you listened. We've got the answer to everything! So please enjoy this week's Episode 58: Living in the Slums of ESHland.


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    I Like My MMO's Live Action

    posted @ 6/20/2007 08:23:00 AM by Monkey Doo
    I've got a nice little tidbit for all you City of Heroes fans out there. Apparently NCsoft decided that City of Heroes would fit better on a bigger screen. In fact, they decided it needed to be on the Big Screen.
    Both the movie rights and the TV rights of City of Heroes has been sold to producer Tom DeSanto, whose latest work is the Transformers movie. He plans to make three live action movies, with a TV show to follow. Which villains are up first for the heroes? Why, none other then the alien bad asses, the Rickti. All and all, it sounds like it has the potential to be some sweet shit.


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    Another Monkey Question

    posted @ 2/17/2007 08:11:00 PM by Monkey Doo
    Just a quick question about the WoW trading card game.
    Hey guys, I just recently picked up my first few boosters of the WoW TCG and I gotta admit, I am a bit over my head. I wanted to know how many of you played and what was a good ratio to use as far as the different card types. Any input would be much appreciated! =D

    (Off to watch Epic Movie and see just how worthwhile it is!)

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    Pandalicious Doesn't Read This Website

    posted @ 1/22/2007 10:42:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Really, she doesn't. She just shows up for the podcast to lend her "sexy voice" and will put a post up if I brow beat her about it... so I think it's only fair that I steal her thunder and put up a WoW post of my own.

    Now, I don't play WoW... never have, and doubt I ever will, but I do find news about video games being turned into [even possibly turned into] movies interesting... so when I found this article [thanks to Kotaku.com you know I had to lend my few cents.

    So here's the excerpt from the interview that Empire did with Blizzard Vice President of Development Itzik Ben Bassat that I find interesting:
    Q:There's a World of Warcraft Movie in the works, do you expect that to enjoy similar success?

    A: We've been working on that movie for years! If people only knew how many years we put in to closing this movie deal. We're very happy with our progress though, it was really difficult for us as a company to find some we trusted to work with. With Legendary, well, they did Batman Returns and the new Superman so we knew that was a company we wanted to work with. Bringing Warcraft to the movies is the next step for us, we want to let people bring World of Warcraft into other aspects of their lives. After all, we're competing for people's entertainment time, whether it's listening to music watching TV or going to the cinema. Our goal is to provide the best entertainment out there.

    Q: Any news on when we can expect to see the film?
    Hollywood has it's own pace but we�re working as hard as we can to push it forwards.


    And while I'm not a huge fan of RPG's in general, I do think that they can be the foundation of good, if not great feature length films. Being based in fantasy doesn't hurt, and can draw that diverse 18-24 audience that Hollywood desperately wants to bone pander to. Personally I'd like to see Final Fantasy VII as a movie, and not a CGI one either. I'd love a live action trilogy of Final movies actually. Wouldn't you?

    Now if I could just figure out some way to work Samuel L. Jackson into the flick...

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    Did It Empathize His Buttock?

    posted @ 12/18/2006 12:52:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    Yeah, I'm not sure what that title means either... other than it's new podcast episode day here at ESH!

    Honestly, I'm not exactly sure about what we exactly discussed during the taping of this episode, but I do know that Pandalicious was fascinated by a new anime series she caught a glimpse of called Kanon and MagicMysticGrl had some beef with the feature length [or not near enough length] film Eragon.

    Me? I just had a bit of "c'mon back to reality with the rest of us" Sony news, and wanted to ask the gals about some growing trends I'm noticing in anime more and more these days. Oh yeah, I talk a bit about UFO: Ultramaiden Valkyrie and let the other two try and do the closing business. It's a fun episode, enjoy.

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    Sight Beyond Slight

    posted @ 12/08/2006 07:23:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    By now, you know that there is a live action movie based on the 80's cartoon "Transformers" but did you know that there is also a "Voltron" flick in the works as well? Yeah, I'm not too happy about the idea myself as I'm sure it's going to suck... but it begs the question, "Where the hell is the Thundercats movie?"

    Yeah, you heard me, I said Thundercats movie. How can you make the other two and not this one? Not that I'm really championing this movie being made [because I'm sure it would be done all wrong and suck out loud] but I'm kinda suprised that Thundercats hasn't been added in the lineup of possible live action flicks to be optioned once Transformers got the green light. I mean even at it's core it has the makings of a great action flick... last vestiges of a species from a dying planet take to outter space in hopes of finding a new home. [Superman, but with more people!] Once they land on the new planet, they are saddened to learn that the elder of the group/tribe has not survived the journey. The elder however is available to them in spirit form when needed, [like Obi Wan Kanobi in Star Wars V] to give guidance to the younger members. Throw in the Adam and Eve thing since there is only one female to build up sexual tension and a new mortal enemy on the new home planet, and you have the beginnings of a good screenplay.

    It just didn't make sense to me, so I started looking around ye olde interweb [which, as you know, is a series of tubes] to see if a Thundercats movie has ever been in the works and I have to say that I was surprised at what I found. Someone put in a bunch of effort to create a movie poster for a Thundercats movie that featured Mathew McConnaughey as Liono, Ed Harris as Mumm-Ra, Tea Leoni as Cheetara, Wesley Snipes as Panthro, and David Carradine as Tygra. "WOW!" says I, just wow. It's obviously bunk, but impressive bunk in any case... except with the casting of Tea Leoni as Cheetara. Cheetara is a character with gravitas in both her mannerisms and voice... gravitas that Ms. Leoni just doesn't have. Even after looking at the impossible lineup I might have been able to be convinced that this was a plausible flick, but the press release gives away the joke. The fact that the movie was slated for 98' but was held up because they were trying to fight an "NC-17" rating made me spit my soda out of my mouth for all the laughter that was welling up inside.

    It did get me thinking though, if I did get my secret wish and a Thundercats live action movie was to be made, who would I cast in the kitty roles? Right off the bat I'd cast Michael Clark Duncan as Panthro. He's used to live action [remember that Daredevil movie?] and has the right build and voice for the character. Then there is Tygra. Tygra is kinda hot, but also quite brilliant... like rocket scientist brilliant. Whoever gets this role has to be able to pull this off, so I'd pick Hugo Weaving. [agent Smith from the "Matrix" movie.] For Cheetara I find myself going back and forth on this one. My gut tells me that Angela Basset is the right choice for the job [you know, the gravitas thing] but a small piece of me would like to see singer Ciara try it out. That girl is FLEXIBLE! As the twins I would cast Haley Joel Osment and Hayden Panettiere. [That's "Sixth Sense" boy and "Heroes" cheerleader girl] Snarf would be CGI with mocap by Andy Serkis. Jaga, the elder would have to be Christopher Lee, which leaves me with Liono. And this was tough. Very, very tough. I first started leaning towards that good lookin kid from the "O.C." the blond one [because Liono is really a kid in a mans body having to grow up] but decided on Marton Csokas because he has the chops and the body build to do it.

    There's my cast. What's yours?

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    Tenchi the Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness

    posted @ 11/30/2006 12:27:00 AM by MagicMystic
    Tenchi was one of the first anime I watched on American television, along with Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop. These series helped me learn to love anime all over again. Thank you Toonami. And now I share Tenchi with you. There are three Tenchi movies, and I will eventually be writing posts on them all.

    In case you missed it, check out my post Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love.

    Tenchi the Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness (1997)

    It's Christmas in the Misaki house but there is a demon watching the festivities, and she doesn't like what she sees. For Yuzuha, watching the celebration reminds her of bad memories from a summer Startica festival she shared with Tenchi's grandfather, back when he was a Jurain prince. Hating them all for their happiness, Yuzuha starts plotting her revenge. The next summer a girl named Mayuka suddenly shows up at the Misaki household and she's calling Tenchi daddy! Ryoko, Ayeka and the others don't take it too well, but when Washu tests Mayuka's genetic structure it matches Tenchi. Washu detected a temporal shift right before Mayuka appeared, so they suspect she's from the future, one of them may even be her mother.

    Mayuka doesn't remember much more than Tenchi's face, so girls all take turns teaching her things about the world. Like any other typical anime summer montage they light firecrackers, eat melon and laze around in the heat. Although Mayuka's intentions are pure, Yuzuha has power over her and can control her actions. Unfortunately, she's not content to let Mayuka make friends, she wants to cause as much drama and destruction as possible. Eventually they have to go to confront Yuzuha, or she'll never leave Mayuka and Tenchi alone.

    Yuzuha lives in her own dimension that looks like a little kids room. It's full of toys and the walls are covered in inset TV screens where she can watch the world. When Tenchi and Ryoko enter this world everything is bedecked and beribboned. They are attacked by killer toys, living ribbons and even a giant teddy bear. It's like a Christmas flavored Tenchi in wonderland as Yuzuha changes the landscape to suit her whim.


    I rate Daughter of Darkness a 3/5, it'd be a 4 but since its Christmas themed it really isn't a year round movie. I'll give a Red MM for rage and love (of all types), a Green MM to round out the Christmas colors and for jealousy, and a Black MM for creatures of darkness. Daughter of Darkness is a typical Tenchi storyline full of catfights and amorous situations. Luckily, Mayuka is a refreshing change from the regular patterns, after so many series with the same characters it is wonderful to see a new face. She provides that and is a wild card in the way arguements play out.



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    Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo! in Love

    posted @ 11/22/2006 10:13:00 AM by MagicMystic
    Tenchi is a great title for anyone who likes roommate drama, space stories or harem anime. But with so many different storylines it begs the question, "Where should I start?" In case you don’t have the time or money to watch all of the Tenchi series, or maybe you just want an intro to the series, I suggest you check out the Tenchi movies. All the same drama and excitement in 3 compact cheap little single DVD packages.

    The bare bones basic Tenchi story is that there are two Jurain princesses (Ayeka and Sasami), a space pirate and her living ship (Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki), the galaxy’s most intelligent mad scientist (Washu) and two Galaxy Police officers (Kiyone and Mihoshi) who all crash land on earth, fall in love with a boy named Tenchi and move in with him. Depending on which series you watch, they meet in slightly different ways and the girls have different relationships amongst themselves. In one of the series Washu is Ryoko’s mother and she scientifically created Ryo-Ohki while in another they are perfect strangers. So basically there is a whole house full of girls who love Tenchi… commence with hilarity and drama.

    Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo! in Love (1996)
    The gang is watching old home movies when the whole world suddenly changes. In this new world the Misaki family has died out and Tenchi doesn’t exist. Luckily, Washu notices a problem and gets a temporal net up just in time and protects Tenchi and the gang from the changes in this new world. Washu investigates and learns that something happened to Tenchi’s mother 26 years ago, that caused her to disappear. The whole gang travels back to 1970 to stop her disappearance.

    However, what they don’t know is that the ‘event’ is caused by a demonic creature with unimaginable power. Kain, the galaxy’s most dangerous villain has gotten loose from his maximum security prison cell. One hundred years ago the Jurain emperor joined forces with the Science Police to stop Kain’s rampage through space. Throughout his captivity Kain’s hatred of the Jurain royal family grew. After escaping, Kain used his power to bend space and time to travel to an era when Jurai’s power was weakest. He plans to wipe out those few members of Jurai who exist in 1970 and he’s starting with Achika, a young Jurain woman who would one day become Tenchi’s mother. If the girls let him succeed then Tenchi will disappear forever and their memories will be rewritten.

    This movie would be cool for the sole reason that everyone gets to wear sleek Jurain battle suits. But you also get to see Tenchi’s parents when they’re young and you get to see Tenchi actually using his Jurain powers. He doesn’t use them enough in the series. Plus there’s a dragon! Kain turns himself into a dragon, and everyone knows that dragons rock. On top of all that, it’s a story about time travel. Who doesn’t like time travel? All those lovely paradoxes and such... good times. Despite all this, the movie manages to stays true to Tenchi form, meaning there’s lots of bickering and cool space technology.

    I give Tenchi the Movie a 3.5/5 because it’s a decent movie, but lacks anything that really makes it stand out as a great movie. I’ll use a Black M&M for a timewarp and a villain with more power than a black hole, Dark Pink M&M for the cute budding love between Tenchi’s high school aged parents and Teal M&M for space aged weapons, technology and battle suits.

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    Just For Panda

    posted @ 11/21/2006 09:56:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    As you know, I don't play World of Warcraft as I can only afford one addiction at a time... but Pandalicious does. So when I heard about a new WoW ad on YouTube, I just had to check it out.

    Let me start by saying that Office Space is by far one of the most enjoyable movies I've ever seen. I actually saw it in the movie theater opening weekend in a date [that went very well, mind you] so I can't help but remember it fondly. So when you marry that movie with WoW, how can it NOT be enjoyable?




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    Time For A New Podcast Episode!

    posted @ 11/20/2006 01:50:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    It's new podcast episode day again... this time, it's the super "buy me stuff" edition.

    Well, it's not the final "buy me stuff" edition as we will undoubtedly have a few more of these types of shows between now and New Years Day, but it's a good way to start off the holiday shopping season.

    Pandalicious pimps Angel Sanctuary and Final Fantasy XII while MagicMysticGrl shines the "perfect gift" light on the works of Sang Sun Park with special emphasis on texture in manga. [Or Manwha if you are a purist] Le Oro gets in the mix as well, then NinJaSistah rounds out the show with a spotlight on the movie Boiler Room, the PS2 video game God of War, and the XB360 title Viva Piñata. Grab a cup of egg nog and enjoy Episode 27: Gift Guide-O-Rama!

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    South Park Review: Stanley's Cup.

    posted @ 11/16/2006 06:47:00 PM by Monkey Doo
    Monkey Doo here to lay down a few words on the latest South Park episode. Some of life's greatest questions will be answered within these paragraphs. Things you have always wondered like "When will it be ok to make fun of Steve Irwin?", "Do the underdog teams always triumph in those sports movies?" and "How do I get the rash to go away?" All this and more within this exciting review of South Park! (spoilers within)

    This is episode 1014 of South Park and I have to admit, it is one of my favorites. Stan loses his bike and his job. Not knowing what to do he is directed to County Hall to talk to the person in charge of his impounded bike. This man is my favorite South Park character I have ever seen. He likes to pull out a record player and voice movie trailers on the spot. What's more, he has the uncanny ability to pop up just about anywhere. :) This hilarious man informs Stan that the only thing he can do to get some cash is to couch the local Pee Wee Hockey team.

    The children are absolutely hilarious. Stan goes through the list, giving each of them positions to play until he gets to the goalie. This kid cracks me up too much. He says, "Coach my doctor says I am not allowed to play goalie. ...Because I have cancer." The whole group freaks out thinking that if they play on the team with him they will get cancer too. XD

    The big game is approaching and the kid with cancer is placed in the hospital. His only wish is that the pee wee team can win the game. So Stan makes him that promise. The only problem is that both teams really really suck, so no one scores. It just so happens that the cancer kids fate was tied with the game, so now life and death are tied within him.

    The team has another chance to save him during one of the breaks of an Avalanche vs. Redwings game. During a meeting the team answers the oh most sacred question of if it is time to make fun of Steve Irwin or not. While talking about the game one of them says "We're going down like Steve Irwin in a pool full of Manta Rays.

    They show up and get a pep talk about how they can't lose because the underdog in sports films always rises to triumph. The only problem is that the other team doesn't show up. The Avalanche, being the nice team that they are, let's the pee wee's play during the third quarter of the their game. The Redwings trounce the hell out of them. One of them actually picks up a kid and begins punching him in the face. Needless to say, the pee wee's lose. The final scene is the cancer kid laying in his bed saying "No hope.... No hope...." before dying.

    Funniest quote of the episode:Coach, can we please win so that my daddy won't beat me tonight?"
    [I'll edit this later with some pics for ya guys. :)]

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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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    OH NO! Not Again!

    posted @ 11/02/2006 05:21:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Bad movies based on video games are bound to happen. They're like a case of crabs... you do all the stuff you need to in order to get rid of them, then you mess around with some skank [male or female] and BOOM! Another infestation.

    This time, it's of the Street Fighter and Castlevania kind.

    You know, I thought, especially with the disasters that were Alone in the Dark and DOOM that the movie studios might have learned that maybe movies based on video games are not the best idea right now. Not because the idea can't work, it's just that the studios change many things that make a game unique or enjoyable as a player but don't necessarily fit the movie cookie cutter frame that they, in the end, make a movie that barely resembles the video game product that they were banking on to help put asses in theater seats.

    Then I read the news about the upcoming Street Fighter and Castlevania movies and my heart sank to the floor. I've always thought that Castlevania plotline would be a great foundation for a feature length film. A bloodline curse to create the intrigue, vampires and the lone figure that stands against them to which you add the style the classic dark and dreary 16th century style and you have the makings of a great period, action, drama. If that doesn't ring the alarms of all studio heads nothing will. So I understand the desire to get this thing green lit... I was excited about it as well. Then I saw who would be helming the pic, Paul W.S. Anderson, and I realized the movie that I was seeing in my head was not the movie that was going to be made. If you aren't familiar with the name Paul W.S. Anderson you may know him from such films as Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, and Event Horizon. Do I really need to say more? It's going to suck. It's going to suck more than The Covenant sucked... which is an amazing feat in and of itself. Which is sad because all the of the elements to create a movie that you can get EVERYONE to go to... action and killing for the dudes, lost love for the ladies, and being a period pic, if done right might even get the academy's attention round Oscar time. But no, that's not going to happen.

    And just when I think the news can't get any worse, one of the FRESHpeeps sends me an email about the Street Fighter movie. Now, why this is happening I've no fucking idea, but this time around the story is going to be centered around Chun-Li as opposed to the whole SF crew. I'll reserve my "it's gonna suck more than..." until I hear a little more. But the thing's going to be written by the dude doing the Voltron movie. You heard me right, I said Voltron movie! Don't even get me started on how pissed I'm going to be if this thing turns out to be the bastard child of The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and that Thunderbirds movie

    But I'm nearly out of rage so I'll stop there. But I'll be writing about that Voltron shit, please believe me!

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    Daily News: Don't Fall for Phony Sony Scams

    posted @ 11/02/2006 12:25:00 AM by evermore
    Today's news is all about new consoles and new games and old gamers. We do a little name-dropping (Clint Eastwood). Sony does a little drop in launch numbers. And Microsoft simply drops the ball. Did GameStop foil the console profiteers? And will a simple de-frag cause your numbers to go up? All of that and less is answered here.




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    Daily News: Microsoft Loves Numbers

    posted @ 11/01/2006 12:43:00 AM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Xbox Live gets 85 enhancements
    • EA awards NBA title early
    • Nintendo doubles Sony on launch titles
    • Gotta travel? Here's help
    • It's back to nature with the Nature Girls


    Xbox Live introduces 85 enhancements: Yesterday Xbox Live users were able to download a system update that gives them 85 new features and enhancements, including support for native 1080p games and movies, faster Xbox Live Arcade game list display times and even more choices when it comes to video playback options. The update requires no disc or hard drive. Read more here.

    Mavs win E(B)A title: The NBA 2006-07 season is just beginning and they've already crowned the new champion: the Dallas Mavericks. At least, that's according to EA, creators of the NBA Live 07 video game. According to a story on the Canadian Broadcasting Company's website, the Mavs win in six games over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki is the MVP of the championship series. Losing in the conference finals are San Antonio and Miami. Last year's EA simulation correctly predicted Miami would advance to the NBA finals, but chose the Heat to lose to San Antonio.

    Nintendo wins war of launch titles: Nintendo's Wii will start its life with 32 new launch titles, almost double the number that the Sony PlayStation 3 will have out before Christmas. The initial Wii titles will be: Call of Duty 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Rapala Tournament Fishing, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Madden NFL '07, Need for Speed: Carbon, Elebits, Happy Feet, Rampage: Total Destruction, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Ant Bully, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Metal Slug Anthology, Super Swing Golf, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Barnyard, Cars, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Creature from the Krusty Krab, Far Cry: Vengeance, GT Pro Series, Monster 4X4 World Circuit, Open Season, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown.

    Anime gypsies get help: Traveling to Anime Expo in Long Beach next June? Now you can get help traveling to a variety of anime conventions through the AX Travel Store. The store provides discounted airfares, hotels and auto rentals on trips to anime conventions. Surf here for details.

    Green Green -- Nature Girls (Vol. 3): Midori has one final chance to make Yuusuke fall in love with her. She bets it all on one kiss, and Yuusuke's memory returns! They are finally together, but fate has decreed them unhappiness no matter what. As the guys prepare a special farewell party for the girl's class, violent thunderstorms shake the school. Influenced by his old memories, Yuusuke's personality changes completely. Ignoring his friends, he becomes blunt and decisive. He begins to wonder if the real Yuusuke is actually a good person. Midori has overcome fate to get this far, but Yuusuke's real personality maybe what finally sends her back to the future. Back to the future? I loved that first movie.


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    New Podcast Episode

    posted @ 10/30/2006 12:44:00 AM by Ninjasistah
    A WARNING: This episode contains an abundance of swearing, cursing, and screaming. It is SERIOUSLY NSFW, NSFK, hell... it's NSFA really, but we had a ball doing it.

    In this episode the girls get you ready for Halloween by sharing with you some of the scariest games they've played, and why they scared them so badly. For Pandalicious it was Silent Hill 2, for NinJaSistah, it was Eternal Darkness... but MagicMysticGrl saves the day by sharing her take on the movie Labyrinth and the new Return to the Labyrinth manga. Oh yeah, they also briefly touch on being scared fuckless, proper zombies in your room protocol, Bowser in real life, and Jim Henson.

    Congrats to our latest candy bitch, WonkeyDonkey. Hit Us Up with your mailing addy so we can send you your prize.

    It's a fun episode y'all, enjoy it!

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    Daily News: Who's Up and Who's Down

    posted @ 10/28/2006 12:07:00 AM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • For every two winners, there's a loser
    • Phil Collins regrets the '80s
    • Guitar Hero pulls the plug
    • No legs on this Miyazaki castle
    • A big box of Pikachu


    Microsoft, Nintendo up, Sony way down: In company earnings reports released this week, Microsoft and Nintendo profits were up significantly from the same quarter last year, while Sony profits were way down -- 94 percent lower. Both results were attributable in part to the companys' performances in their video games divisions. Sales of the Xbox 360 video-game console boosted revenues in the entertainment and devices division by 70 percent to over $1 billion, as compared to a year ago, according to a story on the newratings.com website. Sony, on the other hand, had said that its battery recall would cut earnings for its fiscal second quarter by about $430 million. Sony's net profit in the quarter plunged 94 percent to a mere $14.4 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Sony also was hit particularly hard by an operating loss of about $90 million in its videogame division. In the catbird seat is Nintendo, which reported sales of $2.5 billion, up 69 percent from a year earlier. Net income was $458.6 million, up from a loss a year ago, according to the San Jose Mercury-News.

    Well I remember... Veteran rock star Phil Collins is impressed with the way he is portrayed in the latest Grand Theft Auto game -- and a little bit embarrassed. "They have got it spot on," he said in a story at the contactmusic.com website. "The five o'clock shadow, the suits and all the other stuff that was so embarrassingly prevalent in my '80s wardrobe."

    Guitar Hero unplugged: Guitar Hero fans will be able to shred with a wireless controller, thanks to a unit coming directly from Activision subsidiary RedOctane. Displaying a new glossy white finish, the $59.99 wireless guitar controller contains the same features as the wired Guitar Hero SG controller. The really boring press release is here.

    Miyazaki's Unmoving Museum: "With spiral staircases, catwalks stretching out above, and doors that are only three feet high, the place has a dream-like quality." That's how the Gridskipper website describes the Ghibli Museum, the world's largest repository of the works of Hayao Miyazaki. Located about a 45-minute train ride from Tokyo, the museum contains replicas of Miyazaki's movie characters and the theater shows shorts you can't see anywhere else.

    Pokemon Advanced Box Set, Vol. 2: Ten-year-old Ash aspires to be the greatest Pokemon (pocket monster) trainer in the world. To do this, he enlists in the help of two friends, Misty and Brock, and his own Pokemon, Pikachu. Together, they must search their world for all 150 Pokemon, while avoiding the likes of Team Rocket and their Pokemon, Meowth. Of course, if you don't already know all of this, you've been under a really big rock for the past decade.


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    Daily News: Girls Don't Play, Do They?

    posted @ 10/24/2006 11:24:00 AM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Gamer girls told she's not
    • Madden NFL 07 recalled?
    • That's so Bully
    • Nebraska nerds love anime
    • Count on Monte Cristo


    Girls don't play RPGs, do they? She might be a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but E. Cabell Hankinson Gathman is also a gamer girl. She reveals in the blog Strange Horizons, "even when they're not being told that they can't or shouldn't play games, girls are still being told that they don't." If boys can be female characters in RPGs, why can't a girl be one, too?

    Madden NFL 07 recalled by EA: EA Sports is recalling Madden NFL 07 according to this release: "The recall came after gamers grumbled that no matter what teams or players they put on the field, Al Michaels and John Madden would only talk about Terrell Owens." Deleting the controversial receiver required a recall, programmers said, because the "81 module" is not merely one among many players but an integral part of the game's basic operating system. (OK, OK, it's just a joke! We already knew that. But it's pretty dang funny.)

    A Bully's first gay kiss: Perhaps this is what Jack Thompson is missing in his life. The Entry-Level Heiress blog features a still and a movie showing the Playstation's first gay kiss, from the just-released videogame Bully, which "features a character that likes to give flowers to other boys and then make out with them."

    UNOtaku group enjoys nerdness: At the University of Nebraska-Omaha, anime fans are comfortable enough with their fanaticism to make a little fun of themselves. Rachel Samson, president of UNOtaku, told the university's student newspaper, "The word 'Otaku' originated in Japan, where it carries a slightly negative, nerdy connotation, but we don't mind." The group meets on Thursday nights and is free to anyone who wants to show up.

    Gankutsuou 6 - Count of Monte Cristo: The sixth chapter of this classic tale of love, betrayal and revenge has just been released. Jean Jacques Burnel, who did the music, said of the project, "what I like about this version is the additional mephistolean arrangement between Edmond and the creature. This reminds me a bit of the degenerating power of the devil when you accept his help." You know you want it.


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    Daily News: Play All That You Can Play

    posted @ 10/22/2006 01:28:00 AM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Army gives good game
    • Happier battery news from Sony
    • Microsoft comes to Halo's rescue
    • Iraqis love anime character
    • Got any Gundam?


    U.S. Army bears gifts to gamers: A U.S. defense contractor and the U.S. Army are teaming up to offer a free videogame that helps demonstrate warfare of the future. F2C2 is described as a real-time tactical strategy game that lets player learn about the Army's Future Combat Systems program by assuming command of a Mounted Company Team in the year 2015. Through game play, F2C2 showcases how FCS can provide the 21st century soldier unprecedented situational awareness, and the ability to see first, understand first, act first and finish decisively. F2C2 can be downloaded for free on the U.S. Army's public Web site.

    Sony reassures PS3 owners about controllers: Sony faced another public relations nightmare when it was discovered that the new Sixaxis wireless controller for the PS3 didn't allow users to change batteries, making the entire controller useless when the rechargeable batteries finally died for good. Once the word got out, Sony was quick to say that any controllers that died could be exchanged for a new one. GamesIndustry.biz quotes a Sony representative: "The latest generation of Lithium Polymer batteries hardly suffer any memory effect at all, so it'll be many years before there's any degradation in terms of battery performance. When and if this happens, then of course we will be providing a service to exchange these items."

    Microsoft to save Halo movie? That's the word according to Variety. When it looked like the movie was going to exceed the $135 million pricetag, Universal Studios and Twentieth Century Fox pulled out of the project. Ken Kamins, who represents executive producer Peter Jackson, said Microsoft is already in talks with other distribution partners.

    Anime character used to provide Japanese goodwill in Iraq: A truck rolls up in the scorching midsummer heat of Iraq emblazoned with the image of Captain Tsubasa, from the anime series of the same name. "I figured if we had a picture of Tsubasa on the side of the water supply trucks Japan had provided, maybe people would understand that the anime was actually from Japan," Yasuyuki Ebata, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official, told the Daily Yomiuri newspaper. The Iraqi-language version of the anime is aired in Iraq as "Captain Majed."

    Wars and Rumors of Wars: Two years after the war Between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, conflicts between the two nations heat up again in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Vol. 5. Shin Asuka, the new Main Character's eyes are full of sorrow as his family was killed in Orb during the war. Meanwhile, Athrun is torn between protecting Cagalli in Orb and doing something about the war. With new moble suits being developed by ZAFT and the abduction of three new modles by 3 Earth Alliance Pilots, the new story begins. If you understand all of that, then you really need this one.


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    Daily News: All I Want for Christmas...

    posted @ 10/20/2006 11:32:00 PM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • The mother of all shortages
    • The top 10,000
    • Out like a Lamb
    • Just some good ol' boys
    • Another Case Closed


    Want a Wii or PS3 before Christmas? Forget about it: "This is going to be the mother of all shortages," said Larry Haverty, associate portfolio manager of Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust. He and others have told Reuters that purchasing this year's new consoles at the regular retail price before Christmas might be impossible.

    The 10,000 most important gamers in the world: Are you part of the Nielsen 10,000? If you are, you're one of the most important gamers in the world. Nielsen, the folks who measure TV viewership, will be measuring videogame usage in its Nielsen GamePlay Metrics. Some 10,000 gamers have been chosen to represent the worldwide audience of videogame fans. "We are not targeting homes of gamers specifically," said Jeff Hermann, VP of Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services. "The panel represents the media consumption habits of the US consumer. Since the panel is statistically representative of all U.S. consumers, the gaming population is a subset of the overall panel and statistically projectable to represent game title and duration of play of the entire gaming population."

    Noise of "The Lamb": Tokyopop's animated production of its long-running manga series "Lament of the Lamb" will be spotlighted at the 2006 Tokyo International Film Festival next week. Described in Tokyopop's press release as "a gut-wrenching horror story of a young man who shockingly discovers he may be the last in a bloodline of vampires," the manga version was created by Kei Toume and originally published in Japan by Gentosha. While TOKYOPOP'S popular manga properties, "Priest" and "Pet Shop of Horrors", have been recently acquired for film adaptation by Sony Screen Gems and Focus Features, respectively, "Lament of the Lamb" signals the company's first move into theatrical feature film production.

    Why I don't live in Alabama anymore: James Wilson and Lance Borchert, both of Athens, Ala., were playing their favorite teams in a Playstation college football game Sept. 30 -- a game that became a little too serious. With Borchert's Tennessee team leading Wilson's Auburn team, Wilson became upset when Borchert quit the game and went to bed. Wilson, Borchert's wife's cousin, allegedly entered the Borchert's bedroom and stabbed Borchert in the back with a butcher knife. Although the knife punctured Borchert's lung, it did not kill him. Wilson ran from the Borchert home into the nearby woods and was tracked down by dogs from the Limestone Correctional Facility.

    Exploding Skyscrapers? Don't Blame Godzilla: The city is in the grip of a crazed bomber in Case Closed: The Time Bombed Skyscraper - The Movie and nobody is safe as a crushing wave of terror washes over the innocent citizens. Planes, trains and massive towers all threaten to light up the night sky -- the sick whims of a brutal lunatic played out in sudden balls of fire. Conan Edogawa finds himself in a desperate race against the clock, an explosive game of cat and mouse with a deviant madman, and every second counts. Can he unravel the maniacal malcontent's scheme before the next timer reaches zero? Awww, probably, but you should check it out anyway.


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    Halo Movie Bows It's Head

    posted @ 10/20/2006 01:24:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    My boy Ro hooked me up with this tidbit this morning, and in the spirit of "share your shizzole day" I give you...

    The info on the shelving of the Halo movie. To begin with I've never been sure about a movie being based any video game, let alone Halo. I love Master Chief. If Master Chief was a soup, I'd sop him up with a biscuit... seriously, but the idea of a Halo movie with a first time feature length film director seemed like a recipe for disaster. Not one of Uwe Boll disaster level, but close.

    Tack on to the first time feature film director angle the rising budget [200 Millions and climbing] and Universal got a tad bit ansy. Can't say I blame them. If you look at the details of the deal, MS stood to gain a big ass chunk o' change... you know, foundling lil compnay like them needs all the cash they can get their lil hands on. But on the other hand I am a tad disappointed that the flick might not get made, mostly because I wanted to see who was going to be cast in the film. In my mind, Mickey Rourke is Master Chief, you'll never talk me out of it.

    Just like Linda Fiorentino SHOULD have been Aeon Flux. [She was the bomb in Jade!

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    Daily News: Microsoft to Apple: Get Zuned

    posted @ 10/19/2006 11:20:00 PM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Microsoft tells Apple to Zune itself
    • A feature no one asked for
    • Wii and PS3 kiosks heading to stores
    • The week's best quotes
    • One of those anime things


    READ MY LIPS:
    When General Motors tried to sell the Chevy Nova in Mexico during the 1960s, they discovered an unfortunate problem. In Spanish, the word "nova" means "no-go." Well, the brainiacs at Microsoft didn't seem to care to check out the name of their new MP3 player against the world's major languages. When told the meaning of the word pronounced Zee-yoon in Hebrew, the conversation with Bill Gates undoubtedly went something like this:

    Microserf: Uh, Mr. Gates, there's a problem with the new Zune.
    Bill Gates: A problem? Is it that damn brown color?
    Microserf: No, it's not that, sir. It's... it's... it's the name.
    Bill Gates: The name? What's wrong with the name?
    Microserf: Well, uh, in Hebrew it means... it means...
    Bill Gates: Spit it out, boy. It couldn't be that bad.
    Microserf: It means FUCK!
    Bill Gates: FUCK? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

    HERE'S A FEATURE NOBODY ASKED FOR
    Last week, Sony introduced a new Walkman MP3 player to compete with Apple's iPod. The big, new, iPod-killing feature of this one? The ability to upload music directly from a compact-disc player. Think about this for a moment: Most CD players run at 1X speed, meaning a 45-minute-long CD will take exactly 45 minutes to upload the songs to the player. If you let the batteries run dry, you'll have to upload the whole thing again.

    And, as NinjaSistah asked when I told her about it, who owns CD's anymore?

    RUMORS:
    Sony's not worried about the PS3 overheating, right? Then why are they installing an extra cooling fan in their store kiosks? Read about it here.

    Speaking of kiosks, Wii and PS3 kiosks are already winging their way to Best Buy, Wal-Mart, GameStop and EBGames stores. Call your favorite store to see if it has already arrived. More...

    Don't play the Wii in direct sunlight. That's the word of a blogger on the Nintendo Gal website: "That's right, if you have the sun beaming right onto the sensor bar, it doesn't work." More...

    QUOTES:
    "For this Christmas I think the price for what it specifically does as a video games machine [it] is a bit pricey..."
    -- Sony Computer Entertainment Australia Managing Director Michael Ephraim, talking about the Wii's price. From Australia's Age newspaper.

    "E3 is not a place where product is sold anymore. The industry is recognized as a big part of mainstream culture, so the need for a big glittering event to validate the industry is not what it used to be," he said. "What is needed ... is to focus on the fact that E3 is much more about media-related opportunities. The question is what is the most efficient way to create those opportunities."
    -- Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association that owns E3.From SFGate.com

    "When building a house, traditional Japanese builders start with the tiniest detail and gradually expand from there. Western builders are the opposite. They start with the picture of a whole and add details to it. When Westerners look at old Japanese buildings, they often wonder how the builders drew the blueprint for such a complex shape. But the secret is that there never was a blueprint. It is this fundamental difference in approach that makes Japanese buildings fascinating to their eyes. The same thing can be said about animation. The way we create large images for movies is similar to that traditional architectural method. I think that explains the appeal Japanese animation can have, particularly in the western world."
    -- Toshio Suzuki, president of Japan's Studio Ghibli. From the Wall Street Journal

    Naruto, Vol. 5 - Shinobi Weapons: As I was saying yesterday, join three young ninjas -- Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno -- as they continue their training. Sort of like Pokemon without all the dang cards, eh? Get the thing here.


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    DS As Wii Controller

    posted @ 10/18/2006 10:55:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    It's twoo, it's twoo, er true I mean.

    According to SiliconEra the upcoming Pokemon Battle Revolution game will be the first Wii game to allow the DS to be used as a controller for the game instead of the Wiimote.

    This Poke-game that they speak of is supposedly the first Wii game with online play and is slated to come out around the Japanese Wii launch date in 07. In the article they state that you will select the attack you want your Pokeslave, er, Pokemon to use, and then watch it carry out your orders on your TV. I'm not sure if that's fun or not as the mechanics sound a lot like that NFL Head Coach game that came out this year that NO ONE liked. Maybe it would sound like fun if I liked Poke-games even the least little bit, but I don't. You can sue me if you want, but I just don't find the Poke-games, or Poke-movies the least little bit interesting.

    Still, you will be able to use your DS as a controller for the Wii, so maybe we will see some cool implementations by game developers. I think any game where your character gets update or maps via a PDA type device would be best served by allowing your DS to be your PDA where you could make item selections or check messages using the touch screen. That way you would get the sense of being immersed in the game.

    Just a thought

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    Daily News: G4 on the Brink

    posted @ 10/16/2006 11:02:00 PM by evermore
    In today's news:
    • Will new head change G4?
    • Will Sony sink sooner?
    • Will new E3 survive in July?
    • Will the real Miyazaki please stand up?
    • Will Naruto ever learn?


    E! True Hollywood Story: G4 In a move that many bloggers are calling the beginning of the end of G4, Comcast announced that G4 is getting new supervision from Ted Harbert, who has been the guiding force of Comcast's E! Entertainment Television and Style Network for the past two years. "I am delighted to have this rare opportunity to lead a female, male and broad appeal business," Harbert was quoted in a Comcast press release, "and I am sure it will be an exciting challenge. In addition to collaborating with my talented executive teams at E! and Style, I look forward to working with Neal [Tiles, G4 president] and the G4 team as we build on the success they have achieved to date."

    Sony admitting financial problems? Sony announced this morning that it is considering whether it needs to make revisions to its earning forecasts for the current fiscal year, fueling speculation that the company might be forced to cut its profit projections. This news comes less than 24 hours after three Japanese computer makers announced they may seek additional compensation from Sony over the recall of defective batteries. Toshiba, Hitachi and Fujitsu recently recalled a combined total of 1.1 million batteries made by Sony. Each of the companies have indicated they may seek compensation if the recall causes damage to their brand image.

    Much ado about E3: The Electronic Entertainment Expo, best known as E3, has announced its shrunken 2007 show will be held in Santa Monica, Calif., and will work out of several hotels and the Barker Hangar, a large event venue at the Santa Monica Airport, according to a blog on the SFGate website, associated with the San Francisco Chronicle. The E3 Media and Business Summit, will take place July 11-13.

    The other Miyazaki: The biggest animated hit of the summer in Japan was Miyazaki's Gedo Senki (or Tales from Earthsea). What? You never heard of Tales from Earthsea? It's from Miyazaki, all right, the other Miyazaki -- Goro Miyazaki, Hayao's son. Not everyone likes it, though. According to Ursula K. Le Guin, author of the "Earthsea" novels on which the movie is based, Goro took too many liberties with the story. "Of course a movie shouldn't try to follow a novel exactly -- they're different arts, very different forms of narrative," she wrote on her website. "There may have to be massive changes. But it is reasonable to expect some fidelity to the characters and general story in a film named for and said to be based on books that have been in print for 40 years." Check out the whole story on the New York Times website.

    Naruto, Vol. 4 - The Broken Seal: Join three young ninjas -- Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno -- as they continue their training. Everything Friends should have been and more, eh? Buy it or you'll hate yourself.


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    SAY WHAAA???

    posted @ 10/12/2006 06:13:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Dude, I'm confused. I've been looking forward to the PS2 God Hand for some time now. It's currently at the top of my Gamefly queue followed by Okami and Saints Row. So the news that the company behind the first two games is out of business and about to be liquidated kinda made me say WTF?!?!

    To say that I was caught a little off guard would be an understatement of epic proportions. When I read about it earlier today I bit my tongue, literally. I was chewing gum and was so floored I lost my chewing rhythm, missed the gum, and bit my tongue. This added to me puzzlement and anger.

    As you may [or may not] know, Clover Studios are the mad men and women behind Okami, God Hand, and Viewtiful Joe. If you haven't played any of these games, you've done yourself a disservice. I have yet to play the full versions of Okami or God Hand but I have played a demo of Okami and both of the Viewtiful Joe games. These games are unique. Within the first few moments of playing them you understand by instinct alone that these are the brain children of some creative ass people. Search the interweb for any of these titles or hit up the IGN website and look them up. You won't find any negative things being said about these titles. [Except for God Hand which gets dismissed for being a simple brawler that pokes fun at itself]. So why close up the Clover Studios shop on us Capcom?

    I guess it's the same answer as always: creative does not always equal profit while missed profits always equal termination. It turns out that Capcom [Clover is a subsidiary of Capcom] has decided that although Clover Studios was productive, evidently they were not lucrative [enough]to continue on. While Viewtiful Joe is fun and interesting, it mostly has a cult following much like "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "The Blair Witch Project" films, and if you remember, it was a long time after the RHPS movie came out and BOMBED before it became a cult classic. In the game industry, the present is all you have to make a great impression, good doesn't cut it any more... do blockbuster sales, or go home. The more I write this, the more I ask myself why am I surprised at this turn of events.

    One of my favorite games top play is a game called Ico. Don't feel bad, if you don't know it... many gamers have never played or heard of this game. In this game, you play a boy who is born with horns on his head. These horns are a sign that you are to be sacrificed to ward off evil spirits from your village. People from your village take you to the sacrifice sanctuary and entomb you, but you manage to get out. You meet a girl in white, who doesn't speak your language, [ain't that always the way?] find a stick, and try to escape from the evil shadow spirits inhabiting the castle. What is intriguing about Ico is it's sense of style and atmosphere. The environments are carefully detailed and grand. The mechanic of having to call out to your female companion in order to lift her to high areas or catch her when traversing great distances was, IMHO, ingenious, but very few people were interested in the game. No one knew how to market it over here, so few people ever heard of it. But those that did, loved it. The loved it so much that the fine folks that created Ico got a second chance and produced a game you probably heard of called Shadow of the Colossus. I am almost sure that the reason Shadow existed was because the fans of Ico were so vocal about their feelings for the game as well as all of the glowing reviews critics gave the game and it's design team.

    Clover Studios sure wasn't lacking on praise for Okami nor was Viewtiful Joe a disaster, but I don't think either game has the kind of niche that Ico did, and that's why the panning that God Hand has been getting I think fueled the impending dissolution of the company. I think this is a mistake. As a creative person myself, I hate it whenever something creative gets rubbed out because the profit side of the deal was decent as opposed to being spectacular. Personally, I find it short-sighted to scrap a game, or developer studio because the titles they create do appease the large chunk of the gamer market. The market is diverse: give your audience time to find you and love you. You would be amazed by the length a devoted series fan will go to in order to show their support for the title, but you have to have the ability to accept "good" or "decent" sales in return for the loyalty. Many companies I think ask, "Why spend the time and resources to reach only this part of the market?" Simple, because that part of the market exists and NEEDS to be serviced. In all honesty, how many "flagship" titles can any company have or really need?

    I guess I have to just find some solace in the fact that the Clover Studio folks might just turn around and start their own company and continue being creative. I hope they do... I'll be waiting.

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    ESRB Under Fire

    posted @ 10/09/2006 06:52:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Have you ever had to apply for any kind of federal funding? How about a college loan? Ever had to fill out any kind of paperwork for the gub'ment at all? Remember how large of a PITA that was? Apply that process to video game rating and that's what the future of video games may hold for us all.

    In a "they must be out there Bob-damned minds" moment, the Republican Senator Sam Brownback and pals are trying to get some legislation together and passed that would force the ESRB to play every game through, in it's entirety [which would mean all difficulty levels, finding all Easter eggs, etc,] before it can be rated and then released. Um, yeah... what bonehead told the Esteemed Gentlemen from the great state of Kansas that this was an executable idea, let alone a good one? It's obvious that it wasn't anyone who was an actual gamer, because there are way too many game franchises that will never pass this kind of inspection. Allow me to explain, or rather pose some questions of my own.

    How does one play Everquest, World of Warcraft, Second Life, or any MMORPG through in it's entirety? Throw into the mix user created content, patches, and the hallowed expansion pack and the review process is neverending... like the story. [Which is an AWESOME ass movie, TYVM] I doubt Blizzard wants to create a game or gamescape that never sees the light of day because it hasn't completed the review for rating by the ESRB process. What about the level of ability of the ESRB folks that will have to play the games? Will we have to wait an extra 10 months for a game to be rated and released because the person at the ESRB assigned the title happens to balls out suck at that particular type of game?

    Think about it this way, how long does it take the average gamer to get 100% clear in any game? Even with a guide, on average how long does it take? Few months? Tack on to that the fact that these people will have to be noting every instance of violence, potential violence, sexual content, and language in every scene. Add on a few more months for that. Then they will have to create a report that backs up why they believe the game deserves the rating they have suggested... and a committee goes over the document and then agrees or disagrees. Another month. Looks like 9 months to push that baby out the door if we are lucky and everyone agrees. What developer can afford to add an additional almost year to their development and release cycle?

    Senator Brownback has been quoted as saying:
    The current video game ratings system needs improvement because reviewers do not see the full content of games and don't even play the games they are supposed to rate. For video game ratings to be meaningful and worthy of a parent's trust, the game ratings must be more objective and accurate.
    Which I think is slightly off the mark. While I agree there are flaws within the ESRB rating system, it's better than not having a system at all. Many politicians and ESRB critics are quick to cite the GTA: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" incident and the Oblivion re-rating. Out of the hundreds upon hundreds of games that are released every year on the PC, console, and handheld gaming devices, two only have 2 notable misses [which aren't even bonafide misses... the "Hot Coffee" content was not intended to be seen as the triggers for the content had been removed by the games developer, and the Oblivion deal required a PC only 3rd party hack... hardly something the ESRB could be expected to find] I think is doing a pretty damn good job of screening games. I doubt that many of the already rated games would be re-rated if the ESRB had played them all the way through.

    What sends shivers down my spine is that if this legislation gets some power behind it and becomes law, it will mean the end of the ESRB. There is no way that the ESRB could keep up with the amount of games that they would have to review, so they would have to throw their hands up and say, "NO MAS!" Which would mean the government would step in and create a rating board system. And if you thought the ESRB process was going to be long, can you imaging how long the "Federal Rating Process" would be. Can you imagine your local federal representation assigning people to play games through in their entirety? Huh? Can you? Most times ougub'mentnt works, but it works ssss-lllllll-ooooooo-wwwwwwww people. It takes a lot of paper pushing, and lobbyists to get anything done in all honesty. AKK! Video Game Lobbyists?!?! Those words scare the shit out of me, they should scare the crap out of you too.

    I never thought I would write anything where I was coming to the aid of the ESRB, but they aren't the bad guy here. Personally I always thought that games should kind of be rated on their contents. If I was to rework the rating system, it would look something like this:

    Games for kids age 11 and under, would carry a KS - (kid safe) rating.
    Games like Super Monkey Ball, and most games that currently carry the EC, E or E 10+ rating.

    Games for young adults suitable for people age 13-16 that have most likely been exposed to violence (i.e. a fight in real life, or seen the TV news) and have heard or used strong language, and/or watch MTV... i.e. they've experienced the real world would carry the YA - Young Adult rating.

    Games that have nekkidness, next to nekkidness, allow you to slice an opponent in half with kick ass blood spurts, you know, the stuff you know when you play it no one with a still forming brain should play, would carry an A - Adult rating.

    And we'll keep the RP - Rating Pending rating from the original ESRB system for games that are still under review when their print ad campaigns start.


    Now is thst so difficult? Require that a more detailed explaination of potential game content appear on the back of the game box art [you know, contains violence, naughty language, and sexually suggestive stuff] and be done with it. Make a special area at the bottom on the front of the box art case [make it the standard template for the entire industry] and allow them to use whatever highlight color they want so as not to interfere with the artwork, and put the rating in there clearly. For some examples click on the images below.




    These are just some of the thoughts that have been bouncing around my head since I read this comic from Penny Arcade. They make a valid point... a scary, valid, on point, point.

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    ESH REviews: Now With Candy Ratings

    posted @ 10/08/2006 10:02:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Told you we were working on it, and now here it is displayed to you!

    Starting with MagicMysticGrls' article called, "I Can't Believe It's Not Sex" we are launching our review rating system. YAY! We figured since we are using candy to get you all to comment and be interactive with us, it was only fitting to use candy as part of our rating system. We will be rating video game and anime titles/products out of a 5pt scale: .5 or "half" being the equivalent of "sucks more ass than that movie Gigli and 5 being "the most awesome-est thing since time existed!"

    We hope that you like our new rating system because we've been working hard to make it as descriptive as possible. We use, numbers, colors [each candy color has some meaning that describes the reason for it's rating] and candy to make sure that our ratings are easy to find, understand, and most importantly, grab your attention.

    So be on the lookout for a ratings box like this one here on the left and a descriptive paragraph that follows it to explain why we give a certain product the rating we do. Don't agree? Open up your mouth via your fingers and comment. ;)

    Oh, in case you couldn't figure out, M&M® Mars is no way affiliated with ESH, nor do they endorse any of the products that we review. Duh! If we were getting money from them, I soooooo wouldn't still have a day job.

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    Daily News: Days of Our Lives

    posted @ 10/07/2006 12:19:00 AM by evermore
    In today's issue, get a Second Life, get a Half Life and get much more.

    Adding More Lives to Second Life: Second Life fans will be glad to know there are some new tools to create new shapes to import into their virtual worlds outside of Second Life. Some IBM researchers have found a way to use Google's free 3D modeling application SketchUp to create basic shapes. In addition, there's an app to import a 2D structure from PowerPoint. Also, there's a standalone 3D modeling tool called Prim.Blender.

    Like Episodic Gaming? You're Going to See More: Valve Software, creators of the Half-Life saga, says it's going to distribute upcoming chapters in shorter, more frequent episodes. "Steam gives us a real time connection with our customers," Gabe Newell, Valve's founder and managing director, told CNNMoney.com. "Rather than guessing how people are playing our game, we can watch and see them navigate through the game. We can see them get stuck at various points and say 'oh, that's not what we designed' and work to correct that (in our next installment)." Newell revealed that a regular character would be killed in Half-Life 2, to be released in the first quarter of 2007.

    The Burger King of Games: Starting in November, Burger King will offer three restaurant-related Xbox 360 games for $3.99 with the purchase of a value meal. The three games are "Big Bumpin'," "PocketBike Racer" and "Sneak King," which will feature the restaurant company's iconic King character. The Wall Street Journal asked Burger King marketing head Russ Klein why videogames. Klein answered, "We know that the eyeballs in the increasingly fractured media world are harder to get, and gaming is one of the places they are going." Fractured eyeballs? Now that's a video game.

    Hitachi Recalls Sony Batteries Hitachi became the sixth computer manufacturer to recall Sony batteries in the company's ever-growing battery scandal. Hitachi said it would recall 16,000 batteries in two different models of laptops. In a statement printed in the Wall Street Journal, Hitachi said it is undertaking the recall "for its customers' peace of mind." Here are the current recall numbers, as of Friday, Oct. 6:

    Dell...........4,200,000
    Apple..........1,800,000
    Toshiba..........830,000
    Lenovo...........526,000
    Fujitsu..........287,000
    Hitachi...........16,000
    TOTAL..........7,659,000


    Popular XBox 360 Title to Launch PS3: Bethesda Softworks' blockbuster role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will be a launch title for the PlayStation 3 this November in North America, and next March in Europe when the new console is expected to be released there. In addition, The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion will be released on the PlayStation Portable in Spring 2007 in North America and Europe. The highly regarded game was initially released on the XBox 360 in March.

    Alchemy? You Don't Want My Opinion on That: Just released, Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: The Conqueror of Shamballa focuses on two boys who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and now we're all paying for it. Go ahead -- buy a copy. See if I care.


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    Old School Anime: Sakura Wars

    posted @ 10/06/2006 05:27:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    Ok, I know that technically Sakura Wars isn't really all that old school, but it is the first mecha anime that I can recall watching... so that makes it old school in my book

    In all honesty it took me a few episodes to warm up to this series. I found the part of the story where the mechas are powered by a combination of steam and spirit power to be very interesting. I mean it is no stretch of the imagination to create a mecha that is powered by electricity, or some kind of radioactive powercell, but it takes a special kind of creative imagination to come up with quasi-steam powered robotic units. Awesomeness! While I could breakdown to you what the plotline of the series is, who all the major players are, I think it would better serve you instead share with you some little known facts about Sakura Wars and then explain why I think it's a series that every anime fan should have in their collection.

    Sakura Wars actually started out as a video game developed by Sega. It was originally called Sakura Taisen which caused some confusion in finding it when it was first licensed in the US. ADV Films licensed it here in the US as Sakura Wars and the confusion hilarity ensued. It took me a while to find any episodes on VHS [again, this was back in the day... circa late 1990's] because the video stores I would call didn't know what anime really was, and never had anything called Sakura Taisen in their store. No video game, no movies, and I should stop prank calling them... that's how all the calls ended for a few months. Then I realized I was looking in the wrong place for this stuff. I switched gears and started dogging my local comic stop and that was the ticket. But I digress.

    According to Wikipedia there is an official Sakura Taisen shop on the top floor of the Sega "GIGA" Amusement Center, located in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district. Called "Taisho Romando", the store sells only Sakura Taisen-related merchandise... so if you are in need of a Ri Kohran costume, toy models, artbooks, posters, wall scrolls, and even snack foods! [Sakura Taisen pocky anyone?] If you are a fan of collecting all kinds of knick knacks from your favorite series, Sakura Wars surely keeps you covered.

    The reason I think everyone should have this series in their collection is simple: Sakura Wars is simply the best version of the bashful but strong girl who, through physical and emotional trials, overcomes her own weakness to become a strong leader. It is a great series for young girls to watch and learn that being smart and strong
    are things to be valued, that the strength of real friendship is something to strive for in any relationship, and it's cool looking. [Plus the thin box set is under $30 bucks]

    So look into Sakura Wars, you just might like it.




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    Daily News: TotemBall Goes Live Today

    posted @ 10/04/2006 12:14:00 AM by evermore
    In today's issue of our daily news report, play a little TotemBall, beat Cartman at a game of WoW, get put on the disabled list by the newest gaming sensation, try to sit through just one more Pokemon movie and buy the second volume of Basilisk.

    TotemBall Available Today on Xbox Live: Playing with your Xbox Live Vision camera just got a little physical now that TotemBall is available on Xbox Live Arcade. The gesture-based game uses Xbox Live Vision to control the characters in the game. Help Pterry the Pturtel uncover all the musical totems while grooving to your own totem beat. The game is offered for FREE on Xbox Live Arcade, starting today at 4 a.m. Eastern time, 1 a.m. Pacific time.

    South Park Kids Make Love, Not Warcraft: As Douceswild reminded us in yesterday's news, tonight's first episode of the tenth season of South Park will feature the kids playing World of Warcraft. Here's a sneak peek.

    Nasty Injur-Wii: Microsoft's U.S. Xbox 360 chief Peter Moore loves the Nintendo Wii and believes dual platform ownership of the two systems could reach 40 percent. However, in a story on the Next Generation website, he warns about the Wii, "The controller is innovative but it remains to be seen how innovative your shoulder will feel after an hour's play." Could the Wii result in rotator cuff injuries, as suffered by major league pitchers? Below is an example of the damage that could be suffered internally by a voracious Wii player:



    Seems Like 88: Continuing the long-running series, Pokemon Movie 8: Lucario and The Mystery of Mew has just been released. The DVD package also contains "making-of" footage, an hour-long TV special and a mini-comic book. Buy it here, if you dare.

    Available Starting Today: "The passions of the past quickly reignite as one scroll seeks to undo two powerful tribes. Death is on the wind, and the storm continues unabated." That's the description of Basilisk, Vol. 2, The Spoils of War, which just became available in the U.S. today. This limited edition includes an exclusive Japanese insert, collectible cards and original Japanese features.


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    Daily News: You Write It, Optimus Prime Says It

    posted @ 10/03/2006 12:00:00 AM by evermore
    Keeping you informed is what ElectricSistaHood is all about. Starting today, we're providing you the Daily News -- a daily feature that will try to keep you up-to-date on everything related to gaming and anime. Feel free to make comments about the news of the day. If you've seen something that we haven't mentioned, please add it along with a link in the Comment section.

    In today's issue, tell Optimus Prime exactly what to say, beat the WOPR from the film WarGames in a game of chess and wash out a kindergartner's mouth out with soap.

    Putting Words in the Mouth of Optimus Prime: There are plenty of discouraging words about the upcoming Transformers movie, but this contest should bring a lot of joy to fans. Ten winners of the contest will be able to make Optimus Prime speak words provided by the winners. Winner of the top prize will actually hear the words spoken in the movie. The line is limited to 120 characters and you have only until Oct. 12 to enter, so you better hurry.

    Wouldn't You Prefer a Nice Game of Chess? That's the question asked by the WOPR in the seminal video gaming film WarGames. Now you can experience the power and the exasperation of the WOPR by playing Introversion software's DEFCON. Available only for the PC and only online, you can download a demo version here. My question is, does it have a Tic-Tac-Toe mode?

    Leave It to Shin: They're not the Cleavers, but Shinchan and his family has a devoted following on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. They're so anxious to keep the potty-mouthed kindergartner on American TV that they've created a website so you can help. In addition, you can view show clips and vote on your favorite Shinism.


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    Download Your Anime Legally...

    posted @ 9/26/2006 08:44:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    For a small fee that is. Today ADV Films launched their new anime download store called ADVuniverse

    The website features episodes of various ADV license anime series for download. For a mere $4.99 American you can download episode one of Godannar or Jinki: Extended, or, um, Comic Party Revolution. Keep in mind that the store just launched so there are very few titles with episodes available. I'm sure that more titles and episodes will be added shortly. There are also a couple of movie titles available including Lady Death, but movie titles will cost you more topping out at about $19.99, which may have you asking, "is it worth it?"

    My answer is a tad bit jaded. Why? Well for starters, the files are in WMV format with DRM protection. And before you go all crazy and accuse me of being a pirate [which I am not, I am clearly a Ninja... see my shurikens?] I only object to the DRM in this case because it renders the service useless on a Macintosh. Windows Media Player is only up to version 9 on the Mac, Microsoft has said they are no longer going to improve or add to the application, and neither WMP 9 on the Mac, VLC Media Player, nor MPlayer can play DRM protected WMV files. This sucks not only for myself, but true anime horders like Pandalicious. If I would have been able to buy and play ADV's catalog of content on my Mac I probably would buy a new external drive to devote just to it and I'm sure Panda would add a few drives to her existing arsenal of external storage.

    I know that Apple recently added movie downloads to their iTunes Store, and I do feel that digital downloading is the future of film and animation distribution. Don't believe? Think of all the people that hit up places like YouTube and Viral Video, or how popular video podcasting has become... all those users can't be a fluke or fad. But I do think they have set their price point a bit too high and cut out too much of a potential consumer base to be very successful. Compare $1.99 per TV show episode through the Apple iTunes Store which you can purchase and view on either the Windows or Macintosh platforms to the $4.99 per anime series episode which you can must purchase and play on a Windows machine.

    I guess time will tell. I could be wrong, people might be willing to pay $4.99 per episode for a half hour anime episode that is DRM protected to a Windows machine... but I know I won't be.

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    Spaceballs: The Cartoon!

    posted @ 9/24/2006 03:10:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    I got good news,bad news, and then better news for you. First the good news: The good news is that Spaceballs: The Movie is about to become Spaceballs: The Cartoon...

    The bad news is that it looks like G4 is getting first dibs on the series. According to this article on the Variety website, G4 has the rights for the 1 hour pilot and typical 13 half hour episode first season of the new cartoon series.

    The better news is that Mr. Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan [who co-wrote Spaceballs: The Movie will write the hour long pilot while Meehan will oversee the writing during the series season. Oh yeah, Brooks himself will do the voices for President Scroob and Yogurt for the series... just as Bob intended!

    Sure, this isn't video game news but it is an animated series, so it kinda falls under the anime banner. Besides, Spaceballs [and all things "balls" related] are news and noteworthy in my book. I have been waiting for all the things Yogurt promised me in the movie: Spaceballs: The T-Shirt, Spaceballs: The Toilet Paper, the Yogurt plushie, and especially Spaceballs: The Flamethrower. Hopefully the series will be good enough to make it through the entire initial season so some of that merchandising may come to pass.

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    A Star Wars Game That Doesn't Suck

    posted @ 9/21/2006 03:13:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    How absolutely novel an idea.

    I recently got a copy of a demo for Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and I have to say, it's actually fun.

    Now before you get all pissy with me understand the difference between "good" and "fun". The Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic games were good [actually they were very, very, good], but I didn't have "fun" playing them. I thought the sound effects were great, the characters were perfectly designed, and I felt like I was playing Star Wars; just like the game was designed to make me feel. But I didn't have fun playing it which is why I lost interest in it very quickly.

    I've tried both KOTOR games as well as the Jedi Academy game and again found myself displeased with the slow gameplay and pace of the story, so I moved on to a new game. With all the previous Star Wars games I had expressed leaving a bad taste in my mouth, I avoided the first Lego Star Wars game like it had rabies. From all the things I had read about various Star Wars games they were always falling short in some area that I just knew would piss me off. LucasArts tries hard, I know they do, but for me and millions of fans out there the games did not satisfy. If I am completely honest with you all, I would not have tried this demo if Evermore hadn't asked me my opinion on it last evening. Deciding his question deserved answering, I popped the PS2 demo disc in my console and waited for the game to load.

    As the opening music and screen made their appearance I found my old skepticism creeping up on me, and even though I wanted to be able to bring an unbiased opinion to the game, I'd be lying to you if I didn't fess up to this before I continue on. I was ready to be let down again, and initially I was. I found the controls to be the most awful I had ever used. Even when I wasn't touching the controller the characters would slink around and continue to move on me making nuance movements nearly impossible. I was about to stop playing completely when I remembered that I was using a wireless controller that I hadn't used in months. A quick power cycling and the controls started handling properly. Trust me, this makes a WHOLE lot of difference.

    Lego Star Wars II is just plain fun. It's kooky in its use of humor, for the true original trilogy nutball fanatic the game stays true to how we remember the movies. Han shot first, bitches! With the controller working properly I was able to jump, dodge and get my general inner Jedi on. The game lets you change between characters in your party. So you can be R2 for a moment in order to open some doors or interact with other computers or be Obi Wan to use some force skills on items. It all runs kinda seamlessly, one button for attack, one for jumping, one for character swapping, and the left side of the controller for movement... the way it should be. But it's the tongue in cheekiness [is that a word?] of the game that makes it enjoyable. This article would have been done hours ago but for the fact that I've been addicted to the demo for that long. By the time I finish this I will have added the XB360 version of the game to my Gamefly queue and as a result of my funtime pleasure having I am considering upgrading my account to the 3 game plan.

    Sure you can tweak your Lego Star Wars avatar as you like with body pieces you acquire through gameplay and whatnot, but that's not where the fun of the game lies. I think it's because it's simple, doesn't take itself seriously, and stays true to what fans of the original movie franchise enjoy is what makes this game one of those, "damn, I can't put it down" type of games. It's not super next-gen, it's Lego people fer crying out loud, but you should do yourself a favor and add this one to your queue.

    If for no other reason, get the game and share it with a Star Wars geek you know. Fun times will be had by all. Greedo Bombs...need I say more?




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    Bedknobs and Broomsticks

    posted @ 9/20/2006 06:14:00 AM by Monkey Doo
    This summer seems to have been a bust for movies. There have been a few movies out that grabbed my attention, but even they were weak. With the summer over, I hoped to throw my chips in on The Covenant and find some sort of gem.

    It was a few days ago that I saw this movie. I can honestly say that taking the 15 bucks it cost to see the flick and going and waving it in front of blind homeless people would have been much more entertaining and satisfying. The Covenant is easily one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. It is not that the movie is the worst thing since Retail, it just completely lacked what I had expected it to have.

    When I sat down I was waiting for an action packed film similiar to Underworld, but there was almost none of that. It seemed like it was meant to be a plot based movie, but there was not much meat to the plot so they stretched it out as long as they could. To hide this they implemented the use of scare tactics/the gross out factor. If I hadn't gone to see the movie with someone, I would have slept through the whole thing.

    I am interested in the opinions of the sorry fools who have already seen this movie. Is it just me that finds this in the movie? Has my hope that Hollywood will produce tons of high quality movies with good plot blinded me? Give me a reply or hit me up on aim at monkeydooinc.


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    Battle Royal

    posted @ 9/13/2006 12:38:00 PM by MagicMystic
    Alright I just finished watching Naruto the Movie 2 and I have a question for you all.

    Now everyone knows that Naruto is about a ninja kid and his ninja friends and ninja enemies, right? If you didn't already know that, now you do. Well, in the Naruto Movie all these ninja people are fighting knights, so I just had to post this.

    NINJA vs. PIRATE vs. KNIGHT vs. COWBOY

    I added cowboy to round out the village people.

    Who do you think would win in a battle royal and what weapon/technique would give them the advantage? (Because they are cool is not a good reason for them to win.)

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    I've Been Lying to You All

    posted @ 9/11/2006 11:16:00 PM by MagicMystic
    It is time for me to come clean and spill my dirty little secret.

    Ok, here it is. Although I have owned Final Fantasy XII for years and have started it several times I haven't ever completed the game. So, when I watched Advent Children I didn't really understand what was going on. Whenever anyone asks if I've seen the movie or played the game I totally rave about how cool they were and how much I liked them. I've been living a lie and it's nice to finally get that off my chest.

    So what have you been lying about to look cooler to those geeks in the anime/gaming worlds. Do you not actually know what EVA means? Have you never played one of the multitudes of Mario games out there? Do you exaggerate how long you have been into anime/gaming? Do you have difficulty telling Anime from American animation styles?

    Whatever your little secret, admitting it is the first step to getting some help. Maybe we can clear up some misconceptions.


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    Trinity Blood On Adult Swim

    posted @ 9/08/2006 02:25:00 PM by Ninjasistah
    MMM vampire anime. I heart vampire anime.

    Actually, I basically just heart vampires, so when I saw that Trinity Blood was going to be on Adult Swim Fix [the AS video streaming stuff that they do each Friday with new items being posted at 6pm EST] I about bit through my own lip. I have never seen this series, only read about it online and tried tracking it down via the naughty naughty way with absolutely no luck. =/

    But yet again, AS has come to my rescue and is about to start airing episodes of Trinity Blood via the web starting today! If I needed another thing to help me kick off the weekend this sure would be it.

    I'm not trying to hype this up ok, [not intentionally anyways] but it's just nice to see some new anime appearing in places that I can get a hold of it. I mean, Magic and Panda have all kinds of exposure to all things anime and have seen so many different things in the anime genre, but it's still all really new to me. I don't know diddly about mangas, haven't been to an anime con yet, never cosplayed, don't have a subscription to New-Type, hell I've never seen all of Miyasaki-san's movies...so I tend to get really excited when series that I've barely [or never] heard of that Panda or Magic haven't mentioned around me before show up somewhere that I get to watch them.

    The basic line of the series focuses around the Vatican's secret weapon against vampires: a man named Abel Nightroad who's no mere human. [hint, hint] If you bounce over to the AS Trinity Blood page you can get the low down on what's going down, but the characters look great so I'm in. I'll try anything once.

    I have no idea if Trinity is going to be good or not, but I'm looking forward to the experience.

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    To All The Browncoats Out There in the 'Verse

    posted @ 8/31/2006 11:45:00 PM by MagicMystic
    I was just surfing around and I found this site and I want each and every one of you browncoats to do your duty and check it out. (Browncoats refers to the army Malcolm Reynolds fought side by side with during the battle of Serenity.)


    The movie Serenity started as a tv show named Firefly, which was unfortunately cancelled far before it's time. While surfing I found a site that seems to have found a ray of hope to a revival of the show. They are pushing for more than a single season of Firefly. If you love this show, or have yet to watch it and realize how much you love it, just click here to check this site out.


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